FAE-ted

By Linda Palmer

Leeloo Brantley never dreamed she'd run into Nate Marshall, her long-time secret crush, after he graduated high school the year before. Yet there he is, standing in Festivities, her mom's party shop, a few days before Christmas with his brand new stepsister, four-year-old Anna. Nate tells Leeloo he's babysitting Anna while their parents honeymoon. Leeloo tells Nate he's not up for it, a fact proved when he calls her in desperation later that night begging for help.

Certain this is an early Christmas present straight from the elves, Leeloo eagerly agrees. And as the three of them begin to hang out under the decorated tree, Nate actually seems to see her with new eyes. Then a weather front brings scary thunderstorms no four-year-old can love. Though Nate assures Anna he'll keep her and Leeloo safe forever, Leeloo has to wonder if he really means it or is simply trying to soothe a beloved little sister who's afraid of thunder.

This title is published by Uncial Press and is distributed worldwide by Untreed Reads.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Untreed Reads
• Release date: Nov 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781601741721

Linda Palmer

Linda Palmer admits it all started when she fell in love with Roy Rogers in the fifties. The family TV was boxy; the picture was black and white. That didn't matter. Roy's cowboy courage won the day and inspired her to  create elaborate scenarios when playing with her sisters and friends outside. Indoors, she read romances in every genre from Sci Fi to Gothic. Linda began writing for pleasure in the third grade, mostly poetry, and has letters from her grade school teachers predicting she'd be an author. Her poems eventually became short stories; her short stories became books. And even though a writing career was never actually a dream, it was something she pursued with intent after winning some writing contests and joining local and national writers' groups. Silhouette Books published Linda's first romance novel in l989 and the next twenty over a ten-year period (writing as Linda Varner, her maiden name). In 1999 she took a ten-year break to take care of her family, but learned that she couldn't not write. She began again in  2009, changing her genre to young adult/new adult paranormal romance. She has now written over a hundred novels and novellas ranging from traditional romance to erotica. Linda was a Romance Writers of America Rita finalist twice and won the 2011 and 2012 EPIC eBook awards in the Young Adult category. She was also a finalist in that category in 2013 and in 2014. Linda has been married to her junior high school sweetheart over fifty years and lives in Arkansas, USA with her family. Ever a hopeless romantic, she still falls for unattainable Hollywood heroes that inspire her to write romances about alpha males and the women who stand up to them. Linda hints that her current crush's name starts with Tom and ends with Hardy. Her website is www.lindavpalmer.com. You can also find her on Facebook: Linda Varner Palmer.

Book preview

FAE-ted

A Holiday Novel Byte

By

Linda Palmer

Uncial Press       Aloha, Oregon

2013

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events described herein are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN 13: 978-1-60174-172-1

FAE-ted

Copyright © 2013 by Linda Palmer

Cover Design

Copyright © 2013 by Linda Palmer

Little Fairy © Kitigan | Dreamstime.com

Background © Can Stock Photo Inc. / alistaircotton

All rights reserved. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five (5) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Published by Uncial Press,

an imprint of GCT, Inc.

Visit us at http://www.uncialpress.com

FAE-ted

Hello and welcome to our Faerie Garden. I smiled as yet another adorable child in a tutu entered the door, all dressed up for today's birthday party. The sixth to arrive, she held a gaily wrapped present with a big pink bow on it. What's your name?

Lily Grace.

Do you have a favorite color?

It took her a second to reply, and I could barely hear her. Purple.

Then you'll be Faerie Lilac. Pulling a lavender tiara out of the basket, I set it on her blonde hair. I helped her slip her tiny arms through the sparkly straps that would support the sheer tulle wings she'd get to take home with her. You're so beautiful! I turned her to look in our full-length mirror.

Lily Grace's eyes lit up. She gave me a shy smile.

The other faeries are over there.

The cutie and her mom headed to the north end of the room that was reserved for girl parties. Decorated with silk greenery, vibrant flowers, and tons of twinkling lights, it was one of two celebration areas in my Mom's new party supply shop, Festivities. We'd recently decorated and now rented out the rooms along with we-do-it-all party packages.

The other celebration area, which we called Boy's World, was more diverse and had four distinct corners: Hero Central, Sports Zone, Dino District, and Outer Space. Designing and setting them all up six months ago had been the most fun I'd ever had. And each day I spent at Festivities was super special, which was why I could be found there after school and most weekends. I so loved my job.

For me, nothing beat dressing up for the occasion, whether in a sparkly white gown with my own gossamer wings or in a crime-fighter's mask and cape. I even had an astronaut suit, which was hot and clunky to wear but still a lot of fun.

Feeling a tug on my hem, I turned and glanced down at the next wannabe faerie, a little girl with riotous ginger curls and the biggest brown eyes I'd ever seen. Welcome to the Faerie Garden. What's your name?

Anna Faith Davis. You can call me Anna.

I bit back a smile. Do you have a favorite color?

Pink.

I love pink, too! I dug into the basket and pulled out a pink tiara that clashed horribly with her hair, but there were no fashion police at Festivities. Noting that she held a package almost as big as she was, as well as a stuffed unicorn, I reached for them. And who is this?

Sparky.

I eyed the blue unicorn, which reminded me of one I'd had years ago named Blaze. I'd dragged that thing everywhere until I lost it at a shopping mall. To say I was devastated didn't begin to go there. I was sure I cried for a week. "Can your dad hold Sparky

Reviews for FAE-ted

[rita9shaw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A cute story for a preteen, predictable young love story, fantasy really, but cute.