The Last Shadow Gate
by Michael
W. Garza
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: March 3rd 2017
NeverHaven Press
Summary:
Summer
vacation was never supposed to be like this.
It was bad enough Naomi had to be shipped off to
her dad's home for the summer and deal with her half-brother Gavin, but when
the siblings are forced to spend their break with their great-grandmother in
upstate New York, everything changes.
An investigation into the strange
disappearance of their great-grandfather forces them to retrace his footsteps.
They discover a gateway between worlds and encounter extraordinary creatures in
a land where the people are desperate to escape the coming of a shade lord.
To survive their adventure, Naomi and
Gavin must settle their differences and find the elusive shadow gate that will
take them home again.
THE SHADOW GATE CHRONICLES:
Book 1: The Last Shadow Gate
Book 2: A Veil of Shadows (Coming 2017)
Book 3: The Shadow of War (Coming 2018)
Advance Praise
for THE LAST SHADOW GATE:
"If this book had been around when I was a kid,
I’d have held it right up there with The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the
Rings.” - Sunshine Somerville, Author of
THE KOTA SERIES
"You won't want to miss out on the thrilling yet
perilous world beyond the shadow gates!"
- J. Cornell Michel, Author of
JORDAN'S BRAINS
*If you love fast-paced, YA Fantasy, THE LAST SHADOW
GATE is the book for you.*
The Last Shadow Gate
(Sample Chapters)
1
Gavin
Walker sat in a dining room chair at the head of the table. His dirty-blond
bangs were pushed to one side revealing a wide-eyed expression. His mouth hung
open, and he was at a loss for words, which was something that didn’t happen
often in the twelve-year-old’s daily life.
“The whole
summer?”
His father
stood at the opposite end of the table resting his hands on the back of a
chair. The similarities between father and son were unmistakable. Mr. Walker’s
expression was calm, unlike his son’s overreaction. Gavin could see his father
wasn’t going to back down, so he resorted to repetition.
“The whole summer?”
Mr. Walker
didn’t budge.
“Don’t be
so dramatic.”
“But Dad.”
“It won’t
kill you,” Mr. Walker said. “You haven’t seen Mama Walker in over two years and
she’s not getting any younger.” His face was stern. “Look, she’s nearly
eighty-five and I’m not sure how many more opportunities the two of you will
have to spend time with her.”
Mama Walker
was Gavin’s great-grandmother. She lived alone on the outskirts of Albany, New
York, in the town of Gum Springs. To a twelve-year-old boy from Southern
California, Gum Springs was on the far side of the moon. Gavin didn’t know Mama
Walker very well.
“But she’s
crazy, Dad,” he said. “You said so yourself.”
Mr.
Walker’s brow wrinkled.
“I don’t
think she’s crazy. She’s lonely since Papa went away and…” He went on, but
Gavin stopped listening. He crossed his arms and sulked. He wanted to protest,
but
he already
knew his father wasn’t going to give in. He focused on something else he’d
heard.
“What do
you mean by the two of you?”
Mr. Walker
smiled and hesitated.
“Well,” he
said, “that’s the rest of the story. I want you and your sister to spend the
summer together with Mama Walker.”
Gavin
rolled his eyes. Naomi was his half-sister who lived in Florida with her
mother.
The two siblings
were forced to tolerate each other over summer vacations and an occasional
holiday break. She was older than Gavin by three years and reminded him of it
every chance she could. “What about football camp?”
He was
playing dirty now.
“Already
took care of it,” Mr. Walker said, and Gavin’s smile disappeared. “First day of
camp is at the end of August, and it just so happens that you’ll get back with
plenty of time.”
“You
already bought the ticket?” Gavin asked as his voice filled with dread.
“Yep,” Mr.
Walker said, “school’s out next Friday, and you and I fly out on Saturday.”
“You’re
coming?”
“I’m flying
with you. We’ll meet Naomi in Albany then I’m going to stay a few days and fly
back.”
“Very brave
of you,” Gavin said.
Mr. Walker
got up, came around the table, and took a seat next to his son. He put his hand
on Gavin’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I know I’m asking a lot, but come
on, Gavin, do this for me,” he said. “Your mother and I have talked about this
for a while. Mama Walker has been distant from the family for a long time. This
will be good for her and good for the both of you kids too.” He let go and
stood up. “You know, you might even have a good time.”
Gavin
doubted that very much.
♦
Destin,
Florida is a popular vacation destination. It’s known for white, sandy beaches,
and clear, blue water. That beauty is a part of life for the people who live in
Destin and across the bridge in the city of Fort Walton Beach. Naomi Walker
happened to be one of those lucky people.
