In upstate Idaho, Ness Hook is run out of his mom's house by his bullying brother Shawn. In Redding, California, Tristan Carter is graduating college, but with no job and no prospects, she'll have to move back in with her parents. Then the world ends. After Ness discovers his best friend dead of disease, Shawn takes their family to the mountains to wait out the plague. As Tristan's parents fall sick, she's left to care for her younger brother Alden. Both sets of siblings dig in for the long haul. Humanity is reduced to splinters. And then the creatures who sent the virus appear in the sky. Flushed from the mountains, Shawn and Ness join a tribe at a nuclear power plant, where they plan to launch a guerrilla war against the invaders. In California, Tristan and Alden are taken prisoner. Separated from her brother, Tristan crosses the ruins of America to track him down. She will stop at nothing to get Alden back--but her fellow survivors prove even more dangerous than the monsters who broke the world. ~ Melt Down is the second book in the post-apocalyptic Breakers series. The series to date includes Outcome, Breakers, Melt Down, Knifepoint, Reapers, and Cut Off.

Jayd Jackson hopes her magical Mama has a spell to chase all her cares away. . . Jayd needs time to recoup from her dramatic school year, but time is the one thing she doesn't have. She's said yes to becoming a debutante, and now she has to deal with her girl Mickey's jealousy--on top of babysitting, hair braiding, cheer camp, and a summer writing class. With the stress of Jayd's hectic schedule, strange visions, and insomnia, luckily Mama returns from her vacation in time to help Jayd and her crew avert real drama. Mama's convinced something sinister is at play, and they both need a plan to get Jayd her swagger back before it's too late. . .

During her summer vacation, Jayd manages the duties to becoming a debutante along with her increasing psychic powers and her friend Mickey's jealousy.

After a summer of bliss with boyfriend KJ, Jayd Jackson returns to South Bay High (aka Drama High) to discover that she's been dumped, her former best friend is out to get her and KJ's new girl is looking to knock her out. With drama at an all-time high, Jayd, with a little help from Mama and her mystical bag of tricks, is about to get some lessons in who's really got her back - and, more importantly, when she's got to watch it.

Jayd Jackson's about to take the most important test of her life. . . With the Advanced Placement exams coming up, Jayd can't afford any distractions. Enter Rah's baby mama, the master of stirring up trouble. Despite her best intentions, Jayd gets entangled in the drama and fails her pre-test exam. Knowing it's time to get her act together, she joins a study group on campus, sharpens her skills--and meets a whole new crew. Unfortunately, Jayd's the only one who's happy about her newfound study habits and newfound friends. Her old crew is suddenly full of haters--and even Mama's giving her a hard time. Just when it seems things can't get any worse, Misty starts talking smack, hoping to destroy Jayd once and for all. Now Jayd's wondering if the real test is whether she's ready to say goodbye to the old and move on up and out. . .

Murdock's stunning debut novel, narrated by 15-year-old D.J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, is now available in paperback.

"A highly recommended, character-driven sci-fi novel in the tradition of Robert A. Heinlein." -Kirkus Reviews "A fun story of survival and endurance that hits some metaphysical high notes and exudes a special feeling of "cool", Exigency is highly recommended to any big-hearted and sharp-minded reader in search of a sturdy sci-fi page-turner." -Red City Review Nine brilliant scientists travel light years on a one-way trip to an Earth-like planet. Their mission is to study from orbit the two species of intelligent lifeforms on the surface. The first: an isolated people embarking on civilization and building their world's first city. The second: a brutal race of massive predators, spread thick and still growing across the dominant landmass--destined to breed and eat their way to extinction within a few centuries. After eight years of observation, disaster strikes the orbiting station and only two crewmembers eject successfully. Drifting down through a dark alien sky, the pair realizes their escape pod launched not toward the safety of the city, but to the other side of the planet, touching down deep inside a land no human could possibly survive.