Mother Lode

by E. Rose Sabin

"If it's excitement you're looking for, you aren't gonna find it here."
How wrong that discouraging word from a shopkeeper proves to be! Shortly after Bryte and Lina, her friend and mentor, arrive in the desert town of Marquez, Bryte, exploring on her own, stumbles into a gem-mining operation that enslaves orphans and forces them into hard labor in the mine. Determined to find a way to free the sixteen orphans kept prisoner in a home run by cruel "Mother" Cooper and her sadistic son, young Bryte passes herself off as an orphan and joins the bedraggled crew of half-starved and hopeless children. Her two special abilities, her acute hearing and her blinding rage light that she cannot turn on or off at will, won't suffice to combat miners with guns and whips.

Even when Bryte finds a way to free herself and enlist Lina's help, she and Lina alone are not enough to defeat the miners and liberate the orphans. They must recruit helpers willing to accept risks that can thrust them into lethal danger. Bryte must also help Lina cope with her lack of mothering skills and her reluctance to accept responsibility for the desperate orphans.

Discover the peril into which Bryte's desire for excitement leads her and share her courageous quest to save the orphans in this exciting addition to the Arucadi Series.

Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2021

About the author

Although born in Pennsylvania, I have lived in Florida since I was five years old. Attended schools in Pinellas County and later taught Spanish and English in the Pinellas County Public Schools.

Although I've always written for my own pleasure, I became serious about writing for publication rather late. I'm now retired from teaching and devoting my time to my writing. Oh, and also to my two dogs, Juliet, a pit bull mix, and Pixie. Juliet I adopted from Animal Control after someone dumped her on the street. She's young, boisterous, and loves everybody. As for Pixie, I agreed to foster to save her from being euthanized. By the time she became adoptable, I realized I couldn't give her up. She's a very pretty dog, a mix of many breeds. She and Juliet love to play together and provide me with great entertainment.

Four of my published books are for teens, and form the Arucadi series, for the country in which they are set. I love hearing from teen readers. I also have a fantasy novel for older teens and adults, three Arucadi novels taking place long before the first four books. Then I have a an adult science fiction trilogy, and I do hope to hear from adult readers about it. I have four stand-alone fantasies for adults One of them, Seduction of the Scepter, is set in Eastern Europe in the mid-1700s. It's light on fantasy, and if you don't like series or trilogies, this might be the book for you. And finally I have a children's chapter book for ages 6-9 titled Grandy's Grand Inventions, which has elements of both fantasy and science fiction.