Excerpt Chapter 1:
Out of nowhere, a gust of wind blew through the open window. Standing up, I rushed to close it.
Then stopped in my tracks.
The window wasn’t open.
My heart plummeted into the depths of my stomach as the bottom dropped out.
What was going on here? Gusts of wind rushed straight at us like a storm blowing through our room—where both the windows and doors were closed.
My knees started wobbling, and I braced myself on the edge of my desk.
With the wind came a deafening roar that sounded like giant hunks of rock ripping in half.
Turning around, I glanced at Patrick. “What the bloody—?”
“I-I, uh, don’t know. But look.” His dark eyes went wide, his jaw going slack as he pointed behind me.
When I turned around, my jaw fell open. I blinked and blinked, but the crazy sight remained.
A strange pool of light swirled around in the center of my room. It started as a tiny blue marble, then grew larger every second until the translucent sapphire circle filled the room.
Two shadowy figures appeared in the middle of the swirling light, small at first but growing larger as they walked toward the center of the liquidy blue circle.
A few seconds later, a man and a woman emerged from the sapphire portal. Both were dressed in old-fashioned clothes. The man had on a three-piece suit and a fedora, while the woman wore a silky, drop-waisted dress that made me think of the 1920s.
The man clutched a necklace at his collarbone that glowed an intense royal blue.
Maybe the Three Societies weren’t done with us yet.
Patrick gasped, then rose to his feet and put his arm around me. “It’s a Watcher, from the past.
Coming through some kind of wormhole,” he whispered in my ear.
I glanced at him, about to ask how he could possibly know that, while simultaneously calling up my internal lightning power.
As I said before—just in case.
But then one of the intruders spoke.
“Actually …” the man trailed off, releasing his grip on the necklace.
Within seconds, the portal collapsed in on itself, the wind died down, and everything returned to normal again. Well, except for the piles of papers blown around the room.
“We’re not Watchers. We’re both Guardians, like you.” The man enunciated in a crisp tone of voice that reminded me of my British homeland, but the accent was still American.
“Wh-who are you?” I stammered, even as Patrick moved in front of me.
Who knew what would happen if we told these two that the Guardians didn’t exist anymore.
“Ah, let me allow myself to make the proper introductions.” The man took off his fedora and smoothed his brown hair peppered with gray. “We are Ward and Eleanor Sinclair,” he gestured to his wife, who curtsied slightly.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Eleanor said, dipping her head at us and fanning out her blue dress skirt in a half-curtsy.
I blinked at the gesture, unsure how to respond.
“I’m Patrick Rodriguez, and this is my girlfriend, Bella, Isabelle Beatrix.” Patrick held out his hand.
Ward and Eleanor took turns shaking his hand.
Then they all looked at me. I was frozen still as a statue. A blinking statue.
“I think she’s in shock.” Patrick wrapped one arm around my shoulder, nudging me forward.
“Maybe you can tell us what the heck just happened.”
“Certainly. Ward?” Eleanor arched one eyebrow and nodded at her husband.
“Ah, yes.” Ward stood up a little straighter. “This may be hard to digest. You might want to sit down.”
Grabbing Patrick’s hand, we both sat down on my bed.
The Sinclairs perched on the edge of the bed opposite us, their spines straight as an arrow.
I just stared at the couple, who looked like they’d stepped right out of Downton Abbey or The Great Gatsby. Ward wore a gray suit complete with a vest that matched the Fedora in his lap.
Eleanor wore a light blue drop-waist dress with long sleeves and a skirt down to her ankles. Her sandy brown hair was pinned into an intricate updo with some face-framing waves.
None of which helped my concept of reality. How were these people, who looked like they were straight out of the 1920s, sitting in my dorm room? And what was that giant portal they’d somehow made in the middle of the room?
I glanced at Patrick, arching my eyebrows at him—silently willing him to explain this whole thing to me.
But he just shook his head, as if he had no clue either. Small comfort.
“Where to begin?” Ward tapped absently on his chin.
Jerking my head back to the newcomers, I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself.
“Ouch,” I muttered under my breath. Guess this wasn’t a dream.
“Why don’t you tell us how you made a portal of some kind in our dorm room? With a Watcher’s Sapphire?” Patrick’s voice was louder than normal, as if volume would help in the communication process. Then he looked at me. “I didn’t know they could do that. Did you?”
“Huh-uh.” I shook my head, my curls swishing around my face.
“We didn’t either. Until someone from your time came crashing into our lives a week ago.”
Eleanor pursed her lips and folded her hands together in her lap.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Barbara Hartzler author of Century Portal
LIGHTNING ROUND
What genre do you read?
I read clean Romantic Comedies, Urban Fantasy, and some dystopian to balance my palate.
What genre do you write?
I write YA Urban Fantasy. I’ve been focusing on the Academy sub-genre, but branched out a bit with my latest Portal Fantasy series.
What was the first book you fell in love with?
I fell in love with A Wrinkle in Time by Madeliene L’engle as a kid, and her other Newberry Honor book A Ring of Endless Light. I love those books so much, and they made such a difference to me in a tumultuous childhood, that I’ve been inspired ever since to write for young adults or coming of age style stories.
What was a book you said you would never pick up again?
I had a hard time getting through the first ten chapters of The Selection. It was a lot of world-building up front and I put it down for a bit. But then I picked it up again, and now it’s one of my all-time favorite series!
Which fiction character do you love?
Tricky question! I like any character I can root for, so it’s hard to choose! I think the most memorable character I ever read was Ashley Stockingdale from What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck. She was so zany and out-there—the complete opposite of me.
Which fiction character do you love to hate?
Probably President Snow from Hunger Games. Such a weird, but well-rounded villain that makes you feel justified in rooting against him.
Which fiction character do you hate?
Mean girls or bullies of all kinds. Necessary for conflict, but not fun to deal with, especially in real life!
What beverage do you drink while reading?
I’m a HUGE coffee drinker. A warm, steamy cup of coffee with the perfect creamer is a necessity for reading AND writing.
What do you snack on while reading?
I’m a girl with a sweet tooth, so it’s usually cookies or maybe fruit if I’m trying to be healthy. 😉
Have you always enjoyed reading?
I’ve been an avid reader since I discovered Madeliene L’Engle books in fourth grade (maybe even before that with Nancy Drew books.) In high school and college, I didn’t have time to read as much. But after college, I started trying to get published and REALLY got into reading again. Now, I probably read as much as I did when I was a kid!
Thank you Barbara Hartzler for participating in the Lightning Round. Your work is appreciated.
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