Altered
Helix
Altered Helix Series
Book One
Stephanie Hansen
Genre: YA science fantasy - Novella
Publisher: Hypothesis Books
Date of Publication: 5/19/20
ASIN: B087X9X2JZ
Number of pages: 176
Word Count: 35,000
Cover Artist: inkE Cover Design
Tagline: Some dangers come barreling at you like a freight train. Others slide right under your nose without being noticed.
Altered Helix Series
Book One
Stephanie Hansen
Genre: YA science fantasy - Novella
Publisher: Hypothesis Books
Date of Publication: 5/19/20
ASIN: B087X9X2JZ
Number of pages: 176
Word Count: 35,000
Cover Artist: inkE Cover Design
Tagline: Some dangers come barreling at you like a freight train. Others slide right under your nose without being noticed.
Book Description:
I didn’t want to take the
traditional path. First, I wasn’t ready for college. Second, I was going to
live with my best friend, Tiff, and work at the Haunted House. Third, did I
mention the hot guy Josh that works there too?
The most exciting thing about Austria’s
new job, at a local haunted house, was the fact that the toughest looking
people screamed the loudest. But when she meets the boy without a home, Josh,
Austria's life takes intriguing and eventful turns. Up until now, Josh has
managed to hang with his Street crowd, but they’re in danger, and so is
Austria, the girl Josh recently fell for. The group finds themselves joining
forces with previously considered enemies who also now find themselves in
danger.
Deeply compassionate and full of
twists, Altered Helix captures the struggle of polarized people that must work
together for the greater good.
Book
Trailer: https://youtu.be/ISn6rtJh7fc
Excerpt:
As I walk
through the hallway to the living room, it’s disturbingly silent. I don’t hear my mother’s fingers brilliantly
strumming piano keys. The Silver Clouds Chasing the Moon by Lang Lang, music
sheets are strewn chaotically about the room. I close my eyes and focus on my
mother’s energy. A vision of her on the bench in the garden under the pergola
comes to mind.
I leap the
stepping-stones, skipping every other. Blue hydrangeas and orange daffodils
blur by me. As I approach, I notice the yellow roses are in full blossom, their
smell fresh as the tide rolling in. My mother’s holding a picture in her hands.
When she looks up, I see tear streaks on her cheeks. I sit down and put an arm
around her. She’s holding the last photo we took as a family. My eyes zero in
on a male, mirror image of myself, my father. I was fourteen then; now I’m
seventeen and graduated early. I wish he could’ve been there to see it. Mother
should be holding a photo of my graduation day with all of us in it, smiling.
I squeeze her
shoulder as my throat constricts in pain. Without looking up, I can feel my
mother’s eyes turn to me. I close my eyes and place my wrists on my knees. I
begin playing the piece thrown from the stand in our living room by heart,
moving my fingers to the rhythm and placing them where the notes should be. She
squeezes my shoulder in return.
Walking to the
house, she stops and points at the tire swing, offering an aching smile. I hold
her hand as the visualization takes me. My father’s pushing me at the age of
four, and I feel like I’m on one of the roller coasters we drive by on Route
435. One of the old ones with only a handlebar for safety, no seatbelts. At the
top, my stomach floats up, and the view down becomes daunting. The velocity
forces me to squeal. I can still picture his smile seeing me enjoy the ride. In
the excitement, I let go to raise my hands in glee. I still remember the way his
face turned from elation to horror. He moved faster than I could imagine and
caught me before I met my imminent doom.
About
the Author:
Stephanie Hansen's short story,
Break Time, and poetry has been featured in Mind’s Eye literary magazine. The
Kansas Writers Association published her short story, Existing Forces,
appointing her as a noted author. She has held a deep passion for writing since
early childhood, but a brush with death caused her to allow it to grow. She's
part of an SCBWI critique group in Lawrence, KS and two local book clubs. She
attends many writers’ conferences including the New York Pitch, Penned Con, New
Letters, All Write Now, Show Me Writers Master Class, BEA, and Nebraska Writers
Guild conference as well as Book Fairs and Comic-Cons. She’s a member of the
deaf and hard of hearing community.
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