Kyra Halland's Blog, page 40

Book Review: The Steps to Karma

The Steps to Karma, by Jennifer Howard

Karma Clark's life as a high-powered Washington DC divorce attorney is killing her - almost literally. When she realizes that she has to give up the life she knows in order to have any life at all, she heads for the U.S. Virgin Islands in search of herself and a way of life she can live with.

Written in the same breezy style as Ms. Howard's first novel, The Healing Heart, The Steps to Karma starts out with a truly harrowing life crisis for Karma. I immediately loved the character and wanted to see things go better for her. The characters she meets on St. John, especially new best friend Jae and hunky Will, are also well-drawn and engaging. The descriptions are beautifully written, and I could almost see, hear, smell, and taste the warm and exotic Caribbean flavor of the setting.

After the initial crisis, The Steps the Karma is very much a feel-good novel, that will take you on a fun, uplifting, and exotic island escape.

Author Spotlight: Heather Dowell

Introducing author Heather Dowell and her book Summers and Winters:

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I love to be adventurous, meet new people, and visit new places. I’ve white-water rafted down the mountains of Turkey, swam in the Blue Lagoon, hiked the mountain sides of Oman, snorkeled in Seychelles, seen the beautiful architecture of Barcelona, slid down the Leap of Faith in Dubai, karaokeed in Bahrain, partied in Djibouti, and became a Shellback after crossing the equator.
 

2. When did you start writing, and why?
 I’m 23 now, so I’ve been writing for about 10 years. I don’t think there was ever really a moment when I decided to write. I never really thought about it until now, but I think I started coming up with ideas after watching A Walk to Remember. The first plot I came up with was for “Summers & Winters”. I didn’t make it past the first 60 or so pages until 2009. On my second deployment, my writing really took off. I was tired of looking at a black screen watching the minutes go by, so I started stealing computer paper, and pretending like I was working on job requirements, when really I was working on this novel. Now that the novel is finished and I have all of these other ideas swarming around in my head, I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing. People always say they were born to do something, and I believe writing is the thing that I was born to do. 3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
I write in just about every genre, except for nonfiction, westerns, and horror. I’d never be able to finish a nonfiction book; I’m just not that patient. I won’t even watch Western movies, so I definitely wouldn’t spend the time writing a book. If I wrote horror, I’d probably wind up scaring myself.

For the most part, all of my books, no matter the genre, have at least some bit of romance in them. I enjoy writing romance, because love is one of the best things in life and I want to capture it on paper.

I never thought that I would write anything other than teen fiction, but then I started to do a lot more reading, and book ideas would just come to me - usually at very awkward times, when I needed to be sleeping or doing something important. Now, I can’t see doing general fiction. I love paranormal, sci-fi, dystopia, and fantasy, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to write them and make them realistic.

The thing I love most about writing is giving life to my characters. I don’t feel settled until others can read about them. Sometimes I think of my characters as real people. I cry when they cry, laugh when they laugh, and love when they love.

I love watching people read while I’m writing too. One time I was  writing and a guy was looking over my shoulder, so I asked him what he was doing. He smiled. “I’m sorry, it’s just so cool watching you write. It’s like I’m reading your mind, knowing that what you are writing is exactly what you’re thinking at this moment in time.” It’s a interesting way to think of reading. You really are reading the author’s mind.

One of the coolest things that happens when writing is surprising myself. I don’t use outlines, so sometimes I think I’m writing a boring scene to avoid an awkward time gap, and BAM!!!!!! something brilliant just hops on the page and I’m like, “where the heck did that come from?”

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
My latest book in the series is “The Coldest of Winters”. It picks up right where book one left off, well, a few hours later to be exact. Sorry about the cliff hanger, but it had to be done. It was the perfect ending to book one and lead in to book 2. I’m sure some of you saw it coming, but I doubt you will be able to predict what will happen in book 2.

I love giving titles double meanings. Every title contains a character last name, reflects the season that the events are taking place, and gives you a hint to what will happen in the book.
 
“Summers & Winters” – Heather Winters and Mitch Summers – reflects the seasons they spend together – lets us know that they are meeting in this book

“The Coldest of Winters” – the focus will be on Heather Winters – the book takes place in the winter – and “cold” lets us know that this is not going to be all rainbows and butterflies. This book gets pretty deep. Expect tears and anger. Some characters are probably going to tick you off, and you’ll want to rip their heads off. Others will make you think “what the hell. I can’t believe you just did that!”. Depending on how you feel about certain charcters, you may be doing a happy dance and screaming “’bout time!”.

“The Coming of Summers” – Mitch Summers will be the focus – it will take place during the spring – “coming” signifies the action, though I won’t give away which meaning I am refering to, you dirty minded people. :)

“A Summers for Forever” – the focus is actually on Mitch and Heather in the this one – it takes place during the summer – the title says it all, but it may not happen or be like what you think.

If you like my writing, don’t worry, there is a lot more to come. I have a few books in the works. I’m not sure if they will turn into a series or not. It all depends on how long it takes me to tell the story. The next two are:

“The Newcomer” – paranormal romance – Due to the complexity of the story's line, this may wind up     being a chronicle. It could be up to twelve books. Every creature you can think of: witches, fairies, trolls, werewolves, vampires, dragons, elves, 4 of my own creation, mermaids, seers, seekers, shapeshifters, angels, human warriors -  you name it and it’s probably in this book. Evil forces are lurking about and Emma is their best hope at defeating them, but she still think she’s human. Will the creatures of this earth be able to train her in time, and will they accept her if they find out she is the most dangerous creature of them all?

“Alien Invasion” (tentative title) - fantasy/sci-fi/suspense/romance -  two co-conspirators, Alora and Luke, fight to stay alive and destroy the aliens that are overtaking the earth. All the while, Alora battles for Luke’s heart, but will she still want it when she finds out who he really is? What he has done in the past?

5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
Homestead, South Carolina is a fictional place. I took a few of the settings from places I lived in the past and mixed them together to create Homestead.

Samson’s Creek  was modeled after a Creek I went to with my cousins in Mississippi. That is also where I jumped off the tree, played chicken in the water, grilled out, and witnessed my cousin get stung by a bee in the eye.

The courtyard, where the group always has lunch, was at my old high school in Crossplains, TN. I always loved that setting, in the middle of the school but outside and away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded hallways. It’s really beautiful during the winter, snow falling around you as you sit on the cold cement, your lover's arms keeping you warm.

I modeled Homestead High after Portland High School in Tennessee. They are also home of the Panthers.
6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
I like that Mitch is more mature than most 17-year-olds. He never dated anyone before Heather, which would probably seem weird to most, but you have to realize that he only dates when he thinks there  is a prospect of marriage. Though he has had no real experience with girls, he is quite the romantic and says eloquent things that most would find cheesy, but come from his heart.

