Scary things happen on Friday 13^th – BUT WINNING A KINDLE isn’t one of them. So perhaps it would be better to stay home and READ…

 The Hop STARTS at http://briclarkthebelleofboise.blogspot.com 

 To qualify for the Kindle is actually quite easy. Just hop from one blog to the other. At the very last stop you will see an entry form to fill out for the Kindle. That's it. This is a special gift that hosts in the hop pitched in and paid for. We all love our readers and are very happy to host giveaways and hops to get to know new people as well as show our love for our already friends..

*NOTE*  Thre are individual blog prizes too.

Follow the links as they lead you to the grand prize forum at the end.  Fill out the form provided there and you'll be added to the drawing.  Among the prizes are books, gift cards, and a Kindle.  That's right.  Enter to win and you'll have a chance at the grand prize--A Kindle!

 So, if you came to me first, you might want to skip over to her and follow the chain.  You don't want to miss out on the great posts the others are sharing!  With all the amazing authors taking part, this should be a fantastic day of hopping!

Friday 13th...

 "It's been estimated that [U.S] $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do," said Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina.

 If, like me, you are a little bit superstitious, then you will be avoiding cracks in pavements, not walking under ladders, and praying you don’t meet a black cat.

 I live in New Zealand and I feel like a cheat, as it’s already Saturday 14^th here, and the worst is over. I managed to scrap through another black Friday.

 I write Regency romantic suspense and in my soon to be released book, INVITATION TO SCANDAL, my heroine and hero are definitely not superstitious at all.  In fact, they had their own problems to contend with, and did not have time to notice much else – except each other – of course!

 What with bankruptcy, smugglers, spies, Revenuers and a very ugly villain, they had much to contend with. Take this scene with my hero, Rufus Knight, Viscount Strathmore as an example…

Pain.

Pain everywhere.

Now Rufus knew what it felt like to be stretched on the rack, waiting to be drawn and quartered. Every muscle in his body was on fire. The chains pulled taut; his joints screamed, wanting to pop from their sockets.

He tried to raise his head, but each tiny movement caused nausea to erupt deep in his gut and he fought the urge to vomit.

Rufus closed his eyes and stayed his head, trying to focus through the pain. His pride was in tatters at having let the enemy sneak up on him unawares and render him unconscious with one simple blow. He knew he’d been taken, but to where, and by whom?

He forced his eyelids to lift and waited for the haze to clear. He kept his body still, hiding his return to consciousness from anyone who might happen to be in the room. Like a fox testing the poacher’s trap, he evaluated his position.

He was chained in the middle of what looked like a dungeon. A well-fitted-out, comfortable dungeon. The slate stones beneath his feet were covered in Persian rugs. The wall to his right displayed an opulent wall hanging of Christ’s last supper; he hoped that wasn’t an omen. To his left stood a day couch covered with opulent fur throws.

A fire crackled behind him. He knew because the flames flickered shadows across the wall in front of him, and he could feel its heat on his back.

He looked down his body and his skin crawled.

Christ, he was naked. He jerked on his chains, the metal manacles cutting into his skin. Stay calm. Fear is your enemy.

He swallowed his terror and flexed his muscles, assessing the damage. He clenched and unclenched his fingers and rolled his shoulders. Nothing appeared to be broken. But his shoulder joints felt as if they were about to explode. His arms were spread above his head, extended and pulled tight, chained to the ceiling. His legs, too, were spread wide, and he was shackled to the floor by the ankles, suspended in the shape of a cross.

If his enemy wanted him open and exposed, he’d succeeded.

The room was quiet. Deathly quiet. Sensing he was in fact alone, Rufus gingerly lifted his head to survey his prison. With the ringing in his ears and the haze clouding his brain clearing, he began to notice more. The room smelled musky. The air clinging to the inside of his nose was salty and damp against his bare skin. They were near the sea. There were no windows in the room, even though it was luxuriously furnished. Lighted candles licked the cold stone walls, casting an eerie glow around the chamber.

The owner of this place was obviously a wealthy man, and a man with perversions. His gaze landed on the grotesque stone statues positioned in each dank corner, and with frightening clarity Rufus understood who’d captured him. The man who “used” this room was an abuser of young boys. Connor’s kidnapper.

The bile he’d been keeping at bay rose into his throat. Rufus was certain he’d been found by the man responsible for the disappearance of the boys.

Fear grew to unimaginable proportions. He yanked on the chains with all his strength. The chains did not break.

 What do you think? Is he in a spot of trouble or what? Who do you think rescue’s him?

Leave a comment telling me who you think comes to his rescue (clue is in the extract on my website) and be in to win a copy of my debut, INVITATION TO RUIN, which has been nominated in the RT Reviewer’s Choice Awards for Best First Historical 2011.

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I hope you aren’t too frightened. If you’re brave enough to take the next step CLICK HERE to visit the next scary page… and don't forget to hop to all the Blog Stops and enter for a chance to win a FREE Kindle! Once you get to the end of the Blog Hop all will be revealed….