Shine
by Jeri Smith Ready
Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past. As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced that she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves...even if that means betraying her own heart.
Goodreads.com description
For the next few weeks I will be posting Teasers. I picked my top 5 favorites that were posted on Jeri Smith-Ready's blog, http://blog.jerismithready.com/. I was having a hard time deciding which to post first. I finally decided on the following because it seems to pick up where Shift left off. Enjoy, and don't forget to check out the authors blog! Oh and if you havent read Shade and Shift (book one and two of this trilogy) hurry you only have a few weeks before Shine releases, May 1, 2012!!!
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**Author Note
A couple of people requested a Logan-related snippet from SHINE, and being a complete pushover, I said sure. So here you go, Logan lovers. We appreciate your support!
This scene takes place at the headquarters of the Department of Metaphysical Purity, where Aura is being interrogated, as planned at the end of SHIFT. It's the day after SHIFT has ended. Something terrible has happened, but it's not referenced in this snippet.
(Obligatory disclaimer: this is a relatively rough version. It hasn't even been line edited, much less copyedited or proofread. So it's likely to improve a ton before the final version.)
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"Yes, our PA folks are experts at calming the public." Agent Ritter's smile was full of ironic admiration. "When did Logan pass on, Aura?"
I looked at Gina, as if for permission, but really to pretend it was killing me to reveal the truth. She nodded and touched my hand soothingly.
I bit my lip. "Last night with me, alone in the cemetery near his grave."
"What time exactly?" Ritter asked.
"About nine o’clock."
"And you're certain he’s gone?"
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak, feeling and showing the first genuine emotion of this interview. "He’s gone for good," I whispered.
"Hmm." Ritter leaned over and pulled up a briefcase that had been sitting on the floor next to his chair. "Let’s confirm that, shall we?" He snapped the briefcase’s lock and lifted the lid with a flourish. Before I could ask what he was doing, Ritter pulled out a small disc of clear quartz and set it on the table between us.
Gina pointed at it. "Who’s the summoner for?"
"Who else?" He tapped its shiny surface. "Logan Keeley was tagged before the concert last week, so that he could be retrieved in the event of a disruptive incident, either for his safety or that of others."
I was ninety percent sure that Ritter was bluffing. Logan would’ve told me if he was tagged again, the way he’d been before testifying at his family’s wrongful death suit trial. The summoners allowed ghosts to be called to a place they’d never traveled in life—like a courtroom, for instance.
Ritter watched my face carefully. He obviously didn’t believe me when I said Logan was gone. Even now, a tiny part of me wondered: if Logan could cross the boundary between shade and ghost—and ghost and human—maybe he could also cross the boundary between realms.
"That won’t work," I said. "He’s in another world now."
"Maybe." Ritter slid his thumb under the disc and clicked it on. The clear quartz began to glow with a pure white light.
Inside, my heart pounded, waiting for Logan to manifest right here in the room, standing beside me with a bewildered grin. Inside, my lungs tightened with tears at the warring fear and hope of seeing him again. Inside, I was a boiling cauldron of emotion.
On the outside, I yawned.
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Come back next Wednesday for the next one!!!
*Note, all teasers posted here were copied from the authors blog. They are the sole property of the author.
