(First published AUGUST 1, 2019)
Dear friends,
Oops! My newsletter is a day late, but it's summer so you all agree nobody really cares about deadlines (...right? Right?).
I've noticed a tendency, lately. You see, I thought readers would refer to my books as "The Alien Skill Series", but I've seen more and more people refer to them as "The Ben Archer Series". I wasn't expecting that, but it gives me a fuzzy feeling. The name "Ben Archer" is sticking in people's minds.
So where is our intrepid thirteen-year-old, anyway?
He and Mesmo have just returned from a trip to Tahiti (or some idyllic place), leaving me with the bills and the house chores and the blank computer screen (thanks, guys). I mean, they have this really cool spaceship, so they can do that kind of thing. But, I have to say, I feel a bit sorry for them because they had a rough time. Things didn't go quite as planned...
Don't worry, though, they were home by chapter 5, licking their wounds and getting ready for more adventures, leaving me time to observe their friendship, which cracks me up, sometimes. Like:
Mesmo executed a perfect dive into the transparent sea, his body hardly making a splash when it hit the water.
“Show off,” Ben muttered, before placing the snorkel in his mouth.
Or,
“How long have I been out?”
“About ten hours,” Mesmo said.
“Ten hours?” Ben sat up, horrified, then shut his eyes as his brain exploded. He groaned, grabbing his head between his hands, and squinted at his friend. “Mom’s going to kill us.”
Mesmo lifted an eyebrow. “She can’t do that. I just saved you.”
Or,
“Lift your hand,” Ben said.
Mesmo did so, and Ben slapped it hard.
“Ouch!” the alien said, glaring at him. “What did you do that for?”
Ben laughed. “That’s a high five, dude! Get used to it!”
As you can tell, I'm having a blast writing Ben Archer and the World Beyond. You need a good laugh sometimes when you're in the middle of hardships.
In other news:
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The Author Academy Awards: Voting has been extended to August 22, 2019. You can still nominate your favourite book, Ben Archer and the Cosmic Fall for the Author Academy Awards.
Follow these steps:
1. https://authoracademyawards.com/ vote2019/
2. Click on the back arrow to go to page 16/16 <- 1/16 ->
3. Here you can "vote for your Favorite YA / Middle Grade Book"
4. Scroll down and click once on Ben Archer - I had a fantastic time with some author friends, celebrating our successes and hard work. Here's to Amber Cowie, Karen Dodd, Mahtab Narsimhan and Sonia Garrett. High five to you!
Last but not least, you're going to want to check out the following gems:
Sleepers (The Blue Planets World Series Book 1) by Darcy Pattison
He comes from an alien world.
But he's the best hope for Earth.
Jake Rose--who is half Earthling and half alien--is in a hard position.
As the Risonian ambassador, his mother pleads with Earth to allow the Risonian refugees to live in Earth's oceans.
As a Naval Commander, his father works to discover Risonian secrets.
All Jake wants is for his family and his people to be safe when the planet Rison implodes.
But there are secrets on both sides. What have the Risonian aliens been doing on earth for the last decade? Has Earth been secretly infiltrating the Risonian homeland?
Jake must stop those--on both sides--who would sabotage the Risonian's only hope for survival. But strangely, he finds that he's also Earth's only hope for survival. Read to find out how he manages to give hope to both planets.
Animal Control: The Hero's Apprentice by Travis Howe
Tank-driving grizzlies. Carnivorous snow creatures. Submersible trains. Adventure lurks in every corner of Nikacia.
Foster-child Jack Robberts lives in a grimy old attic, dreaming that one day he might join the league of heroes known as Animal Control. But this dream comes to a crashing halt when Jack’s decision to run away ultimately leads to a devastating tragedy – for which he blames himself.
Now Jack lives a quiet life in a quiet town, believing his adventures are over.
But when a mysterious package arrives in the mail, and a gang of murderous wolves come looking for it, Jack will find himself at the heart of Animal Control’s most dangerous mission yet.
From the mind of animator Travis Howe comes a story about adventure, mystery, and the courage to follow your dream. From the peaks of the snowy Moledun Mountains to the depths of the ocean, Animal Control: The Hero’s Apprentice is “brimming with heart and excitement […] Readers will want to follow this endearing, courageous young rabbit anywhere he goes.” (Eliot Schrefer, New York Times Best Selling Author of “Endangered”)
Peretz Family Adventures by Nathaniel Wyckoff
Buried treasure, old-school pirates, and an international race against time will make this summer vacation the thrill of a lifetime.
When the Peretz kids discover a mysterious map inside their family’s robot, there’s no telling where it may lead. Digging up a box of priceless gems in the Mojave Desert is a fun way to spend a hot afternoon, but returning a billionaire’s stolen loot is no simple feat.
Yaakov Peretz and the others will have to get past Pete Weasel and his pirate gang. And even if they do, they’ll soon learn that foiling a bunch of thieving pirates is just the beginning.
Yaakov will have to put together the clues, and gather all of the wit and grit that he can muster, to stop a dangerous crook before it’s too late.
Clara (Stories of Lorst Book 1) by Suzanna J. Linton
Join an amazing adventure about love, loss, and the fate of kingdoms.
As a slave, Clara's life extends no further than the castle kitchens and their garden. However, she carries within herself a precious gift: the ability to see the future.
When a vision prompts her to prevent a murder, Clara is shoved not only into the intrigues of the nobility but also into a civil war. As events unfold, she begins to unearth chilling secrets about the war and her supposed friends.
Driven to learn the truth, Clara embarks on a journey that takes her from her beloved mountains to the very Capital itself, Bertrand. There, she is confronted by an evil as old as the mountains--and it's using her anger and prejudices against her. If she is not careful, not only will the entire nation be lost, but Clara's own soul as well.
Happy summer!
Rae Knightly
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