Meet Fantasy Author L. R. W. Lee

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes Texas author L. R. W. Lee who writes fantasy for Middle Graders and Young Adults

First, a bit about L. R. W. Lee:

L. R. W. Lee credits her love of fantasy to C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Later on, she enjoyed the complex world of Middle Earth brought to life by J. R. R. Tolkien in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The multiple dimensions of the worlds mixed with a layer of meaning captivated her and made her desire to invent worlds others could get lost in, but also take meaning away from. More recently, L. R. W. Lee has found inspiration from J. K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series as well as Brandon Mull and his best selling Fablehaven, Beyonders and Five Kingdoms series.

L. R. W. Lee writes to teach her readers principles that can transform their lives – overcoming frustration, impatience, fear and more. She also shows why responsibility, diligence and dignity are the keys to true success in life. L. R. W. Lee lives in scenic Austin, TX with her husband. Their daughter just started her first job, for Microsoft, and their son serves in the Air Force.

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

I love this age, and I remember the books I read at this stage. Teens today have so many challenges facing them, seemingly more and on a grander scale than when I was growing up—I feel like I lived a relatively sheltered childhood comparatively. When I was growing up, the common notion was to work hard and keep your nose clean, and you would succeed. Today, I see culture and society lacking narratives about how to cope with the challenges teens face. There’s no story about what it really takes to succeed today. There’s no narrative about dealing with fear or impatience, let alone frustration and more. My books bring forth these narratives in a way readers can grasp and apply, all as part of the story line.

What types of books do you like to read?

I am a YA Fantasy Romance junkie.

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

Read. Sorry to be so boring, but I’ve traveled to worlds and times and more, in the comfort of my easy chair. It’s hardly a boring pastime.

Tell us about Vision of the Griffin's Heart and how the story came to be.

Vision of the Griffin’s Heart is the fifth book in the Andy Smithson coming-of-age, epic fantasy series.

The narrative came to be out of my desire to write a book in the fashion of my literary heroes J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling and others. In this series, I develop five layers throughout the story: 1) Andy Smithson at home in Lakehills, TX; 2) Andy Smithson in Oomaldee; 3) Imogenia, the girl who was murdered, from the afterlife. She is the one who got Andy involved to begin with; 4) Andy’s conscience; and 5) a meaning layer. 

Here's a peek at Vision of the Griffin's Heart:

Four years ago, Andy Smithson discovered he was the Chosen one to break a 500-yr-old curse plaguing the land of Oomaldee when he unexpectedly and mysteriously found himself there. To do so, he must collect ingredients for a magical potion. Thus far he has gathered the scale of a red dragon, venom from a giant serpent, a unicorn’s horn, and the tail feather of a phoenix. Now he must ask a griffin for one of its talons. There’s just one problem…humans have poached griffin treasure, causing these mythical creatures to attack on sight.

Complicating matters, the evil Abaddon, sovereign of Oomaldee’s northern neighbor, is turning more and more citizens into zolt in his ongoing campaign of terror as he sets in motion the final steps of his plan to conquer the land.




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

As I mentioned above, Griffin's Heart is the fifth book in Andy Smithson series. The other are the prequel Power of the Heir's Passion, Book 1 Blast of the Dragon's Fury, Book 2 Venom of the Serpent's Cunning, Book 3 Disgrace of the Unicorn's Honor, and Book 4 Resurrection of the Phoenix's Grace.

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

Book six is up next after I complete the re-write of book one in the series. Why am I re-writing book one, especially since it’s free? My craft has dramatically improved over the past 3-4 years, thanks in large part to my editor, and even though the book is free, it is the determining factor as to whether folks newly introduced to the series will read more of the books or not. 

What advice do you have for other authors?

Know why you write and be passionate about following your "Why", for you will encounter many times of discouragement when only your "why" will see you through. Always know, if you're not passionate about your "why" no one else will be either.

Anything else you want readers to know?

If you love YA fantasy and sci-fi, every week I host a YouTube channel called Book Nerd Paradise where I help you get to know a YA fantasy or sci-fi author as they read from their work, pose a fun book trivia question, share their favorite quote and do a giveaway! Ten minutes of your time can help you decide if you want to spend more time with an author who is new to you. Find the channel at http://bit.ly/BookNerdParadiseYouTube

Also, stop by my author blog where I’m constantly posting my reviews of YA fantasy and sci-fi books I’ve recently read. It’s also a great way discover new books. Warning, your TBR will grow! 

Where can readers find you and your books?

