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Author Guest Post: “Behold the Power of Books!” by Cassidy Dwelis, Author of the Braidy von Althuis series

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“Behold the Power of Books!”

Talking to kids about hard topics is tough. When your little one, or a little one you know, is going through a tough time, it can be challenging to talk to them about what is going on in their life. Many kids are embarrassed about it, and are afraid of speaking up. What can we do as parents, educators, and creators to help kids with difficult things in their life, whether they are issues with a turbulent household, bullying, or the loss of a loved one?

Behold the power of books!

The folks at www.stopbullying.gov say that the best way for educators and staff to help kids impacted by bullying is through creative writing and artistic works. By introducing students to books that cover difficult topics, it can be easier to talk to them about what is going on in their life, and easier for them to speak up. Having characters in works of fiction that are relatable is important to a lot of readers, and seeing someone who is going through a tough time, just like them, can help kids come up with creative solutions to their troubles. We are Teachers has a great list of books that have anti-bullying messages, Parents showcases books about divorce, and What’s Your Grief has a whopping 64 books for kids on death and grief. The resources are out there, and by putting these books in classrooms and libraries, we can open the conversation with kids about the tough things.

My favorite approach to these kinds of topics is in the books that do not directly say in the title that they are about the topic. Diverse experiences should be written into every character, and these kinds of struggles make young protagonists much more interesting. By having characters experience the everyday struggle and deal with things that almost all kids deal with, this allows us as educators, adults, and parents to more freely talk about the issues with little ones. By continuing to stay involved in our kids’ lives, we can help put a stop to the problems that they deal with, or, at the very least, lessen the blow that the difficult times often bring.

What are your favorite books about tough topics for kids? Have you ever utilized fiction to talk to your students about emotional topics?

About the Author: Elaborate storytelling is something that has entertained humankind since its start, and Cassidy’s goal is to take the words on the page and forge them to life, like a star being born. Using a variety of media, Cassidy uses her hands to weave magic on the canvas and visualize elements extant before only in dreams. By utilizing an expressive and traditionally-inspired quality in her work, Cassidy brings worlds and characters of all sorts into existence.

Cassidy Dwelis currently resides in Colorado, and has earned a BFA in both Illustration and Game Art. Cassidy writes Middle Grade, Young Adult, and New Adult fiction, and is currently acquiring her MA in Publishing. Cassidy’s dream is to help others bring their imagination to life, through the art of storytelling.

Braidy von Althuis and the Dastardly Djinn
Publishes October 30th, 2018

About the Book: “He should have known this would happen. Wishes in movies and books seemed to go bad, so why would this one be any different?”

Ten-year-old Braidy von Althuis misses his family dearly. Ever since his father, his aunt, and his uncle went to look for Gran in Europe, the house has been quiet and lonely. Even worse, Braidy’s cousin Blockhead is miserable after a breakup. Braidy wishes more than anything that he could do something to make his cousin happy.

His wish is granted by a mysterious djinni, but the wish does not solve all his problems. Something is wrong with Blockhead, and Braidy learns a dark secret about his family that changes everything he knew. Will Braidy and Blockhead be able to undo the djinni wish, or will Braidy spark a war that may change the world as he knows it?

Braidy von Althuis and the Dastardly Djinn is a story about identity, self-worth, consent, and responsibility.

Thank you, Cassidy, for this post reiterating what we truly believe!

Author Guest Post!: “Things Sure Were Different In My Day” by Cara Bartek, Ph.D., Author of Serafina Loves Science

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“Things Sure Were Different In My Day”

I caught myself saying something the other day that I never thought I would say to my children, and I’m still reeling from the sheer horror of how those words felt as they spilled out of my mouth. In my defense, my kids had been complaining—in high-pitched, whiny voices that could crack the most ardent saint—how bored they were. As I looked around at their toys, their bikes, their swing set in the backyard, their books, their tablets, without even thinking I said, “How can you girls be bored with so much stuff to do? You should be grateful for all this entertainment because things sure were different in my day.”

That’s right, I said the dreaded phrase: THINGS SURE WERE DIFFERENT IN MY DAY.

The girls looked at me like I was a dog walking on my back legs. I could almost see them trying to calculate what “in my day” looked like, their eyes blinking and squinting as numbers and Greek symbols flashed above their heads like a cartoon. Maybe they saw cavemen walking around in mammoth-skin skinny jeans, or those old-timey gangsters hanging out in saloons with cigars dangling from their lips drinking kombucha teas from Starbucks. It had to be some strange, foreign amalgam of their own reality and the reality they could only assume their screamy old mom came from.

