Tag Archives: children’s middle grade

Mar22

Interview with Ron Crouch

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Tiffany Turner

Ron Crouch is the author of the Beyond Belief series. The second book in the series, “Beyond Belief: The Adventure of Zombie Island” will release on March 31, 2021. Pre-orders available now.

I am a sucker for a good zombie book. I also remember teaching all the different genres when I was a teacher. October was the “Spooky” genre month, but I found many students reading them all year long. If you have a child that enjoys the “Spooky” or horror fiction genre, I think I’ve found the right author for you.

Ron Crouch is a child psychologist that loves to write and help kids critically think. He is writing a series of middle grade novels and the second will be released on March 31. With a love of fantasy as a kid, he brings alive a gripping and humorous world kids can get lost in. I had the chance to talk to Ron Crouch about his childhood reading memories, favorite author, writing routines and what projects he has planned in the future.

What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Ron Crouch: My favorite memory from reading as a child was the joy of stumbling onto a really good series and realizing that there were many more books to read.

Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Ron Crouch: I loved Lloyd Alexander and I read every book he published. I finished them sometime between the ages of eight and fourteen. When I took up writing myself, I found that although my settings and characters are very different, and my use of language in much more modern, I still had the same love for quests, adventures, and tall tales.

Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

Ron Crouch: I work as a child psychologist during the day, so my writing routine starts early, usually before 5AM. I try to fit in all my writing before I leave for work at the hospital each day. Luckily, I’m an early bird by nature and find that I am most creative in the hours before the sun rises.

What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Ron Crouch: The Beyond Belief book series is for middle grade readers, and I would like to finish the series with five books. But beyond that I would like to write nonfiction for parents. In particular I would like to help parents in their efforts to teach their children how to think critically in our current misinformation age.

What is writing to you in one sentence?

Ron Crouch: For me, writing is a way of contacting like-minded people and offering them a sense of belonging in a world that might not value them and support them.

“Beyond Belief: The Adventure of Zombie Island” is Ghost Adventures meets the Goonies. Kenai is an ordinary kid that just happens to be a paranormal investigator. With his sidekick Tinkerbell, an AI drone, he has gone after ghosts in a haunted theater, run from herds of jackalopes, and gotten lost in underground bunkers. But in this book two of the series, he finds himself somewhere he’d never imagine: stuck selling door-to-door products for the Happy Day pyramid scheme. But there seems to be something wrong with the company. Can he find out what is behind the sinister business before the zombie thugs find him?

“Beyond Belief: The Adventure of Zombie Island” is the second book in the Beyond Belief series. It is available starting on March 31, 2021 and is currently on pre-order at Amazon.com.

If you’d like to start the Beyond Belief series with book one in preparation for the release of book two, here is the link to it. Start with “Beyond Belief: The Adventure Begins” HERE.

Both titles are in the Kindle Unlimited program.

For more information on Ron Crouch and his other projects, please visit his website at:

https://raisingaskepticalkid.com/.

Jan13

Interview with Valerie Anne Hudson

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Tiffany Turner

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One of my favorite books I read in 5^th grade was called “Half Magic” by Edward Eager. I think it’s one of the books that drew me into fantasy as a kid. So, I’ve always been intrigued by wishing magic stories. I think I’ve found a great one to read aloud to your class or have your youngster dive into during this pandemic. Reading is such a great escape and distraction, as well as building literary skills. I think I’ve been doing more reading since the lockdowns started back in March 2020. So, this is the perfect new release to treat your class or child at the start of 2021.

Valerie Anne Hudson is the author of the new children’s fantasy book, “Watch What You Wish For”.

I’d like to introduce you to the author, Valerie Anne Hudson. She’s written the book involving wish magic called “Watch What You Wish For”. I had the chance to ask her about her reading inspirations as a child, writing routines and helpful methods, and all sorts of interesting facts on her process for writing her book.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Valerie Anne Hudson: The sudden realization that I could read ‘grown up’ books. I vividly remember having absolutely nothing to read one day. Out of desperation, I took one of my parents’ books off the bookshelf – it was a Readers’ Digest containing a variety of condensed novels. I devoured the contents, and was so proud of myself!

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Valerie Anne Hudson: As a child my favorite author was Louisa May Alcott. I still have my original dog-eared copy of “Little Women.” I must have read that book dozens of times over the years. What a superb achievement, to write a book that’s still enjoyable and relatable 150 years later.

3) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

Valerie Anne Hudson: I write for 4 or 5 hours a day, which is easy for me now that I’m retired. I’m truly fortunate to be able to do that!

4) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Valerie Anne Hudson: At the moment I’m focused on fantasy: the paranormal and the supernatural, and I write for children. I hope that my writing evolves, though, and would like to attempt something for adults in the future.

5) How has your day job/career prepared you to be a writer?

Valerie Anne Hudson: I taught school for 25 years, so there’s lots of writing involved there. I taught grades 4 to 6 for many of those years, and always loved teaching English and creative writing.

6) Why are you drawn to writing fantasy and about the paranormal?

Valerie Anne Hudson: An overactive imagination! I’m a huge Stephen King and Dean Koontz fan, along with JK Rowling, of course. Such great escapism!

7) What activities do you do to help with the creative writing process?

Valerie Anne Hudson: I’m always on the alert for potential plots or scenes for upcoming stories. It’s amazing how many ideas you can get from real life news stories – truth is always stranger than fiction, as they say. Also, I try and read other people’s books as much as I can. All types and genres.

8) How did you get the idea for the “Wishing Tree” in your book, “Watch What You Wish For”?

Valerie Anne Hudson: I was thinking, what if you made a wish that actually came true? And what if you regretted making that wish and wanted to take it back? Then I started researching wishing wells and the stories associated with them, and discovered that there are actually wishing trees in some parts of the world. A tree seemed like it could be more dramatic than a well, so that’s how the idea blossomed.

9) Is the town of Mariposa a real town? If yes, why did you choose it? If no, was it inspired by a real town and which one?

Valerie Anne Hudson: Mariposa is a fictional Canadian town originally created by renowned author Stephen Leacock. Although he denied it, it was actually based on the town of Orillia, Ontario, which is where I live. I’ve changed the layout of the town and its surroundings around a fair bit in my story, so it wouldn’t have been fair to call it Orillia. Mariposa seemed like a good alternative choice.

10) What is writing to you in one sentence?

Valerie Anne Hudson: The desire to entertain my readers with sheer, delightful escapism!

Released on Jan. 8, 2021

“Watch What You Wish For” isn’t your normal fairy tale. 12-year-old Sophie isn’t happy about moving to the small town of Mariposa. She misses the big city, but luckily finds some friends also in the 7^th grade. Their adventures lead to the discovery of an ancient Wishing Tree. They find the secret to unleash an evil power connected to the towns shadowy past. People start to go missing as lives turn upside down. Faced with the need to try to get things back to the way they were, our heroes embark on a journey that leads to self-discovery and friendship.

“Watch What You Wish For” is available at Amazon.com as a Kindle Unlimited title.

For more information on Valerie Anne Hudson, visit her website here.

Feb26

Middle Grade Book Review: The Supernatural Pet Sitter (The Rescue)

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Tiffany Turner

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Middle grade novels are my forte. So you can take my word when I find a new one that is awesome. The Supernatural Pet Sitter: The Rescue by Diane Moat is a fun take on a world with gnomes, elves and witches all living together with humans. It’s like the world evolved differently than our own world. I loved it!

Pepper is a gnome that has already had some amazing adventures. In previous books, she has already been helping her world with her best witch friend, Luna. But now, some high school students have gotten trapped in a cave-in. Her whole family and neighbors are activated, as the whole community of elves, gnomes and witches work with the humans to free them. Then, the secret of who is behind all the attacks underground is revealed. TROLLS! Can Pepper work with her friends to defend her family and neighborhood against these ancient foe?

I really like this series. It is filled with characters I would enjoy as a kid: gnomes, witches, and elves. Relating with a gnome as the main character, it’s like playing a mini-Dungeon and Dragons game with Diane Moat as the DM. Add the fact that they are part of a community and trying to help humans and the greater good, I’d recommend this for kids that love fantasy. This book is number three in the series.

***The Supernatural Pet Sitter: The Rescue is available at Amazon.com and is a Kindle Unlimited title.

Sep6

Back To School Blog Tour Day 1: First Featured Author for 2105 is Marilyn Peake

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Tiffany Turner

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2015 Back to School Blog Tour: DAY ONE

Welcome to the first day of the 2015 Back to School Blog Tour. It’s part of my giving back to the Indie Children’s Author community. I am featuring some unique and fabulous books this week from picture books to YA. With the new Common Core being adopted in many schools throughout the US, this is a great time to learn about new authors and possible new books for guided reading and novel studies.

Plus, if you just want to find a great new book to read at the start of school, please check back each day for our new featured author. At the end of the tour, I’ll reveal where you can find an exclusive PDF ebook of writing lesson plans for Common Core written by myself. It’s the start of a series of writing curriculum for the Common Core that I will be writing up over my year of writing. Yes. Teachers still do teaching activities on their sabbaticals. So sit back and relax. You’re in for some excellent children’s literature experiences this week.

This year, our giveaways will work differently then before. Some of the authors will be sponsoring their own giveaways on their websites, and I’ll have a Grand Prize giveaway available on my blog. The Grand Prize for the Back to School Blog Tour Giveaway will be a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. You can also win a set of my Crystal Keeper Chronicles or an ebook copy of my fabulous writing lessons ebook.

**Note: Giveaway deadlines are set under the guidance of the authors instructions. The Back to School Blog Tour Giveaway will end at midnight Mon. Sept. 14, 2015. Winners will receive notification in 48 hours, and will be announced on this blog.

ENTER HERE TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD IN THE 2015 BACK TO SCHOOL BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY

Marilyn Peake: First Featured Author Sept. 7

Our first featured author is Marilyn Peake.

Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in Book: The Sequel, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at The Daily Beast. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor of a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, Glass Cases.

Marilyn Peake is the author of the children’s middle grade trilogy “The Fisherman’s Son”. All three books are available on Amazon.

AWARDS: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, and a Finalist placement in the 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Awards.

I am so excited to have her be our first author to kick off our blog tour this week. I got to ask her several questions to learn a little about her school memories, past influences, and role models.

1) Who was your favorite author, and how did they influence your writing?

Marilyn: I’ve had a lot of favorite authors over the years. In children’s books, I’d say J. K. Rowling, Lemony Snicket and, from my own childhood, the authors of the Nancy Drew books are among my favorites. Each of those authors influenced my own writing by demonstrating how the creation of imaginary worlds allows a young reader to step inside the pages and explore. In my own trilogy of children’s middle grade chapter books—The Fisherman’s Son, The City of the Golden Sun, and Return of the Golden Age—I spent a lot of time developing the details of the imaginary worlds within which I set the stories.

2) What is your most remembered Back to School memory?

Marilyn: I have many precious memories of my children’s Back to School days when they were growing up. Some of my fondest memories are when they returned to school with projects they had completed based on one of their favorite books. For his kindergarten year, my youngest son created a basketful of stuffed animals based on the characters in the wonderful book, Stellaluna. He stuffed socks and felt cutouts with filling and then decorated them with feathers and buttons to resemble baby birds and a bat. That was a really adorable project and one of my fondest Back to School memories.

3) Did you have any subjects that were difficult for you in school? How did you overcome your difficulties in school?

Marilyn: By the time I went to college, I found advanced math difficult. I remedied that by reviewing Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry and taking a Calculus course. By the time I went to graduate school, my favorite sections of Probability and Statistics were the ones that included Calculus.

4) What helps you motivate to write a story?

Marilyn: I write books set in worlds that fascinate me. That keeps me motivated to explore that world and tell the story I’m developing within it.

5) How would you summarize how writing is for you in one sentence?

Marilyn: Writing is sometimes euphoric and sometimes just painfully hard work.

6) What other projects or books are you working on right now?

Marilyn: Right now, I’m writing an adult zombie apocalypse series. The first book in the series, Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies, is free. The second book, Mutation Z: Closing the Borders, will be published on September 8th.

Marilyn Peake has set up a giveaway especially for this blog tour. You can win a set of her trilogy of THE FISHERMAN’S SON, her middle grade chapter book series.

******ENTER THE TRILOGY of THE FISHERMAN’S SON GIVEAWAY HERE!*****

The Fisherman’s Son Trilogy is available at Amazon. The purchase links are below:

Purchase Links for Marilyn Peake’s Children’s Books: