For everyone who takes the risk of falling in love.

The Corruption of Mila 

J.F. Jenkins

Mila takes a hands off approach to dating. She's independent and picky and thinks she knows it all. When her best friend decides to set her up on a blind date with a guy who answers to the name of Jax, Mila decides to take a leap of faith. After all, with a name like Jax, how can he not be a dream boat? 

Like most blind dates, however, Jax doesn't meet the expectations that Mila created in her imagination. With how badly she's struck out in her past relationships, is that really such a bad thing?


Available on Amazon



Read the first Chapter...

RELEASE DAY: Stephy Smith "Magical Love"

Blurb:

Captured within the mind of Cleo Little by the disgraceful dark mist of Madonna, Greta Smith was taken on a wild, wicked journey she fought to escape. Greta presented the problem to the Shuvihani and Thad to vanquish the evilness of her childhood friend.

Against Thaddeus Porter’s better judgment and by the order of the clan’s witch, Thad entered the minds of the dark coven out to destroy the clan. The only way to save his people was to join forces with Greta to defeat the evilness prevailing around them. Their energy was strong, the clan’s Shuvihani was missing, and dark evil was out to steal the souls of the caravan.

Could Greta and Thad’s Magical Love be sufficient to conquer the jealousy, betrayal and dark magic to save their people?

Author:

Stephy Smith was born and raised in the Northwest Texas Panhandle. She owns and operates her own ranch. Most of her inspiration comes from the weather, wildlife, and imagination from country living. When she not spending time with her three sons, she loves to read, ride horses, watch rodeo’s and paint. Stephy is a member of Panhandle Professional Writers, American Quarter Horse Association, and Foundation Quarter Horse Association. Stephy is an award-winning author of Shining Moon Rises. You can find her books at www.barnesandnoble.com www.amazon.com www.audible.com www.smashwords.com and www.kobo.com

RELEASE DAY: Stephy Smith "Why Me, Cowboy?"

 

 

Blurb:

From the first time Tansy Adam’s set eyes on Gulch her heart pounded at the sight of him. His charisma and magnetic personality drew her into his web. Then he changed into a deceitful, demonic cowboy who mystified her. Everyone kept telling her he was not who she thought he was. Who was he? The passionate gentleman whose kisses set her core on fire or the cold hearted cowboy boss that infuriated her?

 

Gulch knew he had to do whatever it took to protect the beautiful Tansy even if it meant driving her away from his life forever. He hated the way he had to treat her, but if it saved her life, he was willing to do anything to keep her from the murderous clutches of the rustler out to destroy the Grow ‘em Feed Yard. How could he expect her to forgive him when he couldn’t forgive himself?

 

Author:

Stephy Smith was born and raised in the Northwest Texas Panhandle. She owns and operates her own ranch. Most of her inspiration comes from the weather, wildlife, and imagination from country living. When she not spending time with her three sons, she loves to read, ride horses, watch rodeo’s and paint. Stephy is a member of Panhandle Professional Writers, American Quarter Horse Association, and Foundation Quarter Horse Association.

Stephy is an award-winning author of Shining Moon Rises. You can find her books at www.barnesandnoble.com www.amazon.com www.audible.com www.smashwords.com and www.kobo.com

 

 

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Excerpt:

Chapter One

“Mom, you know Mississippi will always be my home. It’s time for me to strike out on my own. Make a life for myself.” Tansy Adams hugged her mother, Eva. She wiped the tears from Eva’s face.

“I just don’t like you going all the way to Texas. That’s a long way off.” Eva’s voice cracked as she tried to talk.

“I know. I can always call and besides, it’s a great opportunity for me.” Tansy’s heart picked up a beat.

“You better get going. Jema is a bit antsy.” Eva pointed to the horse trailer hooked to the back of Tansy’s pickup. The five-year-old mare thumped her hoof on the wooden floor as if to back up Eva’s words.