But the truth is, my day was very different. My childhood was arguably simpler. There was no online shopping or Prime deliveries and certainly no social media. Kids “in my day” were not as connected as kids are today, with information at their fingertips. This makes our children much more knowledgeable, and this is great for learning and exploring. Whenever we have a science project or a social studies report due, my girls and I head to the web. We have found loads of practical and fun information. It is also very easy to stay in touch with our friends and family. For anyone who has moved and left behind people they care about, social media can be a wonderful tool to preserve friendships. But as with all wonderful things in this world, there are disadvantages, too. Our tightly connected and information-saturated world means our kids know a lot more about tough realities.

This difficult knowledge hit home when my oldest child’s class practiced emergency protocols. She often would come home and tell me what she would do when “code red” was activated. Her demeanor was calm and even happy as she described the role she would play. One day she happened to see coverage about a school shooting. The reporter spoke about the different ways that students and teachers worked to save the lives of their fellow classmates and staff. The actions they described, such as barricading doors and hiding in closets, were similar to what her class had been practicing. I could see her brain making the connections, and this led to inevitable questions and a very difficult conversation. While this was something I never wanted to talk about with my little girl, it was a conversation that was necessary. Children are exposed to and must face difficult realities.

Difficult Realities for Developing Kids

Kids begin to develop their own identities almost as soon as they are born. They say “no” to gooey green baby food and later wear black lipstick to their grandma’s 80th birthday party. Or maybe that was just me? Regardless of the black lipstick, healthy emotional, physical, and spiritual development is rooted in the development of one’s identity. Difficult circumstances such as school violence, bullying, and even divorce can destabilize or strengthen their identity.

In my science-themed middle grade book, Quantum Quagmire, I cover the topic of divorce. Serafina Sterling learns her best friend, Tori Copper, is going through a difficult time when she starts to lose interest in her most beloved hobbies, bug hunting and pizza eating. And what’s troubling Tori is more difficult for Serafina to understand than cold fusion: Tori’s parents are getting a divorce. 

Serafina turns to her friends and science to try to figure out how to prevent the divorce. Using the scientific method, trial and error, and one disastrous release of a dangerous class pet, Serafina realizes her beloved science has reached its limit. Or has it? In the end, Serafina is able to understand a very important quantum principle and use it to help Tori accept the inevitable split. Serafina and her friends realize that while they may not be able to prevent a divorce, they have the tools to understand and accept the difficult reality.

The purpose of this book was not only to convey one of my favorite quantum concepts, quantum entanglement, but to also help kids navigate through difficult realities they may face. Especially in today’s information heavy world.

 Change versus Acceptance

We all have some control over our lives. Where we live. The job we have. What’s for dinner? We can’t, however, control the weather, what our neighbors are like, and who our bosses are. Kids have even less control. They can’t vote. They can’t get their own place. And they can’t understand what they can and can’t change without some guidance.

In Quantum Quagmire, I emphasize the importance of acceptance. Serafina and her friends try to reunite Tori Copper’s parents. When those efforts fail, her mother helps her understand that sometimes bad things happen in a person’s life. Serafina was able to take these lessons and help Tori accept the change. More importantly, she helped her see that even though her parents would not be living in the same house anymore, they would always be connected as a family. 

Sugarcoating is Good. Perspective is Better. 

My hope is that my entire Serafina Loves Science! series helps lay the groundwork for difficult conversations with children. Our kids will face a lot of challenges and failures in their lives, just as we have “back in our day”. Their relative success or failure in life will be the result of how well they can navigate, recover, and later thrive because of those bumps in the road.

When my oldest daughter recently lost her front tooth and was concerned she would “look weird” in class, I tried giving her a sugarcoated answer. I told her that the little hole in her face was “cute” and that at least she had a very handy soup strainer until her grown-up tooth came in. Those answers seemed to placate her for about 10 minutes. But as I stared at my gap-tooth seven-year-old, with her arms folded tightly across her chest and her brows pinched into a tight knot, I realized she was onto my bogus mom answers. I took a deep breath and tried to put it into perspective for her. I told her that, in my day, I also had been self-conscious about looking like a piano missing a lot of keys, and that her friends probably felt the same way. I listed some of her friends who also were missing their front teeth. She seemed to respond to this and even gave me a hug.

While having a missing tooth isn’t as difficult as divorce or school violence, the method of providing perspective remains. Kids are smart, and they are growing. Providing them with truthful, honest, and loving guidance can make a difference. It certainly did for Serafina and her friends!

