#EggcerptExchange – Kim Cox

Hello, and here we are again with another great author for you from the #Eggcerpt Exchange.

 

Today I would like you to meet Kim Cox an author of Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense and Romance.

CHRISTMAS CRUISE
Book Four – Lana Malloy Paranormal Mystery Series
Lana Malloy and Tony Calabria are ready for a much needed vacation. The first time they met, they’d talked about taking a cruise together but have never had the chance, so they decide to take a Christmas Cruise.
As Lana boards the cruise ship, she has an eerie feeling of death surrounding them. She ignores it at first thinking it’s her fear of the large ship since this was her first cruise. The first night she has a vision of one woman’s rape and murder. It’s not long before she is confronted by the spirits of other young women who had also been raped and then murdered. Now it’s up to her to find their murderer, someone who could be sailing with them. Can she help these women find the justice they deserve?
Available now in ebook through Amazon, 24Symbols, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Page Foundry, and Scribd.

 
Excerpt
Chapter One
As Lana shielded her eyes from the sun with the back of her hand, she gazed up to the eight floors of the Princess Angeline Cruise Ship. The black, aqua, and gold colors of the Bahamian flag shifted in the sea’s breeze atop the massive ship. She’d learned from the brochure that the black represented the force and vigor of the united people of the Bahamas. The triangle pointing toward the body of the flag symbolized their determination and enterprise. The aqua and gold represented the rich resources of the sea and sun, in that order.
This would be Princess Angeline’s maiden voyage out of Charleston. Queen of the Atlantic Cruise Line originally operated out of California but had recently setup operations on the east coast.
She caught Tony studying her and she smiled to let him know she felt fine. She’d feared the large ship and had had to psych herself up for the cruise. Tony had taken her fishing last summer to familiarize her with the to-and-fro of the waves. When she told him that although she’d lived in Charleston all her life, she’d never been out on the ocean in a boat, he’d thought she was joking. It became evident the first time they ventured out that she wasn’t kidding at all.
Lana couldn’t believe she’d finally agreed to take a seven-day voyage across the Atlantic to the Bahama Islands. Nervous excitement supplied her with a giddiness like she’d never experienced.
Before leaving home, she’d made sure to pack Dramamine just in case she became sea sick. She’d heard many stories about trips being ruined just because someone hadn’t realized they’d be affected. Tony laughed at her, but of course, he’d been on cruises from the time he could walk.
As she neared the ship, her legs became heavier, hindering her movement. Dread filled her heart and she wondered if it was an omen that the trip would be plagued with sickness or could it possibly be a doomed ship that would sink into the vast ocean. “Something’s wrong,” she said, exhaling.
Tony placed a hand around her arm to lead her onto the ship. His blue eyes pleaded with her. “Come on. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
He pulled harder but Lana planted her feet firmly, refusing to move. “I’m not afraid. It’s a feeling, an omen, that something’s wrong. Definitely wrong.” But as suddenly as the dark cloud had descended upon her, it was gone—a heavy burden lifted from her shoulders. Perhaps the foreboding was her fear of the large vessel, of being in the middle of the sea without any land in sight. She took in a deep breath to steady her nerves, determined she wouldn’t go there.
Tony frowned with apparent concern. “You okay? Should I cancel the trip?”
She forced a smile. “No. I’m fine now. Besides, it’s too late to get your money back. I can do this.”
“I don’t care about the money. I just want you to feel safe. I’ve done this many times, although, it’s been a while and I can assure you it’ll be okay.” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him, and she laid her head onto his shoulder.
She snuggled deeply into the curve of his neck and placed a light kiss on his jawbone. “I trust you. I don’t know what happened. A deep-seeded dread came over me and all of a sudden I couldn’t move.”
“Where did it come from?” he asked, cradling her head to his chest as she turned in his arms.
“I don’t know. But as suddenly as my imagination went wild, it stopped. At first, I thought it was a sign that we shouldn’t go, and now I feel an urgency to board, like something is beckoning to me, like someone needs my help.”
“Will there ever be a trip where someone doesn’t need your help?” he asked with irritation but continued to strum her long brown hair.
“Please, Tony, don’t be like that. We’ve been married over a year. By now you should understand that I have no choice. It’s a calling and if there was anyone else to do it, I would step aside and let them have at it.”
His frown turned to a smile. “I’m sorry. I know. It’s just . . . I don’t know. I guess I’m just hardheaded sometimes. I’d hoped this would be one trip taken without any ghost drama. I should’ve known better.”
“You’re normally so understanding about my ghost drama,” she said, mimicking him. “What’s with you today?”
He shook his head as if trying to clear it from an unwanted thought. “I sense something sinister myself. I’ve never felt this before now. Could your gift be rubbing off on me?” True concern spread across his face.
“It doesn’t work that way, but it’s possible for a spiritual presence to change another person’s mood just by the person being in close proximity to the spirit’s negativity.” She rubbed his upper arm, causing heat to radiate through her fingertips. “Having a spiritual lightening rod, so to speak, meaning me, standing beside you could land you in the crossfire of electrical charges bouncing across the realm.”
“Let’s do this if we’re going to.” He picked up their luggage and placed it on the cart where it could be loaded onto the ship and then taken to their room.
Lana wrapped her arm around his and walked to the gangway that would lead them to the main deck. Dread started to come over her again but she whispered, “Not now,” and she pushed it away with her mind. She smiled. “Let’s go up top and pretend we have loved ones below seeing us off.”
Their friends wanted to come to see them off, but she’d told them not to. She hadn’t wanted to disrupt their lives since, due to recent Homeland Security concerns, it could take a long while to get through security to board.
His smile spread wider as he took her hand and traipsed along beside her. They climbed a narrow staircase. Once on top, they waved to the crowd below, letting themselves go. They laughed at their pretense.
Lana yelled over the side to the people, “Bye! See you in a few days.”
Tony followed suit. “We’ll miss you!” he said, chuckling loudly.
“Feels good to just let go and relax a bit, doesn’t it?”
“It does. I don’t know how I lucked up and found Gina to take care of business so I could take this time off. She’s a godsend.”
“Should I be jealous?” Lana cocked her head to the side.
He gave her that look that said she was being silly. “Gina’s almost young enough to be my daughter.”
His words weren’t meant to harm her, but they did just the same. She felt her eyes well up but pushed her emotions aside. They’d been trying to get her pregnant for a few months now with no luck, and she hoped this trip would relax her enough to make it happen.
Available now in ebook through Amazon, 24Symbols, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Page Foundry, and Scribd.
Other Books Available in the Series

 

In book one, HAUNTED HEARTS, Lana sets out to solve her first case—the twenty-year old cold-case and double murder of her great aunt and her great aunt’s fiancé. If she succeeds, they’ll spend eternity together; if she can’t, they’ll be stuck as Haunted Hearts. With the help of the ghosts and a new love interest, she is able to find the murderer.
In book two, GET OUT OR DIE, the success of Lana’s first case has spread throughout the local Charleston area and her business is booming. At one pro-bono job, Lana helps a widow communicate with her late husband where she learns of a frightening new ability—an ability that could give the next spirit, an angry ghost, the upper hand if she’s not careful.
In book three, THE WEDDING CRASHER, Lana is on her honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee when she learns that a reoccurring vision about an abducted woman took place in nearby Knoxville. This case takes her hiking up mountainsides and trekking through rough terrain to find a madman before he can harm this young woman.

 
About Kim Cox
Kim Cox is an author of Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense and Romance. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with her chain saw artist husband, their West Highland White Terriers–Scooter and Harley, and a Yorkie mix, Candi. Kim is published in novels, short stories and articles.

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