As young children, Opal and Ruby Stenberg were in a life-altering car accident with their father. It was up to the sisters to survive on their own. Now, Opal is seventeen and struggles with her mental health but receives support from her loving mother, Desi. Ruby refuses to live at home, but Opal desperately wants her fractured family to be whole. After a harrowing camping trip with her best friend, Casey, Opal falls into despair. Casey has become cruel and someone Opal no longer recognizes. With a series of violent behavior surrounding her, Opal becomes paralyzed with anxiety and grief. Suddenly, the walls are closing in. As Ruby stays away, Casey acts irrationally, and her well-intentioned mother continues to infuriate her, Opal plunges into a pit of darkness. Who can she trust? Can she even trust herself? Opal needs to face the truth about Casey and her family’s past, and that hiding from darkness may not be the only option to survive.
I used to be a regular kid. I had a best friend and we hung out all the time.
That was before everything happened. That was before… The Monster.
It’s funny how something as simple as reading a book can turn your life upside down. How everything you thought you knew could turn on you.
I always hated nightmares, but at least I could wake up from a nightmare…
Meet Michael Kelso
Author of books and Creepypastas. Former corrections Officer. I’ve published 2 crime/mystery novels based in a prison, a YA novel, a children’s horror book ALA Goosebumps, 2 domestic thrillers, along with several short horror story collections. Currently working on part 2 of a 2 part domestic thriller novel and my next short story collection. Some of my stories have been narrated by youtubers, garnering over 4 million views.
“Properly interesting – a teen novel about creativity, confidence and upcycling clothes. About time!” – Dawn French Screw waiting for life to hand me a fairytale… I’m gonna earn it! Kat is broke. Bullied by ‘mean girls’, blanked by her cool boy crush, and trapped between her warring parents, she has one escape: to sew. From scraps and cast-offs, she creates gorgeous designs she models for her mates down their dingy backstreet. But when her parents can’t afford the heating bills, dare Kat sew her own gown for the Winter Wonderland Ball? Or will the haters rip her to shreds? The Swish is a funny, honest story of one girl’s attempt to transform herself through hard work, creative cheek and the flash of a needle. Turning rags to (kinda!) riches, can ‘alley Kat’ storm the catwalk – and rock the ball? Free to download from Friday the 28th of July until midnight on the 1st of August 2023!
Meet Tash Bell
With a career presenting for TV and writing for the national press (tashbell.org), Tash Bell
relishes the chance to create buzz for an issue she cares about. Her previous writing has
garnered acclaim (‘Impossible to read without laughing out loud’, Tony Parsons. ‘Cheeky,
sassy and very readable’, Lorraine Kelly). Sustainable fashion is a hot topic for today’s media. But while celebs trips over themselves
to appear ethical on the red carpet, Tash wants to inspire teenagers to do it for themselves.
At a time when we’re all learning to do more with less, she hopes Kat’s funny, feel-good
story will empower readers: work hard, and you can be your own label (whatever that looks
like). Tash plans to put a healthy chunk of book revenue towards funding her fashion
upcycling workshops for cash-pressed kids and young carers, and has already started work
on the sequel. She wants The Swish to inspire teenagers take fashion back into their hands
– where it belongs!
Angela Abrams of Manere, California, is like any other seventeen-year-old dealing with friends, crushes, and the politics of high school, but Manere is not like any other town. Nestled between desolate highways of the Southern California desert sits the community of Manere; a town too remote for even the most adventurous traveler to stop. After graduating, Angela has the opportunity to go beyond the town’s limits but must say goodbye forever as Manere does not allow one to return after they have made a life outside of Manere. Once she discovers a series of missing people, all of whom are being covered up by the corrupt Manere Police, Angela decides she must do something. Along with her best friend, Milo, Angela uncovers the truth behind a childhood friend’s disappearance and the mysterious circumstances of her father’s death during her last summer in Manere.
Meet Megan Bushree
Megan Bushree was born and raised in Southern California. She attended the University of Redlands and National University, where she earned a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in English with an emphasis on rhetoric. Since 2007, she has been a novelist and freelance writer for various periodicals and websites. She currently lives in Washington state with her family.
Family secrets, a power that defies science, and one girl’s fight for the truth…
Jes can’t remember anything before she was found at four, barefoot in the headlights of an old Ford. At fifteen, she has adjusted to moving without notice and never fitting in. Her adopted parents insist she hide the truth about that night, but Jes can’t get past how her real parents disappeared without a trace.
When Jes befriends a strange new student with an amazing power, she discovers he’s searching for a missing girl who might be her. Could she be this mystery girl and what will it mean for the family determined to protect her?
As Jes learns, truth comes at a cost. Will she give up love to find out?
Readers’ Favorite 2019 Finalist
“Loved this book. I’m not normally into science fiction but this book was hard to put down.” ~ Amazon Customer ★★★★★
“The book has a hint of romance, adventure and friendship and I loved it all through. Can’t wait to read the sequel.” ~ Amazon Customer ★★★★★
Books in this Series:
Leftover Girl Secrets Return Prison of Lies Illusion of Truth Fate of War
Meet C.C. Bolick
C.C. Bolick grew up in south Alabama, where she’s happy to still reside. She’s an engineer by day and a writer by night—too bad she could never do one without the other.
Camping, fishing… she loves the outdoors and the warm Alabama weather. For years she thought up stories to write and finally started putting them on paper back in 2006. If you hear her talking with no one to answer, don’t think she’s crazy. Since talking through her stories works best, a library is her worst place to write… even though it’s her favorite!
C.C. loves to mix sci-fi and paranormal—throw in a little romance and adventure and you’ve got her kind of story. She’s written a dozen books including the Leftover Girl series, The Agency series, and The Fear Chronicles. Her serial, Legacy of Power, is a prequel to the other books.
“I know what she is!” I spit it out.The slap nearly knocks me off my feet. My cheek feels like a fresh burn. Dad has never hit me in my life.”Courtney’s life turned upside down when her mother was killed by a drunk driver. Now, they are moving from Minneapolis to her father’s hometown in New Mexico, where he will run an art gallery, and all the houses are brown. Older sister Francine is heartbroken because she has to leave her boyfriend behind. Younger sister Toby just misses Mom. One thing is particularly disturbing: her dad’s friend Silky. He says they know one another through the gallery, but is that really all? It seems she is always interjecting herself into their lives. Courtney, who is a good cook, took over cooking meals for the family, but lately Silky’s even intruding there. Silky is a terrible cook, but her father eats everything she prepares and compliments it. Being a teen is hard enough, but she doesn’t want a blended family. Courtney’s conflicted emotions cause her to say hurtful things to Silky, and then regret them. She tries to cope with feelings of loss and the need to move on.Courtney and Francine hatch a plan to sabotage Silky; but soon Francine has found a new boyfriend leaving Courtney alone in the effort. All the while, Silky is trying to make friends with the family. She invites Courtney to tweak her cooking skills with the promise of teaching her how to make pottery. Drawn to Silky’s tales of Native American artists and their search for the best clay, Courtney grudgingly listens even as her interest grows. Silky’s stories are full of intrigue and clandestine journeys to collect clay under cover of darkness. During one of her pottery lessons, Silky shares a painful story with Courtney. Loss does not play favorites. She meets Audrey, the girl next door, and immediately strikes up a friendship. Audrey is an outspoken know-it-all with a sense of adventure that is infectious. She takes Courtney on new experiences including the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. She and Audrey attend a mass launch which is unlike anything she has ever seen. Courtney is spellbound watching the hot air balloons. Unfortunately, Audrey has a dark side. She makes a mistake that challenges their newfound friendship and threatens Courtney’s delicate relationship with Silky. Despite her resentment about moving, thirteen-year-old Courtney discovers this strange new city with its brown houses, Pueblo architecture and ancient stories to be as mysterious as it is beautiful. Even as she resists, Santa Fe casts its spell.
Meet GG Collins
G G Collins loves the southwestern US where many of her stories are located. She can be found hiking through ruins of the ancient ones and enjoying New Mexican cuisine. When not traipsing about, she makes up stories with great friendships, quirky characters and, oh yeah, dead bodies. In real life she shares her time with a man, several neurotic—and psychic—cats and the ongoing struggle to grow a garden.
A laugh-out-loud coming of age story of one teen’s preposterous experience in a wilderness therapy program.
Daniel grew up in the shadow of his older sister, the brash, self-assured, and utterly reckless Jackie, now living with her dirtbag boyfriend and wandering through dead-end jobs. When his parents find her marijuana stash in his closet and decide they do not want him to turn out like his sister, Daniel suffers the “trickle-down parenting” effect and is sent to Quest Trail.
