Djinn Tamer: Starter: A Monster Battling GameLit Adventure (Djinn Tamer - Bronze League Book 1)
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As soon as the local paper got their pictures, Jackson booked it for his hotel room, ready to be out of Cormick and the roller coaster ride from those past two days.
“Tough break.”
Jackson spun around and found Vance McAllister leaning against the door frame of his hotel room. Jackson had propped it open while he stuffed the last of his things into his bag.
“Yeah,” Jackson said. The loss still felt like a dagger in his heart, but he figured without Vance he wouldn’t have been there in the first place. “Thanks for giving me a chance, though.”
“I didn’t do anything, Jack,” Vance said. Jackson didn’t know why or when he’d decided to call him Jack. Maybe he’d forgotten that his full name was actually Jackson. “You put in all the hard work with your Djinn. You deserved to be there.”
“Well, thanks,” Jackson said. He shouldered his bag and walked to the door, but Vance didn’t move.
“You’re not going to let this stop you from taming, are you?” Vance asked.
Jackson shook his head. “No…but I’m not sure where to go next.”
Vance placed a hand on his shoulder and his sharp, hazel eyes cut into Jackson. “Just keep training. It’s better to lose now and take your lump — it’ll make you a better tamer down the road. Trust me on that one.”
Jackson almost asked what the legendary Vance McAllister knew about losing but held back. Vance seemed to read his mind anyway.
“It took me five years to get past the Bronze League Regionals,” Vance said. “I got my tail handed to me over and over. Four times I failed to make the cut. But if it hadn’t been for that, I never would have made it to the top. You learn more from losing a match than you do winning one. I hope I’ll see you around.”
With that, Vance was gone.
Aside from never wanting to lose again, Jackson didn’t know what other lessons or insights he’d gained. Even so, he’d requested a replay of the fight, and although he hadn’t worked up the nerve to watch it yet, it wasn’t like he was completely empty-handed.
He had some cash to put towards his passion. As far as real money went, he’d put in an application at the hardware store that their new apartment sat above but wouldn’t know if he got it until the seasonal help left in a month at the end of summer.
Jackson considered calling Fiona to congratulate her, but couldn’t find it in himself to follow through with it. The wound was too fresh. Even as she stood in front of his house, he wasn’t sure how he’d take anything she said, but he tried to assure himself that this was all for the best.
“I know it won’t help, but I wanted you to know that my dad made me forfeit the prize money,” Fiona said. “It all went to a Djinn Protection Foundation we work with at the ranch.”
“That’s a good cause, I guess,” Jackson said. His previously improving mood had taken a downward spiral since Fiona showed up. “Is that what you came over to tell me?”
“No,” Fiona said. “You know it’s not my style. I just came to make sure you weren’t going to start slacking off in your training. We’ve only got a few months before the Bronze League Regionals — I didn’t want you to lose your edge. Everybody needs a good rival, after all.”
A small, wry grin made its way onto Jackson’s face. “Good point.”
“I also have a message from my dad,” Fiona said. “I talked it over with him and… he’s decided to give you your old job back, if you want it. As long as you promise not to train Asena while you’re working. Oh yeah, and no more secrets like before. He recognizes what I did was legal, which is why he agreed in the first place, but don’t expect him to go so easy on you next time. Consider this a stern warning.”
Jackson didn’t know what to say. It was the last thing he’d expected. “What? Are-are you sure? I mean I totally understand him firing me after everything and —”
Fiona raised a hand. “Jackson, chill out. Just say yes.”
“Yes!” Jackson said. “Of course! Thank you!” He fought the urge to grab Fiona and crush her in a celebratory hug but knew that wasn’t her style.
“Don’t thank me,” Fiona said. “Like I told you — everyone needs a good rival to keep them sharp. You start slacking off and I might have him fire you again.”
“Don’t count on it,” Jackson said, the competitive fire in him blazing back to life. “I’m coming for you, and I want a rematch!”
Fiona laughed and got back in her car. “Rebel and I will kick you and your puppy’s ass anytime you say!”
Before Jackson could fire back, she turned on the engine and drove off.
“That girl is something else,” Jane said as Fiona’s car disappeared at the end of their road.
“Great,” Kay said. “I just get my hopes up that I can get a coworker that actually pulls his weight and now they give you your job back.”
“Let’s go get this stuff unloaded!” Jackson said. He sprang into action, yanking down the back sliding door on the truck and jumping into the driver’s seat. “Hurry up, you two — if we can get done in time, I might be able to get some training in this afternoon!”
“Don’t forget to actually help unpack everything in the new apartment while you’re at it. Don’t go thinking I’ll be handling that alone,” Jane cut in.
“Fine. Unpack the boxes, and then get to training. What do you say, girl?”
Asena jumped into the passenger seat and barked in agreement.
Continue the adventures of Jackson & Asena in Djinn Tamer: Rivals!
Let the rivalries begin.
If Jackson Hunt ever wants to become a champion monster tamer, he’s got a long road ahead of him. And he’s not the only one with dreams of glory
As a new season of the Djinn Battle League fast approaches, Jackson prepares to enter training camp — a grueling series of tests to discover talented new tamers. The rules are simple: if you’re not the best, you go home.
For a young man who lives to battle, going home isn’t an option. There’s only one problem — Jackson isn’t so sure he deserves to be there in the first place. With competition heating up, Jackson’s bond with his Djinn will be tested to their limits. But no matter how much he trains, if his new monsters won’t work together, he won’t stand a chance.
The fighting will be intense. The rivalries, fierce. At the end of the road, the chance of a lifetime awaits. Against friends and foes both old and new, can Jackson prove he’s worthy of a shot at the big leagues?
Check out Djinn Tamer: Rivals now!
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A.J. CERNA is an author, film-lover, and gamer. While his love will always exist for the Nintendo classics like Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, his big love of the medium came in the late-90s when he first played Final Fantasy VI for the first time (Though back then, it was released on SNES as Final Fantasy III), and so began his love affair with the JRPGs. He's enjoyed the classics – from Lunar 2 to Chrono Cross – and he couldn't be happier to see the genre re-emerging in a big way. His love of games led to his love of anime and manga, and there you have the start of some of his bigger story influences, with Shōnen manga like One Piece really taking the cake as some of the single biggest inspirations of anything he puts out.
In addition to Djinn Tamer, A.J. is hard at work on writing The Gryphon Outcast Trilogy, which is a follow-up series to co-writer Derek Alan Siddoway's Gryphon Riders Trilogy. This new trilogy is expected to hit in the summer of 2019!
DEREK ALAN SIDDOWAY grew up on a steady diet of Pokemon Yellow and Saturday morning Digimon cartoons. Later on, Monster Rancher Advance was added to the mix. It was inevitable that when he became an author,
his passion for monster battling would eventually appear out of the tall grass. It first took the form of the Gryphon Riders Trilogy, an Amazon Bestselling Young Adult Fantasy series. The Djinn Tamer series is the culmination of years of catching Pokemon, drawing Digimon, and training Monsters for the AGIMA Tournament. Learn more at derekalansiddoway.com.
Gryphon Riders Trilogy
Windsworn (Gryphon Riders Book 1)
Windswept (Gryphon Riders Book 2)
Windbreak (Gryphon Riders Book 3)
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