Title:
Griffin Cryer
Author:
Julia Hughes
Book
Description:
Frankie Shaunessy’s friends are out of
this world!
It’s an easy mistake to make – instead of
whistling and calling for her dog, fifteen year old Frankie accidentally
summons a griffin and his rider from another world. The Rider is tall, blond
and extremely rude. On the other hand, Balkind is the sweetest, most lovable
griffin Frankie’s ever met, and Frankie is determined to help the Rider and his
griffin find a way back to their own world.
Dealing with parallel universes,
disgruntled warriors, and hungry griffins is the easier part of Frankie’s life.
At school, Frankie learns friends can become enemies, teachers aren’t always
right, and the boy of your dreams can be all too human. Told in approximately
53,000 words, suitable for young adults, and all those who’ve ever dreamed of
riding a griffin.
Excerpt:
Last night, while calling her dog, Frankie accidentally summonsed a griffin and its rider from another dimension. Dog and griffin flee from each other. This is Frankie's second encounter with the Rider, he has retrieved her missing dog, and wants something in return ….
A man sat outlined against the brow of
Six Acre Meadow, a large black dog by his side. Frankie stumbled towards them,
clutching at the stitch in her side. By the time she reached the top of the
hill and stood over him, all the furious insults she'd rehearsed on the
nightmare jog here were useless. Instead she glared down at him, struggling to
catch her breath. Bally's tail thumped, but he made no attempt to cease worrying
at the mammoth bone he held down with one paw.
Finally Frankie managed: 'That's my dog.'
Calmly unscrewing the lid from a bottle
of water, the stranger took a couple of swigs, then offered it to Frankie.
After a moment's hesitation, she swiped the bottle from him, tipped her head
back, and chugged down.
'Where's my griffin?' the man asked.
Frankie clutched the now empty bottle,
longing to chuck it at his head and snatch up Bally and run. But somehow she
doubted his temper had improved any since last night.
'Please – I don't know your name – but
please – let me have my dog back. Please – it'll break my mum's heart.'
'Get me back my griffin and you can have
your dog.'
'I'll call the police.'
He shrugged, looking completely
unconcerned. 'Call for my griffin, and you can have your dog back.'
Frankie gave a sigh of surrender, and
tossed the empty bottle neatly into his opened rucksack.
'If I call your …griffin – and it doesn't
come, will that satisfy you?'
He nodded. 'If you call with all your
heart, and Balkind doesn't answer, you may have your dog back.'
Call with all your
heart. Frankie knew without asking what this meant. Inflating her
lungs, and placing her hands either side of her mouth, she summoned up a cry
from the heart.
'Balkind!'
The sound flooded the meadow. Frankie
sucked in air and called again. 'Baalll-kind.' She could feel two pairs of eyes
on her, watching intently, Bally's ears were pricked. Before calling for the third
time, Frankie took a couple of steps away from her audience, and focussed on
projecting her cry across the village, across the lakes, across the country if
needs be.
'Baaaalllll-kiiiiinnnnnd!'
Frankie glanced behind her. The blond
head nodded approval.
'That'll do.'
Of course it would: Any griffin
within a hundred miles would have heard that.
About The
Author
The London born author of the Celtic
Cousins' Adventures: A Raucous Time; A Ripple in Time; and An Explosive Time.
The Bridle Path, and her latest title is a young adult/crossover action
adventure: The Griffin Cryer.
"I'm an eldest child and walking my
younger brother and sister to school and back, I'd tell them stories - a
captive audience! On leaving college, I worked at the BBC, helping write
stories for their "Schools' Programmes". That was back in the day,
before satellite telly made it over to the UK and 'Auntie Beeb' ruled the air
waves! I gave it all up for the good life, and moved down to Cornwall, one of
the most beautiful counties in England, and often known as 'God's own country.'
I think the greatest compliment I received was 'Julia's more Cornish than the
Cornish.' I picked daffodils in winter and made pasties for the holidaymakers
in the summer. But all good things come to an end: I upped sticks to be closer
to my family, and landed in a little village just outside London, and have been
here ever since, scribbling away at my stories. "
I don't specifically write in any one
genre, an idea will flitter into my mind, and the story develops. My first
three titles, "A Raucous Time", "A Ripple in Time" and
"An Explosive Time" are action adventures, while "The Bridle
Path" is romance. I think I'd overdosed on the testosterone flying around
in the previous three books and wanted something a little more feminine and
romantic.
My latest title "The Griffin
Cryer" is an adventure/fantasy. What makes this genre special is the
opportunity to really allow imagination to take flight, and even create whole
new worlds for readers to explore.
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