Sharon Ledwith: I came. I saw. I wrote.: Teen Psychic Mysteries

Showing posts with label Teen Psychic Mysteries. Show all posts

Monday, 7 September 2020

Recipe and a Read: Labor Day Classic Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo and a Teen Psychic Mystery to Solve by Sharon Ledwith...

Picture this – savory, sautéed chicken cooked in a cheesy, creamy sauce with Roma tomatoes, served atop a bed of fettuccini pasta. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is. One of my go-to meals I order at a restaurant includes this classic pasta dish. So, I thought I’d bring this Italian favorite from the restaurant into your kitchen to enjoy with 8 of your family or friends wherever and whenever you choose to get-together. With a prep time of 30 minutes, and a cook time of 30 minutes, you can divvy up the duties and make it a culinary collaboration. Wine, of course, is optional, but encouraged.

Classic Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves, cut into cubes
6 tbsp. butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 lb. (454 g) fettuccini pasta
1 onion, diced
1 – 8 oz. (227 g) package sliced mushrooms
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground white pepper
3 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ozs. (227 g) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
½ cup sour cream

IN a large skillet set over medium heat combine chicken, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from skillet and set aside.

BRING a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

MEANWHILE, melt remaining butter in the skillet. Sauté onion, remaining garlic, and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and half-and-half, stirring until smooth and creamy. Blend in Parmesan and Colby-Monterey Jack cheeses. Continue to stir until cheese is melted. Stir in chicken mixture, tomatoes, and sour cream. Serve over cooked fettuccini.

IF by any chance you have leftovers, the Alfredo mixture freezes well.

Has all this cooking made you ‘stir’ crazy? After your guest have departed, may I suggest settling in with a good book and a glass of wine? How about a visit to Fairy Falls, or if you’re feeling really adventurous, a trip back in time with The Last Timekeepers? Whichever you choose, I guarantee either series will take you on a journey far away from dirty dishes and messy pots.

Here's a glimpse into one of the books from Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, my teen psychic mystery series.

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

City born and bred, Hart Stewart possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. Since his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Hart has endured homelessness, and has learned ways to keep his illiteracy under wraps. He eventually learns of a great-aunt living in Fairy Falls, and decides to leave the only life he’s ever known for an uncertain future.

Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls. Her mother was a victim of a senseless murder. Only Diana’s unanswered questions and her grief keeps her going, until Hart finds her mother’s lost ring and becomes a witness to her murder. Through Hart’s psychic power, Diana gains hope for justice.

Their investigation leads them into the corrupt world threatening Fairy Falls. To secure the town’s future, Hart and Diana must join forces to uncover the shocking truth, or they risk losing the true essence of Fairy Falls forever.

AMAZON BUY LINK

Monday, 16 March 2020

The Perfect Comfort Food and YA Mystery Read for March Break...

The perfect comfort food to serve your family or friends in late fall, the dead of winter or early spring, these melt-in-your-mouth chops are the most tender—dare I say succulent pork chops—you’ve ever tasted. Food seems to be the source of comfort in all family matters, and I’ve found that meals bring us together to celebrate, cry or support each other in so many ways. Call me sentimental, but there’s something about those family chats at the dinner table after a long day or weekly family get-togethers on Sunday that you’ll hold in your heart for years to come.

Succulent Sour Cream Pork Chops

6 pork chops
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. (15ml) olive oil
1 large onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp. (30ml) flour
1 8 oz. (250 g) container sour cream

SEASON pork with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge in flour.

HEAT a skillet over medium heat. Add oil. When the oil shimmers lightly brown chops.

PLACE chops in slow cooker, and top with onion slices. Dissolve bouillon in boiling water and pour over chops. Cover, and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

PREHEAT oven to 200° F (95° C).

AFTER the chops have cooked, transfer them to the oven to keep war. Be careful, the chops are so tender they will fall apart.

IN a small bowl, blend flour with sour cream. Stir into meat juices in slow cooker. Turn cooker to HIGH for 15 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened.

SPOON sauce on pork chops, and serve over rice or noodles.

With a prep time of 15 minutes and cook time of 8 ½ hours, there’s plenty of time to get some weekend reading done while you wait for your guests to arrive. May I suggest a visit to Fairy Falls, or if you’re feeling really adventurous, a trip back in time with The Last Timekeepers? Whichever you choose, I guarantee either series will take you on a journey far away from dirty dishes and messy pots.

Here's a glimpse into one of the books from Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, my teen psychic mystery series.

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

City born and bred, Hart Stewart possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. Since his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Hart has endured homelessness, and has learned ways to keep his illiteracy under wraps. He eventually learns of a great-aunt living in Fairy Falls, and decides to leave the only life he’s ever known for an uncertain future.

Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls. Her mother was a victim of a senseless murder. Only Diana’s unanswered questions and her grief keeps her going, until Hart finds her mother’s lost ring and becomes a witness to her murder.

Through Hart’s psychic power, Diana gains hope for justice. Their investigation leads them into the corrupt world threatening Fairy Falls. To secure the town’s future, Hart and Diana must join forces to uncover the shocking truth, or they risk losing the true essence of Fairy Falls forever.

AMAZON BUY LINK

Thursday, 31 October 2019

Psychometry 101...

The second installment of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, Blackflies and Blueberries, features Hart Stewart—a teenage psychometrist who has no problem reading the energy imprints from an object like a ring or watch, but struggles with the most basic reading skills. In world-renowned, late psychic Sylvia Browne’s book, Phenomenon, she explains—“Psychometry is the ability to sense and interpret the living energy that’s been absorbed by inanimate objects. Perceptions of that energy can come in the form of visions, smells, sounds, emotions and even specific empathic physical sensations like pain, heat and cold.”

So how does this psychic ability actually work? By handling objects, the psychic receives impressions through clairvoyance, telepathy, retrocognition (knowledge of a past event that could not be learned or inferred by normal means), and precognition (future sight). The act of reading an object in this manner is called ‘psychometrizing’. The term ‘psychometry’ comes from the Greek words psyche, ‘soul’, and metron, ‘measure’. It was coined in 1840 by Joseph R. Buchanan, an American professor of physiology who saw psychometry as a means to measure the ‘soul’ of objects.

Supposedly the best ‘psychically’ conductive materials are metals. So jewelry would be great picks for a psychometry reading. If an object has been owned by more than one person, such as an antique, a percipient may pick up information about different people. Psychics who specialize in psychometry when working with law enforcement, for example, can hold an article of a missing child’s clothing or piece of jewelry and, by reading the child’s energy contained in that clothing or jewelry, receive images or smells or sounds from where the child is, sense whether the child is feeling frightened or is with someone who makes them feel secure, and/or perceive any injuries the child might have. Cue The Twilight Zone music.

Believe it or not, you’ve used psychometry at one time or another. Think about when you’ve shopped for a purse or article of clothing—you pick up the desired item, and depending on whatever feeling it gives you, there might be something about it that makes you put it back and keep looking. An odd feeling. A weird thought. A shiver. That’s psychometry. Or you’ll be house-hunting or apartment-hunting and walk into a place that’s perfect and ideal in every way, with the one exception that for some reason you can’t wait to get out of there. That’s psychometry too.

You may think of psychometrists as modern day time travelers. With one touch of an object in an antique shop or museum, they can be whisked away into another time period. Oh, think of the things we could learn about history and historical events. And think of the cold case crimes that could be solved. So the next time you pick up an object, remember that it always has something to say. Even if you don’t like it.

Ready to receive a little foresight into Blackflies and Blueberries, the second installment of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls teen psychic mystery series? Here’s a glimpse…

AMAZON BUY LINK

Monday, 9 September 2019

Recipe and Read of the Month: A Welcome Break with Gingerbread Coffee Cake and the Newest Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery by Sharon Ledwith...

Face it, we all need breaks! A needed holiday a couple of times a year. A long weekend to unwind. A day off to recharge. Even when we’re working, we need to take at least fifteen minutes away from our jobs after we’ve been working non-stop for two or three hours. Hey, we’re not robots, and if our jobs require us to sit, stand, or walk around for any length of time, our bodies will eventually tire, and we lose our focus. And that could cause plenty of headaches for business owners, retail stores, and manufacturers.

Even when I’m writing a book, I make sure I include plenty of sequels between scenes. It’s kind of like a coffee break (or tea if you’re so inclined) for your reader. Scenes include plenty of activity and emotion, at times keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Sequels are devised to break the tension where there’s less activity, letting the readers’ emotions rest. I use this technique in both my young adult book series, The Last Timekeepers and Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls. This way, there’s a balance between the calm and chaos in every tale I write, and doesn’t leave my reader feeling exhausted at the end of the book.

Ready for a break? How about a slice of homemade coffee cake? It’s a twist on what you would think of as seasonal baking, and trust me, this cake is great for your anticipated time out, whether you’re at work or at home working on your next novel or artistic endeavor. With a prep time of 15 minutes and a total time of 1 hour, 25 minutes, this cake serves about 24 of your closest colleagues.

Gingerbread Coffee Cake

3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 tbsp. (45 mL) cocoa powder, sifted
1 tbsp. (15 mL) ground ginger
2 tsp. (10 mL) ground cinnamon
2 tsp. (10 mL) baking powder
1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda
½ tsp. (2 mL) each salt and ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. (1 mL) ground cloves
⅔ cup (150 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups (375 mL) sugar
3 eggs
½ cup (125 mL) molasses
1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extract
2 cups (500 mL) sour cream

PREHEAT oven to 350 °F (180°C).

GREASE 9 or 10 inch (23 or 25 cm) Bundt pan. Dust with flour.

IN a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.

IN a separate bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, with an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in molasses and vanilla.

SET mixer on low speed. Alternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream, making 3 additions of flour mixture and 2 of sour cream and scraping down side of bowl as necessary.

SCRAPE batter into prepared pan, smoothing top.

BAKE until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of cake, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

LET cool completely in pan on wire rack. Invert onto serving plate. Prepare sauce to drizzle over cake.

Coffee Caramel Sauce

1½ cups (375 mL) firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup (60 mL) brewed coffee (brew stronger than package directions)
¼ cup (60 mL) 35% whipping cream, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ tsp. (1 mL) salt

IN a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar and coffee. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 12 to 15 minutes.

REMOVE from heat. Stir in cream, butter and salt. Drizzle over gingerbread cake. Slice and serve.

So, now that you’ve baked to your heart’s content, it’s time for your break! Leave those dirty dishes in the sink, pour yourself a cup of your favorite hot beverage, and go curl up on the couch with one of my books. May I suggest a visit to Fairy Falls? Just remember to pack lightly.

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

City born and bred, Hart Stewart possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. Since his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Hart has endured homelessness, and has learned ways to keep his illiteracy under wraps. He eventually learns of a great-aunt living in Fairy Falls, and decides to leave the only life he’s ever known for an uncertain future.

Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls. Her mother was a victim of a senseless murder. Only Diana’s unanswered questions and her grief keeps her going, until Hart finds her mother’s lost ring and becomes a witness to her murder.

Through Hart’s psychic power, Diana gains hope for justice. Their investigation leads them into the corrupt world threatening Fairy Falls. To secure the town’s future, Hart and Diana must join forces to uncover the shocking truth, or they risk losing the true essence of Fairy Falls forever.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Blackflies and Blueberries, Book Two Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Monday, 5 August 2019

Blueberries—The Favorite Fruit of Fairy Falls…

Blueberry bushes can be a tad tricky to find in Fairy Falls. Normally, when you want to seek out this delectable blue fruit, all you need to do is take a walk along any trail or on the edge of rock outcropping and shorelines where enough sun reaches the forest and you’re bound to find the lowbush blueberry plant, with glossy, green canoe-shaped leaves hugging the ground. Roadside ditches are another common blueberry hideout because of the ideal combination of moisture and sunlight. And, of course, there is that odd field along the back road, lush with fruit.

