Tag: MG books

Meet Kai Strand author of Beware of the White

May 20, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Today I’m doing an interview over at the new MuseItUp Young and YA blog. In my absence, please welcome fellow Muser Kai Strand, author of the middle grade fantasy Beware of the White (check out my Goodreads review), as she discusses her editorial process.

DO THE HARD WORK

Hi everybody! I’m Kai Strand, author of the newly released middle grade fantasy adventure, Beware of the White. I’m thrilled to be on Katie’s blog. Katie was my content editor for Beware of the White and she helped me SO much!

I have a love/hate relationship with editing. I cannot stand the initial revisions, the first pass review that follows the creative high of the first draft. As painfully boring as those revisions are to me, I understand they are crucial to the process. I have great critique partners and I don’t want to jeopardize our working relationship by sending them work I haven’t done due diligence in. It is disrespectful of their time and expertise to send sloppy work.

Once I get their input, I enjoy the editing process again. I like to see how they suggest improvement to the storyline or character development. I love to see where they melt over a character or shake a fist in frustration. I even find the occasional question mark (the ‘what-exactly-do-you-mean-here’ question mark) challenging. As an author, it isn’t my job to defend my work, it is my job to make the story and characters clear to the reader so that no defense is required.

After that, I usually go into another funk of ‘this is so boring’ as I prepare the manuscript for submission. Once I get an editor assigned from the publisher I fall back in love again. I love when an editor really challenges me to improve the book. I love wanting to tear my hair out because it feels like so much work after having put in so much work already. Because I know that will make it a stronger story that will resonate with the reader.

So here comes my last hateful relationship with the editing process. The hard work. Ah, you thought I already mentioned the hard work above, huh? There is one more crucial step. When a content editor reads your work, she examines the story for logic, gaps, motivation. She notes if the pace falls off, mentions an awkward dialogue exchange, points out where your heroine suddenly jumps out of character. You fix the things she mentions and the two of you exchange the manuscript a few times to tweak and refine your words. The line editor points out all of your misuse of commas, grammatical errors, and tweaks to the formatting.

But wait…who is making sure that after all these changes, the words still flow? OH! The author. Before those final edits are turned in, do the hard work and read your story aloud. When you are micro-editing it is so easy to edit in duplicate words or phrases, awkward transitions or a different writing voice. The only way to make absolutely certain the edits are a success is to start at the beginning and read all the way to the end. And do it OUT LOUD! Don’t cry. I know it’s a lot of work, but your story will be stronger for it. I promise.

About Beware of the White:

As is tradition, Terra learns on the Saturday past her twelfth birthday that she is a Natures Spirit. It is her legacy to serve in the peaceful underground city of Concord. Learning she is named in a prophecy and being threatened by the leader of the death tribe…that part breaks tradition.

The Trepidus are the death janitors of the Underworld, responsible for delivering fatalities with a smile and cleaning up after themselves until Blanco, recent leader of the Trepidus, decides the day of reckoning for his species is coming. He begins organizing the creatures and leads them toward an uprising. The prophecy says there is one person who can stop him. Terra.

With Spirit of Security, Frank, protecting her, Terra attempts to complete her training and discover her Spirit talents. Together, they go on a rogue investigation to learn how to defeat Blanco. In the end, it comes down to a battle of the minds. The future of Concord is at stake. Will Blanco, the older, more experienced being win? Or will Terra, the young, new Spirit earn back the peace of the city?

Buy It:

MuseItUp Publishing

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

To celebrate the launch of BEWARE OF THE WHITE, Kai Strand has awesome book related prize packages. Be sure to enter to win. And return again and again to claim entries as you qualify. Kai will also have Spontaneous Giveaways during her book tour. Those giveaways won’t be announced so be sure to follow Kai’s tour. Only virtual stalkers will have the opportunity at all the fun!

About the author:

Kai Strand writes fiction for kids and teens. Her debut novel, The Weaver, was a finalist in the 2012 EPIC eBook Awards. She is a (very lucky) wife and the mother of four amazing kids. The most common sound in her household is laughter. The second most common is, “Do your dishes!” She and her family hike, geocache, and canoe in beautiful Central Oregon, where they call home.

To find out more about Kai’s books, download companion documents, find links to her published short stories and discover all the places to find Kai both virtually and in person, visit her website: www.kaistrand.com. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to send her an email or visit her facebook page, Kai Strand, Author.

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Meet Darius from The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy by Suzanne de Montigny

April 29, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Today is a very unique interview of Darius, a character from Suzanne de Montigny’s MG novel The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy (see my Goodreads review here). Welcome, Darius!

Interview With A Dinosaur, And No, It’s Not Barney

Today, I have the privilege to interview, of all things, a dinosaur. No, it’s definitely not Barney. This one’s named Darius, and he’s the only dinosaur who survived the great asteroid. Readers, if you leave a comment, you have a chance to win a copy of Suzanne de Montigny’s e-book The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy.

Darius, what was life like before the asteroid struck the earth?

It was beautiful, Katie. There were thousands of us living in this beautiful valley full of rich foliage and a tall waterfall that spilled into the bluest lake you ever saw below. I was happy there with my mother Maresa. Then, one day, we had visitors from another valley. They were the strangest creatures I ever did see. They had thin legs, were pure white, and had a spiral horn.

Do you mean unicorns or white rhinos?

Unicorns, of course. And they came to see me. Saul, our leader, had summoned them because I was having strange spells.

What kind of spells?

It’s hard to explain, really. Something would overtake me and I’d be off in another world – a future world, and I didn’t like what I saw.

What did you see?

Everything had changed. The plants had changed, a lot of animals had died, and there was a new two-legged creature that was more dangerous than the Rexus. Then, one day, not too long after, a huge fireball struck our world, blotting out the sun and creating terrible storms. Most of the plants died and so did my dinosaur friends. I was the only one who survived.

How terrible for you. What did you do?

That’s when the unicorns found me just as my mother Maresa was dying. They took me back with them and raised me up…until the humans came.

What happened when the humans arrived?

I was terrified. I fled because I knew I had a destiny to fulfill and that they’d stop me from doing it.

Where did you go?

Back to my own valley. Sigh…it was so beautiful. Different, but still beautiful, except I was all alone. It was really difficult. I really missed Maresa. Then Azaria, my closest friend found me again.

You must have been very happy.

Only for a brief moment because he told a tale that sent shivers up and down my spine.

What did he say?

He said that the humans had captured one of the herds and was murdering them by using the power of their horns to heal people.

So what did you do?

The only thing I could. I taught Azaria the secret that had kept me alive all this time

What was it?

I can’t say. You have to read the book to find out.

What? Why you meanest dinosaur, you!

Haha! Not really, because for every book that’s sold, 20% of the proceeds go to the Third World Eye Care Society.

The Third World Eye Care Society? What’s that?

It’s a group of doctors who travel to third world countries bringing lots of eyeglasses and performing surgery for free.

Oh, well that’s okay.

Yeah. It’s amazing how they restore the vision of so many people who would otherwise be blind. Anyway, I have to go back now. I’m needed.

Okay, but where can we find the book?

You can buy it on Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/unicorntale

Or:

Muse It Up Publishing at http://tinyurl.com/museunicorn

And if you want to watch the booktrailer, here it is:

http://youtu.be/St9OsyK974o

Awesome. And, BTW…oh my gosh, he just slipped back into the book. Darius? Darius? How did he do that? I didn’t even have a chance to thank him. Anyway, readers don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy. Farewell, my friend.

SUZANNE DE MONTIGNY wrote her first unicorn novel at the age of twelve. Several years later, she discovered it in an old box in the basement, thus reigniting her love affair with the unicorns. As a teacher in Vancouver, B.C., she learned she could spin a good tale that kept kids and teachers begging for more. The Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy is her first novel. She lives in Burnaby, B.C. with her husband and two boys.

Meet Tammy Lowe Author of The Acadian Secret

April 10, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Please welcome fellow Muser Tammy Lowe and her tween adventure The Acadian Secret to the blog today.

Thanks for having me on your blog Katie.

What made you want to become a writer?

Oh, this will no doubt illustrate what a dork I am.

As a kid, I loved to read books and watch shows like Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. I loved anything set in the “olden days”.

When I was about ten years old, I began to wonder about time travel. My biggest wish was that I’d end up back in the pioneer era. I wanted to go and hang out with spoiled Nellie Olsen. I don’t remember why I wished for Nellie over Laura Ingalls, but I think it had something to do with the fact that her parents owned the candy shop.

I had it all figured out. I didn’t want to live in the 18th or 19th century; I’d miss my family too much. And I can’t live without modern comforts. I wanted the freedom to travel back and forth through time.

