Excerpt and Release Date!

Guess who has a new release date? This girl!

So my next book, "The Lessons of Magik", is planned to release the end of Jan 2018. It's a modern day, fantasy with magik, dictatorship, and war.

I don't have a cover yet to share, but I do have an short excerpt for you guys. Enjoy! Don't forget to check out my website: slmcginnis.com to keep up with the news!

P.S. You can also buy Dear World there now.

Excerpt::

             Kara would face-palm if she weren’t standing in public right now. Her mother is digging her grave for her with absolute precision. “I think we should…”

            “Tory can’t be the only one to visit the house! I like that you have new friends. If you won’t come for her sake, at least come for mine. She can sit in her room and pout all night if she wants to.”

            Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of making friends? Kara groans and waits for Ryan to accept the invitation. He looks unsure about the prospect of going to someone else’s home, but Killian grins and nods. “We’d love to come over.”

            He acts kind of like they've never been invited to someone else's home before.

            “We would?” Ryan shoots his twin a look that begs to differ. “I don’t think we would.”

            “No, we seriously would. Thank you for the offer, Mrs. McKenzie. When would you like us to come?”

            Kara doesn’t bother fighting it this time. She puts her face in her hands and fights the urge to call Tory and tell him he has no choice but to come over and save her from Ryan. His dad can wait, can’t he? Samantha claps her hands together happily ignoring her daughter’s misery.

            “Why don’t you come over now?”

            “Sure.”

            Ryan shoots Kara a glare like this is her fault. She shares his sentiment and restrains herself by smiling politely. “This should be fun.”

            In the car, she’s sitting in the back next to Ryan because her mom wants to talk to Killian about his life. She seems to sense the other one won't be much for conversation right now. So, Ryan and Kara both sit against the back of the seat with crossed arms and scowls. 

            “You better forget this address.” She mutters under her breath.

            Ryan scoffs like she had just told him tor jump off a bridge. “I won’t even bother paying attention to the location. I’ll close my eyes the whole time we drive.”

            “Good because I don’t want you around my house.”

            “I don’t want to be in your house.” He hisses back.

            She didn’t imagine hating his guts when he first arrived at her school because he was intriguing and cute, but Ryan was increasingly getting on her nerves and making her feel like an inadequate human being. Who the hell does he think he is anyway? And why should she want to be friends with him?

            “Are you two getting along back there?” Her mom coos from the front seat. “I think it’s great you made new friends.”

            Kara shoots a glance at Ryan before grinning. “Killian is rather amazing he, isn’t he mom? He’s wicked smart too, you should have been there for his report on the morality of lawyers in modern day America.”

            Samantha smiles blind to her daughter’s intentions. Killian tenses in the front seat as Ryan grimaces, “What the hell are you even talking about?”

            “Oh right, you didn’t turn your report in, did you?”

            “We didn’t have to! The teacher excused us because we just got here yesterday.”

            As if suddenly noticing the tension, Samantha adjusts her rear view mirror and eyes her daughter. “Is there something going on that I need to know about?”

             Has she not been listening to her this whole time? Kara doesn't feel like she should have to spell this out for her mother.

            “He’s an idiot, mom! Why are you letting them come over? Really, let’s just drop them off at the corner and make them go home!”

            “Kara McKenzie! This is not how I raised you!”

            Killian giggles in the front seat, “Someone’s having a lover’ spat.”

            Ryan reaches over the center console to punch his twin. Samantha expertly deflects the assault and pulls the car over to turn and look at them properly. “What in blazes is going on back here? There will be no hitting in my car, Ryan.”

             For once in his life, Ryan is stunned and silent.