Songs From the Wood (Olympic Vista Chronicles) YA Horror, SciFi by Kelly Pawlik ➱ Book Tour with Giveaway

 

 

Songs From the Wood

Olympic Vista Chronicles Book 2

by Kelly Pawlik

Genre: YA Horror, SciFi

Delve into the mystery of the strange, small town of Olympic Vista, WA.

In the days following a foray into a dilapidated house, twelve-year-old Darius Belcouer becomes desperate to find another unexplained phenomenon to investigate.

When animal attacks around town are reported in the news, Darius and Adelaide band together to solve the mystery. The trail leads them into the forest beyond Adelaide’s house where the pair discover that much like the small town itself, nothing in the woods is as it seems.

An eager new kid, a deadpan music-lover, a fast-talking troublemaker, an anxious bookworm and a girl torn between popularity and adventure. Follow this group of friends as they delve into the mysteries of their small town while juggling the trials and tribulations of their home lives.

Songs from the Wood is the sequel to Yesterday’s Gone, and the second novella in the Olympic Vista Chornicles.

Praise for the author:
“Pawlik has a flare for writing about this period and I could truly visualize the eighties vibes through her description of music, fashion and even food.”

Pick up your copy today and join this motley group of friends as they journey into the strange!

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Yesterday's Gone

Olympic Vista Chronicles Book 1 

Delve into the mystery of the strange, small town of Olympic Vista, WA.

“Pawlik has a flare for writing about this period and I could truly visualize the eighties vibes through her description of music, fashion and even food.”

Book one of the Olympic Vista Chronicles follows Darius and Adelaide as they explore a house rumoured to be haunted. What they find is so much worse.

Darius Belcouer, a rich kid from Boston, moves to the strange, small town of Olympic Vista, Washington at the end of the summer of 1986.

Here he meets Adelaide and her friends. Eager to embrace his new life, Darius encourages them to help him explore a haunted house.

When the children discover government agents tasked with maintaining order in the chaos created by local scientists, they realize the house is only the beginning of the strange happenings.

An eager new kid, a deadpan music-lover, a fast-talking troublemaker, an anxious bookworm and a girl torn between popularity and adventure. Follow this group of friends as they delve into the mysteries of their small town while juggling the trials and tribulations of their home lives.

Yesterday’s Gone is the perfect quick read for those with a nostalgia for the 80s or who love a good kids-on-bikes story.

Praise for Yesterday's Gone:

“Nostalgic and highly readable.”

“Yesterday’s Gone is fast paced and the perfect weekend read!”

"It evokes the feeling of the eighties, bringing back some fond memories"

"A great poolside read that's impossible to put down"

"A throwback to the 80's"

Pick up your copy today and join this motley group of friends as they journey into the strange!

ABOUT OLYMPIC VISTA CHRONICLES

Everything twelve-year-old Adelaide Winter knows about her Washington state hometown is turned on its head when Darius Belcouer moves to Olympic Vista at the end of summer 1986.

The two become fast friends as they bond over the mystery of a local haunted house Darius wants to explore. The house, it turns out, is only the tip of the iceberg. They quickly discover the more they dig, the more they uncover, and the trail leads back to The Link, a research and development facility in town. Together, Adelaide and her friends delve into the strange occurrences around Olympic Vista.

A tale of horror, friendship, and coming of age in the late 1980s.

**Only .99 cents!!**

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Songs from the Wood

Excerpt 1

Tetsu kicked a small stone and watched as it skipped along the pavement. He shoved his hands deeper into his khaki pockets as he walked up the street. A group of three kids walked just ahead of him. They kept glancing back at him, which caused Tetsu’s scowl to deepen.

“Wonder what his problem is?” one boy muttered to his friend.

“Him and Adelaide are in some fight,” the other boy replied.

Tetsu reached the stone and kicked it again. It skipped forward and almost hit the first boy.

“Uh-uh. I heard Adelaide and the new guy are a couple now,” the sister said. “He’s jealous.”

