All Books
Synopsis: Would you accept yourself to find your humanity?
Ellie Cooper comes from a long line of witches but wishes she could be normal. When she nearly kills herself cursing a vampire, her dislike of her heritage deepens. She must find a way to accept her magic or forsake her family.
After feeding on a witch, 693-year-old vampire Charles Dumphrey wakes to find he is living a human teenage life, complete with parents, school and girls. He must adjust to his new life as a human and find a way to break the curse Ellie put on him.
Lee is a werewolf who is not yet shifting regularly. He worries about who he will be when he regulates. Lee searches for the balance between his humanity and the wolf before the wolf takes over.
All three have to overcome their uncertainties and accept themselves in order to save Ellie’s life.
Ellie Cooper comes from a long line of witches but wishes she could be normal. When she nearly kills herself cursing a vampire, her dislike of her heritage deepens. She must find a way to accept her magic or forsake her family.
After feeding on a witch, 693-year-old vampire Charles Dumphrey wakes to find he is living a human teenage life, complete with parents, school and girls. He must adjust to his new life as a human and find a way to break the curse Ellie put on him.
Lee is a werewolf who is not yet shifting regularly. He worries about who he will be when he regulates. Lee searches for the balance between his humanity and the wolf before the wolf takes over.
All three have to overcome their uncertainties and accept themselves in order to save Ellie’s life.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: Stalking Los Angeles©
Finding courage and love in the madness
Reggie is tormented by his domineering father to shed the old Indian ways. Forced to leave his country home, he hates the city and his new school, where he is attacked by Kevin, the racist beast on campus. He falls hard for his first girl who can love him in only one way.
Reggie goes on a vision quest to reconnect with his Cochimi tribal ancestors –to discover his supernatural ‘power animal’ that will guide him into manhood. At the same time, a young cougar enters the megalopolis in search of a mate, but is attacked by the dominant male of his species.
Reggie’s vision quest spirals out of control –hallucinating he is a half-human, half-animal, capable of killing. He now must face Kevin, confront his father and challenge the stalking cougar, in order to win over a new girl who could love him completely.
Praise for Stalking Los Angeles
“Nothing seems to be going right in Reggie Youngblood’s life...Reggie soon finds his escape in studying mountain lions and his Indian heritage... Read Stalking Los Angeles by Tom Berquist to discover how Reggie falls in love, discovers himself and learns some of life’s most important lessons. Four out of five stars.”
~Litpick.com
“...the storyline was a very original idea... Reggie was likable and easy to relate to. (T)he plot moved along at a nice pace, and it always held my interest. I ... would recommend it to others.”
~Taylor H. Litpick.com
“Reggie is likeable... the epitome of a teenage boy...Berquist employs the use of dual narratives, paralleling Reggie’s journey with the journey of a mountain lion just reaching his maturity. This dual narrative brings (the novel) to the next level. I believe this novel would be something teenage boys ... could really identify with.”
~Shannon A. Los Angeles
“I would recommend this book to teens (who) struggle with who they are and struggling to accept their new surroundings. Stalking Los Angeles shows the perspective of various characters undergoing confusions about life, parents, sexuality, and themselves....(T)his book moved me to try and become more observant of nature and what it has to offer, what it can do to relieve my troubles, and to become more protective of it...Life will turn out ok; there are many bumps, trips, and struggles, but as Reggie proved, most struggles have a better reward at the end and have a great outcome.”
~Mel R. Los Angeles
“Stalking Los Angeles is a coming of age story for nature lovers... (A) heartwarming story of conservation and coming of age in a world that is careless and unkind both to mountain lions and to teenage boys. ...(I)t is a good story in which heroes get to be heroes. We could use more stories like that.”
~Elizabeth K. Lexington, KY
Excerpt:
Reggie could not see or hear that he was being sought out. Fast asleep, he could not know that animal that he wanted as his spiritual guide was steadily following his scent, and heading directly to the cabin.
At fifty feet away, the lion’s acute hearing picked up the rhythmic inhale and exhale of the two-leg’s breath. At twenty-five feet, the lion’s acute night vision could see the rise and fall of the two-leg’s chest.
On the ground below the raised cabin, the lion anchored its hindquarters with its tail and lifted its front quarters in one effortless ascension. It reached up and unsheathed its two-inch claws and locked them on the outside lip of the cabin floor. At two feet from the two-leg’s face, but on the other side of the screen, the lion’s whiskers felt the warmth of his body. Although the lion could have cut through the screen and then through the throat of the two-leg in a single swipe, he did not. The two-leg stirred and the animal left as silently as he came.
A note from the author: I hope you will enjoy my book. Know too, that you will be helping to preserve nature in the process. I am donating 25% of the royalties on this book to wildlife conservation.
Finding courage and love in the madness
Reggie is tormented by his domineering father to shed the old Indian ways. Forced to leave his country home, he hates the city and his new school, where he is attacked by Kevin, the racist beast on campus. He falls hard for his first girl who can love him in only one way.
Reggie goes on a vision quest to reconnect with his Cochimi tribal ancestors –to discover his supernatural ‘power animal’ that will guide him into manhood. At the same time, a young cougar enters the megalopolis in search of a mate, but is attacked by the dominant male of his species.
Reggie’s vision quest spirals out of control –hallucinating he is a half-human, half-animal, capable of killing. He now must face Kevin, confront his father and challenge the stalking cougar, in order to win over a new girl who could love him completely.
Praise for Stalking Los Angeles
“Nothing seems to be going right in Reggie Youngblood’s life...Reggie soon finds his escape in studying mountain lions and his Indian heritage... Read Stalking Los Angeles by Tom Berquist to discover how Reggie falls in love, discovers himself and learns some of life’s most important lessons. Four out of five stars.”
~Litpick.com
“...the storyline was a very original idea... Reggie was likable and easy to relate to. (T)he plot moved along at a nice pace, and it always held my interest. I ... would recommend it to others.”
~Taylor H. Litpick.com
“Reggie is likeable... the epitome of a teenage boy...Berquist employs the use of dual narratives, paralleling Reggie’s journey with the journey of a mountain lion just reaching his maturity. This dual narrative brings (the novel) to the next level. I believe this novel would be something teenage boys ... could really identify with.”
~Shannon A. Los Angeles
“I would recommend this book to teens (who) struggle with who they are and struggling to accept their new surroundings. Stalking Los Angeles shows the perspective of various characters undergoing confusions about life, parents, sexuality, and themselves....(T)his book moved me to try and become more observant of nature and what it has to offer, what it can do to relieve my troubles, and to become more protective of it...Life will turn out ok; there are many bumps, trips, and struggles, but as Reggie proved, most struggles have a better reward at the end and have a great outcome.”
~Mel R. Los Angeles
“Stalking Los Angeles is a coming of age story for nature lovers... (A) heartwarming story of conservation and coming of age in a world that is careless and unkind both to mountain lions and to teenage boys. ...(I)t is a good story in which heroes get to be heroes. We could use more stories like that.”
~Elizabeth K. Lexington, KY
Excerpt:
Reggie could not see or hear that he was being sought out. Fast asleep, he could not know that animal that he wanted as his spiritual guide was steadily following his scent, and heading directly to the cabin.
At fifty feet away, the lion’s acute hearing picked up the rhythmic inhale and exhale of the two-leg’s breath. At twenty-five feet, the lion’s acute night vision could see the rise and fall of the two-leg’s chest.
On the ground below the raised cabin, the lion anchored its hindquarters with its tail and lifted its front quarters in one effortless ascension. It reached up and unsheathed its two-inch claws and locked them on the outside lip of the cabin floor. At two feet from the two-leg’s face, but on the other side of the screen, the lion’s whiskers felt the warmth of his body. Although the lion could have cut through the screen and then through the throat of the two-leg in a single swipe, he did not. The two-leg stirred and the animal left as silently as he came.
A note from the author: I hope you will enjoy my book. Know too, that you will be helping to preserve nature in the process. I am donating 25% of the royalties on this book to wildlife conservation.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The children of world leaders are held hostage in an attempt to keep the peace in this “slyly humorous, starkly thought-provoking” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel.
Greta is a Duchess and a Crown Princess. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Start a war and your hostage dies.
The system has worked for centuries. Parents don’t want to see their children murdered.
Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elian arrives at the Precepture. He’s a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. His rebellion opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power.
Then Elian’s country declares war on Greta’s and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to deliver punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elian will be killed...unless Greta can think of a way to break all the rules.
Greta is a Duchess and a Crown Princess. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Start a war and your hostage dies.
The system has worked for centuries. Parents don’t want to see their children murdered.
Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elian arrives at the Precepture. He’s a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. His rebellion opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power.
Then Elian’s country declares war on Greta’s and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to deliver punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elian will be killed...unless Greta can think of a way to break all the rules.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: A cynical shelter dog learns to let down his guard and form a new animal family in this heartwarming and humorous friendship story from the author of Santa Paws.
Webster is too cool to be scared. Or alarmed. Or even a tiny bit nervous. So what if no one will adopt him? He’s had it with people anyway. He’s going to be a loner. Not going to get too comfortable in this new shelter, even if the home-baked treats are good. Not going to get used to the nice soft bed. Not going to make friends, no matter how much he kind of likes Jack the Terrier and even Florence the bossy cat. Nope, he doesn’t need friends. Acquaintances are just fine. And the first chance he gets, he’s hitting the road and living life on the range, just like one of the stoic cowboys he’s decided to model himself after.
But sometimes the best-laid plans (even those of a dog’s) have a way of backfiring. Will a tough pup like Webster find a home and family after all?
Webster is too cool to be scared. Or alarmed. Or even a tiny bit nervous. So what if no one will adopt him? He’s had it with people anyway. He’s going to be a loner. Not going to get too comfortable in this new shelter, even if the home-baked treats are good. Not going to get used to the nice soft bed. Not going to make friends, no matter how much he kind of likes Jack the Terrier and even Florence the bossy cat. Nope, he doesn’t need friends. Acquaintances are just fine. And the first chance he gets, he’s hitting the road and living life on the range, just like one of the stoic cowboys he’s decided to model himself after.
But sometimes the best-laid plans (even those of a dog’s) have a way of backfiring. Will a tough pup like Webster find a home and family after all?
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: For Reluctant Readers
Synopsis: In a small river village where the water is cursed, a girl’s bravery could mean the difference between life and death in this magical story of “perseverance and hope” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) from the author of Parched and Audacity.
Along a lively river, in a village raised on stilts, lives a girl named Luna. All her life she has heard tales of the time before the dam appeared, when sprites danced in the currents and no one got the mysterious wasting illness from a mouthful of river water. These are just stories, though—no sensible person would believe in such things.
Beneath the waves is someone who might disagree. Perdita is a young water sprite, delighting in the wet splash and sparkle, and sad about the day her people will finally finish building their door to another world, in search of a place that humans have not yet discovered.
But when Luna’s little sister falls ill with the river sickness, everyone knows she has only three weeks to live. Luna is determined to find a cure for her beloved sister, no matter what it takes. Even if that means believing in magic…
Along a lively river, in a village raised on stilts, lives a girl named Luna. All her life she has heard tales of the time before the dam appeared, when sprites danced in the currents and no one got the mysterious wasting illness from a mouthful of river water. These are just stories, though—no sensible person would believe in such things.
Beneath the waves is someone who might disagree. Perdita is a young water sprite, delighting in the wet splash and sparkle, and sad about the day her people will finally finish building their door to another world, in search of a place that humans have not yet discovered.
But when Luna’s little sister falls ill with the river sickness, everyone knows she has only three weeks to live. Luna is determined to find a cure for her beloved sister, no matter what it takes. Even if that means believing in magic…
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: “The Nest leaves a lasting mark on the memory.” —The New York Times Book Review
Steve just wants to save his baby brother—but what will he lose in the bargain? Kenneth Oppel’s (Silverwing, The Boundless) haunting gothic tale for fans of Coraline, is one of the most acclaimed books of the year, receiving six starred reviews. Illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.
For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.
All he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?
Celebrated author Kenneth Oppel creates an eerie masterpiece in this compelling story that explores disability and diversity, fears and dreams, and what ultimately makes a family. Includes illustrations from celebrated artist Jon Klassen.
