WOODS

About the Book

George Sherman, a forty-two year-old counselor for emotionally challenged boys, decides to take four of his most-challenged boys on a camping trip to an isolated area in the mountains.  They will learn to work as a team with only the minimal supplies they bring along.  George is certain it is going to be a great weekend!  They drive for hours up the bumpy mountain road, bickering and whining all the way, finally reaching their destination.  Pete Fairweather soon feels uneasy about the woods surrounding their camp.  He feels as though they are being watched by something not human.  Armed with only a hunting knife and his father’s wisdom on hunting tactics, he leaves the camp in the middle of the night in search of the source of a low, raspy sound.  Missed by the other boys during the night, they arouse George from his slumber and go in search of Pete.  Unable to find him in the dark woods, with eerie shadows moving in the trees, they return to the campfire, where they stay until they can resume their search at daybreak.  When located, Pete is cold and tired.  He tells pieces of a strange story of an illuminated cave where the sound emanated from.  He doesn’t remember much else about his nightly jaunt.  He tells the others of an old legend, his father told him about many years ago, of great tribal hunters disappearing in the woods without a trace.  Only the hunting knives the men were carrying were ever found.  Pete believes whatever caused those disappearances is near their camp and poses a threat.  George disappears late the next morning and what they find is worse than what Pete feared.  It definitely makes for an exciting weekend and they will never look at camping the same way again.  Are you packed up and ready to go to the WOODS?

About the Author

Because a good, spooky campfire story is usually enjoyed by almost everyone, Julie Austad writes about people experiencing strange and mysterious adventures. The Shadows In The Dark series is a collection of tales of bizarre adventures, the paranormal, and the people who get caught up in the wake. Woods, the second book in the series, brings campfire "scaries" to life for some young campers. The first book is titled Uncle’s Trunk. The third book in the series, The Voyage of The Challenger is currently in progress. The characters from the first book go up against a new adversary to equal a story of the supernatural mixed with adventure. . These imaginative stories are intended for readers seventeen and under. Ms. Austad lives in Everett, Washington, with her husband, two (almost grown-up) children, and their Bichon Frise dog, Buffy, who serves as a cure-all for writer's block.