Amazon Chainbooks amazon chainbooks Category:  Action/Thriller Publisher: Chainbooks ISBN-10:  1619900025 Type: Fiction Pages: 257 Copyright: 2012 ISBN-13: 9781619900028 Shelby White changes identities and hits the road, running from her past. Shelby White has a new hobby... running for her life. Instead of fleeing clear across the country, she ends up in the Midwestern city of Plattsmouth, Nebraska where she attempts to blend in to small town life by finding a job and endearing herself to the locals. Her new identity of Jane Johnson doesn't help her hide for long and her secrets soon catch up with her in the form of murderous men at her doorstep. What is "Jane" hiding? Can she survive her own web of lies? Will she be able to protect the people in small town America that she has grown to love? Find out as the twists and turns of Small Town America take the reader only where 24 different authors can go. chainbooks is an on-line social network for authors from all walks of life to gather with the goal of creating manuscripts one chapter at a time. Small Town America is an exciting addition to the chainbooks family. Throughout the months that Small Town America was in the writing and editing process, many unexpected twists and turns occurred that were not, and could not have been foreseen, after the original first chapter was created. This truly is a testament to perseverance, creativity and the burning desire to create an interesting and entertaining manuscript. Twenty-four different authors, of varying experience levels contributed to this book. Created out of a plot summary by the first chapter author, subsequent chapters were written without the benefit of a long-range plan. In fact, the beauty of chainbooks.com is just that. No one person can dictate a storyline. With only one chapter being written per author, the storyline can change with every additional chapter. We recognize and applaud the efforts of these authors and are pleased to present their efforts to you. Excerpt Shelby gazed into the plane’s bathroom mirror. She adjusted her wig a big and splashed some water onto her face. She still didn’t think she looked that much like the picture in her ID, but so far, she had managed to get through every security checkpoint with it. The wig was sure a change. The hair underneath was short, spiky, and blonde. The wig was a dark brown shag. As soon as she got settled somewhere, she would have to dye her hair. But she would also have to let it grow so it wasn’t so recognizable. Shelby was afraid she was stuck with the wig for a while. It was just so itchy. She’d get used to it. As she prepared to exit the bathroom, she looked at herself one more time. “Jane,” she said to herself sternly in the mirror, “Your name is Jane.” It was going to take some getting used to, but Shelby had to start thinking of herself in terms of her new identity. She was no longer Shelby White. She was Jane Johnson. About as generic as you can get. She chose the name for that very reason. Even if they knew her name, it would take them time to weed through all of the Johnson’s in the world. And then all of the Jane’s. Jane returned to her seat just in time to hear the announcement from the flight deck. “This is your captain speaking,” the voice said, “I’m afraid there’s going to be a slight delay in our trip. There’s a major ice storm heading through the Midwest and while it’s still safe to fly, we’re seeing a large build up of ice on our wings. There is no reason for concern, but we’re going to have to make an unplanned stop in Omaha. The plane will land and you can spend half an hour or so in the terminal if you wish. The airport has another plane we can use for the rest of the trip while this plane goes through the de-icing process. Again, there is no reason for concern, everything is operating smoothly.” Jane heard the click of the captain’s communication device turning off. Omaha, huh? Jane’s mind began to run on overdrive. She left LA in a rush, just trying to get as far away as fast as she could. She had already ruled out leaving the country. She didn’t have a passport and she didn’t want to take the chance of her new identity being flagged as fake. She also knew that the first thing they would suspect was for her to try to get into Mexico. Or even Canada. Anywhere across the border that she would feel safe. But Jane would never feel safe. And she knew that those were the first places they would look. She thought Florida would be a great choice. It would look and feel similar to California, so she wouldn’t have as much of a culture shock. But it would also be about as far away from LA as you could get within the country. Now that the plane was landing in Omaha, Nebraska, Jane began to devise a new plan. They would never suspect that she would choose a town in the middle of the country. She had already decided that she needed to settle in a small area, but Nebraska had never crossed her mind. As Jane lay back in her seat, she began to like the idea more and more. She could get off the plane in Omaha, check in when they re-boarded, and then never board. If anyone could possibly track her this far, they would think she had made it to Florida. They would look for her there first. Yes, Jane thought, this was the best possible result for her goal. The goal of escape. Jane was satisfied enough with her new plan and destination that she was able to catch a few minutes of sleep before the plane began descending. It wasn’t restful sleep, but it was more than she’d had in days. She rubbed her eyes as she returned her seat to the upright position. She looked out the window. She couldn’t see much but flat fields and a small downtown skyline in the distance. So this was Omaha, she thought. The plane landed with a bump and taxied over to the terminal. The airport crew attached a tunnel to the plane and the passengers began to enter the terminal. Jane gathered her small computer-sized bag and slung it over her shoulder. It held all of the items she possessed in the world. As Jane entered the terminal, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She knew Omaha was smaller than LA, but the airport actually looked like it could accommodate quite a few travelers. It was 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon, however, central time. Apparently not the big time to travel to and from Nebraska. The terminal was nearly empty except for workers and the only people Jane saw were passengers she recognized from the plane she had been on. She walked through a few airport shops and saw a bunch of red shirts with the letter N on the front along with all of the regular candy and newspaper items. The half an hour passed by quickly and Jane was glad for the chance to stretch her legs. When the new plane was ready, the announcement for boarding was called out over the intercom system. Jane stood in the line with the rest of the passengers from the original plane, due to hit Miami, Florida later that day. When it was Jane’s turn, she let the airport employee scan her ticket and then she stepped out of the line. “Just going to run to the bathroom,” she said over her shoulder. She was pretty sure they would have stopped her in a larger airport. Once you were checked in, you boarded the plane and that was that. But since this airport was so sparse, the staff was overly busy with the unexpected additions from the LA to Miami flight change. Jane was able to slip into the restroom without incident. She waited a full 20 minutes until she was certain the boarding was complete and the plane was either on its way, or at least closed up for the flight. Jane slipped out of the bathroom and into the terminal hallway. She followed the signs and made her way to the airport exit. The blast of cold air hit her on the face and chilled her to the bone. “Damn,” Jane exclaimed. This was part of the new plan she hadn’t thought through. Going from LA to Miami in January was one thing, but Nebraska? She had heart about the harsh winters but she had no idea what they actually felt like. Jane shivered as she watched for a cab. The passenger drop-off area was also pretty deserted and the few cars that drove past were obviously local. Jane rubbed her hands up and down the arms of her very lightweight jacket. Aren’t there any cabs in this city? She thought. After another 15 minutes she gave up and reentered the terminal. She began walking back towards the other end of the airport when a stand caught her eye. “Need a ride?” it said and there was a phone attached. Apparently you had to call to get a taxi in Nebraska. Jane picked up the phone, dialed the number instructed and waited. The line rang three times before a gruff voice answered. “Yeah?” it barked. “Um, hi,” Jane replied, “I’m at the airport, I need a taxi?” “Be right there,” the man said. And then he hung up. So much for Midwestern hospitality, Jane thought as she headed back over to the exit doors. This time, Jane didn’t leave the airport. No, she wasn’t going to spend anymore time outside than absolutely necessary. She waited inside the door and simply watched out the window, trying to devise the next step in her plan.

