iRead Spotlight Tour: YA Author Alan Creed's James Dreadful

 

 

Join us for this tour from June 21 to July 9, 2021!

Book Details:
 

Book Title:  James Dreadful and the Spell-Guardian (The Dreadful Series Book 1) by Alan Creed
Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17),  280 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher:  Creed Publishing
Release date:  March, 2021
Content Rating:  PG.

Book Description:

Fourteen-year-old James Dreadful is living a normal life in a small Colorado town. But his past is anything but normal. Born in Nobrocoso—a mystical land of magic and myths—James was brought to earth at the age of three to escape sorcerous assassins after the death of his parents.

When a powerful and evil goblin arrives years later to steal a secret book that once belonged to his father, James discovers his father’s true identity—Jack Dreadful was the Dark Lord who waged a terrible war in Nobrocoso.

Now, dark forces are stirring, and James must return to Nobrocoso to confront the legacy of blood left by his father. But as James learns his father’s secrets, he fears saving himself might just cost him his soul.

Can James survive a dangerous, mystical land haunted by his father’s blood-stained deeds? Or will he choose the path of the Dark Lord and meet the same abysmal end?

Buy the Book:
Amazon
Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Alan Creed fell in love with storytelling after seeing Star Wars for the first time as a child. When he was ten years old, his tutor asked him to write sentences containing three words: Ocean, Desert and Jungle. Instead of sentences, Alan wrote a 103-page story entitled Journey through the Desert. That's when he knew he wanted to be a writer. His 103-page story served as the source material for the Dreadful Series. Alan is currently working on the next installment in the James Dreadful series.

connect with the author: website ~ goodreads

 

Tour Schedule:

June 21 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
June 22 - Working Mommy journal - book spotlight / giveaway
June 22 – Character Madness and Musings – book spotlight / giveaway
June 22 - @twilight_reader – book spotlight
June 23 – Carpinello's Writing Pages – book spotlight / giveaway
June 23 - Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway
June 24 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
June 25 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
June 28 –Books for Books – book spotlight
June 29 – Pick a Good Book – book spotlight / giveaway
June 29 - Westveil Publishing – book spotlight / giveaway
June 30 – I Read What You Write – book spotlight / giveaway
June 30 - Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
July 1 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
July 2 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
July 6 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / giveaway
July 6 - Lamon Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
July 7 - Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / giveaway
July 7 – GivernyReads – book spotlight / giveaway
July 8 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / giveaway
July 9 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway

Enter the Giveaway:

JAMES DREADFUL AND THE SPELL GUARDIAN Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

The Shadow of Atlantis Blog Tour

 

Carpinello's Writing Pages is excited to participate in The Shadow of Atlantis Pump Up Your Book Blog Tour. This is the first book in the Shadows of the Past MG series. I just love these books. Each is an exciting adventure into past history and full of surprises!

 

 

About the Book: 

 

 Title: THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS


Author: Wendy Leighton-Porter

Publisher: Silver Quill Publishing

Pages: 128


Genre: Middle Grade Literature / Time Travel / Adventure
 

BOOK BLURB:

 
James and Isabel Lancelot have disappeared in mysterious circumstances, leaving behind their children, 10-year-old twins Jemima and Joe. Nobody has a clue what’s happened to them, except for the family cat who was the sole witness to their disappearance. Using the portal of an old book – Shadows from the Past – the couple have travelled back in time but, having left behind the key to bring them home, they are now trapped somewhere in the past. With their parents missing, the twins are sent to live with their Uncle Richard, a professor of ancient history and archaeology, where they soon befriend their new next-door-neighbour, Charlie, a super-brainy boy who is the same age as them.

At the start of the school summer holidays, the three children decide to investigate the old book that had belonged to the twins’ father. Finding the book locked, they’re unable to open it until Jemima discovers she has the key. It was on her mother’s necklace, left abandoned on the attic floor after their parents’ disappearance. And there’s more… The children find a small pouch inside the wooden chest that contained the book and, inside the pouch are four golden charms shaped like owls.
 
With the book unlocked, an astonishing series of events begins to unfold. The youngsters hear whispering voices carried by a strong breeze that comes out of nowhere and then, a strange cloud fills the room. Through the mist, they see tantalising glimpses of an ancient city. Joe is the first to discover that if they step inside this cloud it will take them to another place. Jemima is surprised to hear her mother’s voice calling to her, reminding her to pick up the all-important key. Then, holding Max, her beloved Tonkinese cat, in her arms, Jemima follows the two boys into the mist. Arriving in the lost city of Atlantis, the children are astounded to find that it was no myth, but a real, historical place. And so their adventures begin…

It doesn’t take them long to realise the owl charms are mini translation tools, enabling them to communicate with the Atlanteans, but when Jemima attaches one to Max’s collar, the large cat begins to speak. The children can’t believe their ears, especially when Max tells them the truth about their parents’ disappearance. The twins are overjoyed to learn that their parents aren’t dead but simply lost in time, and now their quest begins in earnest. They must find and rescue James and Isabel, searching throughout the pages of history. But, first, the youngsters have an important mission – to warn the people of Atlantis about the disaster that will soon destroy their city. Will they succeed? And can they find their way back to the safety of their own time before it's too late?

About the Author:

 

 

After teaching French, Latin, and Classical Studies for almost twenty years, Wendy’s career took a new direction when she turned to her first love – books – and decided to devote herself to writing children’s fiction. With the old adage “Write about what you know” in mind, when she first came up with the idea for her series of time-travel adventures, she jumped head-first into the ancient world of classical history and mythology which formed the backdrop for her first three books. As the series moves forward in time, she sets each story in historical periods that have always fascinated her. Although no longer in the classroom, she seeks to entertain her young readers, to engage them, to foster a love of reading, but also to educate. As she takes them on a thrilling journey into the past alongside her three young time-travellers and their talking cat, Wendy hopes that her love of history, myth and legend will rub off on them along the way.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://www.wendy-leighton-porter.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WLP_author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyLeightonPorterWriter

 

 

PRAISE

"Author Wendy Leighton-Porter's Shadows from the Past children's series is an outstanding collection of books that would make an excellent addition to any home or school library. Written in an engaging style with characters that will have great appeal to young readers, this page-turning collection will be as enticing to avid book enthusiasts as it will be for reluctant readers." CHILDREN'S LITERARY CLASSICS

 

 BOOK AWARDS
"The Shadows from the Past series is perfect for a rainy day and a must-have for a child's shelves." READERS' FAVORITE BOOK REVIEWS
 

"The Shadow of Atlantis is a well-written story with a collection of likable main characters, a solid plot line, snippets of educational facts about a historically important location and event, and, is filled with mystery, magic, and suspense. This book grabbed me at the prologue and had me hooked until the end." MOTHER DAUGHTER BOOK REVIEWS

 
ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3mm3gWm

 

 

Book Excerpt:
 

Prologue

    Max blinked in surprise, scarcely able to believe his eyes. A cloud of mist had appeared in the middle of the room – he’d never seen anything like that in the house before. What was it? Where had it come from? At its heart, lit by an eerie glow, he glimpsed the shadowy image of an ancient city. It was a bit like a mirage that travellers sometimes see in the desert and, in the same way that a mirage looks real but shimmers in the heat haze before gradually fading from view, so the fuzzy outline of the town now flickered and began to disappear.
    Max gasped as a hand suddenly shot out of the mist, clawing desperately at the bare floorboards of the attic, while horrified voices cried out from deep within the cloud.
    ‘What are you doing, Isabel? Where’s the key? What have you done with it?’
    ‘I don’t know. I can’t find it. I must have left it on the floor next to the book.’
    ‘Seriously? But you know we can’t get home again without the key. We’ll be stuck here, and no one will know how to find us.’
    ‘What? Oh, no, James, we have to go back. What about the twins? This can’t be happening. What are we going to do? Help, someone, help us, please…’
    The anguished cries grew fainter as the image of the city continued to fade and the searching hand melted away, its scrabbling fingers the last things to go. Then, all was quiet once more.
    Max cocked his head on one side, focusing his aquamarine eyes on the last shreds of mist, but there was no longer any sign of the outstretched arm. The desperate voices had ceased and only the rasping of his own breath broke the silence. They’d vanished. Where had they gone? Alone and afraid, Max remained rooted to the spot, rubbing a paw over his eyes as he stared at the empty space where the vision had been. He settled down to wait for James and Isabel to come back, but he wasn’t to know that the gateway to the past had now closed and that they were trapped inside. The large Tonkinese cat was seized with panic. What should he do? Should he go and fetch help? But how could he do that? Nobody would be able to understand him.
    Getting to his feet, he padded over to a carved wooden chest that sat on the floor and peered inside. Its open lid revealed a threadbare, blue velvet lining, but nothing else – it was empty. Hmm, so no clues there, then. Beside the chest lay an old book whose leather cover bore an intricate design. Aha! There, next to the book, Max spotted Isabel’s favourite necklace with its small golden key attached to the delicate chain. Was that what she’d been trying to reach?
    He looked around the attic, stumped. Apart from those three objects, no other evidence remained of what had just happened. Realising there was nothing he could do, at least for now, Max headed for the door, heaving a deep sigh as he cast a final glance back over his shoulder.
 

