Review: Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson

 

In Ravenfall, the Ballinkay family lives in a magical inn with a mind of its own. Thirteen-year-old Anna Ballinkay can see death just by touching someone. But even in a family full of talented psychics, Anna feels like an outcast and constantly wonders how her powers might be useful to maintaining her family's inn. 

 

That is until fourteen-year-old Colin Pierce shows up on their doorstep in search of his missing brother after the death of their parents. Finally finding a use for her powers, Anna offers to help Colin track down the killer. 

 

As they struggle to understand who is behind the death and what they might want with Colin, the hidden secrets go deeper and deeper. And if they can't solve the mystery by Samhain (the Irish Halloween), the veil between life and death will be ripped open destroying their world before they can solve the murder.

Ravenfall is filled with Irish traditions and lore. Anna and Colin are the perfect pair to tackle this mystery as the story twists and turns. It's exciting to watch them both discover who they are and what their strengths are in the process. As they navigate a whimsical world with a quirky psychic family, a magical house that fixes and decorates itself, and a shapeshifting cat, they learn about the world of the dead all while finding their rightful place among those they care about. Ravenfall has the right touch of secrets and scary and is a perfect read for spooky season.

GIVEAWAY - Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows + Charlie Hernández and the Castle of Bones

Today we have an awesome giveaway of a signed hardcover copy of Charlie Hernández and the Castle of Bones, and a signed paperback copy of Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows.

A perfect pick for kids who love Rick Riordan.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A winner for all kids, but it will be especially loved by Latinx and Hispanic families.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The Lightning Thief meets the Story Thieves series in this middle grade fantasy inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America.

Charlie Hernández has always been proud of his Latin American heritage. He loves the culture, the art, and especially the myths. Thanks to his abuela’s stories, Charlie possesses an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the monsters and ghouls who have spent the last five hundred years haunting the imaginations of children all across the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Central and South America. And even though his grandmother sometimes hinted that the tales might be more than mere myth, Charlie’s always been a pragmatist. Even barely out of diapers, he knew the stories were just make-believe—nothing more than intricately woven fables meant to keep little kids from misbehaving.

But when Charlie begins to experience freaky bodily manifestations—ones all too similar to those described by his grandma in his favorite legend—he is suddenly swept up in a world where the mythical beings he’s spent his entire life hearing about seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Hispanic folklore and into his life. And even stranger, they seem to know more about him than he knows about himself.

Soon, Charlie finds himself in the middle of an ancient battle between La Liga, a secret society of legendary mythological beings sworn to protect the Land of the Living, and La Mano Peluda (a.k.a. the Hairy Hand), a cabal of evil spirits determined to rule mankind. With only the help of his lifelong crush, Violet Rey, and his grandmother’s stories to guide him, Charlie must navigate a world where monsters and brujas rule and things he couldn’t possibly imagine go bump in the night. That is, if he has any hope of discovering what’s happening to him and saving his missing parents (oh, and maybe even the world).

No pressure, muchacho.

Inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America, this bold sequel to Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows, which Booklist called “a perfect pick for kids who love Rick Riordan” in a starred review, follows Charlie as he continues on his quest to embrace his morphling identity.

Charlie Hernandez still likes to think of himself as a normal kid. But what’s normal about being a demon-slaying preteen with an encyclopedic knowledge of Hispanic and Latino mythology who can partially manifest nearly any animal trait found in nature? Well, not much. But, Charlie believes he can get used to this new “normal,” because being able to sprout wings or morph fins is pretty cool.

But there is a downside: it means having to constantly watch his back for La Mano Peluda’s sinister schemes. And when the leader of La Liga, the Witch Queen Jo herself, is suddenly kidnapped, Charlie’s sure they’re at it again.

Determined to save the queen and keep La Liga’s alliances intact, Charlie and his good friend Violet Rey embark on a perilous journey to track down her captors. As Charlie and Violet are drawn deeper into a world of monstruos and magia they are soon left with more questions than answers—like, why do they keep hearing rumors of dead men walking, and why is Charlie suddenly having visions of an ancient evil: a necromancer priest who’s been dead for more than five centuries?

