Fibers
by Jennifer-Crystal Johnson
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GENRE: Science Fiction
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BLURB:
Anna Reynolds is caught up in the middle of a secret interdimensional government agreement... and she doesn't even know it.
There's a medical anomaly loosely dubbed Morgellons disease afflicting a number of people. Symptoms include open sores that produce colorful string-like fibers, fatigue, and nightmarish visions of shadowy figures. No one knows where it came from. No one knows what causes it. There is no cure.
When Anna begins having nightmares and waking hallucinations of the shadow people, her uneasiness about her condition grows. Enlisting the help of her doctor and some friends, Anna is determined to find out what's really going on and why Morgellons is such a mystery.
With her health declining and doubts about whom she can trust, is Anna doomed to become a slave to her condition? Or will she and her unlikely group of would-be heroes come through, saving her... and, ultimately, the world?
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Excerpt:
The twinkling sound of the wind chimes gave an eerie undertone to the night, the wind blowing through the trees and the darkness seeming more intense than usual. Anna wrapped her coat tightly around herself, walking briskly back toward home. She usually didn’t walk anywhere, especially at night, but she’d decided to get some fresh air and needed time to think. Walking was always good for that, even if it was a little cold and getting dark so much earlier.
Reaching into her pocket for her keys, she approached the front door. The porch light was out – she must’ve forgotten to turn it on before she left. Trying to work through feeling alone and fending off paranoia, she rummaged in her purse for her keys and retrieved them just as her foot hit something on her front porch. Of course she couldn’t see, but it sounded and felt like a box of some kind.
She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and turned on the flashlight app to see what was happening. Shining the light on her porch, she saw that it was, indeed, a box. A mystery box, she thought. As if my life couldn’t get any stranger.
She unlocked the front door and flipped the light switch, but nothing happened. Trying to juggle her phone and the box at the same time, she walked into the house, set the box down, and went into the living room to try the light there. Also nothing. Shaking her head and doing her best to quiet her thoughts, she made her way into the garage with her phone and found the breaker box. She flipped the switch and the lights came on without a problem.
ibers are getting entirely too weird around here, she thought, cautiously making her way back upstairs to her entry where the box sat. She switched off her flashlight app and stood still for a few moments, listening to see if she could hear anything to indicate that someone was in the house. She didn’t think so because her door had been locked, but she was so scared she could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Everything else was silent.
Satisfied that no one was in her house, she picked up the box and took it into her kitchen. She set it on the counter and inspected it. There was a note taped to the top of it. She unfolded it and read aloud, “Trust no one.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jennifer-Crystal Johnson is originally from Germany, but was raised an Army brat. She has published one novella under her former last name, The Outside Girl: Perception is Reality (Publish America, 2005 - out of print as of 2013), a poetry book, Napkin Poetry (Broken Publications, 2010), and a collection of poetry, art, and prose called Strangers with Familiar Faces (Broken Publications, 2011). She's also published a collection of short creature horror stories called If You're Human Don't Open the Door (Broken Publications, 2012), a personal development book called The Ten Pillars of a Happy Relationship (Broken Publications, 2014), and a collection of more horror stories (no creatures this time, just people) called Our Capacity for Evil (Broken Publications, 2015). She has several poems and short stories published on Every Writer's Resource and has recently published a science fiction novel called Fibers, the first book in the Infiltration Trilogy. Jen owns and operates Broken Publications (www.BrokenPublications.com) and publishes an annual anthology to raise awareness about domestic violence called Soul Vomit (www.SoulVomit.com). When she isn't writing or editing, she enjoys playing games with her three kids, watching crime shows on Netflix, or reading. She lives in WA State with her three children, three cats, and a crazy puppy named Thor. You can connect with her at www.JenniferCrystalJohnson.com, @brokenpoet, or www.Facebook.com/JenniferCrystalJohnson.
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The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I love the blog and your dog is adorable!
ReplyDeleteTo the Author
I am originally from Badem , Germany. I grew up an Air Force Brat then married into the Air Force. Enjoyed spending the last 20 years travelling the world.
Hi Silvia, thanks so much for stopping by and your kind words - yes I have to agree Choccy is a little sweetheart!
DeleteHi Silvia! Thank you for commenting & taking the time to check out my book =). It's good to meet someone else from Germany =). I married into the Army, too, but unfortunately that was where my experiences with domestic violence come from. I do think it's fantastic that you've enjoyed traveling - I used to love getting to start over and making new friends everywhere I went =).