So, where are they?

Gertie Ellis will never tell. Neither will Hart Stewart. And most of the residents of Fairy Falls are keeping mum. One can only imagine some incredible untapped stores deep in the wilderness, favored by black bears and birds.

The one thing the locals of Fairy Falls will share with the tourists is the amazing health benefits of their wild blueberries. Known as the most anti-oxidant of all fruit, wild blueberries are indeed a superfood that are low in calories, but high in nutrients. From brain-boosting to disease-fighting, downing a handful of these little fruitful treasures is like having a natural pharmacy in your mouth. This information alone sells many pints and quarts of blueberries at the Fairy Falls’ Farmers Market. Gertie Ellis with attest to that.

All Fairy Falls’ wild blueberries are hand-harvested using rakes to scoop berries off the bushes, working in an upward motion. These rakes are specifically engineered for wild blueberry harvest. Typically, the harvest begins in late July and ends in early September. However, the quality of the blueberries often depends on Mother Nature. If they’ve had too much rain the berries will grow soft and split; not enough rain and they’ll be small and grainy. There are no guarantees in this business, but the residents of Fairy Falls are always hopeful for a good harvest. They know that a fairly traditional winter, enough moisture throughout the spring and just enough sunshine will yield a bumper crop of wild blueberries that will keep tourists coming back to their small, northern town year after year.

The market for wild blueberries shows no signs of anything but growth. As healthy lifestyles grow in popularity around the world, blueberries have traveled from the pastry shop window into the health food store. The fact they are one of the healthiest foods one can eat is quite clearly only the icing on the triple-layer blueberry cake. So take some time to celebrate this delicious, nutritional fruit—a gift that gives all year long!

Here's a morsel from Blackflies and Blueberries, the second installment of Mysterious Tales from Falls teen psychic mystery series…

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

City born and bred, Hart Stewart possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. Since his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Hart has endured homelessness, and has learned ways to keep his illiteracy under wraps. He eventually learns of a great-aunt living in Fairy Falls, and decides to leave the only life he’s ever known for an uncertain future.

Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls. Her mother was a victim of a senseless murder. Only Diana’s unanswered questions and her grief keeps her going, until Hart finds her mother’s lost ring and becomes a witness to her murder.

Through Hart’s psychic power, Diana gains hope for justice. Their investigation leads them into the corrupt world threatening Fairy Falls. To secure the town’s future, Hart and Diana must join forces to uncover the shocking truth, or they risk losing the true essence of Fairy Falls forever.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Blackflies and Blueberries, Book Two Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Monday, 1 July 2019

Celebrate the Magic of Maple Syrup this Summer…

By the beginning of March, when nights are still cold, daytime warmth intensifies, and icicles start to drip, the residents of Fairy Falls know this can mean only one thing—it’s ‘sugar time’! And as long as Mother Nature and the weather cooperate, the sap starts to run, flowing through the maple trees to feed them. So when you see the smoke rising from Gertie Ellis’ sugar shack well into the night, you just know that spring is here.

Making maple syrup is a part of our North American heritage. Maple trees grow in many parts of the world but maple syrup is only made in certain parts of Canada and the United States. It was the native people who first began making maple syrup as a source of sweetening; they introduced it to the first settlers, who came to rely on it as a sweetener as well, until refined sugar became available. The secret of making maple syrup is to remove the water until the sugar content is about 66 percent. If one wants maple sugar, more water must be removed.

We’ve come a long way from tapping trees with hand-carved wooden spiles and boiling sap in large cast-iron pots suspended from tripods. Nowadays, larger operations have stainless steel evaporators, large holding tanks, and sap collection systems utilizing food-grade plastic tubing attached to plastic spiles, drawing sap from each tree and carrying it to holding tanks. If the slope of the land allows, gravity might be sufficient to transport the sap to the evaporator, but other devices such as pumps or a vertical system of tubing called a ‘sap ladder’, can supplement it. Wood is still used to fuel fires; perhaps as much as one cord of wood is needed to produce one gallon of syrup. It’s no wonder this golden nectar is so expensive!

Quality is the goal of the conscientious producer. Not all maple syrup is the same. There are several grades of syrup—the lightest being the syrup produced earliest in the season. As the season progresses, the syrup becomes darker in color and the flavor becomes stronger. Choosing a grade is a matter of personal preference.

Some would say, it is the quintessential comfort food. It’s not just for pancakes—try pouring it over bran muffins, hot from the oven, split and dripping with melting butter, or drizzled on ice cream, rice pudding or oatmeal porridge. Once you start enjoying this delicacy, the possibilities are endless. And, a bottle of maple syrup is a great gift—a delight to the palate and a delicious taste of Fairy Falls. So if you get a chance, stop by Gertie Ellis’ booth at the Fairy Falls’ Farmers Market and celebrate cottage country, sweetly!

Here's a taste of Blackflies and Blueberries, the second installment of Mysterious Tales from Falls teen psychic mystery series…

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Blackflies and Blueberries, Book Two Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Monday, 3 June 2019

Blackflies—Friend or Foe? Or Both…

In Blackflies and Blueberries, the second installment of the Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls series, protagonist Hart Stewart meets his match when he’s introduced to a swarm of blackflies, and has a hard time outrunning the vicious little vampires. Like Hart, millions of campers, cabin-fevered tourists, and northern residents abhor these pests. However, it’s easy to forget that blackflies may in fact have positive attributes. Wait…what? That’s right. These little blood-suckers play a huge role in the ecological community that we don’t realize.

Now, it’s a long-held belief that blackflies pollinate blueberry bushes. But scientists have a different opinion. Seems like these demons with wings are more like nectar robbers. They’ll fly in and stick their face into the nectaries of blueberries and other small plants, but they are not very efficient at transferring pollen, mostly because of their small body size. That’s where bees get the nod for their pollinating prowess. Okay, so if blackflies aren’t good for blueberries, what are they good for?

The blackfly provides a direct link between the aquatic and terrestrial world, serving as a significant food source. Blackflies lay their eggs in fast-flowing water like streams where brook trout and other fish are found. In the larval stage, they comprise an important component of the food chain for fish, amphibians, birds, and ducks. Dragonflies, damselflies, and birds are among their predators during their days or weeks of flight. So if you were to take a major player like blackflies out of the ecosystem, then it can have a cascading effect on others inhabiting that ecosystem.

Many people consider blackflies to be the guardians of the north. These are the brave ones who seek solace from the masses during the glorious time of late May and early June. These are the adventurers who crave solitude from crowded city streets and noise pollution. They pack up their gear, and head into the far northern woods where swarms of blackflies keep people away. I truly applaud those people. Let’s just hope that they don’t forget to pack the bug spray.

Whether folklore or fact, I choose to give blackflies the benefit of the doubt. The belief persists that more blackflies mean more blueberries. And if you’re a blueberry lover like me, that’s a good thing to believe in!

Here's a little bite of my latest teen psychic mystery, Blackflies and Blueberries...

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

Excerpt:

As Hart continued his journey, he became aware of a buzzing around his ears. He fanned his hand around both ears in a circular motion, took another gulp of water, and realized the buzzing was still there. Annoyed, Hart whipped his faded baseball cap off, waved it around his head, and put it back on. There. That should take care of the little bugger. But it didn’t. The buzzing grew louder. Louder and more persistent. Something bit him on the back of his neck. Hart winced and clenched his teeth. It was as if someone had plunged a sharp needle into him. He reached to slap his sweaty neck a few times. When he pulled back his hand, Hart’s blue eyes bulged at the sight of blood smeared across his palm. What the hell just bit me? A Fairy Falls vampire?