“I can hear you!” Tetsu called out.

The trio exchanged a quick glance and hurried up their road toward their destinations, a pair of houses side-by-side.

Tetsu flipped them the bird as they looked back at him.

He carried on down the street toward his own house, which sat close to the forest’s edge. Unlike Adelaide’s house, most of the properties along the woods on Alder Street had been built with a tall fence devoid of any gates. The forest floor dropped off suddenly and the properties here sat perched on the edge of a precipice. 

Tetsu glanced toward the Horchuk house as he passed it. It was the closest one to Pine Street, and the only one with forest access. It was two doors down from Tetsu’s. Normally, after he dropped Adelaide at her house, he would have cut through the forest and then through the Horchuck property to get home. 

Tetsu kicked another rock and watched as it skipped down the street. His gaze shifted back to the Horchuk property as something in the large bushes moved. Tetsu paused and cocked his head to the side.

There was a long, low growl and the bush rustled.

Tetsu hesitated, then stepped closer. 

The branches and leaves shook as a dark shape emerged. The sun glinted off its eyes.

Tetsu turned and bolted toward his house. 

The creature growled again, hot on his heels. 

Tetsu risked a glance over his shoulder; the black mass was gaining on him. Tetsu winced as he stumbled over a small pothole. Pain shot up his ankle. He staggered forward, his chest pounding.

Excerpt 2

Adelaide worked through her math assignment. Her stomach rumbled as she closed her textbook. As if on cue, there was a small knock and the door to Adelaide’s room opened. Her mother poked her head inside. 

“So, I was thinking grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.” Belinda smiled. “I can start them now. What do you think?”

Adelaide looked at the list of songs she had compiled and set her pencil down. “Sounds good. Why don’t I keep you company?” Adelaide offered.

“Oh, you don’t have to, baby! I can putter away all by myself,” Belinda assured her in her bubbly voice.

“I want to,” Adelaide insisted. On rare occasions Belinda had the urge to cook and on these occasions the house smelled like burnt. Burnt toast, burnt soup, burnt grilled cheese sandwiches, burnt frozen pizza, or burnt eggs. Always burnt. “Why don’t I put on the music?”

“Oooh, yes! I love when you pick the music,” Belinda praised. 

“Thanks, Mama,” Adelaide said as she gathered up her song list and followed her mother downstairs. “I’ll be there in a second, Mama.” She stopped in the living room, crouched down and flipped through her mother’s record collection. Adelaide pulled out She’s so Unusual by Cyndi Lauper, set it to play and turned it up.

Adelaide walked into the kitchen and nodded at the volume of the music. It was perfect, unlike the state of the kitchen. Breadcrumbs were scattered across the dark green countertop next to the toaster. Several coffee mugs, two plates and a bowl were in the sink. The floor was a mess of food debris. 

“I love this one, great choice.” Belinda beamed at her. She had already buttered slices of white bread. 

Adelaide smiled as her mother took a jar of Jalapeño Tex-Mex Cheez Whiz out of the fridge and smeared liberal amounts of it across the slices of the bread. “Thanks, Mama.” Adelaide glanced at the garbage bin, which had almost overflowed. A bread bag with the bread ends still inside protruded like a tongue taunting her. “You don’t have to throw out the ends you know.” Adelaide set her pencil and list of song ideas down on the banquet style table and walked to the garbage can where she wrestled the garbage bag free. She didn’t love bread ends, or the bread bum as Sophie called it, but they were perfectly fine and far better than an empty cupboard.

“The ends are terrible!” Belinda remarked. “You don’t have to do that,” she said as she glanced over. 

“It’s okay, Mama. I’ve got it.” Adelaide folded the top of the bag over, squished the garbage down into the bag and tied the whole thing closed. She eyed her mother’s progress, but decided to chance it. 

Adelaide slipped a pair of shoes she kept by the back door onto her feet and carried the bag out the back. She walked across the wooden deck, down the side stairs, and around to the dented silver garbage bin on the side of the house. 

