Think “The
Animorphs” Grown Up
TAG LINE:
Love is in the air, something else is in the water
THE PLOT:
When Savannah
meets Kyle, its love at first sight. And why wouldn't it be? He's perfect, as
far as she can tell. But when she starts finding dead animals in her yard and
hears something scratching at her window at night, she starts to worry. What’s
worse? Kyle appears whenever things go wrong. Maybe he isn't everything she
thought he was—maybe he's something more. It's a complete mystery until she
discovers the water in Cullaby Creek is being bottled and sold as vitamin
“infused” water. Mistic Water promises the impossible. And then, like a
magical elixir, it delivers. People who drink it feel younger, smarter,
faster...healthier. But it doesn’t take long before side effects hit. Everyone
begins to change or “tate”. Some are becoming dangerous animals. Literally. And
the secret to what they are tating into has to be in the water…or is it
something more?
BIO:
I grew up in a family with 9 kids and grandma living in
the back bedroom. Not surprising that I have a few stories to tell, especially
since we only had one TV.
I spent my days reading and, later, trying to create
another world where I could escape all those brothers and sisters—and grandma—by
writing. Maybe that's why I love books so much. Well, that and the fact that I
was near the end of that long sibling-chain and never had the clout to pick the
TV shows we watched. But I'd run home after school to catch the last fifteen
minutes of Barnabus Collins in Dark Shadows...
I still love to run or maybe I should say, I love to wog
(a cross between walking and jogging).
Here in Portlandia, I love Halloween-themed runs—where
people don costumes and run. It's a lot of fun...and I know those two words
don't always go together: fun...and...run. But here, in the damp days of fall,
it is. And, with all those Halloween-themed runs, I guess Dark Shadows had more
of an influence than some people might think. Even today my favorite author is
Stephen King. My all-time favorite book is Salem's Lot.
My favorite romance novels are The Hunger Games...okay, I
know, it's really a survival book but isn't that what every romance novel is
about—surviving the aftermath of everyday life and still having enough emotion
left in your relationship, at the end of the day, to feel romantic? Then there
were the romance series: Twilight, Fifty Shades, and more but I also love
paranormal, horror and even light books like Dewey the Small Town Library Cat.
Mainly, I just love to read…and write.
I've just had my first novel published and am looking to
share it with the world. It's a story I was inspired to write after visiting
Hamlet's Castle and seeing an enormous Viking statue down in the tunnels next
to the dungeons.
Sorry to be so long-winded but did I say I love to write,
and talk, and knit, and sew, and bake... I could go on but I'll stop by saying,
I hope you'll stop by my blog, send me a tweet, or check out my Facebook page. I'll
be sharing news about new books over there.
Thanks for listening and, hopefully, reading ;D
EXCERPT:
Kelly and Kyle
These two shared some sort of history.
And now I was in the middle of their story.
Sparks flew through the air. But, they
didn’t seem to notice—or maybe they just didn’t care how uncomfortable they
were making the rest of us.
I scanned the room. The terribly odd
thing was that while they stood in the center of the cafeteria—arguing—everyone’s
eyes were on me.
What is
so interesting about me?
After a few seconds, I heard whispered
accusations slammed back and forth, like a ping-pong ball. My name, muttered in
odd and angry tones. No one seemed to mind staring at me, but only the bravest
few were sneaking sideways glances over at Kelly and Kyle, hoping no one
noticed.
This wasn’t what I needed on my first
day at a new school. I hadn’t come here looking for instant enemies, but I knew
I’d accidentally stirred a private pot and things were already starting to
boil.
I needed to do something and quick.
From the sounds floating around me, if they got into an actual argument, I was
going to get the blame.
I spit out the first words I could
think to say, “What’s a new kid to
do, after school, around here… for fun?”
Kyle sighed and chuckled, “That
depends on what you’re hoping to find and what you think is fun.” He stepped back away from Kelly for a moment.
“You big city kids always think something
needs to be going on. But in real life, in a small town, not much ever
happens.”
“We could ask my Mom to drive us into
Astoria to do some shopping,” I suggested. It was a little too obvious—even to
me—Kelly wanted me out of the picture and was trying everything she could think
of to keep me away from Kyle. I almost felt sorry for her—but only for a
second.
