Sharon Ledwith's Blog, page 80

Books, Banter & Bites on my Dock…featuring S.W. Lothian

Welcome to my virtual dock in the wilds of Muskoka, where it’s always sunny and warm no matter what time of the year it is. Please pull up one of the dock chairs, sit your butt down, and be prepared to be entertained and enlightened. Today, I’ve got fellow middle-grade time-travel author, S.W. Lothian stopping by for a visit. If you’ve never heard of this awesome writer, here’s the dossier on him:

S.W. Lothianis a funny and cool guy from Australia. His kids call him ‘Phil Dunphy’, because he reminds them of the dad from Modern Family.  He isn’t sure whether this is a compliment or not, but he takes it as a compliment.As an imaginative kid he dreamed of creating exciting worlds and funky characters, and thought he’d be the most famous person to ever do this.  He loved to draw and was dux of Art in High School.  Top of his dream list was to be an animator.  He loved watching all those classic cartoons on TV - Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Road Runner (surely, Coyote would win one day), Wacky Races, the list goes on and on. 

BOOM!  Then reality hit.  As weird as it may seem, there were not a lot of opportunities for world famous animators in his home city.  The dreams were parked as reality and the corporate world beckoned.  Then, 25 years later, the long-held dream to create erupted like a jam donut in a microwave, and S.W. started writing children's fiction for kids.  Perhaps his awesome stories will become so popular that they will be animated one day.Hmm, seems S.W.  is running a little late, and it’s almost dusk. Hopefully he’ll get here before it gets too dark...wait…is that a helicopter I hear? OMG—it is and it’s landing in the middle of my yard. Great, the whirlybird put the campfire out. Classy entrance, S.W.! Unfortunately, since S.W. possesses the knowledge of time-travel, he’s told me he needs to stay anonymous as there are those amongst us who may track him down and use his knowledge for evil. He even hides behind the guise of a golden scarab to keep his identity secret. Thank goodness I don’t have his problems!

While S.W. makes his way to the dock here’s a little about his newest time-travel book, The Fallen Pharaoh—the third in his Quest series:Warning:  Reading this book could cause anxiety, laughter and a longing to time travel.

It's time to reunite without the burden of a perilous quest.  Let's just sit back, relax and enjoy the moment.  The idea is simple enough.  What could possibly go wrong?This edge-of-your-seat adventure weaves its thrills and mystery through the very crossroads of time itself.  From ancient Egypt, to the centre of time, to modern Paris.  The gang of four must face their most amazing encounters so far.  The pressure is on.  Who is trying to stop them?  Will our heroes overcome the danger and challenges of their newest quest?  Only time will tell.

The time has come for the legend to rise and protect.

Sounds like an exciting series, S.W.! Lots of adventure, lots of fun! Before we get started, I’ve poured you a tall frosty glass of Coke® to enjoy with a couple of Krispy Kreme donuts. Later, we’ll have some Tim Tam slams with coffee by the fire – um, that’s assuming I can get the fire going again. Oh, and a word of warning, the June bugsare out in full force tonight. They’re our version of scarab beetles and have a knack of getting caught in your hair, so wear a hat! Okay, so let’s get on with our chat…Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write The Fallen Pharaoh?

The Fallen Pharaoh is part 3 of the Quest series. My inspiration for the series was my lifelong fascination with ancient Egypt and my love of fantasy and action/adventure.  I have always been a huge fan of Indiana Jones and Harry Potter.  I wanted to create a tale about normal everyday kids, who weren’t long lost descendants of powerful ancestors, which find themselves in amazing adventures.  Hopefully something that everyday kids can relate to.  Ancient Egypt provides a great backdrop for a story that is full of fantastic settings, legends and magic.  I relish the grand scale of the settings and love to take my characters to amazing places.  When I write, I can see the movie playing in my head, it’s so vivid.  I dream of my books becoming CG movies one day, as I’m such a fan of them.I am too! Here’s wishing your dream comes true. What sets The Fallen Pharaoh apart from other books in the same genre?

I think The Fallen Pharaoh is such a mix of different parts of the middle grade/ya genre, it is unique.  As I mentioned earlier, the heroes of this story aren’t born into some ancestral role of destiny, they’re just normal kids.  It’s got the magic of Harry Potter, the action of Indiana Jones, the wonderful mythology of Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles and the epic settings and fast pace of Matthew Reilly.  All of these things together, create a fascinating story that teaches about history and humanities, while inspiring imagination.  My favourite part of writing is adding in those quirky bits of humour that can provoke a laugh from readers whilst they are in the midst of a mystery or crisis in the story.I love breaking the tension by slipping in a crack or joke as well. How long did it take for you to start and finish The Fallen Pharaoh?

The idea for this book has lingered within the full plotline of the Quest series for a number of years. I started writing the series in mid-2008, and the original outline for The Fallen Pharaoh (Q3) was born about the end of 2008.  Actually, this book, The Fallen Pharaoh, was to originally have been book 2, but I decided that another book was needed before this one.  After The Cursed Nile (Q2) was released in June 2012, I began writing The Fallen Pharaoh in earnest.Do you have any advice for writers wanting to write in your genre?

Writing is only half the battle.  Once the book is out there, the hardest thing is being seen and discovered by the audience.  I had no idea that there would be so many others out there on the same journey.  I love reading and writing this genre, as I’m not one of these people who love to watch or read needless violence and murders etc.  Ebooks are definitely the future, but in my experience, readers of this genre still prefer (or it may just be old habits) to have a physical book.  So I think having physical books in stores (if possible) is still an important driver for middle grade books sales.I find it’s a little like being caught between the old and new world, isn’t it? What’s next for S.W. Lothian the author?

I have a few projects on the go.  The trouble is I need to work out which one to focus on next.  Of course there are books 4 and 5 in the Quest series, but I also have a great idea for a spin off series called Time Square.  Once you read The Fallen Pharaoh, you’ll understand more about what this would entail.  I also have another single book in mind called, Flipside.  Without revealing too much, it’s essentially taking what we deem as the norm, and looking at everything in a totally different way.

To help S.W. celebrate the newest release of his time-travel Quest series, he’s having a few great giveaways! Here are the links:

GOODREADS– 1 x paperback edition of The Fallen Pharaoh.
Open for US, CA, UK, AU, NZ.
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/53053-the-fallen-pharaoh
RAFFLECOPTER– 2 x sets of The Quest Seriesebooks.
Each set contains 1 copy of each book:
The Golden Scarab, The Cursed Nile, The Fallen Pharaoh.
Open internationally.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/97e26d2
or
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OTdlMjZkYTI3YzM3Y2VjZGVjMWU1NjZhY2EyN2I5OjI=/
Awesome giveaways, S.W.! Oh, here, let me top up your glass and please grab another donut, it’s a long helicopter ride back to Australia. Before you go, please let readers know where they can buy your book, and how to connect with you. Thanks for taking the time to share your novel and your wisdom with us on my dock this evening. And don’t forget to say hello to your Mummy for me! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Cheers and best wishes in ALL your publishing ventures, S.W.!

Buy Links: Amazon US /Amazon UK / Amazon Canada / Amazon – other countries

Learn more about S.W. Lothian on his blog and subscribe to his Newsflash 
Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter

 

Let's get Cozy with Sam Cheever...

What is it about cozy mysteries that makes them so much fun? To answer that question, I guess you need to start with the basic elements of a cozy. When one thinks of a cozy, one might think Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple or maybe Angela Lansbury’s character, Jessica Fletcher, of Murder She Writes fame. The traditional cozy is set in a specific, confined area, such as a bunch of people stranded in a remote location with a killer in their midst, a.k.a Clue (Best. Movie. Ever). Many contemporary cozies are in small town settings, with quirky characters and the challenges and opportunities inherent in small town living. A cozy generally revolves around a murder, but the murder is usually off screen and/or not overly violent.

Cozy mysteries feature amateur sleuths of all kinds. For example, some of the most popular contemporary cozy series feature flower shop owners, chefs, caterers, accountants, book store owners, writers, and dog trainers. These unlikely sleuths find themselves repeatedly embroiled in murder most foul and struggling to figure out whodunit. The mystery is made more interesting by the quirkiness of the people involved, their tendency to lie and cover, and the misconceptions that come from knowing someone for years. It’s a fun formula fraught with opportunities for both the reader and the sleuth to go awry and lose their way.

Which brings me to the reason I love a good cozy mystery. I love the challenge and journey of figuring out whodunit in a light, fun environment. No guts, no gore, no over-the-top sensuality. Just a big, fun puzzle.

My own cozy mystery series is centered on an antiques store owner and has an additional fun twist. Filled with lots of great, old things, Yesterday’s Antiques is a hotbed of paranormal activity, giving Yesterday Mysteries a paranormal edge. This aspect adds an extra element of fun to the already enjoyable mystery. Anna Yesterday is a kind, attractive young woman trying to make a living doing what she loves in a small town in Southern Indiana. When Anna opened Yesterday’s Antiques, she inherited two spirits, who are tied to objects that were once buried under the store.

Joss is a cowboy from pre-Civil war times, whose gun belt and holster were uncovered behind the store when Anna was having some improvements made. Joss is sexy, protective, and obviously in love with Anna, and she feels pretty much the same about him. The second specter, Bess was a saloon girl who sometimes cleaned the floors in the inn that was located where Yesterday’s now exists. She lived in the mid to late 1800s and Anna isn’t sure what her transference object is. Bess and Anna butt heads on a regular basis, mostly due to the fact that Bess is jealous of Anna’s relationship with Joss, but also because…well…Bess is kind of a crank.

To make things even more interesting, Anna has a sexy, flesh and blood assistant who’s an ex-cop to help her with her sleuthing. Her growing feelings for Pratt are confusing and cause no end of tension between the two men in her life. All in all, it’s a fun series with likeable characters and I’m really enjoying being on the creation side of the cozy mystery genre for a change! I hope you’ll check these books out.
~~*~~ Antiques can be a dangerous business. Especially when you’re dealing with a desperate politician, a sexy ex-cop, and a couple of “spirited” companions.

Anna Yesterday owns Yesterday’s Antiques in small town USA. When she finds an old newspaper clipping lining the drawer of an antique dresser, she realizes she’s never heard the ugly story of rape and suicide detailed on the yellowed newsprint. So she starts to dig, and her sleuthing exposes an ugly cover-up that casts the residents of Crocker, Indiana into danger and intrigue, and leaves them with a corpse.  

All eBook formats All Romance eBooks Kindle USKindle UKKindle CA

~~*~~ Book 2: Yesterday's Mysteries - April 2013

A deadly secret is tangled up in Yesterday’s Threads, and Anna is racing the clock to get it unraveled.

In 1859, Elisabeth Margaret Nelson traveled to Crocker, Indiana to meet her new husband and start a new life. Her family never saw her again. The story of her death and a heartbroken husband who grieves his entire life is a sad tale for sure. But is it true?

When Anna Yesterday receives some vintage dresses from the local museum, she’s excited about highlighting them at Crocker’s annual Apple Blossom Festival. But someone wants the dresses back, and they’ll apparently stop at nothing to get them—leaving a trail of murder and destruction in their wake.

As Anna and Pratt work to uncover the deadly intrigue behind the vintage dresses, interference of another kind is working its way to the surface. All too soon, Anna and Pratt find themselves neck deep in trouble from more than one dimension—and wondering which will get them first!

All ebook formats All Romance eBooks Kindle UsKindle UKKindle CA

New Release Date Announcement and Winners of my 1st Anniversary Book Release Celebration and May Goodreads Giveaway…

I want to thank everyone who celebrated and participated in my month-long 1st Anniversary Book Release Celebration and May Goodreads Giveaway. I had a lot of positive feedback, and made some wonderful new friends during this event. In fact, I started out with 185 followers and now, as of writing this post have 225! I also had 935 people enter my Goodreads Giveaway, so that’s not too shabby either! The Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop helped sweeten the pot by spreading the news of my anniversary and getting more hoppers to enter my giveaways. Bonus!

Before I announce the winners, I have some BIG NEWS! I finally have the release date set for the next installment—the prequel—to The Last Timekeepers series! I’m pleased to share with you that Legend of the Timekeepers will be released August 30th, 2013! I’ll keep you posted with updates such as my book cover release, promos, and contests as this date gets closer! Thanks to all my readers for being so patient!So, without further ado, the winner of the 1st Anniversary Book Release Celebration prize pack which includes a signed limited edition paperback of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, a hand-crafted Babel necklace, 3 signed trading cards, a blue Ionic Power  wrist watch, and a couple of Last Timekeepers wrist bands goes to Andrea Amy!

And the winner of my May Goodreads Giveaway goes to Julie Baxter!Congratulations to both Andrea and Julie! I’ll mail your winnings out to you as soon as I confirm your addresses. And remember: please time travel responsibly! Cheers!

