We are excited to host a tour stop for this Blog Tour for Kathleen Groger's The Shattered Seam, the first book in the Seam Stalkers series! Today, we will be sharing a thrilling excerpt! Follow the tour, HERE!
Genre:
Young Adult
Paranormal/Horror
Series:
Seam Stalkers, #1
Publish Date:
September 13, 2016
Publisher:
Leaf & Thorn Press, LLC
Synopsis:
Spending spring break on an isolated island rumored to be haunted is not sixteen-year-old Sam's idea of fun. Spending spring break with her uncle and his ghost-hunting film crew on an isolated island is even worse.
Way worse.
Her family's secrets—and a genetic ability she can no longer deny—surface, along with the ghost of a rich serial killer who left behind a trail of trapped souls.
And he's not through yet.
With only one chance for escape, Sam must embrace her family's curse and close the Seam between the living and the dead. Or be lost, forever.
Available Now
*Excerpt*
Scene set up: Sam is outside the castle, helping set up a remote camera, and meets Kyle, a guy she saw earlier from a window as he drove his boat past the island.
“Hello?” I called and hated how my voice shook. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Hello. Who’s there?”
The trees rustled, and my nerves exploded. I spun around and ran back to the boathouse.
“Hey, hold up,” a male with a deep voice yelled.
My mind screamed for me to keep going, but I stopped moving. With my heart slamming against my ribcage, I turned around.
He was real, not my imagination. He jogged to a stop in front of me. All six feet of him. He was dark-haired, broad-shouldered, and wore a red jacket. “Hi. Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Kyle.”
It was the guy from the boat.
An icy heat surged through my veins, my muscles, my bones, and pooled in my abdomen, making me twitch as if zapped with a jolt of electricity.
What the hell? I crossed my legs, shuddered, and prayed he wouldn’t notice my bizarro behavior. Hopefully he only thought I had to pee, not that I was a lunatic. I forced myself to stand normally.
“Samantha. Call me Sam.” I could barely talk. “What are you doing here?”
He held up a pair of hedge clippers. “I could ask you the same thing. I’m working.”
“You trim bushes?”
Kyle brushed aside a wayward strand of longish hair. I stared at his darker-than-coffee eyes. He was gorgeous. Like a rock star, but way cooler. And proving almost my entire school wrong, the red fleece jacket didn’t detract from his hotness.
“Landscaping. I take care of the grounds. Or more precisely, I’m filling in for my dad. It’s his job, but he hurt his back. He didn’t say anybody was going to be at the castle. Please don’t tell anyone you saw me. He could get fired if they knew I was doing the work instead of him.”
I took a deep breath. The scent of pine and a tinge of antiseptic filled my nose.
“I’m here with my uncle. He’s … ” I wasn’t sure if I should tell a stranger what Horrors & Hauntings were here for or if they kept their locations secret. “Filming a documentary.” Sounded okay.
“Cool. On Stephen Novak and how he was a murderer?”
I flipped the monitor over. “Uh, yeah. Something like that. I’m not involved. Just here during spring break.” That sounded so lame.
“What year are you?”
“Junior. What about you?” God, he was probably in college and thought I was a little kid.
“I’m a senior at Central. It’s on Wellesley Island.”
“Do you take a boat to school then?” Could I ask any stupider questions?
“Yeah. Aren’t you freezing? Are you from somewhere that winter doesn’t exist?” Kyle unzipped his jacket. “Here, take mine.”
“No. Thanks, though. I have a coat inside.” I held up the monitor. “I was just checking to see if this worked.” It was mostly true.
“So you are involved with the filming.” Kyle smiled, and a dimple dotted the right side of his chin.
My heart did jumping jacks, and a girlish giggle slipped out. Dimples. I loved dimples. “I guess.”
Kyle shoved one hand in his pocket and rocked back on his heels. “Make sure you check out the pool in the basement. It’s wicked cool. I’ve never seen anything like it. But don’t tell anyone I told you. I’m not supposed to go inside the castle.”
I pictured Kyle in a bathing suit and forgot about the cold. “An indoor pool. Sounds like it would be fun. Doesn’t this place freak you out?”
“Not anymore. After awhile, you get used to it. Promise you won’t tell I was here? My dad will kill me if he loses his job.”
“Promise.” I couldn’t get the image of him, shirtless and dripping with water, out of my head. I needed to think of something witty to say before the conversation got awkward.
“Well.”
Too late.
“I need to get back.” Kyle licked his bottom lip, and I couldn’t stop staring. “Are you here all week?”
“Yeah. Until Saturday.”
“Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“Sure. Great.” He was going to think I was a total idiot with zero communication skills.
“Okay. Catch you later.” He walked past me and headed toward the dock.
“See ya.”
Kyle turned and gave me a heart-stopping smile, then climbed into the old motorboat. His faded jeans clung to his oh-so-grabbable ass. Damn, he was scrumdiddlyumptious. Maybe the week was salvageable, even though he took the one and only escape route off the island. I should have asked when he’d be back.
I was such a dork.
Coming soon...the sequel to The Shattered Seam!
(cover links to Goodreads)
Pre-order
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**About the Author**
Kathleen Groger wrote her first story in elementary school about a pegasus named Sir Lancelot. It had not plot or conflict, but it sparked a dream. After serving a fifteen-year sentence in retail management, the bulk inn big box bookstores, she turned her love of reading into a full-time career writing dark and haunting characters and stories. She writes paranormal, fantasy, suspense, horror YA books. She is a contributing member of READerlicious, writers who love readers. Check out her blogs here.
She lives by the mantra that a day is not complete without tea. Lots of tea. Kathleen lives in Ohio with her husband, two boys, and two attention-demanding dogs. When not writing or editing or revising, you can find her reading, cooking, spending time with her family, or photographing abandoned buildings.
Stay connected with Kathleen Groger
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***The Giveaway***
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