Tansy slid in the driver side and pulled down the drive of the old plantation house she had lived in all her life.

After two days of travel the subtropical climate transitioned to the arid, dust-blown great plains of the northwest Texas Panhandle. Each state Tansy passed through seemed just as beautiful in its own way. She soaked it all in. Tansy and Jema rolled into the small town.

“Millstone, Texas. Population 12,356. We made it, Jema.” Tansy said out loud, even though she knew the horse couldn’t hear her. Her heart picked up a beat. Light, butterfly-type movements fluttered in her stomach.

Tansy drove straight for the Grow ‘em feed yard to meet with Benny Whipple and the cowboy boss. They met her in the parking lot.

She stretched as her feet touched the ground. An older man rushed toward her.

“Benny Whipple. You must be Tansy Adams.” The old man thrust his hand out to her. She smiled and took his pudgy hand in hers. “Get your horse and we’ll get her settled in while we talk.” Benny stood beside the trailer and waited for Tansy to unload Jema. The cowboy boss leaned casually against a nearby pipe fence with his feet crossed at the ankles.

Benny owned the feed yard. His blue eyes were clear and sparkled with a hint of amusement. Although his hair was gray, the fifty-eight year old man seemed to be in better shape than most forty year olds Tansy knew. And he was better looking than they were to boot. He had a pleasant, calm air about him that made Tansy relax.

Jema backed out of the trailer. Tansy caught the lead rope. She retrieved her tack and tossed the saddle blanket and saddle on the mare's back. Jema didn’t even flinch. Tansy folded the bridle across her elbow and followed Benny through the gate he rushed ahead to open. Jema’s ears perked up and she gazed toward a feed bunk.

“There’s your shed to keep your tack and feed in. We expect you to clean your own shed and stall. As calm as your horse is, I get the feeling you’ve put in a lot of hours horseback. It’s your responsibility to keep your tack in good working order. Here’s a lock and key for the door. We like to think no one will tamper with your equipment, but the cowboys are always up for a good, old-fashioned rodeo. They don’t mean any harm even if they instigate it themselves.”

“I know cowboys are just overgrown kids at heart. As soon as Jema, my mare, rest up from the trip, I plan on getting her accustomed to her new surroundings. If that’s ok.” Tansy unloaded her saddle and blanket from the horse's back and carried them into the shed.

Benny thumbed over his shoulder. “This here’s Gulch. He’s the cattle manager and he’s in charge of all the pen riders. If you have gripes about the cowboys, I want to hear about it. If you got questions about the job, go to him.”

RELEASE DAY: J.F. Jenkins "Inquest"

 

Blurb:

Teague Willam was sent on a mission from the future. He must go back in time to save his family. But in doing so, he might unleash the greatest evil the world has ever seen. The fine balance between the natural and spiritual is in his hands as he tries to not only save the life of a dear loved one, but also keep a rogue demon from taking control of the land of the liv-ing and the dead.

One wrong move and the demons win.

 

Author:

J.F. Jenkins lives in Minneapolis Minnesota with her husband, son, and two cats. She graduated from Bethel University in 2006 with a degree in Media Communication with minors in both writing and film

 

 

Now available on
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Excerpt:

Chapter One

Teague Willam watched Persephone the First. She huddled in the corner of the small room that made up her "cell", curled into a ball as she hugged herself. With one hand, she held her head, as if in some kind of pain. Tears streamed down her face.

"Keep it together. You have to keep it together," she whispered to herself.

He wanted to offer her words of comfort, but in the dream world, all he could do was observe and take note of everything happening around him. As a Fate, Teague often dreamed about different events in vivid detail. Most of them were of the past — that was his specialty. Each Fate had a time frame they saw the most. His father Anj saw the present most often but was known to have visions of all three time frames: past, present, and future. However, Teague's abilities were nowhere near as strong , even though his visions were much more detailed than anything his father experienced. The few times they'd talked about it, Anj described his dreams as being short and to the point but not necessarily specific.

