Guardian of Dawn is available TODAY on http://www.youngrebelpublications.com/%22%3Ehttp://www.youngrebelpublications.com/%3C/a in the Rebel Moon anthology. I am doing a happy dance.

The following is an excerpt from Guardian of Dawn:

Guardian of Dawn

“Quit dragging your feet and run Eli, it's gaining on us!” He was at least two yards behind me and close to tripping over his damn untied shoelaces. You've got to be kidding me. Newbie.

“I'm trying. Please don't leave me, Tristen,” he pleaded through broken breaths.

We rounded the corner of an old brick apartment building which glowed brilliant ruby against the setting sun. I had every intention of leaving Eli behind for the bloodsuckers if he slowed me down. But there was something about him, his innocence, maybe, that reminded me of my brother. The newbie was already softening me up, and these days I couldn't afford to let my guard down. No one could.

A slimer rounded the corner behind us. It hunched over, poised to spring. Pulsing veins glowed white just under the surface of its paper-thin boiled flesh. Bones, sharp as razors, rose from its back and spread like the fin of a giant, hideous reptile. But this thing was far from a reptile.

Oh damn. Here we go.

“Duck!” I yelled as I pulled my cross-bow from the strap latched around my back. I aimed a split second – that's all the time I had, and all the time I needed – and pulled the trigger. An arrow pierced through the thing’s head, right between its bulging red eyes.

Five days and counting!

Five days remain until Rebel Moon: A Paranormal Anthology is available on http://www.youngrebelpublications.com/. My story, Guardian of Dawn, will be featured toward the end of the collection since the stories will be arranged alphabetically.

Editing has been surprisingly fun. It's amazing how much work and editing goes into a 3,000 word short story. And this is where I must give a shout out to my brilliant edtior, JacquelineYoung. Thanks Jx for this amazing oppurtunity and for helping me polish this story to perfection! Also, thanks to the few close friends and family who read this story before publication and offered support, advice and encouragment.

In the mix of editing, there was one crucial change that had to be made. My main character was stripped of his name, Caden, and assigned a new one. Tristen. It is so odd how some characters linger in my mind and grow to develop backrounds and histories that never had a chance to make it into the pages of the story. Maybe this is why I mourned over the name-loss, (sad, but true). Caden had become real to me. But as the saying goes, a rose is still a rose by any other name.

I have taken a break from the spin-off novel, and am currently working on another short, YA romance story for the Young Rebel publishing company. I am not yet ready to reveal anything about this story as it is still a work in prgoress, but I will say its sub-genre is fantasy (duh!).

What would I do if I didn't have these fantasy worlds to escape to, and these characters to get lost in? *Sigh*

Anyway, look forward to Guardian of Dawn, which will be released in FIVE DAYS on October 25th, 2010 on http://www.youngrebelpublications.com/  And as always, thanks for the support!

~A~