Scene from Stolen Dreams

Happy Monday! Check out the scene from my upcoming book, Stolen Dreams. 

“Son, why are you skulking outside my office?” 

Maverick sighed as he walked into Finnegan ‘Finn’ Kincade’s office. His all-time favorite baseball player. 

And his mentor. 

This man helped him while he was still in high school. The legend thought he had potential in the majors, and he planned to show the world the “Flying Finn” wasn’t wrong about a kid from Michigan. 

“Are you busy?” Maverick asked as he sat in one of the office chairs in front of the massive desk. 

World Series baseballs lined the desk with a miniature wooden bat with the “Flying Finn” etched in black. There was one of those in his house. It was one of the few gifts his parents could afford for him. It was in a prized location under a glass case. It was more protected than the one he stared at on the desk, but who would steal from Finn? 

“Fine time to ask me when you took it upon yourself to walk in,” Finn said as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. “But no, I’m not busy. I just finished another interview about my missing daughter. Every year it’s the same dog and pony show, but I still hope she’ll be found.” 

Maverick nodded. He knew what today was. 

The anniversary of the kidnapping of baseball royalty. It must suck to watch your wife give birth to your daughter only to be told someone stole her from the hospital. Who stole babies? Most people were trying to dump them, not steal them from nurses and hospitals. 

He remembered seeing her face on milk cartoons. 

Snippet

Since the edits and re-release of Cursed Soldier are complete, I've shifted back to Book 15: Stolen Dreams. Here is a small snippet from my upcoming book. 

She continued reading it and wondered when her mother would call her. Amy Dallas still hated baseball and the fact that her daughter loved it. All the lectures growing up about watching those men on the field were burned into her memory. 

Not just burned into her memory but the underside of her arm. Her mother forgot about the cigarette and burned her arm. She remembered the pain and her mother’s screams that it was Finley’s fault. The smoke caused her to cough until she had to stumble into her room for her inhaler. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her only burn mark. 

Her mother continued screaming at her for loving baseball. The men would take the women and use them for whatever they wanted, then toss them to the side. Amy wanted to know why her daughter would want that. 

She remembered gasping on the floor. Her arm and lungs burning. She cried as her mother slammed the door. It had been a while before she stood up and climbed into bed. She remembered setting her glasses on her bedside table. The tape had caught in her hair, but it was normal. Everything was blurry, but that was normal too. She’d needed new glasses for a few years now. Pulling the blanket up, the smell of smoke made her eyes water as she closed them. One thought ran through her mind. 

Why did her mother hate her? 

KU

Siren Song is in KU!

Have you experienced Nerida and Destan's journey?

Being Inspired!

Being inspired for my next book, Stolen Dreams. Finely isn't ready for Maverick (her favorite active player) to enter her life. 

10th Anniversary

"He would travel back to the place that had started it all. He would go back to that little town in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg, and face his demons head on for the first time since the Battle of Gettysburg." 

It's been ten years since I first typed those words for my first book Cursed Soldier. For the 10th anniversary, I decided that it was time for some tweaks and a few edits. I'm also creating a hardcover through Amazon with a brand new cover. 

I can't wait to share the new cover with everyone in the coming weeks. The cover will feature one of my photos from my first visit to Gettysburg just as the original does. 

Stolen Dreams Scene

So it's been a little while, so here's a scene between Maverick and his sisters and mother. 

“Who’s the girl who doesn’t want to date you?” Isabella asked. 

“I can’t even walk through the door before the questions start?” he asked as he looked at his sisters. 

“We’ve just never heard of a woman turning you down,” Edith said. 

“It’s pretty funny,” Margaret said. 

“Girls, let your brother at least sit down before you throw all these questions at him,” his mother said as she kissed his cheek. 

“But you want to know who she is. We heard you tell Aunt Amanda,” Margaret said. 

“You three know not to listen to adult conversations,” their mother said. 

“We are sixteen,” Isabella said. 

“If you can’t legally vote or join the military then you’re not an adult,” he said. “Those are the rules.” 

“Eh, some countries allow children to fight,” Edith said as she leaned against the counter. 

“Not the time for a history lesson, Edee,” Isabella said. 

“It wasn’t a lesson, just a fact,” Margaret said. “Chill.” 

Always the peacekeeper between Edee and Isabella, but Margaret had her bite as well. 

“Girls,” their mother warned. 

Maverick sighed. His sisters were a handful, but their mother handled them with ease. 

“Who knew your girls would be your biggest worry,” he said. 

“Son, I remember your teenage years. The girls are a breeze compared to you. I blame all my gray hair on you,” she said. “Now, sit. I want to hear about the winner and her reasons for turning you down.” 

