CHANGING WORLDS

The Contract

Changing Worlds by Melissa Barker-Simpson

Prequel to the Fractured Series by Melissa Barker-Simpson

After the Demonic War, a battle which devastated the mortal realm, humans now stick to the world’s major cities. To even the score, and to protect those cities, hunters joined together to establish cells across the globe. Maddison Wood is part of an alpha cell within the north of England.

Though a skilled fighter and powerful witch, Maddison can be brash, and unpredictable. She has a penchant for trouble, and is usually the first to volunteer in battle. When she accepts an assignment to protect the Hympe King, Tobias Locke, Maddison’s fate becomes bound to his. As the stakes change, and she finds herself trapped inside the bowels of an enemy camp, Maddison must fight for her freedom, her independence, and for a prisoner who has not seen the light of day for almost a century.

Melissa Barker-Simpson

I’ve been writing since, well…since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. I often look back on those earlier stories, and apart from laughing at the heavy-handed drama, or cringing at my inexperience, I am reminded that I have always lived in other worlds.

My first novel was published in 2008, and I love nothing more than working on a new project. The voices inside my head invariably pull me in different directions, so although I try to work on one thing at a time, those who know me would tell you it doesn’t always work!

I have a full-time job which, though does not involve writing per se, incorporates my love of language. As a British Sign Language Interpreter, I get to translate information between two languages which is (mostly) fun.

I have two beautiful daughters who bring me great joy. They also keep me grounded, because otherwise I would have my head in the clouds permanently!

Saunders’ Choice

A Natural Gifts Novella by Gina Briganti

Saunders finds himself in a plane of existence called the Dreaming, where he encounters Velvet, the most exciting creature he will ever meet. The answer seems obvious, but Saunders’ life has never been easy.

Gina Briganti

Gina Briganti has been writing since she could hold a pencil. It has always been a comfort that to create she needs only three things; the pencil, the paper, and her imagination.

She lives in beautiful Joshua Tree, CA, the setting for her debut paranormal romance series, Natural Gifts.

Excerpt from The Contract by Melissa Barker-Simpson

(Maddson is hiding out in Durin Mountain – home of the dwarves. When the walls begin to shake, it’s clear the game is up!)

Please don’t be Grendel. Please don’t be Grendel.

“Where are you, witch?” Grendel’s voice boomed down the passage.

Damn it.

“I do have a name,” she muttered, knowing he could hear every word.

Tobias stepped towards the sound. “Perhaps you should let me handle this.”

All she could do was stare at him. He wasn’t seriously suggesting she couldn’t fight her own battles.

Hell no.

“I can deal with a thick-headed, crazy-assed dwarf,” she said and Zachariah choked out a laugh.

“What did you call me, Goldilocks?” Grendel boomed.

“See,” she said, lifting her eyes towards the roof of the cave. “He can’t even get his references right. Goldilocks had fair hair you-”

Grendel’s booming laughter shook the walls. Small pebbles on the ground danced beside her feet as he got nearer. He was in a good mood, she realised with a jolt. Either that or he was looking forward to torturing her slowly.

“You really shouldn’t have destroyed the Drystan,” Zachariah murmured.

“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Tobias added, looking horrified.

The Dwarves were a proud race and admired skill and craftsmanship above all else. During a ceremony at the time of their maturity they were presented with an axe, gifted to them by the leader of the clan. It was named as part of an honorary ritual and became a prized possession. Maddison had accidently dissolved Grendel’s weapon during a disagreement.

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