Heather is a lot like me, strong but overly sensitive at times. Some would find her emotions a little over the top, but the fact that she is so open about how she’s feeling is endearing. She loves with her whole heart and isn’t afraid to be vulnerable.

Brian is my favorite to write. He’s very witty, bold, and sometimes dangerous. He is definitely the clown of the group. Even though most people see the comedian side of him, Brian is a lot deeper than people know. He’s loyal to a fault and often puts others before himself. It’s rare that he find someone he feels he can truly relate to, and when he does, he falls for them – hard. We catch a glimpse of this in “Summers & Winters”, but we’ll really get to see this side of him In “The Coldest of Winters”. Brian can only be loyal to his friends for so long, it eventually developes that he follows his heart in his own desires, putting everything on the line.

Brittany is not your typical cheerleader. Yes, she dates a football player and is very popular, but there’s a lot more to her than that. She's sweet, and kind, and very girly, but she’s also smart and isn’t afraid to stick up for her friends. When she finds out Heather has befriended a girl known for starting trouble, she warns her but still allows Heather to make her own decisions. Brittany also has a knack for knowing just what to say. This comes in handy a few times, when Heather is on the verge of exposing her relationship with Mitch.

Sammy is the voice of reason. When anyone has an issue, they run to him. He’s trustworthy and knows how to hold his tongue. Other than almost ripping the hinges off of Hot Guy’s door to go after Brittany, who went in for a “warm shower”, Sammy is usually calm and collected.

All of the subordinate characters bring something to the table as well, but there too many of them to talk about now. You’ll just have to read the books. But I will tell you, there are a few “mean girls” who are out to destroy everything.

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
Some of the events in the book are modeled after real things that I’ve done. For instance, I did jump off of a tree and into a creek, and I did kill a snake with a shovel, though I didn’t eat it like Heather did. A lot of people commented on the Surf War scene, and in case you were wondering, you really can surf on trash can lids. You just need about an inch of water. I take a lot of little things from life and twist them around to fit my books.

8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
Blog: http://heatherdowell.blogspot.com/
Book is available at Amazon
About the Author:

Hey everybody. My name is Heather Dowell and I was born in Tennessee on March 12, 1990. My family moved around frequently when I was a kid, mostly from county to county, so I've had a lot of experience with being the new kid. I graduated from Portland High School in Portland, TN in May 2008. Shortly after my 18th birthday, I enlisted in the United States Navy. I went to boot camp in Greatlakes, IL, which is a short train ride away from Chicago. I went to Chicago with my sailor friends as often as I could. I really enjoyed the city.

I've lived in Tennessee, Mississippi, Illinois, and Florida. If you count the womb, then I've also lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, that's part of the reason why I chose for Heather Winters of “Summers & Winters”  to live in Las Vegas. I asked myself, "How would my life have been if I grew up in Vegas?", and created a whole new world.  I served four years on the USS Carney(DDG-64) in Mayport, FL and lived in Jacksonville, FL. I met some of the most wonderful people on that ship, and that is when I really started writing. In my upcoming book "The Newcomer",  I transformed my real friends on the Carney into mythical creatures, like Mermaids, Vampires, Trolls, Fairies, Werewolves, and some creatures of my own creation, that are battling the Evil Black Dragon and his minions in order to keep them from conquering the world and dominating the human race.

I write books of almost every genre, all with a little hint of Romance, so if you are into that sort of thing, you should definitely try out one of my books.

I'm currently pursuing a bachelors degree in Elementary Education at Western Kentucky University. I have a passion for teaching children and for writing novels. I also love music and I'm a flag girl in the Big Red Marching Band. I'm married to a wonderful husband, and I love seeing my family every weekend. Family and friends are very important to me. You can probably see that through the characters that I have developed. They're all very unique and some of them are based on people I know. Some of the events stem from real events in my life as well, but I twisted them into a very fictional story. I hope you enjoy my work, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading.

Read on for some excerpts from Heather's book!
Book Excerpts:

“Thank you so much for dinner,” I tell Mitch.

“No problem, I'd love to take you out every night.”

“That’d be nice.”

We head out the door and I start walking toward the car, but Mitch takes my hand in his and we head for the beach. I almost retract my hand. I'm still getting used to this whole out in the open concept.

He smiles and gives me a light squeeze. “Heather, do you remember me saying I'd take you to the beach?” I nod. “Well, this isn't Myrtle, but it is a beach.”

I bite my lip and look up at him through my lashes. He's always so dang thoughtful. 

“You're going to ruin your dress shoes,” I tell him as we walk over a wooden bridge and onto the sand. He smiles and runs his hand through my hair before planting a light kiss on my forehead.

He slides off his dress shoes and hides them under the bridge. “Hand me your flip-flops.”

I do as he says and watch his luscious body bend over once more. I curl my toes as he straightens and then loosens his tie. Next, he untucks his button up shirt and bends back over to roll up the hem of his dress pants right above the ankles. It’s so nerdy and sexy all at the same time.

“Now that I won’t ruin anything, would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a sunset stroll?”

He does a halfway bow and sticks out his hand, palm up.

“Is this how you get all your women?” I tease. He straightens and tries to hold back a laugh.

“No, but now that you mention it…”

I sock him in the arm.

“Come on.”

“There are a lot of sticks.”

“Afraid of cutting your feet?” I nod. “OK, I have a solution for that.”

He bends his knees and picks me up like he’s about to carry me over the threshold. He seems relaxed and unstrained as he carries me over to the smooth part of the beach. I run my hand over his corded bicep and feel his taut muscles. I look up into his deep blue eyes and he slows, heading out into the water, but I’m only focusing on his eyes. His eyes meet mine and I shudder. Our gazes hold. He continues to move steadily forward. I’m surprised he’s still able to carry me as I’m not exactly light, but he makes it seem so effortless, like it is something he was born to do. I feel fragile but in a good way, because it also makes me feel beautiful. I raise my hand to his cheek. He stills and gives me a gentle kiss

“Are you ready for me to put you down?” he asks.

I look around. We are no longer on the shore. We’re about fifty feet out into the ocean, and he’s standing on a strip of relatively dry land, a sand bar.

“How?”

“This is what is called low tide, when the water starts to recede from the shore. It’s kind of messy during low tide, but it shouldn’t be too bad right now. Do you wanna take you first step into the ocean?”

“Depends. How cold is it?”

“You tell me,” he laughs, putting me down. My toes dip into the water. It’s a little cold at first, but I get used to it quickly. My toes sink into the sand as I look at them, still holding onto Mitch’s shoulder with my hand.

“I wanna take a picture of you,” he says, taking out his camera phone.

“OK.” I release him.

