Meet Australian YA Author Wendy Laharnar

Today we welcome YA author Wendy Laharnar to Carpinello's Writing Pages.

A bit about Wendy:

Wendy lives by the sea with her husband on the east coast of Australia. She looks forward to visits from her two adult children and her grandchildren. Most of her time is spent at the computer, and yet her writing output has fallen off dramatically since 2011-12 when her novel The Unhewn Stone and her short stories were published. Wendy decided that it’s now time to drop everything else and concentrate on new stories!


Why did you pick to write books for young adults?

I usually write for my own entertainment, but my stories tend to suit both young and old. However, with The Unhewn Stone, I had high school History students in mind. I wanted them to live in the Middle Ages by trapping them inside a medieval legend, with Stefan, to experience the conditions and culture first hand.

What types of books do you like to read?

I enjoy reading mainstream mysteries (Tami Hoag is a favourite author at the moment), historical Romances (Victoria Holt and Sharon Penman style) and old adventures like The Scarlet Pimpernel and A Tale of Two Cities. Having just seen Les Misérables at the movies, and loved it, I grabbed the free ebook copy from Kindle classics. Don’t know when I’ll get to read that. 

Okay hold everything! I rarely find another person who says they enjoy reading A Tale of Two Cities! Thank you, Wendy!

In nonfiction, I like conspiracy theories, (such as The Burmuda Triangle and Erich von Daniken’s Chariot’s of the Gods). I also enjoy royal biographies, mythology, astronomy and everything to do with the middle ages; I delve into that for research.

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

I think about writing. Talk about writing. Read about writing. Promote writers. Travel to find settings and situations to write about.

In the physical world, I like the beach and mountains, and training my mini Schnauzer. I’ve recently picked up my knitting needles again.


Tell us about The Unhewn Stone and how the story came to be.

The Unhewn Stone is a novel about a modern boy on the eve of his eighteenth birthday. He has a complex about his scarred face and gamy leg and hides behind masks and costumes, believing he can be his true self only when in disguise. He is a conjurer and clowns around, entertaining the locals who come to his father’s guesthouse (Gasthüüs) in Central Switzerland, Bürglen to be precise –birthplace of the legendary Wilhelm Tell.


The story came about because I wanted high school History students to learn about all aspects of the Middle Ages by actually living inside History, experiencing life with Stefan, rather than just reading about it in text books.  I also wanted them to discover something about themselves and question their values the way Stefan does; the way I did while writing the story. Like us, Stefan thinks it will be a breeze to cope in the 14th century, due to his superior knowledge compared to mere peasants, and his ability to perform ‘magic’. He couldn’t be more wrong.

The Unhewn Stone placed 3rd in the Preditors and Editors Readers’ Poll Awards 2011 for YA Books.


A peek at The Unhewn Stone:

Fighting legends in the Middle Ages is a dangerous game, even for the modern young magician known as the Chosen One.

By means of a magic orb, an opportunity presents for Stefan to travel back to 1307, the era of the Tell legend. His grandfather urges him to go. He wants Stefan to restore family honour by preventing the events of the legend from happening. You see, in the very town where Wilhelm Tell is revered above all others, Stefan is an outsider. He is a Gessler, descended from the tyrant governor who forced Tell to shoot and arrow through the apple on his son’s head. Stefan’s family still bear the stigma after 700 years.

Stefan’s mission is to stop Tell from killing Governor Gessler and thus prevent Tell from becoming the Swiss National Hero of Liberty. After all, Tell is a killer, so is there really any difference between freedom fighters and terrorists? Stefan’s grandfather suggests that while Stefan is in medieval Switzerland he should try to discover the alchemist’s secret of changing metal into gold. If Stefan can do this, his grandfather promises, he’ll lose his complex and get his heart’s desire. For Stefan that means the love of the cool beauty Ursula. Pursued by a shape shifting sibyl and an evil knight, and mistrusted by his distant family, Stefan is trapped inside the legend with no hope of escape.

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

I’ve had three short stories published by MuseItUp:

Billy the Bonsai Bull is a true story told from Billy’s point of view. This story fits well as a short chapter book for Middle Graders as it deals with bullying, loneliness, and the difference between true and false friends, but it was written for my husband and me. It symbolizes life on our Australian grazing property, which we sold several years ago.

Happiness Guaranteed is mainstream Science Fiction but older teens would find it interesting as a futuristic psychological thriller.

A Summer Squall features a 10 year old boy, but again I wrote it for myself as a metaphor for the writing process. Young teens would enjoy the adventure but might not get the literary aspect, so I’d have to say this one is mainstream fiction...though much of this story is based on fact.





