Hi all!
Please help me welcome Author Candis Vargo to my blog today!
Darkness
Within
The
Darkness Series
Book
One
Candis
Vargo
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Date of Publication: March 10
ISBN:
ASIN:
Book Description:
Tragedy strikes the Roseburg family
and leaves Mike struggling to help his wife, Mia. After losing their only child
in an accident, Mia is far from emotionally distraught…instead, she continues
on like their son is still alive.
Four months passed since the
accident…
Mike begins to work with a
psychiatrist to help his wife with her delusions when a darkness begins to
haunt them. As this dark presence becomes violent, making itself known, Mike
wonders if the illusion of their child that his wife is seeing is something far
more demonic.
With the dark force looming over
them, Mike is left questioning his own sanity as he tries to unravel what is
real and what is not.
Soon he realizes…
Something is dreadfully wrong.
The force of the impact with the truck thrust the
Jeep forward, throwing Mia deep into her seat as they went nose first into a
ditch. What was left of the back of the jeep rolled up over the front. It
continued to flip over several times before seeming to levitate in the air
after rolling off the embankment. It felt like an eternity, the world moving in
slow motion, before it smashed against the icy cold river sending shards of
glass and ice throughout the vehicle. As it slowly began to sink Mia
automatically reached down to unbuckle herself. After struggling to free
herself from the seat belt she reached back for her son.
Her long, dark hair floated through the thickness of
the icy water and streams of blood swam around her face. As she turned around
everything became hazy and the darkness fought to take away her control. A
panic began to set in as her heart raced. She needed to get back to Eli, to
unbuckle him…she needed to save her son.
Being a mother she couldn’t care less if she was
hurt, she just needed to save her son. Like a tiger protecting her young, it
was a mother’s first priority.
As she tried to move into the back seat she reached
out to Eli again.
He gently placed his outstretched hand into hers. His
eyes, so soft and gentle, stared into his mother’s, whose were full of pain and
fear for him. He smiled his sweet innocent smile as if telling her that things
were going to be okay.
It was the end of February, a time the weather was supposed
to be warming up as it was readying for spring. Supposed to…but of course it
wasn’t.
Mia had been trying to avoid what happened. Just
moments ago she was talking to her husband on the phone through the Bluetooth
she managed to con him into installing, stating that she was going to wait for
the storm to pass.
“Hello,” Mikes
groggy voice had echoed through the car.
“Hi, Daddy.”
Eli’s enthusiasm rang throughout the vehicle. “Dad…Dad, I’m out of school, Dad.
And it’s snowing!”
“Oh yeah,
buddy,” Mike replied. “Well, I guess I will see you soon then.”
Mia had angled
her rear view mirror down to look back at Eli. She placed her index finger in
front of her mouth to shush him but smiled underneath it.
Eli puckered
his lips out and grabbed them with one hand to keep himself from talking as he
gave her a thumbs up.
“Yeah, it’s
snowing like crazy.” Mia took her time as she drove. She was never a fan of the
winter weather and only liked snow on Christmas Eve and
Christmas
Day, any time before or after that she’d prefer it be seventy degrees and
sunny. “We’re going to be late for dinner. I think I’m going to pull over when
I can manage to even see anything so I don’t slide into a damn ditch.”
When Mia left
to pick Eli up from preschool there were just a few flurries floating in the
icy wind. Now it had come to near white out conditions, causing her to curse
winter even more.
“All right,
just take your time and watch out for the crazy people out there. And I came up
with an awesome idea for big man’s birthday party. Turning the big five soon,
eh, buddy.”
Mia looked in
the mirror and saw Eli’s deep brown eyes light up. He hopped up and down in his
booster seat with excitement. “Do I get a guitar,
Dad?
Daddy, I want a guitar!”
“You’ll have to
wait and see, buddy, but I better let you guys go so you can get home. Maybe
this snow will be good enough to take you snowmobiling later.”
Mia rolled her
eyes and shook her head in frustration. “See you when we get home.”
She was still
upset with him over what had happened the night before. She could swear that
sometimes it seemed like he’d rather be anywhere but where the man of the house
should be at night…home. Gender roles were never really her thing, but to her
it always seemed like the man did a better job of protecting the family from
intruders.
“Stay safe,” Mike said before he hung up.
After
Mike hung up Mia had slowed down even more, trying to find a place to pull over
before she got anywhere near the upcoming bridge that crossed the river. She
wanted to be out of the way of any oncoming traffic but with the snow falling
as hard as it was, it was nearly impossible to see anything.
After a few more minutes of driving the snow let up ever so slightly,
enough for her to spot a place where she could pull over. Slowing down to a
near stop, she started to turn the wheel.
The distinctive
sound of a big rig's horn snapped her attention to the rear view mirror, still
angled for her to see Eli. She snapped her head to the right side mirror and
saw a tractor trailer turned sideways, sliding towards her. Her heart raced as
she pushed the gas pedal, trying to get out of the way as fast as she could.
The wheels seemed to turn in pace and the air horn blared again, but was drowned
out by the screeching of metal as it collided.
Everything went black.
Eclipse Reviews – Character
Interview Questions
Thank you for taking the time for the interview. Please
answer the following questions; you also have the option of changing some
questions if you feel that you would be more at ease with other questions. This
can be serious or quirky it’s all up to your character.
Character Name: Mike
Character Bio: Average, middle-class family man.
Describe yourself what is your worst and best quality?
Best: The love for my family.
Worst: Not the best at showing my love.
What is the one thing you wish other people knew about you?
