Weekend Briefing: A Tale of Three Releases

The holidays are right around the corner, agents. What does this mean? It's the season for giving, both to your family and friends and to good causes. To celebrate, Mission Head is bringing you three books, one to give to Polaris, one to give to Human Coalition, and one written special for her fellows in the field.

Want some exclusive sneak peaks?

1. Coming October 26: Tales from Parallel Worlds

A collection of faerie tales and adventure stories from two worlds parallel to each other. One is a world filled with fae folk and monsters, and the other is place of clockwork and alchemy. Both are brimming with magic, mystery, and mortals who must find their places within.

Between the pages of these worlds, a boy learns his childhood friend is a dyrad, a lady must sneak away from her own ball to provide the cure to a plague-infected village, a siren has to solve a murder, and more.

Also includes an exclusive short story from the Howling Twenties series, involving the enchanted forest, a wedding day, and a blood moon.

Be swept away in tales of wonder and beautiful illustrations- with all profit going to Polaris so girls and boys can have a chance to live their own faerie tales and adventures in freedom.

(Note: Coming in both color and black and white editions)

Pre-Order at Special Price!

Excerpt from Tales from Parallel Worlds: 

I turn back around just in time to see Serena searching the ground around the fountain for recently turned over dirt.

Because my siren cousin doesn’t seem to care that every time she’s near a body of water with unrelated men, they jump in.

“Se-Scarlet!” I yell, running forward.

But too late. Mustard throws himself into the water cannonball style. Plum follows after with a face flop.

Green stands on the grass and just looks at them like they’re crazy.

For a moment, I look at him like he’s the insane one. Is he even male?

Then I remember the men who are drowning and hurry toward the fountain. “Scarlet, away from the water. Hide behind that tree or something!”

Serena saunters toward the nearest tree with no sense of urgency.

Gritting my teeth, I look back at White and Orchid for some help.

Orchid inspects her nails with a smug smile on her face like she has something to do with this as she picks dirt out of her otherwise perfectly manicured fingernails. White stands beside her, her fists clenched so hard her nails are going white as she stares intently at the water.

Well, her fingernails are turning white except where there is brown in the tips.

Are they accomplices?

Splashes remind me to compartmentalize that for later.

Turning back to the water, I just see Colonel Mustard rise up out of the water like it the water itself is propelling him out of it and tossing him to the grass.

But I don't have time to think about that. I dive in after Plum, evening dress and all. 

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2. Coming November 2: Marina Ivanov, PI

Marina always knew what she wanted in life: to be a successful private investigator in her adopted country, and Kristian Clark. But when he loses everything, but gains a wife, she still tries to have both as the business partner to a man who can no longer show his face to the public, and has a happy private life. Everything changes, though, when she takes an off-the-record job from foreign diplomat, Eitan Cohren who needs her help to find a missing girl. There is a life beyond pining for her first love- but the choice to move on may be beyond her control.

Originally published in Ruptured Reality and Other Short Stories, now re-released with bonus chapters and an exclusive sneak peak of Operation Paradise Lost!

All profit goes to Human Coalition.

Pre-Order on Amazon Now!

(From left to right: Marina, Eitan, Rhyan, Allen, Susan, and Kristian)

Excerpt from Marina Ivanov, PI:

It’ll only be so long before they trace me here.

A cry of pain snaps me out of my reverie.

One hand immediately goes to the concealed weapon I’m technically too young to legally own yet, and my other goes to my phone as I hurry to the alley where the sound came from.

And I go completely slack when I see the scene before me.

A young girl is wrapping her small hands around the neck of a middle-aged man at least twice her berth, moving as if to break it.

A young girl wearing only a long, filthy shirt and a murderous glint in her eyes.

Her beautiful, black eyes.

My mouth goes dry and my body freezes as I try to analyze what is going on before. To assure myself that this is my Rhyan, and this isn’t another hallucination.

But why would I be hallucinating her trying to kill this man?

“Rhyan, don’t!” I yell!

She startles, dropping the man. Apparently, her frail arms had been all that was keeping him up, because he collapses, his head hitting the concrete.

He doesn’t stir, and his blood oozes around his hear.

My medical training kicks in, and I dive forward, dropping to my knees beside him and taking out my phone. “911, I have an injured man-”

Even as I speak, I tug my shirt over my head and bundle it up to slide under the man’s head. Press it onto his cut. My fingers assure me his pulse still exists.

“I know you must have been acting in self-defense,” I say to calm my fiance, who must be going in shock, because I haven’t heard a word from her since she’s seen me. “But you’re safe now. You’re going to be okay. I’ve got you.”

My gaze slides over the man, assessing him for any other injuries to attend to, if only to keep Rhyan from having the trauma of having blood on her hands. Both his right arm and his left leg are twisted in a weird way.

If she did that to him, what did he do to her?

I glance up to assess her for injuries.

But she’s gone.

Surely she wasn’t a hallucination.

Jumping up, I charge deeper into the alleyway, summoning all the strength in my lungs. “Rhyan!”

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3. Coming November 9: Codename: Christmas Carol

Merry Christmas, maybe?

It's the Clark family's first Christmas together, but Kristian doesn't think there's much to celebrate on the run. Enter three agents from the future who are determined to turn his Scrooge-ness into Christmas cheer in attempt to prevent a coming tragedy. But will they succeed in their mission or merely assist him in dooming his own future?

He'd better be good- or else.

(Note: Different covers for print and ebook editions)

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Exhausted, I drop down on the now tree-less couch and glance around the room that is now wholly back together—

The squirrel chatters beside me. Without looking, I reach out and touch it. The chattering immediately stops.

But then the sound of chains scraping against the floor begins.

Too tired to stand up, I turn my head and see a strange light coming from across the dark hallway. One of the kids sneaking out for a midnight snack? Susan finally making it up to bed? My mom come to kill me with no witnesses?

The light moves closer, and I can just barely make out a face behind it. My heart almost stops. The look is so like mine.

Mom. I’m going to die tonight.

She moves closer, and then I realize-—it’s not her because the face is not like me after all. It is me.

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What do you think of the coming releases? Which one are you most excited about? Or shame on Mission Head for talking about the holidays before Halloween? 

Comment below!