Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing
Date of Publication: April 2012
Melanie Winters and Daniel Montgomery shared a love
they believed bonded them together for life.
After the tragic loss of their daughter, overwhelming grief and
misguided guilt distorts the truth, and their relationship ends in unanswered
questions.
For nine years, they drift through life, each unable
to forget the one who holds their heart.
Now, when their lives again intersect, will the power
that drew them together be enough to heal the wounds from their past?
Pulled is a
story of attraction and separation, of destiny and duty, of a love so strong it
refuses to give up even when all others have.
Kari: What inspired you to become a writer?
A. L.: I used to write a lot when I was in college,
though it was more poetry than stories.
Then life jgot busy with marriage, kids, and work, and it became
something that I didn’t really do anymore. A handful of years ago, I started
reading a lot again and that stirred up the urge to write. It was then I
started writing Pulled.
Kari: Where do you come up with the idea for your books?
A. L .: So far with all of my books, one character has just shown up in my
head. I can see their face and get some kind of idea of their situation. I’m
sure there’s something that triggers it, but I haven’t ever been conscious of
it. Then I build the story and other characters around that idea.
Kari: What exciting projects are waiting in the
wings?
A. L .: I’m really excited for my next book, When We Collide, which is written in the tradition of Pulled and slants a little more in the
realm of a supernatural thriller. The
expected release is November 2, 2012.
Kari: Who is your favorite literary character
and why?
A. L .: Oh, is it too cliché to say Edward of Twilight fame? In
everything I’ve read, he’s the one character that has stuck with me the most.
Kari: Just for fun, if you could be any animal,
what would it be and why?
A. L .: I would have to say a cat. Who wouldn’t want to
spend the entire day curled up in a ball lounging?
And now for an excerpt from Pulled:
EXCERPT:
I glanced at the clock.
Shit—nearly six o’clock. I needed to hurry. I’d lost
track of time and Nicholas would be home soon. I wiped the tears from my face
before carefully gathering the pictures from the bedroom floor. My chest
weighed heavy as I collected each one, cherishing the memories a moment longer
as I tucked them away in the envelope.
The memories were all I had and I clung to them as if
they were my last breath, knowing that once they faded, there would truly be no
reason to go on. I hid the envelope at the bottom of the large jewelry box in
the back of the closet, mindful to spread the necklaces out over the hidden
compartment. Nicholas had never found them, but I was certain he would destroy
them if he ever did.
Drawing in a deep breath, I ran my hands through my
hair and dragged myself from the past I had immersed myself in for the last two
hours and forced myself downstairs.
My footsteps echoed against the marble floor, each an
accent of emptiness. I entered the kitchen, the only sanctuary I had. Every
room of this house was gaudy and overdone, designed by the pompous for the
pompous, except for this haven. It was no less extravagant, but held a warmth
missing from all of the others.
As I worked, my thoughts inevitably wandered back to
those beloved pictures hidden away in the back of my closet, but even they
weren’t enough to ward off the anxiety steadily building within me as the
passing minutes warned of Nicholas’s arrival. At six thirty-one, I heard the
garage door open. Bile rose in my throat.
“Melanie?” Nicholas called from the entryway.
“In the kitchen,” I called weakly. Maybe he would go
upstairs and spare me a few more minutes, but of course, I never had that kind
of luck. I heard his footsteps approaching and prepared myself.
“Dinner ready?” He yanked at his tie as he came through
the door.
“Um, not quite, just a couple more minutes,” I said,
not meeting his face.
I felt him pause, though I refused to look up. I’d
learned a long time ago how to survive in hell. The less I interacted with him
the better.
He snorted through his nose, muttering, “Worthless
whore,” under his breath.
I gritted my teeth, holding in the anger his
accusation triggered.
He set his briefcase on the island next to me and
tossed his tie over the top of it. “What time do I get home from work,
Melanie?” Nicholas dipped his head, forcing me to look at him.
“Six-thirty.”
“Is it too much to ask that dinner is ready when I get
home?” he said, “or do you have something better to do with your useless life?”
I cringed but said nothing. He was the one who didn’t
want me to work.
“I didn’t think so.” He leaned in closer, his words a
low warning. “When I tell you dinner needs to be ready at six-thirty, it means
dinner is to be ready at six-thirty. Do you understand?”
I saw the threat in his eyes. He had never hurt me
physically, but he made sure I knew who was in charge. I’d given up any control
nine years ago when I’d followed him here to Chicago, looking for an escape
from the pain.
I knew then what this life would be like. I’d met him
at the airport when I’d fled Colorado that final time, the trip that severed
the last thread holding my heart together. Nicholas hadn’t seen the broken girl
who sat numb with nothing but pain swimming in her eyes. He saw the young,
beautiful girl, the one who said nothing at all but seemed to be willing to do
whatever he said.
About the author:
A.L.
Jackson first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and
college student. She filled the journals
she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the
difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.
Years
later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest
friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length
novel, Pulled.
A.L.
resides in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three
beautiful children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she
loves.
Starline
Publishing: http://www.sapphirestarpublishing.com/aljackson
Website/Blog:
http://www.aljacksonbooks.blogspot.com
Amazon:
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