Spirited (35 page)

Maria lives with her family and a black cat name Valek (a.k.a. the bug assassin!) in Pennsylvania where she is hard at work on the second book of her Healer Series,
Scent of Magic
, well… that’s what she told her editor ;> The first healer book,
Touch of Power
is scheduled for a January 2012 release. Readers are welcome to check out her website for book excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule at
http://www.MariaVSnyder.com
. Maria also loves hearing from her readers and can be contacted at
[email protected]
.

Carmen Tudor
is a young Australian author who has sampled both city and country life and at one time even resided in Tasmania—known as Australia’s most haunted state. These days she calls Victoria’s mist-enshrouded Yarra Valley home and never underestimates the power of a great setting. Her stories have appeared in publications including:
Mon Coeur Mort
,
Romance Stories Magazine
,
Short and Twisted
, and
Hidden Agenda
. An admitted procrastinator, Carmen ditched studies in postgrad linguistics to focus on the creative use of language and to complete
Shadowplay
, a paranormal novel for young adults. You can find details about her work at
www.carmentudor.net
.

Jill Williamson
is weird, which is why she writes science fiction and fantasy novels for teens. Growing up in Alaska gave her plenty of material and time to daydream. Her debut novel, a medieval fantasy called
By Darkness Hid
, won an EPIC Award, a Christy Award, and was named a Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror novel of 2009 by
VOYA
magazine. Jill went on to complete that trilogy as well as
Replication: The Jason Experiment
(Zondervan) about clones in an Alaskan lab. Weird, huh? Jill loves working with teenagers and encouraging them to respect their dreams. She gives writing workshops at libraries, schools, camps, and churches. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two children. Visit Jill on her Facebook author page or on her website at
www.jillwilliamson.com
, where adventure comes to life.

Acknowledgements

“Strangeways vs. the Wraith” © by Judith Graves. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

The Senet Box” © 2011 by Jill Williamson. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Stained” © 2011 by Mark Finnemore. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Thread of the Past” © 2011 by Dawn Dalton. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Cold One” © 2011 by Candace Havens. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Death Becomes Her” © 2011 by Kitty Keswick. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Oast House” © 2011 by Carmen Tudor. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“New Girl” © 2011 by Maria V. Snyder. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Aftermath” © 2011 by Halli Dee Lilburn. Reprint. Printed by permission of the author.

“Phantom of the Prom” © 2011 by Linda Joy Singleton. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Night Queen” © 2011 by John W. Otte. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“To Hel and Back” © 2011 by Shannon Delany. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

Augmented Reality © 2011 by Karl Gee. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Story of Late” © 2011 by Heather Kenealy. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Past

Strangeways vs. the Wraith

The Senet Box

Stained

Thread of the Past

Present

The Cold One

Death Becomes Her

The Oast House

New Girl

Aftermath

Phantom of the Prom

Future

Night Queen

To Hel and Back

The Story of Late

Author Biographies

Acknowledgements