I am not very good at cooking and I have a very
restricted diet, so I always look for simple recipes that don’t take a long
time to make. Recently I created my own chicken pasta soup which only takes ten
minutes to cook and less than five to prepare!
Ingredients:
· Soup veg – carrots, leeks, onions and celery
· Cooked chicken (shredded)
· Pasta – I use fusilli
· 2 Oxo cubes – chicken flavour
· Brown sauce
Add the soup veg to a pot of boiling water, along
with a handful of pasta. Add the shredded chicken and allow to cook for a few
minutes.
Crumble the Oxo cubes into the pot and add some
brown sauce and stir through. Let it cook for the remainder of the time, then
eat.
It is very simple, but it tastes delicious and is
very filling.
Watcher
Academy
League
of Watchers
Book
1
S.
K. Gregory
Genre: Supernatural
suspense/urban fantasy
Publisher: SKGregory
Date of Publication: Nov 30th 2019
ASIN: B07ZLMDL4Q
Number of pages: 200
Word Count: 50k
Cover Artist: RMGraphX
Tagline: A Watcher is supposed to keep evil at bay, but what happens when it
walks among them?
Book Description:
Adeline 'Dell' Grimm has been in
training to join the Watcher Academy her whole life. A legacy, her grandfather,
Edward was one of the Academy's most respected members and Dell is determined
to follow in his footsteps.
An impulsive decision could
destroy her new life...
Left alone one night, Dell cannot
resist a quick look at the recent delivery of artefacts. Artefacts which the
Watchers are duty bound to keep hidden away from the world, for they possess
supernatural magic, magic that could prove deadly in the wrong hands. Which
doesn't bode well for Dell when she accidentally drops one of them.
A Watcher is supposed to keep
evil at bay, but what happens when it walks among them?
Soon Dell finds herself missing
time and when a fellow Watcher is found murdered, she wonders if she is somehow
responsible.
Turning to her fellow Watchers,
Spencer and Max, Dell must figure out the truth before someone else dies.
Excerpt:
“You can do
this, Dell. Your whole life has been leading up to this moment. Don’t blow it,”
I muttered to myself.
Squaring my
shoulders, I took a deep breath, plastered on a smile and opened the door to
the prestigious Watcher Academy.
Stepping over
the threshold, I heard a snap and I stumbled. Catching myself on the wall, I
looked down to find that the heel on my boot was broken.
I groaned in
frustration. Why did this crap always happen to me? I considered returning to
my room on campus to fix it, but then I would be late for my induction.
Maybe someone
has glue or tape that I can use to fix it.
Walking on the
ball of my foot, I made my way down the short hallway to a second door. This
one needed a key card to open it.
Knocking loudly,
I waited, trying to keep my balance. Nothing was going to ruin this experience
for me. I just wished that Grandpa lived long enough to see this.
There was a
beeping noise and the door opened. A man with dark hair stuck his head out.
“Adeline Grimm?”
“Yes, but I go
by Dell.”
He pushed the
door open wider and stepped back. “Follow me.”
I resisted the
urge to squeal. This was it.
Limping after
the man, I followed him into the Watcher Academy.
“Oh my God,” I
whispered.
We entered a
huge round room, filled with other Watchers bustling about. A huge oak table
sat in the middle of the room, behind which stood a stone fireplace. To my
left, lay an alcove leading to an office. Above me, were the stacks. I turned
slowly on the spot, taking in row after row of books.
Breathing
deeply, I inhaled the scent of the musty tomes. It was exactly as Grandpa
described.
“Miss Grimm?” a
woman said.
“Yes, sorry.” I
tore my gaze from the room and turned to face her.
“Chelsea Dean. I
run things around here. This is Antoine,” she said, motioning to the man who
showed me in. I was shocked at how young she was. Barely older than me. Blonde,
with blue eyes, she stood several inches taller than me. She wore a black
blazer over a white blouse and carried a clipboard.
“Nice to meet
you,” I said. “I’m so happy to be here, I’ve wanted to see the inside of this
place since I was a child.”
I realized I was
babbling and quickly closed my mouth. Chelsea made a note on her clipboard,
while Antoine hovered nearby. Everyone looked so professional looking and here
I was, holding my boot heel.
“I need to check
some details,” Chelsea said. “Adeline Jane Grimm, twenty-four. Granddaughter of
Edward Grimm. He was one of the best. Hope you don’t ruin his legacy.”
