Stepping Off a Cliff

The St. Augustine Trilogy #2

by Doug Dillon

An otherworldly, evil and dangerous force infests America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida. Everyone living there, or visiting, is at risk in ways too horrible to imagine.

Standing between this invader and the people of St. Augustine are teenagers Jeff and Carla, the mysterious Native American shaman, Lobo, and Lyle, the homeless guy.

In their quest to save themselves and all the inhabitants of this ancient Florida city, Jeff and Carla uncover lost parts of St. Augustine history, push past the limits of space and time, and come face-to-face with what they come to realize are the true walking dead.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Time Travel

394 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2013

About the author

Doug Dillon is a husband, father, grandfather, author, blogger and former educator living in Central Florida. He writes for both adults and young people, mostly in the arenas of history and the paranormal. Doug has written for Prentice Hall, Harcourt, Boys’ Life, Learning Magazine, the Orlando Sentinel, Mitchell Lane Publishers and Old St. Augustine Publications.

The paranormal thread in this author’s work stems not only from extensive research but personal experience as well. In fact, his first published work, a book co-authored with his wife, Barbara, is a family history of paranormal discovery and understanding. Titled, An Explosion of Being: An American Family’s Journey into the Psychic, it was first published by a division of Prentice Hall in 1984.

Two of Doug’s articles for Boys’ Life were selected for use in student assessment programs. One of those articles titled, “Gentle Pioneer: The Life of Johnny Appleseed,” was implemented through Educational Testing Service for the state of Washington from 2010 through 2015. The other article, titled, “Walt Disney: America’s Fun Maker,” was implemented through Harcourt Assessment for the state of Michigan from 2007 through 2015.

Doug is a recipient of a Disney Teacheriffic Award for his efforts as part of an innovative middle school program, and his book, Where Are Saigon, Kampuchea and Burma? A Brief Political and Geographic History of Asia, for reluctant readers ages 11-14, won first place in the history category for the Florida Writers Association’s Royal Palm Literary Awards program.

Reviews

[Cheree · Rating 4 out of 5]

History starts to repeat itself in Stepping Off A Cliff and Jeff and Carla are thrown into another life changing event. With the people of St. Augustine's lives dependent on them, they struggle with what is asked of them. Some new things come to light that Jeff and Carla never realized.
Packed full of history, action and paranormal experiences...I enjoyed reading Stepping Off A Cliff and watching as Jeff and Carla grew from the last book Sliding Beneath the Surface and meeting Lyle, Lobo's homeless friend. However I did feel there were some repeating thoughts that could have been omitted.
Looking forward to book 3 :)

[Cheri Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic 2nd book in this trilogy!

I hope since its part of a trilogy there will be a book #3. I absolutely loved these 2 books. Definitely kept my attention from beginning to end. Great story line and since St. Augustine is my favorite city I greatly enjoyed all the historical facts. I enjoyed all the different characters and their ethnicity. Great trilogy series so far. Please have a 3rd book!!!!!!

[Jennifer Goins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new author to me. The book was well written, once I started to read the book I just didn't want to stop reading until I got done reading. I definitely would recommend this book. I can't wait to read more books from this author.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Mr. Dillon for giving me this opportunity once again. :D

I’m going to give his book a solid 4 stars and I do think the sophomore book for Mr. Dillon is an improvement on his first. There are a few quirks that I knew I was going to be getting reading this book that aren’t my personal favorites and I’m not marking this book down for any of those. The first person narrative here was much smoother than in book 1 and other than in the beginning and ending of the book the breaking of the fourth wall essentially disappears.

Jeff’s life has taken a turn for the worse since the occurrences back in December. He and Carla may have survived being sucked into his ancestors history, but now his mother has been killed by her boyfriend and his life has been in turmoil ever since. Luckily Carla’s grandmother has offered to take him in and let him live with him. If anything positive was going to come out of his mother’s death living with his girlfriend isn’t a bad thing. Of course with Carla’s grandmother having to go out of town to help a relative that means Jeff is staying with Lobo for a little bit. When the ghost of his mother shows up on the dock in warning things start to go down a path to crazy again.

I really enjoyed the fact that Jeff became a much more central figure in this book than in the first. He really was the focus this time around and there was a lot less of Lobo’s preachy dialogue. Jeff was experiencing more of what was going on and his decisions affected the outcome of events. Jeff really became a fallible teenager in this story, one who wants to do well and is struggling with the insanity going on around him.

