Release Blitz: THE SQUIRE AND HIS MAGICAL LIBRARY by Christy Matheson With An Excerpt & A #Giveaway!

I am so excited that the prequel to The Castle in Kilkenny: Fairy Tales Book’s, THE SQUIRE AND HIS MAGICAL LIBRARY by Christy Matheson is available now and that I get to share the news!

 

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below.

 

This blitz also includes a giveaway for copies of the eBook courtesy of Christy & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

 

About The Book:

Title: THE SQUIRE AND HIS MAGICAL LIBRARY (The Castle in Kilkenny: Fairy Tales Book 4)

Author: Christy Matheson

Pub. Date: May 25, 2025

Publisher: Buttercup Books

Formats: eBook

Pages: 188

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/The-Squire-and-His-Magical-Library

What if he doesn’t have to be a warrior?

What if fate is something he can choose?

Despite the druids’ prediction that Rian would become a great warrior, he hates the king’s training program. After the first year’s Trials, humiliated and angry, Rian flees the other squires to hide in the cellars...where he finds a magical library and a wren-like Fae who explains that he can choose his own fate. Each year, one figurine crumbles and one possible fate disappears because of the choices he's made. He should be able to make the Warrior disappear before he turns eighteen, right?

Meanwhile, Rian helps two very different princesses—one bent on becoming a warrior to seek revenge, and the other imprisoned by blindness. As Rian’s decisions become entangled with his friendships, the figurines vanish one by one. As the years go by, does he have any choice left about his own future?

Read now, to journey back to 3rd-century Ireland with a reluctant young hero! 

With characters based on Irish mythology, this historical fantasy has plenty of action but no gore.  

It takes place in the same world as the other “Castle in Kilkenny” books, but is the earliest book featuring these characters, so is a true stand-alone.

 Start your journey with the prequel and then grab the rest of the series here!

 

Excerpt:

I guess I can’t get much more lonely and shameful than I already am.

The door swings smoothly at my touch, and warmth hits me as the light makes me blink.

No one’s here. And it still feels welcoming.

I hobble to the fire and sink onto the soft chair. Whoever owns it isn’t using it, and I’ll leave soon. After a long moment, I open my eyes. At my fingertips is a steaming cup and a jar of salve.

I sniff them both. The castle policy is that anyone is allowed appropriate supplies. I’m a warrior, even a junior one. I am definitely allowed to take medicine.

I rub the salve on the worst of my injuries. It works even faster than usual, the pain fading right away.

So by the time I drink the tea, I’m feeling well enough to look around. Carefully.

I warm my hands against my tea, feeling more alert with each sip. The patterns on the rugs seem familiar, but the construction is softer and denser than anything else in the castle. I understand what the furniture is for, but the shapes and materials are like nothing I’ve ever seen. The mantle is constructed of absolutely smooth stone, gray and red veins swirling against the white, and the ironwork for the fireplace is more delicate and complicated than anything the king’s smithy could produce. The light is coming from tall vases with colored glass hats, and the hats are glowing. I examine one closely, and find a little toggle that makes the flame go on and off. Definitely magic. Besides, even a king couldn’t afford that much glass, and he wouldn’t put it in the basement if he did.

I’m not sure if that’s better or worse. Are there fae living underneath the castle?

Well, I’m here now, and I’ve already drank and used their medicine—so if it’s a magical trap, I’m already caught.

 

About Christy Matheson:

Christy writes romantic Regency fiction about friendship, family, and finding one's place in an ever-changing world.

Christy is an embroidery artist, classically trained pianist, and sews all of her own clothes. She lives in Oregon, on a country property that fondly reminds her of a Regency estate (except with a swing set instead of faux Greek ruins), with her five children, two Shelties, a bunny, and an improbable amount of art supplies.

She is a co-editor for the short story anthology, Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, and her novels are represented by Kristina Sutton Lennon of Focused Artists. She is also an award-winning spoken-word poet.

She has degrees from Smith College and Lesley University, and is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association, Historical Novel Society, and Regency Fiction Writers.

Sign up for Christy’s newsletter!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive an eBook of THE SQUIRE AND HIS MAGICAL LIBRARY, International.

Ends June 3rd, midnight EST.

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Release Blitz: UNDER THE NORMAN SKY by Marilyn Jeulin With An Excerpt & A #Giveaway!

I am so excited that UNDER THE NORMAN SKY by Marilyn Jeulin is available now and that I get to share the news! 

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below. 

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon GC and a signed copy of the book courtesy of Marilyn & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

 

About The Book:

Title: UNDER THE NORMAN SKY

Author: Marilyn Jeulin

Pub. Date: May 16, 2025

Publisher: Marilyn Jeulin

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 224

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

Sébastien Lèfevre has been in love with his best friend, Victoria Garnot, since the moment she convinced him to give her her first kiss. He’s lived his life indulging her every whim. But when their careers lead them down two separate paths, Sébastien decides he’s done putting his heart at risk.
An Alpha in the kitchen but a beta in love, he pushes his feelings aside and climbs the ladder of success, becoming a lauded Executive Chef for Chez Armand in Mont St. Michel and earning two Michelin stars. He’s at the top of his game, but there’s still one thing he’s missing: Victoria.
Victoria has always put her training as a top chef ahead of everything, including love. It’s taken her six years to earn her first hard-fought Michelin star. But now that she has it, her life has changed so drastically that she doesn’t know who she is anymore without it.
Lost and without a plan, Victoria is approached by the only man who truly knows her: Sébastien. When he makes her an offer she can’t refuse, she accepts, though she wonders if they can keep things professional between them. Even more, she wonders if that’s what she really wants…or if what she really wants is Sébastien.

 

Excerpt:

“We’re closed,” I called from the kitchen, loud enough for whoever to hear me, before looking at the security camera.

I blinked in surprise at the unexpected visitor, Sébastien. Immediately, I stuck my head in the pass-through window that opened into the old front of the house. My heart flip-flopped. The traitor, I thought, patting my chest while trying to find the right words before addressing him.

“Sébastien!” I thought that was anticlimactic as I walked around the table, then through the double doors into the old dining area.

“Victoria,” Sébastien said, his severe expression not hiding the tension between us as he looked around the restaurant. His face was unreadable, and his eyes were guarded. For a few seconds, I mourned the ease that once existed between us, but the truth was that seeing him like this, out of the blue, brought back memories of my competitive side, which drove a wedge between us. Mainly my thickheaded way of always wanting to get ahead and crush the competition.

 

About Marilyn Jeulin:

Born in the Wild West and raised in a tropical paradise, Marilyn has always had a thirst for a good story and adventure. She’s a huge fan of Anne Rice, Stephen King, & GRR Martin.

Mom of two boys, and wife to the Frenchman, Marilyn is also an avid gamer, who spends way too much time on Facebook and Instagram. 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Threads | Bluesky | Goodreads | Amazon| BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC & a signed paperback of UNDER THE NORMAN SKY, US Only.

Ends June 3rd, midnight EST.

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Blog Tour- THE KARMA KANTANTA SERIES by A.O. Wagner & @PRbytheBook

Thanks for stopping by my stop on the THE KARMA KANTANTA SERIES by A.O. Wagner Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours!

 

About The Books:

Title: THE KARMA KANTANTA SERIES- The Karma Sequence (Book 1), The Karma Topology (Book 2), The Karma Ubiquity (Book 3)

Author: A.O. Wagner

Pub. Date: Book 1 December 8, 2022, Book 2 December 9, 2023, Book 3 October 25, 2024

Publisher: A.O. Wagner

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: Book 1 323, Book 2 314, Book 3 410

Find it: Goodreads Series Page, Amazon Series Page, Read all 3 books for FREE With A Kindle Unlimted Membership!

 

Embark on an exhilarating odyssey with The Karma Kantata, a series that unfolds across captivating realms filled with intriguing characters, Faustian temptations, and unexpected turns.

The series mixes thrilling elements of suspense with societal, technological, and spiritual dimensions.

Follow Dan's journey from an absolute physical and mental low to a state of balance and an ongoing quest for understanding the dynamics of the world and its supernatural mechanics.

On his thrilling pursuit, he faces challenges that may seem insurmountable but also achieves the amazing experiences and insights he hopes for, as well as some he hadn't expected.