Steve just wants to save his baby brother—but what will he lose in the bargain? Kenneth Oppel’s (Silverwing, The Boundless) haunting gothic tale for fans of Coraline, is one of the most acclaimed books of the year, receiving six starred reviews. Illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.
For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.
All he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?
Celebrated author Kenneth Oppel creates an eerie masterpiece in this compelling story that explores disability and diversity, fears and dreams, and what ultimately makes a family. Includes illustrations from celebrated artist Jon Klassen.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Ginger must save her high-tech hometown from robots gone rogue in this “quirky, dryly funny” (Booklist) science fiction novel from National Book Award–winning author Pete Hautman.
Welcome to Flinkwater, Iowa, home of the largest manufacturer of Articulated Computerized Peripheral Devices in the world. If you own a robot, it probably came from Flinkwater.
Meet Ginger Crump, the plucky, precocious (and somewhat sarcastic) genius who finds herself in the middle of a national emergency when Flinkwater’s computers start turning people into vegetables. Mental vegetables, that is. In Ginger’s words, they’ve been “bonked.”
When Ginger’s father is bonked, she recruits her self-declared future husband, boy genius Billy George, to help her find the source of the bonkings. Soon they’re up against a talking dog, a sasquatch, and a zombie, while Flinkwater is invaded by an army of black SUVs led by the witless-but-dangerous Agent Ffelps from Homeland Security. Can Ginger get to the bottom of the bonkings, or will computer chaos reign forever?
Welcome to Flinkwater, Iowa, home of the largest manufacturer of Articulated Computerized Peripheral Devices in the world. If you own a robot, it probably came from Flinkwater.
Meet Ginger Crump, the plucky, precocious (and somewhat sarcastic) genius who finds herself in the middle of a national emergency when Flinkwater’s computers start turning people into vegetables. Mental vegetables, that is. In Ginger’s words, they’ve been “bonked.”
When Ginger’s father is bonked, she recruits her self-declared future husband, boy genius Billy George, to help her find the source of the bonkings. Soon they’re up against a talking dog, a sasquatch, and a zombie, while Flinkwater is invaded by an army of black SUVs led by the witless-but-dangerous Agent Ffelps from Homeland Security. Can Ginger get to the bottom of the bonkings, or will computer chaos reign forever?
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:
Trouble has returned to Wilder Family Campground. When Cooper and Packrat find their geocache box full of illegal eagle parts, their lazy summer is over. Someone wants those valuable parts back. And if they can’t get the parts back, they’ll settle for holding one of the rare Pine Lake eaglets hostage instead. Cooper, Packrat, and Roy must elude two goons, tolerate an annoying teenager, keep tabs on a shady new camper, and stake out the eagle’s nest—all without getting grounded. Tamra Wight has written an exciting follow-up to Mystery on Pine Lake, a tale ripe with adventure and natural history, but above all, one of compassion and friendship.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis: When Jason and his friends form a garage band, they call it "No Frills" because they want to keep it real—even when they enter a band contest and pressures to alter their image mount. Then one day, due to a close encounter with lightning, Jason's life changes in a big way—but is he magically cooler or is it just his perception?
As he goes from blah to cool, his head swells as he takes his fifteen minutes of fame too seriously. His too-busy mother and fortune-telling grandmother don't get through to him. Even maybe-more-than-a-friend Layla is ready to give up on Jason, especially when he starts flirting with much-older Mindy. Only a rescued kitten keeps him even remotely grounded. It isn't until he loses the friendships with the band mates he once counted on that he realizes he has a major problem, and he worries it might be too late to fix it.
As he goes from blah to cool, his head swells as he takes his fifteen minutes of fame too seriously. His too-busy mother and fortune-telling grandmother don't get through to him. Even maybe-more-than-a-friend Layla is ready to give up on Jason, especially when he starts flirting with much-older Mindy. Only a rescued kitten keeps him even remotely grounded. It isn't until he loses the friendships with the band mates he once counted on that he realizes he has a major problem, and he worries it might be too late to fix it.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: For sixteen years, Emily Stout has known a simple, yet harsh, life on the Great Plains—farming the land, avoiding thunderbirds and banshees, dealing with minotaurs and gnomes—but she dreams of more. She longs to wander the plains as a gunslinger, serve the angels as a knight, or anything else that could break her free of her trapped existence.
Then, in a moment of desperation, Emily’s mother reveals a secret, one that will change everything for her, give her the chance to explore her world, and send her to the magnificent city of Lucifan. However, Lucifan is not the utopia it appears to be, and there are many dark and deadly creatures with equally dark and deadly plans. Amongst the brutal ogres, terrifying gargoyles, and plotting leprechauns, Emily will find an enemy shrouded in darkness and deceit who wants nothing more than her death.
Faced with all of this, what chance does a farmer’s daughter have?
Then, in a moment of desperation, Emily’s mother reveals a secret, one that will change everything for her, give her the chance to explore her world, and send her to the magnificent city of Lucifan. However, Lucifan is not the utopia it appears to be, and there are many dark and deadly creatures with equally dark and deadly plans. Amongst the brutal ogres, terrifying gargoyles, and plotting leprechauns, Emily will find an enemy shrouded in darkness and deceit who wants nothing more than her death.
Faced with all of this, what chance does a farmer’s daughter have?
Publication Date:
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Everything has changed…
Six months after graduating from high school, nothing in Bennett Park is like it used to be. Zay and Chapel aren’t together. Timmy won’t speak to anyone. Erica is acting strange. Jackson is missing. The factions have been disbanded. And Todd Taylor is President of The Invisibles.
Then, when two of her former enemies combine forces, someone Chapel loves is put in grave danger once again.
On Chapel’s quest for justice, relationships are tested, allegiances are revealed, and the most shocking secret of all is exposed.
In the end, Chapel will have a choice to make – honor or love? Her decision will change the lives of those around her forever.
Six months after graduating from high school, nothing in Bennett Park is like it used to be. Zay and Chapel aren’t together. Timmy won’t speak to anyone. Erica is acting strange. Jackson is missing. The factions have been disbanded. And Todd Taylor is President of The Invisibles.
Then, when two of her former enemies combine forces, someone Chapel loves is put in grave danger once again.
On Chapel’s quest for justice, relationships are tested, allegiances are revealed, and the most shocking secret of all is exposed.
In the end, Chapel will have a choice to make – honor or love? Her decision will change the lives of those around her forever.
Publication Date:
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: Stewart Manor had a mystery. Children went missing, but Matt and his little brother Toby didn’t know that when they moved there. When Toby disappears, along with two other children from the small town, Matt and his new friends find themselves thrust into battle with an ancient evil that seeks to destroy not only the magic in the parallel dimension of Green Isle, but all magic, even that on Earth. “The Forgotten Spell” is the first book in the Legends of Green Isle series. Join the adventure as the legendary four friends mark their own place in the annals of Green Isle.
Publication Date:
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: In 1750, Thomas Gunn, along with three friends, join the Hudson's Bay Company and sail from Stromness on the Orkney Islands of northern Scotland to York Factory fort on Hudson's Bay. They believe they are starting a new and exciting life in what is called Rupert's Land, but tragedy follows them, striking for the first time on the ship. At the fort Thomas finds his older brother, Edward, who had joined four years earlier. He also meets Little Bird, sister of Edward's wife, and her family.
During the first year Thomas takes part in the goose and duck hunts, the fishing, the woodcutting, Guy Fawkes Day, the Christmas celebrations, and the burial of a friend. He also deals with the snowfall, the cold, the boredom, and a suicide, and learns how to survive in the lonely and sometimes inhospitable land.
Five Star Review from Amazon Canada
I can't imagine many boys at fifteen years of age leaving their families to go work overseas in a foreign land on the other side of the world for five years. Yet they did in the 1700's. So begins Thomas Gunn's journey into manhood. Meanwhile native girl, Little Bird, is old enough to become married and must begin picking a husband soon and starting her family, only none of the native men appeal to her. So begins the love between these two, what we would call kids today, but back then were already adults in a harsh world that left no room for the weak. Joan does excellent at portraying the two very different worlds, both long gone and the bitter reality of the 1700's and even better at the blossoming love between Little Bird and Thomas. A must read for historical buffs, be prepared to be thrust into a past that created strong characters, where survival was never remotely guaranteed and where finding your true love even harder.
During the first year Thomas takes part in the goose and duck hunts, the fishing, the woodcutting, Guy Fawkes Day, the Christmas celebrations, and the burial of a friend. He also deals with the snowfall, the cold, the boredom, and a suicide, and learns how to survive in the lonely and sometimes inhospitable land.
Five Star Review from Amazon Canada
I can't imagine many boys at fifteen years of age leaving their families to go work overseas in a foreign land on the other side of the world for five years. Yet they did in the 1700's. So begins Thomas Gunn's journey into manhood. Meanwhile native girl, Little Bird, is old enough to become married and must begin picking a husband soon and starting her family, only none of the native men appeal to her. So begins the love between these two, what we would call kids today, but back then were already adults in a harsh world that left no room for the weak. Joan does excellent at portraying the two very different worlds, both long gone and the bitter reality of the 1700's and even better at the blossoming love between Little Bird and Thomas. A must read for historical buffs, be prepared to be thrust into a past that created strong characters, where survival was never remotely guaranteed and where finding your true love even harder.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: As fingers of mist claw their way across the land, withering crops and crumbling towns into piles of worthless stone, the King of Eldanal appears powerless to stop it. When reports of a mage casting potent spells from lands far beyond the king’s reach, Tesania must take up her father’s ancient sword and set forth across uncharted seas to infiltrate a society where she plainly does not belong.
With Deavon and Kailyn at her side, she must track the mage to his lair deep within the Loden Mountains and call upon all of her guile if she is to have any hope of standing against the Tiadath Mage and his overwhelming magic.
With Deavon and Kailyn at her side, she must track the mage to his lair deep within the Loden Mountains and call upon all of her guile if she is to have any hope of standing against the Tiadath Mage and his overwhelming magic.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Arella is an outcast in her tribe, white skinned and silver haired, bright purple eyes and a strong will, while the others are dark skinned and passive. She longs to be free of the chains of society, but does not realize the dangers of this. Arella will soon come to find that the real world is not so easy to live with... When she starts finding animals in the forest poisoned by arrows, she knows she must do something, but what? Will she find who is doing it? And will she be able to stop them without losing her own life...?
'The auron cat stands in front of Arella, big yellow eyes looking up at her and huffs. She is within touching distance, yet Arella no longer fears her. Arella drops to her knees and the auron cat is now taller than her. She looks the great cat in the eyes, and the cat stares back at her. Arella extends her right hand towards to cat. She pulls back slightly, looking at the hand, the presses her face into it, closes her eyes and relaxes. A flood of feeling pass through Arella. Her first though is that this is amazing. The power this cat possess is immense, and Arella can feel all of her strength and power in that one touch, but she is saddened by the knowledge the she will need to end the life of the beautiful creature. The cat seems to know this fact, and her eyes fix of the hilt of the dagger in Arella’s boot, then looks Arella in the eyes again. “You know I don’t want to do this right?” Arella says to the great cat. She just stares at Arella and purrs. Her purr is broken and stuttered. Tears begin to form in Arella’s eyes. “But what about your kitten?” Arella asks. The auron cat presses her face into Arella’s hand and something strange happens. Arella closes her eyes and an image appears in the blackness. Arella is holding the kitten in her arms and walking back through the forest towards her tree house. The image then changes and Arella is walking through the woods with that same kitten, except now the kitten is not a kitten but a full grown auron. When Arella comes out of the semi-dream the cat inflicted on her, she is breathless and dizzy. “You want me to look after him? Help him grow up?” Arella is confused. “But why me?” The cat does not answer, she only looks at the dagger with intent. A tear falls from Arella’s eye, wetting her cheek and falling to the ground. “I don’t know how to do this.” Arella’s voice breaks as she talks. The great auron cat seems to answer this question for her. She lies herself on the ground on her side and purrs softly.
Arella takes the bloodglass dagger in her shaking hand, aims it at the auron cats chest and pauses. She takes one last look into the eyes of the cat and with tears clouding her vision, drives it into her heart. The cat winces with the pain, takes one last breath then passes away. Arella pulls the dagger from her dead body, drops it on the floor and weeps for the life she has just took.'
