Gabrielle Prendergast

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Excerpt

He’s so large, so tall, like a hideous giant from a fairy tale. The hand that reaches out for me is black, segmented and big enough to crush the life out of me. I can only think he brought me here to kill me in private, a thought that is somehow a million times more terrifying than being beaten to death in the stadium in front of all those corpses.

He kneels on the floor as I slide backwards, leaving a trail of blood on the tiles. My shoulder is on fire, and doesn’t seem connected to me, like my arm is going to fall off. I stop at the wall, lean back and clutch myself with my good arm, curling up protectively.

My vision blurs with tears so much that I can barely see him as he crawls after me. He holds his hands up, palms facing me.

“Please…” My voice comes out wet with snot and tears and blood. “Please don’t kill me…” I must imagine him shaking his head. One hand reaches forward and presses against my neck. I close my eyes, clutching at his wrist with my one good arm. At least a broken neck is fast, I think.

His hand moves over slightly, until it’s pressing on my useless shoulder. I try to tear it away, but he’s too strong. A nauseating pain shoots from my spine to my fingertips, making me whimper. “No…no…”

His other hand suddenly grabs my elbow and pulls. The scream of pain that empties my lungs is uncanny, like an army of banshees. It feels like he’s going to tear my arm right off. Just as my eyes start rolling back in my head I feel a jolt, and hear a sickening pop as my arm bone slips back into the shoulder socket. The instant relief is almost hallucinogenic. Streaks of light float behind my eyelids and I find myself slipping sideways onto the floor.

Bio

I’m the writer of the feature film Hildegarde, starring Richard E. Grant. Hildegarde was also published as a novel by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia. I wrote for the cartoon series Gloria’s House and Fairy Tale Police Department and worked on the drama series White Collar Blue. I have a middle grade novel, Wicket Season, coming out in the Spring of 2012 with James Lorimer & Company Ltd. Audacious and its sequel Capricious will be published by Orca Book Publishers in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

I’m represented by Kris Rothstein of the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency.

I have written for a wide variety of magazines, zines, and blogs for both adults and children. I’m a regular commentator AgentQueryConnect.com. I also have a writing blog at Angelhorn.com, a crafting blog, and a home renovating blog.

I’m a creative writing teacher and mentor specializing in helping gifted young writers (11-21), reluctant writers of all ages, and preliterate writers up to age seven.

Publications

Wicket Season, James Lorimer & Company Ltd., available from Amazon and other online and brick and mortar retailers

Audacious, slated for publication Fall 2013, Orca Book Publishers

Capricious, Fall 2014, Orca Book Publishers

Published in AppleSeeds, Guardian Angel Kids, and other zines and magazines for young people

Writing Description

I write a lot of nonsense for kids and teens.

Writing Goals

By the time the Write-a-thon starts I should have an outline for my next book, a YA contemporary, so I hope I can write the first draft. 2000 words per day.


Website

http://angelhorn.com/


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