While rooted in the familiar, Dan’s story is interwoven with mythical and spiritual dimensions that invite readers to see the world through a new lens.


This series is for you if you're looking for a model to understand life's purpose and a deeper meaning of existence.

This series can make a difference for you by giving you an impression of how everything in the physical world is interconnected on a transcendent level.

This series will give you insight into how your subjective perception of yourself as being central in your experience of the cosmos may be more objectively true than you realize.

All this, in addition to a fascinating and immersive story.

 

Excerpt From Book 1, The Karma Sequence:

PROLOGUE

 

On a highway heading toward Copenhagen, a man was sitting behind the wheel of his car in the early morning traffic. He was on his way to work from his home outside Køge—a town south of the Danish capital.

Traffic flowed quietly, as it normally did. Not fast, but perfectly acceptable. On a typical day, he spent the time in the car reviewing his plan for the day and the suggestions and comments he’d prepared in the evening for his various projects.

He was in his early forties and had a relatively exciting job as a project manager in a software company, which he’d advanced to through many years of working in system development. He often missed the direct participation in designing and programming the systems the company delivered—mainly to the banking sector. But with the position he’d now advanced to, he had more responsibility and was better paid.

In his private life, he’d married a sweet woman eight years younger than himself. She worked in Køge and consequently didn’t have to leave as early in the morning as he did. They’d played badminton together for many years and were both in good shape. They jogged frequently and had some exercise equipment in the basement, which he mainly used. In addition, he tried to be conscious of his diet and habits, though occasionally, there had to be space to relax and enjoy himself.

Although he had much sedentary work, with meetings and planning, he still felt he was as fit as he’d been in his twenties.

Two months earlier, he’d also paid a professional firm to prepare a full report on his health and prospects—based on an extensive questionnaire and a mouth swab he had to perform on himself and submit in an envelope he’d received from the firm. Besides a series of analyses and recommendations, the report—or document, as the company called it—also included predictions of which risk categories one might fall into with age, and an estimate of how old one would become. It estimated his life expectancy at ninety-two years, which he was pretty happy with. Still, he reminded himself that this was a calculation with very few inputs. Being a system developer, he understood it was a simple algorithm that did the math—there was no guarantee.

But he’d noticed one small thing in the document he’d received that looked like a mistake. After the calculated expectation of how old he’d get, there was an odd number that looked entirely out of place. The number was 15,529, and there was no indication of what it meant, so a part of his analytical mind had seen it as a technical challenge and had set about finding possible explanations—besides the most likely, that it was a mistake and that the number was completely random and insignificant. But because it stood next to the field showing life expectancy, one of his first hypotheses had been that it might be the number of days in his life.

Even before he’d divided the number by 365, he could easily see that it wouldn’t give ninety-two years, and as it only showed about forty-two, it confirmed his initial assessment that it must be an error with a random value. Still, part of him couldn’t shake the idea, and when he added the number to his date of birth in a spreadsheet, the result showed that he’d die on May 15th, that year.

And that was today.

When he’d seen the result, he tried to push the thought away, blaming himself for taking his own far-fetched guess seriously. The number was some sort of error; it was impossible to predict how many days a person would live. He’d promised himself not to think about it anymore and never to purchase a similar analysis again, but to rely more on his own assessments of his health and habits.

But despite his rational conclusion, the stupid document had made him spot danger everywhere the past few days. And when he looked in the rearview mirror, he could see a man in a car, two positions behind him, that he thought had also been there the day before, possibly even the day before that. Even though many people went to work using the same highway every morning, he still found it strange to spot the same car at the same distance, two—maybe three—days in a row. Especially since the car had also been there when he went home from work. It was difficult to dismiss as pure coincidence.

As he squinted to see if he could get a better look at the man behind the wheel, the traffic came to a stretch of roadwork that had been going on for a while and where oncoming traffic was being diverted onto one of the lanes on the same side as the many cars heading into town.

In the mirror, it looked like the man was trying to signal to him with open mouth and wild gestures.

He shifted his focus back to the road ahead, but before he could react, he realized he’d crossed into the wrong lane, and a split second later, he collided head-on with a large truck going at high speed in the opposite direction.

