Monday, April 2, 2018

Exclusive Excerpt - Threshold by Patricia J. Anderson




Threshold
Patricia J. Anderson

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Common Deer Press



Date of Publication: March 27, 2018



ISBN Digital: 978-1-988761-17-6

ISBN Print: 978-1-988761-16-9


Number of pages: 240
Word Count:  66,000

Cover Artist: Carl Weins

Tagline: Fantastic Mr. Fox meets The Tao of Physics

Book Description:

The population of Ooolandia (a world much like our own but with an extra "O") is hypnotized by the culture of MORE. Citizens of all kinds and colors go about their lives unaware that hidden in the fog of everydayness a great calamity is approaching.

Banshooo, an amazingly mindful monkey, works for the Ooolandian Department of Nature with his colleague a mathlete mouse. Together they have amassed data proving, beyond any doubt, that the natural world is losing the stability necessary to sustain life. Unfortunately, their warnings are ignored by the authorities who are planning to phase out nature altogether.

Freaky winds, icy earthquakes, and mutant anemones plague the landscape. After a wildly devastating storm, Banshooo has a vision revealing the connection between Ooolandia and the Unseen World -- a connection that lies deep within and far beyond all that is seen. This connection is vital to Ooolandia's survival, and it is fraying. He realizes he must take radical action. Along with his quirky sidekick (a one-off of unique appearance whose primary interest is snacking), he sets out on a journey beyond the surface of the Seen to bring back proof of the true nature of nature.



Threshold Excerpt 4

Banshooo stares ahead. What he sees is not inviting. Shadowy cliffs surround them. Some distance away there is a stand of skeletal trees with black bark and bare limbs hanging down toward the ground like long fingers frozen in place. He doesn’t recognize these trees. He’s never seen anything like them before, even in Algernon’s books. There are no birds, no scrambling chippies. Aside from the low whistling of wind through the crags, it’s eerily quiet.
            He shivers deep inside himself, feeling his confidence slip away. He’d gone this far because the map had told him to, but it’s become clear that what he does makes a difference in what it shows him. Maybe the map is waiting for him now. But to do what? The Last Gate and The Mythic were not The Threshold. They must have been passages to whatever waits within the swirling fog. But instead of getting through the fog, he keeps bumping into more questions. Is he closer to The Threshold, or is he on the wrong track? Is One More Mountain a dead end? What should he do next? What’s up with the arrow?
            A wave of exhaustion moves through his furry body like the tide pulling sand out to sea. He gathers the blanket close around his shoulders and leans back on the pillow. Maybe he’ll take a little nap as well, just for a minute.




About the Author:

Patricia J Anderson’s essays and short stories have appeared in numerous periodicals including The Sun, Tricycle, Chronogram, Ars Medica, Glamour Magazine and Rewire Me.com. Her books include All of Us, a critically acclaimed investigation of cultural attitudes and beliefs, and Affairs In Order, named best reference book of the year by Library Journal. She is the recipient of The Communicator Award for online excellence and has produced exhibition, kiosk and website copy for such institutions as the American Museum of Natural History and the Capital Museum. She is the editor of Craig Barber’s Vietnam journal, Ghosts in the Landscape. She lives with her family in New York’s Hudson Valley.



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