Blog Tour Stop - Fractured Steel by TJ Loveless

Title: Fractured Steel

Author: T.J. Loveless

Release Date: February 15, 2014

Genre: Thriller/Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis

After a bloody tour in Iraq, all Karen Barnes wants is a simple life, surrounded by horses and the mountains of Wyoming. But when a stranger tries boarding a famous horse worth millions at her stable, Karen grows suspicious that the horse has been stolen.

When her worse fears are confirmed and her life is threatened, her instinct for survival kicks in. But things are far worse than she could have even imagined when she discovers that the theft is just a coverup for espionage.

With the lives of those she cares for at stake, can she find the courage to fight one more battle, or will the violence and carnage tear her to pieces?

Buy Links

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IGI2BHS

Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractured-Steel-T-J-Loveless-ebook/dp/B00IGI2BHS

Amazon CA - http://www.amazon.ca/Fractured-Steel-T-J-Loveless-ebook/dp/B00IGI2BHS

Amazon AU - http://www.amazon.com.au/Fractured-Steel-T-J-Loveless-ebook/dp/B00IGI2BHS

Excerpt

Johnny swung the M16 and pointed it at me, “Come here, honey.” He smiled, and I held back the waves of nausea. I knew the smile, what he wanted, knew if he got me out of here, I was going to hurt.

“Stop shooting and I will.” I kept my feet planted, hoping the fear didn’t show.

He turned and shot a man trying to crawl away. I flinched as blood and thicker things spread over the floor. “You don’t negotiate. Come here, Karen. We have unfinished business.”

I took a deep breath, the smell of copper pennies and released bowels covering my nose and throat. Don’t cry, show no weakness. There are others that might survive. I took a step, followed by several more. If I managed to get Johnny and Jake out of here, they could lock down and call for help. Peripheral vision said at least seven survived. The good of the many outweigh the good of the few, or the one, I repeated in my head, remembering the line from the eighties movie, Star Trek: Wrath of Khan. I wasn’t brave like Spock, I was a coward, and couldn’t live with myself.

Standing in front of Johnny, I released a punch, sending him reeling. I grabbed his M16 as he lurched to the left, and turned it on Jake. I hesitated, seeing his beautiful eyes, a dozen years of memories flashing in front of me. Shaking my head, I pulled the trigger. His body jumped and moved, eyes wide with pain and surprise.

I turned the muzzle to a hunched over Johnny, “Look at me. For once, don’t be a coward, and face the person who is going to take your life.”

About the Author

T.J. Loveless has been reading and writing stories since the fourth grade. A former  copy/content editor at a medium sized pub house, she now spends her time writing and helping other authors reach for the stars through Cliffhanger Press, LLC.

She lives with The Writing Zoo, a Hubby who prefers her mood when writing, and a teenager who loves to tells stories of Mom on the floor trying to visualize "legs all akimbo" and the long, often yelling, conversations with the computer screen.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Goodreads

Purchase Her Other Books Today

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo

Amazon

Giveaway

Open Internationally

$100 Visa Gift Card, Signed Paperback of Fractured Steel and an ebook of Going Thru Hell/Odd Number Five

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20 Fun Facts

1. I used to race on dirt tracks at the I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Arkansas. I never won, but I’m damn good at crabbing around a corner.
2. English is technically my second language. I spoke Inupiat first.
3. I can shovel water like nobody’s business, and drive heavy equipment, learned while working for a construction company in Florida.
4. I’m obsessed with American classic cars – the muscle cars of the 1960’s, the curves of the 1940’s & 50’s, the roar of a gasoline guzzling engine.
5. I used to rescue Rottweilers, managed to retrain and place 172 dogs.
6. I can cuss up a storm, and make an inmate blush.
7. I love the show Supernatural. My favorite character? Baby. The boys are cute eye candy, but I squee over the Impala.
8. I have PTSD, and large cities/heavy traffic are my worst triggers. I have a teddy bear I carry with me, if Hubby isn’t available.
9. I love snakes … I’m terrified of spiders. I once jumped out of the second story window of our house and broke my leg to get away from a wolf spider.
10. I’m a USDA, card carrying, certified klutz. I trip over nothing, and proud of it.
11. I’m addicted to coffee. The real surprise is that I didn’t drink coffee until 2003. Raspberry Mocha Lattes with two extra shots from Paramount Café are my Kryptonite.
12. I adore Star Trek, Star Wars, and used to have a collection of X-Men comics from the late 80’s.
13. I’m a biologist at heart, and love anything science-y.
14. My fourth grade teacher still has the first short story I ever wrote. She has it hanging on her living room wall with pictures of her family. I don’t remember what the story was about.
15. I don’t like popcorn.
16. I love winter and the long nights.
17. I have no sense of fashion. Hence, I wear a lot of jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. For fashion advice, I go to Hubby, my teenager, or friends. I didn’t know what Jimmy Chu’s were until a writer friend explained them to me.
18. I don’t watch scary/gory/horror movies.
19. I can’t do anything craft-y to save my life. I can imagine it, but the execution looks like a hamster on crack tried to make it.
20. I had to have Hubby help me think of 20 interesting things to share.