Somewhere toward the back of the property, a bird cawed. Adelaide hefted the bag into the can and resecured the lid with a slight clang as the metal reverberated against itself. She wondered how many of Madonna’s songs she should include on party cassette. Madonna was good to dance to and Sophie loved her. She was halfway up the steps lost in thought about if she could fit “Material Girl,” “Like a Virgin” and this summer’s hit, “Papa Don’t Preach,” on the cassette when she noticed something move out of the corner of her eye.

There was another loud caw as a big black crow swooped straight toward her. 

Excerpt 3

Adelaide traced her fingers over the black dog on the cover of a Jethro Tull album and wondered what it would be like to camp with her friends in the wood when they got a bit older. She slid the album back into place and carried on, knowing her friends wouldn’t enjoy Jethro Tull’s music as much as she might. 

“So is Brody going to make out with you at the party?” Sophie asked. Her tone was light, but she smiled like a shark. 

“What?” Adelaide swivelled her head to look at Sophie. 

“Come on, he has a huge crush on you. You two would look cute together.” Sophie cooed. She stacked a piece of cheese onto a cracker and took a bite. 

“Grody, Brody!” Tetsu laughed. 

“I heard his notebook has hearts with your name in them,” Sophie teased.

“Brody is fine,” —Adelaide frowned— “but I’m not interested in him like that.”

“Is he coming to the party?” Kurt asked as he looked up from his homework.

“Yes. He wasn’t sure, but Darius told him about the arcade machine in the pool house and he said he’d be there.” Adelaide looked back down at the cover of Dreamboat Annie by Heart.

“What?” Tetsu wheeled. “He has an arcade machine in his pool house?” 

“Sounds like.” Adelaide shrugged. Her stomach rumbled and she hoped the noise was drowned out by the “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees. She reached over to the table, placed a slice of cheese onto a cracker and took a bite. 

“Well, you guys should probably get going,” Sophie said suddenly. She looked at the plate of cheese and crackers and then picked it up. “It’s almost dinner time. I’m sure your parents will want you home.”

“Okay,” Kurt said. He closed his book and slid it into his backpack.

Adelaide ate the last bite of her cracker and cheese and dusted her hands on her jeans. She picked up the album she had out and placed it back onto the shelf. 

“It’s early still,” Tetsu argued. He looked longingly at the plate of cheese and crackers. 

Adelaide lifted the needle off the turntable and slid The Monkees back into its cover. She placed the album back on the shelf and picked up her bag. 

“My parents don’t want people here too late tonight,” Sophie said as she shepherded everyone out of the Hideout.

“Your parents don’t care,” Tetsu scoffed.

“Tetsu,” Sophie warned as they filed out of the room onto the lower landing. She ushered everyone up the steps.

As she reached the landing at the front door, Adelaide glanced up the stairs.

“Are you all leaving already?” Sheila called as she stepped out from the kitchen. 

“Yes, Mom. They all have to get home,” Sophie replied as she opened the front door. “Bye, guys.”

“Adelaide, sweetie, you are welcome to stay for dinner.” Sheila smiled. 

Adelaide could feel Sophie’s gaze on her. She hoped Andy would come around the corner from his bedroom and wave goodbye.

“I’m okay, Mrs. Katillion. My mom needs me home,” Adelaide lied. “And I’ve got a mixed tape to make for the party. Thank you though. Really.” 

“If you’re sure,” Sheila said. She looked between Sophie and Adelaide.

“She’s sure,” Sophie said with a smile as she ushered everyone out the door.

Adelaide gave one last wave before the door closed in their faces.

“What’s that about?” Tetsu asked.

“Maybe she wanted to be alone?” Kurt suggested.

“I don’t think that’s exactly it, Kurt,” Adelaide said as she thought about Sophie’s conversation with Darius earlier.

“Girls,” Tetsu scoffed.

“Night, Kurt,” Adelaide said as they paused outside his house. He waved goodbye and Tetsu and Adelaide continued up the street.

