In Stone Series: Secrets in Stone

In a world filled with fundamental rules, Lily no longer recognizes the guidelines, for her they just don't exist.

It s 1978, and fifteen-year-old Lily Ann Bud is trying hard not to think about starting high school in a few months. She has enough on her hands already, between her summer job, helping her family while her trucker father is on the road, and learning to control her abilities to tap into nature's magical, strange energy.

When an ancient being warns Lily of a dark power bent on harming her and the earth she is determined to learn about dimensional travel and the mysterious tools that can help her: a crystal skull and a silver dagger.

New to town, John throws Lily into a tail spin when he admits to sharing her dreams of a distant world ruled by phoenixes. Lily suspects that the key to the peril lies somewhere in her past lives. When John goes missing and the threats to her loved ones increase, it's up to Lily to maximize the strength of the dagger and crystal to find the Secrets in Stone.

Exerpt:

In a flash, I perceived a black shining stone beyond the closed door of the turret. With mere thought, the latch lifted, and the door swung open soundlessly. Inside, instead of the tool shed that dwelled in my everyday existence, I saw beyond into an alternate reality. Excitedly, I slipped out of my flip-flops and stepped through the gossamer portal, over the threshold into a world of softness.

The hush I experienced crossing into that dimension only lingered the first few steps. Then, with an almost imperceptible pop, an engaging, humming orchestra of sounds greeted my ears. The tones surged around me like the warm dazzling clouds that caressed my bare arms and legs. Pastel colors of the most delicate hues blanketed the ground I trod and reflected in a prismatic fashion through the cloaking mists.

Giggling, I held out my arms and spun in a circle, relishing the silken quality of the fluffy soil under my dancing feet. All around me, undulating meadows slowly changed color. Similar to sheets billowing in the wind, shadow and light transformed the fabric of the ground in harmony with the haunting melody.

Gliding and twirling, I swung my arms high luxuriating in velvety sensations. Flopping down, I rolled back on the feathery cushion of land and gazed past the gleaming vapor into the pale orange sky. There, high above me, suspended as a tiny planet, was the glossy black nugget. Closing my eyes, I raised my right arm and floated high up into the hazy sunset sky. Warmth emanated from the smooth vibrating stone. It was the only hard substance in the otherwise gauzy world.

I rotated face down, and only then, I realized I was floating from a dizzying height. As far as I could see, the colorful quilted land rolled and shifted. Other than rainbow clouds, there didn't seem to be anything else occupying this strange place. My eyes drooped in luxuriating relaxation. Not really wanting to leave my weightless drift, I yawned and reluctantly called to the Cruin. "Loam, I'm ready, I have the stone."