WINNERS! of Summer Teen Read Party

Individual Prize Winners for the Summer Teen Reading Party. The winners have been contacted for their choice of books from the Witches of Galdorheim series. 

Conda Douglas

Sheila Boneham

April Alvey

Beverly McClure
Lysette
Lorrie Struiff
J.Q. Rose
Wendy Laharnar


The Grand Prize Winner for the complete set and gift certificate to MuseItUp Books store is:


April Alvey

Street Kids Teaching a Writer

Check Edith's blog today for my post on my main character's mom, Ardyth the Witch.

* * * Here's Edith Parzefall! * * *

http://edith-parzefall.de/
http://blog.edith-parzefall.de/

While Strays of Rio (MuseItUp) isn't a teen book, one of the main characters is fourteen-year-old Luiz, a street kid in Rio de Janeiro. He and his gang are the true heroes of this novel, surviving and enjoying life against all odds.

As part of my research, I visited Grupo Ruas e Pracas, a street kids project in Receife, Brazil. Their German partner organization RUA e.V., which I've been supporting for several years now, got me in contact with the social workers there.

We couldn't have timed our visit better. While we were there, Grupo Ruas e Pracas attended a community event in a nearby park and ran a drumming workshop for street kids in the walled-in backyard of their premises. Ear-deafening but intoxicating rhythms.

The kids were well-behaved and excited to have foreign visitors. The social workers happily answered my many questions. I'd done plenty of research on the situation of street kids in Brazil, knew the worst case scenarios, and sometimes found it hard to reconcile these with the happy kids fooling around and laughing. They'd already been with Grupo Ruas e Pracas for some time, no longer having to fend for themselves on the streets.


When a ten-year-old wants to bum a cigarette, it's certainly a powerful reminder of their background. Or a social worker telling me not to let one of their young charges take photos with my camera. I wanted to slap my forehead for doing that. Did I think him a potential thief? Yes, very likely stealing once was a way for him to get food.

When I watched the boy excitedly snapping pictures and scrutinizing the results on the little display, I couldn't wrench the camera from him. When more of the kids wanted to take photos, the social worker intervened and rescued my camera. Comparing the photos later, I realized that while I'd been hunting for faces, my young fellow photographer aimed for objects that intrigued him, for example the drums lined up without kids and teachers getting in the way.

These kids and the social workers at Grupo Ruas e Pracas taught me a lot. Without them, Strays of Rio would have become a weaker book. The novel started out as a thriller focused on drug gangs, death squads, corrupt police, impunity of the rich, but after my visit with Grupo Ruas e Pracas, the street kids became the true heroes of the novel while the war for money and power rages around them.

Watch for Edith's novel, Strays of Rio, to be released from MuseItUp Publishing this September.

Harpies by Rebecca Ryals Russell

Rebecca is hosting Cailleach, the villain of Scotch Broom.

* * * * HERE'S REBECCA! * * * *

Harpies, Book Two of Seraphym Wars series by Rebecca Ryals Russell comes out soon. But you might wish to read the Prequel, Prophecy first.

BLURB

For centuries the residents of Solsyl lived in peace and harmony with the planet. Then the dragon-demons arrived, causing the Great Shuddering. Majikals from everywhere scurried to find shelter from the evil while humans hid. Laud regretted his rash decision of exiling the demons on Solsyl and asked one of his advisors, a member of The Conscientia, to protect his people. Jeremiah Holyfield agreed to leave the peaceful world of Revrum Natura for a life of constant strife and fear on the newly renamed planet of Dracwald. But Narciss, ruler of Tartarus and King of the demons, desperately wants what Jeremiah has sworn to protect—a Prophecy of Narciss’s future doom. And Narciss refuses to take no for an answer. But Jeremiah discovers allies along his path and even true love, which he never dreamed possible.

But forever is a long time to protect something without ever letting down one’s guard.

EXCERPT

Journal of Reverend Jeremiah Holyfield

500 yl Toxicorru Epoch

Haazbul Village, Season of Torridaesta

Chapter One

Laudday, 15th Sun Turn of Torridaesta

The flaming village blazed high into the night. Those who could escape, screamed in their search for family members. Others, trapped, shrieked, burning to death.

Alarmed by the cacophony, I jolted out of my meditations, heart pounding. What had happened to our peaceful community? Throughout the village, building timbers groaned, thundering in collapse under the licking flames. The stained glass windows of the church, sitting high on the mountain many paces from the village, nonetheless rattled with the vibration. Children wailed. Mothers yelled. Victims shrieked. Monsters roared.

Dodging pews, I ran toward the heavy, carved doors of the church. Rough brown priest’s robes flapped behind me like angel wings, sandals slapping time to my steps. With slow caution, I pushed the door open a crack to peer out. Banshee wails and leviathan roars filled the night air. Acrid odors of charred flesh and wood burned my nostrils. It wasn’t possible that this was happening again. Throughout the village, confusion reigned; screaming people scattered, seeking shelter, desperate for safety.

But it no longer existed. Once any of the row houses or shops in this tightly packed community caught fire, the entire village began to burn. If only we’d built the church closer to the village, it could have provided shelter now. But who would have guessed, after so many centuries, they would return to wreak havoc. The setting of the church on the mountainside, for the villagers to gaze upon, had provided peace. Until now—there was no place to hide. Too far away to provide assistance, I had no hope of making my way to the village. The flying beasts of carnage saw every movement despite the darkness of night.

Tears rolled down my cheeks. My parishioners, loyal and loving, always there when I needed them, now needed me more than ever, and I couldn’t go. There might as well be a sea between us. Through the smoke and flames, I scanned what was left of the village, recalling its construction. Hundreds of years ago, we harvested wood from the surrounding forest. But being built of wood made the village vulnerable. Villagers’ flats and cottages clustered along a narrow dirt path interspersed with taller buildings, the living quarters above, the shops at street level. Sobbing openly, I observed flames now shooting from the roofs of the taller buildings, tinder and ashes falling onto the shorter dwellings, lighting them aflame.

Outside the sanctuary of my church, standing on the high stone steps, I watched the horror. My heart quivered with each shriek or building collapse. Orange, yellow, and red, the flames’ chaotic dance wove mesmerizing designs against the black backdrop of night’s theatre. Clouds of purple smoke billowed upward obliterating the full moon—hiding the moon’s face as though horrified.

Wailing, his body engulfed by flames, a young child ran toward the church. Behind him, his family’s small cottage collapsed in a shower of sparks and groaning wood. As I raced down several steps, a deep voice filled my head.

“You must guard what must never be destroyed.”

“But the boy, Lord, he must be saved.” I continued down several steps, aware of the danger overhead but driven to save this one life. Movement caught the red eyes of the aggressor who circled in my direction. Head swiveling side to side, he changed direction—apparently seeing something of more immediate interest.