Meet MG Author Deema T. Kheiry

Carpinello's Writing Pages tries to include a variety of authors in our interviews. While we focus on children's/MG/YA authors, we do try to find authors from around the world to introduce to our readers. Today we visit with Deema T. Kheiry, a middle grade author from a part of the world unfamiliar to many of us. Please join me in welcoming Deema to Carpinello's Writing Pages.

 

First, here's a bit about Deema:

 

Hello there, I’m Deema! Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved immersing myself in a great book. A wonderful story can take you anywhere in the world, or even out of this world! Now, as a mother of two young girls, I have come to realize that it is more important than ever to create stories that develop a sense of self and encourage kids to love reading and learning new things, all while putting a smile on their faces and a glint in their eyes. When I am not hanging out with my family and friends, there is nothing I like more than to bring these magical stories to life, one word at a time! I have lived in and visited a lot of countries around the world throughout my life, but for the past thirteen years Dubai, UAE has been my home. It is where I spend time with my family, and where I dream up new magical stories to share with all of you…

 

Why did you pick to write books for MG readers?

Middle-Grade books encompass innocence, magic, and bright-eyed wonder. But, at the same time, they are the start of learning about more serious topics that exist in the world. For those who want a little bit of both, Middle-Grade is the best place to be.

What types of books do you like to read, and what do you do when you are not writing?

I love a good mystery myself. And I love to read books that take me into another world. Seeing how far the imagination can wander has always been fascinating to me. When I'm not writing, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two young girls. I also enjoy getting together with friends, seeing nature in all its beauty, and reading great books.

 

Tell us about The Book of Astoriya-The Land of the Blooming Forest and how the story came to be.
 

The Book of Astoriya-The Land of the Blooming Forest is book one of a four-book series. It actually started out as an attempt to write a short story for my daughter, then it just grew, and grew, and grew. And now here we are, a couple years later, with The Book of Astoriya Series!
 

What was important for me when writing the story was to have the main character, Sofie, as relatable to kids her age as possible. While there is plenty of magic and fantasy involved, Sofie, herself, uses her love of science and the things she has learned to get her through some sticky situations. Although it is subtle, I am hoping that this message will help kids to realize that the love of learning is magical in its own right.

Here's a peek at The Book of Astoriya-The Land of the Blooming Forest:

The Lands of Astoriya have been unveiled,
A magical journey shall be revealed…
​
Eleven-year-old Sofie is lost! What started out as an ordinary visit to the Community Library, ended with her thrust into a world that she never thought possible.
 

Armed only with the strange, dust-ridden book that sent her there, Sofie grapples to find her way back home.
 

But not all is as it seems in the Land of the Blooming Forest. Jasmine, Queen of the Fairies, needs help to save the land from a vicious, relentless enemy that seeks to plunge them all into a world of darkness. And Sofie is their only hope.
 

Follow Sofie as she fights to save The Land of the Blooming Forest, makes a few magical friends along the way, and discovers the long-hidden secret of Astoriya, and a secret of her own that she never knew she had…

 

How do you go about researching for your stories?
 

Most of the ideas I get for the stories I write are from glimpses of the experiences around me. I usually start out with an idea in my head, and as I start to write, it develops organically, as though the story wants to write itself.
        

Plenty of what I write is fictional, but when it comes to any facts that are written into the story, it is very important to me that they are accurate and factual. So, I do a lot of research from multiple sources to confirm those facts and then try to tie it all up in an easy-and-fun-to-read little bow.
 

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

The Book of Astoriya-The Land of the Blooming Forest is my first published novel. It has been quite the roller-coaster ride, and there is still plenty more to come!

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

Right now, I’m finalizing book two of The Book of Astoriya Series, The Book of Astoriya-The Land of the Everlasting Sun. Once I’ve completed all four books, I’ll start work on another series I have in mind which will be a mixture of science fiction, mystery, and adventure. It will be set in the not-so-familiar historical places around the world to help bring attention to our deeply vast history.
 

What advice do you have for other authors?

Patience. Definitely, patience. It takes a lot of time and effort to write (and then rewrite) a good book. As tempted as an author is to put a book out there as quickly as possible, it is best to take the time to perfect it. It will all be worth it in the end.

Anything else you want readers to know?

If you are already reading Cheryl’s blog, then you already know just how incredible reading great books can be. So, all I have left to say is to keep doing what you’re doing, and enjoy the journey!

