Books Direct: "Memory Walker" by Carly Marino

EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY

Memory Walker
(Inflexaen Book 1)

by Carly Marino

Memory Walker by Carly Marion is currently on tour with YA Bound Book Tours. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and two giveaways. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

Description

Imagine having the ability to walk in a person's memory at the slightest touch of their skin.

High school rumors are the worst. In fact, high school’s the worst. Especially for the school freak who has to avoid human contact.

Freshman year, seventeen-year-old Thea Scott developed the suckiest burden ever. At the brief touch of a person’s skin, she’s forced to walk in their memories. She’d give anything to get rid of this ability - one she can’t control. Well, until the first day of senior year when breathtakingly gorgeous Cole Conway strolls through the auditorium doors and she faints, making an utter fool of herself, again. He acts like he knows her secret, and the last thing she wants is to end up in a lab with her brain in a jar. To protect herself, she decides to do the very thing she runs from, use her ability to enter his memories.

What she didn’t expect to find: out-of-this-world beings who have to “borrow” life essence from humans to survive. Cole unveils dangers she never imagined existed and turns out her own past is her greatest fear. The deeper she falls, the more turmoil and heartbreak crash into her. Dreams of fitting in soon dissolve, and she realizes it was way easier being just a high school freak.

Excerpt

Principal Warren coughed. “Good afternoon. This year the administration and I have decided…”

My stomach rocked with queasiness, but not from nerves. From something else. I swallowed the saliva gagging the back of my throat and bent my knuckles to calm the quiver in my hands, digging my fingernails into my thighs.

I couldn’t breathe.

Warm droplets trickled into my eyes, and cold and hot shivers rippled through my skin. My teeth chattered. Was I getting the flu? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been sick. At least not like this. I hadn’t eaten lunch so it couldn’t be food poisoning. I cupped my forehead in hopes to stop the constant spinning. I had to get out of there. My cheeks puffed, holding in what I feared was coming. Throwing up on the guy in front of me would add more crazy to the ever-growing rumor pile.

My gaze reached the exit sign above the auditorium doors, and they swung open. A handsome guy strolled inside, and like a bucket of cool water dousing a fire, my sickness washed away and my vision cleared, zeroing in on him. He had to be new. There was no way I would’ve gone three years without noticing him.

His light-gray shirt highlighted his long, muscular upper body. A sexy mess of chestnut-brown waves hung to his chin, and his intentional five o’clock shadow and thick dark eyebrows gave him a bad-boy kind of look. But the slight squint of his bluish-green eyes had a shyness to them. Something sweet and caring hid behind his rugged features. He slid a hand into the front pocket of his frayed dark jeans, his stare traveling the stadium seating.

Even a girl like me, who’d sworn off guys, could admit he was undeniably H-O-T, all in caps and written twice. Maybe even three times.

A quick tug on my sleeve made me yelp.

Principal Warren narrowed his eyes in our direction, and I covered the flush heating my cheeks, slinking lower in my chair.

He cleared his throat, again. “As I was saying…”

I glared at Wynter, and she motioned with her head toward the door. “Cole Conway.”

Cole ambled past the stage, not seeming to care what anyone thought, or that he had interrupted the principal’s speech. Not that Principal Warren even seemed to notice. He flipped one of his note cards and continued talking about student activities.

“Cole Conway?” I asked.

“I saw him registering with Miss Rachel this morning. He’s crazy hot.” She glanced at Ethan. “Second to Ethan, of course.”

“Of course,” I muttered and lifted slightly in my chair to get a better look. Another wave of nausea crashed into me, swaying me to the side. The far end of the auditorium flickered like an old TV fighting to get a signal. I blinked away my sickness-induced haze, and Cole came into view.

A girl with warm-brown skin and a ponytail of black dreadlocks appeared and hugged him. She crossed her arms and rested against the wall. Beside her, a guy with a faded haircut, dressed in a navy-blue button down and black jeans, didn’t budge or greet them. He shared the girl’s burnt sienna undertones, rounded nose, and gunmetal-blue eyes. He was cute but didn’t even come close to Cole.

“Do you know the people he’s with? Are they new, too?” I asked Wynter without taking my eyes off them.