Mitch takes a few steps back and then begins to take pictures. The wind has picked up and my hair is not staying put. Neither is his. It’s not hard to smile looking at him. I love the wind going through his hair. I wanna be the wind – caressing every inch of him. I give up on taming my hair and shift between different poses.

“I wanna get some naturals of you. Don’t pose, just do whatever is natural.”

I look around to see how far this sand bar goes. I start to follow it. There are a few seagulls or pelicans; I don’t really know coastal birds, at the end of the sand bar. I get closer, and one of them snaps its head up to look at me. I get down on my knees, pulling up the hem of my dress so that it doesn’t get wet. The temperature of the water no longer fazes me as I inch forward. I reach out to one of the birds and it flies away, the others following. I lean back on my calves and drop to hem of my dress. I no longer care if it gets wet. I just want to enjoy this. I want to take this all in.

I close my eyes for a minute, breathing in the salty air and listening to the waves crash on the shore. I run my hands through the cool sand. Arms wrap around me from behind.

“I’m so lucky to have you,” Mitch tells me.

I look up into his eyes. “I’m the lucky one.”

I take his phone from him. I can’t believe he’s sitting in the moist sand, wearing dress pants. His mom is going to kill him. But now that he is, we might as well have fun with it. I snap several pictures of him, and then I sit in his lap to take some with him. He wraps his arms around my waist and I lean back into his chest. I feel his breath on my neck and I feel like I’m floating as I snap pictures of us. I just start snapping without even looking at the camera.

I spin around to face him and rest my head on his neck as he smoothes my hair. I hand him his phone back and unbutton his dress shirt from top to bottom as we both breathe heavily. I slide it down his arms and it rests only on his wrists. He’s wearing a white beater tank underneath and I edge it up with my thumbs. He slides his dress shirt off his wrists and slides it under his bottom, freeing his hands. I remove his tank and he puts it under him as well.

His eyes travel from my eyes to my lips to my chest and then to his phone. We have to be careful not to get it wet. I take it from him and slide it under my bra where it will be safe.

“I’m never washing that phone,” he laughs.

“I would hope not. You’d ruin it.”

“Well, right now, I’m really jealous of my phone.”

“I want you to be this phone, but if I let you do that with no barrier, I’ll be done for. I won’t be able to stop. I’m having a hard enough time controlling myself as it is.”

“Kiss me,” he pleads.

“So demanding!”

“What did I tell you about stealing my lines?”

“Hum, if I recall you said you don’t use lines, you only tell the truth.”

“Do you remember everything I say?”

“Maybe,” I grin.

“Alright, that’s it. I’m kissing you whether you like it or not.”

He places both of his hands tenderly on my face.

“As if I could ever not like it.”

His lips meet mine. His thumb slides down my neck, and when he finds my breast he cups it with his hand, gently caressing it. His other hand chooses that moment to slide down my side as he moves his lips down to my neck, I can’t stop the moan that escapes from me. His touch is all too wonderful. I want more.

I slide my hands down his smooth pecs and then trace his abs with my index finger. His breath hitches. I reposition myself so that I’m straddling him as we begin to kiss with sudden urgency. I lean forward causing him to lie back in the sand. The water is closing in on us. I feel it creep onto my stomach as Mitch’s hands glide down my back, finally resting right above my bottom.

I let out a small giggle midway through a kiss.

“What is it?”

“You don’t have to be so nice. I like you. You don’t have to ask permission for everything.”

“I just don’t wanna disrespect you. This isn’t about sex for me. It’s more than that.”

“I know, which is why I don’t mind if you take a little initiative.”

“Oh, yeah?”

He plants both of his hands on my behind and squeezes.

“Just keep your hands above my clothes.”

“Whatever you want, Baby.”

I kiss him harder as he runs his hands all over my body. Then I feel the ocean water soak my bra. I look up and the sand bar is completely gone, with some fairly good-sized waves off the horizon. We both jump up and run toward the shore.

“Looks like low tide is over,” Mitch says ringing out his shirts.

“How are we going to explain this?” I ask, motioning to my dress that has sand all over the backside due to Mitch’s caresses.

“Give me the phone and take a full dip.”

I hand it to him and run right back into the water, letting it consume me. I swim out into it until I can no longer touch the bottom. The sun is starting to set, and Mitch was right, it’s so much better watching it from the beach. I linger for a little while longer before Mitch swims in after me.

“We need to get back before dark, or Brian will send out a search party.”

I give him a kiss, we grab our shoes and head back to the car.
“Dare number two… make out, with tongue, with the person to your right…” To my right is Mitch. This is so my dare. “For five minutes.”

“I got it!” I yell. I’m going to make out with Mitch, right here and now.

“Mitch, it looks like it’s your lucky night,” Brian tells him, handing the camera phone over to Kenji. “Heather, make it good for the camera.”

“Oh I will. I just hope Mitch is up for it.”

“Oh I’m up for it,” Mitch grins.

“Alright Kenji, keep track of the time.”

Kenji nods and then says, “Go.”

This is it. It’s now or never. Mitch is looking at my lips. He’s ready. I lace my hand with his and then turn to straddle the log I’m sitting on. He does the same. I’m so nervous. I’ve never made out in public, and I never thought I’d be able to do so with Mitch. I tenderly touch his shoulder with my free hand and then lean slightly forward. The spark returns as soon as I touch him. His breathing is slow and strained like he’s incredibly nervous, too.

“I’m restarting the time,” Kenji says. “I’ll start it when you start kissing.”

Mitch and I both let out a laugh as our foreheads meet. I look up at him through my lashes. He’s so perfect. I drag my hand up to his cheek and then kiss him gently. His free arm goes under my arm and around my back. He licks my bottom lip and I part my lips, giving his tongue room to enter my mouth. Mmm, he tastes so good. Just like winter fresh gum. The tip of his tongue traces a line across the roof of my mouth. I put my hand on his neck and then run it through his hair. I let go of his hand that is holding mine as our tongues dance. I let my now free hand cup his firm peck and push him downward.

I detach myself from his mouth long enough to move on top of him and then I suck and nibble on his bottom lip as he lets out ragged sighs. I love his breathy responses. They make me want to be wild. What’s a game of Dare without a little risk? With him I want to do things I’ve never been brave enough to do with anyone else. And I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it. I’m going to do what I want.

I kiss his cheek and then suck and nibble on his earlobe. He’s breathing so hard now. Or is it me? I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I want him. I wanna make my claim on him, and I want everyone to know that he is mine. “Unsnap me,” I whisper into his ear. He tilts his head to the side and kisses my cheek.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

His hands travel to the clasp of my bra and he fidgets. Then I feel the pressure on my back fade away. “Take it off,” I say while tugging on his lip. He doesn’t hesitate. He slides down both of my straps and I slip my arms out. He pulls my bra off with a little tug and then tucks it under him.

“For my eyes only,” he says.

I love the feel of myself on top of him with little between us. I kiss his neck and his hands drift down my back as Ty say, “Go for it, Mitch.” I laugh and nod into Mitch’s neck. His hands drift slowly to my bottom. When he gets there, I can’t help but grind into him inconspicuously. Hopefully, the others won’t notice what I’m doing. He presses me to him and I can feel his hardness. He presses upward and holds me down. My whole body goes hot. I let out a soft moan as he presses me harder against him.

“That’s enough for me,” Christine says.

“It was enough for me before they started,” Marie says.

“Still got two minutes,” Kenji tells us.

There’s a sigh in the background. It must be Brittany. She’s probably making out with Sammy.

“It’s not yawls Dare,” Ty says, confirming my suspicions. “So, Christine...if you don’t like watching, I could always kiss you, instead.”

Brian laughs at Ty’s flirtatiousness. Considering that Ty hasn’t even asked Christine out, it is a little odd that he would try persuading her to kiss him.

Now that Mitch and I are no longer the center of attention, we really go at it. Our kisses become much more urgent. We only have a minute or so left and I’m determined to make the best of it. Mitch must be having the same thought. His hand slides up my dress and to the zipper. He slowly inches it down, waiting for me to protest. I feel the warm breeze on my exposed skin, until he covers it with his hand. He doesn’t try to take my dress off, but he lowers the zipper a tad bit more and presses himself to me. My thighs start squeezing together. Oh no! Not now! Not here! He presses me tightly against him as I let out a much louder moan. How am I going to explain that? This is no longer a Dare. It’s us, alone in his bedroom, that first time he made me wet. I don’t understand how he can have such an effect on me. But…I like it.

His fingers trail down my spine and I come undone. I collapse, no longer able to keep my breathing regulated. He did it again. Except this time, it was in public. I breathe hard onto his neck. He trembles under me. If the group around us didn’t know we were together, they would know now. I can’t believe I just did that in front of everyone here. I really, really hope none of them noticed what just happened. Heat rushes to my cheeks.
Summers and Winters

Available at Amazon
Heather's Blog: http://heatherdowell.blogspot.com/

Looking Ahead at 2014

I've been thinking about this post since reading Dean Wesley Smith's post on setting writing goals for 2014. This year got off to a rocky start for me; I had an abnormal EKG a week before Christmas, which was kind of alarming, and I've been dealing with tests and a lot of anxiety since then. Everything is still inconclusive so far, but right now it looks like we're not dealing with anything immediately dangerous; most likely it's nothing serious, or we've caught something more long-term serious in the early stages.

Getting this glimpse of my own mortality had the contradictory effects of making it hard to make future plans and goals (who can make plans for the future when they're afraid they're going to drop dead at any moment?) (seriously, I'm a terrible hypochondriac) and making me really zero in on what I want to accomplish in my life. The main thing I realized, besides wondering who would make the Christmas fudge and homemade dinner rolls at our house if I wasn't around (getting alarming health news right before Christmas really sucks) is that I would be extremely bummed out were I to shuffle off the mortal coil before getting Daughter of the Wildings out. I've instructed my husband that should something happen to me, DoW is to be made available however seems best at the time - put up for sale, or just posted for free, or whatever. The problem is, as it is right now, still in rough draft, it kind of sucks. It's not terrible, but there are parts that make me cringe or that are just wrong, and I really don't want it to go out into the world this way.

So, with that as my focus, and now that I'm not quite so convinced that I'm going to drop dead at any moment *knock on wood*, here are my plans and goals for the coming year.

Although Sarya's Song is the next book scheduled to come out, I'm going to be spending most of my work hours on the initial revision of Daughter of the Wildlings. DoW is a huge project, nearly 300,000 words, and if I'm going to get it released on any kind of schedule, it needs to take priority. This shuffling of priorities will mean that the release of Sarya's Song may be delayed a bit. I'm hoping for a February release, but it may take until March.

My target for releasing the first DoW book, Beneath the Canyons, is June, though that may be a bit optimistic. The plan is to get all six books to where once I start releasing the series, a new book can come out about every other month.

Once Sarya's Song is out and DoW is well under way towards being released, there are a couple of different areas I'm thinking I'll turn my attention to. One is a couple of partially-written novels set in Estelend, the world of Chosen of Azara. I also had a reviewer say they wished Chosen was a trilogy instead of one book, because they wanted more backstory on some of the characters and events. Rewriting Chosen as a trilogy isn't going to happen - I just don't feel it that way - but I'd like to do a set of stories giving some of the backstory the reviewer mentioned they'd like to know more about. Maybe I'll make this a Camp NaNo project in April or July. And the very first novel I ever wrote, Prince of the Trozdozh, and its sequel are sitting on my hard drive, calling out to me. I think they're probably salvageable, so I want to run them through my revision process and see it they really are something I can release to the public.

As far as production goals, right now I can't really set a word count goal. By the end of the year I aim to have released 5 novels (Sarya's Song and the first four Daughter of the Wildings novels) and at least one short story collection (the Chosen of Azara companion stories). I had five releases in 2013, so six releases in 2014 sounds like a good progression.

And, onward. Happy New Year, everyone! May it be happy and productive and with a minimum of unpleasant surprises.

Author Spotlight: Kyoko M.

Introducing Kyoko M., author of The Black Parade.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
At my most basic level, I'm a big ole nerd. I love comic books, particularly Batman and Spider-Man, I'm a huge fan of urban fantasy and sci-fi movies and television shows, I have a soft spot for Greek and Roman mythology, I love all kinds of anime/manga, and I generally love the craft of writing. I'm most likely found buried under my Dashboard on Tumblr geeking out about silly things or engaging in heated discussions about the role of women in George Lucas films.

2. When did you start writing, and why?
I started writing when I was around seven or eight years old. It started out as little diary entries and then I eventually began watching a lot of cartoons so I wrote fanfiction growing up. I attempted my first novel in tenth grade and it was awful and I couldn't even get to 30,000 words, if I'm not mistaken. I tried again sophomore year of college, but it was a disastrous little romantic comedy chockful of cliches and I'm glad an agent didn't pick it up. I took a class on Greek mythology my junior year and that's when I got the idea for The Black Parade. From there, the rest is history. Long, painful, hair-tearingly awkward history.