Eyes wide, heart drumming against ribs, I watched as the beast clasped the boy’s shoulders in its long claws of malevolence, lifting him high. The boy screamed and wriggled. Hot, fresh tears of anger and frustration soaked my cheeks. Angrily I swiped them away with back of my hand, wishing it was the demon instead. Leathery wings whooshed like a blacksmith’s bellow feeding the devouring flames. Moments later, a small leg and arm thudded in the dirt. My head dropped. Tears flowed unimpeded.

“There is no shame. You could not have saved him. He is safely home with me now, happily rejoined with his family.”

“Why, Lord? Why must these good people endure such agony?” I screamed at the sky. “There are others who are yet alive—who need saving.” Villagers’ screams echoed across the rocky mountain face.

Down the wide stone steps I stumbled, determined to rescue those still alive and help the others to their eternal rest. The dragon, his black scaled silhouette crossing the full moon, must have seen me—his arch enemy’s servant.

As the monster dove toward me, Laud, Lord of Love and King of the Megaverse, roared through my head, “No! You cannot save these children; it is too late. Their home is with me now. You must save yourself and what you guard.”

“How? I am powerless against these leviathans!” The beast hurtled toward me, neck outstretched, mouth open wide to release a flaming stream of death.

“You must run—hide. Take what is precious. Find no shame; if it saves my children, it is honorable.”

“As you say, Lord.” Filled with sorrow, a stone in the pit of my stomach, I turned my back on the burning village and ran back inside the church. Outside, the screeching roar filled the night. The building vibrated. Surely the demon had lit it aflame.

Trembling hands that faltered the locking mechanism several times, finally opened the hidden door behind the altar. Here, a secret room contained irreplaceable parchments and artifacts. Anxiously adjusting to the dimness, I frantically searched for the particular parchment in my charge. It only took a second to secure it beneath my robes.

The bitter odor of smoke drifted down from the burning belfry.

Knowing there were mere minutes left, I added any artifacts or parchments that would fit into the rucksack. Back in my chamber, I threw on my rough brown cloak, clasped the brooch, and grabbed what few personal items I desired. Several roars reverberated throughout the empty sanctuary. They must have tired of the village, or there was nothing left. Now they would destroy the church. I glanced around at the hand-hewn log walls and rough pews built by loving hands. Running my hand across a piece of wall, I discovered evidence of teenagers in love, their initials carved inside a heart. It was not smoke that burned my eyes as I eased open the heavy door again.

For centuries we’d been happy, left alone by the Tyrant of Darkness. We lived under the wire, kept quiet about celebrations, about business dealings. No one bragged. No one left the village in search of greater riches. We raised our families and kept our noses clean.

Then they came back. There must have been a spy. A gypsy or traveling salesman we didn’t notice carrying stories of our village to who knows whom. Perhaps the spy embellished the tale to their benefit. No matter, now, the poor villagers paid the price. If any survived, it would take decades to rebuild the village—centuries to grow it back to its current heyday.

Peering skyward through the crack in the door, I watched for the beasts to be distracted so I could get away.

The belfry collapsed. The church quickly filled with smoke. Soon flames flickered along the massive beams in the upper rafters. I was out of time.

Overhead dragons glided through the darkness, gloating as they languidly circled. Red eyes, glaring at the hysterical residents, pierced the murk and smoke. Throaty laughter filtered down to the shocked villagers. They stopped running, turning sooty faces upward. The demons flew past the full moon—their sinister serpentine shadows slithering on the charred ground.

Some people dropped to their knees in supplication, praying to the beasts of darkness to be left alone. I cringed, knowing they were lost the moment their knees hit the dirt. In the shadows, a few brave villagers searched for survivors, praying I’m sure, for deliverance by their beneficent divinity.

Creeping out the barely opened door, I crouched on the top step. Inside, the crashing continued as beams collapsed from the flaming roof. It was now or never. My cargo was too precious to lose. I ran down the many stone steps.

The sulfuric blast of flames overhead drew my attention. My eyes widened in terror; the largest of the archfiends stared at me. His tiled lips peeled back to reveal long, dripping fangs that oozed a thick substance. Death in scales. He growled. Wings folded, he dove.

I jumped, rolling beneath the stone and logs of the stairwell, to hide. Craning my neck, I looked up at the massive church set on the mountainside, majestic and intimidating. Inside, beams and rafters continued to crash, ash shooting out through shattered windows. Protection of this stone building was of no importance compared to the loss of life this day. It would be rebuilt. Those lives could not. Neither were the parchments I carried replaceable. Especially the one beneath my robes. I must, at all cost, keep it safe. I swore an oath to Laud when I volunteered for this duty.

Before I could pull my head back to safety beneath the steps, a flaming beam flew out of a window directly at me. Moments later, I collapsed under a crushing, burning pile of debris. Agony screamed through me as the searing flames licked greedily at my flesh. Through shear force of will, I bit back a roar, realizing it would mean certain death. I pushed the burning beam off my shoulder and face while trying to slide out from under it. Nerve endings on my face and hands shrieked in my brain as their lives ended—echoing the villagers’ screams. Once free of the still burning, charred beam, I looked frantically around. Village herbalists had used a certain plant for burns and skin eruptions. Stiff, pointed leaves indicated a clump of aloe growing beside the steps.

With hands that felt as though they would split open any moment, I broke several of the tough spiny leaves off the main plant. The sticky gel spread across my face, neck and hands with a cooling effect. It stopped the burn. My shoulder, protected by the singed but wearable tunic and robe, felt only bruised. My right eye, however, had begun to swell shut.

The remainder of the plant easily pulled free of the dirt in which it grew. After shaking the loose dirt from the roots, I tucked it into the rucksack. Looking up from my hiding spot, beneath the stone steps, and surrounded by masses of shrubs, I realized Narciss, the large black dragon and leader of the demons, had gotten his last revenge on me.

Red eyes narrowed into angry slits blazed in triumph as he roared, lighting the front of the church on fire. He flew by several times more with his gaping jaw spouting flames until the church was a blazing inferno.

“Now, that is better,” the demon bellowed, rising to circle with the other laughing dragons.

For hours, flames continued to flare, sparks popping high into the jet sky. Cottages, shops, and church burned. Whenever the fire diminished, a dragon descended, blazing a new trail of flame accompanied by roars that surpassed thunder, as he swooped across the village relighting it. Screeches and wails again filled the air as the renewed flames discovered hidden survivors, ending their search for sanctuary. As the moon crept across the smoke-filled night, the dragon dance continued, circling wider in search of missed victims.

Eventually the sound of wailing faded into whimpering and crying until life succumbed. Only the crackling and crashing of the collapsing wooden structures mingled with the laughing roars of the dragons. On the ground, the few terrified survivors huddled together crying or dying.

A rosy glow streaked across the horizon before the dragons turned toward home, their sinuous shapes silhouetted black. The largest swerved back spewing one final trail across the smoking demolished village. Survivors scrambled again for safety, scampering wild-eyed through the mud and soot, cowering behind anything still standing.

Once the dragons again became interested in the village, I scrambled from my hiding spot under the steps. Staying close to the mountain, using shrubbery as cover, I made my way toward the desert, away from the village.

A few miles away but close enough to witness the final blow, with tears racing down my sooty cheeks, I watched from an outcropping of rock.

The black dragon bellowed before departing, “Perhaps next time you will do as you are told!”

LINKS

Here are the links and topics detailing where I’ll be all month. Check them out and win PRIZES.

Seraphym Wars Series Summary May 2

Seraphym Wars and Stardust Warriors Series Blurbs May 10

Who are the Vigorios? May 4

The Prophecy of the Vigorios May 7

EXCERPTS AVAILABLE TO READ

Harpies Chapter One May 12
Harpies Chapter Two May 15
Harpies Chapter Three May 16
Prophecy Chapter One May 23
Prophecy Chapter Two May 25
Prophecy Chapter Three May 28
Odessa Chapter One May 29
Odessa Chapter Two May 30
Odessa Chapter Three May 31

GIVEAWAY

Comment on EACH of my postings (listed above with links) showing you read the posting. Commenters will acquire ONE point per comment. At the end, fill out the form on my blog, Under the Hat.

The prize? This lovely Phoenix medallion and a bag of swag including Odessa notepad, Seraphym Wars pen, Mind the Signs bookmark, coverart Postcards for each book in both series AND an eBook copy of my newest release: Harpies, Book Two Seraphym Wars Series.

Catch Rebecca at any of these links:

Under the Hat
Tween Word Quest
Teen Word Factory
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE
GOODREADS
LINKED-IN
JACKET FLAP
TRIBERR
YOUTUBE
Amazon
Barnes and Noble 
iTunes Odessa 
iTunes Zarena

BIO:

Rebecca Ryals Russell writes MG and YA Dark Fantasy while living with her family in a Victorian house on five acres of North Florida countryside. She also runs a Vacation Rental Log House on the property: Florida Black Bear Cabin.

She is a fourth generation Floridian having lived all over the state. The daughter of an Elementary-school principal and school secretary, she always knew she was bound for the classroom and for fourteen years she taught Middle Grades, preferring English and Creative Writing. She had several students’ works published in anthologies as well as her own poetry, photography and stories.

Her main interests are her four teenaged and young adult children and Irish hubby of many years. She enjoys spending her time writing, drawing, going to movies, reading, discussing philosophy and politics with her college-aged son.

Be sure to check out the special interactive Middle Grade Reader website Tween Word Quest for tons of information about Stardust Warriors as well as the other projects Rebecca has in the works and Under the Hat for all of her other works.

Carly: the Evil Lunch Lady

Ardyth hosts Bodach, the black giant from Celtic mythology and faithful servant to Cailleach.

Vote in the You Gotta Read Book Trailer contest (sometime today or tomorrow). My trailer is #14. Thanks for your support.

* * * Here's Ardyth! * * *

A SCHOOL FOR VILLAINS (Dark Lord Academy Book 1)

Danny isn’t much for being evil, but when bad is good, how does someone get expelled from villain school?

Ardyth DeBruyn’s website: http://www.ardythdebruyn.com/

Amazon kindle buy link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061I23PU

Barnes and Noble nook buy link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-school-for-villains-ardyth-debruyn/1107133597

Smashwords multi-format buy link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103615

Blurb:

Thirteen-year-old Danny is astounded when his father decides to send him to Dark Lord Academy to learn to be a villain. Pa claims it will make him stand out and fulfill his own lost childhood dreams. Being evil doesn’t appeal to Danny, but he’s always been a good and obedient son, so he goes.

Dark Lord Academy’s not just unappealing, it’s downright terrible. His advisor dyes Danny’s blond hair black and changes his name to the unpronounceable Zxygrth. He can’t get the hang of maniacal laughter, his second-in-command servant is a puke-colored monkey, and the cafeteria lady enjoys serving stewed cockroaches or fried bat wings. A run in with a hero results in hate mail and he gets caught up in a rivalry with the school bully. The only way for Danny to stay alive is to find his inner villain.

Leave a comment to win a free copy of the book!

Carly, the Evil Cafeteria Lady

In writing “A School for Villains” one my most challenging considerations was the food. How do you make cafeteria food evil when it already is?

Okay, so not all cafeterias are evil, but let’s face it, a good many of them do seem to be. Cold and lumpy food, or the only thing they’re serving is something you hate. In considering what villains eat, I had some easy answers (eye of newt and toe of frog anyone?) but needed to dream up the evil woman behind the madness, who enjoys making the most disgusting foods possible. From spider pancakes to stuffed cockroaches, she delights in horrifying the students of Dark Lord Academy with their next meal.

This leaves newcomer Danny (renamed Zixy by his advisor) stumped with what to say when served up a plate of food. Do you compliment the chief by telling her it’s awful? Or say it looks delicious? Is eating it or not eating it the way to show it’s the evilest of dishes? Carly, built like a sumo wrestler and always wielding her wooden spoon like a weapon, leaves him constantly guessing.

Carly enjoys watching Danny stumble over his attempted polite compliments in part so much because many people in a cafeteria, especially when in a hurry, don’t pay much attention to their food, and honestly, considering what Carly cooks, it’s the best strategy for surviving school meals. Danny offers her an opportunity to show off, and face it, even teachers need to show off once in a while. Nothing is more satisfying than a properly shocked student.

What Danny doesn’t know, is that in Dark Lord Academy, being in charge of the cafeteria is not a simple or low-paying position. Carly is a proper teacher (although usually not of first year students). Cooking up poisons and potions is of course a crucial skill for dark lords, and it’s her simple love of experimenting on the students daily that keeps her dedicated to the school kitchens. Despite that, there’s not a lot of recognition out there for the school cook. It’s far less flashier than something like necromancy or invasion strategizing, so the students are exactly lining up for extra lessons (or second helpings).

When Carly catches Danny in a food fight, she has the perfect opportunity to corner him into private lessons about evil culinary skills under the guise of detentions.

Excerpt:

Carly grabbed him by the ear and shoved him through the kitchen doors. It was all Danny could do to keep from moaning. An enormous stack of dirty dishes covered one wall of the kitchen.

“Better get going, boy,” boomed Carly, shoving him toward the dishes. “They won’t wash themselves.”

“What about magic? Or minions?” Danny muttered.

“Hah! Why use minions when I have disobedient little students like you?” Carly chortled her sour laugh again. “But if you think you can use Dark Magic to get them clean, go right ahead.”

Danny knew better than to respond to that. He rolled up his black sleeves and started scrubbing. Carly sat in a chair, put up her feet, and started reading a huge book entitled: “The Better Dungeons and Graveyards Cookbook.”

“Soup tomorrow…lemme see,” she said cheerfully. “What’d ya think, Zixy-boy, Eye of Newt Chowder or Rat-tail Broth? Oooh, look, Bat-wing Lasagna with deep-fried chicken feet on the side—I bet the students would love that! Mwehehe! So, what’d ya say, Zixy-boy?”

“Umm…” Danny mumbled from within an enormous pot he had to practically crawl into to get to the bottom. It stunk like rancid oil, making it hard to breathe. Why the food tasted as it did was becoming all too clear.

“Can’t hear ya, speak on up?” Carly sounded jolly.

Danny took a deep breath, gagged, and searched for an appropriate answer. “What about dessert?”

“Ah ha! I like the way you think!” Carly slammed the book on the table so loudly Danny jumped, spraying suds in the air and banging his head on the side of the pot. “I’ve got just the book—Dargroth’s Deadly Delights! I haven’t read that in years!”

Danny rubbed his head and stared after her a moment as Carly went to fetch it. Then he set back to scrubbing the pot as hard as possible, hoping against hope he could somehow finish before getting a list of grossed out desserts. But it was more likely Armageddon would arrive, considering the stack of dishes still tottered up near the ceiling.

***

About Ardyth:

Ardyth DeBruyn is a native Oregonian with a restless nature and a degree in Anthropology. After hiking over 1500 miles across Europe and living on the Mexican border for a year, she settled back in the Pacific Northwest (for now) to write fantasy stories. She has decided she can type herself into adventures faster than walk. She has fiction published in a number of webzines and two children’s novels, ”Chosen Sister,” with Wild Child Publishing, and “A School for Villains.”

Where to find her:

Blog/website: http://www.ardythdebruyn.com

Google plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/103672954444962539555

Twitter: @ArdythDeBruyn

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002890822526

Kate Fuentes - The Sexy Side of YA

Check Kate's blog today for my post featuring Diamond the Unicorn. 

* * * Here's Kate Fuentes! * * *

Greetings! Thank you for allowing me to be a guest on your site today Marva! I’m looking forward to having a tremendous time sharing posts and having “Giveaways” on various blogs with the Summer Teen Reading Party event! There will be amazing book titles and fabulous interviews with authors from all genres participating! Be sure to stop by and check it out!

When I look back to when I had less wrinkles and a smaller backside, I remember the excitement of summer! To be free from the confines of school and ready to make memories with my friends over the summer break, but I also recall having time to relax and read a good book. Whether it was on a vacation we had taken to the beach or a lazy afternoon in the backyard, I found the time to sit and experience the fantasy realms of some of my favorite stories. I’m a BIG fan of Greek Mythology and the legendary heroes of yesteryear.  I believe this type of ‘epic adventure ‘writing help mold my own form of literary style and created a vast foundation of imagination outlets to pull from when I’m constructing my young adult series ELEMENTS.  I have written and published two books in the series thus far and plan to release the third in the series just before summer begins in 2012.

The ELEMENTS novels follow the lives of fraternal twin brothers Gage and Talon Thorn. They were born from an ancient prophecy and have the extraordinary elemental abilities of fire and water. A wicked underworld emperor is determined to destroy the ‘Brothers of Prophecy’ and claim the earth realm for his own if the brothers don’t learn how to control their gifts and save humanity from the clutches of evil. The twins must experience tragedy, loss and defeat before they try to push forward and live up to what destiny has asked of them. The challenge has been set forth by dark forces and the world must put their faith in a pair of young brothers. The future is uncertain.

To find out more about the ELEMENTS series please visit Kate Fuentes webpage for more details.

Elements: The Beginning, Book One

 AMAZON  BARNES and NOBLE  GOODREADS  SMASHWORDS

  

Elements: Veil of Darkness, Book Two  

AMAZON  BARNES and NOBLE  GOODREADS  SMASHWORDS

Elements: Kingdom of Aqueous, Book 3

I’m also quite excited to include a giveaway for your readers today! One reader can win an ebook copy of my first book, ELEMENTS: The Beginning, FREE!   Answer a question, ‘like’ the Elements Facebook page and follow me on Twitter to begin earning points! A random winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter! Good Luck!

Also, check back throughout the month of May on the Summer Reading Party site and see if you could win ALL three books!

Thank you for having me as a guest on your blog! I really appreciate having the opportunity to speak with your readers!

Warm Regards,

Kate

To contact the author, Kate Fuentes, visit the following social media sites:

Kate Fuentes , Twitter , Sired Scribblings , Facebook , Pinterest

Author Bio: Kate Fuentes

My name is Kate Fuentes, author of a young adult fantasy series called Elements. I modeled the characters after my two sons and created the fantasy realm as a story to read to my children at night. I'm fascinated at the enormity of endless imagination that we humans are capable of having, and enjoy being able to write fiction for others to appreciate as well.

My series includes: Book one, Elements: The Beginning, Book two, Elements: Veil of Darkness, and soon to be released in the summer of 2012, Book three, Elements: Kingdom of Aqueous. I plan to continue the installments and have not decided how many books will complete the series. I, like so many of my author counterparts, aspire to create more books and characters for my readers to enjoy. I have two projects currently in the beginning phases of conception and will release details in the fall of 2012 on my webpage KateFuentes.com

I attended college in Arizona and transferred to California where I finished my studies in business marketing and advertising while progressively composing short stories in the foreground. Research and development is one of my favorite aspects of writing along with the actual creation of the story from imagination to the novel itself.

I am quite passionate about writing but also enjoy helping those that are underprivileged, forgotten, and oppressed by working in a global reach department during the week in the hopes that I may bring attention to the causes which will, in effect, inspire others to volunteer or champion for those less fortunate both locally and around the world.

On a personal note, I am happily married to my junior high sweetheart and we have two glorious children. We appreciate our time spent with one another and always make sure we set aside a day for family fun night. 

Penny Estelle - Tween Fantasy/Adventure

Check Penny's blog today for my post on Glaistig, the Scottish vampire.


The book trailer for Scotch Broom is featured today on You Gotta Read Cover Contest.

* * * Here's Penny Estelle! * * *

Today, I welcome Penny Estelle. Although fairly new to publishing, she's already establishing herself as a middle-grade author with her book, Hike Up Devil's Mountain. 

(Q) Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, please tell our readers where they can find you.

http://www.pennystales.com/

http://www.pennyestelle.blogspot.com/

@pennystales - twitter

(Q) Tell everyone a bit about your books including buy links.

My first book, Hike Up Devil's Mountain, is a MG/tween adventure story with some magic peppered throughout. Two boys, along with the school bully, have their lives turned upside down and the only one that can help them lives on top of Devil's Mountain. The question is will they survive the hike?

