AND Introducing ... GARGOYLES by Alan Nayes ...*Contest*

In the tradition of Robin Cook and Richard Preston, Alan Nayes has written an absorbing, terrifying novel about what happens when human beings have the ability to save their own lives – but only by changing the face of humanity. — Brilliant pre-med student Amoreena Daniels needs money. Desperately. Her mother is dying of cancer and her medical insurance has run out...

When a seemingly perfect women's clinic offers Amoreena a generous payment for service as a surrogate mother, Amoreena thinks her prayers have been answered. But then -- much too early -- her baby begins to move.

The strange dreams, another surrogate's mysterious death, and a drug-addicted former medical intern confirm Amoreena's worst suspicions: there is something terribly wrong with her pregnancy.

Amoreena embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth behind the endless battery of genetic tests, sonograms, and frightened patients, only to discover that she has unwittingly become a pawn in a high-stakes game of biomedical experimentation.


~PROLOGUE FROM GARGOYLES ....

Somewhere near Itzimte Ruins, Guatemala, rainy season


She turned her first trick four months shy of her thirteenth birthday. Patricio had been a small man, only a boy really, being just two years older than she. His father had been a teniente in the security police that patrolled Mexico City, and he’d paid sixty pesos for Gabriella’s services.

Gabriella wasn’t her real name then, but it was the name she’d used while plying her trade, and it was how she was currently registered at Las Canas.

Now, three years later, the teenage girl with the truculent almond eyes sat huddled under a gnarled tree limb, seeking refuge from the tropical shower. Her skin glistened moistly from sweat and precipitation, and she could smell her own fear above the pungent odor of the earth.

Gabriella stroked one hand across her gravid abdomen, then quickly climbed from the security and cover of the lush vegetation to resume her flight along the muddy carretera that would eventually lead her to San Andres. Nightfall was fast approaching. She pressed onward, prodding herself another half kilometer, though her feet and thighs cried out for rest. Surrounded by miles of unfettered jungle that comprised the Guatemalan lowland rain forests, she longed for a shortcut. There was none. And carved out of this most intimidating habitat in all Central America was Las Canas.

Wump. Wump. Wump. Wump. Los helicopteros. The choppers.

“Mi bebe!” My baby. Gabriella dashed back under the gloomy cover of the rain-forest canopy. She would rather risk an encounter with el tigre or even Desmodus rotundus, the loathsome bloodsucking vampire bat.

Wump. Wump. Wump. Anything but not the choppers. She could never return to Las Canas.

Never.

Gabriella clutched desperately at her stomach. It heaved with each laborious breath. She couldn’t maintain this frenetic pace; it was impossible. She forced herself to think through the tears, through the pain. She might still stand a chance if she could thwart their initial assault.

Wump. Wump. Wump. Wump.

“Que merida,”Gabriella cried out.

Her hands protected her eyes as she stumbled farther through the thick underbrush. Thorns ripped at her skin, and vines threatened to ensnare her ankles as if they possessed wills of their own.

She tripped, stumbling forward. Terror gripped her like a giant anaconda. Her breaths catapulted from her convulsing chest in short gasps.

Oh Dios, por favor, she prayed. Please God. If she could just make it to the Itzimte Ruins before dark.

High above her head, the canopy of epiphytes, vines, and towering ferns gyrated into a living tempest. The powerful downdraft from the Sikorsky’s blades created a whirlpool of flying debris.

Gabriella threw herself on the forest floor, cowering under the onslaught of tangled vegetation.

Wump. Wump. Wump. Wump.

“No!” she cried. “No!”

With nothing to cling to but remnants of past dreams, Gabriella began to pray. She prayed for herself. She prayed for Las Canas. But mostly she prayed for the bebes.

The men from the plantacion de azucar were coming.

~REVIEWS

"Gargoyles is a heart-stopping page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat. Alan Nayes combines his expertise and slick writing to brilliantly bring to life the all-too-real possibilities of genetic engineering in the wrong hands. Gargoyles is a frighteningly good read!"-April Christofferson, author of Buffalo Medicine"

A splendid debut. A timely tale, steadily accelerating suspense . . . and a warning."--Charles Wilson, USA Today best-selling author of Deep Sleep and Extinct on Gargoyles

"The idea behind this story is first rate. Dr. Nayes shows the dark side of genetic engineering run amok, in a nightmarish biotech scenario. . . . Gargoyles is an audacious beginning for a bold new writer of medical thrillers."--David M. Shobin, New York Times bestselling author of The Provider

"Slickly suspenseful . . . The mix of breezy science and lab-smock sadism makes for breathless page-turning."--Kirkus Reviews on Gargoyles"

[A] gripping, thought-provoking tale of mounting distrust, betrayal, brutality, and greed."--Booklist on Gargoyles


*CONTEST*
Alan will give away a print copy of his novel GARGOYLES to one lucky commenter!! One winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT is over. Please leave your E-mail address so that we can contact you, should you win!

