Welcome to my stop on the Dead Spots by Rhiannon Frater blog tour. Check out the full schedule HERE. I am so so excited to be part of this tour because I will pretty much read anything by this author. I adore her work and can't wait to read this one!!! Be sure to enter the awesome giveaway below but first, lets find out about the book!!
Dead Spots
Rhiannon Frater
Tor Books
February 2015
Trade Paperback
Synopsis
In the dead spots, dreams become reality, terror knows your name, and nightmares can kill you.
The stillbirth of Mackenzie's son destroyed her marriage. Grieving, Mac reluctantly heads for her childhood home to seek refuge with her mother, who constantly reminds her of life's dangers.
Driving across Texas, Mac swerves to avoid hitting a deer...and winds up in a dead spot, a frightening place that lies between the worlds of the living and the dead. If they can control their imaginations, people can literally bring their dreams to life—but most are beseiged by fears and nightmares which pursue them relentlessly.
Mackenzie's mother and husband haunt her, driving her to the brink of madness. Then she hears a child call for help and her maternal instincts kick into overdrive. Grant, Mac's ally in the dead spots, insists Johnny is a phantom, but the boy seems so real, so alive....
As the true horrors of the dead spots are slowly revealed, Mackenzie realizes that time is running out. But exits from the dead spots are nearly impossible to find, and defended by things almost beyond imagination.
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY
Excerpt :
CHAPTER 3
The battered Ford sped along US- 79, but Mackenzie felt safer now that she wasn’t in heavy traffic. For the last hour, she’d only seen a few other cars. The world streaming past her was filled with the lush green of the beautiful pine forests of East Texas. The road was a bit twisting at times, but she didn’t mind so much. The storm was now far behind and the sun peeked out through the tops of the trees.
There was absolutely no cell service in the area, but her GPS still worked. Estelle would have a fi t when she didn’t call, but Mackenzie really didn’t feel like talking to anyone anyway, especially her disapproving mother. For a while she had driven in silence, but it was too easy to torture herself with either fond memories of good times, or the terrible remembrances of the bad. Finally, she’d popped The Dixie Chicks into the CD player and sang along with gusto. It helped alleviate the tightness in her chest, but her head still throbbed. The anxiety attack was finally lessening its hold on her battered mind.
As Mackenzie guided her car along the winding two- lane highway, she felt a spark of excitement emerging from the darkness within her. The shadow of the last few months still lurked, but she could feel hope beginning to seep in. Maybe somehow she could find a way back to her old self. Tanner always said he loved her smile and her laugh. Maybe one day soon she could smile and laugh again. Before Tanner she’d had a fairly good life, and she could have one again. Though it would be hard living with Estelle at first, she could probably find her own place within a few weeks’ time. With her bookkeeping experience, she could probably get a job fairly easily through her mother’s connections.
Mackenzie was driving around a wide curve when she saw three deer languidly walking across the asphalt. With a gasp, she hit the brake while spinning the wheel. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a clearing next to the road and aimed for it. The car skidded through grass, gravel, and dirt before coming to a hard stop before a dilapidated café.
Heart pounding, Mackenzie stared at the deer standing a few feet from the car. The larger one with beautiful graceful horns scrutinized her with enormous brown eyes. It took a sharp step toward the car, slightly tilting its head. Mackenzie froze, uncertain of what was happening. The smaller one gave a sudden start and the three creatures dashed into the forest, vanishing into the green.
Mackenzie shifted into park, listening to her wildly beating heart. She wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time, but sat in silence instead. The Dixie Chicks continued to sing, but the music and words seemed far away. The adrenaline rush left her feeling shaky and her hands on the steering wheel were visibly trembling.
She’d been damn lucky.
Images of alternative outcomes filled her mind’s eye. The car hitting the deer and one of them flying through the windshield to crush her. The car swerving into a tree and the engine block smashing into her. The car rolling into the trees and bursting into flames.
“A million ways to die,” her mother’s voice whispered in her mind.
But Mackenzie hadn’t died. She was still alive. Shaken up and a little scared, but she was alive.
On impulse, she thrust the car door open and climbed out. The Dixie Chicks continued to sing and the car engine ticked and grumbled. The faded, battered sign for the café listed to one side a few feet away. The car could have hit the sign and ruined a tire or worse.
“Stop it,” she chastised herself.
Estelle’s voice was always stronger when she was stressed.
The café sat in the overgrown clearing, valiantly surviving despite the encroachment of the forest. The parking lot was cracked and overrun with wild grass. At one time, the café had probably been a regular stop for the many travelers on the old highway before the interstate had been built. The faded painted advertisements on the side of the building appeared to be from the forties or fifties. A very old gas pump was rusted and partially hidden by weeds. Though most of the paint had been eaten away by time, Mackenzie could make out that the place had been called dolly’s café.
If Tanner had been on this trip, he would’ve wanted to explore the café. He loved being adventurous and always encouraged Mackenzie to follow suit. He’d even convinced her to attend a ghost hunt in an old theater in the Texas Hill Country. They hadn’t seen anything paranormal, but Tanner had loved the experience. Maybe that was the big difference between them. Tanner would probably regard the café as something fun to explore while Mackenzie only saw the broken dreams of the owner and the cruelty of time.