Solstice Publishing Amazon Smashwords

I also have a story out titled A Float Down the Canal. This is also a MG/tween story of twelve-year old Pam Simpson who has to give up her plans to watch her brother. The next bomb is dropped when her mother says her cousin, Candy, is also coming over. Pam doesn't even like her cousin. She is too prissy. This is a story about how Pam's worst day ever, becomes one she will never forget and it all starts with a float down the canal.

Smashwords Sony ebooks Kobo ebooks

(Q) Where did the concept for the book (or books) come about?

For Hike Up Devil's Mountain, I was watching my grandson play with a plastic dragon and I came up with a great ENDING for a story. All I had to do was come up with a beginning and a middle.

A Float Down the Canal is actually a mostly true story about when we were kids. We were a rowdy bunch and the names were changed to protect the innocent! LOL

(Q) Did you have to research a lot? If so, what are your favorite sources?

Very little research was done for these two stories. They are totally fiction and first hand knowledge.

(Q) How long did it take you to finish, from concept to final product?

HUDM took about 6 months. When I started writing this, my daughter was teaching 5th grade. I asked her to read the first few chapters to her class and see if there was any interest or did they fall asleep while it was being read. Well they liked it very much and she used the remaining chapters as incentive - and it actually worked for her!

(Q) What do you do for fun other than writing?

I really like going 4-wheeling. We live so rural and there are tons of dirt roads around that need exploring. We do lots of exploring. I also like to…a hum….gamble, as we live fairly close to Laughlin, Nevada, and of course there are the grand kiddies. I have 7 of the little darlings and I love visiting with them.

(Q) Do you have any favorite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?

When I am writing a story I do it horizontally. I lay on the couch with a pad of paper. TV can be on or music can be blaring. Now when I edit, I usually do that when nobody is up - 4 am in the morning, or later in the evening. I need quiet for that!

(Q)  Do you secretly want to write another genre, but don't think you can do it?

I would love to give a shot to romance with a touch of erotic. I am on the backside of 50 so I would really need to whip this imagination into gear!

(Q) In your ideal world, put in order those of most value to you:

True love, family, success at writing, world peace, clean air and water, other.

(Q) What are your writing strengths? Weaknesses?

I think I am pretty good at getting into a kid's character. I love a kid with whit and sarcasm and my own kids have given me plenty of usable material, which they come by honestly. I also worked with kids for 21 years.

My weakness is sitting down on a regular schedule to get my writing down. I am such an outdoors person and I want to be playing.

(Q) Coffee or tea? 

 Oh coffee….or I should say, add a little coffee to my flavored creamer!

(Q) Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they? 

Sometime in May my short story, Billy Cooper's Awesome Nightmare, is due out. It's a time travel fantasy about 7th grader, Billy Cooper, who finds out on Friday afternoon, he has an oral report due on Monday on whatever subject he draws out of a box. Well, he is annoyed as he has way too many things to do during the weekend. He figures 5 minutes on the computer and he will skate by on this assignment. All that changes when he finds himself in the 14 century, face to face, with his drawn subject.

I am hoping to do a series on this type of story. Today's kids, with their humor and speech, meeting up with historic legends. I think the stories could be funny, adventurous, with a little education thrown in.

(Q) What do you do to market your work? How did you start and where do you learn to market?

Let me say Marva, this is a continuous work in progress. I have been published for not quite a year and marketing was all new to me. I mean I figured I would sign my contract and the money would start pouring in. YIKES…Writing is the easy part. I am still learning this whole marketing adventure. I have my website on my car. I have bookmarks. I twitter, use Face book, and blog. I've been interviewed on the radio and have my story in a few school libraries and the city library. Marketing is not for sissies!

(Q) Do you have or used to have a day job? Did it inform your writing in any way?

I was a school secretary for the principal in a K-8 school. I have heard so many excuses from every age child. So many times I had to leave my office because I was sure I would burst out laughing. Funny how even the rowdy ones leave an imprint on your heart (in a good way) I promised myself when I retired, I was going to write for this age group and I am giving it my best shot. Also, I could always find the little kids in the library, but not so much the older ones. I can't stress enough how very important I think it is that in today's world, kids need to read and read well.

That being said, I also think kids of today should be able to escape some of the realities of the world to a world of fantasy and adventure. That's what I am trying to do.

Hike Up Devil's Mountain

Blurb:

Ten-year old Andy Thompson disobeys his mother and sneaks into the basement of an old abandoned house that’s due for demolition. He stumbles upon a mysterious box under an old cabinet. And his troubles begin when he looks inside.

The Crew brothers, twelve-year old Jason, and ten-year old Danny, also find their way to the basement. New to town, Jason has established himself as the school bully. A struggle ensues between Andy and Jason, and the bully ends up as a toad.

Somehow, the boys must reverse the magical spell. And that means hiking up the dread mountain: fast pace, fast action and some scarey turns and surprises on the way! The lives of all three boys seem destined to change forever, if they survive…

Excerpt:

Andy was peering into the biggest tunnel. Danny peeked in from the other side. A dull greenish light barely glowed in the inky blackness. It got brighter and the boys could hear a shuffling sound. The odor was overwhelming. “Something is coming!” Andy whispered in a panic. “Hide!”

Danny scooped up his brother and both boys dived behind the big gold rock, holding their breaths. Andy was afraid he was going to throw up as the shuffling got louder and the odor got stronger. He started to peek around the rock, but Danny grabbed his arm, shaking his head frantically back and forth.

Andy mouthed the words, “We have to see what it is.”

Danny swallowed and nodded okay.

Andy and Danny turned away from each other. Each one slowly peeked around his side of the rock. Emerging from the tunnel was a slimy, brownish-green, wormy-type lizard. It had a lizard-shaped head with eyes that were nothing more than slits. Green goo oozed from his tightly closed mouth as he dragged along. It had four front legs, two on each side. Three long black claws protruded at the end of each leg. The two front legs slowly reached forward to pull the body along, while the two in the back seemed to just drag along, making it a slow moving . . . thing.

It finally made its way completely inside the cave. This thing was at least ten feet long and four feet tall. The end of its wormy body had a long bony tail with the same black claw on the end of it that dragged on the ground. More green ooze dripped off its body leaving a slimy glowing green path on the cave floor.

Andy and Danny turned back and looked at each other. Relief flooded their faces. The thing was so slow. They could walk away from it and still be out of its reach.

Using his two fingers next to his thumb, Andy made a sign of walking and pointed to the tunnel partially covered by the gold rock.

Danny nodded.

A croaky whisper came from Danny’s pocket, “Well, what was it?’

Danny’s hand flew up like a shot to clamp his hand over his pocket.

A small, “ugh” could be heard as the breath was knocked out of the toad.

Both boys, holding their breath, slowly turned to peek back around. It wasn’t there. Only eerie puddles of glowing green glob could be seen.

Andy quickly turned to Danny and raised his shoulders silently as if to ask where is it.

A drop of green goo plopped between the two boys. The smell was everywhere. A small river of thick green slime was running down the gold rock. Slowly their eyes traveled upward.

