Blog Tour: Heartifact by Aisling Mancy (Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaway)
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DEADLY
AMBITION
One of the mysteries surrounding the
ominous archaeological dive that Harper and Stick agree to undertake in Heartifact is that two divers died
during the expedition’s last attempt to raise the ancient ship. The business
men behind the venture aren’t being entirely forthright and it’s up to Harper,
as chief archaeologist, to determine whether the marine expedition is safe to
pursue. During their initial meeting with Areleous, the financier of the
expedition, and representatives of the Greek Cultural Ministry, Harper and
Stick learn that UXO, or unexploded ordnance, from the conflicts in the Middle East was discovered at the site.
PART 1 EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
Harper knew Liviko Pelagos was the Libyan Sea
“With
complications,” Areleous interjected.
“Those
complications wouldn’t have anything to do with the two divers you lost, would
they?” Stick asked in all seriousness.
Captain Dimitris
looked pained.
“We encountered
UXO,” Areleous said briefly.
Stick’s jaw
dropped. “Unexploded ordnance?”
Areleous nodded
gravely. “Libya ’s detonation
teams are not thorough, and ocean currents have carried cluster munitions from
their shoreline to the southern coast of Gavdos .”
Harper pursed
his lips and glanced at Stick before turning back to Areleous. “No ordnance
survey was performed before the dive?”
“We had no
reason to perform an ordnance survey.” He gestured to Michael Thompson who’d
been silent through the brief history lesson. “Mr. Thompson is a specialist in
this area. A survey has since been performed and he and his company have
removed all unexploded ordnance within five kilometers of the southern coast of
Gavdos .”
Harper looked
directly at Michael. “Then why are you still here?”
Michael was
undaunted by the direct question. “Gavdos sits at the junction of the Eurasian
and African continental plates and there is considerable seismic activity in
this region. We have no way of knowing whether UXO may have become buried in
undersea ruins, shipwrecks, and the like.”
Harper met
Michael’s eyes. “Thank you for the honesty.”
While Harper is satisfied that the leaders
of the expedition have been reasonably honest with him, he remains skeptical.
He’s been in business far too long to be fooled by platitudes offered from
those who only have financial gain in mind. As the marine dig progresses, Harper
and Stick discover a strange energy associated with the archaeological site.
Though they are expert scientists and archaeologists, they are unable to
identify the source of the joules that register in the research ship’s
equipment. Harper can’t help but suspect it has something to do with the death
of the two divers on the previous expedition.
“It moved
again.” Stick gestured to the screen and crossed her arms over her chest.
Harper looked at
the screen. The stone was now resting on its side with more than a foot exposed
above the ocean floor. “What the f—?”
“What you said.”
He leaned into
the screen to get a better look, disbelieving of what he saw. Nothing around
the stone had been disturbed. “Still no seismic readings?”
“Nothing. But
the joules are off the chart. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that stone was
alive and trying to dig itself out of the sand.”
Harper would
have told her she was full of crap but for the fact that she was a supreme
scientist—one of the best in the world.
Harper glanced
at her bare foot as it tapped the floor like a hamster on crack. “Any ideas?”
“Nope. You’re
the chief archeologist. What kind of weird-ass mojo is down there?”
Harper didn’t
have the vaguest idea. He racked his brain for strange undersea anomalies and
came up empty. “Do you have the reports on the deaths of the two divers?”
She shook her
head.
He looked at his
Seamaster. It was 4 a.m. “It’s time to wake everybody up.”
~*~
Harper sat at
the long mess table with Areleous, Dimitris, Michael, and Stick, and read over
the reports. The divers had died of burns that had eaten through their wetsuits
and skin in a matter of moments. “No detectable source?”
Dimitris shook
his head. “They were scouts. Three meters from the wreckage. We thought giant
jellyfish, then radiation. We found nothing.”
Harper looked at
Michael. “Any ideas?”
“Such as?”
“Biological
warfare.”
Michael pursed
his lips, displeased. “No toxin exists that can do that underwater.”
Harper offered a
tight, knowing smile. “Where are the bodies now?”
Areleous met
Harper’s eyes. “They’ve been released to the families. Why?”
“Were the bodies
checked for phosphorus?”
Dimitris asked
the next question. “Why would we check for phosphorus?”
Harper turned to
Michael and he shifted uncomfortably as knowledge settled on his face. “I’m
unaware of any phosphorus munitions other than grenades.”
Harper’s anger
rose and welled just below boiling point. “Try again.”
Michael sat
forward and cleared his throat. “Phosphorus munitions were used on HAMAS in the
Gaza
A string of
angry Greek words left Dimitris’ mouth and Areleous’ face contorted in anger.
“Only a few
hundred kilometers away,” Harper said in disgust. “White phosphorus burns under
water at what? Fifteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit? It can burn to the bone in a
matter of seconds?”
Michael rotated
his shoulders, uncomfortable with Harper’s line of questioning. “There are
several types of phosphorus, but it’s fair to say that it burns at eight
hundred degrees Celsius.”
Harper made a
“there you go” gesture with his hand. “Let me try this differently. We need a
guarantee from you and your company that we will not encounter phosphorus
munitions below.”
Uncertainty
passed through Michael’s eyes before he nodded. “I need a day to perform
tests.”
Harper turned to
Dimitris. “Can you get Minister Metaxas to ask the morgue to test whatever
samples they have from the two divers for phosphorus?”
“I will make the
call when we are finished here.”
~*~
Stick sat on the
edge of the tug and dangled her feet in the water. “It doesn’t explain the
joules.”
Harper sat down
beside her and dropped his feet into the water. It was warm, but cooler than
the sweltering air, and he welcomed the relief. “Phosphorus can self-ignite.”
She looked at
him now, searching his eyes for answers.
“We have no idea
whether phosphorus munitions are buried near that stone. That’s all I’m
saying.”
She nodded,
accepting his explanation. “It’s weird. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“We use all
kinds of ordnance in mining, but nothing as deadly as phosphorus. It’s scary
stuff.”
She suddenly
leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”
He put an arm
around her. The thought of losing his best friend to phosphorous made his skin
crawl. “Me too.”
As we see from the above excerpts, Harper’s
suspicion proves beneficial in keeping his crew safe. Unfortunately,
circumstances such as these are all too common in real life. Keith Muckelroy, a
pioneer of maritime archaeology, died at the young age of 29. Jacques Cousteau’s
first mate and paleontologist, Michael Laval,
was also killed during an expedition to Deception Island
Whether the source of ambition is fame,
money, or accomplishment, unless there is a voice of reason in command,
ambition can be deadly. In Heartifact,
Harper strives to keep his maritime archaeological dig from becoming a
statistic.
Thanks for having me on your blog, Bayou
Book Junkie! Go read Heartifact! It’s a great book.
Besides, you can enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card and two signed books from
me!
About Heartifact
Harper Kidd is a highly respected marine
archaeologist. Yet, with the economy in a slump, he’s trapped working in an oil
company’s exploration division. Now, at the ripe age of thirty, Harp is
disgusted with his employer’s damage to the undersea world he loves, tired of
his ATM-card-filching ex, and tormented by beautiful dreams of an undersea
lover. It’s time for a change and when his best friend, Stick, pleads with him
to assist on a deep-sea dig in the Mediterranean, he jumps at the chance.
Harper’s spirits are high when they
discover the ruins of an ancient civilization, and soar to the heavens when
they discover a statue of an ancient pelora, a mysterious hybrid creature said
to mediate between the worlds of reality and fantasy—and the very lover who
holds the starring role in his dreams.
When the crew discovers the site is teeming
with unexploded ordnance from the conflicts in the Middle
East , and the excavation turns deadly, Harper must choose between
saving his best friend and saving the pelora he’s fallen in love with.
Heartifact is available from Men
Over the Rainbow
About
Aisling Mancy
Ash is an author who lives, most of the time,
on the West Coast of the United
States
Raised on the mean streets and back lots
of Hollywood
What an interesting bio. And an interesting name, Ash. I do like it. I look forward to reading your work. (jozywails@gmail.com)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear what you think of it, Misty! And everything in the bio is true! :D Good luck with the rafflecopter!
DeleteThank you for hosting me today, Bayou Book Junkie!
ReplyDelete