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

I’ve written 1st drafts of two mysteries and a fantasy, but they need a lot of work before I can consider submitting them, even to a critique group. I’m sweating blood over these works in progress.

What advice do you have for other authors?

Learn your craft. Take criticism to head not to heart, and try to accept it doesn’t always come from reader ignorance. Sometimes the writer needs to clarify a problem in the manuscript.

Anything else you want readers to know?

Yes, I welcome everyone to my new Forum for Readers, Writers and Travellers, here.   You can join us by logging in via your Yahoo, Facebook or Twitter etc. Readers talk about reading, find books by new authors and ask questions or make suggestions. Authors do the same, as well as talk about writing and showcase their work. Travellers tell us about their trips. They can be most helpful to future travellers and answer writers who need information about places and people for their settings and characters.

Where can readers find you and your books?

 My books are available at

MuseItUp
Amazon
And all online ebook stores

My website with the book video trailer, Swiss widget and excerpt.
My blog
Facebook and Twitter

Newest Tween Books Out

Join me in welcoming the newest Tween books on the market. The Wishing Ring and Billy the Bonsai Bull were released by Muse It Up Publishing on Feb. 3, 2012. Introduce your young reader to these two Muse authors and their stories.

The Wishing Ring by Shellie Neumeier

Cover Designer: Kaytalin Platt


The King’s castle stands alone atop Grand Ur Mountain, but even that does not match the solitude surrounding Princess Ali. With a carrot-shaped nose, she trudges through her princess duties with the most unfortunate face. With her pet greybar (a creature with the head of a greyhound, body of a polar bear, and wings of an eagle) as her only friend, Ali dreams of becoming a beautiful princess.

When Cory, a ninja-in-training, drops through the royal chimney, he does not intend to enlist the help of anyone, much less a girl, but she holds the key to the Creator’s map. The ancient map marks the secret hiding place of the magic Wishing Ring, a ring grants the wearer one wish.

Cory’s mysterious need for the ring and Ali’s dream of a beauty send the pair to a forgotten land. Only the war ravaged clan of Odana can translate the map’s key. But even if they manage to find a translator, the question remains—can they beat the Ogre who guards the ring?

eBook available at Amazon Kindle and Muse Bookstore.
See more of Shellie's work at her website.



Billy the Bonsai Bull by Wendy Laharnar

Cover Designer: Kaytalin Platt



Billy the Bonsai Bull is an Australian true story told from the little bull's point of view.

Billy is a stubborn, orphaned calf who is losing the battle to survive. Hope revives in an unexpected way, through the milk bottle he detests, and brings him a sense of belonging. However, it takes more than a place in the pecking order for this little white bull to thrive. It takes a miracle.

Excerpt:

The calf padded forward. He looked into his mother’s face and mooed softly. Her glazed, weepy eyes no longer focused on his. He nibbled on her ear. She didn’t stir.

The farmer’s wife sighed and reached forward to pat his head. “Come on, little bull. I’ll get you a nice warm drink. What do you think of that?” His hair bristled. Without his mother’s protection, he didn’t feel comfortable with these people. He darted away to the safety of a gum tree.

“This calf will be harder for you to rear than mothering a newborn,” the farmer warned his wife. “This one’s had the real thing for three weeks.”

“Maybe, but you’ll have to help me get a collar and lead on it. After that, how hard can it be? Besides, I must succeed. I promised Misty.”

The little bull waited till they walked up the hill and out of sight. He ventured out from behind the tree trunk and settled on a patch of dirt inside the hawthorn bush a short distance from where his mother lay. In his cave-like shelter he dozed, until a sudden, terrifying pressure on his ribs woke him.

The farmer’s knee pinned him to the ground. He squirmed and wriggled to his feet, kicking defiantly with his hind legs, but the farmer held him fast. The wife approached with a thin orange strap and secured the collar around his little neck. She picked up a bottle filled with a strange white liquid and pushed its rubber teat into his mouth. The teat smelled like the black boots on her feet. He eased it out with his tongue. She tried again. With her free hand she continually scratched his throat. He had to swallow. Then he gagged and struggled and spat and stamped on the woman’s foot.

She laughed and hugged him. “In spite of your tiny body and cute little face, you’re such a stubborn beast. You behave like a goat. A Billy goat! That’s what I’ll name you.” She stood and tugged on the lead. “Come on Billy, it’s me or nothing.”

Available at Amazon Kindle and Muse Bookstore.
See more of Wendy's work at her website.