Saturday, August 16, 2014

Young Knights of the Round Table Gold Award Winner


Received word tonight that Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom is the 2014 Gold Award Winner in Juvenile Fiction for Global eBooks!

Sincere thanks to all at Muse It Up Publishing include publisher Lea Schizas, editors Anita Nolan, Greta Gunselman, and cover artist Kaytalin Platt.
 

Three Friends   Three Quests   Three Mysterious Predications


In Medieval Wales, 11-year-old Prince Gavin, 13-year-old orphan Philip, and 15-year-old blacksmith apprentice Bryan are brought together in friendship by their mentor the Wild Man. When an advisor to Gavin’s dad King Wallace is murdered and the valuable jewell known as The King’s Ransom is stolen, the Wild Man is captured and proclaimed to be the culprit.

Gavin, Philip, and Bryan bravely vow to clear their friend by taking the Knight’s Oath and embarking on individual quests to save The Wild Man. In the end, each one faces their fears and even death in their determination not to fail, and one will disclose the biggest secret of all.





Also available in paperback with it's new cover.













iBooks


Currently on tour with Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Orangeberry Book Tours.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Kit Lit Blog Hop #43

* As with July, we will be hosting only one Hop in the month of August. PLUS, we will be keeping the Hop open for 2 weeks instead of 1 week. Also, please be aware that as hostesses, we will do the best we can to make sure that at least ONE of us visits each link and says Hello! *  

 

On to the Hop...


Welcome to the 43rd Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists.


This month, I'm getting ready for my 3-week trip to Britain, so I've only got one interview with fellow Colorado author Edwin Hanks who writes YA fiction. See where his ideas come from!

I will be taking the month of September off while I visit the lands of King Arthur: England, Wales, and Scotland! I can't wait.

Also, when I get back, my newest book Sons of the Sphinx will be released in October 2014. I can't decide which I'm more excited for!!!



So, you are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors!

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

Kid Lit Blog Hop
 

Kid Lit Blog Hop Rules *Please Read*

1. We ask that you kindly follow your hosts. You can follow us any way you choose (Email, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, G+, Pinterest, etc.), but we've added our preferences below. If you could just give us a quick "follow" or "like" that would be much appreciated! Make sure to leave us a message if you are following us (i.e., on Twitter or Facebook or on our websites) and we will be sure to follow you back. Thanks! :-)
Hostesses:
2. Link up any Kid Lit related post. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.
* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post.*
* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one. Please link unique posts each time ~ no repeats please. *
* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*
* Feel free to link more than one post.*
3. Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!
4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!
5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!
Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop? If you've joined us before, you are welcome to join us again! Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.
Happy Hopping!

Meet Young Adult Author Edwin Hanks

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes a fellow Colorado author. Edwin Hanks writes YA fiction and shares his story Uprooted from The Brothers of Orinthia series with my readers.

First, a bit about Edwin:

I’ve been writing since I was a kid.  In 5th Grade, I was writing a historical fiction book, and classmates would ask to borrow it so they could read it, and then they’d hand it back, saying they couldn’t read my handwriting!  I used to play these complicated games, from companies like Avalon Hill and SPI, and I started writing stories about the games.  I’ve continued to do that – both play and write about games – up to the present day.  I studied World History in college because I couldn’t pin myself down to any particular country or region.  A knowledge of history has really helped me understand how people (and nations) think, and given me an awareness of the real human stories that are reflected – often I’d have to say imitated – in fiction writing.  For the past 25 years I’ve been employed to write and edit for others (even though I failed Grammar in high school – sorry!), but now I’m finally getting to write, and publish, for myself.

Why did you choose to write books for Young Adult?
I feel like I was at my most creative as a young adult and prior.  Because of that, a lot of the stories I’m turning into books today were actually conceptualized when I was in middle school.  But even the new stories I think of often include young adult characters because I think that’s a great age to be a character in a story – real or fictional.  I also like to highlight to young adults that they can “be somebody,” or make a difference, even at their age.  History is replete with youths in their teens and twenties who held positions of astonishing authority.  For instance, one of my in-progress stories is about the man who would become Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany – he was an army officer at age 10 and commanded troops as a Captain in the Napoleonic Wars when he was 17.  George Washington was an adjutant general at age 21.  For that matter, I was given positions of authority while in Civil Air Patrol, even over adults, when I was still just 17.

What types of books do you like to read?

Mostly modern history, and often this comes in the form of biographies of interesting people.  My fiction reading is mostly fantasy and science fiction.  I do read some historical fiction, though I often prefer to imagine my own such stories.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

I love hiking with my wife and dog in Colorado’s wilderness.  We’ve been fostering a dog from the shelter – a basenji mix – and will be adopting her soon.  I love watching movies, though I’m often too busy to do so.  I also play historical strategy games.

Tell us about Uprooted and The Brothers of Orinthia series and how the story came to be.

The story in Uprooted involves two young brothers who stumble upon a body in the forest – a murder scene.  They accidentally get caught up in a power struggle between magic users and a mystical mage-assassination cult, and spend most of the book fleeing for their lives.  It’s a story of mystery, intrigue, mysticism, magic – a fantasy thriller which is only the beginning of something a lot bigger.  Epic fantasy.   The story also fleshes out a number of the world’s religions and central philosophies, so it’s maybe more thoughtful than a lot of other stories.

There’s nothing particularly special about these youths – they’re just real people who’ve become embroiled in events that are much larger than they are, and they try to cope.  I feel like that’s the real human condition – most of us aren’t “startouched" or “pawns of prophecy” like in too many fantasy stories.  We’re just regular people trying to make our way in the world.  But people like us can make our mark, one way or another.

I developed some of the original concepts 15 years ago for a homebrew role-playing game I developed to play with friends.  Since I had largely created a world, and we’d barely begun to explore it before players moved on or away, I figured it would be fun to explore it more extensively through fiction.


Here's a peek at Uprooted:


The odor of damp earth and warm forest penetrated Caran’s nostrils.  He lay on his side, rocks and twigs uncomfortably prickling through his tunic.

A youth in his mid-teens, dressed in simple woolen earthtones, his tousled brown hair eclipsed his searching green eyes ever so slightly.  He peered out from a concealing copse of trees and brush, hoping to catch sight of his prey.

Caran glimpsed nothing of interest.  Just the gray-whiteness of a thousand aspen trees.  The clustered red of the tappery bushes.  No movement but the flutter of small green leaves.  No sound but the call of a hawk circling high overhead, its piercing cry sharp like its talons.

A wise hunter is patient.  Still.  Silent.  Eyes scanning. 

Have you written other books?  If so, tell us a bit about them.

Uprooted is my first published novel.  I have written some historical fiction – the aforementioned story about Kaiser Wilhelm I and his sons and grandsons – on a gaming fansite.  I plan to resurrect, reposition and rewrite this story and publish it as new fiction.  But the work I did previously is still out there and is pretty highly regarded by the gaming fans on the Paradox forum (There’s no shortage of great historical fiction stories by many talented authors there.).  Mine was originally called Fire Warms the Northern Lands.

What’s next for your writing?  Are you working on a new story?

Shockingly, I have no fewer than 50 story ideas outlined or otherwise conceptualized, and I lack only for time to finish them all.  My short list includes sequel volumes to Uprooted, but also two other series which are oriented toward young adult readers. 

I had a blast serving in Civil Air Patrol as a teenager and later (kind of like boy/girl scouts, but in Air Force uniform).  I worked quite a bit in search and rescue, and I’m writing several fictionalized accounts drawing from experiences I had.  I figure it might encourage some people to try it out and have fun like I did.

In middle school, I used to daydream about big events centered on me, my friends and our school.  My Lockwood Middle School series brings some of this wonder to the printed page.  A group of friends notices shadowy, seemingly paranormal creatures taking an uncomfortable interest in their school and try to figure out why and how to stop them.

What advice do you have for other authors?

I’ve only recently realized how impatience spoils my work.  Given time to sit for a few weeks, or even months, I look back and see faults in my writing that I couldn’t see before.  It’s a maturity thing.  Many writers will tell you this, but few aspiring writers will believe it’s true until they see it for themselves.  Also, for young writers, I’d say go ahead and write your ideas and stories even if you don’t feel completely confident as a writer – you can always come back and revise it later.  I have a pet theory, which I can’t prove, that George Lucas conceived most of the Star Wars story when he was in middle school.  It has elements to it that I think really point to that.

Anything else you want readers to know?

I covet reviews of my stories.  Honest reviews are great; honest positive reviews are even better!  Reviews really are the lifeblood of authors, so if you’d like to support my writing, don’t just sign up to follow me – please read my stuff and leave feedback that will guide others to find it!

Where can readers find you and your books?

Follow me on Twitter, on Facebook, and my blog Fantastic Stories.

For now, Uprooted is on Amazon.

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab (Chronicles of the Stone) Book Blast

 I'm excited to participate in Fiona Ingram's The Secret of the Sacred Scarab's Book Blast sponsored by Mother Daughter Book Reviews. Fiona, Wendy Leighton-Porter, and I are gearing up for the launch of our combined website The Quest Books in late Oct./early Nov.

