INTERVIEW
and EXCERPT
Never Look Back
by Sabine
Bummel
Author Sabine Bummel joins me today for an interview and shares an
excerpt from her book, Never Look Back.
Description
Self help writer, Jen Butler, finds herself wavering between a fragile
reality and a world of nightmares that she cannot escape. In a chance
encounter, at her first book signing, Jen meets the handsome Will Lawrence. For
a year, they are inseparable until one morning after a terrifying nightmare,
she wakes to find every shred of his existence gone. Her reality suddenly
becomes her nightmare.
Excerpt
Prologue
The sheers fluttered
in a slight breeze from the open balcony door as the moonlight partially
illuminated the bedroom of self help writer, Jennifer Butler’s Manhattan town
home. A lone siren faded into the distance. Sounds from the nightlife of the
city had died. The bed moved as he rolled over and slid his arm gently under
her waist. Returning to her place, she pressed herself into his smooth muscular
chest and closed her eyes. The intoxicating smell of his cologne lingered in
the sheets. Could life be better than it was at this moment? After years alone,
she had finally met her soul mate. His steady breathing lulled her back into a
blissful slumber.
The ear piercing
sound of shattering glass catapulted her upright. Massive pieces of glass from
the patio door crashed to the oak floor. Terror filled her senses as the rapid
fire of gunshots filled the room, sprays of bullets pierced holes into the
brick wall behind her. More shots fired into the bed spewing pieces of fabric
and tiny down feathers spewed into the air. He threw himself on top of her in a
futile attempt to protect her from the violent attack. She gasped as the weight
of his body took her breath. Suddenly the protective shield went limp. Then
silence.
She peered out from
underneath his arm, looking toward the patio doorway. A blanket of shattered
glass on the floor glistened from the moonlight. A ghostlike outline of a man
stood motionless in the open doorway. A cigarette dangled from his mouth, the
glow amplified with his steady breathing.
He stood silently,
watching her. She crawled from under her dead lover’s body shrieking
uncontrollably. Frantically, she tugged at the wet, blood soaked sheets until
she reached the edge of the battered mattress. She slid off the side of the bed
... falling, falling, falling into the murky waters below. The icy churning
blackness pulled her deeper and deeper squeezing the air from her lungs.
Jennifer Butler woke
on the cold hardwood floor in the darkness of her bedroom. The only sound she
could hear was from the late night traffic below. Still gasping for air, she
pushed herself up to a sitting position. In the muted light produced by the
narrow opening of the bedroom door, she scanned the surroundings of her
bedroom. The walls behind her were intact. The oil painting of the Venice
sunset hung on the wall in front of the bed. The painting’s tiny gondolas
floating in their place, locked in time. She rubbed her forehead and winced in
pain. Tiny beads of perspiration dripped down the back of her neck. It was a
dream. It had happened again. The same dream that haunted her for weeks. What
did the dream mean?
Exhausted, she
pulled herself back into the bed while pieces of the nightmare filtered into
her mind. Something was different this time. Her eyes drifted to the doorway
where light pressed through a small opening. The dream faded. Where was Will?
His voice echoed from the kitchen below. Relieved, she slumped into the pile of
rumpled pillows.
“Dammit, Ian how
could something like this happen?” His agitated voice raised. She heard the
sound of objects being moved around and caught glimpses of his pacing movements
in the distant kitchen. “Ian, do you know what this means?” Will barked. Then,
the conversation became a whispered one. The pacing stopped and his shadow
slumped into one of the kitchen bar stools. Eager to investigate but her
exhaustion took over. She would ask him in the morning. She succumbed to the
tiring effects of the dream and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Praise for the Book
"Excellent reading!! Sabine has the makings of a female James
Patterson ...couldn't put it down. Her vivid details put you right in the story
... Can't wait for the sequel!!!" ~ Michelle
"It was a nice combination of romance, mystery, a love triangle and
adventure! Especially loved the ending! Looking forward to the next one!"
~ Judy R.
