RELEASE DAY: Lesley Downie "Tunnels"

 

Blurb:

Katherine Goldstein, the sleuth of all sleuths living in Citrus Grove, has uncovered amazing finds from the past. Join Kat and her friends as she delves into another mystery surrounding her city. Will she uncover the truth? Will Kat finally get the chance to talk to her crush? As you turn the pages of Tunnels, be ready for adventure, intrigue, and a fun, all-around story written for children. A very ‘tween type book, but fun to read as an adult as well. This would make a great family read-aloud. -Pamela Bunch, Youth Services Librarian, A.K. Smiley Public Library

 

 

Author:

Lesley Downie divides her time between writing, work, and family in Redlands, California, the very place where her current story began so long ago when she was a kid running over and under the historical streets of her hometown. Tunnels is Lesley’s second novel.

 

 

 

Now available on
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Excerpt:

 

Chapter One

 

DOWN THE HOLE

 

Bet I can beat you for most embarrassing moment. I'm living it right now and no, it doesn't involve a toilet paper tail stuck to the bottom of my shoe while walking down the hallway at school. Instead, four firemen (why can't they be ugly?) just yanked me out of a sewer hole and were staring at me like I was insane. But it wasn't the three super old twenty-somethings who made me want to die. It was the one on the end who made me squirm and doubt whether I should give them my real name.

Because I absolutely knew who he was. My crush. David Perkins, a whole grade older than me and the cutest guy in the seventh grade class, let alone all of Crossley Prep. Only he could take my mind off of my Life's Mission. But more on that later—just as soon as Mr. Perfect, the guy most unlikely to be my first boyfriend, isn't right in front of me. I stared up at him. His junior fireman-in-training badge glimmered in the sun.

Sigh. He was never going to think of me that way. Instead his eyes said, This girl's psycho for sure. And clearing up the crazy question was most def out. That would mean I'd have to tell him the real reason I'd ended up six feet below street level. Rule number one about a top-secret investigation: keep your mouth shut and look nuts if you have to. Definitely had an A+ in that department.

"Hey," David breaks the stare-down. "I know you from somewhere?"

But before I could answer, one of them plops this box in front of me and pulls out some pretty official doctor-y stuff from it. The others began talking to each other because apparently I've worn out their interest. Except David. He's still staring like I'm some hot new…circus act.

"Okay, Katherine, is it?" the guy asks, practically choking me with this ugly collar thingy. "I'm Matt. Hold still while I get your vitals. We need to monitor you to make sure you aren't in shock."

The padded collar was tight and I couldn't move, which I guess was the point. I pushed my hair out of my eyes. My curls were super annoying, bouncing around like everything was great.

"But I'm fine!" I finally said. "I don't need you to monitor anything." And I was. I'd taken CPR two years in a row so I could be a junior lifeguard. I was breathing, my heart was beating, so back up, fella. But no one was listening to me. Instead they were all jokey-jokey with each other. I mean, excuse me for not being closer to death.

"Fine, huh?" Matt said. "Let me be the judge of that, Red." He tousled my curls like I was a cocker spaniel. Or maybe I should say like a puli, because I'm the human equivalent with my big, fat, red cigar curls. You know those dogs that run around looking like an old-fashioned mop? Cute hair on a puli, not so cute on an almost-twelve-year-old girl like myself. David laughed and his eyes got all squinty, but in a cute way. Too bad he was laughing at me, not with me.

Then I overheard some official fire-chief-guy (thought they only wore those big red hats in the movies) say, "Yes, Mrs. Goldstein, we're at the scene right now. Your daughter's okay and you can meet us over at Citrus Grove Community."

Crud. The rest of my day was about to become epically messed up. Solitary confinement once the Unit (Unit = Mom = the General) gets ahold of me. I know there'll be mounds of dishes to wash and toilets to scrub. She'll never understand I had a good reason for doing what I did. I mean, what would you rather do? Study for a stupid math test or carry out your Life's Mission, aka hunting for secret tunnels? Talk about total unleashing of parental ridiculousity—made up words are sometimes the best words—on me. Did I mention yet that being in sixth grade has serious drawbacks?

But wait. What if I seemed more hurt? Would I still be grounded for life? I started second-guessing my injuries. Was that a muscle spasm in my back?

