Miranda's Choice
by Mya O'Malley
Book Description:
Have you ever felt that the grass is greener everywhere else? Meet Miranda James. Miranda has a problem. Her friends and family are wrapped up in themselves, so clueless. With divorced parents, a mother who is always on her case and a new step-mother on the horizon, Miranda wishes that everybody would just grow up.
In a moment of magic, Miranda is mysteriously pulled into the life of a charming mermaid and her adventurous daughter. Why can’t her life be so carefree and exhilarating? Why can’t her own mother be more like Abigail, the mermaid? Be careful what you wish for though. Only through self-realization can Miranda figure out that perhaps the grass is not always greener. Held captive in an underwater paradise, Miranda wishes to desperately recapture the life she used to have.
Through many twists and turns, Miranda is caught up in a whirlwind of emotions, including finding her first true love.
Miranda is faced with making a decision that will not only affect her own life, but also those around her. What would you choose?
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Praise:
I love the way it all wrapped up. Some of the twists and turns took me by surprise, but that ending. Oh, how I loved it! ~Katie W.
Excerpt
Spellbound had been around for some time. Even
Miranda’s mom claimed to have played it when she was a teenager. The game
promised magic, mystery, and fun. A series of spaces marked the board and when you
rolled the dice, you had to follow the directions on the designated spot. A
group of Miranda’s friends had played it once at a sleepover at Stephanie’s
house. Miranda had landed on a spot that had asked her to conjure up a mythical
creature. Her chant for a beautiful fairy hadn’t succeeded, but it was tons of
fun nonetheless.
“No wonder you wanted to give this to me out here.
Mom would flip.” Miranda giggled as the wind slowly picked up speed.
“Is it supposed to storm tonight?” Eve spun her head
around, taking in the vast beach.
“I think so, a little bit later. We should get
started or Mom will come find us if we’re late.” Glancing back toward the
motel, Miranda rubbed her hands together. “Let’s do this.” She opened the
package, tossing the plastic and gift wrap in the nearby trash can.
“I hope I get to dare you to do anything I want,”
Eve squealed, throwing her head back in laughter.
“Wrong game. This is not Truth or Dare.” Miranda
knew that a spot on the board allowed you to command a game member to do anything,
but that was not
going
to happen. She would rather walk away than let Eve embarrass her.
Sure enough, after about ten minutes of playing the
game, Eve landed on her favorite spot. Miranda could feel a wave of tension
seep through her
body as she witnessed Eve scanning the beach.
No, there was no way that she would actually expect me to...
“Got it!” Eve leaned closer to Miranda, squirming.
“See that guy playing ball, the one with the blue shorts and dark hair?” Was she
kidding? Of course Eve would zero in on the group of boys playing football.
Rising to her feet, Miranda swept the sand off her
shorts. “No way! It’s almost time to go back anyway.” Miranda secretly willed
her mother to come out to the beach to get them. No such luck. It figured that
this would be one of the times that her mom would leave her alone.
“You have to, it’s in the rules.” Eve chided,
standing now, glancing at the boys with her hand placed on her hip. “Besides,
you don’t even know what I’m going to ask you to do.”
“Fine. What are you asking me to do?”
A grin a mile wide formed on Eve’s face. “Ask that
guy if he would like to come over and sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you.”
Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Miranda
stood her ground. “No.”
“I see. Well, if I remember correctly, this is a
dare and if you don’t follow through, there will be consequences.” Eve examined
her fingernails as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
Red heat crept up Miranda’s face. She could
practically feel her blood boiling. “Eve, I swear, if you do anything...”
“Do it. Now,” Eve challenged.
“No,” Miranda
retorted.
Shaking her head, Eve headed toward the group
of boys. Was she seriously going to do this? “Eve! Wait!”
Spinning her head around, Eve stopped in the sand.
“Go ahead.”
There was no way on Earth that she could ever ask
that boy to sing her “Happy Birthday”—no way! Whatever Eve had up her sleeve
couldn’t be worse than that. “I’m going back to the room.”
“Hey, do you guys want another player? My friend has
been watching, afraid to ask,” Eve called over the boys. Miranda stood, frozen
to the spot, her heart racing.
Laughter filled the air as the boys stood, assessing
her. The tallest boy spoke first. “I’m pretty sure that neither of you would
know a thing about how to play football.”
“Yeah, let’s play a game, and it’s not touch
football,” a blond boy shouted, sticking out his chest.
The boy in the blue shorts stood silently. He poked
his blond friend and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. The shouting
stopped. Miranda was helpless to do anything but stare.
“Oh, yeah! I know plenty about football!” Eve
shouted as the boys gathered up their football and continued playing.
The dark-haired boy turned to gaze at Miranda. In
the fading light, it was difficult to make out his features, but he appeared to
be quite handsome. Miranda broke the stare first, turning back to face her
friend. Eve was doubled over in huge gasps of laughter. Bending down to snatch
her bag, Miranda stomped off.
“Hey! Stop! Don’t be such a wet blanket, come on!”
Eve caught up with her and grabbed her by the elbow. “It’s your birthday,
lighten up!”
“Get off me! I’m not speaking to you!”
They advanced up the sandy path to the street. Eve
spoke again.
“Did you see the way the guy in the blue shorts was
looking at you?”
That stopped Miranda in her tracks. He had looked
back and she couldn’t help but notice how cute he was. “No.” Her head dropped.
Taking her hand, Eve led her back to the spot in the
sand where the game lay, unfinished. “Let’s just finish the game. Don’t be
mad.”
“I guess.” Part of the reason that she was friends
with Eve was because of the fact that she was so outgoing and brazen, fun to be
around.
“Sit.” Eve sat first, pulling Miranda down to join
her. The sky was darkening, the clouds threatening rain. Miranda swept a hand
over her face to keep the wind from blowing her hair in her eyes.
“It’s past a half an hour. We should probably get
back.” Something about the dark clouds overhead caused her to worry.
“You take one more turn, then we’ll go.” Eve crossed
her legs in the sand.
“I don’t know, it looks like it’s going to downpour
at any minute.” Glancing at the ocean, Miranda felt a chill race up her spine
as the waves crashed into the rocks.
“One more turn.” Eve’s eyes were wide with mischief.
“Okay, let’s get this over with and then we’ll head
back.” Miranda couldn’t believe that her mom wasn’t calling them back yet.
She rolled the dice and it landed with a thud. Six
spaces. One,
two, three, four, five, six. She secured her shiny game piece on the
board.
Glancing down to read the spot, Miranda shrieked. It
was the spot she had been waiting for.
The sound of the wind beckoned in her ear, the
crashing of the waves all around.
“What are you going to conjure up?” Eve rubbed her
palms together, squinting at Miranda.
The roar of the waves increased, and the wind
intensified. It was suddenly darker. The beach took on another form, exactly as
it had been in all of her dreams: the rocks, the shore, it all looked so
surreal. Glancing around, Miranda saw the dark- haired boy approaching, his
shadowy figure coming closer.
The sound of her mother’s voice filled the air.
Miranda spun around to see her advancing upon them from the street.
“If I need you, let it be, if you need me, look to
the sea.”
The chant whirled out of her mouth. She had no idea
where the words had come from. Thunder boomed and lightning crackled as Miranda
stood and strode toward the water. She padded on the soft sand as pellets of
rain pounded down, the wind kicked up higher, and the ocean roared. Her mind focused
on the water.
Then everything went black.
About the Author
Mya O’Malley was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, daughter and three step-daughters. The family also consists of two boxers; Destiny and Dolce and a ragdoll cat named Colby. Mya earned an undergraduate degree in special education and a graduate degree in reading and literacy. She works as a special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives of her students.
Mya currently has two new releases: At First Sight, a contemporary romance about dating in the modern world, published by Astraea Press, and Where There is Love, a contemporary romance in which a woman struggles with past obstacles, ultimately faced with whether or not she will open her heart to love. Where There is Love is published with Solstice Publishing. Mya is excited to say that Astraea Press will be releasing her contemporary holiday paranormal romance titled If You Believe on November 25, 2014. Due to be released late January is The Calm After the Storm, published by TouchPoint Press. This novel is a contemporary romance taking place in the setting of Hurricane Sandy. The story revolves around the idea of a utility worker from Georgia falling in love with a woman in New York.
Mya’s passion is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a child. Mya spends her free time reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She is a romantic at heart and loves to create stories with unforgettable characters. Mya likes to travel; she has visited several Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica. Mya is currently working on her sixth novel.
Author Links:
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