3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
I tend to write urban fantasy and high fantasy because those are two kinds of worlds that are vastly interesting to me. I love mixing magic and mundane together, and it comes from a long background of watching television shows, movies, and anime related to those subjects. I enjoy the freedom of writing. My day-to-day life is unspectacular. My writing, however, is vibrant and wild and unpredictable. I love writing because it's always where I discover things about myself moreso than in real life. I love that anyone can be anything in fiction whereas real life is much harsher and more limited. I can be unrestrained when I write. I hope people can someday see me for who I am as an author because it is completely different from who I am outside of a Microsoft Word document.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
The Black Parade trilogy starts with the titular 'The Black Parade' starring Jordan Amador, a sarcastic waitress with a drinking problem whose soul was sentenced to hell for killing a Seer: a person who can see, hear, and communicate with ghosts, angels, and demons. She has two years to help one hundred souls with unfinished business cross over to the after life or her soul is toast. Just as she approaches the deadline, she bumps into Michael--a handsome, flirtatious poltergeist and the first one she's ever met. He can touch things, unlike any of the other ghosts she's encountered, and his case intrigues her so she starts solving his mysterious death. Along the way, she uncovers a terrifying plot that the demons have set in motion to help them take over humanity and rule for years to come, and unfortunately, they need her blood to do it.

The Black Parade is followed by She Who Fights Monsters, which is set for release in July 2014.

5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
The world of the Black Parade operates as if Paradise Lost by John Milton were non-fiction. Not every single detail from the epic poem happened, but most of it did occur. The angels live among human beings as their silent guardians. Half the angels stay in heaven to keep order and take care of the human souls there while the other half are on earth carrying out various orders. Their orders are either given to them by the Commander or they choose a lifestyle that will allow them to guide and care for the people around them. The demons operate the same way. Half of them stay in hell cooking up schemes to help them damn human souls while the others walk the earth corrupting whoever they can. There is a standing agreement between the angels and demons: they cannot reveal themselves to normal people because it would of course tip the world into utter chaos. However, the archdemons are constantly plotting ways to undo this agreement and rule mankind. There are five archdemons total--Belial, Mulciber, Mammon, Beelzebub, and Moloch. Two of them walk the earth while the other three stay in hell plotting revenge. Conversely, there are three archangels, and it's their job to make sure the archdemons never succeed.

In terms of powers and abilities, the angels have supernatural strength, agility, and the feathers from their wings are deadly to demons if touched. They can also harness spiritual energy, which is a type of energy they naturally produce. It's invisible to the naked eye, and it can be used to attack, create shields, and heal everything except mortal wounds. Demons have the same powers, but they also have the ability to pour their essence into other creatures. For example, hellhounds are a loophole to the agreement of no supernatural occurrences on earth because a demon will take a normal dog and pour his essence into it until the animal becomes monstrous.

Lastly, angels are engineered to be sterile and are forbidden from engaging in romantic relationships with human beings. The reason this is law is because centuries ago, angels used to mate with humans and created nephilim: a race of wildly powerful and uncontrollable half human, half angel hybrids. Additionally, the angel Uriel once fell in love with a Seer named Zora and married her, but it turns out she was a double agent working for the archdemon Belial. Since her soul was bonded with Uriel's, Zora could not go to hell but she also could not go to heaven when she died because her soul was also bonded with Belial's. Thus, she was sent to Purgatory and God forbade the union of Seers and angels to spare them any more pain.

Seers like Jordan are the descendants of the twelve disciples, who in this universe all had children and their children had children and so forth. They can use spiritual energy just like the angels can and they can see and hear ghosts, whereas normal people cannot.

6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
Jordan Amador is Jersey-born and raised, but she lives in Albany. Sadly, she has a rough past. Her mother was institutionalized when she was five years old and committed suicide not long after, so Jordan was sent to live with her Aunt Carmen. Aunt Carmen abused Jordan physically and verbally until she was about sixteen and ran away from home. She hitchhiked with a sweet old woman and ended up in Albany, New York working as a waitress until the fateful night when she met a man who was a Seer. A demon-like creature burst into her apartment and tried to kill her so she ran into her room and got her pistol. The bedroom door opened and the frightened Jordan shot the man she saw in the doorway, not knowing he had come there to save her. The archangel Gabriel then appeared and told her that the man she killed was a Seer and he was the last one on earth until now. Her Seer abilities had just awakened, and that was what drew the demonic creature to her. Killing a Seer is punishable by way of hell so she is given two years to help a hundred souls or she's bound for hell.

As a result of her childhood, Jordan is very withdrawn and cynical. She has a best friend, Lauren, who works with her at the restaurant, but lives a secluded life helping the souls of the dead. It isn't until Michael shows up that things take a turning point for her.

Michael the poltergeist seems to be nothing more than a pain in her ass, but as the two get to know each other, she realizes he's actually a good guy. He genuinely cares what's going to happen to Jordan more than what will happen to his own displaced soul. There's a lot of chemistry between the two and their relationship develops into a surprising friendship as the novel progresses. Plus, a few sparks start to fly and things get more complicated the deeper Jordan delves into trouble.

Last, we have our villain: Belial. He's like every wet dream and every nightmare Jordan's ever had rolled into one. He's handsome, but he's also sadistic, arrogant, and power-hungry. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants, and unfortunately, what he wants is her.

I like Jordan's stubborn refusal to give up when she's been beaten. She realizes that she's clearly out of her league contending with supernatural beings who have been around for centuries, but she doesn't give a damn. She has a burning need to protect the innocent and to protect her friends so she never gives up.

I like Michael's ability to read between the lines with Jordan. Most people would back down when they come up against someone who has a lot of walls, but he smashes right through them. He can tell that Jordan's been hurt and he doesn't like it. He wants to become the kind of guy she'd like having around because he thinks she's worth protecting as well.

I like Belial's style. He loves sin. He loves power. He enjoys pushing Jordan's buttons and trying to corrupt her because she's a challenge. He's made an entire career out of wooing women and she's the first to refuse him for more than just a couple of days.

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
A fun fact about the book is that the mysterious Seer Jordan kills in the beginning is based on one of my favorite actors. I won't tell you who, but I will say he'll give you a sense of serenity after you meet him.

8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
The Black Parade is available everywhere! Amazon, Smashwords, iBookstore, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble. My main website is shewhowritesmonsters.com, and you can read blog entries about writing as well as my book series there.
The Black Parade
The Black Parade Series
Book One
Kyoko M

Cover Artist: Gunjan Kumar


One bullet is all it took to transform eighteen-year-old New Yorker Jordan Amador into the last hope for souls of the dead. However, it also transformed her into a cantankerous asocial waitress with a drinking problem.

Jordan accidentally shot and killed a Seer: a person who can communicate with ghosts, angels, and demons. Worse still, she did so on the eve of her own awakening, making her the last Seer on Earth with no one to guide her. As penance, God gives her two years to help one hundred souls with unfinished business cross over from Earth to the afterlife or she will go to Hell. Just as she approaches the deadline, Jordan finds her hundredth soul: a smart-mouthed poltergeist named Michael whose ability to physically touch things makes him distinct from her usual encounters with the dead. However, the deeper she delves solving his sudden death, the more she realizes something sinister is on the horizon. 