 

 

About A.O. Wagner:

A. O. Wagner is a pen name for an author who values his privacy and prefers to remain anonymous.

He is the author of the trilogy “The Karma Kantata.” The first book in the series about Dan and his journey is “The Karma Sequence,” followed by “The Karma Topology,” and concluding with “The Karma Ubiquity.” The novels explore the intersection of technological and spiritual themes.

A. O. now resides in a remote mountain area, having left behind the hustle and bustle of city life. Prior to his move, he worked as a software developer and consultant before shifting his focus to writing.

Being a bit of a recluse, A. O. has chosen not to engage on social media. His interests span spiritual and technical subjects, with a humble curiosity about the workings of the cosmos and consciousness.

A. O. is currently working on his next novel, continuing to explore themes that fascinate him while striving to engage readers with his unique perspective.

Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Tour Participants:

GryffindorBookishNerd

Country Mamas With Kids

Lifestyle of Me

@thepageladies

@alexandriavwilliams_

Reading With Texan Girl

Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog

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Edith's Little Free Library

A Blue Box Full of Books

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Lady Hawkeye

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Fire and Ice

Two Chicks on Books

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Release Day Blitz- SPELLBINDERS: BREAK THE GAME by Andrew Auseon With An Excerpt & A #Giveaway! @randomhousekids

I am so excited that the SPELLBINDERS: BREAK THE GAME paperback by Andrew Auseon is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a copy of the paperback courtesy if Andrew & a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

 

About The Book:

Title: SPELLBINDERS: BREAK THE GAME

Author: Andrew Auseon

Pub. Date: May 6, 2025

Publisher: Yearling

Formats:  Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/SPELLBINDERS-BREAK-THE-GAME 

It takes more than magic to make a hero, in the next installment of this hilarious and epic illustrated series. One not-so-chosen champion and his mystical friends must cross the multiverse and harness a dangerous power to defeat a mysterious new enemy.

"My favorite new fantasy series.”—Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Last Kids on Earth series

After leveling up from basement roleplaying games to saving an entire magical realm, 12-year-old Ben isn’t happy returning to his ordinary life of homework and chores. So when his very un-magical LARP session is crashed by monstrous frog-men from another dimension, he can't wait to get back into hero mode.

Someone is after all the Spellbinder’s books, which grant the users — including Ben — epic reality-shifting powers. Ben, Niara, Merv, Drake, and their new friend Agnes must embark on an epic quest to save the books and their owners. But while hopping across different realms may be Ben’s idea of a totally awesome spring break, it’s tough to be an ordinary kid among extraordinary heroes. Especially when fighting for the fate of the universe seems to consist mostly of finding fun new ways to get them all killed, from zombie rats to pool noodle squids, to a mysterious Big Bad controlling everything from behind the scenes. How do you win the game when someone else is rolling the dice?

 

Reviews:

"The metafictive story structure counters predictability with a self-awareness that caters to imaginative readers....Ideal for fantasy nerds, gamers, and writers." —Kirkus Reviews

Grab book 1 now!

Book Trailer:

Excerpt:

1

Playdate

“Butternut squash!”

Behind a rotted old tree stump, Ben Whitlock, Spellbinder Level 2 and tenor in the middle school glee club, prepared to meet his doom. His death would be fast, and it would most certainly be messy, but that didn’t mean he’d go down without a fight.

“I’m too cute to die!” Ben’s friend Merv squealed, hunching against the trunk of a tree as two blasts of magic whipped overhead. “Where’s Agnes? She said she’d cover our attack.”

“Agnes had to go put on more sunblock,” Ben said.

“Why does she need sunblock? It’s raining.”

“She has very sensitive skin.”

“Couldn’t she have waited for, like, two minutes? What did she say?”

“Something about SPF.”

“What’s SPF?”

“I DON’T KNOW! I’VE NEVER KNOWN!”

More spells flashed by overhead, crashing into the nearby trees and bushes. It sounded like the whole forest was falling down around them. Hidden in the safety of the drizzling mist, their enemies, a band of ruthless mercenaries called the Circle of Souls, smacked the blades of their swords together, filling the air with the terrifying drumbeat of war.

Taking a deep breath, Ben summoned his bravery. He’d faced bigger threats before and survived with all his bits and pieces intact. What was one more band of raiders? In one hand he held a small, curved war hammer, and in the other he held his phone, which for all its cool apps and great screen resolution turned out to be pretty useless in battle.

“We need a new plan,” he said.

“I like our current plan,” Merv said.

“Hiding behind a stump is not a plan.”

“What if we hide behind a rock? Or a ridge? Or a log?”

“Stop listing things to hide behind!”

“Can’t we just give up and go home?” Merv asked, ducking behind cover as arrows whistled past.

Ben shook his head. “Never. We’ll fight to the very end.”

“I liked you better when you ran away from a fight,” Merv grumbled.

Gradually, the volley of arrows ended with a few final shots that plonked off what was left of the wet stump. Then, silence. A cool breeze swept through the trees and shook the branches.

Ben lifted a finger. “Wait! Listen! They’re planning something.”

“Are they planning to hide behind a stump, like us?”

Ben growled. “I should just use you as a human shield.”

“Too bad I’m not human,” Merv said with a wink.



BEN WHITLOCK


Always eager to rush into battle, even when he probably shouldn’t, this courageous Earthling has a head for lore and a loyal heart. Formerly the Chosen One of Lux, he is now known as “Mr. Whitlock” by teachers and “Hey, You!” by other kids at school.

• CLASS: Spellbinder

• FACTION: The Four Squires (placeholder)

• ALIGNMENT: Merciful Neutral

• ABILITIES: Spellcasting, Allowance +2, Game Mastery

• SPECIAL MOVES: Double Thumbs-Up, Advanced Uncomfortable Silence



It was true; Merv wasn’t human. They were a creature called a mimir from another world, and they could change their physical appearance at will . . . and they could also get on Ben’s nerves like nobody else. They snored, sang all the wrong lyrics to pop songs (“for stew, I’d eat a cheesy fry,” instead of “from you, I need a squeeze goodbye”), and, worst of all, they always borrowed his gym shorts and stretched out the elastic waistbands so they fell down whenever he put them on.

Despite how much of a pain they could be, Ben adored Merv, and he was proud to call them his best friend, roommate, and companion in all sorts of everyday adventures, from raking the yard to running from mercenaries who worshipped a cosmic spider named Aracnus.

A shout erupted from the brush. “Dagash, monanthus, treyar!” It was followed by a chorus of other voices: “DAGASH! MONANTHUS! TREYAR!” Soon the words became a chant that filled the rainy forest.

Ben rolled his eyes. “Great! Now they’re starting a creepy chant. Who knows what it’s going to do?”

“Don’t blame me,” Merv said. “I tried to convince you to stay home. I wanted to binge-watch Total Housewives, but no, you had to fight an epic battle.”

“Where’s Agnes?” Ben grumbled.

“Who cares?” Merv said. “Agnes isn’t helpful in a fight. Remember last time? First, she morphed your head into a wiener dog, and then she healed all the members of the enemy party by accident. We got slaughtered!”

Ben bit back his reply. Merv was right, of course. Agnes had proven herself to be about as useless as a box of expired batteries. Not for lack of trying. He’d never met anybody so eager and willing to help out, but so surprisingly bad at it.

“We need to flank them,” he said, stealing a glimpse over the gnarled roots of the stump. The enemy flitted among the trees, chanting prayers to their twisted bug god. “What if you changed?”

Merv pouted. “What do you mean? I like who I am. It’s taken a long time for me to feel comfortable with myself and--”

“No, you goober,” Ben snapped. “What if you changed your appearance so you looked like one of them, in Circle of Souls armor? Then maybe you can get around behind their battle line, and, surprise, you get the drop on them.”

“Here’s an idea,” Merv said. “We admit to ourselves that we’re outmatched and leave battles like this to the real heroes. Then it’s twenty-four-seven pj’s and pizza!”

“Disgraceful,” Ben grumbled. “And you call yourself a magical creature from another dimension. After everything we’ve done to get this far, you just want to walk away and let those jerks win?”

Merv shrugged. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, buddy, but we’re not heroes. And your Quest Master days are over.”

Their words stung because they were true.