Charlie’s abuela once told him that when dead men walk, the living run in fear. And Charlie’s about to learn the truth of that—the hard way.

Ryan Calejo was born and raised in south Florida. He graduated from the University of Miami with a BA. He’s been invited to join both the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Golden Key International Honour Society. He teaches swimming to elementary school students, chess to middle school students, and writing to high school students. Having been born into a family of immigrants and growing up in the so-called “Capital of Latin America,” Ryan knows the importance of diversity in our communities and is passionate about writing books that children of all ethnicities can relate to. His first novel was Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows.



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Five More Reasons to Read CATERPILLAR SUMMER

As writers, we all have books we would like to write someday. Sometimes they’re based around specific ideas we’d like to develop, or certain genres we’d like to explore. Sometimes they might only be an idea for a character, or a setting, or just an overall feeling.

I’ve had a jigsaw puzzle of story elements stashed in my vault for quite some time now: A contemporary story with a timeless feel, when the events aren’t limited to modern day trappings like kids constantly texting each other or spending all of their school nights obsessively playing online games; a quieter story about family and self-discovery; taking place in a smaller community, somewhat contained so the people there are familiar with each other and the main character has relationships with many of them; something set near the water, whether that would mean oceans, lakes, or rivers, with that watery setting important enough to the story that it almost comes alive as a character itself; something where there is just as much attention paid to the craft of the writing as the telling of the story.

We had a Middle Grade Minded post about a month ago, listing five reasons why people should read CATERPILLAR SUMMER by Gillian McDunn. Coincidentally, I had sent a book order home with my students that same week. I noticed CATERPILLAR SUMMER was one of the books available, and I ordered a copy. When the chaos of the final weeks of the school year began calming, I read it. I was pulled in deep from the very first page and only became more and more engaged as the story went on. This book turned out to be one possible version of the kind of book I wanted to write myself. With that in mind, I’d like to add to that original list of reasons to read this book with a few of my own.

*It’s a contemporary story with enough modern flourishes that kids today could recognize and relate to, but it has a mostly timeless feel. Our main character is a girl named Cat. The time she spends walking on the beach with her family and riding bikes with her new friend Harriet are things that could have happened thirty years ago as easily as last week.

*The story is layered around Cat’s relationships with the different people in her family. Her mother and her younger brother Chicken are both loving and frustrating parts of her life. Her father, who had passed away earlier, represents something of a hole in what her life is now. The grandparents she is just getting to know help her understand her parents in ways she hadn’t had the opportunity to before.

*Much of the story takes place on Gingerbread Island, along the coast of North Carolina. People can come and go between the island and the mainland easily enough, but the people who live on the island are tight-knit enough to give Cat and Chicken a good collection of characters to get to know and spend their summer with while visiting their grandparents.

*Maybe it’s because I’ve lived my whole life in a city on the edge of the midwestern prairie, but I almost always find stories set near or around the ocean to be captivating. Cat and Chicken’s grandparents live right along the water, an easy distance for walks along the beach, looking for turtles and shark teeth, or entering local fishing contests. Both Gingerbread Island and the ocean are such important parts of the setting that I’m not sure the story would able to be the same without them.

*The author, Gillian McDunn, is an extraordinary writer. This is a book I know I’ll be revisiting frequently, not only to enjoy the story but to both admire and study how she crafted it. I can’t recommend highly enough that you find yourself a copy of this book and read it. The time you spend this summer on Gingerbread Island will be worth it.

Writing from Reading

I started writing a new manuscript last week. It was kind of a spontaneous moment, just thinking about what I’d like to work on and encountering half an idea, which was just enough to get me curious. I put in about 2,000 words and felt pretty good. I also started reading a new middle grade book last week. I’d just finished one, and with the kind of time on my hands that summer break can provide, I wanted to get right into something new.

