When Dallas resident
Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead,
she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now
she's witnessed another murder, and she's not about to let this one go. She's
determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to
answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?
Excerpt
As
Molly straightened up, the man slipped the wire over her head and twisted it
around her neck. She struggled, but he pulled the garrote tighter and tighter.
I
was screaming at the top of my ghostly voice, for all the good it did me. I
moved up behind the man and beat at his back with closed fists--fists that
slipped in and out of his back without ever making real contact. He shuddered a
little--clearly he was one of the very slightly sensitive ones--but he didn’t
loosen his hands.
I
reached up and tried to grab the wire, tried to pull against the pressure he
was exerting on the wire and it did loosen for an instant. But only for an
instant. The living have more control over solid
objects than the dead do. I never resented that fact more than at that moment.
But
I kept trying. I kept trying as Molly’s face turned purple, then blue, then
black, kept trying even as she drooped in the man’s grip.
Then
he loosened the wire and it was too late. I watched that wispy, light-on-fog
life force slip out of Molly and move on to wherever it is that other people go
when they die. I was glad she didn’t show up next to me as a full-blown ghost.
At that moment, I wouldn’t have wished my impotent half-existence on anyone.
I
couldn’t help thinking that if I’d been alive, I might have been able to save
her.
If
I could have cried real tears, I would have. As it was, I was sobbing hoarsely
and calling the man every dirty name I could think of.
I
was still cursing as I followed him around the kitchen. First he opened the
pantry and pulled out a box of Hefty garbage bags. Then he grabbed a knife out
of the block on the counter. And finally, he picked up Molly’s body and carried
it to the bathroom.
Author’s Bio: Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.
Links
Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Be sure to add Waking Up Dead to your Goodreads bookshelves: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18428064-waking-up-dead
Book Trailers:
http://youtu.be/KUBg83s4BOU
Waking Up Dead Dream
Cast
Callie: Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence has the perfect
girl-next-door vibe, and if you’ve seen the clip of her joking with Jack
Nicholson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJmhsJ5T5L0), it’s clear that she can also do funny and snarky,
which is an absolute necessity for any actress who plays Callie!
Ashara: Kat Graham
I just love Kat Graham. I love it that she’s
beautiful and smart (she speaks something like five languages!). Ashara has to
be strong and kind, too, and having seen Graham’s work in Vampire Diaries, I
think she would make the perfect Ashara.
Maw-Maw: Ruby Dee
There was never any question about my dream
actress to play Maw-Maw. The first time I saw Maw-Maw in my mind, she had Ruby
Dee’s face (and my grandmother’s way of moving and my great-grandmother’s
voice!). Maw-Maw is canny and wise and smarter than anyone gives her credit for
being.
Stephen: Chris Hemsworth
Because who wouldn’t want Chris Hemsworth in
a movie?! Seriously—Hemsworth’s blond good looks will suit Stephen nicely.
Also, he can do quiet and strong nicely; Stephen often takes a supportive role,
keeping Callie, Ashara, and Maw-Maw safe and working to help all of them as
they solve the mystery surrounding Molly’s death.
Clifford
Howard: Billy Burke
The villain needs to be creepy! Burke isn’t
ugly like Howard is in the book, but he can do an amazing sneer. I think he
could play up the psychopathic elements of the book’s villain.
Molly
McClatchey: Jessica Alba
Although Molly has only a small appearance in
the book, as the victim, it’s an important one. I think Jessica Alba would be
perfect for this role—her dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin are important to
the plot, and Alba’s sweet demeanor would play nicely, too!
Rick
McClatchey: Jared Padalecki
Jared Padalecki does emotionally distraught
so perfectly that he would be a great candidate for the role of Rick
McClatchey, a man wrongly accused of killing his beloved wife.
