andy whitfield 2011

Only six days and 12 hours to go until May 3 — and Breaking Point’s official release. I’m so excited to share this book with you!

I want to take a moment here to thank those of you who sneaked around behind my back to gather donations for International Midwife Assistance: Ronlyn, Mary G, Hope, Kris, Alyson, Kara, Jackie, Anne, Alison, Crystal, Christy Reece and Marie Force. I got the card yesterday with the check inside. And there on the check it said “in honor of Pamela Clare.” (Sorry, Ronlyn and Mary G! Not sure how your names got left off except that I did this either really late or really early and screwed up! My bad!)

I burst into tears! It’s the best release day surprise ever. The check is on its way already to IMA, where it will be used to save the lives of women and babies.

Back to Breaking Point: Some of you have already gotten your hands on Zach and read his story, either because you got the book as a prize or ordered it from Barnes & Noble, which has already released it. It’s been a lot of fun following along with you as you read through the story, sharing your reactions with me.

Here’s a photo I got today from Kristin, who is waiting till her lunch hour to finish the book. Want to know the really cool thing about this photo? The book — a story about the I-Team, a bunch of journalists — is sitting on top of Kristin’s AP Stylebook. The stylebook is every journalist’s bible. In fact, I’ve owned more copies of the stylebook than I’ve owned Bibles. (Someone stole mine. I suspect it was an intern.) At any rate, this just seemed so incredibly fitting, and I had a good laugh about it and pointed this out to Kristin, who happens to be a journalist, as well. She didn’t do this on purpose. She just wanted to show me she had the book with her at work.

Speaking of work...

I’m doing something I’ve never done before. I’m taking Release Day off so I can be at home, chatting with you all about it online. Are any of you taking the day off, perhaps calling in sick to stay home and hang out with Zach? If so, we should make something fun out of that in a chatroom or on Facebook (wherever your boss won’t read about it).

Watch Twitter and Facebook for interviews and book giveaways around the blogosphere in the coming few weeks.

Interviews and give-aways are already posted at Happily Ever After and Shameless Reviews. I’ll be at SOS Aloha on Thursday. I’ll post a list of events for May soon.

There will be several chances to win the book here or on other blogs during the month of May, but you might not want to wait, as I am holding another After the Epilogue chat on May 20 for people who’ve already read the story. The last time I held one of these chats, it was a crazy free-for-all of comment and discussion and turned out to be a lot of fun.

In honor of being down to only one week — and in gratitude for all you’re doing to help me get the word out about this book — I’m going to share another excerpt with you. It’s the final excerpt you’re going to see until the book is out. It’s short and sweet, but it tells you so much about Zach, my most heroic hero.

From Chapter of Breaking Point:

Zach hung limply from the manacles, unable even to hold up his head. His shoulders ached from supporting his dead weight, manacles biting into his bloody wrists. But none of that could compare to the residual pain of that last electro-shock. His muscles seized in sharp spasms, his heart slamming erratically in his chest, his body shaking, his mouth filled with the coppery taste of his own blood.

Don’t give in to the pain. Adjust for it.

He willed himself to relax, slowed his breathing.

Cold water splashed over his chest, making him jerk. It wasn’t to revive him, he knew, but to make his skin more conductive to electricity. He waited for the next blast of agony, but instead felt a glass bottle against his lips. A hand fisted in his hair, tilting his head back, and he swallowed, warm cola sliding down his raw, parched throat.

Electrolytes. Caffeine. Calories.

All would help him stay alive.

Then his tormenter spoke to him, as always in Spanish. “You are dying, cuñado. And for what? You are alone now, forgotten, left without even a dog to bark at you. Tell us who has the cocaine and where we can find them. Then your torment will end. There will be no more pain, only sleep.”

Zach fought off a wave of despair. “¡Vete a la verga!” Fuck off!

The bastard chuckled, but Zach knew he wasn’t really amused. They’d tried to break him and had failed. There’d be a price to pay when Cárdenas got the news.

Creaking hinges. Footsteps.

And Zach knew she was there. He could feel her presence, hear her rapid breathing. Hell, he could even smell her, something sweet in a world of filth.

Natalie.

“Tráela aquí.” Bring her over here.

What the hell?

Zach’s head came up. Somehow, he drew himself to his feet, his hands clenched around the chains for support, his heart thudding hard in his chest. Why had they brought her in here? Were they going to torture her to get to him?

Over my dead body.

Only one week to go!

P.S. “¡Vete a la verga!” literally means “go to the dick.” A lot of people translate that as “Go to hell.” But the specific sexual aspect of it leaves that translation flat. I think mine is more accurate. Not that you were particularly worried about this... It’s just the language nerd in me that wanted to point that out.