The Welcome Sign Book Tour

PROLOGUE

CRYSTAL PERKINS SLIPPED INTO HER OFFICE AND LOOKED carefully down the hallway. It was shortly after 8:00 p.m., and the office was dark and deserted. The only staff remaining was the cleaning crew. She threw one last look around the hallway and nervously shut the door quickly behind her. She glanced out the window, closed the blinds, and turned on the small desk lamp.

Crystal slumped down in her chair and unfolded the newspaper on her desk. She ran her hand anxiously through her short, curly black hair. She couldn’t believe all of this was happening so quickly. Things were totally out of control, and she didn’t know how they were going to fix them. Sighing deeply, she glanced at the article in bold print and reached for the phone. She continued to stare at the front page of the newspaper as she frantically dialed the numbers on the phone. In bold print on the first page of the newspaper were these words: “More Unusual Sightings of Strange Creatures: An Elaborate Hoax or Fact?”

“Warren, it’s Crystal. Have you seen the newspaper today? There have been more sightings!” Her voice was shaky and worried. “It’s getting too overwhelming!” She ran a hand across her forehead.

“Crystal! Calm down. I have my people looking into this right now on my end,” a deep voice replied. “Have you questioned the witnesses yet? Are their stories credible? Are you—” he asked with a concerned tone but stopped suddenly.

“Yes, of course I have investigated all of the local reports and followed up on all the new leads regarding the sightings! Besides, Warren, that is my job. Isn’t that why you put me in the position of investigative reporter in the first place? Plus, Warren, like you. I know the real story. She paused with a deep sigh. “But Warren, there are too many! I can’t keep up. Warren, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Crystal, do you hear that humming sound in the handset? I’m not sure this is a secure line! Quick, call me on the other line!” There was a click and the line instantly went dead. Crystal dug deep in her purse and pulled out a small pearl-colored compact. The circular device shimmered as she turned it in her hands. She quickly scanned the room to make sure she was alone. Flipping open the compact, Crystal dropped in five small glowing bead-like objects from a long, clear vial she had also removed from her purse. She breathed over them, and instantly they broke apart into smaller pieces. She pushed a button on the side of the compact, and the glowing objects began to melt and formed a glowing, watery substance. Crystal dipped her finger in, swirling it slowly in a clockwise direction. Slowly the glowing substance rose out of the compact in a funnel shape and expanded out to form a lighted, liquid screen about ten inches in length. Through a shimmery haze Warren’s face appeared in the watery screen. He spoke in a low voice.

“Is it safe to talk here?” he asked quietly. Crystal nodded. “Yeah, it’s late. There shouldn’t be anyone else here. Everyone has gone home. I think the only people that are here now are the cleaning crew.”

“We must be absolutely sure! There is too much at stake here. I think your office phone may be bugged. We can’t speak on the regular line anymore, understand?” Warren warned. “As my number one investigative reporter, YOU are in charge of making the witness’s stories sound ridiculous, and it’s your job to discredit the reports inthe papers. Under no circumstances can we let the real story get out. EVER! It’s important that we keep the truth hidden. I’ve got others strategically placed in these roles around the world doing the very same jobs. Don’t make me think I picked the wrong person for this job, Crystal!”

Crystal nodded. “You did pick the right person for the job. You know Warren, it’s getting harder to cover this up.” Crystal ran a hand slowly across her forehead and through her hair. “Wait, Warren,” she stammered. Hearing a noise in the hall, Crystal stood up and approached the door. “Warren, hold on. I heard something.” She listened quietly, cracked open the door, and peered into the darkened hallway. The light from her office made dark shadows dance along the walls as she opened the door. Silently and unseen, a tall, slender figure slid the toe of his shoe into the dark shadows, pulled his body tighter against the wall, and held his breath. Crystal glanced around, and when she was convinced no one was there, she closed the door quietly. “I’m losing my mind, Warren. I’m sure I just heard footsteps in the hallway.”

“Calm down! Don’t be so jumpy, Crystal. You’ve got to hold it together! It was probably just the cleaners. Now is not the time to lose it. You’ve got to keep your head clear,” Warren stated authoritatively.

“Warren, there’s something else. I think I’m being followed. I swear I keep seeing the same car—”

Warren cut her off with, “Don’t panic. I’ll get someone over there for your protection and to keep an eye on you. They should be there in the morning. Just stay focused and on task. We can’t let this get out of control, understand? We won’t let anything happen to you!”

“Our paper wants to run a similar article as what the witnesses are saying,” she whispered. “And Warren, I’m looking at a press release that they want sent out as soon as possible. The witnesses sound very credible this time . . . I’m having a hard time covering this up. Warren, what do we do? There are too many sightings. More and more are coming in every week, and I’m running out of creative ways to cover them up! We need to get this stopped RIGHT NOW! I need some serious help from your end!” Crystal stammered nervously.

“I know! I know,” Warren nodded. “We’re doing all we can over here. We’re trying to find out who’s responsible so we can stop them. You just keep doing the best you can. We’ll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Whatever you do . . . Keep the secret hidden. It’s imperative that we continue to keep this under control. We’ve been able to keep this hidden for a long time, and I’m not about to let the secret loose now. We must keep covering this up! And we need to do it quickly! We’ll talk in a few days. Warren out!”

The liquid screen started swirling slowly, gradually picking up speed and ultimately dissolving back into a sparkling funnel shape and descending into the compact. All that was left in the compact were several glowing bead-like objects. Crystal held the compact out and blew at the objects. The bead-like objects instantly disintegrated into a fine powder and were swept away without a trace. Crystal snapped the compact shut, shoving it back in her purse. This wasn’t going to be easy. Warren had given her the tough job of keeping their identify safe. Although there had been sporadic incidents here and there, their secret had been kept safe for nearly three centuries.

Why was it getting harder now while she was the investigative reporter? Things were skyrocketing out of control at a rate faster than she could handle.

Crystal had known Warren Tracer ever since she was a little girl. He was a dear family friend. They had all been true believers, and when Crystal was old enough to know the secret, she was brought into the circle of trust. As she grew older, she had seen more of Warren and learned about his unbelievable secret. Warren Tracer hadn’t always been Warren Tracer. His original name was Whalen Marks, and although he was not a magical being, he possessed great magical powers.

In his younger years, he and her father had been with the Special Forces for the military. During a particularly secretive mission, a trap had been set, and the mission had gone terribly wrong. Everyone had been reported dead. However, the real events of the mission had never been revealed.

All Crystal knew was that Warren, her father, and several of the men had made an amazing discovery on that day. The mission had indeed gone horribly wrong, but several of the Special Forces men had been rescued. Crystal suspected that Warren and his men had made contact with beings of the magical realm. Warren rarely spoke of the events of that day, but she knew better than anyone that Warren was a true believer. Something remarkable had happened to him and his men, but no one knew exactly what that was. Just that it was remarkable and life changing.

Warren had eventually changed his identity, becoming Warren Tracer, and begun working undercover for the magical realm. When her father died several years later, Warren had stepped in as a replacement. He had been family from the beginning, so to accept him as a father figure wasn’t difficult.

Eventually, Crystal had been approached to work for Warren in helping keep their secret safe. There was nothing more in the world that Crystal wanted than to help out her new friends. She’d jumped at the chance to work undercover at the newspaper and keep Warren up to speed on all the local sightings. It was a dream come true. Warren and the others didn’t disappoint her, and she loved her job. She had been working with the newspaper for over eleven years now, but of late, she was finding it harder and harder to hide the truth.

Crystal hoped Warren would find those that were responsible for the tears in the fabric and stop them. They would need a lot of help if they were going to keep the secret safe this time. As she sighed heavily and slumped back in her chair, she caught a quick glimpse of movement to her side. Startled, Crystal looked up suddenly. There had been more noises that she was sure weren’t made by the cleaning crew. In a flash Crystal stood up, knocking her chair to the floor. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, two tall, shadowy figures flung open the door, bolted from her office, and were joined by a third in the hallway. They had heard everything. In the wrong hands, the information that she’d conveyed to Warren could prove very dangerous. As she grabbed for the compact in a frantic panic, the three figures dashed from the building at an astonishingly fast speed and vanished without a trace silently into the night.

– Excerpted from The Welcome Sign by Barbara Jean Weber, BookBaby, 2025. Reprinted with permission.

At what point did you decide to be an author and what was your path to publication?

I think deep down inside I’ve always had the heart of a writer. In school I was always interested in creative writing and was excited when we received new assignments to write something new and interesting. Writing was always my favorite subject in school. I’ve been told by others that I have a vivid imagination and create amazing and fun to read ideas and stories. When my kids were young I would make up stories at story time before they went to bed and they seemed to always enjoy my made up stories and asked for more.

What do you do when a new idea jumps out at you while you’re still working on a book? Do you chase the squirrel (aka “UP syndrome”) or do you finish your current project first?

When I am writing I keep a notebook of paper nearby and jot down ideas that come to me about the current project and other ideas that jump out at me for different projects. I am pretty good about finishing the current project before I jump into a new one. Or when I need a break from the current one, I will work on the outline of the new idea. I have book 2 of The Welcome Sign written but not edited and the third book in that series is in outline form. I am also working on a novel that my mom and I started co-writing several years ago and have a different book idea in outline form waiting for me to finish it.

Describe your writing process. Do you outline, plot and plan, or is your writing more organic?

I always start with jotting down ideas into an outline format.  When I get an idea, I try to formulate what the events should be and put them in an outline so I have a consistent plan in my writing, a guide to help me keep the flow of the storyline going, figure out character development, plot twists, etc. I will write on an outline over a few days or weeks sometimes, write some ideas, let them simmer, come back to it, write some more, move ideas around. Sometimes the outline takes a while to develop and I am always moving ideas around within the outline to keep a better consistency to the story and characters. Once the outline is done, it makes writing the chapter much easier.  I also find that writing earlier in the morning is a good time for me, when the house is quiet and I’m less distracted.

Tell us what you enjoy most about writing YA Fantasy?

From a young age I have always enjoyed creative writing and developing interesting stories. I’ve always loved reading stories and watching movies with magical beings, fun characters, magic, adventure, action, good-vs-evil.  I think what I love most about being an author is the process of developing creative stories, characters and locations. Also to take a basic thought or idea from my mind, develop it, expand it and create something amazing is a huge achievement. Since creative writing is a passion of mine to be able to take an idea and craft it in to an actual storyline with relatable characters, plot twists, amazing locations, intrigue and adventure into a finished product has been a wonderful adventure and a lifelong dream of mine. It’s been a stressful but definitely fun journey working on The Welcome Sign and I hope readers will like my book. There is a plan for book 2 and possibly book 3 in this series.

What have you found to be most challenging about writing in YA Fantasy?

The story was inspired by the metal mermaid welcome sign I received as a gift so once I had the basic idea of the storyline other elements fell into place fairly quickly. Bringing it all into a cohesive story initially was a bit challenging. Going from the outline to the actual chapters was quite a process. I had several different outlines drafted as the story changed and adapted due to new ideas, plot twists, characters, etc. As the story progressed I moved chapters around, changed events so things flowed better, character development was consistent, adding in new story ideas, etc. Since this is my first book I’ve written the whole experience was very overwhelming but definitely rewarding.

Have you been able to incorporate your previous experience in job/education in your writing?

Unfortunately no. My full time job is a Speech Language Pathologist so there’s not a lot of cross over between that job and creative writing. I haven’t found my previous experiences with jobs helpful in writing. My writing has come more from my earlier experiences in school with creative writing projects and coming up with interesting stories for my two kids when they were younger.

Do you identify with your main character or did you create a character that is your opposite?

My main character is a 10 year old girl, Molly. I put a lot of my own personality into her character but there are things about her that are different from me as well. I tried to remember what I was like at 10 and model her with some of those characteristics as well as similar to what  my kids were both like at that age. I have a little bit of me and my kids in the main character of Molly but she has some differences as well.

Describe the book in 10 words or less for people who are just learning about it.

A mysterious welcome sign, magical realms, hidden world of magic.

 Is there anything you would like people to take away from your book?

The Welcome Sign was a fun book to write. It is a fun, magical story for young-middle teen readers who enjoy hidden worlds of enchantment, magical powers, interesting characters, strong friendships, adventure and imaginative and emotionally engaging stories. The Welcome Sign is a balance between personal growth and magical adventure. It is full of  good versus evil, intrigue and action. I hope that readers will be delighted and entertained by reading The Welcome Sign. I hope they will enjoy the unique and magical characters, get excited about the secrets to be revealed and have fun discovering all of the amazing new places within the pages. The Welcome Sign aligns with readers expectations for middle-grade fantasy.  If you like fun, adventure stories with lots of action, this book will hopefully be a fun one to read.

Do you have any odd (writing) habits? 

None that I know of. I write from an outline and often drink hot tea or coffee while I’m writing but those aren’t too odd, I don’t believe.

What has been the toughest criticism you have received as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Since this is my first book I have written, I haven’t seen any criticism yet. I have had several friends who read the book, provided feedback and will be writing reviews for me. The information they gave me was all positive so far. One friend stated: “I read your book and loved it.” Another reader reported “WOW!!! Your book was gripping in every chapter!!! Completely blown away is an understatement!!! I yearn for more!!! Please!!! I was very pleased that they both liked the book and hope that more readers will enjoy it as well.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? How did you deal with it?

Oh yes. I have definitely experienced writer’s block. I work with an outline initially to help plan out the events in the story, build characters and keep the flow of the storyline continuous. Sometimes I will jot down ideas in an outline format, leave it for a day or two, come back to it, change it, add to it, leave it again then come back to it. I think it’s important to step away from the project sometimes to take a break, to rethink an idea or plot twist, take a breather. Then you can come back refreshed, sometimes with a new perspective and fresh ideas. There are times that I just can’t think about the book for a few days and have to leave it for awhile. Everyone needs a break sometimes if you work on something for long periods of time. I’ve always found a way back to it though. I think it’s a natural stage to have writer’s block when you’re writing something large.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? 

When I’m not writing about magical realms or exciting adventures, I’m a full time speech language therapist by day. I live with my husband and two daughters in beautiful Skagit County, Washington.  I have been married for 28 years. I love rubber stamping, doing arts and crafts, reading, water aerobics and spending time with my husband and kids. We love spending time at the Oregon and Washington coasts as often as we can and going on drives through the countryside. Watching movies, writing letters to pen pals and playing with our cats also keeps me busy.

About the Author

 Barbara Jean Weber lives in Skagit County with her husband and two daughters, where she works as a speech and language therapist. Her novel, The Welcome Sign,
was inspired when she was gifted a mermaid welcome sign. The more she
studied the sign, the more her story evolved. She is currently an active
member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Visit her website at https://www.barbarajeanweber.com/.