Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions by Sunayna Prasad Book Tour and Giveaway :)
The
Frights of Fiji
Alyssa
McCarthy's Magical Missions: Book 1
by
Sunayna Prasad
Genre:
Middle Grade Fantasy
A
world of magic and adventure awaits…
Sent
to live with her strict, aloof, and uncaring uncle after her parents
are killed in a car accident, twelve-year-old orphan Alyssa McCarthy
longs for the life she used to have—one filled with fun and love.
Then one stormy night, a message appears in the raindrops on the
window that will change everything.
"Your
life will never be the same again, as magic will interfere."
Before
long, Alyssa is kidnapped by Master Beau, a banished sorcerer with a
mysterious connection to her who can only regain his power by
weakening hers. Suddenly hurled into a world of wizardry filled with
fantastical beasts and marvelous technology beyond her wildest
imagination, Alyssa must defeat Master Beau if she ever wants to get
home again. But Master Beau will stop at nothing, including using
Alyssa’s friends, to ensure he is triumphant.
Originally
titled "From Frights to Flaws", this story is the exciting
and enchanting first book in the "Magical Missions" series.
**Only
99 cents**
The
raindrops darkened into black, looking as if ink fell from the sky.
Alyssa leaned closer to them. She squinted to determine the shapes
they formed on the kitchen window… letters. No!
That couldn’t happen. Yet, a message spelled out as more pigments
plopped onto the glass. Alyssa gasped at what it said. Your
life will never be the same again, Alyssa McCarthy, as magic will
interfere. What?
Magic didn’t exist—at least that’d been what others had told
her when she was little. No one on Orion Street could possess
enchanted abilities. Alyssa
had lived here since she’d lost her parents in that car crash five
years ago. She’d only been seven then. How would she tell her
uncle, Bruce, about this? He’d consider her crazy. He’d already
toughened up his attitude and rules. So he might consider it an
excuse to escape this house. Although
Alyssa’s parents had designated her godfather as the first priority
guardian, Uncle Bruce forbade her to try and contact him. He’d
hidden the phone number and other information about him. Since
Alyssa’s aunt, Laura, had died three years ago, Uncle Bruce had
required fun to be earned. And that took more effort than Alyssa
could often accomplish. Turning
around, she spotted her babysitter, Mrs. Hutchinson, examining the
kitchen floor. Alyssa’s eleven-year-old cousin, Hailey, watched the
progress. Hailey had mopped the floor. Would she earn a break now?
Ever since her uncle, Bruce, had hired Mrs. Hutchinson, Mrs.
Hutchinson had admired the way Hailey had done her chores more than
Alyssa. “Hailey,
you can take a break until your next chore,” said Mrs. Hutchinson.
“Alyssa, get back to work. You’ve been staring at the rain for
too long.” “Okay.”
Alyssa turned back—only to see the message gone and the rain back
to its normal transparency. “What
did I say?” asked Mrs. Hutchinson. Alyssa
sighed. “Fine, I’ll finish washing the dishes.” She
scrubbed her dish and glass with soap under warm running water. Her
eyes focused on just those. No way would she want Mrs. Hutchinson to
catch her looking out the window again. Mrs. Hutchinson was only in
her sixties, but she’d sometimes seem to forget that was 2010 and
not 1960 with her guidelines. Yet, it had taken Alyssa a while to
realize that she wouldn’t even tolerate the mildest kind of
nonsense, such as getting distracted by a windowpane when having to
perform chores. Now
that she finished washing her dishes, Alyssa put them to the side and
grabbed some paper towels to dry them. “What
do you think you’re doing?” Mrs. Hutchinson asked. Alyssa
stopped. “I’m just—” “The
last few times I was here, you left little bits of food on your
dishes.” “But
they were stuck.” “Let
me inspect them. Also, if something is rubbery, you have to wash it
again.” “Why?” “Because
clean dishes aren’t supposed to be rubbery. And boy, did you do
such a sloppy job. Look at that stain on your sweater.” Alyssa
looked down. “That
looks like chocolate.” Alyssa
blushed and arched her eyebrows. “Hey—it’s just water.” She
covered the stain at the bottom of her sweater’s V-neck. But
Mrs. Hutchinson waved her index finger. “Don’t you ‘hey’ me,
Alyssa. That’s rude. In my days, kids respected their elders. We
never would dare talk to them that way unless we didn’t mind them
smacking our bottoms.” “Things
change.” “Not
when I’m here, they don’t. Now let me do my inspection.” Great—an
inspection! How long would Mrs. Hutchinson take? She might spend a
couple minutes or maybe twenty. Alyssa crossed her arms and tapped
her foot. She wanted her break now. She wished to read, rest, do a
small craft, like lanyards—anything but wait for Mrs. Hutchinson to
finish her task. “Mrs.