'The auron cat stands in front of Arella, big yellow eyes looking up at her and huffs. She is within touching distance, yet Arella no longer fears her. Arella drops to her knees and the auron cat is now taller than her. She looks the great cat in the eyes, and the cat stares back at her. Arella extends her right hand towards to cat. She pulls back slightly, looking at the hand, the presses her face into it, closes her eyes and relaxes. A flood of feeling pass through Arella. Her first though is that this is amazing. The power this cat possess is immense, and Arella can feel all of her strength and power in that one touch, but she is saddened by the knowledge the she will need to end the life of the beautiful creature. The cat seems to know this fact, and her eyes fix of the hilt of the dagger in Arella’s boot, then looks Arella in the eyes again. “You know I don’t want to do this right?” Arella says to the great cat. She just stares at Arella and purrs. Her purr is broken and stuttered. Tears begin to form in Arella’s eyes. “But what about your kitten?” Arella asks. The auron cat presses her face into Arella’s hand and something strange happens. Arella closes her eyes and an image appears in the blackness. Arella is holding the kitten in her arms and walking back through the forest towards her tree house. The image then changes and Arella is walking through the woods with that same kitten, except now the kitten is not a kitten but a full grown auron. When Arella comes out of the semi-dream the cat inflicted on her, she is breathless and dizzy. “You want me to look after him? Help him grow up?” Arella is confused. “But why me?” The cat does not answer, she only looks at the dagger with intent. A tear falls from Arella’s eye, wetting her cheek and falling to the ground. “I don’t know how to do this.” Arella’s voice breaks as she talks. The great auron cat seems to answer this question for her. She lies herself on the ground on her side and purrs softly.
Arella takes the bloodglass dagger in her shaking hand, aims it at the auron cats chest and pauses. She takes one last look into the eyes of the cat and with tears clouding her vision, drives it into her heart. The cat winces with the pain, takes one last breath then passes away. Arella pulls the dagger from her dead body, drops it on the floor and weeps for the life she has just took.'
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Synopsis: Tesania series, 2 book box set.
Book 1: Tesania is the only survivor after her village is massacred by magically altered beasts. In the aftermath of the attack she senses her father's sword calling out to her, the hilt reforming to fit her small hand as she draws the blade from its sheath.
With its magic tingling at her nerves, she embarks on a mission of revenge.
Could her father's sword be the ancient weapon spoken of in the decaying parchments of the Tenule chronicles, imbued with magic and forged with blood? Can it possibly make the difference when she stands before the evil mage, Trannyth, and demands her vengeance on his beasts?
Book 2: As fingers of mist claw their way across the land, withering crops and crumbling towns into piles of worthless stone, the King of Eldanal appears powerless to stop it. When reports of a mage casting potent spells from lands far beyond the king’s reach, Tesania must take up her father’s ancient sword and set forth across uncharted seas to infiltrate a society where she plainly does not belong.
With Deavon and Kailyn at her side, she must track the mage to his lair deep within the Loden Mountains and call upon all of her guile if she is to have any hope of standing against the Tiadath Mage and his overwhelming magic.
Book 1: Tesania is the only survivor after her village is massacred by magically altered beasts. In the aftermath of the attack she senses her father's sword calling out to her, the hilt reforming to fit her small hand as she draws the blade from its sheath.
With its magic tingling at her nerves, she embarks on a mission of revenge.
Could her father's sword be the ancient weapon spoken of in the decaying parchments of the Tenule chronicles, imbued with magic and forged with blood? Can it possibly make the difference when she stands before the evil mage, Trannyth, and demands her vengeance on his beasts?
Book 2: As fingers of mist claw their way across the land, withering crops and crumbling towns into piles of worthless stone, the King of Eldanal appears powerless to stop it. When reports of a mage casting potent spells from lands far beyond the king’s reach, Tesania must take up her father’s ancient sword and set forth across uncharted seas to infiltrate a society where she plainly does not belong.
With Deavon and Kailyn at her side, she must track the mage to his lair deep within the Loden Mountains and call upon all of her guile if she is to have any hope of standing against the Tiadath Mage and his overwhelming magic.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy