YA Urban Fantasy Thriller from KN Smith

Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-month book tour and visa gift card for Discovery of the Five Senses: The Urban Boys Series by K.N. Smith. The book tour will run March 1 -April 29, 2022.

 

 

Genre: Young Adult Action-Adventure, Young Adult Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Mystery/ Thriller

ISBN-13‏: ‎978-0989474757

K.N. Smith, winner of the "Best of" in the category of "Outstanding Young Adult Novel" at the Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Awards, is an author and passionate advocate of literacy and arts programs throughout the world. Her lyrical flair sweeps across pages that twist and grind through action-adventure and urban fantasy in edge-of-your-seat narratives. K.N. has over twenty-five years' experience in communications and creative design as an award-winning consultant. She inspires people of all ages to reach their highest potential in their creative, educational, and life pursuits. 

 

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory superpowers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys be able to defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.

Prologue

And in the absence of even a hint of an exchange, Joaquin spun around and lunged at Ross. He grabbed him by the throat, knocking him down.  

With brittle leaves and debris thrust upward, the two were enveloped in a dark, hazy hell as they engaged in a violent struggle for what seemed like an eternity.  

Ross flared up. “Get the hell off of me!”  

Joaquin persisted. “What are you going to do, Ross? Where are you going to go?” 
Ross scrambled to his feet, fighting back with a blow to Joaquin’s head, followed by several body punches. Joaquin stumbled and fell, giving Ross those precious few seconds required for his escape.  

Fueled by a rush of pulsating adrenaline, Ross ran frantically, stretching his quivering legs. His rich brown skin tightened as he pounded through the forest. He tried to ignore his thunderous heartbeat while scanning the pathways, searching for possible escape routes.  

With his baseball cap lost to the wind, his short, curly hair had exposed to the open air. Ross grasped the moment, one littered with deep panic and a singular appreciation for survival.  

This turn of events stemmed from countless episodes in which Joaquin, only nineteen yet extremely demanding, had tried to control those around him.

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New YA fiction from Kent Raddatz on bullying

The Boy Who Dreamed

Kent Raddatz

Young Adult

Fantasy

Kent Raddatz, publisher

May, 2020

Ebook - $2.99

Paperback - $7.99

197 pp

ISBN: 979-8638-8225-07

Buy on Amazon

About the Book

Twelve-year-old Jacob Tannin is being bullied by Willard and doesn’t know what to do about it. He pretends to be invisible in the hopes that Willard will pick on someone else. It doesn’t work. And sometimes, while he’s being picked on, something sarcastic pops out of his mouth—which never goes over well. But Jacob’s also a dreamer. And when his dreams take him to another world called Chimeran, things begin to change. In Chimeran, he’s attacked by Haggeldies, a new set of bullies. But he also makes friends who try to teach him how to stand up for himself. As he goes back and forth between these two worlds, he’s forced to see others in a new way. And he’s encouraged to believe in the power that comes from what he thinks about himself. Will Jacob ever stop being afraid? What will give him the courage to speak up for himself? And how will he learn what he’s worth when bullies in both worlds say he’s nothing?

My Review:

Debut author Kent Raddatz has produced a winner for kids who like to read, especially those who read to escape problematic reality.

Jacob is every boy, on the verge of becoming a young man who is learning about the tough side of life, and deciding his path. Will he join the side that walks over those who are different, or will he develop empathy, no matter how much it hurts?

When Jacob takes that first step of reaching outside of his own insecurity, and wondering what life is like for others and realizing that everyone is a potential friend, life doesn’t get easier. Every encounter with someone in his greater, wider world shows him another piece of his developing life puzzle. Even family members become heroes when viewed through his newly maturing sight.

Raddatz’s story is told through young Jacob’s eyes, in the well-drawn voice of a twelve-year-old learning that life is bigger than himself. Reminiscent of my favorite book of all time, Dandelion Wine, readers, both boys and girls, who appreciate coming-of-age tales, watching their narrator get the big lessons and grow, will enjoy The Boy Who Dreamed.

About the Author:

Kent Raddatz is a writer and author of The Boy Who Dreamed, the story of twelve-year-old Jacob Tannin whose dreams transport him to another world. Yet the most important thing to know about Jacob is that he’s being bullied.

Professionally trained as a Pastor, Kent worked with many children who were bullied in a variety of ways. Some were physically attacked while others were verbally abused. All were forced to put up with angry people. He listened to their stories and encouraged them to accept and love who they are.

He is well suited to write about this subject because, in his own words, “at times I was bullied; while at other times I did the bullying [I was too small to use anything except my words].”

A member of SCBWI and the Wisconsin Writer’s Association, he attended the 2015 and 2017 Novel-In-Progress Book Camp where he was awarded the Fox Ridge Scholarship.

Blog Tour Chendell by Leslie I Landis YA Hero

Chendell: A Natural Hero

Leslie I Landis

Young Adult Fantasy Series (Book 1) Climate Change novel

Paperback: 221 pages, ebook and audio read by Alicia Silverstone and Adrian Grenier

Waldo LLC, April 22, 2020

ISBN 978-1732911406

$2.99 Ebook

$9.99 paperback

$17.99 Audio

Buy on

Amazon

B&N 

About the Book

A super boy from a village in China and a super girl from rural Vermont meet in college and fall in love. Both grapple with their unique powers and purpose. Will they master their abilities in time to save each other and the ecosystem from certain destruction? And what twists does life have in store? Originally released in early 2019, Landis is re-releasing an updated version of her environmental YA fantasy as well as adding an audiobook format in April 2020, to celebrate Earth Day.

While on a research trip to the Peruvian rainforest, Robin Dell and Jamie Chen’s lives (and consciousness) are changed forever when they drink a shaman’s brew and are transformed into CHENDELL. Two halves of one person. A dual consciousness – female and male – in one body. This new being is streamlined. Eurasian. With one green eye and one dark brown eye. Shoulder length hair that is half auburn and half black. As CHENDELL, their fight is to save our environment from the people responsible for ecocide and biocide – the willful destruction of the environment and the annihilation of living organisms. Individually, Robin can control insects and Jamie can communicate and control trees and plants. When joined as CHENDELL their powers are enhanced. Their senses are extremely acute. Their strength is exceptionally strong. Their mind is lightning quick. And their powers are extensively increased – not only with trees, plants, and insects – but also with other living creatures. All of nature is their ally. Finally, Nature has a hero.

A Brief Interview with the Author

How did you come up with the idea of CHENDELL?

Through media exposure, I certainly noticed how popular the superhero genre is.

When I thought about why I was not interested in this category, I realized that the typical superhero characters were not “real” to me and they usually battled against “unreal” struggles such as someone trying to blow up the world. So I thought why not a superhero who was fighting a real world problem - ecocide and biocide - the willful destruction of the environment and the annihilation of living organisms.

My book, Chendell: A Natural Warrior, has an environmental theme. People of all ages care about the environment but young people are especially tuned into the environmental degradation caused by global warming. They know it is their future that is most at risk.

Why is one of your protagonists Chinese?

There are three reasons I made one of my protagonists Chinese:

1. I’ve been to China and I found the Chinese people to be gracious, warm and kind.

2. I know what it feels like to experience anger and hostility just because I was American. I’ve traveled to other countries during a time when we had an unpopular U.S. president. I feel the people of a country should be treated as individuals, not as representatives of a government.

3. I’m personally very interested in other cultures and ethnicities. Having a Chinese character was just more interesting to me.

Why do environmental problems worry you the most?

The future of every living creature depends on the health of our planet.

What can people do to help our environment?

Buy less, use less, waste less and recycle. Also, people can vote for representatives who take the environment and global warming seriously.

How does a new story idea come to you?

I read a lot of current publications – newspapers and magazines – so trends eventually coalesce in my brain and ideas pop out from there.

What do you do when you are not writing?

The usual. Eating, sleeping, exercising, errands, grocery shopping, going out to dinner, etc.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Moby Dick

What is the one book no writer should be without?

The one they love and inspires them.

My review

I love the concept of this story. It’s magical realism meant for the adult who enjoys fantasy. The main characters are well drawn and portrayed in an engaging manner. There’s obviously a lot of comfortable background research done, and the story often feels part travelogue, part science lesson. But the real story doesn’t begin until chapter six—the first five are background. It’s important to know where Robin and Jinsong—Jamie—come from; their motives and so forth. But there’s a reason storytellers should start with action, why authors must learn that background is not all that appealing when given to an audience in lump format, and why genre and age level is important when describing your story. I wouldn’t call this young adult and certainly not middle grade even though the author took care to keep the sentence structure simply and choppy. I understand why other readers are having some difficulty placing it.

Anyway, in the first five chapters out of eight, two each separately describe each of the character’s early family life and growing up years in their respective China and Vermont; describe their families and the issues that cause them to choose their respective careers in medical research. They each have special gifts. Chapter five is meeting and life at school. Finally at chapter six chapter is their courtship and double wedding and concluding their doctoral studies. Then the excitement begins in chapter seven as they meet the mysterious Dr. Roy and go on what we hope will be their first adventure, an environmental studies trip to the Peruvian jungle where things go wonky awful fast.

The way the story is told is unique. Characters are labeled and get their own paragraph of narrative, diary-form, often backing up and repeating scenes from their own perspectives. I enjoyed it, but again, it was an awful long build up to the main event, which was over in two blinks of an eye. Hopefully this will be the first of other adventures to save the world. With much more world and people-saving in future books.

About the Author

Leslie Landis has been a teacher, a financial planner, a bank trust officer, worked for a U.S. Senator, an associate director in television and a licensed therapist. Her first book, is a humorous take on our food and diet obsessed culture titled The Art of Overeating: A Bellyful of Laughs About Our Food-phobic Culture. CHENDELL: A Natural Warrior is her first novel. Leslie lives with her husband in Los Angeles. Leslie’s degree in psychology informs her insight into how people look at the world and themselves. She created relatable characters who reflect the roles we play and the uncertainties of life. With a different take on gender equality and the battle to preserve our environment, her superhero CHENDELL speaks not only to young people but to all generations. In this captivating, exciting and realistic fantasy, Landis’ unique writing style presents a message of love, hope and commitment to fighting the real world evil forces destroying our planet.

Author website: http://chendell.com/

The VIkings of Loch Morar Creation Seekers series

About the Book:

Book II in the "CREATION SEEKERS" series

Published by: CREATION WAY BOOKS (an imprint of KOT BOOKS, LLC). March, 2019. (Softcover; 250 pages. Illustrated by Becky Miller.)

Jonathan Oliver is chasing down an intruder on Lake Oswego’s Iron Mountain when he discovers some long-buried artifacts. One of these relics sparks a remarkable spinoff from the Oliver family’s greatest invention. Together, Jon and his father incorporate their breakthrough into a revolutionary submersible design. At the invitation of Dr. Graham MacKenzie, the Gyrosensors team travels to one of Scotland’s wildest and remotest regions—and its deepest lake—to develop their secret prototype. While staying at Dr. MacKenzie’s retreat center, they meet a pretty but mysterious Frenchwoman going under an assumed name. Across the loch, the reclusive caretaker of a Victorian-era hunting lodge is hiding staggering secrets of his own. During the prototype's construction and sea trials, Jon and his family confront enemies on land, in the air and under the water. In the end, Jon rekindles a long-lost love and finds an ancient, holy treasure-hoard.

Buy the book:

The website

Print: $11.99 plus $3.95 shipping

Amazon

Print: $13.95

Ebook: $4.99, special during this promotion: $2.99

*(Before you post the info on this title, I will also reduce its Kindle price to $2.99.)

A brief interview with the author:

What do you love about your new book?

One aspect of my new book I love is that Scottish legends are central to the plot (just as in The Lake Lights). In The Vikings of Loch Morar, the legend is connected to actual phenomena taking place in and around a Scottish lake. (Not Loch Ness, by the way.) Something else I love about this title is the way the Vikings and Viking history are tied to modern-day Oregon and Scotland. I enjoyed the process of intertwining historical fact and fiction and tying up some of the loose ends left in The Lake Lights. I’m always blessed by Becky Miller’s marvelous illustrations as well.

Most of all, I love how God reveals Himself in this book by strengthening the characters’ faith and by helping them to survive in the face of impossible odds. God definitely had a part in resurrecting the relationship between Jonathan Oliver and his former love interest, too! 

What are two things you learned while researching?

In order to make the plot believable, I learned to read and write Old Norse runes, much as J.R.R. Tolkien employed in The Lord of the Rings. In fact, once I learned Old Norse runology, I could read what Tolkien had written in runes on one of his book covers. (“One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them…”) It turns out that he transliterated English words phonetically into those runes. In The Vikings of Loch Morar, however, I actually translated my English phrases into Old Norse before transliterating the Old Norse into runes. (That ancient language shares a common Proto-Germanic ancestor with English, by the way.) I also researched the evidence for Viking settlements in America and in the British Isles. To this day, we still don’t know how far those seafaring raiders penetrated into America, though they left behind tantalizing clues in the form of tools and runestones.

Tell us about the character who gave you the most trouble.

That would be Crìsdean MacKenzie, caretaker of the Swordland Lodge. Not only is his accent thicker than day-old Scottish porridge, but I also had to create his character and backstory out of whole cloth. MacKenzie (not to be confused with Dr. Graham MacKenzie) is the latest in a long line of caretakers, having taken an early retirement from his teaching position at Oxford to replace the former caretaker. Crìsdean harbors an old and extraordinary secret passed down from one caretaker to the next. It is this knowledge that ultimately becomes the focal point of the plot. 

What do you hope readers will tell others about your book?

That it offers something for everybody—adventure, inspiration, history and mystery, suspense, science and science fiction, romance—and a glimpse into the Christian vision of life after death.

What are you reading now?

Anything I can get my hands on!

What’s next?

I’m actually engaged in the reprinting of some of my first series titles under my own imprint (Creation Way Books). Sadly, my former publisher, WinePress, closed its doors a few years ago and left quite a number of authors in the lurch. I have finally figured out how to republish all seven of those titles myself, but I’m having to reformat everything from scratch. It will be a protracted process.

About the Author

William D. Burt is the award-winning author of the seven-title Christian allegorical “King of the Trees” series and of his new Creation Seekers series: “The Lake Lights” (Book 1) and “The Vikings of Loch Morar” (Book 2). All nine of Burt’s titles have been awarded five stars by Readers’ Favorite reviewers. Two of his first series titles (out of three submitted) were finalists in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest: “The King of the Trees” and “The Golden Wood.”

“The King of the Trees” subsequently won the 2014 Silver Medal in the category of “Christian Fantasy/Sci-fi.”

The Creation Seekers series is William Burt’s first foray into the realm of science fiction. The titles in this series feature the adventures of a fictional Oregon family of brilliant scientists and educators who turn the world upside down with their revolutionary inventions and discoveries.

 As an Assistant Professor in the Special Education Department at Western Oregon University, Burt served as a successful grant-writer and program coordinator. He holds a B.S. in English from Lewis and Clark College and an M.S. in Deaf Education from Western Oregon University. Burt has been an RID-certified sign-language interpreter with over forty years’ experience. His interests include reading, foreign languages and mycology. He is married with two grown children and four grandchildren.

William Burt Creation Seekers books

About the Book: 

Book I in the Creation Seekers series

Published by: CREATION WAY BOOKS (an imprint of KOT BOOKS, LLC). June, 2017. (Softcover; 314 pages. Illustrated by Becky Miller.)

What are the mysterious lights flitting above Oswego Lake on moonlit nights? Marsh gas? Ball lightning? Or holdovers from the dawn of Creation?

When Jonathan Oliver makes it his homeschool project to track down the source of the Lake Lights, his search leads him to Iron Mountain’s abandoned Prosser Mine and its age-old secrets. After his physicist father goes missing in the wilds of Afghanistan, Jon is left to decode a cryptic message leading to yet more mysteries and a remarkable, game-changing invention.

With his grandfather’s help, Jon matches wits with an unscrupulous scientist who will stop at nothing to steal the device and sell it to a shadowy criminal organization. Jon’s dual discoveries not only help him to deliver his city from total annihilation but also ultimately rock the scientific world to its very foundations.

Buy the book:

The website

Print: $11.99 plus $3.99 shipping

Amazon

Print: $13.95

Ebook: $4.99 - special sale during this promotion of $2,99

A brief interview with the Author

What do you love about your new book?

I love the fact that it’s set in an actual location in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where I grew up. It’s fun to be able to walk the scenic Iron Mountain trail and identify the remnants of the Prosser Iron Mine and other landmarks mentioned in the book. Though I’m not a fan of historical fiction per se, I did enjoy weaving both historical fact and fiction into the plot. I also loved incorporating some Creation Science principles (and live “dinosaurs”) into the story, which is one of the main reasons I wrote it. So many young people and adults nowadays are steeped in Darwinism that I thought it was high time Creationism received equal billing. Something else I enjoyed about this title is that all the Oliver family members are devoted Christians. Moreover, my main character and his sister end up being homeschooled. I purposely portray homeschoolers as normal, intelligent, well-adjusted students.

