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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

NEW RELEASE and a GIVE AWAY! THE BEAST OF HAZARD by Sarah J. McNeal



NEW RELEASE: THE BEAST OF HAZARD

I’m very happy to announce THE BEAST OF HAZARD which first appeared in the Halloween anthology for Prairie Rose Publications last year, COWBOYS, CREATURES, & CALICO, Volume 1 has now released as a single. Livia Washburn Reasoner has created a spooky new cover for it that I love.

Like so many of the stories I write, I got my inspiration for The Beast of Hazard from my own life and recent events. I write about things I care about, and I care deeply about children and animals. As adult human beings we are responsible for the care and wellbeing of children and animals. People who mistreat or abandon innocent creatures or kids must have no conscience in my opinion. My story idea came from a horrible incident in Ohio where a man who privately owned predatory animals did an irresponsible and terrible thing. I would tell you what he did, but that would give away my story line. Suffice it to say, a town was gripped by fear and none of the animals or the man survived.

So, here is a bit about The Beast of Hazard:

A Terrorized Town…A Killer Beast…And Deliverance

Joey Wilding isn’t certain what’s killing the livestock in Hazard. Some believe it’s a bewitched beast, others a wolf gone rabid. As the town veterinarian, he’s seen mutilation before, but not like this, as if something enjoyed the killing.

When Claire Beau asks Joey to help her injured wolf, and begs his discretion, he begins to suspect he has found the Beast of Hazard—and its beautiful mistress. But as he walks through the woods after dark, something more ominous than any wolf stalks him from the shadows.


Excerpt:

Joey walked through the woods to take the shortcut back home. Even in the half-light of approaching night, he could find his way back to the Wilding ranch. He sensed rather than saw something move just on the other side of the old pond. He kept his eyes and ears alert as he made his way through the low brush.

Something’s following me. Menacing and dangerous, it seemed to stalk him from somewhere beyond the bushes. Without a gun, he only had a knife to protect himself. His best option was to pick up his pace without running to get back to safety. Running would draw attention to him and whatever it was that shadowed him, it would identify him as prey.

And then he heard it growl. The ground practically shook beneath his feet with its deep, low pitched sound. Never, in all his life, had he heard such a sound. If death made a noise, it would sound like that. Heart pumping adrenaline made his hands shake, but he knew not to let it show. With every ounce of will he possessed, he put one foot in front of the other until he reached home.

Give Away Alert!
I will be giving away an e-book copy of The Beast of Hazard to someone who comments. Be sure to include your email address or a way to contact you in your comment in case you win.


In case you missed the Cowboys, Creatures & Calico anthologies, volumes 1&2, you can get all the stories in a boxed set. The boxed set is available in e-book formats or paperback






Sarah J. McNeal is a multi-published author of several genres including time travel, paranormal, western and historical fiction. She is a retired ER and Critical Care nurse who lives in North Carolina with her four-legged children, Lily, the Golden Retriever and Liberty, the cat. Besides her devotion to writing, she also has a great love of music and plays several instruments including violin, bagpipes, guitar and harmonica. Her books and short stories may be found at Prairie Rose Publications and its imprints Painted Pony Books, and Fire Star Press. Some of her fantasy and paranormal books may also be found at Publishing by Rebecca Vickery and Victory Tales Press. She welcomes you to her website and social media:

23 comments:

  1. (shudder) (but in a good Halloween way) Wonderful story, Sarah! Of course, you made me fall in love with all the Wildings. ☺

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    1. Oh Jacquie, thank you so much for loving my Wildings. I appreciate you coming to help me celebrate the release of my single for Halloween.

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  2. Halloween is a great holiday. Great books.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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    1. I love Halloween, too, Debby. I have a friend who has a Halloween party every year for us grownups to dress in costume and enjoy the evening. Thank you so much for coming. You're entered in the contest.

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  3. I loved this story! Just in time for Halloween. Thank you, Sarah and Livia. I have the box set, so I'm not entering. I hope the winner enjoys this as much as I did.

