Gemma is back at it. Actually, she never stopped. She never stops talking to herself, questioning her daily routines, and battling her anxiety. Yet now, she is more prepared. She is equipped with self-talk from her therapy sessions and medication for her anxiety. But is it enough?
Gemma is steered towards management at work which is an unwelcome development. However, at the management conference, she gets some interesting news about a new job, creates a new coworker friend, and is able to let her anxiety go, if only for a few minutes.
Is Gemma's life finally on the upswing? Well, not without a few bumps along the way. This is Gemma, after all.
"I’ve never felt so invisible and free and so sure that absolutely no one was watching me or caring what I was doing.
This is an amazing feeling. Is this what normal people feel like every day? They don’t care what people think of them or if anyone is watching them? They just live? They just live without a care? It is so freeing."
The person Gemma most talks to is herself. She is constantly arguing and discussing events with herself more than anyone in her life. As she continues her journey to quell her anxiety, she hits a few bumps with her friendships and her relationship with the man she has dubbed McGruff. Since the day she met him, he has been a perplexing source of both anxiety and calm, and now she is faced with uncertainty as to her feelings about him. And to add to that, she is confronted with a stress provoking situation with one of her coworkers.
With her job always at the forefront of her anxiety, will he new confusion about these two men take the lead? Or will a newfound contentment with her career cause her to withdraw into her own mind even more? And what if that contentment is suddenly taken away?
“I flashback to all the times I prayed something like this would happen, that something would happen to the building so I wouldn’t have to go to work.
Oh my God, did I do this? Did I wish this into happening? Did I do this with my mind?
Shush. It’s like a dream come true.”
Gemma is in her fourth meeting of the day with her third cup of coffee trying to listen while talking herself down from a panic attack. Will the day ever end? Will Jack ever stop talking? Doubtful. And what if she runs into that new guy that she keeps seeing? Will she talk to him? Unlikely. Her chest tightens as her mind races. Calm down, Gemma. Just breathe.
Mythtefied is an epic journey of gods, beasts, and ancient legends.
Caelan is the mortal son of the great god, Donus. But is he ready for the chaos he is destined to tame? He doesn't think so. In fact, he doesn't even know about his destiny, even though the rest of the township knows it all too well. Is he ready to save the world? Or will the half-god fail his township and his absent father to be a normal boy instead?
"Son of Donus, she thought. She had heard legends of the son of Donus. The Chonotaurs even fought out battles, and the oracles invoked his name. She wondered how such a shy and sheltered boy could ever be the man of whom they spoke."
Reviews for Mythtefied
"Mythtefied is a great new fantasy novel penned by newcomer Camille Michaels. The book is rich with detail, from mundane daily habits to the evocative scenes and stimuli present in every new moment in the book. The book has a smooth flow to its storytelling and moves at a very satisfying pace. It's evocative, expansive, and engaging, defying expectation where you might least suspect. A debut novel to be commended."
SPR, 4 1/2 Stars
Finalist in the 11th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards
