SHROUD OF BECKONING

Part 1 of the Ice Water Mansion Series

 

Name:  Shroud Of Beckoning

Subtitle:  Part 1 of the Ice Water Mansion Series

Author:  Debora Woody

Publication Date: February 2009

Publisher:  AuthorHouse

Distributor: AuthorHouse, 1-888-280-7715, www.AuthorHouse.com

ISBN: SC-9781418484118 / E-Book-9781420808230 / HC- 9781438963167

Number of Pages: 351

Size: 6 X 9

Bar Coded:  Yes

Price: Soft Cover- $14.50— E-book $4.95—Hardcover available April 2009

Genre: A Fictional Suspense Thriller with a Supernatural/Paranormal overtone

                                               

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
Debora Woody
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Sherwood, AR. 72120
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www.shroudofbeckoning.com
shroudofbeckonin@aol.com

Shroud Of Beckoning

People Fight Supernatural Beings for Their Souls in New Novel

Debora A. Woody

Born and raised in California, Debora Woody's interest in law enforcement began with the TV shows that were on during her childhood—Adam 12, Dragnet, and Mod Squad, to name a few. On the other side, shows like The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, and The Sixth Sense sparked a curiosity about the supernatural. Becoming a police explorer, Woody dreamed of being a police officer, but because of her age, she had to wait several years. In the meantime, she worked as a security guard until her delayed enlistment into the Air Force allowed her to experience her chosen profession—Law Enforcement, first hand. Stationed in Virginia, back in her native state—California, then, through marriage, in Arkansas, her current home, she became a civilian police officer near Little Rock while raising two daughters.

Both on and off the job, Woody witnessed many tragedies, miracles that never made the news, and the downfall of successful people descending into a life of crime, but thankfully, she almost always found a smiling child—even in the saddest or corrupt homes. To her, the biggest 'pat on the back' was a child running to hug the police officer walking down their neighborhood street. Infusing these experiences with a touch of supernatural, it isn't a surprise that in her first novel, Shroud Of Beckoning, a dysfunctional family and police officers come face to face with good and evil and how it changes, not only the family, but the police officers as well, although not without a surprising twist. Woody knows, as anyone else, that a person's life can't be told in a single book, so she's currently working on the chilling installments to the Ice Water Mansion Series.

Synopsis for Shroud Of Beckoning

Banished to play outside alone, four-year-old Carla accepts the friendship of a shadowy man, Schatten, who is playing peek-a-boo with her. Promising never to mention him to anyone, she believes that she's his only friend, but he's deceived her—he knows her sister, mother, and many others, but unlike them, Carla is bait to find a boy's soul, Tony, whose Schatten's adversary hid in the body of another boy years before. Losing Tony was a loss that Schatten never took well because he needs Tony's special gifts to help steal the souls of other children to trap forever in his hellish playground to achieve immortality. Knowing that Carla will meet the boy, who possesses Tony's soul when he's a man, Schatten ensures that she finds Tony's left-behind favorite tokens—a comic book and rock, in hopes that she passes them along to him.

When Carla laughs, Schatten ages, but her tears rejuvenate him, thus, he ensures she has an unrewarding childhood and anyone she loves has an untimely demise—her beloved grandfather, best friend, even her baby brother when Schatten manipulates her mother into doing his bidding once again. Hearing Carla screaming, a neighbor summons the police, resulting in Officer Blanton's arrival. Having to stifle emotions upon finding a dead baby in Carla's devastated grip, because it rekindles memories of losing his son, Blanton still compassionately removes the dead child from a child. At first, Blanton impresses Schatten by how he's able to do this, but upon detecting a plan to remove Carla and her sister from this home, he searches for a way to prevent it. Touching Blanton's mind with his ghostly fingertip, Schatten sees that he's a loved and well-respected man—qualities he despises and must destroy to keep his plan on track. As Blanton investigates, he begins feeling ill, which worsens after finding a comic book and a rock, although he blames his dizziness on the child's death. Schatten relaxes when Blanton collapses; but then, he inhales Tony's essence upon the rock. Confident that Blanton wasn't the one responsible for it, he orders his seeker to find out who is.

During the search, many surprising twists force Schatten to change his tactics on how to find Tony. Those who have vowed to keep Tony hidden must now also alter their strategies. Using dreams, visions, and an occasional déjà vu, both sides warn or facilitate their agendas, but what happens when both sides intervene too often with a single human? Such as, when a déjà vu keeps Blanton from accidently killing a boy during a foot pursuit, the expected outcome changes, but not in the sought out way because Blanton's free will trumps both sides. Overall, it was a far better choice, even though he winds up running into a car's path. Prior to this, when Blanton witnessed unexplainable situations, the departmental psychiatrist warned him of the consequences if he mentioned them again, so naturally, he learned to keep quiet, but now, he's finding it harder to heed the advice. Then, his best friend, Tyler Aanson, who is now Carla's husband, mishandles a man-with-a-gun-call and winds up critically injured. Unexplainable events surrounding the incident keep happening, which ultimately forces Blanton to confront Carla about her childhood imaginary friend because he believes that he's the only one who can save Aanson from her friend's hellish playground.
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When I was a child, people I trusted told me that my wishes would come true if I blew all the spores off a dandelion or all the candles out on my birthday cake. However, no matter how often I succeeded, my wishes never materialized. Later, I learned that, like many other tales, these were ruses to get me to smile. Although that's not really a bad thing, in Shroud Of Beckoning, a shadowy villain uses childhood myths to conceal his evilness as he preys upon lonesome children to further his hideous agenda. Like a concerned friend, even he warns his new playmates to be careful in what they wish for because even bad wishes sometimes come true.

