This has certainly been a busy week on this blog! As a grand finale, I spent a couple hours tonight making a new parent guide and making the guides available as FREE downloadable PDF files. The new guide is for Speculative Fiction Series. For those of you who don’t know, speculative fiction encompasses fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian and other “weird” fiction. Most (if not all) of the series included in the guide are fantasy, but that may change at some point. If you are interested in the downloadable PDF files, you can find those on the main Parent Guides page. Hope this is helpful to you.
Book Review: Plague of Darkness
When his parents die in a plague, eleven year old Teague is determined to care for his three younger siblings. But when raiders sweep through the village and kidnap the surviving residents for the illegal slave trade, Teague can do nothing to protect them. Separated from his remaining family, Teague is sold as a farm laborer. Forced to work under cruel overseers, he loses the will to live. He only starts eating again when Quinn, an older boy, promises that they will someday escape. Will the right time ever come? Will it come too late?
I must warn you that I am rather biased towards this book. Teague is a character rivaled in my heart only by my own character, Zaid. The author, Hannah Mills and I laughingly refer to Teague and Zaid as “our boys.” My biased opinion aside, this is a good book. Teague is a young man laden with guilt and searching for an escape. Though he’s not ready to accept yet, Quinn is gently pushing him towards Christ. Plague of Darkness is the second book in the Arridraen, but the story takes place before Called. It’s well worth checking Plague of Darkness out. Who knows. Maybe you’ll fall in love with Teague too.
Author Interview: J. Grace Pennington
The next author in our lineup of homeschooled authors is J. Grace Pennington, author of Never which I reviewed last Friday. Please join me today in welcoming her for an interview.
How did you chose the story line for Never? What was your inspiration?
It started out as many of my novel ideas do–with a smattering of various disconnected elements that I wanted to get into one story together. I had the idea of the “never” theme, the idea of the mystery, the mines, the western setting, and some other things, and I pulled them together into a single plot with a lot of planning and a little inspiration from some favorite books and movies.
How much research did you do for this story?
Not very much! The element I researched most was probably the mines. I looked up everything I could find in our encyclopedias about coal mining, and talked to some people I knew who had visited or toured old coal mines. Other than that I just researched small elements as they came into the story. Firearms, sleepwear, tobacco usage, etc. Just enough to keep the story fairly period-accurate.
What message would you like readers to take away from this book?
Basically to never give up. Life is often hard, even if most of us don’t have to get worked half to death in a torturous coal mine. Things are tough, bad things happen, and sometimes we feel an awful lot like just letting go of what’s right. But we have a Source of strength that will never fail us, and so we can choose to hold to our principles no matter what the cost. That’s what I wanted to show. Hope in the midst of darkness.
Tell us about your experience with self-publishing. Why did you chose to self-publish?
Self-publishing is definitely a lot of work! I choose it because it offers a lot more control. Everything stays in the hands of the author, which is ideal in many ways, it just requires lots and lots of work. With this, my second book, I had someone to help me with part of the process, a designer who formatted it, designed the cover, and helped me proofread. That made it significantly less hard, even though it was still fairly stressful. I definitely recommend getting help if you can, even if it costs you something, but keeping the control in your own hands seems wise to me, if at all possible.
Are you working on any new books?
Yes! Right now I’m working on the next few books in my young adult science-fiction series “Firmament.” The second book will hopefully be out later this year, and the third book is about halfway finished, while the fourth is just past the outlining stage. I also have another book, “Implant,” which I hope to publish later in the year.
Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?
They say to write what you know. Some people interpret this to mean you can only write about the lifestyle that you live, and experiences similar to those you’ve actually been through, but I don’t think that’s the case. While I’ve never lived in the Old West, never solved a murder mystery, and never once been coal mining, I think I did write what I know in this story. I may not have experienced mining, but I’ve experienced darkness. I may not know mystery-solving, but I do know fear. I may not have had to survive through torture and starvation, but I have had to cling to hope when I felt weak and hopeless inside. I think these are things we can all relate to, on some level. And I hope that readers are able to take something away from it that can help them on their journeys.
Thank you for having me on your blog, Leah!
