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Excerpts Spotlights

Author Spotlight: Brita Skinner 1.1

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An excerpt from DayBreaker

Prologue

I knew I had my gifts and that I was unique.  But to have it confirmed I am peculiar and so different from everyone else that I never expected.

I never gave much thought to where my life was going. I honestly thought I would follow in my mom’s footsteps, go to college one day, start a career, get married and start a family of my own.  Some of that has changed now and I know I can’t go back to where I was or where I thought I was going, even if I wanted to.

My life has changed so much I have loved and lost, fought to save what was important to me, and while I have failed more times than I can count, I know that I have to move forward I can’t let what has been keep me from what will be.

If I die in this struggle, then I know my life will have some meaning. If I survive then I will have to face a new world that has been changed by what we do here and now. Each of us plays a dangerous game in our own way, from hiding who and what we are to what we are really doing.  So many have put their lives on the line for what they believe.

I don’t know anyone who would come out of this untouched and be able to continue living the life they knew.  What happens next, we do for what we believe…

Chapter One

The First Day at School

I have always hated the first day at a new school.  There were the big things everyone thought about such as meeting new people, teachers, and learning the hallways.  But there were also the small issues, like finding a new locker, the smell of a new place and surroundings.  I was always stressed when I started new schools; I knew my peer’s were just fascinated with me. Why they would have so much curiosity over a five foot three, long black haired, and blue eyed girl is beyond me. Oh yeah did I mention the fact I was skinny well let me say slender that makes me sound more attractive, plus I just turned eighteen but that shouldn’t make me stand out.

Let me tell you a secret I know there is something odd about me. Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m human though I look like one, and no I’m not some alien from out of space. I just knew deep down I was different I just didn’t know how.

Anyway back to my moan. If there was anything worse than a first day, it was starting a new school at the start of senior year, when everyone around me had grown up together and already had their bonds.  This first day of senior year, was going to be one of my worst, I could sense it. But never could I have ever imagined that it would be this bad.  Nothing I’d ever seen – or had seen – prepared me for this day.

I stood outside my new school which was a vast Toronto public school, in the chilly September morning. As you properly guessed I wasn’t excited, and leaping for joy instead I wondered Why me?  I was underdressed in nothing more than a simple sweater and leggings; not exactly fashionably I know! But I did not want to make a fashion statement. I did not want to be here full stop.

I was extremely unprepared for the noisy chaos I walked into.  There were hundreds of kids around me, all clamoring, screaming, cursing and shoving each other.  It was more like a prison yard; trust me you would not want to be here.

Everyone had too much energy or maybe it’s just me acting like a granny. Whatever the case I was exhausted and sleep-deprived as most of us teens are. I did wish the noise would die down and no this is not my granny act coming out I just needed that peace and quiet.

Reaching into my pocket I felt my iPod.  Fantastic some nice calming Beethoven that I could listen to I inserted my earphones, cranked the volume up but no sound came out I peeked and saw the battery was dead, great!

So the iPod was not working I needed some distraction from all this chaos before class started, so what is the next best thing? The cell phone I grabbed mine out of my pockets hoping for some text messages but there were none. This makes me sound like a loner but I’m not honest. Because I had to move around so much I never got that close to anyone but I had made friends, I may not have been miss popularity but at least I made friends.

Chapter Five

The Disappearance

I ran.  The bullies were back, this time with friends, just like Matthew had warned me; they were chasing me down the alleyway again.  There was a dead end before me, a massive wall blocking my way, but I kept on running anyway, right towards it. As I ran I was picking up speed, it was a supernatural speed, the wind was rushing through my hair and I knew they couldn’t catch me.

The closer to the wall I got, the more I felt I had wings and I could fly.  Suddenly my feet left the ground and I was standing on top of the wall.  Looking down I could see the bullies and their friends stopped in their tracks as they tried to figure out how to get me.

For more information about Brita Skinner or to contact her, please try these links:
Web: http://britaskinner.wix.com/britaskinner#, Email: authorbritaskinner@gmail.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday 10/9/13

www_wednesdays44WWW WEDNESDAYS… is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of “Should Be Reading”, where you share: (1)What you’re currently reading, (2)What you recently finished reading, and (3)What you think you’ll read next.

As I am only contributing to this meme on a monthly basis, while comments and shares are welcomed here, be sure to visit Should Be Reading each week to see who’s reading what.

1. What am I currently reading?

I’ve overloaded myself with too many things so, of course, my reading has been affected. I’m editing, formatting, blogging (as usual), and more. At the moment, I’m still making my way through: The Woodcutter, The Bridge of Deaths, Chasing the Avatar, The Once and Future King (just started), and just because I can, I’m listening to the audio book of Night Circus (I read it last year) because it’s such a wonderful story and relaxes me at the end of the day.

From GoodReads
The Woodcutter by Kate Danley
From GoodReads
The Bridge of Deaths by M.C.V. Egan
From GoodReads
Chasing the Avatar by Jovan Jones
From GoodReads
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
From GoodReads
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Jim Dale (Narrator)

2. What did I recently finish reading?

I finally finished Sacrifice just in time to see sneak peeks of Ascension. It is due out in November 😀 . I’m not thrilled about the cover changes to the series, but that won’t keep me from reading the next installment. I finished Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, an while I enjoyed both, once I finish The Bridge of Deaths, I’ll be taking a break from classic literature and historical fiction for a while.

From GoodReads
Sacrifice (Gryphon #3)
by Stacey Rourke
From GoodReads
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
From GoodReads
Mr. Churchill’s Secretary
(Maggie Hope Mystery #1)
by Susan Elia MacNeal

3. What do I think I’ll read next?

I still haven’t picked up Seraphina yet, but it’s on my night stand. I’ve been very distracted as of late so my reading has been a little slow and I want to make sure I can focus on it when I start it.  Artemis Fowl, The Guardian’s Apprentice, and Angels Without Wings still look pretty good to me, but I’ve just discovered a bunch of new ebooks that will be battling it out for my attention as well as sequels to series I’ve already started.

From GoodReads
Seraphina (Seraphina #1)
by Rachel Hartman

What is your WWW Wednesday?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
FM Files Full Moon

Character Files from the ToiBox 30: Mr. Thornton – Bio

FM-MrT

nomaleBiography:  Subject FM 5-Mr. Thornton

Mr. Thornton is a retired banker from the U.K. who moved to the U.S. with his very young son. He raised his son by himself since his wife, and love of his life, died when the boy was very young. Mr. Thornton is a of lover of jazz music and conversation. He’s always lived a simple life and wants nothing more than to see his son settled down and living a simple life of his own.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords