<p><strong>The Storm Strikes</strong></p><p>Iris Rutherford&rsquo;s paintings scare most people. Especially the strange ones.</p><p>Even in her hometown of Maple Ridge, Virginia, her own peculiar magic makes her an outsider in a town full of them.</p><p>Then Iris meets Gena Wallace, the first to understand. To see the visions, joyful and nightmarish, even before Iris sees.</p><p>Will they survive as Iris&rsquo;s nightmares come true?</p><p><strong>An excerpt from&nbsp;<em>Into the Storm</em>:</strong></p><p>&ldquo;Did I say which this happens in?&rdquo; Iris shivered as she stared at the painting. &ldquo;Maple Ridge or Wolf Branch?&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;No, honey, you didn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Gena said. &ldquo;Same with the one with the prison a couple of days ago. I couldn&rsquo;t tell which. But I think you&rsquo;re right. It&rsquo;s one or the other.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what to do.&rdquo; Iris paced back and forth, looking at all of the true images, growing stranger and more upsetting as the months passed. &ldquo;If we go up there with food riots just a few hours away, we might not ever get back. I don&rsquo;t know what the hell the two of us could do about this anyway.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;How long since you&rsquo;ve heard from your parents?&rdquo; Gena caught Iris&rsquo;s hand, then pulled her into a hug.&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;The phones have been out for the last couple of weeks.&rdquo; Iris&nbsp;&nbsp;let out her breath in a rush, trying not to cry. &ldquo;They had it pretty bad over the winter. Trees probably took out the phone lines. Maybe the power lines too.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not what you&rsquo;re dreaming,&rdquo; Gena said. &ldquo;Nothing as simple as trees. Something&rsquo;s wrong. Those three paintings go together.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;We just have to figure out why.&rdquo;</p>