Click here to buy this book! Kindle Edition Amazon Lulu Morgan Koda Adventures Big Sky Press Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Big Sky Press ISBN-10:  1478193697 Type: Fiction Pages: 288 Copyright: June 20, 2012 ISBN-13: 9781478193692 First Edition - Extended Verision. Candy-cane-striped trees, ogres, and chameleon-dragons might seem like an adventure, but to Morgan Koda, it’s all about friendship. Alliances can be deadly, whereas, friendships have a price. Candy-cane-striped trees, ogres, and chameleon-dragons might seem like an adventure, but to Morgan Koda, it’s all about friendship.  Thirteen year old Morgan has unintentionally altered her time-line and that of her world, and she will do anything to preserve it.  As her second school year starts, she must face her adversary, The Dark Emir, once again. He has kidnapped one of her best friends, and holds him hostage in exchange for The Mask of Noesis and the restoration of their time-line.  But by resetting the time-line, Morgan risks losing the one thing she has yearned for her whole life. On the other hand, surrendering the golden mask will give the Dark Emir the key to controlling her and their world. Morgan Koda has no intention of doing his bidding, and there’s a little more than magic up her sleeve. Author's Website: www.morgankodaadventures.com         Excerpt CHAPTER ONE With her friends towering over her, Morgan Koda Blinked herself and Sonny into the living room of her grandmother’s house. For a brief second, she thought her magic had failed her once again. She really needed to get a handle on this, she chided herself with an angry shake of her head. So far she had landed herself, her friends, and Sonny within the reach of a T-rex and a band of war-crazed Indians. With a vow to try harder in her classes, she searched the room for something familiar. But this wasn’t the living room she remembered. Gone were the seashells, starfish, and the different sizes of net-wrapped glass spheres hanging off of driftwood shelves. The interior design she’d learned by heart was of a house that belonged to the sea. However, thrown about the room before her were wooden side tables, burgundy leather couches and matching wing-back chairs. The hangings on the walls were pictures of cows, horses, and mountain scenes. It wasn’t just the decorations that had been altered. The layout of the house itself was different. Morgan wondered if she had teleported herself and Sonny into the wrong house. Slamming her eyes closed, a vivid picture of her grandmother’s smiling face filled her minds eye. Concentrating on the image, she Blinked. She jerked her eyes open and watched the colorful hue of the transport fade. Once again, they were standing in the same living room. Hesitantly, Morgan called out for her grandmother, “Nana!” If this was someone else’s house, how would she explain how she and the big yellow dog had come to be here? They couldn’t stand here forever. She had to make their presence known. However, when she called out for her grandmother, her voice sounded a lot like a bullfrog. Forcing down the lump lodged in her throat. She tried again. “Nana...!” A trimmer shot up her spine at the fear she heard in her voice. Sonny gazed up at her nervously. “Nana…?” Morgan nearly screamed as she called out for her grandmother a third time. Sonny was now pressed into her side, his ears laid back against his head as he was searching the room. His nose lifted into the air, as though he had suddenly caught a familiar scent. His tail gave a wave from side to side and he leaped forward. Morgan managed to grab his collar before he went tearing from the room. “Sonny, what is it?” She whispered, when she saw his ecstatic expression. “Morgan is that you? We’re in the kitchen.” A man's voice sounded from another room. She held on to Sonny’s collar as he dragged her through the room and into a sun-brightened one. Four people were sitting around a wooden table. Her grandmother, Mr. Jurich, who owned the bookstore in the village of Edenwiess. Morgan knew the other woman sitting beside her grandmother from pictures she'd seen. But the man sitting next to the woman, she didn’t think she knew. However, something about him seemed oddly familiar. “Morgan, what’s the matter with you? You look like you have seen a ghost.” The man said, rising to his feet and approached her. “Dad…?” Morgan whispered, then glanced at the woman, and said, “Mom…?” “How is this possible?” The tiny voice in her head asked. Her father eyed her with great concern, then glanced down at Sonny. “What is the matter with you two?” “Oh, boy,” were the only words Morgan could think to say. She suddenly shot into her father’s arms with a river of tears running down her face. Morgan hugged him so tightly had she been older, or maybe, just stronger, she would have broken his ribs. Molly Koda