PRESENTS. . .
A Cover Reveal
for
As Darkness
Gathers
by Emma
Elliot
Release Date: September 9,
2014
When
their plane goes down in the Canadian wilderness, Finch Rhodes’ and Clay
Gandy’s lives become entwined. Together they face the unforgiving elements of
unfamiliar terrain in winter, wild animals, raging rivers, and their own
growing weakness from hunger, shock, and exposure. With their lives at stake as
well as the lives of those depending on them to find help, Finch and Clay are
forced to rely on one another, and they forge a bond that lasts even after they
are rescued.
Finch’s
struggles to adjust to normal life upon returning home are hindered by her
broken engagement, her friend’s disapproval of her friendship with Clay, her
parents’ marital issues, and her brother’s uncharacteristic belligerence and
suspicious request. And by the seemingly harmless mishaps that soon escalate
into brutal attacks. After she is injured, Finch once again comes to rely on
Clay. But as the connection between them deepens, the threat against her grows.
With
her life in jeopardy and danger blurring the lines between friend and foe,
Finch must decide if those she loves are the ones she can trust, or if the
greatest peril lurks closer to home than she could have ever imagined.
“Ladies
and gentlemen,” I said, “the captain has advised me we’ll be making a
precautionary landing.”
The
elderly woman started sobbing.
The
front of the plane yawed back and forth, the movement sharp, bouncing, and
disorienting. When I glanced out the window, we were just breaking through the
cloud cover, and the forested ground was rushing closer.
I
pointed out the exits and the escape path lighting, and then explained the
brace position of crossing their arms, placing them on the seatback in front of
them, and resting their foreheads on their wrists.
“I’ll
help you if you need me to,” said the man in 1A.
I
swallowed and felt the hot press of tears. “If I’m unable to, make sure it’s
safe to open the door, and then get everyone out and away.”
“I’ll
do it. And I won’t leave you behind.”
The
plane groaned, the yawing becoming violent. We swayed back and forth so
forcefully that I had to hold on to my shoulder harness to avoid being pitched
sideways. The father and son yelled apologies and I love
yous at one another. The elderly woman
continued weeping. A businessman recited a Hail Mary.
My lips
trembled and I pressed them tightly together. “What’s your name?” I asked 1A.
With a
rumble, the landing gear extended.
His
eyes were blue, I realized.
“Clay.
Clay Gandy.”
Clay
in 1A. I almost laughed at the rhyme, but then the captain shouted,
“Brace, brace, brace!”
I
repeated the command over and over until my voice was hoarse. I wanted to close
my eyes but found I couldn’t.
The
plane jarred with the sound of snapping, the movement so wrenching it felt as
if someone were trying to yank my bones from within my skin. We whipped to one
side so quickly my neck cracked and my vision swam. Dark shadows rushed by the
windows, and the splintering sound escalated.
We hit
the ground with such force the oxygen masks fell from the panels above the
seats and the overhead bins burst open and spilled luggage into the aisle.
Both
passengers and metal screamed.
There
was a horrific grinding as the plane shuddered and bucked.
Then
the world exploded.
Emma
Elliot first developed a love of suspense when she was six years old. She was
hiding from her cousins and sister in a closet in her grandmother's house when
she discovered a passageway, though not so secret, linking to another closet.
She stumbled upon a stack of worn Bobbsey Twins mysteries in
that seeming labyrinth, and she spent much of her childhood there, by choice,
reading mystery novels by flashlight. Her love of reading and writing grew
simultaneously. Soon she was creating her own variations of the stories she
read and penning her own tales. Through bouts of working as a tutor, an editor,
an apple- and peach-picker, a waitress, a dog walker, a nanny, a retail
associate, and a reservationist at a ski resort, writing has remained her
passion.
She
currently lives on the eastern seaboard and considers herself a wandering
homebody. She travels often for work, which provides fodder for the imagination
and plentiful hours to write her next novel while sitting in airports.
No comments:
Post a Comment