Excerpt + Giveaway | Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius

 

Synopsis:
Aspiring love charm maker Hijiri Kitamura was excited to come back to Grimbaud for her sophomore year-until she learns about the upcoming charm making competition. Grimbaud has just started to recover from the tyranny of Zita’s love fortunes and it would be too easy for the winning charm maker to take Zita’s place. The only solution is for Hijiri, with the support of her friends and fellow rebels, to win the contest herself.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, especially when Love itself has decided to meddle in Hijiri’s life. Concerned that it’s favorite charm maker has given up on finding a boyfriend of her own, Love takes matters into its own hands and delivers the perfect boyfriend to her in a giftwrapped box…literally.
Get ready to be charmed by this magical, quirky sequel to Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius.

     Wednesday was a small victory. Hijiri managed to make it through the school day without fidgeting too much, but her heart throbbed when she walked between classes wondering if she’d see one of the twin’s plans in action. Mirthe gave her a thumbs-up in the hall between Hijiri’s algebra and literature classes.

     Hijiri returned the gesture, puzzled.

     Meanwhile, she did her best to examine snatches of Ken’s skin that she could see.

     The curve of his neck, sticking out of his bulky sweater.

     His unremarkable wrists.

     The backs of his ears. Hijiri had never noticed that his ears were naturally pink. It wasn’t a blush.

     By the time Thursday rolled around, she felt she had stared down every exposed sliver of skin. Love hadn’t left a signature where Ken’s jaw met his ear. That would have been clever.

     Her card catalog was supposed to arrive today, but the sky didn’t think it was worth celebrating. Overcast and humid, unusual for a September day in Grimbaud. Hijiri eyed the gray clouds warily on her walk with Ken to school.

     “You must hate the rain,” Ken said.

     Hijiri grumbled. Her skin was damp, her hair sticking to the back of her neck.

Ken’s compact umbrella fit the front pocket of his backpack. He never took it out, not once, even when the clouds breathed mist on their heads. “Are you worried about your hair? Will your face melt if you get wet?”

     Hijiri let out a surprised laugh. “Those are strange questions.”

     “Really?”

     “Well, I don’t wear makeup,” she said. “So no face-melting.” But he was a charm-boy, so maybe his face would melt. Somehow. Unknown charms were unpredictable.

     A group of girls passed, fanning themselves with folded notebook paper. Vendors sold frozen yogurt topped with blueberries still glittering with ice crystals.

     “There’s something romantic about rain,” Ken said softly.

     “Says the boy who claims he knows nothing about love charms.”

     Ken smiled. “I think it’s the eyelash dripping that does it.”

     Hijiri stopped, causing a harried tourist to bump right into her. She didn’t care.

     Ken shoved his hands into his pockets; despite wearing this thick sweater, he seemed unbothered by the heat. “Have you ever looked at someone’s eyelashes when they’re caught in the rain? The beads of water that pool on their eyelashes. It’s mesmerizing.”

     A question burned her tongue: when, in his short life, did he stare at someone’s eyelashes in the rain? Maybe Love made him watch some movies before he came to Grimbaud. She took a breath, and suddenly that question didn’t seem as important. Ken’s eyelashes were thin; she didn’t know how they would hold droplets. Not that I want to see it, she thought.

     Ken raised his eyebrows. “What? No questions?”

     “Just this once.”

     They started walking again, and Ken kept his face turned away from her. Even though he tried, she could still see another smile tugging at his lips.

About the author:

KIMBERLY KARALIUS holds an MFA in fiction from the University of South Florida, and has been sharing stories on Figment.com with a strong following of enthusiastic readers since the site’s conception. Although Kimberly lives in sunny Florida, she prefers to stay indoors and sometimes buys a scarf in the hopes of snow. She loves watching really old cartoons and silent films. Being in Florida certainly has one big perk: going to Disney World. Which she does. Frequently. Love Fortunes and Other Disasters is her debut novel.

Author links:

One (1) print copy of Love Charms and Other Catastrophes (US/Canada only) 05/19

a Rafflecopter giveaway