Are you sick and tired of Twilight? Glad that the media
circus is now over? Do you believe that vampires should be killed and not
kissed? Then The Hunters is the book for you!
What would you do if you found your town had been infested
with vampires? For Chris and his brother Lucas, the answer was simple enough:
you fight back. Gathering a small band of other people in their town who have
been affected by the vampires, they begin a resistance. But after a year of
fighting, they have only managed to kill a handful, while the vampire leader
has turned five times that many.
Then two enigmatic strangers appear; changing the groups
lives even further.
Fury and Havoc. They call themselves Hunters, and want no
part in this little band of heroes. Ordering them to lay low, the duo vow to
rid their town of vampires. When Fury is injured, Chris aides these strangers,
entwining his future with theirs.
Now that the vampires know the Hunters are here, and that
Chris and his friends have helped them, the group is in more danger than ever
before. Lucas is torn between protecting his new family from the vampires, and
protecting them from these seemingly inhuman beings who say they are there to
help.
After all, what beings could be so powerful as to scare a
vampire?
Where to Purchase The Hunters:
On Smashwords at http://bit.ly/S5MCK6
On Createspace at
(paperback only)
Author’s Bio
Heidi Angell is a mom, wife and is an active volunteer in
Cub Scouts and her community. She has been passionate about writing since she
"published" her first book in her first grade class! The Hunters is
her latest publication, but she has written thousands of short stories, plays,
books and poems. Her first published e-book is Creative Exercises to Inspire
and she has published a children's picture book Royal Prince Vince.
Heidi also has a blog at http://anangellslife.blogspot.com/
where she gives advice to writers.
She creates book reviews on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/HeidiAngell?feature=mhee guest posts book reviews at http://books4linda.blogspot.com/ and is the vice president of Soul Star
Multimedia, a publishing house run by authors, for authors. To learn more,
visit her website at http://angellslife.com/
For more information, feel free
to e-mail atHangell531@gmail.com or
call 803-643-7073,
If you want to connect with Heidi
check her out at any of these many locations:
Facebook
page at Heidi Angell-Author,
her twitter
page at @HeidiAngell,
her Google+
account at Heidi Angell.
Find samples
of her writing on figment.com at http://figment.com/users/247134-Heidi-Angell
You can
connect on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/heidiangell/30/795/780
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/heidiangell/
Newsvine at
http://thereadingcorner.newsvine.com/
Author Q & A:
What was your path towards publication
like?
Um.... Hectic, to be honest! A couple of years ago the company I was working
for gave me an opportunity to work from home. Two weeks before Christmas this
company let me go. The day after New Year's I got a contract from an agent. My
husband and I sat down and talked about it and decided that I should continue
working from home, but work for myself. While I was waiting for my agent to get
me a contract, I started blogging, doing on-line articles and pretty much
anything I could do to make a couple extra bucks. Then I decided to
self-publish my first two books to get some practice marketing, to test the
waters, and to make a little extra money. I’ve gotten in with other like-minded
authors and we have put together this indie publishing house. The Hunters
is the second book to be published under this house and we are already lining
up the next several books.
How do you balance your life as an
author with your duties as a business person, employee, parent and/or spouse?
Balance.... I
was never good at it when I was a kid in gym, and metaphorically it is even
harder than literally! I am a total workaholic, which really doesn't help
matters, especially now that I absolutely love what I do! I try to maintain a
very strict schedule for work, which includes scheduled "down time"
so that I don't get burnt out. All my "business" stuff I try to get
done early in the day so that when the kids get home I can do my homework (Code
for write) while they do theirs. With us all in the same room, they are free to
ask for help with their work. I have also had to make a rule in my house that
if you are feeling neglected by me, then come and tell me! We will make time.
What was the best writing-related advice
you ever received?
I
honestly can't remember where I got this, but it was probably from one of the
MANY authors I follow on twitter. The advice was to write for you and no one
else. It is so easy to lose your authentic voice when you start chasing
"what is hot" in an effort to make the biggest sales. That is not why
I write. Yeah, I wanna make a living; but the old adage: "You can't please
all of the people all of the time." really strikes me. So many
professionals tell me to stick to one genre, that I need to have different pen
names if I want to write different books. I know a lot of authors do it, but
then I look at Orson Scott Card and realize that I don't have to fit into
"the industry's" pigeonhole. I write for me and if I am lucky someone
else will appreciate what I do, if not then at least I know it is authentic and
real.
