Stay by Emily Goodwin book blitz

Stay by Emily Goodwin 
Publication date: May 19th 2014
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis:

“I felt like I was walking to the end of a plank precariously hanging over shark-infested water. When I jumped, sharp teeth would rip into me and the cold water would steal my breath away. The monsters would take everything from me, leaving me shivering and naked in the water. The only difference was that tonight I would be pulled from the icy darkness and forced to do it again. There would be no release from death, only pain.”
Home after her first year of college, Adeline Miller is looking forward to a stress free summer filled with reading, working on her blog, and spending time with friends. But all that changes in an instant when she is witness to something terrible, something she wasn’t supposed to see.
Beaten, drugged, kidnapped.
Adeline Miller is ripped from her innocent and carefree life and thrust into darkness, into a world full of pain and horror. As a sex slave, she is forced to do horrible things, and have horrible things done to her. One of her captors has a past as dark as the world she is now living in. Will getting close to him mean freedom? Or will he pull her deeper into the shadows?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22305657-stay

Excerpt 1

The street sides were hardly occupied so far down; we easily found a spot and sat down on a bench while we waited. I stretched my long legs out, wanting to soak up as much sun as possible before I was beach-bound tomorrow for Lynn’s family’s annual Memorial Day cook out. Next to Lynn, who went to the tanning salon four times a week, I was ghostly pale. I had intended on going tanning a few times with her, but I had spent my 'fun money' allowance on books. I pushed my sunglasses low on my nose, trying to avoid an awkward tan line.

I saw a blur of black out of the corner of my eye. It was moving fast and headed right toward the street that ran perpendicular to the one we were on. It wasn’t blocked off for the parade. I whipped my head around to see a girl race into the street, jumping off the sidewalk with such haste that she didn’t take the time to see if the coast was clear.

A horn blared and tires squealed as a car slammed on its breaks. Holy shit. My heart skipped a beat. The car missed her by just a foot. It wasn’t going fast being so close to the parade route, but it was fast enough to cause some damage.

“Did you see that?” Lynn stood and put her hand to her face, shading her eyes. “That was close. Dumbass isn’t looking where’s she’s going.”

“I think she’s crying.” I narrowed my eyes, watching her race across the street. She kept her head down and her arms wrapped around her chest. It was odd to see her in a long sleeved sweater in eighty-degree weather. When she was parallel to us, she whirled around, looking behind her as if she was scared of being followed. Whatever she saw made her pick up the pace. She dodged behind a building and out of sight. My eyes lingered in her direction, waiting to see if anyone else would accompany her down the alley.

I shook my head and turned back to Lynn and my sister, making lazy conversation and enjoying the sun. I was hot by the time the distant music and cheering from the parade floated down the block, and I had already drained my water bottle. I stood, told Arianna and Lynn I’d be right back, and dashed across the street to use the bathroom. I pushed my way through the crowded coffee shop and impatiently waited in line for the single stall bathroom.

When I was done, I left the ladies room and held my purse close to my body, prepared to side-step my way through the crowded cafe once again. But then I saw the back door. I looked at the crowded cafe and decided I’d rather go through the alley than wade my way through all the people. I put my hand on the knob and twisted, hoping an emergency alarm wouldn’t sound. Luckily it didn’t, and I emerged into the alley behind the coffee shop.

         Then I saw her, the crying girl who almost got hit by a car, slumped over next to a dumpster. I froze, unsure of what to do. I knew it wasn't any of my business. She probably didn't want to be bothered anyway. But then I noticed the blood.

My heart pounded and my breath rushed out of me. “Are you okay?” I asked, my voice meek. I doubted the crying girl even heard me. I swallowed and asked again.

Slowly, she lifted her head, revealing a black eye and a fat lip. “Go,” she croaked and wiped her bloody nose.

“Oh my God,” I blurted and assumed she had been mugged. “I’ll help you,” I said and started to move in her direction. “I'll call the police." Just then, someone walked down the alley. I jerked my head up, heart racing. The young man slowed his gait when he saw me. Despite my fear, I couldn’t help but notice his extreme attractiveness. A black t-shirt stretched over his broad shoulders, tight enough to show off his muscular chest and arms. The perfect amount of stubble covered his face from his defined cheekbones to his strong jaw. Carefully tousled hair fell just above his beautiful blue eyes.

“Help!” I said. “I...I think she’s been mugged.” I shook my head, hands shaking. “ I don’t know what happened but she’s bleeding. She needs help!”

Another guy stopped short, staying behind the guy with the blue eyes. He was tall and robust with a head full of wavy, black hair that fell an inch below his ears. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown, and his full lips were pulled into a frown. His dark eyes flicked from me, to the girl, and then to the guy in front of him. They widened with fear, and he opened his mouth as if in warning when Blue Eyes elbowed him in the ribs.

 “It’s okay,” Blue Eyes said and held up his hands, flashing me a smile. “I’m going to help her, don’t worry.” He took a step forward, and the crying girl picked up a handful of gravel and sprang to her feet.

"Go!" she yelled and threw it at Blue Eyes. His handsome face twisted into something hateful, and he lunged forward with alarming speed. His hands struck the girl on the shoulders, shoving her back into the dumpster. Her head hit, resounding against the metal, and she slid back down onto the ground. My fear turned into terror. Those guys weren’t going to help her. They were the ones who hurt her.

My pulse rose, and I scrambled to stick my hand into my purse, feeling around for my phone. I whirled around at the same time in a desperate attempt to get back inside the safety of the crowded coffee shop and call the police. I diverted my eyes when I felt the familiar rectangle of my phone, needing to look at the screen to unlock it.

I put my phone to my ear and reached for the door handle. My fingers graced the worn knob when he grabbed my wrist. His nails dug into my flesh as he jerked me forward. My feet caught on themselves and I toppled over, cutting my knees on the dirty alley ground. The phone flew from my grip and clattered on the pavement.

I caught a glimpse of the guy with the dark hair holding onto the crying girl. His body was rigid and his brown eyes were opened wide as he watched my struggle. The muffled voice of the 911 operator floated into the air.

"Help!" I screamed.

Blue Eyes kicked me in the side, causing me to fall flat on my face. Music from the parade began to grow louder. "Help me!" I called again. My cries were drowned out by the roaring cheers coming from the crowd. I stretched out my arm, frantically slapping at the ground in a desperate attempt to reach my phone. Bits of glass and tiny pieces of asphalt stuck to my palm. I drew my legs up underneath me and pushed myself forward and away from Blue Eyes. I planted my feet on the ground and sprang up, only to be knocked down again.

Blue Eyes laughed and walked around me. His intense eyes met mine before his foot came crashing down on my phone. The case cracked from the force. The screen shattered and little rhinestones popped off and rolled away. He stomped on it once more before picking up the broken device and throwing it into the dumpster.

 

Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Stay-Emily-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B00KGHZCVE/ref=la_B006075SSG_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409925132&sr=1-6

Excerpt 2

“Don’t touch me,” I said through gritted teeth when Zane grabbed my arm, yanking me forward. I pulled my arm back, trying to break his hold. I wasn’t strong enough. All I ended up doing was causing the first layer of skin to twist and tear.

Zane laughed and jumped in front of me. His fingers tightened on my arm, the pain biting into me until I was sure blood pooled under the half moon marks left by his fingernails.

“I like it when you fight,” he groaned. With his free hand, he reached up and took a fist full of my hair and stepped closer, brushing his waist against mine. Jackson turned around, face blank. He didn’t care what happened to me.

Then Zane let me go. He laughed and turned his back to me, purposely flashing the silver gun tucked into his pants. My heart was in my throat. Nerves tingled throughout my body, and my teeth chattered.

“Come on,” Zane ordered and paced ahead.

I looked at the ground, blinking back tears. Jackson waited until I was a few feet in front of him to follow. The invisible wall of the cage closed in on me. I was sandwiched between Zane and Jackson. Their body heat suffocated me. Mixed with the humid air, it was nauseating.

         We crossed the yard and stopped by a gate. Jackson dug a key from his pocket and unlocked it. He pushed it open and stepped aside. Zane took a hold of my arm again, forcing me to walk close to him. A gravel path cut into the forest, which started just several feet from the white fence.

The gate slammed shut behind us. A useless sense of hope fluttered through me. I wasn’t fenced in. I could run away.

And get shot.

There was nothing I could do. There was no escape. I felt like I was walking to the end of a plank, precariously hanging over shark-infested water. When I jumped, sharp teeth would rip into me and the cold water would steal my breath away. The monsters would take everything from me, leaving me shivering and naked in the water. The only difference was that tonight I would be pulled from the icy darkness and forced to do it again. There would be no release from death, only pain.         

Thinking of a plan of escape, I closed my eyes and continued to move forward, my pace subconsciously slowing down. Lily had said that Jackson and Zane would go back to the house while I worked. I had to run then. What other choice did I have?

Zane jerked me forward. The toe of my shoe caught on the uneven path and I stumbled and tripped.

“Seriously?” Zane huffed under his breath.

My throat tightened with fear and I blinked back tears. Zane scuffed his shoe, sending a cloud of dusty dirt into my face. I coughed and turned my head. He stepped away, laughing.

Jackson stopped next to me and extended a hand. I traced my eyes up from his fingers. He had a bruise just below his elbow in the shape of a large handprint, as if someone had grabbed him and twisted his skin. Did he do Nate’s dirty work and that was why he was always injured? Maybe he collected unpaid money and got in a lot of fights. The black t-shirt he wore was faded and worn, and his dark eyes glazed over, hiding back his emotions. The emptiness on his face frightened me.

Ignoring his offer, I put my hands on the ground and pushed myself up. Jackson’s eyebrows pushed together and he studied a vine of poison ivy that twisted around a maple tree. He stepped away from me and bit his bottom lip. Zane grabbed my arm and pulled me forward again. I didn’t fight him. Really, the sooner I got into the trailer, the sooner I could put my plan into action. I took a deep breath and tried to steady myself.

         Just like Lily said, it felt like we were miles away from the farmhouse by the time we reached what was called ‘the trailer.’ Really, it was a brand new RV, and it must have cost a lot of money. Yellow light spilled from slats in the mini blinds. An old blue Cadillac was parked behind it.

   Zane kept a painful hold of my arm as Jackson knocked on the door. The blood drained from my face. It was as if I was waiting to see the face of my executioner, but he wouldn’t kill all of me. Only part of me would die and I would be forced to carry the black and festering hole with me for the rest of my life. It would be a constant reminder of what was painfully taken from me.

Stay Playlist

Since I typically write paranormal/horror, my usual writing playlists are filled with epic songs from soundtracks with lots of NIN and Marilyn Manson thrown in. With STAY, I needed something different. While this novel is just as dark—if not darker—than the books I usually write, it’s a different kind of dark.

STAY is the first book I’ve written with a contemporary setting and no elements of fantasy. And yet it was one of the scariest books I’ve ever written. After all, the truth is often worse than fiction. Unlike ghosts, demons, and zombies, being kidnapped and forced into human trafficking is something that really could happen.

I needed music that set the mood for not only fear, but a sense of hopelessness and utter despair the characters felt. I am not a fan of slow, sad music, so this is as close at it comes for me. Here is the playlist I listened to on repeat while writing STAY

1.)    Imagine Dragons- Demons

2.)     Of Monster and Men- Little Talks

3.)     Imagine Dragons- Bleeding Out

4.)     One Republic- Counting Stars

5.)     One Republic- Come Home

6.)     Animals- House of the Rising Sun

7.)     Tom Petty- Free Fallin’

8.)     Tom Petty- Mary Jane’s Last Dance

9.)     One Republic- Secrets

10.)  Coldplay- Fix You

11.)  Goo Goo Dolls- Iris

12.)  Tom Petty- I Won’t Back Down

13.)  Jason Mraz- I Won’t Give Up

14.)  Katy Perry- Unconditionally

 

AUTHOR BIO

Emily Goodwin is the author of the award winning Contagium Series published by Permuted Press as well as many independently published novels, including the internationally bestselling novel, STAY. Emily writes in a wide variety of genres, from horror to romance. She holds multiple degrees in psychology and nursing and has worked in mental health and general healthcare. Emily resides in Indiana with her husband, daughter, and German Shepherd named Vader. Along with writing, Emily enjoys riding her horse, designing and making costumes, and Cosplay.

Author links:
www.emilygoodwinbooks.com
facebook.com/emilygoodwinbooks

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1635425.Emily_Goodwin

https://twitter.com/0emilygoodwin

Adeline’s summer TBR list.

Adeline Miller from STAY is a self-proclaimed book nerd. She runs a book blog called Contagious Reads (yes…I named it after the REAL Contagious Reads blog!) Before Adeline is kidnapped and her life is forever changed, her summer plans include relaxing with a good book and getting caught up on her summer To Be Read list.

So what was Addie looking forward to reading? I stumbled upon her Summer TBR list and picked her top 10. (The list was long…very long!)

1.)The Killing Woods, Lucy Christopher

2.)Midnight Thief, Livia Blackburne

3.)Dissonance, Erica O’Rourke

4.)A Castle Made of Sand, Daniel Cotton

5.)Little Dead Man, Jane Bible

6.)Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King

7.)The Hunt, C.J. Ellison

8.)Savage Possession, Belinda Boring

9.)City of Heavenly Fire, Cassandra Clare

10.) Dangerous Creatures, Kami Garcia

Addie’s Top Five Favorite Books

In STAY, the main character Adeline Miller is a bookaholic. She runs the book blog Contagious Reads, which I of course had to name after my real-life favorite book blog. Books offered an escape from reality to Adeline even before she was kidnapped and held captive. They mean even more to her now.

In the book, Adeline mentions she has a hard time picking her top favorite books. Who could blame her when so many good books are out there? It took her some time, but she finally came up with a list of ten of her all time favs.

“What’s your favorite book?” Jackson asked when he saw me looking.

“Oh gosh,” I started. “I have like fifty books in my ‘Top Ten Favorites’ list.” I shook my head. “That’s a really hard question. I love so many. I will admit I’m biased toward paranormal or fantasy. There’s just something about the worlds those books take place in. I used to say I’d give anything to live in a magical land but now …” I sighed. “People usually thought I was weird when I said that.”

“I don’t think it’s weird,” Jackson quickly agreed. “I’d give anything to be anywhere else.”

Jackson’s Top Ten Favorite Books

The quiet, mysterious Jackson Porter from STAY has lived a life of darkness. One thing that has offered him peace and an escape from reality amidst the violence is books.

“Book hangover?” he questioned, the words foreign.

I raised my eyebrows. “Yeah. You know, when you get hung up on a book.”

“Oh, right.” Then he smiled and almost looked happy. “I love that books can do that. Effect you so much, I mean.”

“Yes,” I gushed, my mind going into obsessive reader mode. “I do too. Books are dangerous. They pull you in and make you fall in love or totally destroy you. For the time being of course. Then you finish it and those feelings linger around in agony until you start another and the whole process happens again.” I let out a breath and suddenly felt vulnerable in front of Jackson. I regretted being so open. Would he use it against me?

This post is supposed to be easy. Pick your top ten favorite books, they say. It’s easy, they say. Yeah right. Tell a mother to pick her favorite child and you’ll know how I feel. I’ve thought about this post for days now, and feel guilty for leaving so many amazing books off this list. But…without further ado (and before I change my mind. Again.) here is my current Top Ten Favorite Books, in no particular order.

1.)   Harry Potter, JK Rowling (the whole series…more than my ten, I know)

2.)   Watership Down (because, bunnies!)

3.)   Ever Shade, Alexia Purdy (what’s better than sexy faeries?)

4.)   Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison (badass witches, need I say more?)

5.)   City of Bones, Cassandra Clare (love me some secret destiny and Shadowhunters)

6.)   Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris (telepaths and vampires…yes!)

7.)   A Song of Ice and Fire Series, GRR Martin (I can’t just pick ONE…)

8.)   Death is but a Dream, Erin Hayes (love Greek mythology!)

9.)   Club Dead, Charlaine Harris (Sookie just keeps getting better and better!)

10.) Fallen, Lauren Kate (Yes…the pretty covers pulled me in at first)