A Time for Hope - excerpt from 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Entry

Sixteen year old Hope Walton's life went off the rails when a stupid freakin' earthquake took away her awesome mom. Not even a butt-load of pills could numb that pain.In rehab, she accepts a surprise invitation to spend the summer with her aunt in the Scottish Highlands. When Hope discovers a secret room full of elaborate costumes and a five-hundred year old painting of her mother’s face, she’s sure all the residents of the tattered old house are bat’s-ass crazy. The truth will test her new sobriety and give her a chance to redeem herself. Her mom isn’t dead. She is trapped in time—abandoned in the year 1543. Now, Hope steps into her mother's shoes and joins the new generation of Viators—time travelers—as they prepare for the longest road trip ever.The only normal piece of her life is spent with a local guy, Alex Cameron. But, when Alex appears at Henry VIII’s Hampton Court, Hope realizes she was played. Alex is one of the criminal Timeslippers, sent to steal a book so powerful its owner can reshape history. Hope’s mom kept the Libri Atlantius out of the Timeslipper’s hands once and paid the price. Now, Alex is back to finish the job and make sure Hope and her mom never return. Hope swore she’d risk anything to rescue her mom and she’ll be damned if some lying douche is going to stop her. She'll do whatever it takes, even if it means getting left behind.A TIME FOR HOPE is my debut Young Adult novel, complete at 91,000 words. This book will appeal to fans of REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly . I am a member of the Historical Novel Society and the RWA.