Title: The Omega: The Second Book of Cataclysm
Author: G.A. Finocchiaro
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Book Blurb:
The past and present are colliding. Tony's journey back to Grace Falls was paid in blood—a steep price for a long lost key. As the mystery of the key looms large—a symbol of Tony and Jacinda's relationship—Maynard, an old friend from Tony's past, calls upon the help from a few unlikely allies. Together they must escape the clutches of The Thirteen in search of answers. And while the Thirteen close in, a new question has emerged—What is Jacinda? A portal into her past reveals buried secrets that change everything. Is her repressed past now affecting the present and beyond? Tony must finally unravel the truth about the woman he loved before falling deeper into danger.
Excerpt:
Your face was covered in something thick and warm and red, like the color of your hair. The air smelled tinny and the unsettled calm of tragedy was taking shape. The silence after chaos was perhaps the most unnerving part of any accident. The calm after the storm, but before the rescue, was as disorienting as waking from a deep sleep.
Hey Jace, it’s me.
I’m watching you. I know that sounds creepy, and maybe it is—a little bit—but my intentions are honorable. I came here to figure you out, because I realized there were too many secrets. Too many things I didn’t know about the woman I loved.
Were you an angel? A monster? Something in between?
Were you innocent? Trapped? A creature of circumstance?
I needed to know.
You were only a little girl—so young—and my heart was already breaking for you.
I watched this moment wondering if it was the beginning of the madness. Was this the moment that unlocked your dark secret? Or was your destiny inevitable?
I don’t know what I intended to discover or to what end this would go. I only sought the truth. I deserved that much, didn’t I? Traveling through time, hidden behind the Veil—another world beneath the real one, was like watching you from behind an invisible curtain—I came to learn all I could about your life.
There were rules, though—I was only allowed to watch.
To walk a mile in one’s shoes, they say—and we were only six miles in.
Jacinda Moira O’Neill, you were born on November 11th, 1980, to parents James and Saoirse O’Neill. They had been married five years when you came into their lives. Saoirse only ever wanted one child, and they’d already been blessed with the baby they always wanted—the lovely daughter they’d prepared for since the day they married, while James was finishing law school. They named her Jane, after James’s grandmother on his father’s side.
Two years later, you were born.
Jane always had a leg up on her younger sister. She was older, obviously, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. You, on the other hand, had a mop of reddish curls that never seemed to lay straight and green eyes that went unnoticed. While Jane received compliments and praise for every perfect smile in her Sunday dress, you were largely ignored—especially by your own mother.
Before the age of four, you were locked in a sibling rivalry that neither of you asked for, but both of you participated in, nonetheless.
Jane beat you at every game, every challenge, and every accomplishment. She received better grades, ran faster, and had a better imagination than you, and there were days when all you ever wanted was to be just like your older sister. From a very young age, it was clear to you that your mother favored Jane. By the age of five, you never knew what it was like not to live in your sister’s shadow.
Like all sisters, you and Jane fought, and on some occasions, they were downright nasty affairs. Tears would be shed, threats would be screamed, and sometimes hair was pulled. But twenty minutes later you’d be as thick as thieves once again, giggling in a corner. No matter how angry you were with each other, you would always find your way back to being the best of friends.
Then every Saturday, when your Grammy came to visit, was a day for adventure. Moira Flannery was a special kind of woman—a true saint without the title. She showered both of you with more love in one day than you had received all week from your mother, and most importantly, she spread that love equally between you and your sister. During her visits, your Grammy sang and played guitar. She took you both to the park playground and occasionally the zoo or museum. You saw your first Georgia O’Keeffe painting when you were five years old, and to hear your Grammy glow over the color and beauty of her paintings inspired you to appreciate them too. And a visit from Grammy was never complete without plenty of arts and crafts, then story time before bed.
“I wish I was like Jane,” you said one Saturday evening as Grammy tucked you in. “I don’t like being Jacinda.” Your comment shocked your grandmother, a sad profession of a situation that had spiraled out of control. Moira had plenty of talks with her daughter, criticizing her unabashed favoritism, but to hear it verbalized through the mouth of a five-year-old sent Moira into a tizzy.
“Why do you say that?” asked Moira, hiding her anger. Her daughter had gone too far.
“Because Jane is pretty. She’s better at everything. She can play guitar better too.”
“Darling,” Moira responded in her strong Irish brogue, “your dear sister is two whole years older than you. She got a head start, but eventually you’ll catch up to her, just like the tortoise always beats the hare.”
“I want to be better than her at something,” you said. “So Mommy and Daddy will love me most for once.”
Moira thought about her response for a moment, weighing her words carefully, then said, “Tomorrow’s not a promise, my dear. Gotta earn each one. If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen. But remember, you will always be my special little flower. Do you understand?”
You nodded, and after a goodnight kiss, Moira was ready to unleash her Irish fire upon her daughter. Sometimes innocence was the best mirror, reflecting back the damage done.
However, October 13th, 1986 was the day everything changed. Your innocence was shattered by an accident that would change your life forever.
Jace, I wish I had known. I wish you had told me. Why did you hide this from the one and only person who loved you unconditionally? I, of all people, would have understood.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
What makes your featured book a must-read?
THE OMEGA is the continuation of THE RAPTOR—for fans of the first book, and other coming-of-age stories like “If I Stay” and “Horns”. The Omega has a dark supernatural core surrounded by an epic fight for survival against godlike beings who will stop at nothing to take what they want.
Hailed as a mash-up of Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore, and Joe Hill (said no-one ever), G.A. Finocchiaro drives the narrative like a runaway train, spiralling into the head of a dead woman with a hidden, dark past.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to win.
Runs November 26 – December 2, 2021.
Winner will be drawn on December 3, 2021.
Author Biography:
G.A. Finocchiaro was born and raised in South Jersey. He is a self-described goofball with a taste for bad jokes and good burgers. Finocchiaro currently lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
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