I am delighted to welcome author Joanie Chevalier to the blog today with a guest post and an excerpt from her novella, The Bus Ride.There is also the chance to win a signed copy of the book. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. First, here's a little about the book:
The Bus Ride: A Zany Busnapping Adventure
When Devon discovers his car stolen, he must find
transportation to get to his destination before the deadline to get what’s
rightfully his: the urn containing one-fifth of his deceased momma. He hops on
Bus No. 255 and changes the course of the route. As the passengers’
personalities and needs emerge, they go from being strangers to a bonded family
within hours as they fight for each other, and themselves… in more ways than
one. Funny and sentimental, this story will grab your heart as you cheer
everyone on Bus Route No. 255, maybe even the busnapper.
Meet the passengers on Bus No. 255, an unlikely group of
people who have no choice but to try to get along and survive when their bus
gets busnapped. Meet Devon, who has a deadline he must meet, or risk losing
what’s his; Doug, a dreamer of a better life, but first must face a sad truth;
Frankie, a life full of loneliness, but unexpectedly becomes a hero; Gloria, a
woman who finds validation in the most unexpected place; Autumn, a girl who
desires a family, and a sense of belonging; Dave, a man seeking justice and
equality, learns to love himself as he is; and the Garcia family, whose family
ties brings them to the brink of danger. Follow these passengers as they each
fulfill their destinies, together.
Welcome to Books, Life and Everything, Joanie.
Joanie:
The Bus Ride: A Zany Busnapping Adventure is a character-led
novella. “I feel if an author creates rich characters, the story will propel
itself.” – Joanie Chevalier, Author.
“The character range is by far the most impressive feature
of the story, and time is dedicated to each of the individuals on the bus to
give their little vignette of life and see how their issues are resolved,
exacerbated (or indeed both) by the events of the busnapping.” 5-Star Review by
K.C. Finn, Readers’ Favorite.
Devon, the busnapper, decides to give each passenger a
nickname: “We won’t be using our real names here. I want each of you to come up
here and I’ll choose a nickname for ya. Cuz if I have to call on you, I don’t
want to say ‘Hey, you.’ That’s not personal, and kinda rude. I like one-on-one
personal stuff.”
Here, I’d like to introduce you to RealBusDriver aka Doug.
RealBusDriver is a long-time driver for Greyhound Bus Company. He’s in a
marriage that was romantic for a time but is now dried up. He doesn’t know what
to do about it, so he does nothing. His live is mundane and boring. During this
bus ride, however, Doug finds out that being ‘average’ doesn’t mean he can’t be
a hero.
Excerpt:
The Impala raced past the bus and the black jeep maneuvered
around too. “They must be going one hundred miles per hour!” said LonelyBoy, as
the passengers ignored Doug’s demand to stay seated and moved over to the left
side of the bus to watch the racing vehicles speed by.
An arm reached out from the passenger side of the jeep and
fired a gun. It was fired again, and the second shot blew out the back tire of
the Impala. The driver lost control and it spun out into a gravel parking lot.
The driver of the black jeep slammed on its brakes and it halted in the middle
of the road.
The passenger fired again at the Impala and the bullet
ricocheted off the bumper. A woman inside the vehicle screamed and jumped out.
“Sofie!” shouted Mamacita. She rushed to the bus door and
shouted in Spanish, her eyes filled with tears.
“Let me out, she says,” translated SpiderBoy.
“Are you kidding me? No!” Doug said. “Everyone down in the
aisle!”
While he was busy looking back into the bus at his
passengers, Mamacita turned the knob to open the door. She sprinted down the
steps.
“Sofie!”
Doug swore as he reached under the dash and took a gun out
of a holster hidden there.
A kid desperate to get his deceased mother’s urn didn’t call
for a firearm, Doug reasoned. Plus, he got a long nap out of the deal, he
couldn’t deny that. But no one harms a woman on his watch. No one.
“Everyone stay here!” Doug demanded as he jumped down onto
the ground. He ducked behind the bus and crouched, holding his gun with shaky
hands. His brow furrowed. How will a bunch of amateurs nab a madman with a
mission and a gun? Then his shoulders went back and he straightened. We did
this once, we can do it again!
“…I personally know several overworked and unhappy 'Dougs'…”
5-Star Review by Lit Amri, Readers’ Favorite
About the Author
Joanie Chevalier is a multi-genre Indie Author; Founder
& Editor of RAC Online Magazine: Promoting and Encouraging the
Reader/Author Connection; and Founder of Our Indie Author Room FB Group, a
place where writers in all stages of their career go to learn, inspire, and
teach.
Joanie loves the outdoors and nature, reading and supporting
fellow indie authors. Her writing is a blend of everything she likes to read:
suspense, horror, crime, psychological, non-fiction, and a good short story.
She thinks her two Chihuahuas look adorable in sweaters.
Check out the rest of the tour!
Giveaway (Worldwide)
To win a Signed copy of The Bus Ride: A Zany Busnapping
Adventure (Open INT) just 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 Rachel’s Random
Resources reserves 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 Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery
of the prize.
Thank you for featuring my newest book. I appreciate everything you do for authors. All the best, Joanie
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