The Grim and the Fantastic
by Marissa Miller
Genre: Children's / Middle Grade Fantasy
The Grim and The Fantastic tells the story of Merton Clarke, and his journey battling a major illness, when a magical realm--filled with splendor and danger lurking in the shadows-- reveals itself to him. There, he must face some terrible beasts in a battle to rid himself of his sickness. Along the way, Merton makes two new friends who must fight their own monsters alongside him. If they can defeat their beasts from the realm in battle, just maybe, they will win the battle against their sickness in the real world too. Together, they test their limits, and their understanding of friendship, grief, bravery, and, above all, the power of hope.
A story of marvel, battles, and hardship, The Grim and the Fantastic takes a serious subject and seeks to breathe color back into the lives of those affected. The fantastical tale truly provides a whimsical place for children with troubles to escape to.
The Grim and The Fantastic Chapter Seven Excerpt
Merton cleared his throat. “Rosie and I talked, and we think it might be a good idea to try
to go back to that dark mountain.”
“The one with the monsters?” Cathy’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. Remember, we thought there might be the cure up there. But we would have to
face our beasts.” Rosie explained. “However, I really believe this is why we are here in the first
place; to tackle our problems head-on where we have each other and something direct to fight
against.” Rosie said in a rush, then sucked in a breath once she had finished.
“Are you ok with going with us, Cathy? We were hoping you could finally beat your beast
too.” Merton asked gently.
Cathy looked forlorn for a moment, then her expression changed to thoughtful. Finally,
her face brightened, and she nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go too!” Her excited voice came out in a half
squeal as she jumped to her feet.
“You will?” Merton and Rosie chorused in surprise. “Yep. When Rosie was in danger,
we saved her. And we had our special outfits. And Merton used his sword and kept us safe.
You’ll help keep us safe again, won’t you Merton?”
Cathy and Rosie turned their bright eyes to Merton. He swallowed hard, but nodded
nevertheless. “I’ll certainly try my best.” He agreed, then added, “We all will do our best to keep
each other safe.”
Cathy and Rosie nodded eagerly.
“Ok, so we should make a plan and get everything out in the open. We can build our
strength and, when the time is right, we will attack.” Rosie said, and the three friends sat in a
little circle, losing themselves in their conversation and planning how they were going to battle
the Cancer Beasts.
Marissa Miller is an up and coming author, who has spent the last few years working on novels and children’s books. She currently resides in northern California with her husband, two little dogs (Alice and Diggory), and two cats (Burt and Winry).
Miller has been an aspiring storyteller since she was a young girl and began more seriously pursuing the art of writing in her teens. After a happy accident with miscommunication in 2017, Miller began producing illustrations to accompany her work; she now attempts to incorporate in her illustrative style with all of her works.
Miller’s first published work is the wonderfully imaginative children’s book, Chasing Figments. Following her picture book, Miller published an illustrated young reader’s book, The Grim and The Fantastic. Both books embody Miller’s brand, which is finding the splendor in one’s life, no matter the circumstance, and using imagination to overcome obstacles.
Gift basket with: Signed copy of book, bookmarks, custom illustration for winner, and a $10 amazon gift-card.
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