While Teague may have been dreaming about the past, it was also his present — confusing, but that was how time travel worked. He'd been sent to the past to right a terrible wrong. Whatever was happening to Persephone was technically occurring in the time frame his body was presently in. Because he was from the future, the incident represented his past. He wasn't about to complain. The more information he had, the better. He needed all the help he could get to complete his quest.

Teague couldn't provide Persephone with any direct comfort, but maybe in some small way, she could sense his presence. Magic had a way of making itself known even if no one could see it at work. If anything, it made him feel better inside.

"You're not alone," Teague said. "I won't leave you if I don't have to." He sat next to her, wanting to touch her but unable to do so.

When Persephone lifted her gaze, she did so and looked directly at him. Though, the young woman he saw wasn't Persephone but Cheyenne Loveless, the teenage girl Persephone had possessed. The whole possession thing confused Teague. There were a lot of pieces he was still trying to put together. From what he did understand, Cheyenne was the chosen vessel for Persephone to be reincarnated into and a long lost descendant of the original deity. Persephone's true love, Hades the First, was reincarnated into a teenage boy named Denver Collins. Together, they would fulfill an ancient prophecy that was supposed to bring back power to the Divine Council, the ancient political circle of the gods and goddesses who controlled the laws of all magical beings.

Poor Cheyenne. There was so much sadness in her gaze, and confusion. Teague felt sorry for her. She didn't always make the best decisions, but she also wasn't always in control of her life. The part of him that wanted to hate her for all of the pain she'd caused his family, got shot down by the compassion he held for her in his heart. Seeing her sad, fear-filled eyes, he realized she was nothing more than a girl and no different than himself. Because even though he was a teenager, there were days when he felt like a small child — and the world was a big place for him to get lost in. She was the same, a pawn being used for a greater scheme that she didn't understand. The world of magic was foreign to her — a fact he hadn't realized until that moment.

Footsteps could be heard from outside of the room. Cheyenne was still in control of her body, and she gazed at the door with a whimper. "He's coming. Stay strong."

There was a jingling of keys in a lock. The door opened and in walked the dark angel Lucien. Teague had seen him a few times before in other dreams. He could never forget what the creature looked like. On first appearances, he was just like any other normal young man. Lucien could have passed for being around twenty years old and was the typical tall, dark, and handsome thing that supposedly made girls swoon.

On his back was a pair of large, blood-red, wings speckled with flecks of silver that brought out his cold, lifeless, steel-gray eyes. First encounters with him suggested he was innocent enough, that he meant well. But the demon had a manipulative tongue and an evil heart. Nothing he said could be trusted. He didn't flat-out lie, but in every deal he proposed and in every truth he spoke, there was also a hidden loophole present, and he had no qualms with using it for his advantage. Or at least that was what Teague had observed over his many visions of the monster.

RELEASE DAY: Coleen Lahr "Accepted"

Blurb:

Ashley Smith spent her life being shipped from one family member to the next.  When Ashley’s estranged father dies, she finally has the money to go to college and the chance to find a place where she belongs. 

Within days, Ashley has found the one thing she’s always longed for – a family.  She may have even found love.  There’s only one problem.  Ashley likes Colin…a lot, but so does Randi, and everyone likes Randi.  Randi’s approval is the single easiest way to belong.  Falling in love with Randi’s crush is the single easiest way to find one’s self on the outside for the next three years. 

When Ashley arrived at college, she never dreamed she’d find this kind of happiness.  Will she allow herself to hold on to this happiness, and Colin, or will her fear of losing her friends, the only friends she’s ever known, dictate her actions?

 

Author:

Coleen writes young adult novels, loves running, rock music, the shore, gerber daisies and bread.

When Coleen's not plotting or writing her next book, she can be found making sandwiches in her family's restaurant, running (and often walking) Disney marathons, reading any book she can get her hands on and playing with her adorable kid. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughter, two dogs and lizard.

 

 

Now available on
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Excerpt:

Chapter One

I know I should have been nervous as I pulled into the parking space, but the only emotion I felt at that exact moment was relief that my car actually made the eight-hour trip from Omaha to Chicago.

I got out of the car and stretched before going around to the trunk to grab my lone suitcase. It really shouldn’t have surprised me that my entire life, nineteen years, fit into one suitcase but, for some reason, the fact never ceased to amaze me.

I pulled the bag out of the trunk and looked around. The campus was gigantic. I just knew I was going to get lost every time I left my dorm.

Luckily, my residence hall was the one building I wasn’t worried about finding. I’d spent hours in the summer at the library in Omaha’s community college, going online, and studying the directions to the campus to ensure that I could, if nothing else, find the parking lot and my dorm on my first day here.

So, I followed the little path that ran to the left of the parking lot, the one I had studied and knew would lead me right to the front door of the dormitory that would become my new home.

As I approached the dorm, I looked around at the other students moving in. All of them were flanked by family members, presumably parents and siblings. Most of them greeted each other like old friends, which of course they were.

It was sophomore move in-day, and I was a sophomore moving in just like everyone else. The only difference was that I was a transfer student. It wasn’t the first day of my second year; it was my first day. I’d spent my freshman year at a community college in Nebraska. Most of the students here knew each other, knew their roommates, and had friends. It was the first day, and I was already the outsider.

I was not unaccustomed about being the outsider, though. I’d been one all my life, a side effect of moving from one relative to another for the past seventeen years — which, of course, leads me to the other difference between myself and everyone else moving in today: I was alone.

I had no parents and no siblings with me today to bring me here and to drop me off, to help me move in and to unpack. My mother died when I was two, and my father wasn’t cut out for the job.

So, I’d done this before, started over, but this time was different. This time, I was starting over on my terms. I wasn’t being passed to an aunt or cousin who didn’t really want me and who I didn’t really want either. This time, I was going where I wanted to be, where I’d worked to be, and when I wanted to be there. This was my decision. This was my dream. For the first time ever, I felt in control of my life.

For the first time ever, I wasn’t starting over. This time, I was actually starting.

****

When I got to the dorm, I had to show identification to get in. The resident assistant looked up my name on a massive list then directed me down two hallways and up one flight of stairs to my room. I thanked her, grabbed the handle of my suitcase on wheels and headed down the first hall.

As I walked down the long hallway past all the open doors, I noticed that the girls' and boys' rooms were jumbled together. A co-ed dorm…that wasn’t something I’d considered.

I travelled down another hallway, and when I got to the stairs, I grabbed the side handle of my suitcase and prepared to lug it up the steps. I picked it up and turned towards the steps when, suddenly, it became significantly lighter.

"Need a hand?" said a friendly voice.

I spun around to where the voice had originated, and there stood a tall, attractive boy — or man, I guess — holding the other end of my suitcase in his hand. He had messy, wavy dark brown hair and olive skin. His eyes were captivating. With his skin tone, I would’ve expected them to be brown, or at least some darker color, but they were light blue, and they were beautiful. The effect was striking; he was quite possibly the most attractive man I had ever seen in real life. And it seemed, on top of all that, he was nice too.

"Oh…um…" I stammered, momentarily taken aback by him, by his beauty. Then, I took a deep breath and finally answered, "Yes, thank you." I smiled at him shyly.