“I came over here to escape the questions,” he said as he sat at the kitchen table. “And you don’t have gray hair.” 

“At least we don’t run to the press with your answers,” Isabella said. “Momma dyes her hair. So, what’s her name?” 

“Finley Dallas,” he said. 

“That’s a pretty name,” his mother said. 

“I bet she’s a blonde,” Margaret said. 

“Big brother does like blondes,” Edee said. “What color are her eyes?” 

“I’ve met her one time,” he said. 

“So,” Isabella said with a shrug. “You notice women’s eye color.” 

“What?” he asked. “How do you know that?” 

“You’re an eye and butt man,” Edee said as she opened the fridge. 

“Sometimes, you girls scare me,” he said. “But to answer your question, she has green eyes.” 

“Hmm,” Margaret said, tapping her chin. “She sounds pretty. No wonder she doesn’t want to date you. She’s a ten and you’re not.” 

“I’m not a ten?” he asked. 

His sisters were ruthless. 

“A solid eight, if pressed,” Isabella said. “Although, our friends think you're hot.” 

“Oh yeah, my sisters’ teenage friends think I’m hot. That doesn’t sound like jail time for me,” he said. 

“As long as you don’t come near them, they can think what they want,” Isabella said. “No matter how wrong they are of your level of hotness.” 

“Gross,” Margaret said, shaking her head. 

Stolen Dreams

"Tonight you're gonna go down in flames, just like Jesse James." - Cher 

How far will Maverick go for a charity date? Only Finley knows until the triplets find out. Maverick's sisters are roasting him in the best way possible, by taking over selections of his walk-out songs. 

The playlist for book 15, Stolen Dreams is all over the place. I can't wait to share Maverick and Finley's story. 

Little Known Facts

Since Crown Restored has been out for a few weeks, it's time for little-known things about book 14. 

* This book was inspired by The Lion King although I wanted it to be my Mulan-inspired book. When I said the plot out loud, it was clearly Lion King. 

* The Southern connection for Damaris is Kentucky even though North Carolina is mentioned. 

* I knew when I created the characters of Damaris and Huck for Glass Throne that they would get their own book. 

* With this being Book 4 in my Fairy Tale Series, I had several nods to the other three books with a few appearances from characters. 

* The songs that inspired certain scenes were more rock and alternative than my other books. I had two main songs on repeat: I Am the Fire by Halestorm and I See Red by Everybody Loves an Outlaw. Castle by Halsey was also on repeat for certain scenes. 

* The name Damaris was taken from Guy's Grocery Games. She is one of the judges on various episodes and I knew I would be using the name in a book. I just needed the right woman for the name. 

* I've pictured how Damaris would confront her uncle before I ever typed the first word of the book. The actual scene didn't change from what I pictured. 

* Originally, Damaris' parents were only in hiding and not dead. But it didn't fit the narrative or explain why they would leave their country or daughter. 

* The movie George of the Jungle inspired one of the scenes in Kentucky with the horses. 

* I had a different idea for one of the ending scenes between Huck and Damaris, but I didn't like it once it was typed up. 

* The Epilogue was a surprise until I sat down to type it up. 

I am currently writing Book 15, otherwise known as Stolen Dreams. It is my Rapunzel-inspired book centering around one of my favorite sports. The main characters are the baseball sensation Maverick Donahue and the agoraphobic accountant Finley Dallas. I'm getting creative with this one. No publishing date as of yet, but stay tuned.  

If you haven't had a chance to read Damaris and Huck's story, it's available on Amazon. If you have read it, don't forget to leave a review either on Amazon or Goodreads. 

Paperback and Hardcover

It took a few days but the paperback and hardcover versions of Crown Restored are live along with the Kindle edition. It is also available in KU. If anyone is wanting a signed paperback or hardcover, let me know. I'm placing an order next week. This is for any of my books as well. If you've missed any of them, let me know. 

Don't forget to leave a review once you've finished reading it! 

https://smile.amazon.com/Crown-Restored-Fairy-Laura-McKellips-ebook/dp/B0BSNY1SS7/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=164Q9BXCHAZ8G&keywords=Laura+lee+mckellips&qid=1675371822&sprefix=laura+lee+mckellips%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-2

Small Scene

Only a few more hours and Crown Restored will be live! The latest in the Fairy Tales Series features Crown Princess Damaris and Huckleberry. Here is a small scene to tide you over until tomorrow. 

“Son, if you get kicked by your horse, you deserved it.” 

Huck groaned as he eased up on the brush. His uncle was right. Boba didn’t need him to take his anger out on him. His horse was innocent of Bill Hawthorne’s faults. 