What are two things you learned while researching this story?

First, I learned a great deal about the Prosser Iron Mine’s history (which I tweaked a bit for the story). It turns out that in its day, the mine was the largest of its kind on the west coast, with many extensive and unexplored drifts. Not far from my childhood home, for example, a woman remodeling her house accidentally broke into one of these mine tunnels. Second, I learned more of the flaws in evolutionary theory—such as the discovery of unfossilized tissues in many fossilized remains. (I’ve actually studied the subject for many years, but research is turning up new inconsistencies every day.)

Tell us about the character who gave you the most trouble.

Dr. Graham MacKenzie is a Scottish volcanologist who is also a Creation Scientist. As a family friend, he has an important role to play. I enjoyed developing his character so much that I carried him over into the sequel, The Vikings of Loch Morar. However, putting his Scottish idiomatic English on paper proved to be quite a challenge, though it was great fun!

What do you hope readers will tell others about your book?

I hope they will tell their friends that as a clean, inspirational (and educational) mystery adventure tale, this is a book well worth the reading—and re-reading.

What are you reading now?

I just finished re-reading The Wind and the Willows and am halfway through The Cottingley Secret, which is a well-written and imaginative spinoff from actual historical events. Otherwise, I mainly read the Bible.

What’s next?

I have some ideas rolling around in my head—a kind of crossover between my two series involving a different spin on time-travel. We’ll see if those concepts bear fruit.

About the Author

William D. Burt is the award-winning author of the seven-title Christian allegorical “King of the Trees” series and of his new Creation Seekers series: “The Lake Lights” (Book 1) and “The Vikings of Loch Morar” (Book 2). All nine of Burt’s titles have been awarded five stars by Readers’ Favorite reviewers. Two of his first series titles (out of three submitted) were finalists in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest: “The King of the Trees” and “The Golden Wood.”

“The King of the Trees” subsequently won the 2014 Silver Medal in the category of “Christian Fantasy/Sci-fi.”

The Creation Seekers series is William Burt’s first foray into the realm of science fiction. The titles in this series feature the adventures of a fictional Oregon family of brilliant scientists and educators who turn the world upside down with their revolutionary inventions and discoveries.

 As an Assistant Professor in the Special Education Department at Western Oregon University, Burt served as a successful grant-writer and program coordinator. He holds a B.S. in English from Lewis and Clark College and an M.S. in Deaf Education from Western Oregon University. Burt has been an RID-certified sign-language interpreter with over forty years’ experience. His interests include reading, foreign languages and mycology. He is married with two grown children and four grandchildren.

New YA story from Tim Fox

Kindle $3.05

Young adult adventure, geared for ages 10-18

About the book:

Abandoned by her troubled mother, twelve-year-old Tracy moves to her Great-aunt Lynette's farm in southwest Wisconsin. At first lonely and feeling distant from the stern old lady, things change with the appearance of a stray cat. With the help of her neighbor, Mallory, and a conservation warden named Jamie, love begins to grow between Tracy and her aunt, and a friendship blooms among the unlikely group. Kitty and Tracy then begin exploring their surroundings—the farm, and a nearby wooded canyon. The adventure that follows solidifies their bond, and forever changes their lives.

Inspired in part by true events, A PLACE FOR YOU is a story of growth in love, friendship, and courage.

My review:

Tim Fox’s second adventure story for young people set in Wisconsin, A Place For You, is a sweet story for the young girl reader who loves cats and mysteries. Loosely based around the story of a leopard raised in India and released into the wild who comes to her former handler for help during a flood, Fox’s story opens with a viewpoint reflection from a sick housecat looking for help. Tracy, a tween girl recently taken from a neglectful parent and placed with a great-aunt, answers the cat’s plea, and a lesson in responsibility, friendship, and love changes what could have been a long, lonely summer into one of adventurous fun.

Fox also introduces his readers to Big Girl, a cougar raised by humans and released to nature. Big Girl recognizes that Tracy and her kitty are no harm to them, and eventually recognizes Tracy as a kindred spirit and instinctive helper.

Self-published. My review copy had a few easily fixable minor errors. Recommended particularly for about fifth graders who love adventure stories, aren’t afraid of adding to their vocabulary and in particular, love cats.

About the Author:

I live in southwest Wisconsin, not far from the Baraboo Hills.

Hiking and exploring Wisconsin’s state parks and wilderness areas, and working out (especially lifting things!) make for good times.

I was a teacher for 17 years. I’m now a personal fitness trainer and an “Olympic-style” weightlifting coach who runs a gym in his garage.

I live with my wife, Tammy, our three kids–Brian, Ben, and Abby, a chubby old cat named Ringo, and ex-stray kittens named Kitten and Oscar. On the web: http://www.journeysiceageadventure.com/

children's fantasy author Teresa Schapansky

September 2015

Amazon
$4.99
12.99

Children's Fantasy
for advanced readers ages 9-12

From the author:

Imogene is only five years old when her parents suddenly and mysteriously disappear. Left with no choice but to live with an abrasive relative, she finds comfort in the alliance she's forged with an unlikely friend. She secretly holds dear, her mother's last words. "Five years, Imogene. I shall come for you in five years." Imogene sadly soon learns, that things are not always as they seem. Upon reaching the age of ten, she has new confidence, and eagerly awaits her parents' return. Under the encouragement of her friend, Imogene embarks on a journey to an incredible world, learns who she really is, and where her true destiny lies.

My review:

Imogene of the Pacific Kingdom is a mix of other wildly popular adventures for younger readers, without the gore and murder situations found in stories for slightly older readers. The story is lengthy, with a vocabulary that may require occasional explanation.

A daughter is left in the care of an uncompassionate relative during her youth, and learns at age ten that she is no ordinary child. Imogene’s strange and compelling love of water nearly gets her in trouble with the relative who thinks perhaps soccer is more suitable. When the time is right, Imogene’s parents do not return…Imogene is drawn to them in their fantastic world. Imogene quickly adjusts to her new life with her quirky new gifts, until the Pacific Kingdom is in danger once more.

As the author notes, it’s up to Imogene to not only learn, but follow her true destiny. I tried to read the story through the eyes of a fourth or fifth grader and enjoyed Imogene’s spunk. As a parent and grandparent, however, I was sometimes dismayed at an occasional lapse of respect for adults, even if Imogene’s cantankerous aunt was quite over the top, Lemony Snicket-style. Although I imagine young readers won’t notice the healthy amount of exclamation points on a page, they really weren’t necessary as the dialog and action moved along just fine. I think the story would have been much stronger if the author had chosen only one or two characters to narrate, at least at one time, instead of an occasionally confusing multiple point of view style. That would have allowed Imogene to carry the story with her own heroism. Imogene of the Pacific Kingdom is aimed at older elementary school female readers, though boys would certainly find much to like as well.

The next book in the series, Dager of the Tasman Empire, releases February 24.

Holiday book launch and prize drawing with Michelle Dennis Evans

 

For a chance to win a $200 Amazon gift card, between December 1 and December 16, 2013, enter the John 3:16 Marketing Network Rafflecopter drawing at: http://bit.ly/Christian_Books

Introducing Michelle Dennis Evans!

 

Five Favorites:

Favorite city you’ve visited - Sydney - I love the views of the harbour - but my favourite city is the one I live in - the Gold Coast

Favorite food - Cheese! Avocado, Mango ... I love food! 

Favorite authors – God - it's my cop out answer because if I start naming authors I love I'll never stop and even then I might miss someone! Maybe check out my 5* ratings on Goodreads

Favorite book you’ve read in the last three months - Treasures of Darkness: A Prison Journey by Trish Jenkins

Favorite historical person (fiction or non) - Jesus - so many wow moments that are still talked about over 2000 years later

 

About the Book:

Temptation, depression, seduction, betrayal ... Not what Stephanie was expecting at fifteen years of age. Uprooted from her happy, all-girl high school life with a dream filled future and thrown into an unfriendly co-ed school, Stephanie spirals into depression. When charismatic high school senior, Jason notices her, Stephanie jumps in feet first and willingly puts all her faith and trust in him, a boy she barely knows. Every choice she makes and turn she takes leads her towards a dangerous path. Her best friend is never far away and ready to catch her … but will she push Tabbie too far away when she needs her most? 

Set in Australia, this novel contains adult themes. 
Recommended reading audiences 15+ 
Purchase Spiralling Out of Control.

 

 

About the Author:

Michelle writes to inspire, take people on a journey and escape their world. She believes you can find healing or hope when you read about someone else’s story – fiction or truth. Michelle is married to an awesome man. She spends most of her days educating, socialising and sporting their four children and her nights writing. Her life is full and at times overflowing but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Susan Miura, Show Me a Sign

About the Book:

In Show Me a Sign, seventeen-year-old Nathan Boliva is under investigation by the FBI for a kidnapping he didn’t commit. Deaf and beautiful Haylie Summers agreed to go on a date with him, then disappeared the day before. When the Feds discover a text was sent from Nathan’s cell phone, asking Haylie to meet him behind her garage, Nathan becomes a prime suspect.

Tied and blindfolded, Haylie struggles to grasp Nathan’s role in her captivity. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would kidnap her. Then again, if he didn't, who is holding her hostage, and why? 

Desperate to solve the crime and rescue Haylie, Nathan and his best friend, Alec, set out at midnight to gather intel…and end up with far more than they bargained for.

An action-packed plunge into intrigue and danger

 

ISBN: 978-1-60290-385-2

Can be purchased from: www.oaktara.com
Will soon be available (November, I believe) online from Amazon, Target, and other major booksellers.

 

About the Author:

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, longing for a horse and reading books by Marguarite Henry, Walter Farley, and Anna Sewell. A week after receiving my BA in journalism, I was hired at a local newspaper. Seeing my byline in every issue was a dream come true, but there was another goal to attain – moving out west. A year after graduating I headed for the wide-open spaces of New Mexico, where I worked in television for two years until my heart lead me back home to Illinois. Love and marriage followed, along with a career in public relations. Though my professional world involved writing, it didn’t provide a release for the stories in my head. When they wouldn’t stay captive any longer, I began a fiction journey, rough and rocky, but blessed with people who loved, mentored, cheered, taught, critiqued, and believed in me.

For the past 13 years I’ve worked full time as the public relations coordinator for the Schaumburg Library. I review books for The Book Reporter and give travel presentations throughout the Chicago suburbs. I’m the mother of two, stepmother of a married daughter, and wife of a police sergeant (who helps me get my crime scenes right). And…I am a member of the ACFW and Willow Creek Community Church.

 

Visit Susan's website.

 

Susan, what do you love about this book?

That it’s done and published! But I also love the relationship between my main character and his best friend, which I modeled after my son and his friends. It gave me the opportunity to mesh some humor into the drama. And I really like my other main character, Haylie, who is held captive during most of the book. Haylie is deaf, but I didn’t want the story to revolve around that because being deaf is not what defines her. She is smart, brave, and sticks to her faith even when faced with terrifying circumstances. I guess another aspect that I think/hope teens will like is that the characters are not stereotype sanitized, purified, saintly Christians. They’re real kids with real attitudes, desires, insecurities, dreams and emotions.  

 

Introduce us to the main character.

Well they get equal billing and have their own chapters, so I’ll have to do both. Nathan is Peruvian-American, which I chose because I always include different ethnicities in my books, and I happen to have Peruvian relatives. He’s got two adopted greyhounds, Ruby and Cougar, which his mom brought home from the animal shelter where she volunteers. Nathan doesn’t share the “ladies’ man” reputation of his English friend, Alec, but he works up the courage to ask Haylie on a date. Much to his surprise, she says yes. Unfortunately, she gets kidnapped before that happens. Haylie is an “A” student whose mother is a scientist for Zetalab, a high-energy physics research facility. Her stepdad is a zoo veterinarian. Both of these occupations play a role in the book.

 

What do you hope readers will tell other readers about your story?

That it’s on the New York Times Best Seller list…because that would mean it actually is. Seriously, I hope they find it to be a “page-turner,” funny in some spots, suspenseful in others, and that readers will grasp the subtle message that God is with us, even when He’s not making it obvious. Even when those miracles we ache for don’t seem to be coming our way. I also hope at least some readers will see the author’s note about human trafficking and decide to take action, or at least become more knowledgeable about an issue that breaks my heart.  

 

Susan Says:
Anyone living in the Schaumburg area is invited to my Book Launch Party at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 9^th at the Schaumburg Library. There will be cake, lots of prizes, and a self-defense demo. Plus a very short and hopefully funny PowerPoint I’m putting together. Show Me a Sign will be available at a discounted price ($10).