Guest Author, Adam Dreece, and his Emergent Steampunk Series, "The Yellow Hoods!"
Author Bio
For 25 years, Adam wrote short stories that he only shared with friends and family. Like many people, he put his career first, and writing second. In 2009 when his appendix nearly killed him, he found himself struck with horrific abdominal pain that seemed never ending. Fifteen months later, after a surgery to explore for, and remove, scar tissue reduced the pain to a manageable, chronic level, he started writing a memoir. Nearly six months later, once again back at work but this time with writing always having a place in his life, he found himself hit with sudden, severe asthma. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and Adam found himself once again trying to figure out which way was up.Two years later, with the memoir going through editing, Adam decided it needed to sit a while. The challenges he’d faced had made him more driven, more focused, more appreciative of the time that he had. With the support of his wife, on November 28th, 2013 he made a plan to be a full time author in five years. On January 4th, he started writing a story at the request of his daughter that became book 1 of The Yellow Hoods.
Adam lives with his amazing wife and three awesome kids. He’s very active on Twitter, and loves engaging with fellow readers and writers. He regularly helps fellow writings.
He lives in Calgary, Alberta.
Adam Dreece
Author of emergent Steampunk series The Yellow Hoods
Young Adult written for everyone
Book 1 - Along Came a Wolf at Amazon, Amazon.ca, Kobo, Smashwords, The Yellow Hoods Store
Book 2 - Breadcrumb Trail at Amazon, Amazon,.ca, Kobo, Smashwords, The Yellow Hoods Store
Blog: AdamDreece.com
Twitter: @AdamDreece
Book One (Along Came a Wolf)
For a limited time, this e-book is available at the discounted price of $1.29.
For a limited time, this e-book is available at the discounted price of $1.29.
Along Came a Wolf is the debut book of the highly rated emergent Steampunk series, The Yellow Hoods. This young adult series is layered for the mature reader. It incorporates some elements of fairy-tale, inspired by the notion of what if the rhymes and tales we know were based on real events, in this world.
Seeds of a technological revolution have started to sprout in this old world, about to change it forever. A secret society, long thought crushed, makes its first move against its unsuspecting, benevolent opponent.
Master inventor Nikolas Klaus has seen some of this coming, and has quietly broken the rule of keeping his secret society's knowledge and skills from the younger generations. He knows that the day will come when they will be needed, but has underestimated how soon.
Tee, Elly, and Richy shed their innocence and are forced to stand as the Yellow Hoods to overcome life- threatening dangers unleashed as secrets of Nikolas' past are revealed.
Will Nikolas' secrets cost him the life of his granddaughter? Are his efforts too little, too late?
Review quotes:
"A gripping read. Lots of fun for kids and adults both. A wonderful mixture of action, mystery, and whimsy that leaves an impression on you long after you've turned the last page."
"I was always envious of people who could get drawn into a good book. Now, I am one of those people."
"This book is well written and the character development is phenomenal. I'm not just talking about the main characters here—I mean ALL of them."
Seeds of a technological revolution have started to sprout in this old world, about to change it forever. A secret society, long thought crushed, makes its first move against its unsuspecting, benevolent opponent.
Master inventor Nikolas Klaus has seen some of this coming, and has quietly broken the rule of keeping his secret society's knowledge and skills from the younger generations. He knows that the day will come when they will be needed, but has underestimated how soon.
Tee, Elly, and Richy shed their innocence and are forced to stand as the Yellow Hoods to overcome life- threatening dangers unleashed as secrets of Nikolas' past are revealed.
Will Nikolas' secrets cost him the life of his granddaughter? Are his efforts too little, too late?
Review quotes:
"A gripping read. Lots of fun for kids and adults both. A wonderful mixture of action, mystery, and whimsy that leaves an impression on you long after you've turned the last page."
"I was always envious of people who could get drawn into a good book. Now, I am one of those people."
"This book is well written and the character development is phenomenal. I'm not just talking about the main characters here—I mean ALL of them."
Exclusive Excerpt from The Yellow Hoods: Along Came a Wolf ;)
CHAPTER TWO
Of Wolves & Pigs
Tee placed the little red box in her backpack, slipped the
backpack over her shoulders, and then pulled her cloak
over top. With her parcel secured, she proceeded to sing
and dance down the road, as she usually did.
She loved the smell of the forest, and the look of the
red and yellow leaves everywhere. It was like a duel of
colors, each fighting for supremacy.
While autumn had just begun, the trees seemed a bit
impatient to embrace winter. Every now and then, the
morning seemed to whisper that winter wasn’t far away.
Tee wondered what the rush was.
“Hello. Well, what do we have here?” boomed a
menacing, local-accented voice. Instinctively, Tee sprang
into the bushes. After a quick look around, she realized the
voice came from down the road.
The voice belonged to a tall, rough-looking, unshaven
man. He was about fifty yards down the trail with two
bigger, rougher-looking men, one on each side
had stopped a finely dressed man atop a brown and white
horse.
Tee moved through the bushes with practiced ease,
until she could clearly see the three men. “The Cochon
brothers,” she muttered to herself. She’d heard of the
troublemakers and had been warned many times to avoid
them. There were rumors they’d recently run some guys
out of town.
The stranger’s horse nervously moved back and forth,
trying to get away from the brothers who flanked her. The
rider was doing his best to keep her calm.
“Let me pass,” said the rider in crisp, clear words.
Tee immediately noticed his slight accent, and the way
he held himself. By the way he was looking down at the
ruffians, and how his words were clear and sharply
pronounced, she guessed he was used to being around
important people—perhaps even royalty. Her grandfather
had taught her how to listen for such clues.
She wondered if the rider was from one of the two
capital cities of their small kingdom, or maybe even from
one of the neighboring kingdoms to the east or south.
“I have an urgent message to deliver. Remove
yourselves!” he commanded, placing his hand atop the
gold and silver hilt of his sword. A flintlock pistol was
visible, tucked into his black belt.
Tee shook her head. “Shouldn’t have said that,” she
muttered to herself. “Now they’re going to want what
you’ve got.”
The two younger brothers looked to the eldest, who
stood in front of the horse. “I’ll tell you what, messenger
boy,” said the eldest Cochon. “For a small sum of money,
I’ll deliver the message for you. Now what is it?”
The rider closely examined the three brothers. “My
name is Andre LeLoup. I am on official business. Out of
my way!” he said indignantly. He seemed both relieved
and disappointed that they didn’t recognize his name.
“That’s a funny name for a horse—official business!”
said the middle brother, known as Squeals. The three
brothers laughed.
“Right you are,” said the eldest. “Right you are. Now,
I’m not an unreasonable man. Am I, Bore?”
The youngest brother, Bore, was by far the largest. A
wall of a man, he stood six feet, five inches tall. Like his
brothers, his clothes were homemade, and badly. Worse
yet, his boots were a patchwork, made by cutting up pairs
of smaller boots and stitching them together.
He shook his head in an exaggerated fashion and
replied in a deep, dim-witted voice, “No, Bakon, nope.”
Bore’s first name was actually Boris, but he had never
been able to pronounce it properly. Everyone knew him as
Bore. Unfortunately, it emphasized his pig-like looks. “My
brother, he’s a nice man,” he added, giggling like a
mischievous little boy.
Meanwhile, in the bushes, Tee rifled through her
backpack.
Bakon studied the messenger up and down. “So, how
about you come down for a little chat then, eh?” he asked.
The messenger glared at the ruffians and started to
reach for his pistol. “Now, I demand—”
Bakon interrupted, “Oh, I’ve had enough of him. Bring
him down, boys!”
On command, the two Cochon brothers reached up
and pulled the man down with ease, forcing him to his
knees and holding him in place.
Squeals slapped the horse’s side, yelling, “Get out of
here!”
Bakon looked at Squeals in disbelief as the horse ran
away. “What did you do that for? We could have sold it!
Or maybe the message was on it!”
Squeals’ head slumped in submission. “Oh—sorry,
Bakon. Wasn’t thinking.”
Bore also shook his head. “No thinking, Squeals. No
thinking,” he said, tapping the side of his head. Squeals
gave Bore a look that put him in his place.
Bakon quickly calmed himself down. “She won’t go
far. Just … don’t do that next time.” He then turned to the
messenger. “So, Monsieur …” he started, trying to
remember the messenger’s name.
The messenger glared up from his forced kneeling
position, his arms pinned by the two huge brothers. “My
name is LeLoup. This is an insult! I will have you—”
Bakon waved at the man to stop talking. “What is it
you want out of this? Do you want to hand over the
message? Or maybe you’d like to hand over your gold and
the message? I couldn’t blame you if you wanted to do
that, now, could I?”
The two brothers nodded in agreement.
“I’d like for you to drop dead!” spat LeLoup.
Suddenly, Bakon fell over—flat on his face.
Bore and Squeals looked at each other in a panic and
screamed, “Aaah! Magic!” They ran off into the forest.
Tee reloaded her slingshot and jumped out of the
bushes. “La-la!” she yelled triumphantly. “Run away, little
piggies!” She quickly scanned the forest for more trouble.
Once she confirmed no one else was lurking, she
lowered her slingshot and approached the messenger. He
was angrily talking to himself.
Tee pointed to the face-down elder Cochon brother and
said, “He’ll be up in a minute. The stones I use only stun
for a couple of minutes at most.”
The messenger finished brushing himself off. He
scrutinized Tee, in her yellow hooded cloak, white blouse,
and light brown pants. He wrinkled his nose at how
boyishly she dressed.
“So, you are the one who knocked out the ruffian?” he
asked.
“Tee, Yellow Hood of the forest, at your service,” she
replied, bowing. Andre shook his head slightly at her lack
of a curtsey.
“I am Andre LeLoup. A pleasure to meet you,” he said
stiffly. “Thank you for your assistance. I thought I’d seen a
flash of yellow in the distance. I didn’t realize it was a
person. Never mind—you are my little savior, are you
not?” He offered an appreciative smile. “But, if you don’t
mind, I’d prefer to keep this between us. It won’t help my
reputation for people to learn that I was helped by a little
girl in a yellow hood.”
Tee smiled. “You know your name means wolf, right?”
“Of course I know that,” he replied firmly. He found
his hat and dusted it off.
Tee leaned in. “And … you were just assaulted by the
Cochon brothers,” she said, nodding knowingly.
Andre looked about to see if any of his other
belongings had fallen to the ground during the
commotion. “Oh—was that their name?”
Tee giggled.
“What is it?” asked Andre, turning to her, annoyed.
Tee pulled her hood over her face. “Nothing—it’s just,
you know … never mind.” She finished her giggling and
took a deep breath. “Okay—sorry. So, where are you trying
to go?”
Andre put his hat on and then straightened his
mustache. “I am sorry. I appreciate your assistance, but it’s
official business and I can’t say. Now, do you think I have
any chance of finding my horse, or should I continue into
town on foot?”
Tee looked around to get her bearings. “I’m sure we
can find her. She probably went over to the nearby
clearing. This road leads there. It’s only about five minutes
if we take the shortcut.”
Bakon started to make noises and moved a hand to rub
the back of his head.
“We should go—now,” Tee whispered. She grabbed
Andre by the hand and led him into the thick forest.
Book Two (The BreadCrumb Trail)
In an act of desperation, inventor Maxwell Watt sends his teenage son to Nikolas Klaus with the secret plans for his steam engine. The Fare, a nefarious secret society, learns of the game-changing invention and accelerate their timeline to neutralize Klaus and reclaim control over the kingdoms.
While wars spark to the south, children in Mineau have started to go missing—again. Captain Archambault suspects the return of the Ginger Lady. With the help of the Yellow Hoods and their friends, the search is on to find the missing children before it is too late.
What is the secret that ties the Yellow Hoods to the Ginger Lady? Who are the Red Hoods really?
Enjoy this darker, edgier installment in this exciting Emergent Steampunk adventure series that is laced with elements of fairy-tale that gives it depth. A young adult series that is layered for the mature reader.
“A beautifully spun tale in a unique and captivating world.”
While wars spark to the south, children in Mineau have started to go missing—again. Captain Archambault suspects the return of the Ginger Lady. With the help of the Yellow Hoods and their friends, the search is on to find the missing children before it is too late.
What is the secret that ties the Yellow Hoods to the Ginger Lady? Who are the Red Hoods really?
Enjoy this darker, edgier installment in this exciting Emergent Steampunk adventure series that is laced with elements of fairy-tale that gives it depth. A young adult series that is layered for the mature reader.
“A beautifully spun tale in a unique and captivating world.”
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