Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 5

Guest Post: Health Nut Cafe by Rhonda Frankhouser

BOOK BLURB… Imagine recognizing someone you’ve never seen before…Becka Clemmons’ one true passion is running the Health Nut Café. Awakened every morning by the same nightmare, Becka sees the world through tainted eyes. She’s never believed in fairytale romances until Jonathan Parker walks through the café door one cool, foggy morning. She struggles to understand why this familiar stranger makes her crave things she’s never craved. Solving the mystery of Jonathan is the first thing that has ever taken her focus away from her cafe.
Imagine missing someone you’ve never met…Jonathan Parker is the idealistic son of old money who knows exactly what he wants. Day after day, he searches to find the missing connection that eludes him, until the morning he lays eyes on Becka. He knows his search is over but the struggle to make her believe has just begun. From that moment, he works to prove to Becka that they belong together. 
Will Becka let herself believe? Will Jonathan’s family ruin their chance at love?

HOOK   Let yourself believe….Lost souls fall in love at the Health Nut Café
Health Nut buy links: PreOrder Paperback – http://amzn.to/2ofT19jKindle: http://amzn.to/2Byk4AyRONE FINALIST: Return to Ruby’s Ranch: http://amzn.to/2gDMthD
EXCERPTI cupped the cool, clear water in my hands, letting it filter through the tiny crevices between my fingers. I watched a brilliant colored spider make her way across her water-jeweled web toward an unlucky fly. Above me, the sun shone across the mist, creating a rainbow that rippled in three directions. Lying now on a rock at the edge of the pool, I closed my eyes and dreamt of a time when my life would make more sense. I must have fallen asleep because I jolted awake when I heard a voice from the landing just above where I lay. “Becka,” the call echoed off the water and walls. At first I thought I was dreaming, so I lay still and let it come. The familiar voice became clearer when my name was called again, this time from a point closer than the last. “Becka, are you all right?” The deep baritone whisper was so sensual it made me smile. I didn’t open my eyes until I felt a hand caress my shoulder. Even then, I couldn’t believe I was awake.“Are you all right?” Jonathan removed his pack and sat next to me on the rock, touching my cheek with the palm of his hand. I gathered everything inside my heart and soul and tried to move away, feeling caged by the intimate way he leaned over me. The concern in his eyes held me down until he saw that I was okay.“Thank goodness.” He didn’t move away. “I thought you’d passed out again.” “What the hell?” I sat up straight and scooted back. My voice was controlled, though my question was demanding. “Did you follow me here?” “I followed you and Annie from the resort, yes. It was your mother’s idea for me to come to Hawaii. She told me where to find you.”“Why would she do that?” I stood up and took a step away.“She thought I should come here and talk to you.” He watched me as I slowly put distance between us.I remembered my mother’s coy smile when she gave me the airline tickets, and I knew in that instant that he was telling the truth. My mother’s meddling frustrated me. “That figures.”I gazed over his slightly squared, handsome face. Not handsome in the pretty sense, more the serious, rugged sense. His wavy hair was tucked behind his ears, the mist brightening the lighter strands. The eyebrows of a slightly darker shade were manly, but not too bushy. His skin was bronzed with a fresh tropical tan, and those kissable lips were shadowed by a day-old beard. A satisfied smile broke when he noticed my perusal, but I didn’t stop staring until I caught those eyes, the color of the deepest part of the ocean.“How old are you?” I asked, finding no noticeable wrinkles. The oddness of the question at that particular moment surprised us both. “Twenty-nine.” He slowly stood up and moved toward me.“Oh.” I watched him carefully.   “Does age matter to you, Becka?” He raised his hand. “Matter for what?”