RELEASE DAY: Riana Lucas "Awake"

Blurb:

After being nearly killed at the hands of Damien, Poppy slowly regains consciousness as a prisoner of the Seelie Court. At least that’s what Poppy believes at first. She cannot help but to wonder why she is being treated so well. She has a luxurious bedroom instead of a cell in the dungeon and a hand maid by the name of Willow who is assigned only to her. To anyone else this would seem to be a perfect arrangement, but it becomes quite clear that the Queen and the entire Seelie Court has a secret. Unfortunately this is not the only problem. Poppy wakes up every morning from horrible dreams that she just cannot seem to remember. They leave her with a sense of urgency to see her friends Reed and Rho, who she now believes are in trouble over at the Unseelie Court. Will the Queen let Poppy in on the secrets of her Court? Will she ever be allowed to return home? And will she reunite with Reed and Rho to finally discover what is happening with them?

 

Author:

Riana Lucas is actually a duo of writers who are best friends who go by the names Nichole and Angela in the real world.  Realizing that gobbling books like hungry caterpillars and then discussing them for hours at a time wasn’t fulfilling enough, the team decided to write their first book together.  The Deadly Flowers Series was born out of a kernel of an idea and has grown into a four book series.  The two have realized their true calling in life and plan to make a career out of writing books with strong characters who evoke true emotion.

 

 

Now available on
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Excerpt:

 

Chapter One

 

"Poppy! We need you! Please help us. I’m not sure what to do."

"Reed? Reed, is that you? Where are you?"

"I’m here, Poppy."

"Where? I cannot see you. It is too dark."

"I’m at the unseelie court, but things aren’t right."

"I do not understand."

"Rho and I have been put into the dungeons."

"Why?"

"I don’t know! This isn’t right. You said I would be safe!"

"I do not know how to get to you. I cannot leave. The queen will not allow it."

"Please, Poppy! We need you…"

I awake with a start, my hand reaching under the pillow for my dagger. Stretching my fingers in hopes it has only shifted in my sleep, I continue to search but am unable to find it. Even more anxious now, I jerk up in the bed and throw the pillow aside. My dagger is missing. Unarmed but still alert, I turn my attention to my surroundings. My eyes scan the room, my gaze bouncing off elegant tables, colorful flower arrangements, and exquisite paintings as my eyes frantically try to locate what woke me. As my vision adjusts to the darkness, I can see there is no one else here with me. My body, however, does not seem to understand. Sweat is dripping down my back, my heart is racing, and my head is tingling as my brain works to remember what woke me.

As I scan the room one last time, I am forced to believe it was a dream—a dream I have been having ever since I woke up in the seelie queen’s court, my enemy court, two days ago. I struggle to remember some of it, but I cannot. The only thing I am able to recall is a vision of Reed and Rho as well as Reed’s faint voice, nothing else. I do not know what they are doing or where they are and am unable to decipher the words.

I lie back in the bed, frustrated by my memory block. My head hits the mattress where my pillow was before I tossed it to the ground, the sheets are bunched down by my feet, and faint early morning light glows through the window. Staring at the ceiling, I remember the first time I woke up in this bed.

I awoke suddenly then, too. It was dark, and I was confused. My head felt as if it were filled with cotton, making it difficult to think. I could not remember where I was or what had happened to me, and I was scared—not only because of the confusion, but also because I sensed another fae in the room with me. Lying still, not wishing to alert them to the fact that I was awake, I kept my eyes closed and my breathing even. As I lay listening, I heard the sound of metal clinking and water pouring, and then felt a warm, damp rag on my forehead. The gentle movement startled me, and I had to stop myself from grabbing the hand of the fae touching me.

Instead of reacting, I slowed my breathing and concentrated on the person tending me. A female voice hummed a soft lullaby, and the sweet smell of roses and lavender wafted from her skin. The smell soothed me and felt somehow familiar. Her touch was soft and gentle, yet thorough, as she wiped my face with the damp rag. Then she used her other hand to push my hair back off my shoulders before wiping down the side of my neck.

Then I noticed I was not wearing any clothes. A thin, soft sheet covered my body. Luckily for the fae bathing me, she did not remove the sheet. Had she done so, I would have tried to kill her. Instead, she left the sheet alone and quickly finished wiping my body around it. After she moved away, I heard the sound of the cloth being placed in the water. All the while, she continued to hum her pleasant song.

As I continued to listen, I waited. After a few more seconds of muffled sounds, she returned with a dry cloth to wipe my damp skin. This cloth smelled like she did, and I realized she was spreading lotion on my skin. When she finished covering all my exposed skin, I sensed her moving down my body near my hip. The sheet began to lift, and I once again fought the urge to stop her. In doing so, my body shifted a bit, which sent a sharp pain slicing into my side.

 

RELEASE DAY: J.F. Jenkins "Opheliac"

Blurb:

Orlando Holmes, Cadence Sinclair, JD Smith, and his sister Angela,  have been fighting in the Alturan battle on Earth for a while. Over the past six months, they've had everything they've ever believed in be tested and forged an unbreakable bond.

That bond is tested to a new degree as they learn of a way to be “normal” again. First, the Alturans must try their new technology out on their enemies. As the war grows more intense between the Alturan tribes, so do the relationships between the teens. Each must give up something in order to gain, and each must come to terms with the betrayals they'll need to commit in the name of war.

 

 

Author:

J.F. Jenkins lives in Minneapolis Minnesota with her husband, son, and two cats. She graduated from Bethel University in 2006 with a degree in Media Communication with minors in both writing and film. When she is not busy writing, she spends her free time playing games, reading, and spending time with her family.

 

 

Now available on
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Excerpt:

 

Prologue

 

Alan helped restrain Sprout on the medical table while one of his comrades strapped her down with thick leather belts. He’d sworn to his charge, Orlando Holmes, that no harm would come to the teenage girl, and so far he’d been able to keep his promise. She was a feisty one, so it was a bit easier said than done. The restraints may have seemed harsh. After all, she was still technically a child. Earlier on, however, Alan’s fellow officer had made the mistake of underestimating her and ended up with a black eye and broken nose. Sprout would not come quietly.

“Tuveen, if you think I’m going to tell any of you anything, you’ve got another thing coming,” she spat.

His comrade, Sir Ulan, rolled his eyes, an Earth expression the entire ship was starting to pick up. Alan nodded at him, and a gag was placed over her mouth. He glanced over at Bean, Sprout’s twin brother and partner in crime. They both had normal, family-given names, of course, but Alan only knew them by their code names. The teenage boy was a drastic contrast to his sister. His blue eyes were wide and sweat trickled down his face. He was terrified. Alan actually pitied him.

But not Sprout, Alan felt little for her. She had committed many crimes against her own people, aiding in the murder of her peers, theft, and who knew what else. Ever since Alan had begun his mission on Earth, she had been a thorn in his side, both literally and figuratively. She could control plants, and she had no issues with attacking him with massive vines back in the fall. Beyond that, she also seemed to get in the way of all his tasks. If it weren’t for Orlando, Alan would have never known her true identity. With that information known, his tribe could possibly pull ahead in the war on Altura—a war that was bleeding over onto Earth.

With the two teenagers bound and gagged, the rehabilitation process could begin. Each had been tapped by an enemy tribe and manipulated into believing in the horrible things that tribe stood for. Rehabilitation was the only way to keep both Bean and Sprout out of intergalactic jail, and possibly saving them from execution as well. Children or not, they were knowingly committing the horrible acts they had been instructed to perform. They had a choice, and there would be consequences when everything was said and done.

Alan’s job, along with the rest of his tribe, was to stop the Alturan war from impacting the people of Earth too much. Outside of a few government programs scattered throughout the world, no one knew about Altura or of the Alturan ships in orbit around the planet. Technology allowed for Alan and his people to stay hidden. Because the Alturans were identical in appearance and genetics to the Earth humans, they were able to blend in well on the planet’s surface. That was also why his enemies had chosen Earth as their next battlefield. With so many similarities, the humans would be easier to manipulate and use.

