Excerpt and Giveaway Rocked: A Chelsie Valdar Saga, 1 by Gina Marie Long

Published February 16th, 2013

Description:

The Apocalypse is coming...in one week. Chelsie Valdar and her brother are modern-day Viking warrior teenagers. They must find a mystical sword belonging to their ancient ancestor and flee to safety at a secret shelter, if they hope to survive. As the clock ticks, several Bigfoot and an outcast werecat become invaluable friends helping with the search for the sword and offering supernatural protection. Misfortune haunts their every move. Conflicts delay their progress. Especially when a devious and deranged enemy is infatuated with Chelsie and hungers for the sword, desperate to escape to the shelter with Chelsie by his side. Time is running out.

Excerpt:

The ground trembles under my feet. I pause on the nature trail, forcing Gator to stop, too. I wonder if it's an earthquake but each tremor is short and separate from the next one. Not how a quake's rumbling feels. Maybe something heavy dropped on the ground or exploded nearby.

Or it could be something else…

I look at Gator for his opinion. Whatever caused the disturbance stopped. His head tilts from side to side as he makes eye contact then sneezes. I smile at his cuteness, shrug my shoulders and we take off walking fast and steady.

Staying in shape is a priority to me and even though it is the first day of summer vacation, I refuse to ease up on my workouts.

Besides, I need to burn off some restless energy and vent my anger from Dean breaking up with me yesterday. The last day of school is supposed to be fun and carefree. Especially now that I'll be a high school senior when school starts again in August. But no, Dean ruined that. At my locker, before first hour, he caught me and whispered he wanted to breakup. He claims I need an attitude adjustment and that I keep secrets from him. Well, maybe. Screw him. Whatever.

The temperature feels perfect for early June. Blue skies and a nice breeze. The nature trails at Milo McIver State Park are next to my hometown of Estacada, Oregon, close to where I live with my dad and brother. This place is peaceful but motivates me to walk my butt off.

Boom, boom, boom. I freeze again. The pounding echoes from all around and the shuddering of the earth travels through my feet and up my legs. Gator strains at the end of his leash, not moving, quiet, ears alert, and eyes searching for the invader.

A savage roar rises from within the dense woods. Birds screech and fly from the surrounding trees in fright. A young deer bolts over the trail, not even noticing us as it flees from the commotion.

From the tree line on my left, someone large hurtles through the tangled branches directly at Gator and me. The window of opportunity to move out of the way is gone. He slams into my body, blasting me backwards through the air almost ten feet before I hit the ground. Flat on my back, I try to breathe in but struggle as my lungs and stomach protest in pain, refusing to function yet.

I am embarrassed and annoyed with myself. Years of grueling training have prepared me to be on the lookout for this sort of situation. "Plan A" is to avoid trouble. Don't get involved. (I've never been good at following that advice.) If slipping away fails, try negotiating. Or conning my way out of a tight spot. If all else fails, I fight.

I did nothing. Except lose focus on my environment from dwelling on Dean's rejection, and become the victim. I lie out of breath in the dirt and wonder what my attacker plans to do next.

During the tackle, I lost my grip on Gator's leash. I never let him run loose and here he is – free as a bird. The rustling of leaves and his barking signal he is close. Why doesn't he run to my face, brush against my hand, or jump on my belly? I hope I can snatch the leash before he decides to dash into the woods and explore.

I rub my fingers across my eyes, trying to remove dirt from the corner of the left one. My ponytail presses into the back of my head, creating a painful ache. Sucking in a shallow breath of dusty air and blinking rapidly, I am aware I need to recover now and be on the defense.

My vision clears and I partially rise, propping my upper body on my elbows. I realize I have company standing spread-eagle over my legs. Shock and panic ricochet through me as I stare up into the daunting, coal-black eyes of a Bigfoot.

Goodreads ** Amazon ** Smashwords ** Barnes&Noble

About the author:

Gina Marie Long is an author of paranormal thrillers, urban fantasy, and young adult novels. She has written the Unknown Touch-Werewolf Series and Rocked – A Chelsie Valdar Saga.

Gina's fiction stories are inspired from her interest in the supernatural, science fiction and fantasy world. She enjoys reading, watching evening TV shows, movies and listening to music. Writing indulges her passion for the entertainment arts, giving her active mind a playground of possibilities to explore. She stays active on social media sites and blogging, making connections with others who share the same interests.

She writes about werewolves, vampires, witches, werecats, Bigfoot, an occasional demon, psychics, Vikings, and riveting human characters. But not ALL in the same book! In addition, a light romance is included to spice things up (come on-every book, movie and TV show has some sort of a love story in it). The books do not fall under the romance category...just enough in the storyline to satisfy the girls. And the boys can breathe easy with the knowledge that they're not reading a romance novel but a paranormal thriller, instead. Depending on which series, the ages of the main characters are 16 through 30.

"It's exciting to create strong characters that the readers fall in love with…or want to strangle! Writing books about other beings, such as werewolves and vampires, allows rules to be broken concerning life and the world as we know it. The idea to have these supernatural species living and breathing among us is so wickedly intriguing. Having close contact with them, developing relationships, and dealing with the good vs. the evil - it sweeps you away into another reality – an escape from real life. You wonder and worry about what the characters will stumble upon next. Or, what horrific tragedy knocks them flat on their faces."~~Gina

She lives in Highland, Illinois, with her husband and Jessie Cat. 

Website ** Goodreads ** Facebook ** Twitter