Where and/or
when were you born?
What schools
did you attend? What was your course of study?
When and how
did you discover you wanted to be a writer/author?
I have loved reading for as long as I can remember. When my first grade
class "published" a book, I was hooked! The elegance and art of
creating images with words is the most amazing experience in the world. Though
I have dabbled with other career choices, my one true love is the written word.
Everything else is just to pay the bills!
Please list
your published material, with dates?
'Creative Exercises to Inspire' - 2011
'Royal Prince Vince' - 2011/2012
The Hunters ,
January 10th, 2013
Are your books
available, and from where?
‘Creative Exercises to Inspire’ and ‘Royal Prince Vince’ are available at
Barnes & Noble - Nook
‘Royal Prince Vince’ is available at Create Space – paperback - and at Amazon -
paperback and Kindle
Coming soon: Other distribution locations such as drive-thru fiction,
Smashwords, and others.
Please tell
about the most memorable moment(s) in your career.
The day the proof of ‘Royal Prince Vince’ arrived will always be the most
memorable moment in my career. I was so excited to see it! I sat down to read
it with my boys and my mom. When my mom saw the dedication page, she burst into
tears! My boys absolutely loved the story and wanted to read it over and over
again! There was work to be done, and a part of me was embarrassed that the
pictures didn't come out better, but my mom didn't care. She wanted me to sign
THAT one for her. It’s on her book shelf today. My boys each got signed copies
of the final product, but every now and again, I see them reading the proof and
my heart explodes. It must have been a special day for them too!
What genre do
you most often write? What other genres have you written?
I am an eclectic writer. I’ve published a children's book and a nonfiction
book. The Hunters is an urban fantasy/ horror, I have a psychic thriller
series, am working on a zombie/apocalyptic-type story, have outlined a YA novel
based on my experiences being stalked in high school, and have a children's
series that I am looking for an illustrator for! Always busy!
Who are the authors who most influenced
your writing career?
I'd have to say that Orson Scott Card has most influenced my career. He is such
an eclectic writer, and does it all under one pen name. He is the reason I don’t
use different pen names for my different genres.
Who are the authors you read most often?
Well, this is tough. I am as eclectic a reader as I am a writer! Orson Scott
Card, obviously, I've read everything he has written! I enjoy Steven King,
Michael Crichton, and Rick Riordon. My newest favorite writer is Dawn Tevy (‘Angels
& Warriors: The Awakening’).
What advice
would you give to all up-and-coming writers?
1. Believe in yourself. You may be lucky and have people who believe in
you, but if you don't, believe in yourself and your work - no one else will
love it as much as you, no matter what they say!
2. Develop a thick
skin. Not everyone will love your work. You need to be able to take the
criticism and keep going. You need to look at the criticism objectively without
letting it dictate what your work becomes. (Without one, you can't achieve the
other. The two will create balance.)
For example: I
recently got a contract for my psychic thriller series from a reputable indie
house, with a list of ten items I needed to change. At first I ranted, raved
and cried. I believed in my work, but I'm still working on my tough skin. After
a couple of days, I was able to sit down and evaluate the request. I realized
that eight of the ten things were correct and the changes would make the book
better. But on the last two, I couldn't see my way around it. The first was
that my main character's name had to change. The publisher said "Clear
Angel, well that isn't really even a name. Is it?" Well, he has a point,
but then some celeb named their daughter Apple. My character's name is
symbolic, and as unique as she is. Now, I could've said, well Claire is close
to Clear, would that work?" But I believed that this was an important part
of the story and could not be changed. He also wanted a happy ending. Problem
is that life doesn't always have happy endings. This is the first in a series
and it ends the way it does to further the plot of the whole series. No happy
ending there. Now the publisher is probably right - for the traditional
thriller audience, my ending is kinda crappy. As far as sales go, he’s
justified in his suggestions, but I know my story, and these changes wouldn't
work. I sat down and wrote a nice thank you, noting (in detail) how I could
change the eight things on his list, and why I couldn't change the last two,
thanked him for his recommended improvements and hoped we could do business. I
never heard back from him. But I have every intention of giving him a big thank
you in my book, because those eight other issues will make it better. (I won’t
mention that he passed on the story.)
