Hey guys! Welcome to today's tour stop! Do enjoy:)
First Touch Series, book 1
Mattie Dunman
Mattie Dunman
Genre: YA/Paranormal
ISBN: 9780615659725
ASIN: B00873W5ZA
Number of pages: 267
Word Count: 87,543
Cover Artist: Deirdre Robertson
Book
Description:
Liz Hannigan has been on the run since she
was twelve years old.
Her mother is dead. Her father has lost his
job. And thanks to an experimental procedure, Liz is now able to ‘download’ the
contents of every brain around her with a simple touch. Forced to hide from
both the federal government and a darkling group of morally deficient
scientists known as the Coalition determined to exploit her abilities, she
moves with her father to the bucolic coal town of Pound, West Virginia.
But the hunt for Liz and her abilities
hasn’t ended, and her hopes for peace are shattered when she inadvertently
downloads the enigmatic Carey Drake, whose unusual good looks and charm conceal
a secret as shocking as her own. Stunned by the knowledge that she has found
someone else who has extraordinary abilities, Liz finds herself drawn to Carey,
discovering a deep attraction, and dares to hope for the first time she might
find love.
But when an agent of the Coalition begins
stalking her, Liz must find a way to work with the government agency she most
mistrusts as she strives to build a longed-for normal life and take down the
agent who has tracked her down. Caught up in a struggle to save herself and
those she loves, the girl who sees all is blind to true danger until it is too
late.
Short
Excerpt:
I was out on the main road and about twenty
minutes into my run when I heard the sound of a motor gunning and the beep of a
horn. I slowed my pace and turned around to see Preston’s truck chugging along
about two hundred yards behind me. His head was out of the window and he was
screaming at me; I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but I felt pretty
confident that it wasn’t complimentary.
I came to a stop, wondering if I should do
something. I wasn’t really concerned; it wasn’t as though he would run me over
or anything, but the blind hatred on his face made me a little nervous.
Finally, I decided to ignore him and let him get his fill of throwing abuse my
way and then drive on past. Picking up
the pace again, I resolutely faced forward, pretending that the continued
screeching behind me was a trick of the wind.
Suddenly the engine gave an almighty roar
and I heard the unwelcome sound of squealing tires. With only a second to
register that I had vastly underestimated Preston’s anger and mental
instability, I swirled around in time to see the grille of the truck just a few
feet from my face. I made to jump out of the way, but all my knowledge and
stolen tricks didn’t make me fly, or move faster, or be any less breakable than
any other human being. I knew in that moment how useless my ability really was.
In the face of the giant metal monster brimming with torque, my mind was of no
matter, it just screamed out with the desire to live, to keep going.
There was a blow like a train hitting me,
but strangely there was no pain, and I was moving faster than I could have
imagined away from the truck and into the field next to the road. I was sure
that the truck had hit me and I was just flying through the air to my death, by
some fortunate stroke lucky enough to be spared the pain of impact. In another
instant the movement had stopped and I realized I was being held in a pair of
strong arms against a rock-hard chest.
Carey looked down at me, his eyes frantic.
“Are you alright? He didn’t hit you, did he?”
“N-no,” I stuttered. Having downloaded
Carey I was aware of his incredible speed, but there’s something very different
about knowing something theoretically and experiencing it firsthand.
He put me down gently in the grass and I
just sat there, too dumbfounded to speak.
Even as he anxiously surveyed me for damage, we heard the rending scream
of out of control tires and the heavy metal sound of Preston’s truck crashing
into something.
“I’ll be right back,” Carey said and then I
blinked and he was gone.
About the Author:
Mattie Dunman is a
lifelong resident of "Wild & Wonderful" West Virginia, and has
dreamed of being a writer since she first held a pen in hand.
Mattie has pursued
several useless degrees to support this dream, and presently enjoys teaching
(or tormenting, as the case may be) college students the dying art of public
speaking. She spends most of her free time writing, but also indulges in
reading and traveling.
She is the proud
owner of an adorably insane American Eskimo named Finn, and a tyrant cat named
Bella, who take up more of her attention than they probably should.
Please visit
Mattie's website at www.mattiedunman.com
And now, let's welcome Mattie to the blog to talk with us a little about her character, Carey.
Does he always have to be a bad boy?
I’ve been asked a few times about my reason for
making Carey, the hero in AT FIRST TOUCH, such a nice guy.
Now, I’m as much an alpha-male fan as the next girl, and normally I’m all about
the bad boys in books. There’s something so delicious about knowing that the
heroine is the one person special enough to change his ways, without losing his
edge, of course.
But when I sat down to write Carey’s character, I
just didn’t see him that way. I tried to imagine this boy who had exceptional
abilities—super-strength, hearing, speed, nearly impenetrable skin—and how they
would affect his behavior and attitude. Somehow, instead of picturing him
riding a motorcycle and seducing every girl in a twenty-mile radius, I saw
Carey assisting little old ladies across the road and helping scared kids climb
down out of trees. Having that kind of power would, I think, either make you
abusive and manipulative, or incredibly responsible. And Carey seemed like the
responsible type.
In the book, his family has packed up and moved to
secluded Pound, West Virginia so he could be safe and have a chance at a normal
life. As Carey developed as a character, I knew he wouldn’t just dismiss that
kind of sacrifice, and so his hero complex was born. And in some ways, it’s
just as much of a flaw as being sarcastic or a womanizer. His obsession for
always doing the right thing can lead to bad decisions and misunderstandings
just as easily, and it does call his motives into question. Is he in love with
Liz because of who she is? Or is it just the fact that she represents the
ultimate damsel in distress, giving Carey the opportunity to play the white
knight?
I think this is why he’s such a good foil for Liz;
she’s been hardened by her experiences, her inability to connect with anyone
other than her father. Because of always being on the run, knowing how her
ability can be used against her will, she is used to only seeing the dark side
of humanity. Meeting Carey changes that for her, because she knows right away
that his whole focus is on using his gifts to better the lives of those around
him, and he would never consider using her talents against her. Even knowing
this, Liz has a hard time relaxing around him; but he wears her down by simply
being a good guy—supportive and caring. It helps to reaffirm her faith in
people, something she sorely needs.
Like I said, I love bad boy heroes, but I think
sometimes the sweet guy can be underrated. Just because he’s thoughtful and
supportive doesn’t mean he’s not complex, or has a perfect past, or pure
motives. Besides, don’t we all still root for the bad boy to turn out to be a
sweetheart underneath all the black leather?
So yep! That's about it for today! Thanks for visiting! :)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Hey there! Comments will make any blogger's day, so leave a comment! Be it good or bad, I want to hear it :D