The Books

Okay, so the books I’m showing you aren’t published yet.  Which means they are still liquid – changeable.  I’m showing you these chapters and hoping you’ll tell me whether you think the book is worth reading – are you intrigued?  Would you like to see more?  Do you like the characters?

Whether I take these to New York or simply publish them myself – I haven’t decided yet.  Ebooks are certainly easily done, and I might do that.  But real pages-and-binding books are my favorite.  What you say here will help me decide.

What I’d really like to see is this: read the chapters, head for the forum, and give me both barrels.  Tell me what you like and what you don’t like.  Do you like the characters?  Hate them?  Is the story not unfolding fast enough for you?  Or too fast?  Or just right?  Do you get a feel for the world of the story right away?  Is the language good – magical or straight forward – warm enough?

You can leave comments or questions on the actual page, but I think the forum would be more fun.  I’ll answer questions there, respond to your opinions – but please do be polite and civil, will ya?  Even if you hate something.

Thomas Trueson is a romantic fantasy deliberately set in a journey-through-the-forest world.  It features the brooding, tempestuous-but-charming Thomas, the vain but wonderful Avvin, and the perky and irrepressible Bridget, along with a cast of familiar and fun characters

Spinners is the retelling of a fairy tale, also romantic – mysterious heros, magic, secret passages, danger, dash, independent women and, best of all, horses.

New Moon Farm is the first book in a series about Xan, living and working on her parents’ horse farm.  It’s a horse rescue operation paired with equine therapy for  young people of all ages.  And all kinds.  Xan is independent, powerful, opinionated – and runs up hard against the challenges she has to learn to understand in the group her mother assigns to her.  Hint: she doesn’t always do so hot.  Nothing like a therapist who needs therapy.  And there are horses.  Plenty of them.

The Gardener is a YA story, framed as I seem to like to frame them: the family moves (this time, to a New England beach village) and adventures unfold.  I love the characters in this book – charming, malevolent, odd – all interesting.  And the mystery – WHO is doing WHAT?  The manuscript is with Lisa Sandell of Scholastic.  I have included my first chapter here, while we wait.

Golden Boy is a middle grades chapter book about a not-so-good good kid who takes life in his own way, and finds out that life bites back.  It’s silly and funny and scary – and don’t we hope – if it all comes out right in the end – that Brandon actually learns something from all this?  Don’t hold your breath . .  .

Legacy of the Dragon Part One: The Water Demon.  This is a book that Chaz and I wrote together.  It’s done in the spirit of Avatar (airbender) – the animated one, not the live action thing.  The series is an attempt to warp the folklore of a mess of cultures, finding unlikely similarities and cobbling one story out of all – we start in ancient Japan where an ancient mystery unfolds.  Actually we START in California, at a Japanese nursery that is growing more than plants –

It’s crazy and silly and scary and funny and there are a couple of horses, a significant cat, demons and badgers and magic and monsters only of the most traditional kind – with a heroine who shines and a charming sidekick or two.  It’s a romp through time and space, with the universe at stake.

The manuscript is presently with Shadow Mountain.  I am trying to decide whether to post chapters –

So there you are!  Dive in – I hope you find something here that really resonates in your dreams!

Kristen