POWERS, Roaring Brook Press, 2006. Cover art by Angela Carlino. Young adult novel

"...a bewitchingly pulpy and enjoyable fast read." Kirkus Reviews, Sept. 2006

"Told in the alternating voices of Gwen and Adrian, this novel is more than a typical fantasy/science fiction exploration of psychic powers." VOYA, advance review, October 2006

Read the reviews here, or the first chapter here. 
Click here to learn a few things that Adrian would prefer I didn't tell you, and here to learn Gwen's secrets.
Click here for some neat "facts" about Rocky Waters, or here to find out why I wrote this book.




From POWERS:

 I let him take my hand. The cold blue flame in his eyes held me, seared me.
      "Do you feel it?" he asked. "It's a warm tingle, isn't it?" In your hands, moving up your arms, like a current."
     "No." My hands tingled with warmth. It moved up my arms like a current. 
      "Don't lie to me, Gwen." 
      "Let me go" 
      "No." 
      Then he noticed my scar, a raised white ridge between my index and second finger. He ran his thumb lightly over the scar tissue. I flinched. I hated that scar. I'd earned it through sheer stupidity, trying to separate frozen burgers with a steak knife.
      "It's never going to go away," Adrian said in a condescending voice. "I still can't believe you did that." 
      My heart thumped unevenly. "What do you mean?' "Used Crazy Glue to seal the cut." 
      I swallowed. "How did you know that?" 
      "Who could forget?" Adrian said, shaking his head. "All that blood, and you insisting you didn't need stitches." 
      I looked at Joanne. She looked at me. 
      "Uh, Adrian?" she said. "You just got here.You couldn't possibly know that."