The first quarter of this book was a little bit of a struggle for me to get through. Mostly because Lobo’s still a little preachy without really explaining anything. Also because of where this book starts, jumping in with the death of Jeff’s mother when everything was ok when we left things, it took me a little while to orient myself and get caught up with current events. Lobo as a character annoyed me a little bit more than in the previous book because, when he did talk he was still a bit preachy, but yet he still didn’t explain anything. It was a lot of “trust me and do what I say.” I loved the twist on who Lobo is and how he got to be the man he’s become, really great twist there! But I still wanted Jeff to have more ideas to solve things. He’s my hero in this story, I wanted him to be more involved in solution. Of course he is essential to the completion of the plan, but I wanted his ideas to be more involved.

That being said this story flowed along incredibly well and brought me right into the story as it was going. I love historical elements and the descriptions were lovely. I really liked the paranormal aspects and that this time the events that were happening actually drastically affected the real world around them. All of those elements added to the immediacy of the problem and how desperate their situation was. There were a few times were I think italics got missed for the telepathy bits, but all of the paranormal elements added to the story incredibly well.

I liked how much the abilities for Carla and Jeff were growing and the continued use of the different worlds. I would love to see Lobo’s little special place. Sounded absolutely fascinating. The villain here was an incredibly interesting paranormal being. The PB was different than any other being and was truly a creepy wonderful villain. I found myself wanting to know more about it and how it thought. I loved how it learned and grew and have to admit its fascination with Hitler was amusing. Every little piece of history that was built into this story made my little historian heart melt. Just so much fun.

Altogether this is a wonderful sequel to Sliding Beneath the Surface. There are a few times were some of the information being told to us as the reader gets a little repetitive, but I firmly believe that Mr. Dillon will learn more and more as he writes and we’ll see that disappear. The writing here is strong and is very enjoyable. I will continue looking for more books by this author in the future and will definitely be reading the final book in this trilogy as soon as it’s available.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review.

Stepping off a Cliff is the second book in Doug Dillon’s St Augustine trilogy and it has an interesting, unique storyline.

The book centres on Jeff Golden, a teenage boy who, under the guidance of an old man named Lobo, has learned to develop and control his extraordinary gifts – such as the ability to stop time. Jeff and his girlfriend Carla – also endowed with supernatural capabilities – once again have to use their skills to save their hometown of St Augustine. In this instalment, an evil being threatens to destroy St Augustine and all of its inhabitants and they must combine their powers with Lobo’s wisdom and experience in order to defeat it.

Although I found the three main characters - Carla, Jeff and Lobo – difficult to connect with, they are well developed and have grown and matured since the first book. Their relationship with each other has also developed, although I found the dialogue a bit forced at times.

While I am a fan of first-person narratives, as I found it challenging to bond with Jeff, I struggled to enjoy the story as told from his perspective. I think that based on the plot, a first-person narrative was the correct way to go as it provided insight into the emotional and physical distress caused by the events in the book. That being said, Jeff was a good narrator and told the story with great detail, I simply couldn’t connect with his voice.

Lobo, with his controlling and secretive nature, annoyed me in the first book but this lessened greatly in Stepping off a Cliff. He becomes more open to being a team player, as opposed to his more dictatorial nature in Sliding beneath the Surface. He opens himself up to suggestions from the others and is far more forthcoming with information. Learning his history and backstory was also very interesting.

Lyle, a secondary character who featured briefly in the first book, plays a much greater role in this one and I enjoyed getting to know him better. He too has an unexpected and fascinating backstory and he kept me emotionally hooked. When he wasn’t making me laugh, he made me want to cry.

Once again, I loved the historical aspect to the book and enjoyed learning more about St Augustine’s rich history.

Overall, the book was interesting and well-written and any faults that I found came down to personal preference.

[Dixie Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read both this book, and the first book in The Saint Augustine Trilogy after receiving them from the author in exchange for honest reviews. Honestly neither book is one I would have chosen on a trip to a bookstore but both books were worth the time and contained fascinating bits of well researched history as well as interesting spiritual / paranormal depths.

In this second book, I started the book and was not captivated. I found a few simple errors that needed edited and I picked up another book. These were not things that made the story unreadable but they did require a second read through of the sentence before I realized the misunderstanding. For example there was a part of the prologue where the line read, "I had dinner with Carla, Lobo and Carla's grandmother." My first read through I was baffled how Carla could be Lobo and Carla's grandmother. Another example was, "you're doing?" Instead of "your doing?"