She sat on
the school bus staring out at the clear, blue water counting down the days
until summer.
The ninth
grade was particularly difficult for Naomi. She calculated she’d spent more
days grounded during this year than all of the years before it combined. She
wasn’t a bad student, quite the opposite, she enjoyed most of her classes.
She’d
always had an interest in science and history, but this year she spent more
time interested in gossip and boys than any academic pursuit. Naomi’s mother
was forgiving for the most part. She and her step-father were willing to give
Naomi some slack as she dealt with becoming a young woman. Her father was a
different story altogether.
Naomi knew
her father lived in California, but sometimes she thought he was somewhere
closer to Mars. Her parents divorced when she was young, but Mr. Walker did
everything in his power to keep a close relationship. Naomi cherished that bond
as a little girl; however, her needs had changed over the past few years.
In a short
time she’d be shipped off to California while all her friends would be
having the
time of their lives. She decided looking at the beach was only making matters
worse and spun around to stare at the back of the seat in front of her. Chloe,
her little sister, sat next to her. All of Chloe’s attention was focused on the
screen of a hot pink, handheld game. Naomi pulled the game from her hand for no
good
reason, and the two fought over it for the rest of the ride home.
The walk
from the bus stop to the front door felt longer than usual. Naomi passed the
time by snatching her hand away from Chloe as the little girl tried to hold on.
At fifteen, Naomi was at a peculiar crossroads in her life where adulthood and
individualism was a goal and childhood just plain stunk. To Chloe, only seven,
holding hands was still all the rage.
“Mom, we’re
home.”
Naomi threw
her backpack on the sofa and walked to the kitchen with Chloe close on her
heels.
“What about
peanut butter?” Chloe asked.
“What about
no,” Naomi said.
Chloe stuck
her tongue out. “Fine then,” she said, “I’ll make one myself.”
The little
girl pulled a chair in from the dining room as Naomi poked through the cabinets
and settled on a half-finished bag of chips. Naomi slumped down on the couch,
leaving Chloe to make a mess in the kitchen. She began a never-ending search
for something to watch on TV with the chips in her lap and the television
remote secured. The sliding door in the rear of the house opened and closed, announcing
their mother’s arrival.
“We’re
home, Mom,” she said.
“Just
finishing up the laundry.”
Naomi was
convinced her mother did the laundry for the entire block.
“What in
the world?”
Naomi
grinned. She knew her mom’s outburst had something to do with the mess Chloe
was making in the kitchen. A moment later her mother made it into the living
room. Her hair was frazzled and her eyes were focused in a disapproving glare.
“What?”
Naomi asked.
“You could
have helped her.”
“She’s not
a baby, you know.”
Her mother
sat down on the love seat. “I want you to turn that off, Naomi. We need to talk
about something.”
Naomi
didn’t like the tone her mother took. This was the tone she used when
delivering bad news. It was that very same tone she’d used to tell her and
Chloe their beloved cat, Tinker, was in heaven. Naomi eyed her mother closely
as she hit the mute button on the remote control.
“Your
father and I have had a long talk about your summer vacation,” her mother said.
Naomi pulled a handful of chips out of the bag and ate through them in an
unnecessarily loud manner. “And…” her mother’s voice rose to match the
chip-chomping, “I believe we’ve come to an agreement.”
“I can stay
here for the summer?” Naomi asked.
“No.”
Naomi sank
back into the couch.
“Your
father wants you and Gavin to spend the summer together.”
“What’s so
different about that?” Naomi asked. “I have to put up with him every summer.”
“Yes, but—”
Her mother was interrupted by a ring. She pulled the phone out of her back
pocket, looked at the number, and smiled. “I’ll let him explain.”
Naomi took
the phone from her mother and answered it. She recognized her father’s voice at
once.
“Hey, Dad.”
She saw her mother smiling and noted it was the smile you give when you feel
sorry for something. Naomi’s face scrunched as Mr. Walker explained what
awaited her on summer vacation.
“But,” she
cut in.
Mr. Walker
pushed on.
“Mama
Walker?”
Mr. Walker
continued to talk.
“But, Dad…”
Her father
didn’t let up.
Naomi
popped up off the couch.
“But, Dad,
that old lady’s crazy.”
Want more? Download a sample chapter book available for
THE LAST SHADOW GATE containing the first 8 chapters HERE!
About the Author
Michael W. Garza often finds himself wondering
where his inspiration will come from next and in what form his imagination will
bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise him and it’s always his
ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow him and take in those results.
He hopes everyone will find something that frightens, surprises, or simply
astonishes them.
Author Links:
Cover Reveal
Organized by:
