Greetings to readers everywhere! Today, I have the honor of hosting friend and fellow author Jan Sikes here on The Indie Spot! Take it away, Jan . . .
Thank you, Beem, for inviting me to your blog site today to talk about my new book, JAGGED FEATHERS! I appreciate your generosity.
PTSD is a crippling disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. A horrific car wreck, a kidnapping, witnessing a murder, spending time in prison, or fighting in a war are just a few of the things that can cause PTSD.
My character, Vann Noble, fought in Afghanistan and lost a part of his leg and the life of his best friend in a roadside bombing. He suffered from PTSD and sought healing in solitude and nature. He avoided situations he knew would trigger PTSD.
But when a car backfired inside a parking garage, it sent him into a full-blown episode.
EXCERPT:
Vann stood and cautiously left the shelter of the concrete wall.
Below, he spied a covered walkway that crossed over the street. He could circle around and come from the backside of the parking lot to the vehicle. That appeared to be his best option.
He had to get down to the walkway and quickly. Nakina depended on him.
Halfway down the stairs, a resounding boom echoed through the structure.
Vann gripped the stair rail with white knuckles and covered his head with his free hand. In an instant, he was back in Afghanistan under enemy fire. His breath came in hard gasps fighting to find a way inside his chest. He sank against the wall, eyes squeezed shut. With his heart pounding and chest constricted, he trembled from head to toe.
It was happening all over again. The distinctive acrid smell of ammonium nitrate, the panicked yelling, the ricochet of bullets against the side of the Humvee.
“It’s not real, not real,” he muttered as sweat dripped from his forehead.
Dammit! This was not the time for a PTSD panic attack. It was nothing more than a car backfiring, he told his brain. Breathe. Pull it together. Think about Nakina.
He forced himself to remember the feel of her soft lips on his. That was real. Willing his eyes to open, he wiped the sweat away with the back of a shaky hand and pushed to his feet. He didn’t have any time to waste. Gulping air into his lungs, he took the stairs two at a time, crossed the walkway, and hurried down the steps to street level.
***
My late husband was incarcerated in a maximum-security federal prison for fifteen years. He most definitely suffered from episodes of PTSD, and he hated it. It always made him feel weak. Large crowds of people with everyone talking were big triggers for him. He said it always took him back to the prison chow hall, where he witnessed many stabbings. So, I pulled from my first-hand knowledge of PTSD to write this character. Have you ever experienced this or known anyone who did?
BOOK TRAILER LINK: https://youtu.be/CwGRyRVMyLE
BLURB:
Vann Noble did his duty. He served his country and returned a shell of a man, wounded inside and out. With a missing limb and battling PTSD, he seeks healing in an isolated cabin outside a small Texas town with a stray dog that sees beyond his master’s scars. If only the white rune’s magic can bring a happily ever after to a man as broken as Vann.
On the run from hired killers and struggling to make sense of her unexplained deadly mission, Nakina Bird seeks refuge in Vann’s cabin. She has secrets. Secrets that can get them all killed.
A ticking clock and long odds of living or dying, create jarring risks.
Will these two not only survive, but find an unexpected love along the way? Or, will evil forces win and destroy them both?
UNIVERSAL PURCHASE LINK:
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
WEBSITE: http://www.jansikes.com
BLOG: http://www.jansikesblog.com
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/jansikes3
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikesBooks
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/jks0851/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7095856.Jan_Sikes
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-sikes
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansikes/
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Sikes/e/B00CS9K8DK
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