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Deb Woody

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — When children claim to have imaginary friends, it's normally harmless play, but in Shroud Of Beckoning: Part 1 of the Ice Water Mansion Series (published by AuthorHouse), the new novel by Deb Woody, they're actually demonic and angelic apparitions that are battling over the child's soul.

Blending the supernatural world with the essence of daily life, Woody transports readers back to the spring of 1964 to begin her tale of good vs. evil. Within a dysfunctional family in California, four-year-old Carla lives with her older sister, parents, and a secret friend. Clad in black, this precocious apparition poses as a friendly playmate. However, Schatten is no ordinary companion—he's pure evil and feeds off human souls. When Carla cries and seethes, his outward features rejuvenate. In turn, when she laughs and finds love, he ages into a hideous form that terrorizes her. Deceiving her into believing she's his only friend, he actually knows her sister, mother, and others, but unlike them, Carla is bait to help find a boy's soul, Tony, who his adversaries stole from him years before.

Adding a new addition to the family, Carla's mother gives birth to a son whom Carla instantly loves. Unfortunately, this pushes Schatten to plot the baby's demise, resulting in Officer Jarred Blanton arriving to investigate. Blanton, a well-loved man with a good family, is everything Schatten despises and must destroy to keep his plans on track, but in doing so, he alters his own plans and creates a chain of events that intertwines Blanton's life with Carla's.

As Carla and Blanton embark on a horrific path to save their very souls, Woody chronicles their dark stories while everything and everyone they love are slowly destroyed because Schatten will never stop until their souls are his and Tony is found.

Born and raised in California, Woody joined the US Air Force Security Police and ultimately wound up in Arkansas, her current home, where she became a civilian police officer. At work, Woody witnessed many tragedies, but always found a smiling child—even in the saddest or corrupt homes. Infusing these experiences with a touch of supernatural, Woody created her first novel, Shroud Of Beckoning. She is currently working on the next chilling installments.

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Why did you write Shroud Of Beckoning?

One day, while observing my eldest playing with a friend, Nathaniel (who I couldn't see), I sat back and began scheming because children do not see evil like an adult. An unloved and lonely child will even play or leave with a hideous individual if bribed with a puppy, candy, or love. Mixing these two ideas, I began to write. Unfortunately, the need to help support my family forced the book to gather dust, but after an injury during a foot pursuit as a police officer, I suddenly had spare time, thus, over time, the book multiplied into seven books. Any police officer, or for that fact, any person, can attest to the fact that there are incidents that can never be explained rationally; now, mix those incidents with imaginary friends, children, and police officers—whose lives are affected by the calls they're dispatched to handle, and the result is Shroud Of Beckoning. I also concocted an underlying conflict within the story about missing persons who are never found—dead or alive.

Who is your intended audience?

Anyone who enjoys supernatural terror, emotional suspense, an adventure about angels and demons, or just wants to become engrossed in a book to pass the time with. However, it isn't for under seventeen because there's some inappropriate material for young readers.

Could this book benefit the reader?

Yes, many people in the world, rather they believe in God and Satan, or not, have experienced some sort of oddity in their lives, some call them miracles, flukes, luck, destiny, or just the wind. Whatever they're called, this book uses those ideas, such as: A tree limb snags a jacket to keep an individual from moving, voices heard within the breeze offer warnings, as do paintings that are more than just oil. To some, it's an uplifting reminder that we're not alone and that the person who helped them yesterday did so out of the goodness of their heart. To others, a person bumping into them was just trying to push them over the edge. In either case, it's up to them to wallow in self-pity or pick themselves up and press on, even if they need to ask for help.

Is this a religious book?

Heavens no, it's a unique novel about the paranormal/spiritual world and how it tries to help or hurt us. You don't have to believe in God to enjoy this book because good and evil exists in all facets of life, with or without God. This book doesn’t go into scriptures nor is it preachy or the likes. It's a story of how evil—in the form of an imaginary playmate—befriends a child into adulthood with an agenda to own their soul. It's also how the good attempts to detour this, but if you keep messing with a mere human, something eventually gives. I believe that everyone and everything, from the crib to the grave, influences our decisions that we make throughout our lives, but it's up to us to differentiate what is evil and cast it aside for the good, or allow ourselves to fall prey to the power that evilness gives.

Why is there an earlier publication date?

Truthfully, a minor embarrassment on my part, but we learn from our mistakes. I thought Shroud Of Beckoning was ready for the public—it wasn't, so, only two weeks after I released it, I withdrew it and then spent time revamping it. I also took the time to get the rest of the Ice Water Mansion Series closer to completion so it wouldn't be a long wait between books.

Then the rest of the Ice Water Mansion Series is completed?

For the most part, yes, it's in the perfecting stages. Proofreading is the most time-consuming, but I'm getting it done. As each book becomes more intense to the overall climax, the reader will look forward to the next chilling installment, and I can guarantee, each book is unique. There isn't the rehashing of this and that to fill the pages (although there are concise reminders); each one is a new set of happenings, fights, emotions, ideas, and endings. Although, each book interchanges with the last and the next, there are new twists that will keep you on your toes and will always surprise you. .

What are the names of the other books?

Playground — Prevarication — Image Salon — Carnival of Lost Souls — Prevail, Trounce, or Deadlock — and the last, Road Trip Into Immortality (nearly finished).

Which one is your favorite?

Tough, but I'd have to say, Carnival of Lost Souls because a carnival is part of the story, and you know how most of us have fond memories of visiting a carnival in our childhood. There is also a visit to the fabled purgatory, also, some real interesting twists that define the entire series, although, I can't say what they are without spoiling the others.

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