"Get your hands on this book and they won't let go! I don't often
indulge myself in pleasure reading, as I have to read for work. However, I
picked up Never Look Back by Sabine
Bummel & immediately got thoroughly engrossed! A wonderful diversion from
the day - Will Lawrence enchants you into a different world & yet brings
back memories & stirs emotion. I am still reading and already wondering
what will come next from this interesting author. This book is truly worth
taking some time for yourself!" ~ MJ
Interview With the
Author
For what age group
do you recommend your book?
Probably 17 an up - although my 14 year old tells me, “Mom, kids our age
read that stuff all the time.”
What sparked the
idea for this book?
My daughter Alexa sparked the idea for the heroine, Jen, and traveling
through Italy a few years ago, the whole plot came to me.
So, which comes
first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?
This time the character’s story for sure.
What was the hardest
part to write in this book?
I had a solid beginning and then an ending, it was hard to bring the two
together.
How do you hope this
book affects its readers?
I tried to make Jen’s character more realistic, she’s a girl with issues and
emotions, not just a cheerleader Barbie who gets the hot guy.
How long did it take
you to write this book?
To write it only took a few months; to tweak it, probably another year.
What is your writing
routine?
There’s a lot of chaos in my house and I’m not one of those people who
gets up at 4 in the morning to write, I’d rather sleep. I usually try to go to
a coffee shop with my daughter, who also writes, and just have a good cup of
coffee and tune everything out. Sometimes there are ideas there if you can sit
back and listen to the background chatter.
How did you get your
book published?
Well, since the conventional print route is near impossible, a friend
told me to self-publish online.
What advice do you
have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Go for it! If you have those characters running around in your head, sit
down in front of a computer and give them the life they are looking for!
What do you like to
do when you're not writing?
Spend time with my girls and my husband. And I like to bake.
What does your
family think of your writing?
My daughter is a writer too, so she is really excited. We sit on the
computer and compare sales. My husband didn’t much care for the computer taking
some of his time but, once the sales started coming in, although small, he was
totally down for it!
Please tell us a bit
about your childhood.
Wow, in a nutshell, I was born in Germany, hence my frequent trips
overseas. Raised in Port Colborne [Canada], an amazing place to grow up during
that time. Then my family moved to the States. First Buffalo - another amazing
place and very close to my friends in Port Colborne. And finally, I was an only
child, so I followed my family to Charlotte [North Carolina]. Then, I got married here and had
three amazing daughters. When I’m not writing I have a catering business and
hope to open a coffee shop one day.
Wow! Did you like
reading when you were a child?
Yes, there weren't enough books. It started with Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene couldn’t have written
enough books. Rebecca was one of my favorite books. Then I turned to Robert Ludlum for my excitement, then Robin Cook, Dan Brown … and the list goes on.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I was always writing stories. I wrote my first book when I was 14, it was
about hockey and was pretty dumb, but I finished it.
Did your childhood
experiences influence your writing?
Sure, whose wouldn’t?
Which writers have
influenced you the most?
Do you hear from
your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Not that much yet, I did get someone asking for a sequel recently though.
That was fun!
What can we look
forward to from you in the future?
I am working on Another Life,
the sequel to Never Look Back. Same problem, trying to close the gap in the book. I also have another
one, more on the supernatural side, I’m calling it Alex Powell. I love the element in this one but my mind is forcing
me to finish Another Life.
Thank you for taking
the time to stop by today, Sabine. Best of luck with your future projects.
About the Author
Sabine, mother of three girls, makes her home in Waxhaw, North Carolina.
Born in Germany and immigrated to Canada at two and later to the States, her
life has taken her many places which she shares in her stories. A graduate in
Journalism from St. Bonaventure, Sabine has been writing stories since she was
young but it wasn't until 2010, when her catering business went through a
slump, that she finally started her first novel, Never Look Back. The characters fighting for a place in her mind finally came to life.
Her three girls, Alexa, Carly, and Olivia are a constant source of
inspiration for her characters. Alexa, much like Sabine, has begun her own
writing career and published a novel as well. Sabine is currently working on Another Life, the sequel to Never Look Back, as she just wasn't finished with Jen Butler. She is also working on Alex Powell, another mystery with a
psychic twist.
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