Prince of Bryanae: #Giveaway #EpicFantasy

PRINCE OF BRYANAE is an epic fantasy novel filled with intense battles, romance, betrayal, and redemption. 

Elven soldier Willow serves the human Kingdom of Bryanae in a bid to overcome her traumatic past. Emotionally crippled and driven by her personal demons, she has buried that past so deeply that she has forgotten it altogether ... but it hasn't forgotten her. 

Paralyzed by an inexplicable terror, she watches helplessly as old enemies kidnap the Prince. Considered by most of Bryanae to be a coward and a traitor, Willow decides she must confront her past and plunge into the heart of the enemy empire to rescue the Prince.

Aside from the steel blade she wields with lethal expertise, Willow has only dubious allies upon whom to rely-a headstrong private who's in love with her, an inscrutable winged mage with a hidden agenda, and a dashing but opportunistic captain whom she desires against her better judgment. 

An army of fanatical warriors stands in her way. Leading them is the mad and seemingly immortal Warlord who has a personal grudge to settle with Willow: one that spans centuries. 

Willow has devoted her life to discipline and now she must bring that discipline to bear. Pain will not stop her. Fear will not stop her. She will rescue the Prince or die trying. Willow has been honing her combat and weaponry skills for a very long time. It's time to put those skills to good use.

***

"Fresh and strong and full of energy!" - New York Times Bestselling Author R. A. Salvatore 

"Getzin makes you feel like a part of the intricate and fascinating world he's created. This is solid storytelling and spicy yarns. Once inside, you won't want to leave." - Mike Freeman, author of The New York Times notable book Bloody Sundays 

"This is a splendid book full of adventure and a sympathetic character in Willow. The story has heart and excitement. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a rollicking good fantasy. Jeffrey Getzin is a writer to watch" - Billie Sue Mosiman, author of Legions of the Dark 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Prince of Bryanae

by Jeffrey Getzin

Giveaway ends November 10, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Jeffrey Getzin graduated from Clark University where he won the Loring Holmes and Ruth Dodd Drama Contest for an original one-act play. He has a master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Jeffrey is a former employee at Google  and now develops software for Freestyle Solutions and lives in New Jersey, where he lives with his long-time girlfriend Kate and a seemingly infinite number of cats.

Jeffrey is a lifelong practitioner of various martial arts, and currently holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu under Renzo Gracie black belt Jamie Cruz and has trained in Muay Thai under legendary fighter Kaensak Sor Ploenjit. He currently trains under Andy and Mike Main at Pure Mixed Martial Arts. He has competed in table tennis at the national level. Jeffrey is an avid film and home theater buff. Also, his mother says he is very handsome.

You can find out more about Jeffrey on his website and at Amazon.

Excerpt from Heart Search 3 Betrayal plus #Giveaway

Carlie's final piece to the Heart Search trilogy comes out soon, and while I am sad to see the series end, I was delighted by the last book, Betrayal. The saga of  vampires and witches was crafted with meticulous detail - you can see Carlie's sure touch in each stroke, every character.

Beautiful cover!

Today I'm presenting a rather racy scene from Betrayal. Enjoy!

*****

She reached up and wound her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the strands of hair at his neck as she kissed him back. Neither of them had any idea how long they stood locked in their embrace, their kisses growing ever deeper and more passionate, nor did he care. Erika, on the other hand, acted her part as convincingly as possible. Max’s hand crept under her top and made circular movements on her bare skin, each circle gradually moving lower until his fingers were brushing just inside the waistband of her trousers.

Erika pressed her body into his, moulding herself to his shape. She couldn’t help but notice his manhood now stood firmly to attention. Max was encouraged by this and grew bolder. He slipped one of his hands round to the front and began to move it up her stomach and toward her breast. She firmly pulled his hand away and murmured “Not yet.” He kissed her deeper still and placed his hand on her breast outside of the material and began to caress it.

Inside her stomach churned. If she were still human, she was sure the bile would be rising to her throat. Feeling his grubby hands on her skin made her flesh crawl and she forced herself to suppress the shudder of revulsion building within. Enduring his lips on hers was a form of torture; all she really wanted to do was sink her teeth into them and rip them from his face. Erika had to keep reminding herself why she was permitting this travesty and it hardened her resolve.

Outwardly, she tried in her weakened state to continue to respond to Max’s kisses and play with the hair at the nape of his neck, but knew she would soon have to end his fun. She didn’t want to play out her hand too soon; it had to be done in increments so he kept coming back for more. Her plan, which she had spent untold hours refining, relied on him being under the spell of her womanly wiles; it was the only weapon at her disposal and she intended to use it to full effect.

As she felt his hand begin to move under her shirt and start to lift it, she feigned her knees buckling and pulled away from him, sliding to land in a crumpled heap on the floor. He knelt beside her, his brows knitted together as concern flared in his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Max tenderly brushed the hair back from her face as he stared down at her.

“I-I’m not sure. I just feel so weak and light-headed.” Erika’s voice was frail and she fluttered her lashes as if she were struggling to stay conscious.

*****
 And here is the giveaway:

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Carlie Cullen, the author. Isn't she gorgeous?

Blurb for Betrayal:

Joshua, Remy, and the twins are settled in their new life. However, life doesn’t always run smoothly. An argument between Becky and her twin causes unforeseen circumstances, an admission by Samir almost costs him his life, and the traitor provides critical information to Liam. But who is it?
As Jakki’s visions begin to focus on the turncoat’s activities, a member of the coven disappears, and others find themselves endangered.
And when Liam’s coven attacks, who will endure?
Fate continues to toy with mortals and immortals alike, and as more hearts descend into darkness, can they overcome the dangers they face and survive?

*****

You can find Heart Search 3, Betrayal on Goodreads and Amazon.

Carlie Cullen runs a website and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon.

#Giveaway Going on Today at 12:45 pm EST http://bit.ly/NovSecrets

Head to Novel Secrets to hand in your entry into this contest:

Guess the number of candies in the jar below. Whoever posts the closest number first wins a 5$ Amazon gift card as well as Kindle copies of Hunted Heart and Unremembered Things.

YOU MUST POST YOUR GUESS AT THE Novel Secrets EVENT AT 12:45 EST

ANDDDDD here's the candy bar:

Mmmmmmm! So how many of those bad boys are in the jar?

Unremembered Things - Book Launch and #Giveaway

Unremembered Things by Rachel Tsoumbakos

Unremembered Things†(Wood Nymph Chronicles #1) by Rachel Tsoumbakos Age category: New†Adult Release Date: February 10, 2015 Genre: Paranormal†Romance

Blurb

One woman, two worlds and nothing but UNREMEMBERED THINGS separating them. Indiana Shamira has a dark secret that could shatter her version of reality and get her killed in the process.

Now if only she could remember what it is.

When Indiana wakes with no memory of her past life and a vampire called Sam hanging from the rafters in her cellar, she knows things are about to get nasty. Not only does Sam know all about her previous life, but he seems intent on seducing her as well. Of course her boyfriend, Kurt, has different ideas - like making her open the portal to hell!

And then there is the nagging suspicion that Indiana is not entirely human, now she can see ghostly images from the Otherworld. Or could it be from the life she can no longer remember? They include the flickering effigy of Kurt and a redwood forest that conjures up deeply repressed magic. 

Not only will Indiana have to risk everything to keep the door to another dimension closed, she will have to decide whether she is ready to lose her heart to someone who has more secrets than herself. Set in the lush Australian bush, UNREMEMBERED THINGS is a fusion of fantasy, paranormal and forbidden romance.

Add to GoodReads

Purchase (Pre-order)

AMAZON

Excerpt

"It is time." Her voice purred like a kitten, but Indiana suspected she was really a feral animal on the inside. 

"For what?" Her voice was raspy, hesitant and unsure if she really wanted to know the answer. Somewhere, deep inside, she suspected she already knew. 

"Just remember I'm doing this for us," Sam whispered into her ear. "So we can be together forever."... 

Giveaway

PRIZE (international):

• 1 x eCopy of Unremembered Things
• 1 x eCopy of Metanoia
• 1 x eCopy of The Ring of Lost Souls
• 1 x $10 Amazon gift card

About the Author

Rachel Tsoumbakos is a stay home mother of two. Her main passions are writing, reading and organic gardening. Rachel lives with her husband, two kids, three cats and eight chickens in the hills surrounding Melbourne, Australia. While she has had several articles published through mainstream magazines, she has also written extensively for True Blood Net and the now defunct Suite 101. When she is not tending to her organic veggie garden, she is working on her cardio as she trains for the zombie apocalypse.

Author Links

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS | GOOGLE + |PINTEREST

Anabel Divided #Giveaway and excerpt

Find Anabel Divided here on Amazon

Thank you so much to Alison for hosting me today on your blog! Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of ANABEL DIVIDED:

I pulled my bathrobe around me and I tiptoed down the creaky stairs, careful to not do anything that might wake up sleeping baby.

I was so not in the mood to deal with sleeping baby. She had kept me up the entire previous night, and then had had the audacity to resist napping. Yes. She needed to sleep.

I flopped down on the cushy couch and flipped on the lamp, blinking into the light. I felt a pang for my house in Mclean; there, I could have gone into the library to read, but instead, I was here, in the house I had insisted we needed. The one with the creaky steps and the small downstairs and the hardwood floors which gave the place some incredible acoustics.

Oh, I should have just gone to school at American, and not here.

I was wide awake now. Matt was right ̧ as he often was; I would have tossed and turned for a long time up there.

So I might as well read, right?

I opened the book to the ladybug bookmark and considered the handwritten pages. Most of the information that the volume contained was mundane: “Tennis date with Alicia this morning—I wish she wasn’t at work all the time!” and “Took A to the pediatrician today—the girl is growing like a weed!” But I still perused the pages, looking for something, anything . . . I needed a clue, a hint as to who she was.

After years of unconcern, I was trying to figure out my mother.

I wasn’t sure why this was so important to me now. Maybe it was Emma? I was struggling to figure out my daughter, so perhaps I thought she would make more sense to me if I could understand my mother?

Miss Marilyn had told me I had cried for my mother for days on end when she had first arrived on Caereon, but then, as time had gone by, I had stopped asking for her. It was like I had erased Cassidy from my memory, and instead transferred my affection to Miss Marilyn. Now that she and I were finally speaking again, I had asked her to fill in the holes . . . but she had had precious little information to give.

So I had given up . . . until I had found the box of papers and diaries in the library. My mother’s sloppy script filled each page, and each word gave me hope of figuring out why she had never fought for me.

Why had she let Jonathan take me away? I mean, didn’t most places give the mother the child?

Had she not wanted me? I couldn’t even fathom that. I mean, I had wanted Emma so much, and the thought of being away from her tore at my soul . . . even after a sleepless night.

Maybe this was stupid—an exercise in futility. I had read through three volumes of diaries, and none of them were particularly revealing.

But, considering everything, there was probably a good reason for that. He was, I was sure, spying on her every chance he got.

I sighed. What was I doing? It was now well past four, and I was tired, and Emma would be up at some point in the next two hours.

So then I did something that I never did. I skipped to the end.

And the words I read on the last page made me gasp.

***

Blurb: Anabel Martin thought that the resolution of her father's murder would bring a resolution to her problems. After all, she was starting life over in a new place, with new friends, and new adventures, focusing on attending college and raising her daughter free from the distractions of Washington, DC. She was ready to move on.

But a trip back to the District for Meghan's wedding stirs up old feelings and brings new life to old relationships. Matt is cold and distant, while Jared is caring and attentive. A woman from Matt's past, a bold public flirtation, and Anabel's desire to be truly loved lead her to a crossroads...and her final decision leaves her with more questions than answers.

Amanda Romine Lynch

Amanda Romine Lynch is a writer, editor, and blogger who grew up in Florida knowing she belonged somewhere else. She now lives in the DC Metro Area with her husband and three amazing little boys. She is the Eco-Friendly/Green Living Contributor over at the Prime Parents’ Club and strives to live earth friendly in a world of disposable diapers. When not writing about Anabel and Jared or chasing around a curly-haired boy, she cheers for the Gators (in all kinds of weather) and occasionally remembers to sleep.

You can find Amanda on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.

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The Beacon by A. P. Shepherd + Giveaway

Available on Amazon

Today we're lucky enough to feature an excerpt from The Beacon as well as a giveaway (at the bottom of the post) from A. P. Shepherd.

Shipwrecked on an isolated island...

How far would you go to help a new friend? Would you kill someone?

How do you know what is and isn't real?

When The Beacon beckons safe harbour isn't guaranteed.

 

CHAPTER SIX

Shivering with cold and fear from a violent dream, I woke with a start. The dream faded as soon as I opened my eyes, but the chill remained. Where had the quilt gone? It no longer covered me and did not lie on the floor at my feet.

Early morning light belied the chill. It streamed through a tiny window high in the stone wall, illuminating the room in a golden glow. No warmth remained from the fire I’d stoked the night before.

