EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Nocturnal Meetings of the Misplaced
by R. J. Garcia
Nocturnal Meetings of the Misplaced by R. J. Garcia is currently on tour with BeachBoundBooks. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Mystery surrounds the town of Summertime, Indiana, where fifteen-year-old Tommy Walker and his little sister are sent to live with relatives they’ve never met. Tommy soon makes friends with Finn Wilds, a rebellious local who lives with his volatile and abusive stepfather, who also happens to be the town’s sheriff.
Finn invites Tommy to late night meetings in the woods, where Tommy gets to know two girls. He forms a special and unique connection with both girls. The meetings become a place where the kids, who don’t fit in at school, or home can finally belong. As the group of friends begin to unravel clues to a cold case murder and kidnapping - they learn the truth is darker and closer than they ever imagined. Even if they live to tell, will anyone believe them?
Book Video
Excerpt
A sense of fragility filled the air. We were in the woods late at night without any adults. It seemed a little dangerous. The kind of dangerous that makes you know you’re alive. The wind mysteriously moaned. Some of the trees remained bare and stark, still dormant from the winter. Other trees had come back to life but started shedding from the return of the cold. It would have made an ideal setting for a horror movie.
I looked at a jet-black sky through a waning awning of leaves. The crescent moon ghosted down on us, along with a few scattered stars. We stepped on dead leaves and foliage and kept walking. After about fifteen minutes we made it to a clearing. Motionless shadows from the trees showed on the frosted grass.
The beam of the flashlight whirled around wildly as Finn shot it around the surrounding trees. Stray rays of light even touched the treetops.
“Are you sure this is where we’re supposed to meet them?” I asked.
Finn leaned back, resting his arm against a majestic oak tree, near the edge of the clearing. “Yeah. I’m positive. We always meet here.” The massive tree branches spindled out like a giant fan, some of the lower branches almost touched the ground.
Although it was the first official day of spring, the temperatures had dropped. I was the dumb kid who only wore a hoodie. Now that we stopped moving, the coldness knifed its way up my feet and ankles. Before I knew it, the chill took the rest of my body. I shifted all around in a lame attempt to keep warm. “It’s really cold,” I complained.
“You don’t have to tell me. My tomatoes died,” he said gravely.
Shivering, I told him, “You know, your blood can literally freeze.”
“It’s not that cold,” Finn replied, mildly irritated. He stepped toward me, pulling off his black ski cap and gloves, which had the fingers cut out. We were a generation so obsessed with our phones that we couldn’t even wear real gloves anymore. Finn handed them to me. Once I slipped them both on, they helped a little. We heard a kind of rustling off in the foliage. Confusion registered on his face, mirroring my own. Finn shined the light toward the sound, but we didn’t see anything.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“Fast paced mystery that will leave you breathless!” ~ Author, Dave Wickenden
“Nocturnal Meetings of the Misplaced is a young adult thriller filled with mystery and intrigue. Its many twists and turns will keep readers on the edge of their seats.” ~ IndieReview
“A well-told story about friendship, love, family and murder/mystery that had me heartbroken and full of shivers!” ~ Turn the Page of Books
“This YA contemporary story opens with intrigue (like its cover!) and adds suspenseful layers all the way to the tumultuous end.” ~ Christina Dwivedi
“This novel is not teen angst, but the excitement of young love - the madness and muddle of thinking the wrong thing, the shame and mortification of saying it. Words are analyzed before spoken, parsed and reconsidered and judged and considered again. The author’s brilliance is in hearing the thoughts of her characters so clearly.” ~ Amazon Reviewer
“RJ Garcia’s twisting tale navigates the lives of a fringe group of teens who discover some of the most sinister secrets exist in the cracks of idyllic small-town life. Reminiscent of the mood and haunting tone of VC Andrews’ greatest novels, the plot toes a line between the eerie and the downright horrific with characters that jump off the page and into your heart.” ~ Amazon Reviewer
About the Author
R. J. Garcia is a wife, and proud mom of two smart kids. She earned her MSW and worked with foster children and as a school social worker. Writing has been her other great love. She has published several non-fiction pieces. She has been writing short stories for as long as she can remember. To her amazement, those short stories became novels!
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.
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