My middle grade To Be Read pile for the summer is extensive; truthfully, there are likely more books there than I’ll have time to finish (isn’t that always the case?). I sorted them into piles to try and narrow down which would be the best to take on next: 

*Books that were considered classics that I’d never gotten around to reading before
*Books I’d bought because of the online buzz they’d received
*Books the media teacher at school had passed on to me
*Books that I knew little about, but somehow found intriguing
*Books that promised broad and fantastic adventures

The pile I spent the most time considering was the intriguing one. What was it about these books that had caught my interest? What, if anything, did they have in common? I looked through the titles, I read the descriptions on the back, and started to put some things together. Each of the books from the intriguing pile had something that reminded me of what I hoped the one I had just started writing would be like. 

A common piece of writing advice that gets passed around is to write what you know. I would never take on writing a piece of heavy science fiction or high fantasy because those are genres I haven’t read extensively. Maybe staying inside your comfort zone as a writer can mean playing things too safe and that might not always be a the best way to challenge ourselves and learn. 

However, don’t a lot of us end up trying to write the kinds of books that we think our younger selves would’ve liked to read, or even did read? How much of the stories we choose is guided by the stories we know? It seems like a “chicken and the egg” kind of thing: Do we write the books we choose because of the ones we’ve read, or do the books we write guide us to the ones we’d like to read? 

I still don’t know which book I want to read next, by the way, but I’ve narrowed it down to two: 
THE SAME STUFF AS STARS by Katherine Paterson, or SEE YOU IN THE COSMOS by Jack Cheng. I was drawn to each because of the personal journeys taken by their characters. That both of them are somehow related to space is just a coincidence.

At least I think it is. I was pretty big into astronomy when I was a middle grader….

Cover Reveal - RIDERS OF THE REALM: THROUGH THE UNTAMED SKY By Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Today we have an amazing cover reveal for the second book in Jennifer Lynn Alvarez's RIDERS OF THE REALM series titled THROUGH THE UNTAMED SKY.

About the book
Cover artist: Vivienne To
Release Date: March 26, 2019
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Prize for giveaway:  autographed hardcover of book #1 ACROSS THE DARK WATER (to enter please leave a comment to this post answering one of Jennifer's questions after her top ten list, and leave an email or other form of contact)

Cover copy for book #2 “Through the Untamed Sky”
“After winning the wild pegasus mare named Echofrost in a contest, Rahkki Stormrunner becomes an official Rider in the Sky Guard army. But Rahkki is terrified of heights, and Echofrost is still difficult to tame. And with Echofrost’s herd captured by the giants and the growing threat of battle looming over the Realm, the new pair will have to work through their fears in order to fly with the army and free the herd.

Meanwhile, back in Rahkki’s village, rebellion is brewing, and Rahkki learns there is a sinister plot to overthrow Queen Lilliam. But the queen suspects Rahkki’s behind it, and he is under intense watch.
As Rahkki and Echofrost travel to Mount Crim to free Storm Herd, Rahkki fears that the greatest danger may not come from the impending battle against the giants, but from within his own clan.

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez takes readers on another action-packed adventure, where mystery abounds and threats are around every corner—and it will take trust, loyalty, and ultimately the deep friendship between pegasi and humans to survive.”

And now for the awesome cover!

Dear Middle Grade Minded,
Thank you for hosting the cover reveal for “Through the Untamed Sky”, the second book in the RIDERS OF THE REALM trilogy. The artist is Vivienne To and when I saw the cover, I screamed! I love the colors, the dragon, the pegasus, the sweeping sky—it all comes together so well. It’s fun to see my story illustrated in this way. I love writing about horses, especially winged ones! They live in massive territorial herds, they migrate twice a year, and they are fiercely loyal to one another—exciting fodder for writing stories.

In this trilogy, a small herd of pegasi flee their homeland in search of a safer place to live. On the way, they encounter a primitive clan of humans who would like to capture them and train them as flying warhorses. 

The ideas of cooperation versus slavery, love versus dependence, and freedom versus friendship are explored deeply within the trilogy. Pegasi are sentient beings, so “owning” one is more like owning a human than a pet. Most readers, like this author, will root for the pegasi to remain free, but cooperation with the humans will become necessary—and this awkward attempt at a partnership will rock both worlds!

With the long summer stretching ahead, I thought I’d offer a Top Ten list of animal fantasy books for kids to read!

1. Watership Down, by Richard Adams, this novel about rabbits made me want to write animal fantasy too!
2. The Warriors series, by Erin Hunter, exciting adventure books about clans of wild cats
3. The Firebringer trilogy, by Meredith Ann Pierce, a poetic, evocative story about wild unicorns
4. Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell, a book about a tame horse that changed horse training forever
5. Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies, immersive story about wild deer and a young buck named Rannoch
6. Redwall, by Brian Jacques, about a brave young mouse on a quest
7. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien, about a mother mouse who seeks the help of super smart rats to save her son
8. The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford, about a cat and two dogs that trek across rugged terrain to find their owner
9. The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo, about a courageous mouse in love with a princess
10. The Guardian Herd, by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, the origin series about the pegasi of Anok (you don’t need to read this to enjoy Riders of the Realm!

Have you read any of these books? What’s your favorite animal? Let me know in the comments. Thank you for celebrating the cover reveal with me, and happy summer!

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

About the Author

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez received her degree in English literature from U.C. Berkeley. She writes The Guardian Herd series and the Riders of the Realm trilogy. She’s an active volunteer for United States Pony Club, and she draws on her lifelong love of animals when writing her books. Jennifer lives on a small ranch in Northern California with her husband, kids, horses, and more than her fair share of pets.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridersoftherealm/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferDiaries

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLynnAlvarez/

Website: http://www.theguardianherd.com/

Read the first three chapters of book one for free here: https://issuu.com/harpercollinschildrensbooks/docs/riders_of_the_realm__1?e=22906843/59383792

Cover Reveal: THE MAGICIANS OF ELEPHANT COUNTY by Adam Perry

Today we have a cover reveal for MAGICIANS OF ELEPHANT COUNTY!

About the book:
Magicians are never supposed to reveal their secrets. . . .

But if Duncan Reyes and Emma Gilbert want to avoid going from “people of interest” to “prime suspects” in the biggest disaster their small town has ever seen, they’ll have to break the Magician’s Code and explain their sides of the story to police.

It all started because these two friends dreamed of one day becoming as great as Harry Houdini or David Copperfield. When a confrontation with their school’s bully leads to Duncan and Emma coming face-to-face with the neighborhood witch, though, they are shocked to discover that real magic actually exists.

After accidentally stealing her wand and using it to create some unbelievable illusions, Duncan and Emma draw the attention of not only the witch but other foes who may be even far worse.

With the fate of their town in the balance, how are two amateur magicians going to have any hope of defeating the powerful dark forces that are after them? It might just take some sleight of hand, a bit of magic, and a little destruction of public property. (Allegedly.)

Read for yourself and find out, because seeing is believing . . . .


And now for the cover reveal

The Author's Comments on the Cover:
I have been a fan of illustrator John Hendrix (@hendrixart) for several years, so when I saw his name on a list of potentially cover illustrators, I was absolutely thrilled. He has an amazing eye for composition, color, and hand-drawn text. Because I handled the 32 full-page illustrations inside the book, it was important for us not to use elements that would conflict with my location or character designs. We decided to focus more on the title of the book, and sprinkle in some magical elements. Throughout the process of creating on the cover, John sent several ideas and sketches, and this version captured the mystery of the story (how creepy is that witch's hand?), and the stage magic that is referenced throughout. I couldn't be happier with the cover, and I hope readers are intrigued by the secrets that lurk in Elephant County.


Author Bio:

Adam Perry lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He has worked as an amateur magician, amusement park mascot, cartoonist, creative director, and now an author. When he isn’t writing, he loves practicing new illusions on his wife and two sons, who are rarely fooled. Visit him at www.adamperrybooks.com.

Branding

At a book signing I attended last summer, I popped up my hand during the Q & A and asked the question: Since this new book was the second in a two-book deal, how much of it had been finished when the deal had been made? The author said she hadn’t even started it at that point. I followed up: Since the first book had been in the magical realism genre, how much direction had she received to keep the second book in the same genre? To paraphrase her reply: Even though there had been no official direction, there was a sort of understanding that it would be best if the second book would be familiar to the readers of the first.

She’s working on a new book now, which I believe is contemporary MG instead of magical realism. This isn’t a giant leap for her, since, in my opinion at least, the strengths of her other books were more the foundation of contemporary storytelling instead of the magical qualities, which is likely what would draw in readers. So even without the bits of fantasy the others included, a contemporary MG novel would still more or less be in the same lane.

Put together a mental list of some of the best known authors in middle grade literature. How identifiable are they with the genres they write? Authors like J.K. Rowling and Jeff Kinney: Do they continue in the same genre, or are their books all over the map? How much does that first book tag an author as a middle grade *fill in the blank* writer? What kinds of editorial expectations or marketplace demands will have a say in deciding what you write next, once the business element of publishing enters into the equation? How much choice will you ultimately have as a writer to explore different directions or genres, if you don’t want every book you write to be about dying dogs or fantastical realms or bodily functions? 

For those of us lucky enough to reach the goal of even seeing that first book published, the first book isn’t necessarily always the one we expect it to be. How much control do writers have over the stories they choose? Is it the first book that brands you? Or the one that (maybe) reaches a noticeable level of success? We can’t say for sure which of our manuscripts will be the one to break through and see the light of day in publishing terms. Reaching that benchmark can seem like such a definitive goal that we might not always think as much about what comes next. 

What do you think about the idea of branding an author, or being branded as one? Do you write in the genre you do because you love it above all others, or do you hope to have the flexibility to try other things?

The End of 2017 and the Beginning of 2018

Welcome to the end of 2017! In a matter of days our calendars will roll over to a new month, and a new year ripe with potential will begin. Today some of the contributors at Middle Grade Minded will be sharing some of our favorite books (or bookish moments) from 2017, and some of the things we’re looking forward to in 2018.

Stefanie Wass
My favorite middle grade of 2017 was THE WAY TO BEA, by Kat Yeh. It is wonderful to imagine a world where we don't label someone right away. Instead, we get to know them first. The takeaway from this book is simple: Love is love is love. My best middle grade moment was being selected for Pitch Wars 2017. After two months of hard work under the supportive, insightful eye of my mentor, Julia Nobel, my middle grade contemporary manuscript emerged with tighter tension, faster pacing, and a heightened sense of mystery. I can't wait to see what lies ahead for this manuscript in 2018!

Jamie Krakover
My favorite middle grade book this year was MRS SMITH'S SPY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. I loved Abby, the kick butt heroine and all of her sass and wit. This book was loaded with adventure and strong female characters plus spies. What more could you want?

In terms of favorite middle school memories, I was bullied a lot in middle school, but aside from Math and Science classes which I loved, I managed to find a safe haven and a friend in the school library. Which is odd looking back because at the time, I wasn't a huge reader, but I'm glad I had that safe space where I could be my crazy, goofy self.

In 2018 I'm looking forward to new beginnings and getting back to writing and working on some middle grade projects.

Tom Mulroy
There were several phenomenal middle grade books released last year, but the one that easily affected me the most was THE DOLLMAKER OF KRAKOW by R.M. Romero, a seamless blend of fantasy and historical fiction told with an extraordinary voice. Beyond that my best Middle Grade Day was attending a young author’s conference that gave me the opportunities to meet authors Jacqueline West and Kelly Barnhill. As far as the coming year goes, I’m anxious to start working on some new ideas and getting at least one more manuscript out into the world!

Wendy McLeod MacKnight
My favourite middle grade read this year was ORPHAN ISLAND - it left me with so many questions and theories and was a beautiful story about the transition out of childhood.

My best middle grade memory was the publication of my first book, IT’S A MYSTERY, PIG FACE! It was the culmination of many years of hard work and many years of dreaming!

I’m excited about 2018! Greenwillow Books will publish my second novel, THE FRAME UP, in June, and I’m looking forward to school visits and hopefully, an opportunity to finally meet a lot of my writer friends!

Kim Ventrella
My favorite 2017 release was ALL'S FAIRE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL by Victoria Jamieson. As always, so funny and spot-on in terms of recreating all of those awkward childhood moments. Also, it totally made me want to work at a renaissance faire!!! My best MG memory was the publication of my debut novel, SKELETON TREE! It was SO AWESOME!!! (Yes, there are a lot of exclamation points in this post)! In 2018, I'm most looking forward to writing full-time. Yup, it's true, I will finally be fulfilling my childhood dream of becoming a starving artist!!!

Shari Green
I recently shared three of my fave 2017 MG reads, but the one that had perhaps the biggest impact on me as a writer was WISHTREE, by Katherine Applegate. It spoke to me of possibility, reminding me how many different ways we can choose to tell a story, and how marvellously receptive kids and the kidlit community are to hearing stories told in all manner of voices and formats. I felt encouraged to stay out of writing ruts, to experiment, to play, and above all, to tell stories in whatever way they need to be told.

In 2017, one of the best MG moments for me personally was having my books selected for several provincial readers’-choice programs. It’s an honour and a thrill being part of any program that involves putting books in kids’ hands!

As 2018 nears, I’m super-excited about attending the OLA’s Festival of Trees as a Silver Birch award-nominee author, launching my third MG book (MISSING MIKE), and writing something new!

A HINT OF HYDRA Cover Reveal & Giveaway

Today we have another amazing cover reveal!

A HINT OF HYDRA by Heidi Lang & Kati Bartkowski

Jacket copy:

Thirteen-year-old chef Lailu Loganberry must stop a war between the elves and scientists in this follow-up to A Dash of Dragon, which Kirkus Reviews calls “a recipe for success.”

It’s the Week of Masks, a festival held to chase away evil spirits. But Lailu doesn’t have time to worry about demons. She has bigger fish to fry—or rather, griffons, now that she’s been asked to prepare a mystical feast for the king’s executioner, Lord Elister.

Unfortunately Lailu’s meal is overshadowed by the scientists’ latest invention: automatons, human-shaped machines that will respond to their masters’ every order. Most people are excited by the possibilities, but the mechanical men leave Lailu with a bad taste in her mouth.

Even worse, the elves still blame the scientists for the attacks on them weeks ago, and Lailu worries that the elves might be cooking up revenge. So when she and her sorta-rival-turned-almost-frie

nd Greg stumble across the body of a scientist, the elves are the prime suspects. With help from Greg, her best friend Hannah, and the sneaky, winking spy Ryon, Lailu has to discover the truth behind the murder, and soon—because hostilities between the elves and the scientists are about to boil over faster than hydra stew.

And just ask any chef: war is bad for business.

Author bio:

Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski are a writing team of two sisters with twenty years of experience in Judo. Heidi likes to fling food across her stove while attempting to cook new dishes, and Kati enjoys trying new cuisine at fancy restaurants. Between the two of them, they love creating characters that kick butt both inside and outside the kitchen. You can find them on Twitter at @hidlang and @ktbartkowski.

Fun fact about this book:

Kati's absolute favorite holiday is Halloween, and she would love to have it last a whole week. This was the inspiration behind the Week of Masks festival in the book. Heidi just wanted a chance to include a super awkward dancing scene between Lailu and Ryon...which is also in this book.