Serafina Loves Science
Cosmic Conundrum
Quantum Quagmire
Published by Absolute Love Publishing

Series Summary: Serafina Loves Science! is a middle grade fiction series that focuses on 11-year-old Serafina Sterling. Serafina is just like other kids who have to deal with issues like annoying older brothers, cliques at school, and parents who restrict her use of noxious chemicals. But she has a secret … Serafina loves science! Her passion for all things scientific helps her make new friends and figure out the old ones, understand her family, invent new devices for space travel, and appreciate the basic principles of the universe.

Cosmic Conundrum Summary: See Kellee’s review from Friday!

Quantum Quagmire Summary: Serafina suspects something is wrong when her best friend, Tori Copper, loses interest in their most cherished hobbies: bug hunting and pizza nights. When she learns Tori’s parents are getting a divorce and that Tori’s mom is moving away, Serafina vows to discover a scientific solution to a very personal problem so that Tori can be happy again. But will the scientific method, a clever plan, and a small army of arachnids be enough to reunite Tori’s parents? When the situation goes haywire, Serafina realizes she has overlooked the smallest, most quantum of details. Will love be the one challenge science can’t solve?

About the Author: Cara Bartek, Ph.D. lives in Texas with her husband and two daughters. The Serafina Loves Science! series was inspired in part by her career path and in part by her two little girls. Her hope is to make this world a more equitable and opportune place for her daughters one silly story at a time. Visit www.carabartek.com.

Thank you to Cara and Absolute Love Publishing for sharing this awesome outlook into the changes in childhood in the 21st century and how Serafina deals with these changes!

Author Guest Post: “Shedding a Light of Understanding on Kids Who Are Different” by Janet McLaughlin, Author of Different

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“Shedding a Light of Understanding on Kids Who Are Different”

Growing up in an average American household, I never gave much thought to what it was like to be different or out of the norm. My education was homogenous: Catholic grade school, Catholic high school, even a year at a Catholic all-girls college. I married a nice, Catholic boy and raised three wonderful children. Life was what I understood it to be—simple. Oh, I had challenges, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Then my two beautiful, incredible grandchildren were born to my youngest child, and all that changed. The oldest started exhibiting quirky movements that turned into compulsive movements. She also started to have explosive outbursts, especially when things didn’t go her way—everyday things like what color shoes to wear.

It soon became obvious that there were issues. After visits to numerous doctors, Madison was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, and the bottom fell out from under us. We fell into the unknown, and our ordinary life became extraordinary, but not in a good way.

I watched as Madison and her family coped with her physical and vocal tics. I watched as Madison cringed into herself at restaurants after she made a scene, feeling that “everyone was staring at her.” I learned to understand, if only in a small way, what it means to be different.

Which brings me to my novel, DIFFERENT. Izzy, the protagonist, is modeled after my granddaughter. It’s not her story, but it is her life. I’ve watched her cope over the last 15 years, often folding into herself when she felt people were judging her. She’s a beautiful person and a troubled one. She doesn’t like to talk about her TS. She doesn’t want pity. She wants to be accepted as normal.

I don’t have any answers here. I don’t live in the world of a teacher, and my parenting days are mostly given over to advice for my children—when asked. But I do know this. I do know that I’m not so quick to judge the child having a tantrum in the restaurant or the man walking down the street talking to himself. I do know that teachers have it much harder than I did when I taught second grade many years ago. And parents have many more challenges than I did when my kids were growing up.

What I hope is that my novel will help teachers and parents understand the world of the child who is considered different. That these kids have the same goals, desires, needs that a “normal” child has, only with some extra challenges thrown in. And I truly believe that, given the chance, these “different” kids can excel. They even can come to see that everyone has challenges and that they aren’t so different after all.

I’ve also come to believe that children, while sometimes unkind or thoughtless, are quick to accept the quirkiness of others, at least when they are young. Mostly, they are curious. It is only when they begin to become aware of their differences that they start to act judgmentally. I believe that’s a self-defense mechanism. It is my hope that these students can come to see some of themselves in Izzy. The struggle to be accepted. The desire to be “normal.” That Izzy’s struggles can be their catalyst for their own self-acceptance.

If you would like to share your experience with Tourette syndrome or invite me to speak with your organization or classroom, I would love to hear from you. Contact me at https://janetmclaughlin-author.com/.

About the Author: Janet McLaughlin is the author of Different and the Soul Sight Mysteries series, including “Haunted Echo” and “Fireworks.” She has been involved in the communication field most of her adult life as a writer, editor and teacher. Her love of mysteries and the mystical are evident in her novels. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Florida Writers Association. She lives in Florida with her husband, Tom, and along with her writing, enjoys playing tennis, walking, traveling, and meeting people.

https://twitter.com/Author_Janet
https://www.facebook.com/authorjanetmclaughlin/

Published September 12th, 2018 by Absolute Publishing

Thank you to Janet for her thought-provoking post and for sharing her book!

Author Guest Post and Reading Guide!: “How a love of language and travel influenced The Magic of Melwick Orchard” by Rebecca Caprara

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“How a love of language and travel influenced The Magic of Melwick Orchard”

If you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be?

Flight? Invisibility? Super strength?

I’d choose Omniglotism, also known as the ability to speak every language in the world. Imagine the places you could go, the books you could read, the people and cultures you could connect with if you had a power like that.

As you can probably tell, my love of language is connected with my interest in travel. When I was a child, I dreamed of exploring the wide world and I’ve been globetrotting ever since, visiting more than 50 countries to date. Whenever I travel, I carry a notebook. In it, I sketch things I see, jot story ideas, and gather vocabulary—often in different languages. These words are like candy: sweet, colorful, delightful morsels worth savoring.

Some of my favorites include Selamat Pagi, which means Good Morning in Malay and sounds as cheerful as birdsong.

In Italian, I adore the term Aspirapolvere, which translates to Dust Breather—an infinitely cooler name for the humble household vacuum cleaner.

I also love words for which there is no English equivalent, such as the Japanese Komorebi, which describes the dance between light and leaves as the sun shines through treetops. It’s like an entire poem compressed into a single, miraculous word.

When I began writing my debut middle grade novel, The Magic of Melwick Orchard, my fascination with language inevitably found its way onto the page, primarily through the voice of Junie. In the book, 6-year-old Junie mashes and mixes words together in a process I call Frankensteining—an idea inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel, my travel notebooks, and a design exercise I learned in architecture school which involves cutting and pasting building plans of the same scale to generate new structures.

This process produced some of Junie’s signature vocabulary, such as perfecterrific (perfect + terrific), worstible (worst-most-horrible), and squg (a squeezing hug full of love). Even the mysterious Melwick Orchard is a hybrid, combining part of my mother’s name, Melissa, with my father’s nickname, Wick.

Some of the most rewarding early feedback I’ve received from readers has been their connection to these invented words. One 9-year-old reader, inspired by Junie’s wordsmithing, described feeling nerve-cited (nervous + excited) about leaving for sleep-away camp for the first time. Teachers and librarians have also reached out with their plans to use the book in conjunction with creative writing and literacy exercises in the classroom. In response to this, we developed several extension and enrichment activities within the Melwick Orchard Reading & Discussion Guide devoted to wordplay. The Reading Guide is aligned with Common Core Standards and is available as a free download through my website (https://www.rebeccacaprara.com/educators).

If you would like to share your own linguistic creations or feedback about the book, I would love to hear from you. Readers can contact me at CapraraBooks@gmail.com or connect with through social media @RebeccaCaprara.

The Magic of Melwick Orchard releases September 1, 2018 with Carolrhoda Books. For every pre-ordered copy of the book, a donation will be made to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a nonprofit organization raising funds for childhood cancer research.

Rebecca Caprara graduated from Cornell University and practiced architecture for several years, before shifting her focus from bricks to books. An avid globetrotter, she has lived in Italy, Singapore, and Canada. She is now growing roots in Massachusetts with her family.

The Magic of Melwick Orchard
Author: Rebecca Caprara
Coming September 1, 2018
Published by Carolrhoda/Lerner
ISBN-10: 1512466875 / ISBN-13: 978-1512466874
First edition: Hardcover; 376 pages
Middle Grade Fiction (Age Range: 8 – 14 Years)

About the Book: After more moves than they can count, Isabel and Junie’s family finally put down roots. People in town whisper strange stories about the abandoned orchard behind their new home, but the sisters are happy to have acres of land to explore and trees to swing beneath. For the first time in a while, life feels perfecterrific.

But then Junie is diagnosed with cancer and everything changes. Isa’s mom falls into a deep depression, and mounting medical bills force Isa’s dad to work longer and longer days. As for Isa… well, she’s slowly becoming invisible. No one seems to notice that her clothes are falling apart, her stomach is empty, and her heart is breaking.

In an act of frustration, Isa buries her out-grown sneakers in the orchard. The trees haven’t produced fruit in decades, but the next day something magical happens: a sapling sprouts the strangest, most magnificent buds Isa has ever seen. When they bloom to reveal an entire harvest of new shoes, Isa feels inspired. Can she use the magical tree to save her family?

Reading Guide:

Thank you, Rebecca, for the wordly perfect post!

 

Student Voices: Top Ten Author Lists by Two of Kellee’s 2017-18 Middle School Students

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Our Top Ten Favorite Authors by Duda V. and Angelina D. (6th grade)

Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan is the author of many series like Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus. He is in the process of writing The Trials of Apollo series as well. His writing brings mythology to the modern world with hilarity. With twisting plots and schemes and a lot of hair-raising action, it leaves readers begging for more.

J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling is the author of the ever popular Harry Potter series which is most definitely well-known with theme parks, movies, games, and its own official website, her books are without a doubt well-loved and appreciated. Popularity however is not the reason we put her on our list. She has created a world intertwined with ours, full of magic we can only dream about. Not only have we watched the characters grow, but we have grown with them.

Caroline Carlson
Caroline Carlson is the author of the hilarious series The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates. It centers around a girl who wants to become a pirate but her parents don’t want her to. Caroline has created a fantasy world where piracy is normal yet still illegal. The series includes three books, each one demonstrating a sense of bravery and adventure as well as hilariousness that I’m sure will make you laugh your head off!

Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer is the author of the bestselling series The Land of Stories. It’s a fictional series about the adventure of two twins, Alex and Connor. Chris Colfer has written six books in the series, and they all take place in a world that Chris Colfer has created around fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty. Chris Colfer books are amazing!

Ally Carter
Ally Carter is the author of several series including Embassy Row, Heist Society, and Gallagher Girls. Her books are thrilling and have a unique take on the classic good guy/bad guy scheme with the bad guys being more an antagonist than a villain. Even with all the adventurous moment, she still finds time to add sweet moments.

Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the author of the Series of Unfortunate Events, thirteen books with witty definitions and a plot that has readers on the edge of their seats. However, we did want to add that we don’t agree with his recent comments. We just think that his series is amazing.

Neal Shusterman
Neal Shusterman is an amazing author who has written many series including the Unwind Dystology and the Dark Fusion series. He also wrote Scythe which is about Citra and Rowan and the challenges they have to overcome. Neal Shusterman is a New York Time Bestselling author, winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Golden Kite Award for Fiction, and more. Many of his books are fascinating because of his unique writing style.

Dan Gemeinhart
Dan Gemeinhart is the author of multiple books including Scar Island, Some Kind of Courage, and The Honest Truth. His writing is heartfelt and gripping. He uses a perfect mix of emotions and plot guaranteed to have readers anxious for the next page.

Gordon Korman
Gordon Korman is the author of multiple series including Masterminds, Swindle, Hypnotists, and so many more series and stand alone books. He is also part of the 39 Clues series. His work is action packed and full of gripping moments. His books are always real page-turners.

Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle is the author of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes which is a collection of short stories. The stories are about the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes who goes to solve cases that are usually murder cases. The book was originally published in 1892 and has been turned into movies and TV shows.

Top Ten Amazing Authors You May Not Know But Should by Duda V. and Angelina D. (6th grade)

David Liss
David LIss is the author of Randoms, a 2017-18 Sunshine State Young Reader book. SSYRA books are chosen in Florida and recommended for kids and often show up in schools. Despite not being really well known, he should be. If you enjoy thriling sci-fi novels, his books are for you. And don’t worry, it is just the first of an epic series.

Sayantani Dasugupta
Sayantani Dasgupta is an Indian American author who has written The Demon Slayers, Bengali Folk Tales, and The Serpent’s Secret. She is a physician-scholar in addition to a writer. The Serpent’s Secret is about Kiranmala, a regular sixth grader until her twelfth birthday. Sayantani Dasgupta is an amazing author who can make you feel like you are in the book yourself.

Joseph Bruchac
Joseph Bruchac is the amazing author of Wolf Mark as well as so many others. With a twisting plot and well-written details, it is every bit as good as expected, as are his other books. There are no words to describe it!

Adam Rex
Adam Rex is the author of The True Meaning of Smekday, the book Home was based on. Despite this fact, many people do not know that. If you have ever watched a movie based on a book, you know that they never get the details right (but it is a bit fun to see the changes). Adam Rex’s writing is funny and well-thought out and planned.

