Title: Afterlife
Author: Sandy Goldsworthy
Series: Afterworld Saga #2
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Release Date: August 29, 2016
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Summary:AFTERLIFE is the highly anticipated sequel to AFTERMATH by Sandy Goldsworthy. This exciting Young Adult mystery romance is a must-read.
Everything seems perfect for Emma Bennett—she has a new set of friends she adores and a boyfriend she is crazy about. But when Emma sees a picture of her hunky boyfriend kissing another girl, she begins to question if his love for her is real. As she searches for the truth, will Emma be exposed to the dangers of another world?
Ben Parker enjoys the role of high school student and boyfriend to the love of his existence. Juggling his social life with his job in the Afterworld’s Bureau of Investigation is supposed to be easy for the decorated undercover agent. But when some kid captures a photo of him in a precarious position, he’s faced with lying to his girlfriend or erasing her memory. Instead, Ben makes the worst decision of his career. Now, forced to face the consequences, he loses the only thing that matters to him—Emma.
When seemingly insurmountable obstacles separate the lovers, will the two soul mates be able find their way back to each other?
Kaleidoscope
“Do you remember Emma?” Lucas asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Abe held my hand. I remembered meeting him at Ray’s auto body shop, although I could have sworn he looked different. Shorter hair, maybe?
“Nice to see you,” I answered, returning his welcoming smile.
“Lucas, did you ever meet my brother, Henrik?” Abe asked.
“Call me Henry,” he said. He shook hands with Lucas first, then reached for my hand and kissed it gently. “Very lovely to meet you, Miss Emma.” He had a hint of an accent. Even though they both looked like they were mid-twenties, Henry acted much older.
I blushed. That kind of attention might be common wherever he came from, but not here in Westport.
“You’re adorable. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, darlin’.”
Drew returned with a tray full of shots before I had time to answer Henry. After introductions, Lucas gave a toast and everyone drank back the whiskey. I didn’t want one, but I drank it anyway. Actually, I choked on it. I didn’t think any of the guys noticed until Henry put his hand on the small of my back and asked if I was okay.
“Yes. Thank you.”
When I looked up at him, I realized he had a beautiful set of ice-gray eyes. The colors were piercing. Shades of white intermixed with hints of silver and turquoise. The longer I stared, the more the hues changed. Blues faded and whites darkened. Chills ran up my arms, but I couldn’t look away. I strained to keep my eyes open despite how heavy my eyelids felt.
A tingling swept over me until I was completely relaxed.
Like a kaleidoscope, Henry’s eye colors swirled. His pupils dilated.
I closed my eyes and saw a young woman with long, brown hair running through tall grass on a sunny afternoon. I felt the warmth on my skin, tilting my head back to catch the rays. I was tired.
Was I floating?
“Emma, can I get you something to drink?” Abe asked. His hand was on my arm. Stunned, I stared up at him. Did I just fall asleep?
I shook my head quickly. “I’m okay,” I mumbled. My eyes were dry and sore, and the strange sensation, the warm, comforting feeling I had, was gone.
Did I just imagine that?
Nightmare
Darkness surrounded me.
The tick and clink of metal on metal sounded. Then there was silence. I leaned forward and felt the restraint of something binding. I pushed forward again and reached my hands out in front of me. Feeling the steering wheel and dashboard, I realized I was in a car, but where?
A woozy wave of fear and anxiety overcame me.
My heart raced. I knew I had been chased and ended up here. I just couldn’t recall how, or who was chasing me. I strained to remember, but all that returned was a feeling of being tracked and hunted.
Thoughts swirled in my mind. I was pinned in a vice of plastic and steel.
Were they still after me?
Despite being wedged in the driver’s seat, I didn’t feel any pain. Not even a headache.
A flash of lights illuminated my surroundings. I was down an embankment in a car I didn’t recognize. Noises on the road above me distracted my thoughts.
Rescue was on its way.
“Help!” I screamed. “Down here!”
The silhouette of a man appeared beside the broken guardrail. The shape of a trench coat and a fedora was a familiar sight. He stood in front of the headlights yards away from me as I pounded on my window.
When he didn’t move, I reached for the door handle. With both hands, I felt around. There was nothing where the handle should be.
Panic set in and my heart pounded.
“Help! I’m trapped,” I cried as my fist made contact with the steamed window of the driver’s side door.
When the man finally moved, he got back in his car and drove away.
“No! Please don’t leave,” I mumbled, hearing my voice aloud.
I awoke in a cold sweat with my dog, Chester, nudging my clutched fist.
The room was dark, and the clock flashed two in the morning. It took me a few minutes to understand I was in my bed, and that the vivid, scary accident was just a dream.
I rolled over. When my heart stopped racing, I dozed off again.
“Do you remember Emma?” Lucas asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Abe held my hand. I remembered meeting him at Ray’s auto body shop, although I could have sworn he looked different. Shorter hair, maybe?
“Nice to see you,” I answered, returning his welcoming smile.
“Lucas, did you ever meet my brother, Henrik?” Abe asked.
“Call me Henry,” he said. He shook hands with Lucas first, then reached for my hand and kissed it gently. “Very lovely to meet you, Miss Emma.” He had a hint of an accent. Even though they both looked like they were mid-twenties, Henry acted much older.
I blushed. That kind of attention might be common wherever he came from, but not here in Westport.
“You’re adorable. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, darlin’.”
Drew returned with a tray full of shots before I had time to answer Henry. After introductions, Lucas gave a toast and everyone drank back the whiskey. I didn’t want one, but I drank it anyway. Actually, I choked on it. I didn’t think any of the guys noticed until Henry put his hand on the small of my back and asked if I was okay.
When I looked up at him, I realized he had a beautiful set of ice-gray eyes. The colors were piercing. Shades of white intermixed with hints of silver and turquoise. The longer I stared, the more the hues changed. Blues faded and whites darkened. Chills ran up my arms, but I couldn’t look away. I strained to keep my eyes open despite how heavy my eyelids felt.
A tingling swept over me until I was completely relaxed.
Like a kaleidoscope, Henry’s eye colors swirled. His pupils dilated.
I closed my eyes and saw a young woman with long, brown hair running through tall grass on a sunny afternoon. I felt the warmth on my skin, tilting my head back to catch the rays. I was tired.
Was I floating?
“Emma, can I get you something to drink?” Abe asked. His hand was on my arm. Stunned, I stared up at him. Did I just fall asleep?
I shook my head quickly. “I’m okay,” I mumbled. My eyes were dry and sore, and the strange sensation, the warm, comforting feeling I had, was gone.
Did I just imagine that?
Nightmare
Darkness surrounded me.
The tick and clink of metal on metal sounded. Then there was silence. I leaned forward and felt the restraint of something binding. I pushed forward again and reached my hands out in front of me. Feeling the steering wheel and dashboard, I realized I was in a car, but where?
A woozy wave of fear and anxiety overcame me.
My heart raced. I knew I had been chased and ended up here. I just couldn’t recall how, or who was chasing me. I strained to remember, but all that returned was a feeling of being tracked and hunted.
Were they still after me?
Despite being wedged in the driver’s seat, I didn’t feel any pain. Not even a headache.
A flash of lights illuminated my surroundings. I was down an embankment in a car I didn’t recognize. Noises on the road above me distracted my thoughts.
Rescue was on its way.
“Help!” I screamed. “Down here!”
The silhouette of a man appeared beside the broken guardrail. The shape of a trench coat and a fedora was a familiar sight. He stood in front of the headlights yards away from me as I pounded on my window.
When he didn’t move, I reached for the door handle. With both hands, I felt around. There was nothing where the handle should be.
Panic set in and my heart pounded.
“Help! I’m trapped,” I cried as my fist made contact with the steamed window of the driver’s side door.
When the man finally moved, he got back in his car and drove away.
“No! Please don’t leave,” I mumbled, hearing my voice aloud.
I awoke in a cold sweat with my dog, Chester, nudging my clutched fist.
The room was dark, and the clock flashed two in the morning. It took me a few minutes to understand I was in my bed, and that the vivid, scary accident was just a dream.
I rolled over. When my heart stopped racing, I dozed off again.
That’s an interesting question. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been inspired to write. In high school, my English teacher didn’t love the assignment I turned in. I thought it was perfect—just what she was looking for. It wasn’t.
The assignment was to describe a house. I wrote that the door was red. My teacher didn’t like just red. She wanted to really “see” the red. It was a turning point for me. Instead of being a chore, writing was something I enjoyed. It was an art to me.
Every time I read a good book, I get inspired to write. Great characters and twisting plots motivate me to craft my story—to take it to the next level.
Aftermath started when the character of Ben Parker came to life. About five years ago, I had a very vivid dream of a train derailment. Railcars tumbled off a ridge, landing on top of each other in a ravine. In my dream, there was a young man that appeared untouched by the accident. Once everything settled, he pulled the victims from the crash site and escorted them to the afterworld. I still remember waking up, my heart pounding in my chest.
Sandy Goldsworthy was raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, blocks from the rocky shores of Lake Michigan. As a child, she fantasized about becoming an author. She jotted story lines in spiral notebooks and drew images of characters that never came to life. Her passion for putting pen to paper began when her high school English teacher inspired her to be more descriptive in her work. Ever since, Sandy dabbled in creative writing, searching for that perfect shade of red and that character you want to get to know.
A graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Sandy is the YA author of the paranormal romance series, The Afterworld Saga. She spends her days managing corporate client programs, and her nights and weekends drafting new plot lines in spiral notebooks. She resides in southeastern Wisconsin with her husband, two children, and an energetic puppy. Learn more at her website.
Afterlife #2
KOBO / iTUNES / GOODREADS TBR
Aftermath #1(Currently Free)
