FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canvas of Life Takes On a Whole New Meaning When The Brush Strokes Contain Human Ashes

Houston, TX, March 8, 2011 - Jody Summers came up with the idea for his deep, psychological thriller through a real-life meeting with a beautiful ex-model, now artist, who actually does paint stunning abstracts with the ashes of the deceased. While Dark Canvas (iUniverse) is the first book by Jody Summers, thankfully there are several more books slated for release in the next twelve months!

At first, artist Kira McGovern wonders if it is morbid to paint a tribute to her dead mother’s memory by using her own ashes, but an inexplicable need pushes her to the point where she really has no choice, and when she sees how the completed painting personalizes and immortalizes her mother’s life she’s glad she listened to her instincts. So much so that she opens a new business, Canvas of Life, as a way of sharing her extraordinary gift of painting with ‘cremains’ with others going through the loss of a loved one.

As she begins with her first clients, something strange and mysterious occurs – Kira begins to experience segments of the dead person’s life. Through visions and dreams she begins to receive images; while some are gratifying, others are terrifying!

Sean Easton is a Kansas farm boy with a special talent that he is just beginning to understand. His father has also recently died, but there is something sinister still lingering on the farm. Somewhat shy and a little naïve, Sean is drawn to Kira, the worldly ex-model, and he takes his father’s ashes to her as a pretense to meet her. As he falls in love with the beautiful artist he makes some startling discoveries about his own life as well, but it’s when Kira begins to paint with Sean’s father’s ashes that the real terror begins…

The story takes place in New Orleans, a city already cloaked in mystery and intrigue, lending even more richness to Dark Canvas, and the plot deepens when Kira and Sean realize they must quickly find the meaning and source of her dreams before both their love and their lives are destroyed. Readers are guaranteed a truly unique experience in this page-turning novel, as they share in the sinister ride of thrills and sometimes nightmarish horrors that Kira’s extraordinary gift uncovers.

Jody Summers was born in New Orleans and became the adopted son of a prominent Texas restaurateur. While his early childhood was in his native city, he grew up in Memphis and Houston, TX. Always the entrepreneur, he has tried his hand at many things but readers would agree his forte is in writing riveting thrillers. Jody Summers’ life experiences as a restaurateur, gymnast, stunt man, pilot, skydiver, scuba diver and accomplished martial artist, add a depth and understanding to his first novel with all its twists and turns that keep readers anxiously turning pages to the very end!

Wanting to acknowledge the wonderful artist who paints with ashes and who became the inspiration for his novel, despite the fact she suffers with fibromyalgia, the author is graciously donating a portion of all proceeds from the sales of Dark Canvas to the Fibromyalgia Coalition International out of Kansas City. For more information on this talented new writer please visit his website at: www.jodysummersbooks.com.

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TIP SHEET:

J. E. Braun, author of Paranoia: “In Dark Canvas … as Kira McGovern paints astoundingly vivid pictures with her brush, so does Summers’ create an astoundingly vivid story with his pen. The reader can practically see New Orleans and the Easton ranch – the two locations at which the majority of the story takes place. Though I felt the love story between Sean and Kira could have been handled more subtly, they, as well as all of the characters in Dark Canvas, were both three-dimensional and sympathetic.

With Dark Canvas, the more I read, the more I felt drawn into the story…hungrily turning pages as the action peaked, trying to find out what the answers would be. Summers leaves you enough clues to solve some of the mysteries on your own, but just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, he throws in another twist. In the end, Dark Canvas turns out to be a frightening and entertaining ride that could be a solid launch for Jody Summers’ writing career.”