Book Excerpt The Whizbang Machine ~ Bookish Madness

Book Excerpt

Heavy boots pounded in our direction.

“We have guests,” Jack whispered. “Get up!”

I scrambled to my feet, groaning with each movement. The warmth of my blood once again spilled down my leg. The footsteps were closer now. Jack pulled us down another long stack, weaving our way in and out of the shelves, trying to create a diversion with the sound of our feet.

“Stop!” the man boomed.

We did not halt to his request; our feet struck harder against the stone.

“Security, we have a breach in the tunnels. I need back up,” he called over his handheld radio.

“10-4,” a female answered. “Officers, security breach in the tunnel. Requesting back up immediately. Staff is below. All assistance is needed. Again, security breach in the archive tunnel.”

Jack snapped my arm in another direction. I could see the escape ladder just ahead. I plunged forward releasing his hand. Lunging at the ladder, I hooked my fingers onto the rungs and clung on for dear life. The frosty metal burned my fingers as I pulled my aching body up.

“Thirty-two, thirty-three,” I breathed, counting my way to forty-one.

My heart pounded so hard I was afraid it would explode.

Two more voices called out commands to surrender. Jack craned his body up. He was nearly on top of me now.

“Go faster,” he pushed.

“Thirty-nine,” I trembled.

Thrusting forward, I shoved the steel door open with all my might. Clawing my way out, I scrambled through the rough bushes. I had made it to ground level. Jack was on my heels. When his body was fully on the ground, I turned and kicked the door closed. We were free, at least for a moment.

“Crawl around to the back of the bushes,” Jack cried.

Gasping with each new tear of my skin, I slithered on my belly until my backpack got caught.

“Jack,” I cried.

With a quick flip of his fingers, he freed me from the imposing twigs. A million thoughts crowded my head. The biggest was how we were going to make it out of the park without been caught, especially now that I had blood running down my legs. The park would be crawling with security in a matter of seconds. “Security breach in the tunnel,” resounded in my head.

“Do you think they saw us?” I questioned.

“I don’t know,” Jack heaved. He was having a hard time catching his breath again.

“We need to stand up, but be careful when you do. Walk towards the port-a-potty. We need to slip through the crowd.” His voice trailed off.

Slowly, I dusted myself off and focused on making each step appear as normal as possible. Jack joined me.

“We should try to blend in. Take a seat in the crowd,” I said, “I doubt anyone will be looking for us among the masses.”

“No, that is more suspicious than us just getting out of here,” Jack replied. “Don’t do anything crazy, Elizabeth. Just follow me. I need you to act normal.”

About the Book

Title: The Whizbang Machine

Author: Danielle A. Vann

Genre: YA

After years of running from his tragic past, Jack Yale books a flight home. With him is a typewriter that is intended to be a gift for his granddaughter, Elizabeth. The minute Elizabeth’s fingers cradle the large black and cream keys the machine responses: popping, sizzling, and roaring to life with a Whiz-Whiz-BANG!

Elizabeth quickly discovers the typewriter has powers beyond anything she has ever seen. The more she types, the more the machine spells out guarded secrets. Each secret leads them deeper into a haunted past. Each secret must be revealed in order to set history straight and remove a curse that has been on their family for centuries.

To solve the mystery, Elizabeth Yale, alongside Jack, will have to crack the code of the Whizbang Machine. What they find challenges their most basic assumptions of their family, the history of the typewriter, and even Elizabeth’s father’s death. The ultimate goal is to remove the curse.

The question is: will Jack and Elizabeth be able to carry out their mission?

Author Bio

Danielle A. Vann lives to write. When she was small, she spent endless days writing and crafting wild characters out of thin air. As Danielle grew, that love for writing sparked a career in journalism. She began her career as a scriptwriter and then moved into a flourishing career as a news reporter, food reporter, and morning/evening news anchor. That career earned her an Associate Press Award.

After becoming a mother, she was inspired to write children’s books for her three adorable children. While she holds children fiction especially close to her heart, she also loves to write books for all ages. These genres include Young-Adult Fiction, Adult Fiction, Young Reader Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

When she isn’t writing you can find her doing “mom” things, digging in her organic vegetable gardens, running, finding her Zen in yoga, or playing chef in the kitchen. She currently lives in Mansfield, Texas.

Danielle is also the author of Gracie Lou and The Bad Dream Eater, November 2016 release The Whizbang Machine, and September 2016 release The Very Tall Tale of Ranger, the Great Pyrenees, and his Adorable Friend, Miss Keys, and October 2016 release Building Faith Through A Carpenter’s Hands. To learn more, visit www.authordanielleavann.com.