Quests and Adventures
An anthology of five short stories for children of all ages
Buy link
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D6XH945/
Author page https://www.amazon.com/Judy/e/B013HBQTLM/
Target audience is children ages 6-12, chapter-books. Kindle Unlimited is free
The Paperback version will be available in late August.
This anthology of five short stories with hand-drawn illustrations is primarily aimed at children aged 6 to 12 years. Each story is complete and makes great bedtime reading or to use as a chapter-book.
Enter multiple worlds of fantasy...a young girl goes on a quest to turn the sun back on. Glass ceilings are difficult to break, especially if you want to become the first female wizard. A colony of ants must discover a new home. A lonely boy finds a new friend...in a talking worm. Adventures soon follow.
A collection of stories within stories that interweave morals, the paranormal, and reality—a fascinating blend for children of all ages.
Blurb
Can a young girl overcome all odds and rediscover the sun? If you have friends, even small ones, nothing is impossible.
The moon has eaten the sun.
What has happened?
Will the darkness last forever?
A young girl goes on a quest to discover the answer to how to turn the sun back on.
From the ‘The Day the Sun Disappeared.’
About the authors
Judy and Keith have been married for over forty-five years. They’re semiretired and live in the South Bay, Los Angeles. Both were born and raised in England in the early fifties and relocated to Los Angeles in the late eighties.
They have two sons and two grandsons.
You can contact the authors on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JudyandKeith/ or Twitter @JudyandKeith
Excerpt from ‘The Day the Sun Disappeared.’
The elderly wizard shouted, “Kirsten, can you fetch me the pestle and mortar? My legs are not as young as they used to be.”
The young girl ran to get them for the royal wizard. She liked to think she was his apprentice. She wasn’t. Mervin had taught her a lot in the last two years, including reading, writing, and some math. But, and there’s always a but, as a girl, she wasn’t allowed to be a wizard, or an astronomer, or most things except a cook, nurse, housekeeper, or wife. The only exception was if you had royal blood.
At four-feet-eleven-inches, she was tall for a ten-year-old and stronger than most boys. They called her a tom-boy. She didn’t care, and to spite them, kept her mousy brown hair cut in a page-boy style.
“Here they are.”
“Thanks, I don’t know what I would do without you these days. Fetch me a slice of ginger root, some rosemary, two leaves of apple mint, and a couple of nettle flowers.”
“I know, be careful with the nettle. I got stung once and that’s enough.”
“Why don’t you make the potion for me? Grind them all together then add a dash of goat’s milk. Her Royal Highness has an upset stomach, and that little concoction is the best remedy.”
Kirsten’s eyes twinkled as she expertly ground up the ingredients, added the milk, then poured the mixture into a small vial. “It’s done.”
She looked at the old wizard. He had aged considerably in the last couple of months and walked stooped, with the help of a staff. His long wispy white hair was tied back in a ponytail, but his blue eyes still held a sparkle. She noticed him clench his teeth with pain with every movement.
“My arthritis will be the death of me. Here I am, a wizard, and I can’t cure myself. I think the gods are trying to tell me something. I wish they would be more explicit.”
Kirsten laughed. “What else can I do for you?”
“Go get my dinner. Your mother is the best royal cook ever. I’ve looked forward to mealtimes ever since she was appointed by Queen Avis. If I remember correctly, it’s beef stew tonight. Don’t forget to bring a chunk of fresh bread.”
With an overabundance of energy, she skipped out of the door, ran down the east tower’s spiral staircase, and across the courtyard to the kitchen, her mother’s domain. “Mom, is Wizard Mervin’s dinner ready?” she shouted.
“Don’t shout. Only I’m allowed to bellow in here. You, watch out, the fat will catch fire. Kirsten, my love, the wizard’s food is on the counter. Take a tray and don’t forget to add a mug of beer plus a chunk of fresh bread.”
As soon as she started to climb up the stairwell, her stomach started to churn. Something’s wrong. She ran up the stairs, spilling most of the beer, and burst into his magic chambers. Wizard Mervin was lying on the floor in a very unnatural position. The panic bell was by the side of the door. She dropped the tray and rang it again and again.
“Kirsten, come closer,” the wizard croaked. “I haven’t much longer.”
She stopped ringing the bell and ran to him.
He took her hand. “Don’t cry. It’s my time, and I won’t be in pain anymore. I’ve spelled my magic books and potion ingredients. They’re yours. Don’t look for them. When the time is right, they will find you. You are my gift to the kingdom. You’ll grow up to be the first female wizard, who will stand head and shoulders above the rest of us.”
“But women aren’t allowed to practice magic...”
“You’ll throw the old rule book away, and then open doors which were previously closed to girls. If you don’t mind, I will visit you in dreams...”
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