Contact Alan on the web- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alan-Nayes/12586042413992839928

Excerpt from BARBARY POINT by Alan Nayes...*Contest*

CHAPTER 1 – A MOTHER’S REQUEST

I was seated behind my desk when my mother called.

“Kelly, I have some awful news,” Mom blurted out. “Your father has passed away.”

A frozen silence coated the office interior like newly formed frost from a winter chill. I no longer heard the morning fashion editor prognosticating on the radio, no conversations from the hall, no sounds of copy machines and faxes.

My father. Dead.

Not the kind of revelation I had grown accustomed to. Up to that time, bad news had been nothing more serious than a speeding ticket, a missed deadline, and once or twice a broken date.

The morning had started out ordinary enough. I was driving into work.

Since graduating from a prestigious East Coast university with master’s degrees in comparative literature and broadcast journalism, I had launched a whirlwind of successes. I called it connecting the dots. My position as chief editor for West Coast Today magazine, a glamour publication with more CEOs and movie celebrities on its board than most Fortune 500 companies, was my most recent acquisition. Seeing my nameplate, Kelly English, mounted on the finely grained oak door always gave me goose bumps, though I would be the last person to admit this. That was one dot. And I’d built the magazine to a circulation of three-quarters of a million readers. Another dot.

I couldn’t resist a brief smile of pride in the rearview. My smile always reminded me of my mother. I looked like her. We both were blessed with high cheek bones and a thick mane of auburn hair. I’m just a younger version. And even though I’d recently turned twenty-eight, I could still lay claim to the title of youngest editor-in-chief of any major publication in the U.S. That was important to me. But I never realized priorities could change so fast when you least expected it.

I’d always believed winning was everything. And it seemed I never stopped rushing. That’s because I loved the game of life and enjoyed all its trimmings--a half million dollar residence, a fantastic job, and glamorous lifestyle--all dots on my future life investment. The sky was the limit and I was fueling my own rocket ship. Not bad for a shy kid growing up in a Dallas , Texas suburb who’d been cut from her junior high school soccer team because she couldn’t run fast enough.

Well, hell, this filly was running now!

I raced my snow white BMW convertible down the exit ramp, through a yellow light, whisked around a corner and moments later pulled to a stop in my own private space in underground parking.

No sooner than I rode the elevator up nineteen floors to my high rise office in the center of Los Angeles ’ financial district, the indicator light on my desk phone reminded me the morning business had begun.

My heart rate picked up a notch, though, when I recognized the voice on the line.

“Kell-bee,” a deep baritone resonated in my ear. “How was the ride in?”

“Wonderful, Thomas,” I replied. “I’m at my desk now.”

“Then I won’t bother you, baby,” he said. “Just wanted to ensure you arrived safely.”

“I’m here.”

“You mean a lot to me, Kell-bee.”

“I know.”

“And I’m not referring to your position as my editor-in-chief.”

“I know that, too, honey.”

“I love you, Kelly English.”

I kissed him through the receiver and disconnected.

Thomas Gregorian was perhaps the most surprising dot of all. The first time he’d called me Kell-bee, a sobriquet for Kelly and baby, I had blushed. So corny, yet from the CEO and chairman of Mayflower Ltd., a conglomerate of cable, real estate, and financial concerns and parent of West Coast Today, the nickname had seemed as natural as my birth name. After a dinner a year ago, our relationship blossomed rapidly to a flowering romance, culminating in a four karat engagement ring six weeks ago, thanks to his tenacious persistence. The wedding was set for October, a mere five months away.

Thomas Gregorian was rich, handsome, caring, everything a woman could desire. I reminded myself every day I couldn’t have been more blessed. Like Mother constantly cajoled me, when you net a fish that big, you don’t dillydally around and debate how to prepare it, you simply toss it in the skillet with plenty of grease and turn the heat to high.

Thomas liked to describe the physical attraction between us as akin to a finely blended vodka martini, his favorite drink, with all the ingredients measured to perfection -- goes down so smooth, yet leaves one feeling a warm afterglow long after the glass is empty.