Where can readers find you and your books?

You can find more about me and my books on my website and social media pages, as well as subscribe for updates:

Website 

Facebook
Instagram

Twitter

Goodreads 

The Book of Astoriya-The Land of the Blooming Forest is currently available as an E-book, a full color illustrated paperback and a grayscale paperback. You can find them on Amazon, as well as other marketplaces.

For a full list of marketplaces, you can visit this link here:
Find My Books | Deema Kheiry- Author

Meet MG Author Kathleen Jae

 

Carpinello's Writing Pages is excited to host Kathleen Jae on her Pump Up Your Book Tour for her very first novel, but not her first book. Please welcome her and be sure to leave encouraging comments. Don't forget to read all the way to the end for something special.

First, a bit about Kathleen:

Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery is Kathleen Jae’s first novel. She has been writing in one form or another for over twenty years. Her greatest success story is her daughter, and their autism journey is chronicled in Kathleen’s first book, From Prompting to Shaping to Letting Go: My Love Affair With ABA and How Being a “Bad Mom” Helped My Daughter With Autism Succeed. Two of Kathleen’s short stories made it to the finals of the 2017 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award competition.

 

Why did you pick to write books for middle-grade readers?

I never set out to write for middle-grade readers. In fact, I did not realize there was such a label when I began Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery. I knew my protagonist would be a chipmunk, and in the beginning, I had no idea the book would surpass 150 pages. It kind of evolved, so that when it was finished I knew the readers would probably be about ten years old to fourteen or fifteen. But in reality, middle-grade readers range in age from about eight to twelve.

 

What types of books do you like to read, and what do you do when you’re not writing? 

I can find so little time for reading strictly for fun! When I am reading, it’s something historical to research for the sequel to an upcoming book, Island Times Three (a historical detective mystery that takes place on Manhattan and Sanibel Islands) or browsing the internet to search for material to use in the sequel to Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery. The book I am reading for Island Times Three is The NYPD’s First Years by Bernard and Jon Whalen. When I’m not writing, I am outside as much as possible, gardening or hanging with our dogs.

 

Tell us about Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery and how the story came to be. 


My family and I have visited Sanibel Island in Florida a lot over the past 20 years. About five years ago we decided to take a kayaking tour in Tarpon Bay. At one point, our guide began to talk about the red-mangroves and how they are destroyed to make room for development. While I sat listening, I pictured a chipmunk standing on a red mangrove branch, and I came up with a premise: a young chipmunk protects the red mangroves from destruction.

 

Here's a peek at Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery:
 

Dangers lurk both high and low,
 

Marauders, curs, moggies too.
 

When darkness comes, we must not go,
 

And wait for light’s renew!
 

Elanora’s mother uttered the verse daily, just as her mother’s mother had told it to her, so who was Elanora to question it? It gave her shivers when she heard the serious way her mother told it, as if every menacing creature mentioned in the verse were waiting just outside their burrow, ready to pounce on them for daring to leave the safety of their home. The first time her mother recited it, Elanora was busy studying the stripes on the back of her sister Vala. All of them had these same stripes, even her mother, but Elanora thought them quite unnecessary.
 

“One…two…three…” she counted, poking hard at each line, until her sister screamed for her to stop. Elanora was quietly scolded, as it was normally a time for rest. She promised herself to ask her mother about the stripes at feasting time, for she had an almost vital need to know things.
 

“Please tell me now—why do we have these silly stripes on our backs?” Elanora asked her mother this question after they arrived at the edge of a clearing where the cobbings grew on the popple trees. She pulled a piece of cobbing from the tree and shoved it in her mouth. Her sisters and brothers foraged around her, and she had never heard them complain about the ugly and slimy things. But Elanora thought they tasted like dirt, and their shape reminded her of the lily pads she had seen in the pond that was not far from their home. Elanora accepted the tops, but she had long ago rejected the stems for she thought they made her tummy hurt. At least that is what she told to all who would listen.
 

Her mother smiled at Elanora’s question. “Hava has used her wisdom once again with the creation of our stripes. You noticed they are different colors, yes?”
 

Elanora nodded.
 

“That is so we are one with everything else she has created.”
 

“But—”
 

“Look at your brother there,” she directed, pointing to Calum. “You must use your eyes skillfully to see him among the leaves and the twigs and the ground.”
 

Elanora tried to observe the scene in an open-minded way and decided that her mother was right: when Calum was still he seemed to disappear.
 

Elanora nodded. “I agree, Mother. But if Hava has done this good thing, why did she also create the defyers—those awful creatures who watch for us and take us away with their sharp claws?”
 

Her mother stopped eating and frowned at Elanora. “You are asking too many questions! We will leave that for another outing!”
 

She had been told such things before, like when she would ask why the water fell from the sky or why the brightness left and the darkness arrived at the same time. She knew her queries annoyed her family, but she could not help herself. That was why she loved to talk to Damhan. He answered her questions thoughtfully and always welcomed more.
 

That eventide, Elanora asked if she might explore the nearby pond the next brightness, and her mother agreed. Just as the light pushed through the tops of the trees, Elanora’s mother received a report of a cur wandering near the rock wall. After securing a promise from her daughter that she would not be away long, Sorcha gave Elanora permission to leave the nest.
She peeked from the opening of their burrow. Elanora loved the cozy home she shared with her family, and her mother once told them that she had lived in the same burrow when she was a youngster. The tiny entrance was at the bottom of a tall honey tree, and once inside, Elanora had to turn to the right, climb up two steps, and turn left. A feathered creature had bored a hole through the bark at this point, and Elanora loved to watch the brightness of the moon push through the opening and into their burrow, and it was the last thing she saw before falling asleep.

 

The other part of the burrow, one that Elanora did not like, was under the ground. Its entrance was just beyond the steps, and the tunnel that led downward was narrow. They sometimes slept in a nest in one of the larger pockets, usually after hearing the cries of a moggie.
 

Dangers lurk both high and low,
 

Marauders, curs, moggies too.
 

When darkness comes, we must not go,

And wait for light’s renew! 

 

How do you go about researching for your stories? 


During my initial online research for Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery, I discovered chipmunks are not naturally found in Southwest Florida, and at the same time I found out that the other main characters, namely the round-tailed muskrats, are not normally found in red mangrove forests. I had to pick up my characters and move them someplace else, and since salt marshes are sandwiched between freshwater marshes and red-mangrove forests, it was a logical place for the book’s setting. In the course of additional research, I found a site that explained how to drain a salt marsh and how it affects the water and, therefore, the animals who live there. I bought a few books online that explained the salt marsh ecosystem, and they were helpful.

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


The first book I published is called From Prompting to Shaping to Letting Go: My Love Affair With ABA and How Being a “Bad Mom” Helped My Daughter With Autism Succeed. It’s about the journey my daughter and I took after we received her autism diagnosis at the age of three, her ensuing behavioral program I set up and her many achievements over the years.

 

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



I’ve started the sequel to Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery, and Island Times Three should be released in August.

 

What advice do you have for other authors? 



If an idea comes to you, and you think it will make a good book, just start it. Do some research—enough to get some pages down. I find that when I start writing, the ideas about where my characters go and what they say just flows. Write until the ideas slow. Then walk away for a little while. Think about what you have written. I have worked this way many times, and I might be cleaning or gardening and thinking about the story, and an idea will just pop into my head.

 

Anything else you want readers to know? 


I want to thank illustrator Lori Taylor, Editor Lisa Gilliam and Graphic Designer Peter Chiappetta for their hard work and skills in bringing Elanora to life.

 

Where can readers find you and your books? 


To purchase a print version of Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery, click here, and From Prompting to Shaping to Letting Go, here.

 

Readers can email me at kathleen@kathleenjae.com and

Website 

Pinterest 

Facebook 

 

Amazon 

 

Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

 
Kathleen Jae is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card
&
One Printed Canvas Bag

 
(Canvas Bag Includes one plushie muskrat (Beathas, Lachi and the rest of the colony); one plushie chipmunk (Elanora); one plushie gray squirrel (Nara); one roseate spoonbill photo transfer hanging by Etsy shop owner FeelinGroovyPhotos (Moira and Muirreal); one framed manatee art print by Etsy shop owner SammWehmanArt (sea cow); one cormorant printed tea towel by Etsy shop owner HearthandHarrow (Pelles); one yellow-crowned night heron signed printed note card by Etsy shop owner BlueHenCraft (Morven); one set of 5 vintage bobcat postage stamps by Etsy shop owner AxmxZ (bullycat); one red-tailed hawk applique iron-on patch by Etsy shop owner PatchParlor (defyer); one reusable shopping bag adorned with assorted forest animals including red fox (oppect), white tailed deer (Damhan), rabbit (quidge) and owl (maurauder); one bird-watching notebook with blue jay (Jae) on front; two signed copies of Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery and two Elanora bookmarks.)
 

Terms & Conditions:
 

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive $50 Amazon Gift Card & one winner will be chosen to win tote bag.
This giveaway ends midnight April 30.
Winner will be contacted via email on May 1.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!