C.J. Milbrandt's Blog, page 69

Byways Q&A

What’s this series about?
A race. Three half-brothers turn their father’s plans for a tour of the country into a three-way race across it. Ewan, Zane, and Ganix take sibling rivalry to new lengths in a journey that will put them in unfamiliar territory.

[image error]Can you quickly introduce us to the Johns family?
Ian Johns is the postmaster of Liberty, and he has three sons. 1) Ewan is a reliable guy—hardworking, protective, and shy. 2) Zane grew up wild. He’s a lone wolf who wants nothing more than to...

#amreading: Curiosity House

While I prefer to read bound books (the kind that pile up on every shelf and flat surface in my home), I do collect digital books on my electronic reader … and listen to them while I do odd jobs around the house (laundry, dusting, and the like). My current “listening” book is Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver and H. C. Chester, a middlegrade adventure that mixes misfits and mystery.

I’ve enjoyed it so much, I’m added the sequel to my To Read list!

Adventures in Indie Publishing

My inbox exploded! That moment when it’s your turn in your printer’s queue.

I’ve been waiting for these alerts. This email burst represents a pile of minor tweaks to the Byways print editions. We fixed a few lurking typos, updated the front matter so all thirteen books are listed, updated the back ads so all the lovely cover art is represented, and added the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award medallion to our covers. Byways is better than ever!

Do you have any of the print editions on your shel...

Award Winning Series

Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. Guess what came in the mail last week! I couldn’t make it to the awards ceremony in Traverse City, Michigan, so the Jenkins Group mailed my award packet. Byways received an award in the “Best Book Series – Chapter Books” category!

“The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. The Awards recognize and reward the best of t...

Aurelius stole onto a rocky outcropping above the buck, ...

Aurelius stole onto a rocky outcropping above the buck, blades drawn, muscles taut, poised to leap. It was impossible not to acknowledge the hunter’s own unique nobility. Although Freydolf would never cater to the other man’s ego by telling him so, he’d often thought that this Aurelius—the one stripped of all his ruffles and refinement—was worth sculpting.

—MEADOWSWEET by C.J. Milbrandt

Moonbeam Children’s Book Award

.
.

2016 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award
“Best Book Series – Chapter Books”
Byways by C.J. Milbrandt
illustrated by Hannah Christenson
Bronze Medalist

Those who met Ganix found him impossible to dislike. Thos...

Those who met Ganix found him impossible to dislike. Those who knew Ganix found him impossible to trust. His pranks were legendary, and his curiosity was always leading him into some kind of trouble. Thankfully, he was also very lucky. His mother said it was because on the day Ganix was born, a lady bug landed on his nose and blessed it.

—ON YOUR MARKS: The Adventure Begins (Byways #1)

#amreading: The Fiend and the Forge

After finishing Book 2, I launched straight into the third volume of Henry H. Neff’s The Tapestry series—The Fiend and the Forge. So far, I continue to be pleased and impressed by Mr. Neff’s storytelling prowess. My only peeve (and it’s a minor, personal one in the grand scheme of things) is that Very Important Things happened in the six-month gap between books two and three. As a writer, I was irked that choices were made off scene and with no explanation as to motivation. Such careful set-...

BYWAYS: Behind the Header

Let’s take another peek behind the scenes! Book #8 in the Byways series brings us back around to Ewan, who takes a wrong turn and winds up on the wrong mountain. A late spring storm strands him and the girls in a town that has a fine inn, a steamy bathhouse, and a secret. When Tamaqua and Juniata disappear, Ewan has to chase the legend of a dragon.

There’s still snow in the northern mountains.

Here’s what’s behind the header on the cover of Byways Book #8, Down the Stairs: A Ewan Johns Adve...

Doves abide while eagles soar, but both build nests.” —HA...

Doves abide while eagles soar,
but both build nests.”

—HARROW by C.J. Milbrandt