RIFT RUNNERS
A 98,000 word YA Fantasy
When
sixteen-year-old Shasta’s father falls seriously ill, the last thing she wants
to hear is “sound advice” about accepting death. But in Gyra, no other help
exists. Anything beyond herbal medicines belongs to another world – a world
that lies on the other side of the rifts.
The
rifts rage in the outer islands, erratic storms that suck away chunks of land
and leave ashy chasms behind. But they also serve as portals, and sometimes
buried in the ash are remnants of the Old World, a tech-savvy place that might
have the medicine Shasta needs to save her father.
Hoping
for answers, Shasta joins a trade caravan heading towards the outer islands.
And in a miracle that seems planned by the spirits themselves, the caravan
comes across survivors from a recent rift storm, including a sick little boy
who claims he can get Shasta to the Old World safely.
But
before they can put their plan into action, the Gyra city council kidnaps the
boy, convinced the rifts have poisoned him. And not only might they be right,
but it could be true of her father, too. Desperate to save them both, Shasta
dashes towards the rifts, her tight-laced (and uninvited) older sister trailing
at her heels. Together, they face their last hope – a world struggling not to
crumble away into the encroaching rift storms.
A
world known only as “Seattle.”
Works-in-Progress:
THE IMPROVEMENT OF KITTY BENNET
A YA Contemporary Jane Austen Retelling
The fourth of five
daughters, seventeen-year-old Catherine “Kitty” Bennet is lost in the shuffle
of her large family to all but one person – her party loving, wild-child
younger sister, Lydia. But when Lydia’s antics land her in rehab, Kitty must face a new school year alone, counting down the days until Lydia comes back to
guide her.
That would be bad enough, but then Kitty’s older, recently married, thinks-she’s-perfect sister, Elizabeth, swoops in with a plan. It’s too late for Lydia, but Kitty might be... improved. Now, thanks to Elizabeth’s fancy, rich husband, Kitty is trading Lydia-worthy pink jeans for definitely-not-school-girl-chic kilts and blazers. Stranded at St. Claire’s Boarding School for Young Ladies, Kitty faces cliques ruled by the tyrannical Emma Woodhouse, the pushiest art teacher imaginable, and a roommate who has to be the only girl less sure of herself than Kitty feels – the hopelessly nerdy, hopelessly sweet Georgiana Darcy.
Kitty has to find her feet and fast. Her whole family is watching to see what kind of girl she becomes on her own. The problem is, she’s only got one adage to guide her: What would Lydia do?
That would be bad enough, but then Kitty’s older, recently married, thinks-she’s-perfect sister, Elizabeth, swoops in with a plan. It’s too late for Lydia, but Kitty might be... improved. Now, thanks to Elizabeth’s fancy, rich husband, Kitty is trading Lydia-worthy pink jeans for definitely-not-school-girl-chic kilts and blazers. Stranded at St. Claire’s Boarding School for Young Ladies, Kitty faces cliques ruled by the tyrannical Emma Woodhouse, the pushiest art teacher imaginable, and a roommate who has to be the only girl less sure of herself than Kitty feels – the hopelessly nerdy, hopelessly sweet Georgiana Darcy.
Kitty has to find her feet and fast. Her whole family is watching to see what kind of girl she becomes on her own. The problem is, she’s only got one adage to guide her: What would Lydia do?
TAILS FROM THE GLARING
A MG Animal Fantasy
Angelo the cat doesn’t have much time for
humans. He’s on shaky terms at best with the Old Lady he lives with. She trims the hedges too short and frequently
forgets to give him his morning scoop of canned tuna. He’d
go feral if it wasn’t for the local Glaring. In an empty lot behind the suburbs,
he can indulge his wild instincts, chasing mice and meeting the other house
pets. Among the neighborhood cats that visit the Glaring is George. Angelo
met the anxious tabby-cat stumbling around with a plastic cone on his head. Something
about that bonded them. So long as he has George, Angelo can tolerate the
world.
Then one day a giant van rolls into George’s
driveway. Nothing about it looks or smells right. It can only mean one thing –
George’s family are moving, and intend to take their pets somewhere far away.
Pleas to the humans are useless. They don`t speak the same language, or, in
Angelo`s mind, ever consider a cat`s real needs. If Angelo wants to keep his
only friend, he must convince George to abandon the family that has cuddled him
since kittenhood. The battle for
George’s loyalty isn’t an easy one, as both cats grapple with one simple
question:
Is a cat’s real family
the humans who care for him or the felines who understand him?
I really want to read the cat story when you are done.
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