Special Guest Andrea Pearson

I have a special guest today--Author Andrea Pearson, who has finished her Kilenya series. You can see my reviews of the first two books in the series, here and here. Take it away, Andrea.

Hi, Everyone!

My name is Andrea Pearson and I'm an author of middle grade and young adult fantasy. In celebration of the completion of my Kilenya Series, I'm giving away eBooks! Read on for more details. :-)

The Key of Kilenya, first book in the Kilenya Series (with 50 five-star reviews on Amazon), is available everywhere for free (Kindle, Nook, Smashwords), but only until the 18th of January.

It's originally $3.99, and is geared to readers 10 and older. If it were a movie, it would be rated PG. No swearing or vulgarity, and very minimal violence.

Here's the book description:

We all have a choice—but we can’t choose the consequences.

Jacob Clark is chased down a path that takes him to another world—a world where he is a wanted young man. The Lorkon want to control him and the special powers he possesses. The people of the new world want him to save them from the destruction of the Lorkon. All Jacob wants is to go home, but even that choice has consequences. He doesn’t know what to do and if he waits too long, the new world and the one he came from will be destroyed. As Jacob looks for people he can trust, he finds himself in the center of the fight for freedom—both for himself and the people he’s come to know.

Jacob has no idea where the path he chooses will take him, but once the choice has been made—bring on the consequences.

Back to Andrea. :-) I had so much fun writing this book! I came up with the idea for the magical key when I was 10 - the same age as many of my readers - and built on it until I was 22, when I sat down and actually wrote the book. The Kilenya Series has sold really well and I've been so excited to find people just as passionate about the books as I am. :-)

The second book, The Ember Gods, is available for $0.99 until January 18, but you don't have to buy it if you don't want to, because I'm giving it away for free. In fact, I'm giving away three different eBooks. The only thing required on your part is to decide which one you want, mention it on this blog post, then email me the info, and I'll send you the file. :-)

Here are the books to choose from:

The Ember Gods, Kilenya Series Book Two

Original and discounted price: $3.99 to $0.99
(or free, if you choose this eBook :-))

Discounted Until January 18th

Genre and target audience: Fantasy for teens

If this book were a movie, what would it be rated? PG

If you don't want it for free (ha ha :-)), you can download it from: Kindle, Nook

Book description: 

Jacob Clark’s new abilities are a blessing and a curse. He’s a hero for returning the magical Key of Kilenya to its rightful owners, but at school he's starting to get noticed for something other than his basketball skills. And the attention is freaking him out.

Balancing both worlds is tricky enough, but Jacob has tasked himself with saving Aloren who’s trapped in Maivoryl City by the Ember Gods. He doesn't want to wait for the potion that will protect his team from the corrosive influence of the Lorkon, but the desire to prove himself to the high school basketball coach conflicts with his plans to rescue her.

Feeling pulled by both sides, Jacob must walk a tightrope of warring worlds with lives on the line. Lives that will be lost if he doesn’t figure out how to complete his quest and balance his abilities. Fast.

August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three

Price: $3.99 (or free, if you choose this eBook :-))
Genre and target audience: Fantasy for teens
If this book were a movie, what would it be rated? PG
If you don't want it for free, you can download it from: Kindle, Nook, Smashwords

Book description:

Since Jacob Clark discovered his abilities, his life has changed for the better—and the worse.

The basketball coach won't notice him and high school is much more complicated than before. Jacob finds himself needed more and more in Eklaron where his abilities are saving lives. And then the call comes—he and his friends must rescue the powerful Sheingols from August Fortress where they've been held for fifteen years. The only problem is, Lorkon traps are everywhere and getting past them might be impossible.

The closer he gets to his goal, the harder the traps are to overcome. Can he master more of his powers to fight the traps? Or has Jacob finally met his match?

Samara: A Kilenya Romance

Original price:$1.99 (or free, if you choose this eBook :-))
Genre and target audience: Clean teen romance
If this book were a movie, what would it be rated? G (or a very, very soft PG)
If you don't want it for free, you can download it from: Kindle, Nook, Smashwords

Book description:

When Samara Oldroyd meets the most amazing guy ever, she's frustrated their conversation is cut short. Her wishes that they'll run into each other again come true when she meets her sister's new boyfriend. It's him! Eeek!
Inspired by the film Dan in Real Life, this novella will tickle you pink as Samara tries—in vain—to undo her crush.

(There is no magic involved in this story. It contains characters you'll meet in the Kilenya Series and can be read separately.)

Now that you've chosen which free eBook you want, here's how you get it:

1. Comment on this blog, saying which eBook you want
2. Send me an email (ap@andreapearsonbooks.com) and tell me:
1. The title of the book
2. The name of the blog that sent you
3. Which format you want the eBook in (Kindle, Nook, etc.)

And that's all!

I can't wait for you to delve into the world of Kilenya and discover the magic, monsters, and people there!

Andrea Pearson, author of the Kilenya Series, Kilenya Romances, and Katon University series, lives with her husband and daughter in a small valley framed with hills. She is Executive Director of the Indie Author Hub group and creator of the writing application, Writer’s Progress Bar. She is an editor for the website Gather.com.

Andrea spends as much time with her husband and daughter as possible. Favorite activities include painting, watching movies, collecting and listening to music, and discussing books and authors.

Her mother says they can't possibly be related because Andrea isn't in love with chocolate and tomatoes, though she’ll eat either. (But not together.) She would much rather snack on toasted English muffins with lots of butter or nearly anything with cheese.

Rise of Keitus by Andrea Pearson

I know things have been really busy on my blog this month.

There are just a lot of books coming out, it seems. 

Don't forget that today is the last day to let me know if you want your name to be put in the drawing for Gaze into Heaven (see the blog post here).

Well, today I'm going to talk about the release of Rise of Keitus, the fourth book in Andrea Pearson's Kilenya series. I've gotten behind in my reading, but I read and reviewed the first two books: The Key of Kilenya and The Ember Gods. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these middle grade fantasies. The third book is August Fortress, and I have it and this new book on my to-read list.

Here's what Rise of Keitus is about:

Jacob Clark's fantasy adventure has reached its most dangerous phase yet. A swarm of blood-ridden insects overwhelms Taga Village--threatening the existence of the Makalos--and the secret regarding Akeno's strengths is about to be revealed. Not only that, but Jacob's newly honed abilities allow him to discover the origin of the evil Lorkon. But finding out may be his deadliest mission yet.

Join Jacob and his friends in this fourth installment in the Kilenya Series as they strive to prevent the Lorkon disease from destroying Eklaron and Earth.

To celebrate the release of Rise of Keitus, Andrea's got The Key of Kilenya on sale--today it's free. So, if you've been curious about this series or are just ready for a fun middle grade romp, now's your chance to give it a try.

Here's where you can get The Key of Kilenya:
Kindle
Nook
Smashwords (for other eReading formats)

Enjoy!

LTUE Update - Writing Fantastic Description

I've never hidden the fact that writing description is hard for me. I think I'm getting better at it as I do it more and pay more attention to it as I'm reading. Hopefully, I will continue to improve the more I do it, and it won't be such an agonizing experience.

I'll be honest, though. I don't like too much description. I've been in bootcamp critique groups where some of the input I receive is they want more description. And it makes me feel . . . conflicted. Yes, there needs to be adequate description but since I tend to skip too much description in books, I don't want to write stuff people like me are going to skip.

As author Elmore Leonard said: I try to leave out the parts that people skip.

Um. Yeah.

So I was particularly interested in the LTUE panel on Writing Fantastic Description (and Knowing Where to Put It) with Amber Argyle, Michelle Davidson Argyle, Frank L. Cole, Chad Morris, Peter Orullian, and Andrea Pearson.

Following are some of the snippets I jotted down during the class:

• With epic fantasy, the world is important and must be described in detail - I was always amazed at the way Robert Jordan could describe clothing. In some books, the kind of detail he put into would be overdoing it, but he wrote epic fantasy and the clothing in many ways was part of his world building by how it represented the various cultures.

• Don't just describe the physical traits of characters--make what you describe say something about the character as well

• Be aware the attention span of the target audience--middle grade doesn't require as much detail as genres for older readers

• The words you use should set the tone - what your characters see when they enter a room or check out people says a lot about your characters. So don't just mention that the sofa was green unless the sofa being green means something to the character.

• Reveal information gradually so the reader has 'aha' moments along with the character

• Every word has a job--don't use words that aren't doing something for the story

• Using description tidbits in dialogue lets those words do double duty

• Metaphor and simile can be a great ways to describe

• Let your content mirror the action

• When you're writing a sentence you don't want to bury what you're describing, so list what you're describing at the end - oh, my heck. Some years ago I was reading a book aloud to my husband and one of our sons. It was Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Both hubby and son are great audio learners, but we were all getting lost in the excessive description  The point of the paragraphs was being lost. Without telling them, I started reading only the first and last sentences of each paragraph. After a few paragraphs, hubby and son looked at each other and said, "Wow. Why is it suddenly making sense?" 

• Some kinds of description are easier done in third person than first

During the iWriteNetwork Winter Workshop last month, I taught a class on writing a one-page synopsis. As I was reviewing my notes from the LTUE class, I realized that writing a short synopsis could be an excellent exercise is making sure that you don't have any lazy words. You have to give each one serious consideration to make sure it's doing that job you need it to do.

My oldest son's amazing at it--in seventh grade he knocked my socks off with his ability to paint a picture with words. I have no idea where that gift came from.

How about you? Is writing description your friend? Or are you more like me?

LTUE

So, things are nuts, and I'm sick. This post will just have some pictures from the event. I took tons of notes and will rehash some of that information in subsequent posts.

Panel on Marketing

Authors Bree Despain, Lynn Hardy, Jenn Johansson, and Elana Johnson

Panel on Queries and Pitches

Lisa Mangum (author and acquisitions editor), Chris Schoebinger (Shadow Mountain), J Scott Savage (author), Kirk Lovell Shaw (Covenant Publishing), Donna Milakovic (moderator)

Panel on Making a Book Trailer

Heather Monson, Angela Corbett, Paul Genesse, Lani Woodland, Dan Wells

Author Michael Young on Avoiding Cliche

Author Andrea Pearson on Indie Publishing

Writing Excuses

Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, Larry Correia, Brandon's brother Jordy, Mary Robinette Kowal, Brandon Sanderson

Panel on Why We Love Horror

Nathan Shumate, Michael Brent Collings, Michael Collings, Robin Weeks (moderator), Jenn Johansson

Panel on What I Wish I'd Done Differently

Mette Ivie Harrison, Author Andrea Pearson, Brad R. Torgersen and Elana Johnson.

Panel on Plots, Subplots, and Foreshadowing

Brandon Sanderson, Stacy Whitman (editor), James A. Owen, J Scott Savage and Bree Despain

Panel on Urban Fantasy

Natalie Whipple, Bree Despain, Kasie West and James Dashner

Lotsa Peeps

Elizabeth Mueller, ?, Kasie West

The Schmidts

Leigh Covington, Brenda Sills, Me

Melony Pulley, Kenzie Pulley, Amy White, Me, Stephanie Kelly

Lotsa People

Peggy Eddleton, Leigh Covington, David Powers King

Heather Cole, Betsy Love, Theresa Sneed, Kari Pike

There were tons more classes and people. These were just a few of the ones I was able to attend or connect with.

Book Review - The Ember Gods by Andrea Pearson

From the back of the book:
Jacob Clark has just returned from the world of Eklaron, where he frustrated the evil plans of the Lorkon and returned the magical Key of Kilenya to its rightful owners. His quest is far from over, though—Aloren is trapped in Maivoryl City by the Ember Gods, and Jacob can't return to save her until he receives the potion that will protect his team from the corrosive influence of the Lorkon.

Balancing between this new world and his own proves tricky. Not only has he started his first year of high school, but his magical abilities are bringing him too much attention. He feels pulled by both sides, hoping he'll figure out his special powers to save Aloren in time. 

Poor Jacob. He thought things were challenging in book 1, The Key of Kilenya.

There's only a break of a couple of weeks between the end of Key and The Ember Gods, but he's got even more to deal with. Still carrying the burden of the friend left behind at the end of the first book, he's got to juggle things he didn't in his last story, when he was able to focus all his attentions on his quest.

Now he must learn patience. He has to wait on others to put things in order for a rescue mission. Real-life obligations now that school has started must be balanced with his responsibilities in Eklaron being that he's the only one able to use the power of the Key. Amidst homework, self-defense training, trying to be noticed by the basketball coach, searching for potion ingredients, the unwanted attention of a girl at school, and staying out of the way of the creepy, power-seeking Lorkon, Jacob's getting less and less sleep. It's taking its toll.

And don't forget the secrets Jacob didn't know were being kept from him.

Book Review - The Key of Kilenya by Andrea Pearson

So what's The Key of Kilenya by Andrea Pearson about?

When two vicious wolves chase fourteen-year-old Jacob Clark down a path from our world into another, his life is forever changed. He has no idea they have been sent by the Lorkon--evil, immortal beings who are jealous of powers he doesn't know he possesses--powers they desire to control.
The inhabitants of the new world desperately need Jacob's help in recovering a magical key that was stolen by the Lorkon and is somehow linked to him. If he helps them, his life will be at risk. But if he chooses not to help them, both our world and theirs will be in danger. The Lorkon will stop at nothing to unleash the power of the key--and Jacob's special abilities.

My thoughts
Poor Jacob. He's minding his own business, practicing for what he hopes will be the start of a pathway leading to future basketball stardom and instead he ends up in an alien world with strange peoples and even stranger creatures. And no basketball!

But there is magic, and they tell him can learn to do it, too. Well, he'll need to if he hopes to survive during his quest to find the missing key. The key, he's told, only he can retrieve.

Something I particularly enjoyed was the heading at the beginning of each chapter as they were parts of a journal of someone who'd made a similar journey several years before. These little snippets from the past foretold things that Jacob and his company would also face as followed a similar path.

Not all story lines are tied up at the end, so Jacob's adventure isn't finished yet.

Have you read any good books lately? Want to share?