I escaped from prison once. Dug my way out with a stick and my bare hands. Emerged on the other side, sweaty and victorious, and threw my head back to revel in the free air. A second later, I took to the woods at the heels of my big sis so the guards wouldn’t spot us and run us down. But it as only a matter of minutes before we heard the dogs barking on our trail.
And after that, of course it wasn’t long before Mom called us in for dinner, and we tramped up to the house, dirt streaked and grinning from our play. We swiftly bundled the dogs back into our “prison,” their kennel, and then trooped inside for dinner.
A couple of minutes later, we heard the dogs scratching at the door. Turns out that a hole big enough for a seven year old is plenty big enough for a pair of dogs. So we spent the next day filling back in our brilliant escape tunnel, but the damage had already been done. From that moment on, we had a pair of escape artist dogs. We never were able to keep them in that kennel, or any pen, for long after that.
Now I can practically see you scratching your heads and saying “Well that’s a mighty fine story, Gillian, but what does it have to do with this post?” And I’m so glad you asked, because I … did … have a great answer to that question. In fact, the story tied in brilliantly for this post … but I cannot for the life of me remember how.
In any case, it is time for the next giveaway! For our second giveaway this month, I’m happy to be able to offer the winner’s choice of one of the books from Donita K. Paul’s Realm Walkers series: One Realm Beyond or Two Renegade Realms. If you haven’t read one of Ms. Paul’s fantasy novels before, then I must tell you that they are marvelously whimsical and fairy tale-ish and always have a host of intriguing and unique characters! Enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter below, but first, I’d love to tell you a bit about the book.
[Note: Due to the unusual number of portals reportedly opening over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and allegedly responsible for the disappearance of countless book shipments, I’m afraid that paperback copies are limited to US winners only. Ebooks, however, are available for international winners. Good luck!]
One Realm Beyond, Book One
Cantor D’Ahma waited his whole life for this day. Born with a gift to jump between worlds, the young realm walker is finally ready to leave his elderly mentor and accept his role as protector and defender of the realms. But mere hours after he steps through his first portal, Cantor discovers that his job will be more dangerous and difficult than he ever imagined. The realms are plagued with crime and cruelty, and even members of the once-noble Realm Walkers Guild can no longer be trusted. To make matters worse, his first assignment—finding a dragon to assist him on his quest—has led him to Bridger, who is clearly inept and won’t leave him alone.
With the help of his new friends Bixby and Dukmee, Cantor must uncover the secrets of the corrupt guild before they become too powerful to be stopped. But his skills aren’t progressing as fast as he would like, and as he finds himself deeper and deeper in the guild’s layers of deceit, Cantor struggles to determine where his true allegiance lies.
Find One Realm Beyond on Goodreads/Amazon
Meet the Author
Donita K. Paul retired early from teaching school, but soon got bored! The result: a determination to start a new career. Now she is an award-winning novelist writing Christian Romance and Fantasy. She says, “I feel blessed to be doing what I like best.” She mentors all ages, teaching teenagers and weekly adult writing workshops. “God must have imprinted ‘teacher’ on me clear down to the bone. I taught in public school, then home schooled my children, and worked in private schools. Now my writing week isn’t very productive unless I include some time with kids.” Her two grown children make her proud, and her two grandsons make her laugh.