“Boba hasn’t been brushed down in a while,” Huck said as he focused on his horse and not his uncle. 

“Cut the crap. Damaris told me where you two rode,” Ray said. 

“She your spy now?” Huck asked as he worked the knots out of Boba’s mane. 

“Don’t need one when I know you so well,” Ray said as he placed his hand on Boba’s back. “He wants to talk to you.” 

“Well, I don’t want to talk to him,” Huck said without 

looking away from the knot. “He’s about twenty years too late for any talk.” 

“I didn’t take you for this level of childish behavior. The man knows he screwed up with you, but there are things you don’t know about that time.” 

Huck finally looked at his uncle. 

“What? How my mother couldn’t take his verbal abuse and run her car off the bridge? Or how ‘bout this, how I joined the Army in wartime to get away from the man? He doesn’t get to clear his conscience. My mental health isn’t his playground anymore,” Huck said as he tossed the brush on the bench with the other brushes. 

Grabbing the reins, he led his horse into the stall before taking the reins off and shutting the door. 

“Every day you let the hurt fester is one more day you let the past win. You don’t think I didn’t hate my brother for what he did to you and your momma? I can’t tell you how much it hurt to watch you lose not only your mother but your father,” Ray said. 

“He didn’t die,” Huck said as he turned to face his uncle. “I don’t want to talk about him. I have a job to do, and it doesn’t involve Bill Hawthorne.” 

“But it does involve keeping a special woman safe,” Ray said. “I see more than you think I do, and the princess won’t let you not talk to your father.” 

“Damaris doesn’t get a say in this,” Huck said as he walked around his uncle and out of the barn. 

One Week

One week until you can read Damaris and Huck's journey. Here is a small scene to tide you over. Don't forget that the Amazon preorder link is active. If you want a paperback or hardcover, let me know. I'll be placing the order soon. 

Damaris studied the image closely before shaking her head. She didn’t recognize the man. Who was her uncle speaking with? The tattoo on the man’s arm wasn’t something she’d seen before, but it was something she could research. She starred at the picture as she moved to the next one and paused. She knew both men in this one. Julien was standing beside the man who tried to kill her. 

Twice.  

Tobias Crawford. 

The man who’d been her personal guard up until the day he stabbed her. 

She placed her hand on her left side above her hip. The ragged scar reminded her of the time in her life when she was helpless. Her parents sent her to Lorvena to receive the best healthcare while looking for the man who attempted to kill her. Her parents hadn’t trusted anyone in the country with her care, especially since it was her personal guard who stabbed her. 

Crown Restored

"The princess is coming for her crown." 

Here is the Cover Reveal for Crown Restored, Book 4 in the Fairy Tale Series. This is my Lion King-inspired book and will feature Crown Princess Damaris and Huckleberry Hawthorne. And what I'm sure everyone wants to know, it will be live on January 31! The preorder link should be available soon on Kindle. It will be a part of KU with the rest of the Fairy Tale Series. 

Mermaid Voice

Do you remember Grimsby Hawthorne? He is Caspian's best friend from Kentucky. If you're still unsure who Grim is, it may be time for a another read of Mermaid Voice, my Little Mermaid-inspired fairy tale book. Grim is back with his Kentucky family for Crown Restored. 

Mermaid Voice is available on Kindle as well as paperback and hardback. Crown Restored releases soon. 

Beauty Found

Are you missing Hazel and Vincent from my Beauty and the Beast inspired story? What if I told you they make an appearance in my upcoming book, Crown Restored? 

You'll have to read Crown Restored to see how they factor into my Lion King inspired fairy tale. 

Blurb

Getting closer to publishing Crown Restored so I thought I would share the blurb with everyone. I have also chosen the cover image but you'll have to wait to see it on the cover once it's complete. 

The princess is coming for her crown.

Damaris van der Berg’s life has never been normal. As the Crown Princess, she has survived several attempts on her life and the deaths of her parents. The time has come for her to make the journey back to her country and claim her throne. There's just one problem, the man who's hired people to kill her in the past is lying in wait to prevent her from gaining her birthright. 

Huckleberry Hawthorne was hired to protect the Crown Princess of Florine and to help her reclaim the crown. What he didn't count on was her absolute determination to make the journey alone. Trying to keep her safe from her uncle and staying one step ahead of her proves challenging, but he won't quit. She will be crowned queen. 

As they move closer to their endgame, they draw closer to each other. With the threat of her uncle looming, can Damaris and Huck find strength in each other, or will they fall victim to duty and honor? 

Busy week

First round of edits for Crown Restored are done. I've also selected the cover image and sent the book off to my beta readers! Now to write the blurb. Getting closer to releasing book 14.