**************

A Float Down The Canal

Synopsis

Twelve year old Pam Simpson gets dumped on when her mother is called into work and she must cancel her plans for the mall to babysit her younger brother and his friend and go to the public pool. To make matters worse her cousin, Candy, is also coming over for the day. She doesn’t even like Candy!

Much to Candy’s dismay, transportation to the pool is on inner tubes, floating down the canal. One thing leads to another and it is Pam who, once again, must save the day.

When things couldn’t seem worse, the day takes a drastic turn for the better and it is Candy, and the float down the canal, that makes this the best day of Pam’s life!

Bad Spelling First Chapter

D. Renee Bagby's First Chapters blog carries Chapter 1 of "Bad Spelling," Book 1 of the Witches of Galdorheim Series.

Tomorrow (May 14th), the book trailer for "Scotch Broom" (Book 2 of Witches of Galdorheim) will be on top of the You Gotta Read book trailer contest. Voting is the 21st-27th. And, of course, Scotch Broom is my featured book for the Summer Teen Read Party going on all through May (schedule in the right-hand sidebar).

Poor "Midnight Oil" is feeling bereft of attention. To remedy that, here's the Midnight Oil book trailer AND its first chapter.  Okay, it can quit being jealous now.

Chapter One Company’s Coming

Present Day, Galdorheim Island in the Barents Sea

Kat scrambled around her room getting ready for her grandfather’s arrival. More importantly, Andy would be coming, too. She dwelled a moment on their one kiss, and her stomach fluttered. Nearly six months had passed since she’d left him in Siberia, and that was one hundred and eighty days too long.

She took a last glance in the mirror and jerked the childish red ribbon from her hair. The black tresses fell loose down her back. Twisting to check out her jean-clad rear in the mirror, she smiled. Yes! Tight enough to show off, but not so tight Mom’ll flip out.

She searched for her bunny-familiar and found Teddy snoozing under the pillow. Kat nudged him. He blinked and yawned.

“Hey, lazy butt, want to come along?”

“Cold.”

“Not too cold. I’ll carry you.”

Teddy tipped his head. Kat could almost hear the little gears grinding. “Okay.”

She tucked Teddy into the sling and hurried to the parlor where her family waited.

Rune, her half-brother, yawned. “About time.”

“I can’t just throw any old thing on like you do!” Kat stuck out her tongue at him but had to admit he always looked great. If he’d only wear some other color than black.

“Let’s go.” Ardyth, her mother, snapped her fingers. A brown velvet cape leapt from its hook, draping itself around the statuesque blonde’s shoulders. The dragon clasp hissed as it snicked shut at her throat. The tall witch glanced in the mirror hung above the coat hooks and patted her pale hair into place.

Kat’s family left the house and walked together down the main street of the village. Other Wiccans came out of their homes, silently falling into step behind them. They made their way toward the portal, which served as entrance and exit to the magic, bubble-like barrier. Without the protective shield, their village would freeze like the rest of the tiny, icebound island of Galdorheim. When they passed the Council Hall, the head witch joined them.

Kat dipped her head in greeting. “Good morn, Aunt Thordis.”

A tweak of a smile touched Thordis’ upper lip, and she nodded in greeting to her niece. “Ardyth,” Thordis said to Kat’s mother, “I assume you finished preparing the cave for the ceremony?”

“Yes. I put out the black drapery and moved in a small altar. It’s quite charming. If only Boris looked as good.” Ardyth tsked and shook her head. “I do wish he’d been, well, in a more, ah, dignified position when the ice caved in. That broken leg sticking out. The big hole in his head. Terrible.”

Kat patted her mother’s arm. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m sure Dad doesn’t mind. After being stuck in the ice for fourteen years, that’s the last thing he’d worry about.”

Ardyth raised her voice. “Well, he might!” Nearby witches glanced their way. She leaned toward Kat and whispered, “After all, he’s not dead yet! I don't like people just assuming.”

Thordis stopped and faced her sister. “And he’s not going to die here if I have anything to say about it!”

Ardyth winced. “All right, all right. I won’t thaw him. I’d just like a chance to tell him how much…” Ardyth’s voice hitched.

Thordis shot her sister a look, but said nothing more. The older witch walked through what looked like a simple garden gate, set in a shimmering wall of soap bubble film. The others followed close behind.

The half-siblings looked at each other. Rune shrugged with a questioning look. Kat took his arm, leaning close to his ear.

“Mom wants to say goodbye.”

“I know,” Rune replied. “Don’t you? Like, he is your father.”

“Aunt Thordis said it’d be too painful for him if he thawed. He might live for only a few seconds. It’s not worth it.”

“So, he’ll just be a popsicle forever, eh?”

Kat slugged her younger brother’s bicep and hissed, “That’s awful!”

“I know,” Rune shot back with a grin, exposing the longer than normal canines he’d inherited from his vampire father.

Kat pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She elbowed him lightly in the ribs. “If you act like such a child, Nadia won’t be interested in you.” The comment stopped him in his tracks.

Rune hissed out a breath and looked at his feet. “Okay, you win this one. I hope she came along like she promised.”

“Oh, she’s probably forgotten all about you.” Kat suppressed a smirk. “I think it’ll just be Grandfather Ivansi and Andy. Maybe a few of the Sami hunters to help.”

With an evil grin, he sang in a whispering lilt, “Katrina loves Andy. Katrina loves Andy.” Kat envied her little brother’s knack for flying below the older witches’ radar. The elders never seemed to see his mischievous side when he pulled some stunt. They all thought him the perfect little warlock-slash-vampire.

Kat sighed. Maybe she was in love. At almost fifteen, she’d never had a boyfriend before. When Andy kissed her, it felt…totally awesome. Now he was almost here, she felt her palms getting damp. She dried first one then the other on Teddy’s fur, trying to look like she was simply petting her rabbit.

While her mind wandered to thoughts of Andy, the family reached the portal leading to the ice-bound part of the island. The glacier that encased the body of Kat’s father hulked above them a hundred feet to the right of the gate. They continued down a barely visible path leading to the edge of the water. Eight months of the year, solid ice surrounded the island, plus another two months of floe ice. Only during a brief summer period did the water clear, opening the way for boats to reach them. During the winter months, the jetty was only a jutting piece of ice. Now, with it melted, she could see the tiny wooden pier the Wiccans built to provide a place to tie boats.

Kat searched the horizon. Wondering if her grandfather would come by kayak, she decided a paddleboat wouldn’t work if he planned to take back the block of ice containing her father. No, he would need to bring something bigger.

Rewarding her vigil, two black dots appeared far out to sea. The older witches waited patiently as the boats approached, but Kat stood on tiptoe, leaning forward as if it would help her see better. Did he come? She pressed her lips tightly together. No use sweating over it. He would either be with them, or he wouldn’t.

