Hush Money (Talent Chronicles #1)
They call their abilities Talents, and that’s what they call themselves as well. Talents are people born with supernatural powers, feared by the population at large. Possession of an “unregistered ability” has become illegal, and those who are discovered are forcibly removed to government-run research facilities.
And so the Talents try, as best they can, to keep their abilities secret–some more successfully than others. For some, keeping that secret begins to define who they are. And that’s where Hush Money begins…
Be normal, invisible. Don’t get close to anyone. Kids with psychic abilities tend to mysteriously disappear when they get noticed. Joss has spent years trying to hide. Now she has an unasked-for best friend, who is the victim of an extortion plot by the school bully, who used to like Joss, who is best friends with her long-time crush, who is actually talking to her. Life just got more complicated.
Hush Money is a novel of approximately 50,000 words, and is rated PG-13 for strong language and one suggestive scene. It is recommended that parents read the sample provided by their retailer before purchasing this book for tweens/younger teens.
The Story Behind This Book
I've always been drawn to Romance and romantic storylines. I've also always been drawn to superhero stories on TV and in movies. Unfortunately, movies and TV often fall short on the romance aspect, and comics often miss the point completely. So here are all these wonderful, heroic people, and fantastically creative plots, never living up to their romantic potential. I wanted to work on a series that would allow me to combine my love of both genres for all the readers out there who love the heroic characters and superhero vibe of shows like Buffy and Smallville, but keep watching for the soapy, melodramatic relationship drama. In my fictional world, Talents are people born with supernatural abilities. They represent a small percentage of the population, and through a natural progression of human nature, the Talents become feared and persecuted by the general population. The government, ever helpful, creates laws to “deal” with them, as well as a special agency, the National Institutes for Ability Control, or NIAC, as it is commonly known. Unfortunately, although NIAC is charged with protecting the Talents from themselves, as well as protecting the public, their purpose is also to study these phenomenal abilities. NIAC isn’t shy about stepping on civil liberties and human rights in the name of protecting the public and advancing science. And so the Talents try, as best they can, to keep their abilities secret–some more successfully than others. For some, keeping that secret begins to define who they are. That’s where Hush Money begins the series, in which a high school girl must choose between keeping her secret and doing what’s right to save a friend.