Susan Stec's Blog, page 4

MY 2013-14 RELEASES

 April
 ~~~~

OH, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, HARRY BOY, HARRY BOY? OH, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, WICKED HARRY? I HAVE BEEN TO SEEK A DIDDLE, HE'S THE STRINGS ON MY FIDDLE BUT HE'S A YOUNG THING AND I MUST KILL HIS MOTHER
BAH, BAH, BLACK SHEEP, HAVE YOU ANY TOYS? YES, SIR, YES SIR, THREE LITTLE BOYS ONE FOR MY MASTER, ONE FOR MY DAME AND ONE FOR THE GENTLEMAN WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE
BUT MARY HAD A DERRINGER, ITS HANDLE WHITE AS SNOW AND EVERYWHERE THAT MARY WENT, THE GUN WAS SURE TO GO IT FOLLOWED HER TO SCHOOL ONE DAY, AND WASTED TWO ON THE WAY THIS MADE POOR MARY TOSS IT DOWN, BEFORE SHE WENT BACK TO TOWN
THEN JILL FOUND IT, PICKED IT UP AND STUFFED IT IN HER SATCHEL AND JACK AND JILL WENT UP THE HILL TO FETCH A PAIL OF WATER BUT JILL FELL IN AND COULDN'T SWIM, AND JACK, HE COULDN'T SAVE HER
PLUS, THERE'S FREDDIE, SEE, A HORRID WICKED BOY IS HE HE CATCHES FLIES, POOR LITTLE THINGS, AND THEN RIPS OFF THEIR TINY WINGS AND AH, FAR WORSE THAN ALL BESIDE HE BEAT LITTLE MARY ‘TIL SHE CRIED BUT HUSH! HUSH! HUSH! HUSH! COME, LET'S RING-A-ROUND THE ROSIE, A GUN INSTEAD OF POSIES, POW! POW! POW! POW! THEY'LL ALL TUMBLE DOWN
~~~~

2013 
 (A Dark and Deadly novella) 
On Amazon
A demented mind, or a mind with dementia? 
Viola fisher may be in her eighties, look a bit zany, and pop out with an amusing rendition of a favorite song in the middle of a sentence. But tread lightly, because if you happen to resemble the antagonist in her last murder mystery or television show, or sound like a suspect in a recent news article, you may end up her next victim.   
The Other F Word
  A novel for young adults
On Amazon and Barnes & Noble in paperback, and an exclusively illustrated version on Amazon-Kindle

Dekram can't help feeling like an outcast. She's the only mixed breed fairy running around her secluded home realm of Wandermere. She loves her parents, but part of her wishes she could just be like everyone else. That sentiment only intensifies when she begins overhearing strange conversations the adults seem to be having about her and her future. Something isn't quite right in Wandermere and Dekram seems to be at the center of it.

Wandermere is anything but your typical fairy forest kingdom. You won't find any dainty, innocent, classical fairies sitting on toadstools petting baby bunnies. Instead, you'll stumble upon mouthy teen fairies wearing designer knockoffs and texting on their smart phones. It wasn't always like this, and the adults claim the reasons behind the change is to help them better deal with trips to the human world, but Dekram begins having doubts about what is real and who has been lying.

I enjoyed the integration of the modern human world into the world of fae. Stec is very clever in the lingo the teens use and the phrases they exclaim when excited or agitated. Her references to fairytales and Disney movies had me chuckling. The fun atmosphere of this book will draw in younger readers and make it easy to connect with the characters.

Dekram and her friends are a fun lot to follow. Dek is relatable because she has plenty of insecurities and doubts about her future. She struggles to find her place not only in her family and community, but in her own skin as well. She wants to trust her friends and the adults in her life, but she's too smart to follow blindly. Dek battles between doing what she's expected to do and what she feels in her heart. That struggle is all too real when it comes to falling in love.

Everyone in her life seems to be pushing her toward Detaf, but Dek's heart is drawn to Nesohc. The struggle surrounding Dek's relationship problems is an engaging tangle. It becomes clear that the adults in Wandermere are hiding something and what Dek decides may have a huge impact on more than just herself. I enjoyed the hunt Dek goes on to figure out just what is going on and who is telling the truth. It's a fun, fast paced storyline that will pull readers along with the characters.




(Dark and Deadly, a novella series, volume 1)On Kindle and Nook


Lust's passion will be served; it demands, it militates, it tyrannizes. 
~~The Marquis de Sade



Possession? Obsession? Reincarnation? 
Or a fifteen year old sadistic psychopath?

