Planet Urth: The Return of Avery

by Jennifer Martucci, Christopher Martucci

Lucas thought he could have a peaceful existence. After reforming leadership in Sinsity, a new life seemed possible. One that didn’t include running and fighting to survive. All of that ended with the arrival of two strangers bringing word of what was happening in the world outside the one he created. That a resistance was on the rise. Now Lucas must decide whether to stay in comfort or return and fight. Avery has been living in the darkest time of her life, fighting to survive while she and her people live on the verge of starvation. The world begins to crash down all around her and she becomes more and more desperate. Keeping her family alive is a task that becomes more difficult with each day that passes. She is still hunted, and her time in hiding is soon coming to an end. Can she find a way to survive, is there anyone left on the planet that will still fight on her side, or will her time on Urth finally come to an end?

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2020

About the author

Jennifer and Christopher Martucci hoped that their life plan had changed radically in early 2010. To date, the jury is still out. But late one night, in January of 2010, the stay at home mom of three girls (all under the age of six) had just picked up the last doll from the playroom floor and placed it in a bin when her husband startled her by declaring, “We should write a book, together!” Wearied from a day of shuttling the children to and from school, preschool and Daisy Scouts, laundry, cooking and cleaning, Jennifer simply stared blankly at her husband of fifteen years. After all, the idea of writing a book had been an individual dream each of them possessed for much of their young adult lives. Both had written separately in their teens and early twenties, but without much success. They would write a dozen chapters here and there only to find that either the plot would fall apart, or characters would lose their zest, or the story would just fall flat. Christopher had always preferred penning science fiction stories filled with monsters and diabolical villains, while Jennifer had favored venting personal experiences or writing about romance, as romance was far easier to invent fictitiously than it was to attain in real life. Inevitably though, frustration and day to day life had placed writing on the back burner and for several years, each had pursued alternate (paying) careers. But the dream never died. And Christopher suggested that their dream ought to be removed from the back burner for further examination. When he proposed that he and his wife author a book together on that cold January night, Jennifer was hesitant to reject the idea outright. His proposal sparked a discussion, and the discussion lasted deep into the night. By morning, the idea for the Dark Creations series was born.

The Dark Creations series was written while Jennifer and Christopher continued with their day to day activities and raised their young children. They changed diapers, potty trained and went to story time at the local library between chapter outlines and served as room parents while fleshing out individal sections of the book. Life simply continued. And in some ways, their everyday lives were reflected in the characters of the series. In fact, the main female characters are named after three very important people in their lives: their three daughters. Their likenesses end there, however.

As the story line continues to evolve, so too does the Martucci collaboration. Lunches are still packed, noses are still wiped and time remains a rare and precious commodity in their household in upstate New York, but it is the sound of happy chaos that is the true background music of their writing. They hope that their work, though penned for a young adult audience, will be appreciated by the young of every age, and that all enjoy reading it as much as they enjoyed writing it.

Reviews

[Mary Jo Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a "must read"!!!!

mary.jo3561@gmail.com

I dropped all of my planned reading after Book 1 because there was no way I could stop. When one book was finished I immediately downloaded the next. I couldn't wait to see what happened next! Happy reading fellow "Action Packed" book lovers!!

[Brinlisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous series!

[Renee Angela Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all of Planet Urth and found all the books pretty good. I was glad to see the authors came back to Avery and her family. Nice job Chris and Jen.

[Stephi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these characters!!!

I just loved Avery & Sully & Lucas so much.

Lots of typos to get through and it kind of pulls you out of the story.

The story & characters were wonderful