My wish to time travel was so strong; I even dressed the part, as much as I could, without raising anyone’s suspicions. I wore dresses to school every day, when all my friends wore jeans and t-shirts. I had to be prepared just in case it worked and I was whisked through time. That summer, I even begged my mom to buy me a bonnet. She did. I wore that white bonnet everywhere. If I ended up in Walnut Grove or Avonlea, I was prepared.

By the sixth grade I was old enough to realize that time travel probably wasn’t going to be a reality for me, so I decided when I grew up, I’d write a story about a girl who could travel back and forth through time.

What books had the most influence on you while you were growing up?

I remember reading Judy Blume books under the blankets with a flashlight, well past my bedtime. I felt like such an adult as I read, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret.

So many authors influenced me when I was a young girl, from Roald Dahl and L.M. Montgomery to Stephen King and Sidney Sheldon.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring two books and one movie, what would you bring?

Easy question! My two books would be Anne of Green Gables and Jane Eyre. The movie would be The Sound of Music.

And, if you weren’t peeking…I’d try and sneak in a copy of The Hunger Games too.

What is your favorite part of the writing process? What is your least favorite part?

The first draft is my least favourite part of the writing process. I find it hard trying to get the ideas out of my head and onto the page. I love to go back and polish it up in the editing stages.

What is the single best piece of advice you have for aspiring authors?

When you “think” you are finished your novel, put it away for at least six weeks and forget about it. When the time comes to take it out again, sit back and re-read the entire manuscript. Take notes. You will see a million mistakes and plot holes. Everything that isn’t working will jump out at you. It will be a cringe-worthy read, but you’ll be glad you put it away instead of sending it out.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

I’d love to be able to time travel.

And fly.

And have an invisibility cloak.

And…oh, just one? *grin*

What is something funny/weird/exceptional about yourself that you don’t normally share with others in an interview?

In a scene out of a rom-com, I was on a date with my boyfriend (who is now my husband). One summer afternoon, he took me out on his boat and down the Niagara River. We stopped for a romantic little lunch on the patio of a restaurant overlooking the water.

He tied his boat up to the dock, held out his hand and helped me climb out. We walked up to the patio, took a seat, and ordered lunch. Everything was perfect.

Little did we know there was police surveillance on the fancy boat we had parked next to.

And little did we know police thought WE had just walked off of that boat.

So, we are enjoying lunch, when I clue in that all around us, something is going on. I watch unmarked police cars pull up. They are looking at the boats. They are looking up at us. I then go into full panic mode as I realize they are doing a stake-out on us!

The way we were seated, I was watching it all unfold, but my boyfriend had his back to it. Not seeing what was going on, he of course thinks I’m completely off my rocker.

Crazy new girlfriend alert!

So, I have to convince him that this is all true. I’m not nuts and he needs to go and fix the situation. I’m shaking like a leaf and in tears. My boyfriend walks down to where the police officers are and returns about five minutes later.

Yup. I was right. They were doing a stake-out on us, thinking we arrived on the other boat.

We finished our meal and left. We have been married for twenty years now, but that was probably our most memorable lunch date.

The Acadian Secret blurb:

Elisabeth London is keeping her new friends a secret from her parents. Not only do they live on the other side of the world in the Scottish Highlands, they lived more than three hundred and fifty years ago. Her mom and dad would never allow her to go gallivanting about seventeenth century Scotland. They won’t even let her go to the mall by herself yet.

Twelve-year-old Elisabeth is old enough to know there is no such thing as magic, but when her quartz crystal necklace has the power to transport her back and forth in time, she no longer knows what to think. The only thing she is certain of is that she loves spending carefree days with Quinton, the mischievous nephew of a highland warrior, and sassy little Fiona, a farmer’s daughter.

However, Elisabeth’s adventures take a deadly turn when she is charged with witchcraft. At a time and place in history when witch-hunts were common, those found guilty were executed, children included. Elisabeth must race to find her way back home, while trying to stay one step ahead of the witch-hunter determined to see her burned at the stake.

A little more about the author:

When she isn’t writing, you will either find Tammy Lowe surrounded by little children and covered in glitter and glue, or on some grand adventure: inside an Egyptian pyramid, twirling on an Alp or climbing the Great Wall of China. She’s part Mary Poppins, part Indiana Jones.

Tammy lives in Cambridge, Ontario with her husband and their teenage son. Find her at www.tammylowe.com and her book at the MuseItUp bookstore.