Giveaway: The Pendulum Files by P.M. Terrell

The Pendulum Files

pm terrell

BLURB:

CIA operative Dylan Maguire joins forces with psychic spy Vicki Boyd to find out who is bombing merchant vessels bound for the United States from China. Their mission will lead them to Black Sites, the high seas and into covert operations. And when an assassin escapes from prison determined to finish the job he started, they find their personal lives and their missions are about to collide in ways they never could have imagined.

Brenda was leaning her head against the window as if asleep and now she began to move her fingers ever so slightly toward the door handle. She kept her eyes on his reflection; he was focused on driving, his eyes locked on the road just as it had been before. Only his right hand was holding the steering wheel now; it had slipped to a three o’clock position.

A slight movement caught her attention; it was so subtle, she almost thought she’d imagined it. Then she spotted the glint of metal across his body, though the road still held his attention. Her fingers locked onto the door handle as the metal rose slightly up and away from his body. He turned his head as his left hand snapped forward.

She jerked the door open as the shot rang out. She felt something sharp and hot against her shin as she kicked herself away from the car. She tumbled onto the pavement before hitting the shoulder, the gravel feeling like a million razors slicing through her flesh. She heard her own voice as if it was disembodied, screaming as she forced herself to roll across the sharp gravel before plummeting down the incline, compelling herself to continue rolling even as she realized she’d been shot in the leg.

She heard the car’s brakes slamming, the tires squealing as the man struggled to bring the car to a stop. At seventy miles an hour, it should have taken the car further from her even as she rushed to escape. But when she came to her feet and looked back at the road, she estimated he was about three hundred feet further down the road—not far enough.

She ran toward the tree line, which now appeared too far away. As a second shot rang out, she knew his sights were set on her back, and she struggled to run straight, fighting the impulse to run opposite of him. It kept her profile smaller but when he shot a third and then fourth time, she could almost feel the bullets whizzing past her.

The third and fourth shots sounded increasingly louder and she knew he was running after her. Her breath was loud and labored, her blood pounding in her temples. Even as she drew closer to the shadows of the trees, she could feel herself slowing down. The adrenaline that propelled her down the slope and to her feet was fighting against the pain in her leg.

She could feel the blood oozing down her shin and pooling in her shoe, causing her to slip and slide along grass already slick with dew. Another shot rang out, whizzing so close to her hair that she thought it had passed through it.

She threw herself into the shadows, pushing herself beyond her leg’s endurance to keep going, to get into the pine forest, weaving and bobbing forward and eastward, away from the car, away from the interstate. Hopefully, away from him.

She wanted to stop; she wanted to pull some article of clothing off herself and wrap it around her shin to keep the blood in, to keep the flesh together, but she didn’t dare hesitate. She heard the branches cracking behind her; he was there and he was closing on her. Even as she propelled herself forward, she knew all he had to do was follow the movement of the branches ahead of him to know exactly where she was.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 20 books in five genres. A full-time author since 2002, Black Swamp Mysteries is her first series, inspired by the success of Exit 22 in 2008. The books include Exit 22, Vicki’s Key, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, Dylan’s Song and The Pendulum Files. Vicki’s Key placed as one of four finalists in the 2012 International Book Awards. Her historical book, River Passage, won the 2010 Best Drama Award, and her romantic suspense, The Tempest Murders, placed as one of four finalists in the 2013 USA Best Book Awards.

Prior to becoming a full-time writer, she founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her specialties were computer crime and computer intelligence and her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense. Computer technology often weaves its way through her contemporary suspense/thrillers.

She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation and the founder of The Book ‘Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, an annual event to raise money for literacy campaigns. She also serves on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library and the Robeson County Arts Council, and served as the first female president for the Chesterfield County/ Colonial Heights Crime Solvers.

website: www.pmterrell.com

blog: www.pmterrell.blogspot.com

twitter: @pmterrell

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell

amazon trade paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Pendulum-Files-Black-Mysteries-Volume/dp/1935970097/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395929941&sr=8-1&keywords=the+pendulum+files

amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Pendulum-Files-Black-Swamp-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00INC34Z0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1395929941

Smashwords (all ebook formats): http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/412506

Author Interview:

1.) Is writing your only profession? I’ve been very fortunate to be writing full-time since 2002. Prior to that, I founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. My specialty was computer crime and computer intelligence, themes that I have carried forward into my suspense books.

2.) Who was your favorite character to write? Why? I have two favorite characters, and I suppose Freud would have something to say about the fact that they’re both Irish men! In my Ryan O’Clery series, I write as Irish Detective Ryan O’Clery, who immigrated to North Carolina from Dublin. His character is completely different from mine and I find him utterly intriguing. I also enjoy writing Dylan Maguire’s character in the Black Swamp Mysteries Series. He is also completely unlike me but he’s different from Ryan O’Clery as well. My favorite book in that series is Dylan’s Song, in which Dylan returns to Ireland with his love interest, Vicki Boyd. It revealed his past, which is intricate and multi-layered.

3.) Who are some of your favorite authors? Debbie Peterson, Maggie Thom, Sandy Blair and L.L.Muir are among my favorites. My favorite books include the Haunting series by Erin Quinn, The Mummy by Anne Rice and the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters.

4.) What is your favorite writing snack you eat or drink while writing? I am a sucker for M&M’s! I make my own trail mix which consists of cocoa-dipped almonds (yes, they actually sell these gems!), mixed nuts with sea salt, cinnamon Chex, and M&M’s—and I go real heavy on those M&M’s!

5.) What makes you mad enough to want to throat punch a person? LOL Oh, that is a very easy question for me to answer: cruelty to children or animals. Nothing will make me see red faster!

6.) What is your favorite TV show? I have several. I love the originality of shows like Copper (which unfortunately is discontinued!), Grimm, and Sleepy Hollow. I also never miss an episode of Cosmos, which I find completely fascinating. I hope I’m alive when they find life on other planets.

7.) What would be your favorite vacation spot (with no money limitation)? Ireland. Actually, I would love to have a cottage in Ireland by the Irish Sea or the Atlantic where I could live much as Mrs. Muir did in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir—complete with the Captain!