Please tell
about your other community activities.
I am very active in community work. I have two boys in the Scout program.
Through the Scouts I do a lot of volunteering with organizations such as
Salvation Army, Red Cross, Secret Santa, Community clean ups, and park clean
ups. I am also active in my neighborhood youth programs (which inspired my book
‘Creative Exercises to Inspire’). I also participate in writing/ author
oriented on-line communities such as NaNoWriMo, Linked In's Books and Writers
group, a Pay it Forward author group, and I’m often working with other writers
to cross-promote, offer writing tips, editing, and feedback. Also my business
partner Dawn Tevy, and I have opened an indie publishing house, Soul Star
Multimedia, where we help other authors fulfill their dreams of being published!
What is the
name of your current project?
‘The Hunters’
What is the
genre?
Urban fantasy/ horror
Is this work a
stand-alone or part of a series?
Series
Do you have any
project(s) planned for the future?
Yes
Please provide
some details of the project(s).
Well, I have committed to my apocalyptic story for NaNoWriMo in November. In
early 2013, I’ll publish my psychic thriller series. With the publishing house
and my own ideas, I have enough projects to keep me busy for the next 10 to 15 years…
and I get new ideas every day!
Are you
involved in publishing in any other capacity?
Editor, Reviewer, Publisher, Publicist, Coach, and Cheerleader! Or perhaps,
better said, an advocate for new authors providing moral support and sharing
their work. I am also the Vice President of Soul Star Multimedia, an indie
author house run by authors, for authors.
What others
are saying about The Hunters
“The Hunters by Heidi Angell is a well-crafted story. I
loved Heidi's personal twist to the vampire and werewolf theme. And no, her
vampires do not sparkle. They actually do something I find more intriguing.
They blow up when killed. Awesome! Even though the book is labeled Young Adult,
readers of all ages would find this book a great read. There was not a single
character that I disliked in the story. Unlike another book's female
protagonist that got on my nerves. I hope there is a sequel, for The Hunters
has left me wanting more.”
"This story
beautifully illustrates the dangers of stereotypes and the power of brotherly
love. A wonderful lesson for teenagers and adults alike!" Megan Elliott
An Excerpt from The
Hunters
A full moon was hidden by clouds racing by like chariots
across the sky, draping the field below in an army of shadows in motion. Ricky
ran his hands through his high and tight black hair and eyed the full moon
balefully; resenting the tricks the shadows were playing on his mind. He felt
the skin on his neck prickle, as if he were being watched. Scrunching down in
the bed of his rusty truck, he surreptitiously looked over his shoulder. Of
coursed there was nothing there. Chris had him jumping at the change of the
breeze. To steady his nerves, Ricky pulled out a nic stick and lit it.
Bianca
glowered at him. Ricky couldn’t help but admire her black leather jacket
plastered to her full figure, and how it perfectly hugged her curves. Too bad
she was so high maintenance.
“Ugh. Why
do I always have to get stuck with you?”
Bianca eyed the cigarette disgustedly. “You know Chris would go ballistic if he
knew you were doing that,” she hissed, waving the smoke out of her face.
“Chill the
fuck out. I know he thinks he knows it all, but he doesn’t know shit more than
us. Maybe they have super sonic noses, but then again, maybe they have super
sonic hearing too. Your bitching is a bigger tell than this sweet baby. Shit,
if they can smell this, then they can probably hear you breathing.”
“Fuck you!”
Bianca growled then sat absolutely still, her eyes wide and every muscle taught
as a bow. Ricky was pretty sure she was holding her breath in fear of what he
had just said. He sucked hard, enjoying the burn of the cigarette smoke and
then exhaled languidly. It really was the simple pleasures in life.
He glanced past her out the window
and saw Chris sitting with Terah on the hood of the car parked next to them.
Terah wasn’t as much to look at, but she was certainly easier to be with. Rick
had wished they would have all been together. But Chris had thought that two
separate vehicles would give them a greater chance of pursuing more vampires.