I looked to the hearth to see if embers remained that I could spark to life. My jaw dropped in disbelief. I rubbed my eyes, yet the image did not change. The hearth lay empty except for the fire grate. Not only were there no embers burning, there was no ash. It had been swept clean.

I shivered again, teeth chattering as I blew warm air on my freezing hands. No wonder it was so cold. But how? And who?

Looking around, what I saw made my stomach clench and chest tighten. What the hell was going on here? My patient, Ruth, no longer occupied the bed. In fact, the bed was stripped clean and all that remained was a moth-eaten, old feather mattress on the bed frame. No signs of what had taken place the night before remained at all.

My body was clothed in my own tattered jeans and sweatshirt, instead of the flannel gown I’d worn when I’d fallen asleep. I still wore no shoes, and my feet were still freezing. What happened to the bloody nightdress?

Shaking with fear and cold, I left the relative comfort of the rocking chair. Again tiptoeing – I always felt the need to tiptoe in this house – I ventured into the corridor. Peeking into the little girls’ room, I was uncertain what I would find and braced myself for anything.

In spite of my precautions, the wind was still knocked out of my sails. The room was empty save for the bed frame also covered with a worn and tattered feather mattress. This house felt so desolate it was as if no one had lived there for decades.

One door further down the corridor, my own room was also vacant except for the bed, bare mattress and rough furniture. No soft furnishings remained. Even the cross above the bed was gone.

No longer tiptoeing I searched the main room. All of the small items, dishes, everything, were gone, but the furniture remained, although it looked even more worn than the day before. The grate here had also been swept clean.

The kitchen shelves were bare. Not even a scrap of food to be found. My stomach rumbled reminding me I was hungry. Starving in fact. I was so hungry I could eat a horse. Where the heck did that expression originate anyway?

I wanted to let the random thought distract me. Instead I examined the remainder of the house. I needed to solve this riddle.

Could someone really have come in and packed up all the household goods, the kids and Ruth, absconding with them in the middle of the night while I slept and not have disturbed me at all?

Was it possible the man wasn’t dead after all? Had he recovered enough to get help? Or to take off with Ruth, the kids and all their belongings? But why would he have left me sleeping and taken off with his family. A more likely scenario would have been for him to attack me while I slept.

After exploring all the rooms on the main floor, I stood before the spiral staircase at the opposite end of the corridor. As the morning progressed more light came through the high windows, making it easier to see. At the foot of the metal steps I looked up as far as I could see. Although there were rust spots here and there, they appeared to be sturdy enough. Grasping the iron handrail, I took the first step, bouncing a bit on the tread to make sure it would hold. I felt no give. Gingerly, I began to climb, clinging tightly to the handrail just in case. There were so many rungs. I began counting them. The iron felt even colder on my bare feet than the slate floor.

At fifty I quit counting, but I kept climbing. At the top stood a trap door. I gave it a shove and it moved slightly. Pushing with all my upper body strength and using my legs for extra leverage, I managed to shove the heavy door until it fell back, allowing me to climb through. The hatch opened into a tiny little circular room with large windows all the way around. Most of the windows were broken and there were shards of glass scattered across the floor so I didn’t venture off the staircase in my bare feet. In the centre of the tiny room was a giant lantern.

This was no ordinary house. It was a lighthouse. The lantern was shattered too. Apparently this lighthouse had not been operational for some time.

Even from a distance I could see much through the windows. Straight ahead the sea spread out in all its glory. Where the sea met the shore stood the remnants of a short pier, most of it under water, the remainder teetering on its supports. About fifty feet to the right of the pier was a crumbling boathouse. I could see holes in the roof, and a distinct lean to one side.

Unable to step forward for fear of slicing my soles, I stood as tall as I could on my now numb toes, to see through the remaining windows. All I was able to make out were the tops of trees.

I felt a little vertigo as I walked back down the staircase. I needed food, drink and something to cover my blue feet.

I also needed to check to see if the body was where I’d left it alongside the house. I turned a little green at the thought. Maybe food could wait a little longer.

About the Author: 

 
"Never stop dreaming or reading." - A.B. ShepherdA.B. Shepherd grew up in Lansing, Michigan, but moved to Australia in 2009. She now lives in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, with her husband and their imaginary friends. She can usually be found seaside at Port MacDonnell, or lost in a fantasy world.Lifeboat is her debut novel.

Her second book, is a novella titled The Beacon.

If you'd like to learn more about A.B. Shepherd please visit her website at http://www.abshepherd.net/

A.B. loves to hear from readers. Feel free to email her at TheRealABShepherd@hotmail.com with your thoughts regarding her books, or anything else that takes your fancy.

You can also connect with her on Twitter @ABHPShepherd and on Facebook.

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Steampunk Blog Hop giveaway

Those little linkies on the right are other members of the steampunk blog hop. Please click to discover amazing prizes!

And enter the Fresh Pot of Tea / Crown Phoenix giveaway right here:


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Including a steampunk book locket necklace:

And a copy of The South Sea Bubble (or any Crown Phoenix title you choose:)

PLUS the entire ebook series for one lucky winner. Enter now and return to tweet about the giveaway each day!

White Chalk #Book #blitz and #Giveaway

WHITE CHALK by Pavarti K. Tyler coming July 22, 2013

Literary Fiction/Coming of Age Novel with a brave look at teenage life, containing some strong adult themes to generate honest and frank conversation.

WHITE CHALK

About the Book

Chelle isn’t a typical 13-year-old girl—she doesn’t laugh with friends, play sports, or hang out at the mall after school. Instead, she navigates a world well beyond her years.

Life in Dawson, ND spins on as she grasps at people, pleading for someone to save her—to return her to the simple childhood of unicorns on her bedroom wall and stories on her father’s knee.

When Troy Christiansen walks into her life, Chelle is desperate to believe his arrival will be her salvation. So much so, she forgets to save herself. After experiencing a tragedy at school, her world begins to crack, causing a deeper scar in her already fragile psyche.

Follow Chelle’s twisted tale of modern adolescence, as she travels down the rabbit hole into a reality none of us wants to admit actually exists.

• Publisher: Evolved Publishing
• Publication Date: July 22, 2013
• Genre: Literary Fiction
• SubGenre: Coming of Age
• Audience: Adult
• Pages: 250

Excerpt from White Chalk:

Class oozed by. The assignment proved easy, but waiting for the inevitable knock on the door, or ring of the teacher’s phone, made the seconds expand exponentially. By the end of the period, I’d half convinced myself I should just go to the office and surrender, admit everything that happened and beg for leniency.

When the bell rang and the frenzy began to herd ourselves into the cattle drives called hallways, I had mostly regained control of myself. Except I never realized that the computer room was in the same hallway as high school English, and I didn’t know that Xiu and Troy were in the same class for fourth period. I certainly didn’t have any clue about what greeted me when I walked out of my classroom.

Xiu leaned against the wall, its puce green tile doing nothing to diminish her exotic beauty. A languid smile played on the corners of her lips as she tilted her head up, listening to whatever perfectly fascinating thing Troy said.

He had one hand on the wall next to her head, his backpack dangling without fear from his shoulder. He reached up with his other hand and grazed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Her deep red lips parted in anticipation. Soft almond eyes drifted closed as she stretched her neck to meet his incoming kiss. His hair, pulled back in a dark stripe along the top of his head, shone in the florescent light as he took her lips in his.

I dropped my bag and stumbled back, almost tripping over it. I fell along the linoleum floor until my back leaned against the cool tile. Speckles of light shone in my eyes, while bile rose in my throat and a wrenching aching heartbreak shook through me, threatening to knock me down and steal my kidneys, selling them on the black market. They weren’t any good to me anymore. Who needs kidneys when your heart’s been removed with a grapefruit spoon?

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White Chalk (Evolved Publishing) marks Tyler’s third full length novel and promises readers familiar with her work the same mind bending experience.  Her other projects include: Shadow on the Wall (Fighting Monkey Press) and Two Moons of Sera (Fighting Monkey Press).  Shadow on the Wall has been received many awards: Winner of the General Fiction/Novel Category of the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Winner in the Fiction: Multicultural category for The 2012 USA Best Book Awards, and Finalist in the Multicultural Fiction category for the 2012 International Book Awards.

White Chalk has been hailed as “brave”, “raw”, and “destroyingly beautiful”.  In line with novels such as White Oleander, Thirteen Reasons Why and Gemma, White Chalk invites you to witness one girl’s heartrending story of confusion and desperation.

Award winning author of multi-cultural and transgressive literature, Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number cruncher. She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway. Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry several international law firms. She now lives with her husband, two daughters and one very large, very terrible dog. She keeps busy working with fabulous authors as the Director of Marketing at Novel Publicity and penning her next genre bending novel.

Find her around the web:

• Facebook Page
• Follow Me
• Google+ Profile
• YouTube Channel
• Tumblr
• Pinterest Page

To signup for the main tour click HERE! The Finishing Faeries need you!

