Title: Beneath the VeilAuthor: William McNally
Genre: Paranormal/Science Fiction/Horror
Book Description:
Welcome Beneath the Veil, a Place Where the Dead Have Never Left...
With his life turned upside down, a terminally ill man seeks answers from a family he never knew. Barry Ryan, a successful sculptor, goes on a journey to find his roots and the extraordinary family that somehow evades death and ties him to a terrifying future.
Driven to find answers, Barry is joined by his sister and her boyfriend on the road to Auraria, a mysterious ghost town where terrible secrets lie hidden since the days of gold and greed.
All is well until they cross the city limits and fall beneath the veil, a place where the bizarre rules the living, and the living are prey trapped in an ever-changing web.
Generations of conflict come to light as these unfortunate visitors struggle to survive. Echoes of the past are lethal here...in this place where the dead have never left.
Chapter One
His headache began again with a dull ache in the back of his head. He walked to the kitchen, opened a cabinet door and grabbed a bottle of aspirin. Swallowing two pills, Barry Ryan leaned against the counter and gazed across his loft. The wood floors were covered with tarps, and chips of stone surrounded a car sized sculpture of a pyramid. The piece was a commission for an insurance conglomerate and almost completed after two years of work. He walked around the sculpture and into a service elevator, then rotated a brass handle and the lift shuddered to life.
He descended into a warehouse filled with massive stones and slabs of marble. Unfinished and abandoned works lined one wall, while a dozen cars lined another. He pulled a tarp from a 1967 Corvette Sting Ray convertible and then climbed in and fired up the engine. He drove the car out of the building and turned onto Spring Street, where the sun shined between glittering high-rises. After driving twenty blocks he pulled into a garage and parked, then grabbed his sketchbook from the passenger seat. The streets were quiet as he walked to a café on a corner. His agent, Peter Harper, sat outside in a tailored suit wearing gold rimmed sunglasses.
“Morning, Barry,” Peter said. “How’s the chiseling on the Daecom rock going?”
“Good,” he answered. “Just about finished.”
“Nice. I’ve got three more lined up when you’re ready. Word’s out on your work. All these companies want to enshrine themselves in stone.”
“Need a break for a while, Pete,” Barry answered. “These will have to wait.”
“I’ll hold them off as long as I can, Barry, but these are big time offers. I recommend we jump on them as soon as we can. One bad quarter and these deals are gone,” Peter said.
“I hear you Pete. I’ll keep you posted,” Barry answered.
The two men enjoyed breakfast at the restaurant, built in a former bank building. The original safe stood empty in the back, surrounded by tables of chatty patrons. The trees lining the street were beginning to sprout green leaves and birds were busy gathering materials for their nests.
“So, Pete, how’s Angie?”
“Well,” he hesitated. “Let’s just say Angie...is now Pattie.”
“I see,” Barry replied. “The revolving door has turned again.”
Barry coughed into his napkin then took a sip of water. He glanced down at the blood splattered linen, then spirited it into his pocket and stood up from the table.
“You okay?” Peter asked.
“I am fine,” he answered. “Something just went down the wrong pipe. I better run. Thanks for breakfast.”
About the Author:
Look for William's next release, The Knights of Moonshine, spring 2014.
Find him:
Interview:
1. What inspired you to write this book?
Three years ago, I relocated from South Florida to a small town in the mountains of North Georgia. Located nearby is a ghost town named Auraria. Generations ago, Auraria was a bustling place with banks, hotels and people. Almost overnight, this town built on gold, sweat and blood dried up and withered away.
Whenever I drive past the town’s dilapidated buildings, I wonder, what if the residents there never really left. What if instead, they remained trapped in a terrifying place, shielded from the modern world? Each time I drive that twisting country road and pass that forgotten place I think that maybe like Auraria, other civilizations existed before us and perished with nothing left behind.
Mile after mile, month after month, these ideas took shape and became Beneath the Veil.
2. What characters do you connect with most?
I would have to say Jen Ryan and Doc Randolph. They both get it done when the trouble starts.
3. What's your favorite book-turned movie?
I love horror movies so this is a hard question. I always watch the Shining when it comes on, but The Omega Man (I am Legend) is my all time favorite despite the ‘70’s hairdos.
4. If you could be best friends with one of your characters, who would it be?
James Downs. Jimmy’s a pilot who survives a plane crash and becomes trapped Beneath the Veil. He’s a great guy and a true friend.
5. Can you tell us about any other books you're writing?
I’m currently working on my third book, The Knights of Moonshine due out early Spring, 2014. It’s a story about three good old boys who plan a weekend of hunting and hard drinking. Instead, they become the prey when they encounter a gang of bikers who also happen to be werewolves.
6. What do you do in your spare time?
I love the outdoors and hiking is always on top of my list.
7. Who's your inspiration?
I live in a small, creepy little town dripping with history. I find people here who inspire me everywhere I look.
8. If you were stranded on a desert island which character do you want by your side?
Jen Ryan. She’s capable and attractive. Hey, it could be a long wait…
9. Team Edward or Jacob?
I hope I’m choosing between Edward Scissorhands and Jacob’s Ladder. If so I’ll pick Edward. He manages to adapt well to any situation.
10. Team Peeta or Gale?
Peeta can score plenty of baked goods, so he might be handy.
11. What are you reading now?
Beer Goggles by the Scottish Author Brandon Wilkinson. A funny and disturbing book about a guy with a serious problem.
0 comments:
Post a Comment