With time running short, Jordan stumbles across a plot that may unravel the fragile balance among Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Her life is plunged into chaos as she is hunted by demons that want to use her valuable Seer blood to bring about the end of the world and discovers that these creatures have a frightening connection to her family bloodline. Plus, the budding romance between Jordan and Michael makes it harder for them to let go of each other so he can become part of the eternal black parade.

 Short Excerpt:

Crazed teeth gnashed inches away from my face. The eyes rolled back until only the whites showed. Spider-like fingers strained for my throat. I screamed and ran towards the bedroom.

I slammed the door shut and dove for the nightstand, hands shaking as I checked the chambers to make sure the gun was loaded. The door flew open with a bang. A second bang followed. Then all was silent.

The phantom was gone, but in its place stood a man in a suit beneath his dark grey duster. His hair was black and his face was growing paler by the second. He reached out his hand. My panicked eyes spotted the scarlet speckled across the palm. The room had gone silent because the gun had deafened me. The barrel was still smoking and now I could see the hole I had put through the man’s chest.

I couldn’t breathe, but somehow I could still talk, and my lips were whispering one word over and over.

“No, no, no, no…”

The man said nothing as he fell to his knees in front of me, his azure eyes locked on mine as if he were trying to tell me something, but the strength was ebbing from him in crimson rivulets. I dropped the gun and fell to my knees as well. My fingertips grazed his face as if I could bring him back to life with one touch, but we both knew it was too late. He laid a rough, scarred hand to the side of my cheek where hot tears had fallen, his lips parting to whisper in a soothing voice.

“Don’t be afraid. They’re going to come for you, but please don’t be afraid.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please…” I managed to gasp out in between sobs.

The man merely smiled and closed his eyes. “Don’t be. I’m ready.”

He swayed forward and I caught his heavy body, feeling his blood soak my shirt. He slid down until his face rested in my lap, drawing in a few more shallow breaths before going completely still, empty, lifeless. I sat there with my coated hands stroking his hair, still whispering over and over for him to forgive me.

Golden light poured in from all angles, nearly blinding me, and I could just barely see the outline of a man with wings.

When the light dimmed, a blond man stood in front of me with white-gold wings that stretched nearly from wall to wall of my small bedroom. His tanned body was wrapped in white linen and his skin seemed to possess an ethereal quality, glowing like he had some unique source of inner radiance. Blue eyes like twin suns shone down on me with kindness and empathy. A new feeling of shock and reverence gave me enough strength to speak.

“W-Who are you?”

“My name is Gabriel. I am the archangel of the Lord God.” His voice had an echo to it that seemed to soothe and agitate me at the same time. The angel folded his wings into his back and knelt beside the dead man in my lap. His fingers hovered over the wound the bullet had left through the man’s back.

“As I thought…he is dead.”

More tears poured as I tried to explain. “I-I didn’t know it was him. There was a monster chasing me. I got scared. I’m so sorry.”

Gabriel’s face fell into that of a pitying expression. “You are human. It was only natural for you to be afraid. However, the Father cannot overlook what you have done. The man before you is a Seer—one of the few humans in this world who can see angels, demons, and spirits. He was hunting the demon you saw a moment ago.”

“Please, I don’t want to die. I’ll do anything to make this better,” I whispered, bowing to the angel.

He touched the crown of my head in comfort. “There is something you can do to make amends, my child. You must take his place.”

I looked up in shock. “What?”

“You are a Seer, Jordan. Your abilities had not awakened until just now. That is why the demon was drawn to you. Your time to serve the Lord is now. In order to pay for the crime of taking this man’s life, you must help one hundred wandering souls cross from this world to the next. If you do not finish this task two years from this day, I am afraid your soul shall be sent to hell.”

“H-How? How do I even know which people are spirits?” I stammered in protest.

“The dead have no feet to walk upon because they are no longer tied to the Earth. Your task is to discover how they died and help them fulfill their final wish. Do not fear, for I will teach you how to free their souls. After this is done, the soul will go to the next world and I will write down the name in the Book of Penance.”

He held out his hand and a red leather book materialized, spelling out my name in gold cursive across the front. It managed to be both beautiful and macabre. Gabriel placed it by my side and carefully rolled the man over onto his back. He plucked a feather from his wings and pressed it over the man’s heart.

“Rest in peace. The gates of Heaven are waiting.”

I watched with wonderment as the feather dissipated into tiny flecks of light and felt warmth as something nearly transparent rose from the body. I realized with shock that it was the man’s soul. He hung in the air between Gabriel and me for a moment before floating upward and out of sight. His body faded seconds later, leaving only the bloodstained clothes behind. My fingers closed over the grey duster, which was still salvageable in comparison to the shirt and pants.

“I shall be watching over you always, Jordan Amador...”

 About the Author:

 Kyoko M is an author, a fangirl, and an avid book reader.

 Her debut novel, The Black Parade, made it through the first round of Amazon's 2013 Breakthrough Novel Contest. She participated and completed the 2011 National Novel Writing Month competition. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Lit degree from the University of Georgia, which gave her every valid excuse to devour book after book with a concentration in Greek mythology and Christian mythology.

 When not working feverishly on a manuscript (or two), she can be found buried under her Dashboard on Tumblr, or chatting with fellow nerds on Twitter, or curled up with a good Harry Dresden novel on a warm central Florida night. Like any author, she wants nothing more than to contribute something great to the best profession in the world, no matter how small.

 Website: http://www.shewhowritesmonsters.com

 Blog: http://www.shewhowritesmonsters.com

 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/misskyokom

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/She-Who-Writes-Monsters/161227150647087

 GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7189997.Kyoko_M_

Book Review: Cloaked in Fur

Cloaked in Fur, by T.F. Walsh (spotlight here!)

* * * * (4 stars)

Daci has a terrible secret - the time is rapidly approaching when she will become a full-blown wulfkin. At the same time, all she wants is to find a way to permanently join the human world and her beloved Connell. While she tries to find a way to take control of her destiny, a monster in the woods threatens everything and everyone she knows and loves, human and wulfkin alike.

Paranormal shapeshifter romance isn't my usual reading, but this was a lot of fun. The characters are well-drawn as individuals, and even though the antagonists are pretty nasty, the author still gets you to sympathize with them. The setting, in the towns, forests, and mountains of the author's native Romania, is vividly and beautifully described. The action, and Daci's dilemma, grabbed me right from the beginning and didn't let go until the end.

The ending leaves a few loose ends; this could easily be the first book of a series.

I did get frustrated with Daci's inability to tell Connell the truth about herself, but that was a lesson that the character needed to end up learning the hard way during the course of the story. A few editing problems were also kind of distracting.

On the whole, Cloaked in Fur is a fast-paced, exciting story with characters I cared about in a beautiful setting.

