Just wanted to do a quick mid-event (a little past) check in. How are you doing? I haven't been doing too hot, but we still have almost a week so hopefully I'll get more reading in. I did listen to Hercule Poirot's Christmas on audio and I finished another book I've been reading for review, which I highly recommend...The Murderer's Maid by Erika Mailman.
News about prizes
Today is Giving Tuesday so I've decided to go ahead and pick a winner for my charity prize of a donation to an organization dedicated to helping those in need. For instance, Second Harvest Food Bank, Salvation Army, Heifer International, etc. I'm making a $20 donation in the winner's name, and since most charities are doubling (or tripling) donations today, that will be a $40 to $60 donation! I will draw from the sign up/starting line list (and, of course, double check participation). Be watching your email, Twitter and/or the Facebook group to see if you're a winner.
Rhonda Hopkins has generously donated an eBook copy and an audio copy of her books, Survival and The Gift. That's four winners! I will draw for these prizes at the end of the readathon.
Some days, the only plan is survival…
When Sarah escapes from her brutal abductors, she promises to return to rescue her twin sister, but with the walking dead invading Fort Worth, TX, she is forced to rely on a competitive coworker who made her work life hell for years. With her coworker weakened by cancer treatments, her sister still imprisoned, and zombies looking for an easy meal, Sarah’s only plan, if she can pull it off, is Survival.
SURVIVAL is a 14,000 word short story.
Excerpt:
Sarah Jamison's gaze met her twin's fear-filled blue eyes. "I—"
"It's no use. The cuff is too tight. You're going to have to leave me." Dana put her free hand on Sarah's, stilling their frantic motions.
"No. I won't leave you. Maybe I can . . ." She turned, taking in the empty basement—the cement walls, exposed pipes, and her sister handcuffed to one of the metal cylinders. A small amount of light trickled in through the one lone window, but there was nothing she could use as a weapon. Unless...
She strode over to the dangling pipe from which she had managed to extricate herself earlier. Grabbing the unattached end, she tried wresting it clear of its fittings, her own wrist dangling handcuffs which clinked against the metal with each pull. Rust and time made it impossible to remove.
"Sarah—"
"No." Tears ran down her face. "I can't leave you, Dana."
"You have to. It's the only way we're both getting out of here. You have to go for help."
Sarah knelt beside her sister who reached out and wiped her thumb across her cheek, brushing the tears aside.
"I'll be okay until you get back. I won't give them any excuse to throw me out to those . . . ." Dana choked back the word they had both been avoiding, choosing another instead. "Creatures."
Sometimes, the best gifts are unexpected…
When workaholic Robert Chalmer’s wife leaves to take care of her sick mother for two weeks, he is left with all the responsibility… including his seven-year-old daughter. With Christmas fast approaching, Robert must find a way to reconnect with what is most important in his life, or risk losing it forever.
THE GIFT is a 7300 word heart-warming short story set in Fort Worth, TX about family, love, and second chances.
About the authorBest-selling and award-winning author, Rhonda Hopkins, has learned firsthand that truth is stranger than fiction. Her two decades of experience as an investigator provide her characters with a depth and realism that gives truth a run for its money. Having come in contact with the best and the worst that society has to offer, Rhonda's imagination is filled with story ideas. Rhonda writes Horror, Suspense, Paranormal, and YA Urban Fantasy.
http://rhondahopkins.com
I hope everyone is enjoying the readathon! Be watching because the sign up for Winter's Respite Readathon, now all month long in January, will be posted this week.