The rehabilitation program was supposed to be painless and easy, but time-consuming. Thanks to an ancient technology Alan’s tribe was able to gain access to, his ship could make it so Bean and Sprout were once again normal Earth teenagers. While the program was old, it was new to Alan and his comrades. They were all still learning the ins and outs of how it functioned. There were other programs available to them that did the same thing, but not only were they painful, but they were also not as precise. He would rather take his time with the process rather than rush. His ship had tried the other technologies on other Earth teenagers already, and the results were not quite what he desired.

Multiple treatments would be necessary to make the process complete. Unfortunately, time was not something Alan and his team had. There was no way he could kidnap the two teens from home for longer than a few hours at night. If their parents noticed they were gone, a lot more memories would need to be wiped clean. He had to handle the process delicately. Many factors needed to be weighed in as well.

Not only did the teens have normal home lives to consider, but also the impact the rehabilitation would have on the tribe they worked for. If their boss suspected anything was amiss, Alan’s entire operation would be compromised, and he didn’t want to think about the consequences of such a thing happening. Eventually the rehabilitation would be made known, one way or another, but it needed to happen after the process was complete for the safety of all the teens. The enemy would not want their help anymore if they couldn’t remember the war in the first place. All of the previously rehabilitated teens had been abandoned by the enemy tribes; he could only hope the same when it came to Bean and Sprout. The two were much higher-ranked than the other teens had been.

The whole point of rehabilitation was to take away the memories of his enemies. As the captives were made normal once again, Alan and his tribe would be able to access the memories from the teens and hopefully make sense of everything they saw. That knowledge could give his people a huge advantage in the war. He already had centuries’ worth of memories stored on the device. If his people could understand what was happening better, then perhaps they could find a fast end to the conflict before things got worse and even more planets were harmed in the process. The Alturan war had already devastated another planet besides their own. Earth would be the second alternative battlefield being fought on. It could not spread to a third.

Perhaps Alan’s plan was a bit unethical. Memories were a personal part of an individual’s psyche. He certainly would not want to be taken captive and have his enemies do the same thing to him, even if the process was supposedly painless. His life was his own. At the same time, hard decisions needed to be made. For the sake of the entire planet’s safety, the more people from Earth who did not know about what was going on, the better. Panic would spread worldwide if it was ever made known that aliens walked among the people.

Besides, how could Bean and Sprout live with what they had done? If he were doing it to anyone else, he’d feel guiltier. The two teens were directly linked to the experimentation on and murder of other Earth youth. Alan would personally not be able to handle continuing on like everything was normal if he held such a shameful and disgusting secret.

I’m doing them a favor. Children should not hold so much weight on their shoulders. While Alan’s teen charges would argue that they were not children, but bordering adulthood, the fact still remained that they were sheltered to the ways of war.

All the more motivation to end the war on Altura so it no longer leaked over onto Earth. His planet’s problems needed to stay on his planet.

“Begin.” Alan nodded at Sir Ulan.

His comrade flipped a switch and the Ilotus, the machine that was being used to help with the rehabilitation, turned on.

Alan faced away, not wanting to watch. “Let me know when this round is complete.”

RELEASE DAY: Monica Goulet "Follow Me Home"

Blurb:

16-year-old Kelsey thinks her new house far away from Tulsa is the perfect place to escape her past—until she meets Jay, the boy who used to live there.

After a series of mysterious break-ins at the house, Kelsey discovers the culprit is Jay, but before she can confront him, Jay inadvertently sets in motion a series of events that leave Kelsey and her family devastated and wind Jay up in juvie.

Desperate to fix things, Kelsey confronts him only to discover Jay’s not the delinquent she expects, but a boy with a past more messed up than hers. Against her better judgment, the two of them form an unlikely friendship she keeps secret from everyone.

Then Jay asks for a favor she didn’t see coming – one that leaves Kelsey torn between her growing loyalty to Jay and throwing away the new future she worked so hard to build.

