Really pleased to have made it - my lucky number really is 13! Kudos to everyone who got in (Glad I don't have to do that every day/week) and commiserations to those who didn't.
Archer
Middle grade historical fantasy
Plot summary from query
Archer doesn’t
belong. In case he has any doubts, Edlyn will go to any lengths to show him
that he never could.
At fourteen,
Edlyn’s gang jump Archer in the woods, tie him to a tree and try to teach him
some respect. It nearly costs Archer the affection of his only friend Patricia,
but no one likes being called treacherous, do they? On the plus side, he gains
a couple of loyal friends. During the trio’s first road trip, a band of fierce
renegades learn a thing or two about courage and audacity, and a charismatic
Celtic drummer band turns the incident into a song.
At sixteen, Archer competes with his friends in a
graduation competition to
see who is worthy of being crowned May King and Queen. Although Edlyn tries hard
to sabotage Archer’s chances, they both get through to the final round. There’s
a gleeful moment when Archer takes to the stage as Robin Hood, attracting
plenty of female admirers, but it’s Patricia he wants to kiss.
When Archer carved
the yew stave given to him by Oxford’s master bowman, drops of his blood awoke
the powerful tree spirit. The stave was from the same tree Edlyn tied Archer to
years earlier, and the enchantress wants revenge for Edlyn’s thoughtless cruelty.
While everyone else enjoys the Beltane feast, she entices him into the
ceremonial bonfire. Archer is faced with the ultimate dilemma - does he defy
her and risk his life to save his nemesis, or simply walk away?
Although it has a distinctly medieval
feel, ‘ARCHER’ is set in a
modern-day, alternate England where teenagers enjoy archery and jousting
instead of football and Facebook. With echoes of the film ‘A Knight’s Tale’ and the series ‘Merlin,’ this story will appeal to young teens, fans of Philip
Pullman/Rick Riordan, and adults who enjoy historical adventures laced with
humour and a dash of romance.
250 word extract
‘C’mon Archer, you can do it!’
‘Go for it Finn!’
Sitting astride his stallion Apollo, Archer grinned
as people in the crowd shouted encouragement. He spotted his friends; they were
Finn’s friends too and obviously didn’t know who to support. Some of them looked
worried, but Fletch didn’t care, holding up victory fists to both contenders in
turn. The buzz of excitement was affecting everyone and Archer felt the
familiar thrill of blood pumping through his veins. Months of effort had gone
into the preparations and people had travelled from miles around to celebrate
Beltane, the Festival of the May.
‘Good luck, mate.’ Tybalt, Archer’s Second, held up
his shield. ‘May the best man win.’
‘Man? Don’t you mean Junior?’ Archer was secretly
delighted by the idea, as he slipped his gauntlet through the shield straps and
took the reins.
‘No, Archer. Today, you and Finn are men.’ Tybalt handed
over the lance, then, with an anxious look in Finn’s direction, walked
to the dais to prepare for the tributes.
Looking down the tilt at his opponent, Archer felt
the warmth of brotherhood. No, Finn was more than a brother, they did not argue
as siblings did. Professor Niall had pronounced them the only pair ready for
the joust – all the other boys had settled for the rings.
Archer shivered, despite the sunshine. This
wasn’t the same as an ordinary practice. The enthusiasm of the crowd made it
more exciting than anything he had ever done in his life.
