April, Maybe June | Muse Harbor Publishing

“April is the book’s delightful narrator, both witty and unintentionally funny, one of those kids people sometimes say were ‘born old,’ but young and earnest and energetic too. She is fiercely loyal to family and takes this to its logical conclusion in a twisty magical plot full of both humor and terror.”

Pamela Dean
Author of Tam Lin and The Secret Country

April, Maybe June. Maybe magic. Maybe trouble.

Homeschooled siblings April and June Bliss are inadvertently sucked into their older cousin Arlene’s troubled life when that street-savvy 17-year-old disappears and then sends for their help via an inscrutable grimoire and a mesmerizing silver ring.

Although new to the realm of magic, the sisters concoct an assortment of spells (not altogether successfully) as they attempt to find and rescue wannabe sorceress Arlene. Throughout their journey, smart April and brash June explore family values, encroaching maturity (April’s been spying on dishy Justin Fink with a treehouse telescope) and their own stubborn differences. But when life in an adult world takes a turn toward the supernaturally spooky, the two must quickly pull together in order to survive. What is an appropriate sacrifice for family, and what is too much to give for a worthy cause? The girls soon find out what truly matters in life.

About The Author

Shalanna Collins is the pen name of an ex-hippie who’s still wearing embroidered blue jeans, drop earrings, long Alice-in-Wonderland hair, and sandals. Also see her books written as Denise Weeks. April, Maybe June is the first book in her Bliss Sisters Magical Adventures series. Shalanna, maybe Denise, graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Mathematics. When she isn’t writing fiction, she tutors secondary school math, works as a literacy volunteer, does research on the Internet, and noodles on the piano. Like many Texans, she doesn’t intend to be funny, but often puts her own twisted spin on whatever she’s observes. Novelist, pianist, belly dancer, baton twirler (but no fire batons ever again, by order of the Renner, Texas, Fire Dep’t), Shalanna has published fiction in several genres, including mystery, fantasy, chick lit, and romantic suspense.

Find her online:

shalanna.livejournal.com
shalannacollins.blogspot.com
deniseweeks.blogspot.com
facebook.com/shalannacollinsbooks

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APRIL, MAYBE JUNE
(A Sneak Peek) • • •

1. april and june .....My sister June and I are lounging in the treehouse when I spy the black-and-white police car. ....."June, look." She ignores me as I point, my finger following the copmobile as it prowls the gentle curve down Buttonwood Lane. She is busy checking out dishy Justin Fink, ninth grade sex god, as he suns himself next door beside his family’s pool like a spoiled cat. "Is it slowing down?" .....June finally swivels the telescope and points it out front. It’s not a pro model, more of a toy for close-up viewing of (for example) the freckles around Justin’s belly button. Even without it, from up here we can see all the way from our hilltop to the "Welcome to Renner, Texas—home of the Mighty Ocelots" billboard at the entrance to our ritzy subdivision. The crow’s-nest view from the century oak in the far back corner of our wooded slope is the main reason we still use this backyard kiddie perch, although I just turned thirteen and June is a large fourteen-and-a-half. ....."Two officers, looks like." She twists the focus ring. "Stopping right in front of our house." ....."Oh, my God." I fall back against the tree trunk, shaking the ancient branches ever so slightly. .....June punches my upper arm, where she keeps a perma-bruise going for easy control. "Get a grip, Cruelest." My name is April, but she thinks it’s funny to call me that, out of some famous poem or another that Gary (our parents, Gary and Lynwood, are progressive and believe that first-name basis relationships within the family provide for a level playing field and improved self-esteem) loves to quote. "They’re probably going to the neighbors across the street." She closes her eyes as if indulging a hopeless idiot yet again. ....."June. LOOK." I shake her by the shoulders. .....Finally my sister opens her eyes. She won’t yield the eyepiece, but peers through the scope again. "They’re getting out. Heading up the front walk. About to ring our bell." Despite the gravity of the situation, she snickers at the sexual allusion. • • •

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