Champion releases on November 25th! You can preorder it from Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes for only $3.99 ebook or $14.99 print! In the meantime, here’s an exclusive look at some of the custom art done for the book trailer by artist Justin Wasson along with a relevant excerpt from the story!
“Lie down, please,” said Minerva. Her pupils dilated until the blackness took over her eyes.
Sally stretched out on the cold vinyl. Goosebumps raised all over her skin. She knew the room wasn’t any colder than the rest of headquarters, but it felt like a refrigerator to her. Nervous sweat trickled down from under her arms, making the vinyl beneath her feel cold and slippery. Shivers started somewhere in the center of her chest and kept making her arms and legs twitch at random moments. “I’m sorry,” she said through chattering teeth. “I’m r-really cold. And sc-cared.”
Ment rolled his chair around until he was sitting above Sally’s head. He placed his fingertips lightly against her face, with his pinkies at the bottom of her jaw and thumbs on her temples. “Deep breath, Sally,” he said.
She did as he asked and then she was warm, comfortable, and relaxed. The tightness in her chest disappeared and she felt as if she were laying out in the Arizona sunshine. She thought about saying something but her jaw seemed to be frozen in place. Her entire body was paralyzed, although she could still breathe without difficulty. It was as if Ment had disconnected all her voluntary muscles. At a distant, irrational level, she was terrified. The cooler, logical part of her brain that often took charge when she was operating with her perceptions accelerated, understood that the paralysis was completely necessary for the changes Minerva was going to implement.
Minerva’s eyes were like pools of obsidian in the depths of her burgundy hood. She stood to one side of Sally and placed her hands upon Sally’s legs. A mild, throbbing ache began beneath Minerva’s hands, like a muscle that was about to cramp up or shin splints. If anything, Sally would have likened it to growing pains, and perhaps that’s what they were. She longed to flex her legs, to stretch them and twist them to try to alleviate the discomfort, but it never grew beyond a slightly irritating level. She imagined that without Ment running interference in her pain receptors, it might very well be the most painful thing she’d ever endured. Sally wondered what Minerva was doing to her. Minerva hadn’t discussed any specifics about how she was going to alter Sally’s appearance, and Sally had been uncomfortable asking about the details, afraid she would somehow distract or confuse the young woman who was reshaping her flesh.
So she lay there, unmoving, and took it as bravely as she could.
Here’s the full trailer: