YA Spooktacular: Shannon Delany

This is an event hosted by Wicked Awesome Books and Frenzy of Noise. My story is part of Story Number One. For those who don't know, this is a chose your own adventure type activity where many different authors write a part in the story and send it on to the next person.

THE POND IN THE FOREST

Laura dropped her weight back onto her right foot and, holding the poker like a baseball bat, swung with all her might. Too bad she sucked at sports. His hand shot up to intercept her strike and the blow skimmed his head. Surprised, he stumbled and lost his balance on the uneven floor. He scuttled backwards, his hood falling away from his face for the length of a single heartbeat . A heartbeat was all it took. Laura hissed and nearly dropped the poker, her eyes wide. With a sweep of one hand he pulled the hood up again and the memory of what she’d seen whisked away with the light that had briefly touched his strange face. Laura let out a shuddering breath and returned to the most threatening pose she could manage. “You’re not going to hurt anyone,” she said. “What you are going to do is take me to Brian. I kicked your butt—I’m going to kick his next.” He slowly drew himself up to his full height, his glittering silver eyes focused on the poker she still brandished. “Up the stairs,” she said, motioning with the tip of the poker. He climbed the stairs haltingly, one hand tracing along the wall and the other extended toward Laura to keep her at bay. At the top of the stairs the air only thickened. Laura heaved down a breath but it felt more like drinking than breathing. The walls were pocked with large indentations, rusty bars running the distance from ceiling to floor. Cages. Inside the cages Laura saw the flicker of movement as shadows slipped across shadows in the grim and manipulated hollows of the cavern dwelling. He was keeping something else captive like her.

If Laura demands he give her the keys to release what’s in the cages, go to The Reading Fever.

If Laura heads for freedom and ignores the cages, go to Stories to Be.

Author Bio: Shannon Delany has written stories since she was a child. In 2008 her greatly abbreviated version of 13 to Life (written in just five weeks) won the grand prize in the first-ever cell phone novel contest in the western world through Textnovel.com.She then sold the the rights to St. Martin’s Press and is now the author of five novels: 13 to Life, Secrets and Shadows, Bargains and Betrayals, Beasts and BFFs (prequel) and Destiny and Deception, which releases January 2012.

You can find Shannon on Twitter, on her blog, on Goodreads and you can order her books here:

Blog: http://13-to-life-a-werewolf-tale.blogspot.com/Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Shannon_Delany Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3200239.Shannon_Delany Where you can buy the books: http://13-to-life-a-werewolf-tale.blogspot.com/2010/01/where-you-can-buy-13-to-life-werewolfs.html

Wasn't that fun! I can't wait to hear the rest of the story! I'm really sitting on the edge of my seat! Besides hosting a part of the story I'm also hosting a Trick or Treat (something to get you an extra entry in the grand prize pack to be announced on long with it. Details below.

mine is a:

Yes, a comment challenge! It's pretty simple. You have to comment on EVERY blog's post in this story (including this one, ;-) ). Then once you're all done, come back her and fill out this form. It will give you an extra entry in the grand prize pack and an entry to win a copy of The Waking (Spirits of the Noh & Dreams of the Dead) by Thomas Randall. Now, on your mark, get set, comment!