“You know I don’t mean you, right?” Tetsu asked. 

“What?” Adelaide asked confused.

“The thing about girls. I mean, you aren’t like them. I like how you are.”

“Thanks.” A small smile crossed her otherwise impassive face. 

They continued up the road in silence. 

 Excerpt from Yesterday's Gone

EXCERPT ONE

Darius glanced over at Adelaide. She looked out toward the playground. “So, I heard this place is weird,” he said. “Because of The Link.”

Adelaide’s gaze was still on the playground. Tetsu shrugged. Sophie flicked her hair over her shoulder and smiled.

“They do a lot of experiments there, I guess,” Kurt said. “They say it doesn’t affect us and there’s a lot of safety protocols in place. Between you and me, though,” Kurt said, leaning in, “it’s full of commies. They are the real threat.”

“Come on, Kurt,” Sophie said as she rolled her eyes.

Kurt pursed his lips and looked at the ground. “That’s what my dad says.” 

“No one believes that. And the other stuff is just rumours,” Tetsu said. “Got nothin’ to do with commies or Nazis. It’s just some stupid science building and observatory.” 

“What about the haunted house?” Darius had thought about it nonstop since he’d heard about it yesterday. He wanted to ask Dillon or the twin boys more about it, but he hadn’t seen them at the school. “Have you guys ever gone there?”

“What haunted house?” Adelaide’s eyes flicked back to him. 

“The one on Hyacinth Street. It isn’t far from where I live.” Darius liked her eyes on him. 

“That’s a really nice area,” Sophie cooed. 

Darius shuffled a step away from Sophie. Unlike with Adelaide, he didn’t like how she looked at him. 

“I was going to check it out.” Darius ran his hand through his hair, and looked back at Adelaide. “Tonight.”

Adelaide cocked her head and looked at him. “I’m in.”

Darius grinned. 

 

EXCERPT TWO

“Thanks for waiting,” Adelaide said as she turned to survey the house. The windows were boarded up and the roof sagged. The grass was long and yellow from the summer weather. There was an overgrown garden under the large front window. Some of the pieces of plywood over the windows were covered in graffiti, but Adelaide couldn’t quite make the words out in the moonlight. She turned back to the others. “So, we just... go in?” 

They all looked at each other, then wheeled their bikes to edge of the property and set them down. Adelaide noticed Darius glance at them before he set his bike on the yellow grass. She thought she could make out a kickstand on his bike. Adelaide peeled the tape off her flashlight, removed it from her bike, and stuffed it into her backpack. 

For a long moment the five of them stood there, illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. 

“This was already an adventure,” Kurt pointed out. “I mean, we could just––” 

“We’re already here. I’m not afraid to go in,” Tetsu boasted. 

“All right, then,” Darius replied. “Let’s go.”

“Kurt,” Adelaide said. “If you don’t want—” 

Kurt moved first. He strode to the door and, after a second of hesitation, the others followed behind. Kurt reached out and grasped the handle. Then he turned it. 

 

EXCERPT THREE

“Okay, come on,” Darius said as he looked around. He wanted to help them, but if Frank Hardy had taught him anything, it was that time was of the essence when solving a mystery. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two bobby pins. He hoped he could pull it off. “Keep a look out, okay?” 

“Okay. What are you going to do?” Adelaide whispered back. 

“Find out who they are.” Darius grinned as he moved toward the driver’s side of the car.

“This is a bad idea,” Tetsu said to Darius.

“Then stay here.” Darius shrugged as he slinked closer to the car. 

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Tetsu hissed.

Darius ignored him as he looked around. He couldn’t see any sign of movement. He crouched down by the car and bit his lip as he inserted the first pin at a right angle and put the curled side into the lock. Then he inserted the second bobby pin right into the lock, less than an inch deep. He held the first one still and moved the second one around inside the lock. 

“Adelaide,” Tetsu warned as she scanned the area. “This is a bad idea.” 

