Anna and the Rock Dragons now Available in Large Print

Carlie Simonsen’s young adult modern fantasy novel, Anna and the Rock Dragons, is now available in large print from the CreateSpace bookstore.

First Chapters: Wings by Carlie Simonsen

Wings is the first book in the Wings series, which follows a family of people who have wings and bird-like feet. They have lived as normal a life as possible, concealing their not-so-human aspects as best they can. So far they have been successful, but that’s all about to be turned upside down.

Jack has wings, but he keeps them well-hidden. When a new girl comes to school and does not hide her own wings, what changes will she bring to Jack’s life?

Wings is available from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Kobo, Nook, DriveThruFiction and iTunes.

First Chapters: Wings

Jack

Jack had wings on his back and claws on his feet. He had feathers on his legs and a bell around his neck. He took the bus to school.

Jack had green eyes and dark skin. His father had green eyes. His mother had dark skin. His mother had wings and his father had claws on his feet.

They tried not to let people know.

Jack’s father wore shoes all the time. They were big shoes that cramped his claws together, just like Jack’s. Jack’s mother hid her wings under a coat. It looked like she had a big lump on her back, just like Jack.

People laughed at Jack’s mother. They laughed because she had a hump on her back, and the unkind ones called her deformed. They laughed because she wore a long coat in summer. One that reached right down to her toes.

Those same people laughed at Jack as well. Jack hid his wings under a jacket. He looked like he had a hump on his back. The meaner kids at school called him ‘Camel’ or ‘The Hunchback’, but not where the teachers could hear them. Jack’s jacket did not reach down to his toes. His wings were not as long or beautiful as his mother’s.

One day a girl came to Jack’s school. Her name was Jedda. She had wings like Jack and she did not hide them.

END FIRST CHAPTER: WINGS

If you would like to read more, Wings is available from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Kobo, Nook, DriveThruFiction and iTunes.

First Chapter: Long Hair by Carlie Simonsen

When Michael sees movie star, Ky Lin, taking down the bad guys with her long-hair karate, all Michael wants is to be able to do just that. He convinces his karate teacher to train him, and works hard, even when the kids at school tease him. Michael is super-excited when he finds out Ky Lin and her co-star, Joe Wy, are coming to visit his school, but when thieves strike, the visit is in danger of being cancelled. Can Michael discover who is stealing money from the kids and offices at school before the head master calls the movie visit off? Or will his long hair just get in the way?

Set in a world similar to our own, where long hair really can be used as a karate fighting style, Carlie Simonsen's Long Hair is a teen to young adult story that deals with issues of teasing and working towards one’s dreams even when those we want to please most don’t support us.

First Chapter Extract

The Girl with Long Hair

Michael saw a karate movie where the hero had long hair. The hero was a girl. Her hair came down to her feet.

She would braid her hair with wire and spikes and use it to hit the bad guys she went after. Her hair was deadly in a braid, and her name was Kay-Lin. She was in a lot of karate movies. Michael loved karate movies.

Michael did karate after school. He was getting good at it. He was two belts from getting his black belt, but that was going to change.

Michael bet he could grow his hair long and put it in a braid. Anything a girl could do, he could do. He might even do it better.

He could fight with his hair if it was in a braid. He could be as good as Kay Lin. And then he could be in movies as well.

Kay Lin had a partner. His name was Joe Wy. Joe’s hair was short. It was cut so close to his head that it looked like he had no hair. He was nearly as good as Kay Lin at karate, but he used jumps and flips. Joe was in a lot of movies, too, but not all of Joe’s movies had karate.

Like Joe, Michael had short hair. It stuck up from his head in short, sharp spikes. Like Joe’s hair, it was no good in a fight. Michael looked at his hair in the bathroom mirror. It looked back at him. Its short, sharp prickles were too soft to be any use, even when he added gel.

“I will grow my hair,” he said, “and no one will laugh, because I will be as good as Kay Lin and Joe Wy.”

END FIRST CHAPTER

 

If you would like to read more, this non-illustrated version of Long Hair can now be found at Smashwords, and will soon be available from Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iTunes.

New Release: Long Hair by Carlie Simonsen

When Michael sees movie star, Ky Lin, taking down the bad guys with her long-hair karate, all Michael wants is to be able to do just that. He convinces his karate teacher to train him, and works hard, even when the kids at school tease him. Michael is super-excited when he finds out Ky Lin and her co-star, Joe Wy, are coming to visit his school, but when thieves strike, the visit is in danger of being cancelled. Can Michael discover who is stealing money from the kids and offices at school before the head master calls the movie visit off? Or will his long hair just get in the way?

Set in a world similar to our own, where long hair really can be used as a karate fighting style, Carlie Simonsen's Long Hair is a teen to young adult story that deals with issues of teasing and working towards one’s dreams even when those we want to please most don’t support us.

The non-illustrated version of Long Hair can now be found at Smashwords, and will soon be available from Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iTunes.

New Cover: Long Hair by Carlie Simonsen

Carlie Simonsen's newest chapter book has a cover and will release shortly.

When Michael sees movie star, Ky Lin, taking down the bad guys with her long-hair karate, all Michael wants is to be able to do just that. He convinces his karate teacher to train him, and works hard, even when the kids at school tease him. Michael is super-excited when he finds out Ky Lin and her co-star, Joe Wy, are coming to visit his school, but when thieves strike, the visit is in danger of being cancelled. Can Michael discover who is stealing money from the kids and offices at school before the head master calls the movie visit off? Or will his long hair just get in the way?

Set in a world similar to our own, where long hair really can be used as a karate fighting style, Carlie Simonsen's Long Hair is a teen to young adult story that deals with issues of teasing and working towards one’s dreams even when those we want to please most don’t support us.

The non-illustrated version of Long Hair will shortly be available from Smashwords, Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iTunes.

First Chapters: All Alone by Carlie Simonsen

All Alone is a short tale about the trials of two children after their parents go missing while Christmas shopping in a shopping centre that suffers a bombing attack.

Jason must look after his little sister Emmie when they find themselves alone in a city, in another country, far from home. Did their parents survive the bomb blast, and can they find them, or will they be stuck growing up in the care of strangers and never see home again?

All Alone is the debut chapter book for tweens by Carlie Simonsen. It is currently available from Smashwords, and will shortly become available from Kobo, Kindle, and CreateSpace.

First Chapter: All Alone

The gun spat bullets at the night.

Bark! Bark! Bark!

Jason could hear it yelling in the dark. He could see the yellow flash every time it barked up another bullet. He slid off his bed and lay down on the floor.

Bark! Bark! Bark!

The gun yelled again. Jason heard footsteps outside his room. Someone knocked and the door opened.

It was Jason's little sister. Her brown eyes were as wide as they could go and her hair was messy. She looked like a ghost in her dressing-gown.

She looked at Jason's bed. He saw how she clutched her teddy closer to her chest. She couldn't see him.

"Emmie," he called.

She jumped. Jason saw her bite her lip to keep from crying. He had to smile. His sister was one tough little kid.

"Emmie," he called again, "I'm under here."

Emmie crouched down so she could see under his bed.

"Jason?" she whispered. "Is that you?"

"Yep. You want to hide here with me?"

Bark! Bark! Bark!

The gun yapped at the stars. Jason heard the smack, smack, smack of bullets hitting the house.

"Hurry up, Emmie," he said. "You'll be safe here with me."

Emmie hurried. She did not stand up. She crawled along the floor, holding her teddy in her mouth. She dragged her doona behind her.

When she got to Jason, she hugged him tightly. He could tell she was afraid. She only hugged him like that when she was scared.

He pulled her doona over her head and stroked her hair.

"Sshh," he whispered, when he heard her crying in the dark.

"It's not me," she sobbed. "It's teddy. He gets really scared when we're alone."

Jason hugged her and the teddy.

"Well you tell him he doesn't have to be scared. You're safe here," Jason said.

Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!

Reeow! Reeow! Reeow!

This time there was the sound of police sirens and the yellow flash of the gun was lost in the red and blue of the police cars' lights.

Emmie hugged her teddy and Jason hugged her. He wished they had never come to this part of the city! He wished his mum and dad hadn't been shopping the day the bomb went off.

Meet Carlie Simonsen

Carlie Simonsen will be joining our author line-up in 2013. Her first chapter book All Alone is scheduled for release in February 2013. Carlie is a Canberra-based author who likes writing stories for young people. Her stories can be scary, funny, spooky and strange, but that’s the way she likes it. Carlie likes dinosaurs, aliens, dragons and drawing. She writes fantasy, science fiction, paranormal urban and 'real-life' based tales. Carlie would rather write about imaginary lands and places, but says that sometimes the real world creeps into her head and won’t go away until she puts it into a story. 

Her first story is about a boy who has to look after his little sister in a distant city, after their mother and father disappear in a shopping center bomb blast. Why? Because such things happen, and back in 1997 the idea haunted her until she wrote it down.

Her second story is pure fantasy, about an assassin and making difficult choices. Assassin, Not is scheduled for release in May 2013.