The two boats finally neared enough to make out their general outlines, but not close enough for her to see if Andy was present. Rune’s sharper vampire vision could pick out details better than Kat’s.

She elbowed him. “What kind of boats? How many people?”

“Don’t get all worked up,” he replied. When Kat frowned at him, he relented. “It looks like a motorboat, maybe a thirty-footer, and a three-man kayak. The motorboat must be pulling the kayak ‘cause I don’t think even Sami fishermen can paddle that fast.”

Once Rune told her what he saw, she could also make out the two boats. “I see them,” she called out, pointing and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Teddy almost fell out of the sling.

“Yes, dear,” Aunt Thordis answered, patting her shoulder. “We all see the boat. Now calm down.”

Kat’s cheeks reddened, and she planted her feet flat on the ground. She didn’t want to look too eager. Andy might have thought the kiss was just between friends. Maybe she had read too much into it. She jammed her hands into her pockets to hide their trembling.

Finally, the motorboat eased up to the little pier. Kat’s grandfather moved to the bow and bent to pick up a coil of rope lying on the deck. Before he could grasp it, the free end sprang away from him, tying itself around a piling. Kat glanced back to see her mother’s upraised hand, directing the rope with a flick of her wrist. Startled, Ivansi straightened and smiled. He waved at Ardyth and moved to the back of the motorboat. At the stern, he picked up the thick cord, holding it up and away from his body. Ardyth gestured again, and it performed the same trick as the bow mooring line.

“That’s a neat spell with the rope. I’d like to learn it,” Kat commented.

“‘Line,’ sis,” Rune replied. “If it’s on a boat, it’s called a ‘line.’”

Kat shrugged and mumbled, “Whatever.”

She forgot Rune when she saw a head of black hair through the windshield of the small pilot’s cabin. She raised her hand halfway but stopped and pressed it to her chest. Her heart pounded, and cold little fish swam up and down her spine.

The head rose higher, and Kat recognized Nadia, the girl Rune had become friends with at the Sami village. Rune trotted forward. Nadia left the cabin and came out on the open deck. Rune was ready to take her hand. She emitted a startled squeak and then giggled as he levitated her from boat to pier.

Meanwhile, the kayak pulled up to the other side of the pier, and three Sami men hopped out, tying it to another piling. Kat scanned the small group, but the boy she couldn’t wait to see wasn’t among them. Shoulders slumping, she turned back and walked over to her grandfather. He put his hands on her arms and smiled, showing strong, white teeth in his brown, weather-beaten face.

“Granddaughter, I greet you,” he said in heavily accented English and kissed her on both cheeks.

She pecked his cheeks in return. “Grandfather, I greet you as well.” She stood back, and Ardyth came forward to meet her father-in-law for the first time. Kat glanced at the boat, but Andy didn’t appear.

She suppressed a sigh. “My mother, Ardyth.” She kept it simple. English was one of the few languages the Samis and the Wiccans had in common, but she knew Ivansi spoke very little of it. He had probably made a special effort to learn the greeting.

“Daughter, I greet you.” The older man kissed Ardyth on each cheek. Ardyth surprised Ivansi by throwing her arms around him. She’d only been Boris’s wife for a few months before the tragic cave-in, but the old man looked much like her deceased husband. Kat could almost feel the wave of love and sorrow flow between the two. They both lost the same person.

The group gathered to walk back to the village portal. Tonight, a banquet for the visitors, and then, tomorrow morning, everyone would gather in the ice cave to say a final goodbye to Boris.

Kat looked back at the empty boat. She bowed her head, blinking back tears. Andy obviously wasn’t interested in seeing her, so that was that. She’d get over it…sometime.

Barbara Ehrentreu's Inspiration

Barbara hosts Kat, the teen witch star of the Witches of Galdorheim Series.

* * * Here's Barbara * * *

Barbara, a retired teacher with a Masters degree in Reading and Writing K-12 and seventeen years of teaching experience lives with her family in Stamford, Connecticut. When she received her Masters degree she began writing seriously. If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor, Barbara’s first YA novel, published by MuseItUp Publishing was inspired by Paula Danziger. It has won #2 in Preditors & Editors Poll for Best Young Adult Book of 2011. In addition, Barbara has a story in Lavender Dreams, a memorial anthology for which all the proceeds go to cancer research. She has three poems in Prompted: An International Collection of Poems by the Anthologists for which all the proceeds go to Literacy research. Her blog, Barbara’s Meanderings, http://barbaraehrentreu.blogspot.com/, is networked on both Facebook and Blog Catalog. She hosts Red River Writers Live Tales from the Pages on Blog Talk Radio every 4th Thursday. In addition, her children's story, “The Trouble with Follow the Leader” and an adult story, “Out on a Ledge” are published online She has written book reviews for Authorlink.com. and several of her reviews have been on Acewriters and Celebrity Café. She is a member of SCBWI. Writing is her life!


Inspiration for Her Novel


The summer of 2002 I enrolled in Writer’s Week at Manhattanville College where I was currently working on my Masters in Reading and Writing. If you have never been to Writer’s Week and live relatively close to the college you should think about it. For an entire week you have workshops both in the morning and the afternoon. You choose your genre and each workshop is headed by a well known author or teacher of writing. Celebrity authors and workshop participants rub shoulders at many activities, including the daily readings of outstanding work from each group.

So the workshop I chose was Children’s Writing led by the delightful, quirky and multi- book author, Paula Danziger. She wrote books for young girls that cut to the very heart of the emotional life of a tween ager. For the pass to get into the class we all needed to write three chapters of a story for children. At the time my daughter, who was going into college in the fall, had some issues with both her body and with eating. Her eating disorder had not gotten out of hand, but it was a problem to both her and me. This was something on my mind and so I created two characters. One had issues with her body image and the other was perfect, but she had an eating disorder. I wrote my three chapters and handed them in to Paula Danziger.

The first day of the workshop she arrived with her signature purple sneakers and her bright red hair and she looked like she had stepped out of a children’s book. But the thing about Paula was how open and friendly she was and how accessible she was to us. We all sat around and she talked with us about writing, for a whole week. During this time she held private conferences and the first time she saw my three chapters her first words to me and the words she wrote on the paper were “Cut, Cut, Cut!!!” I still have the original papers on which she wrote.Paula believed that children’s books didn’t need long sentences and especially in the beginning of the book, sentences should be short and move the reader to want to learn more. After all of the revisions and editing of my book, I still have a few sentences left that came directly from Paula. She told me that first day that she liked my writing and that I might have a good book in there if I could wade through all the extra words. She even reminded me during workshop discussions that I should cut my words while speaking.

About six months later I met Paula at the Winter Conference for SCBWI and we talked about my book. Then a year later, her last conference, I showed her a passage that had given me a lot of trouble. She read it and suggested a few things to do that helped me very much. Her encouragement helped me to continue to write and eventually finish the story. However, I did get bogged down in the middle and that was when I turned to Children’s Authors’ Bootcamp for help. This was two days of constant lecturing and writing where we took apart our stories and examined each part. We learned about character development and plot development and on the second day after having been stumped for both an ending and a clear plot line for my secondary character, Jennifer, I was able to finish the plot and write an ending for my story. Laura Backes and Linda Arms White gave me the tools I needed!!

Paula Danziger, unfortunately, is not here to share in the triumph of the publication of my first novel, but I know if she were she would be doing a happy dance with her red hair wildly flying and her face smiling. She was one of a kind and her support made me feel that someday I too would be able to publish my book. That is why I dedicated my first ever YA novel to Paula Danziger. If you are not familiar with her work you should go to Amazon and look up Paula Danziger.

If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor

(see below for buy links)

Blurb:

Carolyn Samuels is obsessed with the idea of being popular. She is convinced that the only thing keeping her from happiness is her too heavy for fashion body and not being a cheerleader. Hyperventilating when she gets nervous doesn’t help. When she is paired for a math project with the girl who tormented her in middle school, Jennifer Taylor, she is sure it is going to be another year of pain. With Carolyn’s crush on Jennifer’s hunky junior quarterback, Brad her freshman year in high school looks like a rerun of middle school. When Jennifer is the only student who knows why she fell in gym class, Carolyn is blackmailed into doing her math homework in return for Jennifer’s silence. Jennifer takes on Carolyn as a pity project since she can’t be seen with someone who dresses in jeans and sweatshirts. When Jennifer invites Carolyn to spend the night to make her over and teach her to tumble, Carolyn learns Jennifer’s secret and lies to her own friends to cover it up. Will Carolyn become a cheerleader and popular? Does she continue to keep Jennifer’s secret? Or will she be a target of this mean girl again?

Excerpt:

Feeling my old hatred of gym, I glance across the locker room and see Jennifer in red designer shorts and a tight sleeveless shirt to match. She's standing in front of the only mirror in the room turning back and forth.


Becky and I slide into our loose camp shorts and a T-shirt, and once they're on, we race onto the gym floor. Always better to be early for gym the first day.  You never knew what kind of teacher you'd have. My athletic ability is zero, so I don’t take chances. Once I was a few minutes late, and the gym teacher in middle school made me run around the gym ten times. It took me the whole gym period.


Becky and I sit on the low seats in the bleachers, but Jennifer and her group saunter into the gym and choose the highest seats avoiding the rest of us. Miss Gaylon, the gym teacher introduces herself and gives us a few minutes until the last stragglers come from the locker room.  For those few minutes, I almost feel comfortable. My breathing returns to normal. I hear giggles from Jennifer and her group, but I ignore it.


"Maybe it won't be so bad this year, Carolyn." Becky always tries to cheer me up now. This wasn’t true a few years ago. I had to cheer her up a lot. Becky’s brothers are just turning five, and they’re both in kindergarten. Her mom remarried after being divorced for ten years. Becky was just getting used to her new stepfather when her mom got pregnant. I remember how miserable Becky was the first year of middle school when her mom spent so much time with her twin brothers and didn’t have enough time to help Becky with her homework. Luckily, Becky’s stepfather is a history teacher, so she got very interested in history and current events.

"Right, Becky, and maybe I'll learn to be a gymnast in ten minutes. Reality check, remember last year?"

"Okay, I'm hoping it won't be so bad."

"You mean like the dentist finding you only have one cavity and filling it the same day?"

"You’re so lame, Carolyn. Since we're all older, maybe she'll treat us differently. People change over the summer you know."

"Look at her, Becky."

Becky turns to look over at the group at the top of the bleachers and then turns back to look me in the eye. “You know you have to put that stupid day behind you.”

I pretend not to know what she’s talking about. “What stupid day?”

Like I don’t remember every detail.

“The zip line day.”

“Oh, that day,” I say with a combination grimace and smile. “The day I wound up having to climb off the platform. I wanted to bore a hole into the ground so I wouldn’t have to walk past them but couldn’t, and everyone screamed at me: ‘Breathe, Carolyn, breathe.’”

“You have to admit it was funny the way the gym teacher ran up the ladder like a squirrel to rescue you. Everyone laughed at how stupid she looked. Jennifer got the whole class going with that ridiculous ‘breathe, Carolyn, breathe.’” Becky looks behind her to Jennifer. “You know I wanted to run over and punch her, but I couldn’t because I was still on the platform, and it was my turn to go.”

“Yeah, if I had a few more minutes, I would have been able to get up the courage to grip the zip line and hook myself to it. Stupid teacher didn’t give me a chance. This not breathing thing when I get nervous really sucks.”

Becky nods because she knows me so well.

“So then Jennifer started with that horrible chant, and of course, the whole class followed her, like always.” My eyes fill with tears as I remember, and my breathing is getting worse by the minute.

“I thought it was a dumb idea to do ropes course stuff in school. We did it at my camp the summer before, and no one was forced to do it. Anyone could get nervous with Jennifer in front of them,” Becky comforts me.

I continue talking as if I’m in a trance. “Remember how last year whenever I ran into Jennifer she would whisper ‘breathe, Carolyn, breathe,’ so no one could hear it except me. Once she did it just before I had to go up in front of the class in math.   Sometimes she would do it in front of everyone and, of course, get a big laugh while I wanted to turn into a piece of furniture.”

Becky grabs my arm.  “Do we have to go back over this again? You need to forget about it.” She takes her hand away from my arm as I continue to speak.

“Becky, I can’t. The thing is it’s this bad movie in my brain looping the same horrible scenes. The funny thing is, most of the time, she would ignore me. I would never know what she was going to do. You have to admire someone so single-minded she managed to get to me at just the right time.

You remember don’t you? And today did you see how she wore the same outfit as me? It’s spooky.”

My funny breathing returns as Miss Gaylon tells us to line up on the yellow line alphabetically. I hope there will be someone to go between Jennifer and me. No luck. Jennifer is going to be behind me all year. I hold my breath. I couldn't stand more of the same this year. I pray for the day to end soon. A glance at my new watch shows me fifteen more minutes left of the period. Is Miss Gaylon's voice getting lower?  What is that pounding in my ears?

Jennifer turns to face me, and I hear, "Breathe, Carolyn, breathe.” Then my world turns black.

* * * *

My YA novel, If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor, MuseItUp Publishing is available here in ebook and print:

Muse Bookstore

Amazon

Barnesand Noble

Twitter: @barbehr

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/BarbaraEhrentreu

Book Promo:

http://bookpromo.weebly.com/barbara-ehrentreu.html

Also, come over to visit my blog, Barbara’s Meanderings, where I am part of the month long Summer Teen Reading Party. In addition to my blog I sometimes do a monthly show on Blog Talk Radio called RRWL Tales from the Pages where I get a chance to interview authors, editors and publishers.