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    1. Cindy, I'm so glad you got the boxed set. It's loaded with great stories. I wish you a very happy Halloween!

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  4. Yikes! Just the excerpt gave me shivers.

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    1. Then I picked just the right excerpt, Keena. I love your name, BTW. Thank you so much for coming to help me celebrate my single.

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  5. Wonderful cover! And the story definitely intrigues....I'm not normally drawn to spooky stories, but this one has my curiosity burning!! Well done..... :-)

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    1. Gail, I'm glad you're curious. Thank you so much for your compliment and for coming. Livia put together the cover. It's wonderfully scary.

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  6. Whoop! This is such an exciting story, and the cover is grand. Best of luck, Sarah!

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    1. LOL Thank you for your nice comment, Connie. Don't ya just love Halloween? Thanks for coming by.

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  7. This is such a great story. Keep me glued to the page until the end. So happy more readers will get a chance to join in the shivers. Doris

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  8. Doris, you are so supportive. Thank you so much for reading The Beast of Hazard in the CC&C vol.1 anthology. I am so happy you liked it. I treasure your comments.

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  9. I love all your Wildings, but this was a completely different kind of story for that gang -- in a good way. Thankfully, The Beast of Hazard turned out to have a much happier ending than the real-life story in Ohio. That was such a waste of innocent lives, and so senseless.

    I can't wait to see what the Wildings get into next! :-)

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    1. Kathleen, I agree about that happy ending. I don't understand why some people decide to take out their own life and a bunch of innocent lives with them. I want to be empathetic, but I can't when someone kills innocent lives.
      This story had to be a bit different because it was written for a Halloween anthology. It was something I cared about though.
      As for more Wildings, I have another one on the way--a novel about Hank Wilding, one of Banjo's sons and the straight-laced Lucille Thoroughgood (daughter of Gil and Penelope and the social worker who first appeared in Unexpected Blessings). Cheryl should get it by Monday after I get my final draft finished and polished. Hazard, Wyoming is going up a notch in population. LOL
      Thank you, btw, for creating a special Wildings page for me. It has really helped immensely. Thank you for your compliment and for taking the time out of your busy day to visit me here. I don't know how you manage all you do.

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  10. Like everyone else I love your Wildings, and The Beast Of Hazard was one of my favorites.

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    1. Livia, I want to thank you for this terrific, spooky cover, too. I'm so glad you like my Wildings. They're like my fantasy family. Thank you so much for all your hard work on behalf of the PRP authors and me. It amazes me how you, Cheryl and Kathleen find time to write. Thank you so much for all you do.

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  11. Sarah,

    I read this story when it came out in the anthology last Halloween. Let me tell you, not only was I "putting one foot in front of the other" right along with Joey out there in the woods, I had a serious care of goosebumps setting in, too. ;-)

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    1. Kaye, thank you so much for your kind remarks. Your reaction to The Beast of Hazard is exactly what I had hoped for when I wrote it. I am so happy it gave you goosebumps. LOL

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  12. It's time to announce the winner of THE BEAST OF HAZARD. My winner is...Debbie!! Congratulations, Debbie. I'll email you momentarily.

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  13. Love the cover and the story line Sarah. I think at one time or another we have all felt that heart pounding, afraid to take a breath fear. As a kid I think my imagination was my worst enemy...it could conjure up all kinds of evil critters that seemed to lurk in my closet or under my bed.

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    1. Barb, I think that vivid imagination is what an author innately has in his or her DNA. I used to over-imagine things, too, and then get scared. My dad used to call it building "straw men" I had to have a nightlight. LOL Ever lie in bed with the sheet covering everything but your eyes and you'd try to keep from breathing too loud so the monsters couldn't hear you? Nothing but your eyes moved. I used to terrorize myself with my imagination, too. Once I was in bed, I wouldn't get back out until daylight because, as you probably know, there is a monster lurking under your bed that likes to eat kid feet.
      Thank you for coming by and commenting, Barb. I really appreciate it.

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