#Bold&BlatantSelfPromo – #Excerpt – #WakeRobinRidge Book1

/ Marcia Meara

I’ve been thinking about running a few self-promotional posts here and there. Hope you’ll indulge me if I do a bit of marketing for my books, in general, including any sales or other special deals that might be available, too.

Today’s post features the first book I ever wrote, published in 2013. For those who don’t know, the wake-robin is a wine-red trillium which blooms in the North Carolina mountains every spring. It’s always been a favorite of mine, and I knew it would be the name of my fictitious mountain ridge before I even started writing the book.  In addition to the Blurb, I’m sharing an excerpt from the beginning of a very pivotal scene in the story.  Hope you enjoy it!

Wake-Robin Ridge, Where Ghosts Walk, Ancient Legends Abound,
and Things Still go Bump in the Night.

BLURB

“A PHONE RINGING AT 2:00 A.M. never means anything good. Calls at 2:00 A.M. are bad news. Someone has died. Someone is hurt. Or someone needs help.”

On a bitter cold January night in 1965, death came calling at an isolated little cabin on Wake-Robin Ridge. Now, nearly 50 years later, librarian Sarah Gray has quit her job and moved into the same cabin, hoping the peace and quiet of her woodland retreat will allow her to concentrate on writing her first novel. Instead she finds herself distracted by her only neighbor, the enigmatic and reclusive MacKenzie Cole, who lives on top of the mountain with his Irish wolfhound as his sole companion.

As their tentative friendship grows, Sarah learns the truth about the heartbreaking secret causing Mac to hide from the world. But before the two can sort out their feelings for each other, they find themselves plunged into a night of terror neither could have anticipated. Now they must unravel the horrifying events of a murder committed decades earlier. In doing so, they discover that the only thing stronger than a hatred that will not die is a heart willing to sacrifice everything for another.

EXCERPT

I saw the headlights flare across the back wall before I heard the sound of Mac’s truck, and I rose, moving to face the door. My hands were shaking and my stomach was in a knot. He was coming, and I didn’t know if that was a good thing, or a very bad one. I heard the truck door slam, and in seconds he was knocking rapidly on my door.

“Sarah? Sarah, please. Open the door. Please, Sarah?”

I stood with my hand on the knob, debating—a mere two inches of wood between us. Jenna’s joke about him being a serial killer flashed through my mind. Was he dangerous? Drunk? Mentally unstable?

I heard him make a strangled sound on the other side. “Oh, Sarah, I’m so sorry. Please let me in.”

He sounded on the verge of tears. That did it. Whatever the problem was, I couldn’t say no to anyone that unhappy, and certainly not to Mac.

I turned the knob and began to open the door, only to have Mac push his way inside, and pull me roughly against him. He buried his face in my hair, his breath hot against my head. “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m so sorry.” He was trembling all over.

I leaned back to look at him, and the misery in his face was shocking. “Oh, Mac,” I whispered. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, he leaned down, and kissed me. Hard. I stood frozen for a moment, then he abruptly let me go, stumbling back with a gasp. He looked almost as shocked as I felt.

“Oh, damn,” he choked out, closing his eyes. I took his hand, which was ice-cold, and pulled him into the warmth of the living room, closing the door behind us.

“Sit down, Mac.” I led him to the couch, and wrapped my afghan around his shoulders. He huddled there, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, and his face buried in his hands. His breathing was ragged, and he seemed to be struggling to gather control of his emotions. When the worst of his shivering eased, he dropped his hands.

Even by the dim light of the fire, I could see he looked awful. His eyes were bloodshot, and had dark circles underneath them. He hadn’t shaved in a day or two, and his hair was tousled every which way.

I felt he wanted to tell me something, but he seemed unable to find the words to begin. When he didn’t look at me again, I knelt down in front of him on the floor. I put my palm on his cheek and turned his face toward me. “Mac? It’s time. You need to tell me.”

“I know,” he said, voice barely audible. “I want to, but it’s so hard, Sarah.” He took a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t know how to talk about it. I never have before, not to anyone.” His voice broke, and his eyes shone with unshed tears.

I moved up to sit beside him, and took his hand in mine. “Try. Just try, Mac. I can’t be here for you if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

He looked at me, searching for something in my eyes. Reassurance, perhaps. Then he turned back to stare into the fire, drawing courage from the warmth of the flames. I waited.

Mac’s eyes were focused on something far away, and he held my hand in a death grip. Finally, he took another shuddering breath and began to talk, his voice barely above a whisper. “I went to Charlotte to see my son.”

“You have a son?” I asked, after he had been quiet for a long moment.

He started to say something, then stopped. He cleared his throat and tried again, twice, before managing to go on. “Had. I had a son. He died.”

It was obvious just saying the words tore him apart. His pain was like a living presence in the room, and I would have done just about anything to ease it for him; but I thought that this was probably a story he needed to tell in his own way, so I waited. He spoke in such a halting manner, it was easy to believe he had never said any of this out loud.

“Monday was his birthday … he would have been eighteen.” He gave a ragged sigh. “Grown up. I still see him small, laughing … playing in the sandbox with his trucks.” He stopped again.

“I always go on his birthday, but I wasn’t going to this year. I thought I could stay here … be with you … just not think about it, for this one year. I’m good at not thinking about it most of the time. I just pretend everything is all right.” Another long pause. “My life is all about pretending.”

