Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Manipulated Lives
by
H.A. Leuschel
Genre:
Psychological Fiction
‘Realistic,
heart-breaking and utterly gripping!’ -
Bookneeders
'A
brilliant and important book ... I could barely put it down'-
Nerdish Mum Book Blog
‘You
NEED to read this. Your family needs to read this, your friends need
to read this, your children … NEED to read this’ -
JenacideByBibliophile
Five
fictional, compelling true-to-life stories about how people can be
manipulated by others.
Manipulators are everywhere. At first
these devious and calculating people can be hard to spot, because
that is their way. They are often masters of disguise: witty,
disarming, even charming in public – tricks to snare their prey –
but then they revert to their true self of being controlling and
angry in private. Their main aim: to dominate and use others to
satisfy their needs, with a complete lack of compassion and empathy
for their victim.
In this collection of short novellas, you
meet people like you and me, intent on living happy lives, yet each
of them, in one way or another, is caught up and damaged by a
manipulative individual.
First you meet Tess, whose past is
haunted by a wrong decision, then young, successful and well balanced
Sophie, who is drawn into the life of a little boy and his troubled
father. Next, there is teenage Holly, who is intent on making a
better life for herself, followed by a manipulator himself, trying to
make sense of his irreversible incarceration. Lastly, there is Lisa,
who has to face a parent’s biggest regret. All stories highlight to
what extent abusive manipulation can distort lives and threaten our
very feeling of self-worth.
The
moment I wake up, the dismay and desperation are back. The knot in my
throat is so big that I am sure, soon enough, I will choke on it. I
cannot understand why I am lying in this tiny room attached to an IV
drip with only a glass of water as my companion.My heart is beating
fast with anxiety and when I try to lift my head I can see my
emaciated arms sticking out from under my hospital gown. I know, yet
again, that my attempt to get up is futile.Why am I here, and why
am
I all alone? A strand of grey hair falls over my forehead and into my
eyes, pricking at the outer edges, and it costs me great energy to
brush it aside.
I
faintly remember a voice now. She was reading something to me.
Confusion and fear flood over me while my eyes move wildly around the
room. I note that the small window is still there with its curtains
drawn. Is it winter? Is it daytime or night time? I have no idea. A
small radiator stands in the corner and once in a while emits
gurgling noises. The sound is strangely reassuring, but what I really
want
is a human hand holding mine, a human voice talking to me with
kindness, a small smile, anything to take the dread away. I remember
my family and other faces come crowding into my head and then ...my
children. Oh ...my children. Where on earth are they, now that I am
helpless and desperate?
My
throat is dry, and when I turn my head towards the bedside table I
see the glass of water standing next to me. I yearn for it and decide
that I have to try and reach for it. I lift my bony and unusually
broad hand off the bedcover but my fingers instantly start to shake.
The simplest of movements now seem almost impossible to be carried
out. I remember the voice telling me that I am dying, and deep and
utter anger rises in my weak chest.Me - dying?That is ludicrous, to
say the least. I am maybe ill and weak from some terrible disease,
but never in a million years am I dying.
My
anger is escalating when I finally manage to reach for the glass,
only to make it topple and fall. The sound of it shattering has
alerted someone in this forsaken place because, before I can turn my
head, the door is opened and a nurse comes into the room, heading
straight for me.
‘Had
a little accident, did you?’ he says, as he walks over to the wet
patch glistening on the linoleum floor. Inspecting the area that he
will have to clean up, he throws a small nod over his shoulder. ‘I
will get you another one, OK?’ He does not wait for an answer, just
carries on as if talking to himself. ‘I’ll be back shortly.’
Helene
Andrea Leuschel gained a BA in Journalism & Communication, which
led to a career in radio and television in Brussels, London and
Edinburgh. She later acquired a Master in Philosophy, specializing in
the study of the mind.
Helene
has a particular interest in emotional, psychological and social
well-being and this led her to write her first novel, Manipulated
Lives, a fictional collection of five novellas, each highlighting the
dangers of interacting with narcissists.
She
lives with her husband and two children in Portugal.
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the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts,reviews and a giveaway!
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