Insanity by Lauren Hammond Blog Tour

Hey everyone! I am the first stop in the Insanity by Lauren Hammond Blog Tour! Here is an excerpt from the novel:

(Lauren) Thank you so much for having me on the blog today!

I’m so excited to share an excerpt of my latest novel, Insanity with you!

I hope you enjoy it!

My eyes are instantly drawn to the metal. Its brass and dull and the way it moves, ever so slowly, puts me in a trance-like state. I am calm. Relaxed. I could sleep. My eyelids start fluttering. Every few seconds I shake my head and open my eyes to try and fight off the effect the instrument has on me.

“Relax, Adelaide.” Dr. Watson's voice is mellow—soothing—like a lullaby. “Open your mind to me.”

Open your mind to me. I hear this inside my head over and over again. But  soon the ticking becomes louder. The movement of the needle is too calming. I think Dr. Watson is saying something else, but I can't be sure because of the tick...tick...ticking. Soon all of the contents of the office blur together. My eyelids are heavy. I think I hear, “Stop fighting it.” A pause. “Just let go.”

It's like standing in a cavern with a cliff. You're on the edge of that cliff. You're looking down. You see the blue-green waters in a pool at the bottom of that twenty foot drop, slapping against wet rock. In your head, you know that if you jump the water will catch you, swallow you, and once you break the surface, you'll be able to breath. But there's something...some tiny, nagging voice in the back of your mind that's holding you back. Telling you not to do it. To not live for the moment. To live in fear. Be a coward.

Don't jump. Stay where you are. Never move forward.

I think of this, during the moment when my eyelids finally close and I roll my head back, allowing the lull of the metronome to pull me into a realm of ambiance and sleep. I think of this scenario because it reminds me of life. So many people live in fear. They refuse to move their life in a different direction because they let that fear consume them. Eat away at them. Pick their bones clean. So many people live their lives asking themselves what if?

What if?

What if?

So what if I was on the edge of a cliff? What if I did push that nagging voice to the side, kicked caution to the wind, and hurled myself over that cliff, free-falling, only to be caught in a exhilarating, pool of refreshing water? Would I feel better just letting go?

Yes.

I know this because the only reason I've been holding back is because I'm terrified of the pain my memories will bring. But life is pain. Life is chaos. It's never easy. Always a struggle.

Now I know that the only way I'm going to get over the pain in my past is to confront it, head on. And that's the last thought I have before  let the darkness of my mind completely consume me.

About Lauren Hammond:
 
It all began with a dinosaur, a T-Rex to be exact. He was the main character in my very first short story. Me and T, well, we went places. He is the reason I won my first essay contest at age ten. And he is probably one of the number one reasons, I pursued a career in writing.

Throughout highschool, I was what you would call a rebel. Someone who had convinced herself that she had life figured out at age sixteen. Still, writing was my only safe-haven during that time. I wrote notebooks full of poetry, even writing fellow classmates papers for them.

Unbeknowest to me, creative writing, seemed to be my one, true calling, my passion in life.

At age twenty, I began writing my first novel. After that, everything seemed to fall into place.

I won Best Poets and Poems of 2007, and The Editor's Choice award for my poem, Summer Days.

Also, during that time I wrote or co-wrote fifteen different screenplays, some which earned me finalist spot in various screenplay competitions.

In 2010, I've come full force, with my novel Love Sucks, that was released by Punkin House Press, in August of 2010. On top of Love Sucks, I have six novels that are slated to be released through the next five years. Also, doing some various marketing work for authors and publishers.

I pride myself in telling fellow writers to always follow their dreams. Who knows where I would be if I would have given up.

 
Lauren’s Links:


Purchase links for Insanity:



About Insanity:
Released: May 8th
Series: Asylum, book #1

Summary:

 Sometimes love...can drive you crazy.

Adelaide Carmichael and Damien Allen couldn't be more opposite.

Adelaide's mother abandoned her when she was ten years old, leaving her to be raised by her abusive and alcoholic father.

Damien on the other hand came from a wealthy family, was a local celebrity, and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him.

Despite their differences, Adelaide and Damien were young, wild, and fiercely in love.

And they had a plan.

They were going to run away.

Be together forever.

And their plan was set in motion, until tragedy struck and for some reason, Adelaide wound up in The Oakhill Institution for the insane.

Adelaide has no idea what she did to wind up at Oakhill, but she knows one thing for sure...

She wants out.

And after Damien follows her there to aid her in escaping, Adelaide slowly begins putting together the pieces of her memory that are missing.

And it doesn't take Adelaide long to figure out that sometimes...

That one true love never dies.

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