Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ THE NEW ENCHANTRESS by Sunayna Prasad

The New Enchantress (Alyssa McCarthy’s Magical Missions, #3)
by: Sunayna Prasad
Series: Alyssa McCarthy’s Magical Missions
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Release Date: March 15, 2022
Publisher: S.A. Prasad Publishing
Amazon | Paperback | Goodreads

Cursed by a sorcerer’s hex, Alyssa McCarthy finds herself in a fight she can’t afford to lose, or everything she knows will be lost!

After she finishes her final year of junior high, fourteen-year-old Alyssa faces an uncertain future in more ways than one when a sorcerer casts a hex that leaves her with involuntary magical powers that are too dangerous to remove.

Unable to control her newly gained abilities Alyssa’s end-of-middle-school sleepover ends in disaster when she knocks her friends unconscious when her powers go out of control. If Alyssa can’t learn to master her magic soon, she will be cursed to forget her loved ones and serve as the warlock’s slave for all of eternity.

Her only hope is to focus on controlling her emotions if she is to break the curse. However, the difficulties of adolescence, along with the perils and growing disasters she faces, make Alyssa struggle even more. From putting her friends’ lives at risk to losing their trust, she continues to fear what will become of her if she fails.

Will Alyssa be able to break the hex and become the enchantress that she was meant to be, or will she become enslaved to the sorcerer forever?

My Advice for Today's 14-year-olds

Since the first installment of the "Magical Missions" series, "The Frights of Fiji," was first published as "From Frights to Flaws" in 2013, all 3 books are set in the early 2010's. Books 1 and 2 take place in the spring and fall of 2010, and the 3rd installment, "The New Enchantress" is set in 2011. That would make Alyssa 25 years old today in 2022.

Of course, 14-year-olds today are very different than they were over 10 years ago. The pandemic contributed, but excluding that, here is the advice that I would give to today's 14-year-olds.

Don’t let others manipulate you.

As a kid, I obviously had to listen to adults. However, it wasn't until recently that there were times I was being manipulated. I look back and realize now that the adults had no control over certain things, especially my emotions.

I’ve always hated being told to get over things that I was unhappy about. But unlike now, I felt that I had to believe the adults and “accept” that I was wrong to be upset over the thing(s).

No one is ever wrong to be upset over anything. Your feelings matter and you are free to experience them.

I remember being a young teen and it was not easy. From hormonal changes to getting angry and becoming easily rebellious. Of course, you should still listen to adults. But if anyone manipulates you, which could be another peer or adult, don’t let that get to you.

If a peer is hurting you, you should not reward that kind of behavior. I once had a toxic friend who used to do that to me constantly. At some point, my mom and brother had me block him permanently.

Although it was difficult for me to stand up for myself, especially since I was taught to always be nice back when I was little (we all are taught that), I was eventually told that that lesson doesn’t apply to those who are hurting you, such as forcing you to say unpleasing things to your other friends against your will.

Both adults and children can manipulate other people. Never let anybody do that to you.

Alyssa could not risk performing sorcery anymore after ridding herself in autumn of the powers that a warlock had forced upon her. A skeleton called Errol had jinxed her with involuntary magic, landing her in lots of trouble, including near-expulsion from school. He had claimed that it’d been the only way for him to regain his old, human looks. Alyssa had needed to boost her confidence and bravery levels in order to overthrow Errol. That had taken a few weeks.

She would not allow this new hex to force her to remain home all summer. Otherwise, she’d have to miss travel camp at the end of this month and a trip to New York City with Alex in August.

Her palms heated, and beams shot out, bouncing against the ceiling and splitting in different directions. One tipped the bookshelf, and all the books tumbled out onto the wooden floor. It merged with the other shaft, smashed into the desk—knocking everything down—and disappeared in a snap.

Alyssa stared, her fist clenching and her face reddening. Without admonishment, another glimmer flew out of her hands and hit her bed, causing everything to tumble into the air. The blankets crumpled, and a few pillows were tossed onto the rug by the mattress. The ray vanished.

Alyssa gazed into her palms because that catastrophe reminded her of the enchantments she’d performed in the fall.

“Ugh!” She covered her face.

The downstairs door shut, suggesting that Alex had returned from walking Scooter, the yellow lab.

“Alyssa, is everything okay?” he asked.

“No!” She sat on her bed, not wanting to remake it, even though Alex required it when she didn’t have school. I’m never going to get through this stupid mess.

Purchase The New Enchantress from:

Amazon | Paperback | Goodreads

The Alyssa McCarthy’s Magical Missions Series:

Sunayna Prasad enjoys writing fantasy books for children, as well as cooking, creating artwork, watching online videos, and blogging. She has also written The Frights of Fiji and A Curse of Mayhem. She is passionate about modern-day life in fantasy stories, worldbuilding, and even humor. She is constantly brainstorming new ideas and using her creativity.

Sunayna graduated from college in 2017 and lives in New York.

Places to find Sunayna Prasad:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

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