The Zombie Next Door
The Troubled Souls of Goldie Rich
Book One
T.W. Kirchner
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Short on Time Books
Date of Publication: February 1, 2014
ISBN: 1494906864
ASIN: B00I7BTOTC
Number of pages: 102 pages
Word Count: 32,421
Cover Artist: Tony Bryson
Available at Amazon
Book Description:
For the sleepy, seaside town of Vivian, life is usually just another day at the beach until a rash of bizarre robberies occur with one thing in common—the DNA lifted from the crime scene belongs to a dead man. Fourteen-year-old Goldie Rich is hardly concerned about that. She has enough problems dealing with her annoying guardian for the summer, older sister Gema.
Goldie’s problems escalate when she finds a pendant necklace washed up on the beach. The pendant contains the souls of zombies created by an evil sorcerer. Goldie must wear the necklace until she frees the souls, but to accomplish this, she has to confront the zombies face to face.
Goldie seeks help from her best friend, eccentric and free-spirited Rita. Although the pair’s zombie hunting exploits get them into huge trouble, they uncover the truth about the town’s robberies and how the secrets of Goldie’s past will define her future.
Chapter 1
Friday the thirteenth. Bad things happen. Superstition, right? Wrong.
My day started off on a downward slide when I rolled out of bed. My bare feet didn’t sink into the soft, dry
carpet like they always did. Instead, a
warm, gooey substance oozed between my toes.
Before I could slip my glasses on, the unmistakable odor of dog poop drifted
by.
Right then, I should have poured hand
sanitizer on my feet, cleaned the carpet, and gone back to bed, but I
couldn’t. I was facing the dreaded math
section of testing in my second to last week of eighth grade at Vivian Middle
School. My anticipated last week as a
Vivian Sea Turtle.
“Goldie, are you up, yet?” my sister,
Gema, screamed from downstairs. “Goldie,
did you hear me?”
While I stood in a pile of poop, the
annoying factor of Gema’s screeching voice was magnified by a million.
After I took a deep, calming yoga breath,
I screamed back. “I’m up already.”
The deep breath didn’t really calm me at
all, and I made sure my answer sounded heavy with attitude on purpose. Gema had been driving me nuts, and it was
only the first week of my three-month sentence. This was going to be a long summer. Come to think of it, it seemed like Friday
the thirteenth all week.
Besides not having time to eat breakfast,
I couldn’t find my favorite earrings or a matching pair of shoes. I showed up five minutes late for school,
choked on the probability section of the math test, and swapped radius for
diameter. By the time the final school
bell rang, I sprinted away from school in tears and headed for my favorite get
away spot. The beach.
Rita was thrilled to go with me even in my
pathetic state, but that’s how best friends are.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of
the salty air. The breeze blowing
through my hair, sun warming my face, and harmony in the waves sent me to
another place. A beautiful island where
there wasn’t school or screaming sisters.
I loved the feel of warm, grainy sand, instead of dog poop, squishing
between my toes. Nothing beat the
feeling.
I was brought back to reality with a nudge
from Rita. “Earth to Goldie. Let’s head over to the pier.”
As I gazed toward the pier, the beach was
creepily deserted. Not that this narrow
half-sandy, half-rocky strip of Vivian ever was overly crowded, but today, only
a few sunbathers, joggers, and hobos were scattered about. I was really glad Rita tagged along because
this scenario seemed like a good opening for a horror movie. After all, it was still Friday the
thirteenth. “Isn’t it weird how empty
the beach is for the middle of the afternoon?
Why do you think? There’s not a
cloud in the sky and it’s hot.”
Rita tied a side knot in her
pumpkin-colored tee making the stack of bangle bracelets jingling up and down
her arm sound like sleigh bells. “No
idea.” She tightened her ponytails by pulling
two sections of hair in opposite directions.
They sprouted from the top of her head and were streaked with neon
orange gel to match her ‘mood of the week’.
“It’s more of a mystery why you’re such a downer on a beautiful
day. Especially a Friday. And with the math exam over and only one
final left before summer break.” Rita
improved a cheer. “Then we’re gonna be
high-schoolers!”
About the Author
After working an assortment of jobs which include a computer programmer, marketing director, and substitute teacher, T.W. Kirchner decided to concentrate on her second loves, writing and art. Her first loves are her husband, two children, and furry menagerie known as the Kirchner Zoo. Other published books by T.W. Kirchner include Pirates Off the Deep End and Pirates Off the Wall.
Website: http://www.twkirchner.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/tinainlv
Publisher Author Page: http://shortontimebooks.com/?page_id=231
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