
Series: The Spiral Defenders
Author: Erin Danzer
Formats Available In: Digital
Publication Date: January 2014
Blurb: Fifteen-year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Lambert wants
to get out from under her older brother’s shadow. When
Ronnie gets a tattoo and then is struck by lightning, she
suddenly finds herself able to see and hear things in
shadows that don’t appear to others. Then Ronnie meets
Gavin Clearwater, the hot new guy in all of her classes and
finds out he can see and hear the same things she can.
Gavin tells her about the Spiral Defenders, a group of warriors that travels through
space and time to defend the planets of the Spiral. After meeting the Commander of
the Spiral Defenders and realizing his intentions might not be pure, Ronnie struggles
between following her destiny to become a Spiral Defender and trying to regain the life
she had before being struck by lightning.
Excerpt
way blocked by yet another guy. This school seemed to be crawling with hotties! This
one was only a few inches taller than her, kind of short for a guy, with straight black
hair and dark slightly slanted eyes. He wore black cargo pants, a black t-shirt that did
nothing to hide his six-pack abs, and black combat boots. He looked her up and down
and arched an eyebrow as he stepped aside.
“After you, Princess,” he said, making a sweeping gesture with his arm as he slightly
bowed. Ronnie didn’t know whether to be appalled or to laugh at him and didn’t have
time to make up her mind as their Homeroom teacher asked if they would be joining
them today. Cheeks flushed, Ronnie walked into the room and sat in the first available
seat. The guy in the doorway sat at the desk behind her and gave a small smirk that she
pretended to ignore. Who the hell did this guy think he was? She looked across the room
and smiled when she saw Shawn sitting in the back corner. He smiled and nodded when
he saw her and her heart fluttered.
“Boyfriend, or someone you wish was?” the boy behind her whispered. Ronnie rolled
her eyes. Her shoulders tightened as she tried to ignore him but he wasn’t going to be
dissuaded so easily.
“Huh, well, if you’re not going to answer, then I’m going to have to guess,” he continued.
“My guess would be that he’s not your boyfriend but you want him to be. Since you
didn’t walk in with him, it makes me wonder if he’s even interested in you. What is he,
an oblivious friend? Or does he not even know you exist? Is that what this outfit is for;
so he will finally see you?”
Ronnie’s ears reddened and it took the last of her willpower to keep from turning
around and telling him to shut up. She clenched her hands together on top of her desk,
praying the teacher would call on either one of them just so he would stop talking. A
million comebacks flashed through her mind, but she ground her teeth, knowing she
would never say any of them. Despite her promise to herself to become her own person,
she really didn’t know how to go about doing that. She thought it would be easy once she
got the tattoo, but she knew she was failing. Even showing it off this morning, the little
bit that she was able to, had taken more courage than she normally possessed—and she
hadn't even had the satisfaction of Shawn seeing it.
Thinking about Shawn took her mind off the jerk behind her and she managed to tune
into what the teacher was saying. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that interesting (all about
locker assignments and hall passing times) so she tuned out as quickly as she’d tuned
in, her mind wandering back to Shawn. She snuck another peek at him and was thrilled
to find him watching her—or at least that’s what it looked like at first. He was actually
looking at something behind her. She moved her head to get a better look and felt a tug
on her hair.
“Stop moving; I’m almost done,” the guy behind her muttered. Ronnie spun around.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she shrieked, unable to pretend ignorance
anymore. She ran a hand over her hair and found a thin lock he had apparently been
braiding. Her eyes narrowed as the rest of the class waited for his reaction. Even the
teacher had stopped talking.
“I was bored,” he muttered. “And your hair is really pretty.”
Links
About the Author

Authors competition, where she was awarded an Honorable
Mention and discovered a passion for the written word. She’s
written several novels and short stories since that spark
ignited. Into the Spiral is the first of a four book series. In
addition to her novels, Erin writes a monthly short story serial,
The Cassandra Serafin Chronicles, posting alternately on her
blog and in Literary Lunes bi-monthly online magazine. Erin
resides in Racine, Wisconsin, with her husband, two children,
and their cat.