Today I am excited to be part of the blog tour for Breaker by Annemarie Allan. I have an extract you share with you today and if you like the sound of that, the buy link will be at the bottom of this post. Don't forget to check out other other stops on the tour for more content and reviews.
Here's what it's all about...
An environmental disaster. An undersea adventure.
Tom and Beth are not happy when they move to Scotland and find themselves facing a rainy, windswept beach, a house that’s falling to pieces, and a school full of strangers.
But when an oil tanker crashes into the Bass Rock, their small seaside town is shaken to its core and Tom and Beth suddenly find themselves in a race to rescue the local sea life and save their new community from environmental catastrophe...
Are you ready for that extract? Here you go...
Sunday in the Rain
“Take Toby down to the beach. He can have a nice long run there. And when you get back, everything will be warm and cosy. That’s a promise!”
The front door closed. Tom frowned as he tugged on the lead, pulling Toby out of the path of a passing car. “If Mum was so desperate to get a dog,” he grumbled, “why isn’t she the one who’s taking him out for a walk?”
“She can’t,” said Beth. “Dad’s gone to the dump with a pile of rubbish and the plumber’s coming to fix the central heating.”
“Well, at least it’s a break from lugging boxes up all those stairs,” said Tom. “After yesterday and this morning, my arms feel like cooked spaghetti.”
Tom lurched forward as Toby jerked on the lead, almost choking himself in his hurry to move on. Beth zipped up her jacket and cast a doubtful glance up at the sky, where a line of dark grey cloud was swiftly eradicating the small patch of blue.
Toby didn’t care about the fat drops of rain splashing on to the pavement. Stumpy tail wagging furiously, he scurried along the narrow street and dashed across the road towards the stone steps leading down to the beach. A stream of people passed them, heading for shelter. Umbrellas were popping up everywhere. Already, the wide expanse of sand was deserted except for one solitary family gathering children and packing up their belongings.
Toby looked up, eager for Tom to unclip the lead. The children stood shivering in the cold wind blowing in off the sea.
“What about the Centre?” Tom gestured to the Sea Bird Centre perched on the headland like a giant wooden sailboat washed up on the rocks. “We could look at the Bass Rock on the webcam. Find out what the birds are up to.”
“I don’t need a webcam. I know what the birds are up to,” said Beth. “They’re standing around in the rain, just like me.” She squinted through the steadily increasing drizzle at the looming bulk of the rock thrusting up out of the water. “Why is it so white?”
“Work it out,” said Tom. “There’s a lot of birds out there.”
Beth looked at him. “You mean they live on a mountain of poo?”
“Yup.” Tom grinned.
“Yuck.” Beth looked back at the water. A host of little sailing boats were heading for the harbour. Out beyond the rock she could see a massive ship outlined against the darkening horizon. It didn’t seem to be moving at all, though it was hard to tell at that distance.
A zigzag flash of summer lightning split the sky, followed a moment later by the deep rumble of thunder. Beth turned away. The storm was building, but a ship that size probably didn’t need to worry about the weather.
Toby whined in disappointment as they left the beach and made their way up the path to the Sea Bird Centre. Tom stopped at the big glass doors and peered inside, wondering if he could trust Toby to behave. From the look of the crowd milling about inside, it seemed that most of the refugees from the beach had headed for the nearest available shelter.
Author Info
Annemarie Allan’s first published novel, Hox, won the 2007 Kelpies Prize and was shortlisted for both the Scottish Children’s Book of the Year and the Heart of Hawick book awards. Her third novel, Ushig, a fantasy based on Scottish myths and legends, was shortlisted for the 2011 Essex Children’s Book Award.
She writes for both adults and children and her novels and short stories range from fantasy and science fiction to historical and contemporary fiction, taking their inspiration from the landscape and culture of Scotland, both past and present. Annemarie lives in Prestonpans, near Edinburgh.
Publisher Info
At Cranachan Publishing we focus on sourcing the finest, freshest writing so that we can produce books that our readers will want to devour in one sitting.
Making sure that Cranachan serves up mouth-watering books, Anne Glennie, as the founder and director, is head of the clan. With a degree in English Language and Literature, she has always been passionate about reading, learning and books.
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