YA Sci-fi Fantasy Shackles of Guilt By Kris Ruhler
YA Sci-fi Fantasy
Shackles of Guilt
By Kris Ruhler$2.99 – FREE
He’s the boy next door. She’s a princess. But when blood and war reach their doorstep, will they unite or be forever pushed apart?
Tag: ya fantasy
Fantasy Novels by Katrina Cope
Katrina is an author of several Young Adult and Preteen/Middle Grade novels. Each of her released books reaching the top 100 in certain categories on the Amazon’s Best Sellers Rank – a few even as high as number one.
She resides in Queensland Australia. Her three teen/preteen boys and husband of over fifteen years treat her like a princess. Unfortunately though, this princess still has to do domestic chores.
She holds a 2nd Dan in Taekwondo, which she likes to incorporate the experience into her stories. When she has enough time away from her writing to commit to training, she will be going for her 3rd Dan.
From birth, she has been a very creative person and has spent many years travelling the world and observing many different personalities and cultures. Her favourite personalities have been the strange ones, yet the ones under the radar also hold a place in her heart.
During her last extensive travels, she spent 16 nights in a bomb shelter on a Kibbutz 8 kilometers off the Lebanese border. It was to avoid Katyusha bombs that the resident volunteers decided to name her after (she is still trying to work out why).
PS. Do NOT try to scare her in a dark alleyway — even as a joke. Just saying!
YA Fantasy – Drōmfrangil by Cynthia McDonald
YA Fantasy
Date Published: 08-10-2021
Publisher: Cinnabar Moth
Though he doesn’t know it, Marcus Talent is special. Unfortunately for Marcus, he discovers this unexpectedly when he wakes up in an unfamiliar forest, has his prosthetic arm eaten by a horrifying monster, and then wakes up in his own bed, terrified and bleeding.
Marcus’s dad, Deacon, has answers. He heals Marcus’s new injuries, promising to answer all of Marcus’s questions about what happened the next day after school. But when Marcus gets home, he finds his dad missing and a ransom note appears out of a screaming hole in the sky. The only demand: travel again to get him back.
Helped by his human friends, Marcus sets out to find his dad in a world filled with creatures he couldn’t have imagined. Some of them are friendly. Some of them want to murder him. Or each other. They’re not picky. And everyone seems to know of his famous father, who has been hiding a lot more than an entire other world.
About the Author
Cynthia McDonald is the author of Life is a Terminal Illness and Drōmfrangil (Autumn 2021 from Cinnabar Moth Publishing) as well as a childhood memoir, two American history books, and the “I See Your Hearts” blog.
Cynthia was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1972. She spent her early adulthood raising two sons with her husband and then, after returning to college, enjoyed a fulfilling career as a Respiratory Therapist and a Respiratory Supervisor. This included several years of volunteer work on the Wisconsin state respiratory board, which concluded with a term as the President of the board.
She started writing in her forties, after the diagnosis of a low-grade cancerous brain tumor forced her to stop working outside of her home. Cynthia has also lived with disability throughout her adult life, as advancing degenerative disk disease and multiple surgeries have caused her to live with chronic pain and made it difficult for her to remain involved in activities outside of her home.
She and her husband recently moved to Oregon to be closer to her oldest son and his family, including her beloved grandson, whose toddler years are adding a lot of delight to her life! Her two German Shorthairs are also a big part of her family, as dogs always have been.
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Twitter: @mccindy72
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YA Fantasy – Mystic Invisible
YA Fantasy
Date Published: 3/17/21
Publisher: Winter Goose Publishing
Fifteen-year-old Monte moves to the mystically jeopardized Highlands of Scotland and discovers that life as a Celtic wizard is anything but easy. Whisperings of abnormal enchantments and vicious cat siths grip the small town he now calls home. Fear is at the helm and the instigator is unknown. An indefinite moratorium on magic is enforced. In a race against darkness, Monte and his friends must choose who to trust before time runs out, even if it means breaking some rules and facing danger head on.
About the Author
Ryder Hunte Clancy has lived most of her life in the desert but her heart belongs to the sea; her happy place, where brine and mist abound and allusive waves caress expansive stretches of compacted sand. A tried and true stay-at-home mom, she is often found scribbling notes between diaper changes or connecting plot points while everyone else sleeps. She survives off of toddler snacks like apple slices and cheese, and has just as much trouble keeping up with her fictional, teenage characters as she does her three small children. Mystic Invisible is her debut novel, the inspiration of which was gleaned from her husband’s homeland of Scotland, where fantasy, mystery, and folklore are rich and hits of adventure linger around every corner.
