Posts Tagged: jeffrey savage

J Scott Savage’s Exciting News & A Giveaway

29 Jul, 2011 by in Heather Gardner Photography 7 comments

Local author J. Scott Savage made a very exciting announcement yesterday…

“My middle grade horror series, The Grimville Case Files had sold! Here’s the listing from Publishers Weekly:

Andrew Harwell at HarperCollins Children’s Books has bought a new middle grade series, The Grimville Case Files. It stars three monster-obsessed boys who must solve “fiendishly funny” mysteries; the first in the series is scheduled for publication in spring 2013. Michael Bourret at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management brokered a three-book deal for North American rights.

“My editor is the totally cool Andrew Harwell who you can follow on twitter at @andrewasalways. My agent is the rocking Michael Bourret of Dystel and Goderich. The first book in the series comes out Winter of 2013. It’s called Zombie Kid, and it may be the funniest and scariest book I’ve ever written.”

Congratulations Jeff!!

Here’s some photos I took of him at one of his signings and us with two of his other titles…

About this author:
J. Scott Savage has been creating stories for as long as he can remember. He lives at the mouth of a canyon where morning and evening winds keep the air clear and blue—along with blowing over patio tables, trees, basketball stands, and the occasional small child. He has a wonderful wife who has stuck with him for more than twenty years, four great children, a spastic border collie, and possibly three or four fish. (The pond is still frozen, so he isn’t quite sure.)

Scott has held too many jobs to count, including: a mall Santa, French chef, CEO of a dot com, plumber, radio station talk show host, and the guy who sits in the little photo developing booth. He has completed one marathon and hopes to complete another when the memories finally fade away. He loves reading, writing, camping, playing games with his family, and especially hearing from and meeting his readers. To e-mail him or schedule a visit, come to his website http://www.jscottsavage.com/


To celebrate Jeff’s news Fire and Ice is giving away a hardback copy of the first book in his Far World series

Far World Water Keep
Hardcover, 413 pages
Published September 12th 2008
by Shadow Mountain
ISBN 159038962X
http://www.readfarworld.com/

Other people may see thirteen-year-old Marcus Kanenas as an outcast and a nobody, but he sees himself as a survivor and a dreamer. In fact, his favorite dream is of a world far away, a world where magic is as common as air, where animals tell jokes, and where trees beg people to pick their fruit. He even has a name for this place-Farworld.

When Marcus magically travels to Farworld, he meets Kyja, a girl without magic in a world where spells, charms, and potions are everywhere, and Master Therapass, a master wizard who has kept a secret hidden for thirteen years, a secret that could change the fate of two worlds.

But the Dark Circle has learned of Master Therapass’s secret and their evil influence and power are growing. Farworld’s only hope is for Marcus and Kyja to find the mythical Elements-water, land, air, and fire-and convince them to open a drift between the worlds.

As Kyja and Marcus travel to Water Keep, they must face the worst the evil Dark Circle can throw at them-Summoners, who can command the living and the dead; Unmakers, invisible creatures that can destroy both body and soul; and dark mages known as Thrathkin S’Bae.
Along the way, Marcus and Kyja will discover the truth about their own heritage, strength of their friendship, and the depths of their unique powers.

Enter to win by filling out this form. Giveaway ends August 29, 2011 and is open to US residents.

Review-The Fourth Nephite by Jeffrey S. Savage

10 Nov, 2010 by in the fourth nephite 24 comments

Hardcover, 263 pages
Published August 4th 2010
by Deseret Book Company
ISBN 160641657X
4.5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads…”Busted. Football star Kaleo Steele is caught under the high school bleachers with the wrong group of friends. Even worse, he’s caught by his seminary teacher, Brother Mortensen. If Kaleo gets turned in, he’ll be in jeopardy of missing the regional championship game. It doesn’t help that Kaleo has been cutting seminary class. But what’s the point? Mumbo jumbo stories about angels and gold plates and Joseph Smith? Brother Mortensen decides Kaleo is ready for an extraordinary “field trip” – one that could alter the course of his life and his heart.

Reluctantly, Kaleo meets with Ladan – a mysterious old blind man – and unknowingly begins a quest through time, landing in Palmyra, New York, in the fall of 1827. Soon, Kaleo and a nineteenth-century girl named Jennie are caught up in a battle between treasure seekers – led by Alistair Blackburn, a necromancer hired to steal the gold plates – and the young Joseph Smith, who has sworn to keep them safe.

In his quest to find a key that will send him back to his own time, Kaleo will have to decide for himself what to believe and who to trust. Before it’s too late.”

Every once in a while a book takes me completely by surprise and I close the pages with a smile on my face. The Fourth Nephite Series is one I now have my eye on, awaiting book two. Here are a few of the many reasons I loved the first book, The Fourth Nephite:

1) The cover. The top half of the front page is gold metallic paper with rusty holes, resembling golden plates. The rest of the cover illustration fits the plot within perfectly.

2) The author. I have met Jeffrey and his wife and two book signings and decided it was time to read his books. They are wonderful people who sit together at their booths and engage fans.

3) The scenes are places I’m familiar with. It’s fun to hear of tunnels beneath Salt Lake City and travel back in time to the thick woods of Palmyra where we visited as a youth and an adult.

4) The message is positive and interesting for both teenagers and adults. Common questions and doubts about the early history of the Mormon church are answered through Kaleo’s adventures. He learns that knowledge and faith must work together as a key.

5) The author’s notes were my favorite part of The Fourth Nephite. I love that Jeff uses real historical facts and names in his scenes. I wish he would have written more. When Joseph Smith speaks his own story to Kaleo, end notes or footnotes would be a useful reference for teens or others not familiar with his quoted words.

6) The writing mixes fantasy with reality in a tasteful way. I am one who usually runs far far away from series like this. But I was drawn in to Jeffrey’s writing, his characters and the quest of Kaleo. I will be reading the entire series and one day when my children are a little older we’ll read it together.

7) The journalistic pages written by Kaleo at the beginning of each chapter bring us back to the present thoughts of an every day average teenager and show the changes in his personality as he learns the truth for himself.

Well done Jeffrey Savage! I enjoyed his writing so much I picked up the first book in another one of Jeff’s other series called “Far World.” Learn more about it here and The Fourth Nephite Series here.

To enter to win your own copy of Far World: Water Keep another title by J. Scott Savage, simply comment below. Giveaway Ends December 10, 2010.