Center of Gravity
by Laura McNeill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Her whole
life, Ava Carson has been sure of one thing: she doesn’t measure up to her
mother’s expectations. So when Mitchell Carson sweeps into her life with his
adorable son, the ready-made family seems like a dream come true.
In the
blink of an eye, she’s married, has a new baby, and life is grand.
Or is it?
When her
picture-perfect marriage begins unraveling at the seams, Ava convinces herself
she can fix it. It's temporary. It’s the stress. It’s Mitchell’s tragic history
of loss.
If only
Ava could believe her own excuses.
Mitchell
is no longer the charming, thoughtful man she married. He grows more
controlling by the day, revealing a violent jealous streak. His behavior is
recklessly erratic, and the unanswered questions about his past now hint at
something far more sinister than Ava can stomach. Before she can fit the pieces
together, Mitchell files for divorce and demands full custody of their boys.
Fueled by
fierce love for her children and aided by Graham Thomas, a new attorney in town
—Ava takes matters into her own hands, digging deep into the past. But will
finding the truth be enough to beat Mitchell at his own game?
Center of
Gravity weaves a chilling tale, revealing the unfailing and dangerous truth
that things—and people—are not always what they seem.
EXCERPT:
When
your children are stolen, the pain swallows you whole. Logic fades, reason
retreats. Desperation permeates the tiniest crevices of your mind. Nothing
soothes the ache in your wounded soul.
Right
in front of me, my sweet, charmed life fell to pieces. Everything destroyed; a
hailstorm’s wrath on a field of wildflowers. All I’d known—gone. Foolish me,
I’d believed in magic, clung tight to false promises. The lies, spoken from
tender lips, haunt me now, follow me, and whisper into my ear like a scorned
lover.
What’s
left is emptiness.
Give
up, a
voice urges. Let go.
No!
I argue back. My children aren’t gone. Not yet. Precious and delicate, tiny fossils, they exist in glass-boxed
isolation. Hidden. Protected.
And
so tonight, I run. Blood pulses through my legs, my muscles protest; my lungs
scream for more oxygen. Thick storm clouds brew in the distance. The rain falls
in blinding sheets. The force of it pricks my skin like needles, but the pain
only makes me push harder.
I
will rescue them.
Lightning
flashes across the wet driveway. The bulk of his truck looms large in the black
night. I skid to a stop and catch my breath, pressing a hand to my heaving
chest.
They’re
here. My children are here.
Thunder
booms and crashes, nearer now, the wind whips my hair. A gust tosses tree
branches to the ground. Birds cry and flutter to safety. An escaped sandbox
bucket spins, clattering on the blacktop.
I
grasp the railing and pull myself up the steps. At the top, the door’s
shiny-slick with water and humidity. Mother Nature howls and drowns out my
knocking.
“Hello!
Can you hear me?” With my palm open wide, I slap at the barrier, willing it to
open. I will rescue my children. I will rescue them . . . or I will die trying.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
After
six years behind the anchor desk at two CBS affiliates, Laura moved to the
Alabama Gulf Coast to raise her family. Her accolades in broadcasting include
awards from the Associated Press, including Best News Anchor and Best Specialized
Reporter.
Laura
works at Spring Hill College as the school’s web content and social media
manager and is active in her community—participating in fundraisers for the
American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, and Providence Hospital’s Festival
of Flowers.
Laura
was recently awarded a 2-book deal with Thomas Nelson Publishing, a division of
HarperCollins. Her novel, Center of Gravity, set in Mobile, Ala., will be
published in July of 2015. Laura is represented by Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein,
president of McIntosh and Otis literary agency in New York. Her writing awards
include those from William Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition,
Writer’s Digest, RWA, and the Eric Hoffer competition.
She
holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and a
bachelor’s degree in English from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She is
currently pursuing a second master’s degree in interactive technology from the
University of Alabama. She is a native of Upstate New York and currently
resides near the Alabama Gulf Coast with her two children.
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He’s a professional hockey player trying to win the Cup. I’m just trying to win his heart.
