Echoes from My Past Lives (Spell Weaver) (6 page)

But none of those things compare to the fact that around every corner, the dead wait, driven by a single minded devotion to destroy all human life. It will take all they can muster in order to survive the Deadfall.

Inexperienced Mage (The Reawakening Saga)
, by D. W. Jackson

Thousands of years after the Fae Wars, magic is now a thing of legend, and the once great empire is reduced to hundreds of separate countries. Farlan, a rich and powerful Queendom, is one such country where men are treated as second class citizens, and often sold into slavery at an early age. Mark, a young man, has been trained since his childhood to be one of the most sought after slaves produced by the academy. At auction he is purchased by the queen, but on his way to the capital, they are attacked, allowing him to escape before he is permanently branded. During his escape he comes across a dilapidated tower, finds a book of magic, and starts his own self tutelage. Learning he has a talent for magic, he makes his way to the capital to see if he can make his own path while holding onto his freedom along the way.

The Serf and the Soldier
, by Holly Law

The Corscan Empire is rapidly expanding as all allied countries of Brogden are seized in unspeakable bloodshed. Their soldiers are described as creatures forms wielding blazing swords and unknown magical weapons. The only mercy shown is to Corscan prisoner brides claimed on the battlefield as trophies of war. Brogden's fate seems sealed as Elara, a serf's daughter, finds herself ambushed while unwillingly escorting a noblewoman to the capital for her safety. Suddenly pulled onto a Corscan soldier's horse, she confronts the childhood tales of "better to die than be a prisoner bride" as a terrifying reality.

Siege of Terra (The Mavrik Woods Chronicles, Book 1)
, by Robin MacMillan

In the early twenty-first century Earth is finally overcome by famine and pollution. Humanity is forced to unite and work together to save themselves. It took nearly two centuries before they succeeded in their mission: Space. They left Earth behind hoping to begin again on another world: Terra. Terra was a solution to a problem. Humans thought they were alone...The fate of the human race rests heavily on the shoulders of Colonel Mavrik Woods. Mavrik thought he knew who he could trust...

I wake up, the world around me in utter chaos. Screaming. Blood. Explosions light up my surroundings.

Pain. Sharp pain tracing up my face, what follows shortly is white light, then darkness. It feels like I'm falling into an abyss.

A vast fleet of ships is adrift in the void of space, dozens upon dozens of star fighters, frigates and control ships, all heading towards one common destination: Terra.

Silent Treatment,
by Jackie Williams

Dancing for a new boy band should be a teenager’s dream come true, but success comes at a price. Driven by jealousy, Jennifer’s spiteful attack almost ends Carrie’s fabulous new dancing career, but luckily the strong hands and caring heart of the gorgeous Daniel Lewis, are there to pick up the pieces. Being deeply in love, as only first love can feel, Carrie is devastated when Daniel heads off on a three year football scholarship in Atlanta, but despite her father’s harsh disapproval and Jennifer’s continued vindictive crusade, Carrie is determined to stay true. Refusing to believe all is lost and despite Daniel’s mystifying silence, Carrie sends him secret messages of love as she dances her way round the world. But while her hectic schedule is filled with dreams of Daniel, he discovers football stardom and contracts worth millions of dollars. With the allure of hundreds of beautiful women and the offer of a lifestyle beyond his wildest dreams, will Daniel find America a temptation too strong to ignore? Or was a single summer of thumping hearts and heated looks, enticement enough for Daniel to give up his silent treatment and come home to Carrie once more.

Tamara, Dragon Warrior
, by Donna Hernandez

Tamara had no idea what would happen when she agreed to go to Earth. But when Rogan ,the dark wizard, unleashes his powerful forces, Tamara faces the greatest challenge of her life. To save Warven, the last kingdom of Lira, Tamara must find the courage to do what she fears most...

For Adult Audiences Only (greater intensity, language)

The Boy Who Lit Up the Sky (The Two Moons of Rehnor)
by J Naomi Ay (Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist)

Lydia Kalila, the Princess Royal of Mishnah, is forced into marriage with the son of her country's mortal enemy for the sole purpose of producing an heir. Duty comes before personal choice for a princess especially when her country has been at war for more than a thousand years. Lydia's pregnancy removes her brother and new husband from their respective lines of succession placing her yet unborn infant at the head of the both queues. No one is happy about this, especially Lydia who dies during childbirth from wounds caused by the talon-like toenails of her very strange newborn son.

Grief stricken at the loss of his daughter, the Mishnese King hastily sends Senya, his infant grandson off to a decrepit inner city orphanage with the intent to retrieve him much later when things got sorted out. At the orphanage, Senya is protected by the invalid Sister Meri who instantly falls in love with the little fellow. She's not bothered at all by his strange telekinetic and telepathic powers, flickering pupil-less silver eyes or wicked clawed toenails. The House Father takes a shine to the lad too and when Senya is six years old, he is summoned to the Father's chamber. The Father ends up in flames forcing Meri and Senya out into a snow storm running for their lives.

Thus begins the tale of Senya, a prince created to be king of a planet but then tossed aside until his twelfth birthday when Lt. Taner, a Royal Guard detective, is sent to retrieve him. It is unclear to all whether Senya is the product of something good or something evil but in either case, it is very apparent that he is something more than just Lydia Kalila's son.

In the Devil’s Own Words
, by Elizabeth Wixley

Moving house has become a way of life for fifteen year old Isobel Miller. Her father is an Army Major; her mother, a middle aged, pregnant, chain smoking alcoholic. But the move to the village of Langham could be the straw that broke the camel’s back. To the truculent teenager it might as well have been to Timbuktu. Isobel is resentful of the baby, angry with her mother for dragging her away from civilization to live in a village which has no street lighting, let alone any decent shops. The only light in her miserable existence is her grandfather, story-teller elite, her saviour. And when one of his macabre tales is mentioned in the local paper, Isobel is drawn into the depths of evil and devil worship. Her world, and that of everyone around her, turns upside down. The cause? A mysterious book, an omen, which once opened and read starts a cataclysmic chain of events, and their lives are filled with tragedy and disaster. Salvation comes in the guise of three other teenagers—Peter, Oswald and Ariel—and the four form a bond so strong nothing can tear it apart—nothing except maybe the devil himself!

All book descriptions have been written by the authors of the respective books and are used here by permission.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Hiatt has been teaching English at Beverly Hills High School since 1981. Although teaching has been and remains his first love, he has also been drawn to creative writing of various sorts. From high school on, he wrote short stories, a little poetry, and an earlier novel, finished in 1982.
Living with Your Past Selves
(Book 1 of the
Spell Weaver
series) became his first published work in 2012. This novelette is a prequel to
Living with Your Past Selves
.

Bill’s ancestors came from a wide variety of European backgrounds, with Celtic groups (Irish, Scottish, Breton, and, as you might guess from the
Spell Weaver
series, Welsh) being the most well represented. His ancestors settled in America long ago, though, some of them as early as the colonial period. He is a third generation Californian who grew up and still currently lives in Culver City, California.

If you would like more information about Bill, this novelette, and/or his other writing projects, you can visit him at
http://billhiatt.com/
, at his author page on Facebook (
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bill-Hiatt/431724706902040
), and on Twitter (
https://twitter.com/BillHiatt2
).