Tuesday, April 26, 2016

When the Serpent Bites Excerpt Tour

Blurb:
Frederick Starks has it all—a gorgeous wife who was his high school sweetheart, three beautiful children, a mansion and cars others envy, millions in the bank, respected in his community, admired by his employees, loved and respected by loyal friends. He revels in the hard-earned power and control he’s acquired. As the saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold,” which Starks discovers when gut-wrenching betrayal by his wife sends him over the edge and into a maximum security prison. There, Starks is a new “fish,” stripped of nearly everything he’s always relied on. In that place, where inmates and guards have their own rules and codes of conduct, Starks is forced to face the darker side of life, and his own darker side, especially when the betrayals, both inside and outside the prison, don’t stop. He must choose which path to follow when the line between right and wrong becomes blurred: one that leads to getting out of the physical and emotional hellhole he finds himself in or one that keeps him alive.


Exclusive Excerpt:
Ozy’s SUV was parked in the driveway at the top of the slope. The inside of the house was dark. A quick glance at the digital clock on the dashboard showed it was after midnight. He hadn’t intended to go there this late; he hadn’t intended to go by there ever again. But his thoughts ate at him, until he had to do something to make them stop. To make all of it stop. Seeing Kayla with Bret had pushed him to this edge. In the dark interior of the car he slammed his hands on the steering wheel.

“Fuck all of them. I’m taking back control of my life.”

He parked at the foot of the driveway and got out. The temperature was dropping fast. Gusts of icy wind whipped at his face; treetops swayed and groaned. He leaned against the Bentley for several moments, shivering from cold and raw energy.

The grass crackled as he made his way toward the house, counting twenty-five steps as he dodged several children’s toys that had been left out. He approached the front door where hay bales, pumpkins, and gourds had been arranged. He ignored the doorbell and pulled open the outer glass door to access the solid wooden one, noting there was no peephole, its absence an indication that Ozy wasn’t afraid of what or who might come to his house. He raised a fist then held it back. There was still time to drive off, to just leave it all alone. Forcing an image of his children into his mind gave him courage. He swallowed hard then beat on the door without pause, until he heard someone turn the deadbolt on the other side.

Ozy wore his robe tied at his waist. His wife, also wrapped in a robe, and with hair flat on one side, stood behind him but to the right, eyes wide in fright at this disturbance.

Starks locked his gaze with Margaret’s. “I’m here to let your wife know what you’ve been doing. That you slept with Kayla, my wife, for three years. Of course, slept isn’t the right word.”

Slurred voices of children disturbed from sleep came from behind the couple. Ozy yelled for them to get back to bed. He told his wife to wait inside then stepped over the threshold, closing the glass door behind him. Loud enough for his wife to hear, he said, “You have the wrong house, buddy. I don’t know you or anyone named Kayla. Now get off my property, before I force you off.”

Starks’s expression darkened. His elbows pressed into his sides, his hands knotted into fists. The speech of well chosen words he’d practiced in his mind as he’d driven over vaporized.

“Liar! You’ve been screwing my wife in your car and anywhere else handy.” He pointed at Margaret. “Who knows what you told your wife you were doing—going to the store, working late, and God knows what else. You think you can destroy my family, all I’ve worked for, and get away with it? I want your wife to know what a two-timing loser she’s married to.”




Author Bio and Links:
Nesly Clerge received his bachelor’s degree in physiology and neurobiology at the University of Maryland, and later pursued a doctoral degree in the field of chiropractic medicine. Although his background is primarily science-based, he has finally embraced his lifelong passion for writing. Clerge’s debut novel, When the Serpent Bites, will be available in 2015, with the sequel to follow in 2016. His debut novel explores choices, consequences, and the complexities of human emotions, especially when we are placed in a less-than-desirable setting. When he is not writing, Clerge manages several multidisciplinary clinics. He enjoys reading, chess, traveling, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with his significant other and his sons.

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1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for the giveaway and all the work put into it.

    ReplyDelete