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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Spirit Stealer - Today's the day

Today my Middle Grade book Spirit Stealer is released by MuseItUp Publishing. I'd like to share the blurb and an excerpt with your.

Blurb
The library is a different world when the doors close for the night. Playful phantoms emerge to tease Fader, the street urchin who sleeps in the warm building. The atmosphere becomes more sinister when the green phantom appears. To stay strong, he steals the spirits of children who enter, or are locked in, the library at night. The bodies of his victims disappear. The spirit stealer's attack on Fader leaves the boy with half a spirit, trapping him in the library forever.

Half a century later Amelia joins Fader when she is locked in by mistake. Fader tries to protect her from the spirit stealer but he fails with disastrous consequences.

Time moves on and a century after the library opened Tyler tries to rescue those trapped by the spirit stealer. Will his attempt succeed?

Excerpt
“What’s this?” Fader recognised the bull roaring tone of the man from the previous day. “Why is this door unlocked? Who stuck this paper in the lock? Get it out immediately and make sure the door is locked before you go home each night. We don’t want riff raff getting into the library.”

Fader’s heart sank.

The silly old fool’s found out how I got in. I’ll have to find another way, some place he won’t discover. He cheered up. I’ve got all night to work on that.

Fader spent the beginning of the night searching the building, looking for another way into the library. He searched the main entry and laughed as he sat in the Chief Librarian’s chair and twirled round.

I’ve got to find some way to get in. His gaze roamed the space before the front doors. Somewhere the pompous old fool wouldn’t even think to check.

Fader looked toward a small door on one side of the main desk.

Please let there be something to help me in here, he prayed as he opened the door.

The room held books neatly stacked on the floor and shelves. A bookcase hid the bottom half of a small window, but it only took a moment for Fader to fiddle with the catch. When he finished, it appeared to be locked, though it didn’t shut completely. He pulled the shelving further across until it hid the catch, but left enough room above for him to climb the shelves and slip out through the window.

The window entrance proved to be safer than the alley door. He didn’t have to worry someone might see him, or the window would be found and locked. He arrived after the library closed and left before it opened—too early and late for the librarians, lessening the chance of capture. Half his nights he spent reading and the other half sleeping. Weeks passed, and his nocturnal visits remained undiscovered. Fader began to think of the nighttime library as his very own place.

Then the noises started.

Buy Links: MuseItUp Publishing

Amazon

3 comments:

Cellophane Queen said...

I'm so happy for you! I followed your guest posting with interest in September and was rooting for Spirit Stealer's publication. Yay! It's here!

Sue Perkins said...

Wow Marva, I've only just put this post up, you were definitely quick off the mark. Thank you so much for your comment.

Charlie said...

Cheers! Happy Book Birthday. I'm so excited for this book. I've got to check it out. Just in time for a spooky Halloween tale! Yay. Wishing you all the best of luck.
C.K. Volnek