Following our Cover reveal back in March, welcome back on the Release Day Celebrations for Polaris, a Middle Grade Fantasy by Beth Bowland (predicted for publication on16 August 2016, Tantrum Books / Month9Books, LLC, 214 pages). PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the various excerpts with Amazon Look Inside.
Author Beth Bowland will be awarding a scrabble tile book cover charm (US ONLY), and five digital copies of Polaris by Beth Bowland (INT) to randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour.
Synopsis | Trailer | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops
Synopsis
Bixie, Montana is in the middle of nowhere, not connected to any place, and not needed to get to any destination. But one snowy evening, a lone visitor walking down an old country road changes thirteen-year-old Aaron Martin’s life forever. Aaron thinks he’s being a Good Samaritan by inviting the nearly-frozen visitor into his home, but he’s unwittingly initiated “The Game.”A group of Elders, known as the Council of the Legend, come together from time to time to enjoy a rousing event they playfully call “The Game.” Now, Aaron’s town is the playing board and he and his fellow townspeople are the players.
The rules are simple. Win. Because if Aaron loses, he won’t just lose his family. He’ll lose his very identity.
Teaser: Excerpt
Prologue
The snow crunched beneath the visitor’s feet with each unsteady step he took into the deep drifts. He shivered as he pulled his shirt closer around his neck to prevent the icy wind from blowing more flurries down his back. He hated the cold, but he pressed on. His pants and shirt were a few sizes too big, as were the old black boots. Not surprising considering he’d removed them from a dumpster he’d passed while in town earlier.
The visitor traveled place to place, his anonymity protected by the aura this time cloaking him under the guise of a teenage boy. For over sixty years, he’d walked this path, doing what they told him, while silently loathing them for not giving him what he desired. He was a visitor on a mission to fulfill his fate.And this time, he’d get it right.
He continued along the road until he spotted a soft glow of light in the distance. The house sat toward the end of the long country road … alone, like the visitor. He approached the house and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. It was an old farmhouse with a large wraparound porch. Two large picture windows framed either side of the front door, covered in heavy velour draperies with just a peek of sheer fabric exposed down the center. The smell of burning wood drifted from the chimney in gray smoky clouds that stood out against the crisp black sky.The roof, pine trees, and bushes, shouldered a thick blanket of snow, unlike the porch that appeared to have had a recent shoveling.
The visitor ascended the stairs, pausing midway to examine his surroundings. After a deep breath, he continued up and rang the doorbell.
The front door flew open, and then a boy rushed past the visitor, wearing blue jeans and an oversized hoodie. On his feet he wore work boots.
“Did you see them?” the boy yelled as he slid across the porch. His boots made a scratchy, squeaky sound against the icy wood flooring. The boy stared at the sky. “They came from that direction.” He pointed. “I saw one of them.”
The visitor stood silently and watched the boy race back and forth across the length of the porch. The boy leaned over the banister seemingly to get a better view of the sky until a clump of snow fell from the roof and plopped onto his face.
“Nuts!” the boy muttered. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. Then he stared at the visitor. “Hey, you’re not my friend, Parker. Who are you?” The boy stepped back slowly into the doorway.
The visitor allowed his eyes to scan the boy’s features.He was an average-looking boy with fair skin, sandy-brown hair, and a slender build. “You rushed out and didn’t give me a chance to say anything. My name is Nakal.”
“What are you doing out here? You lost or something?”
Nakal nodded. “Yes.”
The boy shrugged and said, “Well, I’m not allowed to have people I don’t know inside when I’m here by myself,” he said as he reached behind his back for the door handle.
Nakal pulled his shirt up tighter around his neck and shivered. “I understand, but if I could just come in for a few minutes … I’m so cold and I don’t think I can walk any farther.”
“I guess I can’t let you freeze out here,” the boy said.“My name is Aaron. You can come in for a little while and warm up. But you gotta leave before Mom comes back or she’ll freak.”
Nakal nodded and followed the boy inside.
“You can have a seat near the fireplace. That should warm you up pretty fast,” said Aaron.
Nakal sat in the old recliner and took in his new surroundings. The house was cozy and nicely decorated in an old-fashioned way. It displayed the kind of warmth portrayed in the old Rockwell paintings he’d studied. He’d be comfortable there.
Polaris
Available NOW!
About the Author
Beth Bowland, a native Ohioan, has always enjoyed reading and creating stories of her own. As a child she devoured every book she could get her hands on and spent numerous hours at the library each week. She loves writing stories for tweens and young teens and her characters are often described as quirky and fun, but always relatable.
When she’s not writing, she loves watching HGTV.
She has one daughter and resides in Arlington, Texas with her husband, Phillip.
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Giveaway
Giveaway
Enter to win a scrabble tile book cover charm (US ONLY), or one of five digital copies of Polaris by Beth Bowland (INT)Remember to comment to win!
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31/03/2016: Enter to win a $10 Amazon – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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