Amazon Gift Card

Who wants books to read on the beach? Enter our Amazon gift card giveaway on the raffle to the right on the blog, and you can win one hundred bucks for spending on books. Or sunscreeen, or Hutzler 571 banana slicers, whatever. My point is - it's easy to enter. 

While you fill out the form, let's think about the many words for "Dollars," since you can win ONE HUNDRED  of them:

Greenback
Clam
Smackerolas
Shrapnel
Duckettes (I never heard of this one before)
Shekels
Simoleons
Spondulicks
Folding Green
Big Ones
Dead Presidents

New Book in an AMAZING Series!

One problem I hear from many parents of advanced readers is that the books their kids enjoy aren't right for their age level.

Enter Karen Pokras Toz and her Nate Rocks series. The new book in the series is Nate Rocks the School, and here is an excerpt:

*****

Buildings collapse to the ground as the giant robot pushes its way through the

dark city streets. The road crumbles underneath the massive beast’s every move.

Frightened citizens have all been evacuated and are hiding inside City Hall’s

basement, normally a secure refuge during even the worst situations.

“Nate,” the mayor pleads with his hands on my shoulders, “you’ve got to do

something! The robot will be here in just a matter of minutes. He is ruining our city!

If you don’t do something, we will all be crushed! Please, Nate, please!”

“Me? Why me?” I ask, wondering why this powerful and strong leader would want

my help. Isn’t he the one who is supposed to protect us?

The mayor bends down close and looks me in the eye. “Why because you’re Nate

Rocks, of course! Now go! There is no time to waste.”

I look around to a sea of terrified eyes staring at me. Yes, I’ve got to do something.

Everyone here is depending on me. I run up the basement steps and out of the

building. Debris is flying all around as the robot turns the corner, taking out the

movie theater with a single swipe of its mechanical arm. He is still several blocks

away from City Hall, but moving closer by the second. The sound of his steps

combined with the destruction around me is deafening.

Halfway down the street I spot it ... the old train station that’s been closed for years.

The city has been working to restore it into some kind of historical landmark. The

front has been covered with metal scaffolding for months now. That’s it! I race down

the street, toward the train station and the robot, as fast as I can possibly run. I have

to time everything perfectly or my plan will fail.

As I reach the train station, I grab hold of the metal ladder and hoist myself up to the

first landing on the scaffolding. Not high enough. I jump up to grab on to the next set

of ladders and proceed to climb at a rapid pace until I am on the roof of the building.

The robot is just steps away. I crouch behind a metal beam to stay out of sight. As

the robot approaches, I leap from the roof onto the giant machine’s shoulder, just

as he knocks the train station to the ground. I swiftly slide to the back of the robot,

out of his line of vision, and lower myself carefully down until I find the square door.

Just as I suspected! I open the door to the control panel on his back. Different colored

wires hum as they power the robot’s every move. With all my strength, I pull the

wires, detaching them from the monster. I hold tight as he collapses to the ground

in defeat just steps away from City Hall. Silence suddenly fills the air around me, but

not for long.

Everyone comes running out of the building cheering. The mayor swings me

through the air as the crowd chants:

“Nate!”

“Nate!”

“Nate!”

“Nathan! Are you listening?”

“Huh?” I look up to see Mom standing over my shoulder.

“Nathan, why are you drawing pictures all over that permission form? You know

you have to return that to school today!” Mom takes the slip of paper out of my

hands. “Honestly, Nathan, now where am I supposed to sign? You’ve drawn robots

everywhere. Don’t you want to go on this trip?”

Of course I want to go! One of the perks of moving up to fifth grade is the trip in the

spring to New York City. Who wouldn’t want to go? Actually, now that I think about

it, I kind of remember my older sister, Abby, complaining that she didn’t want to

go back when she was in fifth grade ... something about not being able to bring her

curling iron. I guess she didn’t want anyone to see her without her hair done. Girls!

Although, I can’t say I really blame her there. I shudder just thinking about it. Oooh ...

maybe that annoying classmate of mine, Lisa Crane, won’t want to go either. All she

is going to do anyway is act like she knows everything about everything. That’s what

she does. I have to admit; it was kind of nice getting away from her over the summer

when I went to overnight camp with my best friend, Tommy. But now that we’re

back, and school has started up again, I feel like Lisa is everywhere I turn.

*****

You can get the book here:

And don't forget to enter the giveaway here:

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