Amazon
B&N 
Google Play
 
Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook1 
Facebook Book Nerd Paradise
Goodreads

Tales & Legends for Reluctant Readers and the 78th Kid Lit Blog Hop

A few months back (May 2016), I wrote a post about author branding and how I was addressing that in the coming months. Well, it is now time to introduce you to my new author branding:

Tales & Legends for Reluctant Readers

And the first re-release in this series : 

Young Knights of the Round Table:

The King's Ransom

I will always be, first and foremost, an educator, and my desire has, and will be, to entice young readers to read and read more. This was my motivation to start writing my stories and continues to be my inspiration.

I want to thank Kathy at Bublish for taking on the distribution of my stories. There's plenty of good news yet to come from this union as Kathy and I work on connecting with schools, librarians, teachers, and students.

And, in case you're wondering, Christopher Berge of Berge Design did the fabulous cover for Young Knights and will do all of my future covers.

Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom is now available on Amazon.

And Now,

We want to welcome you to the 78th Kid Lit Blog Hop. On this Hop, Carpinello's Writing Pages interviews

MG author Silke Stein

and

MG/YA author L. R. W. Lee

It's back to school time! Some kids are already in school, some are going soon. The kids will be bringing home great books from their libraries. How about sharing some of those on our monthly hop or for that matter, any great kid's literature.

This month we welcome a new co-host Bruce from the Bookshelf Gargoyle! We welcome you aboard and so glad you are here with us!

This exciting, monthly hop, is where we develop an engaged group of people who love everything that has to do with children's literature. Everyone is welcome to join us: bloggers, authors, publicist, and publishers!

Have you seen the new Kid Lit Blog Hop Facebook fan page. This page has all the news and information related to the hop plus ongoing posts, giveaways, news articles, etc. related to Kid's Lit. Check it out and of course, please like the page.

So for our hop, please make sure that your posts are related to Children’s literature only and add it to the linky. (Please make sure to add your direct post only) If you are an author, feel free just to link to your blog.

Once you are done, then hop around to visit others. Please follow the co-host and visit at least the one-two people above your link. Please leave a comment when you do visit, we all like those. Also, it would be appreciated if you grab the Kid Lit Blog Hop Badge and display it on your blog and/or your post.

We would also be grateful if you tweet and/or posted on Facebook about the blog hop. Let’s grow this wonderful community.

Our next hop will be September 21, 2016. Thanks for sharing your great children's books with all of us! The hostess will be around to see you. Happy Hopping!

Reading Authors, Host

Julie Grasso

BeachBoundBooks

Cheryl Carpinello

Pragmatic Mom

The Logonauts

Spark and Pook

Hits and Misses

The Bookshelf Gargoyle

Meet Author Silke Stein

Carpinello's Writing Pages welcomes German-born author Silke Stein. As you will find out, Silke is exploring a number of genres with her writing.

First, a bit about Silke:

I'm a graphic designer but like to write in my spare time. Trina Bell’s Humming Summer is my first novel. I love Victoria, British Columbia, where I currently live. It is a wondrous place that has inspired my story.

Why did you pick to write books for MG?

I'm still at the beginning of my writing adventure and haven't settled on a particular genre yet. Trina Bell's Humming Summer is a middle grade novel, but I have just finished a children's novella that can be enjoyed by all ages, and the book I'm currently writing is a romantic mystery for adults. Whatever audience I'm writing for, I want them to have a great emotional experience.

What types of books do you like to read?

I read a lot of contemporary literary fiction, and I love classic science fiction.

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

Just like my protagonist, Trina, I love to roam the shores and parks of Victoria. Hummingbird-watching, beach-combing and hunting for sea glass are my favorite outdoor activities. Inside, I mostly have my nose in a book when I'm not play-testing a new game my partner has created.

Tell us about Trina Bell's Humming Summer and how the story came to be.

Trina Bell's Humming Summer is the story of a twelve-year-old girl who lives with her elderly aunt but longs to spend time with her father – a famous wildlife photographer who travels the globe and mostly ignores her. When she finally convinces him to take her with him to the Canadian rainforest on a hunt for the elusive spirit bear, her triumph is short-lived.

I'm from Germany, and when I started spending time in Victoria because of my Canadian partner, I fell in love with the city: its beautiful scenery (the Pacific Ocean and the Olympic Mountains) and its amazing wildlife – particularly the hummingbirds (we don't have them in Europe). I got the idea to tell my niece and nephew back home about my 'adventures' through a story. My partner suggested to make the protagonist a young girl, and so Trina was born.

Here's a peek at Trina Bell's Humming Summer:

Shooting ghost bears? Twelve-year-old Trina Bell has finally had enough. Why should she spend another dull summer watching Great-Aunt Roswinda play lawn bowling, while her father has all the fun? This year, she won’t let him get away with the usual excuses. To her surprise, she succeeds. Her dad, the famous wildlife photographer, agrees to take her to the Canadian rainforest, on a quest for the elusive Kermode bear. Trina’s triumph is short-lived, however; soon she finds herself in a city on Vancouver Island, dumped in a strange apartment building that may not be what it seems. But when she befriends Moss, the three-legged dog living across the street, and becomes involved in a mysterious case of vanishing hummingbirds, events take an astonishing turn...



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

I started out writing lyrics and short stories for children. Recently I've completed a novella about a girl who, after finding a mysterious silver violin on her bedroom rug, is faced with the scary prospect of never sleeping again. It's called Sleep, Merel, Sleep and I hope to get it published soon.

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

I'm currently working on a novel inspired by Anderson's The Little Mermaid. There will be a lot of diving but no 'real' mermaids.

What advice do you have for other authors?

Don't waste any time. I came late to writing and wish I could have started in my teens.

Anything else you want readers to know?

I'm thankful for every review and love to hear from readers how they liked Trina and her story.

Where can readers find you and your books?

Trina Bell's Humming Summer is available as ebook and paperback on Amazon and Barnes&Noble. If you would rather support local business: the paperback can be ordered with title and ISBN (9781364932923) at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore around the corner.

Silke Stein Author
Twitter
Facebook

Meet Canadian MG/YA Author Suzanne de Montigny

Carpinello's Writing Pages is pleased to welcome back Canadian author Suzanne de Montigny along with her newest book.

First, a bit about Suzanne:

Award winning author, Suzanne de Montigny, wrote her first novella when she was twelve. Years later, she discovered it in an old box in the basement, thus reigniting her love affair with writing. She lives in Burnaby, B.C., Canada with the four loves of her life – her husband, two boys, and Buddy the dog.

Why did you pick to write books for Middle Grade/YA?

I taught elementary music for 20 years and that’s the age group I liked the best.

What types of books do you like to read?

I like a wide variety of books, but I’m not too crazy about action-packed stories. I’m more of a drama person. However, I loved Harry Potter. I was sorry when it ended.

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

In the winter, we snowboard. It’s such a great escape into a winter wonderland high above the clouds. My boys and I are also heavily involved in music. Every summer, we go to a fiddling camp in Quebec. I also love hiking and cycling.

Tell us about A Town Bewitched and how the story came to be.

A Town Bewitched strangely came as a result of fiddling camp. The first time we attended a fiddling camp when my boys were nine and seven, we came back super hyped. We’d play our fiddles like fiends, walking around the house to the beat of the music. We were on fire. Then, a few months later, I thought, “Suppose what happened to us happened to an entire town, only there was something really wrong with the fiddler.” At first I giggled about it, thinking it was the dumbest idea ever, but it wouldn’t let go of me, so finally I sat down and wrote it. And I’m glad I did because it ended up winning Best Coming of Age Novel in the Dante Rossettie Competition.

Here's a peek at A Town Bewitched:

It’s tough for Kira, growing up in the small town of Hope as a child prodigy in classical violin, especially when her dad just died. And to make matters worse, Kate McDonough, the red-haired fiddler appears out of nowhere and bewitches the town with her mysterious Celtic music. Even Uncle Jack succumbs to her charms, forgetting his promise to look after Kira’s family. But when someone begins vandalizing the town leaving dead and gutted birds as a calling card, Kira knows without a doubt who’s behind it.






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

Sure have. I’ve written a series entitled: Shadow of the Unicorn. It’s a trilogy about unicorns who survive an asteroid only to be exploited for the healing power of their horns with the coming of the humans. I’ve just finished book 3, The Revenge about a unicorn who’s born with something terribly wrong about him, but is very gifted. He’s bullied so much that he attacks the herd, using his gifts against them and they can’t stop him.

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

I’m about to begin a historical romance novel about a young woman who immigrates to Canada to get married after WWI.

What advice do you have for other authors?

Write what’s close to you.

Anything else you want readers to know?

Yes. That half of all my proceeds from my Shadow of the Unicorn series is donated to the Third World Eye Care Society, a group of eye specialists who travel to third world countries delivering thousands of pairs of used eyeglasses and performing eye surgery for free.

Where can readers find you and your books?
Amazon
Kobo
Chapters Indigo
Barnes & Noble
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