# Pyrokinetic Urban Fantasy!



## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Meth Peddling Viking-themed Biker Gang Members and the Woman Who Set Them on Fire! Flaming Straight Razors to the Eye! Ashley Ambers is The Ember That Didn't Die!

Imagine our world, the billions who live on it. Now, imagine that, among these billions is a select few, numbering only in the hundreds. What sets these hundreds from the billions they walk among? Power. Power of the mind. Power to turn will into substance, desires into reality. _The Ember That Didn't Die_ tells the story of one of these select few.

Ashley is an orphan, an exile. She lives in a forgotten part of the world, living by her wits and her fire, surviving by preying on outlaws and those who won't be missed. It is a harsh, precarious life, one that seems to have no hope of change. Then, one day, because of what seemed like a simple theft, change comes.

Ashley finds herself thrust out from her exile, in the company of thieves, hunted, on the run. Now, Ashley must summon the fire and wits she has honed in her exile and fight not only to survive and protect those around her, but to build something worth living for.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

_The Ember That Didn't Die_ is about Ashley Ambers. Who is she? She makes fire with her mind. There was a time when that was all Ashley needed to know about herself to be content. There was a time when she had family, had protection, had direction, knew what she wanted to do, knew where she was going. One night took all those things away from her. She hasn't been the same, since. She doesn't expect to ever be the same. What will she do? Where will she go?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

The first two chapters, along with a little bit of the third are free to view on Amazon.  Take a look.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Just checked on Amazon.  It's actually the first three chapters and a little bit of the fourth that you can see for free.  Oops!  By the way, in the fourth chapter, you'll notice the introduction of Brody, the beanie guy.  Like Ashley, he is without family and without direction.  He survives on the charity of a dwindling number of friends and on odd jobs he does for less than savory characters.  He's just getting to know Ashley, right now, but he'll play a greater role later in the story.  You'll get to know him better and you'll find out why he comes across the way he does in the beginning.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

So, where does this story take place?  There's no name given, other than "the wrong side of the tracks", but it's a guarantee that some place like it is never far away.  All you have to do is look and see.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

In the free sample, you'll see what Ashley does for her living, how she makes it to see the next day.  It's something she's been doing for a long time and, though she tries her best to cover her tracks, people have taken notice.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Who is the girl in pigtails?  Though they haven't seen each other in years, the girl in pigtails still plays a major role in Ashley's life and in her thoughts.  What happened between them?  What did she do?  What did they used to be?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

At the end of the chapter, in the span of a single moment, Ashley realizes that she has lost everything she has.  It isn't the first time she has experienced this.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

You've seen meth peddling in the free sample (and if you haven't, please go look), but where are the Viking-themed biker gangs?  They come later.  They call themselves the Vanir, and while they would claim to have an interest in Norse mythology, the truth is that they got the name from Conan the Barbarian.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

So, who are these thieves that Ashley eventually comes into company with?  Few set out to be thieves, just as Ashley didn't choose her life.  They aren't people Ashley would willingly spend her time around, nor is she one that they would want to be around, but they need each other.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Family can come from the strangest of places.  Ashley once had family, though you'd have to wonder what kind of family could handle someone who can make fire with her mind.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

When you can make fire with your mind, you don't exactly have a typical childhood.  Ashley's childhood has shaped her, formed a foundation for how she views the world and other people.  Easily the biggest figure in her childhood is Grandma, who still looms large over who Ashley is as a person.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

If you just happened to find a bag full of money lying around, would you take it?  Knowing full well that it belonged to someone?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

How far would you go to get out of nowhere?  What would you give up?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

When you're like Ashley, you spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to use your powers and go unseen.  You develop a very defensive, paranoid view of the world and of people.  A person like that doesn't trust easily.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

What is it like, having something about you that you can never show to the rest of the world?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

In this particular slice of the wrong side of the tracks, meth is king.  People come from far and wide for it.  One man, more cunning and ruthless than the others, controls the lion's share of the trade.  He's called Dr. Sky.  He's built his empire over the course of years, has invested his time and soul into it, has shed much blood for it.  It's his creation and he has protected it from many threats, but how will he deal with someone like Ashley?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

If you've read the sample, then you've seen that Ashley isn't especially broken up about being robbed of all the money she has.  What good is money to someone who doesn't know what to do with it?  Unfortunately, Ashley wasn't taught about the importance of money or what it can do.  Her upbringing focused on honing her powers.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

There are few like Ashley in the world.  It's quite possible for someone like her to go through an entire lifetime without ever meeting anyone like themselves.  That kind of isolation isn't something you just shrug off.  It becomes a part of you.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Being alone isn't entirely bad.  It's isolating, but it also avoids the complications that interactions with people always brings.  You can't be betrayed.  You can't be disappointed.  However, few can live like this all the time and when it comes time to be around other people, it becomes a troublesome, awkward affair.  Ashley is no exception to this rule.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

People like Ashley have to hide a part of themselves from the rest of the world for their whole lives.  The world isn't ready to witness such things.  It's dangerous.  How do people like Ashley know this?  The hunters.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Despite their efforts to stay hidden, there are people who know about those like Ashley.  Among these people are the hunters.  The hunters see those like Ashley and they feel fear.  They see a threat.  Unable to appeal to higher powers, they take up the task of ending this threat.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

It's quite possible for someone like Ashley to never meet a hunter, but the fear of meeting one will steer the course of his or her entire life.  So many decisions, even the simplest ones, must consider the threat of the hunters.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

For Ashley's kind, one solution to the problem of hunters is to simply not use their power.  Just live like everyone else.  Yet, it seems that something always comes out, something always seeps past the mask.  Who can really keep a fundamental part of themselves hidden for all their lives?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

For as long as people have been around, so have those like Ashley.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Despite all the fear of the hunters, despite the risk of witnesses, you'll see that Ashley likes to play with her fire.  It's not something she can just keep inside her.  She has to put her mark on the world.  She will not be denied that.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

The straight razor Ashley keeps with her is nothing special, no different from any other you'd find.  Yet, it is more than just a tool to her.  Without it, she would feel lesser, more vulnerable.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

You can get away from a place, but can you ever really get away from who you are?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

What do you do when you find yourself in a world that has no place for you?  What do you do if you can't make yourself fit?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

As rough as Ashley's life is, it's something she knows.  Known is better than unknown.  Yet, no matter how hard anyone tries, no one can keep change from coming.  The unknown will come to you.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

This wrong side of the tracks isn't just a place that people get stuck in.  It's also a place where people come to not be found.  It was what brought Ashley here.  But what will she do when she wants to leave?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Some might wonder, should a person who has the sorts of powers Ashley have even be considered "human"?  Ashley certainly has.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Revenge is often considered pointless, but for some, it's the only thing keeping them going.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Some things can't be left behind, or walked away from, or ignored, no matter where you go or what you do.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

It's terrible, to have power that few others have and to have that power be absolutely useless when it comes to what you really want.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Some people choose to be alone, but after some time, it stops being a choice.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Ashley has spent a long time in the shadows, trying to stay hidden, trying to avoid notice.  When forced into light and confrontation, it's hard for her.  She doesn't know what to say, how to relate.  It's almost painful.  Yet, she can't stay away.  Sometimes, she just hungers for contact and she hates the person who robbed her of it.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

For a very long time, Ashley hasn't seen very far into the future.  Often, she thinks no further than what's going to happen at the end of the day.  She doesn't expect to have much of a future, or a future that's much different from what she has now.  That's about to change.  Ashley's about to glimpse at possibility.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Even though Ashley has a chance at a future, she can't help but return to past, again and again.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

No matter how long you've been away from life, you can always get back in.  Comforting thought, isn't it?  But is it true?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

It can be hard to believe in people when they've let you down.  It can be hard to even want to believe in them.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Despite the hardships, despite the misery, there is something in Ashley's life that keeps her going, that keeps her looking forward to the next moment, to tomorrow.  She'd never admit it, but it isn't something she'd easily give up.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

One thing that everyone in this story shares is the desire to cross boundaries, to cross those train tracks you've been keeping yourself behind.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Is anyone interested in a free copy?  I have a small number of free copies available.  If anyone is interested, just mention it here or message me and I'll message over the redemption code.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Ever had a bond with someone that wouldn't break?  Ashley does, with the girl in pigtails.  A bond that won't break is something people often point to as a good thing, but they don't always consider that the bond can go bad, become poisonous.  Sometimes, breaking free is best.  The problem is that it's rarely that easy.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

What's a person like when she thinks the world is against her?  What's a person like when she's right?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Ashley spends a lot of time wondering what the girl in pigtails is doing.  She doesn't spend nearly as much time wondering about what she's doing, at least, not in a big picture kind of way.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Escape from the wrong side of the tracks was always an option for Ashley, by one method or another.  She has considered escape, but never taken it.  She isn't chained in any material sense, but something keeps her where she is.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Nothing ever stays the same, not for forever.  This can be good or bad, depending on where you stand.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

One thing Ashley doesn't take lightly is betrayal.  She's has no sympathy or patience for anyone who betrays.  The key reason for this is the girl in pigtails.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

When you don't make friends easily, the few you do make, you keep as closely as possible.  It can be a positive, but it can also be taken too far.  Ashley can be like that.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

All of Ashley's kind instinctively know that the things they can do must be kept secret.  Keeping that secret is the highest priority.  They will do anything, pay any price to do it.


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

Ever wonder what it's like to know that the world isn't ready for you, yet?


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## ljangsley (Jun 22, 2015)

One advantage of living somewhere known for meth lab explosions: people aren't surprised by fires.


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