***WARNING***
Adult content, sadistic and visually graphic murder scenes
 where blood is spilled for the sheer pleasure of spilling it, 
and death is merely a dispassionate objective.

  WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING...so over-the-top evil.... ...very compelling and thought provoking.
...advancing both plot lines in perfect tandum,
  ...almost poetic, fantastic.
...very intriguing- and yet so creepy.
...love the writing style here; it's very provocative and very engaging.
...holy crap- she's [  ]? This just got more interesting.
... Man, I really enjoy Erzsebet's psychotic rages! Is that wrong? 

  Toni's grandmother is a psychopath. Her sister is a ghost. Her boyfriend is possessed. And she has no idea who she is.   Summer vacation is ruined when Toni's twin sister, Sara, dies. Instead of walking into the light, Sara stomps directly away from it, totally pissed she didn't die in her skinny jeans. That's when Sara finds out their grandmother has a gift for talking to dead people, and two spritely spirits and a nasty soothsayer are all working their angle with Toni's future caught in between.
Dear old Granny's determined not to be the last necromancer in the family, but with the death of her promiscuous granddaughter, Sara, her only option is Toni, who must remain a virgin until her eighteenth birthday...without any ghostly interference from Sara. 
Good luck with that! Sara's not having any of it; especially since the guy Granny's conspiring with is the same guy that assisted in Sara's demise. Toni needs help! But protecting her sister is complicating all the ghostly fun on the other side! Especially when Granny sends Sara and her friends to a crypt of soul sucking fiends--just to make a freakin' point!
Can death stop a twin? Not on your life! Unfortunately, Granny knows Dead Girls Never Shut Up.
***PG suggested—adult content and profanity.

Amazon
Barnes and Noblehttps://www.facebook.com/GratefulUndeadhttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4556170.Susan_Stechttps://twitter.com/Suesan0814


 

MY 2013 RELEASES

The Other F Word



A novel for young adults



On Amazon and Barnes & Noble in paperback, 

and an exclusively illustrated version on Amazon-Kindle



A fairy girl deals with friendships...




Really, Dek? Like you so
totally will not find my picture on page eighteen in Judy Allen's
Fantasy Encyclopedia. I have my own style and it's definitely not
fairytale-fairy," Layol said, shaking her head.
* * *


A sparkly
reflection in the long mirror lining the back wall caught Dekram's
attention. Hard to miss those bedazzled Cimmy Fhoo knockoffs. Even
harder to miss the wiggling, heart-shaped, pink clad butt hanging over
the window ledge.

Dekram shot across the room, grabbed her friend's wings, and tugged. "Get back in here!"

"I'm tryin'!"

Dekram tugged harder.

Layol yelped. "Go ahead pull my wings off, why don't cha. Not like I need 'em or anything."

"We were supposed to stay together." Dekram placed her feet on the wall below the sill for leverage, wings buzzing.

"Crapolla, that hurts! Stop pulling!"

"I think I'll leave you stuck right there. At least I'll know where you are," Dekram taunted.

"Stinging makes you look ugly," Layol grunted, feet working like a balance weight as her arms reached for the snagged dress.
* * *

...coming of age...


Nesohc eyed the floor, foot nudging air. "Okay, so now you're laughing at me."

"Am not." Dekram chuckled.

"Are
too!" he hammered a whisper, head jerking toward the door and back.
"You try making all the first moves. It's not easy being the guy. I
haven't had a lot of-"

Dekram grabbed Nesohc's face in two hands and
laid her mouth against his. O' adolescent pubescent stupidity, what am I
thinking? Dekram thought as they both fell back on her bed and Nesohc's
tongue muscled her tight lips.

(From Dekram's open bedroom window)
"Oh heck no!" Layol tried for an expressive whisper, but fell short and
Nesohc and Dekram flummoxed a sitting position. "Tell me you were so
not," Layol snapped her fingers, "laying on top of that boy," she
snapped them again, "on your bed--(snap)--with your mom--(snap)--right
downstairs."

They stared at her, speechless.

"I didn't think so.
And I'm gonna so totally pretend I didn't see any tongue action, too."
Layol strutted over to the bed, nostrils flared, wings lying flat
against her back and nose sniffing the air. "Huh. I smell...peaches,
and...got any more mints?"
* * *

...and her race's expectations.




There's
something terribly wrong with the faelings in Wandermere. Nothing is
what it appears to be. The elders are trying to save their race by using
human enhancements. The children are paying the price.
* * *


"Holy, impin', wrath-of-Rumpelstilzchen." Layol's voice was breathy.

"This is bad. Really bad," Nesohc mumbled.