Alone in my office, I allowed myself a moment of self-contemplation. My stepfather was several decades older than my mother and my parents seemed quite happy. Thomas’s age didn’t matter either. A fifty-one year old man as virile as Thomas was in his prime -- professionally, emotionally, and mentally. Eight years had passed since his divorce and I was ready to be a first time bride.

“I want a grandchild to spoil,” Mother constantly teased me.

Well one day soon, I thought as I perused the morning’s hectic schedule -- meetings with staff, audits to complete, a gazillion calls to clients, and layout artists for the new Seagram’s account.

Then came that phone call from Dallas , Texas .

“Your father has passed away,” Mother had said.

“Josh!” I exclaimed.

“No, not Josh. Him!”

“Him?”

“Your father.”

Instantly, any concern ground to a halt. “Oh, him,” I said. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him since my parents divorced when I was three.

Josh English was my stepfather and had been since I was seven. Though as an adult, I addressed him as Josh, he was still the only father I had ever known. He raised me, schooled me, clothed me, and most importantly, Josh deeply loved a woman named Melody, my mother.

In contrast, him was simply a blank slate, devoid of anything human. There was nothing reminiscent of family, and certainly no sense of love and loyalty. I didn’t hate him, though at one time I might have despised his existence. Now there was no feeling whatsoever. He might as well have been a stranger on a deserted island somewhere off the desolate coast of Antarctica . For me, he simply didn’t exist.

“I received the notice in the mail yesterday,” Mother explained. “Gene died almost two weeks ago. The funeral was last Sunday.”

“Why were you notified so late?”

“Well, Kelly, we weren’t exactly in touch. Also, he was living in Wisconsin .”

“I thought you mentioned one time he was from Chicago .”

“I guess he moved back. Anyway, this letter from the probate lawyer states Gene left his entire estate to me and you.”

“What?”

“I know, it’s absurd. What’s it been --?”

“Twenty five years,” I answered for her.

“Yes, I suppose so, dear. There is one slight problem with all this.”

“And...”

“One of us needs to fly up there to close out his estate. It wasn’t much, a small house or cottage on a lake, and other miscellaneous items the letter says. Gene never made much money, I gather.”

“So fly up there, Mom,” I said. “It shouldn’t take but a few days.”

“I can’t. Josh is going into the hospital for some tests.”

“Mother.”

“Oh no need for worry. Something to do with his colon. You know Josh, as strong as a bull.”

“Can’t Dad’s estate business wait?” I asked, instantly aware of an odd sensation in my chest at using the possessive adjective Dad.

“Not according to the lawyer. He would prefer to close this in person and soon.”

“How soon?”

“Like in the next couple of weeks.”

I exhaled heavily. “Mom, you would not believe how busy I am -- the magazine, the wedding, Thomas.”

“How is Thomas?”

“He’s fine.”

“And you?”

“We’re fine.”

“So Kelly, can you do this for me? Like you said, one day, two at the most. Gene didn’t have much.”

“Mom...”

“Please, one little favor.”

“Okay,” I acquiesced. “I guess I could get away for a little break.”

“Oh, dear, I knew you’d make time. You’re the best. Josh and I would go if it weren’t for the hospital appointment.”

“You don’t have to say it, Mom. By the way, where will I be flying to?”

Mother paused to read. “It says here, Gene had a tiny place just outside of Oshkosh on Lake Winnebago .”

Lake Winnebago . For some inexplicable reason the name touched a chord, I don’t know why, it meant nothing to me, and I decided this was fitting, as neither did my deceased father.


*CONTEST*
Alan will give away a print copy of his novel GARGOYLES to one lucky commenter!! One winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT is over. Please leave your E-mail address so that we can contact you, should you win!



Contact Alan on the web- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alan-Nayes/12586042413992839928

Purchase Barbary Point -http://www.amazon.com/Barbary-Point-ebook/dp/B004FV4S6W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292119255&sr=1-4ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292119255&sr=1-4

Reviews of Barbary Point ... *Contest*

~REVIEWS~

Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
5 stars *****
Barbary Point is one of the most beautifully written love stories I’ve read. It will make you laugh and cry. It’s so well written that you will feel the pain that Kelly, and I’m sure her father too, felt throughout their lives. But you will also feel the joy and love that Kelly feels as she spends more and more time on Barbary Point. I loved this heartwarming story of love.