“Shh,” Darius hushed him.  He wasn’t sure if Tetsu could hear him, but it made him feel a bit better. He grimaced, took a breath and moved the second bobby pin around again. Then he heard it click. He grinned and eased the door open. The car smelled of stale cigarettes. 

Darius knew he needed to check the glove box. He kept low in the seats as he reached over and depressed the button. The small door fell open.

“Barkly?” Adelaide sobbed. “Barkly, where are you?”

Darius froze. 

How to find time to write as a parent?

Oh my gosh, that’s difficult! Some days are way more successful than others. My kids are 7, 9 and 11. Sometimes they all want to play video games and I try to seize that opportunity to write in peace, but they usually end up fighting about whatever game they are playing. Sometimes my husband runs interference, but he’s got a job as well, so sometime I have to just give up.

I read this trick once about setting a schedule for writing where you have these zones: red zone means no writing; yellow zone is good for editing and review; green zone means you have no distractions and should be dedicated writing time. I often feel like I live in the red and yellow zones!

That said, my mum lives in town and she takes them for a sleepover now and then so I try to blitz through some words while they are out of the house.

What do your children think about you being an author? Are they supportive of your writing?

My kids are pretty happy for me to be doing something I want to do. I really had to explain how important my writing time was for them to understand how difficult it is when I’m interrupted. I try to make it up to them with visits to fun places, playing games (my son has a magnetic dart board and loves our daily games on it), and freezies.

I still get interrupted now and then, but they do their best. They were so excited for me when book one, Yesterday’s Gone, arrived in print at our house. Out of the blue sometimes one of them will say something like “I hope you sell a thousand copies of your book.” I love it. I love them.  

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Mother, RPG lover, mediocre gardener

What can we expect from you in the future?

More of this! I’m really excited about the Olympic Vista Chronicles series, so I’m working away on those. The first book was released in July and the second in September. The drafts for book three and book four are in various states, so it’s a great time to get into the series – there should be more books coming really soon!

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from other genders?

I don’t know what’s going on in their heads! I (mostly) understand pre-teen and teen girls, but boys? My eldest isn’t quite that old yet, though he’s getting close, so I don’t have a lot of experience with that, and I didn’t have a lot of male friends when I was younger. I think it’s because the few there were kept breaking my toys and so I didn’t want them around! I do my best, work with how I feel the characters are, then look to my beta-readers. They’ve been really great at pointing out flaws. They tried to make suggestions with the girls though and I had to go back to my other beta-readers who assured me I’d captured the girls just fine.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

I did, but I’m not sure I do now. I think you can be a position to write better or worse, as in some writing may require a much heavier editing hand, but I don’t think there’s a problem you can’t get past by just writing. You may have to skip further forward and then go back and fill in the blanks, but the best way through is to just write.

What are you currently reading?

I have about seven books on the go. It’s way too many! I’m at various points of An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, Becoming by Michelle Obama, Daring Greatly by Brene Brown, and the Dead of Night by John Marsden (that last one is a re-read). I hope to finish some of them up soon, but I keep getting distracted.

I actually added another one to my pile, Neil Gaiman’s Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions. I’ve been much more diligent about reading it. He has this whimsical horror to his work that I love.

What makes a good story?

A good story makes you feel something. You feel what the characters do or you feel for the characters, or both. A story that makes you keep reading, makes you wonder what happens next, that’s a good story. A good story makes you invest yourself in it. It makes you care.

Kelly Pawlik dabbled with story writing from a young age. She spent her childhood reading, dressing her beloved cat, Midnight, up in doll clothes and hunting garter snakes in the backyard. Her favourite cartoon as a child was Jem and she is proud to own the full box set of DVDs. Her childhood dream was to be an author and she is proud to be bringing characters to life with the Olympic Vista Chronicles.

Kelly is a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) writer and has released multiple RPG supplements with her husband under their micro-publishing company, Dire Rugrat Publishing. She has also contributed to several best-selling works with Kobold Press.

Kelly lives on Vancouver Island, BC with her husband, their three inquisitive children, and two lazy cats.

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