Pre-order link (Indie):

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481477956

To celebrate, we're giving away one signed copy of A DASH OF DRAGON. Leave a blog comment with your email by Wednesday November 29, 2017 and you will be entered to win.

And without further ado, check out this awesome cover!

Cover illustrator: Angela Li

 

 

Cover Reveal: VOICES FOR ALL: The Legend of ZoaBrio by Scott Vincent

Today we've got another great cover reveal! Author Scott Vincent told us a little bit about his debut Voices for All: The Legend of Zoabrio and gave us an exclusive look at the cover for the upcoming book. Find out more about Voices for All and make sure to check out the cover below!

Please tell us about your book

            Voices for All is a middle-grade novel about a 12-year-old girl named Stacey who discovers the secret to communicating with animals. It’s a fast-paced, action-adventure story with humor, mystery, and touches of magic. It begins with Stacey visiting a zoo, and everywhere she goes the animals erupt into pandemonium. They recognize a pendant she is wearing as being the symbol of ZoaBrio, a legendary world where animals and humans lived together as equals. The animals think she is their savior. Stacey has no idea what the pendant means, nor how she got it.

            Without spoiling the plot, Stacey soon learns to communicate with animals using a form of telepathy. This alarms a secret clan of cats and dogs that have sworn to keep that skill hidden from humans. Without human-to-animal communication, cats and dogs believe they will remain humans’ favorite companions. They are determined to keep Stacey’s discovery a secret, and Stacey must overthrow them before they silence her forever.

            Stacey is joined by a boisterous gorilla who thinks he’s the funniest animal ever, a serious ocelot who rants about animal rights, and Stacey’s friend Alex, a boy who’s not fond of animals yet braves the ensuing chaos to help his friend.        

            Between the laughs and outlandish plot, this story is about friendship, understanding, freedom, and equality — no matter what your species.

Who illustrated the cover?

            Leesha Hannigan. I’m a huge fan of her artwork, so I was delighted when she agreed to do the cover. I think she captured the three main characters perfectly. She also found a great balance between the story’s realistic setting, its funny characters, and its magical elements.

What inspired you to write this story?

            I love animals and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to talk with them. I like to imagine animals as having their own silent language, much like mental telepathy. If you watch animals in the wild, you’ll notice they can coordinate without making much noise, so this kind of makes sense. I wondered, what if animals talk to each other but we humans are the only ones who can’t hear them? What if a girl discovered how to do that? What if that skill had been hidden from us humans for thousands of years by some sort of conspiracy? The story evolved from there.

I also had help and inspiration from my two kids. I originally started writing this merely to entertain them, but it quickly grew into something more. They provided plot ideas, and they requested (in some cases insisted) that I add certain things, which expanded the story as we went. When we started, none of us knew how the story was going to end. I would write a chapter, read it aloud to them, and they’d come up with ways to make it better. Writing with them was tremendously fun.

When will the book be released, and how can people learn more about it?

            The e-book will be released on Amazon November 15th. Print paperbacks will be available soon after that. If anyone would like to start reading it now, I’ll happily send the first 9 chapters for free. That’s essentially the first quarter of the entire book. Anyone interested can visit my website at www.scottvincentfiction.com and enter an email address to tell me where to send the digital sample.

Please tell us about yourself

            This is my first novel, so I guess that makes me a soon-to-be debut author. When I was young, my parents had a lot of animals, and I even worked at a zoo one summer when I was a kid. I enjoy reading fast-paced, speculative fiction that makes me laugh. This book is my attempt to put all that into a fun story about animals yearning to be free. I currently live in Southern California with my wife, daughter, and son.

Title:  Voices for AllSub-title: The Legend of ZoaBrio
Publisher:  Venzi Productions
Release Date:  November 15, 2017
Length: 288 pages
Cover Illustrator: Leesha Hannigan

Blurb Description:
12-year-old Stacey discovers the secret to communicating with animals. Animals rejoice, thinking she is their long-awaited savior who can return them to a world where animals and humans once lived as equals. But not everyone loves a savior. A small clan of cats has kept this secret hidden from humans for generations, ensuring that dogs and cats remain humans' favorite companions. They are determined to destroy Stacey and keep her discovery a secret. Stacey must find and overthrow them before they silence her forever. 

