Turning
Point
by
K.M. Smith
Genre:
Paranormal Urban Fantasy
Adam
is the resident vampire in a small college town in Michigan. It’s
the same scenario every night: wander campus, snag a co-ed for
dinner, get home before dawn. Rinse. Repeat--until an irresistible
new professor appears. From the shadows, he follows her every
footstep, lurking, until he witnesses a tragic accident. As life
drains from the object of his desire, he is faced with an impossible
choice: Should he intervene or not?
22
years later, Alice Peterson is well on her way to graduating from
college. Her life and goals are set, and her future is bright. But
Alice meets Adam and a tempestuous wind portends a different fate.
Thrust into a world she thought to be fictitious, Alice must rely on
wit, cunning and newfound powers if she hopes to survive. Adam will
do what he must to keep Alice from learning too much about her past,
including the unthinkable.
No
good deed goes unpunished as familial bonds are pushed to their limit
and new relationships are tested. Filled with action and
bloodlust-fueled drama, read on to unlock the mystery when Alice
reaches her Turning Point.
**Only
.99 cents!! **
Turning Point Excerpts
It had been a long, hot summer and pickings had been slim. Too much daylight meant not enough drunken co-eds. Shorter nights made dealing with the Hunger easier, but there would come a time when the balance would shift. Rarely satiated, often malnourished, the cycle of Hunger pervaded a vampire’s psyche and would drive one to rashness, belligerence, and sometimes, insanity. Adam was heading toward belligerence.
It was time to break his fast.
At eleven p.m., he set out. The late hour provided anonymity, yet much of the sloppy debauchery was, thankfully, yet to come. The students had returned and Cascarelli’s (‘Relli’s as it was known locally), the only bar in the sleepy college town of Albion, Michigan, was hopping. Fresh faces, bright young minds, and tight bodies converged, forming an energy that was infectious and permeated the air for blocks in all directions. Fingers tingling, Adam absorbed the ambient zest and vigor he needed to complete his mission. His steps quickened the more he thought about the night ahead. The week before fall semester was always his favorite. The promise of a fresh start pushed spirits higher than at any other time, except maybe the week before spring break, but March in Michigan could be so dreary. Arriving at ‘Relli’s, he inhaled deeply. The summer had been so long.
Loud music, grungy smells and sweaty bodies pressing together awaited him on the other side of the door. Butterflies fluttered through his insides as he rubbed his hands together. Pausing to adjust his stance and set his face to appear human, he pushed open the door and stepped over the threshold. Before his boot hit the floor, one intoxicating scent slammed into him. A woman.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Just before Alice reached the door, her hairs stood on end. This time she recognized the forewarning for what it was. ‘Adam?’ she directed her thoughts outward. ‘You’re not supposed to be here!’
‘He’s not here,’ said an unfamiliar voice in her head.
Alice stopped and scanned the crowd to determine who had invaded her mind. “Show yourself,” she said out loud.
“I like a girl who’s forward,” replied a drunk frat guy with a backward baseball cap and a beer.
“Ugh, not you, slugger,” she said and pushed him back in the direction of other drunker girls.
“Your loss,” he said as he stumbled off.
“I’ll get over it,” Alice said, crossing her arms and continuing to scan the crowd.
‘Turn toward the juke box,’ the voice commanded.
She jerked her head in the direction of the juke box and saw a short, stocky pale man wearing all black, with a baseball cap worn low to cover his eyes.
‘You look ridiculous,’ she thought at the stranger, filtering out everything else around her.
He flashed his fangs at her. Alice held her ground. ‘Am I supposed to be scared or impressed?’ she thought in reply, hoping he couldn’t hear the false bravado in her internal voice.
‘Come outside with me. Do it on your own and nobody gets hurt. If you don’t, I’ll use these’—he flashed his fangs again—‘on every human in here. Then you can tell me if you’re scared or impressed.’
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Stop it, Leo!” a voice shouted from over his shoulder. He ignored the voice, fully engrossed in drinking Alice dry. In the distance he could hear footsteps scuffing on the sidewalk, rushing in his direction. Leo mentally rolled his eyes and took in one last, deep draw from his victim before reluctantly letting go. Releasing Alice’s neck, he hissed as the other vampire approached.
“Damnit! You weren’t supposed to hurt her!” Jake shouted, and clipped him on the shoulder.
Leo grimaced at being told off. “She’ll be fine, pretty boy,” he muttered. Knowing it would drive his partner crazy, he purposefully let Alice’s limp body slide toward the ground. Jake followed rules, covered his tracks, did as he was told. Leo did what he wanted to do, and if he got the job done in the process, great.
“You’ve nearly killed her!” Jake bent down and wrapped Alice’s arm over his shoulder as he scooped her up. He scowled at Leo as he pushed past him. “C’mon, we’ve got to get back. Drew’s gonna be pissed.”
Leo wiped his bloody face with the back of his hand. “She sassed me!” he said. “I told her not to, Jake.”
“Nobody says ‘sass’ anymore, Leo.” Jake kept walking until he came to an unlit part of the sidewalk. “We need to get her to the car before she wakes up.” He turned to face Leo. “She better wake up, Leo.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sarah’s world wobbled. What appeared to be a man, an ordinary human man, sat across from her. Warning bells sounded inside her mind, but she didn’t move to make him leave. In truth, a stranger,
a supposed supernatural killer, was drinking tea in her kitchen and all she could think to do was offer him another cup.
In an attempt to shake away the head fog, she stood and backed away. Stumbling, she leaned on the table to support herself. Part of her brain screamed for her to run, to call the police, anything as long as she fled to safety. But some other part washed her in comfort, urging her to stay close. Gripping the edge of the table, Sarah squeezed her eyes shut. Pieces of memories—were they memories?—bubbled up in her mind, but none of them made sense. Her hands shook as electricity coursed through her body. Needing something to focus on, she searched the room, looking anywhere but at Adam, and settled on watching the clock. The repetitive tick-ticking helped calm her and soon the buzzing drained away.
Trying to appear normal, she returned her seat and addressed Adam. “Yes, Alice told me about you. I, ah, I told her she was being ridiculous.” Sarah paused, conflict clouding her eyes. The man sitting here with her appeared normal, yet his skin looked like marble and a weird energy radiated off him. She felt different because of him. Her gut told her she was right to be concerned regardless of what her eyes saw. “I told her there were no such things as….” her voice trailed off before she could finish the sentence.
K.M.
Smith has been around the world and currently resides in Texas.
Writing is her passion, and writing about vampires and people with
different supernatural abilities makes her giddy. Growing up in
Michigan and spending time in several parts of the world has provided
her with unique perspectives and innumerable opportunities for
storytelling. K.M. is married to a wonderful and understanding man,
and she is the mother of two children who test her knowledge of life
and push her limits of caffeine intake daily. She is a bit of a
dabbler and jumps headfirst into any endeavor she takes on (like
writing a book and turning it into a series). When not at her desk,
she can be found smashing her way through the tennis courts in the
suburbs of Houston. Occasionally, she can be found writing at her
blog kristynotkirsty.com.
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Thank you so much for hosting Turning Point today! I love that you've included all the excerpts. I hope you and your readers enjoy!
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