"Okay, so now I'm worried to the nth-degree," Layol said.

"Don't panic! Dekram is going to walk in any minute."

"Ya think?" Layol's head jerked back to the auditorium doors.















Mirror, Mirror 

(Dark and Deadly, a novella series, volume 1)






On Kindle and Nook










Lust's passion will be
served; it demands, it militates, it tyrannizes. 

~~The Marquis de Sade



















Possession? Obsession?
Reincarnation? 

Or a fifteen year old sadistic psychopath?



***WARNING***

Adult content,
sadistic and visually graphic murder scenes

 where blood is spilled for
the sheer pleasure of spilling it, 

and death is merely a dispassionate
objective.














 
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING




...so
over-the-top evil....

...very compelling and thought provoking.








...advancing both plot lines in perfect tandum,

  ...almost poetic, fantastic.




...very intriguing- and yet so creepy.




...love the writing style here; it's very provocative
and very engaging.




...holy crap- she's [ 
]? This just got more interesting.




... Man, I really enjoy Erzsebet's psychotic rages! Is that
wrong? 


















 

Toni's grandmother is a psychopath.

Her sister is a ghost.






Her boyfriend is possessed.







And she has no idea who she is.



 

Summer vacation is ruined when Toni's twin sister, Sara,
dies. Instead of walking into the light, Sara stomps directly away from it,
totally pissed she didn't die in her skinny jeans. That's when Sara finds out
their grandmother has a gift for talking to dead people, and two spritely spirits
and a nasty soothsayer are all working their angle with Toni's future caught in
between.




Dear old Granny's determined not to be the last
necromancer in the family, but with the death of her promiscuous granddaughter,
Sara, her only option is Toni, who must remain a virgin until her eighteenth
birthday...without any ghostly interference from Sara. 




Good luck with that! Sara's not having any of it; especially since the guy
Granny's conspiring with is the same guy that assisted in Sara's demise. Toni
needs help! But protecting her sister is complicating all the ghostly fun on
the other side! Especially when Granny sends Sara and her friends to a crypt of soul sucking fiends--just to make a freakin' point!




Can death stop a twin? Not on your life! Unfortunately, Granny knows Dead
Girls Never Shut Up.




***PG suggested—adult content and profanity.

















Amazon

Barnes and Noble



https://www.facebook.com/GratefulUndead

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4556170.Susan_Stec

https://twitter.com/Suesan0814









 

MY NEW RELEASES

The Other F Word



A novel for young adults



A fairy girl deals with intolerance, forbidden attraction, 

friendships, betrayal, and her race's expectations.



Something
is terribly wrong with the winged children in Wandermere. They have
smartphones, sneak out and buzz, wear skinny jeans and drive bugs to
school. But everything on the fairy side of the portal is not what it
appears to be.



The plan was to familiarize the children with the
behaviors on the other side of the portal, enabling them to better
interact in the human world. But it becomes apparent to the children
that everything has been about two very special faelings. And the elders
soon learn that the other winged children, the ones they’ve deemed
unimportant, have developed a plan of their own—a nightmare that could
cause the extinction of their race and the death of the two faelings
Marked and Fated to save it.
















Mirror, Mirror 

(Dark and Deadly, a novella series, volume 1)






On Kindle and Nook










Lust's passion will be
served; it demands, it militates, it tyrannizes. 

~~The Marquis de Sade



















Possession? Obsession?
Reincarnation? 

Or a fifteen year old sadistic psychopath?



***WARNING***

Adult content,
sadistic and visually graphic murder scenes

 where blood is spilled for
the sheer pleasure of spilling it, 

and death is merely a dispassionate
objective.














 

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING




...so
over-the-top evil....

...very compelling and thought provoking.








...advancing both plot lines in perfect tandum,

  ...almost poetic, fantastic.




...very intriguing- and yet so creepy.




...love the writing style here; it's very provocative
and very engaging.




...holy crap- she's [ 
]? This just got more interesting.




... Man, I really enjoy Erzsebet's psychotic rages! Is that
wrong? 










Amazon

Barnes and Noble








Cover by Jeni Decker-Lopez, author of:

 The Dex Morneau series

The Peacock Mirror

I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames













  

NEW RELEASES

Mirror, Mirror




On Kindle and Nook












Lust's passion will be
served; it demands, it militates, it tyrannizes. ~~The Marquis de Sade




Possession? Obsession?
Reincarnation? Or a fifteen year old sadistic psychopath on a killing spree?






***Warning - Adult content, sadistic and visually graphic murder scenes where blood is spilled for the sheer pleasure of spilling it, and death is merely a dispassionate objective.















