Two women. One goal. To uncover the truth no matter the cost. Synopsis
A survivor of rape and her husband's murder, all Becca Rosen wants to do is move on with her life, but how can she when she's being stalked by a psychopath with an attitude---and an agenda. The police are no help because they're convinced, with her history of mental illness, Becca has faked the rape to get away with her husband's murder. On top of that, Becca has begun to have flashbacks of childhood abuse, possibly at the hands of the rapist. Not knowing where to turn, and feeling like she might go crazy again, Becca hires Psychologist, Sarah Abrams, to help her unearth who's behind the crimes of the past...and the present. Three men come into Becca's life around the same time. While each of these men has his charms, Becca can't be certain whether any one of them is the perpetrator. Or could it be someone else? Together Becca and Sarah start on a course of hypnotherapy to discover abuser's identity. Will their work reveal the real killer before it's too late, or will Becca fall prey once again to this demented criminal?
Get it HERE and in the Apple Store!
The Second Book in the Shadow Series:
The Second Book in The Shadow Series from J.K. Winn
Synopsis When Ellie Ross’ best friend dies mysteriously during a wild night spent drinking and partying, Ellie suddenly becomes the center of attention. But not in the way she could have imagined, or ever wanted. The police write off Jessica’s death as an accident, but Ellie’s memories of that fateful night come back to her in flashes, alerting her to the fact Jessica was murdered. The murderer—whoever he is—will stop at nothing to prevent Ellie from exposing the truth.
Now, to protect herself from this faceless menace, Ellie must learn his identity. She hires Psychologist Sarah Abrams to help her recover her memories. Will she identify the killer in time to save herself, or will she become his next victim? Night of the Shadow will keep you on the edge of your seat as Ellie tries to outwit death until the final, surprising twist. Get it HERE or in the Apple Store!
Also keep an eye out for J.K. Winn's other published titles:
Get it HERE!
Get it HERE!
Get it HERE!
Also included in this week's feature: an exclusive excerpt from J.K. Winn's newest release: HOLD BACK THE WIND.
Get it HERE.
Without a medical miracle, Orlando Asala would die. Dr. Vickie Marsh palpated the five-year-old’s stomach, distended to the size of a watermelon and hard as a rock. Sure signs of end stage kidney disease. At her touch, Orlando winced and a single tear trickled from his large dark brown eyes and traveled down his cheek. Vickie reached up to pat his straight black hair. “Sorry Sweetie.” Since he didn’t understand a word of English, her reassurance was more for her own sake then for his. Even in pain, Orlando didn’t utter a sound. Not normally a risk taker, Vickie had rarely stepped outside the dotted line, or questioned authority. But, every once in a while, life requires more of you than you're prepared to give. It asks you to stretch and grow in ways you never thought possible. And at those moments you can either bow under in defeat, or take a leap into the unknown. Vickie knew what she had to do. She gently draped the cover over Orlando. “I’ll be back.” With a CT Scan extracted from his chart, she took the stairs two at a time to the first floor administrator’s office. Vickie had lost two patients unexpectedly in the last couple of months and she wasn’t about to lose one who could be saved without putting up a fight. Heart pounding, palms sweating, she stationed herself by Bart Standly’s desk and placed the CT Scan under his nose. “I'm wondering if you could help me understand your policy concerning the Asala kid. Since he's in kidney failure, why can't I dialyze him?” Bart frowned. “You know as well as I do we’re only supposed to offer emergency treatment to illegals.” “I know you won't treat his cancer, which is probably Wilm's tumor in both kidneys,” she pointed at the scan, “but after what happened in the Ramirez case, I'm having difficulty making sense of why you won't let us at least dialyze him. If we had only kept the Ramirez child here, he might be alive today. I hope you won't do the same thing with Orlando.” Bart brushed off her argument with a hand. “This is a private hospital, Vickie. We don’t have the resources to treat everyone who waltzes through our doors. He can go to a public facility for further treatment—” “That’s what you said about Jose Ramirez. How can you transfer out anyone in Orlando’s condition? It’s... it’s unconscionable.” “There’s no proof we could save him even if we intervened.“ “But there is evidence if we don’t he’ll die.” “Look, I have enough to deal with right now without anything else on my plate. You know as well as I do the state is sending someone over to look into the number of unexplained deaths on our pediatric floor. I’m under enormous pressure.” Bart looked strained. He fingered a metal paperweight, nervously tapping it against the polished wooden desktop. “Beside the legalities of treating this child, how do you think we’d be paid? We aren’t a county hospital. We can’t afford to treat patients for free. Be rational.” Still shaky, she had to think fast or her position wouldn't stand a chance. ”How would it look with all these pediatric deaths if we abandon a sick kid? I don’t care if he’s from Guatemala or Timbuktu. It won’t help the hospital’s image.” Although Bart raised a hand in protest, his voice became pious. Reasonable. “I’m just as concerned a doctor as you. I’d like to treat this child, but it’s futile. Any drastic measures would be questionable...and irrationally expensive.“ To calm her smoldering frustration, Vickie stared past him through the picture window at the brilliant blue San Diego sky. An ancient queen palm swayed in the ocean breeze. Bright scarlet bougainvillea encircled its trunk and clung to it with the same desperate determination driving her. She pointed to the picture of a beaming tow-headed boy on the wall by the window. “Orlando Asala is only five, about the same age as little Bart. How would you feel if this happened to him? I know you’d have the hospital cranked into high gear to handle the problem.” He looked away and gave a shrug of indifference. “You’re head of this hospital, you make the final decision. If Children’s or Scripps caught wind of this, what do you think they’d do?“ At the mention of his competition, he squirmed. “But I’d have to justify it to the Board and you know where they stand on these matters.” She saw fear of bad local PR was more likely to change his mind than humanitarian, or even personal, considerations. She pressed her advantage. “You can tell the Board what you want; this kid needs treatment now. I’ve looked at his levels and he probably has nephroblastoma tumors. There's no time to delay.” But time did stop while he considered. Bart stared at the scan with flat black eyes surrounded by puffy bags. He ran a hand through his combed-over gray hair and then pinched his sagging jowls. Finally, he sighed. “All right. You win this round.” “You're wrong, Bart, I haven’t won anything until I find a way to save Orlando’s life. The dialysis is only a stop-gap measure. It isn't a cure.” A buzz filled the room and Bart silenced it by pressing a button on his phone. “Yes?” The voice of his secretary bellowed back, “Steve Maple’s here from Med Machines.” “Tell him I’ll be right out.” Bart glanced up as though surprised to find her still there. “I have to go. This is an important meeting.” She had squeezed out all the concessions he would deliver for now. After a terse goodbye, she left the office. Halfway down the hall she ran smack into oncologist Cynthia Reynolds. Cynthia looked as harried as Vickie felt. “Sorry,” Cynthia mumbled, then stared at Vickie. “Are you okay. You don’t look well...” “I just had a meeting with Bart about one of my patients, Orlando Asala—you know, the five-year-old from Colombia.” Cynthia flexed her brow. “And what was the gist of this meeting?” “Money, of course. Bart doesn’t want to keep treating Orlando indefinitely without the hope of being paid. I can understand his position as Hospital Director, but I can’t understand tossing this child away like yesterday's breakfast. I don’t know what to do.” She started to move past Cynthia, when she heard her mumble under her breath, “There’s one possibility—” Vickie spun around. “What's that?” “I recall a similar case a couple of years back. There was someone who could help...” She shook her head of wavy dark brown hair. Deep lines etched grooves around her bloodshot, sleep deprived eyes. “Silly of me to even mention anything. He’s long gone... she muttered. “It’s such a long shot, you might as well not bother." Not bother. Any hope was no bother at all. She blocked Cynthia’s path. “Who is it?” A tech walked past and gave Cynthia a nod. She smiled at the tech before glancing back at Vickie. “And?” Cynthia looked confused. “What were we talking about?” “You mentioned someone who might be able to help Orlando.” “That’s right. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned him because he left the hospital under less than the best of circumstances a few years back. I hear he’s working for a private research lab and teaching paraglider classes—” “Who are you talking about?” Cynthia shrugged. “I don’t believe he wants anything to do with this hospital anymore. So forget I mentioned him.” “Him who?” “I wish I hadn’t said anything. We're friends—I'd hate to piss him off. I warn you, if you approach him, don’t expect any assistance from me, and do expect a lot of resistance from him.” “Just tell me his name and I'll take it from there.” Cynthia sighed. “I know you, Vickie. You’ll never rest until I give you an answer, even if it’s a big mistake. Please don’t tell him I sent you. I'm not sure how he'll react.” Her reluctance piqued Vickie's curiosity all the more. “Why?” “To say he's not fond of Bart or Seaside Hospital is a serious understatement. I’ll leave it at that.” Cynthia offered her a shallow smile. “His name is Zackery Scott.”
About the Author
J K Winn has many stories to share. After years of working in the "real" world, including a job teaching college, working with the Indian Health Service, performing evaluations for the New Mexican courts, and even a stint on a hospital dialysis unit, she decided to reinvent herself in mid-life and pursue her love of story.
She has six published novels, a play produced by the Actor's Alliance Festival in San Diego, poetry anthologized in, For the Love of Writing, by the San Diego Writer's Workshop and a play, Gotcha!, selected for a reading at the Village Arts Theater in Carlsbad, California, May 2012.
She presently lives by the beach in San Diego County, California. Visit her at her blog www.jkwinn.com
To participate in this program, visit HERE! We'd love to have you! (Limited space available)
OUT OF THE SHADOW: A Psychological Thriller Series from J.K. Winn + Other Titles