“Or,” Kyle sat down and nodded for me
to join him. I could feel a warm rush of air and his scent worked its way up inside
my head. I barely heard him finish, “We could go for a run.”
“What?” Kelly demanded, clenching her
hands into tight-balled fists at her side.
“Savannah,” Kyle lowered his voice and
said my name slow, putting an emphasis on the last syllable, like it was a soft
sigh, ‘ah’. And, for the first time in my life, I loved the sound of my own
name. “Is a runner. And she’s fast. Aren’t ‘cha?” He nudged me and moved even
closer. I could barely think. His smell overpowered my senses; it was the sweet
woodsy scent of him that took me by surprise. I closed my eyes and drank it in.
When I opened them back up, Kelly’s
eyes were shooting red flames of rage straight at me.
I gazed at Kyle and felt a warmth in
my stomach again. It was working its way up into my chest. “That’s not what you
said this morning,” I laughed then spun away.
“You two went running this morning?”
Her voice came out in a squeak that broke into a high-pitched screech, like
fingernails on a chalkboard.
“Yeah,” Kyle said casually, then back
to me he added, “And, I’d like to see how fast you are.”
I wondered if everything he said was
going to have a double meaning but I wasn’t ready to question his motives. He
was my only real friend in this place,
and it looked like I was going to need a few because I was making more than a
few enemies, without even trying.
“I could use the exercise,” I nodded,
looking around the table at the other kids’ faces and wondering why no one else
had said a single word. “Plus, you could show me around the town.”
“No problem,” Kyle agreed, and I
couldn’t help looking forward to it, even though I knew Kelly wasn’t going to
be happy about my running off with Kyle. “But I only think it’s fair to warn
you, there’s not much to see—so don’t get your hopes set too high.”
“Great—I mean about the exercise,” I
smiled, and without even thinking how it might sound, I added, “Then it’s a
date.”
Kelly only heard one word and it was
like I’d pulled back a rubber band—hard—and snapped it against her forehead.
She wailed like a wounded animal,
“Agghhh!” and spun around on her heels, stomping out of the room.
Kyle shrugged and started to walk
toward the exit, then he twisted around to call out, “I’ll meet you out by the
flag post after seventh period.” His lips curled softly, throwing me a quick
backwards nod, “And, remember, it’s a date.”
The last thing I saw was his warm, sensual grin, as he glanced around the
room before he gave me an exaggerated wink—meant more for everyone else to see
than for me, and then he disappeared out into the hall.
I wished he would have used a
different word because he didn’t need to rub it in.
I shrugged. Who cares? I told myself, he’s been the nicest person in the entire
school. If it weren’t for Kyle, I wouldn’t want to ever come back to Mist High.
The rest of the day dragged on and on.
All I wanted was to see Kyle again, with his sleek body and powerful frame. But
what I found fascinating was the casual way he had about himself. He said
whatever he wanted, while I worried about everything I said, how it would be
taken, and what people would think of me.
Somehow, Kyle was working his way into
my system, like a powerful drug. And I was beginning to feel addicted. I
couldn’t wait for our meeting out by the flag post.
Finally, after what seemed like
absolutely for…ev…er, the bell rang.
I rushed out of class, down the hall,
and out the front doors of the school to meet up with Kyle.
But as I got closer, my spine tingled.
Something was wrong. I could feel it. Then I knew why.
Kyle wasn’t standing underneath the
flagpole; someone else was there, waiting for me.
“Kelly,” I muttered under my breath.
She stood beneath the red, white, and
blue banner with an enormous grin carved into her face, like a giant
jack-o-lantern beaming up at me. But this look was way more sinister and
gloating. My knees suddenly felt weak and my throat went dry.
This girl just kept surprising me.
RELEASE DATE: January
19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62135-483-3
YOU
CAN BUY KIM’S BOOKS HERE:
Contact Kim: She loves to hear from
readers.
USA Today bestselling
author, Melissa McClone has published over thirty novels with Harlequin and
Tule Publishing Group and been nominated for Romance Writers of America's RITA®
award. With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University,
Melissa worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her
husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn't compete with her love of
writing happily-ever-afters. Her first full-time writing endeavor was her first
sale when she was pregnant with her first child! When she isn't writing, you
can usually find her driving her minivan to/from her children's swim practices
and other activities. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband,
three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds, two goldfish, and
a few cats who think they rule the house. Because they do!
