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We all loved Alice in Wonderland.
In THE OUTERLANDS, a YA novel by Jared R. Lopatin, Wonderland gets a twist.
It’s intense and utterly whimsical!
Alex didn’t want to die, but he just couldn’t take it anymore. Dwight’s pills seemed to promise escape… and escape is exactly what he gets. He ends up in a world reminiscent of his childhood Wonderland, but nothing is as it was in Alice’s day. The Outerlands are a twisted version of his favorite story, with strange characters and unnatural dangers. Before he can get used to his new home, it’s threatened by an outside force. Will Alex ever find a place where he feels safe?
Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jared fell in love with stories at a very young age. This love led him to major in English and Theatre, a decision that brought him many adventures, such as performing in Footloose, Cats, and West Side Story.
His first full novel, Rising Sign, was started backstage during a production of South Pacific in Indiana. Five years later, his debut novel was complete and he headed back to school for his Masters in Special Education. By the time he graduated, he had written the following two books in the trilogy, Ruling House and Returning Planet. He used his school experiences as a base for his standalone novel, Let's Play It By Ear. His newest novels, The Outerlands and The Good Witch are slated for release in 2015.
Jared currently lives in New York City with his cats, Benedick and Beatrice. He works during the day as a high school English teacher and theatre director at a Deaf school.
Excerpt
Alex, responding to the voice of authority, gripped the edge of the revolving boat and tried to find the rope. It was swinging by on his right. His heart was thudding against his ribs, but he threw himself forward and felt something rough in his hand. He pulled and fell back into the boat, holding a moss-covered tree branch. Panic shot through him as he realized he had missed the rope. He struggled to sit upright, hurling the branch back into the river. The boat, he found, had slowed its turning and he was able to face front once more, but his friend on the bank had disappeared, as had the rope. Facing forward, he saw that the river curved sharply to the right and he could hear the rush of water crashing down as though from a great height. Alex knew instantly that he was approaching a waterfall and he scrambled desperately to the back to the boat in an irrational attempt to find safety. The boat picked up speed. Alex scanned the trees, hoping for another chance at salvation, but no one was there.
The Interglass carried him around the bend and sure enough, Alex found that he had a very short distance before he hit the waterfall. However, he was shocked to find that he was approaching the base of the structure; the cliff before him stretched high away from him, the spray of the water reaching him even from this distance. The current continued its course toward the base of the waterfall and Alex wondered what would happen once he got there. Logically, the water should have been pooling and he could have climbed out and waded to shore, but the Interglass had no such calm place. The water was just as rough as though he were careening down the center of the river.
“For the sake of the Realms, grab the rope!” The man was back and so was the lifeline, bouncing just ahead of the boat. Loathe to let the chance pass him by a second time, Alex leapt forward from the boat and felt the rough reward of fibers beneath his fingertips. It was just out of his reach. He pushed further and the rope slid into his palm. Alex felt a moment of relief, but a moment later, the man on the shore gave a strong yank as the boat rocked violently and Alex was thrown into the cool water. The rope slipped in his hand, but he tightened his grip and added his other hand just to secure his lifeline. He felt himself moving as the man hauled him toward shore. He pulled himself further on the rope as he held his breath. Fingers curled about his wrist and he was brought, choking and gasping, onto dry land. He lay there, regaining his breath. There was the sound of splintering wood. Alex rolled onto his side to witness broken pieces of his boat drifting up the waterfall.
“What?” he gasped. “How?”
“The current,” said the man, kneeling to help him sit up.
“It’s going up, though!”
“So is the water,” the man told him.
Here’s a little something from Jared to celebrate the release of THE OUTERLANDS.
Win an Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card worth $10!
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