Possession? Obsession?
Reincarnation? Or a fifteen year old sadistic psychopath?




***Warning - Adult content,
sadistic and visually graphic murder scenes where blood is spilled for the
sheer pleasure of spilling it, and death is merely a dispassionate objective.










What others are saying:




...so
over-the-top evil....

...very compelling and thought provoking.











...almost poetic, fantastic.

...advancing both plot lines in perfect tandum,





...very intriguing- and yet so creepy.





...love the writing style here; it's very provocative
and very engaging.







...holy crap- she's [ 
]? This just got more interesting.







... Man, I really enjoy Erzsebet's psychotic rages! Is that
wrong? 








Mirror, MirrorThe trailer:

 






Amazon

Barnes and Noble








Cover by Jeni Decker-Lopez, author of:

 The Dex Morneau series

The Peacock Mirror

I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames










  

COVER REVEAL

Mirror, Mirror




On Amazon May 15th





Possession? Obsession? Reincarnation? Or a fifteen year old sadistic serial killer?



***Warning - Adult content, sadistic and visually graphic murder scenes where blood is spilled for the sheer pleasure of spilling it, and death is merely a dispassionate objective.















Possession? Obsession?
Reincarnation? Or a fifteen year old sadistic psychopath?




***Warning - Adult content,
sadistic and visually graphic murder scenes where blood is spilled for the
sheer pleasure of spilling it, and death is merely a dispassionate objective.




What others are saying:




...so
over-the-top evil....

...very compelling and thought provoking.











...almost poetic, fantastic.

...advancing both plot lines in perfect tandum,





...very intriguing- and yet so creepy.





...love the writing style here; it's very provocative
and very engaging.







...holy crap- she's [ 
]? This just got more interesting.







... Man, I really enjoy Erzsebet's psychotic rages! Is that
wrong? 







Mirror, Mirror

The trailer:











Cover by Jeni Decker-Lopez, author of:

 The Dex Morneau series

The Peacock Mirror

I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames










  

The Other F Word

 
Coming to Amazon soon: 



 This is a cover idea using Dekram, the main character, and hiding behind the lily is the Nesohc. Dek and Nes are friends who are attracted to one another.

 
 The
picture on the above is another cover idea. She is Layol, the the protagonist's best friend, and  my favorite
character in the book because she makes me laugh.



THE OTHER F WORD is about a fairy girl who deals with intolerance, friendships, forbidden
attraction, betrayal, and her race's expectations.



These are the characters in the book:





From left to right:

In the chair is Detaf, the boy the elders have chosen for Dekram.

Below Detaf is Layol, Dekram's best friend.

Under Layol is Egar, the head of the Fire fairies and he's not at all nice. He is the main villain in the story.

Over Egar's left shoulder (to the right of your screen) is Bacs, a friend of Soahc. To his right is Mirg, another friend of Soahc.

Next to Mirg is the main character, Dekram. She is a halfbreed. Her father is Air, her mother Water. The purple chick is Soahc and she is the meanist girl in the whole town. She takes up with the Fire fairies and does all sorts of bad stuff.

Last but not least,  in the lower right hand corner is Nesohc, the fairy that Dekram really wants to be with.






Here's the first chapter:













One







Angry buzzing
surrounded the hollow cypress tree where Dekram and Layol hid. Dekram's wings
quivered like a wind-brushed oil-slick rainbow on a puddle. She folded them
around her body and hid sage-green eyes. Scooting farther into the hollow of
the tree, she peeked a worried look at her friend and immediately sucked in a
shocked breath. "For the love of Puck," Dekram exhaled. "Get
back in here, you idiot! They're swarming."

Layol giggled
over her shoulder then wiggled back into the tree and perched on her heels,
wings vibrating excitement. "Pixin' enchantin', right? I've never seen so
many Fire fairies in one place. Don't ya wanna know what's up with that?"

Dekram's wings
shivered. "No! The Skulls are in the middle of the swarm!"

"Maybe
they're massing with the rest of the Fire fairies because of the missions."

Dekram peeked
through her wings and rolled her eyes at Layol. "If they are I'm sure it
has nothing to do with the fact they're excluded."

"Yeah,
right, because they're oooh so
sweet." Layol popped her head out of the hole in the cypress.
"Still..."

"What are
you thinking?" Dekram shrieked, pushing farther into the shadows. "We're
a gnat's butt away from getting a mission, and if you... Look, they file their
teeth wicked pointy—probably don't brush—and dress sloppy-nasty. Their tattoos
scare me, all they care about is sex, and they always stink of rancid honey."

Layol turned,
hands flipped out, palms up. "And we care about their personal hygiene,
why?"

"Did you
not hear, 'sex and rancid honey'? They are always in-ee-bri-A-ted!" Dekram
rapid fired. "And if we're seen with them..."

"Okay! Do
I look like I'm crushin' to have their babies?" Layol said, butt in the
air, upper body hanging out of the hole in the tree, again. "Impin' right,
I'm not. Besides, they're leaving, and it's just as well." Wings buzzed
her backwards until she hovered in front of Dekram. ''We need to get to class,
Tinker wannabe. You so totally do not need another deficiency mark. So, unless
you wanna pull a Wendy and wish us to first period, we bes' get our wings on."

"I will
never understand why Fire fairies are not institutionalized by the time they
turn eighteen. All they care about is drinking and mating." Dekram
unfolded her wings, stood, and fingered her long red curls. "You sure they're
gone?"

"Yesssss,"
Layol said, working a fist with her hip. "Give it a rest. Maybe I wouldn't
go lip-to-lip with a Skull—those buzz-saw teeth—and sure, the whole drunken
bad-boy fae thing could be a big carnal thrill-kill, but c'mon, it'd be such a
major 'wicked little fairy girl' thing to do. Am I right?"

"Snicket's
calamities! You so didn't just say that!" Dekram made a fist and worried
two front teeth with a thumbnail.

"Just
sayin'—not doin'."

"We can
only hope." Dekram pushed a disgusted expression toward the exit. "Can
you see Renrad? Is he still tethered to the bush by the pond?"

Layol blew a
sigh and dramatically looked out of the hole in the trunk. "Your dragonfly
is safe. Now can we get to school before the first bell rings?"




* * *




In second
period, while Mrs. Ecarg, an Earth fairy, wrote homework assignments on the
blackboard, her students transferred notes, made faces, mouthed sentences, or
whispered exaggerations behind the teacher's back.

Dekram's eyes
wandered to the clock above the door and mentally counted off seconds as they
ticked by, willing them to move along. After two hundred and seventeen ticks,
her eyelids felt heavy and her mind wandered back to the cypress tree and the
swarming fairies. Not fair. The stupid
Fire fairies are the least disciplined and most unsupervised kids in Wandermere. Why does the council—

When the
rainbow-colored speaker above Mrs. Ecarg's desk made a shrill sound, the
teacher jumped out of her Berkinstock's, bare feet kicking the hem of her
tie-dyed dress.

"Mrs.
Ecarg, can you send Dekram to the office," Principal Nrets clearly
frustrated voice asked from the speaker.

"Right now,"
Dekram's mother snapped in the background.

Dekram bolted
out of her desk, wings all a-flutter. "Pandora's box," she groused
under her breath. "What now?"

While Mrs.
Ecarg got herself together, Soahc, Miss Everybody-Has-My-Number-On-Speed-Dial,
laughed. "What'd ya do this time, half-breed? Eat the family pet?"

Comments
peppered the air:

"Her
mother doesn't have wings."

"Lucky she
got some from Daddy."

"Skype 'er,
man. Two words: Pond scum."

"Why do
you all have to be so rude?" an Air fairy named Detaf said. He blushed,
ran a hand under his ball cap, palmed black hair, and lowered the brim of the
cap over angry green eyes.

Soahc's friend,
Etah, curled her lips at Detaf. "Even gnats have wings…unless you pluck
them." She flipped jet black hair streaked purple, and with major
attitude, stomped clunky boots.

"Class!
That's enough!" Mrs. Ecarg snapped, feet sporting her earth-shoes firmly
planted on the floor in front of her desk. "Do I need to enforce my
no-tolerance policy in regards to species prejudice? Because I certainly will.
Each of our species' individual Elements is essential to everyone's survival in
Wandermere. No single species…"

While Mrs.
Ecarg yammered on, Dekram thought, Yeah,
lotta good that does me—Little-Miss-Ethnic-Misfit. Why'd my father have to get
all domestic with a Water sprite? Why couldn't the most respected Human
Services officer find another Air fairy to attach himself to? I hate being the
only half-breed in Wandermere.

"Nymph's
granny undies! Where does she fit into the Elements that rule each individual
species?" a girl behind Soahc spat.

"This is
getting old." Detaf's mouth pushed disgust in the group's direction.

With a garish
grin, Etah held Detaf's attention. "She's mottled our Elements—I say we
put her in a cage before she mates and makes more anomalies!"

Soahc adjusted
the shoulders of her gold, saffron-dyed dress and chided, "Bet you didn't
have a policy until she came along, anyway."

"A Merrybegot's
dreaded existence—I hate my life!" Dekram hissed as her delicate wings
turned pink. Her eyes fell on Detaf's sympathetic expression as she bolted for
the classroom door, bright curly hair billowing around her heart-shaped face.
She grimaced, and tried to ignore the bell-like giggles of her classmates.
Dekram flew down burnt-orange halls, past closed classroom doors and blue
lockers dotted with colorful padlocks.

Mrs. Laretil
was standing at the library door when Dekram rocketed by. "Slow down,
young lady. We do not bolt, we flutter!" The Librarian's voice warbled and
rose in pitch.

Dekram shouted
over her shoulder, "Yes ma'am," and the whole hallway distorted and
wavered like heat rising from hot pavement behind her as she shot up through a
whirling hole that shimmered on the tiled ceiling.

On the other
side, while flying toward the office, Dekram remembered the last incident that
had brought her mother to school. So
totally not my fault. It was all because of Renrad. I didn't ask for a
lime-green dragonfly with boring translucent wings for my 16th birthday. I
wanted a butterfly, but no, my mother goes and snags Renrad at the pond—I'm
sure it had absolutely nothing to do with him eating her precious larvae.
Dekram blew a sigh. He'd gobbled up three
other kids' transportation bugs, it became all my fault, and now I have to tie
him to a tree at the pond and fly the rest of the way to school. Thank the
Elements the stupid dragonfly didn't devour Soahc's Black Witch Moth.

"Really,
how smart was that gift?" Dekram mumbled as she darted into the office
through another shimmering hole, halfway up the oak tree. I hope whatever they deem my fault this time doesn't get me another
deficiency mark.

Coming to a
hummingbird stop in front of the secretary's desk, she yanked her camo
low-riders up over her belly-button ring and fastened two more buttons on her
midriff blouse.

Dekram heard a
tsking noise from behind and turned to find Mirg, Soahc's best friend, staring
at her with a disparaging look through a curtain of black bangs.

Bacs, the only
boy in Soahc's tight group, elbowed Mirg. "Check out the camo and Dr.
Martens. She's dressed to go troll-riding."

With
fingernails painted maroon, Mirg pulled a black lace veil down over her nose
and lips. "Oscar Wilde said, 'I suppose society is wonderfully delightful.
To be in it is merely a bore. But to be out of it is simply a tragedy'".

Blinking,
Dekram ducked her head; pale khaki skin flickered pink as she peered at Bacs
through red curls.

Bacs wore a big
silver-toothed grin, black jeans, and a long-sleeved ebony t-shirt with
skull-and-crossbones laminated on the chest. A studded black ball cap, brim
hiding one ear, sat over red hair and a cloud-blue, ghost-like face. "Toe-jam!
She smells like flies' feet." Bacs flung a leather jacket haphazardly over
one shoulder and fanned his face with a hand full of papers.

"Maggot's
breath would have been a better description." Mirg dressed in all black, casually
kicked the stiff tulle under her skirt with a cyberpunk boot laced up to her
knee.

Dekram was
almost positive Mirg and Bacs had Fire fairy in their lineage—probably all
Soahc's friends had some demon blood running through their veins. Her wings
vibrated and red sprinkles dusted the floor in front of the secretary's desk.

Mrs. Edia, a
middle-aged Earth fairy with curly black hair and overly large wings, walked up
and stared at the red fairy dust on the floor. She huffed into the chair behind
her desk, and then glared at Dekram. "Four marks this month, young lady."
She scribbled on a piece of paper. "Three more and you spend a week at
home. Go on in. They're waiting for you." She waved her off and then
motioned an office monitor over. "Can you please get the broom and clean
this mess up, Dren?"

Dren pushed
horn-rimmed glasses up his nose, grabbed the broom and jumped right to it. His
friend, Keeg, flew behind him with a dustpan.

Mirg shot Bacs
a set of grim eyes. "You know, back in human history they'd impale those
of lower stature for insubordination." She tsked at Dekram. "They
would shove a long stake up their-"

With a
background of keyboards clicking, file cabinet drawers sliding, phones ringing,
and papers shuffling, Mrs. Edia cleared her throat loud enough to get Mirg's
attention.

Mirg took in a
long dramatic breath. "But Dekram'll probably just get another deficiency
mark." She glared at the secretary. "This time."

Bacs covered
his face with the papers in his hand and chuckled. "Yep, another one down,
two more to go."