Book Review: The Shining Citadel

The Shining Citadel, by A.L. Butcher
* * * * (4 stars)

The Shining Citadel is the second book in The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles. This book centers around the search for a lost city that can help the elves rise from their current sorry state, and gives the backstory on how they fell from their former glory. Archos and Dii are back, along with Olek and Ozena, and are joined by Th'alia, a captive elf who is being forced to lead them into a trap so that the Witch Hunters can claim the riches of the lost Citadel for themselves and get rid of the Archmage Archos, along with Marden, Th'alia's Witch Hunter escort and Talfor, a troll.

As in the first book, the characters are strong, unique, and engaging. It was fun to catch up with Archos, the thoroughly awesome mage, and to see how Dii and the other characters from book 1 are doing. Marden's character arc was especially interesting, as the Witch Hunter comes face to face with the fact that everything he's been taught about elves and mages is a lie. The group - Archos, Dii, Olek, Ozena, Th'alia, Marden, and Talfor - meet up with exciting and dangerous adventures during their search for the Shining Citadel. And the trolls in this world are really cool.

Some long, tangled, run-on sentences make the book a little difficult to read in places, and, as in book 1, there are some very explicit sex scenes. However, readers who prefer to avoid reading explicit material can skim over or skip those scenes without the story being affected.

On the whole, The Shining Citadel is an exciting, heroic fantasy adventure with great characters that kept me reading, wanting to know what happens to the characters and to learn more about this fascinating world.

Book Review: The Last Ranger of Sarn

The Last Ranger of Sarn, by Ed Ireland

* * * * (4 Stars)

The Last Ranger of Sarn is an epic fantasy telling the story of a young woman, Vespias, who grows to become the commander of the legendary Rangers at a time of terrible war against a demon-possessed prince and his armies of the undead.

Last Ranger is a big, sprawling book, mainly focusing on Vespias's growth and progress from hunter's child to commander of the entire Castian military. It goes into her early life quite a bit to show how she becomes the woman she eventually becomes, and illustrates the loves, tragdies, triumphs, and losses she experiences. I originally read this book a few months ago, and felt that other aspects of the story were shortchanged, but in this new edition, the book is well-balanced between Vespias's story and the events that led to the downfall of the Prince and his war against the Castians.

The book features of number of strong female characters, and I came to care about not just them but all the main characters. The writing is clear and easy to follow, though there are some missing commas.

Overall, engaging characters, an intriguing world, and lots of exciting action makes this a fun, gripping read.

Book Review: Journey to Altmortis

Journey to Altmortis, by Thaddeus White

rating: * * * * (4 stars)

Fun fantasy adventure, featuring some of the secondary characters from Bane of Souls. Thaddeus, master of the underground, and his sister Lynette, accompanied by Pretty Pierre and Roger the Goat (actually a man; "goat" is a well-earned nickname) head off to the fabled, long-dead city of Altmortis in pursuit of two brothers who have stolen some items of great value and importance to them. Along the way they meet with a variety of adventures and dangers, including a crazed cannibal serial killer and a village of truly creepy beings, the Hykirs, who have their weird eyes on Lynette and Anja, the women in the group. Then, when they find the city and disturb a nest of hungry baby dragons, things really get interesting!

The story seemed a bit slow until they ran into the baby dragons; from that point to the end it really grabbed me and wouldn't let go. But the Hykirs were wonderfully creepy, and I really enjoyed that part. I would have liked the part with the serial killer/cannibal to have more real significance to the plot; that part was too good to just be a passing incident.

For me there was the right amount of description and world-building. I think it really helped that I read Bane of Souls first, so I already knew who the starting characters were and a little about how that world works. Thaddeus and Lynette's secret did seem to kind of come from out of nowhere; I can't remember if any hints were dropped about it earlier. But it's a very cool secret.

I enjoyed seeing more of Pretty Pierre; a really good character from Bane of Souls. I also enjoyed Anja and Fritigern, who are new to this book. Roger the Goat is amusingly revolting; I was glad to see him have an important role in this story.

All in all, a fun read.

Merry Christmas! and have a cookie!

Coming up for air from all the holiday preparations and everything else to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and thanks to everyone who has supported me during my first year of publishing!

Have a cookie :D

I'll be back with more musings on fantasy and writing and updates on my current projects as soon as I've recovered from all the cooking and festivities.

Author Spotlight: Elle Jacklee

Meet Middle Grade/YA fantasy author Elle Jacklee, and read an excerpt from her new book, The Tree of Mindala:

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in Wisconsin with my husband and two young sons. In the past, I've been a software programmer, inside sales representative and a bilingual customer service representative. I'm thrilled to have added "author" to that list. Besides reading and of course writing, I enjoy cooking, baking, biking, playing tennis and downhill skiing. I believe in karma and the power of positive thinking!

2. When did you start writing, and why?
I wrote my first story when I was seven years old. I had already discovered how much fun reading could be. I remember that when I discovered that the books I read were written by people (as opposed to just falling from heaven :) I immediately was determined to write stories that I hoped would bring as much enjoyment to other people as other people's stories brought to me. That's still my goal today.

3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
I write middle grade/YA fantasy. I decided to write for that age group because it was the books that I read at that age that had the biggest impact on me. Books aimed at that age group take on a bit more complexity and hopefully evoke an excitement in readers that they may be experiencing for the first time in a book. If they haven't fallen in love with reading already, it may be these books that hook them for life. I'm passionate about the importance of reading so if my writing can ignite that spark in someone, then I call that success.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
The Tree of Mindala is the first book in my Wunderwood series. I'm currently in the midst of writing the next one, The Triad of the Tree. And characters, new and old, still are clamoring to tell more of their stories, so I do have plans for subsequent books after that...

5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
Wunderwood has long been enchanted as a result of the sacrifice made by Mindala, a character who readers will learn more about as the series progresses. For now, suffice it to say that it is because of Mindala that the inhabitants of this realm enjoy a mostly contented life, with magic at their disposal. Wunderwood is a place that has a way of maintaining a delicate balance. Of course, its inhabitants have free will, and when their choices upset the natural balance of this world, things have a way of being put right, one way or another. In that way, I guess you could say Wunderwood is an example of art imitating life.

6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
Miranda Moon, the main character, is just days away from her twelfth birthday at the beginning of The Tree of Mindala. She has an overactive imagination, to say the least, and it's that personality trait that often gets her into trouble at school. It's also the thing her younger brother, Marcus, who runs with the popular crowd, holds against her. But it's the thing Miranda likes most about herself. I like that she is true to herself, even though some people even think of her as a bit "crazy". Of course, when she and Marcus find themselves in Wunderwood, a place where they meet people and creatures that even Miranda never imagined, she feels even better about it!