“Does it matter how old I am if you want me and I want you?” He took another small step, closing the distance. “Besides, your mother already told me you’ve only got me by a few years. I like older women.” He winked and flashed that disarming smile again.Whoa. I swear Silvy. I held up my hand as I took another step back away from him. He watched this with curiosity, not really seeming to take my retreat as a negative response.Stepping into the cool water up to my knees, I could think of nothing but escape. Even water was better than the lethal energy vibrating around Jonathan. “Do you always blurt out what you’re thinking?” “You don’t like to answer questions, do you, Becka?” He moved his pack farther up on the rock, slipped off his hiking boots and socks, and followed me out into the pool, wading closer with every step.“Your questions have no answers, Mr. Parker.” I watched his taut body press against his T-shirt and cargo shorts. “I have a question of my own, if you don’t mind,” I said, forcing my eyes from his body. “Why are you here? Why did Silvy think we should talk?”“Because your mother thinks we belong together, and you’re just denying it.” Once again without pretense.“Oh.” My breath caught. “So the two of you decided ambush would be the best way to convince me of this?” My stomach clenched.“She just wanted you to stop running for one second and listen to what I have to say. She thought Hawaii would be the perfect place for us to have some time alone together without any distractions.”“Why wouldn’t she let me in on this grand plan of hers?” I wanted to see how he would explain it though I knew this was how Silvy works.“Because she figured you wouldn’t approve. She told me that you’re not a believer, that you’d be tough to convince.”“A believer in what?” I knew exactly what he was referring to, but I wanted to hear him say it. I couldn’t believe Silvy had created another disciple so quickly.“Doesn’t matter. We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I’d like an answer to the question I just asked you.” He stood directly in front of me.“I don’t remember the question,” I lied, looking away, unable to move when he tilted my chin up with the touch of his finger. My knees threatened to give out from beneath me as he searched my eyes.“I know you feel it, too. I can see it.” He whispered the words just seconds before sweeping his lips across my forehead. “It almost hurts, the way it feels.” He spread light kisses over my face, first around my eyes, then along my cheekbones, finally capturing my lips gently, tasting them with the tip of his warm tongue.At that moment, I was frozen in a fantasy dream, being taken by Prince Charming in a tropical paradise. I could do nothing but respond to his wishes. The taste of him was salt and spearmint, his scent an intoxicating manly smell of soap and sweat. I realized I’d closed my eyes, but I wanted to see. I wanted to be sure this was really happening to me, Becka Clemmons, celibacy’s woman-of-the-year.When I finally found the courage to open my eyes, I saw him then, for the first time without fear in my heart. This gentle man, whom I knew nothing about, had me completely enraptured. I decided to let it happen, to try and satisfy this desperate feeling inside so it would leave me in peace.I drew my hands up over his strong shoulders, feeling the hardness of his body against mine. I ran my fingers through his hair as though I’d done it a thousand times before. My breasts now melted against him, hard and demanding. My mouth opened and I willingly participated in our first real kiss. The kiss sent shocks of excitement through every limb of my body, landing a current squarely at the pit of my stomach, where an incredible ache began to grow. I was prepared to drag him on that rock and ravage him. I’d never had desire affect me the way it did with this man. It made no sense to me, but clarity wasn’t important at that moment.“Becka.” He pulled away suddenly, leaving me desperate to have him back in my arms, desperate to have him. “Can you feel it? This is not the first time we’ve been together. It feels too natural and real.” His hands held my face between them, his eyes nearly wet with pain.“Please don’t make this more than it is. It’s just desire, nothing more.” Tears ran down my cheeks for no reason I could grasp. I felt the fear coming back to me, replacing the need with its fury. “I…. I can’t, Jonathan. I don’t understand this.” I took his hands from me, biting back regret as I did so - my stomach sick with emotion.From above I heard Annie calling, the voice of rescue just in time. I backed away slowly, leaving him there once again, alone to face our connection without me, too afraid to face it with him. It was just too much for me.

