Introducing "The Speaker" and a Giveaway

{Okay, it's another "I'm kinda bragging, but not really bragging" post.... sorry!}

Words cannot describe how truly proud of my youngest sister I am. But, I'll try... the girl has just had her first book published! I'm so impressed and so proud of her determination and strength to not only put in the time and energy that it takes to write a young adult novel, but also the patience that it takes to see it through to publication. Jessie, seriously, I couldn't be more proud.

Jessica's book, The Speaker, is the story of a young girl named Nata who finds that she has an exceptional gift. Here's a quick excerpt from the book:

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"I shivered, aware that my blankets were at the foot of my bed. I pulled them up to me, and tried desperately to get warm. I was still shuddering.

Why was it so cold?

The weatherman said to expect the hottest summer South Dakota had ever seen. Even at night, there was no way the temperature was below 70 degrees. I slowly rolled over to my ride side and was immediately unable to move.

I was not alone.

Near my bedroom door was the boy from the news. He was not standing, or floating in the air as I half expected my first encounter with a spirit to appear. He simply glided swiftly, to the left and right staring at my wide eyes.

“Don’t scream,” he whispered...."

***

You, my lucky blog readers, have a chance to win an autographed copy of The Speaker! Simply visit the Jessica Akers website and then leave a comment here {on my blog}. I'll close the comments at midnight May 1 and draw a winner from those who left a comment. Good luck to those who enter!

And, if you don't want to wait to see if you are the lucky recipient of the giveaway, you can always order your own copy here.