Book Excerpt & Softcover #Giveaway~The Word Changers by Ashlee Willis

ASHLEE WILLIS has a passion for three things: God, family, and books, and is happiest when all three can be enjoyed together.  Ashlee graduated from Central Christian College of the Bible with a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education. She divides her time chiefly between homeschooling her young son, reading about fantasy worlds she wishes she could visit, and dreaming up fantasy worlds of her own to write about. She loves taking walks in the woods, drinking tea with friends, and spending time with the ones she loves most.  Ashlee lives in the heart of Missouri with her husband, son, and cat, where she is busily at work on her next book, also a fantasy for young adults.

And now, on to our excerpt! Don’t forget to check out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a softcover!

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By: Ashlee Willis

Posy had no idea how to respond to this large man as he towered over her, appraising her with intense charcoal eyes. Her heart beat faster as she bowed her head slightly and lowered herself into what she hoped was a proper curtsy.

“Your Majesty,” she murmured, barely daring to look back up into his face. She didn’t know whether she was in awe or whether she wanted to burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

“Oh, yes, quite proper!” he beamed on her. “How well you have recovered, my Evanthe.”

“Evanthe?” began Posy.

“We will have to begin the Plot again now. This time a bit more carefully, wouldn’t you say? We don’t want anymore riding accidents, anymore straying from the lines. What would the Kingdom come to, eh?”

“Riding accidents?” Posy asked. “But I thought I was supposed to have had a fever …”

“Ah.” The king gave her a conspiratorial grin. “Yes, yes, a fever, of course.”

How could he have forgotten what happened to his own daughter in such a short time? But then, Posy reasoned, I’m not his daughter, am I? Was it possible she looked so familiar to the princess Evanthe that she was truly being mistaken for her?

“But my name is Posy,” she finally said cautiously. “Thank you for helping me recover – I’m still not quite sure what has happened, it’s all so confusing. But I am sure I’m not who you seem to think I am … Your Majesty,” she added as an afterthought.

The king looked down on her for several moments which seemed to stretch on, then finally he took a step toward her. He took her arm gently in one of his large bejeweled hands and leaned toward her, closer and closer until his mouth was almost against her ear.

“Now, we can’t have that sort of talk, my dear.” His smooth voice was deadly as a knife wrapped in satin. Posy’s heart began to pound as his grip tightened, his voice hissing just above a whisper. “People will begin to think your injury did you a lasting harm. We follow the Plot here, my daughter, and if you stray from it, you will greatly regret it. You are my daughter, Princess Evanthe. I am your father, King Melanthius. Your mother is Queen Valanor. You would do well to remember everything I tell you … sweeting.” The king’s voice brightened abruptly on the last word as he released her arm from his grip.

Posy took one stumbling step backward. The king reached to brush back a strand of her hair in a fatherly gesture, making a tsking noise. “Such a shame, your memory loss! It seems you have forgotten a great deal indeed.” He turned on his heeled shoes and walked away down the corridor without another word.

Posy released a shaky sigh, realizing she had not been breathing. Had the king just threatened her? He, and indeed the entire Kingdom, saw her as the princess Evanthe. She wondered how she could have let the farce go on so long. This was her second day in the book. If she had known it would come to this, she would never have done it.

Then she remembered the king’s voice, his breath on her face and his steely hand on her arm, and she knew it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Coldness seeped into her fingers and toes as she realized she was trapped.

This was becoming more of a nightmare than the pleasant dream she had believed it to be.

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Her parents’ marriage is falling apart. Fifteen-year-old Posy feels her life is falling apart with it. Retreating to an old library down the street, she selects a mysterious book in a secluded corner and is magically drawn into its story…Posy finds herself in a kingdom ruled by a cruel and manipulative king and queen who have attempted to usurp the role that belongs only to the Author of their story. The princess has fled and the kingdom is teetering toward rebellion. Posy is joined by the Prince Kyran as they fight with the characters of the story against their slavery to the Plot.

Posy and the prince search beyond the borders of the story for the runaway princess. They visit mysterious places, face horrifying monsters, and fight fierce battles. They make both friends and enemies as their journey leads them into many dangers. But some of the worst dangers, Posy soon finds, lie deep within her own heart.

Now Posy must find the courage and forgiveness needed to save the story and, most important, heal the heartache she knew in her own world.