Excerpt
Estelle woke. Surreal
streamers of color swirled behind her eyelids. Her head felt dizzy and her
stiff body ached. Questions crawled into her mind. What had happened? Where was
she? Who was she?
She cracked her eyes
open. A white blur filled her field of vision. She tried to rub her eyes, but
her hand was fastened at the wrist. Wriggling each part of her body, she
discovered cold metal bands pinning her forehead, her arms and legs. Fear
shivered through her tethered body and her mind whirled in confusion.
Fighting off panic,
she forced herself into a wary calm. Gradually, her vision cleared and memories
crept back. She was Estelle Wright. Seventeen years old, on her way to college.
What had happened to
her? More memories crowded into her foggy mind. Images flashed, a black cat
pouncing at her, an orange warning sign, a white horse rearing into explosions
of green and white light. Spotty, the dappled mare, had ridden into a deafening
blast on the army firing range.
Was she in a
hospital? Estelle stared up. Curved glass enclosed her body. Above the
transparent cylinder, glossy lines decorated the white ceiling. Her gaze
traveled along the interleaved spiral paths. Blinking, she wrenched her eyes
away from the hypnotic patterns.
Voices drifted to her
ears from outside her room. They seemed to be discussing her.
“She is very young
for the activation.” A woman’s impassive voice, judging by the high pitch.
The gruff voice of a
man said, “Can we trust a native like her? Our need is urgent. We are so few
and the enemy grows more intrusive.”
Estelle held her
breath, intent on listening to the conversation.
A second man said,
“She is not the first, nor the youngest. She is nearly eighteen.” The nasal
twang hit a familiar chord. The image of his sullen face and black ponytail
flew into her mind, Toby, the hunky young man with the motorbike. What was he
doing in this strange place? Curiosity dampened her fears and sharpened her
hearing.
The first man asked, “What
do you know of this girl, Tobarian?”
“She is paired with a mare as her Farleon
companion.” Toby’s twang again. Was his name really Tobarian?
“Excellent! Set her
free and watch for her powers to emerge. We need every recruit for our cause.”
The man in charge sounded enthusiastic.
The woman said, “Sol
Farleon, the girl may wake soon. We expected her to be unconscious for at least
twenty-four hours. But, she keeps rousing and must be dosed back to sleep. Her
body requires time to adapt to the transformation. The next cycle will finish
in two minutes.”
“We don’t want her to
eavesdrop on our conversation. Activate the block and we’ll leave her to your
ministrations, Mir Celeste,” the older man ordered.
“I’ll start the wake
cycle,” the woman said. Their voices faded. Estelle assumed they had muted the
sound in some manner.
Blurb
Fledgling superhero, Starrella, and her flying horse combat
vicious villains in the skies of Atalanta.
The quiet summer before her freshman year turns
frighteningly weird after Estelle Wright trespasses onto an Army base. Blown
into the air and knocked unconscious, she wakes with a nascent superpower. Not
to mention a winged horse with a snarky attitude and a mind of her own.
Back home in Atalanta, a serial killer is targeting the
students at Goldman University. Before long she must juggle college classes
with sneaking out of the house after dark to battle alien monsters. Estelle’s
life is in danger, but who can she trust: handsome Captain Copper from military
intelligence, or hunky Toby, the tough gangster with a motorbike? Both men have
secret agendas, but falling in love is not in their plans.
Young adult superheroes, quirky animal sidekicks, aliens
amongst us, and a sweet romance enliven this fun adventure. Book 1 of the
Secret Supers.
Super
Starrella will be 99c from May 3-9th
Buy links:
International:
http://authl.it/B01C7WC8R6?d
I’ll
be happy to offer a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Bio:
Aurora Springer is a scientist morphing
into a novelist. She has a PhD in molecular biophysics and discovers science
facts in her day job. She has invented adventures in weird worlds for as long
as she can remember. In 2014, Aurora achieved her life-long ambition to publish
her stories. Her works are character-driven romances set in weird worlds
described with a sprinkle of humor. Some of the stories were composed thirty
years ago. She was born in the UK and lives in Atlanta with her husband, a dog
and two cats to sit on the keyboard. Her hobbies, besides reading and writing,
include outdoor activities like gardening, watching wildlife, hiking and
canoeing.
Media links:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AuroraSpringer
