Haunted Halloween: Christine Johnson + A Giveaway!

The scariest thing that ever happened to me occurred in broad daylight on the Kennedy expressway between Chicago and the north ‘burbs.

Seriously.

I was driving along, and came to a brief snarl in traffic. Not shocking. Of COURSE there’d be traffic in the middle of nowhere at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday. Any road that connects to Chicago is prone to that. So I stopped. I was listening to some story on NPR and noticing how gorgeous it was. It was late spring - one of those first warm and sunny blue sky days that makes it seem like it just might be possible that winter’s finally really and truly over. I was in the right lane, and I had my elbow up on the door, leaning on my hand, waiting for the cars to start moving again.

And then I almost rear ended the car in front of me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man stand up from the concrete road divider and walk quickly and purposefully up to my window. He had on a plaid shirt and a tan, 80’s style jacket, unzipped. I jumped about a mile and whirled around, automatically reaching for the lock on the door. My foot slipped off the brake and I jammed it back into place, stopping just before I bumped the car ahead of me.

Then I spun back around to see what the heck this guy was doing, coming right up to the window like that.

Instead of coming face-to-face with the button placket on a red plaid shirt, though, there was nothing in the window except the unbroken concrete line of the highway, and the ragged green of trees beyond.

The man wasn’t there. He wasn’t ANYWHERE.

He’d disappeared in the literal two seconds it had taken me to slam on the brakes and look back over at the window. There was no way he could have made it to any other vehicle or back to the concrete dividers in the time it took me to glance at the SUV in front of me and back. He was just GONE.

I turned to look at the car behind me, sure that the driver must have seen what I’d seen. But they were staring down at a cell phone. No one else in the cars around me looked particularly freaked out, and just then, traffic started to move again.

I was shaken. I have no idea what or who the man was. I don’t know if anyone else saw him. I’d think he had been a trick of the light - a figment of my imagination, but it was too real and too detailed and too sudden. I have flights of fancy all the time. I know what those look like. Optical illusions don’t have on a particular pattern of plaid or identifiable jackets.

Whoever he was, I hope he’s found his way off that stretch of the Kennedy. No one - ghost, angel or phantasm - deserves to be stuck there for all of eternity.

Title: Claire de Lune (Claire de Lune, #1)

Synopsis: Torn between two destinies?


Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.


As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?


Available now from Simon Pulse!

Order online here:

Amazon | Borders | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Preorder online the sequel - Nocturne (Claire de Lune, #2):

Amazon | Borders | The Book Depository

Find Christine Online:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Book Trailer:

Claire de Lune Swag!! 3 winners!

Each winner will get a signed bookplate and bookmark!

Here are the rules and how to enter:

You MUST complete the form to enter. No entries in comments please they won't count. Comments are welcome, so share your love with Christine!

You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
This contest is open to INTERNATIONAL!!!
Contest ends: Oct. 31th, 2010

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Good luck to everyone who enters. If you have any questions, please see my policy page or feel free to email me with any questions.

A HUGE Thank You goes to Christine for her time, the post and such an donation that made this giveaway possible.

Check out Jessica's Haunted Halloween post with...........

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