When it hurts too much to live, how does one find the strength to stay alive and find hope again?
Reiko Nakano has a charmed life. Not only does the twenty-three-old come from a life of luxury because of her celebrity parents and supermodel sister, she’s best friends with the biggest brother and sister pop duo in the world- Gio and Gem Grove. But what the public assumes is wrong different because of what Reiko suffers in private. She feels she’s an outcast in her own family because of her ptosis and her social anxiety. She then makes the biggest mistake of her life and tries to turn her lifelong crush on Gio into something more. His cruel rejection after she lets him take her virginity leaves her heartbroken.
Reiko hides in the least likely of places- the small town of Albee, Pennsylvania. There she enjoys her anonymity and enrolls in summer classes at Maison University. She hopes she can fit in as a student, but life continues to play tricks on her when she’s hit in the face by a football from one of the most popular boys on campus, Will Forest. But this accidental but memorial meeting will help heal her fragile emotions because Will shows her how special she is to those she meets, including him.
She isn’t sure what to make of Will. He’s too nice and sweet, and treats her like gold. She accepts his attempts at romance even though it’s only temporary. But as the summer flies by, she doesn’t want to give Will up, who doesn’t know the truth about her “vacation”. And when Gio arrives in town, and threatens to out Reiko, she has some hard choices to make. Does she come clean to Will so she can decide to finally live on her own terms and embrace the amazing woman Will thinks her to be?
On a corner was a bookstore called Readers Opus. Dad’s latest release stood out among the books in the window. It was pretty cool not only to see his book front and center, but for the store to promote a quantum mechanics title. It had been too long since I’d been inside a bookstore, especially an indie. To kill time in case I still couldn’t find anything to wear for tonight, I entered, loving the library decor and wooden stacks of books with signs above pointing out the genres. I spotted the non-fiction section and went there to find Dad’s books.
Almost all of his books were there. I took out his first release and turned it over to check out his glamour shot, aka his headshot. He looked so young but still dignified. This was the only picture of him smiling. Must have been his excitement at getting published. I snapped a picture of the book with my cell, and went to do the same with the rest to send to him, but then noticed the magazine section behind me. Aya stared at me on the cover of at least three fashion magazines in the front. I snapped a picture of those magazines but shook my head at the absurdity of it.
“Why would the magazine section be near the non-fiction section?” I said louder than I’d intended, but there was no one around to hear.
Or I had thought no one heard. A few feet away Will, the football guy from Maison, sipped an iced-coffee-type drink and held a hardcover book.
“I agree with you100 percent about the magazine and non-fiction section.” He spoke around his straw then released it from his mouth.
“It’s you again.” I’d stated the obvious and mentally slapped my forehead.
“I’m surprised you recognized me with my shirt on and no football.” He strode toward me, giving me a good view of his Iron Steam concert shirt—OMG, he liked the same band I did!—and his vintage olive shorts that showed off his muscular thighs and calves. But what made me want to continue staring at him was the burgundy beanie on his head.
“I’m surprised I recognized you with the beanie,” I replied.
As he came closer, I lowered my eyes to the floor, not exactly from shyness but to catch my breath. He really was cute.
“I would recognize you anywhere with your awesome glasses. Also, we have the same taste in music. I’m a big fan of theirs.”
My love for Iron Steam was well known, but I rarely wore their shirt out since it was my stay-at-home, step-above-wearing-my-pajamas tee. Now, I was glad I’d worn it since it would give me something more to talk about with Will.
“I would have never thought you would be into pop punk. They just started getting popular on the West Coast the last couple of years.” I tugged on the hem of my yellow T-shirt, wishing it wasn’t so faded.
“Why? Because I’m some nerdy dude who accidently hits girls with footballs?” He zoned in on the area of my neck where I had been hit, making my face warm.
I pressed my palm to my shoulder. He thought he was nerdy? “I had a black and blue for a few days, but it’s gone now.”
He winced, and when he lifted his arm to his chest, I got a better look at his book. Dad’s latest release!
“I still feel awful for hitting you.” He glanced from his book to me. “Speaking of nerdy, I enjoy the work of Kobe Nakano. Do you know him?”
I sputtered and cleared my throat to stop from releasing a laugh. If only he knew how well I was aware of the author and his work. He’d get a kick out of it for sure.
“You could say I know him.” I could have revealed my connection, but Will’s reaction would have changed. There would be surprise and compliments thrown my way because I was Nakano’s daughter. He would know about Aya and Mom, and possibility my connection to the Groves. My cover would be blown.
Shirley Anne Edwards is a Northeast girl who first found her love for books when she read Nancy Drew’s The Secret of the Old Clock Tower at thirteen. Shirley found her love for writing at a very young age, and since then has let her imagination run wild by creating quirky characters and vast worlds in her head.
Shirley lives in New Jersey and works in the entertainment industry in New York City.
In the immortal words of Mark Twain: “Life is short, Break the Rules. Forgive quickly, Kiss SLOWLY. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret ANYTHING that makes you smile.”
Mckenna’s never thought much of her nightmares, but on her seventeenth birthday, a vivid dream of burning at the stake awakens her dormant abilities, thrusting her into a world where faeries are real, spirits hold a grudge, and a High Priestess obsessed with a 16th-century prophecy is tracking her every move.
Now, her overprotective dads, Seán and Andre, are forced to tell her the truth—they know who her birth mother is, and her life is not the surrogate story she’s always been told. Abigail, Mckenna’s mom, is some sort of mystic, and Mckenna a Wise One.
Whatever the hell that means.
With the help of a persistent little wren and company of a newfound friend, Mckenna journeys to Ireland in search of her mother and real answers. Along the way, she learns to harness her innate magic and trust her intuition, as best she can anyway—Cillian, a kind and passionate delegate who crosses her path, is proving much harder to read.
Only her mother could truly help her halt her ill fate and prepare her for what’s to come . . . before she gives in to the darkness she knows is buried deep within.
A sulphery scent filled the air, carried by a chill breeze. Pulled by the rushing sound of waves, Mckenna walked to the road’s end. Far below, the sea whispered its calming notes, both melodic and fierce, as though longing to impart wisdom to the land and sky. “I hadn’t realized we drove so high up.”
She followed Esme about a mile down a red dirt path, which gradually wound downwards to the water’s edge.
“Where are we?” Mckenna said as a rocky landmass came into view.
“Below, where you see the rock formation—that’s the Giant’s Causeway.”
As they drew nearer, Mckenna did a double take at the dramatic sight before her: At the foot of the cliffs lay uneven hills of thousands upon thousands of interlocked black rocks in the shape of hexagons. Like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, the pieces fit together flawlessly. Esme urged Mckenna to walk around the site. She did, stepping up and down from stone to stone.
How could they have formed so perfectly? And why were they all at different heights? How were they floating on the sea?
That was when she realized . . . “Esme, these aren’t rocks, are they? These are columns.”
“Indeed. Forty thousand columns beneath the sea—basalt columns, meaning they’re formed from lava. Some as tall as thirty-nine feet. All of this was the result of a volcanic eruption some fifty million years ago, during the Tertiary period—but of course, there’s also an Irish legend that explains it all.” Mckenna smiled at this. “A Scottish giant, Benandonner, challenged an Irish giant, Fionn MacCool, to a fight. Being very proud, Fionn accepted and built a causeway across the North Channel to Scotland for the two to battle. But when Fionn saw the size of Benandonner, he ran back to Ireland and had his wife disguise him as a baby.
“The funny bit is, when Benandonner saw the size of the baby, he thought, ‘if the baby’s that big, can’t imagine his dad!’ So, he bolted back to Scotland, destroying the causeway along the way. Across the sea to the Scottish isle of Staffa, there are the same columns, made of the same basalt.”
“So, which story is true?” If faeries and ghosts existed, why not giants?
Katrina Tortorici Anglehart is a born and bred Italian-Canadian from Montreal. A devoted academic, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism; a graduate certificate in Scriptwriting; and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. After dabbling in TV writing and working as a digital marketing content manager, she left the nine to five to launch her freelance editing and coaching career. Today, she relishes in helping aspiring authors to develop and refine their stories.
Besides English, Katrina speaks French, Italian, and Spanglish. When she’s not writing, diving into magical reads, or Netflixing, she’s travelling with her favourite human–her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband, Andy–and obsessing over her pet bunny, Magic, and newly rescued pup, Nessie. Katrina currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.
In a world where humans hate witches, there’s no one who hates them more than Jameson Tyler – they are the reason his mother and little sister are dead. Then one morning, he wakes to find those he’s hated for his entire life are now his only hope to understanding his new identity, his new life…as a witch.
Jameson has to get to the witch’s side of town – a place he’s never been and has loathed his entire life – and give up everything he’s ever known before the Witch Special Forces (WSF) captures him. On top of avoiding the WSF, when his new Headmistress attacks him, things get even more complicated.
He must accept his new fate and life before being killed, letting the Magical Community fall into the wrong hands. Can Jameson put his hatred aside or will he let his prejudice destroy them all?
“Who are you?” I stammered, trying to sound more confident than I felt. The guy was still walking toward me, weaving his way through the students and staff frozen in place.
“I’m Terin,” The guy said, as he came to stop in front of me. “What do you want?” I asked. “You.” I winced.
“Me? What do you want with me?” “Wow, you really don’t know who I am, do you?” “No…” “I’m Terin.” “You said that.” “I did, but you didn’t ask the right question. So whose fault is that?” I glanced around me, more than a little confused. I finally shrugged. “It’s yours. Now that’s two things you’re responsible for.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “I mean you didn’t ask the right question and you also froze everyone in this
school. See? One. Two.” My mouth dropped open. I stood there staring for what felt like ages. Terin
stood there, with his hands behind his back, calmly waiting for me to get over my shock. He finally cleared his throat and I shook my head. He rocked slightly on his heels.
“What are you playing at? I didn’t freeze everyone here. Only a witch would be able to do something like this and witches aren’t allowed on these grounds,” I said. I glared at him, wanting him to leave. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
“Oh, Jameson. You really don’t know anything about witches, do you?” Terin said, shaking his head. I let out a bark of laughter.
“I know everything I need to – they’re vile, freaks of nature and they should be exterminated. Why would I need to know anything else?” I spat.
“Well, for one thing, it’ll help you learn how to control the power you just sent ricocheting throughout your entire school. For another, it’ll help you actually be productive in your new classes,” Terin finished.
He waved his hand around us, gesturing to everyone who stood silently and unmoving. He turned back to me, where I was silently freaking out. I didn’t want to be here anymore.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Sure you did. When you released your anger in that little temper tantrum, you sent out your power. You were able to send a shock wave through your entire school and freeze everyone here. Must have been really pissed about something to have frozen that many people with your first spell. Quite impressive really,” Terin looked around at the people standing around us, looking mildly amused.
“I don’t understand,” I shook my head, still not connecting the dots. Terin sighed and said the three words that ruined my entire life: “You’re a witch.”
