I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE MAN by Avishai
El Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to
enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Title: THE MAN
Author: Avishai El
Pub. Date: November 14, 2024
Publisher: Avi
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 162
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/u/m0NDEW
An AK-47 and a series of
premonitions.
Will it be too late? What is he doing here? Is she safe?
Vaughan Mystique is on the run of a lifetime. Will she live?
Excerpt:
1
WHO IS VAUGHAN?
H er gorgeous golden toned skin
glowed under the sunlight as she pulled the curtains open to invite the
daylight in. Her flowing black hair resembled raven feathers as it flowed past
her shoulders. She felt forever grateful to be living in her ideal setting, a
basement townhome in Willow, Utopia. A home she had dreamed of since she was
just a girl. This two-bedroom basement town home had a contemporary and modern,
yet minimalistic vibe, complimenting her personality. Vaughan Mystique was a
force to be reckoned with and although she was just 26, she had her life mapped
out in front of her. Her home had dark maple hardwood floors the color of black
licorice throughout. There were white walls in every room, giving the whole
place a fresh glow. Each room was spacious with 9-foot ceilings. This was
exactly what she needed as it brought a sense of calmness and serenity. She
thought it was beautiful. Her appearance matched its beauty in many ways.
Vaughan had a striking, remarkable, and distinct look. Her eyes resembled
slanted diamonds, and her lips were plump and full.
Her hourglass shaped body caught
the attention of many along with her slender build. An all-black outfit and a
signature vegan leather jacket was a staple in Vaughan’s wardrobe and something
she would wear almost every day during the cooler months. She had very few
friends because the pain from previous betrayals ran deep. She maintained
contact with a few relatives and loved them dearly. While Vaughan was a kind
and genuine soul, she didn’t easily fit in and was heavily misunderstood by
people.
Vaughan was a tough, cerebral, and
extremely intuitive woman who wanted to be celebrated, not tolerated. She found
bliss at her new location; it was everything she could have wanted. For one
year she worked at a gun shop. It was not everybody’s idea of a good job, but
she loved everything about it. It was a newly renovated shop near an industrial
park, in a small white building. There were unfinished cement floors throughout
and weapons were neatly stocked. This place had 7 feet ceilings, and it naturally
smelled of gunpowder, but there was also a strong aroma of Frankin cense.
Vaughan’s curious affinity for guns made her work experience more enjoyable,
more than she anticipated at first. She and the owner became good friends over
time. He was like a father figure to her, the type of man who was always nearby
when she needed him, day or night. She adored him for all his sensitive
qualities.
His name was Antonio Barteluth and
he was an older man in his 60s. Antonio was tall and stocky with thick, black
hair that was gelled back. He had an olive complexion, and his attire consisted
of mostly gray t-shirts with jeans for comfortability. Sometimes he would wear
a black blazer over his t-shirt. Every time a customer would walk in, he would
ask Vaughan, “You good?” She would always reply with a straight face and say,
“Yeah I’ll be okay.” One day a customer walked in and was looking for an
Avtomat Kalash nikova, which is an AK-47. Vaughan thought it was odd because
they hadn’t sold those assault rifles in years.
It was almost ominous of where her
life was headed. As she went in the back to grab it for the customer, she was
startled by a man’s head in her peripheral. She jumped back and almost fell
back into the wall. She felt his eyes burning into her, sensing her fear which
she tried incred ibly hard to hide. Her breath caught in her throat, and she
dared to look up. Nothing. Nobody. He was gone. Was it a vision? Was it a
premonition? Was it reality? The questions raced through her mind at an
uncomfortable speed, clashing into one another. Vaughan had 4 hours left to
work, she just had to pull herself through it and stop over thinking. Maybe it
wasn’t something to worry about. She then grabbed the rifle, the rifle case,
and went back up to the front of the store.
Before she handed the man the
rifle case with the rifle inside, she priced him out. Once he paid, he thanked
her and left. Vaughan finally had the chance to be by herself, but she wondered
if she would prefer to be surrounded by people to feel safer. No matter what
she tried to think about, she couldn’t shake the spine-chilling feeling of
being watched through the window. “That was so weird,” she whispered to herself
in confusion. The time soon came around to leave. He said,
“Right, I better go and get some
rest,” she said. “Alright. Get you some rest and take the day off
tomorrow.”
“But…” Vaughan tried to
reply.
“No, buts…” Antonio said with a
polite smile.
“This isn’t a battle I can win, is
it? I’ll be off then. See you soon,’ Vaughan finally accepted his nice gesture.
Vaughan got in her black 2008 Land Rover Range Rover and drove home.
Immediately after returning home,
she took a long, relaxing, and soothing bath to detox after a stressful day at
work. She eventually dropped off to sleep in the tub. By the time she awakened
it was 4 am the next morning, so she got dressed and laid down in the bed
feeling a little more relaxed than the night before. Vaughan knew something
wasn’t right. It hadn’t happened to her in years, why now? She chewed her
bottom lip anxiously, hoping it wouldn’t last as long as last time. For the
first time in a while, she felt relieved to be wide awake. She almost wanted to
pray that it wouldn’t happen again. The dreams she had as a child caused too
much strain on her emotions, knowing whatever she dreamt of became her new
reality was beyond disturbing at a young age.
