Excerpt & Giveaway: When Life Gives You Demons by Jennifer Honeybourn

When Life Gives You Demons
Jennifer Honeybourn
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: July 17th 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Some people have school spirit.

Shelby Black has real ones.
Shelby Black has spent the past six months training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy―a Catholic priest―has put her through exorcist boot camp hell, hoping to develop her talent, but ohmygod, he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own.
High school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity to herself. The last thing she wants is for her crush, Spencer, to find out what she does in her off time.
But Shelby knows how to keep a secret―even a big one. Like the fact that her mom left under mysterious circumstances and it’s all her fault. Shelby is hellbent on finding her mom, no matter what it costs her―even if what it ends up costing her is her soul AND a relationship with Spencer.

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EXCERPT:

I dig my bejewelled purple spray bottle of holy water out of my bag and hide it behind my back. Then I take another deep breath and push open the door. My heart thunders in my chest as whatever has an evil hold of Ms. C watches me with its dead shark eyes. I think about locking the door so no one can barge in, but I don’t want to turn my back on her. I need to get a bit closer in order to effectively spray her, but not so close that she can grab me if she figures out what I’m up to. “Hi Ms. Caplan,’ I say. “I have some questions about the homework assignment.” My hands are shaking. I tighten my grip on the water bottle as I slowly walk towards her. Almost there. One more step. When I’m in front of her desk, I whip out the spray bottle and start squirting. Holy water is very powerful – if you are possessed, it will do a number on your skin. Sure enough, steam starts to rise from a spot near her elbow. Ms. C lets out an inhuman scream and shoots out of her chair, at least three feet in the air. And it’s at that moment when I realize my handcuffs are buried in the bottom of my bag and I have zero point zero seconds to dig them out. Restraining her is not going to be an option. I can hear Uncle Roy’s voice in my head, chastising me for making such a rookie mistake. Ms. C lands on top of her desk, crouched on all fours like an animal. She snarls and I try not to gag. A public bathroom that hasn’t been cleaned in a few weeks probably smells better than her breath. I spray her again, this time right between the eyes. She screams even louder and covers her face with her hands. Steam pours out from between her fingers.
Okay, so the screaming has got to stop; it’s definitely going to draw attention. It’s probably only a matter of seconds before someone comes into the room to find out who’s being murdered. I need to start the exorcism ASAP. I drop the water bottle and hold up my crucifix. “Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac, et virtúte tua age causam meam,” I say, putting as much force into the words as possible. “Deus, audi oratiónem meam; áuribus pércipe verba oris mei.” Ms. C leaps off the desk. She soars over my head and lands directly behind me with a soft thud. She’s standing so close I can feel her hot breath on my neck. I shudder. I have never been so afraid in my life. The lesson that Uncle Roy has drummed into me more than any other is to never turn your back on a demon. Swallowing, I make myself turn around.

Author Bio:
Jennifer Honeybourn works in corporate communications in Vancouver, British Columbia. She’s a fan of British accents, Broadway musicals, and epic, happily-ever-after love stories. If she could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, she’d have high tea with Walt Disney, JK Rowling, and her nana. She lives with her husband, daughter and cat in a house filled with books. Wesley James Ruined My Life is her first novel.

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