BIO – Rhonda Frankhouser has been an author with SoulMate Publishing since November of 2016. Her debut novel, Return to Ruby’s Ranch, earned and InD’Tale Magazine RONE Finalist award, and Uncaged Magazine Raven Finalist, and a Books and Benches Reviewer’s Top Pick, Seal of Distinction. Her second release, Health Nut Café, is due out in Fall of 2017. Rhonda lives with her own knight in shining armor in central California, with her two pug puppies, Geddy and Ruby, and their beautiful Labrador, Dutch.Webpage: rhondafrankhouserbooks.comFacebook page: Rhonda Frankhouser BooksTwitter page: @RJFrankhouser

New Cover!

New Cover!
I am so excited to reveal book 3's cover. The cover artist from book 1, Princess of Tyrone came back to make this one and I couldn't be happier. Andrea is so talented and captures ideas in ways I never would imagine.
Now, enjoy the pretty!

Dwarves of Calcus (Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #3) by Katie HamsteadGenre: YA Space Opera/Sci-fi/FantasyRelease Date: March 6th 2018Curiosity Quills Press
Summary from Goodreads:
When she was thirteen, Snow Sabbia crash landed on the dwarves' home planet of Calcus. After fleeing from her step-mother's huntsman, seven brother dwarves took her in to hide and protect her. She has hidden for years on the peaceful planet, tinkering with old automobiles and pushing papers in the mine office.Then, Timothy White shows up.The shy, nervous, nerdy heir captivates Snow before she even knows who he is, and quickly she falls in love. But his high profile in society draws unwanted attention from her vengeful stepmother, who wants Snow dead.Geneva believed Snow died years earlier and she had consumed her innocent heart. With her late husband's wealth, Snow's inheritance, in tow, she married a young lord, Conrad. Both are using each other--Geneva for his title and to have a child, Conrad for her money and beauty. But when Conrad lays eyes on his boyhood rival's lovely fiance, Snow, his overwhelming desire for her reveals the truth to Geneva, that Snow lives.Desperate to hold onto her wealth and power, Geneva seeks to kill Snow properly this time. Snow has the power to wield the one thing that can destroy her, so she cannot let the girl claim possession of the family heirloom, the Nevollo Sword. Snow soon learns her step-mother knows she is alive. But she is a pacifist, so she must outwit Geneva and remain hidden... until Geneva, disguised as a child, presents her with an apple.

Previous Books in the Series (click on images for Goodreads links):  
About the AuthorBorn and raised in Australia, Katie's early years of day dreaming in the "bush", and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughters and their dogs.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing.
When her debut novel, Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh, climbed into bestselling status, she believed she was onto something, and now has a slew of novels now available, and is published through Curiosity Quills Press, Limitless Publications, Soul Mate Publishing, and REUTS Publishing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports, and be a good wife and mother. She now works at an elementary school to help support her family. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
Author Links:      

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Guest Post: Murder is a Dirty Business by Tricia L. Sanders

Blurb:When Cece Cavanaugh’s husband empties their joint bank account, steals her designer luggage, and runs off with a younger woman, Cece must decide whether to ask her manipulative mother-in-law for a handout or get a job. Choosing the easier path, Cece lands a job cleaning a crime scene where a high school coach was murdered. When his wife is implicated—a young woman Cece practically raised—Cece finds herself mopping floors, balancing an empty checkbook, and ferreting out a killer.Amid all this messy business, Cece bumps heads with a handsome detective. She tries to ignore her growing attraction to the detective, but he gives new meaning to the term “hot flash.”After she stumbles onto a clue that could vindicate her friend, her elation turns to panic when she haphazardly confronts the killer. Through the danger and romance, Cece discovers self-reliance and inner strength.And that crime – at least, someone else’s – does pay the bills.
Amazon B&N
About the Author:
Tricia L. Sanders writes about women with class, sass, and a touch of kickass.  A former instructional designer and corporate trainer, she traded in curriculum writing for novel writing, because she hates bullet points and loves to make stuff up. And fiction is more fun than training guides and lesson plans.When she isn’t writing, Tricia is busy crossing dreams off her bucket list. With all 50 states checked, she's concentrating on foreign lands. Safari anyone? She's an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, so don't get between her and the television when a game is on. Currently she is working on a mystery series set in the fictional town of Wickford, Missouri. Another project in the works is a women's fiction road trip adventure.Her essays have appeared in Sasee, ByLine, The Cuivre River Anthology and Great American Outhouse Stories; The Whole Truth and Nothing Butt. She is a proud member of The Lit Ladies, six women writing their truths into fiction. Visit her:Website: www.triciasanders.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/authortricialsanders/Twitter: www.twitter.com/tricialsandersPinterest: www.pinterest.com/tricialsanders/YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXRJSRSmTjg

99c Quest for a Popstar

It's 99c Today! Grab it at this limited price!Amazon
And if you could leave a review, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Guest Post: Love with a Side of Crazy by Tina Susedik

Love With a Side of Crazy by Tina SusedikGenre: Contemporary Romance/MysterySoul Mate Publishing
Amazon
Blurb:
To afford sending extra money to his parents to help with the care of his invalid brother, Brent Hopkins, an accountant by day, works as a male stripper at night. When a crazed fan pulls him from the stage, his injuries send him for an extended stay at a rehabilitation center. During his months at the center, mysterious angel statues and other gifts begin to appear in his room. A break-in at his apartment, leaves him feeling vulnerable. Is he going crazy or does he have a stalker?

Marie Phister, a physical therapist, was at the club the night Brent is yanked to the ground and takes care of him until help arrives. Later, as his physical therapist, she doesn’t let on that she is aware of his identity. As their mutual attraction grows, a stalker threatens their relationship.
Is her stalker and Brent’s, one and the same? Can they solve the mystery before it’s too late?


About the Author:  This is award-winning, multi-published author, Tina Susedik twenty-second published. As a child, Tina Susedik always had stories floating around in her head, but had no idea those stories could be put down in book form as writing stories wasn't taught in her classes. One day her brother (yes, her brother) introduced her to Kathleen Woodiwiss’ The Flame and the Flower. Tina was hooked and a love of reading, and eventually writing romance, began. Besides her romances, she is also a non-fiction writer with seven history books in print. She also has written and published three children's books. She also writes under her pen name, Anita Kidesu. This summer she will begin hosting a radio talk show, “Your Book Garden” on Authors on the Air Radio Network.
Tina has been married for forty-five years and lives in Northwestern Wisconsin. She has two children and five grandchildren. After careers in accounting and teaching (not necessarily at the same time), she found her career in writing is what fulfills her the most. When not writing, she loves camping, hiking, photography, reading, and playing with her five grandchildren.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Wisconsin Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime
Social Media Links for Tina Susedikhttp://tinasusedik.wordpress.com./Twitter: @tinasusedikWebsite: tina-susedik.comFacebook: Tina Susedik, AuthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.pinterest.com/tinasusedik/
Newsletter: http://tinasusedik.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=874ff86e3f10f756a138fbc3a&id=1cfdf516fc

Book Blitz: Happy Endings Book Club Boxed Set Books 1-3 by Kylie Gilmore

Happy Endings Book Club Boxed Set Books 1-3
Kylie Gilmore
Publication date: January 10th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Book 1: Hidden Hollywood
She’s on top…
When superstar actress Claire Jordan researched her role for the Fierce Trilogy movies, she never expected the bond she feels with the author and her romance book club aka The Happy Endings Book Club. Soon Claire finds herself confessing her secret longing for a regular guy—no more egocentric wealthy players—and the book club is all too ready to help. In disguise as a regular girl, she’s all set for a date with book-club-approved Josh Campbell.
He’s on top…
Billionaire tech CEO Jake Campbell is weary of gold-digging women, especially the glamorous superficial types. So when his identical twin, Josh, calls in a favor, asking Jake to step in as him on a date, Jake figures one of Josh’s cute girl-next-door types might be just what he needs. One night of passion with the sweet girl next door leaves Jake wanting more, except she seems to have vanished.
Sometimes a Happy Ending is just the beginning.

Book 2: Inviting Trouble
Madison Campbell has worshipped her older brother’s best friend, Parker Shaw, for as long as she can remember. So the night before he leaves for the Air Force, she decides he’s leaving town with her virginity. All she has to do is transform her tomboy self into a sexy woman with a bit of borrowed makeup and some creative fashion choices. The results? One drunken kiss that Park doesn’t even remember.
Ten years later, no man has ever gotten close to her heart the way Park did. And now that he’s back, the very unfeminine Madison refuses to blow her second chance. But when her bold attempts to snag his attention (“Oops! Dropped my towel.”) fail miserably, she does something completely insane—she caves to a makeover from the meddling matchmaker in charge of The Happy Endings Book Club. Hey, Park, you want some of this? Madison is about to find out.

Book 3: So Revealing
The last thing Charlotte Vega needs is a cocky HOT stuntman like Ty Campbell in her life. But when he pulls the ultimate stunt—a sexy romantic gesture that ends with a charming invitation to a sunset dinner cruise—she finds him impossible to resist. Cue disaster.
Their rocky first date goes from bad to worse when his yacht (okay, it’s actually borrowed) gets stranded in deep mud. Turns out there’s nothing Ty can do but wait hours and hours for high tide with no power, no way to cook dinner, and a hangry sexy-as-hell woman.
But Ty is determined to salvage the date so he starts a game to pass the time. Only what Ty learns makes him realize he may have just botched a date with the perfect woman. How will he ever win her now?

The Happy Endings Book Club series continues with Book 4, Formal Arrangement, plus more!

Happy Endings Book Club Series
Book 1: Hidden Hollywood
Book 2: Inviting Trouble
Book 3: So Revealing
Book 4: Formal Arrangement
Book 5: Bad Boy Done Wrong
Book 6: Mess With Me
Book 7: Resisting Fate

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play99¢ for a limited time only!—EXCERPT:Hidden Hollywood Excerpt
© 2016 Kylie Gilmore
Claire bit her lower lip. “Dammit. This is why I can’t have real relationships. I can’t trust anyone.”
“You can trust me.”
She sighed. “I don’t even know you.”
“Get to know me.”
“Jake…” She looked away.
“One date, the real deal. Jake and Claire.”
She was tempted. He could tell. She didn’t give him a no right away and now she was searching his face, looking for the truth. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers, coaxing. He pulled back and met her eyes, fully prepared to do this all night if he had to. Coaxing, charming, easing his way in. He’d thought coaxing would be too difficult with the way he wanted her, but having her pull away was much harder.
She spoke quietly. “You don’t want that kind of spotlight on you. It’s not pretty.”
It wasn’t a no.
“I want you, and whatever comes with it, I don’t care.” He cradled her face with both hands. “I want Claire.”
She closed her eyes, and he dropped his hands to her shoulders, sliding them down the satiny smooth skin of her arms to her hands. He took her hands from behind her and pulled them forward, just holding them. She didn’t pull away. He sensed she was leaning toward letting him in.
Finally she spoke, the words filling him with elation. “We’d have to keep it quiet.”
Not that he wanted to keep it quiet. He just wanted to be with her so much he was willing to play the game her way. For now. He kissed her softly and spoke against her lips. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” She shoved him away. “Now stop kissing me. One date. Jake and Claire.”
“Why do I have to stop kissing you?”
“Because you want to get to know me, remember?”
“I can get to know your body first. Get reacquainted.”
She laughed. “Yeah. I’ve heard that one before.”
He figured she probably did. Everyone wanted the sexiest woman alive. He’d seen the magazine giving her that honor and her bikini body splashed everywhere. He knew that kind of attention didn’t always bring out the best in people, and he realized he had to stand out from the pack.
He stepped back and helped her off the table.
“Such a gentleman,” she teased.
“It’s all an illusion,” he replied, not bothering to hide the edge of unsatisfied lust in his voice.
“Story of my life,” she said breezily. “I’ll text Hailey to let you know when I’m free.”
“At least give me your number now that we’ve established how much you lust for me.” She laughed, and he grinned. “I’d like to stop going through other people.” He pulled his cell from his pocket, punched in the code, and handed it over.
She typed her number in while saying, “I never give this number to anyone. Only a handful of people have it on a need-to-know basis. Can you handle that kind of responsibility?”
“What do you think?” It was an honor and, hell, he’d earned it with all his restraint.
She met his eyes, fire back in hers. “I hope so. I swear I will hunt you down—”
He cut her off with a kiss. Not a gentle one. The kind that said he’d be taking what he wanted and she’d damn well like it. She sagged against him.
When he was good and ready, he broke the kiss and snagged his cell from her limp hand. “Later, Claire Jordan.”
She fought back a smile and then beamed a big one at him, stunningly beautiful in her well-kissed, hot-for-him state. “Later, Jake Campbell.”
He grinned and headed out the door. Now that was more like it.

Author Bio:
Kylie Gilmore is the USA Today bestselling author of the Clover Park series, the Clover Park STUDS series, and the brand new Happy Endings Book Club series. She writes humorous romance that makes you laugh, cry, and reach for a cold glass of water.
Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she's not writing, wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Newsletter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEWERS! You Legends! We Need You!

I've set up a site to help authors and reviewers come together. It's super simple, and I have plenty of author contacts to give a diverse range of books for you! Check it out.

Review For Me!

Guest Post: The Heroines Journey by G. Miki Hayden

Blurb:Two girls separated by centuries, one living in the Middle Ages and one in the here and now, find common ground in their heroines’ journeys: the need to forge their own lives and identities and the hope of meeting that one, true love.