Hutchinson?” Alyssa asked. “Whatever
you need to say, wait till I’m done,” she said.
Alyssa
sighed. She continued to watch Mrs. Hutchinson run her finger down
the middle of the front of the dish. She then rubbed it back and
forth. When she put it down and nodded, Alyssa figured out that the
dish had nothing on it. Mrs.
Hutchinson spent a few minutes of running her finger down the glass.
She put it down and turned to Alyssa. “You’re good. Now what did
you want to tell me?” “Um
. . . if I tell you, can you not give me a hard time?” “Okay.” “There
was writing on the window.” Mrs.
Hutchinson pursed her lips and tilted her head. “Really?” “Yeah.” “Nonsense.” “No,
really, it was there.” “There
was nothing there when I came, and there’s nothing there right now.
So don’t tell me stories.” “But
it’s not a story.” “I
don’t want to hear any more. Now it’s time for your next chore.” “Aw,
but I wanted my break.” “Too
bad. You have to go vacuum the living room.” Alyssa
dragged her feet toward the living room and took the vacuum from the
corner. She cleaned and thought about that writing as well as how
Mrs. Hutchinson wouldn’t believe her. Would a nicer babysitter have
believed her? Mrs. Hutchinson had watched her and Hailey for three
years, and not once had she smiled or assisted with anything. After
vacuuming the carpet for about five minutes, Alyssa decided that she
had tidied the floor enough. So she stopped and put the vacuum away. “Hailey,
you and Alyssa need to go get the mail now!” Mrs. Hutchinson
called, facing the staircase. “Coming!”
cried Hailey. Another
rule Uncle Bruce had placed on Alyssa and Hailey was they could only
go outside together. He worried about people taking them or
something, even though Alyssa would turn thirteen next month. But
that rule had been placed because a few months ago, Uncle Bruce had
heard about a seventeen-year-old boy who had been shot while
skateboarding in his neighborhood. Violence could even happen here in
Bursnell, New Jersey. Hailey
and Alyssa headed to the closet and put their raincoats on until Mrs.
Hutchinson said, “It stopped raining outside.” “Already?”
asked Alyssa. “Yes.”
Mrs. Hutchinson went to the bathroom. The
girls walked outside toward the mailbox. Alyssa pulled the mail and
headed back toward the door. But mud bubbled from the ground near the
house. It piled up, looking like horse manure, and grew as more soil
emerged. Alyssa dropped her jaw and stared at it. “Alyssa,
what’s going on?” Hailey asked. “No
idea,” said Alyssa. The
dirt stopped piling up, but it continued to bubble, and the effects
spread throughout the whole pile. The bubbles stopped popping up and
down. Alyssa and Hailey gasped as they expanded. They kept their
mouths open as the bubbles merged together, each one attached to
another, forming a single bigger shape. Alyssa and Hailey stepped
back as the now giant bubble swelled. And it . . . popped!
Particles
of exploding mud landed on the girls. They shrieked. The
front door opened to reveal a glowering Mrs. Hutchinson. “What the
heck have you two been doing?” “T-the
mud . . . it e-exploded,” said Hailey. “Nonsense!”
growled Mrs. Hutchinson. “Get inside!” The
girls returned inside, pulling and wiping the mud out of their hair.
Alyssa could spot the mud in her straight pale-blonde tresses, unlike
Hailey, who likely needed more patience to search for globs in her
elbow-length red locks. But Alyssa’s hair fell a few inches past
her hips, so cleaning out the mud would take longer, even with the
shorter layers in the front. “How
could dirt explode?” Mrs. Hutchinson stomped. “I-I
think it was magic!” exclaimed Alyssa. “There’s
no such thing as magic!” screamed Mrs. Hutchinson. “Alyssa,
you’re twelve years old. You’re too old to say things like that!” “But
nothing else can make mud explode!” Alyssa said. “Mrs.