RELEASE DAY: Rachel E. Carter "The Black Mage: First Year"

 

Blurb:

Before the age of seventeen the young men and women of Jerar are given a choice –follow tradition, or pursue a trial year in one of the realm’s three war schools to study as a soldier, knight or mage…

For 15-year-old Ryiah the choice has always been easy. Become a warrior and leave the boring confines of her lowborn life behind. Set to enroll in the School of Knighthood on the eve of her next birthday, plans suddenly shift when her twin brother discovers powers. Hoping that hers will soon follow, she enrolls with Alex at the Academy instead –the realm’s most notorious war school for those with magic.

Yet when she arrives Ry finds herself competing against friend and foe for one of the exalted apprenticeships. Every “first-year” is given a trial year to prove their worth –and no amount of hard work and drive will guarantee them a spot. It seems like everyone is rooting for her to fail –and first and foremost among them Prince Darren, the school prod-igy who has done nothing but make life miserable since she arrived.

When an accidental encounter leads Ryiah and Darren to an unlikely friendship she is convinced nothing good will come of it. But the lines become blurred when she begins to improve –and soon she is a key competitor for the faction of Combat… Still, nothing is ever as it seems –and when the world comes crashing down around her, Ry is forced to place faith in the one thing she can believe in –herself. Will it be enough?

 

 

Author:

Rachel Carter lives in Placerville, California with her fiancé and their two spoiled pets: a feisty feline named Charlie, and Zoey, an Australian Shepherd who gets jealous of her own shadow. She loves to organize –and when she is not color-coding her closet she is always looking for the next good book. She grew up reading about magic, hot bad boys, and lady knights. The Black Mage, her debut series, is a tribute to all the things she never stopped loving.

The Black Mage: First Year is the first book in Rachel’s four-book YA fantasy series with Astraea Press. Rachel invites you to visit her author page at www.facebook.com/theblackmageauthor.  She loves to hear from other aspiring authors or readers via email at rachelcarterauthor@gmail.com. Follow her on twitter @blackmageauthor and read her blog at http://theblackmagegirl.wordpress.com.

 

 

Now available on
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Excerpt:

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

"Don't look now," I said softly. Did I sound calm? I hoped so. It was hard to tell with the frantic beating in my chest. "But I think we are being followed."

My brother paled, hands freezing on the reins. Almost unconsciously, his head began to turn in the direction of my warning.

"Alex!" I hissed.

He jerked his head back guiltily. I hoped the movement would go unnoticed by the four riders trailing a quarter of a mile behind us. They hadn't appeared too concerned with our procession thus far, but the fact that the men were still following us after the last main road had ended left an unsettling taste in the back of my mouth.

It was getting dark fast. At the elevation we were traveling, there wouldn't be much light left for long. Already the sun had wedged itself behind one of the larger outcroppings of rock, and the rest of its rays were fading much too quickly for my liking.

I had hoped the party would stop to make camp at one of the few sites we had passed—after all, what weary traveler wouldn't prefer the comfort of a well-worn pit and nearby stream? I, for one, would have insisted as much if it hadn't been for the uncanny appearance of those behind us.

"How do you know they are ‘following’ us?" Alex whispered loudly. Our horses continued their steady climb into the dark hillside. "Shouldn't we be stopping soon?" he added. "I'm sure they'll continue on, and then you'll see your worry was all for nothing."

"Alex," I said through clenched teeth, "their saddlebags are far too light for a trek like this. That's not nothing."

"So?"

I forced myself not to let my frustration show. It wasn't Alex's fault he didn't understand my concern. His faction was Restoration. He cared about healing people, not what it looked like to harm them.

"Only fools—or bandits—would travel so empty-handed. Four grown men are not fools, Alex. Even fools would have known to take that last main road to an inn…" I swallowed. "But a bandit, they wouldn't need to bother with packs since, well, because they would be taking our own instead."

My twin slowly mulled over my words. I wondered if he would believe me. I wasn't exactly known for my easygoing temperament. I hoped he didn't think this was just another one of my "rash judgments" as our parents were wont to assume.

As I waited for Alex's response, I pretended to check the footholds, giving myself an opportunity to spy on our shadow once more. Though the men were much harder to identify without the broad light of day, there was still no mistaking the glint of steel bulging from one of the men's hip. Only a soldier or knight was allowed to bear such metal.

A chill ran through me. I doubted he was either.

"Right," Alex said abruptly.

In as much nonchalance as one could muster under the circumstances, I faced my brother stubbornly. "Alex—"

"I believe you."

Oh. I paused.

"What should we do, Ry?" Gone was his relaxed smile, and in its place a timid frown…and an unsure, flickering blue stare. At first I didn't recognize the expression—he looked so much younger than his fifteen years. But then I realized it was fear producing the vulnerability in my brother's eyes.

RELEASE DAY: Alysia S. Knight "Kare for me"

 

Blurb:

All Kaira Baker wants is a new life for her and her son.  What she gets is a vandalizing old lady, death threats, and an infuriating sheriff who is the father of her son’s new best friend.

Widower Sheriff Matthew Collins keeps accidently offending the new intriguing beauty in town, but with someone threatening her, he has to figure out how to get her to trust him enough to keep her alive.

  

Author:

I grew up in a small town in Wyoming loving the outdoors, sports, art, and reading Hardy Boys books. After reading them all at least a half dozen times, I started writing my own stories. 

Thirty years ago I married a wonderful, honorable man. I’m mother of five children and grandmother of five boys with another on the way. I love traveling.  Through my husband’s work and vacations, I have visited much of the United States, all over Eastern Europe, Canada, Mexico, China, Thailand, Cambodia and Australia, giving me many intriguing locations and experiences for my stories. 

I am a storyteller.  I write the classic hero story because I think there’s a need for more heroes, love, and adventure in our lives.  I’m not out to change the world with my writing; I’m just hoping to make your day a little better. 

 

 

Now available on

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Excerpt:

"What?" Kaira hit the turn signal, pulling into the parking lot in front of Body Kare, the massage therapy clinic she hoped to open in just two days. Kaira climbed out of her car fighting back tears at the sight of black grease smeared across the delicate white letters that she had carefully stenciled on the window.

She glanced at her watch and pushed her key into the lock. She hoped there was enough time to clean off the grime before she had to be at work at Josie's Boutique. Paper towels and cleaner wiped away the mess but did nothing to clean away the pain that the senseless vandalism did to her heart. Why did someone have to pick on her place? This was her and Jason's new start, their new life.

 

Chapter One

"Now, that's a nice display."

Matt turned his head in the direction his deputy indicated wondering why he bothered. Samson always had an eye out for the ladies, even though Hayes, Colorado was small enough, he recognized most everyone by sight, if not by name. The woman who moved around the display in the window of Josie's Boutique was totally unfamiliar to him. And Sam was right. She was a real nice display of womanhood. As the woman turned, the modest black skirt, which hung halfway down her calf, opened with a slit to her knee. Matt felt a wave of interest. Yes, Sam was definitely right, that was one beautiful display of woman.

"How about we stop and pay Josie a visit?" Sam suggested.

Matt was saved from making a decision by the radio. "Yeah, Ruth?"

"Matt, I have Mrs. Norman here all in a stew, demanding to see you."

"On my way, be there in about two minutes."

"Can't you make it quicker? That woman…" His dispatcher's words hung in the air of the sheriff's SUV.

Matt laughed along with Sam, each knowing well what Ruth meant. His mind crafted a picture of Mrs. Norman's short, rotund form and one of her common stern, disapproving looks. A minute later Matt pulled up in front of the Sheriff’s Station. After getting out, he took the three stairs in a single bound.

Shrill words rippled down the hall. "I want to know what he's going to do about this. We can't have the likes of that going on in our town. To think, they gave her a license."

Matt grimaced a second before pasting a smile on his face and stepping into the sheriff's office. "Mrs. Norman, how are you today? No more trouble with the Bensons' dog I hope?"

Claira Norman had been a huffing busybody since his youth. "How, indeed! Matthew Collins, I want to know what you're going to do about that illicit den of iniquity." The woman glared up at him with her hands on her hips in just the same look he had imagined a minute earlier, right down to her floral print dress.

Shifting back to the matter at hand, he frowned looking at Ruth, who was both his dispatcher and secretary. She just shrugged her shoulders, rolled her eyes and left the room.

"Den of iniquity? I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to."

"That Massage Therapy Clinic." Derision rang heavy in the woman's tone as she drew out the words. "No matter what fancy name you call it. It is still a massage parlor, and we know what goes on in one of those places. You're supposed to be a good, upstanding member of the community, besides being sheriff. And you're also father of a young son. You should do something about it."

"Mrs. Norman, I'm afraid I still don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a man," she said, looking him up and down none too flatteringly. "You know what I'm talking about." When he made no comment, she charged on. "On the corner of First and Monroe, they're opening a massage parlor."

"Now Mrs. Norman, on the corner of First and Monroe is the Fitness Plaza. There is the health club, health food store, and the juice and bagel shop."

"You should know your town better, Matthew Collins, there is a massage parlor opening."