The Gifted Ones: guest post, teaser

The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale by P. G. Shriver 

YA fantasy*e-book, pages: 274*Publisher: Gean Penny (February 15, 2012) 

Thrown together by the cruelties of a modern day world in which genuine compassion is rare, evil abounds, and goodness is often tainted by the fight to survive, two unusually gifted teenagers discover they are linked by a fairytale told them repeatedly throughout their youth by their late mothers. 

Destiny awaits them, but first they must locate the others, as the fairytale foretells, to defeat the evil monster who waits and change the lonely world in which they live. Only then will they find peace... and family. 

For my guest post today, I would like to share an excerpt from the second book in the series The Gifted Ones, The Dream:

The circle of flames danced in the darkness about Thad. Fear bubbled in his chest, rumbling up his throat, the scream closing his esophagus. His tongue touched the roof of his mouth attempting to form a word.

Rebecca's blonde strands floated into his vision, across the circle of fire, if only he could reach her.

His hand moved into view, reaching out, grasping at the twisting, spiraling tendrils floating upward, caught in a whirlwind. If he could just get a grip on her hair, he could pull her to him, save her.

The fear in his chest moved down his arm; the hand before him trembled.

"Go on, reach!' a horrid voice filled his ears, and then the face, the laugh, the flaming circle shrinking into the oval shape of the faceless man.

The lone word erupted weakly with his appearance, "No!"

Thad's hand pulled free from the flames and found another hand.

He looked to his left; it was Cai, anger tensing her jaw, filling her features, reflecting in her dark eyes.

Gripping her hand for strength, he felt a squeeze on his right hand.

Hoping it was Rebecca's hand closing about his, he turned, and the fire shifted, providing a vision of floating hair across the flames.

Nathan then, it must be Nathan, the two angry ones on either side of him, giving him strength, but when he looked, it was not Nathan.

It was the other girl from his dream the night before, the angry one with the flowing brown hair, the one surrounded by darkness, and at her other side, the teenage boy from Rebecca's picture.

"Unite, Gifted Ones! He's gaining strength! We must find each other through the flames! Reach!"

Rebecca screamed, her body rising into a torrent of wind, flames licking at her, reaching higher, pushing her upward.

Almost out of reach, Nathan jumped for her hand as it spun before him, pulling her feet back to the ground. Rebecca's hair rose with the fiery wind, as did Cai's black hair and the other girl's.

"You will not win! You were destined to die!" the heat filled, hoarse voice rumbled into Thad's heart. His grip on Cai's hand loosened, but she tightened hers.

Thad turned a grateful look toward Cai and saw Nathan on her other side gripping her left hand, Rebecca beyond him, and another hand, and arm, leading to one without a face.

Another Gifted One? A prince?

"Stop looking at them! Look at me! I own you! I am your leader! You were never one of them! Look at me!" the voice roared, shaking free the hands that provided support and kept Thad focused.

"Noooooo!" Thad's body twirled upward into the hot whirlwind.

About the author: 

P. G. Shriver 

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Born in California, and raised in Minnesota and Texas, P.G. spent her early years writing poetry and winning poetry contests, while escaping the drama in her own childhood by reading great books for children. Ever since her earliest days, she loved story telling. She wrote numerous short stories in High School and her early college years, continually trying to relive that first experience at the age of seven of seeing her name in print in the local newspaper. 

P.G. sought her education at the University of Texas, where she studied English, literature, and Education. During the entire process of earning her BA and M.Ed, she never stopped writing and trying to be published. It was during this time that her first children's book No More Stinkbugs! was accepted for publication by Castle Keep Press. Many of her stories develop from nature. 

P.G. graduated college and began her career in education, another great world that offered real experiences to humor and delight through children's books. She watched children interact, bringing to surface her own experiences as a child and yet more events to write about. While teaching, she discovered many great books for young people, such as The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Maniac Magee, So. B. It and many more. She is a fan of Dean Koontz novels, too, and loves reading fantasy and paranormal books. 

P.G. was married 20 years in March 2012 and has a bright, young daughter who has begun her own college career. She lives on a small farm in Texas with her family and animals. P.G. has experienced great love and loss throughout her life. Those her family has lost have dedications in her books. 

P.G. has two young adult books published, Dead Perfect and The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale the first book in The Gifted Ones Trilogy. She also has several children's books written under Gean Penny, her pseudonym. P. G. has since dissolved her contract for her first book with Castle Keep Press and moved the title to her own imprint, Gean Penny Books.