Dekram's wings
flickered angry-red as she buzzed toward Principal Nrets' cubicle, knowing
everyone in the office would hear the conversation that was about to take
place.

Her mother,
Diuqil, stood by the principal's desk. She wore a drab twig outfit over a tan
succulent body. Her dreadlocked, brown and moss-green hair wiggled around a
circular face as though it had a life of its own. So not appealing, Dekram thought.

The minute her
mother saw her, brows met over angry, apple-green eyes. "I knew when I saw
the empty shopping bag and price tags in your bedroom trash container, you'd
worn that blouse! It's very inappropriate, especially for school. We talked
about this, young lady—you were supposed to return it today. If your father…"

Dekram landed
on a yellow and white mushroom in the far corner of the office and shot Nrets a
look of embarrassment. "All the kids dress-"

"I don't
care what all the other kids wear," Diuqil snapped, arms slinging algae on
the floor. "You will not dress like a, a-"

A loud cough
from Principal Nrets, who was also an Earth fairy, nipped an uncomplimentary
adjective. He pushed a hemp rug in Diuqil's direction. "You seem to be
dripping a bit."

Water sprites
were not known for their housekeeping skills. Diuqil stepped on the rug and
shook. "Sorry, just left the pond, been harvesting mosquito eggs all
morning."

Dekram heard
snickers in the outer office and knew this conversation would be all over the
school before lunch. "Do we have to discuss this now? Can't we wait until
I get home?" she asked, wishing her mother would just leave, and trying to
cover more of her stomach with her splayed fingers.

"No-we-can-not!
I will not have you blatantly disobeying me." She reached into a burlap
bag hanging on her arm, adjusted a jar half-filled with water and floating
foam, pulled out a soiled purple t-shirt, and tossed it at Dekram. "Put
this on and give me that blouse."

Dekram's wings
fluttered in a cloud of pink sprinkles. She gripped the shirt. "Could you
have picked a more clashing color?" She asked, and immediately regretted
it. Water Sprites were colorblind. Dekram gritted her teeth, knowing she
probably shouldn't have drawn attention to that, but when she got flustered,
words just popped out of her mouth before her brain caught up.

Diuqil stomped
a bare foot on the hemp rug, sending slimy water droplets into the air, then
whipped a finger at the office bathroom. "For the love of larvae, move it.
I need to get back to the swamp before the dragonflies start another feeding
frenzy."

More snickers
erupted on the other side of the wall. Dekram's arms turned bright red and
color moved quickly over her shoulders and neck then puddled on her face in
ugly patches.

Mr. Nrets
cleared his throat and pushed his horned-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his
hawk-like nose as he toe-cleaned some moist slimy spots on the floor. "I
strongly suggest that you do what your mother says without further conflict.
Your next class begins in fifteen minutes. Mrs. Evol will be handing out mock
mission assignments. You wouldn't want to miss yours, would you?"

The principal's
eyes wandered to the pink fairy dust settling around the base of the yellow and
white mushroom. "Today's visit has already won you another deficiency
mark. Control is very important if you wish to be accepted in the Human
Services Department. Unlike here, the department has a no tolerance level."

Dekram stared
at the dust, guessing she'd probably won two marks, counting the mess in the
outer office. She batted her long black lashes, and sighed. "Yes, Sir."
Without another comment, Dekram flew through a tiny hole in the wall to change.

The first bell
was about to ring and Dekram laid a palm on the center of her chest, eyes
closed as she worked the gift of glamor that all fairies were born with. The
blouse melted from her body and reformed in her hand. She grabbed the t-shirt. I won't be doing some menial job, like
gathering stupid herbs and flowers with Earth fairies, or skimming mosquito
larvae like my mother for the rest of my life. I will be a HS field agent!
Laying the t-shirt on her chest, she worked the magic again, feeling the
garment mold over her body. Then Dekram softly tugged her wings until the shirt
melted under and around them.

Turning to
leave, she heard the principal softly say, "Diuqil, we all have concerns,
and being her…mother, I assume you feel more responsible. However, overreacting
to small situations such as this could jeopardize everything."

Dekram's mother
said, "But her lack of a relationship with Detaf and the evident
relationship simmering with the-"

Detaf?
What is my mother talking about? Dekram
thought. The way Detaf had just stood up for her in class rushed her memory,
but Mr. Nrets words pulled her back into the conversation.

"...I
assure you this is an area we are watching very closely," the principal
said. "Everyone is pushing the experiment toward a climax."

Experiment?
Dekram bolted for the exit, heart sinking. Is
that what I am—the half-breed experiment? Are they wondering if I will have my
father's powers? And what's with Detaf?

