Tag: middle grade books (Page 1 of 4)

Meet Clare C-Saunders, Author of CHARLOTTE & ARTHUR’S ADVENTURES – THE PUMPKIN PORTAL

October 1, 2024 / Katie L. Carroll

Charlotte & Arthur’s Adventures – The Pumpkin Portal
A Middle Grade Adventure for spooky season!

Thank you, Katie, for asking me to be a guest blogger on your lovely website. I’m happy to introduce my new book Charlotte & Arthur’s Adventures – The Pumpkin Portal to you and your readers. This book cover has been beautifully illustrated by my daughter Rose, who is only 17 years old. Rose has worked together with me as a mother & daughter team on all our books since she was only nine years old, her first illustrations can be seen in, Seven Nights of Snuggles. She’s also done an amazing job of putting our book trailer together along with her dad’s music and my voiceover. Working with my daughter makes author events so much fun, as she often comes along with a craft activity for children. We’ve appeared at the Derby Book Festival, our local libraries and independent bookstores, and we even did a school book talk along with our Newfoundland dog in tow for World Book Day.

The Pumpkin Portal book and cover were inspired by our family trips out to our local pumpkin patch in Derbyshire, UK. Obviously, the book features a fictional version of it with a good dose of artistic licence for entertainment value. This is a beautiful farm near where we live, it has many different varieties of pumpkins and gourds in every size, shape and colour. I hadn’t realised you can get a blue pumpkin until I found one in their patch! Every year we visit together as a family to wander around their fields with the colourful wheelbarrows they provide, and we each pick a couple of pumpkins to decorate our woodland cottage with.

As well as their fields full of delightful colours we also visit the food marquee which is named the Witches Kitchen. Inside is always full of yummy food and drink choices and is surrounded by hay bales that you can sit on. There are also hay bales stacked up outside for children to climb on and fairground rides as well as other food vans and fun activities.

The story came to me when I thought about what might happen if a modern-day teenage girl had her Cinderella fantasy come true. Would she really like it? Or would her dream become a nightmare? Readers will find out as they follow Amara after she is whisked away from child minding Charlotte & Arthur at the Pumpkin Patch. Charlotte & Arthur must once again journey back to The Wheel World to save Amara from the Gnome King and his friend, Tricky Jack (the Pumpkin King). In doing so they learn about the magic of witches, go on death defying broomstick rides, have a close encounter with a mermaid and have fun with a baby dragon. During this adventure they will also unveil a hidden family secret to discover who they really are.

About the CHARLOTTE & ARTHUR’S ADVENTURES – THE PUMPKIN PORTAL:

Charlotte & Arthur are enjoying a day out at The Pumpkin Patch when their friend Amara is whisked away by a pumpkin portal. It’s up to Charlotte & Arthur to rescue her.

Grab your broomsticks for a trick or treat ride into a magical world. Zoom past dangerous mermaid filled waters, dodge flying pumpkins, learn about the magic of witches and fly a dragon.

Can Charlotte & Arthur rescue Amara with the help of their magical friends? Join them for a Halloween adventure on a path to self-discovery, as they unveil a hidden family secret and find out who they really are.

You can order this book through your local bookstore or it’s available in paperback and eBook online at Amazon.

About the Author:

Clare C-Saunders is from Derbyshire, England, UK. Clare has released three books to date, along with her young daughter, Rose, as illustrator. All made it into a top 100 Amazon best sellers chart. Currently she is writing her fourth book under the working title The Crystal Dragon’s Egg, which will be the last in the Charlotte & Arthur’s Adventures trilogy. Yule and the Helter Skelter had originally been a short story intended for her first book, but she decided it could make a better middle grade story. With 25 chapters it makes the perfect gift, not only as a book, but as an advent calendar for the whole family to enjoy in the festive run up. Next book in the series is, The Pumpkin Portal, featuring new character, Amara, who is whisked away by a pumpkin while child minding Charlotte & Arthur. The children must find a way to rescue her from the clutches of the Gnome King and his partner in crime Tricky Jack (the Pumpkin King) in this fairy-tale fantasy gone awry.

Seven Nights of Snuggles is a picture book for younger children. This book has seven delightfully illustrated stories designed to be read to children at bedtime. As well as books Clare has also worked in writing, producing and directing for radio. Her work includes an informative children’s internet safety campaign series entitled, The Internet Wizard and an interactive pantomime style radio play of Snow White. Today, when not writing, Clare can be found recording voice overs in her home recording studio, she voiced her own audiobooks for Seven Nights of Snuggles and Charlotte & Arthur’s Adventures – Yule and the Helter Skelter. You can hear samples of her audiobooks at www.clarecunliffe.com

Look out for more information on upcoming events, book festivals, magazine and blog articles, media interviews and special offers over on the following social media pages:
Facebook: Clare & Rose C-Saunders
IG: @theclarecs
X: @MediaClare
TT: @clare.csaunders

The Charlotte and Arthur’s Adventures series of books are published by Fisher King Publishing Ltd, find out more on their website.

Meet KD Williams Author of THE MYSTERIES OF WOODLAND ACADEMY

June 11, 2024 / Katie L. Carroll

I recently reached out to a bunch of authors while writing an article for Teen Librarian Toolbox called “Self-Published Authors Fill the Gap with Books Featuring Characters Ages 13-15.” Due to the timing of deadlines, I wasn’t able to include KD Williams in the article, so I’m so please to welcome KD and her book THE MYSTERIES OF WOODLAND ACADEMY to the blog today.

About THE MYSTERIES OF WOODLAND ACADEMY:

Natalie Evergreen’s best friend, Samantha Harper, is moving away to attend Woodland Academy, a prestigious private preparatory school in Virginia, far away from Memphis, TN. Natalie is unwilling to break up their friendship, so she agrees to attend Woodland Academy with her, where they encounter supernatural occurrences. Although, Natalie is smitten by the school’s enchantments, splendor, and wonders, Natalie is determined to understand these mysteries with Sam. Natalie learns there’s more to Woodland Academy than meets the eye. Natalie quickly rises to fame when she is elected to participate in the school’s annual games. Things take an unexpected turn when unbelieving Natalie converts to Christianity. However, she finds it struggling to share her newfound faith with her devout atheist parents, who want nothing to do with God. Can Natalie get her parents to accept her faith in time before their fate takes a turn for the worst? Natalie knows every decision she makes is crucial, but one thing is certain, her life will never be the same again. Find out what awaits Natalie in this coming-of-age story of a young girl who learns faith doesn’t come without a price… in The Mysteries of Woodland Academy.

Purchase it at Walmart, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Target.

About the Author:

K. D. Williams is a Christian author who lives in Mississippi with her family. The Mysteries of Woodland Academy is her young adult debut. K.D. Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in History at Mississippi Valley State University and a Master of Arts in Education specializing in Child Development at Ashford University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her grandchildren. K.D. Williams has a heart for the homeless and wants to start a homeless shelter one day.

You find her on Twitter @KdwilliamsA or Instagram @kdwilliams26.

Middle Grade Pirate and Fairy Tale Book Giveaway

October 31, 2023 / Katie L. Carroll

Happy Halloween! These days you’ll mostly find me over on TikTok where I’ve been posting a lot about Witch Test. Though October is a great time of year to read my upper middle grade/lower YA Mean Girls meets The Craft book about overcoming bullying by finding your inner strength (or witch in Liza’s case!), don’t let that stop you from reading it as we move into November.

@katielcarrollauthor
Make Witch Test your next witchy read! #witchyreads #witchtest #thecraft #nancydowns #wearetheweirdosmister #spookybooks #yabooks #halloweenreads #booktokrecs #yabookrecs
♬ We are the wirdos – KILLER QUEEN

In other middle grade news, Pirate Island is part of a 6-book middle grade giveaway. Today is the last day, so make sure to get those entries in by 6:00 p.m. (ET).

How do you feel swashbuckling adventures and fairytale retellings? Do you love them both?

Well, then I’ve got a giveaway for you! I’ve partnered with five other authors to give you a massive middle-grade paperback giveaway. There will be ONE book bundle winner of 6 signed paperbacks (US only)⁠ from these amazing authors:
@amieborst
@masonbellauthor
@hopefullhappenings ⁠
⁠@katielcarrollauthor
@katfarrow.loreweaver
@r.v.bowmanfantasyauthor

Giveaway is now open until October 31, 6 pm EST. Winners will be selected October 31 after 6 pm and the winner will be announced on November 1st. Must be 18 years or older to enter. The paperback bundle is available to US only. (Full rules are on the giveaway link.)

If you want all the latest news from me and bonus perks like two free short stories and a 10% discount on signed books through the end of the year, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter! Preview the latest one here.

The Historical and Personal Inspiration Behind WITCH TEST

August 23, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

My upper middle grade WITCH TEST comes out on September 13! Notice the “upper” as there are some heavy topics of bullying, depression, and dealing with the loss of a parent (though the actual passing of the parent occurs many years before the book takes place).

Liza, the main character, is 13 and in eighth grade. I’ve been recommending WITCH TEST as best for the 10-14 age range, rather than the more typical MG one of 8-12. This has made the marketing of the book less straightforward than my other middle grade PIRATE ISLAND. Billy, the main character of PIRATE ISLAND, is also 13, but the topics of the book stay more firmly in the core middle grade range.

Despite the marketing challenges, I think being in that upper age range was the best thing for the story. The upper MG/lower YA category tends to be underrepresented in books, and those readers deserve stories. Plus, the bullying and what I refer to as “long grief” draw on my own teen/preteen experiences and beyond.

My bullying experience took place at the start of middle school in sixth grade and the rumors my ex-friends spread weren’t calling me a witch, rather a lesbian (keep in mind I was in middle school in the early 90s). It was intense to go through that as an 11-year-old, and I decided to age Liza up to 13 to show readers a character who was slightly more mature and introspective than I was when I went through it.

As for the topic of the bullying in Liza’s world, I didn’t want to completely mirror my own. I really loved how PIRATE ISLAND blended local history (in this case Captain Kidd’s pirate history) into a contemporary story, so I wanted an historical tie-in for WITCH TEST as well. When I was brainstorming topics of local history, one of those I came across was the witch trials that occurred in Connecticut, which predate the Salem witch trials. It felt like the perfect metaphor for bullying in modern times.

As my long-time readers might have guessed, the long grief inspiration stems from the death of my sister, Kylene, when she was 16 and I was 19. I’ve often written about how her death has made me the writer I am today and how it has continued to influence my work (see “Why Is It Taking Me So Long To Write the Second Elixir Book?”).

The process of mourning someone is not linear. It never stops. While it does get “better” as time goes on and you find what I call a “new normal,” your feelings can also loop back and it’s awful all over again. I wanted to explore this long mourning in WITCH TEST, so that meant giving Liza even more tough topics to deal with. Her feelings of grief over her mom’s death are largely brought up in response to the bullying, and she wonders how she might be better coping with life if her mother were still alive. As she was only three when her mother died, Liza also ponders how you can miss someone you can’t even remember.

Add in Halloween and a haunted corn maze, and it all makes for a heavy, spooky story. It’s one that I love, and though I’m not typically a crier, I tear up every single time I read the climax scene in the corn maze. And I’ve read it many, many times!

I don’t think there’s anything in the story that younger middle grade readers CAN’T read, but they’re not going to get as much out of it as a slightly older reader. My 10 (almost 11) year old has read it and enjoyed it. He said, “WITCH TEST is intriguing, interesting, and heart-touching.”

About WITCH TEST:

Liza is sinking in a bubbling cauldron of middle school rumors.

When the entire eighth grade begins studying the Salem witch trials, it seems everyone is on a witch hunt…with Liza as target number one. Worst of all, her ex-best friend is the one who started a rumor that Liza bewitched a boy with a love potion.

As the bullying intensifies, Liza’s loneliness grows. More than ever, she wishes her mother were still alive. A glimmer of hope arrives when Liza finds her mother’s diary…until she actually reads it. Turns out Liza’s family connection to witches goes back for centuries. So much for the witch stuff being rumors!

If Liza can channel her inner witch at the Halloween night corn maze, she might find the strength to stand up for herself. If not, she risks losing a piece of herself to a growing depression and any hope of happiness.

WITCH TEST is an upper middle grade Mean Girls meets The Craft novel for pre-teens and young teens.

Pre-order now from Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, IndieBound, Apple Books, Book Depository (for international folks), and many of your favorite book retailers.

WITCH TEST Cover Reveal & ARCs

June 23, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

It’s here! The cover for my upcoming middle grade WITCH TEST is such a mood. I love Liza’s stance and the glowing moon reflecting off of everything. It’s got the corn maze and the crows, which are so important to Liza’s story. Big shout-out to MiblArt for creating the cover!

WITCH TEST will be out on September 13, 2022. I’m working on getting it up for pre-order on all the usual book retail sites and scheduling events for the fall. In the meantime, ARCs (advanced reader copies) will be going out in the next few weeks. If you’re interested in receiving an early copy to read and review, you can fill out the ARC form here.

WITCH TEST blurb:

Liza is sinking in a bubbling cauldron of middle school rumors.

WITCH TEST is an upper middle grade Mean Girls meets The Craft novel for pre-teens and young teens.