Beware of the White

Launch Day for BEWARE OF THE WHITE by Kai Strand!

I'm delighted to be participating in the launch of Kai Strand's new book, Beware of the White. Kai writes fiction for kids and teens. Her books also include The Weaver, The Wishing Well and Save the Lemmings. Check out her Author Page on Amazon.com.

Read on for a story summary, a tantalizing excerpt and Buy the Book links:

As is tradition, Terra learns on the Saturday past her twelfth birthday that she is a Natures Spirit. It is her legacy to serve in the peaceful underground city of Concord. Learning she is named in a prophecy and being threatened by the leader of the death tribe…that part breaks tradition.

The Trepidus are the death janitors of the Underworld,

responsible for delivering fatalities with a smile and cleaning up after

themselves until Blanco, recent leader of the Trepidus, decides the day of reckoning for his species is coming. He begins organizing the creatures and leads them toward an uprising. The prophecy says there is one person who can stop him. Terra.

With Spirit of Security, Frank, protecting her, Terra

attempts to complete her training and discover her Spirit talents. Together,they go on a rogue investigation to learn how to defeat Blanco. In the end, itcomes down to a battle of the minds. The future of Concord is at stake. Will Blanco, the older, more experienced being win? Or will Terra, the young, new

Spirit earn back the peace of the city?

Excerpt:

Even though her heart did its best imitation of a hummingbird, her palms slick with sweat and her legs desperate to kick into flight mode, Terra somehow sensed it wasn’t unexpected for her to stare at an elf-like creature standing politely in her bedroom at two in the morning.

“What are you?” Her voice, barely a whisper, shook with fear. She clutched the comforter under her chin, ready to throw herself under her covers if he bared spiked teeth and razor sharp claws.

The creature stepped into a beam of moonlight streaming through the window. Terra gasped and blinked—more like a hole in the wall, which used to be a window. A cool night breeze wafted through

the opening. She pushed herself into a sitting position and scooted as far into the corner of her bed as she could press herself, dragging her comforter with her.

The creature removed a pointy hat from his bald, bony head. “Please, young miss, let me introduce myself.” He bowed formally. “I am Hermie, your Introguide.” His voice was a strange mixture of croaky and squeaky. Only two feet tall, everything about him—his nose, ears, chin, and fingers—ended in points. Muddy colored skin blended into the shadows of the moonlit room. An expressive face framed eyes aglow with kindness and an engaging smile. Not a fang in sight, but Terra was still wary.

“But what are you? And what are you doing in my room?” Terra’s heart pounded so loud she barely heard her own strangled voice.

Replacing the hat on his head, Hermie said, “You, young miss, are one of our Natures Spirits, and I am your

Introguide. This is the Saturday past your twelfth birthday. I am here as aSpirit Ambassador to escort you to the Underworld. Tonight you will begin to learn what talents you possess and how best to use them in the Underworld cities.”

Terra narrowed her eyes as Hermie’s words sunk in. Bits and pieces of her mother’s odd behavior, earlier in the evening, started to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. The cryptic comments of “Who’d have thought the twelfth year would arrive so quickly,” “Terra, your life is destined to change,” and “Don’t be afraid of the unknown” took on new meaning.  Yet she avoided answering whenTerra directly questioned her. Was this what her mom referred to? An odd creature showing up in the middle of the night. Why hadn’t she told her

outright?

“Hermie, do you know my mother?” Terra asked.

Buy the book: Click on the links to purchase Beware of the White.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Muse it Up