If you're interested in imaginative science fiction with a romantic twist, you should check it out! Here is an excerpt and some links to help you find (or win!) a copy of RUBY'S FIRE, book TWO in the innovative FIRESEED series.
Danger! Is Ruby falling
for the wrong guy? A short excerpt
“I didn’t know you cared,” I tease. “Do you?”
Blane shrugs. I know he can’t answer those kinds of
questions. Instead of answering, he places the mask on my head. His fingers,
fastening the straps at the back of my head shoot fire through me. His body, so
close makes my chest swell with confusion and desire. Why am I so sensitive to
his presence?
I press him. “Why do you always stare at me from the window?
Why do you ask me questions with your eyes and not your mouth? What do you want
with me?”
He stands his ground, his boots planted apart. His silent
confidence angers me.
“I asked you what you wanted. Do you want to kiss me? Huh?”
I ask with more fury than I intended.
He lowers his head and kicks at the sand. “Why are you such
a tease? You’re either too remote or flirting in an angry way. What happened to
you at that place, Ruby? What did they do to you?”
“What did they do to me? Hah! What didn’t they do to me?” I barrel on, looking over Blane’s shoulder
at one of the dunes. “That man you saw claimed me when I was five. He beat me.”
I hold up my bad hand. “He cut off three of my fingers. He would’ve assaulted
me if I hadn’t run!” I pause to catch my breath. My knees are ready to cave. As
at peace as I was before, the memory of what I went through renders me a
furious, quaking catastrophe in seconds. “And you have the nerve to ask me why
I’m such a mean tease?” That hurts. Armonk has said as much, about me being
seductive. But why should I tell Blane that he’s the second guy to tell me
this? “I have a question for you,” I fire back. “Why are you such a brute?”
He flinches. Hurt dims the light in his eyes. Is that what
we are to each other? Punching bags? No, I won’t play that game. There’s good
in Blane. He dragged Thorn and me in to safety when we passed out in the sun.
He saved me from Stiles that night. He defended me against Jan. Blane might be
a brute but brute force is sometimes what’s required. And I sense that there
are more layers below.
“I had to get strong to survive,” he whispers, so low that I
need to move closer to hear him. “I couldn’t protect my brother, Percy. I
couldn’t protect my family. I vowed to always be stronger after that.”
“You got too strong, too mean,” I tell him.
“You too, Ruby.”
“You helped me get rid of Stiles,” I admit. “And I never
told you what that meant to me.”
“No, you went off with Armonk.”
“You didn’t give me a chance because you stormed off so
fast,” I tell him. I raise my head to Blane’s solid neck, to the honey-brown
stubble on his chin and up to his eyes—locking gaze-to-gaze, fire-to-fire. “I
do like Armonk, as a friend.” Why am
I admitting all of this? Why?
I feel Blane’s heart beating out of his suit. Or is it my
heart that’s beating out of my chest? He steps closer. His warm sea apple
breath drifts onto my cheeks. I breathe him in. This is dangerous madness. He
reaches for me, hungrily, desperately. Our masks bump awkwardly against each
other as we kiss.
PRAISE for RUBY'S FIRE:
“Seventeen year-old Ruby and her little brother
Thorn, have only known a life blighted by the extremist Fireseed Cult. The
night Ruby is set to be claimed by one of its cruelest and oldest leaders, she
makes a bid for freedom. With Thorn in tow, she stumbles into the world beyond,
and finds an opportunity for a fresh start in Skull’s Wrath under the guidance
of Nevada Pilgrim, a woman who may not be all she seems. Ruby's new life
could bring her friendship, love, even fortune, but nothing comes without a
price. Is Ruby's talent for elixirs keeping the roof over their heads, or do
some of her associates have a more sinister and lucrative interest in them?
Life outside a strange cult isn't without its dangers, and the experience leaves
Ruby transformed and communing with the Fireseed more closely than she ever would
have imagined. Stine delivers a thrilling adventure led by an exciting
cast of characters, and the romance is
really well handled.” -YA’s The Word
BIO summer 2013
Catherine Stine
Catherine Stine writes YA, New Adult and middle
grade fiction. Her YA futuristic thriller, Fireseed One, illustrated by the
author won finalist spots in both YA and Science Fiction in the 2013 USA Book
News International Book Awards. It was also granted a 2013 Bronze Wishing Shelf
Book Award and a 2013 Indie Reader Approved notable stamp. Her YA Refugees, earned a New York Public
Library Best Book. Middle grade novels include A Girl’s Best Friend.
Fireseed One sequel, Ruby’s Fire is earning
advance praise from reviewers and authors:
“Ruby's Fire, returns to the
sun-scorched earth of Fireseed One. In this long-awaited sequel, Stine delivers
a thrilling adventure led by a new and exciting cast of characters. Ruby, Armonk, Thorn and Blane are memorable,
and the romance is really well handled. Favorite quote: " It feels
wrong to lean on Armonk right now with Blane staring at me, a hungry, lonely
look in his eye. It’s as if he’s never been hugged, never been fed, never been
loved..." ” -YAs the Word
More and more, Catherine enjoys writing
speculative tales where her imagination has wild and free reign. She has taught
creative writing workshops at the Philadelphia Writing Conference, Missouri
University Summer Abroad, The New School and in her own ongoing NYC writing
workshop. She loves her readers, and enjoys blogging.
Buy links (and
online links) for Ruby’s Fire:
Amazon
illustrated paperback:
Amazon Kindle:
Barnes and Noble NOOK:
Ruby’s Fire on
Goodreads:
Catherine’s
author page on Facebook:
Twitter:
Catherine’s
blog:
http://catherinestine.blogspot.com/
Catherine’s
website:
http://catherinestine.com/wp/
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