The Four-Year-Old Guardian is looking for a babysitter...

[S.L.]

...or at least a good reviewer.

Nick Traverson and his mom have been moving from town to town for as long as he can remember, so when they end up in quiet, isolated Averton, OR, he thinks he knows exactly what to expect. Instead, he finds himself in a world of magic, monsters and murder.

At the heart of it is the Monsidian Orb, an ancient artifact of great power that could prove deadly in the wrong hands. The last Guardian died protecting it five years ago, leaving it weakened and vulnerable. Now, it’s up to Nick and his new friends to protect the orb from those who would use its power for their own devices, all while searching for the child who will become The Four-Year-Old Guardian….

This is the first in the Only Human on the Block series. If anyone's interested in reviewing it, send me a message and I'll be happy to provide a coupon to download for free via Smashwords.

Thanks for the consideration,

Steve

[Katy]

Hey, Steve - is this a new one? I still have awhile until I'll get to Ascension for you, but if you still don't mind the wait, I'd enjoy reading this one, too. Let me know - with my editing workload, it could be a few months, now, until I get to it.

[S.L.]

It is new. I *finally* got it published last week. If you're interested in checking it out, the Smashwords coupon is ze89e. It expires 8/31, but I can generate a new one if need be.

Thanks again. I realize you're very busy, but I know I can find it within myself to be patient.

~Steve

[Katy]

S.L. wrote: "It is new. I *finally* got it published last week. If you're interested in checking it out, the Smashwords coupon is ze89e. It expires 8/31, but I can generate a new one if need be.

Thanks agai..."

LOL Awesome - thanks! I'll get to it as soon as I am able, but after Ascension, of course :-)

[S.L.]

Katy wrote: "S.L. wrote: "It is new. I *finally* got it published last week. If you're interested in checking it out, the Smashwords coupon is ze89e. It expires 8/31, but I can generate a new one if need be...."

No worries. Feel free to sample both to see if they appeal to your tastes. When time allows, of course.

Thanks again.

~Steve

[J.]

Hey, Steve, is this YA or adult fiction? It sounds interesting.

Gunnar

[S.L.]

J. wrote: "Hey, Steve, is this YA or adult fiction? It sounds interesting.

Gunnar"

I call it YA, but like to think it can be enjoyed by any age group.

[[deleted user]]

This sounds like a fun read and I'll be happy to review it.

[S.L.]

Car wrote: "This sounds like a fun read and I'll be happy to review it."

By all means. The more the merrier. Are you able to download via Smashwords?

Thanks!

~Steve

[[deleted user]]

S.L. wrote: "Car wrote: "This sounds like a fun read and I'll be happy to review it."

By all means. The more the merrier. Are you able to download via Smashwords?

Thanks!

~Steve"

Yes, I am. I have a Smashwords account, so it'll be easy for me to use them to download.

[Amy Eye]

Do you have a link to the book where we can check it out a bit more?

[S.L.]

Amy wrote: "Do you have a link to the book where we can check it out a bit more?"

Ah yes, that would make sense, wouldn't it? :) It's here on GR The Four-Year-Old Guardianand on Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view....

As lame as not providing a link is, it's not the worst thing I've done. When looking for a snippet to post on my blog yesterday, I realized it wasn't my final draft. Somehow, after going through the edits and proofreading, I managed to save over my final file with a rough draft. When I posted it to Smashwords, I looked it over for any formatting errors (I had quite a few with Ascension, but not so with this book), but failed to read it for content. As such, I found numerous errors and typos.

It was one of my worst nightmares (at least, among those not including spiders).

I spent all day yesterday, through the night and a good portion of this morning getting it back up to snuff. The improved version is now up at Smashwords. I implore anyone who downloaded it to review, to please download the new revision (if you're still interested). I whole-heartedly apologize for the inconvenience. It's not very professional and all I can say is, I'm sorry.

~Steve

[[deleted user]]

S.L. wrote: "Amy wrote: "Do you have a link to the book where we can check it out a bit more?"

Ah yes, that would make sense, wouldn't it? :) It's here on GR The Four-Year-Old Guardianand on..."

Thanks for the heads up. I'll download the new version now.

[Katy]

Thanks, Steve - I downloaded the new version and will update my Nook once I get (another) new one, that will hopefully KEEP working!

[Amy Eye]

At least you caught your mistake! Unfortunately, you had to go through all that extra work! Thanks for the link to the book!!

Once my list dwindles a bit, I would love to read this for you! I am a sucker for YA books! :)

[S.L.]

Amy wrote: "At least you caught your mistake! Unfortunately, you had to go through all that extra work! Thanks for the link to the book!!

Once my list dwindles a bit, I would love to read this for you! I a..."

All that extra work made for a good excuse to spend some more time with those characters, so it wasn't a complete loss. :) I really appreciate everyone being so understanding. I've certaintly learned a valuable lesson.

If you haven't seen the coupon code above, it's ze89e and should be good through Smashwords until the end of the month.

Thanks!

Steve

[S.L.]

Katy wrote: "Thanks, Steve - I downloaded the new version and will update my Nook once I get (another) new one, that will hopefully KEEP working!"

Oh no! Right now, I'm stuck using the Kindle for PC. It works fairly well, though I've seen a few instances where the formatting comes through all funky. My friend is trying to convince me to pick up a smart phone with the Kindle app vs. buying a Kindle outright. But now that I'm done with my daughter's school shopping, I think it'll be some time before I indulge in much of anything. :)

~Steve

[Katy]

S.L. wrote: "Katy wrote: "Thanks, Steve - I downloaded the new version and will update my Nook once I get (another) new one, that will hopefully KEEP working!"

Oh no! Right now, I'm stuck using the Kindle f..."

What is so ANNOYING is that after I took it in, it worked fine ... so now I'm back home with the same one and hoping it doesn't go kaputz on me again ...

The Nook for PC app works pretty well, too - at least it does now. The first version I had was really buggy, but they finally updated it.

[S.L.]

I'm far too late in writing this, but thank you, Katy, for reviewing both The Four-Year-Old Guardian and Ascension. My appreciation runs deep.

~Steve

[Katy]

You're very welcome! When does the sequel to this one come out?? :-)

[S.L.]

If I quit my job, it'd be out tomorrow. :) As it is, I'm shooting for next month, but that may be a bit too optimistic. I'm still finding typos here and there in what I've published and I'm determined to make my following books completely error free! (of course, I thought the same thing when I published the first time...sigh)

[Katy]

S.L. wrote: "If I quit my job, it'd be out tomorrow. :) As it is, I'm shooting for next month, but that may be a bit too optimistic. I'm still finding typos here and there in what I've published and I'm deter..."

There are several of us here that provide editing services - just check the folder. I know Sara is just getting started, so she may have some openings a bit sooner than I do (my next opening is May O.O)

[S.L.]

I may just have to spring for that next time. I try to run my books through my writer's group and have my mom look at it one last time before I submit (which makes me sound childish, I know, but she's a published author and has an eye for the details).

Then I go through it all over again...and still, mistakes. Errors. Typos.

*Breathe*

[Katy]

S.L. wrote: "I may just have to spring for that next time. I try to run my books through my writer's group and have my mom look at it one last time before I submit (which makes me sound childish, I know, but s..."

It's REALLY hard to catch them yourself, because you know what you want to say. It's good that you have someone to help you that is a published author; that probably helps a lot.

[Sara]

Thanks for the recommendation, Katy! {{{{{{{{{{{{Katy}}}}}}}}}}}} Yep, I can fit you in, S.L. I'm pretty quick and THOROUGH, I assure you. Just message me if you need me. I'm on here almost all the time. :)