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YA Mystery

Middle Reader Science Fiction

REVIEWS FOR LIGHTSHADE. GET IT FREE THROUGH TOMORROW!

Middle reader science
fiction fantasy FREE
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L. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting science fiction

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2018

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Enjoyed the plot with an alien helping humankind. Intriguing characters. Excited for the sequel.

"Once again, I have the wonderful opportunity to work with Kathryn Elizabeth Jones on her books.

In the past, I've enjoyed narrating her cozy mysteries, but this time, I got a big surprise... a SciFi-Fantasy trilogy!

The first book is called LIGHTSHADE (The Space Adventures of Aaden Prescott, Book 1)

As soon as I started reading it, right away, it reminded me of the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

If you recall the movie, it started off with some serious adventure, which I thought was genius. That is exactly what happens at the beginning of LIGHTSHADE. It's an instant adventure! On the first page, the planet Mercury is heading right for Earth and there's nothing anyone can do about it... but our young hero, Aaden Prescott has a secret. Something very powerful and it kept me on the edge of my seat as I read through to the end.

The characters are well developed, Aaden is a lovable boy, and the book is perfect for lovers of SciFi and Fantasy. Aaden speaks in the first person, telling the story with his darling personality and when I got to the end of the book, I was seriously ready to read book two. 

I was intrigued, interested, and really taken by Kathryn's gift of writing any genre, but this one is my favorite. I believe you'll love it as much as I do.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed! You'll simply want more!"

• Lauren Holladay
• Audiobook narrator/Producer

"This was a very fun book to read. Interesting story. I loved the author's style and the pleasant twist to the story." - Todd Tolman

Light Descending: The Space Adventures of Aaden Prescott, Book 2

We're almost there!

Here's the new cover:

And here's the opening:

Journey

Don't laugh. It's amazing what you can forget when you're about to be destroyed. All you can think about is your safety. Later, you realize you’re hungry and need a decent bed to sleep in. It's like the last time your mom yelled at you to get in the car – hovercar or not – and once a safe distance from your home, you remember you left your favorite electronic game behind.

            I missed the seasons, even the cold ones. We'd had five Christmas’ in space, traveling through the sky like lost vacationers with no idea of where we were going. We'd managed a tree out of an iron pipe, and decorations from clothing that was worn out, cut into tiny pieces. We’d gathered pieces of wire no longer in use to hang the colored fabric, and the best leftover throw-away containers you’ve ever seen for awkward looking ornaments.  

          Presents consisted of love notes and nice things we had thought up to do for others. It was pretty boring, I can tell you, but sort of nice in a strange way. I mean, we were going to have to be with these people for a long time, maybe even forever before we found a planet that could support life.

            As it was, Mom was always trying and failing to make things just like home, and Dad, well, let's just say he was working on one thing or another. There was a map, an electronic thing that could light up an entire room upon touch, and technical gizmos that had been difficult to fabricate up in space. Many of my favorites had been broken upon re-entry to Earth (when the shuttle hadn't been able to escape the planet and had crash-landed before my family had finally met up with them), and so parts and pieces had to be scrounged up and fitted together, even if the pieces didn't exactly fit.

           Somehow, we'd managed in the space plane, and the advancements discovered on board hadn't hurt us any, including keeping the craft going beyond its expected landing port. I wasn't sure about all of the details, mainly because none of the adults talked about it outside of the 'room.'

            But we’ll get to that later.

          I was bored out of my mind most days. If it wasn't for Neva and Stella and the green stone, I would have gone crazy. But wouldn't you know it, the day I thought I'd lost it for sure, yelling at Barina, (the one who had first met us when we reached Space Doc 5), something fantastic was discovered in the ink-black sky I would never forget.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Eliza Crosby

1     Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I started writing in High school for Honors English assignments, then I wrote for the school literary magazine. I was always a closet writer, but once I started having kids, I realized I needed a creative outlet and something to focus my stresses on. Writing just came to me, and I fell in love with it.

 How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I    I usually write when everyone has gone to bed. It’s quiet, and I’m not being asked questions every two minutes. I may have to stay up late to do it, but I really get my best writing and stories late at night.

       How and where do you write? Do you prefer a laptop or some other method of getting your words down?

I use my laptop, and I usually write in my bed. I like my space there. It’s comfy and I think best in my spot. I can’t concentrate sitting in a hard chair. Sometimes I can write on the couch, but not often. Best times to write are during a rainstorm. Or three in the morning. If I get an idea I use whatever is handy, whether it’s my phone, a small notebook, I have even used a gum wrapper before.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

          

My favorite part of writing is seeing it all play out in my head. It’s like having a movie play in my head, and then seeing where it goes. I may come up with a great scene, but my characters often take it someplace else, and the adventure just gets better.

My least favorite part, cutting stuff out, or editing. It’s like making a soufflé, they can’t all be perfect. You take so much time making it, and you only know if it turned out at the very end. Hoping that the middle doesn’t fall. Because if the middle falls, then the whole thing is ruined. I want it to come out perfect but it’s going to take a few tries to get there. And the sweet reward is the finished product, and even just one person coming to me and saying they loved my book, or can’t wait for another.

         How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

That’s a loaded question. To keep it simple the story was always there. It just took years of growing up to get it into what it is now, a book. My family is from Minersville, Utah. I have a lot of stories from my family and relatives from there, and I had my very own adventures there growing up. I always imagined ghosts roaming the streets of the town and a love story there. It took me two years to really complete my first published novel. It was my story, and I needed it to stay that way.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

            

I use social media, to promote my writing. It’s not much, but for a mom of four, with a separate full-time job outside of writing, I can’t do much more than that. But I write because I love it. Not for the money, or fame, or any of that stuff. I do it because I just want my stories to get out into the world. So, I try to keep it simple and do it in my time.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I just released a middle-grade book this last spring. The Eyeball Mysteries. About a boy with a mechanical prosthetic eye and he solves mysteries and goes on pirate adventures. Like a Goonie type book. I am working on a few projects, but with my job and kids, it’s been hard to get back to it.

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Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

            

I do have a few, I have a book that I started a few years ago and wanted to finish. about a storm chaser that gets swept away to OZ. It’s something that I really want to finish, but another book that was similar to it got published by someone around the time I was writing it, so I got discouraged and stopped writing it. I hope to at least finish it for myself one day.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Talent has little to do with it. It’s all about passion, motivation and a love for the art of writing. Talent is only a small piece of it, but really if you want to write do it. Don’t let anything stop you. Just sit down and start writing. It doesn’t matter if it’s the beginning the middle or the end. We all start somewhere.

***

A Question for Kathryn:

Authors usually ask each other the same question, how do you do it? How do you find the time? How do you not get distracted? And how do you not get discouraged when 99% of the time it’s already been written, or how do you make it different?

The subject you have decided to write about, the time period, perhaps even the main character you have chosen, may be just like a character another author has created, but only you can share it in in your voice. You have your own way of putting things together on paper, and it's up to you to share your voice no matter what else has already been written.

I make the time for writing. I treat writing like a job because it is. Yes, writing is a job I like, but it needs to be treated beyond a hobby. I also write when it's the quietest in the house; that's the mornings for me. I also get away as often as I can away from home and write without the usual distractions; i.e., dishes, laundry, folks dropping by for an unannounced visit, and things like that. I find I can really get the pages done when I'm away from home. 

TUESDAY TRAILERS: Like Magic by Elaine Vickers

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FRIDAY FLICKS: The Matilda Effect by Ellie Irving

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Available August 22, 2017

FRIDAY FLICKS: Woof by Spencer Quinn

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FRIDAY FLICKS: The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm

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FRIDAY FLICKS: Penelope Crumb by Shawn K. Stout

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FRIDAY FLICKS: Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ali Cross author of middle reader books

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

On a sunny afternoon in October, 2002, my hubby and I were driving into the mountains with our sons for a weekend getaway. The drive was long, and the conversation had stalled. Out of the blue, I said, “Ya know, I’ve always wanted to write a book.”

Thing is, I don’t exactly recall wanting to write a book. I’d never even written a short story—or any stories! I’d written lots of poetry, but that’s it. I did meet Anne McCaffrey when I was about eleven, and I told HER I wanted to write books, but that was the only time prior to 2002 that I remember thinking about it.

So my husband and I spent the rest of the drive brainstorming a story for me—and one for him. We stopped at a convenience on our way and picked up pens and notebooks and spent our weekend outlining our novels. We finished them on New Year’s Eve, 2003!

Hubby stopped writing for a while, but I’d caught the bug and wrote my first middle grade novel (Jump Boys: SOS) and then my first young adult novel (Become.)

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How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I’m lucky in that I work from home, formatting books for a small publisher, so I can make my own schedule. I typically spend from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. working on my own career—which is a mix of writing and business. I like to write at least an hour a day, but I’m not particular about when in that six-hour span of time I get it done.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I really enjoy working at my desk in my office, the sunlight streaming in through my window. I share my office with my teenage boys, so it might get dicey (and a little stinky) when they get home from school, but I like to write with headphones on so I can still get lost in my own world.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

Probably like a lot of writers, my favorite part is drafting. I love the thrill of discovery, of getting to know my characters and having them live in my head. I don’t mind editing and revision, but my least favorite is probably that moment when you either send your book to agents or self-publish it. Because maybe I should have held onto it just a little longer, worked on it just a little bit more.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

Book ideas are usually “manufactured” by me through brainstorming and asking lots of “what if” questions. I’ve never written a book that came to me in a dream. J I draft quickly, usually writing a 70,000 book in a couple months. Editing and revision can take longer though, depending on how well I knew the story and characters before I started writing.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

I use social media—everything from YouTube to Pinterest. I love Wattpad as a means to sell books. I don’t have a regular, consistent marketing routine, though, which I really need. You up for some mentoring, Kathy?

I sure am! Mentoring is one of my favorite things to do. And I actually like marketing. You've seen my marketing book haven't you?  

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I just released a picture book! The Lullaby Ladybug—it even has an original lullaby in it! Not exactly the kind of story my fans were hoping from me, but it was something of a bucket list thing to get that book done. Otherwise, I’ve got a couple projects in the works including the first in a new Desolation series, and the first in a totally new and different romance series. I like them all, but haven’t really caught the bug on any of them. Until that happens I’ll keep working on all of them.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

Yes. L I wrote this book, Land Magic, a couple years ago. I thought it was the best book I’d ever written. Betas loved it. I submitted it to a mid-sized publisher whose work I love and they loved it too—it went all the way to committee but was passed over in favor of another book by one of their regular authors. All that sounds great and like I should just resubmit it somewhere else, right?

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Well, I thought I’d take another pass at it before submitting it to other agents, and when I did, I thought it was awful!

Now I’ve tried revising it a couple times and every time I feel further and further away from the story and the writing. People ask me about it all the time, even the agent and editor at the other publisher have followed up with me asking where it is and I … I just don’t know.

So I need to get really clear in my head and take a look at it again. This time free of emotional baggage and “shoulds” and “should nots.” Just me and the story. I need to believe in it again.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Oh gosh! I’d tell them that no matter how many books you’ve published, every writer has a point in their process where they think their book is the worst book ever. Every. Single. One. It’s part of being an artist. We are sensitive and emotional beings and it’s perfectly normal for us to doubt ourselves. The trick is to keep on writing even if you think the work is terrible. You don’t risk much, and you have everything to gain.

Okay, Kathy. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and it’s actually been giving me fits. As I said, I have two projects I like in the works, but I don’t do my best work while divided. I really want to pick one story and just go with it. Dedicate myself to it until it’s completed—at least drafted.

How do you decide between one story and another, and once decided, how do you stay committed without being tempted away by the other project—particularly when things get tough with the story you chose to work on?

Great question, Ali, but you may not like my answer. I do my best work divided. That is, I usually have more than one book going at a time, though I try to make the projects different enough so as not to cause problems with placing the wrong character in the wrong book!

For example, I may work on a mystery and a Christian fiction novel at the same time - they are different enough; though my best tip would be to work on a piece of fiction and a non-fiction book at the same time. I do this every year when my marketing book comes out in January. I usually also have a mystery or Christian fiction book that comes out around the same time. In 2017, I will have my fourth mystery out just after the new marketing book is released.

I find that working on two projects at once actually gets the juices flowing. When I get stuck on one, I can go over to the other and work on it for awhile. When the wall goes up, I switch books. 

You may want to switch between your novel and doing some writing exercises. When you get stuck, point to a random word in a book and begin writing, beginning with that word, or choose a picture from a magazine and write what you see. I have many writing prompts ready when I'm stuck.

***

WEBSITE:

http://www.alicross.com

http://www.facebook.com/authoralicross

http://www.twitter.com/ali_cross

FRIDAY FLICKS: Treasure at Lure Lake by Shari Schwarz

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Adam Maxwell

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I suppose I've always written since being at school.  Whereas most other people I knew gave up when they left school I just… didn't. Wrote two (terrible) novels that will certainly never see the light of day then finally stopped messing about and did a couple of writing courses.  I think they focused me in what I was doing right and wrong and I've been writing and publishing ever since.

How to you schedule your writing time? when do you write?

It's difficult and something I've always struggled with.  The problem is there's always a distraction!  Some, like having a family, are fantastic and some, like having a full-time job, are less than fantastic!  Right now I try to do an hour after I've put my daughter to bed at least four days a week.  I've found that setting aside that specific time slot seems to work well and most weeks I manage a couple of extra hours here and there as I'm able.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?

I have an office if I'm writing during the day but on an evening I usually just plonk myself on the dining table and start typing.  I've got a laptop and a desktop computer that both sync all my writing via dropbox so I can pretty much pick up any project at a moment's notice.  Since January I've also been experimenting with dictation and that's going well. The idea of getting more words in the same time frame is very appealing.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

I like outlining.  I usually produce a few thousand word outline for any novel I'm working on and that's pretty enjoyable because you've got the complete blank page to work from but my absolutely favourite part is once that is nailed and you start getting into the meat of the chapters.

Because my writing time is quite limited I've found outlines invaluable for just being able to pick up where I left off and keep the flow of a longer work going so just glancing at that and getting down to the business of writing is great fun.

The worst part? Editing.  Fortunately with more work spent on outlining there's rarely any major edits to do but I have to say editing just bores me, I have to force myself to do it…

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

Different book ideas came in different ways. The novel for adults I've just completed is called 'The Dali Deception' and that was born of fear! I had been writing stories of varying lengths about a detective character for years (and not finishing a great of many them) and I was worried that was all I could write. That one character. Forever. So I deliberately sat down to write something else. After a while I decided that I wanted to write a heist like Oceans 11 and so then I just gradually decided on all the elements; the characters, the villains, the crime. 

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The kids books I write came about because I was frustrated with the horrible fairy and princess books that seemed to be the only books that were popular for Middle Grade readers.  I wanted something that had a kick-butt girl as the main character but I also wanted to frame it in such a way that I wasn't going to be restricted to always write a certain type of book.  The hidden room in the Lost Bookshop was the result of that; the children can go on any adventure because, as we know, a bookshop contains ALL the adventures.  So they are transported into the Wild West, to a circus to investigate a missing monkey and a little trip into Grimm territory for the last one I completed.

Once I've finished the outline the books don't take too long, The Dali Deception took around three months to write and the Lost Bookshop series each take around a month and a half.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

All of the marketing!

It's the one area I neglected in the past so I'm currently throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks then doubling down on those avenues.  I recently advertised with Bookbub for my free kids book and that result in fifteen thousand new readers in the first week but I have a mailing list that I'm trying not to neglect and looking at Facebook in more details at the moment.  I think I’ve got the hang of Twitter so come and say hello to @LostBookshop if you’re so inclined.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I just finished editing 'The Dali Deception' for adults so that should be out in the next couple of months, just getting my schedules in order.

In terms of writing I'm working on the next installment of The Lost Bookshop for kids. I finished the outline at the beginning of March and I’ve got the first few chapters in the bag already.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I do indeed, it's an Urban Fantasy series. I've written a prequel novella, done a lot of character development for the main characters and written the first couple of chapters too… it's a big project so I keep dipping in and out of it.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Write. A lot. It's literally the only way to get better. Writing groups are another great source of feedback, it's impossible to improve if you can't see what needs work.

A question for me:

What's the best piece of marketing advice you can give to an author about to launch their first novel?

Don't be afraid to try what feels right for you. In my book, Marketing Your Book on a Budget, I go through book reviewers, online interviews like this one, free sites to market your book, how to put together a book trailer without any out-of-pocket cash and more. I love doing book signings - though not in the usual places like book stores. I also carry postcards that have my recent book and contact information on them. Who knows when you'll be meeting someone interested in your book.

***

Thanks, Adam!

Learn more about Adam:

My author website is at http://www.adammaxwell.com and you can get links to my most recent kids book (it’s free!) by going to http://lostbookshop.com/books/witch-with-the-glitch/.