EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Through the Shimmer of Time
by Jennifer Jensen
Through the Shimmer of Time is recommended for children ages 8 to 12. It is ON SALE for only $0.99 2 to 5 November. If you miss that, it's $1.99 6 and 7 November, before it goes back to the regular price of $3.99. Available for pre-order: Rescue.
Description
A little curiosity never hurt anyone, right?
When Jim ditches his little sister to search for a haunted cabin, he gets time-traveled nearly 200 years into the past – right into the middle of a swindler’s cover-up. The criminals have murder on their minds now, but Jim is trapped in time.
Hannah’s life of family and farm chores is turned upside down when a boy in strange clothes suddenly appears in the old trapper’s cabin. Should she believe his wild tale? And how much will she risk to lay a friend’s ghost to rest?
Jim and Hannah struggle to unmask a thief and solve a murder, but it will take all their courage and wits, plus the rocket motors in Jim’s pocket, just to stay alive.
If you love time-travel, mysteries and the olden days, start reading Through the Shimmer of Time now.
Excerpt
The sweltering heat had vanished. Goosebumps rose on Jim’s arms, and prickles ran down his back.
He glanced around for anything out of the ordinary. Thick, dark clouds still blocked the sun, just as before. A squirrel chattered high in a branch above him. Nothing looked wrong. But the cold had an eerie tingle to it, and he felt like he was being watched.
Jim rubbed his arms. He backed up a few steps, but the unsettling cold remained. It might be warmer in the clearing ahead, out from the trees. He took two steps, ducked under a low-hanging branch, and – oof!
Flat on his stomach, face-first into a pile of musty leaves. “Klutz!” he scolded himself, turning to see what he had tripped over.
He brushed aside the leaves near his feet and scowled at a bulky tree root. And a half-buried piece of pottery. He dug around it, scooping out dirt and leaves and a few crumbled pieces of terra cotta.
It looked like an Indian pot. Hadn’t the old storyteller said something about Indians? He ignored the frigid air and loosened the packed dirt with the awl on his Gizmo, scraping carefully until he could pull the piece out. He really should get back, he thought, but then the piece came free.
It wasn’t a whole pot, just a broken shard the size of his hand, etched with squiggles and curvy lines. He traced one squiggle with his finger, blew the dust off, and began digging around the next. It was a familiar shape somehow, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen it before. Maybe in some company logo. He flicked out some dirt and pulled the awl through the design again.
Suddenly the air turned electric. A low hum began, a vibrating bass thrumming through his body. He stopped, senses on alert. A blue haze shimmered on the edge of his vision, but when he turned, it vanished.
He waited, and the forest seemed to wait with him. A branch cracked behind him. He dropped the clay fragment and whirled.
The hum deepened and rolled through the air. The shimmer of blue reappeared, and this time Jim could look directly at it.
His feet seemed rooted into the ground. He needed to get out of this place, get back to Granger Village, but he couldn’t take a step. He crouched and hugged his knees.
His skin turned clammy, a rush of dizziness overtook him … he crumpled.
Seconds stretched to minutes. Jim didn’t know how long he lay there, huddled against the strange sensations. He fought it, whatever it was he was caught in, until the hum lightened and then disappeared. His dizziness passed and he warily opened his eyes.
His gaze followed the tree trunks up to the sun sparkling through the branches. Behind the berry brambles, corn stalks waved under a clear, blue sky. He sat up, pressing his hands into bare dirt instead of old leaves. And behind him, where he had tripped just a few minutes earlier, where there should be nothing but a small clearing, stood a weathered log cabin.
Praise for the Book
"I thought the book was very interesting and mysterious. It was a really good book. I couldn’t put it down and read it very quickly. Very exciting!! I think girls and boys ages 8-12 would really enjoy this book. I sure did!" ~ Daughter, Mother Daughter Book Reviews
"40 years old and my child inside me could not put it down. This unique writing definately [sic] takes me back to some great stories I have read in my youth. I highly recommend this for anyone that loves time travel." ~ 5 Star Review, CRCurtis, Amazon
"The characters and the story are very engaging, and realistic. By the time I was halfway through it, I was a totally believing in time travel! Bravo, Ms. Jensen. Keep up the good work!" ~ 5 Star Review, Kassandra L., Goodreads
"This story made me feel like a kid again. I loved mysteries as a child, and even as an adult I gobbled this one up. It’s middle-grade, and I think it’s perfect for that age group. There’s mystery, excitement, a hint of danger, and an annoying little sister (not really, but he thinks she is and don’t ALL siblings think that?). It’s real life, with time travel twists. Love it. If your child likes mysteries and time adventures, they’ll love it." ~ 5 Star Review, Melinda V., Goodreads
About the Author
Jennifer Jensen is an award-winning writer who wouldn’t be without her computer or smart phone, but still dreams of living in the olden days. Until someone invents a working time machine, she lives in Indiana and makes do with plenty of imagination, loads of books and as much Dr. Who as the BBC will produce.
She’s a long-time member of SCBWI and has received two Indiana Arts Commission grants for her fiction. Through the Shimmer of Time was her first novel. The sequel, Rescue, is now available for pre-order.
Giveaway
Enter the blast-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.
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