Title: The Gatekeeper’s Descendants
Author: Johanna Frank
Genre: Fantasy, YA and Adult
Publisher: Marrow Publishing
Book Blurb:
She died long ago. Now destiny needs her intervention.
Pipiera barely remembers living. And in the seventy years since her passing, the only real connection she’s built is with the head gatekeeper to the ethereal kingdom. So she hates leaving his side when his future replacement falls into trouble down on Earth and she’s tasked with stopping the young teen from taking a dark path.
Resolving to make her mentor proud, Pipiera is horrified after she arrives to find her charge beaten and left for dead with his spirit on the loose. But as she struggles to rescue his incorporeal form, she faces a fight for his trust against a shadowy opponent.
Can she get the boy back on track before they’re both doomed?
The Gatekeeper's Descendants is the extraordinary first book in a unique fantasy series. If you like characters worth connecting to, rich allegory, and unbelievable surprises, then you’ll love Johanna Frank’s trek through the heart. And watch for the next book: Jophiel’s Secret.
BIBA Book Cover Award Winner
Excerpt:
Chapter Seven—Up and Away
“Hey, Matty Boy, come on, get up. Let’s get outta here!” A stranger stuck his oval boyish face into Matt’s. His teeth, eerily perfect, only oversized, glistened when they caught the sun. “Here,” he demanded, offering a firm hand. “Get up, I said.”
Matt’s mind was blank. He swiveled his head about. Instinctively, he applied pressure to his biceps, but neither would contract. He watched curiously as his right arm extended with such obedience to accept this kid’s help while his left arm leaned on his right knee for added stability. Geez, I’m separating. Matt focused his brain on instructing his bones and flesh to move, but they wouldn’t obey. All while a ghostly Matt leaped up with a spring-load of energy and peered around. Freedom, oh this feels good. The air was fresh, and his head didn’t ache. He swished his mouth and gargled. Nope, no dirt. Amazing. Quite amazing, actually! And what timing, I thought I was dying. Matt turned his focus to the kid. Kind of short and definitely disproportioned. Ugly, he concluded.
“Yeah? So are you!” The kid’s voice had an annoying pitch, like a whiny hydro wire. Matt didn’t think he vocally announced his assessment. Hmm . . . my lips didn’t move. The kid must have superpowers. Either that or he just read my face. That’s likely it; he read my face. Karo does it all the time. Matt reflected a moment; certain he hadn’t spoken out loud.
“Look, do you want my help or not? Check around, Matty Boy. No one else is here to help you. You should be kissing my arse right now. A simple thanks and getting a move on will do.”
Though disgusted at the gross suggestion, he ignored the insulting “Matty Boy” nickname—for the moment. “How d’ya even know my name?”
“We all know you.” The kid drew close to Matt, positioning himself so their eyes were level and just inches apart.
Matt eyeballed the kid’s feet. Yup, he’s in midair. How else could this four-foot creepy-lookin’ nerd look me in the eye?
Matt checked out the lumpy hump of a body lying on the ground, flat-out and facedown with crumpled legs. The guy’s hands just laid there, palms up and purple. Matt recognized the sunny-faced boxers sticking out of the Levi jeans. “Huh,” he mused. “I have a pair of those.”
It took a moment for the stunning acceptance to hit him. “I’m here. I’m fine. And I’m there, on the ground.” Matt zeroed in for a closer examination. “Those jerks,” he reveled in a proclamation. “They beat the crap out of me. Literally!”
“All depends how you see it,” the kid egged Matt to size it up differently. “I’d say, rather, they beat you out of that heap of crap.”
“And who are you exactly?”
“Who do you think I am? I’m here to pick you up. See? No one else is coming.”
Though suspicious, Matt accepted the challenge. Everything was normal and different at the same time. A red Volvo drove past them and turned into the school parking lot. The school flag flapped in the wind. Curious birds chirped in the trees nearby. Nothing odd or even alarming, except perhaps for an incoming flock of cawing crows. Matt was resigned to the obvious—he was dead. What amazed him the most, despite the absurdity of it all, was that he was not much alarmed. Not yet anyway, the news hadn’t really sunk in.
He turned to the kid. “Got a name? And shouldn’t there be a light or a tunnel or something?”
“Kasartha. No, I’m it. And we gotta go.”
Buy links:
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gatekeepers-descendants-johanna-frank/1140357278
Indigo Chapters https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-gatekeepers-descendants/9781777731724-item.html
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Author Biography:
Johanna is lovin’ the author journey. Being creative and always in learning mode is where life offers its best and where she thrives the most. Her first novel, The Gatekeeper’s Descendants, is just the beginning of an ambitious fantasy series—her goal, to deliver soulful, whimsical, and venturous plots …so better get reading and don’t expect predictability from Johanna!
She and her husband enjoy loads of family time, particularly the outdoor scenes with plenty of campfires and practically zero internet!
Social Media Links:
Website: www.johannafrankauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Johanna_Z_Frank