NEW RELEASE and EXCERPT
Sleepless Nights
by Cheryl T. Long
Author Cheryl T. Long stops by today to share an excerpt from her latest release, Sleepless Nights. I'm loving this cover!
For more books by this author, please check out my blog post on The Cherish Story series.
Description
A fun trip before abroad soon turns into a nightmare.
When three long time friends decide to take a trip to South Korea after high school they quickly find themselves right in the middle of a murder mystery. When one of the girls is arrested as a suspect in the crime it’s up to her friends to find out the truth before it’s too late.
But, in a foreign city where they don’t even speak the language the odds are against them and time is running out.
And with more evidence coming out against their friend it’s going to take everything they’ve got to be able to prove her innocence and stay out of jail themselves.
Find out more in this mystery to remember.
Book Video
Excerpt
Prologue
As my friends and I step off the plane at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, my heart flutters in my chest. This exhilarating feeling of complete and total freedom brings so much joy to me. I am even more grateful for the fact that my friends are here with me. They mean the absolute world to me, and even though we are all dog-tired from twelve hours journey on a cramped plane, the excitement we feel is unbounded. My ears are still heavy and full even after we are well off the plane, but I do not let the painful sensation from air pressure spoil the excitement for being here in the country I have longed to return to.
With my backpack in tow, I stumble in the terminal tunnel that leads to baggage claim. Cameron told me many times on the plane to try to get some sleep. I am just too excited about this trip. Sleep is for the weak, anyway. Cameron loves to play mother to the group, even though she does not realize it half of the time. It is okay though --we love her regardless of the way she is. I know it is because we are everything to her. Shelby and me. We all have a long history of being best friends and I am glad we are. Though all three of us are completely different people, we have one thing that connects us all together overall. A love for travel and adventure. Even if Shelby loves travel more than Cameron and me combined.
"I can't wait to see Seoul," Cameron says, her honey-brown eyes sparkling. "And I can't wait to see The Gyeongbokgung Palace. It’s the one place I'm dying to see the most. What about you, Robyn?" "I don't know," I say as we approach the baggage claim area.
"You really don't know?" Shelby says as she catches up with us. "What about Insadong? You’ve always dreamed about going there. Why not make it a reality now?"
The truth is that I do not even know where to start. It seems like my friends have their own itinerary in place and quite honestly, I don't even want to think of places to see just yet. I'm exhausted, my back hurts. "The only thing I want right now is a pillow and a bed."
"Amen to that. Ay, mi cabeza me duele,” Cameron says, smiling.
"English, please." Shelby smiles innocently at Cameron.
Cameron puts her hand on her hip and shakes her head. "My head hurts. Shelby, I try to teach you Spanish, but you just don't seem to get it."
Shelby shrugs as she drags her rolling carry-on suitcase. "I do know German. My whole family is German. I'm a Fischer for crying out loud. I want Robyn to teach me a little Korean after we are rested enough. Besides, aren't we going to do the Seoul wall later today?”
"Really? Today? It's late as it is." I shake my head. What part of pillow and bed doesn’t she understand?
"Cameron really got me pumped for an adventure. I really want to start my adventure now. Don't you? Well, I figured we would look at it today after we settle in the hotel room. Then we can take it from there," Shelby says as we find the baggage carousel that will bring us our luggage.
"No, " I say. "Not a promising idea."
"Besides, it'll be simple. Go to the wall. Walk around the whole thing for a little bit, then come back to the hotel. Easy as pie."
I do not think Shelby really understands the wall like I do. This place isn't one of those kinds where you see a tour and that's it. From my experience with my Korean grandmother, the wall takes at least a day to circumvent. Not an hour or so like Shelby thinks.
"Girl, I hope you're thinking this through." I say.
"What do you mean?" Shelby asks.
"Well, the place is not as small as you're probably thinking it is and it might not be a good idea to go today. Look at the time, it's already five o'clock in the evening. By the time we get settled, it'll be way past the time--"
"Like I said, we'll see when we get to our room. I really think it would be a good idea to immerse ourselves in the culture immediately. What do you think, Cameron?" Cameron turns to face her.
"Shelby, you're crazy for wanting to go to the wall tonight. We'll do it tomorrow."
Shelby shakes her head. "But I promise it'll be fun tonight and we can do a lot of stuff like go shopping at the Dongdaemun night market. And then we can go to one of those places on the street that serve that soju! I saw so many food videos online that I'm just dying to try it out. Come on, guys. Our first night in Korea is going to have to be a ton of fun. Don't you agree?"
There she goes again, talking a mile a minute when she is too tired to even function properly. As fun as it sounds, it is not like we have a five-day trip planned. We’re staying here for an entire month. This trip is supposed to be about getting into South Korean culture, especially for me to find out more about my grandmother, or my halmeoni as I like to call her.
"I promise guys, it'll be fun." Shelby looks at the both of us with those hopeful, begging eyes. Cameron and I exchange eye contact and I know exactly what we say to each other every time. Shelby's hard to resist when she is being like this. She will refuse to let up unless we cave.
"Fine," I say. "But only on one condition."
"And what's that?"
"You let me get shotgun on the train to Seoul."
Shelby pretends to think for a good second, then looks right at me. "Deal."
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“Sleepless Nights: Ethos Journey was a quick read. The story moved along at a decent pace. Not my usual type of mystery, but I’m glad I gave it a read.” ~ Amanda Boucher
“A daring murder mystery set in South Korea. What was supposed to be a fun trip abroad, quickly spirals out of control and turns into a nightmare for three friends in a foreign land. Finding themselves involved in a murder case is the last thing these long time friends thought would ever happen to them. What's even worse? One of them is suspected of being involved in the crime themselves. Sleepless Nights focuses on what long time friends will do for one of their own when one is suspected of murder far from home. Forced to take matters into their own hands, and not speaking the language, it is tougher then they think, but they are willing to try. Danger, misunderstandings, and mystery around every corner, this novel is a pretty interesting.” ~ Alina Hart
“This was a fast paced, interesting mystery book. It had some twists that were predictable and some twists that were not which kept it entertaining. I found it to be an enjoyable, fast read.” ~ Kierra F.
About the Author
Cheryl T. Long was born and raised in Philadelphia and has always loved writing stories. While in the fifth grade, Cheryl had a teacher who really sparked her interest in writing. He always told her that her story telling was quite unique for her age. From that moment on, Cheryl had one vision in her mind - give the people around her an imaginative outlet. She is a mother of four beautiful children and enjoys cooking, fishing, and talking.
Cheryl is the author of The Cherish Story series, the self-help books Love Yourself and Facing the Fear of Being Alone, and the mystery Sleepless Nights.
Links
Featured in this post:
