Release date: February 3, 2015
Subgenre: Young adult paranormal
About Bone Dry:
Sixteen-year-old
Holly Bennett is a comic book nerd, a con artist, and a shaman. Ever
since her mom's mind got stuck halfway between the spirit world and
ours, Holly's been forced to act as the breadwinner of the family. She
uses her burgeoning shaman powers to set up fake hauntings and "banish"
the so-called ghosts from her wealthy classmates' bedrooms. For a fee,
of course.
But when actual spirits start manifesting, Holly discovers that other shamans have come to town, summoning life-sucking spirits for their own ends. And as her mom's mind slips further away, Holly has to fight to save her, and the rest of the town, before they get sucked into Lower World permanently.
Excerpt:
There are times when I listen to the moralistic
words of the angel on my right shoulder rather than the wicked whispers
of the demon on my left. With Kylie Wilkinson leaning across the
cafeteria table, eager to hand over cash I so desperately needed, I
couldn’t help but smack the halo off that perfect little angel.
“Two hundred bucks,” I said, holding my hand
palm up. The eagerness on Kylie’s heart-shaped face fell into a scowl.
She tucked a stray strand of glossy hair behind her polka-dotted
headband and shifted in her seat.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Holly.”
I pulled back my hand, closed my fingers into
a fist and pretended to be interested in my bologna sandwich. That move
got them every time. The din of cafeteria chatter rose up around us as
we sat in silence. Girls laughed, plates clattered and sneakers
squeaked. Five seconds passed before Kylie cleared her throat.
“Okay, wait.” She reached into her Eddie Bauer backpack and pulled out her wallet.
I kept my attention on my sandwich, nibbling
away while she anxiously counted the cash. She had exactly four fifties
which made me think she already knew what I charged and had been playing
me to see if I’d go lower.
A guy walking by our table stopped to watch
the transaction. I turned to raise my eyebrows at the tall, thin figure
towering over us. Nathan Whitman, Kylie’s ex-boyfriend. He flashed a
grin at me, his dark, wavy hair curling on his forehead, his high
cheekbones carving a V on his otherwise boyish face. I smiled around my
sandwich and hoped I didn’t have bits of meat stuck between my teeth.
“Is our friendly, neighborhood ghostbuster in action again?”
I’d taken a case for Nathan last year. He’d
thought he was being haunted—they all did. Before that day, I’d
considered Nathan just another bland guy navigating the Seaport High
popular crowd. A preppy sailor only interested in country clubs and
stock points. But after seeing the stacks of comic books in his room, I
decided there might be an interesting guy hiding behind the polo shirts.
Not that I’d ever had the time to find out.
“You know me. Always taking down ghosts with my web-shooters.”
His grin widened until it spread across the
entire width of his face. “Well, you know, if you ever need a trusty
sidekick, I’m your man. Just don’t expect me to wear a Robin costume.”
I opened my mouth with another retort, but
then Nathan seemed to notice Kylie. He glanced at her wallet, at her
frown. “Hey, Kylie. Something wrong?”
“Here,” Kylie said, and I snapped my attention to the money she slid across the table. “Nothing’s wrong, Nathan.”
“Nothing?” He winked at me. “The entire school knows there’s only one reason to give Holly Bennett two hundred in cash.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. “Nothing to worry about. Just a normal case.”
His smile disappeared as his mossy green eyes searched for the truth. “You sure?”
“Okay, fine. Something is totally wrong,”
Kylie interrupted. She pushed up from the table, grabbed her lunch tray
of uneaten food and gave Nathan puppy dog eyes. She cocked her head in
the direction of her usual corner. “Eat lunch with me, and I’ll tell you
what’s up.”
He hesitated, still looking at me. “You need any help?”
I tried to imagine Nathan surrounded by black
candles and charcoal rune drawings, shadows flickering on his
sun-kissed skin. “No, I’ve got it. Thanks though.”
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple
About Cady Vance:
Cady Vance is the author of YA and NA speculative fiction. After growing up in small-town Tennessee, she decided to embark on a grand adventure by packing up her bags and moving to NYC. Now, she studies for her PhD in the UK and dreams of seeing the universe.
No comments:
Post a Comment