Chain of Souls is LIVE

If you plan to buy Chain of Souls, today would be a very good day.

Chain of Souls
Book Two of the Second Chances series 

Banished from Heaven for refusing to harvest an unwilling soul, Liam Chase drinks to forget until the night he’s visited by the Angel of Death.

For the price of a few humans souls, Ziva promises to get him reinstated into Heaven. Liam doesn’t doubt her influence, but milking humans of their light is an abomination, punishable by eternal oblivion.

He’d rather rot on Earth than commit such an unspeakable crime. But the Angel of Death didn’t get where she was by taking no for an answer. Ziva is a huntress of extraordinary skill and cruelty. If he refuses, his loved ones will be her next targets. And Ziva never misses.

***

Don't forget that you can Tweet, Blog or Facebook about Chain of Souls through Wednesday when Tank, the Wonder Dog will eat choose the winning entry.  See rules here.

***
I thought it would be nice if from time to time I explained the background behind some of what you see in my writing. Today, I'd like to tell you about one line in particular.

In nearly every book I've ever written, somewhere buried within the dialog is this line: "Not today." It has various meanings depending on who says it and how, but there's an inside story on why I use it. You see, it's kind of special to me.
When my father was dying, I sat on his hospital bed and held his palsied hand. He was shocked to see me because of all his children, I lived furthest away. In his mind that could only mean one thing. 

He looked up at me and said in Spanish, "Daughter, I am dying." 

To which I replied adamantly: "Not today, Pa."

I told myself that if I kept saying, 'Not today', he'd have one more day with us. My dad lasted nearly two weeks.

So now you know where that line comes from and why I use it. It'll be our insider secret from now on.

Thank you, guys, for being so supportive. I really appreciate you.

***
Book 2, Chain of Souls is at:

Find Book 1, The Devil To Pay at:
Amazon, Smashwords, & B&N

Comments

Angelina Rain said…
Oh wow, great story about the 'not today' part.
Tracy Jo said…
Maria, that is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your secret. I will add your book to my blog today!
Jennifer Oberth said…
What a wonderful secret. Wow, very powerful and beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Maria Zannini said…
@Renee
@Angelina
@Tracy Jo
@Live Out Loud

Thank you, guys. I've never told that story before but it seemed especially apropos today for a book about ghosts and angels.
LD Masterson said…
Thank you for sharing that.

(Blog post and FB links are up.)
Luanne G. Smith said…
Yes, thanks for sharing that story. And best of luck with the book. It sounds fascinating. I'm going to steal my dad's Kindle so I can start downloading some of these novels. :)
Anonymous said…
Impressive book cover and thought provoking synopsis.
Awh bless! That is a lovely, kind, compassionate way to speak to a dying man. x
Maria Zannini said…
Linda: I saw your blog post. Thank you! I started reading FB and then Greg distracted me with breakfast. Will be back soon.

LG: I've got the Nook, and I can't believe I went so long without a reader. Are you sure your dad will get his back? :grin:

Madeleine: The last two weeks of my dad's life were the best days we had as a family. We laughed. We cried. We told stories. Up until pneumonia stole his voice, he was even telling jokes.
Tara said…
Small things like that, in novels, really make them extra special.

I love it. :)
Stacy said…
What a beautiful story Maria!

I'm excited that this is the day! I posted on FB and tweeted - yay you!
Sounds awesome. I wish you all the success in the world!
Jennifer Oberth said…
I've now tweeted, facebook'd it (on my personal and book pages), myspace'd it and LinkedIn'd it. Oh! I forgot to Google Buzz it! Off to do that now...!
julie fedderson said…
I think that is the most wonderful thing I've ever heard. What a way to personalize (and personify) your work.
Maria Zannini said…
Tara: Every time I find a spot in the novel where my hero or heroine has a chance to utter those words, it makes me smile.

Stacy: Thank you, sweetie. I saw your tweet this morning. I haven't been by FB yet.

Barbara: Thanks, hon! From your lips to God's ear.

Live Out Loud: Woman, you're a machine. You need to find a job running campaigns. :) Thank you!

Julie: It's my secret little tribute to my dad to let him know I'm still thinking of him.
Anonymous said…
That's beautiful Maria! Thank you for sharing it.
Tweeted and facebooked you, Sweetie. Good luck. I can't wait to read this one and now I'll be looking for that special phrase.
Jenny Schwartz said…
Not today -- heart touching. Reminds me how personal our writing is.

Congrats on release of Chain of Souls!
Thanks for the personal sharing. It warms my heart.

And as for Chain of Souls, bought, tweeted and waiting to be eaten... :)
Angela Brown said…
Did the FB and blog thing for Chain of Souls YAY!

Not Tank can have a chance to pick a cookie with my name. And if not, I'm very happy because I loved getting this book. Can't wait to read it.

And that story is very touching. Really adds some depth to the meaning of those two words. Thank you for sharing.
Maria Zannini said…
Raelyn: I was glad to finally have a reason to share that tidbit.

Margeurite: It's a little like finding an Easter egg, isn't it?

Jenny: I wonder how many of us write in certain things as tributes and secrets.

Dee: Thanks, hon. Tank will be the final decision maker on who to eat. LOL.

Angela: If Greg is still here, I'm hoping he can help me videotape it. Someone has to hold back the dog while I set up the shot.:)
broken biro said…
That's such a moving story. I'm sure your dad appreciated those words then and would be really proud of you now. Congrats again and thanks for sharing. x
Marianne Arkins said…
Sweet story ... it's so hard to lose a parent. You've managed to keep his memory alive with your words. How cool is that?
Maria Zannini said…
Broken Biro: My dad would not have understood the world of writing, but he always understood the power of words. I hope you're right.

Marianne: It never occurred to mention it until the last time I was proofing Chain of Souls and saw that line.
Southpaw said…
Congratulations. I came here after seeing a few people I follow say great things about you and your new release.

Best of luck.
wow, that's a special secret. I love that you use it in all your stories. A beautiful tribute to your father.
Maria Zannini said…
Southpaw: Welcome! I have many good friends who also happen to be readers. Glad you stopped by. I love meeting new people!

Lynda: I try to use it in every story since my father died. I'll be sad if it ever happens I can't use it.
Sarah Ahiers said…
That is so awesome, both the fact that you have the "hidden" line of dialogue and the reason behind it.
Maria Zannini said…
Sarah: And here I thought everybody did this. :)
Sarah Allen said…
Beautiful story. I love hearing things like that. Best of luck with the release!!

Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)