Julia Keller
Julia Keller is an American novelist that has written many adult books and her newest is for young adults, The Dark Intercept which is the first book in a series. The Dark Intercept is a personal favorite; it is an amazing book about two worlds, Old and New Earth, and the mysteries about New Earth, the world that Violet Crowley’s father has created. Julia Keller has won awards including a Pulitzer Prize, and she is an amazing author that writes science fiction, adventure, crime, and many more.

Lynne Jonell
Lynne Jonell is the author of Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat and other titles. Her writing is fun and mysterious and it increases with the plot. What starts as a seemingly realistic fiction book is soon easily classified as pure fantasy.

Firoozeh Dumas
Firoozeh Dumas is the author of It Ain’t So Awful, Falafal, which was a 2017-18 Sunshine State Young Reader Award book. Firoozeh Dumas has also written many other books including Funny in Farsi and Laughing without an Accent. Ain’t So Awful, Falafel is a funny book about Zomorod (aka Cindy) that just moved to Newport Beach. Firoozeh has been nominated for many awards including the Turber Prize for American Humor. Her books are hilarious because of her unique style of writing.

Soman Chainani
Soman Chainani is known for his series The School for Good and Evil. The story revolves around best friends, Agatha and Sophie, who face challenges and overcome them. The series consists of four books (right now), and I appreciate it for its sense of magic, friendship, and love. Soman has created a world full of fantasy with fairy tales including Cinderella and King Arthur. This series isn’t too well known but after you read the first one, you can’t stop reading because of the magic it brings.

Suzanne Nelson
Suzanne Nelson is an author that writes heart-taking, loveable, and amazing books. She has written many different books including Macaroons at Midnight and Cake Pop Crush. Both of these books feature delicious recipes in the end as well. Suzanne Nelson has been able to create books that can make you understand that love can be a beautiful thing because her books are mostly about love and sweetness. Suzanne Nelson is an author that is just as amazing as any author you already know and love.

J.J. Howard
J.J. Howard is an author that writes books that have challenges and love between two characters including her book Pug and Kisses which features an adorable pug. The books are amazing realistic fiction stories because it displays real life trouble, mostly love problems, which can be overcome with happy endings. J.J. Howard is an amazing author who writes books that will bring a smile to your face.

Thank you to my wonderful students, Duda and Angelina, for sharing your favorite authors!

Author Guest Post!: “The Uh…. Game” by Mark Morrison, Author of TwoSpells

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TwoSpells
Author: Mark Morrison
Published February 21st, 2018

About the Book: TwoSpells is a magical tale about a set of teenage twins, Sarah and Jon, who find out that they’re heirs to an ancient, magical realm containing an enchanted library that can transport a reader to anywhere or anytime the author has written into the story. They soon realize that moving through multidimensional worlds isn’t the safest or wisest of choices.

They’re immediately pulled into an inter-dimensional war erupting between goodness inherent within her kind and new evil forces flowing from parallel universes now looking to claim the library’s unique magical enchantment as their own portal to besieging and conquering their world and all realms outside their own.

Along the way, the twins meet astonishing and fascinating characters of a wide variety of species, both Regulars and Irregulars, who can do amazing things. Some are good and some are of unspeakably horrific creations bent on one thing: destroying the two strange intruders who have entered and disrupted their sacred two-dimensional domain.

Sarah and Jon have left behind their much simpler life as Regulars and embrace their new positions as successors to a very special kingdom designed for their kind only, the Irregulars.


Excerpt: Chapter 12

THE FRONT DOOR LAY FLATTENED, hinges bent and twisted and the sliding bolt-lock contorted. The door jam was broken and splintered.

“What is this?” Grandpa roared, waving his walking stick at the mountainous intruders. “Which one of ya’ is gonna pay for all this?”

The dust settled and the two ominous figures stood just outside the doorway, the bright moon blazing behind them. Tattooed across their pale blue foreheads were the numbers thirty-seven and thirty-eight. Each was stuffed into a suit two sizes too small and busting at the seams, barely able to contain their hulking, muscular bodies. Black, wraparound sunglasses hid their eyes from view and Sarah could tell that something strange lay behind them. One muttered into a small microphone curled toward his lips and the other stared straight ahead.

Grandpa rolled up behind them. “Collectors!”

“Collectors?” Sarah whispered to Jon. He shrugged.

“You know why here,” Thirty-seven grunted, flipping one side of his jacket open and exposing a peculiar gold badge attached to his belt. It was a cluster of mechanical gears embedded with astrological symbols and a mechanical winged dragon clinging to a peculiar orbs.