All his life, Ben had wanted to be a great warrior who went on dangerous quests and fought the forces of evil, hoping to earn his place as a hero of myth and legend. Unfortunately, he lived in the suburbs, and opportunities to go on epic adventures didn’t come along very often. All that had changed last year, when he stumbled into the magical realm of Lux, where he’d been mistaken for its Chosen One, a long-awaited figure who was meant to bring about a new era of peace and enlightenment. Instead, he’d done a lot of property damage and undermined Lux’s biggest religion. His journey through Lux had been the most exciting time of his life, but after every­thing was said and done, he’d come back home again. To school. To laundry. To pop-up ads and pollution. These days, he dreamed of escape more than ever.

A husky voice rose from the tangle of shrubs high on the hillside. “Your resistance is futile. Surrender now, and we shall show you mercy! We will allow your bodies to host the larvae of roach pups!”

“See, that doesn’t sound so bad,” Merv said. “Roach pups! Cute!”

“Your souls, however, are a different matter. They will be sacrificed to our dark lady, the undead Aracnus, queen of the spiderlings and High Goddess of the Poison Court!” There was some intense whispered discussion, and then a second voice added, “And your eyes, we’ll need your eyes too! She likes the eyes!”

Ben looked at Merv, and Merv looked at Ben, and the two made an unspoken decision. After three months together, they’d developed the ability to hold almost entire conversations in complete silence, as all best friends do. “Fine, you jerks, you win!” Ben yelled, stepping into the open, arms raised. He flung his war hammer to the wet grass in front of him and unbuckled his sorcerer’s supply belt, tossing it aside.

“Yes, we surrender!” Merv yelled, joining him, arms over their head. “Can we go home now?”

Three black-armored mercenaries in horned helmets shuffled from the trees, looking like beetles walking on their hind legs. The leader, a tall guy with a jeweled scepter, made straight for Ben. Clearly, this was the Circle of Soul’s notorious war captain, Skreel the Pungent.

“So, we meet at last, Sir Ben,” Skreel said, casting a glance around the forest. “Where’s the third member of your party? Is she waiting to spring a surprise attack?”

“Agnes is probably hydrating,” Merv said. “Or looking for more hand sanitizer.”

Skreel sneered. “I’ve been after you twerps for weeks, and somehow you’ve managed to escape every time. But not today.”

“Yeah, fine, whatever,” Ben said. “You win. Can you take us prisoner now?”

“Sorry,” Skreel chuckled. “We don’t take prisoners.” Then he pointed at them with his jeweled scepter. “Execute this scum.”

“Wait a second!” Ben shouted, but he was too late.

A hulking mercenary advanced, whirling his huge sword with creeptastic glee.

Ben felt a surge of panic as he stared death in the face. He hadn’t expected it to end like this, not at the feet of a bunch of bullies like the Circle of Souls. He’d always pictured himself going out like a true hero, maybe standing atop a perilous cliff and facing down an endless horde of slobbering werewolves with nothing but an oversized dinosaur bone. Or trapped inside a video game that had grown self-aware and tried to rewrite reality’s code from the inside out. Certainly not on his knees in front of Skreel the Pungent, a guy who still needed his older sister to drive him to the park every Saturday. It was humiliating.

The executioner raised the broadsword high above his head.

“May your spirits find refuge in the web of Aracnus,” Skreel said, blessing them. “May your eyes nourish the damned.”

Ben closed his eyes and held his breath.

He heard the blade whistle through the air. . . .



“Boop!”

The tip of the foam sword tapped the back of his neck.

“You’re dead, punk.”

Ben flopped to the damp grass and groaned. Seconds later, Merv joined him.

Their executioner, a kid named Trevor who worked stage crew at Sweet Air High School, raised the helmet to show his face. He was trying to grow a mustache and failing miserably, with an upper lip like a patch of dirty Velcro. Cackling, he sheathed his weapon and turned to rejoin the rest of the mercenaries. The Circle of Souls cheered triumphantly and beat their fists against their armored chests, howling to their creepy spider god.

“Tough luck, Whitlock,” Jason “Skreel” Mundus said with a chortle. “One of these days you’ll be a worthy challenge.” Then, with a rallying cry of DAGASH! MONANTHUS! TREYAR! he led his party away to hunt the remaining LARPers hidden in the overgrown forests of Tuna State Park.

