Soulshifter
Page 24
Natalie scooted across the large seat to snug up next to him. “This is the one time I’m glad it’s my right arm that’s out of commission.”
Jack smiled as he started the engine. He put his arm around Natalie. “Better let it warm up a minute.”
“Perfect. Then you can warm me up for a minute.”
He leaned down and kissed her, lightly at first, and then with more intensity, pleased to see the rosy color of her cheeks when he pulled away. He started to lift his arm from her shoulders, but Natalie reached behind his neck and pulled him into another kiss. This time when they broke apart, she burrowed her face in his jacket and tightened her arm around his neck. “He can’t have you, Jack,” she whispered. “I want you forever—not just fifteen years.” She pulled back to gaze into his face. “And why fifteen? How’d you come up with that?”
Jack shrugged. “I just wanted to buy some time, and I needed an answer before he got bored negotiating.” He used his thumb to smooth the creases from Natalie’s forehead. “Hey, he’s the ruler of the underworld, Natalie. He’s greedy. He’ll screw up. He’ll break the contract himself.”
She looked down for a moment, then lifted her gaze to meet his. “What if he doesn’t?”
“Well… then I’ve got fifteen years to figure out how to find the contract and destroy it.”
She narrowed her eyes, evaluating his expression to make sure he was serious. Deciding he was, she sat up straight. “Then I’m not going to wait around for him to mess up.” She extracted herself from his arms and reached for the seat belt. “Buckle up. We’ve got work to do.”
Thank you for taking the time to read Soulshifter. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review on Amazon or Goodreads. Word of mouth is priceless to an author and much appreciated.
Also, since readers and writers like to share, I send out a monthly email recommending things such as books, articles, and websites along with updates on upcoming novels, presales and appearances. If you'd like to be a part of my adventures in reading and writing, please go to www.barbarapietron.com and sign up. I'd love for you to join me!
-Barbara Pietron
Acknowledgements
Because I aspire to share my writing adventures with my readers, I ran a titling contest for this novel. Soulshifter was the suggestion of Rebecca Robinson, the winner of the contest. Thank you, Rebecca! Not only did others like your title suggestion, my publisher and I are extremely pleased with it as well. Thank you to everyone who submitted suggestions and/or voted in the second round—it was your participation that made the contest fun and successful.
Every day my husband gets up early and goes to work for ‘The Man’ while I work part-time and write. I appreciate this more than words can say. Making his sacrifice worthwhile motivates me to work relentlessly to succeed. My daughter, Nikki Pietron, makes all of my work better because she’s not afraid to tell me what’s good and what’s not—for that I am eternally grateful. I also owe thanks to Judy Skemp who is always willing to read my stories and ensure that they make sense.
I don’t play the guitar, so when Jack emerged as as a guitar-playing rock-and-roller, I knew I needed an expert to educate me in “musician lingo.” Fortunately, I live next door to an accomplished guitar player. Special thanks to Jim White for passing along examples of challenges a guitar player may face and the words he might use to describe them.
This book was made possible by Scribe Publishing Company and the final, polished copy is the result of hard work by Jennifer Baum, Mel Corrigan and Inanna Arthen. Their time, dedication, critique and thoughtful comments are invaluable. Soulshifter’s amazing cover is credited to Miguel Camacho who successfully brought to life images that previously existed only in my imagination.
I would be remiss not to mention NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), as the first draft of this novel was written during my first WriMo experience. I’m grateful to the people behind the website (www.nanowrimo.org) and for their idea to challenge writers to complete a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. I greatly appreciate the inspiration, encouragement and support from this community of like-minded writers. In their own words: “Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel.” I highly recommend it!
Finally, I must thank all of my family, friends and readers whose support means the world to me. Whether at events, on social media or even one on one, their encouragement and enthusiasm urges me onward.
About the Author
After years in the corporate world, Barbara found herself with a second chance to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her lifetime love of books and the written word returned one answer: writer. Drawing from her experience with technical writing, she began by writing non-fiction magazine pieces and achieved both regional and national publication.
In addition to Soulshifter, Barbara has also published Thunderstone, Book One of the Legacy in Legend series. A prequel to Thunderstone, Heart of Ice, is also available in e-book format. Barbara is currently working on the rest of the Legacy in Legend series.
If she’s not reading or writing, she likes to walk, garden, and sew. She works in a library and lives in Royal Oak, Michigan with her husband, daughter, and their cat—who often acts like a dog. You can join Barbara’s writing adventures at www.barbarapietron.com for bonus content, giveaways, presales and insider scoop. Also find Barbara on Facebook at facebook.com/barbara.pietron.19
Other books by
Barbara Pietron
Thunderstone
Foreword Reviews 2013 Young Adult Book of the Year finalist!
Book One in the Legacy in Legend series
Available in print or as an e-book from Amazon.com, BN.com, scribe-publishing.com, or a bookstore near you.
Sneaking out at night, driving without a license, and falling for a guy weren’t things fifteen-year-old Jeni expected to do while visiting Lake Itasca, Minnesota with her family. The guy, Ice, turns out to be the local medicine man’s apprentice, and when he tells Jeni she’s connected to the spirit world, her first instinct is to run. But after Ice’s stories of a mythical underwater monster—that Jeni allegedly released—prove true, she realizes it’s up to her to contain the beast. Jeni must first convince herself that she’s able, and then save the locals, Ice, and ultimately herself.
Book Two will be released in late 2016. For more information on the rest of the Legacy in Legend series, visit www.barbarapietron.com.
Heart of Ice
Prequel to Thunderstone
Available as a free e-book from BN.com, Google Play, Smashwords, or as a direct download from scribe-publishing.com/ice
When sixteen-year-old Ice is visited by an evil spirit, his medicine man training warns him that things aren’t right in his quiet Northern Minnesota town. His suspicions prove true when he’s attacked by a Windigo—a human turned monster by a compulsive hunger for human flesh—and he soon discovers that a bad medicine charm is being used to spread the Windigo curse. The hunt is on to find the charm and the person using it before the town is overrun by cannibalistic monsters. Although the pieces of the puzzle come together to form an impossible conclusion, one which will challenge traditional belief and question numerous ritualistic items, Ice knows he must still reveal the truth. Because there are worse monsters than Windigos.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Books by Barbara Pietron
Barbara Pietron, Soulshifter