As she darted
toward class feeling weighted by the conversation, Dekram thought, What if I can't even go through the impin'
portal? Dekram hissed, "Well, I sure hope my mother's inability to
stay on the right side of the tracks didn't rob me of that too!"

A few minutes
later, Dekram flew into class and headed directly to her seat in the back of
the room as the last bell rang. Layol was already sitting at the desk beside
hers. At least Layol
doesn't think I'm an anomaly.

Her friend was
beautiful, with pastel-colored wings and the delicate sky-blue body typical of
Air fairies. She had almond-shaped navy-blue eyes, lavender brows, corn powder
hair, and full deep-purple lips. Her pale blue tongue had a gold ring through
the tip. Layol's favorite color was pink; today she wore an asymmetrical,
gauzy, pale pink dress and deep fuchsia hip boots. "Heard you sprinkled
old lady Edia's desk and got ya another deficiency mark," Layol said.

"Two,"
Dekram dropped her head, "and it was the floor in front of her desk."

"Swell.
One more, gal-pal, and you're crap out of luck."

"I know,"
Dekram said, "and this time I blew it. Not my moth—"

"Yep,
heard that too," Layol said, staring pointedly at Dekram's purple shirt. "Soahc
and her caustic bunch were exchanging text messages from Bacs and Mirg and
being very verbal about it in the hall before class."

"Oh, Peter's
woody," Dekram sighed, trying to twist her t-shirt into a knot to hide
most of the muck her mother had gotten all over the front.

Layol grinned. "Don't
go gettin' all lewd-Disney on me." She laughed, shook her head and said, "Oh
yeah, that looks sooo much better," pointing at the wad of material
settled in the center of Dekram's chest. "How about this?" Layol
pulled a light blue, loosely knit shawl out of her backpack and handed it to
Dekram.

"Sh-yeah-right,
like the color of my pants isn't already screaming at my shirt. I put that on
and there's gonna be a riot."

"What got
ya the second mark?" Layol stuffed the shawl back in her backpack.

"I
sprinkled in Nrets' cubical."

"Pixie-girl,
you've got some control issues," Layol said, and when the teacher clapped
her hands and called the class to order, she whispered, "Well, at least
homeroom is a no Soahc zone. No wasp-dung brigade, either."

"Yeah, one
hour out of my day," Dekram whispered back, "right before lunch where
they all gather and rapid fire the insults."

"All
right, class." Mrs. Evol clapped, getting everyone's attention. "I've
paired you off and assigned a different mock mission to each pair. The academy
will be sending out three groups over the next couple of weeks. When each pair
from our classroom returns, we will discuss their missions before moving on to
the next group."

Mrs. Evol
folded her slender fingers together on top of her desk and the lacy Victorian
collar of her crisp white blouse cupped her neck like Prairie Larkspur petals. "Does
anyone have any questions before I begin handing them out?"

Not even a
fluttering wing disturbed the edgy anticipation.

"All right
then," Mrs. Evol said, crossing her legs under a black silk skirt. "As
I call your name, come forward and pick up your folders."

Dekram grabbed
Layol's hand and an electric crackle of hopeful understanding passed between
them.

By the time the
teacher was halfway through the third group, Dekram's wings hummed with
excitement.

"You're
cutting off the circulation in my fingers," Layol giggled.

"I can't
help it!"

"I know!
We're gonna be on—"

"Dekram
and Layol."

Both fairies
bolted into the air, slapped hands, let out shrill giggles, and whipped over
their classmate's heads toward the teacher's desk.

Detaf threw
down his pencil and the teacher quickly challenged his outburst with a furrowed
brow and then addressed Dekram and Layol with exaggerated encouragement. "Let's
hope your enthusiasm carries you through your mission."

"Pan's
pledge!" Layol said, grabbing her folder.

Dekram slid her
own folder under her arm and gave Mrs. Evol a quick hug.

With their
heads together in a mess of mingling hair and quivering wings, the girls did a
chaotic hummingbird dance all the way back to their desks.

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Free paperback requests

Hello Friends,

I have received many paperback requests here on goodreads in trade for reviews. It saddens me that I just can't fill all of them. It's hard to say no, harder to choose who, if I say yes. I have decided that I will not do this any longer. I will, on the other hand, consider paperback giveaways on a blog in exchange for a feature/interview/or review. So if you have a blog, will accept an ebook to review, and are interested in featuring any of my books, please contact me on any of my websites. Thank you so much for your support. I hope you understand. I'm sorry if I hurt anyones feelings.

Susan

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