jumped to her feet and rushed to her daughter. While trying to feel Morgan’s forehead, she said, “Morgan, what is it? Where do you hurt? What’s wrong with you?” Molly panicked as she stared at the back of her thirteen-year-old daughter’s shaking head. “Sean?” She said helplessly, staring into her husband’s wide hazel eyes. He shook his head, just as alarmed by his daughter’s actions as she was. Molly, totally unnerved, turned to her mother, Rose Koda, and screamed, “Mom… Call—a—ambulance!” Molly had no idea what she was saying. All she knew for sure was that her daughter was scaring the hell out of her. Morgan released her father, only to latch on to her mother in an equal hug. Jumbled words of “Dead—How—Alive.” And something that sounded a lot like “Mrs. Ryan” flowed about the room. A loud bark echoed around the room, and everyone froze, then promptly stared at the dog. Sonny had his chocolate-brown eyes on Maximus Sean Alexander-Koda as if he were hallucinating. But his nose told him the man really did stand before him. Morgan finally stepped away from her mother and grabbed her hand. She also seized one of her father’s and led them to the table. “Please, everyone, sit down." Morgan said. "This is going to take a while.” She studied her parents for a moment, then glanced across the table to where her grandmother and Mr. Jurich had also gained their feet. Morgan glared, wide-eyed, at the tight hold Mr. Jurich had on her grandmother. She spied the shiny gold band on his left hand. Her eyes traveled to her grandmother’s left hand, and searched. She found what she was looking for—a huge emerald and diamond ring. ‘Wow, they're married!’ She mumbled under her breath. 'And here you were ready to return him to his bookstore.' Morgan turned her head, and caught another flash of something sparkly from her mother’s left hand. Morgan gazed down at the hand she was holding. Her dad also wore a ring on his finger. Nothing but pure joy filled her heart. With a parent seated on either side of her, and still holding both their hands. Morgan began her story. She told them of the past she remembered. How she had spent almost twelve years in Montana at Mrs. Ryan’s home. About the kind elderly man who had been nice to her. How he had gone away one day and never came back. He had been killed in a car crash, she later learned. How her life had changed and she was made a servant in the same household. How Mrs. Ryan’s grandsons had endlessly tormented her. She had to hold her hand up when both her parents erupted with denials. It was easier for Morgan to continue with her story than to stop and answer their questions. She described the letter she had given to Santa Claus, who turned out to be the Dean of Edenwiess School of Magic. She conveyed in great detail their conversation of her being a witch. How her parents had died. Then being taken to meet her grandmother. “I don’t understand. We’re not dead, and you grew up here with us.” Molly said, unable keep her silence any longer. Sonny spoke from where he sat between Morgan and her father. The five humans at the table stared down at him, as he said, “I think I know what has happened—Morgan has unintentionally changed the future, and for the better it appears.” He explained, smiling up at Sean. He had missed his friend dearly in the years they had been apart. The four adults at the table said “What” so loudly that it echoed around the room. Morgan took over the explanation. “I’m not sure when it happened. It might have been when we rescued the Guardian.” She rubbed her forehead. A sharp pain was pounding just above her right eye. Before anyone could ask who or what the Guardian was. Sean had seen the flash of Morgan’s magical bracelet and seized her arm. “OH, SHIT…!” He bellowed in disbelief before he could stop himself. Three other people at the table gazed questioningly at him. Morgan and Sonny, however, knew what he was staring at. “I know—” Morgan whispered, staring into her father’s eyes. “Morgan... what the hell are you doing with the Bracelet of Noesis?" Sean roared incredulously. "What do they think they’re doing..." He fought to get his fear under control. "...giving that damn thing to my daughter?” “Sean, what’s going on?” Molly interrupted. “Those Custodians of the Rainbow have made a mistake... they have given her the bracelet..." 'OMG!' He muttered silently. His fear nearly choking him. Sean swallowed the lump in his throat, and continued. "That bracelet controls the most dangerous object in our world.” “I still don’t understand. Isn’t her bracelet just like yours? You always said it was?” Molly asked, staring from her daughter to her husband. “Sean, where are you going?” She added hurriedly, when her husband jumped to his feet. “I’m going to the Magical Control and Regulation Board (MCRB) and have a talk with a representative of the Rainbow Custodians. They are not giving that bracelet to my daughter.” He was across the kitchen and almost through the doorway with Molly right behind him. “Dad… Mom… Wait!” Morgan called, as she sprinted after them. “I can explain.” she added. She knew she had to stop them from leaving the room. “The Creator told me why I have the bracelet.” She stated firmly, as she joined them. “Please Dad, come and sit down.” Morgan pleaded, as she slowly pulled him back to the table with her mother following in their wake. When she had them seated again, Morgan continued. “The Creator told me that he couldn’t bring himself to destroy the mask. So he stripped the knowledge of it from his children. As a result they forgot they were magical. Not until a child was born of his DNA and a magical parent would magic reveal itself. He knew his children wouldn’t be safe as long as they held the power to control the Mask of Noesis.” Morgan said, gazing at her mom. “Then, they made a mistake!" Sean shouted, his eyes locked on Morgan. "Your mom isn’t magical…You only have one magical parent—Me.” Sean started to rise again from his chair. “No Dad—they haven't made a mistake. Have you never wondered about the color of her eyes?” She pointed to her mom. “Mine and Nana’s as well? Our whole family's…?” “What the hell does amethyst eyes have to do with this?” He stared from his daughter, to his wife, then to his mother-in-law. “We are his descendants.” Morgan replied. Then braced herself for the bomb that was about to go off. Only silence bounced off the walls. “I’m a witch?” Molly whispered in disbelief. “Yes, mom.” Morgan replied, watching her closely. “What—” Nana said, finally joining the conversation.

The Forect of Carren
While prowling the internet for a book that might entice my 11 year old to read. I came across THE FOREST OF CARREN by Juls Duncan. I decided the story might appeal to my daughter. As a parent though, I knew I needed to read it first to see if it was appropriate for someone so young. I was pleased and excited to find that The Forest of Carren Book 2 of the Morgan Koda Adventures was one of the best books I had read in years. The plot is complex enough to hold the interest of an adult and fanciful enough to grab the interest of any child.
The bad guys are really bad with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The good guys are just that. It is a pleasure for me to read it, and I have no reservations about letting my child reading it. The moral lessons in the story are cloaked in magic with mystery enough to instill them into the heads and hearts of young readers.
I would urge all those who are cautious about letting their children read the books to read them for themselves. There is content that promotes good, moral, behavior. There is excitement enough to hold the attention of non-readers. And most important, the Morgan Koda Adventure book series makes reading fun!


The Forest of Carren
The Forest of Carren by Juls Duncan is wonderfully written, and will spur the imagination of those who read it.
My favorite part is where Morgan and her friends finds themselves in a another world. Morgan has been there before, but her friends haven't. “I know exactly what’s behind the light. I’ve been there before.” Only Juls Duncan could come up with a world like it belonged in the North Pole, minus the snow and cold. Another show of Duncan's imagination is when the dragon she was riding caught one of the bad wizards. “Please let me eat him,”
The book is a great mystery as well as an urban fantasy, where Morgan learns to control her magic or face the consequences.
I highly recommend all the books in the Morgan Koda Adventures series. I see the Juls Duncan and her Morgan Koda series becoming as popular as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter.


The Forest of Carren
The Forest of Carren is book filled with Juls Duncan's wonderful imagination; so much so, it cannot help but spur the imagination of those who read it. The book opens with Morgan and her fateful companion, a dog named Sonny, teleporting (Blinking) into her grandmother's house. At first, Morgan thought her magic had gone wrong again. But she was in the right house. She has a surprise waiting for her. Her parents are alive.
There is as much humor in The Forest of Carren as there is imagination. “Where did you end up?” Her father asked. “Under my bed” Morgan answered.
Morgan almost has a heart attack when a dark-hair girl locks Tristan in a sizzling kiss, “Tristan, are you going to introduce us to your friend?”
The book becomes as much a mystery as a fantasy and it's up to Morgan and her friends, Tristan, Rex, and Raine fighting nasty wizards, ogres, and shape-shifter. But surprisingly they befriend elves and dragons.
I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages. I do have one caution, though, there is some mild language.