Fiction feature with a serious Intent to please!

Ahoy lovely readers!



Hope last week was a good one for all of you. I’m back with another great fiction feature to get this week started off right!



This one’s for my older readers, as the kiddos had their fun last week with Emily’s book. Today, I’m happy to introduce Intent by Krista Wagner!

Thriller Intent Is a Terrifying Tale of Small Town Life Gone Wrong

“A thrilling ride of desire, doubt, hope, and uncertainty, where faith is tested and the truth isn't what it seems.”

In her debut novel, author Krista Wagner introduces us somewhat introverted, twenty-two year old Raylee Johnson, a girl who is bored with her small town life and feels that it is going nowhere in particular. When her high school crush, Billy, returns to town, she finds a small measure of confidence, but when her parents—the local pastor and his wife—are killed in a car accident, Raylee turns bitter.

Finding comfort in her relationship with Billy, Raylee unexpectedly faces a world shrouded by disconcerting events when her high school nemesis, Crystal, shows up. Soon, Raylee finds herself surrounded by lies and more death and her attempts to uncover the truth all point to one fact…the truth is never what it seems.

Though the novel is new adult, its focus on tragedy, loss, and faith will strike a chord with thriller readers of all ages and places, for Intent shows us that no matter the size of the town or the boring life of its inhabitants, no one is safe from deception, and even murder.

When a bored fast food worker loses her parents she finds comfort in an old high school crush, but when people start to die and her former nemesis shows up, she starts to question who she can trust.



And here are a few great reviews that talk the novel up even more!

"This is a well-written story that captivated my interest from the first paragraph. So much happens throughout the book... each event shaping and transforming Raylee Johnson (the main character) in both expected and unexpected ways. I read this book in less than 24 hours, not wanting to put it down."

"I read this book the day I got it! I was unable to put it down. It's captivating! Raylee, the main character, is somebody who everyone can relate to in one way or another. Just when you think you have the characters figured out you realize that you don't! I recommend this book 100%."

"Intent by Krista Wagner is a great read. The element of surprise and intrigue are utilized throughout this entire book. As the protagonist, Raylee Johnson, pushes through a seemingly monotonous dead end job and begins to reach the conclusion that her life is without meaning, she is catapulted into a maze of events that leave her reeling. The courage and strength that Raylee finds during this tumultuous and precarious period of her life unfold with dramatic flare. The reader is led astray several times as the plot unravels down narrow paths of apprehensive action. Clues are scattered like finely sifted granules of sand across the grand canyon. As with any good mystery novel, the reader is never quite sure who's behind it all until the very end.
Wagner's ability to infuse the reader with hope and encouragement through a relationship with Christ is worked into the story in a clear manner without being intrusively overboard. There is not a "preachy" feel to this read, as the author takes advantage of her talent for subtlety and cohesively delivers sound Christian doctrine through some of the lives of the minor characters. This book is sure to help the reader effortlessly transfer some healthy prospective into their life.
If you enjoy reading a good mystery that has an element of reality without creating nightmares, I highly recommend that you read, Intent by Krista Wagner!"



You can find Intent on the e-shelves today!
https://www.amazon.com/Intent-Krista-Wagner/dp/0692281495/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473718676&sr=8-1&keywords=intent+krista+wagner


Let’s go ahead and meet our author while we’re at it:

Mother of three and Adjunct English Instructor Krista Wagner has been writing short stories of dramatic events like murder and kidnapping since she was in high school, and has been writing in general since she was seven years old. Wagner received her B.A. in English from UMBC, her M.A. in English Composition with a Literature Concentration from CSUSB, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from National University. Outside of her professional life, Wagner enjoys watching suspenseful films, reading the Bible, and spending time with her family. She is currently at work on a children's fantasy screenplay.



You can reach out to Krista at the links below:

http://kristawagnerintent.blogspot.com/2015/02/intent.html

http://kristawagner.wix.com/intent

https://twitter.com/IntentBook04



https://facebook.com/krista.wagner31



pinterest.com/kristawagner31

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8509957.Krista_Wagner

http://www.wattpad.com/story/22792724-rian-field







And that’s it for this feature! Until next time, keep readin’ and dreamin’!



-Fred

Back To School Special!

Ahoy lovely readers!