“We do not!” Grandma shouted, leaning on her walker.

“Overdue book,” the other one boomed, holding out a six fingered hand.

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about ya’ thug,” Grandma said, rolling her walker closer. “Who’s gonna fix me door?”

The Collectors muttered something in another language to one another.

“We haven’t even been ta’ the bloody library in years,” Grandpa argued. “Ya’ have that written in your records?”

Thirty-seven moved closer, his hand out again. “Special text overdue.”

Sarah and Jon eased backward a little. The tone of its voice sounded threatening.

About the Author: Mark was born number seven of eight children in a small town in Ohio. His family moved to Florida where he grew up, met an incredible women, got married and raised four fantastic children, three boys and a girl. Many years later an empty nest left him to his true calling, storytelling. His first remarkable story is about a heroin whose courage and unrestrained personality, like his daughters, breathes passion and fervor into this adrenaline packed fantastical story.

Author Guest Post: 

“The Uh… Game”

Hello Everyone,

I’m Mark Morrison. I’m originally from a teeny-tiny town in Ohio called Salem. My father used to say that it was the armpit of the country. Peeuuw! I have seven brothers and sisters, a slew of nieces and nephews and a couple dozen great nieces and nephews. I now live in Florida with my loving wife, four children and two beautiful grand-babes. It’s hot down here, but it’s just a sticky, obnoxiously wet heat. Hahaha.

My father used to say that I was an uneducated genius. I’m not exactly sure what he meant by that. I suppose he thought that because I spent most of my time in school more involved in sports and art classes than mathematics, history or science. I did, however, sneak in several elective credits as a librarian’s assistant. That was a whole lot of fun and I was able to read a ton of awesome books.

As a boy I grew up reading things like The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, and classics, like Huckleberry Finn and Charlotte’s Web. I topped those off with some outstanding comic books and MAD magazines. But as I got older my taste changed. I was really into Isaac Asimov, George Orwell and Edgar Allen Poe. And I watched a lot of television as well. Star Trek, Dark Shadows, The Twilight Zone, Dr. Who, Andy Griffith, Mary Tyler Moore, the Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island rounded out some dull afternoons when I didn’t have a book in hand.

As most folks with large families know, board games are an inexpensive way to entertain ourselves. We’d always get a batch of new board games at Christmas along with a new pair of socks and underwear. On one particular low budget Christmas, my father introduced us to a game he claimed he’d invented called, “Uh!”

Our family would gather in the living room and Dad would elect one of us to start the game. The starter would have to create a totally fictitious story out of thin air using heavy inflection and hand gestures to embolden the story. After a sentence or two they’d pause mid-sentence and let the next player take over from there. This continued around the room until someone hesitated or said “uh” while trying to think of an idea. That player was out and the game continued until only one person was left. The stories were extremely creative and often incredibly strange, because each player was attempting to make the next in line chuckle and fumble. It was an awesome game of improvisation and I credit my love of storytelling, and wild hand gesturing while I speak, to that silly game.

Picture this scenario: A teacher in a room full of school children chooses an order to play a really fun and improvisational game. The teacher determines the first to play, a child in the front row seat was chosen and starts a story with a simple partial idea like this, “Once upon a time there was a young giraffe by the name of George who woke up one morning and realized he had lost his spots and…”

The child next in order adds to it, “Cried because he felt naked and embarrassed that all the other giraffes still had their beautiful spots and he didn’t. He searched the plains where he lived for hours on end, even searched the nearby forest with no luck at all. His spots had seemed to have just disappeared in the night. He decided somebody must have…

The next in order has to add to that, “Stolen his spots while he slept. Being the tallest creature in the neighborhood so continued his search further from home. He scanned the new surroundings until he saw what he thought were his missing spots on a creature perched on a tree limb in the distance. The creature was called a…

The next in order continues, “Leopard. George was furious that someone would take his precious spots. He ran to the tiny leopard and cried out….uhhhhh…”

That child slipped up and paused, therefore they’re eliminated and the game continues on from there to the next player rounding the room over and over until every child is eliminated except one.

The stories can turn into some very bizarre abstract worlds full of nonsensical ideas but hilarious sometimes. My family would have a ball for hours and hours playing UH! And for free. It was a fantastic way to teach us how to think fast and improvise. I lend that game to my ability to pretty much create a story out of any idea thrown at me in an instant.

Thanks for listening!

And thank you, Mark, for sharing your story!

Author Guest Post!: “Tween to Teen–The Case of the Missing Category” by Elizabeth Foster, author of Esme’s Wish

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Esme’s Wish
Author: Elizabeth Foster
Published October 30th, 2017 by Odyssey Books

About the Book: When fifteen-year-old Esme Silver objects at her father’s wedding, her protest is dismissed as the action of a stubborn, selfish teenager. Everyone else has accepted the loss of Esme’s mother, Ariane – so why can’t she?

But Esme is suspicious. She is sure that others are covering up the real reason for her mother’s disappearance – that ‘lost at sea’ is code for something more terrible, something she has a right to know.

After Esme is accidentally swept into the enchanted world of Aeolia, the truth begins to unfold. With her newfound friends, Daniel and Lillian, Esme retraces her mother’s steps in the glittering canal city of Esperance, untangling the threads of Ariane’s double life. But the more Esme discovers about Ariane, the more she questions whether she really knew her at all.

Praise: 

“I loved Esme’s determination and I loved the unbreakable bond between mother and child. Esme’s Wish overflows with creativity, imagination and originality.” – Kait’s Bookshelf.

“A fresh new fantasy, of an enchanting world.” – Wendy Orr, author of Nim’s Island and Dragonfly Song

About the Author: Elizabeth Foster read avidly as a child, but only discovered the joys of writing some years ago when reading to her own children reminded her how much she missed getting lost in other worlds. Once she started writing, she never looked back. She’s at her happiest when immersed in stories, plotting new conflicts and adventures for her characters.  Elizabeth lives in Sydney, Australia, where she can often be found scribbling in cafés, indulging her love of both words and coffee. Find her on facebook @elizabethfosterauthor or on Instagram @elizabethfoster_ Find out more about Esme’s Wish, including teachers’ notes, on her website www.elizabethfoster.com.au.

Author Guest Post: 

“Tweens to teens – the case of the missing category”

There has never been a better time to be a bookworm. Reading is in, geek is chic, and publishers are pumping out YA blockbuster after YA blockbuster. However, some eager young readers have been left in the dust.

Over the past few months, librarians and teachers have lamented to me a lack of titles appropriate for 10 to 14-year-olds. YA is skewing older and older – over half of YA readers are adults, according to several polls – and middle grade (MG) novels are strictly aimed at readers 8-12. So what about those readers who slip between the cracks? A recent Publishing & Weekly article pointed out that the 10-14 category used to exist, but does no longer. I believe this is a huge disservice to the ‘tween’ set: those who want something meatier than a chapter book, but aren’t ready for the violence, sex, and edgy themes of older YA.

Unfortunately, it can be very difficult for authors to find a publisher for titles aimed at this age group, because such novels don’t fit so neatly on the ‘YA’ and ‘MG’ shelves in a bookstore. I recently went through this struggle myself when seeking publication for my debut novel, Esme’s Wish.

Esme’s Wish, a fantasy/mystery for 10 to 14-year-olds, is the first in a trilogy, and edges into darker material as the protagonist ages – so it didn’t feel right to market the series as MG. But it is quite different from the older YA fare. There is no romance, at least in the first book, and minimal violence.

Esme Silver, the novel’s protagonist, still has some catching-up to do developmentally, due to the loss of her mother at the age of eight. After years of being vilified by her community, she’s still learning about friendship, loyalty, and trust. She still loves and longs for her missing mother. YA protagonists have typically already navigated the pains of separating from their parents, but how does one accomplish such a monumental developmental task when that figure is missing from one’s life?

Ultimately, I am glad I stayed true to my intentions. Teen girls up to the age of 14 or 15 have read the novel and loved it, particularly enjoying the focus on friendship and family, as well as the world-building and mystery aspects. The story has had a positive response from preteens, too. In fact, I just received an email from a primary school librarian telling me that one of her book club readers included it in her top ten (just below Wonder!) To help things along, I have decided to market the Esme series as ‘MG-to-YA’, after seeing books similar to mine tagged this way on Goodreads. Hopefully this will catch on, and help better delineate this category for publishers, authors and readers.

I remember my own kids at the cusp of adolescence – excited about the challenges of adulthood but stepping ahead with trepidation, one step forward, one step back. At the grand age of eleven or twelve, they were already reminiscing about their ‘childhood’ with fondness and nostalgia. More fiction for this rather forgotten age group can help ease the passage we, as adults, have already been through ourselves – and survived!

Esme’s Wish was published by Odyssey Books in late 2017. Its sequel, Esme’s Gift, is due out in early 2019.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for your post and sharing Esme with us!