Surrounded by other similarly uprooted teens, Daniel endures a series of preposterous self-discovery exercises and gets caught up in a rivalry with Troy, a too-tough poser, as they vie for the attention of Vera, a charismatic California teen who grew up with too much money and not enough emotional connection.
Just as Daniel’s confidence begins to grow and things start to look up, the Quest Trail program dissolves into complete chaos.
Sometimes humorous, sometimes painful, Off Trail shows an authentic account of all the embarrassing and heart-wrenching moments of being a teen.
When a young boy Syrdan arrives to a mythical city of Averot’h, everything seems perfect. Both humans and wizards live here in peace and harmony, four Spires shine brightly high in the skies, wizards cruise the air on their tephirs and an Arena, a place of a magic tournament, is just amazing… But within the City of Mages, something is badly wrong. What was meant to be a brief trip turns into a battle to save his brother, his new love and his own life from the most powerful of mages…An entertaining young adult novella from a unique fantasy world is just the first book of the Averot’h saga.
In the frozen wastes of a new ice age, a boy must become a man. Having forgotten who he is, this youth must accept his destiny to lead, fight, and die if necessary for what he believes . . . or a magic from a lost era will destroy them all. As a tyrannical empire rises, he and his childhood companions must band together as warriors to battle against savage creatures, an army of zealots, and an evil they are only just beginning to understand . . .
Heirs of BjornsGaard ~
A thousand years ago, on the Day of Cataclysm, the world changed. Mountains rose from plains, continents fell into oceans, colossal tempests obliterated civilizations, and jotun, creatures of legend and superstition, rose up. The New Ice Age began, blanketing the world in snow and an army of draugr, dead warriors, walked the earth destroying every remnant of the old age.
From the ashes, the Church and the Clan BjornsGaard united humanity behind their banners, rallying knights and heroes to face this new world. Under their leadership, mankind overthrew the draugr and retook control of its destiny.
In the centuries since, the Church grew into an empire, controlling most of the continent. Though its origins were noble, the Church State grew based on greed, racism, and slavery. Only two militant orders of knights, the Hospitalars and the Tau, allied with the islands of the BjornsGaard Commonwealth stood against the Church States expanding pogroms. But during the intervening years, the Kings of BjornsGaard had grown corrupt and weak. In one night, the entire family was assassinated, opening the way for the Church to expand spreading its suppression and holocaust.
But in BjornsGaard’s farthest northern island, hope is dawning. In the Hospitalar’s Northern Compound five orphans, physically and intellectually gifted and trained by the Hospitalar knights to fight, to heal, and to reason, grow up together. With a bond tighter than normal siblings and forged stronger by pain and loss, these five will grow to challenge the Church State and accept their destiny as leaders in this new age.
*Disclaimer* Heirs of BjornsGaard is a clean fantasy adventure series, meaning that there is no sexual content, nudity, or language. However, it does contain some violence and mature subject matter that may not be suitable for younger readers. Discretion is advised.
Meet RJ Redmond
About the Author R.J. Redmond told his third-grade teacher that when he grew up, he wanted to live in a cabin on the water and write stories. Throughout his life, this dream has remained the same. Mr. Redmond holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Washington State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Gonzaga School of Law. A. Elaine Dunlap-Redmond is Mr. Redmond’s business manager, agent, and partner in all things. They live together on the Puget Sound in Washington State. For more information on this book and others, visit Votes4Sasquatch.com.
Twelve-year-old Teo spends his days helping his drunken papá hang windows on shanties along Baja’s wild coast. When an old angler presses Teo to seek a goddess—the Sea Angel—for rescue, Teo sets out to test whether help can be found at the hands of the gods. To learn the truth, he must look beyond legends and summon the courage to challenge his papá. And to reach freedom, he must tap his own strength, hidden beneath wounds laid by glass.
Meet Tricia D. Wagner
Tricia D. Wagner is an award-winning novelist, poet, and short story writer. She grew up in Amarillo, Texas, chasing storms, riding stallions, sojourning through painted canyons, disappearing into floating mesas under starry skies. She now lives in Rockford, Illinois (though the truth is, she’s a citizen of a dozen fictional countries.) Tricia works in education and lives day to day wonderstruck but luckily can feel her way about this terrifying, beautiful Earth through writing. Tricia has pieces published in the Write City Magazine, Chicago Newa, Word of Art 3D, Literary Yard, and Midwest Review.