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Instagram (@ryderhclancyauthor)
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YA Fantasy – Windchaser
Phantom Island Book 1
YA Fantasy
Published: August 2020, 2nd Edition
Publisher: Thunderfly Productions
When one camp rule is broken, five teenagers embark on a mysterious journey full of magic, romance, and true friendship…
High school senior Whitnee has spent six years rebuilding her identity after her father’s mysterious disappearance left her with more questions than answers. With her two best friends, Morgan and Caleb, she returns as a mentor to the summer camp of her childhood. Nestled in the Texas hill country, Camp Fusion is everything Whitnee remembers—except for the haunting visions that only she can see. One fateful night, Whitnee and her friends embark on a magical voyage where unexpected adventure and heart-stopping romance collide—a journey that might unlock the dark, complicated mysteries of Whitnee’s family history. But will she find the answers she is looking for?
Excerpt from Windchaser: Phantom Island Book 1 by Krissi Dallas
“Kevin, how badly are you hurt?” I knelt down beside him.
“Aw, it’s just my leg. I cut it pretty bad when that stupid bug showed up. Good thing Caleb found me,” he muttered. And, sure enough, there was a nasty cut along the side of his right leg. Blood had dripped down and soaked into his sock and shoe. It looked deep enough to need stitches.
“We need a doctor or something,” Caleb finally stated seriously, looking to Gabriel. “He can’t walk on his leg, and he’s losing blood.”
“Oh, come on, Caleb. It’s not a big deal,” Kevin complained.
“Gabriel, can we just give him some of that pure Water? Won’t that heal it?” I prompted. Gabriel turned and faced me then with an expression I was starting to interpret as annoyance.
“Why do you not listen to me? I explained that the pure Water is not what heals. Only a Hydrodorian, someone who is gifted with the life force of Water, can use it to heal a wound. Except—” He paused and thought for a moment. “You are not a Hydro, yet you were able to heal yourself. Perhaps you can do it again for him.” He gestured to Kevin.
“You did what?” Caleb piped up, looking to me for an explanation. I didn’t have the patience. Gabriel was already moving purposefully away from the group.
“I have to go to my tent and get more Water. Wait here,” he called back.
“I’ll go with you.” I raced to match his stride and called back to Morgan to explain everything to Caleb and Kevin. “We’ll be right back,” I promised, purposely ignoring Caleb’s protests. I wanted a minute alone with Gabriel anyway. “Could you slow down? My legs aren’t quite as long as yours.” He slowed so I could come alongside him, and we darted under the darkening canopy of trees. He was right. The sun was already setting, and I had no idea where we would go or what we would do once it was completely dark.
When we were out of sight from the group, I grabbed his muscled forearm and made him stop and look at me. In an exasperated and slightly shaky voice, I said, “You have got to do a better job explaining what is happening to me. I just shot a freaking tornado out of the palm of my hand! My eyes are changing colors and my body is doing weird things and I may be confused, but I’m not stupid. You’re not telling me everything. I want to know what it is you’re hiding.” I stared up at him fiercely.
His gorgeous face hardened into stone. “I am uncertain of your meaning.”
“Okay, well, let’s start with this: why is the ‘Attendant to the Guardian’ out here on this deserted beach at the exact same time when we drop out of the sky?”
“I was having a swim,” he stated with a shrug.
“You said people didn’t come to this beach because they believe it’s haunted. Seems a little far-fetched to me that you would choose the place where ‘Travelers tend to arrive’ for your private little swim.” Why was he lying?
“What is your point?” he questioned me back, his face showing no sign of breaking. He crossed his arms over his chest.
I refused to be intimidated by him. “My point is that you seemed to know I was coming. You also changed completely when you found out I brought friends. I want to know why.” I glared at him, and he glared back at me, his hazel eyes alight with frustration.
“You would do best to stop asking such questions. If I had not helped, you would have already died on this Island—twice. Surely I have earned some kind of trust for that.” His voice was low and dangerous. He had saved me—and I supposed if he ultimately meant me harm, he wouldn’t have taken the time.
“Fine,” I conceded. “You don’t have to tell me now, but eventually, I will find out what you’re hiding.”
