About the Book:
When Japanese high school student Yukari Namikoya finds herself suddenly and inexplicably on another planet, she must quickly come to terms with the fact that she may never see Tokyo again. With a sun that never sets, the desert world of Crimson Winter is on the brink of extinction and day-to-day survival can be difficult; especially for someone used to the modern-day conveniences of Earth.
Following the only clue she has to a way home – a cryptic message from a woman long dead – Yukari heads into the desert searching for the Temple of Sapphire. There, she finds the temple in ruins, but what waits there for her is her destiny as a Chosen of the gem god Sapphiros.
Stranded on this new world and hunted by the Vile Emperor and his vast forces simply for being what she is, Yukari has no choice but to learn how to fulfill the role she’s been cast into and become the long-awaited saviour of a dangerous planet she doesn’t yet understand.
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I could still hear the cell phone’s eerie music; it hadn’t stopped ringing, though by now it should have gone to voicemail. Yue, unconcerned, wandered over to the swing set. I watched as she started swinging higher and higher, her exceptionally long hair fanning out around her, and the other two converged on the lonely sandbox on the edge of the playground area.
The ringing continued.
I saw Kaji bend down to pick something up and the ringing finally stopped. It was darker here, with only one nearby streetlight to light the park. I headed over. Kaji did in fact have two cell phones in his hands and Hotaru had hers out as well, so the extra one must have been the one that had been ringing. It said conspicuously, ‘Property of Shuzhue Chi,’ down the one side of it, confirming Kaji’s initial suspicions.
Kaji was busy checking the call history. The last answered call was just now and it had the same listing as the one before it: Unknown Name, Unknown Number.
“Well, you’ve found it. She’s not here,” I stated.
For some reason, Hotaru had decided to squat down in the sand and start digging. Instead of answering me, Kaji began doing the same. Surely they didn’t think Shuzhue was hiding in the sandbox?
I furrowed my brow, then checked the time on my cell phone; quarter to midnight. We were no more than a few minutes from home – you could see our building from the park’s entrance – so we could easily make it in time.
“Kaji – you have ten minutes, then we’re leaving,” I stated authoritatively.
Kaji and Hotaru ignored me and continued to dig, their motions oddly frantic. I turned to head back to Yue, when I noticed we weren’t alone in the park anymore.
He was perhaps a little older than the group of us, but he was still a teenager. In the light of the single lamp I could see his blond hair was fashionably spiked. He looked vaguely familiar to me, and I might have been able to place where I knew him from if it wasn’t for the red contacts in his eyes and his stark black clothing. Was he some sort of Goth? Besides his all black attire, he also wore a long chain around his neck that ended in a diamond-shaped ruby red crystal. He also wore a scabbard on his hip, which fit him comfortably, as strange as that seemed.
I’ll admit he intimidated me, but I took a few steps forward to confront him anyway. I didn’t like his sly expression and I would have felt better if I could have put a finger on just why he felt so familiar, or at the very least figure out why he was there, watching us so intently. Before I reached him, however, Yue was in his face.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
The strange teen did not bother to reply, though the corner of his mouth twisted up a little in an obvious smirk.
Behind us, Hotaru called out, “Yukari! I think we found Shuzhue’s skirt!”
Hotaru’s sudden outburst caught me off guard and I turned to look toward her and Kaji, thankful I had Yue to keep an eye on the stranger. In fact, I began to feel glad all four of us were here and it wasn’t just me, though likely I wouldn’t have come into the park on my own under similar circumstances.
Though what if Shuzhue had come here alone…and this guy had come in after her? Hotaru just said they had found Shuzhue’s skirt in the sandbox?
Shaking my head to clear it, I tried to think rationally. I didn’t know why the Goth had followed us into the park, or if Shuzhue had ever been here, but it was highly unlikely he had anything to do with her or that any material Hotaru found in the sand was Shuzhue’s, let alone a piece of a skirt at all.
Meet the Author:
Justine Alley Dowsett is the author of nine novels and counting, and one of the founders of Mirror World Publishing. Her books, which she often co-writes with her sister, Murandy Damodred, range from young adult science fiction to dark fantasy/romance. She earned a BA in Drama from the University of Windsor, honed her skills as an entrepreneur by tackling video game production, and now she dedicates her time to writing, publishing, and occasionally role-playing.
Connect Justine:
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mirrorworldpublishing
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/mirrorworldpub
Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2UMkqjj
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/28439132-mirror-world
Blog:
http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.wordpress.com/
Publisher Website:
http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com/
YouTube:
Book Details:
Publisher: Mirror World Publishing
Publication Date: June 17, 2020
ASIN: B088DHBLG4
Purchase Links:
Mirror World Publishing
eBook: https://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/products/crimson-winter-vol-1-ruins-of-sapphire-ebook
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2UNKFG3
Read an Exclusive Excerpt:
The ringing continued.
I saw Kaji bend down to pick something up and the ringing finally stopped. It was darker here, with only one nearby streetlight to light the park. I headed over. Kaji did in fact have two cell phones in his hands and Hotaru had hers out as well, so the extra one must have been the one that had been ringing. It said conspicuously, ‘Property of Shuzhue Chi,’ down the one side of it, confirming Kaji’s initial suspicions.
Kaji was busy checking the call history. The last answered call was just now and it had the same listing as the one before it: Unknown Name, Unknown Number.
“Well, you’ve found it. She’s not here,” I stated.
For some reason, Hotaru had decided to squat down in the sand and start digging. Instead of answering me, Kaji began doing the same. Surely they didn’t think Shuzhue was hiding in the sandbox?
I furrowed my brow, then checked the time on my cell phone; quarter to midnight. We were no more than a few minutes from home – you could see our building from the park’s entrance – so we could easily make it in time.
“Kaji – you have ten minutes, then we’re leaving,” I stated authoritatively.
Kaji and Hotaru ignored me and continued to dig, their motions oddly frantic. I turned to head back to Yue, when I noticed we weren’t alone in the park anymore.
He was perhaps a little older than the group of us, but he was still a teenager. In the light of the single lamp I could see his blond hair was fashionably spiked. He looked vaguely familiar to me, and I might have been able to place where I knew him from if it wasn’t for the red contacts in his eyes and his stark black clothing. Was he some sort of Goth? Besides his all black attire, he also wore a long chain around his neck that ended in a diamond-shaped ruby red crystal. He also wore a scabbard on his hip, which fit him comfortably, as strange as that seemed.
I’ll admit he intimidated me, but I took a few steps forward to confront him anyway. I didn’t like his sly expression and I would have felt better if I could have put a finger on just why he felt so familiar, or at the very least figure out why he was there, watching us so intently. Before I reached him, however, Yue was in his face.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
The strange teen did not bother to reply, though the corner of his mouth twisted up a little in an obvious smirk.
Behind us, Hotaru called out, “Yukari! I think we found Shuzhue’s skirt!”
Hotaru’s sudden outburst caught me off guard and I turned to look toward her and Kaji, thankful I had Yue to keep an eye on the stranger. In fact, I began to feel glad all four of us were here and it wasn’t just me, though likely I wouldn’t have come into the park on my own under similar circumstances.
Though what if Shuzhue had come here alone…and this guy had come in after her? Hotaru just said they had found Shuzhue’s skirt in the sandbox?
Shaking my head to clear it, I tried to think rationally. I didn’t know why the Goth had followed us into the park, or if Shuzhue had ever been here, but it was highly unlikely he had anything to do with her or that any material Hotaru found in the sand was Shuzhue’s, let alone a piece of a skirt at all.
Justine Alley Dowsett is the author of nine novels and counting, and one of the founders of Mirror World Publishing. Her books, which she often co-writes with her sister, Murandy Damodred, range from young adult science fiction to dark fantasy/romance. She earned a BA in Drama from the University of Windsor, honed her skills as an entrepreneur by tackling video game production, and now she dedicates her time to writing, publishing, and occasionally role-playing.
Connect Justine:
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mirrorworldpublishing
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/mirrorworldpub
Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2UMkqjj
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/28439132-mirror-world
Blog:
http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.wordpress.com/
Publisher Website:
http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com/
YouTube:
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