************************

Download on Kindle for Just $1.99
Currently Available in Print for Only $4.36

Author Marcia Meara

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years and four big cats.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

Buy Marcia’s Books Here

Novels
Wake-Robin Ridge: Book 1
A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3
The Light: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 4

Swamp Ghosts: Riverbend Book 1
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book 3

Riverbend Spinoff Novellas
The Emissary 1
The Emissary 2 – To Love Somebody
The Emissary 3 – Love Hurts

Poetry
Summer Magic: Poems of Life and Love

Reach Marcia on Social Media Here:

Blog: The Write Stuff
Facebook
Email: marciameara16@gmail.com

37 thoughts on “#Bold&BlatantSelfPromo – #Excerpt – #WakeRobinRidge Book1”

    • Aw, thanks, Jackie! I love being part of this very giving and supportive writing/blogging community, and I was pretty sure everyone would be okay with me running a promo twice a month or so.

      I’m very glad you enjoyed this excerpt, and hope maybe some day you’ll give the WRR series a try. I think you’d enjoy meeting Rabbit. You might find things you enjoy in the Riverbend series, too, since there’s a LOT of “real” life on the river scenes in it. I’ll be sharing an excerpt from it in the weeks ahead, too.

      Thanks so much for stopping by today! 🙂 ❤

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    • I hope everyone feels that way, Craig. It’s not something I do very often, but I decided twice a month or so would be acceptable to most. Hope you enjoyed the excerpt, even though I know it’s less your thing than getting a glimpse of Florida wildlife in the Riverbend series might be. 😀 And thanks so much for stopping by today! 😀

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    • I’m gonna give it a go every couple of week, Sue, and see what happens. I’m also going to be exploring some paid marketing venues, too. (Been making a list of those others have had good luck with.) Thanks for stopping by and offering encouragement! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Thanks, Harmony! I hope some folks might be interested in checking this series out. We’ll see. (Next time, it will be a scene with Rabbit! :D)

      Thanks for stopping by today and wishing me well! 🙂 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Thanks so much, Nancy. If you give the book a try, I hope you’ll enjoy it. I like to think my writing skills have improved with each book, but this is the one that started it all, and it has always gotten a lot of great comments. I’m glad the excerpt I chose has piqued your interest. It’s a very pivotal moment in the story, even though the full scene was far too long to include in a post.

      I appreciate your stopping by this morning, and will be interested in your thoughts if you decide to read Wake-Robin Ridge. 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Thanks so much, Denise. I’m delighted you feel that way, and I hope some new readers might discover all the things that happen on Wake-Robin Ridge.

      I really appreciate your stopping by today, too! 😀 ❤

      Like

      Reply

  9. I was late to the party, but I’m sure glad I read your book, Marcia. No need to feel guilty about promoting one’s self, especially since you balance your blogging with many other posts that aren’t self-promotion.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Pete. I hope you’ll check out the rest of the series. (Can’t remember which book you read, though I think you told me. Brain fog still hanging on.) I will be posting twice a month with excerpts from each of my 7 novels, 3 novellas, and book of poetry. Hope you’ll enjoy reading about them.

      I really appreciate your stopping by today, too, and taking a moment to say hello! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Yvette, and I hope you’ll also enjoy the rest of the story, when you find time to read it.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to let me know. 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  13. Thanks, Jan. And I’m glad you enjoyed the excerpt. Hope you’ll enjoy the whole book when you find time to read it. And believe me, I understand that dilemma. Time for reading and time for reviewing are so scarce for me right now. I want to do better with BOTH this year!

    I really appreciate your stopping by and taking time to say hello, too! Thanks again!
    😀 ❤

    Like

    Reply

    • Aw, thanks so much, Teri. And I’m glad you feel that way, as I’m planning to do this twice a month or so.

      It does my heart good to know you’ve enjoyed this series to date, especially Rabbit, who sure did shake things up a bit. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking time to say hello! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  15. This was the first book of yours I read and I’m delighted it’s getting some promotion! It’s the start of a terrific series and sets the scene beautifully for the arrival of my personal favourite – Rabbit! ❤ ❤ ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Aw, thanks, Trish! That’s so nice of you to say, and it does my heart good to know how much you love Rabbit! I really appreciate your stopping by to tell me that, and I’ll be smiling the rest of the evening, now! 🤗❤️🤗

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  16. It never hurts to do bold and blatant promotion, especially when you’ve got such a good book (and characters) to shove into the limelight. I’m smiling just thinking about folks discovering this story for the first time. 🤗

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • What a lovely comment, Mae! Thanks so much for your kind words, and I do hope there will be a few discoveries made as a result of sharing these promos! Meanwhile, I also hope to get my two WIPs back underway, so I can enjoy the thrill of new publications again. It’s been way too long!

      I really appreciate you stopping by and taking a moment to say hello. Your encouragement is VERY welcome, as always, but especially right now. I almost feel like I’m starting from scratch on the technical portions of self-publishing, though I’m sure I’ll figure it all out again. (Probably! 😂)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Thanks so much for reading AND reviewing, Debra! I’m so glad you enjoyed my first book, and I hope you’ll find the second in the series as good a read, too. Or better! It introduces Rabbit, and he altered the direction of the entire series. I’ll be sharing another Bold & Blatant post on that one this month, as well. (Working my way through all seven of my novels, my three novellas, and my book of poetry, too.) Thanks for following along, as I share excerpts, etc, of each one, 2 posts per month.

      And I really appreciate your stopping by today to let me know your thoughts! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Thank you for those kind words, Priscilla. I’m so glad you enjoyed this one, and hope the rest of the series will be even more fun for you. And I greatly appreciate your stopping by today and taking a moment to say hello! Thanks!! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Looking forward to hearing what YOU think! NOTE: If in doubt about leaving comments on this blog, please read the privacy statement in the menu at the top of the page.