Amazon

Heroines Rule in The Heroine’s Journey


We’ve heard about the Hero’s Journey for most of our lives. That’s the model of what all fiction is supposed to be. But now, we girls and women are coming into our own—the time is up, and today is ours. Our struggles have become noticeable in society and the gender so totally submerged throughout human history is on the rise—and owning our equality with the male. Yet the truth is that life isn’t all about gender; it’s about finding our authentic selves and being able to live from that with courage and intelligence.
Mostly, though, my novel, The Heroine’s Journey, is meant to be fun. Two girls help each other across the centuries and are clever enough and determined enough to succeed at what they need to do.
Today, this very day, youth is coming into its own and taking hold of the ideals that have been held up in our society while not being entirely enacted. So, hero or heroine, this is our time. Humanity and love will certainly conquer.

Here's an excerpt for a little taste!

"Cinderella," griped Gwen to her best friend Kresta, while the two sat in the noisy cafeteria eating a "Healthful Wednesday

G. Miki Hayden has published a steady flow of short stories in anthologies, national magazines, and small press publications. She has had a number of novels in print, including Question Woman & Howling Sky, a new adult fantasy set after a series of cataclysmic ecological disasters; Strings, a middle grade fantasy based very loosely on string theory; and The Heroine’s Journey, a young adult mind-meld fantasy spanning many centuries. Miki teaches writing online at Writer’s Digest University, has been on The New York Times summer reading list, and won a short story Edgar.

Guest Post: Shoeburn and the Ill-Fitting Necklace by Shoeburn Ruffet

Blurb:
Shoeburn Ruffet is forced into finding the whereabouts of a business magnate’s lost piece of jewellery. Regina Wendle, the most powerful woman in Welt Foot and the business magnate, will unleash bees, sink phoney submarines, and sabotage helicopter outings until her necklace is found. 
Shoeburn will do slightly less exciting stuff to figure out what the necklace’s true purpose is. 

The necklace has something to do with him. It has something to do with his father. It may even have something to do with his dead mother, who could or could not be Regina Wendle. Shoeburn does a few heroic things in this story amidst all his blundering, but he’s not really a hero. He just finds himself unable to say ‘no’ in a situation that isn’t about a missing necklace but is instead one in which a necklace goes missing. 

He’d just rather not be there at all.

Goodreads Amazon



About the Author:
Shoeburn Ruffet has no formal education, thinks chickens should have bigger wings, and has lived half his life with the same suspenders. He spends days looking out a keyhole, and he thinks you know as much about him already as you should ever know.

Tea is his drink of choice, but if it’s too hot it’s not tea anymore and is a third degree burn instead. During his last visit to the graveyard, Shoeburn met four people whom he had forgotten about. He wants you to know that he knows nothing about Regina Wendle or her necklace.

He is constantly rethinking the definition of “private diary literature.”

Guest Post: The Forest Beyond the Earth by Matthew S. Cox

Under the watchful eye of the Mother Shrine, twelve-year-old Wisp ekes out a simple, but challenging life with Dad, foraging for food and losing herself in old books from the world that came before. She loves the Endless Forest―except when the Tree Walkers come for her.
In ages past, the great rain of fire and ash destroyed the Earth, wiping out the ancients and everything they had made. Nature has reclaimed much since then, spreading out in a vast forest full of wonder and dread. Ever in fear of being taken away, she follows Dad’s rules without question while learning to survive off the land.

No longer a small child, she accompanies Dad on one of his treks, her first time more than a few steps away from the cabin. A day exploring with him is the happiest time of her life, but joy is short-lived.

A monster follows them home.

Safe in her Haven, she hides while Dad goes outside to confront the beast. She wakes alone the next morning, and waits. Alas, her hope of his return fades with the daylight. Desperate, she breaks his strictest rule and goes outside alone. Not far from the cabin, she discovers his rifle abandoned next to the monster’s strange footprints.

