Alex by Dianne Hartsock

Alex is twenty and confused. He always is.

Welcome to the February 21st stop on the blog tour for Alex by Dianne Hartsock with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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About the Book

Alex
by Dianne Hartsock

Published 27 January 2024
JMS Books LLC

Genre: Psychological Thriller
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Alex is twenty and confused. He always is. The world presses on him with its horrors and pain, with scintillating auras that bewilder his eyes and drive the migraines deeper. He hears the cries of the children, sees the brutal images of tortured victims. He feels out of control and his mind slips…

Severely abused as a child, he is left with horrible scars on his body and even worse scars within his mind. Even though it puts him in danger, he’s compelled to help those who call to him. He’s driven, motivated by his visions to rescue them and hopefully uncover the killer. When he can, he helps the police; yet some detectives suspect he’s involved. Often, Alex finds himself alone and afraid in a world he doesn’t always understand.

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Excerpt

Alex studied the ground until his eyes blurred. He didn’t know what to say or do. Brad was angry simply because he was there. “I’m going to walk home,” he said softly and started down the deserted road.

Angie hurried after him, caught up, and slipped an arm through his. “I’ll go with you.”

Justin took his other arm. “Me, too. We’ll just crash on your couch tonight. You can make us pancakes in the morning.”

Alex frowned, not knowing how to take the gesture. “I won’t get lost.”

“Maybe not, but after what Mr. Bradley said about those missing people…”

Again, Alex heard someone scream in his head, but he impatiently shook off the delusion. “You can come with me, but I won’t promise breakfast.”

They took their time on the long walk through the city, enjoying the moonlight and exchanging jokes. Alex’s despondent mood lightened as they turned the corner and headed onto the dirt road that led home.

They were on the twelfth verse of a roundabout song, with Justin’s voice loud and off-key, when they turned the last bend in the road. The bridge loomed ahead, and Alex suddenly stopped.

“Hey,” Angie said when she nearly ran into him.

Alex could hardly hear her over the roaring in his head, and moved despairingly to the bridge, resting his arms on the chest-high rail. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shut this voice out. Leaning over to watch the water flowing below, he said, “There’s a boy down there.”

Justin rushed to his side, pulling his shirt over his head in preparation of jumping. “Where?”

“I don’t know,” he mumbled.

Justin hesitated, looking intently at him, then slowly put his shirt back on. “What do you mean?”

“I hear him. He’s lost and afraid and in a dark place.” Alex gnawed on his bottom lip as he frantically sorted through the voices and images that crowded his mind. “He’s in pain. I can’t be sure he’s down there. I don’t think he is.” He leaned farther over the rail for a better view. “But I hear him calling me, faintly. He draws me to this place.”

Justin leaned next to him. “I don’t see anyone down there. Maybe he’s not there yet. Maybe later tonight, or tomorrow, or…”

Alex drew in his breath. All along, he’d been afraid that he was losing his mind. But here were his friends, supporting him unconditionally.

Angie put a hand on his arm. “Why not? Anything’s possible.”

He looked from her to Justin, who smiled back. “Alex, you’re surely strange enough to be psychic, if that’s what this is.”

About the Author

Dianne grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne is the author of m/m romance, paranormal/suspense, fantasy adventure, the occasional thriller, and anything else that comes to mind.

She now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. Dianne says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee in her hands, which kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

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