One of the creatures they meet in this magical place is Skye, a Morphiad who has the power to transform into any living creature or person that he has ever touched, giving him a unique perspective, even in this land. He is fiercely loyal and protective of his human companion, Raina, who just happens to be related to Miranda and Marcus. Then, of course, there is Thornton Crow. Once banished for his evil deeds, he is now at large and more determined than ever to seize control of the source of Wunderwood's magic, the Tree of Mindala. Along with his followers, the HOPs (or Hoarders of Power), he believes that Mindala would never have wanted her gift of magic to be squandered away on what he considers the mediocre existence most of Wunderwood is living. He wishes to unleash the full potential of the powerful magic, and regards any and all consequences worth it. He is the kind of evil I hope readers love to hate!  

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
The idea for the world of Wunderwood and Miranda Moon came to me one fall day around Halloween when I was home from work with a migraine headache. I was looking out the window at the leaves on my patio that were swirling in the wind that just happened to be howling that day. It was a little spooky, but I thought it was beautiful at the same time. I've always loved Halloween, and by the end of that day (after a few doses of headache medicine), Wunderwood and Miranda Moon were born, and I had a rough outline of the story fleshed out. Until that day, I never thought I'd be thankful for a headache!

8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
The Tree of Mindala is available for purchase at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Official book trailer: http://youtu.be/-e2MwDserCc
Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/elle.jacklee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellejacklee The Tree of Mindala:

"Miranda Moon's vivid imagination has gotten her into trouble more times than she can count. This time, she's been suspended from school. So her straight-laced younger brother, Marcus, blames her when they're relegated to their late grandparents' old cabin over Halloween weekend. But when Miranda finds a curious trinket, they're mysteriously whisked away to Wunderwood, where magic flows through the trees and everyone already knows their family name. A place even Miranda never imagined.

Just as they arrive, a sinister warlock, Thornton Crow, is freed from a long banishment. He resumes his deadly agenda to find The Tree of Mindala, the source of all the realm's magic. As Miranda and Marcus discover branches of their own family tree that they hadn't even known existed, they learn that Thornton has a score to settle with anyone in their bloodline. Especially them... Though justice has always had a way of being naturally restored in Wunderwood, Thornton's latest evil deed just may be the tipping point.

When Miranda discovers her own role in Thornton's release, she knows it's up to her to stop him from stealing not just magic, but also hope. With travel companions that could as easily be foes as friends, and only the cryptic words of a prophecy to guide her, Miranda must decide if she can carry out the task that will either save Wunderwood... or doom it forever. " Excerpt from The Tree of Mindala :

Miranda knocked twice, and the door, already ajar, opened a little further. But there was no reply. She knocked again, harder, and this time the door swung all the way in with a long creak. A terrible odor accosted them. If Miranda had to describe it, she would say it was a mixture of rotting garbage, hot metal, and Marcus’ dirty sweat socks... only worse.

“What are you doing?” Marcus demanded, pinching his nose.

“I only knocked!” Miranda retorted. “Then the door opened. It must have been the wind!”

She poked her head inside and called, “Hello?” No reply. “Anyone home?” Nothing. She couldn’t resist looking around.

“That’s strange,” she mumbled, pointing to a window that she hadn’t seen from outside but through which the outside was clearly visible. As she continued her tour of the room, Miranda inadvertently tapped a big rock that slightly resembled a chair. In front of it was a stone table upon which stood a small lantern whose lit candle they had seen from outside, as well as a variety of jars and beakers in different shapes and sizes. Some were empty, some contained plant leaves, twigs, and various animal and insect body parts. There were also several loose pieces of paper on the table, and a few on the rough cobblestone floor that must have blown off the table when the door opened.

Someone shuffled out from the shadows in the corner of the room toward the table. Miranda and Marcus held their breath while they stared at the little person. He was about as tall as a five-year-old, but he appeared much, much older. He had a silky white beard that fell to his knees, and long white eyebrows that drooped over milky-blue eyes. His head was bald at the top. But the hair on the sides and in back was thick, long, and the same frosty white as his beard. He wore a drab, beige tunic that looked scratchy, like burlap. As he bent down to pick up the papers, his back was to Miranda and Marcus, and they could see that his tunic was worn quite thin at the elbows and at the rump. He didn’t seem to notice them standing there.

As he stretched up on the tips of his toes to place the papers back on the slab of a table, he bumped one of the beakers, which teetered from side to side, threatening to fall off the uneven surface. The curious little man threw his arms up to catch it, but it stopped teetering and eventually became completely still. “Whew,” he sighed.

“Hello?” Miranda said again, a little quieter this time.

“Oh, Alvore’s Mane!” the little man swore under his breath, slumping his shoulders in exasperation. He abruptly turned to face them. “Can’t ya take a hint?” he demanded, his eyebrows forming a V.

“Beg your pardon, sir,” Marcus apologized quickly. “Sorry to have disturbed you.” He tugged on Miranda’s elbow, but she snatched it away, flashing an irritated face at him. Then, smiling her sweetest smile, she addressed the gruff little man.

“Sir,” she began, “May we speak to you for just a moment? I think we may be... um... lost. “ She blinked her eyes a few times, hoping to appeal to his softer side, if he had one. This usually worked with her father.

“Lost? That’s for certain. Ya’d have to be looking fer trouble if ya were meanin’ to come here. Now, what ya wanna do is t’get yarselves as far away from here as possible.” Then he whispered, “Thornton may return at any time.”

“Perfect! Maybe we should wait for him!” Miranda clasped her hands together happily.

“Wait for him?! Miss, have ya been sniffin’ on loreberry leaves? Why would anyone hang around waiting fer Thornton?” Then he paused, squinting his eyes and pointing a thick, bulbous finger at them. “Unless... ya’re a couple o’those HOPs!” he accused, backing slowly away from them.

“What? No!” Miranda assured him. “Wait... what’s a HOP?”

“What’s a HOP? Are ya tryin’ to be funny? ‘Cause this is no time fer jokin’, miss.”

“Funny? No, sir. All we know is one minute we were in our grandparents’ cabin where I found this,” she held out the glass globe which he gingerly took from her, “and the next minute we were here, wherever here is, and we were just wondering—”

“On Truman’s teeth, I’ve never seen the likes of it...” the little man uttered, staring wide-eyed at the globe.

“Truman?” Miranda and Marcus repeated. “Truman was our grandfather’s name.”

The odd little man regarded them thoughtfully for a few seconds. Then realization swept over his face. “Well, that explains that, dunn’n it?” The little man came closer, getting a better look at them. “I’m Agapanthus Rush, of the original Rush Gardeners. Pleased ta meet ya.” He bowed deeply, his round nose nearly touching the floor.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr Rush. I’m Miranda Moon—”

“Yes, yes. O’course y’are. Call me Aggie.” The Tree of Mindala is available for purchase at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Official book trailer: http://youtu.be/-e2MwDserCc