If my little one should happen to ask me, “Mama, where did I come from?” I would say this, with a great gasping breath of exhaustion: “Dearest, it took three rounds of edits, multiple read-throughs, a review from the Proofing Department, three pre-galleys, and one final galley, before I gave my final approval on Saturday, March 26.”
I thought it might take at least a month before I heard back from The Wild Rose Press, but today, Frama-12’s official publication (birthday) was announced. Drum roll, please!
July 13, 2022!
Two major characters in this fantasy are 14-year-old Winnie (Windemere) Harris, a girl who lives by a warrior code, and her little, six-year-old stepbrother, Mikey, who claims to have the essence of an adult general living inside of him.
And now, in honor of the occasion, here is a teaser sample from my novel:
Mikey led her to a wide column of static electricity, snapping and shimmering. Yesterday’s memory of the electric wall sent her skidding to a halt.
“Whoa.” She looked it up and down. The column reached from the ground to just above her head.
“In Frama-12 they know me as General Takka.” He seemed unfazed by the anomaly. “If anybody questions your authority, just tell them General Takka sent you.”
She couldn’t pull her gaze from the shimmering thing.
“I know you don’t like people bossing you, Windy, but when you get there, try to treat Queen Bogen with respect. Also, water is sacred. Offer a canteen to Her Majesty. Let’s see, what else do you need to know? Oh yeah, mel-yew are good. You can trust them. And most important, don’t forget the oracle’s prediction. When the sea is smooth, the lurkin will attack. Are you paying attention? Windemere.”
She snapped her head toward the little boy who sounded way too grown-up. “Wait. This is, like, really real? I’m doing this?”
“You’re a warrior. It’ll be easy for you.”
She chewed her lip. Her mom had given her that title because she fought adversity, not giant spiders. She walked all the way around the glowing column. “No offense, but this looks like it could kill me. I can’t help anybody if I’m dead.”
Now that I know little “Frama” is on the way, I feel excited, but also a little overwhelmed. After all, I haven’t started painting the nursery yet! 🙂
Woo hoo and Huzzah, Aud! This is very exciting news — and it makes this whole process all the more real!
Great teaser, by the way — Winnie and Mikey are such great characters, and what a predicament little Mikey has put his big sister in…(with the foreknowledge I have of reading an earlier draft. I can’t wait to see the final story.)
And I can’t wait to welcome your little bundle of joy into the world. 😀 You’d better get cracking on painting that nursery. 😁
Thanks, Gemma! I’m excited and already planning the “baby shower” at work. We’ll have cake and I’ll read excerpts, but no gifts – just a pledge (from anyone who feels so inclined) to buy the reasonably priced eBook version of my novel. 😁
The book shower sounds cool! Will there be a way to reserve/pre-order the ebook? And even better, the printed book? I’m eager to! 😀