Fiona, please give us a summary of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab:
The story is about two local heroes who are catapulted into an international adventure: two young South African boys, Justin and Adam Sinclair (aged just-turned-13 and 12-going-on-13 respectively), who visit Egypt with their Aunt Isabel and their grandmother. They are given an ancient scarab by mistake (or is it?) and are plunged into an incredible adventure, escaping death, giant cobras, desert sands, and evil villains in their quest to discover the secret of the sacred scarab, find the long lost tomb of the legendary Scarab King, and rescue the missing archeologist James Kinnaird.
How does the series unfold?
After their adventure in Egypt, it is inevitable that Justin and Adam embark on a series of journeys to locate the remaining Six Stones of Power that have been scattered and lost throughout the ancient world. Adam as the bearer of the sacred scarab, the first stone, has somehow been chosen, and marked with a birthmark in the shape of the ankh sign, the Egyptian sign of life, and it is a role he cannot escape. Adam has mixed feelings about this role. He had so badly wanted to be different, and now that the opportunity is thrust upon him, is not sure he is up to the task. His cousin Justin fulfills his part as helper, friend, and protector, even though he wrestles with natural feelings of jealousy and inadequacy – after all, why wasn’t he chosen?
These ancient stones, having been set as fine jewels, would obviously have been destined for the hands of rulers, either as weapons or decorations of office. The First Stone of Power has been found and is drawing the others towards it. Each stone carries a particular history with it, relating to the place where it is discovered. For example: the sacred scarab belonged to the Egyptian Scarab King; the second stone was set in a sword, which finally ended up in the hands of Arthur, Dark Age warrior and hero-king of Britain. Each stone is almost frozen in time, its place of discovery being the last place it ended up before being lost. The boys discover a strange inscription and a picture in Book Two that helps them create a spiritual and physical map for what faces them.
The series sounds fascinating. Do you mind telling us the titles for the rest of the books?
No, not at all. At the present time, these are the titles and where the stories take place:
Book 2 - The Search for the Stone of Excalibur - Britain (On sale soon.)
Book 3 - The Temple of the Crystal Time Keeper - Mexico’s Jungles
Book 4 - The Cabal of the Orobouros - France
Book 5 - The Eye of the Indian Idol - India
Book 6 - The Curse of the Cup of Jamshid - Turkey
Book 7 - The Sign of the Seventh Crown – Africa (finale)
These are all places rich in legend, mystery, history, and mythology.
Now, I’ve just finished reading The Young Explorer's Companion to The Secret of the Sacred Scarab: The Official Illustrated Guide to Chronicles of the Stone Book 1. It’s such an entertaining companion to Book 1. I loved all the Egyptian history, mythology, and activities for kids. Plus, you’ve included the opening chapters to Books 2 and 3! Are you going to publish a Young Explorer’s Companion to each of the books?
Yes, that is my plan. It’s taken me quite a while to pull all the information together, but I believe it will make the adventures in the series more real for readers.
And for your readers, I am offering (in PDF format) The Young Explorer’s Companion for Book 1 free to all who leave a comment. If readers respond to this post and leave their email with a comment, we’ll delete that before posting the comment. That way their copy of the Companion Book can be on its way quicker.
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The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is one of the 30 books in the 12 Authors of Christmas Giveaway! Enter here:
Welcome to the fantastic 12 Authors of Christmas seasonal giveaway and blog tour!
Our busy Book Elves are giving away a total of 30 prizes of books suitable for Middle Grade readers - age roughly 8 to 14 - although a lot of adults enjoy them too!
Who are the Authors on tour?
All these authors are interviewing each other, reviewing each others' books and more in the Giveaway blog tour starting 1st December. Click the links to go to their websites and find out more about them, and check out their books in the InLinkz list below.Jemima Pett: the Princelings of the East series (1st, 11th and 18th December)
M G King: Fizz & Peppers at the Bottom of the World (2nd and 10th December)
Fiona Ingram: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab (3rd and 12th December)
Wendy Leighton-Porter: The Shadows from the Past series (4th and 14th December)
Stanley and Katrina (Pet Authors): The Perpetual Papers of a Pack of Pets (5th and 17th December)
Ben Zackheim: Shirley Link, ace detective series (6th and 19th December)
Rebecca Douglass: The Ninja Librarian and Return to Skunk Corners (7th and 16th December)
Cheryl Carpinello: The Young Knights of the Round Table series (8th and 13th December)
S Smith: The Seed Savers series (9th and 18th December)
Julie Grasso: Caramel Cardamom series (11th and 22nd December)
Paul R Hewlett: Lionel's Grand Adventure series (16th and 20th December)
S W Lothian: the Quest series (tba)
Check out all these books!
Now Enter the Giveaway!
You could win a prize from one of these authors. Most are offering one or two books from their series: if you've already got the first, they may offer you a different one if you win. The prizes are as detailed on the rafflecopter form.Contest runs: December 1st to 23rd, 11:59 pm EST, 2013
Open: Worldwide
How to enter: Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Winners will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have until 28th Dec. to respond. If the winner does not respond in that time, a new draw will take place for a new winner. No cash alternatives to the ebooks offered. Authors may (at their sole discretion) offer a different ebook from that listed if the winner already owns the prize listed. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the authors named and is hosted and managed by Jemima Pett, the Princelings author. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send an email to jemima (dot) pett (at) gmail (dot) com.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for hosting me, Cheryl, and spreading the word!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, Cheryl and Fiona! And how exciting to see the future titles of the rest of the series - that's really whetted my appetite and I can't wait to read them. I loved the first book!
ReplyDeleteThese books look right up my alley! Thanks for joining us with the #MGBookElves giveaway, both of you!
ReplyDeleteRebecca.douglass@ninjalibrarian.com
This sounds like an excellent series for middle grade readers. Loved the authors insight and the companion book is a creative idea to keep readers involved in the search for the stones. Thanks for sharing this on the hop.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your positive comments. I think MG is an exciting genre for both authors and readers. All still kids having the adventure of a lifetime!
ReplyDelete