The Accidental Siren [Kindle Edition]

Jake Vander Ark (Author)

Book Description

Mara Lynn is the most beautiful girl in the world. James Parker is the ordinary boy who discovers her power. Set in 1994, "The Accidental Siren" depicts the joys and consequences of young love as Mara and James meet, shoot a movie, fend off bullies, and explore the potential of infinite beauty.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Written in beautiful prose, The Accidental Siren warns of the perils of obsession. The setting is described using flawless metaphors that paint James's world in the reader's mind. The plot becomes more haunting with every chapter, effectively dragging the reader deeper into the story with every twist and turn." -Blogcritics.org

From the Back Cover

Mara Lynn is the most beautiful girl in the world. James Parker is the ordinary boy who discovers her power.

'94 was a good year to be twelve. Star Wars still had two more years as Box Office King, cartoons were still hand-drawn, and the Disney "D" still looked like a backwards "G." Words like "Columbine," "Al Qaeda," and "Y2K" were not synonymous with terror, and 9-1-1 was an emergency number instead of a date. At twelve years old, summer still mattered. Monarch caterpillars still crawled beneath every milkweed leaf. Dandelions (or "wishes" as Mara called them) were flowers instead of pests. And Divorce was still considered a tragedy.

Before Mara, carnivals didn't make me sick.

Set on the beaches of Lake Michigan, this contemporary fairytale depicts the joys and consequences of young love as Mara and James meet, shoot a movie, fend off bullies, and explore the potential of infinite beauty.

Product Details

• File Size: 444 KB
• Print Length: 260 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008A6LJNI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,379 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #55 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Coming of Age

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great way to spend an evening or two! October 10, 2012

By T. Elizabeth Burgess

Format:Kindle Edition

This book is well written and has very interesting concepts. It is told from the point of view of the 12-year-old protagonist, yet still poses questions about love and lust, good and evil, responsibility, hope, and what it means to be family. The author has a great vocabulary and an amazing ability to paint with words in order to show the reader his story.

Mini-spoilers:
Not for the squeamish or the easily offended, and not for children. Some of the bullying that occurs is violent and there are some bloody scenes.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex characters and interesting plot September 2, 2012

By Pen Name

Format:Paperback

I found this hidden gem on wattpad, and read it from start to finish in two days. The complexity of the characters really pulled me in. Good story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The kind of book that kept me up reading until 3 AM August 30, 2012

By Danielle

Format:Paperback

Simply fantastic. There are no other words to describe it. I didn't read this book because I was asked to for the purposes of a review, but found the gem online. It's a work of art that should be treasured and celebrated.

More About the Author

"What I really want to do is direct."

Yeah, I was that kid.

I spent my high-school career as the ghost of the art room, passionately constructing a portfolio that would provide the first step toward a creative occupation. Luckily, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago didn't consider GPA when selecting applicants, so I was immediately accepted into one of the most prestigious art programs in the country.

Unfortunately, the only thing I learned in art school was how much I hated art.

But I found myself! And that's important, right?

I graduated with a BFA in 2006 and moved to Los Angeles to harness my dream of becoming the next Ingmar Bergman (thanks a lot, art school.)

In LA, i began writing screenplays as a means to direct. I found a job reading screenplays for the same reason. I read a lot of crap. I wrote a lot of crap. But little did i know... I was learning.

In the three-year process of creating short films and pursuing funding for features, I learned that directing came naturally to me, but producing did not.

I wasn't able to get a project off the ground. When my father was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009, I moved back to my hometown of Grand Haven, MI with nothing to show but three screenplays.

One day, while working as a stage manager for a national dance competition, I had an epiphany that only a repressed, depressed, living-with-his-parents artist could have: what if I wrote books? Unlike screenplays, a book is finished when it's finished. When the final draft is complete, a book becomes a marketable product. If I work my butt off, maybe I could actually make money doing what I love!

I'm not a millionaire yet... but I did write three novels in two years and I'm proud of the accomplishment. Currently, I'm self-publishing "Lighthouse Nights," searching for an agent with "The Music Box on the Hill," and rewriting "The Day I Wore Purple."

Dreams, here I come.