He laughed then, a dark and humorless laugh. “You speak like a true Aero already.” Then he came intimidatingly close, which nearly took my breath away. He met my eyes and whispered, “You do not know what I am capable of. I have little faith that you understand what you yourself are capable of here.”
“I have a feeling you don’t know that either,” I shot back in a low voice, trying not to flinch from his closeness. “And I think that scares you. I’ve been paying attention to everything you’ve said so far. And you’re just as confused as I am.” He slowly pulled away at that. I could tell that even though he might have been expecting my arrival, he was not expecting me to produce that whirlwind or be able to heal myself. I was confused by what was happening with my body and with these abilities. And if these abilities were normal here on this island, and yet Gabriel was baffled by me, then something very strange was going on, indeed.
“You are in a precarious position, Little Traveler, and you better learn the rules quickly if you want to survive here.” Then he turned and headed further into the jungle as if the matter were settled. I noticed the symbol on his shoulder again.
As I trudged behind him, I narrowed my eyes and asked, “What tribe did you say you were from again?”
“The Pyradora Tribe.”
“And you have what power?” At this question, he glanced back at me. His eyes were lit from inside, and for the first time, he looked a little dangerous.
“Fire.”
That shut me up for a little while.
About The Author
Krissi still goes to camp every summer with the teens of Fusion Student Ministries. Like her fictional heroine, Krissi is also a gray-eyed Aerodorian from Texas with a ridiculous fish phobia. She adores her youth pastor husband, two sons, and two Yorkies. When she’s not busy throwing dance parties, both in her living room for her boys and at school for her junior high prep students, she daydreams about and writes down fantastical adventures. She has a hard time not hugging during a pandemic, so you can send her virtual hugs on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Visit KrissiDallas.com for all the fun.
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YA Sci-fi Fantasy – Folder
YA Fantasy, YA Sci-fi, Science Fiction
Published: November 2020
Publisher: Regilius Publishing
Eric Folder has moved to Oregon to attend Portland State University when an automobile accident leaves him stricken with migraine headaches. The resulting visual effects—something medical professionals term an aura—render him virtually blind and defenseless when a gang of street thugs attacks him. Desperate to see and needing to protect himself, Eric reflexively tears at the luminous lines of light and finds they have become tangible. When he pulls them aside, his present reality folds away with them, leaving him in better circumstances with his enemies vanished. Attempts to fold his way out of subsequent perils leave him in increasingly strange situations until, eventually, his world becomes a nightmare.
Praise for Folder:
“A wild young-adult alternate-worlds adventure that will leave you guessing right up to the end! Fans of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials will love this!” – D. J. Butler, author of Witchy Eye
“A big, engaging ride across our infinite possibilities – and our choice to be heroes.” – Anthony Dobranski, author of The Demon in Business Class
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
I’m lost.
I don’t know if I should laugh or cry when I say this, because I sound as if I’m repeating words from a hymn or I’m in need of a compass, or else I’ve given up completely. The thing is, I’m terrified because all these things are true and I don’t know how to fix them. I would say a prayer if I thought someone could hear, but even if they did, I don’t think this is a place where prayers get answered. If I had a compass, knowing whether I’m facing North or South wouldn’t take me away from this place, let alone back to where I started. In fact, no one can get me out of the mess I’m in, except maybe me, and I’m as scared to try to change what has brought me here as I am afraid do nothing.
I remember when my friends and I were kids and we hid in the bushes and pretended there were monsters coming after us. Well, now the monsters are real. I’ve been listening for what seems an eternity to their angry snorts and the clatter and scratches of their claws on the large stone surface where those creatures are gathered. Every now and then, one of them hisses and another does the same in response. The rate of their footsteps escalates and I imagine two of them colliding and squaring off in an expression of indignation. It’s too dark to see whether this has actually happened, or if it’s just my imagination, but the pounding of my heart in face of the impending danger keeps me riveted on what’s happening.
As I hide in a clump of bushes and the minutes pass, I’m more than a little relieved that they’re taking so long to find me. Unexpectedly, the full moon peeks through a break in the cloud cover and the scales on the bodies of several great beasts glisten. Each is twice the size of a bullmastiff and I count six of them several yards from here. Their eyes glow whitish gold and appear to have vertical slits, although it’s hard to be sure at this distance. As they circle a spot where I was standing a short while ago, sniffing the ground in several directions around it, one of them raises its head and opens its mouth, baring rows of long, needlelike teeth. I expect the creature will howl. Instead, a rasping reptilian sound emerges and I shudder, wondering what kind of beings they are.
Although I’ve recently arrived, from my earlier experiences and the landscape’s layout, I recognize this place as being near where the street car used to stop in a time that’s lost to me forever. The place where I’m hiding used to be the parkway where Park crosses Mill—or what used to be Park and Mill before everything transformed into this new reality. There aren’t any streets anymore and I’m surprised there are even deer trails to mark where Park and Mill once intersected. This used to be Portland State University, but now everything’s grown over and forested. The clock tower has vanished, as have the student union and the rest of the buildings that were part of the campus.
Without warning, a thought bubbles up from a world I’ll never see again and I almost cry out loud. Cursing this lack of control, I force my idiot self to keep quiet. Still, there is some truth to the thought that this situation is what Dad would have called a mixed blessing. It’s because it rained so hard that those things haven’t discovered me already. Here I am, kneeling on a thick bed of leaves. If they weren’t so soggy, they would crackle each time I move and announce my location. Instead, their wetness muffles whatever noise I might otherwise make. On the other hand, because the night is so cold and water is starting to soak through my pants, I’m beginning to shiver and I’m afraid I might sneeze any minute. If I do, those creatures will certainly hear and I know I will die because I’m sure they can out-run me.
The breeze that’s been chilling me starts to increase and I wonder if another storm is building. The last of autumn’s leaves whip though the air and there is a sharp crack above me. The creatures turn in my direction and two cock their heads. A third one starts walking toward me and I hold my breath, wondering whether it will continue to advance, when a second crack drops a large bough into the bushes a few yards to my right. The creatures stop and stare at the spot where it landed. Then, apparently satisfied they understand what caused the disturbance, they resume their search in the original location. Realizing I’ve been holding my breath and that I need to breathe, I inhale deeply, then exhale. My breathing is starting to grow normal when something grabs my shoulder.
About The Author
Raymond Bolton lives near Portland, Oregon with his wife, Toni, and their cats, Max and Arthur. His epic fantasies are published by WordFire Press, publisher of the Dune and Star Wars novels, and have received endorsements by the late Mike Resnick and award-winning author Paul Kane.
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YA Fantasy – The Gotten
YA Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult
Published: November 12, 2020
Publisher: Tell-Tale Publishing Group
For Fans of Neil Gaiman, Divergent, and Stranger Things…
No one knew about the doorbell until the news story of the boys’ mysterious disappearance.
If certain people couldn’t own the doorbell or if it rejected them, they wanted to destroy it and the boys behind it, calling it a hoax.
Ivor and Inge Borg have been tracking Astrid Sims, who has escaped from the ancient Norse myth as Skuld, the weaver of the future, fate and destiny of humankind. She’s the norn of the future. Urd of the past and Verdandi of the present. Ivor and Borg need her return so they can continue to spin the threads of life and decide the fate of all human beings. Skuld was reborn and escaped into a new childhood existence. She emerged as a teenager in the 1950s and later as a wife and mother in an American heartland town.
The Borgs recruit disappointed miracle seekers. When they threaten the boys to force Astrid’s / Skuld’s return, much to the anguish of their parents, their sons have to disappear. Accused of being a witch and a demon, Astrid spirits the boys into the future. They don’t find what they expect and they don’t like what they find.
Excerpt
A profound silence stretched through the endless serenity of the massive forest. Blisters of unidentifiable sounds periodically erupted among the treetops as some form of communication. Invisible creatures brushed against the boys verifying their existence.
“Where are we?” asked Steven. “What are we doing here?”
The boys had been disoriented since the moment of their arrival. They had no choice but to trust where Astrid was leading them. They could not make sense out of what they encountered unrelated to their former lives.
“I brought you here to save you from the seekers who want to control you,” said Astrid. “Ivor and Inge were sent to bring me back to my origin. Since I refuse, they will punish me for desertion by taking your lives because you are my friends.”
“Do you mean we’re stuck here? We can never go back?”
“No, I have a plan, but it’s dangerous to all of you and to me.”
“Tell us what we have to do,” said Ray. “We can handle it.”
“What do this Ivor and Inge want from us?” asked Steven.
“They want to control the present and the future. They want to determine your future rather than letting you decide. That can be done only through me. The doorbell works only through me.”
“How do we decide?” asked Eddie.
“You have to find your way. You have to each decide how to create your future.”
“You mean we can make up what happens to us?” asked Ray. “I like that.”
“That’s because you like to make up stories,” said Steven. “Stories aren’t real.”
“Are what we doing real?” asked Clement.
“That’s up to you,” said Astrid. “What you imagine can be real to you.”
“What about everybody else?” asked Eddie.
“What others see about you is back in the present,” said Astrid.
“What are we supposed to do?” asked Steven. “Where do we go? There’s nothing here but trees and woods.”
“This is my world,” said Astrid. “This is where I came from.”
“Then you really are a witch,” said Steven, “if you came from a forest and brought us here like this.”
“I prefer to be called a wicca,” said Astrid.
“That sounds like witch to me,” said Steven.
“Are there others like you?” asked Ray.
“There are others in my world, but no one like me.”
“So, what are we supposed to do?” Steven asked again. “Where do we eat and sleep?”
“What about going to the bathroom?” asked Eddie. “Do we just go behind a tree? And where do we get toilet paper?”
Astrid laughed. “The things that concern you I find amazing.”
“Well, it’s true,” said Eddie. “This is like camping out in Scouts, only we don’t have any camping equipment.”
“You don’t need camping equipment. The world in the future isn’t the same as where you came from in the present. Your needs are not the same.”
“Well, I still need food,” said Steven. “I’m hungry right now.” He looked at his friends. “Isn’t anybody else hungry?”
“Yeah, I’m hungry,” said Clement.
“Yeah,” Ray nodded. “I could use a hamburger, fries, and a Coke.”
“Nothing is real here because the future isn’t real. It’s only imaginary. So you can imagine whatever you would like.”
“And we’ll get it?” asked Eddie.
“And you’ll get it,” said Astrid.
“Does it just appear out of thin air?” asked Eddie.
“What you imagine appears only to you and stays in your imagination and you can do with it in your imagination, but it won’t actually exist.”
“I’m liking this,” said Ray. “It reminds me of The Twilight Zone.”
“The future is beyond The Twilight Zone,” said Astrid. “The present will become your future. It is your experience and will eventually become your reality.”
“That’s weird,” said Clement, “but I kind of like it too. Someday, we can get what we wish for.”
“Not necessarily,” said Astrid. “A wish is only a wish. It’s not reality. It might be a starting point but you have to do the work to make it happen. That’s why you go to school.”
“I’m not learning anything in school I want to do,” said Steven.
“Of course you are,” said Astrid. “You’re learning basics you’ll need for later.”
“You sound like my mother. When I grow up, I want to do something that’s fun.”
“What do you think that will be?” asked Astrid.
“I don’t know yet.”
“That’s what I mean. You have to discover it.”
“What do we do here?” asked Eddie. “We don’t just want to stand around. It is a woods. I like woods but I don’t just want to stand around.”
“What you’re going to see is beyond the trees,” said Astrid.
“Something keeps touching me,” said Ray brushing at his shoulder. I don’t see any insects, but it doesn’t go away.”
“It likes you,” said Astrid. “It just wants to be your friend.”
“What likes me? There’s nothing there.”
“There are other forms of existence in my world,” said Astrid. “Some are more advanced than humans.”
“That sounds like my kind of story,” said Ray. “What are they, aliens?”.
“No, they were once human creatures just like you. They decided to stay in this world rather than go back.”
“You mean they’re spirits?” asked Ray
“Actually, they are your spirits.”
“Ours?”
“Yes, from the future. They are going to accompany you.”
“Where?” asked Clement.
“You will see soon enough,” said Astrid.
“Wait a minute,” said Eddie. “What do you mean they decided not to go back? If they’re us, we don’t want to stay here. We want to go back.”
“I don’t mean you can never go back. While you’re here, your spirit has separated from you and is prepared in case you decide to stay.”
“If we decide to stay, does that mean we’re dead? We die?”
“Death is in everyone’s future,” said Astrid. “You don’t have a choice of when that will happen to you. You will be gotten.”
About The Author
Multi-book author and retired business and management consultant with large, medium and small companies in a wide range of industries throughout the country, Rob Tucker resides with his wife in Southern California.
He is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara and of the University of California, Los Angeles with Bachelor’s and Masters of Fine Arts Degrees. He is a recipient of the Samuel Goldwyn and Donald Davis Literary Awards and has also worked in advertising, corporate communications, and media production.
An affinity for family and generations pervades his novels.
His works are literary and genre fiction that address the nature and importance of personal integrity.
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