Science Fiction and World Religions collide in this new YA series!

Are you looking for the next young adult science fiction and fantasy books to rock your world? Then look no further than this new series by Janie St. Clair.

Thrilling action, charming characters, wit, and wisdom combine in a story that will leave you wishing it were real...
...and thanking God it’s not.

Science fiction and world religions 
collide in:

FREELANCE EXORCISTS

A group of teenagers must work together to exorcise demons according to their own religious traditions.


Book one of the series, Peter Hunter and the Minions of Mara, follows a boy on his journey through the wisdom and self-mastery of Buddhism.

          But while you're deciding whether or not to buy it, enjoy the free excerpts on Peter's page.

Excerpt from Peter Hunter:

       “Do you believe in spirits?” Sensei asked him.

Peter felt a shiver up his spine.

“Like ghosts and stuff?” he asked.

Sensei Rob nodded. “Almost every world religion has some belief in spirits, either good or bad, who interfere with our lives. Even in Buddhism, there’s Mara – for all intents and purposes, the devil – and his minions, called the asuras. They tempt humans to make choices that distract them from the way of enlightenment.”

“Do you really believe that?” Peter asked.

“Judge later,” Rob reminded him. “Listen now.” Then he took a breath. “When I was younger, I took a year to study in India. While I was there, I met this guy. A Tibetan shaman or guru – like a spiritual expert. I witnessed him perform a ritual and save someone’s life. Afterwards, he told me that the spirits don’t just tempt people. Sometimes they take over their bodies.”

A fresh wave of goosebumps prickled Peter’s skin and he sincerely wished Sensei Charlie were still there.

“Are you talking like,” he gulped, “demonic possession?”

I don’t believe in all this paranormal crud, Peter reminded himself. Why am I getting freaked out here?

Rob nodded. “The guru – Yeshe was his name – said he could cast the asuras, the dark spirits, out of people and exorcise them.”

“And you,” Peter paused, “believed him?”

Sensei took in a frustrated breath. “Just listen a moment, would ya? I wouldn’t have believed the guy, if I hadn’t seen it for myself. When a dark spirit takes over a person, you can tell. I mean, weird stuff happens, but it’s more than just that. You know it’s wrong. It reverberates within you, freezes you to the core. You can’t really say what it is, you just sense the darkness. I saw Yeshe expel the spirit from the person and then the man went back to normal like it had never happened.”

“So what are you…?”

Sensei Rob held up a hand to stop him. “Asuras are spirits who bear ill will toward humans. They want to cause us pain. Yeshe said he had made a pact with a deva – a spirit of positivity and kindness. This deva would act in him and through him to help expel the bad spirits. It was really a lot to take in, as I’m sure it is for you right now. But then, the strangest thing happened.”

“Stranger than everything else?” Peter asked dryly.

Sensei Rob narrowed his eyes.

Right, Peter thought. I’m supposed to listen.

“Yeshe told me that I had been chosen to be his successor.”

Peter didn’t know why, but he felt another chill up his spine.

“He said there was a deva waiting to make contact with me,” Rob continued. “If I accepted the mission, I’d be able to save people from the asuras, too. So I let him train me to be an exorcist. And that was about fifteen years ago.”

“So are you saying—”

“Shh,” Sensei Rob said sharply. “Then when I returned to the States and settled in this town, I became the exorcist here. The devas position at least one of us in designated areas. So when someone’s possessed by an evil spirit and they’re ready to be free, I rush out to help them. Sometimes it’s an easy fight and sometimes I get injured.” He pointed to the bandage on his shoulder. “It’s not an easy job, but I know I’m helping people and that makes it rewarding.”

Sensei Rob paused and Peter tried to remain calm.

Truthfully, the second half of Sensei’s rambling had gone right over his head because all he could think was:

Is this a joke? A prank to get me back for the phone call?

But the seriousness in Sensei’s tone – in the air inside the dojo – prompted Peter to consider the very real probability that Sensei Rob was a lunatic.

Spirits? Possession? Exorcisms? This is ridiculous.

“So there you have it,” Sensei Rob said. “That’s why I have to leave suddenly every now and then.”

Rob didn’t talk after that, but he looked at Peter expectantly.

“Oh. Am I allowed to talk now?” Peter asked.

Rob chuckled. “Yes, you’re allowed, punk.”

“Okay,” Peter bluffed a calm attitude. “Assuming this is the truth, why are you telling me? Why trust me with your weird secret?”

Rob smiled, showing all his dimples. “Because you’re next.”

Book 1.5 of the series, Drop by Drop, is a compilation of short stories based on the characters from Peter Hunter and the Minions of Mara. The stories highlight Rob, Charlie, Zahid, Jeremy, Gina, and Chiara Marino - from book two!

Excerpt from Drop by Drop:

The man’s smile deepened. “I’ll not argue or bargain with you,” he spoke in Hindi. “And this is not a warning. It’s time for you to leave.”

Rob was terrified. Somehow, the spirit had gained too much notice, and now Rob was being kicked out of the market. Or maybe he was being arrested.

Then the spirit in Rob cackled wildly.

“He invited me in!” it answered in the same language. “I am welcome here.”

“I would not be here unless your welcome had expired,” the man returned.

The spirit gnarled and lurched forward, but then it stopped. Rob’s feet were stuck. He looked down and saw blocks of ice somehow cementing his feet to the hot pavement. The ice was strangely unaffected by the Indian summer sun that baked the road underneath. Instead, even as he looked on, frost spiraled in tendrils up his legs.

As he marveled at the sight, a blizzard began swirling all around him. A tornado of ice and sleet blasted him from all sides, blocking out all other sights and sounds. The icy storm should have hurt him, but there were no cuts on his skin and Rob felt no pain and no cold.

The spirit, however, howled and thrashed, rending Rob’s shirt. It cried out like a wild animal in the throes of death. But then, with a final shriek, it was gone.

Rob felt as if he were coming up for air after being held under water for too long. He looked at his hands, now under his own control. He moved his fingers, then his arms, just to test them. He turned his head from side to side.

As the ice and snow faded – as quickly as they had come – Rob felt a rush of relief and exhilaration. Like waking up healed after an injury or sickness, he felt immensely grateful for the normal state of things. He wanted to sing, to dance, to shout and leap for joy.

Suddenly, however, he fell to his knees, acutely feeling the accumulated effect of the walking, fasting, and sleep deprivation. His stomach growled, loud enough for the whole market to hear.

The man in front of him laughed wholeheartedly. He held out a hand to Rob.

“Come with me,” he said, “and we’ll find you some food.”

Read more excerpts from Drop by Drop here.

Buy Drop by Drop here.

Book 2 of the series, Chiara Marino and the Demons of Darkness

Check out these excerpts!


Excerpt from Chiara Marino:

“So get this,” Zeke interrupted. “Did you guys know that the Catholic Church still appoints exorcists? Isn’t that weird? I mean, you’d think if people were getting possessed, it’d be all over the news or something.”

Chiara stole a glance at Peter, watching for his reaction.

“In this day and age?” Mac mocked. Then she smiled. “I think anyone who believes in ghosts and demons is just ghoul-able.”

“That’s the spirit!” Cosmo agreed. “It’s un-boo-lievable.”

“Those beliefs are dangerous and can lead to pan-demon-ium.”

“Really? Pandemonium?” Cosmo shook his head. “I ex-spector-ed more from you.”

“I believe in demons,” Chiara told Zeke. She couldn’t contain herself any longer. If Peter wasn’t going to give her any hints, maybe she would give him some. “And I think they can possess people.”

Cosmo shook his head. “I cite Ockham’s Razor. The simplest explanation is most often the truest.”

“Yeah,” Mac agreed. “Whenever I hear ‘exorcism’, I only think of someone senselessly beating a poor schizophrenic sap in the name of spiritual deliverance.”

“Pfft. That doesn’t even work,” Peter mumbled.

The group turned his way and he looked like he had been caught in the middle of something embarrassing.

“Uh, you know, hypothetically,” he stumbled, “the demons would be pure spirits who wouldn’t be able to feel bodily pain. So beating the body would only harm the person. You know, in theory.”

Chiara’s heartbeat grew faster and she studied him without blinking. She knew now that she wasn’t crazy. And obviously, he didn’t forget fighting the demons.

“You really think possession happens as often as it did in the Bible?” Zeke asked. “I could see it happening like once every twenty years or something, but not all the time.”

“I really don’t know too much about actual possession,” Chiara shook her head regretfully. “There haven’t been too many scientific studies done on the patients for the sake of anonymity.”

Cosmo mumbled to himself.

“What was that?” Zeke called him out.

“I said ‘how convenient,’” he blinked.

Chiara tried to ignore his criticism. “I’ve only come across maybe fifty well-documented cases in my research.”

Chiara noticed that Peter was still studying her. His face was calm and his eyes were slightly squinted. She had no idea what he was thinking and it made her nervous.

“You’ve really researched this topic?” Mac eyed her suspiciously. “Dude, for Chiara’s sake! Who sits there and thinks, ‘Here I am all alone in a dark, quiet library. I should study demonic possession!’?”

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