 Voices for All is an adventure comedy about friendship, freedom and equality, no matter what your species. Join Stacey, her friend Alex, a wise-cracking gorilla, and a cast of animals yearning to be free as they fight for a world where animals are not as voiceless as we once thought.

 

About the Author:
Scott Vincent is a debut author who loves animals and likes to imagine what they are thinking. He grew up surrounded by a menagerie of different species, and worked as a zoo volunteer. Scott currently lives in Southern California with his wife, daughter, and son.

He can be followed online at www.scottvincentfiction.com and on Twitter via @ScottVincent65
 

Kim Ventrella's SKELETON TREE

We’ve got some exciting news on the blog today! One of our contributors, Kim Ventrella, is days away from celebrating the release of her debut MG novel, SKELETON TREE. If you’ve been keeping up with Kim’s posts here, you’re probably anxious for the chance to read her work — I know I am! In preparation for the release, Kim answered a few questions about the book, her writing, and what she's learned about publishing.

First of all, tell us about the book.

Skeleton Tree is the story of 12-year-old Stanly and his little sister, Miren. One day, Stanly discovers a finger bone growing in his backyard. He plans to enter a picture of his discovery in an archaeology contest, but the bones have other ideas. They start to grow. First into a bony arm reaching up into the sky, and then into a full-sized skeleton that only children can see. There’s just one person who doesn’t find any of this weird—Stanly’s little sister. Mischievous Miren adopts the skeleton as a friend, and soon, the two become inseparable playmates. When Miren starts to grow sick, Stanly suspects that the skeleton is responsible, and does everything in his power to drive the creature away. However, Miren is desperate not to lose her friend, forcing Stanly to question everything he’s ever believed about life, love, and the mysterious forces that connect us.

Where did the story come from?

I started by asking myself, “What would happen if a boy discovered a finger bone growing in his backyard?” I didn’t plot the story out ahead of time, so I was surprised by all of the twists and turns along the way. Drafting is awesome like that. Even if you do plot your story out ahead of time, there are always unexpected details and quirks that make the writing process exciting. Kind of like being an archaeologist and uncovering a full skeleton from what started as a single bone.  

How long had you been working on this book before you felt it was "ready?"

I had actually been querying another novel at the time, but while I was waiting to hear back, I decided to write Skeleton Tree. Thank goodness I did. Since it was a quick turnaround, I really only did one big revision before sending it off, and the agent in question signed me on that book!

Describe your process. Do you write each day? Do you have word count goals to keep you going?

When I’m writing, my word-count goal is 2,000 words a day. I have to finish drafts super-fast, just so I don’t lose the magic of the moment. Then, as is probably always the case, the revision process is much slower.

What has surprised you most about the publication process? How did all of it compare to what you had expected / anticipated?

I’ve been really lucky. My agent, editor and the whole team at Scholastic are amazing! It’s so much fun to hear from people online who have read the book and loved it. I’m blown away by the whole experience, and I can’t wait to see what else my journey has in store.

Have you learned anything about publishing that will influence how you'll approach your next project?

Getting a book deal has changed the way I write in one big way. I used to be a total discovery writer, but now I have to submit proposals before really getting started on a project, so that means I’ve had to learn how to plan and outline. I think it’s actually a good thing. I still discovery write to some extent, but now I have a more balanced approach.

Any special plans for the book birthday? How does it feel being so close to the release date?

Yes! I’ll be celebrating at Barnes & Noble (6100 North May Ave, Oklahoma City) on the release day, September 26, 2017 at 6:30pm. I will do a short talk followed by signing all the books! There will be skeleton desserts, a photo booth, crafts and so much swag!!!

Be sure to CLICK HERE to view the SKELETON TREE book trailer.