Below is the recent interview by author Mary Fan of Breakwater Harbor Books' author Ivan Amberlake. To visit Mary Fan's website follow this link.
http://zigzagtl.blogspot.com/2013/04/author-interview-ivan-amberlake.html
__________________________________________________



 

The Beholder
tells the story of an ordinary New Yorker, Jason, who learns about his critical role in a supernatural battle between good and evil. What inspired this story? How did you develop the idea of the Sighted?


Before I started writing The Beholder, I only had an image of a man standing on top of a skyscraper, with a thunderstorm raging around him. This image was so powerful that it inspired me to start writing chapter after chapter, something that I’d never done before. The scene that I had in mind was initially a prologue, but I decided to move it closer to the end of the book.

Frankly speaking, The Beholder wasn’t supposed to be a fantasy book at first, but it just happened to transform into one as I was greatly influenced by Sergei Lukyanenko’s "Watch" Series. I wished to create something like this, yet new, and the Lightsighted and Darksighted were born.

Why did you choose New York as your setting?

From the beginning I knew the story would be set in a city with lots of skyscrapers, so my choice was between Moscow and New York—cities I’ve never been to, yet would love to visit sometime in the future. I picked New York because of its grandeur and glamor, but it doesn’t mean that part of the series won’t happen in Moscow or any other city of the world. One of The Beholder chapters is set in Minsk, Belarus, and I intend to let my characters travel to other cities and countries in the books to come.

What is your favorite scene in The Beholder? Could you please describe it?

Frankly speaking, I can’t choose just one, probably because The Beholder is not a one-genre book, but has elements of fantasy, sci-fi and romance in it, so if my favorite fantasy scene would be the one I’ve described above, my favourite romantic scene is the one in Chapter 23 where Jason and Emily are strolling around the estate garden and come up to two trees with a hammock tied to them. This is where and when Jason and Emily say they love each other, and also the point at which the story takes a darker turn.


Do you consider yourself as having a particular writing style?

When writing I always try to visualize what is going on and then describe the scene. I get inside my characters’ minds and try to show what they feel. I stick to the principle of “Less is more” by using the right amount of narrative, dialogue and descriptions.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? How much did The Beholder change from first draft to publication?

With The Beholder, I just sat down and started hammering the keys without thinking much about what I was writing. Frankly speaking, I often think that the book wrote itself, because when rereading the first draft I sometimes wondered how I could write this scene or that. Of course, after my first draft was ready I started editing heavily. It was great luck for me to come across a writers’ community Authonomy.com, where I met lots of great people who helped me understand the principles of modern writing. The book would never be the way it is now if not for them. So when The Beholder was finished, it was completely different from the first draft.

Among the characters in The Beholder, do you have a favorite?

Oh, they are all my favorites, each of them in his or her own fashion. If we take Jason Walker, the main character, his transformed self closer the end of the book is what I’ve wanted my own self to be. As for Emily Ethan, who Jason falls in love with, she was greatly inspired by my wife, so she’s definitely one of my favorites as well. I can’t help liking even my evil characters because they are part of the story that helps me show a world I have within to my readers. Without these characters the story would be incomplete.

Can you tell us a bit about Breakwater Harbor Books, who is listed as The Beholder’s publisher?

Well, BHB is not exactly a publisher, but rather a group of self-published authors who promote each other in different ways: on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Authonomy, and on the last pages of our books where more releases of BHB authors are recommended. Scott J. Toney and Cara Goldthorpe are the founders of this group. Both helped me immensely with The Beholder, and I’m grateful to them and other members for their support.

What’s your favorite part of writing? Dialogue? Descriptions? Plotting?

I think it’s the descriptions. Plotting usually gives me a splitting headache, and while writing dialogue I always question myself: “Do people talk like that in real life?”, so I think the best part of writing for me is describing the scenes, especially the ones with lots of action and tension. That’s where I’m in my element.

Are you working on anything new?

As crazy as my real life is at the moment, it’s really hard to find the time to write, though I should say I’m writing Book 2 of The "Beholder" Series, which is called Path of The Heretic, and I also hope to finish my YA Paranormal/Horror Novel (Novella) called Diary of the Gone which tells about a boy haunted by the dead. The boy can only stop the dead from following him by writing in an old diary he accidentally finds, yet at some point the diary disappears and his life turns into a nightmare.

The  Beholder is available  at: Amazon US (Kindle e-book), Amazon  US (paperback), Amazon  UK (Kindle e-book), Amazon  UK (paperback)

Mary Fan, the author of the sci-fi novel Artificial Absolutes, has posted her review of The Beholder today!

Here is what she says about the book:

"In present day New York, Jason, an ordinary man with an office job at an  interior design firm, learns that his nightmares are more than just bad  dreams. In them, he sees a man of great evil, Pariah, pursuing a young  woman with amber eyes. Both disturbed and intrigued, he soon finds out  that the dreams are in fact supernatural visions, a glimpse into a  supernatural world of light and dark energies.

Meanwhile, Jason  hears reports of people around the world dying under mysterious  circumstances. Each body is left branded with an arcane symbol. After  realizing the bodies are a riddle addressed to him, Jason
encounters the  amber-eyed woman, Emily, who tells him that he possesses dormant abilities of great power. In addition, he may be the only person who can  keep darkness from enslaving the world.

The Beholder is an  imaginative urban fantasy that takes a reader into a captivating world  of magic and mystery.
Amberlake weaves his world in vibrant images,  wrapping each scene in colorful descriptions that make the story easy to  visualize. The reader follows Jason as this world is slowly revealed to  him. The supernatural elements, such as Sight and Soulfusion, are well  explained, as the reader learns what Jason learns. 

There’s an  ebb and flow to the pace of The Beholder, which works well for its story  line. It draws you in by setting up the mystery at the very beginning,  then slows down to let you look around. The action scenes, each a  vividly portrayed fight between good and evil, are exciting and  thrilling, and it’s easy to get lost in the language. Jason is a likable  protagonist who’s easy to sympathize with, especially since Amberlake  lays out his internal thoughts, allowing the reader to see what he sees,  feel what he feels. Some chapters are written from the perspectives of  other characters, giving the reader a 360 degree view of the story.

While  the plot of The Beholder focuses on the supernatural battle between  good and evil, Amberlake highlights the human element of the struggle  through his characterizations and relationships. As Jason follows Emily  into the realm of the Sighted, he also finds himself falling for her,  which adds an element of romance to the story. It also ups the personal  stakes for Jason as he heads toward the book’s climatic battle. In  addition, Jason’s close friends, Matt and Debbie, end up getting  involved, and so by the end, Jason is fighting not only for humanity, but for those he cares about most.

Amberlake writes with a poetic lilt, bringing his story to life through intricate language. For  instance, here’s a description from early in the book:

“[Jason]  burst through the revolving doors and into the outdoors, and ran into a  nearly solid wall of heat. Even in the shade of the skyscrapers, he  found it difficult to breathe. He paced, restless. Needing to walk off  some of his anger, he thrust his hands in his pockets, then started  roaming the streets, weaving through the rush hour crowd.”

Well  written and wonderfully inventive, The Beholder is a highly entertaining  book and a relatively fast read. The supernatural concept at the center  of the story is unique, intriguing, and leaves you wanting more."

I'm truly humbled by this amazing review! Thank you so
much, Mary! - Ivan Amberlake

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/581995640

http://amzn.com/B00B7TG2DC

Follow the link below to Mary Fan's Blog.

http://zigzagtl.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-beholder-ivan-amberlake_14.html

Below is an interview and review done recently with The Reading Cafe at http://thereadingcafe.com/

--------------------------------------------------

I recently had the opportunity to read THE BEHOLDER by Ivan Amberlake and was so impressed that I thought I would bring the author to you.

TRC: Hi Ivan and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of THE BEHOLDER.

Ivan: Thank you. It’s an exciting time for me, and I hope it will go on like this for as long as possible.

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Ivan: I was born and live in Belarus, a small state bordering on Russia and Ukraine. “Amberlake” is a pen name I chose because I felt my real name would be difficult to pronounce and remember for most native speakers.

For a few years I’ve been working as a teacher of English, but now my ambition is to become a full-time writer, as writing is what makes me tick. I’m an avid reader of fantasy, proofreader, freelance editor, and member of a self-published writers’ group called Breakwater Harbor Books.

Besides literature, I love music, action movies, sunsets and the sound of rain pattering against the roof.

TRC: What or who inspired you to write your first book?

Ivan: THE BEHOLDER was not my first attempt at writing. I have a couple of unfinished drafts that became a kind of stepping-stones to my third book that I finally published. To tell you the truth, THE BEHOLDER started as a completely different book, the general idea similar to THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, which may come as a surprise to those who have read the book. I was influenced by Oscar Wilde’s style, unaware of the modern principles of fiction-writing. Now it is a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy novel.

As to sources of my inspiration, my parents and wife are my main ones. They always ask how my book is doing, what reviews I’m getting. They are always ready to support me, and I’m trying to respond in the same way, so I dedicated my first book to my wife, and was so happy to see the smile on her face when she saw the dedication.

I enjoy listening to music, and I wrote most of Book 1 while listening to different genres –- from romantic ballads to melodic death metal. For example, the romantic episodes in the book were inspired by the music of the Swiss folk metal band ELUVEITIE and their album, “Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion”.

TRC: THE BEHOLDER is the first storyline in your new series appropriately entitled The Beholder. Would you please tell us something about the
premise?

Ivan: THE BEHOLDER is not just about a man tormented by dreams where people are haunted and killed by shadows. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of my mind being infused into the mind of a different person, so I wished to explore this idea in a book. I think that was how I came up with my main character, Jason Walker, being inside the victims’ minds, although Jason got a bit unlucky that he found himself in the minds of people about to die a horrible death. To Jason, these deaths are not only dreams but also a message that he is the last to be killed, that the shadows will come for his life.

TRC: Is there a message in the novel that you would like your readers to understand or grasp?

Ivan: As much as I love reading for pleasure, I love writing books that other people would enjoy. I’m not intent on teaching anyone anything, but I dwell on the concept of Good vs. Evil and offer my readers a vision of the world that I’ve had in mind for a few years now. It’s the world that I enormously love and want to share with as many people as possible. I’m trying to explain why things happen as they do in our lives, but I must say this concept will be developed bit by bit throughout the whole trilogy.

TRC: Your hero is Jason-the average working man who discovers he is The Beholder. Are the human characteristics of Jason based on anyone in your life or an amalgamation of different people?

Ivan: The character of Jason Walker has been changing with each rewrite of the book, so even if I wanted him to resemble me, Jason has become independent of me. I also used some of the best friends’ features for him and other characters. As for Emily Ethan, she was greatly inspired by my wife and her beauty.

TRC: How did you keep your plot unpredictable without sacrificing content or believability?

Ivan: “Believability of fantasy” is the term that I got acquainted with not so long ago. I was introduced to it by a Greek author Yannis Karatsioris who helped me grasp the notion so I could make THE BEHOLDER more believable than it initially was. But on the way of accomplishing that I had to cut more than 40,000 words and write another 15,000-20,000 words.

TRC: How much research (logistic, historical, philosophical, theological) was involved in the writing of this particular book and series?

Ivan: At the time when I started writing the book, Dan Brown’s THE DA VINCE CODE was much discussed, and I had an idea to use Freemasonry as the power in charge of Jason’s dreams and murders. I did a lot of research on them, and I’m so lucky to have changed my mind and decided against using them in THE BEHOLDER. I knew I had to come up with something of my own, and I promised myself that I would rely solely on my imagination, and there I came up with a world of Lightsighted and Darksighted.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception about your novel?

Ivan: I’ve come up with it only recently. While giving away Kindle copies of the book to people I realized that men strongly ignored my invitation to read the novel. Apparently, the words “love” and “romance” used in the blurb scare the bejesus out of them. I’ve always considered my book as a universal read, for men and women, for Young/New Adult and Adult readers, so if men are not sure whether they should try reading my book, I may assure them there is a lot of action there that they will love.

TRC: What difficulties have you had to face getting your novel to publication?

Ivan: I think my main difficulty was me. I was really insecure about getting it published, about my first reviews. Besides, I just couldn’t let myself publish a book if I knew it wasn’t finished. I am lucky to have so many friends who read the novel before it got published and helped me make it better. And I’m also grateful to my editor, Genevieve Graham, for spending awhile with THE BEHOLDER before it got published.

TRC: PATH OF THE HERETIC is the second storyline in The Beholder series. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Ivan: I hope to make PATH OF THE HERETIC a much darker book. I’m planning on bringing the supporting characters of Matthew Allen and Debbie Eve to the fore, so that the readers would have stronger connection with them. I’m going to weave the main antagonist’s – Pariah’s — Point of View into the story, which I hope will add tension and suspense to the series.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas with family and friends or, other authors. With whom do you bounce ideas and why?

Ivan: After I finished my first draft of The Beholder – naïve and inexperienced as I was – I started querying New York agents. Soon I came across a writers’ website hosted by HarperCollins UK, Authonomy. This is where I realized that I had so much work to do with THE BEHOLDER to make it right. After a year of writing and editing, I got the book to the Top 5 and it was selected for review by HarperCollins. I was lucky to have got a reviewer who gave me great advice on what to do with the book, so all in all it took me about 3 years to publish my debut novel.

TRC: What five things would you like to accomplish in the next ten years?

Ivan:
#1 – make my wife as happy as possible.
#2 – finally visit Great Britain and the USA!
#3 – become a traditionally published author.
#4 – complete “The Beholder Series” and start another series.
#5 – live a happy life and make other people happy.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Ivan: It was supposed to be a 5-book series at first, but after a long consideration I decided it would be a trilogy. Yet I’m so in love with my characters that probably I’ll think of writing another book, but that might not happen in a long time.

TRC: If you could change something about yourself personal or professional,what would it be and why?

Ivan: I’m the world’s biggest procrastinator, in about everything. Maybe it is just everyday life that is always in the way, but it takes a long time for me to sit down and write. I do need inspiration for that. But when I do sit and write a line or two, or a chapter, I feel complete. It’s the feeling I’m eager to feel as often as possible in the near future.

TRC: Thank you Ivan for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations again, on the release of THE BEHOLDER. We wish you all the best.

Ivan: Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to be interviewed.

To Order THE BEHOLDER:
Amazon US Paperback: http://amzn.com/1481931024
Amazon US Kindle: http://amzn.com/B00B7TG2DC
Amazon UK Paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1481931024
Amazon UK Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B7TG2DC

FOLLOW Ivan:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IvanAmberlake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivan.amberlake?ref=tn_tnmn
THE BEHOLDER page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholder/152577228229536?bookmark_t=page
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6907727.Ivan_Amberlake
Website: http://www.ivanamberlake.weebly.com
Breakwater Harbor Books: http://breakwaterharborbooks.weebly.com/index.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is the review of The Beholder done by Sandy from The Reading Cafe.

REVIEW: THE BEHOLDER is the first storyline in Ivan Amberlake’s Urban Fantasy series The Beholder. If you are a fan of storylines similar to The Matrix, a film based on the Sci-Fi novel Neuromancer by William Gibson, then The Beholder could be its literary counterpart in the UF genre.

The storyline focuses on Jason, a man who suffers from inexplicable painfully tactile dreams and nightmares that speak to him of danger, death and the battle between good and evil but his dreams are based in reality and most of what he ‘sees’ has or will come true. What Jason will soon discover is he is ‘The Beholder’-the savior of the Lightsighted-those with the power to use and see energy. The prophecies have foretold of The Beholder and the Lightsighted have been searching for The One who will save them all. But like every UF storyline there is the evil, the Darksighted who have been ordered by the Pariah to find and destroy The Beholder before he comes into his powers.

The storyline follows Jason and his friends Matt and Debbie ( A Trinity ), as they endeavor to learn about the world of the Light and Dark. The trio is a power unto themselves but there is never a thorough explanation as to the power of the three. There is an enormous amount of background information by way of interpretation regarding the use of energy, power and sight. The Beholder (Jason) is the key, the one with the power to save the world-but it is a world in an alternate reality. Time and space are different for the sighted and the battle is looming.

Like all UF storylines there is a battle between good and evil; light and dark; sighted and unsighted; love and loss. This is a storyline of romance, love, betrayal and hatred all mired in a contemporary fantasy world where good triumphs over evil-if only for a short time.

Ivan’s world building is fluid and tangible and, his characters are real. There is never any doubt about the direction of the story. But I want to add, that the premise appeared to be shrouded in theologian beliefs-whereby the people are waiting for their savior-the one to free them from an eternity of evil at the hands of the Pariah-and Jason-The Beholder-is literally the savior of the world. Will we eventually see Jason sacrifice himself to save the world from the Dark? There was nothing ‘preachy’ about the novel, only an overwhelming sense of faith and Christianity déjà vu.

The Beholder is a well-written novel that will pull you into the storyline as though you were experiencing the reality yourself. Congratulations to Ivan on an amazing piece of literary fiction. I am looking forward to the next installment.

So you say you'd like a FREE PAPERBACK copy of THE BEHOLDER, Ivan Amberlake's debut Urban Fantasy Thriller, then just follow the link below to Goodreads.com where you can enter for the opportunity to win a free paperback copy!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17288224-the-beholder

Here is what people are saying about The Beholder!

“I was so sure that all the supernatural worlds were already exhausted. Vampires, werewolves, aliens, ghosts… Then Mr. Amberlake’s novel arrived, took me by surprise and left me totally speechless. A world that no one has ever thought existed suddenly appeared. A world so perfectly built you wonder where it has been hiding before.” ~ Becca

“Mr. Amberlake, in my opinion, has created a literary masterpiece. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels.” ~ Bethanie Armstrong

“If you are a fan of storylines similar to The Matrix, then The Beholder could be its literary counterpart in the UF genre.” ~ Sandy, The Reading Café

“Amberlake does an excellent job of melding plot, fantastical concepts, darkness and light with a love story between Jason and his very real feeling counterpart, Emily.” ~ Scott J. Toney

“The author clearly has a deep understanding of the English language with a vast vocabulary.” ~ Lourie

Follow the link below for more and for your Kindle or Paperback copy of The Beholder!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Beholder-ebook/dp/B00B7TG2DC/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363186287&sr=1-1&keywords=ivan+amberlake

 

Go on over and check it out! Ivan Amberlake has done an excellent job with a background comprised of book covers! Just phenomenal!

https://twitter.com/BHB_Books

As authors, the reviews of our works on Amazon.com and other sites move us. We have no control over these. They are the true feelings of our readers, good and bad, and so when we read a review we are excited to know what people who read our books experienced inwardly as they read. They carry great value to us as authors. The Beholder, Amberlake's debut Urban Fantasy novel, is no stranger to rave reviews and is already stacking them up on Amazon.com. Here is what people are saying about The Beholder! What will you say once you've experienced this well crafted Urban Fantasy?

“I was so sure that all the supernatural worlds were already exhausted. Vampires, werewolves, aliens, ghosts… Then Mr. Amberlake’s novel arrived, took me by surprise and left me totally speechless. A world that no one has ever thought existed suddenly appeared. A world so perfectly built you wonder where it has been hiding before.” ~ Becca

“Mr. Amberlake, in my opinion, has created a literary masterpiece. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels.” ~ Bethanie Armstrong

“If you are a fan of storylines similar to The Matrix, then The Beholder could be its literary counterpart in the UF genre.” ~ Sandy, The Reading Café

“Amberlake does an excellent job of melding plot, fantastical concepts, darkness and light with a love story between Jason and his very real feeling counterpart, Emily.” ~ Scott J. Toney

“The author clearly has a deep understanding of the English language with a vast vocabulary.” ~ Lourie

Follow the link below for more and for your Kindle or Paperback copy of The Beholder!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Beholder-ebook/dp/B00B7TG2DC/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363186287&sr=1-1&keywords=ivan+amberlake

Cameron is twenty-one and drunk when she's abducted after a homecoming party. She doesn't know where she is, why this has happened to her, or anything about her new cellmate, Colin. She has time to figure it all out though—nothing but time.

Amy, Cameron's twin, doesn't think much of her sister's disappearance. She's got her own life to contend with. Since Cam has gone missing, Amy's been the glue holding her family together, but she's not bulletproof, and she can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. 

Sam has too much anger, a penchant for blondes, and a fondness for voyeurism and electromagnetic shock. He's good at hiding—not even his wife knows  he's a monster dressed in janitor's clothing. Maybe that's why he's gotten away  with his dark desires for so long.


Follow the link below for your Kindle copy of Doubles!

http://www.amazon.com/Doubles-ebook/dp/B00BK7UE5I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361997204&sr=1-1&keywords=melissa+simonson

Worlds of Light and Darkness are about to clash. And Jason will be in the thick of it.

In Asunción, Minsk and Sydney, people die under mysterious circumstances. Each branded with an arcane sign, they are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When more people are missing, with similar signs appearing in and around their homes, Jason, an average New Yorker, realizes the victims are a riddle addressed to him. He is the final piece.

Emily appears, a beauty with startling amber eyes, and tells Jason that powers dormant within him are about to wake. In the world of Light- and Darksighted, he is the only person who can prevent Darkness from enslaving the world. 

Setting out on a journey with Emily, Jason discovers many improbable things like Sight (the ability to see Energy Threads), Soulfusion, the Hall of Refuge, but the greatest surprise arrives the moment he sees Emily and finds Real Love.

Follow the link below for your free Kindle copy of The Beholder!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Beholder-ebook/dp/B00B7TG2DC/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361997266&sr=1-1&keywords=ivan+amberlake

Ivan Amberlake's debut Urban Fantasy Novel, The Beholder, is 99 CENTS during a limited time promotion! 

Worlds of Light and Darkness are about to clash. And Jason will be in the thick of it.

In Asunción, Minsk and Sydney, people die under mysterious circumstances. Each branded with an arcane sign, they are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When more people are missing, with similar signs appearing in and around their homes, Jason, an average New Yorker, realizes the victims are a riddle addressed to him. He is the final piece.

Emily appears, a beauty with startling amber eyes, and tells Jason that powers dormant within him are about to wake. In the world of Light- and Darksighted, he is the only person who can prevent Darkness from enslaving the world. 

Setting out on a journey with Emily, Jason discovers many improbable things like Sight (the ability to see Energy Threads), Soulfusion, the Hall of Refuge, but the greatest surprise arrives the moment he sees Emily and finds Real Love.




EXCERPT FROM THE
BOOK




Prologue



In darkness, Pariah crept along the wall of the ancient corridor, black eyes squinting toward the end of the passage. A silvery glimmer streamed through the archway, and he flattened himself into the shadow, out of the way of the shimmering light. With every heartbeat the light grew more intense, until he was forced to halt and close his eyes to block it out, if only for a little while.


The Ethan girl was there, crouching behind the silvery dome she’d created in the center of the vast hall. It had cost them a lot of effort to track her down, and now part of the plan had been accomplished: he and seven other Shadows had brought her to bay.

Opening his eyes again, Pariah took a step forward and winced at the subsequent burn. I shouldn’t go any closer.He clenched his knuckles and the movement hurt, driving fury through him. He wanted to crush her, destroy her Light … but she was dangerous and unpredictable.

What if she escapes? This may be our only chance to catch her. Pariah inhaled, reaching for patience. He must wait for her to make the fatal mistake, wait for her to leave her refuge. He envisaged his skulking brethren, guarding the other exits like spiders, and he grinned in malicious delight. You won’t get away this time.


Currents of crimson energy flowed through Pariah and his brothers, the force aimed towards a circle of whirling silver light. But the girl remained unaffected, sheltered by its brightness. No, he realized, watching the stream. This was not the way she would be killed. The currents could kill an ordinary person—in fact, hundreds of them in one second—but not a Sighted one. What they needed in order to break such a defense was an inhuman hatred. Pariah knew how to do it, but this wasn’t the time. His objective was to lure the girl into the trap, not kill her. First he would torture her, learn her secrets, then he would kill her.

Against the Light he was a better warrior. His hands were stained with the blood of the many Sighted he had slain. Patience, he told himself. She won’t be able to stay there for--

Searing pain shot up his spine, burning like acid and paralyzing him, sucking out his breath. All he could do was stare as an effulgent creature emerged from the circle, brighter than the explosion of a supernova, and watch that violent star head in his direction. The closer she got, the more she stifled the darkness inside him. Disgust rose as he sensed what was happening. It was as though love had been sewn into his hateful mind; twinges of conscience were waking in him, eradicating his inherent evil.

He tried to slow time, to stop the burning pain, but she knew how to block his attempts and make him suffer even more. The laws of physics meant as little to her as they did to him, and both abused their gifts to attain their aims. She was quicker than any of the Sighted ones who had previously crossed his path. He knew she was just as aware of him as he was of her, but she was stronger. For the first time in his dark existence, Pariah knew fear.

It happened too quickly. With ease, she breached the vicious circle he and the others had formed, and shot past, leaving a comet trail twinkling in her wake. Pariah stared after her, thinking through the decision she’d made. The trail was a block, not an attack. The Ethan girl had decided to protect herself from the shadow’s evil mind rather than use her power to kill him.

How noble—and naïve—to spare your enemy’s life, Pariah mused.

