Guest post, guest post, read all about it!! Sorry, I couldn't resist that cheesy one-liner. *clears throat* Michaela Debelius is stopping by Nette's with a guest post and to let the world know about her book Decoy. Michaela is an indie author and Decoy is her debut novel. Please be sure to add it to your TBR list! It's definitely a worthwhile read =)
Decoy by Michaela DebeliusSelf-Published (4.2012)Genre: Paranormal, RomanceLieutenant Noel Casey is taken aback by her newest military assignment. Her usual routine of vaccine development is interrupted when she's assigned to analyze Killian, a genetically engineered soldier designed for exceptional strength and intelligence. She's not accustomed to working with human subjects, especially a person created for warfare, and Killian's indifference is making it difficult to see past his robotic demeanor.
When Noel is attacked outside Killian's containment quarters, he is forced to intervene. The altruistic act instantly transforms their relationship, though neither will admit to the shift in sentiment. The predator is now the protector in Noel's eyes, and she's thrown off by her growing captivation.
As if her infatuation with a virtual stranger isn't enough of a distraction, she begins having terrifying nightmares. Her cryptic dreams appear to harbor an elusive warning as she watches them materialize into existence, proving the nightly visions foretelling. She begins to suspect the military base is concealing far more than an experimental soldier, and she can't shake the feeling Killian is the axis of the chaos. Noel must decide whether she'll accept the unconvincing explanations offered by her peers, or reject her comfortable environment for an unimaginable truth. With her premonitions pointing towards a violent outcome and her irrational draw to Killian becoming impossible to ignore, she realizes the choice has already been made for her. Noel's understanding of science is about to be shattered.Buy the book
Whaa?? There are people out there who don't like to read?!!
How to Handle a Non-Reader
There
are those among us that don’t like reading. I’ll give you a moment to
accept that. Actually, I take that time allotment back. You’re probably
aware of these individuals. In fact, you’re probably outnumbered by
them. I know firsthand what it’s like to interact with this baffling
species, mostly because I’m married to one.
I’ll
admit, at times I taunt him about this. “What new book are we beginning
this week?” I’ll ask as we exit the library. My husband is a master of
starting books. By chapter two his mind has wandered, his eyes have
glazed, and he is adrift in a sea of thought that has nothing to do with
literature and everything to do with drumming or motor vehicle
maintenance. There was a time long ago when I presumed intellect was
closely linked with the love of reading. I was young; I was naïve; I was
proven wrong. My husband is extremely intelligent, more so than yours
truly, yet he just can’t seem to find enthusiasm for reading. It took me
some time, but eventually I realized what his dysfunction was, because
clearly it was him that was broken and not the book.
He hasn’t found a suitable genre.
Books are akin to music and movies, a truth non-readers don’t embrace.
I’ve yet to encounter a person who vehemently declares, with nose
pinched and mouth pursed, they dislike music or movies. So why such a
violent dispassion when it comes to books? I blame it on the high school
years. Even those of us who quiver with delight at the anticipation of a
trip to the bookstore have some novel that conjures resentment upon
hearing its hostile name. For me, it’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
I know this novel is an undeniable classic. I realized there are a few
of you who will walk away from the computer with disgust after reading
such a declaration. But this novel was shoved down my throat by a
somewhat unpleasant sixth grade English teacher much in the way a mother
pushes broccoli. It was awful. It was grueling. It elicited a new
appreciation for cruciferous vegetables.
Literature is just as diverse as music or movies, providing a niche category for even the most eclectic of mental palates, but the expansive shelves are sometimes underutilized. All it takes is one bad experience to forever turn a person away from the wonderfully captivating world of books. Music and movies are different. My hypothesis: these are not private forms of media. Music is everywhere. It’s played in stores, it’s a must-have when driving, it’s used routinely in…that’s right…movies. Movies and television are just as integrated, becoming as ubiquitous to our culture as overly complicated coffee drinks and fast food restaurants. Books on the other hand are not a social activity. Most people don’t gather around e-readers on their lunch break to collectively skim the pages of the latest J.K Rowling. I think this is the reason people shy away. They had one bad experience and, since graduating high school or college, are now freed from the repeat exposure.
Slowly and patiently, approaching with caution as I would an injured animal, I’m drawing my husband out of his dreary existence as a non-reader. We go to the library together, he in the CD section and me in fiction, but he’s there, and often he leaves with a book under his arm. Usually it sits on his nightstand for three weeks before I pick it up, brush of the personal effects that have accumulated on top, and return it to the library sad and unfulfilled. It is, after all, the book’s purpose in life to be read. Stripping it of that pleasure, that promise of satisfying its aspiration, is simply cruel and unusual in my opinion, though the importance of my opinion is debatable. But I don’t view his literary neglect as defeat. I view it as progress. After all, there was a time when we’d leave the bookstore with a pile of CDs and no books to be found in his reusable tote.
So for now, until they realize there are endless possibilities in the enticing span of books, I recommend you do the same with those mysterious creatures in your own life. There’s no need to brow-beat, no need to berate, but try suggesting a book you’ve enjoyed or simply recommend they explore a new genre. Maybe offer your used novels to a friend.
And if all else fails, Facebook has made it easier than ever to “unfriend” those enigmatic, heartless, non-bookie people.
Just teasing…sort of…
Literature is just as diverse as music or movies, providing a niche category for even the most eclectic of mental palates, but the expansive shelves are sometimes underutilized. All it takes is one bad experience to forever turn a person away from the wonderfully captivating world of books. Music and movies are different. My hypothesis: these are not private forms of media. Music is everywhere. It’s played in stores, it’s a must-have when driving, it’s used routinely in…that’s right…movies. Movies and television are just as integrated, becoming as ubiquitous to our culture as overly complicated coffee drinks and fast food restaurants. Books on the other hand are not a social activity. Most people don’t gather around e-readers on their lunch break to collectively skim the pages of the latest J.K Rowling. I think this is the reason people shy away. They had one bad experience and, since graduating high school or college, are now freed from the repeat exposure.
Slowly and patiently, approaching with caution as I would an injured animal, I’m drawing my husband out of his dreary existence as a non-reader. We go to the library together, he in the CD section and me in fiction, but he’s there, and often he leaves with a book under his arm. Usually it sits on his nightstand for three weeks before I pick it up, brush of the personal effects that have accumulated on top, and return it to the library sad and unfulfilled. It is, after all, the book’s purpose in life to be read. Stripping it of that pleasure, that promise of satisfying its aspiration, is simply cruel and unusual in my opinion, though the importance of my opinion is debatable. But I don’t view his literary neglect as defeat. I view it as progress. After all, there was a time when we’d leave the bookstore with a pile of CDs and no books to be found in his reusable tote.
So for now, until they realize there are endless possibilities in the enticing span of books, I recommend you do the same with those mysterious creatures in your own life. There’s no need to brow-beat, no need to berate, but try suggesting a book you’ve enjoyed or simply recommend they explore a new genre. Maybe offer your used novels to a friend.
And if all else fails, Facebook has made it easier than ever to “unfriend” those enigmatic, heartless, non-bookie people.
Just teasing…sort of…
My hubbs is the same way! DOES NOT READ AT ALL...unless it's directions for putting something together and even then he doesn't really read it. It's more like a glance at the font and to see how big the paragraphs are. Fortunately my husband can pretty much fix anything so it's not that big of an issue....sometimes. Like that one time we had an extra screw when putting together our son's crib. Luckily no children were hurt during the duration of those crib years. They waited until we would go to a restaurant to fall back in the chair because they were trying to get out. Well played my children. well played. I'm totally rambling so let me just get one with how you can find Michaela...
About the author
Michaela
Debelius is a fiction writer whose work incorporates elements of
science fiction, horror, and romance. Originally from New England, she
now lives in Arizona with her husband and two furry children.
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