Deception
Island
by Judith B. Boss
GENRE: Romantic
Suspense
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
While
at an archaeology dig in Afghanistan, evolutionary anthropologist Rachel St.
Claire discovers a pendant with strange shifting symbols. Not long after, she
receives an urgent call from her colleague, Dr. Grace McAllister, insisting
Rachel come to Antarctica to examine an unusual body with ethereal properties
found in an ice cave. Before Rachel can respond, bandits storm the desert dig
site. Just as they are about to seize Rachel, a helicopter appears with Trevor
Brookenridge, a handsome polar geophysicist sent by his Aunt Grace to bring
Rachel to Antarctica. Sparks fly, but Rachel already has a fiancé. Rachel must
decide who she can trust when a group of bioterrorists engaged in secret
genetic experiments in an abandoned World War II Nazi base under the Antarctic
ice sheet come after the pendant--and her. For it seems everyone knows a secret
Rachel does not, one which will change her life forever.
EXCERPT:
Rachel
peered over the rail as the hydrofoil eased into a slip at a floating
dock. Whalebones on the floor of the
bay, from the days whaling ships used the harbor, could be seen through the
clear water. As usual, the beach near
the dock was bustling with penguins. A
Snow-Cat, a sleek, bullet-shaped vehicle with yellow stripes painted on it, was
parked just above the beach line.
As
they disembarked and started up the beach toward an awaiting Snow-Cat, some of
the gentoo penguins scattered, lurching and stumbling over the
cobblestones. Others raised their bright
orange beaks in protest.
“The
penguins seem particularly jumpy today,” remarked one of the crew. “Like something spooked them during the
night.”
Two
men unloaded what looked like a body bag from the Snow-Cat and loaded it on the
hydrofoil.
In
the distance beyond a ridge, Rachel noticed a small hut silhouetted by the low
sun. “That’s the Argentinean hut,” said
Antonio, shouldering his overnight bag.
After saying a quick farewell to them, he slipped on a pair of snowshoes
and headed up to the hut.
“All
aboard,” one of the men said. He reached
out a hand and helped Rachel climb up into the cab of the Snow-Cat.
From
her seat on the Snow-Cat, Rachel could see the skittish penguins watching the
receding vehicle wind its way up to Shackleton Station. What had upset them? The very air seemed to bristle with angst. She glanced over at Trevor sitting across
from her, but he didn't seem to notice anything amiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Judith Boss (née
Wager) was born in the village of Honeoye Falls, south of Rochester, New York
in the heart of wine country. She attended elementary school in Irondequoit,
where her family moved when she was two.
When not in
school, she enjoyed wandering the woods and fields around her home and picking
beans for 25¢ a basket for Mr. King, who owned the truck farm behind her house.
She also loved hiking and camping and was active in the Girl Scouts throughout
high school.
An avid writer,
when Judy was 11 years old she wrote and illustrated her first “novel," a
story about her beloved parakeet “Sparky." My Little Sparky was followed
by several other short novels and a book of poems.
Following
graduation from high school, Judy attended the University of Rochester for a
few years before dropping out and emigrating to Australia. Both of Judy’s
daughters were born in Australia. She also finished her B.A. in philosophy and
anthropology at the University of Western Australia.
From Australia,
the family moved to Nova Scotia, Canada for graduate school. After graduate
school, Judy worked for eight years as a writer/researcher for the Nova Scotia
Museum. In 1979, Judy and her two daughters moved to Newport, Rhode Island
where she continued to work as a writer. She also worked as a lecturer for
several years at the University of Rhode Island before going back to full-time
writing.
Judy currently
lives in rural Rhode Island with her family and Corgi. An avid traveler, she
has traveled with students from the University Of Rhode Island and Brown
Medical School to work with undeserved, indigenous people in Guatemala and
Mexico. Her favorite travel destination, however, is Antarctica.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Judith
will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via
rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for featuring Deception Island.
ReplyDeleteYou are so very welcome!
DeleteAre any of you working on writing a book?
ReplyDeleteForgive me if this has been asked before, but what was you inspiration to write a novel set in Antarctica?
ReplyDeleteI just woke up one morning obsessed with Antarctica. I have no idea where it came from. I began reading everything I could find on Antarctica and, being a writer by professor, jotting down ideas for a novel. Finally, my kids said "Mom, just go," thinking I'd get over it. I took their advice. By the way, I've never gotten over my "obsession" with Antarctica! To me it's one of the most beautiful fascinating places in the universe.
ReplyDeleteLove the cover.
ReplyDeleteWild Rose Press has some good artists. The cover is an artist's rendition of Deception Island. We used the zodiac, like the rubber boat in cover picture, to get to shore from the ship.
ReplyDeleteThe penguins on the cover (and the excerpt!) are what grabbed my attention immediately. Thank you for the post!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your feedback!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to finding out more about the pendant.
ReplyDeleteThe pendant will turn up again in the sequel, which I've just started thinking about and jotting down notes. What your would like to see in a sequel?
DeleteShared on Facebook to help spread the word, have a great day! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the post Nikolina!
DeleteCongrats on the new book and good luck on the book tour!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ally. I'm enjoying the book tour and all the feedback from readers.
Delete