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Crow Moon by Suzie Aspley#Extract #Giveaway #AMarthaStrangewaysInvestigationBook1

  I am delighted to introduce the first in a new series by debut writer, Suzie Aspley . The atmospheric thriller, Crow Moon was published by Orenda on March 14th. Today I have an extract for you to read and the chance to win a print copy of Crow Moon . Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed… Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire. Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back... When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows. As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes

Just by Jenny Morton Potts ** Author Post & International Giveaway**

I am thrilled to welcome Jenny Morton Potts to Books, Life and Everything today to introduce us to Scott Langbrook, the central character in her latest thriller, Just. There is also an International Giveaway for you to enter, where you can win one of 5 e-copies of Just. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. First, a little about the book:
 

How far would you go to save a life?



On golden Mediterranean sands, maverick doctor Scott Langbrook falls recklessly in love with his team leader, Fiyori Maziq. If only that was the extent of his falling, but Scott descends into the hellish clutches of someone much more sinister.



‘Just’ is a story of love and loss, of terror and triumph. Set in idyllic Cambridge and on the shores of the Med and Cornwall, our characters fight for their very lives on land and at sea.



An unforgettable novel which goes to the heart of our catastrophic times, and seeks salvation.



Welcome to Books, Life & Everything, Jenny. Over to you!


‘Scott Langbrook’ from the thriller ‘Just’



I’m Scott. I’m a newly qualified doctor and I grew up in Grantchester. You probably know it from the tv show about the vicar. James Norton, that’s him. I don’t look like James Norton. I’m slighter and blond and considerably better looking. And I’m funny. He’s not funny at all. 


I went to school at Fettes College. That’s where Tony Blair went apparently. And James Bond. My dad was really excited about the Bond connection. He’s dead now. My dad, I mean. He ran his car into a sleeping elephant on a road in Botswana. The elephants do that a lot there, sleep on the roads, because the air temperature drops so much at night and the tarmac stays nice and toasty. The elephant that killed my dad was a whopper, the Chief of Police said. When the car struck, Jumbo probably just rolled over and carried on sleeping. But my dad never woke up.  


So yeah, I’m Scott, but I’ve started to think of myself as ‘Langbrook’ because that’s what Fiyori calls me. That is Dr Fiyori Maziq, my team leader at Reach which is a health organisation, a bit like Doctors Without Borders. Everyone in my team is a doctor and my colleagues come from around the world. They’re mostly a good bunch, except for Linnea from deepest Finland, who jumps in front of the news cameras at the drop of a hat and thinks she’s going to be the world’s greatest cardio thoracic surgeon one day. 


We’re based in the Mediterranean and right now, we’re doing Dead Body Management. Never was the phrase, Hey, it’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it, more applicable. This work is not for the faint-hearted. But in fact, there’s a lot of heart in the task. A lot of reverence for the deceased and a lot of goodwill between us doctors, when we’re not biting each other’s heads off. When you see this stuff in the news, well, it’s just faces isn’t it, silent mouths, bodies jammed into boats. But it’s not like that when you’re here. These people, they’re just you and me, in a shitload of trouble. We have to take care of them; fix them, hold them, bury them.


But my boss, Fiyori Maziq, oh dear God, where do I start. Well, she’s a general surgeon, from Libya, but she studied in England. There’s really nothing surgical she won’t tackle, in an emergency. Think I fell in love the instant I laid eyes on her. I had a physical reaction, like a punch in the chest, stardust in the eyes and yes, an overwhelming response in the groin. If you’ve never been struck like that, with a coup de foudre, you won’t know what I mean. I don’t mean that to be condescending (people sometimes think I am, but that’s only my boarding school accent, it misleads folk) just… well, it’s like asking someone to imagine how a strawberry tastes if they’ve only ever eaten potatoes. Ok, I’m not great at analogies but I’d never had such a feeling of love. Something inside me though, something very strong, told me to be scared. Of course, we were all scared, all of the time; of the death, and worse of the dying as it happened, and of the smugglers, of random snipers, of masked knife wielders. The soldiers and police were no comfort. I could trust no-one. No, not even Fiyori. It was all going on every day. Mayhem and violence. I never told my mother. I said it was all safe and guarded where we worked. I guess I got used to lying to my mum and then I told her the biggest lie possible. I broke her heart and I can never forgive myself.


I think the reason I was so scared of the love I felt for Dr Maziq though, was the instant realisation that I would never manage if the love was not returned. And, it was not returned. And, I did not manage. But then an opportunity came to prove my love for her, if I would just make the ultimate sacrifice. So that’s what I did. And I got myself into the most terrifying situation of my life. It took everything I ever thought I had and more, much more, to survive.



 Thanks, Jenny. It is great to meet Scott!

About the Author


Jenny is a novelist, screenplay writer, and playwright. After a series of ‘proper jobs’, she realized she was living someone else’s life and escaped to Gascony to make gîtes. Knee deep in cement and pregnant, Jenny was happy. Then autism and a distracted spine surgeon wiped out the order. Returned to wonderful England, to write her socks off.
Jenny would like to see the Northern Lights but worries that’s the best bit and should be saved till last. Very happily, and gratefully, settled with the family. She tries not to take herself too seriously.

You can follow Jenny here: Website | Twitter | Facebook 
 | Goodreads
Book links: Amazon UK
Thanks to Jenny and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a place on the tour. 

Check out the rest of the tour! 

Giveaway (International)


To be in with a chance of winning one of 5 x e-copies of Just by Jenny Morton Potts (Open Internationally) follow the link below and good luck!


*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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