KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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THE LOST OPAL
Fantasy Futuristic Romance
BY PATTY WISEMAN
Blurb
Beneath the murky ocean depths lurks an evil unknown to many. Rose Clancy is a mermaid, a malicious mermaid. She steals the souls of unsuspecting women in order to break free from the sea and reside on land.
One thing keeps her from a permanent transition.
The love of a man.
Captain Henry Nelson is trapped on his schooner, The Lost Opal. For almost two hundred years, his efforts to free himself have yielded nothing, until…
…Maren Raybourn becomes Rose’s next intended victim.
Drake Morgan is on a much-needed hiatus. The dashing captain has no intention of veering off his intended course of rest and relaxation until he runs into Maren at Passion Rock. But her mysterious disappearance days later sends him on a journey he didn’t expect.
Past and present intertwine four lives and a powerful Opal is the key to their survival.
THE LOST OPAL
Fantasy Futuristic Romance
BY PATTY WISEMAN
Excerpt
Maren struggled to open her eyes—to no avail, and panic set in as the fog in her brain dissipated. Have I been drugged? Her head pounded. Both legs and arms felt like weights as she fought to sit up.
Finally, her heavy lids stayed open, but only total darkness engulfed her, and a rocking sensation added to her already nauseous stomach.
Where in the hell am I?
She wracked her brain for the last memory before waking up in this vault of gloom. Where was I? On the beach?
Bit by bit, she pieced together the sparse recollection. I walked on the beach. But why? Oh yes, I heard the noise again and went down to Passion Rock to investigate. Touching the stone and listening to the soulful sound as it receded into the night is the last thing I remember.
Weakness overcame her as she pushed down on the damp wooden boards beneath her and stood rather precariously. The effort took all the strength she could muster. Wobbling, but forcing her body to remain upright, she ventured a few steps. Not sure which direction to pursue, she followed her instinct with hands thrust out in front to ward off any obstacle she might encounter.
Navigation proved difficult because of the rocking motion beneath her feet. Step by step, she inched into the inky blackness trying to connect with something to give her a sense of anything familiar. Finally, she bumped into a wall and followed it hoping to discover a way out of this torture chamber.
Persistence paid off as she hit a corner and almost fell as the rocking motion pitched her forward. Fortunately, a railing caught her hand as she stumbled ahead, but she maintained her balance.
Stairs!
Hope renewed, she grasped the banister and started to climb. One foot in front of the other, the uphill effort drained any reserve energy, but eventually a door signaled the end. After fumbling in total blindness, she found the latch and pulled upward. It released.
I’m free!
She gulped hard, trying to breathe as she emerged from the dungeon-like hole, but only heavy dank air infused her lungs. Coughing ensued and she finally sputtered, “Not the fresh air I’d hoped.” And again, complete darkness surrounded her. The only difference were the stars overhead. Not many, and clouds obscured what pinpoints of light she could see.
Waves crashed against the side of whatever conveyance her misfortune had landed her.
A ship of some sort, I fear.
As the vehicle rocked, she found her footing, squinting into the darkness.
“Help!” she called. “Someone help me. I’ve been kidnapped. Please someone answer me.”
Instead of an onslaught of footsteps to her rescue, she was met with complete silence.
No one rushed to her aid. In fact, the slap of waves against the side of the ship proved the only sound. She ventured forward inspecting the surroundings. Above her, lowered sails flapped in the slight breeze which led her to believe the ship must be an ancient type of schooner—very old and dilapidated.
“How on earth did I get here?” she spoke to the empty deck. The vessel didn’t feel as if it moved forward at all. “Any ship needs an anchor. I have to find it to determine if it’s just drifting or if we’re sitting in one spot.
Carefully, she moved forward. Not very knowledgeable about seafaring things, she had to determine which way was fore and which aft. I wish I had paid more attention to my father. He was the expert. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she spotted what she thought was the helm. The sound of her own voice gave her comfort in an odd way. “I’ve gone the wrong way. The anchor has to be at the front of the boat. The ship wheel faces that way.”
She headed in that direction, carefully picking her way through debris on the rotten deck. Chains, empty boxes, barrels, all sorts of wreckage. Finally, she saw the bow and checked the chain. It was let out all the way, so the anchor had been dropped.
The breeze carried her words to the nothingness of the ocean. “This is freaking me out. Anchored on an old ship with no one on board. Why? I’m stranded here. I certainly don’t have the strength to pull up something that heavy. I’ll either starve to death or throw myself overboard.”
“Not if I have any say in it.”
About Author Patty Wiseman…
Author Patty Wiseman is a native of Seattle, Washington area. She moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma after high school to attend The Wesleyan College. After college she moved to Northeast Texas, where she met and married her Texas born husband, Ron.
Her two sons are grown and pursuing their own dreams.
After a twenty-five-year career as an administrative assistant to a financial professional, she retired, and is finally living her dream. She has settled into the writing life with gusto. Eleven books are published, and she is still writing. She’s accumulated multiple awards and enjoys mentoring new writers. An avid history buff with a weakness for a good riddle, her books will keep you riveted as you try to solve the mysteries and are swept away with the romance.
A special treat is having her granddaughter, Savannah Cameron featured on the cover of two of her books.
Three years ago, she found out she was diabetic and chose to live her life without the normal meds usually prescribed. She has successfully kept the diabetes in check with clean eating.
Favorite quote “Find out who you are, then do it on purpose.” ~ Dolly Parton
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Links to Patty’s websites, blogs, books, #ad etc.:
Amazon Ebook: Ebook – https://amzn.to/3xjD3Or
Amazon Paperback – https://amzn.to/3xjD3Or
WEBSITE – www.pattywiseman.com
Email patty-wiseman1966@yahoo.com
FB – Patty Wiseman Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/PattyWisemanAuthor/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/PattyWG
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patty-wiseman-30ab5b40/
Amazon Author Page – Author Page
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005OTXOE6
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pattywg/
Patty’s Musings Podcast
ANCHOR.FM/Patty-Wiseman
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Special Giveaway: Patty will give away a paperback copy (U.S. Only) or ebook copy (International) of THE LOST OPAL to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
Happy Reading!
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Thanks, Patty, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Good morning, Patty, and welcome back to Karen’s Killer Book Bench. I love mermaid and lost souls stories! The Little Mermaid has always been one of my favorite children’s stories, ever since I was little. I can’t wait to read Maren and Henry find their HEA. Thanks for sharing your book with us today!
Thanks so much for having me again, Karen! It was a blast!!
I really enjoyed this book! A ghost, time travel, an evil mermaid…it has it all! An enchanting story very well told!
Thank you, Dana!
Hi, your book sounds and looks very intriguing ! Thank you for sharing it with us. Have a great day and a great rest of the week. Thank you for the chance.
Thank you, Alicia! I appreciate your comment!
I haven’t read a good mermaid story in awhile, sounds good!
This book was fun to write! Thanks for the comment!
This book was fun to write! Thanks for checking it out!
interesting book
Always good to hear from readers! Thank you!
Intriguing story, I look forward to reading it.
Thank you so much for the comment! I look forward to hearing how you liked it!