As Ben watched them go, the weight of the loss settled over him. Just a few months ago he’d saved a fantasy world from the clutches of a mad wizard. Now he couldn’t even defeat a squad of tenth-grade mercenaries in homemade costumes. He stared at the leafy canopy overhead and tried to find the energy to get back up.

What kind of hero was only a hero sometimes?

After a while, Merv stood and peeled off their headband, revealing the two slightly pointy ears that stuck up from their silvery hair. They extended a hand. “On your feet, Sir Ben of Sweet Air.”

Ben wanted to stay grumpy, but he couldn’t help but return Merv’s impish smile. Time and again, his friend showcased an incredible ability to lift his spirits even in the darkest moments. The mimir’s good humor was almost as magical as their power to change their appearance whenever they felt like it. After their exploits in Lux, Merv, who was an orphan, had moved in with Ben and his mom in their two-bedroom apartment, posing as an exchange student. Life with them made everything better.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” Ben said, craning his neck so he could see the back of his pants. “Do I have any leftover spell on my butt?”

“No, you’re good,” Merv said.

After gathering their weapons and gear, they retraced their steps to Picnic Area 8, a patch of overgrown grass that wound along the rocky shoreline of Lake Tuna. A bright midday sun peeked out from behind the clouds and the gray drizzle trickled to a stop. Ben and Merv plunked down at an empty picnic table to let their wet clothes start to dry.

The Sweet Air Protectors held events every Saturday in Tuna State Park, rain or shine. They were a recreational LARP, or live-action role playing, society that simulated adventures and battles in a fantasy world. Most of that time was spent drinking a lot of spiced cider in the “tavern,” a park shelter they rented for twenty-five dollars an hour, or telling jokes, and poking one another with foam swords. Since joining, Ben and Merv had played one prison break, a werewolf solstice festival, and a raid on a necromancer’s dungeon. In the meantime, they had made a lot of enemies but only one new friend: Agnes.

After nearly an hour of waiting, Agnes returned at last, pulling her small rolling suitcase behind her, white sunscreen slathered all over her face. She had her black hair wound into two long braids that swung back and forth as she walked.

“Hey, guys! What did I miss?” she asked.

“Only our total defeat at the hands of our enemies,” Ben grumbled.

“So, a pretty normal Saturday,” Merv added.

“Where did you go?” Ben asked. “We needed you!”

“I wanted to wash my hands,” Agnes said. “The necro curses made my skin all sticky. I think the bag was leaking.”

Ben and Merv didn’t know Agnes very well, and on the surface they didn’t have much in common, but when none of the other LARPers wanted to recruit her, they decided to give her a chance.

She unzipped her rolling suitcase and unpacked a picnic lunch, and while Ben handed out napkins, silverware, and paper plates, Merv spread the tablecloth. Then the three friends plopped down, shoulder to shoulder, on a blanket by the rocky shore of Lake Tuna and relaxed, listening to summer playlists on Ben’s phone. As the last of the storm clouds faded, a welcoming heat beat down on them, and sunlight turned the surface of the lake into a glittering sheet of silver.

Eyes closed, Ben fantasized about his Spellbinder’s book, the relic that had briefly given him the ability to conjure spells and change the world around him. Although he’d only known about these powers for a short time, he’d come to feel a connection to them, as if the notebook was just another part of his body.

Magic, however, was highly unpredictable, and Ben and the group had decided to stop using the notebook and stash it someplace safe until they could figure out what to do next. Until that day came, Niara and Drake, their two best warriors, had embarked on a quest to track down any other Spell­binders’ books that might lie scattered across the many realms.

It was a quest Ben desperately wanted to be on.

 

About Andrew Auseon:

Andrew Auseon is the author of several books for children and young adults, and he is the writer of numerous bestselling and award-winning video games. A transplant from the Midwest, he lives in Washington, D.C. with his family and two very naughty cats. He loves breakfast cereal, the sound of the ocean, and the feeling of a brand-new book in his hands.

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours, International.

2 winners will receive a signed paperback copy of SPELLBINDERS: BREAK THE GAME. US Only.

Ends May 30th, midnight EST.

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