Welcome to my stop on the Vanished From Dust by Shea Norwood Blog Tour. The author wrote a wonderful Guest Post for us so I hope you enjoy it and leave your thoughts below. Thanks to YA Reads for hosting! Don't forget to enter the giveaway and follow the rest of the tour HERE.
Book Title: Vanished from Dust (Book 1 in the Vanished from Dust series)
Author: Shea Norwood
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Pages: 320
Published: October 16th, 2013
Published by Createspace
Synopsis:
A CHILL RUNS THROUGH HIS SKIN AS THE PHANTOM APPEARS.
HE SEES THEM EVERYWHERE . . .
Eric Stark is not insane. Or at least he doesn’t think so. He wishes everyone in Dust, Texas, felt the same way. But that’s not going to happen since the whole town thinks he’s crazy. Why didn’t he keep his mouth shut?
No one understands. Eric is alone as he battles his sanity in a town of tormenters. Suddenly a new friendship emerges after the new kid, Kyle Barrett, moves to town.
Eric reluctantly reveals his secret. Is it a curse or a gift? He isn’t certain, but with Kyle by his side he finds the courage to seek the truth.
They soon realize that something sinister is descending on the residents of Dust.
Is it caused by Eric’s phantoms or is it something else? Is it connected to the mysterious death of hundreds of townspeople over sixty years ago? One thing is certain—only Eric and Kyle can save them.
They set out on a heart-pounding adventure and find themselves transported to a disturbed and deserted version of their small southern town. They quickly discover that this new world has mysteries of its own to uncover. What they find could prove more than they bargained for, and it only leads to more questions. Eric and Kyle must face a horrifying fact—they may never get out alive.
“We’re gonna die here,” Kyle muttered.
“I don’t believe that,” Eric said. “And neither do you.”
Will they survive their encounter with these dark and mysterious beings?
Will they find a way back home?
Or will they be lost forever?
The Vanished from Dust series is perfect for anyone who craves a hair-raising thriller packed with mystery and suspense. This paranormal story for young adults can be compared to Stand by Me, mixed with Odd Thomas, and a twist of The Dark Tower.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mVJSre
Barnes & Nobles: http://bit.ly/1o0HuEq
Where did the idea of Vanished From Dust come from?
Remember The Goonies?
Well if you do, it was just one of my influences for writing Vanished from
Dust. If not, go see it. It’s a great movie! Like most kids growing up in the
80’s we had the privilege of being exposed to some great movies, and there
really were some freakishly weird movies during that time! As for The Goonies, I loved the interaction
between the friends and the mysterious adventure that pulled them into a hidden
world beneath the city. The story was the type of mystery that kept your eyes
glued to the screen anticipating what was around the next corner. Not to
mention, they were racing against time to save their town (and from some pretty
disorganized criminals!).
After reading Vanished from Dust, you may say, “Hey, it
really seems like the story is set in the 80’s.” Why the 80’s some might ask?
Well, to those people, I say – because I wanted a story that pre-dates the
Internet and cell phones. As such, it adds to the mysterious nature of Eric and
Kyle’s quest to uncover the truth behind the dark presence swallowing their
town. Otherwise, a quick trip to Google might answer some of Eric’s questions
in the blink of an eye!
Another influencer has to be my childhood. For starters, the
setting of Vanished from Dust, is loosely based on my small hometown of
McCamey, Texas, which for those unfamiliar with the town, is smack dab in the
middle of nowhere. Living in such an isolated community gives you a sense of
family where everyone knows everyone and friendships go back generations. I
like the fact that the people in these towns rely on each other and are not
afraid to lend a helping hand if needed.
Although Eric Stark, the main character in the story would probably
disagree with me since he was tormented and ostracized due to his mental
afflictions. Let’s hope his opinion changes over time.
Have you ever visited any of these towns? It’s almost like
stepping back in time. Local Mom & Pop stores are still around and the
overall culture often feels like you’re watching an old black and white movie (or The Andy Griffith Show). In a sense,
the fictional town of Dust is a tribute to people living in small towns
everywhere.
As you can imagine, there’s not much to do in these towns,
so kids often have to find creative and exciting things to pass the time. One
of my favorites was exploring old and forgotten buildings and houses, and some
of this has carried over into Eric and Kyle’s adventures- such as the creepy abandoned
theater. Another small town staple is the water tower, which is captured in a
tense scene in the book. To some the water tower is a symbol of home, and for
young mischievous kids like myself, a blast to climb as a dare!
The final influences came in the form of a question – What
would it be like to be trapped on the other side of a mirror? Or have you ever been
lying in bed and noticed what appeared to be a human-shaped shadow staring back
at you? How about suddenly catching movement out of the corner of your eye? I
recently learned that some people call these shadow people, but to Eric Stark
in the story, they’re simply phantoms.
In closing, I owe my love for writing and fascination with
parallel worlds to Stephen King. In The
Dark Tower, Jake tells Roland, "Go then. There are other worlds than
these." These powerful words led me to ponder the question of being
trapped in a mirror and became part of my inspiration for the story, Vanished
from Dust.
I’d like to thank Book Lovers Life for giving me the
opportunity to be a guest blogger. If you’re interested in learning more, you
can follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sheanorwoodauthor or Twitter: @sheanorwood.
Book Two, Vanished from Dust: The Illusion of Home is scheduled to release early 2015.
Follow Shea on Facebook to get updates on upcoming releases. https://www.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the Author:
Shea Norwood is an emerging author and native of West Texas that currently lives in the DFW area with his wife and son.He was drawn to writing at an early age and recently rekindled this passion after dusting off a decade-old manuscript, titled Vanished from Dust. The fictional town of Dust is loosely based on a small town south of Odessa, TX.
When he’s not writing, Shea loves to spend time with this family, read, and is a frequent globetrotter. His travels have taken him to France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Germany, and Mexico.Shea writes Young Adult Fantasy/Paranormal/Mystery
Follow Shea on Facebook to get updates on upcoming releases. https://www.
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1pzlugW
Giveaway:
One $25 Amazon Gift Card, Paypal, or B&N Gift Card,
One $15 Amazon Gift Card, Paypal, or B&N Gift Card,
and Two $5 Amazon Gift Card, Paypal, or B&N Gift Cards.
Sounds awesome! As an 80's child, I loved The Goonies, this book sounds great!!
ReplyDeleteI loved the Goonies too. ;) Lol.
DeleteThanks for being on the Vanished from Dust blog tour, Nat!!
ReplyDelete-N
You are welcome!
DeleteMy son is an avid reader and this sounds like something he would like and it is in the right age range for him
ReplyDeleteIt sounds awesome and I know my boys would love it too :)
DeleteThis looks really interesting! Great post!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds awesome!
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