Leave the light on...

I beg you to do three things today.

1. Buy this book.
2. Read this book.
3. Read this book with other people inside your house (NOT ALONE), with every light on inside your house, with your back firmly planted against a wall, with several weapons of choice within easy reach, with a pillow to scream into if you don't want to wake a sleeping baby/child, and with freshly manicured nails, because you're bound to squeeze a pillowcase or your own hand/leg and I'd hate for you to leave claw marks on something important. Oh, and be prepared to possibly lose all desire to ever take a shower again.

I'm not kidding.

Here's the blurb:

Cole Leighton can barely believe his eyes. A woman on his bus has just been abducted—in an exact reflection of a scene from the bestselling novel he's reading. Someone is bringing the book to life…and isn't above forcing an innocent woman to follow the story to its tragic end. Using the novel as his playbook, Cole catches up with the beautiful victim—but rescuing Kenzie Jacobs doesn't keep her safe for long. The killer is writing his own ending, and none of the twists and turns lead to happily ever after.

Sounds good, huh? It IS. And scarier than I had anticipated. I read suspense, but not thrillers or horror novels. I don't love being scared, and avoid scary movies at ALL costs. This isn't a thriller or a horror novel, but it definitely had a higher amp of OH MY GOODNESS than I expected =)

It's my own fault. I saw the book on my desk in my To Be Read Pile last night. My daughter was playing contentedly, my husband was at work, and I thought, hey, I can read a few chaps while Lil Miss is enjoying her cartoons and playing, before I make our dinner. So I did, and was immediately hooked. I kept reading because I wanted to see what would happen next.

Then I kept reading because I had to finish in order to calm down. I knew I wouldn't sleep if I didn't have a happy ending in my head!!! I was literally on the edge of my chair, feet tucked under me, biting my nails, and Lil Miss at one point scared me half to death by popping up beside the ottoman when I wasn't expecting it.

Finally, halfway through the novel, I called Jenness, freaking out. "I AM SO MAD AT YOU". She wasn't very sorry, since my fear was partly her goal in writing the story. As a fellow writer, I understood this, but still had the right to be mad and threaten to call her in the middle of the night if I had a bad dream. =)

Dinner consisted of microwave chicken strips for Lil Miss and cereal for me, which I dripped all over myself because I kept reading in the chair with the bowl in my lap, dribbling milk everywhere with every unfocused bite.

I took a break for a reality check, and talked to a friend on the phone, and played with Lil Miss, and did her bath and bedtime routine. At that point I was okay, having distanced myself from the story enough to function. But I still had to finish that night. So after Lil Miss was down, I checked all the deadbelts and armed myself with a piece of cake, a Diet Coke, and my laptop, cell phone, and house phone. Somehow I felt safer surrounded by technology.

I finished the book, having only one or two minor strokes before reaching the blessed words The End. Now, in the bright light of day, I laugh at my immature behavior last night and realize I was being ridiculous. It's just a story. Right?

Well that's what the heroine in the book thought too...

Here's a little bit about Jenness. She looks so innocent, doesn't she???? Don't let her fool you! =)

Jenness Walker is a romantic suspense author for Steeple Hill. She also co-authors light-hearted stories with Tracy Bowen. Jenness lives in Florida with Jason, her beloved website-designer husband, and Hyacinth, her almost-as-beloved laptop. When she’s not writing from her magic coach, she loves to decorate or plan her next roadtrip with Jason.

Unofficially, let me add that Jenness is one of my dear friends, and as many of you know from her moving, heartfelt devotional at the 2009 ACFW conference, likes to drink water when nervous. (I won't tell you how much she drank during the devotional) =)

Buy your copy of this amazing story HERE! You won't regret it. It's an amazing tale with a happy ending, so all the adrenaline getting to the end is worth it.

And hey, if you want to know even MORE about Jenness, visit her website HERE.