Escaping Darkness
She may have spent years in an asylum, but that didn’t make her crazy–just fearless.
Dropped in Moscow with her friends on an impossible mission against underworld forces, Tara is left to her feelings of overwhelming inadequacy. Her boyfriend is a healer, her best friend is “the Guardian,” and everyone else is a powerhouse of awesome strengths. The only thing she has been able to contribute are her memories, which has left her with nightmares of her time spent at the mercy of the evil Sarian–who everyone has gone to fight.
Alone with her emotions, Tara finds herself falling into a city of depravity and corruption. And amidst all this evil is a young man with an agenda of his own, who leads her down a road that will either prove she is a hero at heart, or drag her into a world she’s always feared.
He wants revenge, she wants redemption. And in an underground rings of missing girls and bloody sacrifices, only the fearless can survive…
A long time enthusiast of things that go bump in the night, Theresa started her writing career as a journalism intern—possibly the least creative writing field out there. After her first semester at a local newspaper, she washed her hands of press releases and features articles to delve into the whimsical world of young adult paranormal romance.
Since then, Theresa has gotten married, had three terrific kids, moved to central Ohio, and was repeatedly guilt tripped into adopting a menagerie of animals that are now members of the family. But don’t be fooled by her domesticated appearance. Her greatest love is travel. Having stepped foot on the soil of over a dozen countries, traveled to sixteen U.S. states—including an extended seven-year stay in Kodiak, Alaska—she is anything but settled down. But wherever life brings her, she will continue to weave tales of adventure and love with the hope her stories will bring joy and inspiration to her readers.
When myth becomes reality, reality becomes a nightmare.
Like any other teenager in America, Ashley just wants a normal life. But growing up in an orphanage for the insane is anything but normal. After endless therapy and increasing medication, her nightmares have only gotten worse.
Probably because they’re not nightmares.
When Ashley’s mysteriously abducted, she finds a reality even less normal than the orphanage. And she discovers something else—she’s no ordinary orphan. Faced with enemies thought to only exist in fairy tales, Ashley discovers she possesses a powerful Maya bloodline. She’s the daughter of an ancient Maya Guardian, whose duty is to protect the Stone of Muuk’ich, an enchanted relic blessed by the gods. But first she must get it back from Sarian, a power-hungry demigod who slaughtered the last guardian—Ashley’s mother. Without the stone, all will be lost.
When she meets Arwan, a hot Belizean time bender, his delicious olive skin and dark eyes make her feel a little less alone. But his gentle whispers and reassuring touch might not be all they seem. How can she balance love and duty when it’s up to her to prevent the rising of the underworld? Especially when the guy she loves might be its crown prince…
Letter to your teenage self—Theresa McClinton
Dear Theresa,
Right now you’re thirteen-years-old, and you have no idea that at twenty-seven you’ll be asked to write a letter to yourself as a teenager. There are so many things I want to tell you, but I will try not to give too much away because I want you to experience life that formed you into the person you are—me. I think “we” turned out pretty great; so in hopes some advice will come in handy, here it goes.
When you’re thirteen, I swear life isn’t coming to an end when the kid who lives down the street doesn’t like you. I know, he’s cute. But he grows up to be someone you would never see yourself with, so you’ll be so much better off. Still, the experience of feeling hurt will help you better understand the concept of self-respect, so carry on.
This may shock you, but when you’re fourteen, you’ll move off Kodiak Island to North Carolina, where you’ll go from punk-rock, camping, midnight bonfires and partying much too young, to a small town with blonde country girls speaking in heavy southern accents, spoiled rotten kids living with their rich parents, and ‘bring your tractor to school day’ once a year. As much of an alien planet you’ll think it is, don’t worry. There are some pretty cool people there and you’ll get to know them.
In high school you’ll get a crappy job working as a waitress, start smoking (gross, I know. But you do end up quitting) and start driving. Your first car will be a Toyota Paseo. Never heard of it? Neither have most of the mechanics you’ll take it to. That’ll be fun.
Two years later you’ll fall hard for a guy who doesn’t appreciate you, and who goes off and falls in love with a younger girl. You’ll be surprised how much a broken heart can hurt, and it’ll be another year before you finally decide to move on, though walking away is the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do. That will stick with you for some time, but don’t worry. It gets better. Way better, because not long after that, you’ll meet your soon-to-be husband.
Don’t freak out. Marriage isn’t scary.
But it is hard at first because you’ll only have one car, and he’ll still be going to school. You’ll take a job as a nanny, which helps pay the bills. Even though you dreamt of being a journalist or news broadcaster when you grew up, you don’t have the money to pay for college, and your new marriage brings you across the country to a state you’ve never even visited.
You grow to love where you live, and even though you had a really difficult time right after you move, you soon learn that living life for the right reasons makes every day way more exciting.
But here’s where things get really tough. Like, real world tough. Someone really close to you passes away, and it’s one of the hardest parts of your life yet. You’ll miss him, you’ll cry over him, and your heart will ache every time you watch your kids play, knowing they’ll never have that person in their lives again. I can’t tell you the age old saying that time heals all wounds, because so far it hasn’t. But at least you’ll have memories.
So my big advice to me as a teenager? Don’t be so fast to sell yourself short. Realize you deserve the best, and demand it. Work really, really hard, because even though it sounds so cliché, nobody will hand you your dreams without you chasing them down and taking them by force. You’re a pretty great mom, a loyal wife, but not such a good cook—so start working on that now.
Someday you’ll be in a career you love, and at twenty-seven years old, you’ll be a mommy of three kids, living in a house you’ve made your home, sitting at a computer, writing this article, and dreaming about what the next decade will bring.
Sincerely,
Theresa McClinton
Awe, what a great Guest Post. I loved the letter to her teenage self. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteJenea @ Books Live Forever
Hi Jenea,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for dropping in and reading my letter to my teenage self. It was actually a little tough to write at times. But that's life, ya know? Not always easy.
Thanks to Brandi for having me on her blog today! I appreciate the post, and look forward to chatting with you guys!
-Theresa
Great letter! Not sure what I would say to my teenage self. Maybe just hang in there! I can't really tell her life gets better because I think it always kind of sucks but there are always good things that come too!
ReplyDelete