His confidence returned, but his hands still glowed bright from her energy. He dispersed the vapor trail she’d left and warped his mouth to let out a horrific banshee howl. The terrible sound reverberated off the walls, rising in magnitude, and he hoped the amplified echo might hamper her flight. His brethren chimed in to reinforce the cursing howl as they swished past and darted after her, but Pariah remained stationary, suffering the agony of having been imbued with her Light.

He reached his hands in her direction, slowing her nimble movements as much as he could, but the distance between them only increased. Wasting no time—for he had no more to lose—he threw himself forward, steadily gaining speed, watching tunnels rush by on either side. Acting purely on instinct, Pariah cut a rupture in space and flung himself into the blackness. This time he exited much closer to her, and his success spurred him on to try again.


Cut—plunge into blackness—return to reality. That was the process.

The sickening light came closer with every surge. Understanding his intentions, the others reassembled to help the Evil One coax the girl into the trap. Pariah was desperate, aware he would only get one chance. He took a final plunge into the ruptured darkness and the action brought him through at last. He reappeared directly in front of her, and she braked, glowing with that detestable light.

For a brief moment, Pariah managed to discern her face, the amber eyes wide with fear. Then it was gone in an eruption of burning brightness. He sent a wave of dark energy at her, and her shield disintegrated. Pariah’s fury transformed into a victorious pulse; he had broken her defenses, and now she lay convulsing with pain, his deadly energy choking the life out of her.

For more of this fantastic read follow the links below to Amazon.com!

PAPERBACK: http://www.amazon.com/Beholder-1-Ivan-Amberlake/dp/1481931024/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361310099&sr=1-1&keywords=ivan+amberlake

KINDLE: http://www.amazon.com/The-Beholder-ebook/dp/B00B7TG2DC/ref=sr_1_3_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361309990&sr=1-3&keywords=ivan+amberlake

Breakwater Harbor Books is excited to announce the KINDLE RELEASE of Ivan Amberlake's debut Urban Fantasy novel, The Beholder!

Worlds of Light and Darkness are about to clash. And Jason will be in the thick of it.

In Asunción, Minsk and Sydney, people die under mysterious circumstances. Each branded with an arcane sign, they are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When more people are missing, with similar signs appearing in and around their homes, Jason, an average New Yorker, realizes the victims are a riddle addressed to him. He is the final piece.

Emily appears, a beauty with startling amber eyes, and tells Jason that powers dormant within him are about to wake. In the world of Light- and Darksighted, he is the only person who can prevent Darkness from enslaving the world. 

Setting out on a journey with Emily, Jason discovers many improbable things like Sight (the ability to see Energy Threads), Soulfusion, the Hall of Refuge, but the greatest surprise arrives the moment he sees Emily and finds Real Love.




EXCERPT FROM THE
BOOK




Prologue



In darkness, Pariah crept along the wall of the ancient corridor, black eyes squinting toward the end of the passage. A silvery glimmer streamed through the archway, and he flattened himself into the shadow, out of the way of the shimmering light. With every heartbeat the light grew more intense, until he was forced to halt and close his eyes to block it out, if only for a little while.


The Ethan girl was there, crouching behind the silvery dome she’d created in the center of the vast hall. It had cost them a lot of effort to track her down, and now part of the plan had been accomplished: he and seven other Shadows had brought her to bay.

Opening his eyes again, Pariah took a step forward and winced at the subsequent burn. I shouldn’t go any closer.He clenched his knuckles and the movement hurt, driving fury through him. He wanted to crush her, destroy her Light … but she was dangerous and unpredictable.

What if she escapes? This may be our only chance to catch her. Pariah inhaled, reaching for patience. He must wait for her to make the fatal mistake, wait for her to leave her refuge. He envisaged his skulking brethren, guarding the other exits like spiders, and he grinned in malicious delight. You won’t get away this time.


Currents of crimson energy flowed through Pariah and his brothers, the force aimed towards a circle of whirling silver light. But the girl remained unaffected, sheltered by its brightness. No, he realized, watching the stream. This was not the way she would be killed. The currents could kill an ordinary person—in fact, hundreds of them in one second—but not a Sighted one. What they needed in order to break such a defense was an inhuman hatred. Pariah knew how to do it, but this wasn’t the time. His objective was to lure the girl into the trap, not kill her. First he would torture her, learn her secrets, then he would kill her.

Against the Light he was a better warrior. His hands were stained with the blood of the many Sighted he had slain. Patience, he told himself. She won’t be able to stay there for--

Searing pain shot up his spine, burning like acid and paralyzing him, sucking out his breath. All he could do was stare as an effulgent creature emerged from the circle, brighter than the explosion of a supernova, and watch that violent star head in his direction. The closer she got, the more she stifled the darkness inside him. Disgust rose as he sensed what was happening. It was as though love had been sewn into his hateful mind; twinges of conscience were waking in him, eradicating his inherent evil.

He tried to slow time, to stop the burning pain, but she knew how to block his attempts and make him suffer even more. The laws of physics meant as little to her as they did to him, and both abused their gifts to attain their aims. She was quicker than any of the Sighted ones who had previously crossed his path. He knew she was just as aware of him as he was of her, but she was stronger. For the first time in his dark existence, Pariah knew fear.

It happened too quickly. With ease, she breached the vicious circle he and the others had formed, and shot past, leaving a comet trail twinkling in her wake. Pariah stared after her, thinking through the decision she’d made. The trail was a block, not an attack. The Ethan girl had decided to protect herself from the shadow’s evil mind rather than use her power to kill him.

How noble—and naïve—to spare your enemy’s life, Pariah mused.

His confidence returned, but his hands still glowed bright from her energy. He dispersed the vapor trail she’d left and warped his mouth to let out a horrific banshee howl. The terrible sound reverberated off the walls, rising in magnitude, and he hoped the amplified echo might hamper her flight. His brethren chimed in to reinforce the cursing howl as they swished past and darted after her, but Pariah remained stationary, suffering the agony of having been imbued with her Light.

He reached his hands in her direction, slowing her nimble movements as much as he could, but the distance between them only increased. Wasting no time—for he had no more to lose—he threw himself forward, steadily gaining speed, watching tunnels rush by on either side. Acting purely on instinct, Pariah cut a rupture in space and flung himself into the blackness. This time he exited much closer to her, and his success spurred him on to try again.


Cut—plunge into blackness—return to reality. That was the process.

The sickening light came closer with every surge. Understanding his intentions, the others reassembled to help the Evil One coax the girl into the trap. Pariah was desperate, aware he would only get one chance. He took a final plunge into the ruptured darkness and the action brought him through at last. He reappeared directly in front of her, and she braked, glowing with that detestable light.

For a brief moment, Pariah managed to discern her face, the amber eyes wide with fear. Then it was gone in an eruption of burning brightness. He sent a wave of dark energy at her, and her shield disintegrated. Pariah’s fury transformed into a victorious pulse; he had broken her defenses, and now she lay convulsing with pain, his deadly energy choking the life out of her.

 
 

 
Chapter 1




Streams of translucent sunlight seeped onto New York, setting the windows of the Chrysler Building, among so many others, ablaze. It was normal for people to rush along the sidewalk, passing each other without making eye contact. What was abnormal was the way the sky rolled overhead, darkening with each moment until the early morning light seemed swallowed up by night.

Jason drummed his fingers nervously on the steering wheel of his sedan, frustrated at being stuck in traffic. He hated being late, and today he had the added pressure of a big presentation for which he’d been preparing for the past month.

A couple of women on the sidewalk stopped and pointed skyward, talking amongst themselves, so Jason leaned forward and looked up through the windshield, watching the storm cloud sprawl above the city like a purple bruise. As he inched closer to the Evelyn & Laurens building, a gust of wind wailed by, shaking the car and throwing thick raindrops against the windshield and roof. 

“Nice,”Jason grunted.

He clicked a button on the control panel, and the wipers squeaked back and forth, sweeping the water away. Turning into the parking lot, he grabbed the only spot left, collected his folder, and took a deep breath before getting out. Shielding his head with the bulging folder, he scurried across the parking lot, maneuvering his way between the cars, but the folder was poor protection. An icy blast whipped across his face, reducing his dark brown hair to a sodden mess. When the wind picked up and nearly ripped the folder from his hand, Jason gave up on using it as an umbrella and clutched it tightly to his chest instead, barely managing to keep it in his grip.

He crossed the remaining distance, trying unsuccessfully to hop over streams of water, and shoved through the revolving doors. Water dripped from his new suit and pooled by his feet as he waited for the elevator, and he eyed his folder dubiously. He could only hope his paperwork wasn’t as drenched as he was.

“Of course it had to happen today,” he muttered.

Why couldn’t even one thing go right when it was supposed to? Had anything ever gone right? Like that time two years before when his plane from Manchester to New York had flown into an ash cloud and nearly crashed. The plane landed safely, but Jason celebrated his survival by ending up in a car accident not long after. He escaped with only a few cuts and bruises, but several others were severely injured. Dumb luck.


And then there was the day he had moved to the new apartment. After that, things had only gotten worse.

In half an hour, he thought, as butterflies created mayhem in his stomach, I’ll be fired. 

The doors opened, and he stepped into the elevator, together with a crowd of people thoroughly soaked just like him. A pretty blonde he hadn’t noticed before wedged against him on the left, but when Jason smiled, her eyes shot green daggers at him. His smile waned, and he was relieved when the doors finally opened so he could get out.

More frustrated by the moment, he stormed into the office, paying no attention to the familiar chic surroundings, and slammed the door behind him. He wasn’t surprised to see his co-workers, Matthew Allen and Debbie Eve, had already arrived.

Matthew swiveled in his chair, giving Jason a smile no one could resist. “Did you have a good night last night?”

Jason shrugged, then winced as a cramp grabbed his stomach. “Just stayed in.”

“You should have come to the party,” Debbie said. “We missed you.”

“Yeah, well I had—”

A soft knock interrupted their conversation, and a woman with black-rimmed glasses and a svelte navy suit entered their office. Jason stiffened reflexively. Evelyn, their boss, was in her late forties but looked ten years younger. It seemed to Jason she never stopped smiling. She was friendly enough, but there was something intimidating about her eyes. They never smiled.

Now Evelyn stared at Jason, and a lump lodged in his throat. 

“The presentation will start in ten minutes,” she said, lifting delicate eyebrows.“I hope my trinity is well prepared.”

The cramp in his stomach had spread.

“Sure,”he muttered, his mouth parched.

“Okay. See you in ten minutes,” Evelyn said. 

As soon as the door latched behind her, the three of them rushed to make a new copy of the soaked report. Ordinarily, Jason, Matt, and Debbie weren’t the least bit nervous at meetings. Today, however, they were under pressure to coerce the clients to sign a contract for a substantial sum. Evelyn & Laurens specialized in interior design. “An anthill full of psychos and maniacs,” was what Jason called the place. And though it could be fast paced, after working here for three years Jason happily admitted that being a maniac wasn’t so bad. 

As the three walked in silence to the conference hall, the pain in Jason’s stomach intensified, twisting so that he almost doubled over. He suddenly wished he’d taken the time to eat breakfast.

“You okay?” Debbie asked quietly. “You’re really pale.”

“Stomach’s killing me,” he admitted.

“I’ll do the presentation if you want.”

“That’d be terrific, Debbie. Thanks.”

Inside the hall, the clients sat waiting in a semi-circle. A smiling Evelyn sat opposite them, chatting away. She’d switched the lights in the room on since the ugly cloud had overwhelmed the sun, and the room lit even brighter with a sudden flash of lightning, echoed by a faint rumble of distant thunder.

As if in response, Jason’s stomach convulsed. His knees wobbled, and he reached for a chair, barely able to stand. No. Please no! He took his seat, aware of a bead of perspiration trickling down his spine, and stared at the table. The storm worsened outside, and it seemed to Jason that the closer it came, the worse he felt.

It wasn’t breakfast. It wasn’t nerves. He knew what it was, though, and he was helpless to do anything about it. Trying to control the agony he knew would only get worse, he clenched his clammy palms until his nails dug in, but the pain in his stomach took over his mind, crushing him. Though he wanted to sit, he knew he had to get out, knew he couldn’t take it anymore. He leapt to his feet just as a bolt of lightning struck the neighboring building, and the accompanying thunder rattled the windows of the conference room. Everyone jumped and turned towards the window, and the building’s lights flickered a few times before going out completely.

Jason stumbled out of the darkened room, vaguely aware that the pain in the pit of his stomach had spread throughout his entire body. No one can stand this kind of pain,he thought.