Afraid but determined, Wisp sets off on her own into the Endless Forest to find Dad―before the Tree Walkers catch her.
Excerpt:
“Where are we going?” asked Wisp.“There used to be a small settlement a ways north of us. Scavengers have probably been and gone already, but I’m hoping they didn’t take everything. There’s gotta be something of use left there.”“What’s a settlement?”He let go of the rifle long enough to pat her on the head. “It’s a place where people used to build houses all close together. Must’ve been a defense tactic. I guess even the ancients had tribes. People banded together for protection. Much easier to defend themselves when they put their cabins all together.”“Oh, like a city?” Wisp peered up at him. “There’s cities in some of the books. I think ‘towns’ are like the same thing, but smaller. I wonder what it’s like to have so many people around. I think it’s kinda scary.”“People change, sweetie. Before the dragons came, they weren’t quite as mean to each other as they are now. Back then, you didn’t have to worry so much that any person you ran into would try to hurt you and take all your stuff… or take you.”“Take me?” She blinked. “Like the Tree Walkers?”“Not exactly. You remember me telling you about marauders?”She nodded. “Bad people, but not monsters like the Tree Walkers.”“Right. They roam in packs, and sometimes they steal people, too.”“What for?”“They force them to work. Sometimes they make them fight each other as a sport. A few of their groups even use people for meat.”She gagged. “Yuck! Well, no one’s going to take me for meat.”“Nope. You’re way too skinny. They’d throw you back and keep fishing.”Wisp poked him in the side and raspberried him. “Am not! I don’t taste good.”“Did you taste yourself?” He glanced back at her.“No. I just don’t want to taste good. I’ll smear red berry all over me so I look like the firepillars. Red means don’t eat.”“Right. Maybe that’ll work.” He winked at her.The ground pitched into a hill, at one point growing so steep she had to grab handfuls of dirt to make the climb. Vines with thousands of tiny prickling thorns scraped at her legs. Dad waited at the top, staring at something in the distance. She pulled herself up enough to see over the ridge, her nose even with ground level, and gaped in awe at a huge metal object covered in runner vines and plants. It had the overall shape of a tube, much bigger than the cabin, and many times longer. Squarish panels resembling windows ran down the length over an angled flat section on the side that had gouged into the ground. The huge beast had a tall, vertical fin opposite a pointy end with more windows. All sorts of junk littered the ground in the area.“What is that?” she whispered.“A thunderbird,” said Dad. “A machine from long ago.”“Like your bullet maker?” She pulled herself past the ridge and stood.Dad crept toward the wreck. “Only in that they are both machines. This one is far more complicated. I don’t even begin to understand how it worked.”“Complicated. It’s difficult?” She tiptoed after him.“I mean it’s got a lot of parts. It’s beyond me to understand how something like this could work. I think they used to fly.”“Wow… but it looks so heavy.” She pointed at the angled part on the side. “Is that a wing? How did it flap?”He shrugged. “Magic that has been lost to us. All I know is they used to carry people over great distances, high in the clouds where the Tree Walkers couldn’t reach them.”Wisp stepped around a tangled mess of metal and placed one foot on the wing above where it dug into the earth. The dull-grey metal warmed the bottom of her foot, but not painfully so. She leaned her weight forward, arms waving to the sides, and walked up to the long, tubular body.“Be careful,” said Dad.She squatted beside the curved wall and put her face over the window, shielding her eyes with both hands. Two small fog spots from her nostrils appeared on the plastic. Inside, a few of the seats held desiccated remains, mostly skeletons wearing tattered bits of clothing in styles she’d never imagined. The skeleton nearest her had a dark shirt over his ribs with the word Nike on it.“It’s a shrine! They’ve all gone to the Other Place,” called Wisp, before lowering her voice. “I’m sorry for disturbing you. I’ll go away now.”She crawled on all fours down the wing and leapt to the ground. “What’s nikkey?”“What?” asked Dad.“A man by the hole had it on his shirt. N-i-k-e. Nikkey.”“No idea. Could be his name. Some of the marauders do that… write their names on their chest armor.”She grinned, peering down at her chest where the faded image of a cartoonish bunny rabbit skull stared off into space. “Like my shirt, but it’s not words.”“I think that was meant to be cute.”Wisp took a few steps to the side before plunking herself down on a square cushion that resembled the bottom part of a chair. Fortunately, it turned out to be soft. “What’s cute?”He glanced over at her and cracked up. “You.”Her eyebrows shifted together. “What?”Dad stepped toward her. “Well, it means something or someone that, when you look at them, you feel happy enough to want to…” He scooped her up into a hug. “Squeeze them.”Wisp squealed with laughter.
Like what you see? Find it on Amazon