I had another short horror story published!

It was published In Underneath the Juniper Tree, a magazine of dark literature for children! Their mission: “Underneath The Juniper Tree was created after the departure of the beloved Crow Toes Quarterly Magazine in order to fill the gap in our lives. Underneath The Juniper Tree is a non-profit online magazine that supports new and budding artists and writers. We aim to promote the most creatively fantastical and darkly neurotic literature that has been much loved over the centuries and will be loved for centuries to come. Enjoy and remember, don’t get lost. You don’t want to end up underneath the Juniper Tree.”

You can find The Sleepwalker by Amy M. Newman in the fall issue of Underneath the Juniper Tree.

Announcing: The Title and Back-Cover Blurb for My YA Fantasy Novel!!!

Both the title and blurb may be subject to change per the editor’s request, but I was told I could share these with you all! Hope you like them!

 

Title:

Drive Back the Darkness

 

Back-cover blurb:

On her sixteenth birthday, Ellie Lyons discovers her entire life has been a lie. She’s kidnapped from her home and left in Alladon, a kingdom controlled by an evil man named Morfan, a kingdom that she was born to rule.

Ellie reluctantly faces the impossible tasks confronting her; like learning to control the magic that now roars through her and burns everything she touches, training to become a lethal warrior, or dealing with the fact that Devin, the guy she is irresistibly attracted to, is actually one of the assassins sent by Morfan to kill her.

Devin has a troubled past; he has spent the last five years tracking the person who murdered his family. He is dark, dangerous, and deadly serious, but Ellie can see the core of kindness shining deep within him, as well as the fear of getting hurt again that makes him push people away. Though Ellie knows her life might be at stake, she can’t seem to stay away from him, even as her feelings become strong enough that they begin to scare her.

Vance, the second assassin and Devin’s best friend, is the opposite of Devin; blonde, charming, seductive. But his heart holds a kernel of darkness, one that makes him dangerously unstable, especially after he realizes that he has feelings for Ellie, feelings he knows Ellie doesn’t share.

Ellie can’t let her emotions for the two men cloud her focus, her quest to remove Morfan from power. When Ellie discovers that the children of Alladon have been imprisoned in a secret factory, Ellie knows she can’t fight her destiny any longer. She must claim her rightful place as princess and fight Morfan, or surrender and be slaughtered. Will she be able to survive long enough to save her people from the Darkness?

I’m a Winner in the Short Story Competition!

My short story, “Final Judgment,” placed fifth out of 110 entries in the Writer’s Platform Building Campaign’s Second Writing Challenge. If you didn’t get to read my story the first time around, you can read it here. And if you’d like to see who the other winners are, you can find them here! I placed in the judged category, not the people’s choice category, so you’ll have to scroll down a little!

Thanks again to Rachael Harrie for hosting the competition!

Second Writing Challenge: “Final Judgment” by Amy Marie

Prompt 1:

Two people are sitting together under the remains of a concrete bridge. Their backs are against a rusted bridge support. One person’s leg is cut. The other person has wet hair.

1. Write a short story/flash fiction piece of less than 200 words based on the prompts

 

“Final Judgment” by Amy Marie

Gabe leaned against the crumbling support. Rivulets of river water streamed from his hair, saturated after pulling Michael to safety. Just outside the shelter of the bridge, a bomb burst in a cloud of heat and death. Gabe eyed the deep gash in Michael’s leg. It ran from calf to thigh, where a spike of dull, grey metal was embedded.

 

“Father has called us home. Can you make it?”

“Give me a minute.” Michael shut his eyes as blood slithered slowly down his leg.

 

A woman and a small child dressed in a filthy pink dress, crouched at the other end of the bridge as gunfire gnawed at the cement. Gabe could smell their fear, like a birthday cake left to rot.

 

Michael opened his eyes. “Do you think humans are evil or stupid?”

 

“It doesn’t matter what I think.” Gabe turned away as the mother scooped the child up, rocked her against her chest. “Or why they fight us. Only Father can judge them.”

 

Gabe pulled Michael to his feet. With one liquid movement, they tossed themselves into the sky, soaring on wings laced with fire. The woman’s eyes scorched as she watched the angels fly toward Heaven.

I’m a Finalist in the Short Story Competition!

Thanks, Mina B! Here is her notification:

 

“Loved this. What the heck were those things? Well done! FYI: You’re one of the top 5 I picked in the group I’m judging & have been shortlisted to move on to stage two. There will be a semi-final (stage three) and a final (stage four). Congrats.”

YAY!! If any of my campaigner friends want to vote for me, I’ll love you forever!

 

If anyone missed my story, you can read it here.