Thursday, March 17, 2016

The Daughter of Ravenswood





About the Books
Book One: Path Unchosen
When eighteen-year-old Judy Hudson discovers she’s a necromancer and sees firsthand the pain her powers can cause the dead, she wants to deny who she is. The zombie plague is long over. She wants to find a more normal life, a challenge when a beautiful, otherworldly man who claims to be her guardian saves her life.
But as Judy tries to set right the harm she inflicted on the spirit she raised, new zombies attack--zombies raised from among the long-time dead. Someone else just like her is out there, and he's not trying to set anything right.
Now, to save her own life and protect the innocent inhabitants of the nearby town who’ve become her friends, Judy must figure out who’s raising the dead and why. She must also learn to control the darkness inside her--a seductive darkness that promises her power beyond her wildest dreams.

Book Two: Truth Unveiled

Meagan Greystone, a new necromancer who grew up orphaned and homeless, has finally discovered a community where she belongs. But as she settles in at Ravenswood Manor, her ancestral home, a strange voice in her head unravels her newfound peace.
The source of the unsettling communication is Quintus, Meagan’s distant ancestor, known for his brutality and incredible power. When she attempts to enlist her father’s help by raising him from the dead, it’s Quintus who regains a foothold in the land of the living. Now reborn, he vows to obliterate everything Meagan treasures unless she joins him in his quest for power.
Meagan must overcome the heartbreak of unimaginable betrayal and fight in the face of a seemingly hopeless situation. Will she find the strength she needs to defeat the power of darkness and save the people and home she has grown to cherish?

Excerpt

I shouldn’t still be here.
The sisters find jobs for everyone before
their eighteenth birthdays, but mine came and
went, unnoticed, two weeks ago.
I blew hot breath on my hands and
crunched across the frost-covered ground.
Chickens clucked and pecked at my heels until I
filled all the feeding troughs. There was no point
in pestering the sisters about why they’d
forgotten me. They would just try to find even
worse punishments for me. I would have to
leave and find work on my own. I couldn’t bear
spending the rest of my life doing mundane
chores around St. Stephen’s Orphanage.
I picked the eggs out of the laying
baskets, wiped them clean, and placed them in
the bucket. Twenty-three eggs today. At least
Cook would be pleased.
In the last basket, instead of an egg, a
lump of brown fur nestled amongst the hay. I
groaned so loud the noise would have scared a
healthy rabbit away. I lowered the egg bucket
and leaned forward. My breath formed a cloud
of white air that hung over the limp body.
I carefully lifted the rabbit from the
prickly straw bed, but it sagged, glassy-eyed and
dead in my hand.
I stroked its silky fur and whispered to
the cold body. Butterflies squirmed in my
stomach, and an army of tiny feet danced across
my skin. I rubbed my finger gently where I
thought the rabbit’s heart might be. It felt right,
as if I had to do it.
A heavy weight pushed against my chest.
What was happening to me? I forced myself to
focus, but the effort drained me. I sank to my
knees and sagged against the bowed shelf.
The rabbit twitched and seemed to
whisper back to me. Its eyes flicked open and
looked right into mine, and its back feet kicked
into my wrist as it squirmed to get free. I jerked
up straight, then eased back onto my heels and
sucked deep breaths into tight lungs.
“Judy!” Sister Margaret hurried across
the shed. “What are you doing? Are you hurt?”
I couldn’t let her catch me again. This
happened once before, a month ago when a dead
otter wriggled off my lap right in front of Sister
Beatrice. I’d ended up locked in the library for
the rest of the day and overnight.
I let the rabbit go. It darted under a pile
of hay and, I hoped, out through the hole at the
bottom of the shed.
I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the
bucket. “No, Sister, I’m fine.”
“Then why are you dilly-dallying? You’ll
be late for the guest speaker. Give me that.” She
snatched the bucket from my hand. “No time for
breakfast. Go directly to the hall.”
I raced along the tiled colonnade, trying
to tuck bits of stray hair into my ponytail as I
ran. With a bit of luck I wouldn’t be the last one
to clatter into the hall. I turned the corner and
reeled back.

Author Bio


Kim Cleary is the award-winning author of Path Unchosen, the first title in the Daughter of Ravenswood series, which earned a bronze IPPY award in 2015. She grew up in Birmingham, United Kingdom, studied medieval history and psychology at Adelaide University in Southern Australia, and has worked all over Australia and in London.
Forced to leave a successful career in marketing after multiple sclerosis damaged her hands and prevented her from typing, Cleary learned how to write using voice software.
A self-described chocoholic, Cleary loves writing, gardening, cooking, playing with her dogs, and spending time with friends. She lives with her husband and two dogs, an adorable cocker spaniel and a mischievous moodle, in Melbourne, Australia.

Links

Buy the Books

No comments:

Post a Comment