The buzzing returned, and another creature flew into his ear. Hart freaked. Maybe it’s trying to burrow into my brain? Suck out the fluids? Leave me paralyzed on the road? His heart raced. He frantically dug a finger into his ear to extract whatever had crawled in there. He winced, hearing a sudden pop, like its body had exploded in his ear canal. Hart’s shoulders tensed, as he pulled out his finger. It, too, was smudged with blood. His blood. Sweat blistered across his temples and dripped down his face. What’s going on? What are these strange creatures? And why are they attacking me?

More buzzing accompanied these thoughts. Biting his bottom lip, Hart wiped the blood from his hand and finger across his jeans, and turned to face the enemy. He dropped his jaw and water bottle at the same time. A flock, no, a herd, no, a swarm of black, buzzing, blood-sucking whatever-they-were, were inches from his face. The black cluster moved in for the kill. Hart promptly closed his mouth, took a step back, then another, and another, but the little beasties followed him every-which-way he went. He broke to the left; they followed. He cut to the right; they pursued. He started to run backward; they kept up with every stride taken. A root snagged Hart’s ankle and tripped him. He rolled a short distance down a ravine before smacking into a group of moss-covered boulders.

Disoriented, Hart shook his head, then looked up. That was a mistake. The swarm of flying beasties were now hovering over him. His breathing became shallow, his heartbeat erratic. His mouth went dry. This is it. I’ll be devoured in a matter of minutes by a hoard of vicious, bloodletting demons made of teeth and wings. Then Hart heard something else to his right. Not buzzing or whining, but a noise that sounded like a nervous-whump, as if someone was thrashing about in the bush. Slowly, Hart glanced to his right. His skin tingled all over. Not more than a metre away, coiled in layers of brown and black, hunched a lone rattlesnake, ready to strike.

In one breath, Hart rolled to his left, stood, and sprinted into the forest. He ran like his life depended on it, cutting his own path, while branches and saplings scraped his face and whipped his legs. The flying black demons were hot on his trail but Hart soon lost them, and after about fifteen minutes of constant running, looking back, running, and looking back, he sensed it was safe enough to slow down. His lungs protested, his legs screamed their silent pain as Hart, now sweating like a fat man in a sauna, collapsed in a clearing and surrendered to his body’s wishes.

Feeling his legs cramp, Hart reached down to rub both his calves briskly. Tired and hot, and now probably lost again, he knew he had to find his way back to the road, wherever that was. Hart swore aloud, angry not only with himself, but with the strange, savage creatures that lived up here. He had thought he had some idea of what to expect. The trucker, whom he’d hitched a ride up here with, had told him about the numerous golf courses that dotted the area, about the million dollar cottages nestled amongst the trees, and about the condominium style resorts that were being built around many of the lakes’ shorelines. Hart banged a fist against the spongy forest floor. He thought Fairy Falls would have been more civilized, more developed. But he was wrong. Dead wrong.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Blackflies and Blueberries, Book Two Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Monday, 20 May 2019

Book Tour: Blackflies and Blueberries, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, Book 2 by Sharon Ledwith...

Welcome to the 1-Week Virtual Book Tour for Blackflies and Blueberries (Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, #2) by Sharon Ledwith!

About Blackflies and Blueberries:

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

Blackflies and Blueberries Cover:

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Publish Date: May 17, 2019

Excerpt :

Donovan jumped up for the keys, but it was no use. Hard work may have given him an athletic build, but fate hadn’t been kind in the height department. At five foot six, he had no chance against Bean’s six foot frame. Brook, however, seemed to have a better idea. She plowed her elbow into Brett’s rib cage, making him cave instantly, and she snatched the keys out of his hand.

“Isn’t that bad karma for a self-proclaimed witch, Freak?” Brett asked, rubbing his ribs.

“Bad only if I hurt you for selfish reasons, Beanie-brain,” Brook cracked, passing Donovan the keys. “Come on, hero, let’s go find us a ring to make our girl smile.” Brook pushed Donovan past Brett and down the hall.