Five people I'd love to visit if I could time travel

One of the interview questions I ask other middle-grade/young adult authors on my blog is, If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why? I’ve gotten so many answers, many of them unique and original. I’ve even posed this question to students when I’ve done an author visit. And you know what? Most kids say that they’d travel back in time to when their parents were their age so they can meet them.

Didn’t see that one coming!The kids’ response got me thinking. Who would I like to meet, if given the opportunity to time travel into the past? My answers both surprised and delighted me. Here are my top five picks:

1.      Anne Frank – the young, innocent voice of the holocaust, Ann’s infectious kind nature and honesty through her journaling during one of the most horrific periods of our history touches my heart in a way no one else can. Her diary survives to this day to teach us lessons in tolerance and understanding. She is truly the most famous holocaust survivor by virtue of her intimate writings. 
2.      Abraham Lincoln – not the most handsome man, but definitely one of the most dignified men in history. Strength through adversity must have been Lincoln’s slogan. A self-educated man, who fought for the rights of others, ended slavery, and stood for what he believed in. I would have loved to have heard him reciting the Gettysburg Address. 
3.      Saint Francis of Assisi – born into a wealthy Italian family, Francis had a short stint as a soldier before taking a strict vow of poverty, and adopting a simple, faithful lifestyle. Effigies of Saint Francis have him surrounded by birds and animals. So was he the original animal whisperer? Could he have talked to the animals better than Doctor Doolittle? My enquiring mind wants to know. 

4.      Leonardo Da Vinci – this man is a legend. Not only did he create great works of art he made breakthroughs in science and engineering. This Renaissance man was pure genius. Watching him work would be an amazing experience. Plus I would love to have the opportunity to ask Leo if he really used secret codes and symbols within his artwork. 

5.      Walt Disney – meeting Mickey Mouse’s creator would be the icing on the cake. He not only created a family-friendly empire, but managed to leave a legacy behind that will live for generations to come. Disney was a true trailblazer in every sense of the word.
There you have it. My top five people picks I’d love to meet if I could travel back in time. So who would you blaze through the past for? Love to hear your choices!
And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win all of the fabulous prizes mentioned in the Rafflecopter below. BTW—there’s less than two days left to enter! Good luck…
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: The Super Spies and the Pied Piper

It’s Here! Middle grade author Lisa Orchard’s third book in the Super Spies Series! Below are
The Super Spies and the Pied Piper Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are at it once again when they learn their missing parents’ cell phone has been traced to Alden, Michigan. When the FBI declines to continue the investigation, Sarah takes matters into her own hands. She calls upon the Super Spies and they delve into the situation. Suddenly, the teens find themselves immersed in small town intrigue and mystery involving a menacing stranger, who Sarah dubs “The Stalker." But when Sarah learns he’s connected to her parents’ disappearance, she’s determined to find out what that connection is. The Super Spies embark on a journey that leads them into a web of corporate corruption at its highest level that leaves innocent victims in its wake. Can they find the proof they need to stop the greedy corporation before it’s too late?

Excerpt from Chapter One:“What do you mean you lost them?” Sarah Cole fidgeted as she waited for Agent Gray to answer. I can’t believe it! He lost the only clue to our parents’ location. What is wrong with this picture? Agitated, Sarah shifted in her seat and chewed on her lip. She was uncomfortable in the folding chair and rearranged her petite frame so she wouldn’t feel the cold metal against her bare legs. Shivering, she glanced around the all-too-familiar room.

The gray cement block walls no longer gave her that creepy, closed-in feeling she’d used to get when she first came to the interrogation rooms. She remembered the first time she’d been in that tiny space. It had been the day she’d discovered the Cat Lady’s dead body. Sarah shuddered at the memory and then smiled when she remembered forming the Super Spies and bringing the Cat Lady Killer to justice. Glancing around the room again, she realized she’d been in this room quite a bit these last few weeks, not only during the Cat Lady investigation, but the High School Bomber investigation as well. Shivering again, Sarah rubbed her arms but she really wasn’t cold. Her mind filled with the image of the bomber the Super Spies had helped apprehend just a week earlier.Wow! Was it just last week?

She tugged at a lock of her honey colored hair, then brushed it away with an impatient hand. She sighed and glanced at her younger sister. Lacey sat beside her with her legs crossed, jiggling her foot at such a rapid rate it seemed like her whole body was electrified. She caught Sarah’s eye and for a moment her eyes glittered like emeralds before she shifted her gaze to Aunt June, who had placed her hand on Lacey’s leg in what appeared to be an attempt to quiet her. Sarah shifted in her chair and sighed again. Are we ever going to find Mom and Dad?A commotion out in the hall drew everyone’s attention. Sarah leaned forward and craned her neck to see what was happening.

“Chief, we’ve got an OD!” An officer yelled.“What?” Chief Johnson yelled as he rushed by. “An OD on what? Give me the details.”

“The parents found their son unconscious in his room this morning, and an empty bottle of prescription medication on his bedside table.”“What was it?” Chief Johnson asked.

“It’s Myodine.”“Who makes it?”

“Ah… Piper Drugs.”“Call Poison Control with the name and manufacturer and ask them what to do about an overdose. Instruct the parents to get their son to the hospital pronto,” Chief Johnson ordered.

“They’ve brought him here.”“What?” Chief Johnson exclaimed.

The sound of policemen rushing through the hall pulled Sarah and her sister out of their seats. They hurried to the door, unable to stifle their curiosity. Peering down the corridor, Sarah caught a glimpse of a young man sagging between two officers as they desperately tried to keep him on his feet. One officer gently slapped his face while the other officers held him up. The young man blinked and then gagged, puking on the officer in front of him.The rancid stench of fresh vomit filled the air. While plugging her nose, Sarah ducked back inside the interrogation room, followed by her sister. Sarah closed the door, hoping it would keep the smell from penetrating the room.

“Did you hear that, Lace? Piper Drugs! That’s the company Dad works for,” Sarah whispered in her sister’s ear before proceeding back to her seat.Lacey opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when Agent Gray cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit down.

He continued his conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted. We were on our way to the location of the ping… but before we got there it disappeared.”“So, what does that mean? Did you find our parents or what?” Sarah blurted out as she sat down. She stared into Agent Gray’s icy blue eyes, trying to read his mind.

~To celebrate this new release the first two books are on sale for $.99! Check it out! It’s a series you won’t want to miss!

The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer This book opens in a small town in Michigan where fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s with her sister, Lacey. She’s not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman. One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death. Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own fact-finding mission.  The Super Spies can’t understand why anyone would want to murder the “Cat Lady” until they start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded for meddling in the inquest. Not only are the girls upset by the admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go free. To make matters worse, the police don’t even believe them. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it’s up to them to snare the Cat Lady killer, or die trying…

Buy links: Astraea Pressand Amazonand Barnes & Noble The Super Spies and the High School Bomber

This book opens in a small town in Michigan where Sarah and her sister Lacey are now living with their Aunt and Uncle. Still reeling from the fact her parents have disappeared, Sarah starts the school year with her new friend Jackie Jenkins. When Sarah learns the school has been bombed, she’s filled with dread. Uncle Walt is a teacher, and he was in the school when the bomb exploded. Taking matters into her own hands, Sarah decides to search for him. The rest of the Super Spies are right behind her. When a fireman chases them away from the school, Sarah becomes suspicious. She decides to investigate. The FBI arrives on the scene. Sarah realizes this bombing could have even bigger implications. Searching for the bombers, Sarah is introduced to the world of terrorism. She fears that the bombing and her parents’ disappearance are connected and terrorists are involved. To make matters worse, the bombers are determined to finish the job. Can the Super Spies find the bombers before it’s too late?Buy Links: Astraea Pressand Amazonand Barnes & Noble
 Lisa Orchard grew up loving books. She was hooked on mysteries by the fifth grade and even wrote a few of her own. She knew she wanted to be a writer even then.  “The Super Spies and the Pied Piper” is the third book in the “Super Spies” series. Her first book was published in March of 2012 and it has received rave reviews. After graduating from Central Michigan University with a Marketing Degree she spent many years in
the insurance industry, pining to express her creative side.  The decision to stay home with her children gave her the opportunity to follow her dream and become a writer. She currently resides in Rockford Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.

Learn more about Lisa Orchard on her websiteStay connected on Facebookand Twitter

 
 
                                                                                                      
 
 

Ye Olde Caves of Nottingham

In my middle-grade/young adult time travel book, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis , my feisty group of adolescent characters’ first mission lands then in England in 1214 where they must find a young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens. Legend has it that one of Robin Hood’s haunts (besides the famous Sherwood Forest) was the village of Nottingham. When I undertook the meticulous research needed to craft my novel, I came across an interesting fact about Nottingham I had never known: beneath the houses, shops, and offices of Nottingham are hundreds of caves. My eyes bugged and imagination went into overdrive, while I gathered fact after fact about the Nottingham caves. In truth, it was a little like panning for gold nuggets.

The end result of the information I gleaned is woven into my story, but I’d like to share some other interesting facts about these not-so-famous caves:
·         The earliest written record of Nottingham’s caves comes from a Welsh monk called Asser who when writing about Nottingham in 868 referred to the town as Tig Guocobauc, meaning house or place of caves in British. 
·         Nottingham has more man-made caves than anywhere else in Britain.
·         The exposed cliff of the sandstone outcrop made this an obvious place for the early citizens of Nottingham to make their home. The occupants of these cave houses were generally poor and the caves were known as pauper holes.   
·         Each cave is unique and created for a specific purpose; some even have elaborate carvings, pillars and staircases.  
·         The softness of Nottingham’s sandstone makes it easy to excavate with hand tools, and the structural stability means that excavated caves are safe to use, even with buildings above them.
·         Throughout the medieval period Nottingham continued to grow and prosper becoming a centre for trades such as wool manufacture, tanning, malting, alabaster carving and pottery production.  A number of these activities were undertaken in Nottingham’s caves.
·         Sandstone caves maintain a constant temperature of around 14 degrees Celsius/ 57.2 Fahrenheit and therefore made excellent cellars for the storage of ale.  
·         At the start of the Second World War new caves were excavated and old ones reused to act as Air Raid shelters. 
Believe it or not, few people in Nottingham are aware of this labyrinth, and fewer still have visited them. Unfortunately, in these modern times, a significant number of caves have been filled in with cement or bricked up, with others disappearing through natural collapse. There’s a special project underway called the Nottingham Caves Survey which hopes to survey and document all the caves under Nottingham, and bring awareness to this unique historical resource. I invite you to take a virtual tour if you dare: http://nottinghamcavessurvey.org.uk/And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win all of the fabulous prizes mentioned in the Rafflecopter below…
a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 Places I'd love to visit if I could time travel

One of the interview questions I ask other middle-grade/young adult authors on my blog is, If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why? I’ve gotten so many answers, many of them unique and original. I’ve even posed this question to elementary students when I’ve done an author visit. And you know what? Most kids say that they’d travel back to the time period to when their parents were their age so they can meet them.

Didn’t see that one coming!The kids’ response got me thinking. Where would I like to go, if given the opportunity to time travel into the past? My answers both surprised and delighted me. Here are my top five picks:

1.      Atlantis– I know, go figure, but I believe it was a real place and not a myth. I’ve done too much research to know this. My gut tells me Atlantis existed. However, I wouldn’t want to go back there when things, let’s say got little shaky and wet, for the Atlanteans!  
2.      Ancient Egypt– this timeline is very hard to pinpoint. I’ve just done a bucket load of research in this era for the prequel to my time travel series, The Legend of the Timekeepers. Egypt, it seems, was rumored as a place where many Atlantean refugees settled after the destruction of Atlantis. So if there’s any truth to these myths, I’d love to go back and see what the Atlanteans did with their clean slate.  

3.      Mayan Civilization (Central America) – I’d love to go during their Classic period (250 C.E. to 900 C.E.) because it seems the Mayans reached their peak in this era with advanced science, art, and architecture. It makes me wonder what the Spanish Conquistadors destroyed and stole from this advance civilization. Oh yeah, and believe it or not, the Mayan pyramids are older than the Egyptian pyramids. 

4.      Greece (336-323 B.C.E.), during the reign of Alexander the Great – this man is a legend. Not only did he create the largest empire in the ancient world, he built new Greek-style cities like Alexandria in Egypt. Scholars came to Alexandria from all over the Greek world to study and discuss new ideas. Would have loved to visit his legendary library!

5.      France in the 1800s, during the time of the French novelists – meeting the Three Musketeers’, Quasimodo’s, and Captain Nemo’s creators would be the icing on the cake for me. Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Jules Verne not only created great literary works, but managed to leave a legacy behind that will live for generations to come. These novelists were true trailblazers in every sense of the word.
There you have it. My top five place picks I’d love to visit if I could travel back in time. So where would you blaze into the past to visit? Love to hear your choices! And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win all of the fabulous prizes mentioned in the Rafflecopter below…a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the Winner of the Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop are…

I want to thank everyone who celebrated and participated in the Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop this past week. I had a lot of positive feedback, and made some wonderful new friends during this awesome hop. For more information on Children’s Book Week please visit: http://www.bookweekonline.com/

BTW—there’s still time to enter my Goodreads giveway and the 1st Anniversary Book Release Celebration of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis Rafflecopter. Both giveaways end May 30th with the winners being announced here on May 31st.Here are the links for both giveaways:

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/51270?auto_login_attempted=truehttp://sharonledwith.blogspot.ca/2013/05/welcome-to-first-anniversary-of-my.html

And now on to the announcement—drum roll please…The winner of a signed limited edition paperback copy of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis and trading card, and the handcrafted Babel Necklace goes to Jalaine Smothers!

Congrats, Jalaine! And just a reminder to please time travel responsibly. Cheers!

Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop...

Welcome and thank you for stopping by on your tour around the Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop hosted by KitLitFrenzy, Mymcbooks, and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.What is Children’s Book Week?

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running literacy initiative in the United States. Each year, books for young people and the joy of reading are feted for a full week with author and illustrator appearances, storytelling, parties, and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, museums, and homes from coast-to-coast.Now for the party part —I’m giving away a signed limited edition paperback of my novel The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis , the first book in my middle-grade/YA time travel series and a signed trading card, as well as a custom-crafted Babel necklace pictured below.

BTW – this Giveaway is opened internationally, so everyone is included in this hop! It’s just one of the ways I’m celebrating the 1st Anniversary Book Release of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis during the month of May!Here’s the tagline and blurb from my book:

Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are the only hope for our past.When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they're given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown back yard. The arch isn't a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis.

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers--legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial--Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don't, then history itself may be turned upside down.Good luck, and don’t forget to visit all the other blogs on the hop and enjoy more giveaway fun!

Terms & Conditions  This Blog Hop begins May 13th and runs until midnight May 19th, 2013. The winner will be announced May 20th, 2013 on my blog.The winner will chosen by Rafflecopter

I will contact the winner via email and give the winner 72 hours to accept his/her prize.

Prizes as stated in—no alternatives will be offered.

ADDED BONUS: Since I’m celebrating the 1stAnniversary of my Book Release, go to this link and enter for a chance to win more awesome prizes: http://sharonledwith.blogspot.ca/2013/05/welcome-to-first-anniversary-of-my.html  a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Band of Merry Teens

Robin Hood. Maid Marion. Little John. Friar Tuck. Alan a’Dale. Wil Scarlet. Much the Miller’s Son. You’ve seen them immortalized as adults. Now picture them as teens. Come on, you can do it. Can you imagine this band of merry teens? I could. In fact I created these legendary outlaws as adolescents in my debut middle grade/young adult time travel series, The Last Timekeepers andthe Arch of Atlantis . And I had such fun doing it!

So much has been written about these historical figures, whether they were real or imagined, and so many movies and books have translated the tales of this famous band of thieves. The stories themselves have been romanticized to a point where, when we picture Robin Hood, he’s wearing green clothing, tights, pointy shoes, and a cap with a feather in it. Nice. So me, being me, changed a few facts around, played with different ideas, toyed with names, got my hands calloused and dirty, then took aim and fired off an original Robin Hood story toward my adolescent target audience. Bull’s eye. At least, I hope so.Book Excerpt:

Amanda Sault silently studied the words she just scrawled: May 1st, 1214—Games and songs and revelry, act as the cloak of devilry. So that an English legend may give to the poor, we must travel to Nottingham to even the score.She frowned. She was the Scribe. Amanda knew that meant she was supposed to understand what this riddle meant. But she didn’t have a clue. All she knew was that she, her four annoying classmates, and two offbeat adults were standing in what was left of the lost continent of Atlantis and they were supposed to be the Timekeepers, the legendary time travelers handpicked by destiny to keep Earth’s history safe from evil. But no one had told them how they were supposed to do it.

Their problem: no matter what happened—good or bad—they weren’t supposed to mess with the past. Period. Dot. End of story. Amanda felt hot liquid build in her throat. Her thumb traced the words of the arcane riddle. Their first Timekeeper mission. Amanda knew this wasn’t the end of the story. This was just the beginning.

And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win all of the fabulous prizes mentioned in the Rafflecopter below…a Rafflecopter giveaway