Guess what I did? After writing 13 parenting books, I decided to branch out and do something I’ve always wanted to do: I wrote a novel! My newest creation is Falling into Magic – it’s the first book in a unique, magical mystery series.
Here’s information, an excerpt and links for you:
Welcome to Destiny Falls
When Hayden was a child, she lost her cat. Adults told her the cat had escaped the house and ran away, but she knew the truth. The mirror had taken her. She knew because the mirror had given her a glimpse of an alternate world and had nearly pulled her in, so she was certain the cat had suffered that fate.
. . . Twenty years later Hayden discovers the true secret of the mirror when she is thrust into it by a mysterious villain. She learns of a world she never knew existed, and a family she never knew she had. But danger brought her here, and it followed her. And now, Hayden is on a mission to see that the threat is removed, so that she can begin her wonderful new life in this magical world.
Here is a book excerpt for you:
~ Falling into Magic ~
Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic series – Book 1
Prologue
It all began when Hayden was six and she lost her cat.
Fluffball was a Himalayan rescue, the softest ball of fur Hayden had ever seen. She had visited the shelter with her grandmother and was immediately drawn to the cat’s amazing blue eyes. She begged to take her home and promised she’d take good care of her. Nana had finally given in and the cat had joined the family.
She’d only had her a few weeks, but she had loved Fluffball. Then one day, her cat was gone. Snap. Just like that. The adults told her that the cat had likely snuck out a door or jumped out the bedroom window and ran away. But she knew the truth. It was the mirror.
Many children have odd fears. Clowns, bathtubs, monsters under the bed. Hayden was afraid of mirrors. She was so adamant that they had to take the mirror out of her bedroom. She only trusted those that were adhered to the wall, like the one above their fireplace.
Even as she grew up, she continued to be uneasy around them. She kept her distance and learned as a teen to put on her makeup and do her hair in the reflection of her shower door or in her small hand-held compact mirror. Sometimes, when she’d walk by a mirror, she’d swear she saw a man in there, looking at her. Oddly, she came to understand that it could be any mirror, but not every mirror. It was unpredictable. Over time, with nothing bad ever again happening, she convinced herself it was a good image that she saw – like a guardian angel. It prevented her from completely freaking out, and eventually he even became a welcome sight.
If anyone questioned her, she explained away her unease by saying she was superstitious – breaking a mirror means seven years of bad luck and all that. But the truth was harder to believe.
1
Twenty Years Ago
Hayden had always been told she could figure anything out with her sharp mind and abundance of curiosity. She knew she could make the drawbridge work on the castle she was constructing. Just a few more hinge pieces and maybe a rubber band and a paper clip instead of a connector. She found the pieces she needed and worked to connect them.
She stepped back to view the towering creation and caught a glimpse of it in the mirror above the dresser in her bedroom. She stepped closer. It was her castle she was seeing. But it wasn’t. This reflected version appeared to be glowing and ever-so-slightly floating on carpet that looked more cloud-like with each passing moment. She turned around, squinted her eyes, and spied her castle creation. Her non-glowing, non-floating castle, sitting stationary on the beige carpeting. She giggled. Her Nana was always saying she let her imagination run away with her. She shrugged her shoulders and turned her back to the mirror.
Hayden added a few more pieces. She worked the hinges and was pleased to see her drawbridge could go up and down. Success!
“Look at that, Fluffball! I made a real drawbridge!” her new pet rubbed against her legs and meowed. It was fun to have a friend. Growing up without any brothers or sisters sometimes made her lonely. A cat wasn’t exactly someone to build with, but it was someone to talk to, and she liked that.
Hayden placed her favorite piece on the top – a flag that she herself had painted which bore her castle’s crest: a shield with a waterfall and an old-fashioned goblet like the one on her grandmother’s bookcase.
Standing up, she took a slow trip around her creation, happy with the finished product. As she moved around the back side, she caught a glimpse of her mirror-version castle. Still glowing, still floating – and now bearing a small flag with her home-drawn crest atop. But the flag was waving in the breeze from the open window overlooking the sea. The sea? She lived in the city and could see only the other homes in her neighborhood from her bedroom window.
Hayden moved closer to the mirror. She watched in awe as a small army of knights rode up to the castle – no, HER castle, on horses adorned with ribbons and braids. As they marched toward the building, she watched a child’s arm wave over the structure, and then, suddenly, a boy came into view. His eyes popped open and his mouth made a wide, soundless “O.” He was about her age. Very much like her, as a matter of fact. A thinner, taller boy-version of her. He stepped closer to the mirror, tilting his head to the side and reaching out toward Hayden. She sucked in a deep breath and spun around to look behind her. There sat her castle, her bedroom, her bed. The same as always. She very slowly turned back to the mirror and gasped. The boy had his face pressed up against the other side, looking directly at her.
The boy smiled and waved. Hayden, always a polite child, smiled and waved back. He pointed at his castle and then pointed at hers and gave her a wild, dancing two-handed thumbs-up. She laughed. He laughed, too. She could see the happy crinkles by the corners of his intense blue eyes, but there was no sound. She stepped up closely to the mirror and peered in at the boy. Her real bedroom seemed to be fading, and the mirror room becoming clearer.
“Hayden, time to go to the park. Come on downstairs!” Her Nana’s voice startled her, she jumped back, and her own room snapped back into clear focus. The boy looked confused for a moment. Then he smiled brightly and motioned for her to come over to his side of the mirror to play.
Always curious to the extreme, Hayden stepped forward and reached toward the reflection. Her hand should have been touching the surface of the mirror, but there was no surface to touch. Her Nana called her again to come downstairs. Hayden glanced back toward the door. Her bedroom seemed wavy now, in the same way that things looked when she swam under water in the pool. Yet the castle in the mirror was crisp, brilliant, and colorful.
Fluffball meowed and jumped up onto the dresser. At that exact moment a bright flash came out of the mirror. Hayden grabbed Fluffball, jumped backwards and landed on the floor with a thump. Then she ran downstairs and went to the park with her Nana.
Two weeks later when Hayden came home from school Fluffball was gone. The family waited for days hoping she’d return. They put up posters in the neighborhood. But after a while they had to admit that Fluffball was gone. Nana and Gran tried to tell Hayden that the cat must have climbed out the window or snuck out when the front door was open. But Hayden knew the truth. The mirror had taken her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
. . . Twenty years later Hayden discovers the secret of the mirror. She learns of a world she never knew existed, and a family she never knew she had. But danger brought her here, and it followed her. And now, Hayden is on a mission to see that the threat is removed so that she can begin her wonderful new life.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
About the Author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She lives near Seattle and is the mother of four and Nana to one. This is her first work of fiction.
Formats Available: eBook & Paperback
Purchase Links: Amazon.com – Amazon.UK – Amazon Canada
What Readers are Saying:
“The plot is intelligent and agile. Characters are robust and full-bodied. The pace is lively and lithe. Generously seasoned with sass, class, and a dose of spunk, this book is just plain delish, Cupcake. It goes great with a hot cuppa, a roaring fireplace, an active funny bone, and the flavors of home.” – Kristine – http://www.pagesandpaws.com
“A magical delightful tale” – Dru Ann, Dru’s Book Musings
“I had a fun time reading this one” – Lola, Lola’s Reviews
“Really stretched my imagination” – Betty, Reading is my Passion
“A mix of unique characters, romance, mystery and magic.
The more I read, the harder it was to put it down!” – Charlene Q. Goodreads
The No-Cry Solution Books
Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series