IThe Secret of the Sacred Scarab by Fiona Ingram  

About the Book

Title: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab | Author: Fiona Ingram | Publication Date: December 30, 2008 | Publisher: iUniverse | Pages: 272 | Recommended Age: 10+


Summary: A 5000-year-old mystery comes to life when a scruffy peddler gives Adam and Justin Sinclair an old Egyptian scarab on their very first day in Egypt. Only when the evil Dr. Faisal Khalid shows a particular interest in the cousins and their scarab, do the boys realise they are in terrible danger. Dr. Khalid wants the relic at all costs. Justin and Adam embark upon the adventure of a lifetime, taking them down the Nile and across the harsh desert in their search for the legendary tomb of the Scarab King, an ancient Egyptian ruler. They are plunged into a whirlpool of hazardous and mysterious events when Dr. Khalid kidnaps them. They survive terrifying dangers in a hostile environment (such as a giant cobra, as well as sinking sand), pursued by enemies in their quest to solve the secret of the sacred scarab. They must translate the hieroglyphic clues on the underside of the scarab, as well as rescue the missing archaeologist James Kinnaird, and their friend, the Egyptologist Ebrahim Faza, before time runs out. They must also learn more about the ancient Seven Stones of Power and the mysterious Shemsu-Hor. With just their wits, courage, and each other, the boys manage to survive … only to find that the end of one journey is the beginning of another!
 

Awards

  • Finalist Children's Fiction USA Next Generation 2009 Indie Book Awards
  • Finalist Juvenile Fiction USA National Best Books 2009 Awards
  • Winner Pre-Teen USA 2009 Readers' Favorites Awards
  • Number 2 in the USA Children's & Teens Book Connection Top Ten Favourite Books of 2009 for Kids, Tweens & Teens
  • Winner Silver Medal Teen Fiction 2010 Nautilus Book Awards
  • Finalist Children's Fiction 2010 International Book Awards
  • Winner Bronze Medal Pre-Teen Fiction 2010 Moonbeam Book Awards
  • Finalist 2011 Rubery Book Awards
  • Winner Gold Award Mystery Pre-Teen 2011 Children's Literary Classics Awards
  • 2nd Place in the 2011 YA Sharpwrit Book Awards
  • Winner Gold medal 2013 Wise Bear Book Awards
 

Book Trailer

 

 

Purchase

Amazon (U.S. Print) * Amazon (U.S. Kindle)

Book Depository * Smashwords

 

Coming Soon!!

(September 2014)

The Search for the Stone of Excalibur
 

Buzz About Book 1

"Wow! That was an action-packed story! I loved how Ms. Ingram just dove right into the story. From the time that Adam is given the scarab to the time that Adam and Justin return home, there is non-stop action. Through Ms. Ingram’s fantastic writing skills, I was able to visualize all of the events as they were occurring. I can totally see the story in this book transformed into a screenplay for the big screen. I think it’s a fabulous story filled with mystery, intrigue, and action." ~ Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews

"Author Fiona Ingram mixes history and legends in this fast action adventure that keeps you reading till the very end. The characters are cleverly written. Young readers can easily step into the shoes of these two cousins and experienced this exciting adventure that takes you into the heart of Egypt. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery..." ~ 5-Star review from Coffee Ramblings "Billy", Amazon (US)

"If you enjoyed reading Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Enid Blyton's The Famous Five, I am sure you will look forward to reading this book. It will keep you spellbound to the end. The mysteries of the Sacred Scarab and the Scarab King unfold gradually. The story is even livelier because of its references to ancient history, legends and archaeology..." ~ 5-Star review from Book Review, Amazon (US)

"This story ROCKED! It was exciting, action-filled, adventurous and history filled book! It pretty much had everything me (as a boy) would want in a book - danger, mystery, legends, exciting setting, myths and much more. The story was written really well and it kept me reading page after page. I really liked the simple pencil illustrations in the book. I liked the characters of Justin and Adam. They were both nice, smart and brave. The book has no bad language or graphic violence in it..." ~ Erik @ This Kid Reviews Books

"...[T]his is a fun read that reminded me more of the Hardy Boys than anything else. Characters using their minds to solve the problems in the modern world. The writing is tight and fun. It doesn't linger on the unnecessary, rather, it constantly moves forward, always capturing your attention and finding reasons to read on and neglect whatever is burning on the stove. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a fun mystery in what projects to be the first in a well-crafted and original series."~ 5-Star review from J. Lurie, Amazon (US)
 

About The Author: Fiona Ingram

Fiona Ingram, Author 
Fiona Ingram (B.A., Hons. (Natal), M.A., (Wits)) was born and educated in South Africa, and has worked as a full-time journalist and editor. Her interest in ancient history, mystery, and legends, and her enjoyment of travel has resulted in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series—Chronicles of the Stone. Fiona has recently completed the second book entitled The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, a treat for young King Arthur fans. She is busy with Book 3 entitled The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper.
   

Author Website | Blog | Facebook

Goodreads | Twitter | Book Website

 

* Book Blast Giveaway *

Amazon 25 gift card  
Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)  
Contest ends: September 2, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open: Internationally  
How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.  
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. The winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If a winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Fiona Ingram and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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