http://bookmavenpicks.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/small-town-america-by-24-authors-a-chainbooks-publication/
I can’t protect you if I don’t know why you’re running.

Small Town America is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read so far. Published by chainbooks, this book is the product of 24 authors writing 1 chapter each. As you read from above, it indicates that: “Created out of a plot summary by the first chapter author, subsequent chapters were written without the benefit of a long-range plan.” Each author wrote his/her chapter “in less than five days without the benefit of interaction or direction from any other author involved.” Don’t you think that this is an extremely intriguing and interesting book?

Knowing the nature of how Small Town America has been written changed my reading experience. Each chapter is a new adventure. As its reader, suspense and anticipation are my constant companions. The most thrilling in reading this book is that you can’t wait what the next chapter will bring. If you pay close attention, you’ll also notice the difference in each of the author’s writing style. As a result, the tone in each chapter fluctuates like a female’s mood during PMS. One chapter is urgent; the next, sentimental; then romantic to cheesy to technical to violent; and so on.

The first chapter, written by Brooke Williams, grabs you by the throat until you bleed with curiosity on why the protagonist is running away from her former life as Shelby White and changing her name into something so ordinary like Jane Johnson. The subsequent chapters build from this mystery, and it is such a pleasure to watch how each author creatively expands from the first chapter.

The overall story is not that extraordinary by itself. I’ve read countless books with similar storylines. I also noticed some inconsistencies in the plot, perhaps due to its numerous authors. An example of this is Steve’s connection with Dave. In earlier chapters, Steve is said to have done something so disastrous that Dave uses it to control him. Then a later chapter explains the “disastrous” scene to be a one-night stand with the wrong woman. I expected something more than this. Perhaps a past crime like fraud or even rape, but no. There are also plenty of scenes that are too convenient for my taste, especially the ending. I think it is too convenient and too happily-ever after.

Nonetheless, Small Town America is a tremendously enjoyable book to read. I focused more on each of the chapters’ surprises, rather than on the overall plot. I also took pleasure in appreciating each of the 24 authors’ writing style. Chapter 19 written by Jean Golliher is the most hilarious. It made me laugh (thumbs up). My favourite is Chapter 14 written by Anne Mette Nordheim. I think it is very well-written and the kind of writing style that I really appreciate.

If you are looking for a stimulating book to read, I highly recommend Small Town America. It is a brilliant and unique book not because of its overall plot but because of how it is written. I salute all 24 authors and chainbooks for making Small Town America happen.