YA Romantic Fantasy
Date Published: March 31, 2017
Jiminella “Jinx” Sweetwater is a genius. She’s a scholar, an inventor, hardworking and loyal, and well known in the scientific circles around the University in Prosper City.
Being smarter than everyone else might seem like a good thing, but it isn’t. At least, it isn’t to Jinx who has two friends, a small condo, and no life.
After a fight with her best friend Wilder, it just gets worse. Someone breaks into her home and when her parents show up in all their hippie-like glory, Jinx has had enough and escapes to a small village by the sea.
Suddenly, Jinx finds herself involved in village life, living with the unpleasant Mrs. Fratinelli and trying her best to juggle all the things that seem to end up on her plate. And then there’s calm, cool and gorgeous Dante – Snow’s boyfriend, who seems to see right through the shields Jinx has put up around herself, straight into her mind.
Other Books in the Birds of a Feather Series:
Birds of a Feather, Book 1
Publisher: FAB Publishing
Release Date: December 14, 2016
YA Paranormal Romance, YA Fantasy, YA Urban Fantasy
Wilder’s wonderful grandfather is dead, and so is her mother, but Grandpa Willy gives her one final gift in his will – the knowledge that her father is only her step-father.
Once she meets Hawker, the scary man who turns out to be her real dad, her life takes an unexpected turn. She finds out about a heritage she never knew she had, and secrets from the past are uncovered as she fights to save her part of the world from destruction.
And then there’s Mac, with his green eyes and a soft voice that flows through her like sweet honey. He’s there to help Wilder when she needs it the most, and as she struggles with how to fit into the group of people around her dad – having Mac in her life becomes more important with every bad thing that happens.
“Wilder” is the first in the Birds of a Feather series and a spin-off from the Dreughan trilogy. It’s set in modern time and can be read stand-alone.
Excerpt
I kept swimming, but it was mostly to keep me floating while I tried to decide what to do. Go back seemed the best option, so I turned, but my arms felt like lead, and I was suddenly so tired. The cold water was affecting me, my head hurt, and my mind was spinning. I took a deep breath, but a wave filled my mouth with water at the same time, and suddenly I was under the surface, sinking. I tried to think as I was coughing and clawing my way up but it seemed impossible. Once I got my head above the surface, I coughed up more water and tried desperately to get some air into my lungs.
Then a bird shrieked just above me. And then another one. When I raised my head, two large shadows were circling me, and I recognized Wilder s hawk. And Snow’s Osprey.
I moved slower and watched them for a while.
“If I don’t make it, tell them that I’m sorry. Tell them that I tried,” I rasped out.
I was so tired, my head hurt, and I couldn’t seem to get enough air into my lungs. The birds shrieked again as if they tried to force me to not give up, so I pushed myself to continue swimming, although I didn’t move forward much, and my strength was disappearing fast.
“Go left, Nellie. Go with the current.”
The voice came from nowhere, and I looked to the sides, but all I could see was darkness. Then I realized that it was inside my head.
Dante.
“Trust me,” he said. “Go with the current.”
I didn’t have to think. I trusted him, so I stopped swimming without hesitation, and concentrated on staying afloat. Moving with the soft sweet water through the night felt like a dream, and I wished I could close my eyes, just a little while. Then I heard the Osprey shrieking on my left side, again and again.
With an effort, I turned my head and there it was. A dark shape loomed, and it was close. Gathering my last strength, I started moving my arms and legs, stroke after agonizing stroke. It felt like forever, and I wasn’t sure I’d manage to veer off fast enough, but finally something grazed my leg. I did one more stroke and felt the bottom of the river under my feet.
Then I crawled up on the island and lay there, face down. Breathing. Alive.
I wasn’t safe, but I would be, and I was injured, but I’d heal. I lay there for a long time without moving, but I didn’t care. Eventually, someone would find me. The birds knew where I was so someone would come up the river from Marshes, and they’d find me.
Several minutes passed, and all I could find in me to do was breathe deep ragged breaths of the fresh, cool night. Slowly my left hand curled up, grabbing a handful of muddy soil from the river bank as if on its own accord tried to hold on to solid ground. Dante had told me what to do, and I knew that if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have made it. Then I started crying.
A soft chirping sound made me slowly open my eyes. Wilder’s beautiful black hawk sat next to me with its head tilted as if it tried to assess how I felt.
“I’m good,” I whispered. My voice was hoarse, so I cleared my throat, and tried again. “Tell Wilder I’m okay.”
About the Author
The proper way to put it here would probably be to describe how I love to play with our two big dogs, adore my fantastic daughters and how much I love to read.
Another way would be to use my imagination and then I would be a super powerful warrior woman, think Xena the warrior princess (though with less tacky clothes). Or when I think of it, maybe I’m actually more of a Hercule Poirot (sans the suit and moustache). Or maybe I’m like Aragorn, strong and cool and then I might get to meet Gandalf! Or I could be Bella’s pretty cousin and snap Jacob up in a second (yeah, I’m so not team Edward), or wait, maybe I could be like one of them heroines in historical novels who swoon all the time. I’ve always wanted to swoon…
Well, I guess you get how my mind is working (or not working, some say). Anyways, I like to write. Stories, adventures, romantic and happy stuff mixed up with sorrow and hardship, and bit of laughter here and there because the way I see it – life is way too short to go around feeling grumpy.
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