S.T. Sanchez's Blog, page 14

July Middle Grade Summer Reading List

Here's a few more fun reads to get your kids excited about reading. Enjoy!!




Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. 
Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. 

All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. 

So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing. 

Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future. 

The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . . 
From the remarkable imaginations of bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a heart-stopping, mind-blowing, pulse-pounding plunge into the magical unknown.
Amazon




The book that kicked off the phenomenon is now reissued with brandnew jacket art in honor of its 20th anniversary. Readers will delight anew in the thrilling adventures of young Matthias as he discovers the hero within. Brian Jacques? classic tale of peaceful creatures forced to band together in battle has never felt more timely or full of life.
Amazon





Akram is a nosy little boy. His friend Peeper is a Jinn, banished from his home among demons for his tendency to empathy and kindness. Both are shocked at the injustices of the world and wish to right wrongs. Together they spy upon neighbours in Akram's street and discover sadness and trouble behind the closed doors of the various houses. They use Peeper's special powers to help, but their efforts result in uproar, and they pray for things to be set right. A charming story of concern for others and the world, Peeper and the Peeping Boy shows the dangers of being too nosy and the danger of making hasty judgments without knowing both sides of a situation. It teaches the wisdom of informed action and shows that even the worst of people can be led into a better path.

Amazon





NERDS combines all the excitement of international espionage with all the awkwardness of elementary school, and the results are hilarious. A group of unpopular fifth graders run a spy network from inside their school. With the help of cutting-edge science, they transform their nerdy qualities into incredible abilities! Their enemies? An array of James Bond–style villains, each with an evil plan more diabolical and more ridiculous than the last. Publishers Weekly raved: “Buckley has a flair for exaggerated humor.” School Library Journal said: “Funny, clever, and thoroughly entertaining.”

Amazon





PORTIA’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY addresses many timely issues that confront young people; such as bullying, peer pressure, parents’ divorce and the need to belong. On top of the aforementioned problems, eleven-year-old Portia Maddox has one more life-threatening issue- type 1 diabetes. This in itself was a major huddle. Portia’s journey through a year of crises makes her a compelling role model.  Children can relate and identify with Portia and especially those experiencing similar challenges in today’s world. 
Amazon



Orphaned sisters Sabrina and Daphne  are sent to live with their newly discovered grandmother, Relda Grimm, in the strange town of Ferryport Landing. The girls soon learn a family secret: that they are descendants of the famous Brothers Grimm, whose book of fairy tales is actually a history book. When a terrorizing giant goes on a rampage through the town, it’s up to the Sisters Grimm to stop him and to solve the mystery of who set the giant loose in the first place. Was it Mayor Charming, formerly Prince Charming, who desperately wants his kingdom back? The Three Not-So-Little Pigs, the shifty town cops? Or one of the many other fairy-tale characters who seem to have it out for the Grimms?


Amazon





The living and the dead coexist in a mirrored world. A fine line keeps them apart. So what happens if the mirror breaks?
Luhonono, a place people first stood up, first discovered fire, first spoke and first walked the earth. It’s a place of strange beliefs, peculiar powers, extraordinary demons, and the gateway to a spiritual mirror world. Fate brought three teenagers to Luhonono and together, Magdalene, Gimbo, and Peter must find the four legendary animal guardians of the mirror gate. If they fail, the place where life began will also be the place where it ends.  

Amazon



Join Nathanial “Nate” McGray, a lanky fifteen-year-old boy on an unforgettable adventure to prove a peasant can become a wizard in the magical World of Zndaria.
After a mysterious elf saves Nate from the town bullies, they embark on a journey to the Halls of Magic. Together, they encounter Dread Vikings, vicious bounty hunters, and a deranged beast. A beautiful musician steals Nate’s heart, but they must part when a devilish army attacks his Kingdom.
Will Nate become a wizard? Can he save his Kingdom? The adventure unfolds in Scrolls of Zndaria: The Golden Wizard.
Amazon



In the long-awaited sequel to Fablehaven, the dragons who have been kept at the dragon sanctuaries no longer consider them safe havens, but prisons and they want their freedom. The dragons are no longer our allies....

In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The time has come to break free and reclaim his power.

No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help.

As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge as only they have the ability to function together as a powerful dragon tamer. Together they must battle against forces with superior supernatural powers and breathtaking magical abilities.

How will the epic dragon showdown end? Will dragons overthrow humans and change the world as we know it?

Amazon





The first book in the #1 bestselling phenomenon sends readers around the world on the hunt for the 39 
Clues!

Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.

Amazon

Meet Kathy Armstrong Walters

One unexpected perk of being a writer, is getting to meet other fabulous authors. Kathy is going to be visiting Dallas LDS Books. Be sure to stop by and meet her and pick up The Arydian Chronicles. Both excellent books that I didn't want to put down. I can't wait until book 3 comes out. If your in the area be sure to swing by. If you can't make you can still check out her books at the links below.




Aqua
Aftershock

Happy Reading!!

Interview with Orrin Bradford author of Fantastic Fables of Foster Flat

Let's welcome author Orrin Bradford to the blog. Orrin, tell us a little about yourself.  What got you into writing? My journey to becoming a writer started in the fourth grade when my next-door-neighbor took pity on my single mom who I was driving crazy to come out and play with me the summer we moved to Raleigh NC. Mrs. Crabtree just happened to be the children’s librarian at the main library and she had the perfect solution, a stack of books hand-picked for a boy my age.It worked. Once I finally opened the first book, I was hooked. While I don’t remember what the book was, I’m pretty sure most of those books were either science fiction or fantasy. Even back then, I had the thought that one day I’d like to give back by writing my own books.

It's never ceases to amaze me how one persons kindness can help shape the life of a person. Will you share a short excerpt from your novel? From Fantastic Fables of Foster Flat book 1 Ellenore Mishner discovered the Muse sleeping on her porch when she returned from her volunteer work at the local soup kitchen.  Once again, she'd been convinced to help out at the homeless shelter by her best (and if truth be told, only) friend, Allison McKemp, the same way Allison always convinced her to do crazy things -- by making her feel guilty.“You have to go. It's the right thing to do. You should want to help out those poor wretched people,” Allison had said.  What had ever happened to, “It'll be good experience for your writing,” a common theme Allison had used in years past to spur Ellenore out of her tight little shell of a life?Well, maybe even Allison realized that ladling soup to an endless line of crotchety old men with halitosis from their rotten teeth might be a good writing experience for a Hemingway or Faulkner, but not for Ellenore, who only wrote stories of romance. She trudged up the walk to the white cottage with jade green shutters that had been her home for the forty-seven years she'd been on Earth.Ellenore looked up from the sidewalk where she'd been concentrating her gaze to avoid walking on a crack so she wouldn't break her mother's back, even though her dear old mom had been dead for almost five years.  Old habits were hard to break, and she'd avoided those dangerous cracks for close to half a century.But for some reason on this day, she found herself suddenly staring at a large lump of fur, leaves, and horns that had pushed aside the two rocking chairs that were normally lined up neatly on the porch. In the process, she stopped dead in her tracks on a crack.  On the other side of town in a poorly manicured graveyard, Mrs. Mishner's backbone crumpled into a heap of dry bones.Ellenore's first inclination was to run screaming from the yard that had been her haven for so many years. But a combination of realizing the beast on her doorstep was snoring pleasantly away and her recent memory of Allison McKemp's advice from years ago, "This will be a great experience for your writing," kept Ellenore standing open-mouthed before the beast.  Something told her this might just be the time Allison had been talking about.Ellenore pulled the dull gray wool coat closer around her frail body, suddenly chilled despite the day being warmer than most for this time of year.  What is that? She wondered as she finally noticed where she was standing and quickly skipped a couple inches forward. She didn't have long to wait to have her question answered.  No sooner did she think it then the mountain of flesh shuddered, looking strangely like a South Pacific island during an earthquake. It stretched its full length of eight or nine feet, licked its thin lips with a fat purple tongue, and turned its black-pupil eyes flecked with rims of gold dust full upon the diminutive Ellenore.

When you pick up a book, which do you prefer: print books or ebooks? Either works fine for me, but what I most enjoy of all is immersion reading which is reading and listening to the audiobook at the same time. This allows me to read faster while really getting into the story because I tend to speed up the audio to 1.5 to 1.75. I know, narrators hate to hear that but hey, I read faster that way so I end up buying a log more book, audio and otherwise.

I speed up the volume to. Lol. Glad I'm not the only one. Currently, what are you working on? Actually, I’m working on three projects which isn’t that unusual for me because they are at various phases of the process.
I’m writing the first draft of Rabble, the second book in the Cosmic Conspiracy series.
I’m in the final stage of revision with my beta readers for Ghost Elephant, book three of the Zak Bates Eco-adventure series.
I’m also about to do a big promotion for the two books of the Fantastic Fables of Foster Flat series, which is where the excerpt is from.

I think it's good to keep busy. Three projects is a lot. I normally try to limit myself to two or I can't keep it all straight. Tell us a little bit about your main characters of the Fantastic Fables of Foster Flat series.
Her name is Mimi Rawlins, and she’s the narrator of the stories that make up the two books. Think about many of the books of Ray Bradbury that are composed of interconnected short stories. Or if a series of original Twilight Zone episodes were connected by a common locale, ie in this case, Foster Flat. I enjoyed creating Mimi so much that I ended up bringing her back in the later books of my FreeForm technothriller six-book series.

 How did you decide on what to title each book?
Well, I live in Flat Rock, North Carolina so it wasn’t much of a leap to come up with Foster Flat. Both are located in the NC mountains, and both are magical and mysterious in their own way.

Is this a stand-alone novel or part of a series? Fantastic Fables of Foster Flat has evolved into a series. I so enjoyed writing the first book and discovering new story ideas from the area around me, that book two was a natural. And yes, I’ve started collecting stories for a third book.
I love how writing can evolve. I learned to give an estimate of how many books will be in a series, because sometimes there is just more to write. What is the easiest part of the writing process?  What is the hardest? I love the brainstorming and outlining of stories as well as developing the characters. I’ve always loved stories with unexpected twists so it’s fun to see how twisty and curvy I can make my own stories. For sure, there are plenty of that in both of the Fantastic Fables books. That’s why I gave book one the subtitle of Suspenseful Tales with a Twist.
The hardest part for me is the editing and writing of blurbs/descriptions so for the most part I don’t do either any more. I farm both out.

Blurbs! I think those are my nemesis. Do you have people read your drafts before you publish?  How do you select beta readers? Yes, most of the time. I find my beta readers from my “Amazingly Awesome Readers” which is also the name of my newsletter. When I need beta readers, I put the word out through my newsletter describing what type of feedback I need and so far my readers have been very generous with their time and input.  (Thanks, guys and gals.)


Who designed the artwork for your cover?  Or did you design it yourself?
Victor Habbick designed both covers for the Fantastic Fables series which I think are two of my all time favorite covers. He’s done several other covers including the covers for the six books of the FreeForm series. http://www.victorhabbick.com/

I think that's great when you find a designer who can see your vision or sometimes even comes up with something better than you were dreaming. What are your hobbies aside from writing, if any? I love sports especially softball and pickleball. I use both to destress after a full morning of writing. My typical routine is to write in the morning from about 9am to 12 or 1 pm, then break for an hour or two during which I play pickleball, then devote the afternoon to marketing and promotion.

