Of Gryphons and Other Monsters

For the people of the Carpathe Mountains, in the country of Somerlarth, autumn marks the time of gryphons. Every year is the same: first the lesser gryphons move into the farm fields and then the standard gryphons move in on the local herds.Taryn, a young shepherd, is as used to this cycle as any mountain dweller and she knows how to ward off either strain of beast. Sure, it's a nuisance but it's expected--just like her mother's insistence on her finding romance in their small mountain town. Nothing's ever perfect, right?But, Taryn's predictable world is turned on its head as two revelations hit in quick succession:First, her twin brother Michael reveals that he has been offered a place in a distant lord's service. It's no secret that her twin brother longs for more than the drudgery of shepherding, and now he has a decision to make. Come spring, he may leave Nophgrin and her forever.Next, panic spreads as several of a neighbor's livestock turns up dead in what looks to be the worst gryphon attack in recent memory. A string of more kills soon follows, and a band of mercenaries is called to deal with the terrified town's problem.The twins quickly become embroiled in two conflicts that threaten to tear them apart. Can Michael be dissuaded from leaving? And what will Taryn do with the feeling that, despite the inconvenience, one of the mercenaries might just have that certain something she has been looking for?As the conflicts between family, mercenaries and gryphons reach their peak, Taryn must decide who the monsters truly are, and what she will do about it.A novel set in a whole new world, one populated by warriors, monsters, and magic, "Of Gryphons and Other Monsters" is the first in the "Taryn's Journey" quartet.