PFS2012 Author Guest Post: Brigid Kemmerer + Giveaway

It's no secret that I really love and enjoy the Elemental series by Brigid Kemmerer, whose name I have trouble pronouncing even now, and so when I asked Brigid to put something together for the event, and she happily agreed, I was doing little dances around my very spacious apartment and odd mating calls that I would be embarrassed to share in front of my fellow humans at the thought of anything related to the Merrick bros joining us for the event! Since SPARK won't be released until later in the month, Brigid thought she'd share an awesome teaser!

Gabriel stopped short at the tree line. Smoke poured through every window of the two-story home. Fire blazed through what was left of the roof. Smoke detectors were definitely working—they screeched into the darkness and gave Gabriel a shot of adrenaline he so didn’t need.

Firefighters had smashed most of the windows on the first level, but they were working toward the back. Gabriel felt the flames cheer at the presence of more oxygen. Radios crackled with static and commands. People were yelling incoherently in the front yard. He could barely make out the words over those damned smoke detectors. Flash over… stairs unstable…pull out …

Then a woman screamed in the front yard, a sound full of anguish that twisted something in his chest. He’d heard a sound like that once.

Gabriel had to put a hand against a tree. He shouldn’t have come here.

Come play.

Smoke was everywhere. He clenched his eyes shut. It felt like he couldn’t breathe again.

The fire thought it was a game. A sick, twisted, cruel game of destruction.

Come. Play.

The worst part was that he wanted to.

“You all right?”

The voice spoke from his shoulder. Gabriel almost came out of his frigging skin. He actually staggered into the tree before his heart would slow down enough to let him talk.

“Hunter,” he choked.

“Yeah?”

Gabriel got it together and pushed off the tree to punch him in the chest. “What the hell is wrong with you. Jesus.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

His heart still wasn’t too sure about that. “What are you doing here? Go home.”

Hunter shrugged and looked past him at the house. “I followed you. What are you doing here?”

He’d followed him?

“Dude, I’m not playing.” Gabriel stepped close and pointed up the street. “Get out of here.”

Hunter didn’t move. “You want to go in, don’t you?”

Yes.

Gabriel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Go home, Hunter.”

“Did you hear them? The firemen have been ordered out. There’s still someone inside, but there was something called a flash over. Do you know what that means?”

A flash over meant the fire had gotten too hot, and with nowhere else for that heat to go, the interior of the house was being consumed. The heat would be enough to kill anyone before the fire even got to them. No wonder they weren’t hitting the house with hose trucks—nothing to do now but let it burn to the ground.

Someone inside.

Gabriel bit the inside of his cheek. “Yeah. It’s bad.”

From the front yard, that woman screamed again. His heart kicked.

“What if they’re still alive?” said Hunter. His breathing sounded quick.

“What if they are?” Gabriel snapped. “You think thirty firemen are just going to let me walk in the front door? Do you have any idea how hot it must be inside that house?”

“Look.” Hunter pointed at an ambulance parked on the grass along the side of the house.

Gabriel looked. A fireman was on a stretcher, not moving. Someone held one of those breathing bags over his face. Other people were doing—something. Fast and rapid and almost panicked. He had no idea.

Hunter grabbed his arm and shook him. “No, there. His gear is lying in the grass.” He started untying one of the twine bracelets at his wrist. “Take this. Tie it against your skin—”

“Dude, I don’t know what you think I’m going to—”

Hunter jerked his head up. “Don’t you want to help?”

Gabriel stared back at him. He gritted his teeth and didn’t say anything.

He hadn’t been able to help his parents.

That thought tightened his throat, and it took him three tries to speak. “They might be dead already.”

Hunter shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’d feel it.”

“What? How do you—”

“Because he’s dead.” Hunter pointed at the fireman on the stretcher. His voice was strong, but his breath shook. “And I feel that.”

Gabriel stared back at him. His breath was shaking, too.

“All right. Give me the stupid rock.”

Want to win some very cool books? Of course you do! The amazing Veda over at Kensington Teen is offering up copies of STORM and SPARK to US and Canada residents, so hop on that, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, did you know that you can get Storm for only $2.99 as an e-book on Amazon?

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Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys - all the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming.

You can find Brigid on her Goodreads | Website | Twitter | !

Check out the new schedule for this week, which is the second of the event!
Find out what happened last week and enter to win some amazing prize packs!

Ahh, Brigid and Veda, thank you so very much because this post is successfully teaserrific and I hope everyone reads this series! The awesome paranormal and urban fantasy elements make this addictive, sure, but it's the Merrick bros you'll fall in love with and whom will make you jump back into the series time and again. Comment down below if you're into brotherly banter or you can bend the elements better than the Avatar.