Linked

by E. Rose Sabin

Who is this stranger? How did he enter the enclosed palace garden?

When Princess Trey of Lapala questions the handsome intruder who startles her as she works in the secluded garden, he tells her his name, Aradal, and claims to be looking for a well. Since there is certainly no well in the palace garden, she should be suspicious. She should summon a guard. But his friendly smile and soft voice put her at ease, while his eyes seem to speak to her soul. When he leaves as mysteriously as he’d come, against all wisdom she longs to see him again.

Aradal is a Cutter, an immortal being sent to sever the link that binds a living nine-year-old girl to the spirit of her dead twin, whom he can then convey to the Guardians of the Gates to the afterlife. To carry out his task Aradal must find the well into which the girl fell and died years before and where her bones still lie. The link between the living twin and her dead sister has remained so strong that the twins can converse at the well where the dead girl’s spirit remains. The living twin has long kept secret her twin’s place of death.

Because these twins are her nieces, Aradal’s search frequently brings him into contact with Princess Trey. Falling in love with Trey, he fails to focus on the task he must carry out. A forbidden link forms between him and Trey. Another link binds him to the precocious living twin when her life is threatened. If he fails to cut these links as well as the link between the twins, he faces dire punishment from the Guardians and eternal separation from Trey. The seeming impossibility of their love only strengthens the link that binds Aradal and Trey. How can the lovers overcome the impossible obstacles that threaten them?

308 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2022

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.