“I wouldn’t trust Johnson with my ride,” Brett said in a raised voice. “The only four wheels he’s managed to master is his skateboard, and even then he has a hard time making the curves.”

A chorus of guffaws erupted behind Brett. Diana peered around him. It was Brett’s pit crew of car club jerkies, all sporting the same clothes, same attitudes, and same egos. Brett bent down close to Diana. She could smell cigarettes on his black leather coat and his white T-shirt reeked of strong cologne. She crinkled her nose and tried to step back, but couldn’t. Her locker blocked her exit. Bravely, she swallowed hard, tasting the remnants of her medication, and glanced up to look Brett in the eye. His coffee-brown eyes held hers for a split second. He raked his wavy brown hair off his pimply forehead and smiled, showing off his straight, perfect white teeth, his reward for a few years of torture wearing braces during the last grades of elementary school. Brett parted his wide lips. His tongue darted out to caress them a way a snake would. He moved closer to Diana and craned his head down to her ear to whisper, “Diana, I know it must be hard for you today of all days. I know what it’s like to lose a parent. It sucks. I can comfort you, make you forget.”

Diana’s eyes widened. Forget? That did it. Being a pompous jackass was one thing, but openly propositioning her while telling her to forget about her mother was quite another.

In the time it took for her to exhale, Diana planted both hands firmly on Brett’s expansive chest. Brook mentioned that Brett had a nipple pierced the same day she had her nose done. She braced herself. Then, not knowing which one of his nipples were pierced, she positioned first her left hand and, feeling nothing, seized Brett’s left nipple with her right hand and twisted. His face broke out in a sweat, contorting grotesquely with each tweak she delivered. In seconds, he was down on his knees in front of her, his breathing harsh, his skin pallid.

Slowly, Diana bent her head down to Brett’s ear, so that only he could hear her whisper, “Your father, unlike my mother, died of a heart attack while doing the nasty with his secretary. So, no, you don’t know how hard it is for me today. Nor could you, or anyone else, make...me...forget.” She released her hold on Brett, and pushed him away.

Brett scrambled to his feet, cupping his chest as though he’d been shot or stabbed, or both. Anger exploded across his face. Diana’s eyes darted from the left to the right. There was a crowd around them, holding out their cell phones while waiting for Brett’s comeback.

Brett lunged to make his move, but one of his buddies grabbed his shoulder. “Brett, teacher’s coming.”

Diana looked down the hall. Ms. Fisk was headed their way. Cloaked in an oversized white lab coat, her frizzy brown hair bounced wildly off her thick, black glasses. It made her look more like a frazzled, mad doctor than Diana’s grade eleven science teacher. The crowd splintered off into groups; some went down stairs, others went up. The rest fanned out toward their lockers, leaving Diana and Brett alone for the moment. As Ms. Fisk passed by, she nodded a curt ‘hello’ before entering the classroom closest to Diana’s right.

A shadow engulfed Diana’s whole body. Brett, now inches away from her, slammed his hand against her locker, making her wince. Diana’s stomach hardened. Brett’s breathing was shallow, his breath stale. “You sure have the nerve, judging my father, when your mother was probably out screwing around, too. If you ask me, MacGregor, your mother got what she deserved.”

Publisher: Mirror World Publishing https://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com/

Follow the Tour:

https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/2019/05/virtual-book-tour-schedule-blackflies.html

About the Author:

Escape to the past and have a blast

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel adventure series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.

Learn more about Sharon Ledwith at the following online places:

Sharon’s Website: www.sharonledwith.com

Sharon’s Blog: http://sharonledwith.blogspot.com/

Sharon’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/seledwith

Sharon’s Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Sharon-Ledwith-210150205690477/

Twitter: @sharonledwith https://twitter.com/sharonledwith

Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5821744.Sharon_Ledwith

Goodreads Book Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45259122-blackflies-and-blueberries

Amazon Author U.S. Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sharon-Ledwith/e/B0084DUHJO

Amazon Author U.K. Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B0084DUHJO

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/seledwith/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-ledwith-4a33b213/