GUEST BLOGGER: M.J. ROSE

I am thrilled to have M.J. Rose as my guest blogger. I discovered her first book, Lip Service, while I was working at Borders at least ten years ago, and I've been a fan ever since. M.J. has grown tremendously as a writer, and her latest, The Memorist, has just been released and is available at bookstores nationwide and online.

M.J. was kind enough to send along this little tidbit. She said,

"Stacy, Here is a totally original unpublished anywhere else cut excerpt from The Memorist that is not in the book and won't appear anywhere until after it is at your blog."

Thanks, M.J.! I know my readers will enjoy this--

The six-year-old boy could not tolerate anything or anyone touching his upper chest or his neck. No clothing. No sheets. Not a seatbelt or his father's embrace.

When his mother had first brought him to the Phoenix Foundation to see the famous reincarnationist, Dr. Malachai Samuels, the boy had responded well, laughing at the doctor's magic tricks and then happily settling on the floor and playing with the assorted toys. He favored the puzzle and while he fit the pieces together he answered question after question, slowly giving up the details of his recurring nightmare: of the tree branches closing in over his head, of the thick coil of hemp they wrapped around his neck and kept him tethered to the tree until someone finally cut it and he fell to his death.

In three subsequent sessions, while the child played, Malachai helped him explore his deepest memories until he had gathered enough details to research them and find the historical facts to back up the boy's memories.

The final step in the regression treatment was to take the boy to the house where he had once lived and died as someone else and when the child stood upon the spot where the hanging took place he broke down. Through his sobs, Malachai could just make out the words: I don't want it to be real… I don't want it to be real.

Not his mother or his father, but Malachai took the child in his arms and whispered to him in soothing tones, saying, yes it hurt, yes he understood how scared he was, how alone he felt, how sad it must be to remember so many people from the past who were no longer alive, how confusing it was to remember this other time and place and this other pain.

And all the while that he comforted the boy, Malachai was consumed with envy because through all these years, no matter how desperately he tried, he couldn't find a single shred of a memory from his own past. And that was the tragedy of his life.

Please check out an additional excerpt and check out the book trailer! The Memorist has garnered rave reviews, and I couldn't be happier about it, they are richly deserved.

“Gripping… Rose once again skillfully blends past and present with a new set of absorbing characters in a fascinating historical locale.”
— Starred Review, Library Journal.

"Rose's fascinating follow up to The Reincarnationist…skillfully blends past life mysteries with present day chills. The result is a smashing good read."
— Starred Review, Publisher's Weekly

And BookBitch's own Becky LeJeune's review:

"When Meer Logan was young, she suffered from terrifying dreams of an elaborate box and a haunting melody. Desperate for help, her father contacted Malachi Samuels head of the Phoenix Foundation. Jeremy Logan and Samuels believed that Meer’s issues stem from reincarnation. Meer believes, however, that the box and the music are actually the result of false memories created by her own mind.

Then her father discovers the real box and a letter hidden inside that appears to have been written by Beethoven himself. In the letter, Beethoven talks of a flute that when played with a specific tune will allow people to see their past lives – a memory tool.

Meer’s dreams begin to return and she travels to Vienna in hopes that she can finally make sense of them. Instead, the dreams become even more vivid and seem to be leading Meer straight to the famous flute. Word of Logan’s discovery has been made public, though, and they’re all about to see just how far people are willing to go to get their hands on yet another memory tool.

Rose delves into the mysteries of the mind and reincarnation again in this magnificent follow-up to last year’s The Reincarnationist. The Memorist features an all new cast of characters, with the exception of Samuels and the Phoenix Foundation, and can easily be read without having read book one. Like The Reincarnationist, Rose moves easily from one storyline to the next, from one character to another, and from one century to another. The plot is elaborate and totally engaging; a page-turner that will stick with you long after you put it down. "

M.J. Rose is the international bestselling author of 10 novels and is also the co-author with Angela Adair Hoy of How to Publish and Promote Online, and with Doug Clegg of Buzz Your Book. She is a founding member and board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She runs two popular blogs; Buzz, Balls & Hype and Backstory. Please visit her website at http://www.mjrose.com.