 

 

Author:

Monica Goulet writes and lives in Oshawa, Ontario with her husband. She graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor's degree in English and Professional Writing. In her other life, she’s an instructional designer and a mother-to-be who likes ice cream, running, and losing herself in a good story.

 

 

Now available on
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Excerpt:

 

Chapter One

 

For the first time in almost a year, I feel safe. My sandals slap against the uneven sidewalk, and I wave back at the old man driving by in a green pick-up truck. His toothless grin should scare the crap out of me, but something about this place makes it okay. I’ll even forgive its lack of a real downtown. I went in search of one of those quaint main streets with specialty coffee shops and expensive clothing stores, and all I found were a bunch of empty buildings for lease and a no-name pizza place. So much for small town charm.

I turn the corner to my house and skid to a halt. The edge of my sandal catches in a crack, and I lurch forward, scraping my palms against the cement. There’s a leg dangling out my bedroom window as if it’s not attached to a body. It reminds me of a cricket I caught when I was eight. I’d accidentally ripped its leg off trying to make it dance. I shudder and pick myself up, my palms burning.

I glance at the driveway. Mom and Dad’s cars aren’t there.

The person in the window struggles to squeeze his way out. Blue jeans and a ratty running shoe. Painter, maybe? Repair person? But there’s no work van in sight.

The rest of the body lowers from the window. I suck in a breath and duck behind a parked car just as he jumps.

 Five, four, three, two, one. I pop my head up just enough to see over the hood.

He’s crouched on the ground, so I creep up a little higher and let out a breath. He’s tying his shoe? What kind of thief would stop to tie his shoe, let alone come out empty handed?

Anger rises in my chest and I clench my fists. What does this guy think he’s doing? I pop up from behind the car without thinking. “You could have used the door, you know!”

My mouth snaps shut as soon as the words are out. What am I doing? For all I know this guy could have a gun or something. I almost duck behind the car again when he looks up, but he turns away again just as quickly as if I never said a thing. He just finishes tying his shoe and shakes his head to get the hair out of his eyes.

I finally catch a glimpse of his face. He’s young – my age maybe. Too young to be someone my parents hired. He heads toward the street, and I glance up at the open window again.

Something doesn’t seem right.

“Hey!” I yell. “Wait!” Against my better judgment, I start after him, but he still doesn’t turn around. My hand closes around the cell phone in my pocket. The police. I should call the police. I fumble with my phone, and it clatters onto the sidewalk.

The guy looks back.

His eyes lock onto mine, and I freeze. I stare back, expecting to see fear or guilt – anything other than what I see.

Sadness. It pours into me from his eyes and touches every nerve in my body. Still, he doesn’t run. He just stares at me until I can’t take it anymore, and I dive behind a tree. My breathing slows. I count to ten before poking my head around the tree again. He’s already a block away. I stare at his back, frozen in place. From here, he looks harmless. Blue hoodie, jeans, running shoes. He’s not even running away.

My curtain blows against the open window in the second story. In and out. In and out. The screen had been missing when we moved in last week. When I spin around again, I catch the last blur of a blue hoodie disappearing around a corner.

My cell phone is in pieces. I scoop them up and shove the battery back in. Still works. My fingers hover over nine-one-one. But I keep seeing the way he looked at me. The sadness. I shove the phone back into my pocket.

The front door is locked like I left it. I expect to find chairs overturned, vases broken, something, but everything is normal. The boxes we haven’t unpacked yet are still piled in the living room. The spare set of keys for my dad’s car still hangs on one of the pegs by the front door proclaiming “Home Sweet Home” above them – a gift from the previous owners who’d screwed it so far into the wall my dad couldn’t get it off without taking a chunk of the drywall with it. He hung it back up until he could get around to fixing it. Which, for my dad, could be a while. I kind of like it anyway.