Missing

Liv & Death #1

by Madeline Smoot

“My mother named my brother. Most people assumed that his name was short for Mortimer or Morton or something, but this being my mom, it was just the Latin word for death. My father pretended that he had agreed to the name so my mother could have her little joke. “My little life and death,” she called us. In reality, Dad had no say in Morte’s name. It was one thing to name me, his baby girl, his first-born, the Norwegian word for life. It was quite another to name his son Death.”

Just like their names, Liv and Morte have always been opposites. The two can barely be in the same room together for more than a moment before all conversations turn into fights. It’s not until Morte disappears after a typical field party that Liv even realizes that she might actually love her brother after all.

Missing is the tale of Liv’s journey to find out what happened to her brother the night he disappeared — to discover if everyone at the field party had really been typical.

111 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 7, 2011

About the author

Madeline Smoot is the publisher of CBAY Books and former Editorial Director of Blooming Tree Press. In other words, Madeline knows a lot about publishing and the process of bringing a book to market. What Madeline has never been before is an author. Missing is her first book for teens.

Madeline lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, son, two cats, a dog, and more books than should fit in any normal person's house.

For more information about publishing, see Madeline's blog Buried in the Slushpile.
For more information about CBAY Books, visit them here.

Reviews

[Cory Oakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

MISSING was absolutely wonderful! Morte is one of the most original characters I have encountered in a long time, and I found myself slipping very comfortably into Liv's head. The "bond" (if you can call it that!) between these two siblings in very cleverly done and establishes a base for what I hope will be many more books to come! I'm already very anxious for the sequel! (I also feel the need to point out that this book is only $2.99 on Amazon! It would be a bargain at many times the price!)

[P.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

MISSING is a fantastic paranormal story with suspense and mystery and possibly vampires. But it's also the story of sibling rivalry and how a girl, Liv, overcomes her negative emotions toward her brother, Morte, and puts her life on hold while she searches for him. It's a quick read, and a great story for those looking for paranormal stories with great character development and depth.

[Madeline Smoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, of course I love it. I wrote it!