Title: The Nightmare BirdsSeries: Strange Luck #2Author: Amie Irene WintersRelease: Available Now!
Synopsis:
Only those who possess wild eyes, an impulsive heart, and a wandering spirit hunt for the Theater of Secrets - and once they witness the darkest of magic, they don't return.It promises to change your life forever—but is the mysterious Theater of Secrets legend or something more? Tasked to answer that very question, Daisy Darling sets out to uncover the truth and is thrown headlong into a life where inexplicably strange and dark things happen nightly. A life of deception and uncertainty. A life in the spotlight as the theater’s ringleader.
As Daisy assumes her new role, she not only discovers a surprising connection between herself and the previous ringleader, but also the haunting truth behind the theater’s limitless power. Determined to expose the theater and foil its wicked plan, Daisy must first embrace her heritage before she can defeat the dark forces at play.
Special Excerpt from Chapter One of The Nightmare Birds!A cool breeze caught the door, sending it crashing into the cluster of rusty bells. The scent of taxidermy and stale air flooded my nostrils, a scent I had come to accept after spending hundreds of dollars on deodorizers and expensive scented candles to no avail. I wondered what the customer behind me must’ve thought. “Give me just two minutes to open up and I’ll look at your things. In the meantime, feel free to set them on the counter up front.” The woman hardly seemed to listen as she gaped at the shelves brimming with oddities. The cockatiel on her shoulder sidled across her neck and gave a mighty squawk when it reached the other side. First-timers always got lost in the front, even though the rare and obscure items lived near the register. After carefully examining a collection of vintage magnifying glasses said to reveal one’s true IQ if held up to their head on their birthday, she sauntered over to an alcove of alchemical books full of love and beauty spells before heading to the front. The woman briefly studied the medical tools, haunted pirate gold, cursed broaches, and the unsolvable puzzle box beneath the glass before setting her box of oddities so gently upon the counter you would’ve thought it was a newborn baby. Flicking on the rest of the lights, I rushed to the back room to retrieve the enormous ledger.
“Mighty unusual job you have here,” she called. “Especially at your age.” “Yeah, I get that a lot. Most twenty-one-year-olds don’t work at an antique shop, let alone own one.”“So I read.” I lumbered towards her. “Okay,” I huffed, placing the heavy ledger on the counter. “I’m ready.” “Knock yourself out. I think you’ll be pleased.”Rubbing my palms together—something my father used to do before getting his hands on a new item when the shop was his—I peeled back the tape on the box and pulled an old record off the top of a stack of bubblewrapped items. The worn label read: Animalis Transmutatio “It means Animal’s Transformation.”
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About the AuthorAmie Irene Winters is the bestselling author of the Strange Luck series. She holds a Masters in Environmental Leadership and works in public humanities. The award-winning author is originally from California, but currently resides in a small town in western Pennsylvania.
When not writing, she can be found hiking with her dog, baking desserts, or breaking a sweat in kickboxing class.
Connect with Aime on her website or Twitter.