My cheeks
burned. Grandpa spent over forty years as a Watcher, I would never tarnish his
reputation.
“You studied
history and anthropology in college, then a year gaining practical experience.
Which means we’re missing a year.”
“I took a gap
year early on. I went with Grandpa, uh, Edward, to South America on a dig.”
Chelsea made a
noncommittal noise and continued scribbling away on the clipboard, while I
stood awkwardly, trying not to fall over. She seemed determined to do this
standing.
“And you live on
the college campus?” Chelsea asked.
“Yeah, there was
actually some kind of mix up and I got stuck with a student roommate,” I said.
The Watcher Academy was located on the ** college campus. No one outside the
Watchers knew what went on in here. As far as they were concerned, this was
some kind of historical society.
“Follow me and
we’ll start your induction,” Chelsea said.
“Um, would you
have…” I trailed off when I realized she wasn’t listening, she had already
crossed the room and opened a door. I hurried after her.
The door led to
a small office where a video monitor was set up. Chelsea motioned for me to sit
in the only chair in the room. Grabbing a remote control, she switched on the
monitor.
“I’ll be back
when this is over,” she said.
Confused, I
focused on the screen. After a few seconds, a man appeared on the screen,
standing in a lavish office. I recognized him instantly as Charles Landry. One
of the highest-ranking members of the League of Watchers.
“Welcome to the
Watcher Academy. Today you begin a journey to become a fully fledged Watcher.”
Oh my God, it’s
a training video like they give employees.
I resisted the
urge to laugh that they would have something so normal.
“The League of
Watchers was formed in 1869 to protect the world from the supernatural and
ensure magical objects do not end up in the hands of civilians.”
Grandpa always
spoke of the Watchers with such reverence. He was in charge of artefact
retrieval, a job I wanted more than anything.
“Watchers
dedicate their lives to keeping the world safe. You may even face the ultimate
sacrifice in the line of duty. Know that it will be a great honor and you will
be remembered for your bravery.”
Translation – as
a Watcher, there’s a good chance you will die on the job. I knew the risks, I
also know that I was taught by the best.
The video ended
and Chelsea returned. “Any questions?”
“No,” I said.
“Oh actually…” I held up my heel but she had already left the room.
I ran after her.
“There are
currently twelve Watchers situated here, along with our support team. You can
learn their names in your own time, but I will introduce you to the two main
people you will be working with.”
She led me to a
desk under the stacks, covered in wires and computer equipment. A man with
light brown hair sat behind it. He was around my age, wearing a red t-shirt
with some band logo on it. Definitely not a Watcher or he would be dressed like
the others.
“This is
Spencer, tech support and research.”
Spencer stood up
to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“Thanks.” He was
cute. Not that I was here to meet a guy. I would never let anything interfere
with my training. Besides, I doubt Chelsea would take too kindly to any of us
dating each other.
Spencer noticed
the heel in my hand. “I have some tape, it that’s any use?”
“Yeah, thanks,
I’ll give it a go.”
As he handed me
the tape, Chelsea was on the move again. She approached a man standing in the
alcove by the office. He was slightly older, maybe early thirties, with dark
hair. He wore a pale blue shirt over black slacks.
“Adeline, this
is Max Burrows. He is our resident expert on ancient cultures and curses.”
“Hi, I usually
go by Dell,” I said.
He gave me a
nod. “Has the latest shipment arrived yet?” he asked Chelsea.
“It should be
here within the hour.”
He turned and
went back into his office.
Nice guy.
“There are forms
for you to fill out, then we can work out where to assign you,” Chelsea said,
carrying on. I guessed his behavior was normal.
“I’d really like
to follow in Edward’s footsteps and work in artefact archiving.”
Chelsea pursed
her lips. “Miss Grimm, as a trainee Watcher, you do not get to choose your
assignment. You go where we put you.”
“Of course,” I
said, forcing a smile.
Chelsea took a
step toward me and lowered her voice.
“Look, you may
come from good stock, but you need to earn your place here, just like everyone
else.”
“I understand,”
I said, feeling my face heat up.
“Good, because
if you screw up, I won’t hesitate to kick your ass out of here and I will see
to it personally that you never get within ten feet of the Watcher Academy
again.”
S. K. Gregory is the author of
several urban fantasy, paranormal romance and young adult novels. She runs a
blog that supports indie authors by offering book reviews and promotions.
She is an editor and proofreader
with JEA Press.
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