Title: Specters in the Storm
Author: Pauline Baird Jones
Genre: Paranormal Scifi (touch of horror)
Book Blurb:
Time-twisting paranormal romantic science fiction from USA Today Bestselling Author Pauline Baird Jones
Step into a time-twisting, paranormal whirlwind with Specters in the Storm, the mesmerizing standalone novel by Pauline Baird Jones, known for her smart, quirky, and humorous fiction. This gripping tale of love, science, and otherworldly adventures will leave you breathless.
Dr. Ernest Warren, haunted by the loss of his beloved in the Great Storm of 1901, has renounced love and devoted himself to unraveling the mysteries of science and interstellar travel. When similar, ominous storms begin to brew, he steers his airship towards the past, hoping to unearth answers buried in the place where he lost everything.
Inter-dimensional time traveler, Prudence Pinkerton, has observed Ernest's extraordinary career from the future. Aware of the impending danger, she knows she must meet him and intervene.
Reluctantly, Ernest accepts Prudence's help, setting them on a race against time. As the world teeters on the brink of a life-altering shift, and clocks inexplicably tick faster, they must confront and conquer the evil that lurks in the eye of the storm. But for Ernest, trusting a woman may be an even greater challenge than battling the enigmatic tempest.
Can they defeat the spectral threat hidden in the heart of the storm? Can Ernest open his heart to love again amidst the chaos? Embark on this captivating, time-bending paranormal detective journey in Specters in the Storm.
Purchase Specters in the Storm today to unravel the mysteries hidden within the tempest.
Excerpt:
The smell of burning was stronger now, and the air tasted coppery. He was reminded, he frowned, of a blacksmith’s forge. Fire and brimstone. It did not fit the general conception of hell. Fire and water were, for the most part, mutually exclusive. Unless there was something in there…his skin crawled, and he felt an urgent need to turn back. He suppressed it with an effort.
The stacks shuddered as if they’d come into contact with something. The top of the dirigible was lost in the dark clouds, so he ordered a few more feet of descent. The sturdy airship drifted lower, skimming along just barely above the surface of the almost motionless water. The shudder stopped.
They moved forward with more ease. It became easier to breathe. Once more he resisted the urge to increase speed. It would be unwise to expend too much of their fuel reserves when there was so much he didn’t know about what might be ahead. Their progress was steady and unimpeded. He should have felt better.
He didn’t.
The sensation of being watched crept over him. He needed to look up. He feared to do so. Off to his left, the setting sun sent rays of light under the storm, though this light did not reach them. It acted more like a distant beacon. And indicated that the storm had limits, an end if only he could reach it. The sight of the distant light eased the growing panic, gave him hope, though the sense of being watched did not ease. If anything, it became worse. The sensation was one of animus, but more than that. He felt fear in there. Anger, malice, nothing positive. His hands gripped the gunwale until his knuckles turned white. He tried to speak, but his throat went dry and closed as if something gripped it to hold in the call for assistance from his automatons.
He wanted to claw at that hold, but he couldn’t let go of the gunwale. Couldn’t move. His chin started to lift as if impelled. When he could fight no longer, when he thought he must look and die, he was distracted by movement along the surface of the water. He blinked, sure it must be an illusion. But the sight of it, for whatever reason, eased the sense that he could not move or speak.
“Winston! ‘Ware!” He called out the alert command. This was not his imagination, he realized. It was real. The wake made a perfect “V,” like an arrow pointing straight at him, with waves falling away from the edges of something just under the surface. It came on, swift and straight as an arrow.
A sort of howl, like the wind, but not like it either, sounded above him, then the surface of the water came to a boil. Out of the maelstrom, he saw—
Tentacles?
A different kind of panic rose inside him. Giant tentacles.
He started to back from the edge as two of the monstrous things reached up, sliding along the bow, then gripping the gunwale close to where he’d stood.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Author Store eBook: https://payhip.com/b/e6dw
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Pauline_Baird_Jones_Specters_in_the_Storm?id=2XNpCwAAQBAJ&hl=en
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1197973
What makes your featured book a must-read?
The mash-up of spooky, twist-of-scifi, time travel, dollop of horror and humor makes it a fun Halloween read that is just scary enough, without being nightmare inducing.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally.
Runs October 25 – October 31, 2023. Winner will be drawn on November 1, 2023.
Author Biography:
USA Today Bestselling Author, Pauline never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://paulinebairdjones.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulinebjones
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/perilouspauline/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulinebairdjones/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/paulinebjones