DeleteI hope you continue to have lots of fun traveling! If you have a chance to grab a copy of my book, that would be awesome, too ;).
Thanks again!
Jen
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteAlways a pleasure!
DeleteI second that - thank you so much for posting about my book! =)
DeleteI enjoyed hosting you, Jen and your book looks like a wonderful read!
DeleteWhat are the easiest and hardest scenes to write?
ReplyDeleteBetul E.
Thank you for taking the time to read & comment about my book! As far as writing scenes is concerned, to me the hardest scenes to write are the ones that don't have a lot of action going on. Then you have to shift from focusing on plot to focusing on the characters and what they're going through, how they feel, etc. The shifting part is the hardest, and for me that's because I am a very plot-oriented writer =).
DeleteThanks again! I hope you enjoy the book =).
Jen
Are there any other books planned for these characters
ReplyDeleteHi Chris! Thank you so much for taking the time to read & leave a comment =). Fibers is the first book in the Infiltration Trilogy, so yes - at least two more books, more if they make me ;).
DeleteThanks again! I hope you enjoy the book =).
Jen
Many classic horror stories have been inspired by dreams. Where do you find your inspiration?
ReplyDeleteHi Deb! It's funny you should mention that... the majority of my ideas come at least partially from dreams, although this concept was kind of a mixture between real life and things I just find really fascinating (some of which have been in my dreams).
DeleteThanks so much for taking the time to read & comment! =) I hope you enjoy the book!
Jen
I like the concept and story behind this book. I know in my heart that life is out there, and here. Also, I liked your author blurb.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian! Thank you for taking the time to read and comment =). I certainly hope you enjoy the novel if you have the opportunity to pick up a copy. Thank you!
DeleteJen
I enjoyed reading about the book. Did you have to do some research for it?
ReplyDeleteHi Debby! Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my book & leave a comment =). Your question is excellent, and yes - I had to do a LOT of research for this book just to make sure everything was possible the way I imagined. From Morgellons (which I tweaked the symptoms of to suit this story better) to shadow people (also tweaked a bit) to disposable biohazard suits and crystals used as storage devices for data... there were hours spent just exploring online and figuring out what might be able to really happen and what might be impossible =). I love research, though, so even though it took a long time and I had to grasp some scientific concepts, I believe that research makes any book better =).
DeleteThank you again - I hope you enjoy the book! =)
Jen
Sounds interesting. I was wondering where the idea for writing about Morgellons came from.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily! Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my book and leave a comment =).
DeleteThe idea kind of snuck up on me by accident. I was researching cryptozoology because I love creatures and the possibility that they might be out there. While on YouTube, I came across something about Morgellons and started watching. Once I learned a little bit about the disease, I found it to be very fascinating and awesome fodder for a science fiction novel, so I kept digging. Pretty soon, ideas began to form. Combined with the idea of shadow people, that was all I needed for my imagination to start going crazy and come up with the main plot of the story =).
Thanks again! I hope you enjoy the book if you have a chance to purchase it =).
Jen
I have heard about this disease. It is still highly questionable but very interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra! Thank you for taking the time to read about Fibers and leave a comment =). Many people have heard of Morgellons but it's still a mystery, depending on whom you talk to. There are also conspiracy theories surrounding this disease, which was part of my fascination with it.
DeleteI hope you enjoy the book if you purchase a copy to read =). Thanks again!
Jen
I think one of the scariest problems of the modern world is the possibility that even with all of the medical and technological breakthroughs, diseases are going to evolve to the point where we cannot stop certain strains from destroying humankind. This book makes us face that fear.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanna! Thank you so much for your comment, and you're absolutely right - the point is to work through those types of fears and fiction can help people do that very effectively, as writers as well as readers. I hope you enjoy the book! =)
DeleteJen
An interesting bio too.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you, Mary! I'm glad you think so =). Hope you enjoy the book!
DeleteJen
Hi everyone! I just wanted to take a few minutes to say hi and express my gratitude to our host as well as to everyone who stopped by to read about my book =). If anyone is interested in reading/listening to more excerpts, I invite you to sign up for my author newsletter at www.JenniferCrystalJohnson.com. 12 excerpts, videos of me reading each one so you don't have to strain your eyes, and more information on this novel and the trilogy =).
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for everything!
Jen
It was a pleasure hosting you Jen, and I wish you every successwith this book and the trilogy.
Delete