Vaughan remained baffled,
wondering why the universe would want her to go through such a terrible ordeal
again. The dreams terrified her as a child, and they carried on into her
teenage years and she tried her best to suppress them. She thought they were
gone but to her surprise, they had returned more sinister than ever. All she
could see was his face – the man from the window.
Vaughan shuddered in her sleep,
feeling the panic as though it was real and happening right now. He
aggressively ran towards her, attempting to clasp her into his arms. She yelled
and screamed at him, begging him to let her be, but his expression darkened,
and she knew he would not leave her alone. Then she saw it. The sharp, steel
knife he had grasped in the palm of his hand. Maybe this was it. She felt the
panic thumping in her chest, causing her breath to quicken. She had to get
away. Vaughan picked up her pace, jogging far in front of him in the hope that
she would lose him eventually. But there he was, right beside her. He threw her
to the ground, and she saw her impending doom; the knife slowly coming down
towards her face. Was this the end?
She jolted awake, her forehead
dripping with sweat, she grunted with fear. She then felt breathless and afraid
for her life all of a sudden. Vaughan was relieved to see her room and the man
was nowhere to be seen. She realized what had happened and she began to take
slow, deep breaths to compose herself from the awful nightmare she was forced
to endure. With trembling hands, she reached over to the nightstand and grabbed
the half empty glass of water. The feeling of it gliding down her throat
awakened her a little more.
Not long later, the realization
kicked in that she was back to where she used to be with no escape.
“No, no! This cannot be happening!
The dreams are back! The dreams are back!” She yelled to herself, gently
rocking back and forth as she felt her world fall apart around her. This was
startling for Vaughan because suddenly, she remembered what was deeply
forgotten until now. Something inside her mind had risen back to the surface,
something she fought hard to keep buried for years. In her mind, all those
years of peace had gone down the drain. She intuitively knew that they were
there to stay. Vaughan had always been a special and gifted child. She knew
things and saw things that not everyone was able to see. There were times where
she had tried to blend in but in the end, she didn’t want to. She felt special
that she had abilities that nobody else had and nobody could take them away
from her. But then there were other times, disturbing times, where vivid, dark
dreams consumed her. She never thought she would have to go through it
again.
While a child’s first sentence was
usually ‘Mommy and daddy I love you’, Vaughan’s first sentence would have been,
‘Mommy and daddy I see dead people.’ Vaughan was able to see the dead and when
she was in her early years, told her mother that weird things were happening
around the house. The lights would flicker on their own, the chairs would move,
and objects would float in the air by themselves.
Her mother was very compassionate
and didn’t think Vaughan was weird. In fact, she believed her and reassured her
that she would be okay. Her mom’s name was Flower, and she knew what Vaughan
was experiencing firsthand because she had the sight as well.
About Avishai El:
Avishai El is an international best-selling author of I Made It
Out and the Power of Why Book Series. She is an international, professional
speaker, and host of the most blunt holistic health podcast, Avi Unfiltered.
She is a Spiritual Medium and Holistic Health Coach who empowers people to
fulfill their purpose and destiny on this planet.
Teaching others the holistic lifestyle utilizing nutrition, lifestyle,
and spiritual methods is her passion. Avishai has worked with women all over
the world and has helped them lose weight, change their mental health for the
better, develop businesses, and reverse several diseases. She has won an award
for educating hundreds of people on the benefits of essential oils. Hospitals
have entrusted her to be on hospital papers as a holistic nurse for cancer
patients. People come to her when they are in a health crisis and Avishai has
saved lives using holistic therapies. She is one of the top 10 wellness coaches
in the world and leading expert in the field of neuroscience. She is a
neuroadvocate and traumatic brain injury survivor who does speaking engagements
to educate and empower others on those topics. As an avid vegan she heavily
promotes the plant- based, vegan lifestyle. The planet and Human Rights mean
everything to her as she affirms everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. She comes from ancient ancestry and is currently in the
process of learning her native languages: Latin, Moorish Latin (Modern Day
Spanish), Chaldean (Modern Day Hebrew), Arabic, and Amharic. Astrology and
medical research on an array of topics geek her out and is something she
thoroughly enjoys studying. She regularly writes for Brainz Magazine and is a
freelance UX copywriter for various businesses. Black, white, and grey are her
go-to colors and the minimalistic life- style brings her so much peace. She is
multitalented and when she’s not writing, speaking, coaching clients, or
running her many businesses, she is doing some form of interior design, graphic
design, honing in on her innate makeup skills, randomly playing violin, singing,
doing comedy, and so much more.
https://linktr.ee/avishaiel
Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours,
International.
Ends
November 30th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
