RELEASE DAY: Andy Lewter "Gifted - A Valens Series"

  

Blurb:
The last thing Abigail Everett thought would happen over spring break was having her world shift into an entirely new perspective.

Unfortunately for her, that’s exactly what happened.

Between struggling to master her newly-formed abilities, coming face-to-face with dark, deceiving mind tricks by those that seek her leadership, and learning of a mythical world that she never deemed possible, Abigail risks everything with the future of mankind and the safety of its’ people in her hands.

About the Author:

Andy is a stay-home mom with two beautiful children. Between homework, playing, cooking and cleaning, she writes on the side. Most of her inspiration comes from life experiences that have brought her both pain and happiness - both of which have helped her grow. She also gets inspiration from the wonderful people that have touched her life, accompanied with crazy dreams she has nightly.

She is so excited to have finally touched the edges of her dream as an author. She grew a fond passion for writing when she was young, and this story has given her determination that she can indeed fulfill her childhood dream.

 

Now available on

 ღ Amazon ღ Barnes & Nobel ღ Smashwords ღ

 

 Excerpt:

Chapter 1

I walked through a familiar door — the same door I had walked through every day for as long as I could remember. It was a door I recalled with a painful longing, yet I had no desire to relive the monstrous memories that were once behind it. I stepped past a stairway and turned towards the living room, ignoring the laundry basket strewn on its side and the scattered articles of clothing that lay across the floor — all looking as if they had been tripped over. I squinted through the beaming sunlight coming from the window, swiftly walked past the neglected, dust-covered piano, and finally entered the doorway to the kitchen.

I turned, and as expected, there he stood — just as he always did.

Beads of sweat dripped off his chin and onto his shirt. The familiar smell of aged whiskey mixed with sweat made my nose scrunch. It would always take him a minute to realize I was standing there.

He slowly turned his face up, his lazy blood-red eyes following — and finally he looked at me.

"Hi, dad," I choked out and forced a smile, because that's all I ever seemed to manage.

"Abby, you came home," he said, bewildered and confused.

 

I opened my eyes and pressed my face into my pillow as hard as I could. I'm not sure where this dream came from or how it started, but it's been recurring every night for the past year and a half.

My father passed away three summers ago, and I'd be lying if I said it was a surprise. I don't think my sister or I ever knew him sober, but he had enormous potential had it not been for the alcohol. He adored his wife and children, had a wonderful sense of humor and always found ways to pull a prank and catch someone off guard. We all knew what kind of person he could have been.

But his addiction took over and robbed us all.

My mother has always been a hard worker and tries to set the best example she can for my twin sister Olivia and me. After my father's passing, we moved away from Palmdale, California to the small town of Newton, Kansas. I got over the devastation of the population size about six months after living here and now find it predictable and boring. My sister on the other hand, has yet to be satisfied.

Olivia has always been the pretty, popular girl at our high school with too many friends to count. She's constantly talking about the small selection of boys at our school, then raves on and on about having to drive twenty miles south to Wichita just to buy a decent pair of jeans. Cheerleading and her social life always seem to be more important than her academic requirements. Frequently, she needs me to tutor her.

My twin sister and I are exact opposites of each other.

 From what my mom says, I supposedly inherited my father's intelligence. I have a straight-'A' average and it doesn't seem too difficult for me to keep up. Well, except for trigonometry.

I have hazel eyes, thick, long, dark brown hair, and quite often seem to be the one with a smart remark in a crowd. While I have plenty of acquaintances at school, I'm pretty sure these people only like me because I'm Olivia's sister. But I don't care. The only person I truly connect with at school is my best friend, Miles Kavin.

This was our third year living in Newton and our senior year was going by very quickly.

I drew in a deep breath and peeked over at the clock, hoping it was later than I thought it was.

"Ugh, five o'clock in the morning," I said groggily as I rubbed my eyes.

I rose out of my warm bed and threw on a light robe over my pajamas. Whatever happened to wanting to sleep in like a normal teenager? Instead, I am the one that always wakes up before dawn and gets ready for school like it's something I look forward to.

I glanced over to my window, predicting it had snowed or rained overnight. Even though it was the beginning of March, we were in Kansas and anything could happen when it came to the weather.