Tag You’re It!

Hello Everyone! I’ve been tagged by Su Williams to post an excerpt from my book and then challenge 7 other authors to do the same. Her blog is here: http://dreamweavernovels.blogspot.com/ So you, our followers and viewers could catch a glimpse of our work! So here you go! This is from the first book in the Super Spies series, “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”. It’s an excerpt and I’d love to read your comments.

In this excerpt the lead characters are walking along a creek: :)

The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer 500x750

Walking along the bank, the girls came to the large willow tree and
quickly claimed it as their secret hiding place. Creeping beneath the pliable
branches, Sarah sighed, happy to be out of the sun. Jackie sat down on the
ground and started playing in the soil with a stick. Sarah and Lacey plopped
down next to her.
“Okay, Lacey why don’t you start,” Jackie said.
“Okay…Jackie, truth or dare?”
“I guess…truth.”
“Oh, you big chicken,” Lacey whined, a disappointed pout on her face.
“I’m not chicken. I just think you’ll give me a wimpy dare,” Jackie said
thrusting her nose in the air. “So, truth.”
“Okay, would you ever French kiss a boy?”
“Oh, what a lame question,” Sarah grumbled. “I can tell this is the first
time you’ve played this game.”
Lacey shrugged. “So what if it is? Just answer the question, Jackie.”
“Boy, you can tell you’re only fourteen,” Sarah said with a superior air.
“Ooooh, you’re a whole year older.” Lacey rolled her eyes. “Okay, Jack,
answer the question.”
“All right,” Jackie studied the toe of her shoe for a moment. “It
depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not he chewed tobacco.” Jackie nodded. “Yeah, if he
chewed tobacco, no way…but if he didn’t then I’d think about it.”
“What a lame question.” Sarah gazed at Lacey and raised her right
eyebrow, and smirked. This was her infamous ‘are you brain dead?’ look.
“Be nice, it is her first time,” Jackie said, smacking Sarah on the arm.
“Whatever.” Sarah rolled her eyes.
“Sarah, truth or dare?” Jackie asked, a mischievous smirk playing on her
lips.
“Dare.” Sarah pulled her hair behind her ears and she sat up tall.
“Okay,” Jackie laughed. “You have to go up on the Cat Lady’s porch and
ring her doorbell.”
“Who’s the Cat Lady?” Lacey asked as she pulled on the grass growing
beneath her and tossed it in the air.
“She’s a witch.” Jackie whispered the words as if the mere mention of the
woman would conjure her up.
“Holy Cow!” Lacey chortled. “You’re history now!”
“No way,” Sarah scoffed.
“Way.” Lacey threw a handful of grass at her sister.
“Well?” Jackie asked. “Are you going to do it, or wimp out?”
“I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?” Jackie wheedled. “You know, she’s a witch.”
“Yeah,” Lacey piped up, relishing the teasing. “I bet she casts evil
spells.”
“You remember what I told you about Mrs. Farnsworth, don’t you?”
Jackie continued.
“Knock it off.” Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. “I know you’re
just trying to freak me out.”
“What happened to Mrs. Farnsworth?” Lacey asked, taking the bait.
Jackie deepened her voice. “It was a long time ago.”
“I’m not going to listen to this.” Sarah stood and brushed the dirt off her
shorts.
“What? Are you scared?” Jackie teased.
“No, I’m not scared,” Sarah said as she glared at Jackie. “But this is the
hardest dare in the history of this game.”
“Yeah, it is,” Jackie snickered. “Are you up to the challenge, girlfriend?”
“Yep, let’s go.” Sarah turned, and began walking out from under the
green canopy. The willow branches stroked her face and arms as she moved
through them.
Lacey and Jackie stood and followed her.
Sarah squinted and shaded her eyes against the sun as she waited for the
other girls to catch up.
“So, what did happen to Mrs. Farnsworth?” Lacey persisted.
“She used to live next to the Cat Lady. They were always fighting over
something,” Jackie began.
“So what,” Lacey shrugged. “A lot of neighbors argue.”
“Let me finish,” Jackie scolded. “Anyway, the biggest feud they had was
over the Cat Lady’s apple tree. Every year it dropped a ton of apples in Mrs.
Farnsworth’s yard. They made a huge mess.”
“I bet Mrs. Farnsworth was totally ticked,” Sarah said.
“Yeah, it bothered her so much, one day when the Cat Lady wasn’t
home, she hired someone to cut down her tree.”
“Oh, I bet the Cat Lady was so-o mad.” Lacey frowned and twirled her
hair around her finger.
“She sure was.” Jackie nodded. “The story goes, the Cat Lady was so
angry she cast a spell on Mrs. Farnsworth. She got some mysterious illness and
died a week later.”
“I don’t know if I believe that story.” Sarah shot Jackie a skeptical look.
“It’s true,” she insisted. “She died with huge warts all over her face and
body.”
“Oooh, so-o gross.” Lacey grimaced and subconsciously wiped her
hands on her shirt.
“Yeah, it was. They were oozing yellow pus.”
Lacey gagged. “Gross! She had some horrible disease, the kind you get
from an evil spell.”
“Did you actually see the warts?” Sarah’s upper lip quivered with
suppressed laughter.
“No.”
“Then how do you know it’s true?”
“I just do,” Jackie asserted. “They were green and oozing yellow pus.”
Sarah hooted with laughter. “Come on, Jack. You don’t believe that, do
you?”
Jackie glared at Sarah. “Yes, I do. Everything I’ve told you is true.
Remember what I told you about Gus Baker?”
“Yeah, I remember, but I don’t know if I believe that, either.” Sarah gave
her the raised eyebrow smirk she usually gave her sister.
“Stop looking at me like that!”
“Come on. You don’t believe those stories, do you?”
“Do you have any evidence they’re not true?”
“No, I don’t,” Sarah admitted. “But we don’t have any evidence that
they are true, either.”
“You mean Mrs. Farnsworth’s wart-covered body isn’t enough for you?”
Jackie demanded. “What about Gus Baker?”
Sarah sighed and shook her head.
“So tell me about Gus Baker,” Lacey said.
“Not now,” Sarah interrupted. “We’re here.”
The girls stopped and Sarah noticed the sun vanished behind a cloud.
Suddenly, the atmosphere around the house changed. Without the sun, it
appeared dark and foreboding. Sarah stood across the street and stared at the Cat
Lady’s place, looking for signs of ominous danger.
The house sat hunkered down as if it were poised to spring like a cat
stalking a mouse. Sarah shuddered at the thought of going up on the porch and
she chewed on her thumbnail.
Looking behind her, Sarah studied the church facing the Cat Lady’s
home. It was a strong structure built of huge stones. She could tell it was as old
as the town itself and its presence made her feel safe. Motioning for Jackie and
Lacey to follow her, she moved from the sidewalk to the huge oak tree growing
on the church’s lawn. The girls hid behind it, peeking out at the witch’s home.
“Are you still going to do it?” Jackie teased.
“Yep.”
“Do you think she’s inside?” Lacey asked wide-eyed.
Sarah smirked at her. “Where else would she be? I hear she never leaves
her house.”
“Be nice.” Jackie smacked Sarah’s arm.
“What are you waiting for? Are you afraid of the witch?” Lacey asked as
she stared at the house.
“She’s not a witch. She’s just a freak, that’s all.”
“Well, then what are you waiting for?” Jackie snickered.
“I just want to make sure the coast is clear.”
“Hey, you guys, look at all the cats,” Lacey whispered. She pointed at
the clusters of felines lolling about on the porch and walking in the yard. “There
has to be at least twenty of them.”
“Yeah, that’s why she’s called the Cat Lady.” Sarah rolled her eyes and
then felt the sting from Jackie’s slap.
“Do you think she put a spell on those cats?” Lacey asked with an
innocent expression, twirling her hair with her finger.
“Could be,” Sarah snickered. “Or maybe she just…you know…gives
them food.”
“Knock it off, Sarah.” Lacey glared at her sister. “What’s her real name,
anyway? I’m sure she hasn’t gone by Cat Lady her whole life.”
“Mrs. Fedewa,” Jackie said, as she stared at the infamous house.
“Okay, I’m going for it. I’ll meet you back here.”
“Cool beans,” Jackie said.
“Cool beans? Is this town still in the nineties?” Sarah teased.
“Shut up.” Jackie smacked her arm again.
“This is physical abuse.” Sarah rubbed her arm, trying to appear injured.
Jackie laughed. “Be thankful, I like hanging out with you.”
“All I have to do is ring her doorbell, right?” Sarah poked her head out
from behind the tree. She noticed the tomato pulp still clinging to the siding and
peered up and down the street for the notorious Wykowski boys.
“That’s right,” Jackie chuckled.
Sarah took a deep breath and sprinted across the street. She stopped at
the porch stairs. A group of cats were sunning themselves on the steps. They
meowed at her as if they were hungry. Jumping when one of them rubbed
against her legs, she bent down and stroked its back, never taking her eyes off of
the house.
Sarah petted the cat, while she worked up the courage to climb the stairs.
She heard the loud purr of the contented feline and it eased her anxiety. All of a
sudden, she felt a hand squeeze her arm. Her heart leapt in her chest and she let
out a yelp.
Turning, she spied Jackie. “I almost peed my pants!”
Jackie giggled.
“What are you doing here?” Sarah muttered and gave Jackie the evil eye.
“I couldn’t stay behind the tree and miss all the action.”
Sarah glanced around and pointed to some overgrown bushes in front of
the porch. “You can hide over there.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah spied her sister running toward them
and stifled a groan.
“I didn’t want to stand by myself,” Lacey whimpered, slightly out of
breath. She tugged nervously on the hem of her T-shirt as she eyed the house.
Sarah groaned and her shoulders slumped as if she carried a heavy
burden. She sighed and pointed at the bushes again. “You hide over there with
Jackie and be quiet.”
Sarah waited until the other girls were out of sight, and then climbed the
stairs. Stopping when she reached the porch, Sarah took some deep breaths
before stepping onto the sagging stoop. Walking gingerly, she hoped the porch
would support her. Her stomach clenched when it groaned. She took another
step and then another, the porch complaining with every footfall. Halfway across
the stoop, she heard the girls behind the bushes.
“She’s almost to the door,” Lacey said in a low voice.
Sarah bit her lip, stifling the disapproving remark dancing on the tip of
her tongue. Instead, she turned and glared at the bushes, willing its occupants to
shut up. She made eye contact with Jackie, who quickly ducked behind the
shrubs, pulling Lacey with her.
What in the world is she doing?” Lacey asked.
“Shhh,” Jackie responded.

