Halloween Countdown Day 7 - BEFORE

Catina worked her way through college as a TV reporter and a dating game show host. She's a sucker for Young Adult romance stories (both real and make-believe). She has a panache for match-making and loves that many of her "set-ups" have resulted in marriages. 

After spending most of her adult life in Las Vegas, Catina traded in tumbleweeds for earthquakes and now lives with her husband and four children near San Diego, California. If she's not home, chances are you can find her at the beach, Disneyland or In-N-Out Burger.

Angela Larkin writes clean teen romance and is a big fan of kissing (in life and in books). She's been a gold miner, a pool cleaner, a mannequin dresser, and a teacher. She's lived a true romance: meeting her husband in a case of mistaken identity. They recently moved with their four children from the sparkling city of Las Vegas to the shade of the North Carolina Pines. Chances are, she's reading past bedtime.

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True love doesn't always mean a happy ending. Presley and Landon finally have a chance at a real relationship when they travel back in time, but their leap backward to two months before his accident has altered reality: Landon has no memory of Presley. 

Hurt and lonely, Presley is still determined to save his life, even as Landon's death-date looms. He's alive for now, but nothing is like it was . . . Before.

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Snippet:

59 Days Before

(Landon)

            In all my memory of living in this house, we’ve never once closed the shutters in the family room. You’d have to be crazy to block out the view of the forest and the lake beyond. Today every shutter in the house is locked down tight.

            Violet is spying through a crack in the entryway shutter, letting out dramatic noises. My cousin Reese looks at me from his seat on the river-rock hearth and rolls his eyes. He turns his attention back to his phone and shakes his head, not bothering to hide his smile from Violet.

            “Yep. Still there. All eight of them,” Violet says.

            “Any press is good press,” Reese says, not taking his eyes from his phone.

           Violet rounds on us, then stares at me, eyes wide, like I owe her something. It’s not like I have any control over how many news vans decide to camp out in my front yard. Less than twenty-four hours after qualifying for the Olympics and my whole family is basically quarantined until my attorney and sponsors tell me what I can and can’t say to the media about Presley.

          The thing is, I don’t even know what to say about Presley.

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Halloween Countdown Day 6 - The Immundus

I grew up in Salinas, California, the same hometown of John Steinbeck, one of America’s greatest writers. I loved to read (and still do) and frequented the John Steinbeck Library as a child. I discovered at an early age that I also enjoyed writing. In sixth grade, my teacher, Mr. Graham gave the class an assignment to write a story for a contest. The contest required that we create our book binding as well, which we did with cardboard, glue, and wallpaper. My book was called “Mully Mully” about a creature who lived in an underwater lake city. I was sad when I didn’t win, but I cherished my book so I kept it all these years. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I decided to put other stories, roaming around in my mind, down on paper again, or actually, in my case, into a computer.

I took a non-traditional route to writing, considering I have a doctorate in Educational Leadership. Aside from writing, I work full-time as a Training & Development Coordinator at Kaweah Delta, a  teaching hospital, and some semesters I also teach at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California, where I currently live. When I’m not at my full-time and part-time job, I enjoy writing, reading, watching TV, and spending time with my husband and pets (cat-Smokey, dog-Princess).

The Immundus is my debut novel.

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Would you sacrifice your humanity to save mankind?

IT’S THE YEAR 2828, and Domus is the last remaining country. Divided into twelve walled cities known as genuses, Domus spans what’s known as the purist lands—lands unaffected by the genetic modifications that killed all other species of mammals. But outside the walls of each genus the Immundus threaten the welfare of those within. From a young age, all citizens of Domus are trained for combat against these intruders.

At sixteen, Nia Luna knows little of the Immundus, except for the citywide alarms that ring any time an Immundus nears the genus walls. What she does know is that her own species is dying—their numbers dwindling as a mysterious disease called allagine kills many before their eleventh birthday. The same disease that ravaged her family when it took her sister.

When Nia is recruited into Genesis, a research company pioneering the path to a cure, she knows that her dream to find a cure for allagine is finally within her grasp. But within weeks of starting at Genesis, Nia witnesses something she shouldn’t have—something that changes everything. As she sets down a dangerous path that uncovers national secrets, Nia will have to decide not only what kind of person she wants to be but also how far she’s willing to go to save humanity.

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Snippet:

I walk down the expansive hallway. Most doors are closed, but the door to Calculus class is still open and Mrs. Wiler is at the front of the classroom teaching. I tiptoe through the door, hoping she won’t say anything, but the rickety-rackety-clackety of my shoes yanks my classmates’ attention toward me—eyes prickling my skin as I make my way to my seat. I plop myself down, the lumbar of the seat adjusts to my body, and the desk swings into position in front of me.

“Glad you could join us, Nia,” Mrs. Wiler says, her voice thick with sarcasm. Calculus is not my favorite topic. I think it’s because the teacher has had it in for me all year. I can get by, but only with Alex’s help. I’m so glad he’s in my class.

“Glad I could be here.” I give her a just-leave-me-alone smile. She doesn’t seem too enthused by my response, but it’s enough to appease her, so she continues her lesson.

Sabrina leans over the moment Mrs. Wiler turns away. “Great game last night.” Sabrina’s soft voice surfs the air like cumulus clouds on a calm day. She’s one of the brightest students in class, and I picture her on the Genus Council one day. She’s not a hologram either, which is nice. We attend classes with students in other genuses, though not in person. Instead, 4D holographic forms appear in their stead here, and I appear the same to them there. We can see, touch, hear, and smell the students even though they aren’t here. Still. You can tell the difference.

“Thanks,” I say.

A hand touches my left shoulder from behind. “Alex wants you to check your messages,” whispers Robert, a hologram from Genus Amatista, which is on the other side of Domus and used to be called Canada. I open my messages on the screen on my desk—or dreen, as we like to call it—being watchful of the teacher. I’m greeted by Alex’s avatar holding balloons and throwing confetti that forms a message. It’s a group message to Eric, Casey, and I. In tall black serif letters it reads:

It was great being teammates. Let’s all go to the promotion party together

after apprenticeship selection.

“Alex, what would you say is the answer to this problem?” Mrs. Wiler inquires, pointing to the calculation on the media wall. I wonder if she knows Alex sent a message out—she’s freaky that way. Alex scribbles on his dreen, sending the equation and answer to the media wall for all to see. He figures out the problems in seconds, which is why I’m glad he’s in my class. Two thumbs up appear on my dreen from Casey and Eric. I add my own.

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Halloween countdown Day 5 - Stevie-Girl and the Phantom Student

Ann Swann was born in the small West Texas town of Lamesa. She grew up much like Stevie-girl in The Phantoms series, though she never got up the nerve to enter the haunted house. 

Ann has done everything from answering 911 Emergency calls to teaching elementary school. She lives in Texas with her husband, Dude, a rescue cat named Oscar, and a part-time box turtle named Piggy. 

When she’s not writing, Ann is reading. Her to-be-read list has grown so large it has taken on a life of its own. She calls it Herman.

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Stevie asks Jase to help her find out why the ghost of a girl keeps appearing in her mirror. They think it has something to do with the new student at their school, a boy who has Tourette syndrome. Both the boy and the phantom seem to need some kind of help. All is revealed when the new kid falls prey to the school bullies. 

Will Stevie and Jase be too late, or will a tragic moment in their school's history be repeated on Halloween night?

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Snippet:

Prologue:

                  To us, 1970 was a time of beginnings, but to the country, it was a time of endings. National Guardsmen ended the lives of four students at Kent State College.  A hundred thousand marched on Washington to end the war in Vietnam, and in England, Paul McCartney announced the end of The Beatles.  It was also the year Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin both ended their lives through drug overdoses.  It felt as if the whole world was in turmoil.

           Our homeroom teacher said not to let the weight of the world stop us from being open to new experiences.  In fact she said it was more important than ever that we should be open-minded.  I wondered if she’d gone radical on us.  For a moment, I thought she might pick up a sign and start chanting.

            Come to find out, she was simply prepping us for a new addition to our eighth grade class at Crossroads Junior High.  His name was Derol Pavey and he had something called Tourette syndrome.  

           

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Halloween Countdown Day 4 - Where the River Bends

I have been reading love stories for as long as I can remember and when I ‘met’ the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James The Brontë sisters, etc. during my Honours studies, I was hooked for life.

I married my college boyfriend and soul mate and after 43 years, 3 interesting and wonderful children and 3 beautiful grandchildren, he still makes me weak in the knees. We are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside village of Betty's Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a beautiful mountain right behind us. And although life so far has not always been an easy ride, it has always been an exiting and interesting one!

I like the heroines in my stories to be beautiful, feisty, independent and headstrong.  And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous!  My stories typically incorporate the family background of the characters to better understand where they come from and who they are when we meet them in the story.

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"Kalinda Evans works for the Anglo-Boer war foundation in Canada. She's sent to South Africa to make sure everyone who lost their lives in the war will be remembered. On her drive to the guest farm in Kimberley, South Africa, Kalinda picks up a female hitchhiker and is startled when just moments later, the woman vanishes. Kalinda would be convinced she was dreaming…except there’s still a white lace handkerchief on the passenger seat.

Extreme sports enthusiast and computer game designer Zack Carter is always after the next big challenge. He’s far too busy for romance and adheres to a three-date rule, until he meets his parents’ latest guest. When she relays the story of her mysterious experience, Zack’s family shares the local ghost story. Kalinda and Zack work together to solve the puzzle of the ghost and how it all ties in with the war and the work Kalinda is doing.

As their attraction grows, Zack realizes he no longer feels the need to prove anything to himself. He only needs to prove to Kalinda that he’s more than a good time."

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Snippet:

Before Kalinda could take another breath, the passenger door opened and the woman got into the car. With her, a nearly overwhelming scent of citrus filled the small space around them.

Too stunned to say anything, Kalinda stared at the woman. Her passenger turned towards her. It looked as if she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and her hand opened and clutched around a white, lace handkerchief.

"Are you perhaps going to Paardeberg?" As she spoke, it became even colder in the car.

Kalinda tried to talk, but her mouth was so dry, it was difficult to form any words. Something very odd was going on, but she was so stunned, it was impossible to decide what exactly was bothering her.

She swallowed and tried again. "Yes, I am. But who are you?"

"We should go; I have to find him," the woman said and looked in front of her.

Kalinda's brain was struggling to make sense of what was happening but she started the car. Her heart was racing. Who was this woman?

She turned to look at her passenger again. Shock made her gasp out loud. Her hands slipped from the steering wheel. Cold fingers touched her spine. She blinked, looked again. There was nobody else in the car. Only… She lost her breath. On the car seat next to her lay a white, lace handkerchief.

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Halloween Countdown Day 3 - The Search for the Stone of Excalibur

I am a children’s author, but up until a few years ago, I was a journalist and editor. Something rather unexpected sparked my new career as an author—a family trip to Egypt with my mother and two young nephews. We had a great time and I thought I’d write them a short story as a different kind of souvenir…. Well, one book and a planned book series later, I had changed careers. I have now published Book 3 (The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper) in my MG adventure series Chronicles of the Stone, with many awards for the first book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, and a few for Book 2, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and one already for Book 3! I also teach online novel writing for aspiring authors and I find that very satisfying. Relaxation time finds me enjoying something creative or artistic, music, books, theatre or ballet. I love doing research for my book series. I love animals and have written two animal rescue stories. I have two adorable (naughty) little dogs called Chloe and Pumpkin, and a beautiful black cat called Bertie.

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A modern day adventure as our protagonists search for Excalibur and the treasures it holds! This is a must-read for Middle Graders keen on action, adventure, and Arthurian stories! 

Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur. 

However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as they travel to Scotland to investigate an old castle. Little do they know there is another deadly force, the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Time is running out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. 

Can Justin and Adam find the second Stone of Power and survive? And why did Aunt Isabel send a girl with them? Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important clues to the Seven Stones of Power. 

As their adventure unfolds, they learn many things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt look tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems to have such good ideas when they are stumped. 

Book extras include some historical background on King Arthur, the Dark Ages, warfare and weaponry during Arthur's time, and details on Excalibur. A fascinating peek into the life and times of the real King Arthur, perfect for young time travelers and budding archaeologists. For coloring-in enthusiasts, ten original black and white illustrations including 2 maps make for more enjoyment!

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Snippet:

Then came a laugh; a low, hollow sound, like the faint clang of a church bell. Adam peered around the doorjamb a few inches more, just in time to glimpse a pallid face so skeletally thin that it seemed fleshless, like skin stretched over bare bone. It was a man. He didn’t seem human; he seemed more like a creature from some frightening old fairytale. A lean, white hand saluted Humphrey, showing long, bony fingers with blackened nails. Under the shadow of the hood, a pair of dark eyes flamed briefly with a demonic light. Then the heavy eyelids closed for a few seconds. When they opened again, the man glanced in Adam’s direction. Adam ducked behind the doorjamb, feeling strangely breathless, as if that fleeting look had sucked the air from his lungs. The shop bell tinkled as the cloaked man swished out into the street. Adam ran to the shop’s front door with Kim and Justin. Ink and Amelia followed close behind. They looked outside. There was no cloaked man in sight. Just a few casually dressed tourists strolling along and chatting to one another.

“Where’d he go?” Justin said. The man seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

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