As a writer who publishes my own books the best I can on a very limited budget, I am actually pretty sympathetic to these types of errors, but with them there, the story has to be extra strong to make up for the times the reader is jarred from the story by errors that temporarily confuse the meaning.

Stepping Off a Cliff, becomes a book that captivates me, but it does it slowly. The story is not as fascinating as the characters are. The Shaman and the Homeless man who share an ancient secret, are a bit familiar as types and the young, stubborn, brave lovers are more interesting I found. It seems that both books have familiar mentor/guru vibes that remind me of The Karate Kid and Free Willie. But in spite if not feeling original, they feel like people I want to know.

This book has an evil and a paranormal alien feel that is familiar in many Sci-Fi stories. I have trouble calling this powerful, evil the PB and so does my spellcheck. Both of us want to turn that into PB&J. I was unsatisfied with the information both of where the PB came from and how and if it was truly vanquished.

I think the fact is, that many trilogies are weakest in their second book, and this book captivated me less than the first, but by the time I was halfway into it, I was ready to commit to reading book three as well. The blend of historical information and interesting characters made this a book I am glad to have read.

[Mary Bearden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book in a trilogy, but I didn't read the first book either and it really didn't matter as this book can be a stand alone read.

I am really serious that you don't need to read the first book to understand this 2nd book or the story. They do briefly here and there along the way talk about a few incidents from the first book, so enough is said that you get the gist of what happened and who the characters are.

I have been to St. Augustine, although a very long time ago, but I do remember it and loved visiting there, so it made this story even better for me because I can imagine the town and the scenes from the descriptions in the book. And it's the perfect city to set up supernatural things along with ghosts because of the attention to detail that has made St. Augustine famous, which is the old Spanish style buildings and streets, it's like walking down a living ghost town from the past!

Jeff and Carla are fearless as our heroes along with the help of Lobo, the Native American Indian who has a lot of secrets that Jeff and Carla finally learn about in this book. From what I understood of this book, they did not know in the first one that he is hundreds of years old. Jeff, in a confrontation with evil, slips back thru time and lands back in the good ole West and there he see's Lobo with another man.

From there the story gets even more freaky as Jeff starts seeing his dead mother come back and she is trying to tell him something or warning him about something that is coming. At this point, Lobo has to start training Jeff and Carla so that they will be ready to do battle with this evil that is heading their way. And yes, Carla has certain abilities herself that will aid them all in this fight.

But, will they be ready for whatever's coming?

Like I said, it's a really good YA Fantasy book and there aren't any bad scenes or really bad languages gaps, so it's okay for your young teens to read or even yourself. I know I am getting to where I don't want to read all that filthy language and it's really not necessary to tell a good story. Good stories can stand on their own without all of that nonsense and I am glad this one chose to go down the path of showing good character and tell an amazing story at the same time! Great job!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an intriguing second following an incredible first in The St Augustine Trilogy. You'll find yourself devouring the book, turning the pages with history, mystery, paranormal beings & time travel all wrapped up in this next installment. Author Doug Dillon knows how to weave a fascinating story.

Jeff has come a long way since he's moved to St. Augustine and met up with Carla and Lobo, his character has developed more as well as his gifts. When faced with a decision, his talents come to the surface. Carla is also quite amazing in this book, her soft outer shell has been penetrated and we see more of her personality and characteristics come out. Jeff and Carla's budding romance is taken to the next level with such care. We get to know Lyle, a homeless guy from the first book, as he is a key into Lobo's past. Lobo on the other hand is still up to his discrete and secretive self but with a little more style when he gets into a story interrupting him is not an option. Blunt and direct as well as defined we also get to know more about Lobo and his Shaman abilities in this installment. Faced with the unknown, a threat that can destroy St. Augustine and all who reside there, Jeff, Carla, Lobo and Lyle must face off and defeat the mysterious being before it's too late.

If you loved Sliding Beneath the Surface and cannot wait to find out what happens next, the journey in Stepping Off a Cliff will not let you down. Join Jeff, Carla, Lobo and Lyle as they fight to protect the city they all love, St. Augustine and all they hold dear.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had received both Sliding Beneath the Surface and Stepping off a Cliff from author Doug Dillon for honest reviews; Let me just say, I am such a lucky gal! Mr Dillon, you have roped me in again! I am SO in love with this authors writing and story telling ability. The characters have so much life, as well as the setting. All of the historical facts that are brought into play with this book just make it that much more believable, entertaining, and dare I say..real?!

Stepping off a Cliff starts with Jeff telling his story of what happened after he and his girlfriend Carla were sucked into his ancestors past. It easily slides into the time line. We meet some new and interesting characters and their stories are just as fascinating. Jeff and Carla both struggle with attempting to hone their abilities, with the help of Lobo of course, an "old" friend and shaman. The antagonist in the story, the PB (read it and you'll know what I'm talking about ;)) was a little far fetched for me. That being said, however, it really did explain why Lyle and lobo are the way they are. The characters compliment each other very well and in the end, goodness must prevail right???? We shall see...

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this amazing story. If you like paranormal mixed with historical significance you'll love this series. I'm excited to see what comes next and perhaps have another opportunity to read and review Dillon's work of art!

[Len · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stepping Off a Cliff is Book 2 in The St. Augustine Trilogy and it is a mixture of paranormal, time travel, action and mystery all in one. It is a fascinating book with a very interesting storyline that makes you want to know what happens next. Just like Sliding Beneath the Surface, Book 1 in the Trilogy, it had my attention right from the beginning.

Jeff, Carla, Lobo and Lyle are in great danger. They are dealing with something that is very big and paranormal. It is something that Jeff and Carla haven’t dealt with before but Lobo and Lyle have, a long time ago in their past. Lobo warns them about the danger that they are in and he gets them prepared for what they need to do. Will Jeff and Carla be ready for what is to come?

Their adventure together has begun. They will risk their lives to save themselves, the people and the city of St. Augustine. Will they be able to save everyone and the city before it is too late?

As I was reading, I could feel the rollercoaster emotions that they were feeling during their dangerous adventure. I felt like I was right there with them.

Doug Dillon has done an amazing job again! Thank you so much for another awesome adventure in The St. Augustine Trilogy! Stepping Off a Cliff is a must read so I definitely recommend all my book friends to check it out.

[Elizabeth Graf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book picks up pretty much where the first one, Sliding Beneath the Surface, left off with Jeff and Carla.

This story is part two in the St. Augstine trilogy and it does not let you down with the paranormal and history of St. Augustine. Jeff Golden and Carla Rodriguez, are dealing with a particle being, PB, in this story. The PB wants to take over their city of St. Augustine by taking control of the people in the city.

Without spoiling the story for anyone, you will not be disappointed at all. This story also has characters from the first book--Lyle,the homeless guy, and Lobo, the Shaman, who also helped them in the first book. This book goes more in depth in the relationship between Jeff and Carla and how the two of them learn more about the special abilities that they both have. It also tells about a connection between Lyle and Lobo and how they have past that crossed.

If you have read the first book, you will love this one as well. If you like paranormal with some history to it, this is the book to read. I actually had to hide this book as I was reading because my 12 year old saw that I had it and she 'stole' it from me to read. Needless to say, Mr. Dillon is a favorite author in our household and we are waiting with anticipation for the last book in the series to come out.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow another great read from Mr. Dillon! I have received both books of this trilogy out so far from the author for an honest review, and I honestly enjoyed this second book as much as the first! Mr. Dillon is a great storyteller using historical facts and the possibilities of what might be in the universe to create such a great story. I felt like I was part of Jeff's world and going on this adventure with him, Carla, Lyle, and of course Lobo.

Jeff learns more about his abilities in this installment of the series and some amazing facts come to light about all of the characters and the place in which they live, St. Augustine in Florida. If you haven't read the first book, or it has been a while since you read it, Mr. Dillon tells the story in such a way that helps you remember what happened, or to catch you up.

I don't want to reveal too much so I will just end by saying to give this book, as well as the first book, a try because they are very interesting and enjoyable reads. I definitely may be looking at things on the news and around me differently now!

[M.M. Roethig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by Doug Dillon! The story starts off in perfect sequence of his first book in the series, Sliding Beneath the Surface, and takes us on another roller coaster ride of mystery through the city of St. Augustine. We get to follow Carla and Jeff again on their adventure, that leaves you gripping the edge of your seat to know what happens next. Lobo, the hard to love, tell -it-like-it-is, Shaman is along for the ride this time, as well as new characters that bring depth to the story.
After reading this well written adventure, you will have a hard time looking at the world around you without wondering if maybe, just maybe you might be experiencing 'other-worldly' events yourself. After his first novel, Sliding Beneath the Surface, I had the urge to visit St. Augustine. Now . . . I've really got to get there! :) Nice job, Doug! I enjoy this read and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more to come!

[Dave Lapham · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story! Just finished Stepping Off a Cliff, the second book in Doug Dillon’s St. Augustine trilogy. The book stands alone—you don’t have to have read the first, Sliding Beneath the Surface, but if you have, not to worry. Jeff, Carla, Lobo, and cast glide seamlessly into Stepping Off. Doug is a masterful storyteller and keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat. In Sliding Jeff and Carla have to overcome Jeff’s long-dead, Civil War relatives. In Stepping Off, the two teenagers battle a Particle Being, which is intent on taking over St. Augustine by entering the bodies of all its citizens. Skirmish after skirmish, Jeff and Carla with Lobo’s help escape with their lives, and just when the reader thinks their situation can’t get any worse, it does. This is a YA novel, but if you like sci fi/paranormal/fantasy, you’ll love this story. I couldn’t put the book down.

[Bruce Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This both was better then the first. When reading the first one I was skeptical of how this great story could get better. But the blossoming of Carla and Jeff's relationship was outstanding and of course the man was NOT the first one to express his emotions. Lyle was a great character to bring, finding out his past and understanding where he came from was awesome. Lobo still has to be the rock but I love the softening of his character. Jeff relationship with his mom was a turn I did not see coming. It shows that love is deep for parents even when you don't realize it is there the villain in this book was a step into thinking about what kind of life forces. Are truly out there may it be from the sky or the ground are truly alone even on our own planet. Great read after all I read it is very seldom that I get surprised!! Awesome can not wait for the next one!

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this story from the author for my honest review. Stepping off a cliff(book2) starts up where Sliding beneath the surface(book1) left off. Doug Dillon writes story with historical facts, paranormal twists and will have you hooked from the beginning of the book. If you enjoy books like that check his books out! Carla & Jeff are forced into another situation that can cause life changing events to all who live on St. Augustine if they don't help. This book along with the first book is full of action, paranormal twists along with a great plot. Will Carla & Jeff be able to help? Can they save the people of St.Augustine? Your going to have to find out and enjoy. Thank you again for letting me read & review :)

[Pam Funke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stepping Off a Cliff is the second book in Doug Dillon's trilogy and I picked it up to read because I read the first book in the series. As I've mentioned before, this is not my normal genre of reading. Doug Dillon is a good writer and despite the fact that I don't read paranormal books, I found this book to be entertaining. Doug Dillon's ability to draw you into the story is one of the things that captivated me about his writing. This book continues where the last one left off. While some of the things that happened in this book were a little out there, it did help to draw a picture in the reader's mind of what was going on. The characters were very developed and I liked the relationship between Lobo, Carla and Jeff.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good book.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the second book in the St. Augustine Trilogy. You will not be disappointed with this book! It will keep your flipping the pages to find out what happens next. We get to not only deal with the kids again. Carla and Jeff, but also get another dose of Lobo and Lyle.

This time the kids with the help of the adults are dealing with some REAL BIG NASTIES!!! I won't go into details, I hate spoilers, but we will see a bit of time travel again. Gotta love time travel. A bit of a fight, and learn a bit of history.

If you loved book one as I did, you will definitely love book 2! I can't wait to see what happens in book 3 of this trilogy!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

the second book in the st. augustine trilogy started off with a lot more bang and pizzazz than the first book. it picks up not long after the first book ends and gets right to the fun and action and keeps it up to the end of the book. it answered a lot of the questions and mysteries from the first book and then it gave a few more that i hoped will be addressed in the last book! i also loved seeing more of the psychic and paranormal abilities being used throughout the story. overall i enjoyed this book even more than the first one and i look forward to the last one.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a particle being to hybrid sea life, yet not to be outdone by going back in time, this is an adventure of a lifetime. How do you fight something that can put a great amount of fear in you from not one but two different perspectives? Easy, you flip a switch. Easier said then done for our young man unprepared so soon after his first venture in St. Augustine. Great read for all, highly recommended read.

[Lorraine Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book and easy to read (i won this book through the goodreads programme). I was surprised how much I enjoyed the book as it would not be the sort of book I would normally go for, but I am looking forward to the next one and shall look out for the first in the series. A supernatural mystery with a difference and well worth a look at.

[Isis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow. . .