Excerpt :
CHAPTER 3
The battered Ford sped along US- 79, but Mackenzie felt safer now that she wasn’t in heavy traffic. For the last hour, she’d only seen a few other cars. The world streaming past her was filled with the lush green of the beautiful pine forests of East Texas. The road was a bit twisting at times, but she didn’t mind so much. The storm was now far behind and the sun peeked out through the tops of the trees.
There was absolutely no cell service in the area, but her GPS still worked. Estelle would have a fi t when she didn’t call, but Mackenzie really didn’t feel like talking to anyone anyway, especially her disapproving mother. For a while she had driven in silence, but it was too easy to torture herself with either fond memories of good times, or the terrible remembrances of the bad. Finally, she’d popped The Dixie Chicks into the CD player and sang along with gusto. It helped alleviate the tightness in her chest, but her head still throbbed. The anxiety attack was finally lessening its hold on her battered mind.
As Mackenzie guided her car along the winding two- lane highway, she felt a spark of excitement emerging from the darkness within her. The shadow of the last few months still lurked, but she could feel hope beginning to seep in. Maybe somehow she could find a way back to her old self. Tanner always said he loved her smile and her laugh. Maybe one day soon she could smile and laugh again. Before Tanner she’d had a fairly good life, and she could have one again. Though it would be hard living with Estelle at first, she could probably find her own place within a few weeks’ time. With her bookkeeping experience, she could probably get a job fairly easily through her mother’s connections.
Mackenzie was driving around a wide curve when she saw three deer languidly walking across the asphalt. With a gasp, she hit the brake while spinning the wheel. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a clearing next to the road and aimed for it. The car skidded through grass, gravel, and dirt before coming to a hard stop before a dilapidated café.
Heart pounding, Mackenzie stared at the deer standing a few feet from the car. The larger one with beautiful graceful horns scrutinized her with enormous brown eyes. It took a sharp step toward the car, slightly tilting its head. Mackenzie froze, uncertain of what was happening. The smaller one gave a sudden start and the three creatures dashed into the forest, vanishing into the green.
Mackenzie shifted into park, listening to her wildly beating heart. She wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time, but sat in silence instead. The Dixie Chicks continued to sing, but the music and words seemed far away. The adrenaline rush left her feeling shaky and her hands on the steering wheel were visibly trembling.
She’d been damn lucky.
Images of alternative outcomes filled her mind’s eye. The car hitting the deer and one of them flying through the windshield to crush her. The car swerving into a tree and the engine block smashing into her. The car rolling into the trees and bursting into flames.
“A million ways to die,” her mother’s voice whispered in her mind.
But Mackenzie hadn’t died. She was still alive. Shaken up and a little scared, but she was alive.
On impulse, she thrust the car door open and climbed out. The Dixie Chicks continued to sing and the car engine ticked and grumbled. The faded, battered sign for the café listed to one side a few feet away. The car could have hit the sign and ruined a tire or worse.
“Stop it,” she chastised herself.
Estelle’s voice was always stronger when she was stressed.
The café sat in the overgrown clearing, valiantly surviving despite the encroachment of the forest. The parking lot was cracked and overrun with wild grass. At one time, the café had probably been a regular stop for the many travelers on the old highway before the interstate had been built. The faded painted advertisements on the side of the building appeared to be from the forties or fifties. A very old gas pump was rusted and partially hidden by weeds. Though most of the paint had been eaten away by time, Mackenzie could make out that the place had been called dolly’s café.
If Tanner had been on this trip, he would’ve wanted to explore the café. He loved being adventurous and always encouraged Mackenzie to follow suit. He’d even convinced her to attend a ghost hunt in an old theater in the Texas Hill Country. They hadn’t seen anything paranormal, but Tanner had loved the experience. Maybe that was the big difference between them. Tanner would probably regard the café as something fun to explore while Mackenzie only saw the broken dreams of the owner and the cruelty of time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rhiannon Frater was born and raised a Texan. Though she has lived in various towns all over the state, she finally settled in Austin, Texas where she met her husband and worked as a governmental consultant.
During her travels for her job, she was inspired to write the story of two women fleeing into the Texas Hill Country in an attempt to survive the zombie apocalypse. Originally published as a serial online under the title As The World Dies, she later self-published the series in three novels to satisfy the many fans of the story. The first novel in the series, The First Days, won the 2008 Dead Letter Award for Best Book (Fiction). The second book, Fighting To Survive won the 2009 Dead Letter Award in the same category.
The As The World Dies books were purchased by Tor in 2010.The first book, The First Days, was released in July 2011 and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The second, Fighting To Survive, was released on November 8, 2011. The third book, Siege, was released in April 2012.
She is also the author of over a dozen independent works such as The Last Bastion Of The Living (declared the #1 Zombie Release of 2012 by Explorations Fantasy Blog and the #1 Zombie Novel of the Decade by B&N Book Blog). Her next novel for Tor, Dead Spots, will be published in 2014.
Rhiannon continues to live in Austin, Texas with her husband and is now a full-time writer.
She is represented by Hannah Brown Gordon of the Foundry Literary + Media and Brandy Rivers of Gersh Agency.
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TWITTER: @RhiannonFrater
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TWITTER: @RhiannonFrater
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