He tried to distract himself, counting out loud as he raced toward the bathroom, but nothing helped. Inside the bathroom he gripped the rim of the sink, swallowing a scream as his left shoulder burst into an agony so sharp it was as if a nail had been driven into it. With an effort, he scooped water onto his face and gasped as it prickled like millions of tiny needles against his skin. He squeezed his eyes closed and saw … the impossible. Images—memories he’d never known—gushed out and seared themselves into his mind.

No, not again, he pleaded silently. 

The shadows had returned. He knew them so well: relentless pillars of smoke that thrived on his blood. Fighting for breath, he clutched the sink, letting sweat drip from his face into the porcelain bowl. When he snapped his head up to look in the mirror, he stepped back, shocked.

“No way.”

Five words were smeared across the mirror, written in what had to be blood. Nothing else left that shade of red behind. 

Weare coming for you.

The room spun, and Jason dropped to the floor, falling into the yawning blackness.



For more of this fantastic read follow the link below to Amazon.com!

PAPERBACK: http://amzn.com/1481931024

KINDLE: http://amzn.com/B00B7TG2DC

Breakwater Harbor Books is excited to announce the release of Ivan Amberlake's debut Urban Fantasy novel, The Beholder!

Worlds of Light and Darkness are about to clash. And Jason will be in the thick of it.

In Asunción, Minsk and Sydney, people die under mysterious circumstances. Each branded with an arcane sign, they are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When more people are missing, with similar signs appearing in and around their homes, Jason, an average New Yorker, realizes the victims are a riddle addressed to him. He is the final piece.

Emily appears, a beauty with startling amber eyes, and tells Jason that powers dormant within him are about to wake. In the world of Light- and Darksighted, he is the only person who can prevent Darkness from enslaving the world. 

Setting out on a journey with Emily, Jason discovers many improbable things like Sight (the ability to see Energy Threads), Soulfusion, the Hall of Refuge, but the greatest surprise arrives the moment he sees Emily and finds Real Love.




EXCERPT FROM THE
BOOK




Prologue



In darkness, Pariah crept along the wall of the ancient corridor, black eyes squinting toward the end of the passage. A silvery glimmer streamed through the archway, and he flattened himself into the shadow, out of the way of the shimmering light. With every heartbeat the light grew more intense, until he was forced to halt and close his eyes to block it out, if only for a little while.


The Ethan girl was there, crouching behind the silvery dome she’d created in the center of the vast hall. It had cost them a lot of effort to track her down, and now part of the plan had been accomplished: he and seven other Shadows had brought her to bay.

Opening his eyes again, Pariah took a step forward and winced at the subsequent burn. I shouldn’t go any closer.He clenched his knuckles and the movement hurt, driving fury through him. He wanted to crush her, destroy her Light … but she was dangerous and unpredictable.

What if she escapes? This may be our only chance to catch her. Pariah inhaled, reaching for patience. He must wait for her to make the fatal mistake, wait for her to leave her refuge. He envisaged his skulking brethren, guarding the other exits like spiders, and he grinned in malicious delight. You won’t get away this time.


Currents of crimson energy flowed through Pariah and his brothers, the force aimed towards a circle of whirling silver light. But the girl remained unaffected, sheltered by its brightness. No, he realized, watching the stream. This was not the way she would be killed. The currents could kill an ordinary person—in fact, hundreds of them in one second—but not a Sighted one. What they needed in order to break such a defense was an inhuman hatred. Pariah knew how to do it, but this wasn’t the time. His objective was to lure the girl into the trap, not kill her. First he would torture her, learn her secrets, then he would kill her.

Against the Light he was a better warrior. His hands were stained with the blood of the many Sighted he had slain. Patience, he told himself. She won’t be able to stay there for--

Searing pain shot up his spine, burning like acid and paralyzing him, sucking out his breath. All he could do was stare as an effulgent creature emerged from the circle, brighter than the explosion of a supernova, and watch that violent star head in his direction. The closer she got, the more she stifled the darkness inside him. Disgust rose as he sensed what was happening. It was as though love had been sewn into his hateful mind; twinges of conscience were waking in him, eradicating his inherent evil.

He tried to slow time, to stop the burning pain, but she knew how to block his attempts and make him suffer even more. The laws of physics meant as little to her as they did to him, and both abused their gifts to attain their aims. She was quicker than any of the Sighted ones who had previously crossed his path. He knew she was just as aware of him as he was of her, but she was stronger. For the first time in his dark existence, Pariah knew fear.

It happened too quickly. With ease, she breached the vicious circle he and the others had formed, and shot past, leaving a comet trail twinkling in her wake. Pariah stared after her, thinking through the decision she’d made. The trail was a block, not an attack. The Ethan girl had decided to protect herself from the shadow’s evil mind rather than use her power to kill him.

How noble—and naïve—to spare your enemy’s life, Pariah mused.

His confidence returned, but his hands still glowed bright from her energy. He dispersed the vapor trail she’d left and warped his mouth to let out a horrific banshee howl. The terrible sound reverberated off the walls, rising in magnitude, and he hoped the amplified echo might hamper her flight. His brethren chimed in to reinforce the cursing howl as they swished past and darted after her, but Pariah remained stationary, suffering the agony of having been imbued with her Light.

He reached his hands in her direction, slowing her nimble movements as much as he could, but the distance between them only increased. Wasting no time—for he had no more to lose—he threw himself forward, steadily gaining speed, watching tunnels rush by on either side. Acting purely on instinct, Pariah cut a rupture in space and flung himself into the blackness. This time he exited much closer to her, and his success spurred him on to try again.


Cut—plunge into blackness—return to reality. That was the process.

The sickening light came closer with every surge. Understanding his intentions, the others reassembled to help the Evil One coax the girl into the trap. Pariah was desperate, aware he would only get one chance. He took a final plunge into the ruptured darkness and the action brought him through at last. He reappeared directly in front of her, and she braked, glowing with that detestable light.

For a brief moment, Pariah managed to discern her face, the amber eyes wide with fear. Then it was gone in an eruption of burning brightness. He sent a wave of dark energy at her, and her shield disintegrated. Pariah’s fury transformed into a victorious pulse; he had broken her defenses, and now she lay convulsing with pain, his deadly energy choking the life out of her.

 
 

 
Chapter 1




Streams of translucent sunlight seeped onto New York, setting the windows of the Chrysler Building, among so many others, ablaze. It was normal for people to rush along the sidewalk, passing each other without making eye contact. What was abnormal was the way the sky rolled overhead, darkening with each moment until the early morning light seemed swallowed up by night.

