Books with author Roger B. Beck

Miona is used to getting in trouble.Another of her specialties is to forget her proper place.So she often finds herself in the wrong place.That's what she demonstrates in this opening to A Charmers' World, a fantasy/sci-fi series.A New Day is a good way to get started on the series. Besides the series' prologue, you'll find an extended sample of Shadows on the School Grounds, book 1 in the series, where Miona gets trapped into playing a spying game against an unsavory boy from her class, and his just as unsavory friends.But if many at school or at home seem to like nothing better than to pick on her, she always bounces back, and finds friends ready to help her. Be they her master's chauffeur at home, slave friends in her dormitory, or a very convincing girl with a tray full of appetizer toasts—and a secret.

If you'd ask Miona what she really thinks of her new school, most likely she’d tell you she isn’t too pleased with it. Her reasons might go like this:1. Not only there isn’t any car-flying class like some kids in her old school had told her, but2. Most subjects are tough and no fun at all,3. Discipline is even tougher than in her old school. The Dean, for one, is this mean human woman with a quick switch and no sense of humor, who seems to have taken a strong dislike in her since the first day of school,4. Another lie that went around in her old school: most chores are done by school personnel. NOT--TRUE. She has to do them, just like at her old school or at home,5. Worse still: she can’t make friends in her own class, because the class bully has taken a special interest in picking on her and scaring her classmates away from her. He’s also very good at getting her punished. Since the start of the school year--for nearly two months now--she has only been able to go home once, all thanks to him....But soon she finds another issue to add to her list: this school is dangerous. There are shadows roaming the grounds. And the spy game Miona is forced to play might do much more than get her expelled and make her master angry at her. In fact she might need more than her brashness and strong sword fighting skills to check out of that game alive. More than the help from her new friends. What she may need is a strange, powerful gift she never knew she had....Excerpts:FLYING BACK FROM SCHOOL: “What are you doing?” Ruhul tried to stop her, but he could only grab the top of her skirt. She was already halfway through, her hands and head resting on the copilot seat, her stomach on its headrest, and her legs on the luggage compartment. He pulled on the skirt to try to force her back into the passenger compartment, but the fabric gave a warning sound so he eased up on it. Soon he had to let go to slow down their speed. “You’re going to kill us. Go back to the passenger cabin at once!” “I can’t,” she said, sliding further into the seat. Now only her shins were still in the passenger compartment. Ruhul glanced at her legs and winced, holding back a new command. “Now what are you gonna do?” he said in a calmer voice. “Travel upside down ‘till we get home, or turn around and kick the controls with your feet?” “I can’t stay like this,” she protested, the blood getting to her face. “Can’t you catch my feet?” Then she slid down as slowly as she could, trying to turn around to see what she could haul herself up with. Her hand went to the copilot controls, but she knew she’d better not use those. “Don’t touch that!” warned Ruhul. She managed to grab hold of the edge of her seat and pulled. “Mind your feet, won’t you?” Ruhul said in an exasperated growl. “You’re on my tail now.”FIRST SWORD GAME PRACTICE: At one point Miona found herself very close to Poisonohl. “Hey, Fortvallor,” he snickered under his breath. “Too bad we don’t have the padded gear today. You’ll be all black and blue when we’re done with you.” “You’ll be needing your crutches again,” Miona said through her teeth. “Hope you have them close at hand.” Moments later they arrived in front of the large box, both at the same time. Poisonohl pulled one saber from the crate and in the same movement swung it at Miona’s back. But she hadn’t taken her eyes off him for more than a second at a time while she was choosing a sword for herself. She pulled a saber from the pack and swerved it with both hands in a parry. Poisonohl's saber bounced off her own with a clank. The next second both sabers were pointing to the ground and both Miona and Poisonohl moved away from the crate as if nothing had happened.“Hold on, there!” Professor Musrol said, walking back to the crate. “What was that noise I heard?”Now there's a good way to make up your mind about Shadows on the School Grounds. Check out A New Day's page, here on Amazon

Miona is used to getting in trouble. At home, besides her human nanny and her master's big chauffeur, everyone seems to love nothing better than to pick on her. School is even worse, and she collects detentions, and scuffles with the class bully. And just when she thinks the weekend is about to free her of him and his goons, a bad decision ruins that hope in the worst of ways. And a few days later when she thinks she has her revenge on the gang, she in fact sets herself up for much deeper trouble. The kind that would make her master angry at her, but could also just simply ruin his career, and threaten a fragile peace between the main species of the planet. This time it is going to take more than her furry friends' help to get Miona out of it alive. She'll need all her wits and her strong sword fighting skills. And something else too, a very special talent she never knew she had.... Excerpts: FLYING BACK FROM SCHOOL: “What are you doing?” Ruhul tried to stop her, but he could only grab the top of her skirt. She was already halfway through, her hands and head resting on the copilot seat, her stomach on its headrest, and her legs on the luggage compartment. He pulled on the skirt to try to force her back into the passenger compartment, but the fabric gave a warning sound so he eased up on it. Soon he had to let go to slow down their speed. “You’re going to kill us. Go back to the passenger cabin at once!” “I can’t,” she said, sliding further into the seat. Now only her shins were still in the passenger compartment. Ruhul glanced at her legs and winced, holding back a new command. “Now what are you gonna do?” he said in a calmer voice. “Travel upside down ‘till we get home, or turn around and kick the controls with your feet?” “I can’t stay like this,” she protested, the blood getting to her face. “Can’t you catch my feet?” Then she slid down as slowly as she could, trying to turn around to see what she could haul herself up with. Her hand went to the copilot controls, but she knew she’d better not use those. “Don’t touch that!” warned Ruhul. She managed to grab hold of the edge of her seat and pulled. “Mind your feet, won’t you?” Ruhul said in an exasperated growl. “You’re on my tail now.” FIRST SWORD GAME PRACTICE: At one point Miona found herself very close to Poisonohl. “Hey, Fortvallor,” he snickered under his breath. “Too bad we don’t have the padded gear today. You’ll be all black and blue when we’re done with you.” “You’ll be needing your crutches again,” Miona said through her teeth. “Hope you have them close at hand.” Moments later they arrived in front of the large box, both at the same time. Poisonohl pulled one saber from the crate and in the same movement swung it at Miona’s back. But she hadn’t taken her eyes off him for more than a second at a time while she was choosing a sword for herself. She pulled a saber from the pack and swerved it with both hands in a parry. Poisonohl's saber bounced off her own with a clank. The next second both sabers were pointing to the ground and both Miona and Poisonohl moved away from the crate as if nothing had happened. “Hold on, there!” Professor Musrol said, walking back to the crate. “What was that noise I heard?”