"Sometimes the ghosts from your
past…are real."
Welcome to the Release Day Extravaganza
for VOICES by Clarissa Johal
Title: VOICES
Genre: Paranormal Psychological Suspense
Author: Clarissa Johal
Editor: Bobbie Metevier
Published by Permuted Press May 2015
ISBN: 9781618685698
ASIN: B00WAH55JW
Pages: 264
About VOICES:
Sometimes the ghosts
from your past…are real.
Moira Flynn is arrested for attacking a door-to-door
solicitor with a knife. She claims a voice told her the man was intent on
assaulting her. The trouble is, she was the only one that heard that voice.
Moira strikes a plea bargain and is sent to a psychiatric hospital for
voluntary treatment. Dr. Richard Cassano is hesitant to treat her as
schizophrenic, as she does not show the standard symptoms. As their sessions
progress, Moira confesses there are two voices—and they aren’t voices in her
head, but the voices of ghosts. Are they imaginary? Or are they actual spirits,
attached to her for reasons of their own? As Moira’s doctor uncovers more of
her past, he begins to realize that her ghosts are real. And one of them is
determined to drag Moira into the afterlife with him.
Excerpt from VOICES:
Moira choked
down a congealed glob of oatmeal. Bland,
like all the food here. She picked up her plastic knife and smeared
margarine onto a piece of dry toast. Patients were only given plastic utensils.
She washed the toast down with a gulp of tepid decaf coffee and sat back,
miserable. “I hate this place, I want out.”
“At least your
session was cancelled for tomorrow,” Jack said. “One less thing I’ll have to
sit through.”
Dr. Cassano didn’t say why, either, Moira worried. He seemed nervous about cancelling too.
“We’ll get out.”
“Not we, Jack, me. I want out.” She stared mournfully
at the food on her tray. “I don’t care what happens to you.”
“That’s not
nice,” Isabella said.
“I don’t care
what happens to you, either.”
“You’re mean!”
She retreated to the corner of the room to pout.
“Don’t be mean,
Moira,” Jack reprimanded. “Isabella’s just a child.”
She let out a
sound of frustration. They both knew Jack didn’t care the slightest about
Isabella. “I wonder why Dr. Cassano cancelled it.”
“Why do you
care?”
Moira turned
away pointedly and undid her braid, hoping to dissuade the headache coming on.
“Don’t ignore
me,” Jack said, his voice hardening. “I didn’t like the way he looked at you
this morning.” He grabbed her arm.” I don’t like the way you look at him
either. I see the way you look at him.”
She shook him
off. “You’re paranoid, Jack.”
“You know what
I’m talking about, don’t play dumb.” He sat back, his eyes watchful. “Don’t
trust him, Moira. Who knows what he’s planning?”
“If you do
anything, Jack, I mean anything.
They’ll lock the door and throw away the key.” She moved away from his
presence. “And don’t think they wouldn’t medicate me with a dozen different
pills, all guaranteed to make you go away forever.”
“You know pills
won’t make me go away, Moira,” Jack bit out. “They might make you sleep, but
they won’t make me go away.”
Silence filled
the room. Moira picked up her brush and started brushing out her hair.
“It would be his
word against yours, if he ever tried anything.”
“Just drop it,
Jack,” Moira said.
Jack narrowed
his eyes. “He’d medicate you so you’d never remember it, either.”
She shook her
head in disgust.
“Maybe you could
bust out of here!” Isabella jumped up. “I’ll bet you could open the window with
that knife.” She ran over to the window and pushed against it.
“It’s completely
sealed, Isabella.” Moira watched her, feeling helpless to the noise from her
efforts. “Stop banging on it! You’re going to get me into trouble.”
“You could cut
through the walls!”
“Hello? Plastic
knife, it can’t cut anything.”
“It can’t?” Jack
asked. “Have you tried?”
She caught his
look and quickly turned her attention to Isabella, who was still thumping on
the window. “I’m not breaking out of here, Isabella. Do you want me to go to
jail?”
“But what if
they keep you in here forever?” Isabella asked.
“They’re not
going to.”
“But what if
they do?” Isabella jumped up and down. “What if they keep you here until you’re
old and grey and all your teeth fall out?”
“It would be
awful to be stuck here forever,” Jack said quietly. “Wouldn’t it, Moira? Just
awful.”
“They’re not
going to keep me here forever!” Moira said. “Isabella, stop it!”
The door opened.
“Problem?” the nurse asked.
She glanced over
at Jack. A slice of a smile crept across his lips. “No. No problem.
Just…thinking aloud.”
“Finish up your
breakfast, then,” she said briskly. She shut the door again.
Moira picked up
her carton of juice and took a sip.
Jack pushed her
hand upwards, sloshing juice into Moira’s face and down her T-shirt.
Whoops!”
Isabella giggled.
“Asshole,” she
muttered. She went into the bathroom with Jack trailing her. Their eyes
connected in the mirror.
“Looks like
you’ll need another shower,” he murmured.
She pressed her
mouth in a straight line and turned her back to him.
VOICES Pre-Order Links:
About the Author:
Clarissa Johal has worked as a veterinary assistant, zoo-keeper
aide and vegetarian chef. Writing has always been her passion. When she’s not
listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing or taking photographs of
gargoyles. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters and every stray
animal that darkens the doorstep. One day, she expects that a wayward troll
will wander into her yard, but that hasn’t happened yet.
*Member of the Author's Guild
VOICES
(May 2015) Permuted Press
STRUCK
(January
2014) 1st Edition Musa Publishing, LLC
(March 2015) 2nd Edition Clarissa Johal
(March 2015) 2nd Edition Clarissa Johal
*Second
place in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2014
*Winner of the Indie Book of the Day Award
*Winner of the Indie Book of the Day Award
BETWEEN
(December 2012) 1st Edition Musa Publishing, LLC
(March 2015) 2nd Edition Clarissa Johal
*Second place in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2012
*Paranormal Reads gives BETWEEN 4 out of 5 Bats
(December 2012) 1st Edition Musa Publishing, LLC
(March 2015) 2nd Edition Clarissa Johal
*Second place in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2012
*Paranormal Reads gives BETWEEN 4 out of 5 Bats
PRADEE
(2010) Clarissa Johal
*Second round finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest 2012
Short stories:
(2010) Clarissa Johal
*Second round finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest 2012
Short stories:
PIGEONS
Susurrus
Literary Journal
THE ROPE
Susurrus Literary Journal
Non-Fiction:
A WAY OF LIFE
The Sacramento Bee newspaper
THE ROPE
Susurrus Literary Journal
Non-Fiction:
A WAY OF LIFE
The Sacramento Bee newspaper
Find Clarissa Online:
Author Website: http://clarissajohal.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClarissaJohal
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Clarissa-Johal/e/B003KVTMPK/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/clarissajohal/
Click this Link to See All of the Blogs Celebrating Clarissa Johal's Newest Book Release:
http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/release-day-extravaganza-schedule.html
http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/release-day-extravaganza-schedule.html
Thank you so much for hosting VOICES today!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting my release :)
ReplyDeleteThank you ladies! Good luck with the book and the promotion. Always happy to get the word of a good book out there!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Clarissa! Great premise.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nick :)
ReplyDelete