I wish people knew that I’ve made my mistakes, and I can’t
take them back…but I will try like hell to make them right for the rest of my
life.
What is your biggest secret something no one knows about?
Ah, but it wouldn’t be a secret if I told you.
What are you most afraid of?
What’s in the Darkness.
What do you want more than anything?
My son back.
What is your relationship status?
Married.
How would you describe your sense of fashion?
How much of a rebel are you?
I try not to be so much as a rebel these days, but I’ve had
my moments…
What do you considered to be your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement was
probably having a son.
What is your idea of happiness?
There’s nothing more important or better than spending time
with your family.
What is your most treasured possession?
The last picture I have of my son.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I’m a man who isn’t afraid to work.
What is it that you, most dislike?
Ha! My neighbors.
Which living person do you, most despise?
Yup. My neighbors.
What is your greatest regret?
Not being able to save my son.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Strong mind.
If you could change one thing about yourself what would it
be?
Does my past count?
What is your motto?
Love today, because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
Once again thank you for the interview.
Thank you. I appreciate the time.
Jeanine
Eclipse Reviews
About
the Author:
Growing up on an old dirty road in
the middle of nowhere, as a child Candis used her love for books as a way to
escape reality (and her brother constantly trying to kill her—literally). She
blames her love of all things Horror on being born on Friday the 13th and will
always find joy in scaring her friends.
You will find a little piece of her
in every book she writes. She loves a good happy ending, but most of the time
she prefers one she never saw coming.
When she’s not writing or reading,
she can usually be found chasing her children around. She currently lives in
Rome, Pennsylvania with her husband and three children. And her fat cat.
LIZA SHAW
Author Interview
Welcome all.
Today I’m very
lucky to interview Candis Vargo author of
Darkness Within
Hi Candis, thank
you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your
background?
Well, I’m just a
simple girl from the country. I’m an introvert, clumsy, and a Walking Dead
addict.
When did you
decide to become a writer? Just a few years ago.
What made you
decide to sit down and actually start something? My best friend and I were always complaining
about how hard it is to find books we really like, so we joked about it, came
up with a story line, and I sat down and wrote my first novel.
Who do you feel supported you aside from family members? Aside
from my family members, I’m most supported by my two best friends. Those girls
are amazing.
So, what have you
written?
Eternal
Revelations and Eternal Hell (zombie apocalypse), Forgotten Memories
(paranormal romance), Eve of Zompires, a short story that has been featured in
an Anthology, and now Darkness Within.
What are you working on at
the minute?
I’m currently working on Darkness Released, the second in
The Darkness Series.
Where do your ideas come
from?
For the Horror genre,
mostly from my dreams or what scares the crap out of me.
What genre are
your books?
Mostly Horror,
with one Paranormal Romance.
What draws you to
this genre?
For Horror, I have always been a horror fan. I remember being a
child and reading Goosebumps or watching Nightmare on Elm Street all the time.
Do you have a specific writing style?
Not really, I
just try to keep things as realistic as possible.
Which
actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most
recent book?
I would love to see Will
Smith play Mike. He’s an amazing actor and with the way he pulled off his role
in I am Legend, he would rock Mike.
What is the hardest thing
about writing?
The hardest thing for me is
when I have the words to get out, but I have to wait to type because I’m busy
with my kids.
What is the easiest thing
about writing?
Coming
up with the story line I like.
Do
you have an interesting writing style or quirk?
When I’m writing and I think
I have the story line figured out, I’ll always think of some other twist to
throw in.
Do you ever get writer’s
Block? Do you have any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
I get it quite a bit. I will usually pick up a couple of books
and read, then go back to writing and push through it.
Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer?
If so, what are they?
Don’t stop writing, and write what you love.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they
say?
I do! The most recent message I got from a fan was, ‘thank you for
writing the type of books I can’t put down. That doesn’t happen very often.’ It
truly made my day when I read that message.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Guillermo del Toro, hands down.
For your own
reading, do you prefer e-books or traditional printed books?
As much as I love a good printed book, I find e-books to be
cheaper and easier to get my hands on, so I’ll have to say e-book.
What books have most influenced your life?
Probably
Goosebumps. Those are the books that started my love of reading as a child.
What book(s) are
you reading at present?
Escaping the Dead
by W.J. Lundy
What do you think makes a good story?
A plot that makes you want to keep reading, where you can lose
all track of time and not skip through to get through the boring parts.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Usually reading
or catching up on some TV shows that I missed while writing.
Do you have a
favourite motivational phrase?
Doubt kills more
dreams than failure.
Do you have a
favourite positive saying/phrase?
Believe you can,
and you will.
Do you have a favourite
book, and why would you say it is a favourite?
Shutter Island by
Dennis Lehane because I could read it 20 times and still not be sure if the guy
actually is crazy or not.
Do you have a
favourite quote?
Kind of. They’re
more lyrics from a song, ‘And our scars remind us, that the past is real’.
Do you have a favourite
film, and why do you like it?
The movie The
Sweetest Thing, because that’s totally me and my friends.
Where can you see
yourself in 5 years time?
Still writing,
but having more time to do so as all of my children will be in school.
What advice would
you give to your younger self?
Probably to keep
a daily journal.
Which famous
person/writer, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
Stephen King,
because he’s the king.
If you could have
been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
Frankenstein,
because that’s a true horror story that no one will forget.
What advice would
you give to aspiring writers?
Don’t stop writing, and
don’t stop reading.
How can readers discover
more about you and you work?
Please thank Candis for joining us today! Please check out her links.
Keep Writing!
Jodie Pierce
.png)