Thank you for joining us, Grace! If anyone has questions for Grace about Never, writing, self-publishing, her other books, etc. feel free to leave them in the comments section!
Book Review: Never
“Listen to me, kid. It don’t matter what happens. It don’t matter what anybody thinks or does. All that matters is that you keep fightin’ and never, you hear me? never give up.”
I think this is the first time I’ve given a self-published book a five star rating. I found “Never” through a blog scavenger hunt the author did to celebrate the book release. When I downloaded the free sample, I didn’t know what to expect. The sample definitely hooked me.
Travis Hamilton, a scholarly young man, is an unlikely suspect for murder. When he is convicted and sentenced ten years labor in Dead Mines, his brother Ross is determined to clear Travis. Ross knows his brother cannot survive the sentence, and he knows Travis is not the murderer. But the web of deception is more tangled than either brother imagined. As their journeys increase in difficulty, both brothers turn to moral convictions that must “never” be abandoned, no matter what the cost. Can Travis survive the evil rule of the mine boss? Can Ross reach the bottom of an ever deepening mystery before it’s too late to rescue his brother?
Some of Travis’s experiences in the mine might make this book unsuitable for young children. If it was a movie I’d give it a PG rating. That said, this story was refreshing. Even in Christian fiction, it’s rare to see heroes sticking to what they believe as tenaciously as Ross and Travis. The author did a wonderful job showing principled good winning over unprincipled evil. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Author: J Grace Pennington
Audience: Tween–YA
Genre: Historical Adventure
Pages: 318
Publisher: Self-Published
Author Interview: Molly Evangeline
Last Friday I reviewed The Pirate Daughter’s Promise. If you haven’t already done so, go comment on that post for your chance to win a free copy of the book. Today, author Molly Evangeline is here for an interview. Please join me in welcoming her.
What gave you the idea for The Pirate Daughter’s Promise?
All I used to write were horse stories until I saw The Fellowship of the Ring as a teenager. That was the first step that started me in the direction of writing action/adventure type stories. A year later, I saw the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie for my fifteenth birthday and fell in love with the idea of pirates and sailing. The plot for The Pirate Daughter’s Promise developed shortly after that.
How long did it take for you to write this book?
I wrote the first three or four chapters as the story was developing, but hit a snag and set it aside for about three years. My love for pirate stories resurfaced again with the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie so I pulled the story back out. Once I got into it, I wrote the remaining chapters in about two and a half weeks.
Tell us about your self-publishing experience. What has been the best and hardest thing about self-publishing?
It took a long time to really settle into self/indie publishing. When I first chose to self-publish The Pirate Daughter’s Promise it was because I had no idea how to get into traditional publishing and I was impatient. Now it’s a decided choice, and I don’t think I’d ever choose traditional publishing even if it was offered to me. The best thing about it is the control and the potential to actually make a living off it. I am a very do-it-yourself type of person. I typically spend over a year actually writing a book, and when I put that much effort into something, I want to see it to the end so I know I’ll be 100% happy with it. And the fact is, if you’re trying to do this as your job, indie publishing is much more profitable than traditional publishing, but it all depends on your ability to market and sell books. That’s where the hardest part comes in. Marketing is something you have to work very hard at, especially if it’s not something you’re good at. It takes a lot of time and effort that you would much rather spend on the actual writing process. But, if you’re doing what you love, it’s all worth it in the end.
What person has influenced your writing the most?
Definitely my mom. She is a writer too, and if she had not been writing while I was young, I may never have tried it myself. It was also her decision to homeschool me that played a huge part in where I am now. All that extra time I had to devote to writing, and imagining, and improving my skills was invaluable. A homeschool lifestyle also gave me the DIY attitude I needed to pursue self-publishing and setting up my own indie publishing company. I also have to point to J.R.R. Tolkien as the second most influential person in my writing. Discovering The Lord of the Rings when I was thirteen was a turning point for me. That’s the first time I realized writing was what I wanted to do with my life, and his stories still have a huge effect on what I like to write today.
Are you working on any new stories?
