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Dear Reader,
Shawn Smucker, today's guest author, introduces readers to the enchanting world of twelve-year-old Samuel Chambers in his debut novel, The Day the Angels Fell. After his mother's tragic death, Sam and his friend Abra Miller begain a mysterious and dangerous quest to find the Tree of Life--the only thing that could possibly bring his mother back.
The Edge of Over There, Shawn's new release, is the spectacular the sequel to The Day the Angels Fell. Abra's life was dramatically changed by the events surrounding her and Sam's hunt for the Tree of Life. Now, four years later, Abra is still searching for signs of that other world and the next manifestation of the Tree.
Shawn Smucker lives in Lancaster, PA, with his wife Maile and their six children.
Shawn's publisher, Revell, is giving away five copies of The Edge of Over There, to enter the drawing send an email to [email protected]. Please include your preferred shipping address, in case you're a winner.
You can contact Shawn at his Facebook page.
It was the middle of the night in the city, but the street lights were bright, and a relaxed Friday night crowd meandered through the warm, autumn air. I was driving for Uber again, trying to make enough to pay some bills in between writing contracts. Whenever I had a gap in fares, I pulled my laptop out from under my driver's seat and typed out a few more sentences to my work in progress, The Edge of Over There.
Soon, another call. I drove south through the center of the city, out to where the street lights weren't so bright. The streets in that part of the city are pitted and pockmarked. I pulled up and stopped at the corner of an alley, peering through the shadows, waiting for the customer to emerge.
I unlocked the door and she crawled inside, quiet and brooding. In the rearview mirror, the dim light of her phone gathered and shone on a few lip piercings, a few eyebrow piercings. She had gauges in her ears, at least half-inch holes. Her hair was maroon, and her eyes were heavy, dark.
When she spoke, she had a kind voice, and I realize she was young, maybe early 20s. I confirmed where she wanted to go, and we started off for the other side of the city, stopping at crosswalks to let the crowds of college students pass. We were still a few minutes away from her destination when a Chris Stapleton song came on: Tennessee Whiskey.
In it, he croons about his woman, how she kept him from hitting bottom, how her love is better than any of his old drinks of choice.
"Can you turn it up?" the girl asks, and she starts singing right along with Chris Stapleton, her voice matching his in soul and force. She belted it out, and I got goosebumps, just listening. Her voice was amazing.
The street lights flashed in a strobe through the sunroof and she sang like I wasn't even there. We pulled up to her destination, and the song still hadn't ended. She finishing singing the chorus, took a deep breath, and gave out a kind of embarrassed laugh. "Well," she said, "in case you didn't guess, that song is my jam." I laughed, still in shock at the soaring sound of her voice. She smiled again, and she got out, and the only thing I could think was, I wish she would have finished singing that song.
--Shawn Smucker
You can post comments for Shawn at his Facebook page.
Enter the drawing to win a copy of The Edge of Over There, send an email to [email protected]. Please include your preferred shipping address, in case you're a winner.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
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