Showing posts with label dragons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dragons. Show all posts

Friday, July 17, 2015

More Summer Reading


Here is some more summer reading that I happy to share.

Song of the Mountain, by Michelle Isenhoff

Narrated by Shae Taylor


I love it when I can sit down and listen to a really great audiobook. This one is a great audiobook to listen to in one sitting or a long car drive. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Below are some questions Audible asked while reviewing the book. I thought I’d share them here, too. This is a series that I will be listening to the rest of.

What made the experience of listening to Song of the Mountain the most enjoyable?
Song of the Mountain is a great story of self-discovery. It is very engaging, haunting at times, and inspiring. I absolutely loved the underlining themes and how Ms. Isenhoff parodies the story of Cane and Able. This is a series I will continue to follow and read!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Song of the Mountain?
Often we are distracted from our true friends by the glimmer of those that appear to be more shiny. Song has one of these moments and his realization of it really stuck with me. I will now be more conscience of the way I act toward others.

Which scene was your favorite?
I really liked the climax but I'm not going to give away any spoilers. You just have to listen to it for yourself. But once you do, you'll agree with me I'm sure!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes! And I did listen to it all in one sitting. I believe Shae Taylor offered a wonderful fullness to this story and he and Michelle Isenhoff make a great team.

Any additional comments?
Very few stories leaving me thinking about them after they're done. This one lingers and makes you think. I believe that is the mark of a great storyteller!


Synopsis:
Orphaned at a young age, Song has grown up listening to his grandfather recite legends of the distant past. But it is his own history he seeks to uncover, particularly the events surrounding his parents' deaths. That is a secret closely guarded by his grandfather. Then Song discovers an heirloom that links him to an ancient prophecy. His destiny lies within the old tales he has scorned. Song must follow the path that killed his father.  

Links:

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Book Feature: Elias of Elderberry


Don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY
at the bottom of this post!!

Synopsis:
Elias Rey, a fifteen year old student at Penquis Valley High School, is skinny, has a chipped tooth, and a bad case of acne. His favorite pastime is drawing dragons, and his room is plastered with his renditions. Tested out as a genius, he should be in college instead of high school, but he chooses to be with the only family he has ever known, his foster sister Lizzie, and his best friend Jaron.
Life is good, except for one thing - Brute, the meanest student at PVHS. Elias considers moving to be rid of Brute's constant bullying, until one fated day, when a strange boy pushes a leather pouch into his hands, and then mysteriously disappears, leaving Elias to wonder who he is.
Shortly thereafter, Elias discovers that the pouch contains Ilesar, an ancient papyrus that can give him anything his heart desires. He isn't going to be pushed around. Ever. Again. At least, not by the school bully.

Praise for this book:
"I love this story! Elias of Elderberry is a cross between Harry Potter, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland, with a hint of Lord of the Rings." -Sarah Beggs, author

"Elias of Elderberry is imaginative and entertaining, but also thought provoking. It was fun learning about the worlds Theresa Sneed creates. Her evil is pure evil... and her good is amazing." Kari Pike, author, editor

Author Bio:
Growing up in the woodlands of Maine and spending most of her time climbing trees and looking for snakes under rocks, author Theresa Sneed has a wealth of childhood experiences from which she creates her magical stories. As a mother of six, a grandmother of five, and an elementary school teacher, she enjoys weaving moments of wonder and reflection.

Theresa graduated cum laude with a BA in education and has written award-winning poetry and stories. Her No Angel series has received excellent reviews from her readers as well as claiming two Whitney finalists’ spots. Theresa enjoys reading and writing fantasy, romance, and suspense.
To learn more about Theresa, visit www.theresasneed.com. She loves hearing from her readers and may be contacted through her website.

Other books by Theresa Sneed
Her No Angel Series (not completed yet, there will be at least three or four more books in this series)

Links:

Excerpt #1
He snatched the pouch up. The drama department was at the end of the hallway. Elias grinned. Dang! That boy is good! He really had me going there! “Hey, Mr. Arnold!” Elias stuck his head into the office.
“Yes, Elias?” Mr. Arnold’s beady eyes peered at him over half moon spectacles that looked as if they’d slip off his nose.
“Yeah well, just wanted to congratulate you on whatever it is you guys are working on. Whoever that boy was with the pouch—” He held it up. “Well, he’s pretty convincing—good job!”
Mr. Arnold looked at him like he didn’t know what he was talking about.
“You know—Ooooo-OOoo.” Elias made a ghostly sound and wiggled his fingers in the air. “He looked pretty freaky, sir.”
Mr. Arnold leaned back and stroked his goatee.   “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Elias—none whatsoever.”
“Huh.” Elias turned the pouch over in his hands. “Yeah, well, okay.” He thanked him and went back into the hallway.
Who was that boy? If he hadn’t been part of any theater production at the school—what kind of performance was he in? He nodded as he remembered the white cord tugging at the boy—great special effects. Destroy them, the boy had said. Elias shrugged. His gaze fell to the pouch. What was in it? He started to open it, but thought better and glanced around for a more secluded place to explore its contents.
What better place than the boy’s bathroom? He slipped through the door and then into an empty stall. He studied the brown leather bag holding it closer to his face. The gold band that ran diagonally up its sides was made to look like a snake—its diamond-shaped head brandishing two tiny, red jewels. Elias brushed his fingers over the thin band and a wisp of smoke rose from it. He coughed and swept his hand through the gray mist—must have been dust.
All of a sudden, the bathroom door banged open and Brute’s voice broke the silence. “Hey zit-face! I know you’re in here!”
Oh crap. Of all the places for Brute to find him—defenseless—with no one to stop the Brute from beating him senseless, or even to identify Elias’ lifeless body later. He rolled his eyes. Okay, that was a bit melodramatic. He’d been hanging around his foster sister, Lizzie too long. Drama was her thing—not his. 
The stall doors slammed against their hinges one by one—closer and closer. He let out a groan, as he saw Brute’s size twelve shoes in front of the stall next to his. He swallowed hard and breathed out slow. “I wish I was home.” A warm buzz came from the pouch, and he glanced down as it came to life—casting an eerie glow against the stall door. Then all at once, a steely flash of red light cruelly stung his skin, deep into his sinewy flesh, as a powerful force twisted him through an opening—a thin slit in the air. 

Excerpt #2
He pressed his head back against the pillow. So, this was what crazy felt like. He grimaced, knowing that he was not crazy, but not having any good explanation for what was happening to him. Suddenly, something nuzzled the crick of his neck.
“Cut it out, Ilzar.” It let out a tiny bawl, almost like a cough, and Elias turned his head expecting to see Ilzar. He jumped backward, nearly falling off the bed. “YIKES!”
A miniature, baby dragon the color of the sky sat on his pillow teetering back and forth as if it hadn’t quite got its bearings.
“Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh!” Elias leaped from his bed and stared at the small, sapphire colored dragon. It coughed again and a tiny blue cloud of smoke came from its throat.
Elias’ mouth dropped open. Was this real? The dragon hopped off the pillow and came to the edge of the bed. It looked up at him with doleful eyes, coughed, than bawled again—like it was hungry.
            Elias’ eyes widened. What did dragons eat—other than villages of people?

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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Book Trailer: Battle for Acropolis

I am thrilled for the Gates of Atlantis books to come out. Just a few more weeks to go. In the meantime have a looksee at my fantastic book trailer. Here you'll get a sneak peak into Talon's world.

Picture

THE GATES OF ATLANTIS: BATTLE FOR ACROPOLIS

Thirteen-year-old Talon is in trouble...again. He didn't mean to burn down the school library. It just happened. Things like that always happen to Talon. His life is a mixture of the weird and bizarre. No one else he knows can shoot fire from their hands or cause an earthquake...but he can.

Every night the same dream haunts Talon: the destruction of an underwater city. He doesn't have a clue what it means but he feels like fate is trying to warn him. It's not until he runs away with his foster sister Hattie that he discovers his trouble-making powers and strange nightmare are connected. Together they are the key to saving magic...to saving Atlantis.

Visit: http://www.gatesofatlantis.com/






Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Book Feature: Trusted




I am happy to introduce you to Krista Wayment, author of the middle-grade adventure: Trusted, book one in the Dragon's Trust series. I have been following the progress of this book for sometime and I am happy to finally see it come available. I asked Krista to share her journey in writing her first middle-grade book. Don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post!

Guest Post by: Krista Wayment

My first attempt at writing a novel was an adult fantasy. And it was not my best work. After I finished it I started several projects but couldn't stick with one long enough to finish it.

While researching publishers I came across Shadow Mountain which publishes a lot of Middle Grade fiction. I read several of their books and fell in love with Middle Grade--so I started reading as many as I could find. It occurred to me one day that I should try and write a middle grade book.

Then, I attended the LDS Storymakers conference and attended a class about writing YA and another about writing MG. That sealed the deal for me. I wanted to write a Middle Grade book. And I wanted to write something with a male main character. I've always been a tom boy so I thought it might be easier for me to write something like that.

So, I asked myself: What kind of middle grade book do I want to write? The answer was--it has to have dragons. Next I asked, what kind of dragons--wise and smart like humans? Or more animal-ish, like horses. To which I thought--why can't I have both? And that is where it all started.

I began crafting a world where both wise and dumb dragons could exist. I asked myself why their were two kinds and the history of the world started to take shape. I asked what the people in this world thought about the differences and soon I had a story on my hands.

Basically, I said to myself: I want a middle grade fantasy book with dragons in it that would appeal to both boy and girl readers--and Trusted was born.

About TRUSTED
Renick, the fifth son of a dragon breeder, crashes into an unexpected adventure that challenges everything he thought he knew about dragons, history, and himself.
Stranded in the massive Helath forest, Renick meets two other passengers: Thane, a noble training to be a dragon knight, and Lainey, the orphaned niece of a healer. Together they survive an attack by vicious wolves, rescue a baby dragon with a broken wing, and escape from a band of dragon hunters as they make a perilous climb into the mountains. What they discover there will change everything.



About the Author

Krista Wayment has been making up stories since she learned to talk. Writing naturally grew out of that. Krista is an avid Fantasy and Science Fiction fan, and a total nerd. She is also a software engineer and loves playing video games. Although, curling up with a good book is still one of her favorite past times. Visit her website at: www.kristawayment.com
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