YA Book Review- Created by Cindy M Hogan

19 Oct, 2012 by in O'neal publishing, watched series, YA book reviews Leave a comment

Created (Watched # 3)
By Cindy M Hogan
Paperback, 350 pages
Expected Publication Date: October 25, 2012
by O’neal Publishing
ISBN: 9780985131
Book Source: Author
5 stars
Book Summary from Amazon.com: Ari and her friends find themselves in an independent spy school in Belgium, Bresen Academy. Test scores reveal her true abilities and the director wants to send her onto to more advanced training school immediately. She is given a two week reprieve to explore the school’s training program and hopefully make amends with both Reese and Marybeth. Despite her lack of advanced training, the director convinces Ari she would be the best fit for a mission that surfaces in Prague with a group calling themselves Division 57. Uncertain, but wanting to please, she agrees. She quickly discovers there is nothing easy about being a spy and finds her very life on the line. 
Cathy’s Review: Christy now Ari, and her friends have been sent to a top secret spy school in Belgium. She’s so glad to be able to be there with Rick and Marybeth, she hopes that she can get a chance to talk with both of them and make sure they are both doing okay with the fact that she isn’t dead. She just needs to remember to call them Reese and Melanie. The spy school is pretty cool! There are fancy watches that do everything from GPS functions to monitoring your blood and telling you what you should eat to waking you up and getting you where you need to be on time. The only drawback to the watches is that they are not removable, even for showering or sleeping. The kids are warned that they will need to be tested to determine just where they should be placed in the school, they are not allowed to discuss these tests with anyone, especially not each other. When it’s Ari’s turn to be tested, she’s woken up super early, earlier than anyone else in her group. The director of the school, Ms. Mackley, explains that Ari is to start testing so early simply because they anticipate that it’s going to take much longer for her to complete her test than the others. When the results of her test come back, Ari is shocked. The results show that she is far more advanced than any of the others in her group, so advanced in fact, that Ms. Mackley says she is going to have to leave and go to another training facility. Ari really wants to stay, she hasn’t gotten Reese to talk to her yet, so she makes a bargain with Ms. Mackley that she can do some extra training on her own for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, Ari will be transferred to a different facility. But at the end of two weeks, instead of being transferred, Ari is given a field assignment. Ari’s not sure she’s quite ready, she hasn’t learned everything that she wants to yet, but Ms. Mackley insists that she’s the best for this particular mission and off Ari goes. But Ari quickly learns that being a spy isn’t all it seems to be!


This has been such a fun series! I really enjoyed this book, it sucked me in from the first page. I enjoyed all the spy gadgets, I enjoyed the spy school, I wonder if there are really spy schools like that out there…something to ponder I guess. This book had a fast moving plot and likable characters, just like the rest of the series. This is the third book in the series, make sure you read them in order so that you understand all the things that are happening and who everyone is. While I am really sad to see the book end, I thought that the ending was well done, the way it was done leaves me picturing Christy’s life as it could have played out. It also leaves me thinking that I really need to get some super secret spy gear for my own personal use!

Content: Clean

 
 

About The Author:  Cindy M Hogan  is the bestselling author of Watched and Protected. She graduated in secondary education at BYU and enjoys spending time with and writing about unpredictable teenagers.More than anything, she loves the time she has with her own teenager daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she’s not reading or writing, you’ll find her snuggled up to the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party. Find out more about Cindy Hogan: Blog/ Goodreads

The Guy Next Door Blog Tour and Giveaway

18 Oct, 2012 by in Uncategorized 3 comments

Fire and Ice is today’s stop on the official blog tour for
The Guy Next Door
Author: Kate Palmer
Release Date: September 2012
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Mystery/Romantic Suspense
Book Description: On the surface, Eva Black’s life seems practically perfect. The small-town kindergarten teacher is set to wed ambitious lawyer Sean Langley, and their plans for a dream wedding are well underway. Eva accepts that she will soon live life in the spotlight as a member of the prestigious Langley family, but can she overlook her fiancé’s tendency to dominate the details of her life and push the limits of her standards?

Mere weeks before the wedding, Eva is thrown into a traumatic, life-changing event that changes her view of family commitment and creates a sharp contrast between her ideals and Sean’s. With her engagement to Sean in jeopardy, Eva finds herself relying on the support and encouragement of Peter, her kind and attentive next-door neighbor. Faced with a choice between her penitent fiancé and the increasingly mysterious Peter, Eva is unprepared for the consequences—and peril—that come with her decision.

Author Guest Post: As a writer, I’ve discovered that all my embarrassing and uncomfortable moments in life can be useful when I need to communicate those emotions for my characters. I can remember trying to calm my breathing hoping that would somehow erase the color I felt rising in my face. I know the feeling of trying to pretend everything is normal while simultaneously wondering which weight machine would provide the most obstructed view for passerby. That’s why I should be grateful, even looking forward to days like this one.

I drove the swim team carpool this week and decided to take advantage of the exercise room while the team practiced. I was pretty proud of my time-efficient plan. What I didn’t realize is that 5:00 PM is a pretty busy time in the weight room at a junior college. And though I’d left two children at piano lessons to be picked up by their father, that still left the two littlest boys with me.

Yep. In the weight room. Packed with eighteen and nineteen-year-olds pumping iron, running on treadmills, biking on stationary bikes. And me. And two little boys with toy tractors, semi trucks, and kindergarten homework. Cause you know–he could read to me while I lifted. Or rested. Or walked on the treadmill because those girls must have been biking ten miles.
Have you ever felt out of place like when an almost twenty-year-old alternates stares between you and the two little boys busily pulling weight pins in and out of the leg machine? I’m pretty sure the student was eyeing my paper bracelet. It had nothing to do with the two-year-old jumping on me whenever I sat down to stretch. Or the toys, backpack, and papers the student had to step over and around to get to his weight machine. It was that bracelet I had to pay $3 for since I didn’t have a student activity card. That had to be it.

One hour. Two children. Mutiple awkward moments. All in the name of research.
Author Bio: Kate began her career as an elementary school teacher, but was soon promoted to fulltime mom. She is the mother of six living in the country. Her husband is trying to teach her to be a farm girl. She can’t saddle a horse, but she knows how to butcher a chicken. After a day of chasing children, cooking meals, and folding laundry, she likes to escape into a good book.
Find the Author Online: Blog: http://www.katrinapalmer.com/
The Tour Schedule:
October 1: The Book Bug – Kickoff + Giveaway
October 1: Julie Coulter Bellon – Review
October 8: Getting Your Read On – Review
October 11: Ranee S. Clark – Review
October 14: For the Love of Books – Review and Author Guest Post
October 15: Geo Librarian – Review and Author Interview
October 15: LDS & Lovin’ It – Review and Author Interview
October 18: Fire and Ice – Author Guest Post
October 19: Gamila’s Reviews – Review and Author Interview
October 22: Debbie’s Inkspectations – Review
October 24: Creating Comfort – Review
October 25: Tristi Pinkston – Review
October 26: Why Not? Because I Said So! – Review
October 26: LDS Women’s Book Review – Review
The Giveaway: As part of the tour, Kate is generously offering a grand prize giveaway of a copy of The Guy Next Door plus Junior Mints (Eva’s favorite candy), and a copy Eva’s lemon chicken recipe.
To enter to win these prizes, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form provided.
Open from October 2 to November 2.
Must be 13+ years of age to enter
US mailing addresses only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Smart Move Blog Tour and Review

17 Oct, 2012 by in melanie jacobson, smart move 2 comments

Smart Move

by Melanie Jacobson
Paperback, 256 pages
Published 2012
by Covenant Communications
Book source: Author
5 stars
Book summary from Deseret Book: The spark was undeniable the night Sandy Burke met the devastatingly handsome Jake. Conversation flowed easily, so after they parted, she waited eagerly for his call. It never came. A high-powered career woman at the ripe old age of twenty-seven, Sandy feels she has had her heart broken one too many times, and now the redheaded trendsetter is facing a major quarter-life crisis. After some introspection, Sandy determines that helping others may be the key to helping herself. When she’s presented with a job offer in Washington, DC, as the director of New Horizons, a nonprofit organization benefiting women in poverty, it seems providential. But now that she’s moved, two major obstacles threaten the success of her first assignment: The first is her mother and her constant fog of less-than-helpful New Age advice. Secondly, plans to build another New Horizons outreach center have come to a screeching halt, thanks to the interference of a pesky lawyer and his attempts to reverse zoning approval for the building project.
After weeks of verbal sparring over the phone, Sandy is in for a shock when she comes face-to-face with her foe. The smooth voice at the other end of the line is a heart-wrenching blast from the past. In this twist of fate, Sandy sees the perfect opportunity to ensure the success of the outreach center—and to enact a little payback on this man she thought she’d left behind. And so the battle of wits begins. Will Sandy’s “flirt-to-convert” plot sway he nemesis’s determination to block the center, or will his charming and undeniably attractive ways convince the sassy redhead to give love a second chance?
Heather’s review: Melanie Jacobson has won my heart with her clean, funny romance writing. Smart Move features a less than perfect main character which is something I appreciate. She’s the daughter of a single mother who’s been raised in a less than ideal environment, shuffled from place to place and step-dad to step-dad. She’s now found her place as a Stanford graduate working in D.C. for a major nonprofit organization. She has a job she believes in, her own space in the upper half of a house and yoga to keep her sane. But she just can’t get her mind of of one night back in Seattle and the man she met who never returned her phone call. The sparks were definitely there, but she should be over it by now!
Luckily she has a huge project going right now to keep her mind off of dating–winning the zoning approval for a program helping women make their way into the work force. The only thing standing in her way is “El Diablo” the proud and stubborn attorney who’s working hth other end of the case. The two cross paths in more than one unpleasant encounter and let the banter begin!
Sandy is spunky and unique in her spanx (tummy trimming lycra.) She has some baggage from her past but is headstrong and flirty at the same time. Main antagonist, “El Diablo” never, ever gives up. It’s so nice to see a persistent and confident man who knows how to keep the best interest of both his employer and others around him.  I thoroughly enjoyed Smart Move and would recommend it to all readers as a clean read.  You’ll laugh out loud at Sandy’s mother Margerita and her New Age goofiness as well as some of the hilarious situations Sandy finds herself in. I enjoyed the East Coast Ivy League D.C. setting as well.
If you haven’t read any of Melanie’s books yet…go, go, go!
Content: Clean

 
Photo copyright Heather Zahn Gardner
About the author: Melanie Bennett Jacobson is an avid reader, amateur cook, and champion shopper. She consumes astonishing amounts of chocolate, chick flicks, and romance novels. After meeting her husband online, she is now living happily married in Southern California with her growing family and a series of doomed houseplants. Melanie is a former English teacher and a popular speaker who loves to laugh and make others laugh. In her down time (ha!), she writes romantic comedies for Covenant and maintains her humorous slice-of-life blog. Her second novel, Not My Type, hit shelves in September. Visit Melanie on her website or blog.

Evertaster Blog Tour, Teaser Tuesday and Giveaway

16 Oct, 2012 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is today’s blog tour stop for…

Evertaster by Adam Glendon Sidwell

“Wonderfully talented writing; funny.”
–Orson Scott Card, NYT Bestselling author of Ender’s Game

“Sidwell is a talented comedian, and that is certainly reflected in his writing. The characters are quirky and likable.” —Deseret News

Book Summary: When eleven-year-old Guster Johnsonville rejects his mother’s casserole for the umpteenth time, she takes him into the city of New Orleans to find him something to eat. There, in a dark, abandoned corner of the city they meet a dying pastry maker. In his last breath he entrusts them with a secret: an ancient recipe that makes the most delicious taste the world will ever know — a taste that will change the fate of humanity forever.

Forced to flee by a cult of murderous chefs, the Johnsonvilles embark on a perilous journey to ancient ruins, faraway jungles and forgotten caves. Along the way they discover the truth: Guster is an Evertaster — a kid so picky that nothing but the legendary taste itself will save him from starvation. With the sinister chefs hot on Guster’s heels and the chefs’ reign of terror spreading, Guster and his family must find the legendary taste before it’s too late.

We have an exclusive book excerpt for our Teaser Tuesday…

“Not picky! Just careful,” Guster always said. How often he went hungry! How badly he needed something to eat! The way food burned or ached as it passed across his tongue–it was like eating day-old road kill. Hot dogs were like the sweaty vinyl back seat of a station wagon with its windows rolled up in the sun.

*What if there was a taste so delicious that if you found it, you’d never want to eat anything else again?”

 

About the Author: In between books, Adam Glendon Sidwell uses the power of computers to
make monsters, robots and zombies come to life for blockbuster movies such as Pirates of the
Caribbean, King Kong, Transformers and Tron. After spending countless hours in front of a
keyboard meticulously adjusting tentacles, calibrating hydraulics, and brushing monkey fur, he is
delighted at the prospect of modifying his creations with the flick of a few deftly placed
adjectives. He’s been eating food since age 7, so feels very qualified to write this book. He once
showed a famous movie star where the bathroom was. Adam currently lives in Los Angeles,
where he can’t wait to fall into the sea.

You can learn more about Adam and his writing adventures on:
Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest/ the website

 

Follow the rest of the Blog Tour Schedule for Evertaster
Oct 18- http://readerbenji.blogspot.com/ interview


 The Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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YA Content Review- The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

15 Oct, 2012 by in Pittacus Lore, The Power of Six 1 comment

The Power of Six
By Pittacus Lore
Paper Back 406 Pages 
Published August 23, 2011
By HarperCollins
ISBN: 0061974550
Book Source: Bought
5 Stars  

 I’ve seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he’s a mystery. But to me . . . he’s one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We’re hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we’ll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I’ve been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I’m ready to fight.


Alacia’s Review: Marina is Number Seven. She lives in a convent and orphanage in Spain with her protector, Adelina. Marina has heard about John Smith from Ohio on the news and is certain he is one of the Legacies. She is ready to learn how to fight so she can go help John, but each time she approaches Adelina about it, she is told it is nonsense and not to worry, as she has come to believe the teachings of the convent and lost her faith in Lorien. A frustrated Marina starts to train on her own, developing her legacies such as breathing underwater and telekinesis. When a new orphan, Ella, arrives at the convent Marina and her quickly become close and Marina enlists her help in finding her Lorien chest which Adelina will not tell her where it is. As Marina continues to learn, she runs into a man in town that she is certain is a Mogadorien. She is dismissed again when she tells Adelina but things begin to change when the convent is indeed attacked by the Mogs. Adelina quickly snaps out of her stupor and begins to help Marina fight to save the convent and those inside. During the fight, the man from town appears and Marina is surprised to find out that he and Ella are not what they seem but are Lorien as well.  As the fight against the Mogs continue, everyone is astonished when Six shows up and helps them get out of there. As they flee the convent, Six fills them in on John and Sam and it is determined that they must get to the United States as fast as they can in order to save themselves. 

This book was just as good as the first one! Again I could not put it down! The story jumps back and forth between John, Sam, Six, and what is going on with Marina and Ella in Spain. Marina’s story fits in perfectly and you get a real sense of her frustration as she is trying to learn with out any guidance from Adelina. The book moves at a fast pace and is super easy to read. The story of the Lorien Legacies keeps getting more intricate and you learn more and more about why they are here and how important it is that they make it back to Lorien. 

Content: Mild language and a few violent scenes 

Alacia

About the Author: Piccatus Lore is the Ruling Elder of Lorien, the planet from which the characters from I Am Number Four hail. He has written two more books, about Numbers Six and Nine. He is here preparing Earth for the battle with the Mogadoriens. No one knows his current location.

YA Content Review- Outpost by Ann Aguirre

11 Oct, 2012 by in Outpost Leave a comment

Outpost 
by Ann Aguirre
Paperback, 320 pages
Publication Date: September 4th 2012 
by Feiwel & Friends
ISBN 0312650094
Book Source: publisher
5 Stars 

Book Summary from Goodreads: Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

Crystal’s Review: Ann Aguirre’s book Outpost has landed its self a spot on my list of favorite books that I have read this year. I have not read the first book in this series, Enclave, however that in no way subtracted from my reading experience. After reading this one and loving it I cannot wait to go out and get Enclave so that I can start things from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed every character in this book, as I have said before I am a sucker for a good strong female lead and Deuce is easily my favorite female lead of the moment. She is fierce and determined and strong in more ways than one. She does not fit in with the other girls in town but she never lets that change who she is. She knows shes a fighter and she is unwilling to let anyone tell her otherwise. The relationships between Deuce, Fade, Stalker, and Longshot all pulled at my heartstrings, and that is exactly what I want a good book to be able to do. Of course I cannot forget about the mutants, these creepy, foul creatures made for realistically terrifying opponents. I can honestly say I would never want to have to face one of these guys. Their distorted features and their taste for flesh are only two small parts of what make them horrifying, their obvious movement towards more intelligent behavior just throws them over the top in the realm of terrifying creatures. I am excited to pick up the first book and even more excited to see how the author chooses to continue Deuce’s journey.

Content: Mild sexual tension, Graphic violence and violent descriptions.

Recommended age range 12+

Crystal

About the Author:  Ann Aguirre is a national bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, two cats, and one very lazy dog. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Dr. Who. She writes urban fantasy (the Corine Solomon series), romantic science fiction (the Jax series), apocalyptic paranormal romance (the Ellen Connor books with Carrie Lofty), paranormal romantic suspense (as Ava Gray), and post-apocalyptic dystopian young adult fiction.
 

A Night With Author Maggie Stiefvater at The King’s English

10 Oct, 2012 by in author interview, Heather Gardner Photography, maggie stiefvater, scholastic, the king's english, the raven boys 15 comments

Anyone who knows me well knows of my love for two things…books and Maggie Stiefvater‘s writing. I first discovered her writing with the Shiver series in which I bawled like a baby, and then moved on to the Bones of Faerie series which fit my obsession for all things fae. Later I picked up  The Scorpio Races at BEA somewhat dubiously, since it was a standalone about sea horses ( not the nice little harmless ones… no, these are flesh eating horses that come out of the sea) and once again cried my eyes out. So imagine it was no surprise when I squealed like a little girl after I got a copy of The Raven Boys at ALA and saw Maggie walking in the exhibit hall.
Me and Maggie Stiefvater at BEA- Scholastic party
Could I let her pass without making a fool of myself…oh no. Meeting her in a room full of people at the Scholastic Party in NYC was not enough for me…
so I had to or wave her down in Anaheim to simply blurt out “you rock.” But this is oh so different from what happened last night at The King’s English.
The awesomesauce Rachel from TKE set up a cozy little pre-signing blogger meeting with a few of us and THE Maggie Stiefvater. In which we got to sit down and ask her whatever we wanted, armed with our name tags, cameras, front row tickets to the signing and the giddy smiles only book nerds can have. SO what did we talk about…?
Of course we wanted to know about Maggie’s passion, the Mustang Gansey drives in The Raven Boys. Stiefvater said she spent a lot of time on a flatbed as a child with a father who liked to put back together cars that literally had to be towed in pieces. Her dad would “fix them up then move on once he got them running.” She remembers riding in an old Jaguar with the floorboards missing and seeing the road beneath her feet, dragging animals along with them. And her love of cars has carried over into adulthood as Maggie owns her own Mustang, plus is getting her very own Rally license.
Since a fast ride is not enough, Maggie would like to own a helicopter. She’s spent time on tour stops trying to squeeze a helicopter ride into her schedule–perhaps to spot ley lines or the corpse road she described in the Raven Cycle Series. (Her agent isn’t so hot on the idea, ’cause you know she can’t be late to her events) Speaking of agents, hers is David Levathin who will also be coming to The King’s English on October 15th at 7 PM.
But, I digress. We learned Maggie’s favorite book that she has written is The Scorpio Races (which was originally titled Red As The Sea)  and one of her favorite recent reads is When Things Come Back  by Corey Whaley.
An author she absolutely worships? Susan Cooper, whose Dark is Rising series brought Welsh mythology into the modern day. Maggie did a great impression of how star struck and stunned she was to meet Susan Cooper and offer her a hug (which is big coming from a non-hugger Maggie) We were all laughing out loud at the many faces and dramatic antics of Maggie. If you ever have a chance to see her in person, YOU MUST GO.
I asked Maggie about her Bones of Faerie series and if we will get another book….the answer is YES! Requiem (tentatively titled) will come out in Spring of 2014. She’s currently working on The Raven Boys book number 2 which she just cut 25,000 words from. Interestingly enough she cut 90,000 words from Forever.
Her solution to writer’s block is very loud music and deleting. There’s a special folder on her computer labeled “Outtakes” where all the deleted scenes go. (wouldn’t we ALL like to get our hands on that folder?)
The Raven Boys is the first book in a  four book series. She says she’s always wanted to write a four book series “since she was a little maggot.” The plot brings Welsh mythology into her home state of Virginia. (It is one of my favorite reads of 2012 -creepy, atmospheric and magical) Book one features yet another hard core boy like Cole in Forever–a damaged soul with a past.
This was something I was interested in–where does Maggie get these characters? So I asked.
She pulls them from her own past experience and friend’s lives, especially from her college years which were rough. During that time she lost some of her hearing as a professional bag pipe player. 
Maggie’s love of music comes across in her book trailers which she composes the score for and draws herself using acrylic and colored pencil. She is also famous for using a black Sharpie to decorate her guitars.
Her bestselling Shiver series came from a desire to write a bittersweet love story that would make readers cry (she got me on that one!) It was supposed to be about wolves, NOT to be confused with were wolves which she hates. She attributes lots to her critique partners, Tessa Gratton, Brenna Yovanoff
who “she couldn’t do without.” The three of them collaborated on the book The Curiosities.
So, in short…or long, did this event get chocked up as my all-time favorite at The King’s English? Why yes–yes, it did.

Thanks again to the staff at The King’s English for treating us like royalty.

And to Maggie…THIS made my night
If you would like a signed copy of Maggie’s books, check here at the King’s English site to order.
I’m spreading my Maggie Stiefvater love far and wide and am giving away an ARC of The Scorpio Races and paperback copy of Shiver. US residents 18 or older enter below. a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Author Interview and Giveaway with Andi Katsina

09 Oct, 2012 by in Uncategorized 2 comments

Fire and Ice welcomes author Andi Katsina author of Rick &Wylie’s Fantastical, Magical Adventures book 1: Journey To The Kingdom  for an exclusive interview and giveaway.
What Are Your Top five favorite all-time books?
There are so many great books to choose from, but often the most influential are the ones that initially set you on the path to further discovery. In my case some books I read as a young child, and a teenager, had me hankering for more.
Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Down and out in London and Paris by George Orwell
How did this book come to you?
Heather, I’ve always been blessed with a limitless imagination, and so it’s quite easy for me to come up with a complex, highly entertaining story. Rick & Wylie’s Fantastical, Magical Adventures came to me after a long visit to Hawaii. Employing the Hawaiian Menehune legend of mythical, mystical people who can only been seen in the moonlight, I went on to create a mystical forest which exits down inside the island, and on and it goes….
Favorite life quote or motto?
‘Stand up and be counted’, ‘never give up’ two of my own mottos.
What has been the most rewarding experience you’ve had as an author to date?
The most rewarding experience was selling my first book, that was way back in 2007. I received an order from a book store. Wow, after all that hard work, somebody wanted my book, I was so happy!
What has been the most rewarding part of this whole process of being published?
I have to say the wonderful feedback I’ve received about this book from my readers has made it all worthwhile. Added to that, the book is now being translated in Japan where it’s expected to be a bestseller. And in California there’s been talk of making a film based on the book. Here in Panama, were I’m currently staying, the book distributors have already ordered copies. It’s really taking off in a fabulously, exceptionally rewarding way.
Any other projects in the works you can tell us about?
Yep! Book 2 of Rick & Wylie’s Fantastical, Magical Adventures is due to be released in the Spring of 2013. Later that year, Gurk & Whale [The Rose Mane Arrows], a fantasy adventure which was written in 2007, will be released.
Snacks?
Fruit is my favourite food, so I can snack on any fruit. In Thailand, working on the second proofing of the book, most days I was snacking on pineapple, juicy and delicious. Sometimes when I have a break from working I enjoy a glass of fresh orange or fresh carrot juice with garlic and ginger, juice it myself.
What lessons do you hope to pass on to your readers and teens?
I like to express my belief that no matter how difficult one’s circumstances become, one should never give up, and also that there is within each one of us the potential to do great deeds. Wherever possible I express the sentiment of loyalty. I also try to introduce an environmental issues theme, for instance in Rick & Wylie’s Fantastical, Magical Adventures book 1, I make subtle mention of the necessity for clean waterways. I’m an environmentalist so these issues are important to me. The wonderful thing is that a great proportion of today’s youth are also very environmentally conscientious. Also, my stories are geared to give my readers a wonderful, colourful canvas on which to exercise their own imaginations.
Tell us what you enjoy to do when not writing?
I really enjoy hanging out with friends, but rarely get the chance anymore; writing is quite an antisocial habit. I enjoy swimming in the ocean, going out for a daily run, and boy oh boy do I like riding motorbikes.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
The Galapagos Archipelago, six hundred miles into the Pacific, off the coast of Ecuador. This is a UNESCO reserve, and though fragile, is relatively unpolluted. You can see a great many species of birds, reptiles, mammals and fish, including twenty-nine species of shark. It’s a beautiful place and the front line for the efforts of many environmental groups working to protect the region. Tortuga Bay, in the Galapagos, is the place where turtles come to lay eggs on an annual basis. The massive Sierra Negra caldera is there on one of the larger islands, Isabella. It’s a very relaxing place where you can feel close to nature. It’s also the place where Charles Darwin worked on his famous piece, Origin of the species.
What advice would you have to aspiring writers?
Most importantly, do not give up! If you come to a point where your words no longer flow, don’t feel as though you’ve reached the end of your short lived writing career, you may simply have what is commonly termed writer’s block. If you are struggling to find direction in your story, or even reach it’s end, stop writing, procrastinate, work on another story if you like, give your story a chance to breathe. It will always be there in your thoughts, and taking a breather from writing it down gives the story time to become better formulated in your mind, most often the next part of the story will present itself, at which time you can return to completing it. Sometimes writers work on more than one story, this is totally acceptable, and can often help bridge a writer’s block. As for finding your audience, readers are great; they’re usually willing to give your work a chance. And now with the Internet and all the various reader groups, it has never been easier to reach people interested in your topic of choice. The best of luck to you all. Never give up and keep true to your story.
Is it planned as a standalone or a series?
Rick & Wylie’s Fantastical, Magical Adventures is an epic fantasy adventure told over a series of three books, a trilogy.
What do you imagine as a place for setting?
Heather, in this book I’ve set the main location, the mystical forest, within a Hawaiian island, making the forest practically as big as the island above. In one of my other books the main settings are in the Mojave Desert, and at the Goldstone Observatory. In yet another of my books the location setting is the Monterey Peninsula. I like to choose a setting that adds more depth to the story, and can be described in ways that give my readers the feeling of actually being right there at the location.
If there is something you want readers to walk away with after reading your book what would that be?
I want my readers to feel good about themselves, and as fantastic as the adventure is, I want them to feel as though they’ve been right there with me and my characters.
About Her Book: Rick & Wylie’s Fantastical, Magical Adventures [Journey to the Kingdom], tells the story of a father and his daughter, Rick and Wylie, who, due to the actions of an evil wizard, become separated, whilst on holiday in Hawaii.

Wylie has to work her way across a huge and dangerous mystical forest. Rick, along with some of his friends, enters the mystical forest to go in search of his daughter.

Both Rick and Wylie endure trials and tribulations, and are finally reunited in the forest. Together, they succeed in awakening the sleeping kingdom,  a place that has been hidden from the evil wizard for more than half a millennium.

Click here to read an excerpt of the book

Author Bio: Hello my friends

I’m English, of rich Irish, African descent. Born in the sound of bow bells, an orphan, I grew up in Manchester, England. Quite a bit more than forty, I‘m a vegan, though occasionally lapse into vegetarianism.

Throughout my school years I was a champion athlete and swimmer, going on to become an athletics coach, swimming teacher and youth leader. After which time I was trained as a Chartered Accountant. Interrupting my training, I branched out, working freelance as a troubleshooter in the field of accountancy. Six years of adding and subtracting, was followed by two years of trading as an international commodities broker. This led me to the sedentary position of ‘trader in antique, oriental carpets’. It was at this juncture that I became completely inspired to become a writer.

As a ‘school kid’ I very much enjoyed writing plays in English, Latin and French. Fortunately for me, writing came naturally. I so, so like writing stories that give people, especially young people, and people young at heart, the chance to exercise their own imagination.

I love taking my readers on fantastic journeys. The enjoyment and taste of adventure my stories give to my readers, warms me greatly.

Best wishes from Andi Katsina

Visit her website to learn more.

The Giveaway: Andi has offered three copies of her book to our readers at Fire and Ice! To enter fill our the rafflecopter form below.

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Lots of Winners

09 Oct, 2012 by in Uncategorized 1 comment

Congratulations to Lisa Bennett and bn100 who won copies of What’s On The Other Side, Mary DeBorde who won Crimson Rising, Marie Haney and Josh who each won copies of Running Into The Wind and Jill The owl who won Benotripia on Little Red Reads. Also to bn100 who won a copy of Goddess Legacy. Email us your mailing address and we’ll mail off your prize!
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