I am right in the middle of writing a new young adult fantasy series called Ilyon Chronicles. It’s the biggest project I’ve ever undertaken. It will be six books (unless something drastic happens along the way and a seventh book pops up). I started the first book, which turned out to be the longest book I’ve ever written, in June 2011, and I am now just about finished with book two. It’s set in a medieval/ancient Rome type setting with a tyrannical government and dealing with some issues we have now in modern society, so it’s full of action/adventure as well as many spiritual, emotional, and physical struggles. I’ve never been so close to or related so much to my characters as I have this group. I’m only a third of the way through the series and I’ve already laughed and cried and experienced incredible highs and lows with them.
Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?
I am beyond excited to share Ilyon Chronicles. I have a ton of work to do before that can happen, but every day I’m working hard to get there. There’s something special about this story. The things God has been showing me and the way He’s guiding me through all the little details is amazing. This story is so far above anything I’ve ever done before, and I can hardly wait to see what readers think and what God does with it. I’ve already set up a website for it, http://www.ilyonchronicles.com, and have an active Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/ilyonchronicles. I try to keep it updated often with where I am in writing the series, and occasionally post little snippets of the story.
Thanks for the interview, Molly! Readers, do you have thoughts or questions about anything Molly said?
Book Review & Giveaway: The Pirate Daughter’s Promise
*giveaway closed*
You all ready for another giveaway? This time the book is The Pirate Daughter’s Promise. I hope you’ll take the time to read the review and leave a comment. Commenting will automatically enter you for a chance to win the book*. The winner will be announced this coming Thursday, January 10.
The little girl nodded but did not speak. Her wide eyes darted around the dank cell and finally fell on Daniel’s face, seeking reassurance. Daniel offered her a smile and glanced at the guards who stood stoically beside the closed cell door. He knew this would be the last time he would see Skye before his execution at dawn. This would have to be goodbye, and he didn’t know how long the guards would allow his daughter to stay.
Skye McHenry has led a difficult life cheered only by her faith and her two friends, Will and Matthew. Most people despise her because she is the daughter of a pirate. When pirates kidnap Skye, she knows they are hunting for her father’s treasure. She is determined to keep her promise to never reveal its location. Can Will and Matthew rescue her before it’s too late?
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and read the entire book the same day I got it. The writing style is a bit unpolished at times, but this does little to detract from the story. Skye’s faith and determination are admirable, and I love Will’s chivalry. I also like the fact that the entire family can read this book. The action and clean romance will keep older readers engaged while there is nothing inappropriate for a younger audience. I am looking forward to reading more of Molly Evangeline’s work.
Author: Molly Evangeline
Audience: All Ages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Adventure
Pages: 226
Publisher: Self-published
Disclosure: I received a free reviewer’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinion’s stated are my own.
*Due to shipping costs, this book can only be mailed within the United States.
Starting The New Year
Hello everyone! I just want to update you on the schedule for this month. Last month I focused my book reviews on Christmas stories. This month I’m going to be reviewing books written by homeschooled authors. Four young ladies will be joining me here to talk about their books. Even better, two of them have agreed to offer a free copy of their book for a giveaway. Here’s the list.
Week One: Molly Evangeline, author of The Pirate Daughter’s Promise
(with book giveaway)
Week Two: J. Grace Pennington, author of Never
Week Three: Hannah Mills, author of Called and Plague of Darkness
(I haven’t decided which one to review)
Week Four: Aubrey Hansen, author of Peter’s Angel
(with book giveaway)
I am really excited about this lineup. I hope you’ll join me in enjoying these girl’s books. We’ll kick off with a review giveaway of The Pirate Daughter’s Promise tomorrow.
New Feature
Recently a mom commented on this blog saying, “My daughter is a voracious reader…she has been reading and re-reading Little Women for the past 3 years. She is nine now and it is just hard to keep up with her and know what to offer.” That comment gave me the idea for a new feature on this blog.
When I was between 8 and 12 years old, I gobbled animal stories. My mom had a hard time keeping up with me. I know I’m not the only animal crazy girl out there, so I put together a list animal series I do and don’t recommend, and the reasons I do or don’t recommend them. Hopefully, in the future, I’ll put together more lists for parents (and everyone else) to use.
For now, here’s the link to the new Parent Guide.
Leah E. Good 