My Life, Loves and Passion: 1 Year Anniversary for the Release of Struck! Plus my Review!

Welcome to the blog tour celebrating the 1 Year Anniversary of the release of Paranormal Gothic Horror Novel ~

STRUCK by Clarissa Johal.

Follow the tour (schedule posted below) to read new reviews, interviews with Clarissa, and exclusive excerpts.

"The shadows hadn't been waiting. The shadows had been invited."

About STRUCK

After a painful breakup, Gwynneth Reese moves in with her best friend and takes a job at a retirement home. She grows especially close to one resident, who dies alone the night of a terrific storm. On the way home from paying her last respects, Gwynneth is caught in another storm and is struck by lightning. She wakes in the hospital with a vague memory of being rescued by a mysterious stranger. Following her release from the hospital, the stranger visits her at will and offers Gwynneth a gift--one that will stay the hands of death. Gwynneth is uncertain whether Julian is a savior or something more sinister... for as he shares more and more of this gift, his price becomes more and more deadly.

Book Details:

Title: STRUCK

Genre: Paranormal Gothic Horror

Author(s): Clarissa Johal

Publisher: Musa Publishing

http://www.musapublishing.com/

Cover Artist: Kelly Shorten

ISBN: 978-1-61937-690-8

Number of Pages: 255

Price: $4.99

Purchase Links:

Amazon Struck

Musa Publishing: Struck

Barnes and Noble: Struck

My Review

4/5

I started this book and I could not put it down. Gwynneth is such a relatable main character. She moves in with her friend Seth after a horrible break up. She works at a nursing home with the awesome Felton.

She comes into work to find out one of her favorite residents has passed. She goes to the funeral home to pay her respects and gets struck by lighting. Thats when she meets Julian. It seems at first like he is helping but it is not what it seems.

Seth and Gwyn are great together and its fun seeing them explore feelings. Then Fenton who is just my favorite.

My Biggest issue was that it took to long to figure out anything. By the 9th chapter I still wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I loved the story and wanted to keep reading but I was starting to lose interest. Besides that I thought it was a great book.

About the Author:

Clarissa Johal has worked as a veterinary assistant, zoo-keeper aide and vegetarian chef. Writing has always been her passion. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing or taking photographs of gargoyles. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters and every stray animal that darkens the doorstep. One day, she expects that a wayward troll will wander into her yard, but that hasn’t happened yet.

*Member of the Author's Guild

Coming May 19, 2015 from Permuted Press

VOICES, a paranormal psychological horror

STRUCK, a paranormal gothic horror

(2014) Musa Publishing

*Indie Book of the Day Award

*Nominated for the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2014

BETWEEN, a story of the paranormal

(2012) Musa Publishing

*Second place in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll 2012

*Paranormal Reads gives BETWEEN 4 out of 5 Bats

PRADEE, a young adult fantasy

(2010) CreateSpace

*Second round finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest 2012

Short stories:

PIGEONS, published in the literary journal Susurrus

THE ROPE, published in the literary journal Susurrus

Non-Fiction:

A WAY OF LIFE, published in The Sacramento Bee

Find Clarissa Online:

Author Website

Author Blog

Author Facebook Page

Twitter: Author Twitter Profile

Goodreads: Author Goodreads Profile

Amazon Author Page

Pinterest: Author Pinterest Profile

Praise for STRUCK:

Lovely Reads: 5 Stars

"This book grabs you in right away and hold your attention...I so loved this book and didn't put it down until the very end." Read More ~ Lovely Reads

Bex 'n; Books: 5 Stars

"This is a spooky thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You won't be able to put it down because you must finish it to see what happens, even if it keeps you up late at night to do so." Read MOre ~ Bex'n'Books

Bibliophilic Book Blog: 4 Stars

"STRUCK will get beneath your skin from the very beginning. Gwen’s a likable character with a difficult past and tenuous future after meeting Julian. I liked the secondary characters, especially Fenten and Poppy. The characters were definitely all well-developed and engaging." Read More ~ Bibliophilic Book Blog

"The characters are well drawn and likable....The action is fast paced-- I read the book in one sitting " Read More ~ Straight from the Library

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

How did you come up with the idea for STRUCK?

Some stories begin as random scenes, some as characters, and some are born from asking the question, “What if?” I was hit with the idea of STRUCK while running on a forest trail near my house. It was during a thunderstorm and I wondered what it would be like to be hit by lightning. I write about ghosts and things that go bump in the night and in essence, those entities are energy. What if a portal was opened by a lightning strike? And what if that portal allowed the energy from those entities to escape? The idea was intriguing and I went to bed still thinking about it. That night, I dreamt I stood in a field, with lightning striking the ground all around me. But the lightning wasn’t just releasing electrical energy, the lightning was releasing negative entities from the Otherworld. I woke from the nightmare in a panic, thinking those entities had somehow attached themselves to me. And so a story is born.

I went on to research the effects of being struck by lightning, interviewed several lightning survivors, and began writing STRUCK. I’m continually amazed how a, “What if?” idea can expand into a novel.

What first inspired you to become a writer? And what compels you to continue your career as an author?

I wrote my first short story in grade six. I was asked by the teacher to read it aloud to the class, which terrified me. After I was finished, I realized that I actually had everyone’s attention! I was shy and we moved every year, so I was always the new kid. When you’re in that situation, it’s kind of like being invisible. Finding my voice through story-telling made me realize how powerful writing could be. As far as continuing—truthfully? I think I’d go nuts if I didn’t write.

What made you choose the genre of paranormal gothic horror?

I started out writing fantasy fiction. I was working on the second installment to my PRADEE series when there were two characters that kept showing up on the page, over and over. They didn’t belong in fantasy novel, nor did they belong in my story! But their backstory came to me so vividly, that I set aside my series and wrote my first paranormal novel, BETWEEN. I’ve been pulled into the Otherworld permanently now. The ideas come faster than I can write them down.

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