“You’re kidding?” Ethan interrupted. “Nora and Drake moved here sophomore year.”

“Huh?”

Wynter cast a look in my direction. “Their parents unnelled a lot so they missed a ton of school. When they were here, they kept to themselves. I talk to everyone, and I’ve maybe said a handful of words to them.”

Wynter wasn’t joking. She had the inside-outs of every important person in our school. Though after my freshman incident, her queen bee status dropped a few levels and Tatum took over.

“Thanks, everyone. Have a great week. Oh, and go Birds!” the principal finished.

Laughter and jabber filled the room, and another tap on the microphone did little to quiet the conversations. “Get home safely, everyone,” Miss Rachel said, “and Ethan, please meet me in the office.”

Ethan groaned. “Looks like my ex-mom had a chat with Mr. Barbosa.”

“Just tell her it was my fault,” I said.

He grinned. “Nah, I kinda like pissing her off. Keeps her on her toes.”

I rolled my eyes, and Wynter did the same. “Did you take Friday night off for Nora and Drake’s party? It’s going to be so lit.” Wynter shimmied. “And Thea’s going.”

“Finally,” Ethan chimed in, nudging Wynter with his elbow. “Can’t wait.”

“Yay,” I said in the most sarcastic voice I could muster.

I waited for the rows in front of us to empty. Wynter and Ethan whispered and giggled behind me, so I stared over heads at Nora and Drake.

Our high school had like three-hundred kids. I took mostly AP classes, but the possibility of us not bumping into each other, or me not knowing their names, was bizarre. Then again, I wasn’t itching to meet new people. At least not until…

I stepped into the aisle. Cole was lingering at the bottom of the stairs. His Caribbean sea-colored eyes linked with mine, stuttering my heart. I descended without breaking contact, and his mouth slowly tilted into a half-smile that brought a shiver to my shoulders.

White and blue stars flashed before me, followed by an intense lightheadedness. I sucked in a breath, my lashes fluttering like I was about to faint. I steadied myself on the back of a chair. Please, don’t tumble down the stairs. I’d be mortified. My blurred vision unnelled in on Cole’s face. He winked and walked out the door.

As if an invisible rope wrapped around my ribcage and jerked, I plunged forward. Screams echoed in my ears, and I wasn’t sure if they were mine or someone else’s. Pain shot up my spine as my arms and legs collided with unknown objects. Students caught me, their memories bombarding me, drowning me. I flailed to free myself from their pasts, but my head slammed into something, and I sank into darkness.

[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]

Praise for the Book

“I adored this book and can't wait for the next one! I'm really into high school paranormal romances and this book has everything I could have hoped for. I'm addicted!” ~ Alyssa

“I LOVED the story and can’t wait for Book 2! As a busy mom, I usually can never find time to read, but this book kept me tuned in, and was such a page turner! I was transported to the setting each time I opened the pages and the characters stayed with me whenever I put the book down. Can’t wait for more!!!” ~ Amazon Customer

“Memory Walker is a fast-paced, exciting read! High school angst and drama is captured well, but it was the paranormal/Sci-Fi elements and romance that kept me turning the pages. Wonderful debut!” ~ E.L.

“Great quick read! Unique idea and likable characters. I highly recommend if you like paranormal romance. Great for adults and also appropriate for a younger audience. Can’t wait for book 2.” ~ Amanda

“If you love a great, fast paced science fiction novel packed with action, mystery, and romance, this is definitely your next read!” ~ fairestskyebooks

About the Author

I love writing and reading about love. There’s nothing better than two characters finding each other in unusual situations and conquering all odds to be together. *Sigh* Regardless the genre – paranormal, contemporary, fantasy – if there’s romance - I wanna read it!

I was born in Hawai’i but grew up most of my life in the sticks of Michigan and the sunny beaches of Florida. After graduating high school, I return to my island ohana for college where I wrote my thesis on how to write a young adult book. (Oddly enough.)

Wife, mother, dog owner, and author, my hat constantly changes but I love every minute of the hustle. Writing is my passion and the wonderful nagging voice in my head. I’m blessed to have amazing family and friends who’ve supported me from my first story, written in poor phonics and elementary chicken scratch.