School
of Deaths
by
Christopher Mannino
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A
timid girl finds bravery as the first female Death.
Thirteen-year-old
Suzie Sarnio always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image
of a skeleton with a scythe. Now, forced to enter the College of
Deaths, she finds herself training to bring souls from the Living
World to the Hereafter. The task is demanding enough, but as the only
female in the all-male College, she quickly becomes a target.
Attacked by both classmates and strangers, Suzie is alone in a world
where even her teachers want her to fail.
Caught
in the middle of a plot to overthrow the World of Deaths, Suzie must
uncover the reason she’s been brought there: the first female Death
in a million years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
She
wanted to scream but no sound came. She wanted to run, but her legs
wouldn’t move. The hooded man grinned.
Suzie’s
heart pounded as she opened her eyes. Laughter echoed in the back of
her head. The terrible laughter she heard every night. She wiped the
sweat from her face, pushing aside the sheets. Sunlight spilled into
her room from between frilly curtains. Mom would be knocking on the
door to wake her soon.
She
turned to one side as the dream started to fade. Every night the same
nightmare. Every night she heard the laughter. The hooded man with a
scythe. The feeling of complete terror.
What did
it mean?
Above
her clock radio, a worn teddy bear stared at her with its single eye.
She pulled the bear to her chest and clutched it with her bony
fingers.
Suzie
Sarnio. The hooded man had written her name down. He always wrote it
right before the laughter began. The man looked like Death. But why
would Death have a stammer?
“Suzie,”
said Mom, knocking on the door. “Come on, you’ll be late for
school.”
“I’m
coming.”
Suzie
changed, staring at the mirror in her pink-wallpapered room. Each rib
stuck out from her chest; she counted all twenty-four. The skin on
her face stretched tightly over her skeletal face, and dark patches
surrounded each of her gray eyes. As much as she tried to comb it,
her long black hair tangled into stringy knots.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Christopher
Mannino’s life is best described as an unending creative outlet.
He teaches high school theatre in Greenbelt, Maryland. In addition
to his daily drama classes, he runs several after-school
performance/production drama groups. He spends his summers writing
and singing. Mannino holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Education
from Catholic University, and has studied mythology and literature
both in America and at Oxford University. His work with young people
helped inspire him to write young adult fantasy, although it was his
love of reading that truly brought his writing to life.
Mannino
is currently working on a sequel to “School of Deaths” as well as
an adult science fiction novel.
links:
https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/museitup/fantasy/school-of-deaths-detail
(publishers buy link)
Barnes &
Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/school-of-deaths-christopher-mannino/1119059176?ean=2940045799010
Giveaway:
the author will give a $20 Amazon gift card to two randomly drawn commenters
Follow the tour and comment on other stops to increase your chances of winning. Tour Schedule
a Rafflecopter giveaway
the author will give a $20 Amazon gift card to two randomly drawn commenters
Follow the tour and comment on other stops to increase your chances of winning. Tour Schedule
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
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