Yes, I know it's been a good while since you've heard from your old pal Fred. August was an...interesting month to say the least. I've fallen, been torn, fixed up and on the mend again. It's a gripping tale, but I choose to reserve it for bonfire story time this Autumn.

Still recovering, but I'm happy to be back at my laptop, with use of both hands, to get back to writing. And showing you lovely new reads, of course!

I'm especially thrilled to bring you a brand new read today that's good for those youngins looking for a literary escape from their schoolwork. It's with great pleasure that I introduce Emily A. Steward's Penelope Gilbert and the Children of Azure!

When 13 year-old Penelope Gilbert accidentally transforms into a stapler during math class, she’s sure she’s going crazy. But she’s not imagining the men in black suits now patrolling the halls at school, nor is she imagining the new substitute teacher who orders the class to take a special new test. A test that requires blood. Hunted for her powers, and torn from the life she knows, Penny is swept up into a world in the clouds where magic meets machine and pirates rule the sky.

Sounds like the perfect read for a post-homework evening! Filled with magic, perils, and schoolyard jokes, this is a gripping tale for people of any age!


You can purchase Penelope Gilbert as an e-book soon!


But to satiate your craving until then, here's a little excerpt!

*****

A six-foot-tall arachnid hovered over them. One of the creature’s razor-sharp metal legs was raised to attack. The scream seemed to confuse it. It wasn’t much of a window, but it was long enough. She rolled to the side just as the beast’s leg smashed into the ground, leaving a deep hole behind. Crane turned to see what was happening. He let out a cry and fell back into Haldor.

“Guard your necks!” Penny shouted. A web shot out from another spider just behind the first, catching Crane around the ankle. It pulled him in faster than he could react. Another web shot toward Penny. She managed to deflect it with her sword. She could hear Chip hooting wildly from somewhere above, as if cheering them on.

“Haldor, these guys are metal, can’t you do something?” she cried.

“I’m trying, but I have to get closer.”

“Help!” Crane yelled from where he hung upside down from the spider’s back. Haldor jumped to his feet and ran at them, swinging his spear around. He let out a gasp as a spindly leg knocked him to the ground. Another rose up to make the kill. Penny leapt forward and chopped the leg in two with her sword before it could connect.

The metal shrapnel scattered onto the ground. Haldor took that moment to drive his spear into the soft underbelly of the animal. It let out a horrible shriek but only seemed to be angered more. It came at him again, foam dripping from his fangs, his glass eyes gleaming red like a hundred tiny traffic lights. Haldor fell back, losing his grip on the spear. The spider lunged just as Penny attacked it from behind, stabbing her blade deep within his thorax. She then swung around, looking for the spider who held Crane. She could see it skittering toward the forest.



“Come on!” she yelled to Haldor who was wriggling out from under the spider corpse. She ran to the spot where she saw the creature enter as Haldor hurried to catch up. She scrambled through the brush until she came to a stream. There she saw the spider. He was across the water under a large tree. Above him were several objects swinging in the breeze. It took her a moment to realize that they were rotting bodies strung up by their necks. Their unseeing eyes stared eerily into the darkness. Upon closer inspection, she saw that there were at least thirty of them. She wretched silently as she tried to think of a way for Crane to not become one of them. The spider was already trying to wrap a strand of webbing around his neck. A thought occurred to her. An outrageous, outlandish thought. I can do this, she assured herself. She tried to picture every last detail of her slain foe—every creepy crawling, hairy, shiny detail. Penny could feel the energy pulsing through her. Her hands were no longer her own. Her teeth had become fangs, and her eyes were the eyes of a killer.

*****

Now here's a little about our author. I don't usually include author photos, as the books should speak for themselves, but this picture is too cool to not share!

Emily Steward spent the better part of her childhood dressed as a ninja and trying to convince others to call her ‘Ace.’ When she wasn’t saving the world from evil samurai, she could usually be found in the branches of a tree reading a good book. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three daughters, and dog Bentley. Though she seldom dresses as a ninja now, her adventurous spirit remains as does her love of tree climbing and reading good books.

You can reach out to Emily at the links below:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Emily_Steward14

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emily.steward.37

Website/Blog: https://estewardblog.wordpress.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/emilyasteward




And that's it for now! Hope you're all enjoying the fall into a new season ;)







Until next time, keep readin' and dreamin'!




-Fred