Sarah shook her head and continued her journey. She felt Jackie and
Lacey watching her as she crept toward the door. Reaching the entryway, she
was surprised to find the storm door wide open. The only barrier between the
Cat Lady and the rest of the world was a flimsy screen door hanging askew on
its hinges.
Alarm bells rang in Sarah’s head. This has got to be out of character for
someone who never leaves her home. She turned back and whispered to the other
girls. “Hey!”
Jackie poked her head out. “What?”
“The storm door’s open.”
“So?”
“So what do I do?”
“Duh, ring the doorbell.”
Sarah shrugged and pushed the doorbell. It let out an irritating buzz and
she had the feeling it had been broken long ago and never fixed. She dashed
down the stairs. The cats scattered, alarmed by the sudden activity. Reaching the
shrubs, Sarah hid with her sister and Jackie.
Gasping for breath, Sarah waited for a reaction from the old woman. Her
heart pummeled her ribs and she pressed her hand to her chest to calm it.
After a few minutes, Sarah started to pace. “Well, nothing’s happened.”
She peeked out from behind the shrub and saw the screen door hanging ajar. “I
bet she’s not even home. I’m going to try again.”
Jackie shrugged. “Be careful, remember she’s a witch.”
Sarah shook her head, and then peered out from behind the shrubs. Once
again, she climbed the stairs. She was braver this time and it didn’t take her as
long to make it to the door.
She looked inside, her heart lurching in her chest. She tiptoed to the
picture window and peered through it. Gasping, she ran back to the entryway.
Pulling it open, she lunged inside.
Sarah stared, unable to tear herself away. Shock ran through her body
like an electrical current as she eyed the scene before her. The crumpled form of
the Cat Lady lay on the living room floor, just inside the door. No life flickered in
the old woman’s staring eyes. Her mouth gaped open in a silent scream and her
hands were up around her head as if she were warding off blows. Turning away
from the Cat Lady’s body, Sarah gagged as the coppery scent of blood assaulted
her. There was blood splattered everywhere, on the wall, on the carpet and
under the Cat Lady’s body.
Suddenly, Sarah’s throat constricted and she gasped for breath. Fearing
she would faint, she stumbled back out the door and collided with Jackie and
Lacey on the porch.