Nelumbo Nucifera
by Cristina Slough
Publication date: 24 January, 2017
Genres: Adult, Psychological Thriller
Synopsis:
On the surface, Gaby Parker has it all; however, behind closed doors, is a woman who lives in constant fear of the man who was supposed to love her: her husband, Kyle. Beaten, desperate, and broken, Gaby realizes the only way to escape from her violent husband is to kill herself — on paper. Gaby is dead, and Riley Locklin is born, residing in the tranquil coastal town of Chesswick Bay Montauk where she hopes to start over and meets a man who shows her bruises aren’t kisses.
Meanwhile, back home, Kyle is doing everything in his power to prove Gaby isn’t dead.
But…police find her burnt-out car and remains?
Kyle isn’t buying it; he knows she’s still alive. He launches his own full investigation to find his wife — and he’ll stop at nothing to claim her back. A female Detective assigned to his wife’s case doesn’t like him very much after discovering a domestic violence report – scorned by the history of her mother’s domestic abuse, she’s determined to send Kyle down for his wife’s murder.
And then he finds her. Will Gaby finally take a stand?
Interview with Cristina Slough
Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Cristina Slough: When I was in primary school. At parents' evening, my teacher told my mum I would be wasting my life if I didn’t become an author. It made sense, I always loved reading and writing…
How long does it take you to write a book?
CS: It really depends. With my first, it was around three months. With my current title I started it with a first couple of chapters, and then took a six month break. But when I went back to it, I couldn’t stop and had 80,000 words completed in under three weeks. It was crazy. I would work into the night, go to bed, look after my three year old, go to my day job…and start all over again!
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
CS: I sit at my desk and just let the words come to me. I have to listen to music. It is a must. Music puts me in the zone.
Check out Cristina Slough's playlist for the book here.
How do books get published?
CS: I study publishing houses and agents and submit to the ones that I think my work would fit. I am currently published with two independent publishing houses.
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
CS: Ideas come to me all the time. My mind, never, ever, shuts up. I carry a notebook around in my bag and jot down ideas as they come. For research, I google, I buy books to study a subject, and I talk to expert people. For Nelumbo Nucifera, I spoke to real women that had been in domestic abusive relationships. So, the information in the book is very raw, and very real. I also consulted an expert in the field of mental illness—a subject which is also highlighted in Nelumbo. I want my writing to really speak to people, so I want to bring them into the story by knowing my stuff!
Excerpt from Nelumbo Nucifera
When Kyle went to his car, the club was aglow with flashing blue and red lights. The wail of sirens assaulted his ears. Two ambulances were parked outside.
He caught a glimpse of a woman being carried out on a stretcher. Police had concealed the club with yellow tape. The last thing that he needed was to get pulled into this shit. To his relief, as the gate opened, he was able to get straight on the road. The timing couldn’t have been worse. Right now he needed Randy, but now he was embroiled with the night’s events. Kyle pulled out into the interstate. He pushed his foot down heavy on the accelerator; his pulse was beating hard in his chest. He tried to think back: Had there been any clues? He debated the pros and cons of going after her. If he found her, he knew that his rage would win and he wouldn’t be in control anymore. He imagined her, out there somewhere, laughing at him, thinking that she had gotten away with it. Meanwhile, he was under the microscope with the cops—especially with Detective Isla Bitch Morany. Even thinking about that woman made him want to punch something; he would love to wipe her smug know it all look off her face. But her badge protected her; it acted as a shield, because if she was working a normal job, there was no way she wouldn’t have had a fist or two to knock her back in line.
Kyle thought about the money he had parted with since this all began; he was satisfied that the bulk of his funds were off shore; Morany may have uncovered his dirty dealings, and they were enough to get him in hot water, but his reserves would be enough to save him, probably. He drove past a parade of billboards advertising the Love of God:
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
It felt as if that sign had been placed there especially for him. Things between him and Gaby had never been smooth, but he thought he had things in a structured order, and he was desperate to claw it back. He decided that he was going to do just as God had instructed: “Be wise as a serpent.”
GIVEAWAY
As part of the blitz, there is a giveaway for $15 Amazon gift card + signed copy of Nelumbo Nucifera, open internationally. Ends 2 Feb.
Purchase via Amazon.
Link to The Katie Piper Foundation that Cristina is donating to: http://www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk/
About the Author:
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| Cristina Slough |
Novelist, movie addict, and animal lover, Cristina Slough is the author of: Nelumbo Nucifera and Till Death Us Do Part.
Cristina has always been a bookworm, rarely seen without a pen and paper in her hand, she loves delving into a literacy fictional world of her own.
Although Cristina loves pink and fluffy, her writing isn’t. She loves to focus on raw human emotion and gritty story lines; she’s very fond of messing with her readers heads by weaving twists into her books.
Cristina is married to Adam, who runs a successful business; together they share their Bedfordshire home with their son, and several spoiled pets. As a family, they love to travel frequently, the United States being a firm favorite.
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