Tag Archives: Indie author

Jul2

What Happens When A Villain Turns Good

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Featured Indie Book and Author

Welcome! I am featuring an Indie Author that writes amazing Middle Grade/YA fiction. Author Laura Lond has written a book series with a balance of humor and a twist to the normal hero. Her protagonist is a villian.

I’ve reviewed her first book, My Sparkling Adventure, and have recently reviewed her second book, My Royal Pain Quest. Your blog tour begins with the book review of My Royal Pain Quest. Follow the links below to enjoy an interview with Laura Lond from last summer. Plus, the review for her first book is also linked. I hope you enjoy this fabulous Indie writer.

Characters usually have the problem of not drifting to the dark side. In the second book of the Lakeland Knight series, My Royal Pain Quest by Laura Lond, Lord Arkus has the opposite problem. He’s already a villian, and keeps drifting towards the light, goodness, and all those pesky hero traits. He’s tried his hardest not to be good. But after he is stuck with a sparkling, an inherently good creature, his deviant path of badness keeps leading him to be a hero.

My Royal Pain Quest by Laura Lond

In the first book, My Sparkling Misfortune. Jarvis, the now incognito sparkling, infleunces Arkus with goodly ways. At the end, his sword is used in evil misdeeds, and he is put into a coma state as punishment. The second book opens with Lord Arkus guarding his friend Jarvi, and trying to figure out how to restore him to normal. It’s a very big step to becoming a hero, a very unvillain-like thing to do.

The book takes you on a quest of hero feats, all to help restore Jarvi to normal. Along the way, Lord Arkus picks up a sidekick, a highway woman named Cassandra, that only helps for the right price. Lord Arkus treads down the path to heroism and becomes less of a villain as he completes each task.

The hero elements are there, like having mermen allies after Lord Arkus inadvertently saves a mermaid. He has to work with a previous enemy, Prince Kellemar, as a quest. And lastly, helps with a new group of critters to find a lost boy. The hodgepodge of completing them lends to the humor. Hero acts keep piling on Lord Arkus, and the inner rebellion against being a hero starts to wain.

Cassandra, the highway woman, is an fantastic character. She’s a woman that can kick serious butt with a sword. Prince Kellemar, from the previous book, plays a part in the quests, going through a transformation of his own. All the twists in opposites does keep the plot interesting.

I enjoyed the way the book continued the villain struggle for Arkus. It’s a unique twist in character inner struggles. However, there is a sense of seriousness that seems to lose the humor from the previous book. It does fall in line with the plot of trying to save the sparkling. I also thought the ending was a bit too fairy tale like. It lent to some humor, but I think there could have been more to Cassandra and Lord Arkus building their relationship.

In the end, the plot and characters are so strong, they pull you through the book. My Royal Pain Quest works as a sequel, and I am definitely ready for book 3. This can be a great start to your child’s summer reading list, or for any adult that enjoys a fun read.

***** Five Star Rating
My Royal Pain Quest is available at Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, and Barnes and Noble.

*Link to a Review of the first book, My Sparkling Misfortune.

*Link to an interview with author, Laura Lond.
To continue with your INDIEpendence Day Blog tour event, link back to the Indibles Writers Blog.

Jun28

INDIEpendence Day July 2-4

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Wanting more than just your average book? Next week, declare your independence from the Mass Book market. Come to the wild side and see what independently published books are out there.

A blog hop is being hosted by the Indelibles, a blog site with 25 Indie Authors. Over 60 blogs are participating that will feature an outstanding Indie Author’s book. It’ll get you set with your summer reading. A range of different books will be available. The Indie Children’s Authors Connection is proud to be participating.

If you are a blogger or an avid reader and would like to get involved, here are the steps:

1) PICK A BOOK: Pick an indie (self-published or small press) book that you either HAVE READ AND LOVED or WANT TO READ.
2) WRITE A POST: On INDIEpendence day (July 2nd), write a post about that book. It can be a review, an interview with the author, or simply a post highlighting the book.
3) CLICK BELOW: to join the link that will tie the blog hop together on July 2nd. See the Indelibles for more details.

Jul12

Interview with Laura Lond, Author of The Lakeland Knight Series

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The summer interview series continues with an interview with Laura Lond. Her middle reader novel, My Sparkling Misfortune, is told from the perspective of the villain protagonist with lots of twists to keep you guessing. Laura discussed her plans for a sequel, her writing routine, and what to expect from her next.

1) How did you get your ideas for your book, My Sparkling Misfortune?
The overall setting and theme are inspired by traditional fairy tales and I guess Disney classics. I’ve always loved a good adventure with knights, swords, castles, and of course some miraculous happenings. As to the specific idea for the book, they usually come to me in the form of a small seed that plants itself deep inside and starts growing. In this case, it was a villain who had a lot to say, and, I thought, deserved a chance.

2) Why did you pick the villain perspective for My Sparkling Misfortune?
Lord Arkus’s sense of humor had won me over. I heard him “talk” and I knew it would be best to let him tell his story.

3) What other adventures are planned for Lord Arkus and the sparkling, Jarvi?
Lord Arkus is not happy with the situation he finds himself and his sparkling friend in in the end of Book 1. He tries to remedy that, which turns into a whole new quest, more heroic than Arkus would be willing to admit.

4) What is your writing routine?
When I come up with a book idea, which is usually a theme, a character, or a scene, I try to expand it, develop the story as much as I can. I am not a good planner, my stories prefer to write themselves as I go, but it helps to have at least all the major turns mapped out, so I try to do that.

I write in the evening or late at night, when all the other work is done and there are no distractions. Writing is a slow process for me. I often wish I could complete a book sooner, but every writer is different, and I have to accept that I’m a slow one.

5) Could you summarize what writing means to you in one sentence?
Letting out stories I have inside of me.

6) What advice could you give to young authors?
Don’t give up, don’t be discouraged, write as much as you can.

7) What are some current projects you are working on now?
I am writing the sequel to My Sparkling Misfortune. When I’m done with that, I plan to return to another unfinished fantasy novel. Other ideas will have to wait.

My Sparkling Misfortune is available in Paperback and Hardback Editions at Amazon.com. Ebook editions available as Kindle and Smashwords editions.
*** For more information on Laura Lond and her other books, please visit her website at: http://laura-lond.tripod.com/.

**For a link to a review of My Sparkling Misfortune, click here.
**Link to her second book’s review, My Royal Pain Quest.
To continue with your INDIEpendence Day Blog tour event, link back to the Indibles Writers Blog.