Front Page Fridays Week-19
Front Page Fridays Week-19
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-19. On Fridays I highlight a new book by showcasing the first page.
My Front Page Fridays Week-19 guest is Victoria Gemmell and her brand-new Young Adult Crossover thriller, Young Blood. Here’s a peek at the opening:
PROLOGUE
The chorus of Happy Birthday was flat, in minor key, adding to Seb’s discomfort that something was off. He watched intently as Margaret entered the hall, carrying an elaborate frosted cake towards Davey, eighteen candles dancing, flames illuminating her smile as she laid it down on the table.
There was a hush of expectation as Davey sat forward. He raised his head to survey the room, as if memorising their faces, already saying his goodbyes. Seb caught his eye and attempted a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his lips.
“Make a wish.” Dr Carmichael raised a glass in a toast, his sentiment void of any joy.
The liquid in the glass was blood red and Seb wasn’t convinced it was wine. His arms prickled at the thought, fingers instinctively tracing the dots decorating his skin, which marked him as theirs.
Davey hesitated, before extinguishing the candles in one puff, his profile swallowed by shadows. If Seb was in Davey’s seat he would wish to never return, to have the best life possible, far, far away from here. A carousel of emotions spun in Seb’s gut as everyone cheered. They rushed to hug Davey, speculating about the life that awaited him, back outside in the real world.
Seb was happy for him of course and could almost taste the excitement radiating from Davey’s every pore. But Seb couldn’t dull the envy and sadness that washed over him in stronger waves. He was losing his one true friend in here and knew he might never see Davey again. It was six months before Seb turned eighteen, and a lot could happen in six months, no matter how many times Davey promised to get a place for them both, have a room waiting for him.
I’ll break you out next week if you want, Davey said more than once. But they both knew the break-out option jeopardised their future security. Better to wait, Seb cautioned, caring more about mucking up Davey’s new life than his own.
There was another bad feeling, deep down in Seb’s core, which caused his leg to jangle, and his gaze to dart between Dr and Mrs Carmichael and the other staff, searching for clues. He was unable to shake the sensation that there was a silent communication going on tonight every time a subtle glance exchanged between them. Margaret kept wringing her hands, a sure sign of nerves. Perhaps she was just anxious about the cake, always keen for them to enjoy her food. Dr Carmichael placed what appeared to be a reassuring hand on Margaret’s shoulder, inviting her to sit with him, filling her glass to the brim with the red liquid. He then stood, stretching across Davey’s shoulder, picking up his empty glass and re-filling. Seb wasn’t close enough to hear what was said but Davey grinned and clinked Dr Carmichael’s glass, as an envelope was placed in his hand.
Twenty thousand pounds. That was the promise. One thousand in cash tonight, in stacks of notes. Then the rest deposited into a bank account set up online by the Carmichaels. Seb suspected Dr Carmichael liked to remind them of his wealth which was why he wanted to present some of the cash in person.
Tonight was all about the show. The music, the candles illuminating the grand ballroom that they never had access to at any other time of the year. The costumes. A smile tugged at Seb’s lips as he watched Phoenix twirl in her orange silk ball gown, faster and faster like a fire ball, the tattooed wings on her back dusted in glitter, her shoulder blades sparkling under the lights as she turned. Aidan bowed before her, begging her to dance. The room was alight with laughter and light. And yet none of it felt real, none of it felt like freedom.
About the Book
Held captive in a gothic house, kidnapped teenagers from the care system are exploited by a wealthy ring of powerful individuals for their ‘pure plasma’ blood transfusions. To cure illness and chase the dream of eternal youth, no price is too high.
When fifteen-year-old Hope goes missing from school one day, her friend Ana starts to unravel dark secrets that could lead to her rescue.
But then Ana receives an offer that could mean curing her mum of early on-set dementia leaving her with an impossible choice:
Would you betray your friends to save your Mum?
Link to buy Young Blood: https://linktr.ee/victoriagemmellauthor
About the Author
Victoria Gemmell lives in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Her debut Young Adult mystery novel Follow Me was released in 2015, with her second (stand-alone) YA mystery Promise Me published in 2021. Victoria also writes contemporary short stories and flash fiction and has been published in various journals. Passionate about inspiring and motivating teenagers, Victoria works as a careers adviser. She enjoys delivering creative writing workshops to enable teenagers to discover the power of their imagination and explore the fun side of creativity.
Author website: https://victoriagemmell.com/
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-19. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-1/
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-2/
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-3 – Rachel Sargeant
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-4 – Rachel Sargeant
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby – Front Page Fridays Week-5 – Rachel Sargeant
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon – Front Page Fridays Week-6 - Rachel Sargeant
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray – Front Page Fridays Week-7 - Rachel Sargeant
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake – Front Page Fridays Week-8 - Rachel Sargeant
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood - https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-9/
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-10 - Rachel Sargeant
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler – Front Page Fridays Week-11 - Rachel Sargeant
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant – Front Page Fridays Week-12 - Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber – Front Page Fridays Week-13 - Rachel Sargeant
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey – Front Page Fridays Week-14 - Rachel Sargeant
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-15 - Rachel Sargeant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss – Front Page Fridays Week-16 — Rachel Sargeant
17. The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis – Front Page Fridays Week-17 — Rachel Sargeant
18. New Memories by S.E. Shepherd – Front Page Fridays Week-18 — Rachel Sargeant