Release Event Sign Up - The Tale of Willaby Creek

 

CBB Book Promotions:

"I'm excited to announce the release event for the middle grade fantasy adventure, The Tale of Willaby Creek by Victoria Lindstrom!"

 

The release event is to take place on June 10, 11, and 12.

 The post will be provided in HTML for those who like to do an easy copy/paste. I'm also happy to provide all materials for you to build your own post. There will be a $10 giveaway to participants (randomly drawn) and a giveaway for you all to post on your blog.

 

 

About the Book:
A magical tale of amazing sacrifice...
When a violent windstorm strikes an enchanted rain forest many of the woodland creatures of wallaby Creek are stranded, injured, or lost forever to the frenzied force of the tempest. Basil, a black bear full of doubt and fear, becomes the unlikely leader to head the woodland creatures' rescue. He is joined by Daphne, a spunky blue dryad; Oliver, a wise horned owl; Elbert, a noble elk; and a host of other creatures that inhabit the enchanted rain forest.
Dangerous twists and turns in this animal adventure-fantasy cause Basil to discover a courage, and a conviction, he never knew he had. The answers to the ancient mysteries in this magical tale emerge in an extraordinary finale under the tall timbers of the hidden hinterland.
                                              Goodreads

About the Author:
VICTORIA LINDSTROM is a full-time writer, a voracious reader, and the author of the children's picture book, The Scandinavian Santa. She loves to wander through the woods, capture the beauty of Nature in photographs, and visit museums and fine art galleries. She and her husband, Michael, live near the shore of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. You may visit Victoria at:
www.victorialindstrom.com

   Facebook - Twitter@AuthorLindstrom - Goodreads - Pinterest

Everyone who signs up will be able to participate; we're happy to have you all! Please watch for an email on June 5th with all the information.
                              Click Here to Sign Up

Young Adult Cover Reveal!

Welcome to the cover reveal of Ensnared by Kriston Johnson! Ensnared is the second book in The Legends of Elyndia series. The first book is Awakened. This is a young adult fantasy and will be available in August 2015.

About the Book:

Facing monstrous demons, a ravenous dragon, and a malicious faerie queen are the least of Jade’s worries. 

It has been a fortnight since Jade confronted Draven, and he has emerged from the battle more terrifying than ever. Armed with a new plan and fueled with unrelenting determination, Draven casts a dark spell and calls forth new players that no one ever expected, bringing him one step closer to opening the portal to The Fathom.

Back at the Citadel, the people are divided and succumbing to the dark magic that threatens to encompass the entire realm. To unravel a tangled web of hidden truths, Jade plays a dangerous game of her own and works in secret to uncover something the Council is refusing to share. But the more she learns, the more she begins to question if she is doing the right thing.

Jade vows to bring an end to the madness she feels responsible for and works to harness her elemental power, but unforeseen consequences arise. Her power is growing beyond what she can control, and it’s on the verge of destroying her from within. 

Was learning to use her magical ability the beginning…or the beginning of the end?

Goodreads

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Check out book one, Awakened, available now!

   Goodreads | Amazon
 

 

About the Author:

Kriston Johnson lives in Southwest Washington with her husband, teenage son, and miniature Australian Shepherd. Her home rests at the fringe of an old growth forest that she insists is the home of Jason Voorhees. Her husband thinks that’s a ridiculous assumption, because everyone knows it’s really Bigfoot. Every summer Kriston participates in the annual pilgrimage to Faerieworlds, a real life faerie realm here on Earth, and has an unhealthy obsession with Star Wars, The Vampire Diaries, and Iron Man. 

Author links: 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter @KristonJohnson

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Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

Ends June 3, 2015

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

Book trailer - The Tale of Willaby Creek

Since I'll be on vacation for the next two weeks, I thought this would be a great time to post the book trailer for my middle grade novel:
The Tale of Willaby Creek. Enjoy!

Next Friday, be sure to check out the cover reveal for the soon-to-be-released YA fantasy novel, Ensnared, by the author Kriston Johnson!

Whimsical Word of the Week

Strepitous - (adj.)

boisterous; noisy.
Example: The strepitous crowd cheered on their hometown athletes to victory.

Bibliophile's Corner

Very Good Lives
The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination
by J.K. Rowling

Flap Copy Description:
In 2008, J.K. Rowling delivered a deeply affecting commencement speech at Harvard University. Now published for the first time in book form, Very Good Lives offers J.K. Rowling’s words of wisdom for anyone at a turning point in life, asking the profound and provocative questions: How can we embrace failure? And how can we use our imagination to better both ourselves and others?

My Thoughts:
While most of my book reviews target middle grade novels, I just had to feature J.K. Rowling's recently released Very Good Lives. With all the wit and wisdom we've grown accustomed to from the iconic author, this little book packs a big punch. In addition to that, laced between its pages are tidbits about Ms. Rowling; some of her little known personal history. With commencement season now upon us, Very Good Lives would make an excellent gift for any graduate in your life.

Storyteller's Journey

    Proofreading Tips for Writers

We all know how important it is to have a clean and accurate manuscript prior to publication. Whether it's typos, extra spaces, extra words, or any other unwanted or missing item, they must be discovered and corrected.

Besides acquiring beta readers, a trusted editor, and a professional proofreader there are a number of other techniques that we can do to prepare our story for publication:

Print off your entire manuscript in a different font and size.
This allows your eyes to see a slightly different version of the same story you've been looking at for months, if not years.

Place the manuscript you just printed in a three-ring binder. This allows you to make notes as you read it to yourself. Use a colored marker.

Read the entire manuscript out loud to a friend. I read The Tale of Willaby Creek to my husband and found my mouth wanted to stop working after about six chapters! While I read the story to my hubby, he took notes. He actually made a suggestion that I used in one of the last drafts.

Download you manuscript to an older model Kindle. Using the text to speech feature, listen to your entire story while making notes on the printed copy in your three-ring binder. (The reason I say an older model Kindle is that the Kindle Fire and newer models don't offer the feature.) There were two significant mistakes I discovered using this technique.

Leave plenty of time for the proofreading process. It doesn't matter if you're a debut author, or a veteran with a long list of novels to your credit, we all make mistakes. Just make sure you allow enough time to discover them. In the future I'm going to allow a minimum of one month to complete the steps I mentioned above.

I borrowed a writer friend's old Kindle.

 

Whimsical Word of the Week

Fusty - (adj.)
1- smelling stale, damp, or stuffy.
2- old-fashioned or out-of-date.
Example: After years of neglect, the once fine home was fusty and full of dirty antiques.

Bibliophile's Corner

The Thickety
The Whispering Trees
by J. A. White

Flap Copy Description:
The Thickety is no place to be alone.

The branches closed behind Kara and Taff when they rode Shadowdancer into the dark forest. But there is no returning to the village, and Sordyr chases close behind. The forest demon has a terrible plan - one that requires Kara's magic to succeed.
The dangers of the Thickety are many. Its plants are often deadly, strange animals whisper among the trees, and unknown magic lurks behind every twist and shadow of the path. But more dangerous still are the other inhabitants of the Thickety: Sordyr and his snapping branchwolves; the shadowy residents of an abandoned village; and Imogen, a creature with an unspeakable hunger.

They would do anything she asked. All she had to do was use her magic.

And then there's Mary Kettle, a strange witch seeking redemption from a horrifying past. She offers to lead them out of the Thickety while teaching Kara how to cast spells without a grimoire. The children are hesitant to trust her...but this could be their only chance to escape.
Or the first step down a dark and wicked path.

My Thoughts:
This sequel to J. A. White's first book is fantastic. The Thickety: The Whispering Trees got off to a bit of a low start, but gained momentum, and then finished with a flourish. If you're a fan of middle grade fantasy then this novel is one not to miss. I highly recommend both books in The Thickety Series to readers from the ages of eight to eighty.

Storyteller's Journey

My Dream Team!

This past week loads of bloggers participated in the cover reveal for my soon-to-be-released middle grade novel:
The Tale of Willaby Creek.



Thanks to all those awesome bloggers for helping me get the word out about my animal adventure fantasy; I so appreciate your support!

I'd also like to thank my Dream Team for all their professional assistance, allowing me to focus on writing. Those special folks are:

CBB Book Promotions - Thanks, Candace, for organizing the cover reveal!
Xuni.com - Author Website Management - Maddee, Jen, and Ryan you're the best!
Mae I Design - I love the book cover - and the bookmarks - you designed for my new novel!
Tattered Page Ink - Thanks for your professional interior design of my book - I love it!
MVP Video - Thanks for another wonderful book trailer, Jim!

As I proceed down the trail of my storyteller's journey I realize more and more just how important my Dream Team is to me as an author.

     I highly recommend all of the professionals listed above!