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(First published MAY 1, 2019)
Dear friends,
If you don't know what writer's block is, well, let me tell you: it's this super scary illness that sneaks into the writer's mind when he or she least expects it. The writer then develops weird symptoms such as: staring at a blank screen for hours, biting their nails, walking around in circles like prisoners in a cell or mumbling unintelligible things (I'm not saying that I do that, mind you. It's just something I've heard).
Anyway, the writer's characters are terrified of writer's block and they tend to run away as fast as they can, leaving the writer all alone to fend for themselves (how dare they!).
It can take hours, weeks to months or years before characters become brave enough to approach the writer again.
Fortunately, let me reassure you, I do not have writer's block. And I mean like: never. Ever.
I mean, sometimes, I do have more important things to think about, like...well, you know...stuff, but that happens on very rare occasions. And if that's the case, I go for a walk, stare at clouds, admire flowers and butterflies. I take a deep breath...and then, bling!
***lightbulb moment with lots of visual effects***
I wish I could say more, I really do, because I'm about to burst! But let me say this: keep an eye out for the next newsletter because you are going to love it! (Noooo, it's not book 4 in The Alien Skill Series, though I can already tell you that the fourth book cover is awesome...)
In the meantime, I'd like to leave the floor to some authors that you'll like to discover
(note: I have not read all of them yet, but some are not suited for children)
Maddie Makes Money by Sonia Garrett
FOR CHILDREN, TEENS AND WARY PARENTS
"Maddie Makes Money" is the follow-up to the hilarious "Maddie Makes a Movie", and promises to be just as fun. This children's chapter book is accompanied by great illustrations as we follow the cheeky fifth-grader on her wild adventures and vivid imagination. The book releases today!
Maddie is on top of the world. Her adaptation of Cinderella just won Best Stunt Action in the Young Filmmaker of the Year awards! But there’s no time to celebrate—the science fair is approaching, and her friend Ivan’s project is missing that special something. Maddie has just the solution: what if, instead of measuring how far humans can jump, Ivan were to measure how far people can be launched?
Of course, tattletale Raquel can’t let Maddie boost Ivan to the top so easily. She’s soon clued in the exasperated Principal Richardson, who promptly clips Maddie’s wings.
Maddie may have lost the battle, but she’s determined to win the war—and what better opportunity than the upcoming class play? After exchanging some scathing taunts, Maddie and Raquel settle on a bet: whoever’s play is best gets to order the loser around for a whole month.
Maddie will need something special to upstage the wily Raquel . . . and naturally, she has an idea: a dramatization of the Trojan Wars, complete with makeshift chariots, a ton of fake blood, and bickering gods. What could go wrong?
Maddie Makes Money marks the return of the cheeky, fearsome Maddie, and is sure to delight mischievous kids while terrifying their wary parents!
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1775010627
Werewolf Max and the Midnight Zombies by N.A. Davenport
FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS
How can you be the hero... if you're the monster?
After a late-night encounter with a werewolf, Max finds himself thrust into a frightening world he never knew existed. Mysterious and powerful banshees, fierce and terrible werewolves, and mobs of mindless zombies lurk in the dark. Max must fight the dangers that threaten his home, but can he defeat the monster within himself?
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1733859519
Daxton (Tales of Stonehaven) by E.L. Drayton
FOR TEENS AND YA
Daxton's life was ideal. He spent his time blissfully hunting and roaming in the backwoods with his best friend Barton, and his beloved dog, Fang.
But on his eighteenth birthday, his parents reveal a startling fact: they aren't his birth parents, he was abandoned on their doorstep as a baby left with nothing but a note, a sword, and a compass.
Daxton hurls himself towards his fate on a search for answers, accompanied by Barton and a witch who knows far more than she's telling. Meanwhile, a king is waging war against the most hated female pirate in Stonehaven - the swashbuckling Silverblade, and Daxton is about to be swept right into the very center of it.
With an exciting and colorful cast, Daxton is a story of friendship, of thrilling action and adventure on the high seas, and of treasure not buried but hidden.
FREE link: https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/ef24ee2a-5ede-11e9-afe8-7b6605206072
Anchihiiroo, Origin of the Antihero (Tales of Toonopolis) by Jeremy Rodden
FOR YA AND ADULTS
This story is geared towards YA/coming-of-age, and takes place in Animetown, a section of Toonopolis inspired by anime & manga and operates with the tropes of those forms of media.
In Toonopolis: Gemini, Anchihiiroo (aka Han'Eiyuu) is the former hero of Animetown who turns Rogue after meeting the devious Shadowy Figure, forcing his creator to change him into a villain instead of the anti-hero he once was. Yuki, the albino inventor of Wan-Wan, described Anchihiiroo's background:
"He had a terrible childhood. He was orphaned at an early age when his parents were killed in a war. Then his orphanage burned down, and then a flood wiped out the town his orphanage was in. He was the only survivor."
Learn the full origin of Anchihiiroo, from his tragic childhood as Yoshi of Higeki to the warrior training that allowed him to put a stop to the Ninja-Pirate War that plagued Animetown. Witness his relationship with the phoenix Suzaku and his inevitable Rogue turn after meeting the mysterious Shadowy Figure. It is a story about destiny and a young man's desire to make his own path in the world.
Kindle link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005VQGOUS
Doc Roberts: Space Pirate by Jay Toney
WARNING: FOR ADULTS ONLY
Plundering innocent worlds. That is Doc Roberts job, and he is good at it. He was awarded a letter of Marque and a territory to hunt in exchange for his service to the Alliance and of course, a cut of his take.
The Alliance government can't openly operate in Commonwealth territory without starting another war, so they use privateers like Captain Roberts to destabilize governments and cause unease among the people in hopes that they will ask for Alliance protection.
Cheating and treachery cause Captain Roberts to reevaluate his loyalty. He can live with a little pilfering, but not outright stealing from him by trespassing on his planet. There is only one thing he can do. Teach the Alliance government that there is a price to pay for taking what is not theirs.
The Alliance goes too far when they send an assassin to kill Doc's wife. Now it is outright war, for Captain Roberts anyway. Now he is both a pirate and a rebel with people on both sides of the border who either love him or hate him.
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07J1VD5QL
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That should keep you busy for a while!
Some last comments:
- Thank you for offering names for the Wise Ones!
- Special thanks to winner D'Artagnan from Brazil for posting a video of him receiving his 3 books in The Alien Skill Series. You can see it on "The Alien Skill Series" Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/alienskillseries/)
All the best,
Rae Knightly
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