Jason drummed his fingers nervously on the steering wheel of his sedan, frustrated at being stuck in traffic. He hated being late, and today he had the added pressure of a big presentation for which he’d been preparing for the past month.

A couple of women on the sidewalk stopped and pointed skyward, talking amongst themselves, so Jason leaned forward and looked up through the windshield, watching the storm cloud sprawl above the city like a purple bruise. As he inched closer to the Evelyn & Laurens building, a gust of wind wailed by, shaking the car and throwing thick raindrops against the windshield and roof. 

“Nice,”Jason grunted.

He clicked a button on the control panel, and the wipers squeaked back and forth, sweeping the water away. Turning into the parking lot, he grabbed the only spot left, collected his folder, and took a deep breath before getting out. Shielding his head with the bulging folder, he scurried across the parking lot, maneuvering his way between the cars, but the folder was poor protection. An icy blast whipped across his face, reducing his dark brown hair to a sodden mess. When the wind picked up and nearly ripped the folder from his hand, Jason gave up on using it as an umbrella and clutched it tightly to his chest instead, barely managing to keep it in his grip.

He crossed the remaining distance, trying unsuccessfully to hop over streams of water, and shoved through the revolving doors. Water dripped from his new suit and pooled by his feet as he waited for the elevator, and he eyed his folder dubiously. He could only hope his paperwork wasn’t as drenched as he was.

“Of course it had to happen today,” he muttered.

Why couldn’t even one thing go right when it was supposed to? Had anything ever gone right? Like that time two years before when his plane from Manchester to New York had flown into an ash cloud and nearly crashed. The plane landed safely, but Jason celebrated his survival by ending up in a car accident not long after. He escaped with only a few cuts and bruises, but several others were severely injured. Dumb luck.


And then there was the day he had moved to the new apartment. After that, things had only gotten worse.

In half an hour, he thought, as butterflies created mayhem in his stomach, I’ll be fired. 

The doors opened, and he stepped into the elevator, together with a crowd of people thoroughly soaked just like him. A pretty blonde he hadn’t noticed before wedged against him on the left, but when Jason smiled, her eyes shot green daggers at him. His smile waned, and he was relieved when the doors finally opened so he could get out.

More frustrated by the moment, he stormed into the office, paying no attention to the familiar chic surroundings, and slammed the door behind him. He wasn’t surprised to see his co-workers, Matthew Allen and Debbie Eve, had already arrived.

Matthew swiveled in his chair, giving Jason a smile no one could resist. “Did you have a good night last night?”

Jason shrugged, then winced as a cramp grabbed his stomach. “Just stayed in.”

“You should have come to the party,” Debbie said. “We missed you.”

“Yeah, well I had—”

A soft knock interrupted their conversation, and a woman with black-rimmed glasses and a svelte navy suit entered their office. Jason stiffened reflexively. Evelyn, their boss, was in her late forties but looked ten years younger. It seemed to Jason she never stopped smiling. She was friendly enough, but there was something intimidating about her eyes. They never smiled.

Now Evelyn stared at Jason, and a lump lodged in his throat. 

“The presentation will start in ten minutes,” she said, lifting delicate eyebrows.“I hope my trinity is well prepared.”

The cramp in his stomach had spread.

“Sure,”he muttered, his mouth parched.

“Okay. See you in ten minutes,” Evelyn said. 

As soon as the door latched behind her, the three of them rushed to make a new copy of the soaked report. Ordinarily, Jason, Matt, and Debbie weren’t the least bit nervous at meetings. Today, however, they were under pressure to coerce the clients to sign a contract for a substantial sum. Evelyn & Laurens specialized in interior design. “An anthill full of psychos and maniacs,” was what Jason called the place. And though it could be fast paced, after working here for three years Jason happily admitted that being a maniac wasn’t so bad. 

As the three walked in silence to the conference hall, the pain in Jason’s stomach intensified, twisting so that he almost doubled over. He suddenly wished he’d taken the time to eat breakfast.

“You okay?” Debbie asked quietly. “You’re really pale.”

“Stomach’s killing me,” he admitted.

“I’ll do the presentation if you want.”

“That’d be terrific, Debbie. Thanks.”

Inside the hall, the clients sat waiting in a semi-circle. A smiling Evelyn sat opposite them, chatting away. She’d switched the lights in the room on since the ugly cloud had overwhelmed the sun, and the room lit even brighter with a sudden flash of lightning, echoed by a faint rumble of distant thunder.

As if in response, Jason’s stomach convulsed. His knees wobbled, and he reached for a chair, barely able to stand. No. Please no! He took his seat, aware of a bead of perspiration trickling down his spine, and stared at the table. The storm worsened outside, and it seemed to Jason that the closer it came, the worse he felt.

It wasn’t breakfast. It wasn’t nerves. He knew what it was, though, and he was helpless to do anything about it. Trying to control the agony he knew would only get worse, he clenched his clammy palms until his nails dug in, but the pain in his stomach took over his mind, crushing him. Though he wanted to sit, he knew he had to get out, knew he couldn’t take it anymore. He leapt to his feet just as a bolt of lightning struck the neighboring building, and the accompanying thunder rattled the windows of the conference room. Everyone jumped and turned towards the window, and the building’s lights flickered a few times before going out completely.

Jason stumbled out of the darkened room, vaguely aware that the pain in the pit of his stomach had spread throughout his entire body. No one can stand this kind of pain,he thought.

He tried to distract himself, counting out loud as he raced toward the bathroom, but nothing helped. Inside the bathroom he gripped the rim of the sink, swallowing a scream as his left shoulder burst into an agony so sharp it was as if a nail had been driven into it. With an effort, he scooped water onto his face and gasped as it prickled like millions of tiny needles against his skin. He squeezed his eyes closed and saw … the impossible. Images—memories he’d never known—gushed out and seared themselves into his mind.

No, not again, he pleaded silently. 

The shadows had returned. He knew them so well: relentless pillars of smoke that thrived on his blood. Fighting for breath, he clutched the sink, letting sweat drip from his face into the porcelain bowl. When he snapped his head up to look in the mirror, he stepped back, shocked.

“No way.”

Five words were smeared across the mirror, written in what had to be blood. Nothing else left that shade of red behind. 

Weare coming for you.

The room spun, and Jason dropped to the floor, falling into the yawning blackness.



For more of this fantastic read follow the link below to Amazon.com!

http://www.amazon.com/Beholder-1-Ivan-Amberlake/dp/1481931024/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359422462&sr=1-4&keywords=ivan+amberlake