Winners and Victors…

Jennifer's destination

Congratulations go to Jennifer Loiske as my winner on the Inspiring Teens Blog Hop! She commented that if she could time travel, she’d head for Scotland in the 1700s. All kilt-wearing Highlanders beware! Jennifer scores an ecopy of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, and Legend of the Timekeepers!  Kudos, Jennifer, and don’t forget to time travel responsibly!

Also a big hug and pat on the back goes to Debra Jameson Smith for hosting me on her blog and facebook page. It was touch and go for awhile, but Debra preserved and got my post up and running on the day I was featured. Cheers, Debra!

The winners of Jennifer Loiske’s ebook entitled TALES OF AN OLD WIZARD—which is a collection of short stories for 9+ readers—goes to Maria Savva, Wendy Siefken, and Sonya Faugno! Congrats gals, and enjoy your new read! BTW—if you’re looking for good stories about dragons, warriors, and sorcery, all the profits from this book go to charity.

Tales of an Old Wizard Buy Links: AMAZON US ׀ AMAZON UK

On a personal note, I’d like to introduce you to another kind of victor who applied perseverance, hardwork, and effort to get him to where he wanted to be—my son, Brandon. Over this past weekend Brandon graduated from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. His father and I couldn’t be more proud, and it felt like we were graduating right up on the stage with him! So that’s what success feels like…

Cheers everyone, and don’t forget to DREAM BIG!  

 

 

I Love Middle Grade Back to School Blog Hop…

A bunch of us brave MG Authors from our I Love Middle Grade group decided to get together and have a Back to School Blog Hop just for our readers and followers. The Hop will run from September 9^th to the 15^th, so there’s plenty of time to check out the participating authors, and maybe find a gem of a read for you and your tween.

Since I’ve just released the prequel to The Last Timekeepers time travel series, I’m pulling out the stops and giving away an ecopy of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, and Legend of the Timekeepers, in the format of your choice. BTW – this Giveaway is opened internationally, so everyone is included in this hop! Cheers to All!

Here’s the tagline and blurb from The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis:
 

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.

Here’s the tagline and blurb from the prequel, Legend of the Timekeepers:

There is no moving forward without first going back.

Lilith was a young girl with dreams and a family before the final destruction of Atlantis shattered those dreams and tore her family apart. Now refugees, Lilith and her father make their home in the Black Land. This strange, new country has no place in Lilith’s heart until a beloved high priestess introduces Lilith to her life purpose—to be a Timekeeper and keep time safe.

Summoned through the seventh arch of Atlantis by the Children of the Law of One, Lilith and her newfound friends are sent into Atlantis’s past, and given a task that will ultimately test their courage and try their faith in each other. Can the Timekeepers stop the dark magus Belial before he changes the seers’ prophecy? If they fail, then their future and the earth’s fate will be altered forever.

Good luck, and don’t forget to visit all the other blogs on the hop and enjoy more giveaway fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions

§  This Blog Hop begins midnight on September 9^th and runs until midnight September 15^th, 2013. The draw will take place September 16^th, 2013.
§  The winner will chosen by Rafflecopter
§  I will contact the winner via email and give the winner 72 hours to accept his/her prize.
§  Prize as stated—no alternatives will be offered.

Tween the Weekends: Developing a Middle-Grade Book Series…

 “Tween the Weekends is a monthly feature hosted on Emblazon. This is an opportunity for writers and readers to promote tween literature, that age bracket squashed between middle grade and young adult. You can review a great tween book, post about writing for kids, connect with others who love the genre, support and encourage one another, relate news, share links, or just about anything else tween related.”

Join me over at the Emblazon website today as I share my experience in developing a middle-grade book series, and while you’re there, please check out the other wonderful MG authors and their books. You never know, you might find your next favorite author…

Author Blog Hop for Children’s Authors, MG Authors, and YA Authors...

I was invited by my author cohort, Corelia Dinsmore, to participate in a “blog hop interview.” Cordelia sent me some interview questions, which I answer here on my blog. Following my answers, I tag 3 other writers who will, in turn, answer questions on their blogs next week. It’s been fun checking out the Blog Hops to see what other children’s authors have posted!

Cordelia posted her answers to the questions at her blog, Cordelia Dinsmore - Writer on August 5^th. If you like, you can leave a comment on her blog and tell her that you connected to her through my link here!

Okay, so let’s get this Author Blog Hop rolling with my pithy, deep answers…

1. What are you working on right now?

I’ve just finished the fourth round of edits for the prequel to The Last Timekeepers series entitled, Legend of the Timekeepers which will be out August 30^th, 2013. I also have a completed manuscript of the second book in the series entitled, The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, but there’s the fun job of revising it into Jordan Jensen’s point of view. I’ve also signed on with literary agency, Walden House (Books & Stuff) this past December to take on another young adult series I’ve created about teens with psychic abilities called, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, so I’ll be one busy gal!

2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Keyword: Atlantis. I wanted to create a book series for upper middle grade/lower young adults that had a different slant to the time travel genre. I love history. I also love myths and legends. There’s many time travel series out there, but nothing that has roots leading back to Atlantis—at least what I know about and have read. And since there’s no concrete evidence that Atlantis did exist, then that left the door (or arch) wide open to possibilities.

3. Why do you write what you do?

I have a confession. I didn’t start out writing middle grade or young adult. Nope. I lurked in the deep pool of the paranormal romance genre before I ever considered dipping my toes into the welcoming waters of middle-grade/young adult fiction. The idea to write in this genre actually came to me through a dream. In this dream, I saw seven arches, and there were seven people (five kids, two adults) with crystals in their hands, walking up to these arches. It definitely had an Indiana Jones feel to it. Then, boom. The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis was born.

At the time, I had just finished reading the first two books of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, as well as the first Harry Potter book. The young adult genre was starting to accelerate now that J.K. Rowling had fired up the engines. I really thought about that dream a lot to the point where an idea for a book started to grow, and take root. So, I thought I’d challenge myself and write a novel—a series—that would appeal to my son, who at the time was the target age of my audience. I’ve always loved the time travel genre, so I imagined the arches I saw vividly in my dream as time portals. It was a no-brainer for me.

4. How does your writing process work?

Sometimes I’m a pantser (writing by the seat of my pants), sometimes a plotter (outline entire storyline)—it all depends on the tone of the book and where my imagination directs me. I have many notebooks and pads and sticky notes at my disposal. I also have a file full of ideas. I guess I start with the characters and build the story around them. The characters, my characters, must carry the story to completion, give readers closure. It’s a must. In order to do this, I begin writing out character tracking sheets (stats on characters appearances, clothing, likes and dislikes, etc.) which have served me well throughout the writing process. Then the fun begins. Research, research, and more research. When you’re writing time travel, you’ve got to know your facts to create the fiction. I love this part of the journey too. Only when I have enough facts, and I feel my characters are fleshed out sufficiently, then I begin to start the novel.

Below are the three victims authors I’ve tagged and their posts will be up August 19^th.
 
RitaMonette
 
Kaitlin Bevis
 

Alan Tucker

Cheers for stopping by, and don’t forget to check out the other awesome MG and YA authors!