The Faithful
The Faithful by S.M. Freedman
Print and e-book, 364 pages
Published April 20th 2014 by Createspace
For Agent Josh Metcalf, memories are ghosts. They are blood-soaked backpacks and the smell of strawberry Chap Stick. Josh is haunted by a little girl who went missing his first summer on the force. Decades later his search has become an obsession, and he's pinned the photos of hundreds of missing children to his wall of tears. All the children had psychic abilities. All the cases went cold -- with no witnesses, no useful tips, and no children ever recovered. Until a woman gets injured trying to stop an abduction, and Josh comes face to face with his personal ghost.
For Rowan Wilson, a meteorite hunter for NASA's Spaceguard program, memories are lies. The childhood she thought she knew has been erased, leaving a black hole in its place. New recollections are flaring to life: men dressed like priests, a ranch in the mountains, mind control, and rape. Each new memory draws her closer to one of the other missing children, Sumner Macey; and to I Fidele, the underground organization for whom kidnapping is just the beginning.
For Sumner, memories have become weapons. He's sharpened each of his with surgical precision: the ranch, the doctrine, the mind-wash, and the murders. He's eager to slice at the black sludge pumping through I Fidele's heart, desperate to cripple those who stole his childhood.
To I Fidele, non-psychics are cockroaches in need of extermination, an inferior species destroying the earth. They're ready to enforce eugenics on a global scale. If they succeed, only those faithful to their doctrine will survive. Crossing several genres, The Faithful will appeal to anyone who enjoys supernatural mysteries; high-tech, edge-of-your-seat suspense flavored with paranormal elements; thrillers involving psychics, occult and high stakes action/adventure; tied up with a depth and humor usually reserved for works of literary fiction.
Where to Purchase The Faithful
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist
***************
Welcome to The Book Bag, S.M. ~ I have heard other authors say that they 'hear voices in their head' and that is how they write their books: the characters are telling their stories. Not being a writer myself, that concept has always intrigued me.
When some people hear voices, we get them medical attention, others end up becoming writers. Does this happen to you? How do you come up with your stories?
Thankfully nobody has locked me up yet — although my husband does give me the “lifted eyebrow” when I talk about my characters like they’re real people (umm, aren’t they?). They do begin as an extension of me, but then things go sideways.
Over time, I’ve come to imagine it like a beautifully arched footbridge (you know, the kind that just might have a troll lurking in the shadows). At some point, my characters cross it without me. It’s at that moment that they become real, and real means unpredictable. They delight and horrify me, and they take over and demand their truth be told. People die, they become twisted and ugly, they hurt others or get hurt themselves. Some become appalling and others inspirational. I’m learning to trust in that, rather than fight against it for the sake of “prettiness”. I’m learning that when the writing makes me desperately uncomfortable, I’m getting close to a gritty grain of truth. As a storyteller, that’s the best I can ever hope for. It may be ugly, but if I’ve remained true, it may touch another’s soul.
About the author
 |
| S.M. Freedman |
S.M. Freedman is a top-ranked Amazon author in the Mystery, Thriller and Suspense categories, and a member of the WorldWiseWriters group. She lives in Vancouver with her husband, two children and a giant orange cat.
She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, and spent years as a private investigator and business owner.
Inspired by authors of many different genres (favorites include Sue Grafton, Diana Gabaldon, Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, Justin Cronin, Suzanne Collins and Lawrence Hill, to name a few) she eventually turned back to her first love: writing.
The Faithful, a paperback and kindle Amazon Bestseller in both the US and the UK, and a Quarter Finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, is her debut novel.
She's currently working on the sequel.
Connect with S.M.
Follow the entire The Faithful tour here
Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!