It's funny I just found out what pickleball is a couple months ago. I had never heard of it. I hear it's great fun. Since you wrote in this genre, do you think you will ever write in other genres? Probably not. I love everything about science fiction and fantasy, both reading it and writing it. For me they are all about wonder, awe, and possibilities.

Any last words? Just that if you also enjoy the books and stories of Ray Bradbury as well as the original The Twilight Zone, I encourage you to check out Fantastic Fables of Foster Flat and Fantastic Fables of Foster Flat Volume Two. From June 24 - July 3 both books will be available at discounted prices. Thanks so much for sharing with us. Happy Reading!!

You can also learn more about my other books at:
www.wbradfordswift.com
or on my Amazon’s Author page at: Author.to/wbswift
My author’s Facebook page is:  https://www.facebook.com/wbradfordswift
Orrin Jason Bradford's Multiverse on Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/245108559236914/
BookBub:  https://partners.bookbub.com/authors/1574829/edit

Interview with author Kandi Wyatt

Today I'd like to welcome Kandi Wyatt to the blog. Let's begin with you telling us a little about yourself.


            The fact that I love cultures and languages and use them in my stories shouldn’t be surprising. In reality, I’m a blend of multiple cultures. I was born in Iowa along the Mississippi River, but at age four my family moved to the center of the state where we lived for another four years. When I was eight, my dad visited a seminary in Washington State and decided that’s where we would live while he went to school. I quickly adjusted, but there is still some residual Mid-western culture in me.
            For the last thirty-four years, I’ve taught in some capacity or another. Currently, I teach junior high and high school students. I love my job, but I am so ready for summer break!


Summer break is the best. I work for a school also, and I am enjoying every minute of it.What got you into writing?


            As a teenager, my sister and I would take Friday nights and write stories. By the time I was a junior in high school, I’d been chosen for a writer’s conference for teenagers. Like many of my hobbies, writing was put on hold due to college and then a young family. Seventeen years later, after reading a young adult book, I picked up writing again, only this time for my own kids.


That's amazing. It just shows it's never to late to do what you love. Will you share a short excerpt from your novel
An Unexpected Adventure


After a few more minutes of digging, the stone came free. Will wriggled it until we could get a grip underneath and lift it out. I really had my doubts we could pick it up; I was sure it’d weigh close to a hundred pounds or more. However, to my surprise, it came free and up without a hitch, absurdly light for its size.
“Should it be this light?” I squinted at the rock in our hands.
“I don’t know.” Will shrugged his shoulder.
Chace shifted his grip. “I’ve never seen a single rock this big before. But it should weigh more than this. I still say it’s an egg.”
I was beginning to believe him, but there were some good reasons to doubt it, too. “What bird’s this big, and how did it get here? We’re a long way from the game park.”
The game park was the closest thing to a zoo we had. They had wild animals and some pet deer, sheep, donkeys, geese, goats, and peacocks to feed. They even had an emu and an ostrich, but I still couldn’t imagine either one having an egg quite this size.
Chace shook his head. “I don’t know, but listen.” He took a free hand and tapped ever so gently on the surface.
It echoed hollowly. Before anyone could say anything, a second fainter tap came as if in reply.
“What in the world?” I exclaimed, jumping and almost dropping the thing.
“It’s an egg,” Chace said with firm conviction. “I don’t know what kind yet, but it’s an egg.”
“Wh-what do we do with it?” Will looked like he wanted to toss it in the ocean.
“We keep it.”
Both Will and Chace looked at me as if I had just turned down a shot at a five-point deer during hunting season. I don’t know what I was thinking, but suddenly a fierce desire to protect the creature inside came over me.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
           
Wow! I have a long list of places I’d love to go. First on my list is Hyderabad, India. Our church supports an orphanage there, and I’d love to go visit and meet the kids face to face. From there, Ireland would be next on my list because I’ve traced my dad’s family to Ireland in the early 1800’s. I have no clue from there who my ancestor’s parents were or where he’s from, but it’d be fun to go explore. The list goes on from there just because they’re amazing places—I’d love to return to Ecuador and Peru, maybe visit Machu Pichu, see New Zealand and Australia, and New England.


I agree, there are so many amazing places in the world, it's hard to pick just one. Currently, what are you working on?
           
My work load is rather busy. I’m trying to get book three of Myth Coast Adventures out by September. It needs to go through proofreading and get its cover and illustrations.
I’ve sent an Ancient Egypt Biblical retelling through critique edits, and it’ll go to my editor next. I have book 2 of that series needing some good beta readers and adjustments. I’ll need to write book 3 yet.
However, in the process, I started what I thought would be a short story. It ended up being a full novel. It’s not finished, and I’m enjoying delving into a new world where a young stable boy is chosen to be a knight and travels partway around his world, meets kings, and eventually finds a new home.
I’ll be submitting a short story to an anthology. It’s part of Myth Coast Adventure and takes place between books 2 and 3. Karlie discovers a mysterious sword with powers that help her overcome her fears and push her to become a courageous person.


Wow, it looks like you have a lot on your plate. Two projects at a time is my limit. Tell us a little bit about your main characters.


            Harley: is an eighth grader whose parents run one of two B&Bs in town. He loves to ride his bike around time, play video games, and run both cross-country and track. He’s loyal and vows to protect Steria, the dragon they find.
            Will: This truly is my favorite character of the series. He appears in all three books and grows and blossoms from a quiet kid who’s worried about money for his parents to a confident teen who’s able to take on responsibilities of a small business and help a friend in need of moral support.
            Chace: If you envision rural Oregon, Chace is it. He wears logging suspenders, a hat, and Carhart jeans. His dream is to be a logger like his dad. Life up Myrtle River on a farm is quiet and the perfect place for him to keep Steria.
            Cherise: The main girl in An Unexpected Adventure is carefree and not easily swayed. Her love is her dog, Finn.
            Ana, Daisy, and Karlie are the main characters in An Unexpected Escapade. Daisy is shy unless she’s around horses. Ana’s dad owns the Crab Shack that Will works at. The three of them take on a poacher to protect a unicorn.
            Franklin discovers the portal where the mythical creatures are coming from. As he vows to protect the portal from the poacher, he learns sometimes he may have to trust someone beyond himself to protect family.


 How did you decide on what to title each book?


            The series originally was Mythical Creatures of Myrtle Beach with book 1 being Myrtle Beach Dragon. From there I adjusted it to Myrtle Beach Adventure, Myrtle Beach Escapade, and Myrtle Beach Exploit. My editor actually suggested I change the names. I took her suggestions and it became Myth Coast Adventures with An Unexpected Adventure, An Unexpected Escapade, and An Unexpected Exploit.


Is this a stand-alone novel or part of a series?


            It’s a trilogy, with a short story added.


Who designed the artwork for your cover?  Or did you design it yourself?


            As I considered this series, I knew I wanted to use photography for making the covers. When my original photographer fell through, I decided to use my husband’s skills as photographer and hire my original cover artist, Amalia Chitulescu. I love Amy’s style. She’s continued to improve over the years.


Can you tell us, Kandi, what brought about the idea for your book?


            During my first year as teacher at Pacific High School, I watched as several sixth graders and a couple of eighth graders struggled. The eighth graders were put down for representing the roots of our community. I wanted them to be proud of who they were. The sixth graders wouldn’t read a book if it was set in front of them. I wondered if I wrote them into one, if they’d read it. As these thoughts floated around, I drove over the Coquille River bridge at Bandon, Oregon. As I did, I envisioned a dragon flying along the sandbank. That was the start, but then I wondered about three books with different characters focusing on a different mythical creature. Two seventh grade girls caught my attention, and I decided their love for horses would be the perfect backdrop for a unicorn story. I didn’t know what to do for the third book, though.
            Fast forward to April of the next year. I had the idea of book 1 and book 2, and no clue for book 3. I’d even started writing book 1. In one week, I had two different students come up to me. One was one of the girls. She said, it’d be really cool if I wrote a book about some girls, horses, and the ocean. She kind of stumbled over the idea of the ocean and my heart hurt for her. She’d lost both parents in less than a year—and her dad to the ocean. Little did she know she was the inspiration for one of my books that dealt with horses and the ocean. Within that same week, a sophomore boy came up to me and suggested I write a story about a boy and Sasquatch. I accepted his suggestion with outward calm but rejoiced inwardly. It was the perfect idea for book 3!


What are your hobbies aside from writing, if any?


            Besides teaching, I’m an artist. I love drawing with graphite and colored pencils. I’m also starting to delve into Photoshop to create fantasy photos. My two favorite images so far consist of a pirate looking out to sea and a fairy sitting in a cage. If that wasn’t enough, I am photographer’s assistant for my husband’s portrait studio and have my own essential oils business.


I wished I knew more about photoshop. It's something I want to learn more about, but I haven't found the time. In your novels, which character is your favorite?


            Hm, that’s tough. I love most of my characters. In the Dragon Courage series, I’d say it’s Kyn. He’s most like me. In Myth Coast Adventures, it’s definitely Will. He’s so kind and compassionate, and the real-life inspiration for Will has really grown into a young man with a heart for God.
Thanks so much for sharing with us today. Find out more about Kandi Wyatt at the links below. Happy Reading!!

















An Unexpected Adventure: https://www.books2read.com/u/3yDLX6
An Unexpected Escapade: https://books2read.com/mythcoastadventures2 
Dragon's Future: https://www.books2read.com/u/bzpDq9
Dragon's Heir: https://www.books2read.com/u/47YQE3  
Dragon's Revenge: https://www.books2read.com/u/b5qvGb  
Dragon’s Cure: https://www.books2read.com/u/47kxJa  
Dragon’s Posterity: https://www.books2read.com/u/4DA8og
Dragon’s Heritage: https://www.books2read.com/u/3neVN6
The One Who Sees Me:  https://www.books2read.com/u/mdrRlb 
Journey from Skioria: https://www.books2read.com/u/4AwJee
To Save a Race: https://www.books2read.com/u/49PG5k
Natalia (short story): http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1567677

Interview with Jenna Zark author of the Beat Street Series

Today I'd like to welcome Jenna Zark. Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a playwright and new-ish novelist. I’ve been writing plays for a while but my debut novel was published by Booktrope in 2016 and moved to Dragon Moon Press the following year. Years of writing for Scholastic Magazine readers taught me a lot about middle grade and Y/A readers, and I had an idea for a long time about a young girl growing up in the midst of the Beat Generation in Greenwich Village. I am still writing plays and lyrics, and as my bio says, am also trying to figure out which is the hardest to write: a play, novel or a song.
Wow it sounds like you can do it all. What got you into writing?
I had a babysitter as a child who used to compliment my writing, and I can’t for the life of me remember what I wrote for her. It might have been birthday cards? I started writing a little more as I got older and sometimes shared things with her. She kept telling me I should become a writer, though I wanted to be an actor first. Eventually, I believed her and started taking my writing more seriously.
Share a short excerpt from your novel

From The Beat on Ruby’s Street:

THERE’S A GUY in the neighborhood who wrote a book on toilet paper. They made it into a real book, but when he first wrote it you could unwind it all the way uptown and back again. His name is Jack Kerouac and I was on my way to see him at The Scene, when I got waylaid by a blood orange.
Now I’m in the police station, and my mother’s going to eat me alive. She hates police and social workers, and I’m knee deep in both of them. When my mom was a kid a social worker came by because my grandmother had a car accident and wasn’t like she used to be. So the kids ended up with foster parents and only saw their own parents on holidays. That’s what social workers do.

 Sounds intriguing. Which do you prefer: print books or ebooks?
I really love print books because I love holding a book and turning pages. Plus, I think it’s easier on the eyes.
 Have you been given any helpful advice during your career, Jenna?
One word: persist. That’s for just about anything you want to do, including writing.
I couldn't agree with you more. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why? My first choice would be Prague. First of all, any country that was run by a playwright is a country I want to see. Secondly, I’ve heard it’s an exquisite example of a beautiful, ancient European city. I have been to Ireland, Paris, Switzerland, Israel and Amsterdam. But Prague calls to me the most (though I’d return to Ireland in a heartbeat).
 Currently, what are you working on?
I’m beginning to plot out the story that will become book three, the last book in the Beat Street series. I’m also working on a new play about a new immigrant.
 Jenna, can you tell us a little bit about your main characters?
Ruby is the main character in the Beat Street series. She begins the book when she’s close to her twelfth birthday. She is fierce and funny and doesn’t like conforming to rules; in fact, she barges through them (a little like her author). She wants to be a poet and admires the Beat Generation poets in her neighborhood, and though she’s very rebellious and strong willed, she can also be very kind.
Ruby’s best friend Sophie is the daughter of a comedy writer who is one of the very few women comics to succeed. Sophie’s mom is based on Lucille Kallen, one of the writers of a famous series called Your Show of Shows. Sophie is a perfect sidekick for Ruby—funny and strong willed as well, but much richer than Ruby. When Sophie disappears in book two, Ruby is thrown into a tailspin.
  Share something with us not a lot of people know about you.
I was once a singer in a rock band called The Seizures. I wrote songs with the man I was married to at the time. Later we divorced and I married someone else, and he was very impressed with the songs. But to me, it feels like a whole other lifetime.
Wow you really have done everything. Who designed the artwork for your cover?  Or did you design it yourself?
My cover was designed by Gwen Gades, the publisher of Dragon Moon Press and a superbly talented cover artist. I first met her via Booktrope Press and fell in love with her work there. I love being able to tell her what I’m looking for and then, by magic… it appears!
 What advice would you give someone who is considering publishing? Should they consider traditional or self-publishing?
I tried self  publishing The Beat on Ruby’s Street in 2013, and was very happy to have the option. When Booktrope accepted my title in 2016, I really liked how easy the process became. They did the layout, helped me find the editor and cover artist and paid the cost. In my opinion, life is easier if you have a publisher because you don’t have to be involved with every tiny decision. You get to be a writer, and for me, that’s the most important role I need to have.
Any last words?
Thank you for reading this interview today! And thank YOU, S. T. Sanchez, for writing and sharing it.
Thanks so much for sharing. Find out more about Jenna at the links below. Happy Reading!!
Website: https://jennazark.com/ To find the Beat Street Series books:
https://books2read.com/BeatonJennasStreet https://books2read.com/FoolsErrand   Facebook page is called Jenna Zark Author - Playwright Twitter is ZarkWriting

June Middle Grade Summer Reading List

 10 Exciting Middle Grade Fiction Novels


If your looking for some new reads to pull your kids away from their electronics this summer, take a look at some of these fun reads.



Cole Randolph was just trying to have a fun time with his friends on Halloween (and maybe get to know Jenna Hunt a little better). But when a spooky haunted house turns out to be a portal to something much creepier, Cole finds himself on an adventure on a whole different level.

After Cole sees his friends whisked away to some mysterious place underneath the haunted house, he dives in after them—and ends up in The Outskirts.

The Outskirts are made up of five kingdoms that lie between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. It’s an in-between place. Some people are born there. Some find their way there from our world, or from other worlds.

And once you come to the Outskirts, it’s very hard to leave.

With the magic of the Outskirts starting to unravel, it’s up to Cole and an unusual girl named Mira to rescue his friends, set things right in the Outskirts, and hopefully find his way back home…before his existence is forgotten.
Amazon




Sometimes zombies don't know they're dead until they look in the mirror! 
When 11-year-old Aiden Winters becomes infected with the deadly XR-30 virus, he figures his life is over. He just wants to be a normal kid, but that’s hard to do when you look like a zombie. Except, he's different than the other zombies. He doesn't crave brains– yet! Twelve-year-old James Hadley wants the world to go back to the way it was before the virus ruined everything. Nowadays, he needs to help his mom find food and medicine for their family. Not to mention, survive the zombie apocalypse! Everything changes when Aiden and James embark on a quest to find the cure for Aiden. If they’re really lucky, they might even save the world.

Amazon






n the space of three days, Rogan loses his royal privilege, his country, and his mother.Now knowing that his father, the King of Kanrine, orchestrated his mother’s execution, Rogan is left stranded in his mother’s homeland. Sickened by the idea of returning home to face his mother’s killers, Rogan lowers himself to washing and sweeping for a local healer to survive. He’s now a drudge, a mongrel, a nobody with airs. His one friend is Bryna, the poverty-stricken daughter of the city’s former baron, who has her own reasons for skirting the notice of the city’s occupying soldiers.

Before Rogan can decide his next move, the mysterious death of a soldier pulls him and Bryna into a web of politics, murder, and magic. The two of them must race to separate truth from lies as the authorities’ investigations quickly turn personal…and deadly.

Told from the alternating perspectives of a conqueror’s son and a conquered lord’s daughter, THE EMPIRE’S ORPHANS follows two twelve-year-olds in a country simmering with national, racial, and class tension.
Amazon





What if everything you knew about your father was a lie?
Andromeda “Rommy” Cavendish doesn’t really have a home, unless you count the exclusive boarding school where she stays year round. With her mother dead and her father out to sea most of the time, Rommy counts down the days to her father’s two visits every year - on her birthday and Christmas. 
Every year, she hopes this will be the summer her father takes her with him on his travels, but he always says she is too young and it is too dangerous. 
But this summer is going to be different. Rommy’s going with him on his travels. He just doesn’t know it yet. 
As the newest and youngest member of her school’s fencing team, danger is her new best friend. There’s no way her father can say no. 
But he never shows up for his visit. 
Worried that something awful has happened, Rommy dresses as a boy and sneaks out of her school, traveling through nineteenth century London only to find more questions than answers. To find her father she’ll have to travel to the magical island of Neverland where heroes are villains, and  her father might be the biggest villain of them all. 
If you like fairy tale twists, magical adventures and spunky heroines, you’ll love Hook’s Daughter: The Untold Tale of a Pirate Princess, first in the middle-grade fantasy adventure trilogy The Pirate Princess Chronicles. 
Pick up Hook’s Daughter and start your adventure today!
Amazon






When her father fails to return home from a business trip, Madison and her family set out to find him. But then? Her entire family vanishes. This sparks a shocking revelation from Madison’s godmother. Madison is one of the Chosen Ones, one of three young girls secreted inside the human realm at birth. They were born to fulfill a prophecy. The time has come. There are those who seek to destroy them so they can rule the realms. Only one question remains as they prepare for battle, a question posed by an ancient realm of trees... Would you sacrifice your life for those you love?Saving Tir na nOg is a middle grade fantasy novel steeped in Irish mythology. "A dazzling read for all ages," 5 Stars -- Liz Konkel, Readers' FavoriteAmazon




Wizards, Heroes, and shape-changing Amorphae have hidden in plain sight among ordinary Humans for eons. But, when two Heroes seek to use an innocent Humanchild to circumvent their own daughter's fate, a magical backlash occurs and the boy accidentally becomes a Wizard.
Meet Farley Bumblestook! Born with the unique ability (once attributed to ancient Shamans) to commune with the Spirits of Earth itself, Farley is the not-so-ordinary Human boy-next-door. Through no fault of his own, his life becomes entangled in the power struggles between factions of magical folk, and he is drawn into a Quest filled with danger and discovery. 
Amazon 




Protect their community or protect their discovery?
For eighth graders Chace, Harley, Will, and Cherise, that’s a life-changing question after they find a dragon’s egg while hunting for thundereggs on the beach. Toss in summer jobs, family struggles, and a National Security Agent, and their summer vacation just became complicated.
Can they find a solution that won’t leave their hearts broken or their community in flames?
Amazon






She went searching for her birth mother and found another world …from 
which no one can escape.Yumiko Corr never knew her birth mother. She 
loves her adoptive parents, but she can’t help wondering who she really 
is and where she belongs. While searching for her mother in Tokyo, 
Yumiko and her parents are swept into another world, where nothing 
exists but an enormous island. An island filled with mythological 
creatures that aren’t supposed to be real.

But the island is ruled by a spoiled boy, King Rodney, who has taken 
control of the creatures through some strange magic. He refuses to let 
anyone leave, including Yumiko and her parents!
Can Yumiko find a way off the island and back home, for herself and the 
other imprisoned creatures?

Discover your destiny.

Fans of C.S. Lewis, Rick Riordan, and J.K. Rowling now have a new 
fantasy world where they can escape! A world brimming with mermaids, 
minotaurs, centaurs, and a sea serpent! Explore the beauty and danger of 
the mysterious Island of Myste! Includes a Sneak Preview of Book 2: 
Terror on the Island of Myste!


The Island of Myste

Amazon





Love this book! Couldn't put it down. Cannot wait for the second book!” V. Bruderer 
A shadow of shame has fallen over the once proud Maxwell family, and only their faithful son Ajax, can restore honor to their name. He is tasked with guarding a mysterious portal, the existence of which only a few people outside the King are aware. A prophecy warns of a danger to come, as the new keeper, Ajax fears he will let everyone down. 
When the Prince of Rastella comes to visit the portal for the first time, accompanied by Ajax’s childhood friend Nivara, disaster strikes! In an accident, the Prince falls into the portal and Ajax knows that it’s up to him to venture in and get him back. 
With the knowledge that nobody who has entered it has ever returned, Ajax and Nivara leap through the portal to try to save the Prince. He discovers a world full of magic and fantastic creatures, in an adventure that will test him to his limits, and leave him wondering if he will ever get home. 
If you like Brandon Mull, you’ll love The Portal Keeper!
Amazon


The seven dragon tribes have been at war for generations, locked in an endless battle over an ancient, lost treasure. A secret movement called the Talons of Peace is determined to bring an end to the fighting, with the help of a prophecy -- a foretelling that calls for great sacrifice.

Five dragonets are collected to fulfill the prophecy, raised in a hidden cave and enlisted, against their will, to end the terrible war.

But not every dragonet wants a destiny. And when the select five escape their underground captors to look for their original homes, what has been unleashed on the dragon world may be far more than the revolutionary planners intended . . .
Amazon

Interview with Carla Vergot author of The Mystery of Jane Dough

Today I would like to give a warm welcome to author Carla Vergot. Thanks for joining us today.

Carla, when you pick up a book which do you prefer: print books or ebooks?

I’m 100%paper, which is weird because I’m known to be a bit of a conservation nut when it comes to protecting the planet. Ebooks for me are…well…let’s just say my relationship with technology is tenuous at best.

I love the feel of having a book in my hand, but when I travel ebooks are so convenient. Have you been given any helpful advice?

Sure! In life—dance with every guy who asks. In writing—don’t be afraid to cut a scene if it doesn’t work. But even more importantly, when you do decide to cut something, put it in a folder for safe keeping, because there’s a real good chance that same defunct scene will be a showstopper somewhere else in the story. Save everything.

That's a great piece of advice, and one I have never heard before. I will have to file it away for future use. Carla, if you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

I’m dying to get out to the Galápagos Islands for the nature. I’d love to see the night sky in Iceland.

I've heard Iceland is beautiful. Currently, what are you working on?

As of this interview, I’m 68,000 words into Book 2 of the “Lily Barlow” series. My goal is a minimum of 80,000 by the end of April.

How did you decide on what to title each book?

This is an interesting question. I knew I wanted a way to tie the series together, so my publisher and I decided to use “Lily Barlow” followed by something specific to each story. The first one is “Lily Barlow: The Mystery of Jane Dough.” I have a working title for the second book, but I’m not quite ready to reveal it yet.

For many authors, one avenue of publishing they struggle with is marketing. How do you promote your books? Any tips you can share?

I’ve built a rickety social media platform using Facebook and Instagram which hasn’t been easy (reference my relationship with technology above). I’ve established a lovely community of uplifting writers and readers who have encouraged me along the way. Personal friends have done a lot to spread the word. And I try to promote myself in person as much as possible. I attend book signings, author events, book club meetings, whatever. I think opportunities exist everywhere. In fact, I’m in the process of talking my favorite grocer into hosting an evening with the author for a wine tasing and reading. I enjoy promoting the book in person like this, but it’s harder because you’re connecting with a small group of readers at a time vs. the thousands of people you can reach with a post on Facebook or Instagram. It’s harder, but more fulfilling.
Is this a stand-alone novel or part of a series?

It’s a series, but if I’ve done it well, a reader who never read Book 1 can still enjoy Book 2. That was one of the trickiest parts for me—giving enough background for new readers without boring the ones who are already familiar with Lily.
Carla, what was your biggest challenge when writing? Did you have any writer’s block? If so, how did you work your way through it?

My insurmountable challenge was working full-time as a special education teacher. I didn’t have a drop of creative energy left to put toward writing. I can almost guarantee this book would still be lurking around in the shadows of my mind if my husband hadn’t offered me the chance to take a one-year sabbatical. That’s literally when it started to take shape, and I loved the writing process so much that I resigned from teaching permanently so I could start the second book.

What was your writing process like?

I’m a pantster (writing by the seat of my pants) vs. a plotter (meticulously outlining the story). More than that, though, I’m a schlogger. I write the way a person would walk through waist-deep muck in a Louisiana swamp—slowly and with a great deal of care. I’m constantly going back over what I just wrote to rewrite it or to layer in details. It takes forever. But when I’m done, I’m generally done. The cleanup doesn’t involve any sweeping changes.
In your novels, which character is your favorite?

Miss Delphine has a special place in my heart. Years ago, a friend and fellow writer once asked me what would be my “thing” when I was an old lady. Would I wear mismatched clothes? Would I only eat bananas on days that start with “T.” I’m not sure how I answered the question back then, but when I think about it now, I want to be like Miss Delphine—independent, devoted to my garden, maybe hiding a body out back…

1500 followers

I just hit 1500 followers on my twitter account. Thanks so much for all the support. If your not currently following me and would like to click the link below.

Twitter

Happy Mother's Day

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Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there!
  I hope you feel loved and cherished on the special day. I want to say thank you for all the mother figures that have touched my life. I have been blessed to have to many in my life. I've had some at school, some at work, at church, family friends, aunts and grandmothers. Each one has made an impact on my life and helped shape me into the person the I am today. 

  Of course I especially want to say thank-you to my mother. I know I could never count the hours that you have spent loving me and supporting me, taking care of me when I was younger, driving me places, teaching me important lessons, showing me how to serve others, loving my children, and about a million other things. Through all the neglect and ingratitude I am sure I showed as a child and teenager, (hopefully less now that I am grown) you have always been there for me. I hope you have a wonderful day mom! I love you.



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Interview with Daniel Sullivan author of The Silver Liner: Takes Flight

           
          Today I'd like to welcome Daniel Sullivan to        the blog. Tell us a little about yourself.  

           My name is Daniel Sullivan, and I am a Sci-Fi/Fantasy author.          In addition to writing, I am an avid motorcyclist and a martial            arts instructor (Kendo and Hapkido – 4th degree black belt). I            am also the proud parent of two adult sons, whom I raised as a          single parent.
         That's impressive, I have a brother who is a 2nd degree black belt. I know it takes a lot of work. What got you into writing?

I’ve always loved coming up with stories and have had story ideas for as long as I can remember. I loved creative writing assignments in school, but the bulk of my work ended up being on world building and adventures for my Dungeons & Dragons games. I actually hand-wrote a fantasy novel based on the game world my friends and I had created, and later, wrote a vampire story, but never made any moves to publish either one.
I was an avid fantasy reader and sci-fi moviegoer, and always would think, ‘wouldn’t it be cool if someone did a story/film about this or that …’ Eventually, I asked myself why I kept waiting for someone else to write my ideas. One of the things that I loved about tabletop RPG was creating and developing the game-world, and I found that years of doing that proved very helpful in creating the world in a story.
I decided to try my hand at actually writing a novel, which ended up being “The Silver Liner: Takes Flight!” I published it in 2015, and now, I have a “Silver Liner” series.
      Share a short excerpt from your novel

An excerpt from “The Silver Liner: Takes Flight!”

Oblivious to the activity around her, the doctor ordered another drink. She normally did not have more than one, but this might be her last drink as a free woman for the foreseeable future.“They will catch you, you know,” Casey said to her as he poured the drink. “It doesn’t matter; I can’t leave,” she lamented. Picking up the drink and looking at it as she swirled it around, she exhaled a deep sigh. “My passes are all deactivated. I’m out of money, so I cannot even bribe my way onto a ship.”“Have you tried Father O’Bannon?”“No. I won’t put him at risk. I’m classified as an interplanetary terrorist now. Involving him will only hurt the only church on this damnable station. You know they’ll close it down at the drop of a hat. I cannot be the cause of that. No, this is the end of the line. Fifty-two years with nothing to show.”“Ah, lass, but that aint true,” Casey protested, but the doctor shook her head.“Casey, I’m a penniless, childless old maid,” she lamented. “I had wanted … so much more; a husband, children, a family … but it’s over. There is nothing left for me to do but wait until they finally close in. Hopefully, my last hours of freedom will be interesting.”“Well don’t look now, Doc,” said the bartender, “but interesting is sitting two stools to your left.”  She looked over and saw a tall man clad head to toe in black leather. The jump suit had a high collar and was form fitting enough for her to tell that he was fairly well built. He wore his hair in a pompadour style, something she would never have recognized had she not seen an old movie from the twentieth century at a museum as a little girl. The man had an air of cool confidence about him and his upper lip was in a perpetual curl resembling a snarl. At his hip was a pulse pistol. When she was a teen, she would have swooned for him. Now, she just looked admiringly. “Who is he?” she whispered, leaning in close so that “Interesting” would not hear her ask.“Captain Ken Royce,” replied the bartender softly as he absently cleaned a glass. “He delivers our beer and whiskey.”
      Sounds intriguing. Which do you prefer: print books or ebooks?

Print, but due to lack of shelf space, I’ve begun purchasing more e-books.
      I feel the same way. I love print, but when I travel e-books are so much more convenient. Daniel, currently, what are you working on?

I’m currently proofing the edited copy of the fifth and final Silver Liner novel. I just finished a fourth draft of a new Sci-Fi book, “The Cyber Secession,” and the second draft of a fantasy novel.
       Will you tell us a little bit about your main characters?

The main characters of the Silver Liner books are Captain Kendrick Royce and Doctor Fiona Kinsale, the AI of Royce’s ship – Selene, and an android woman named Lena. Kendrick Royce is a Rockstar-turned-starship captain, who makes his living transporting goods and passengers. He’s a widow of seven years and has become content just flying his star-liner, the Selene. That all changes when he meets Doctor Fiona Kinsale.

Fiona really drives the series, as it is her flight from government and corporate agents that both brings her aboard Royce’s ship and draws him into her conflicts. The addition of the android Lena to the crew adds another layer, as she is likewise being sought by government agents. Along the way, he picks up a gunner/martial artist named Kang, a whiz kid engineer named Heather, and a middle-aged priest with a dark past.
They are pursued collectively by government agents, corporate thugs, a renegade captain, and the mafia. The only person who doesn’t have someone actively trying to bring him in for something is Captain Royce, though through his association with the others, he becomes a target of all of these forces himself.
       Is this a stand-alone novel or part of a series?

“The Silver Liner: Takes Flight!” is part of a near-future sci-fi series. The fifth and final book in the series will be released in June of this year.
       A five book series, that's impressive.Daniel, what is the easiest part of the writing process?  What is the hardest?

Coming up with ideas is the easiest. Consistency with science and numbers is the most challenging. I write near-future sci-fi, so I deal with launch windows and changing planetary positions. It would be easier if I wrote about ships with FTL and hyperdrives, but that’s not the world I’ve chosen to create.
       Do you have people read your drafts before you publish?  How do you select beta readers?

My fiancée and I beta read each other’s work, and I pay an editor – Sheryl Polycar – to edit each book. After this last Silver Liner book, I plan to seek out more beta/proof readers, and to add a second editor.
      Who designed the artwork for your cover?  Or did you design it yourself?

Ashley Martinez of C.M. Wright’s Author Services has done the covers for all five of my books. I gave her a general idea of what I wanted and she has masterfully translated my ideas into images.
     That's great. It can be hard to find someone who can visualize what you want and get it write. What was your biggest challenge when writing? Did you have any writer’s block?  If so, how did you work your way through it?

The biggest challenge is sticking to my original ideas as I write. Sometimes, changes are very necessary, as new and/or better ideas come to me, but it’s easy to lose track of your intended direction. RE writer’s block, I just force myself to write everyday and just accept that when going through periods of writer’s block, most of what gets typed will simply be a placeholder for when ideas finally do come. I am often surprised to find that just by writing, the ideas tend to come.
           I think writing everyday is important. What          was your writing process like?

I come up with an idea and write it down/type it up. It can be as simple as  ‘five people on a spaceship are being chased by hitmen and the captain is a rocker with a pompadour a fast ship’ or as detailed as an actual plot synopsis complete with an outline.
Once I have the idea, I usually let it sit for a few days, and then I go back in and add more. Usually, I’m already in the middle of an existing project, but once that project is finished or comes to a stopping point, I then jump into the new idea and start fleshing it out. Eventually, it turns into copious amounts of author notes, and then into a first draft.
      Which do you find more challenging inventing the hero or the villain?  Why?

Honestly, the hero. I find that creating a compelling hero is more challenging because it’s so easy to simply write a virtuous hero who fights for what’s right. I like my heroes more nuanced. Not all of my heroes want to fight, and not all of them are virtuous. Also, there are so many well-defined hero archetypes that are ingrained into our psyche, so I try to create characters that deviate from these archetypes.
     Daniel, any last words?

           I thank you for taking the time to interview me!


Thanks for sharing with us today. Before to check out more from Daniel at the links below. Happy Reading!!




My website:
https://www.danielsullivanbooks.com/


The Silver Liner: Takes Flight on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Liner-Takes-Flight/dp/1539821986/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=The+Silver+Liner%3A+Takes+Flight%21&qid=1555945598&s=gateway&sr=8-2


My Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Sullivan/e/B01E7DWPE4/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1


Daniel Sullivan on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/danielsullivanbooks/


My cover designer:
https://www.facebook.com/cmwright.author