CHASING THE DRAGON by Mark Towse

CHASING THE DRAGON

Mark Towse

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GENRE: Vigilante Crime Thriller/Horror

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BLURB:

A town on its knees, dread's bony fingers wrapping around its throat and squeezing, death rattles soon to follow.

Drugs, filth, and a lack of human decency are starving it of hope.

Introducing Simon Dooley, our trauma-driven wannabe superhero, the relentless voice of his dead mother pleading with him to "end the chaos." Dressed in a leotard and armed only with a dozen dog poop bags, Simon's plight will find him falling in love and going head to head with the seediest characters walking the streets.

The town needed a hero... it got Reformo.

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EXCERPT

It’s happening. It’s finally happening.

I strip off in front of the full-length mirror, part self-admiration for my new frame and part sorrow for the shy and squeamish young boy who first walked the corridors of the youth detention centre.

Okay, not The Rectifier. What then? Captain Justice has been done, you muppet! The Shadow? Nope. Been done, too. The Silhouette? Too jazzy. Unable to wait any longer, the hairs bristling on the back of my neck, I carefully lift the costume from the bed and slip my arms through.

Oh, yes!

It’s as though electricity runs through my veins. I feel alive, reborn. I feel—

“I’m a superhero.”

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I've written 185 short stories and 15 novellas, but 'Chasing The Dragon' is my debut novel. This multi-genre romp will knock your socks off and rip your heart out.

Chasing The Dragon was a thrill to write. It is a dark concoction of all the genres I've touched on: horror, thriller, romance, crime, fantasy, and mystery, with the staple thread of Towse humour to lighten the load. There's something for everyone here, and I hope you fall in love with Reformo as much as I did.

N.B. This is certainly not designed to be a self-help book. Oh, and there are no dragons in it. Or are there?

Put simply, this is a tongue-in-cheek story about the long-term effects of trauma and how it never fails to continue shaping us. This is essentially me on these pages, bearing my soul, making it an incredibly cathartic and therapeutic experience.

Life is imperfect, and so are we.

A bit about the book:

Our protagonist, Simon Dooley, had a strict upbringing. His iron-fisted mother made life claustrophobic and uncomfortable. It didn't take much to set her off: crumbs on the counter, dishes left out, someone parking outside their house, or playing loud music. "End the chaos," she used to cry until she passed.

But even when dead, his mother's voice lives on in Simon's head. The only way he believes he can finally end it is to have a cape made by the local chain-smoking seamstress, Janice, and take to the streets to "End the chaos." Introducing Reformo, the superhero we never knew we needed.

I promise a unique and extraordinary ride.

Early ARC reviews:

'Sublime.'

'Tragic. Brutal. Hilarious.'

'Had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the next.'

'The writing is a tour de force.'

'Jaw-dropping.'

'What a debut!'

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Mark Towse is an English horror writer living in Australia. He would sell his soul to the devil or anyone buying if it meant he could write full-time. Alas, he left it very late to begin this journey, penning his first story since primary school at the ripe old age of forty-five. Since then, he’s been published in over two hundred journals and anthologies, had his work made into full theatrical productions for shows such as The No Sleep Podcast and Tales to Terrify, and has penned fourteen novellas, including Nana, Gone to the Dogs, 3:33, and Crows. Chasing The Dragon is his debut novel.

Amazon Author Page:

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

The author will award a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway