Tim Learn's Blog, page 9

Chewy Noh and the Phantasm of Winter

Chewy Noh has many problems. Besides his mom becoming a mu-dang—a Korean fortune-teller possessed by his dead grandmother who can read minds—the school bully, Kent, is still on the warpath to get Chewy kicked out of school. With his secret ability to win at everything, none of this bothers him until he starts disappearing for no reason while a mysterious force attacks his fellow students, and he must scramble to figure out what’s going on before he becomes its next and final victim.

At Amazon!!!!!

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Important Questions Readers Have Raised

Important Questions Readers Have Raised

One review brought up a very important issue for middle grade and YA books. It deals with the presence or lack of presence when it comes to adults in these books. One reviewer felt this book was one good example of the latter. The reviewer didn’t understand why Chewy’s mom wasn’t very visible throughout the book. Personally, I don’t see it. She was in and or mentioned in many chapters. What do you think? Please leave comments below.

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Why?: Chewy Noh and the Phantasm of Winter

Why?: Chewy Noh and the Phantasm of Winter

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The Dedication

                                                                           To All My Girls

This dedication is a little more personal in nature. In the past decade or so that I’ve taught, I’ve had many girl students, especially of late elementary and middle school ages. Because of this, I’ve seen how they react to the world around them and the way they see themselves fit into it. Unfortunately, as it is for many girls, some of my students had negative images of themselves. I have seen them grow from positive, charming, beautiful girls into self-conscious, doubting teens or pre-teens. The constrast was stark and unnerving. In this way, the character, Su Bin, in this book stands as an amalgam of many of them. She is smart, but weak and full of doubt. She doesn’t believe she is pretty and not just because of her own thoughts. Many times the world around her agrees with her secret doubts, and it makes her all the more pained. Su Bin’s appearance doesn’t coincide with the types and standards Koreans hold most beautiful. Nonetheless, having lived in Korea for many years, I’ve noticed that many times these standards don’t always overlap with American standards, and I wanted the Su Bins of the world to know and understand that.

All About: Chewy Noh and the Phantasm of Winter

All About: Chewy Noh and the Phantasm of Winter

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Why the title?

As stated before, I like placing double or hidden meanings in my titles when I can. For this one, Chewy Noh and the Phantasm of Winter, I wanted to enforce a major idea of the book, that being Prisoners of War. As many may know, a common acronym for Prisoners of War is POW. For this reason, my title can also be read as ‘Chewy Noh and the POW’ as Phantasm of Winter can be shortened in the same way.

 

Chewy Noh and the Fall of the Mu-dang

The original!!!!!

Chewy Noh has problems. He was born with them. Two weeks after his birth, the family fortune-teller saw bad things in his future…and she was right. The school bully hates him and will stop at nothing to get rid of him. His mother suddenly can’t get out of bed, complaining of horrible headaches. And worst of all, the secret his grandmother is hiding may be at the root of it all. But why should he worry? He’s a superhero with a power no one’s ever seen before!

At Amazon!!!!!

Important Questions Readers Have Raised

Important Questions Readers Have Raised

As soon as the first reviews came in, I began to see a growing trend in complaints regarding one element of the first book. I, in no way, meant to spark such a debate or animosity. However, some seem particularly upset with the moral implications my book contends. All of it spouts from Chewy’s decision in the end of the book to go against common ideas of punishment in order to follow a different form of superhero ideal. If you’ve read the book, what do you think about his decision? I would loved to hear your opinion.

All about: Chewy Noh and the Fall of the Mu-dang

All About:

Chewy Noh and the Fall of the Mu-dang

Why the title?

I’ve always loved hidden tidbits in titles and or names of characters. For this reason, the titles of each book has double or hidden meanings. For this one, Chewy Noh and the Fall of the Mu-dang, it should be clear where the double meaning lies. With the word ‘Fall’, it can either mean ‘the season of autumn’ or ‘a physical or metaphoric topple.’ In this case, the story takes place in the fall, on top of which we see the physical fall of the Mu-dang. The latter of which is the starting off point for the entire series.

Chewy Sale!!!!!!!

As Christmas is coming up…I’ve decided to have all my books–including the Chewys–marked as free starting next week. I hope many of you will enjoy.

Chewy Noh–The Series

Chewy Noh: The Series

The first four books are now out and ready to read. Join the already many readers who have loved Chewy and the trouble he gets into.

Book 1

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Chewy Noh has problems. He was born with them. Two weeks after his birth, the family fortune-teller saw bad things in his future…and she was right. The school bully hates him and will stop at nothing to get rid of him. His mother suddenly can’t get out of bed, complaining of horrible headaches. And worst of all, the secret his grandmother is hiding may be at the root of it all. But why should he worry? He’s a superhero with a power no one’s ever seen before!

Book2

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Chewy Noh has many problems. Besides his mom becoming a mu-dang—a Korean fortune-teller possessed by his dead grandmother who can read minds—the school bully, Kent, is still on the warpath to get Chewy kicked out of school. With his secret ability to win at everything, none of this bothers him until he starts disappearing for no reason while a mysterious force attacks his fellow students, and he must scramble to figure out what’s going on before he becomes its next and final victim.

Book 3

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Chewy Noh should be happy. He has a best friend like no other and by using his secret abilities, has found a way to connect Korea and America forever to keep him.

Unfortunately, none of this matters after Death’s messenger comes to tell him that he has one week left to live!

Knowing his death is coming soon, Chewy scrambles to figure out a way to avoid it, but every direction he turns seems to lead him further and further away from his goal—a dead body, a missing person, and at the heart of it, the secret that started that it all.

In the end, if Chewy doesn’t learn how to change, Death might just come out on top.

Book 4

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You’ve never heard of Chewy Noh? Well, at first, when he came, we thought nothing of him. He did well on tests, but so what? Even after his mom got sick, nobody paid attention. That is until the great gym fire. 

Afterwards, no one could say for sure it was because of Chewy, but we all thought it. And then kids started getting sick. And the school bully went missing. And finally, a body turned up in his house—his mom’s! The strangest thing of all was he was nowhere to be found. 

Some say he ran off. Others say he still wanders the night. Either way, for the past fifteen years, his house has sat silent…until now. 

So if something strange moans beneath your bed or a shadow slinks out of your closet, don’t go looking. It could just be the legend of Chewy Noh—back for revenge!

Book 5: Chewy Noh and the Jamais Vu

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Making his way back to the past, Chewy has a lot to do–the most important of which is making sure the horrible future he came from doesn’t happen. In order to do that, he needs to change his cousin’s thinking, avoid the death dodger Tong Pangsak, and make sure his grandmother, mom, and best friend don’t die. There’s only one catch: time doesn’t like repetition. It doesn’t like two of the same thing at once.

Slowly, Chewy’s mind begins to detonate on top of confidence. Everywhere he turns things get worse–his death dodger friend from the future doesn’t trust him, his grandfather seems broken, and the school bully is stricken with the same time disease he is.

If he doesn’t find a way to stop it, the horrible side-effects of traveling through time will slowly erase him. But as he digs further and further into his family’s past, he begins to see that changing things isn’t that easy. In fact, it’s down right impossible.

 

Now on Sale!!!!!!

Top Three Self Published Books of 2015

Top Three Self Published Books (I’ve read in 2015)

Out of the thirty books I reviewed last year, here were the best. I wanted to give them a little nod before I move onto this year’s list. Here goes.

1) Solitaire Prince by Tyan Wyss

 

This book came to me through a reading group on goodreads. At first, I was worried about what this group would offer up, but overall, it was an amazing experience. Many good writers with a basic understanding of how to treat others were apart of it. And I was thoroughly surprised to read this one, the first book selected by the group.

It is professional to a ‘T.’ With only maybe two mistakes in the entire book when it comes to grammar, most anyone can enjoy it. On top of this, the story flows relentlessly after the second chapter opens. The author did an amazing job with tension and the story wraps up nicely.

For these reasons and more, I still stand by my five star rating. I suggest it to anyone. 

Buy here!

2)  Betrayal of Ka by Shea Oliver

 

After a long string of poorly constructed books, I came upon this one. In all fairness, other reviewers I know gave this a slightly lower grade than my perfect score, and I fully understand why. The beginning is a little clunky, but I still feel the writer picks up the slack fast, yanking us along as the main character, Ka, is thrown about from one event to the next.

Besides that, somehow the author was able to toss in so many different plotlines that you end up rooting for many different characters, and even feel a guilty thrill watch the devilish ones go about their business. In fact, the book was so jammed pack, I wouldn’t be amazed that I’ve already forgotten some of the storylines. In that case, I might have to reread it when he comes out with the next in the series.

Anyone who loves Sci-fi enjoyably done should pick up this book. 

Buy Here!

3) Red Bone by Matt Phillips

This one was particularly interesting. I had just started this blog and my adventure into getting my things read and reviewed when I got a review request from this author. It was for a short story collection of his. I figured it would be easy and not too difficult. I was half right.

It turned out to be a collection from over many years, and to be honest, the beginning was rough. I found myself doubting the read, and played with the idea more than once of dropping the book altogether. What was amazing was that it got better. The writing matured. And I said as much in my review.

Then some time after, the author shot me an e-mail requesting I check out his new one—a full novel this time. I said sure and was very happy I did so. He kept the maturity from his former writing and added pacing and control. The book flowed wonderfully and painted the life of a blue-collar worker exceptionally. The only reason I didn’t give it a full five stars was because I felt a few notes were off. But it was an amazing read nonetheless, and I have a feeling his next will astound.

Buy Here!

Honorable Mention

Metamorphosis

By Isabella MacLeod

This book actually came right after The Betrayal of Ka and was so shockingly different in genre and style that it caught me right away. It had a startling realism and compelling voice all its own. Blatantly, it scared the crap out of me.

However, it didn’t get into the top three for a very crucial reason–also the same reason it didn’t receive a full rating–because it technically had no ending. And I don’t mean the author gave something ambiguous for us to figure out for ourselves. I would’ve loved that. No, she left it open for the next book, which is, to say the least, irksome.

Above all, every character in the book is so despicable, so deceitful and self-serving, that it only reaffirms the notion that all adults are nothing more than glorified children ruling with false authority. Frightening!

Buy it here.