Guest Post and Giveaway with Gracen Miller

A MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE

Thanks so much for allowing me to join you at Live to Read today! Howdy, everyone. I’m looking forward to chatting with you today.

Where do authors get their ideas for a story? I take mine from everyday stuff a lot of times, but I’ve been known to steal them from my dreams as well. 

The idea for Pandora’s Box was spawned from a nightmare. Yes, a nightmare!  My nightmares can be disturbing, stuff that is so troubling I won’t voice them for fear of giving them power. Weird, I know, but the idea of telling them to anyone is scary. I do love them at times as well because they jump-start my Muse with creativity.

As for the Pandora’s Box story…I was demon hunting with Sam and Dean Winchester! Woohoo! What Supernatural fan doesn’t love that dream, right? That’s more like a fantasy come to life! So, the boys were at my house trying to save me from getting eaten by a ghost, which turned into a demon. You know how dreams are, the parameters change randomly and it makes total sense in the dream! In the beginning of the dream, we were in an unrecognizable house and by the end of the dream in my current one. And this made total sense in the dream! LOL I wasn’t too worried about the ghost/demon even though Sam and Dean kept telling me I should be. I kept reminding them that ghosts visited me all the time and I knew how to handle them. Easy-peasy stuff. They were soooo not needed, except for as eye-candy. Never turn away prime eye-candy, that’s my motto. ;-) Anyway, Dean was upset, calling me a stubborn chick…I don’t remember saying thanks to that quip, but I do remember taking it as a compliment! LOL 

Then my subconscious threw a wrench into the dream, altering the parameters once again. My children were suddenly mixed into the evolving nightmare. The ghost/demon targeted them, wanting to steal their soul or possess them—I’m not sure which really, all that mattered was that they were the new aim. FYI, in mother lingo that means: game-freakin’-on and I will hunt you down and kill you slowly for even turning your murderous eyes on them! *smiles sweetly*

Furious and ready to kill the ghost/demon, I demanded directions from the Winchesters on how to annihilate this sucker that endangered my babies! Dean was being snarky, calling me sweetheart and reminding me that I should let the professionals handle it. You know, I really didn’t like Dean-dream’s attitude! He was this close *demonstrates with forefinger and thumb clamped together* from getting smacked upside the head!! 

He and I were going at it when I woke up. I came out of that nightmare furious, and it took me a few moments of blinking in the dark room to realize it was just a dream. My kids were okay, slumbering across the hall in their beds. When that reality set in, I was a bit miffed about not getting the opportunity to kill the creature or smack Dean. I hate the way dreams end without any finality to them.  It’s like watching a romance movie where one of them dies at the end…. You’re vested, only to be disappointed at the end!   

But I got to thinking…the worst nightmare any parent can endure is when their child is harmed. Especially when it’s something you cannot control nor do anything about. The absolute helplessness of this is crushing. I’ve endured this type of debilitation with my eldest son when he began to suffer grand mal seizures. Nothing I could do but twiddle my thumbs and watch while he endured them. We finally found the magical pill that controlled them and he outgrew them—whew!—but we were ultimately unable to help.

The nightmare got me to thinking “what if”…

What if a mother was faced with something supernatural tormenting her child? What if doctors couldn’t help? What if she had no idea what she should do? How would she react? How could she battle an unknown entity when she had no knowledge of the supernatural world? Wouldn’t she require help, guidance, and a teacher….anyone with experience to help her?

Ultimate question…How far would she go to save him and how reckless would she become?

And that’s how Pandora’s Box was conceived. My nightmare created characters that are so real-to-life in my head, I don’t question their chatter any longer. I love each of them—even the villain—as if they were my own children. 

Come this Friday, August 19^th, I hope you take the adventure with me and discover how Madison answers each of my questions!  Pandora’s Box will be available in e-book format at online stores (Amazon, Smashwords, etc.) and Decadent Publishing (www.decadentpublishing.com). If you read it, I’d love to know what you think!

Leave a comment for a chance to win a skull pendant, but PLEASE leave your email address so I can contact you if you’re the winner!!! 

Thanks for having me with you today!

Huggles,

Gracen

Where you can stalk me—not really!—but I would love to meet and interact with you:

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/gracen.miller

Road to Hell series FB Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-to-Hell-series/112564408814796?ref=ts

Website: www.gracenmiller.com

Blog: http://madisonroadtohell.blogspot.com/

Pandora’s Box Blurb:

Where does the road to Hell begin?

What happens when your son turns homicidal overnight and your husband disappears on his way to work? Do you cower in fear or fight for your life? Madison Wescott fights against the odds. Distrustful of a God she doesn't believe in, she finds herself face-to-face with a world she didn't know existed and discovers her own soul is darkened with demonic connections.

With good intentions? Or by demonic design?

Phoenix Birmingham bursts into Madison’s life in a whirlwind of sarcasm and sexual appeal. A hero for the masses—and for her jaded heart—but few will ever know the sacrifices he has made or the sacrifices to come. Discovering her entire life has been influenced by multifaceted paranormal beings, Madison is determined to defeat the apocalyptic blueprint fate has decreed, but only one man dares to challenge the supernatural forces manipulating them. Even with Phoenix's aid, can destiny be denied? Or will demonic design prevail while they pay the crucial price with their souls?

In a small, sleepy Alabama town the battle for mankind's liberty has begun...

Pandora’s Box Excerpt:

She nodded and watched as he doused gauze with antiseptic. “Dr. Nix at your service,” he said with a grin, two adorable dimples charming her where words failed.

Madison rolled her eyes, and tipped her head to the side to give him better access. He brushed her hair off her neck, back behind her shoulder. Such a simple gesture, yet it felt terribly personal. The air grew thick and sticky with her awareness of him. She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs.

Madison stared into his eyes. Green, she thought, his eyes were green, gorgeous and intense, with ridiculously long eyelashes women would fantasize about. If they didn’t, they should. A flicker of compassion, concern, and something else she couldn’t identify flashed in his eyes.

“Ready?” he asked.

The husky tenor of his voice forced her gaze to shift to his mouth. Nice, sexy lips, designed for kissing. She gave a mental shake but couldn’t resist wondering how his mouth would feel on hers.

“Madison?” Humor deepened his voice, a touch of a smile tilted the edges of the lips she’d been fantasizing about, and she realized she still stared at them. “You ready?” he asked again, and her eyes widened in embarrassment over her foolish stupor.

She swallowed hard. “Yeah.” She whispered past the lump in her throat and forced her vision to lock on the wall over his shoulder. Good God, what was wrong with her? Her pulse throbbed like crazy, and she felt woozy. Loss of blood! Must be why she reacted that way. No other explanation made sense.

Even though the antiseptic stung like hell, the gentle touch coming from such a gruff man surprised her. “It’s not bad,” he said, dabbing the blood away. “Just a nick.”

Well, she could nix the blood loss theory. Exhaustion and stress were the only other excuses she could come up with. “I’ve suffered worse.” Her voice sounded off, kind of hoarse. She tried to clear her throat delicately, but he must have noticed her unease, because his perceptive eyes met hers. Again, she thought she caught the edge of concern reflected in their green depths.

“This isn’t the first time he’s attacked you?”

“No. It’s the first time he’s tried to seriously kill me, though.” She sighed as she closed her eyes, ready to give up fighting, the sudden tears threatening to fall. Okay, woozy and acting strange because of strain…not because of him. Seriously, as far as first impressions went, she wasn’t impressed.

Thank you for posting Gracen!

Don't forget to leave a comment and email if you want to win the giveaway-an extra point to those who are GFC followers!

Giveaway will end on the 22nd of August