Despite his shit talk, Ricky knew he really did rely on Chris’s weird knowledge
and experience. To think that a geeky freak, the type of person he had harassed
in high school, would be keeping him alive. The world was a crazy place.
Chris was
only able to vaguely hear the exchange between Bianca and Ricky, but he groaned
inwardly. They really just did not get it. Part of him was ready to call it
quits for the night, grateful they were all still alive. This team was clearly
not as ready as he had hoped. The other part was incredibly disappointed. Once
again, he was just watching. What he wanted was to be hunting and killing, not
waiting to be killed.
He glanced
over at Terah. At least she was taking this seriously. Her attention was locked
on the far end of the field, and she barely moved. Her mouth was set in a firm
strong line. He would definitely have to take her along the next chance they
had to try for a hunting trip. She took this seriously. Chris sighed. It was
sad that the two youngest on the team were more serious than the so-called
adults.
Chris broke
from his reverie and froze.
Ricky was
bored. They had been sitting out here most of the night. It was cool for
October, one of those rare crazy breaks in the usually temperate weather of South Carolina . Ricky
couldn’t help but resent that Bianca has the foresight to bring a jacket,
whereas he was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans. The cold made him feel tired,
and Bianca’s paranoia was getting to him. He flicked his cigarette away and
leaned his head back on the toolbox, glancing toward Chris.
The kid was
stiff like a pointer hound catching a scent, and this grabbed Ricky’s
attention. Excitement flooded him, waking him right up.
“What is
it?” Ricky hissed.
Chris did
not make a sound, merely cupped his hand to his ear. He was telling them to
listen.
Terah froze,
intently trying to hear whatever had made Chris so wary. Her eyes went wide
with the effort. After a moment she looked at Chris blankly. “I don’t hear
anything,” she murmured.
“Exactly,”
Chris whispered back. Suddenly it dawned on her that the clearing only moments
ago had sounded quiet, but had been full of the subtle sounds of the night;
crickets, owls and other critters scurrying about. Now it was as silent as a
tomb. Chris gestured to the others and slowly crawled off the hood of the car.
Terah scrambled to join him, desperate to not be left alone. She stumbled on
the uneven ground and fell. Moments later Bianca was beside her, offering a
hand.
“Thanks
Bianca,” she mouthed silently.
Bianca nodded and they all crouched
down next to Chris in the shadows of the car. Another few agonizing moments
were spent with all four straining to see or hear anything in the
darkness. Gradually the sounds of the
night returned. Chris cocked his head.
“False
alarm?” Ricky whispered.
“I don’t
think so,” Chris shook his head.
They all
sat quietly waiting for Chris. Terah could feel herself shutting down. What was
wrong with her! She wanted this. Revenge. But the dark, the interminable
waiting was filling her with terror. It was too much like that night she had
been attacked. She could practically feel a vamp behind her, even though she
knew it could not be so. Silent tears seeped from her eyes, gliding down her
cheeks. The sense of impending doom would not lift.
“Please,
let’s get out of here,” she begged. “I have a really bad feeling!” She was
trembling uncontrollably. Chris held up a hand to silence her, and listened
intently. Bianca patted her hand reassuringly then crept forward to Chris’s
side.
Bianca
could see Terah falling apart right before her eyes. She was a little
surprised, because the girl was always so confident about her abilities. Then
it dawned on Bianca. That blustering confidence had been a façade. This had to
be too real for her, too much like what she had experienced before. Patting
Terah’s hand, Bianca slipped forward to Chris’s side.
She leaned in close to his ear and
breathed, “We should go. She’s cracking up. We’re too vulnerable.”
“Too late,”
Chris admonished, pointed across the clearing.
Bianca
couldn’t understand what he was saying. As she peered through shadow on shadow,
she could see nothing.
The moon peaked out for a brief
moment revealing what Chris was indicating. To their left, only about halfway
across the field something big was moving. Bianca felt herself filling with
terror, but a cold center of her being squashed the terror down. She analyzed
the thing, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. It moved in a jerky
pattern, stumbling, crashing, then moving again. At one point it was almost as
if a part of the shadow had tried to separate itself from the rest, then
re-merged. Suddenly a scream of agony and fear echoed across the field. That
sound clarified for Bianca what her brain could not interpret. A woman was out
in the field being attacked by vampires.
