Five Steps to Celestia by Terry Segan is a Stress Busting Book Festival pick #paranormalfantasy #mustread #giveaway
- N. N. Light
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
Title: Five Steps to Celestia
Author: Terry Segan
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Book Blurb:
A mysterious plant, a forgotten necklace, and years of lost memories…
Twenty-two years after a tragic accident claimed Joy’s memories, a chance discovery in a gift shop nudges her forgotten past to the surface. Was it the cashier’s purple necklace, the Celestia seeds, or long-suppressed recollections pushing her to remember her former life?
As she searches for clues leading home, unknown elements threaten her current happiness and those she loves. When a cryptic symbol forms on her wrist and additional instructions appear on the seed packets, they offer more confusion than clarity.
With her best friend’s help, Joy strings together the missing pieces of her mysterious provenance. Her quest uncovers those who have paid the price for her reckless youth. Will she be welcomed back with open arms or scorned for having survived?
Excerpt:
“Michael,” Joy screamed, clutching at the man in front of her. Her mouth formed his name again, but no sound emitted. Sensing weightlessness, she no longer felt the bike beneath her. As her body flew, she saw clouds, trees, dirt—it all spun. Cold air rushed past as she soared. She glimpsed Michael still clutching onto the handlebars of the motorcycle, as he flew over the cliff and was gone.
The impact jolted the back of her head. Pain coursed through her shoulders and hips. Then everything went black.
“Joy! Wake up! Joy!” Suzi stood by the bed shaking her. She never looked so scared—or so ridiculous in a baggy T-shirt and penguin pajama pants. With her blonde hair wrapped in pink curlers, she looked even more comical. Suzi continued shaking Joy even after her eyes opened. “Joy. You’re dreaming. Wake up!”
“I’m awake. What? What is it?” Joy, confusion tightening her jaw muscles, wondered why the woman woke her. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” She heaved for breath. “You were screaming. It must’ve been a nightmare. Are you all right?” Her body trembled. “Oh God, I need to sit down.” Shoving Joy over, she collapsed onto the bed.
More concerned about Suzi, she asked, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. What happened?” Suzi asked, still visibly upset, her face flushed.
Joy couldn’t remember anything except being shaken awake. They had hit the wine bottle (or two) hard before bedtime.
“You were calling out.”
“What?”
The older woman put a hand to her heaving chest. “You were yelling. Who’s Michael?”
How bizarre, Joy thought. Why would she ask her about a man who wasn’t her deceased husband?
“I give up. Who’s Michael?”
“You called his name. Hell, you screamed his name. He was either in danger, or you were having wild sex.” Suzi’s breath still came in gasps.
“I don’t remember the dream, but I doubt it was the latter.”
“You sounded terrified. Can’t you recall anything?”
“I…I don’t know. I called him?”
“Yes.”
“Did I say anything else?”
Someone banged on their hotel door. “Security! Everything okay in there?”
Both looked at each other, eyes wide. Slowly, Suzi arose and walked to the entry. Checking the peep hole, she hesitated before unlocking the bolt. Cracking the door, she said, “Yes. Everything is fine. Why?”
“Well, ma’am,” came a voice from the hallway, “someone called the front desk and said they heard screaming.”
Suzi turned her head, looked at Joy, then back through the opening. “Sorry, officer.” She lowered her voice. “My friend tends to have…ah…erotic dreams. It’s a rare condition with some long medical name I can’t pronounce. I’m sorry if she disturbed anyone. Her therapist is working on an experimental treatment, but it still has a few kinks to be smoothed out.”
No response for several seconds. “Well…ah…ma’am, maybe she could try to keep it down? People are trying to sleep.”
“You bet, officer. I’ll make sure she keeps it to a PG-13 rating.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
What’s your favorite way to combat stress?
In a word—escape. Sometimes I like to jump in the car or onto the back of my husband’s motorcycle and take off for adventure. Other times, I crave the escape of fiction, whether it’s watching a movie or hunkering down with a good book. Anything that immerses me in a new experience or takes me to another world calms my mind and spirit.
Why is your featured book a stress busting read?
For the reason I listed above—escape. Five Steps to Celestia takes the reader on a quest for truth through both laughter and tears. The characters will engage your senses, some with humor and compassion, others with fear and distain. You’ll meet your new best friend, who you’ll want to hit the road with, and your worst enemy that you’ll want to push off a cliff. Through it all, this fantastical story will immerse the reader in Joy’s world and leave the real world behind, if only for a while.
Celebrate the book’s release anniversary with Terry by reading this immersive read.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs May 1 – 31, 2025
Drawing will be held on June 1, 2025.
Author Biography:
Terry Segan, originally from Commack, NY, resides in Nevada. To appease her gypsy soul and travel cravings, she’s rarely found at home on the weekends. Her journeys inspire the paranormal mysteries filling the pages of her novels. Some of her best ideas are worked out while traveling on the backseat of her husband’s motorcycle. His only request is to be a chalk outline in one of her books—providing she’s still writing fiction. Terry’s goals are to cause her readers to laugh out loud, cry with joy, or cower under the covers wondering if that thump under the bed was real or imagined.
Social Media Links:
Author Website: https://terrysegan.com/
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/AuthorTerrySegan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terrysegan
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Terry-Segan/e/B087YQGXMD
