Welcome to J.S. Frankel
J.S. Frankel was born in Toronto, Canada and grew up there, receiving his tertiary education from the University of Toronto and graduating with a double major in English Literature and Political Science. After working at Gray Coach Lines for a grand total of three years, he came to Japan at the age of twenty-six and has been there ever since, teaching English to any and all students who enter his hallowed school of learning.
In 1997, he married Akiko Koike. He, his wife and his two children, Kai and Ray, currently reside in Osaka. His hobbies include weight training, watching movies when his writing schedule allows, and listening to various kinds of music.
His novels, all for the YA set, include the Catnip series of five novels, Master Fantastic and it’s sequel, The Titans of Ardana trilogy, and many more, all courtesy of Devine Destinies. Future projects for Devine Destinies include the The Incredible Aunty Awesomesauce and other novels that are in the planning stages.
Mitch Kessler, teenage high school dropout, jobless and mostly friendless, lives a life of solitude, but not by choice. Endowed with the ability to bring wings out of his body as well as claws, and transform himself into a fierce creature of the night, he’s picked up a nickname from the general public that he hates: gargoyle.
However, that’s the least of his worries. His girlfriend, Callie, can’t keep her genders straight, his best friend is a spinning top, and his other acquaintance is made of rock. It’s obviously a government plot, but Mitch doesn’t know who’s behind it or why. Worse, various and sundry creations have now appeared out of the woodwork and are out to kill him.
Aided by his friends, the four outcasts attempt to find out who’s running the show. They’re out to stop the forces of evil before they can do more damage. That is, if they survive.
Excerpt: (This is where Mitch and Callie meet one of the scientists who helped to create them).
Steaming mad, I thought about running after him, but Callie grabbed my hand, and the feel of her skin on mine made me rethink my ways. Retracting my claws, I stalked back to my seat, stewing about what asshats people could be. “It isn’t worth it,” she said once we were seated again.
I gulped down some of my drink, but the taste had gone out of it, so I chucked it into a nearby bin. “It is to me. That’s because it’s you.”
Call it a clichéd line, that’s how I felt. My girlfriend’s face softened, but then her expression changed to one of alarm. She hastily stabbed a finger to indicate I should look behind me. “Mitch, that man… see him?”
Doing as she suggested, I pivoted around. A man, perhaps in his late fifties, stood watching us at the edge of the food court. Tall and skinny to the point of emaciation with a shock of wild white hair, he wore a rumpled ratty black suit and held a drink in his hand but didn’t sip from it. Occasionally he glanced around with a furtive look in his eye but always came back to rest his gaze upon me and Callie. “How long has he been there?” I asked.
She replied that she’d seen him earlier on. “I think he followed us here. I’m not sure. Just ignore him.” Easy for her to say to ignore him, but he continued to stare. Finally, I’d had it. Temperature rising time and this would have to happen. “That guy is pissing me off,” I said as I rose from my seat. “If he has a problem, he can talk to me.”
Callie grabbed her bags and came with me. “Don’t get into a fight over me, please,” she begged. “That’s what they want.”
Passion and reason ruled her statement, but all the same, it didn’t dissuade me. “I’m just going to talk to the guy.”
Direct approaches usually worked best, so I motored on over in his direction. “Are you staring at me or my girlfriend, mister? If you are, stop, because I don’t like it.”
This time, he took a sip from his drink and then tossed it into a nearby garbage can. “I’m looking at both of you. You’re Mitchell Kessler, and you’re Cal Winston.”
“It’s Callie,” my girlfriend said in a firm voice, her stance set. “I don’t go by my old name anymore.”
The guy bobbed his head at her in an apologetic manner. “Sorry. Callie. I’ll remember. But you both need to come with me. We have to talk.”
His manner, quiet and reasonable, got me interested. I couldn’t see a bulge under his armpit or anything near his waist, so he wasn’t armed, and he held his hands clasped together in front of his body. If he was going to start something, he was leaving himself wide open. “You’re not an FBI agent, are you?”
A sharp bark of a laugh came from him. “No, I’m not. I’m from the committee that created you.”
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Canadian Trivia Question:
How high is the CN Tower in Toronto?
J.S. Frankel is giving away 3 ebook copies of Outcast (YA novel with paranormal tones). Comment below with the answer for your chance to enter. Winner will be selected on Wednesday.
Hint: The answer can be found by visiting Viola Grace.
Looking for the answer to Kellie Kamryn’s trivia question? The Forks is where the two rivers meet.