She was half-crawling, dragging a
wounded leg, and the vampires were playing with her. Darting in and out, each
nip a new wound, weakening and slowing their already defenseless prey. A cold
fury built in Bianca’s chest as she watched this cruelty. The woman collapsed
in the middle of the field and the vampires lunged at her. The mass ceased
moving, but the sound of the girl’s moans, the tearing of clothing, the
growling and hissing of the vamps fighting over the girl like dogs with a bone,
all echoed in the silent field.
“Now!” Chris hissed, “While they’re
distracted on their feeding.” He bolted low across the field. The others
followed him, everyone except for Terah. She was completely frozen in fear. She
tried to move, but her whole body was completely locked down. Trying to call
out for them not to leave her behind, she found her voice was gone.
With that shriek from the woman in
the field, Terah had been mentally thrown back into her own horrible attack. As
the others left her behind, the feelings of panic grew. She remembered that
horrible vampire following her as she walked home from work. She hadn’t known
what he was at the time. She had simply thought he was some creepy guy. When
she had tried to outrun him, she had found out that he was so much worse than
just some creepy guy. With inhuman speed he had tackled her. Her self-defense
training had made no difference. She couldn’t break his vice-like grip. When he
had sunk his fangs into her neck, she had experienced the ultimate fear. She
had known that she was going to die.
In blind panic, she had fought
back, and to this moment she had believed that she had somehow won out. She had
beaten him. But here in the dark, with monsters just like him only 1,000 feet
away, she realized that she had not escaped. He had let her go. His laughter as she had fled came back to her now.
Without knowing how she knew, she sensed that he was here in this field waiting
for her. He knew that she was here too.
That knowledge left her rooted to the spot. Wanting desperately to be
with the group, she tried again to move, but her muscles refused to respond.
If only she could get to the
others, she might have a chance. Then a smell struck her. She knew that he was
there, behind her. Tears coursed silently down her cheeks and she longed to
simply close her eyes and have him vanish, like she had as a child with the
monsters under the bed. If she didn’t look, then he couldn’t be real. But she
knew. She knew it would not work this
time. Cautiously she glanced over her
shoulder, and looked into the eyes of her worst nightmare.
Chris was halfway across the field
when he felt a strange sensation, a tingling in his spine; as if someone had
just tap danced across his grave. He paused and an instant later was driven
into new action. From behind them a gurgling wail ripped through the night.
Without even looking, he knew what had happened. Terah had been attacked. In
front of him he saw more creatures rise from the end of the field where the
others were feeding. In that split second he knew.
“Ambush!” he yelled, immediately
veering to his left, moving in a zig-zag pattern. He could hear the other two
following behind. More screams erupted from their fallen comrade and he was
blinded with rage.
“Scatter!” He shouted the order and
immediately turned back the way they had come. If he was going to die tonight,
he was going to kill at least one of these bastards! As the moon peeked out
again, the scene before him became grotesquely animated. Terah’s body was
pinned on the truck, her entire chest ripped wide open. He knew she was dead,
but his body refused to stop this course of action. His mind exploded with
wrathful vengeance as he watched the creature rip Terah’s heart out of her
chest.
The creature held the heart up,
savoring the blood as it poured into the awaiting mouth and splashed over its
face. Chris could see in his peripheral that two of them were already halfway
across the field, closing off any escape if he continued on his present course,
but he didn’t care. He pulled a gun from his left pocket and a cross-hilted
dagger from his right. As he dove at the creature devouring Terah, he shot
blindly at the ones coming at him. His blade embedded to the hilt in the
monster’s back and he prayed that Bianca and Ricky were getting the fuck out of
here. Maybe his distraction would save their lives. The monster arched back
trying to reach behind and dislodge Chris and the knife. Black blood oozed from
its wound. It was obviously an older vampire. It struggled to turn, but clearly
the knife had hit the spine. Surprised that the other two weren’t upon him yet,
Chris aimed the revolver into the creature’s face and pulled the trigger.
At that same moment two other shots
rang out in the clearing. Chris pulled his dagger free and leaped away from the
body as it burst into flames. He turned, preparing for the attack that should
have already been upon him. Looking out in the field he saw Ricky stand up
about center point and fire at the vampire that was headed straight toward
Chris.
“Run!” Ricky screamed. Chris had
barely managed to turn when the vampire sacked him from behind. The knife in
his hand went skittering across the ground. He was pinned on his stomach and a
hand clamped down on his own hand holding the gun, preventing him from bringing
it up and firing. He struggled fruitlessly, trying to squirm free.
“Hello Chris, so good to see you
again,” a familiar voice murmured next to his ear. Chris realized it was his
high school art teacher, Mrs. Frost.
“Wish I… could say… the same.” Chris groaned,
trying to push her away and turn his face from her putrid breath.
“Come, come Chris, you always were
a difficult student.”
“Gifted was the term you used back
then.”
“You know you want me,” she laughed
evilly, leaning in for a bite.
Chris could feel blind panic
rising, but tried to remain calm. “Of course,” he grunted, slamming his head
back into the side of hers. She pulled back in surprise, but it was not enough
for him to squirm free. He used the extra space to slam her harder in the face.
Bone cracked and she yelped, sitting almost straight up, releasing his arm to
wipe away the blood pouring from her nose. Chris couldn’t squiggle free, but
managed to turn his body halfway around. “I want you dead!” Chris growled as he
pulled the gun up. Mrs. Frost’s eyes went wide in shock. Pulling the trigger he
waited for her face to explode, but the gun had jammed. Shit! She began to
smile and Chris realized that as a vampire she looked ten years younger. In a
frenzy for some defense, he snatched the crucifix from his neck and jammed it
into Mrs. Frost’s throat. Blood began pouring forth and she gaped in shock. She
began trying to physically force the blood back into her throat, simply
widening the wound. Still Chris could not pull free.
Suddenly her skull was obliterated
before his eyes.
Bianca stood there holding a
small-caliber gun. Chris quickly shoved the body away and Bianca pulled him to
his feet, shrieking when the body suddenly burst into flames. Chris looked
around the field for Ricky. He was running like a bat out of hell in the
opposite direction with two vamps on his tail.
“Bianca the car!” Chris yelled, tossing the
keys and running after Ricky, hoping to get there in time. His legs were
pumping as hard as they could, but he wasn’t catching up enough. Ricky was
starting to waver and the two vampires were gaining ground. Chris didn’t dare
shoot at them, for fear of hitting Ricky.
Directly ahead of Ricky two figures
rushed into the clearing. Ricky stopped short like a frozen rabbit, then
quickly made a ninety degree turn. In the moment he was clear of the two
vampires, Chris pulled his gun up to line up a shot. He popped off two shots,
hitting one. It went down, but Chris didn’t believe for one moment it was dead.
The other continued to hurtle after Ricky. Just as Chris had lined up the next
shot he felt a sudden gust of wind and smelled death. Whipping around he found
himself face-to-face with another creature. He pulled the trigger and the
creature’s shoulder exploded. The vampire grabbed him around the throat with
his other hand, laughing a high-pitched maniacal laugh.
“So you are the one making all the
trouble. Well, no more!” Lifting Chris clean off the ground, the vampire squeezed hard.
“Who the fuck are you?” Chris
gasped, struggling against the grip. He clung to the vampire’s forearms in an
effort to reduce the pressure on his neck. His feet flailed about helplessly,
trying to find a foothold, maybe gain some leverage.
“One who is older and stronger than
the others you’ve disposed of here. I
will be your executioner!” Chris clawed at the hand that now had a vice-like
grip on his throat. He didn’t have the upper body strength to hold on much
longer. He knocked his feet together, trying to release the switchblade he had
embedded in his boot. First click, it didn’t work. Damn. He should have tested them
in a more realistic combat situation! The world was starting to go grey as
Chris tried again to trigger the mechanism on his boot. Yes! He felt the
release mechanism whoosh and with a last desperate surge of force, kicked out
as hard as he could. The blade embedded itself in the vampire’s stomach. The
monster roared and threw him on the ground like a used-up rag doll. It flung
itself forward, clawing at him with its long nails in rage. Searing pain tore
through his back and shoulders as the creature grappled with him. This was it.
He knew he was going to die; but a part of him refused to go out alone. This
bastard was going to be coming along for the ride, if Chris could help it.
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