Introducing MJ Austin and her debut novel, BRIGHT FIRE!
Synopsis
Delfia thought she was a normal girl about to turn sixteen until her adoptive parents are murdered by creatures from the underworld. Her life gets thrown into chaos as she teams up with her best friend, a strange guy, and a prophetess.
She soon discovers her biological father, Hades, ordered the attack on her and her family because a prophecy names her as the one to take him down. She must first complete a set of tasks to free Persephone, her mother, from the underworld and defeat Hades.
Will she be reunited with her mother or will she get sucked into the underworld?
*Book is geared towards readers that liked Percy Jackson Series, Need Series, etc.*
Excerpt
Mondays are the epitome
of all evil. It's just a fact.
Do you ever get those feelings
deep in the pit of your stomach? The ones that make you feel all queasy and
anxious? Well, that’s how I feel right now. I am standing at my locker at a way
too early hour, and I am in Dragon Bitch mode; which is surprising because
today is my birthday.
Normally, I love my
birthday. I officially turn 16 at 11:59 tonight, and instead of reveling in the
excitement, am I staring at my locker without really seeing it. I just keep
trying to figure out what’s causing this annoying pinch in my stomach. I jump
when I hear the locker next to mine slam shut.
Lyla.
"Jeez, Lyla,” I
huff. “How many times do I have to tell you not to do that? Now excuse me while
I find a doctor to remove my heart from my nasal passage." I’m not in the
mood for the early morning antics of Lyla Browning, even if she is my best
friend.
"Soooorrry, but it
seems to be the only way to get your attention. I say 'Happy birthday, Dell'
and what do you do? You ignore me and stare at your locker. What is up with
you?"
"Nothing, just a
funny feeling."
She eyes me for a minute,
then shrugs her shoulders and in a matter-of-fact tone tells me, "It's
probably PMS."
“Yeah, maybe I dunno...”
I trail off, the feeling still bugging me. I understand that she is trying to
snap me out of it so I muster up some enthusiasm and sing, “Happy birthday to
me, happy birthday to me.”
She perks up instantly,
and before I can clamp my hand over her mouth she starts bellowing out “Happy
Birthday” in the middle of the hall that is seriously starting to fill up. By
the time she finishes, everyone is staring at us, and my face is burning red.
“Aww come on, you love me
and you know it,” she beams.
I smile because I do love
her. Lyla and I have been best friends since forever. We first met in
kindergarten when this little twerp, Zach Moreno, decided to pull my hair, and
she punched him square in the nose.
We’ve been joined at the
hip ever since then.
“But hey, you should be
thrilled you’re turning 16.” she nudges me in the ribs a little.
“Yeah, I know, but my
parents still won't let me get my permit till I’m 18.”
“No offense, but your
parents are a little...intense.” She says.
“What do you mean by
that?” I ask getting a bit defensive.
“Well, it’s just that
lately they seem to be taking your safety to the extreme. You can't have
sleepovers anymore, a car or a life. I mean it’s sweet that they care, but I
thought parents got more lenient the older you get.” She fidgets with her wavy
blond hair, afraid that she has gone too far.
The truth is she’s not
wrong. My parents are great people, and I love them, but lately they have been
too over-protective. When I ask them about it they just tell me, “the real
world is full of dangers, kiddo.”
and that’s the end of
that conversation. “Yeah, I know, I’m sure that is just their way of showing me
that they care.”
“By the way, are we still
on for binge night Friday?” She sees right through my attempts to change the
subject. Binge night has been happening every Friday since the 6th grade. We
start off at the roller rink and end up at my place with a large bag of cheddar
popcorn, candy, and cokes.
“Uh, duh.” She says
rolling her eyes. She grabs her stuff out of her locker. “Come on, we have
homeroom.”
I turn to grab my bag out
of my locker when the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Everybody gets
those feelings now and then, but it was so intense I had to shiver to shake it
off.
“Dude, what is your
problem? Take a picture it lasts longer.” Lyla clicks her tongue, her usual
reaction when something annoys her.
I whirl around to see who
she is talking to and meet the gray eyes of Alec Hales, who is staring at me
intensely like he’s waiting for something to happen. He would be the hottest
guy in school if he weren't so weird. He continues to stare at me unabashed. I
can’t help but stare back.
“Come on,” she grabs my
arm. “This guy is freaking me out” She throws him the stink eye, and we head to
class.
I spend the rest of the
morning stumbling through class in a daze worried about that creepy stare. I’ve
never seen anything like it.
What’s worse is that I’m
pretty sure he’s the reason I had a chill that ranked 100 on the creep factor.
OK, Dell get a grip, I tell myself as I walk into the cafeteria.
I do my normal scan and
Lyla’s waiting for me at our usual table in the corner of the room, trays in
tow. We are not the least popular students, but we are definitely not a part of
the in-crowd. Lyla could be, but she sticks with me. Aside from her slightly
crooked nose, she is the picture perfect replica of a Barbie doll, with her
blond hair, green eyes, and mile-long legs. You get the picture. Me, on the
other hand, my height is OK, not too short or too tall, but my drab brown hair
and beanpole body are nothing special. The only thing I have going for me is my
clear blue eyes. Lyla always calls them hypnotic.
“Ugggghhh,” she whines as
she rolls her shoulders back and forth. “I think the teachers are secretly evil
demons sent to torture teens with tests on Mondays. Seriously, who wants to
take tests on Mondays?”
“Who wants to take tests
at all?”
She throws a piece of
lettuce at me. With a mouth full of food she asks, “What are your birthday
plans?”
“Dinner with the family.”
“Same old, same old,” she
laughs “maybe we can do something special for binge night like go shopping
before the roller rink.”
“Yeah, that would be...”
I trail off instantly when I feel the same eerie feeling I had by my locker. I
lean into Lyla and whisper, “Is Alec staring at me?” She lifts her head up, and
I pull her down. “Can’t you be discreet?” I hiss.
She subtly does a sweep
of the cafeteria and relaxes, “Nope; nowhere in sight. Why do you ask?”
“I just got this creepy
feeling earlier and again just now. I thought maybe it was his intense stare
earlier.”
“Wow, I hope your weird
doesn't rub off on me. Do you think it happens to everyone when they turn 16?”
she jokes.
I laugh half-heartedly
unable to shake the strange feeling.
About the Author:
M.J. Austin is the author of the Bright Fire series and
NaNoWriMo 2014 winner. She has always found the world of fantasy preferable to
the real world. She channels this love of mystical worlds and creatures into
her writing. She is an avid reader and proud bookworm. She has a Master's
Degree in Project Management, but her true passion is writing.
When she isn't working or writing she is diving into random
projects as often as possible. She lives in Tennessee with three children,
husband, and three dogs.
Stalk The Author
Blog: http://mjaustinbooks.com
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