Hutchinson, we swear it did!” whined Hailey. “Enough!”
snapped Mrs. Hutchinson. “You and Hailey—go upstairs and take
showers!” Alyssa
followed Hailey up the stairs and heaved a sigh. How else would the
mud have splattered all over them? Mrs. Hutchinson couldn’t have
thought they’d play in the mud like small children. “Alyssa,
can I shower first?” asked Hailey. “Sure,”
said Alyssa. As
Hailey strode into the bathroom, Alyssa walked into her room. She
scratched more mud off her skinny jeans (the only jeans she’d worn
ever since they’d come into style) and the back of her hand. She
stood by her bed since she wanted to keep it clean. She
considered the writing on the window and the exploding mud. Someone
wanted magic to interfere with her life, but who, and how come? Also,
why hadn’t she ever seen wizardry before? Why would her parents and
others tell her that it hadn’t existed? Did sorcery just start on
earth? Had it hidden somewhere? There had to be some reason why no
one had ever believed in it. Alyssa
thought about the possibility that maybe magic might only interfere
if she stayed here in her uncle’s house. Maybe if her godfather
could arrange with his lawyer to let her move in with him, sorcery
would hopefully leave her alone. However, unlike science, anything
could occur with magic, which meant that it could follow her wherever
she went. The
sound produced by the bathroom’s running water ended, which let
Alyssa know that Hailey had finished. Now she could have a turn. After
about five minutes showering, Alyssa stepped out and headed back to
her room. She put on leggings and a long shirt. But she gasped at
something appearing out of nowhere on her bed. Now that had to have
come from ... magic. Approaching
it, she saw that it was a folded piece of paper. She opened it and
read it. Hello
Alyssa McCarthy, You
must be wondering about the writing on your window, the exploding
mud, and the note that appeared here. Who was responsible for them?
You’ll find out at some point. Anonymous Anonymous?
How dare someone create incidents and not say his or her name! Alyssa
needed to know his or her identity in order to report him or her. She
didn’t want strange, magical occurrences to keep happening. Regardless
of that, now she had proof to Mrs. Hutchinson that the writing and
exploding mud had occurred. Mrs. Hutchinson had seen her write
before, and this looked nothing like hers. She handwrote in a
half-print and half-script style. This, however, was pure print. Alyssa
jogged down the stairs and carried the note. “Mrs. Hutchinson, I
have something to show you.” “Not
right now, Alyssa.” Mrs. Hutchinson left the kitchen. “You and
Hailey have to go wash my car.” “But
it’s quick.” “You
can show me after you’re done with my car.” Mrs. Hutchinson
turned to Hailey, who emptied the dishwasher and put dishes away.
“Are you almost done?” “I
think so,” said Hailey. “How
many dishes do you have left?” asked Mrs. Hutchinson. “Uh
. . .” Hailey looked at the top rack. “Four.” “Okay,
hurry up.” Mrs. Hutchinson turned to Alyssa. “Why don’t you go
put that piece of paper away?” “But
this is what I need to show you.” “Do
I have to repeat what I said before?” “But—” “Alyssa,
do as you’re told.” Mrs. Hutchinson pointed to the staircase. Alyssa
sighed. This note contained so much crucial information. Only that
paper itself had evidence to show that those incidents had occurred. After
putting the note back in her room, Alyssa headed down the stairs and
walked with Hailey toward the garage. The two grabbed sponges,
buckets, and soap for washing cars. They filled the buckets with
water and scrubbed Mrs. Hutchinson’s car. “I
wish we had another babysitter,” muttered Alyssa.
The
Uncontrollable Curse
Alyssa
McCarthy's Magical Missions: Book 2
History,
like magic, has a habit of repeating itself
It’s
been six months since thirteen-year-old Alyssa McCarthy left magic
behind for good. Or so she thought…
Then
the enchanted objects that protected her disappear. Now a skeleton
named Errol has cursed her with magical powers that keep getting her
in trouble. Suddenly strange things are happening with disastrous
effects, and if Alyssa can’t learn to control the magic, she will
lose everything she holds dear.
In
order to get rid of her unwanted wizardry, Alyssa will have to boost
her bravery and confidence and determine who Errol really is. But
every time Alyssa uses an enchantment, Errol is one step closer to
getting his flesh back and becoming alive, and he will do anything to
achieve his goals…even if it means destroying Alyssa’s
happiness.
Originally
published in 2016 as "Wizardry Gone Wild", "The
Uncontrollable Curse" is book two in the exciting and
suspenseful paranormal Magical Missions series.
Sunayna Prasad has been writing stories for over several years, starting at the age of six. Now twenty-four, she is done with college and will pursue a career in art and design as well as continue to write for children. Aside from that, Sunayna also likes to cook, watch movies, and draw. She lives on Long Island, New York, with her family.
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