RIP {Rest in Peace}
Author: Bob Kat [Kathy Clark, a.k.a. Bob Kat]
Genres: YA | Suspense | Mystery
Series: CUL8R {See you later} Book #4
~ SYNOPSIS ~
~ SYNOPSIS ~
You don’t have to believe in ghosts…until you meet one.
Once again Kelly, Scott, Austin and Zoey are listening to the Spirit Radio when they hear a cry for help from a mother whose four-year-old daughter, Emma went missing in the middle of a busy lobby at the infamous Stanley Hotel. But time traveling back to 1911 is a lot more complicated than the three trips they had taken earlier in the summer. They have to find appropriate clothes and figure out a way to pay for their stay. When they hear about a tragic fire that hurt several hotel employees, the teens take advantage of the hotel’s desperation and get jobs working as lady’s maids and houseboys so they can keep an eye on Emma and her family.
Even though they know that The Stanley Hotel is possibly the most haunted place in the U.S., the four teenagers are a little creeped out when they hear ghostly children running in the halls, singing songs and even a mysterious ball that keeps showing up in their room. How could a hotel that is only two years old already be haunted? Most importantly, how can they stop Emma from becoming one of the ghosts that are trapped inside the luxurious hotel?
Midway through their first summer together, they celebrate the Fourth of July twice in one year. As they try to figure out the mystery of Emma’s disappearance, they bump in some famous people and experience several historical events. But ultimately, it’s their trust in each other and the friendship that has been forged by two unique experiences no one else on the planet has ever done…talk with dead people and time travel to the past. Their first trip back to 1966 had stopped the murder of a teenager from their school. Their next trip to 1980 had tested their courage as they were brought face-to-face with a man who was determined to murder an entire family. Their last trip to 1927 had saved the life of a handsome young man who had run away to a traveling circus. Zoey, the former mean girl of South Beach High School, suffered her first heartbreak by falling in love with a man from the wrong century.
Back in 1911 there are no TV news crawlers or Amber Alerts like we see along the interstate highways today. Instead, Kelly, Scott, Austin and Zoey must try to be in the right place at the right time to stop the tragedy of Emma’s disappearance from happening. They follow her and her family around while enjoying life among the rich and famous. They arrive as skeptics, but leave as believers when all four teens have ghostly encounters. Kelly and Austin grow closer as they share fireworks shows, first on the sand in Fort Myers Beach and second on a blanket in the Rocky Mountains. But is their romance doomed almost as soon as it began?
When their plans go wrong, they face their first defeat. The same danger that takes Emma now threatens the teens when one of their own is captured in a killer’s web. Will they be able to save Emma? Or will they join her as permanent guests in the ghostly halls of The Stanley Hotel?
~ TEASERS ~
~ EXCERPT ~
By 3 p.m., the emergency room was crowded with sunburned people of all ages, some with open wounds, others with red stripes around their arms or legs showing they’d swam too close to a Portuguese man o’ war and even one kid with a jelly bean stuck up his nose. Kelly had chosen a seat in front of the television that was tuned to the History Channel, but after four hours, she’d seen enough episodes of Pawn Stars, American Pickers and Swamp People to last for months. Every time she heard the big double doors leading to the examination area she looked up hopefully. For the last four hours, she had been repeatedly disappointed, but finally, the doors whooshed open and Austin, powered by Derek, wheeled out. A finger brace swaddled in gauze and tape covered his thumb. Most importantly, he was smiling.
“Miss, can you bring your car to the front door, and I’ll help make sure he gets loaded in safely? We can’t let South Beach High lose this guy…they could be undefeated this year, you know.”
Austin smiled. “Thanks dude.” He held his thumb up. “You should have seen the blood squirt out when they drilled through my nail. It hit the ceiling!”
Derek laughed and nodded toward Austin. “He’s got a strong pump in there.”
Kelly was glad she hadn’t witnessed that little operation. It sounded gruesome and she’d seen enough blood for today. She was incredibly relieved that it appeared to be a minor injury. “Okay…I’ll be back in a flash.” She fled out the front doors and almost skipped across the parking lot.
A couple minutes later, she pulled under the overhang and stopped in front of the hospital doors. Derek and Austin were waiting, and as soon as she stopped, Austin stood and walked to the vehicle. He still had a little trouble climbing into the tall truck and getting his seat belt fastened with one hand basically incapacitated. Kelly watched him fumble for a few seconds, trying to pull the belt out, but it was tricky using just his left hand. She leaned across him, pulled the belt across his chest and fastened it. His face was so close to hers that she could see the dark spikes in the irises of his eyes and feel his warm breath on her cheek. Her heart did a little somersault and her fingers fumbled with the buckle. Being this close to him always flustered her.
Kelly sat back a lot more abruptly than necessary, shifted into Drive and carefully maneuvered the big truck around the ambulance and other cars in the drive-through area in front of the ER. When she was in the clear, she asked, “What did your dad say?”
“He talked to the doctor, but luckily, I didn’t talk with him. I’m hoping he’ll have time to chill before he gets hometomorrow.”
“Does it still hurt?”
“Not really…the instant the pressure was relieved, it stopped. But she said I’d probably lose the nail.”
“Oh…female doctor huh…?”
“Yeah…Dr. Gonzalez…University of Miami. She tried to recruit me. She goes to all their home games and apparently keeps up with high school ball, too.”
“Sounds like she’s not the only one. Is anything broken? I mean, will you be okay by the start of the season?”
~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~
Kathy Clark a.k.a Bob Kat
Kathy Clark has always been a storyteller. She published her first book when she was just four years old...okay, it was self-published (way ahead of the trend). The Little Black Horse That Ran Away was self-illustrated and completely sold out of its first printing (one copy to her mother).
Years later, Kathy's first official book was published by Dell. Since then, she had a total of 23 novels published by Dell, Crown and Harlequin and 9 novels self-published on Amazon.com.
The freedom to be creative and experiment with ideas and genres has made self-publishing an amazing process. She writes a contemporary adult romantic suspense series called Denver After Dark, and with her husband, Bob Wernly, she writes a new adult series called Scandals and a young adult series called CUL8R (See You Later). The books from these series have been honored with numerous awards including Best Indie Book of the Year, Reader's Favorite Award and Colorado Humanities Awards.
To be perfectly honest, Kathy would rather be riding horses or sitting on a white sand beach with her husband reading a book than writing, but the characters in her head insist that she tell their stories, just like that little black horse so long ago.
For an up to date complete list of books, screenplays, awards and more, check out Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Clark_(American_author)
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