Rebecca Rose's review
Dec 27, 10 5 stars *****
Warning: The tears will flow.
Sometimes you read something and it changes you. You appreciate your life so much more and thank the heavens for the wonderful life you have. I finished this beautiful piece of fiction and then dreamed about it. How cool is that? I fell in love with the characters. My heart bleed when the inevitable happened and when it was over. Even now my eyes are starting to mist because my heart is weeping with joy and sadness. What an art form Barbary Point is. I saw the water, felt the wind and was over joyed with the discoveries. This novella will stay with me for a long time. Stories like this only come around once in a great while. If you want to feel, Barbary Point by Alan Nayes is a must read. You won't be disappointed!Congratulations, Mr. Nayes on receiving the special Five and a Half Blue Roses! I'm so thrilled to have found Barbary Point.


Reviewed by Val @ Books that leave you breathless.
Having come from a similar situation with my own father, this touching novella really hit home with me. I felt I could relate to it in a way that I can't relate to most books I read. Kelly has felt one way about her father all her life and if afforded the opportunity to experience a new outlook on who her father really was. Solid characters and an intricately wound love story will leave you wishing this book had been longer. Mr. Nayes writes with intellectual flair that leaves you wanting to read more.Barbary Point was a breath of fresh air. In this fast paced life I live in, I love to read to escape and Barbary Point was worth every minute I spent reading. I felt as though I could slow down and enjoy the story. I know nothing of fishing but left this story with a little bit of knowledge and a great appreciation for the life of a fisherman. I would have to say that this book evokes similar emotions to any of the Nicholas Sparks Books. To Mr. Nayes I would like to say, this book was a job well done. It's evident that you researched the location of the book very well. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Kelly's story and I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

~Prologue from Barbary Point~

Mother always reminded me, “Kelly, love from the mind is nothing more than a pleasurable arrangement, whereas love from the heart lasts forever.”

I had listened to these same exact words beginning in junior high, again in high school, and throughout college. And it always worried me I might not be able to tell the difference.

A man I deeply loved once told me that a fish lunges after an artificial lure solely on instinct.

He sees it, wants it, and zappo, he’s hooked.

Love is a lot like that. You see someone you want, the chemistry is there, and zappo, you’re hooked.


*CONTEST*
Alan will give away a print copy of his novel GARGOYLES to one lucky commenter!! One winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT is over. Please leave your E-mail address so that we can contact you, should you win!


Contact Alan on the web- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alan-Nayes/125860424139928
Purchase Barbary Point -
http://www.amazon.com/Barbary-Point-ebook/dp/B004FV4S6W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292119255&sr=1-4

TOMORROW- CHAPTER 1 OF BARBARY POINT ......

Getting to know Author Alan Nayes...*Contest*

Alan Nayes was born in Houston and grew up on the Texas gulf coast. After attending medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, he moved to Southern California where he divides his time and energies between medicine and writing. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed biomedical thrillers, GARGOYLES and THE UNNATURAL. His most recent release is BARBARY POINT, a love story.

An avid outdoorsman and fitness enthusiast, he is one of only a few individuals to ever swim across Wisconsin’s chilly Lake Winnebago. When not working on his next project, he enjoys relaxing and fishing at the family vacation home in Wisconsin.

Contact Alan on the web- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alan-Nayes/125860424139928

Purchase Barbary Point -

http://www.amazon.com/Barbary-Point-ebook/dp/B004FV4S6W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292119255&sr=1-4

*CONTEST*
Alan will give away a print copy of his novel GARGOYLES to one lucky commenter!! One winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT is over. Please leave your E-mail address so that we can contact you, should you win!

Our SPOTLIGHT is on Barbary Point, by Alan Nayes ...*Contest*

When Kelly English flies back to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to close out her father's estate, the last thing on her mind is falling in love. Again.

Kelly is twenty-eight and engaged to an older man who is quite wealthy. She's happy, and only desires to make the trip back brief, sell her deceased father's place, and return to her stable life in Los Angeles. However, while taking care of business in Oshkosh, Kelly meets a fishing guide, launching her on an emotional journey she never could have predicted or foreseen.

Barbary Point is Kelly's story of what happened that one magical week in May on the shores of Lake Winnebago when the ducklings hatch and the walleye run.

Contact Alan on the web- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alan-Nayes/125860424139928

Purchase BARBARY POINT- http://www.amazon.com/Barbary-Point-ebook/dp/B004FV4S6W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292119255&sr=1-4

*CONTEST*

Alan will give away a print copy of his novel GARGOYLES to one lucky commenter!! One winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT is over. Please leave your E-mail address so that we can contact you, should you win!

ALSO...Be sure to pop over to The Writers Mind to meet another super author and to enter for a chance to win yet another great prize!

www.skypuringtonwrites.blogspot.com