Baby Gone Bye
By Marilee
Brothers
Genre: YA,
Fantasy
Publisher: Bell Bridge
Books (November 29, 2013), 212 pages
Baby
Gone Bye Synopsis
High school senior, Gabe Delgado, is trying
to trade his bad-boy ways for clean living. He remembers nothing about the
night a mysterious girl loved him and left him at a party, except … there was a
kind of magic around her that had nothing to do with his hangover the next day.
Now he finds that “magic” in a basket on his doorstep, cooing at him like a
happy little bird.
The note attached to the baby’s blanket
says, “Gabe, you probably already know our baby is, well, different. If not,
you’ll find out soon enough. Let’s just say she has certain qualities most
babies don’t have. The thing is, I’m scared. I’m on my own and can’t keep her
safe. But, you can. You’re strong. You have a family to watch out for her. Bad
people want her. That’s why I left her with you. I don’t really understand
what’s going on, but it has something to do with The Abolesco. Don’t try to
find me. Please, take care of our baby girl and love her. Okay?”
Gabe soon discovers there are bad people on
baby Birdie’s trail, but why? Suddenly party-boy Gabe has to man up to protect
his daughter. Not so easy when her talents include vanishing into thin air.
It’s up to Gabe and his girl-pal Abby—who has some extraordinary secrets of her
own—to find out what’s up with something called the Scientific Academy of
Merit, what the goons want with Birdie, and whether other people like Birdie
can be saved too.
Author Bio:
Marilee Brothers is a former teacher, coach
and counselor. The author of eight books, Marilee and her husband are the
parents of three grown sons and live in central Washington State. After writing
six young adult books, Marilee is currently hard at work, writing an adult
thriller. She loves hearing from people who have read her books. Feel free to
contact her at www.marileebrothers.com.
Guest Post:
I spent five years of my writing life
inside the head of Allie Emerson, the teenage girl featured in the Unbidden
Magic series. It was surprisingly easy for me to channel Allie, even though
it’s been—well—let’s just say I haven’t been a teenager for a good long time. Apparently
teenage angst lives on forever. After I finished Midnight Moon, the last book in the series, I decided to write a YA
book with a male protagonist. Enter Gabriel Delgado, hunky eighteen-year-old
senior at Maple Grove high school.
The creative part of my brain got a major
wake-up call. I was no longer a seventeen-year-old girl. I had to begin
channeling a teenage boy. OMG, guess what boys think about? You know the
answer, of course. Sex. One statistic says every fifteen seconds. Another says,
they never stop thinking about it. From its title, Baby Gone Bye, you can probably figure out that Gabe acted on his
thoughts. Therefore, he should not have been surprised when the doorbell rings
and he finds a little “surprise” waiting for him on the front porch. So, what’s
a household comprised of four males supposed to do with a little baby girl?
Guess you’ll have to read the book to find out.
Excerpt from Chapter One - it’s Friday night and Gabe
has a date. He believes, incorrectly, that his evening will go on as planned.
At this point, the family thinks the child is a boy.
The
hall clock bonged seven times. Startled, Gabe leaped from the couch and placed
the kid in his car seat. “Man, is it seven already? I’ve got a date. Can we put
this on hold until tomorrow?” Without waiting for an answer, Gabe headed for
the stairs.
“Gabriel.” The steel in Papi’s voice stopped
Gabe in his track. “Look at me.”
Slowly, Gabe turned to face his father. He
heard Simon whisper, “Dumb shit.” Henry giggled nervously.
“Gabriel,” Papi repeated. “Do you remember
when Rosie was a puppy?”
Gabe shifted his weight from one foot to
the other, wondering if he was about to step into something stinky. “Yeah,” he
said carefully.
Papi’s dark eyes snapped with intensity.
“And how did you take care of her?”
Gabe rolled his eyes heavenward, trying to
remember Papi’s three cardinal rules for puppy care. “After she eats, put her
outside to poop. Play with her. Put her back in her crate.”
Papi clapped. “Excellent.”
Gabe grinned. This was going well. He’d
soon be on his way.
“Now, Gabriel, tell me this, how do you take
care of a baby?”
Uh, oh. Gabe felt beads of perspiration
pop out on his forehead. “Well, um, I guess you’re saying it’s the same
concept. Right?”
Papi strolled up nice and close and gave
Gabe his shark’s grin. “So, after you feed him, you will take him outside to
poop, play with him, and then put him back in his car seat?”
Right then, Gabe knew he was screwed. He
glanced at his brothers. No help there. He’d already stepped in it. Might as
well go all the way. He looked his father square in the eyes. “Naturally, I
won’t take him outside to poop, but I’ll feed him and play with him.”
“And you will start this … when?”
“First thing tomorrow morning.”
Papi said, “And tonight?”
Gabe squirmed. “Remember what you said
earlier? We’re Delgados. We stick together when there’s a problem.”
“Ah, now I understand.” Papi stroked his
chin. “You assumed one of your brothers or your father would take care of your
child while you went on a date. Is that correct?”
Gabe flushed. “I would appreciate it.”
“Gabriel,” Papi said again. He pointed at
the baby. “That is not a puppy. It is a tiny human being who needs round the
clock care. Care that will be given to him by you, his father. Do you
understand?”
Before Gabe could formulate an answer, he
heard the amazingly loud rumble of baby flatulence. All eyes turned to the
child, whose face was bright red as he clenched his fists and strained.
Simon snickered. Looks like you forgot to
take him outside to poop.”
Papi handed Gabe a container of baby wipes
and a diaper. “Better get used to it. He’ll be doing that a lot.”
That’s when the Delgado family found out
he was a she.
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