Meet MG/YA Author Sharon Ledwith

Today we welcome MG/YA author Sharon Ledwith and her time travel series The Last Timekeepers to Carpinello's Writing Pages.

First, a bit about Sharon:

Sharon lives in the wilds of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, a water-logged yellow Labrador and moody calico cat. Her middle-grade/YA time travel series is available through Musa Publishing. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, yoga, kayaking, time with family and friends, and single malt scotch.

Why did you pick to write books for MG/YA?

I have a confession. I didn’t start out writing middle grade or young adult. Nope. I lurked in the deep pool of the paranormal romance genre before I ever considered dipping my toes into the welcoming waters of middle-grade/young adult fiction. The idea to write in this genre actually came to me through a dream. In this dream, I saw seven arches, and there were seven people (five kids, two adults) with crystals in their hands, walking up to these arches. It definitely had an Indiana Jones feel to it. I really thought about that dream a lot to the point where an idea for a book started to grow and take root. So I thought I’d challenge myself and write a novel—a series—that would appeal to my son, who at the time was the target age of my audience. I’ve always loved the time travel genre, so I imagined the arches I saw vividly in my dream as time portals. Then, boom. The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis was born.

What types of books do you like to read?

Believe it or not, I read a lot of self-help-type books to help me with the business end of being an author. So, for example, books by Napoleon Hill, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Caroline Myss, or any book that will help me develop a positive mental attitude and build a professional author platform. On the fiction side, I really enjoyed reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, as well as Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, and love Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. There are also so many talented authors out there who have awesome stories and who I’m proud to call my friends!

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

 LOL, I just came back from a ride in our pontoon boat, so depending on the season, I enjoy boating—kayaking included—and in the colder weather, trying to catch up with my TBR pile of books on my eReader!

Tell us about Legend of the Timekeepers and how the story came to be.

Legend of the Timekeepers is actually the prequel to my middle-grade time travel series, The Last Timekeepers. I thought before I went any further into the series that readers may have some questions looming in the backs of their minds. I created a whole back story about the series to explain the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, why)  and threw in a ‘how’ for good measure. In this story, I address the origins of Lilith, who is an Atlantean Magus and the guardian of the seventh Arch of Atlantis in the first adventure. It was quite fun to do and helped me to develop the series even further.


Now a peek at The Legend of the Timekeepers:

There is no moving forward without first going back.

Lilith was a young girl with dreams and a family before the final destruction of Atlantis shattered those dreams and tore her family apart. Now refugees, Lilith and her father make their home in the Black Land. This strange, new country has no place in Lilith’s heart until a beloved high priestess introduces Lilith to her life purpose—to be a Timekeeper and keep time safe.

Summoned through the seventh arch of Atlantis by the Children of the Law of One, Lilith and her newfound friends are sent into Atlantis’s past, and given a task that will ultimately test their courage and try their faith in each other. Can the Timekeepers stop the dark magus Belial before he changes the seers’ prophecy? If they fail, then their future and the earth’s fate will be altered forever.


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

The only other published book I have available to buy is the first book in The Last Timekeepers series called The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, which was published as an eBook through Musa Publishing in May 2012.  Legend of the Timekeepers was published August 2013. To give you an idea of what this series is about, here’s the blurb from my first book:

When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they're given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown back yard. The arch isn't a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis.
Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers--legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial--Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don't, then history itself may be turned upside down.

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

I have a completed manuscript for the second book in the series tentatively entitled The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, but there’s the fun job of revising it into Jordan Jensen’s point of view. Originally, I had all five of the main characters having their own chapter throughout the book, but my head editor with Musa Publishing found this confusing. She suggested that I write the first book in only one character’s POV starting with Amanda Sault. I reworked the original manuscript, and both Musa and I were very pleased with the end result. I’ve also signed on with literary agency, Walden House (Books & Stuff) in December 2012 to represent another young adult series I’ve created about teens with psychic abilities called Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, so I’ll be one busy gal!

What advice do you have for other authors?

Never stop investing in yourself. Invest in the best. That’s in yourself and in your readers. Your readers deserve the best of what you have to offer them. Surround yourself with the best possible team. Never stop learning. As you grow, so will your readers, so be prepared for this. Oh yeah, and never give up. That’s a given and should be part of any author’s credo.

Anything else you want readers to know?

I was once asked by another interviewer to share what inspires me to write, and why am I doing what I do. I guess the truth is that I wanted to be the change I would like to see in this world. Yes, I stole that from Ghandi, but those words have been my mantra and have guided me to write stories I would have loved to read as an adolescent. My hope is to give my target audience (ages 9 and up) the kinds of stories the world needs now—force readers to ask why they are here on earth at this time, and what is their major purpose. I guess I’m looking for ways to make the world a better place. I also want to make people laugh out-loud while they’re reading my books, and leave them wanting more when they turn to the last page.
 
Where can readers find you and your books?

Sharon:
 
Website

Blog

Facebook Page

The Last Timekeepers Series Facebook Page

Twitter: @sharonledwith

Goodreads

The Last Timekeepers:

Musa Publishing

Amazon US

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords