The 13th Series tells the story of twelve dimensions that are
connected through the 13th world. Every dimension has a Soul Reaper, a person
with supernatural abilities, with which they ease spirits’ passage into the
13th world. Sometimes they use those powers to fight Soul Eaters, corrupted
spirits, and every once in while they have to use their powers to fight
corrupted officials.
These books can be read as standalone's, but the order they appear in this post is the order that the author Ela Lond suggest they should be read.
Title: Ineluctable Fate
Series: The 13th
Author: Ela Lond
BLURB supplied by the Author
As the Awakener, Ashton Godwill eased ghosts’ passage into the other world and obliterated Soul Eaters – ghosts who have lost their auras and feed on the spirit energy of others. When the number of Soul Easters suddenly increases, Ashton’s guardian employs the help of the Reaper. Unfortunately, the Reaper is the boy who broke Ashton’s heart, the boy Ashton would rather never see again.
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As the Awakener, Ashton Godwill eased ghosts’ passage into the other world and obliterated Soul Eaters – ghosts who have lost their auras and feed on the spirit energy of others. When the number of Soul Easters suddenly increases, Ashton’s guardian employs the help of the Reaper. Unfortunately, the Reaper is the boy who broke Ashton’s heart, the boy Ashton would rather never see again.
Goodreads Link
Series: Destiny Awaits Short Story
Author: Ela Lond
BLURB supplied by Author
From the first moment Mandy Hill saw Tyler Webster shooting hoops she wanted to get close to him, but for that she would have to become popular. Not an easy task for a girl with adjustment problems and a brother who liked to play weirdo. And becoming friends with the school outcast didn’t help either.
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Series: Destiny Awaits Short Story
Author: Ela Lond
BLURB supplied by Author
In the haunted ruins of an old monastery, seven teenagers have gone missing in recent years. Kate, who is the Soul Reaper and helps ghosts who can't cross over by themselves, goes with her friends during their summer vacation to investigate. Once there, they find themselves tangled up in the deceptions of the dead, trapped like flies in a spider web.
Title: Destiny Awaits
Series: The 13th
Author: Ela Lond
BLURB supplied by the Author
Kate, the school outcast, has always been able to see ghosts, and she constantly fears that someday, her so-called 'gift' will drive her mad like it did her mother, who has now been confined to a mental asylum. With the ever-present ghosts, her institutionalised mother, the unwanted attention from a bully and everything else going on in a teenage girl’s life, all Kate wants is to graduate quickly and without troubles. But that becomes impossible when Ethan, a gorgeous new transfer student, takes an interest in her, claiming that she is the Soul Reaper, and that he is there to train her. Things get even worse when her nemesis, the school bully Sandra, decides that she wants Ethan for herself.
Goodreads List
Goodreads List
EXCERPT
The 13th: Destiny Awaits
“Did you see that guy on Saturday? He was gorgeous.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you see who he was with? That dumbass. I saw her bow to the teacher again today. It was so funny.”
The last bit caught Kate's attention and she peeked over her shoulder at the girls standing a step away from her locker. She knew them: Sandra and her subjects. Sandra, the blonde girl, had broken the heart of Kate's neighbour, Tyler. Kate hadn’t liked her as Tyler's girlfriend and she liked her even less as his ex-girlfriend. They had to be talking about Mandy -- the new transfer student and Kate's new friend -- and her brother.
“You don't think it was her boyfriend, do you?”
“Hers? Not a chance.”
“Hasn't she hooked up with Tyler?”
“Yeah, that's right. She's another one of his charity cases, except he’s dating this one. I don't know what he's thinking.”
“At least he isn't dating the nutcase.”
They’re probably looking at me now, Kate thought. She tilted her head and behind her curtain of long black hair she pretended to be busy with stacking textbooks from her bag into her locker. She was one of Tyler's charity cases, the reason why not many dared to say ‘nutcase’ to her face. Having a popular athlete for a neighbour and for a childhood friend had its perks. Not to mention that she spent most of her dinners at his place, enjoying the home cooking of his grandmother, Nan.
“--hinted that his performance on the court might suffer if he has to worry... you know, the same thing he did with the crazy over there.”
“Shh, she might hear you,” one of the girls whispered.
“So what? Let her hear.” A locker nearby was slammed shut.
Kate pretended to flinch. She turned toward the sound because that was expected of her and she begrudgingly obliged. At the beginning, their barbs had drawn blood every time they flew at her, but now they rarely managed to even scratch her.
Her gaze was met by frowning faces staring back at her. She didn't bother acknowledging their presence -- they wouldn't have greeted her back anyway -- and with a blank expression, she turned her attention back to her books. She got rid of the one she didn't need, took the one she did, and closed the slightly dented beige door of her locker.
She passed the group as she went toward the entrance of the high school and joined the people pouring out of the school into the parking lot. She walked toward her baby, an old beat-up Ford Mustang she had gotten from her granddad. Kate, her granddad, and her dad had planned on restoring it together, but then her granddad's death and the incident put everything on hold.
“Weirdo,” a male voice called out before a hard body bumped against her and a hand yanked on her bag and shoved her away.
She fell down and the contents of her bag spilled on the ground. “Look who's talking,” she groaned to herself, glaring at the wide back moving away. She knew him, the boy. Not two years ago he had almost stalked her, showered her with small gifts, and tried to date her; now he enjoyed shoving her and calling her names.
She snorted. If she thought about it, she was probably better off with him being a jerk to her, since she could handle a jerk better than she could a stalker. She sat up and started to gather her things, furrowing her brows when her eyes landed on a pair of black tennis shoes.
The owner of them squatted down, picked up a notebook, and handed it to her.
Kate looked at his face, which was hidden under a hood, and at the large black horn-rimmed glasses on his nose. Her eyes met with blue ice, a gaze that she could swear was burning into her.
“We haven't met, have we?” He offered her his hand. “Ethan.”
Ethan, Mandy's brother. She stared at his hand for a few seconds. He looked so different from the dazzling version who liked to parade around outside of school, the one Sandra and company admired so much. And they had no idea. “Kate.” She took his hand.
“I know.” Warm fingers curled around her hand and shook it. “You’re Mandy's friend.
At his touch a current of electricity shot through her body. She scowled. “And you... You’re Mandy's brother.” She stood up.
He straightened, too. “Is this a regular thing?”
The wrinkle on her forehead deepened, not because of his question, but at the tingling sensation that started to spread over her limbs. She knew what that meant. She had to calm herself down; but why now? It only happened when she got upset and she wasn’t upset.
He said something to her but it didn't register; she was too occupied with the specks of colour that dotted the edges of her vision. She needed to get home, now. She thanked him for his help and rushed to her car. She got into it.
The colours were already spreading and their blurry shapes were becoming clearer. A semi-tangible form with what used to be a face flew through the windshield and then passed through her with a swish. There were going to be more of them, she knew, and she wrapped her fingers around the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. The temperature around her dropped. She shivered.
Series: The 13th
Author: Ela Lond
BLURB supplied by the Author
Ethan Hill is an Awakener. Together with his Soul Reaper girlfriend, Kate, he hunts Soul Eaters and helps ghosts to cross over. His life seems perfect until the start of college when his spiritual energy begins to wane and his Awakening powers fade. Shocked, he learns that his love for Kate is the cause, and there's only one solution: To keep his powers, he must lose the girl he loves.
Goodreads List
Goodreads List
EXCERPT
The 13th: Feeble Destiny
Ethan sighed as he tore his gaze away from the Tree of Souls hovering under the black sky and the glitter of souls raining down to the pool under the tree. He sat up on the roof of the General Library, his legs dangling over the edge, glowering at the city spread before him. What am I going to do? Why was he even asking himself that when he knew what he had to do? He was going to lose his powers in a month, Urim had said, but it was his powers that defined him and gave his life a purpose. Without them, he was nothing. And then there was Kate. His girl and the main hero in their supernatural thing. The girl who made him happy, the girl he loved. How could he live without her?
His fingers went to his elbow and he absently rubbed it while something like wetness appeared at the corners of his eyes. He blinked it away.
A yellow butterfly floated by, then returned and with lazy flaps of its wings lingered before Ethan's face, which was a sign the message it carried was meant for him.
Ethan stretched out his hand.
The butterfly flew to his finger and slowly submerged itself into it. A short sensation of tickling before Kate's voice sounded in his mind. Where are you? Mandy is really worried and angry. She said to tell you that next time you disappear, you should have enough decency to tell her so that she can cover for you. I told her that you're probably with Hara and not to worry, but... A soft pause. Well, let me know where you are, okay? And call me when you get back, please.
He closed his eyes for a moment. He had been in the 13th for hours now, just lingering here because he wasn't ready to face the real world yet. He thought about what he wanted to say to Kate, but in the end, the words he focused on were: I'm in the 13th. Will be back soon. Tell Mandy, I’m sorry about leaving without letting her know.
A glow of red energy rose from the tip of his finger and shaped itself into the outline of a butterfly which first became orange then yellow. It lifted high above him and flew away.
He watched it until it became too small for him to track. He sighed again and reclined back on the smooth surface of the roof, putting one arm over his head, the dip of his elbow against his nose, and the other hand on his navel. He lay there, silent and numb while the time ticked away, seconds stretching into minutes and minutes stretching into an hour.
“Hey,” a familiar female voice said.
He opened his eyes, moved his arm away, and saw Kate in her dark blue spirit form hovering over him. He rose up. He wasn’t ready to see her, not yet, not when the pain of what he had just learned was so sharp and raw. “Hi. What are you doing here?”
“Checking up on you.”
“There's no need to.” He pulled his legs up on the roof and hooked his heels on its edge. He didn't need to ask her how she had found him. As long as he still had his powers of Awakening, they were connected and through that connection they could feel each other.
She lowered down beside him. “Hara told me about your situation.”
“Did he?” He stared straight ahead, trying to control the hollow feeling that was clawing at him so sharply and trying to overpower him.
Her hand touched his and she laced their fingers. “What are we going to do?”
There was nothing he could do but reconcile with the fact that he was going to lose his powers and Kate. But how he could do that, when he just wanted to curl up in his bed and sleep, pretending that this was all just a bad dream? “We are going to go home.”
“I mean about your spirit energy.” She shifted closer until they were arm to arm and leaned her cheek against his shoulder.
“As much as it pains me, it seems that you'll have to hunt Eaters on your own.” Actually, if he couldn't accompany her, he would have preferred that she not pursue Eaters at all, but he doubted that she would have taken his suggestion lightly. She would probably misunderstand and believe he thought she was weak, which he didn't.
“Don't joke around.” She squeezed his hand.
“I'm not.”
“We will work something out.”
“There's nothing to be worked out.” He wished there was something, anything that would make everything all right again, and erase this dark, cold, endless hole that was his heart.
“There's always something to be done.”
He glanced at her to see a determined expression on her face and a small smile found its way onto his lips only to transform into a frown a second later. He sighed tiredly. “According to the Keepers, there's only one solution for me: to fall out of love with you.” He fixed his gaze at the view of the roofs before him and his fingers dug into the hard shingle of the roof to the point of pain. “Love is supposed to be a positive sentiment, it's about caring and affection and yet, right now, it's destroying my powers and threatening the life of the person I love.”
She squeezed his hand again and pressed a small kiss on the outline of his jaw. “It's going to be okay.”
“No, it's not. There's nothing we can do.” He clenched his jaw, trying to stifle the sob that was wedged in the back of his throat, but it was coming up, making him feel as if he was going to throw up. There was nothing they could do.
“There's always something to be done,” she repeated with her voice heavily laced with stubbornness. “That is something you taught me.”
He wiggled his fingers out of her hold and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Her determination soothed his heart, but... Could there really be hope for them? “How do you fight against love?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I work in an accounting department by day and write by night. My free time mostly consists of trying to write as I yell at my cat, Jaka, to leave the curtains alone, to stop pushing things off the counters, to stop jostling my netbook, and to stop using my hands as a chew toy. My other hobbies are: drawing, sewing, jogging and going to kickboxing class.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
ABOUT THE SERIES
Could you tell us a little about your 13th Series?
The 13th Series tells the story of
twelve dimensions that are connected through the 13th world. Every dimension
has a Soul Reaper, a person with supernatural abilities, with which they ease
spirits’ passage into the 13th world. Sometimes they use those powers to fight
Soul Eaters, corrupted spirits, and every once in while they have to use their
powers to fight corrupted officials. For now the stories in the 13th Series
have been focusing on Kate and Ethan and their inner struggles as they are
balancing their supernatural hobby with their day-to-day obligations.
What is the name of your latest book in the 13th
series, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you
say?
The latest book is called Feeble Destiny. It’s about
Ethan and his struggle as he faces the choice between his powers and the girls
he loves.
Which of your books in the 13th Series were
easier/harder to write than the others? And why?
The easiest to story to write was Frozen Destiny, a
short story, which just flowed from under my fingers. It’s probably because I
was so excited about the idea for it, and well, the fact that it’s a short
story.
How many books do you plan to write in the 13th Series?
I don’t have any upper limit regarding this Series, but
I do plan for all the books in this universe to be written as standalones.
Do you have a favourite out of the 13th Series that you
have written so far? And if so why is it your favourite?
My favourite story is also Frozen Destiny and probably
for the same reason it was the easiest to write: because of the idea behind it.
Do you have a favourite character from the 13th series?
and why are they your favourite?
I can’t really say that I have a favourite character,
mainly because I love them all and because when I write, the character whose
POV I’m writing at that time is my favourite. If I was forced to choose, I
would pick the character whose POV I have been writing last, so in this
case I would pick Ethan.
Where do you get your book plot ideas from? What/Who is
your inspiration?
I get my plot
ideas from everywhere; from observing people in the stores, in coffee shops,
from watching movies, shows, commercials, animes,… But my biggest inspiration
is fan-made videos, movie videos, music and browsing through deviantart site. I
got the general idea about the Soul Reapers and ghosts while watching Yamato
Nadeshiko shichi Henge Takano aka The Wallflower. And the idea about The 13th
world was inspired by the movie Sucker Punch.
How do you come up with the Title
and Cover Designs for your 13th Series? Who designed the Cover of your books?
The title of the
Series usually comes to me on its own, when I’m writing the story, but for the
titles of the stories, I always take great care to take the core part of the
title -- which is in The 13th Series stories that feature Kate and Ethan, is
“Destiny” -- and then use the adjectives or adverbs which, I believe, would
best describe what is happening in the story. For the first two covers I used
Elaina Lee, an amazing designer with a great eye for typography, and then,
since I love to do covers myself, used her template.
Do you basic plot/plan for your
13th Series books, before you actually begin writing them out? Or do you let
the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
Before I start
to write a book, I usually have the basic plot figured out or at least an
ending, but only in my mind. Except a few notes here and there, I rarely put
the plan of the story on paper.
Is there anything in your 13th
Series books you would change now if you could and what would it be?
There’s nothing
much that I would change about The 13th Series, except make Kate in Destiny
Awaits a little less whiny.
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