Howdy, everyone! Today I have an amazing roundup of novels for you by my featured author, Kristina Circelli. If you missed the interview, it's a must read, check it out
here. So sit back, relax, grab a cup of Jo, and let's get going!
Title:
Beyond The Western Sun (The Whisper Legacy Book 1)
Genre: Native American Fiction
Length (print): 290 pages
Amazon Link:
FREE
Synopsis:
A gripping journey into the heart of Native American legend,
Beyond the
Western Sun follows the epic struggle of Whisper, a young female
Cherokee apprentice, on a harrowing adventure into the Land of the Dead
to save the captive son of Ian Diavya. Together they face insurmountable
odds, conquer terrible demons, and in the process, find a strength and
courage within themselves neither knew possible. What they don’t know is
that these early adventures are only tests, for to save Ian’s son, they
must also stop the evil-minded Raven-Eater from unleashing his Army of
the Dead to destroy the living world. To do that, it will take courage,
humility, and extraordinary self-sacrifice.
An epic saga of hope, redemption, and undying love, Beyond the
Western Sun is what all fantasy adventures must strive to be: a complex,
intricate examination of human emotion set within the context of worlds
known only in our imagination. And in this regard, Beyond the Western
Sun is a stunning achievement. Melding fantasy and legend in an epic
quest, the third novel of her young career signals the arrival of
Kristina Circelli as a master storyteller. Creating the indelible
character of Whisper, vividly portraying the worlds that she and Ian
must traverse to accomplish their goal, and capturing their human
frailties, hopes and fears with depth and touching sincerity, Ms.
Circelli reminds us with stunning precision the greatness we are all
capable of, and the heavy price our actions can rend.
Title:
Walk the Red Road (The Whisper Legacy Book 2)
Genre: Native American Fiction
Length (print): 301 pages
Amazon Link:
$2.99
Synopsis:
Deep in the heart of the Land of the Dead, the half-breed struggles to be free.
Eighteen years have passed since she destroyed the Raven-Eater and
took her place as the rightful heir of the Fire Tower. Now, Whisper must
face her most treacherous enemy yet in Walk the Red Road. Book Two of
The Whisper Legacy takes readers on a deep exploration into spirit
realms on the brink of self-destruction, where betrayal and death lurk
around every shadow.
Guided by Kamama and protected by Hunting Hawk, Whisper embarks on a
journey of discovery that will show her the way to the Red Road, and to
the child who threatens to end her reign. But when Smoke Speaker breaks
his sacred vow and the Great Spirit steals from Whisper what is
rightfully hers, she must decide which bloodline she will follow-the
gentle heart of her mother, or the spiteful vengeance that once drove
the Raven-Eater.
Continuing the realm-crossing saga of Beyond the Western Sun, Walk
the Red Road spirals into a journey to the Self, revealing the pains of
betrayal and the struggle to accept both halves of one's soul in order
to become whole. This sequel by accomplished author Kristina Circelli
exposes the deepest, darkest parts of her extraordinary characters while
reminding us all of the delicate balance between faith, love, and
legacy.
Title:
Into the Shadow Realm (The Whisper Legacy Book 3)
Genre: Native American Fiction
Length (print): 251 pages
Amazon Link:
$2.99
Synopsis:
Destiny. Adventure. Redemption. Legend.
She destroyed the Raven-Eater and declared war on the Great Spirit.
Now, Whisper must embrace her dark destiny yet again, traveling deep
into the shadow world to right the wrongs committed by her own hand. In a
place where strength and hope do not exist, her every power and belief
will be tested, reminding her of the lover she left behind – and the
child she abandoned.
In her absence, her enemies thrive. Sun Woman seeks revenge on the
living realm. Creator's servant seeks to destroy the heir to the Land of
the Dead. And the third rises from the dead while luring Whisper closer
to her own destruction.
Into the Shadow Realm takes readers on Whisper’s final quest through
the shadows to reveal her path – and the sacrifices she must make to
save the ones she loves. In Book Three of The Whisper Legacy, author
Kristina Circelli weaves figures of Whisper’s past into stories that
tell her future, completing her journey of warfare, power, and
self-discovery.
Title:
The NeverGenre: Fantasy
Length (print): 278 pages
Amazon Link:
$2.99
Synopsis:
*Due to mature content, The Never is recommended for readers ages 18+*
“Out of nothing, we create something.”
Arianna has spent her entire life being called a dreamer, an artist
who created a world no one else can see. And for her entire life, she
has taken the medication that keeps that world – and the one who brought
her there – at bay.
Now an adult, Arianna reawakens that part of herself kept locked
away in the darkest corners of her mind. When she hides her medicine
from her fiancé’s ever-watchful eye, he returns – the shadow in the
night who collects her for an adventure known only in her fantasies.
But something is different about this world called The Never. It is
no longer the cheerful place filled with light and laughter that she
knew as a child. Now, the sea creatures drag their visitors into the
depths of murky waters. The natives battle to the death against the
tribe of children. And the pirates, led by the feared captain called The
Hunter, seek out Arianna for their own sinister plans.
As Arianna goes deeper into The Never, she discovers just what her
connection to the land means – and must choose between her life rooted
in reality, and the world where anything is possible.
Title:
The Helping Hands (Helping Hands #1)
Genre: Action and Adventure
Length (print): 236 pages
Amazon Link:
$3.95
Synopsis:
The kidnappings of seventy-one children began the legend, but five
friends with troubled pasts and courageous futures created it. Melanie
O’Conner and her friends earned their reputation as rough and tough gang
members, but the Hell Hounds were a mere front to their true operation.
Fueled by the pain of a past filled with foster homes and cold-hearted
guardians, Melanie lives with a deep, undying devotion to saving the
lives of children who are victim to child abuse. Bringing them to a
secluded island called the Treehouse, Melanie and her gang feeds,
schools, and cares for them all, leaving the parents nothing more than a
message claiming that their child has been taken. Now, four years into
the project dubbed the Helping Hands by the five members of the cover-up
gang the Hell Hounds, Melanie has to fight to keep the nosy,
self-interested reporter Stephanie Mathews from exposing the truth being
her project. And Melanie is willing to do anything to save the lives of
innocent children from their abusive parents, even if that means
risking her own.
Title:
Shadows in the Night (Helping Hands #2)
Genre: Action and Adventure
Length (print): 254 pages
Amazon Link:
$3.95
Synopsis:
Melanie O’Conner is being released back into society after her arrest
seven years ago. Fighting to keep hold over new Helping Hand gangs
across the country, she struggles to find the balance between her past
and “normal” life. But transitioning into that new, normal life doesn’t
come easily. Her friends have gangs of their own, past acquaintances
have moved on, and now someone is after her, vowing to kill those she
loves so she can watch them die… Melanie is forced to watch the Helping
Hands run into traps, thwarted by abusive parents and thugs wanting
money, until they lose sight of what O’Connor has taught them. When
Tyler turns away from her, a close friend is murdered, and the Helping
Hands are threatened by shadows lurking in the night, Melanie must make a
decision - give up her project and save her friends, or embrace her
past, and fight to the death.
Title:
The Iron Fist (Helping Hands #3)
Genre: Action and Adventure
Length (print): 259 pages
Amazon Link:
$3.95
Synopsis:
When one of their own was murdered, everyone feared it would be the end
to the Helping Hands. But as they are now learning, the real difficulty
lies not in mourning the loss of a friend, but in protecting the project
that took his life.
Kelly Mitchell is dedicated to just one thing -
protecting her little sister from their stepfather’s wrath. When her
family moves to San Francisco, she struggles to keep her home life a
secret, avoiding the charms of her neighbor, Robbie Anderson. But when
her stepfather sets her up and sends her to a juvenile detention camp,
Kelly will attain her own protection in the service of Melanie O’Conner.
Forcing
herself back into society as a reformed rebel, Melanie finds herself
surrounded by a life filled with friends, security, and family. But the
illusion of a life without disaster is shattered upon the discovery of a
new, unplanned gang of Helping Hands, and two cops threatening to put
her back in prison.
When faced with the copycat gang that brings the
FBI to her front door, when Kelly and her sister plead for an escape
from the iron fist of their abusive stepfather, when Tyler lands in the
hospital and faces death, Melanie must decide which is more important -
having a normal life away from the burdens of her past, or protecting
the project that granted her that life.
Whatever choice she makes, someone must suffer the consequences.
Title:
Abandon (Helping Hands #4)
Genre: Action and Adventure
Length (print): 307 pages
Amazon Link:
$3.95
Synopsis:
Melanie O Conner is no stranger to having enemies. But after fifteen
years heading the clandestine Helping Hands project, she will soon learn
that those enemies come in many forms, including ones she never would
have suspected.
Her enemies’ current goal: destroy The Helping
Hands and everything they stand for. And so, Project: Abandon is
launched. Children are killed just as her Helping Hands gangs prepare to
save them. Someone attacks Melanie during a visit to her hometown. And
when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, the ones she loves most are
kidnapped or even murdered.
Now, Melanie must rely on her
strengths, street smarts, and courage to face her tormentors before they
tear down the framework she worked so hard to build - and before they
take her family away from her one by one. It is up to her to save those
still alive - or die trying.
Title:
The Sour Orange DerbyGenre: Young Adult Contemporary Coming-of-age
Length (print): 210 pages
Amazon Link:
$2.99
Synopsis:
One lone tree is all that remains of the cherished Standridge family
orange groves, a legacy that goes back as far as the Civil War. But for
young Colly Standridge, that solitary tree is at the center of a magical
world.
Inspired by real people, The Sour Orange Derby follows the lives of
Colly, who dreams of becoming a professional baseball player, and K.B.
Standridge, an imaginative old man who spends his days creating stories
for his grandchildren to enjoy while searching for a new family legacy –
and finds it in his last beloved orange tree.
A story about love and healing steeped in southern traditions, The
Sour Orange Derby is a tale of one family joining together to celebrate
life and history, and how their last remaining orange tree holds them
all together when the young boy’s fight with cancer threatens to tear
them apart.
Kristina Circelli, accomplished author of
The Helping Hands and
The
Whisper Legacy series, is proud to take readers on a literary journey
into her childhood, offering a glimpse of the magical worlds and
imaginative stories created by her beloved grandfather.
Title:
A Single SwimGenre: Non-Fiction/Environmental Science
Length (print): 110 pages
Amazon Link:
$1.99
Synopsis:
On August 13th, 2011, sixteen-year-old Courtney Nash passed away after
contracting Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba that lurks in warm
waters. This is her story.
A Single Swim follows Courtney's life and death, while taking a
closer look into an amoebic infection very few people ever hear about -
until it's too late. Tracing as far back as 1960s, Naegleria fowleri and
the resulting infection of this parasite have taken more than a dozen
lives, with a fatality rate of nearly 100%.
Through an examination of Courtney's case along with stories of
other victims across the United States, A Single Swim offers a glimpse
into our waters' rare silent killer. From ecology to symptoms, hospital
care to awareness, find out what can happen ... after a single swim.
Title:
Fade into the WoodworkGenre: Contemporary Suspence
Length (print): 168 pages
Amazon Link:
$1.99
Synopsis:
Abducted in broad daylight, locked away in a basement cage, starved for food and light - how would you escape your prison?
Valentina Murdoch finds herself asking that same question after she
is attacked and kidnapped one ordinary morning. Brought to a secluded
hideaway in the middle of the woods to await her fate at the hands of
"the boss," she has but days to survive.
Utilizing her love of action movies to create a plan, Valentina
plots her escape while battling a crippling fear of the dark - for the
dark is where her childhood nightmare lurks, waiting for her one moment
of weakness. But as the clock winds down and her husband's search for
her threatens his own life, Valentina realizes that her true fight lies
within herself.
Will she have the strength to survive, or will the dark - and all the figures that haunt it - finally win?
Title:
Damsel NotGenre: Young Adult Fantasy
Length (print): 225 pages
Amazon Link:
$2.95
Synopsis:
In the days of old, one knight fought to save the maiden he loved – a battle that ended in a bloody promise for the future.
In the days of the 21st Century, Izz doesn’t believe in prophecies. A
recent widow, she struggles to find the passion that once fueled her
life – a passion that is reignited the day a knight in disguise cuts
into her life in a flash of swordplay and seductive grins.
Izz doesn’t want to love him. The guilt of moving on nearly crushes
her, yet she finds herself unable to resist the touch, the feel, the
scent of the man who leaves her breathless with just one look. But each
day Izz finds herself drawn to Cade, the more danger she finds herself
in, for someone believes Izz to be at the center of an ages-old prophecy
– and will do anything to stop it.
When threatening messages turn even more dangerous, Izz must
rediscover a part of herself she’s never known before and fight to save
her knight in shining armor. With only a sword passed down throughout
the generations to guide her, Izz must prove to her adversary that
unlike maidens of old, she will never be a damsel in distress.
Title:
Fragile CreaturesGenre: Young Adult Contemporary
Length (print): 274 pages
Amazon Link:
$2.99
Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Evangeline Frost had a great life, until the car
accident that killed her father and turned her mother into a bitter
alcoholic. Unable to bear the guilt, Evangeline attempts to take her own
life, saved only by the memory of her beloved father.
Left with no other options, Evangeline is enrolled in a program for
troubled teens at Kindred Hides Wildlife Preserve. There she meets
Caster, a keeper as annoying as he is caring; Jett and Lettie, who treat
her more like a daughter than troubled teen; and Ruke, a prized giraffe
in mourning for his lost mate.
Immersed in the preserve with her new friends, Evangeline finally
begins to heal. But the haunting memories of the accident and her
mother’s unforgiving words threaten to destroy her progress. Only her
new friends and their unconditional support, along with her own special
connection with Ruke, can save her.
Evangeline must learn that there is redemption for her father’s
death, and that the bonds between human, animal, and life are not as
fragile as she once thought.
Title:
Dungeon: a short story by Kristina Circelli
Genre: Contemporary short story
Length (print): 40 pages
Amazon Link:
$0.99Synopsis:
Locked away from civilization. Starved for a freedom yet to come. Lost in the world they created for themselves.
They
were friends once, before they were prisoners. Then they were allies,
dependent on one another for daily survival. When they escaped, if they
escaped, more than just that bond built on desperation, loneliness, and
familiarity would be tested.
Their existence - one small,
cramped room with a cracked table in its center. Their reality - secrets
and lies and a struggle to balance the present with the past.
They were the four. They were the prisoners of the Dungeon.
How's that for one hell of a bibliography? Which ones look most interesting to you?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Blurb: Not everyone wants to be a leader.
Blurb: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Blurb: When hope is lost, the one thing you can trust is love.
Blurb: Jacob Smith is an average thirteen-year-old boy.
