Plot:

Tania, an ordinary 9-year-old, washes ashore after being swept overboard on a family vacation. She finds herself in a wooded area with little people her size. To her surprise, she discovers they’re much older than herself and definitely not human. These new friends soon become her only way to find her way back to her parents. They trek through forests, across streams, up and over mountains, and along beaches. The elements conspire against them and in the end Tania almost gives up hope of seeing her family again.

The reality:

When I first wrote Journey from Skioria, my daughter was 9-years-old. I traveled from Langlois, Oregon to Gold Beach, Oregon once a week. My mind wandered to what it would be like for a kid to hike that without roads. Everything in the journey has a basis in reality–from the mountain and beach at the base, to the quick engulfing fog, to the landslide that hinders their passage.

Anyone who’s visited the Oregon Coast or even the Northern California Coast knows the forests grow thick and tall. To an average observer these forests contain evergreen trees and that’s it, but at a closer look, you’ll discover more at least on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Myrtlewood:

Typical myrtlewood tree in Southern Oregon.

Unlike most evergreens, this is not a conifer. Instead it grows in a coloring book round shape with large flat oval leaves. These leaves shift from the deep green to a yellow color and fall off, but unlike maples, oaks, and other deciduous trees, they don’t change at the same time. Besides the shape of the tree and its leaves myrtlewood can be identified by its pungent odor. The hardwood comes in a variety of colors from blond to gray depending on the soil (according to myrtlewoodgallery.com) The travelers encounter myrtlewood at the base of the mountain and discuss its uses in carpentry work.

You can enter to win a myrtlewood bookmark and necklace by going to my facebook page and commenting or sharing the pinned post.

Huckleberry:

In our area two types of huckleberry bushes grow rampant–red and black. The red huckleberries usually taste sweeter and have a lighter green leaf. The black ones tend to be tarter and can grow up to ten feet tall. It’s these that I had in mind when I created Terra.

Rhododendron:

Even my friends on the East Coast know this shrub for yards, but my neighbors know two kinds of rhododendrons–the shrub and the wild ones. Wild rhododendron entwine their way through the evergreens, huckleberries, and myrtlewood to find their way to sunshine. In late winter their color pops and explodes in the most unexpected of places often above the roofline of houses. With this in mind Avary came into being.

The book:

Journey from Skioria is available on all outlets. Remember it’s a middle grade fantasy. That means it was written for younger kids or for parents to read to younger kids. That doesn’t mean adults won’t enjoy it, but it’s not the action-packed adventure like Dragon’s Future or the Harry Potter series. Just like with siblings, each book is unique.

Make sure to grab your ecopy before Friday, September 8 when the price jumps from 99 cents to $2.99.

Purchase Now

The young urchin inhaled the scent of myrtle wood. It reminded him of Momma. The thought of her always brought pain. He pushed the memories down and listened to the night sounds of frogs and locusts. Curling up to go to sleep under the boughs of the tree, an odd noise caught his attention. He peered out from the darkness. A group of men carrying torches marched by his hiding place. After they passed, he crawled out and followed them.

“What could they be after?” he wondered.

As the mob stopped, he scurried up a tree to see and not to be seen. The sight surprised him. The men had come to a halt in a clearing in the garden. Olive and myrtle trees gave way to grass. On the grass thirteen men stood. Several seemed to have just awakened from a nap, confusion registered on their faces, while the firelight flickered off their brown eyes. Several women huddled in a group off to the side. The boy couldn’t imagine what the mob wanted with so few men and women.

Movement caught his eye. A man dressed in a tunic with an overcoat stepped out of the crowd and walked forward. His steps showed purpose and familiarity with the area and the group waiting.

“Rabbi,” the man said, greeting one who stood in the center waiting almost as if he had expected his little party to be interrupted.

“Friend, do what you came to do,” the teacher replied.

His voice carried over the sound of the frogs in the distance, over the shuffling of the feet of the crowd, and through the glade. The young lad in the tree froze. He had heard that voice before once long ago. He had no opportunity to think of the memory for a sudden movement tore his attention back to the clearing. The crowd moved forward as one. The lead men seized the man with the gentle voice, turned him around, and held his hands behind his back. In the same instant, a short, burly man with dark curly hair bound forward drawing a dagger and swung at the other man’s head. The boy couldn’t see what happened, but the man with the kind voice turned around, reached out and touched the other’s ear. A collective gasp went up from those around the teacher.

“Shimon,” the voice that evoked memories in the urchin said for all to hear, “put your dagger away. Even now, I could ask Father and he would send messengers to rescue me.” The teacher turned to the crowd. “Every day, I was among you teaching, and you did nothing. But now you come at night with swords and sticks.”

The mob reacted instantly with more surrounding the teacher and grabbing him. The women and the teacher’s friends scattered into the garden. The boy sat in his tree unmoving. Fear coursed through his veins. If the crowd would take this respected teacher, what would they do with a homeless street kid? He watched from his perch as the men pushed the teacher in front of them out through the trees of the garden. Once the lights moved passed him and he could only hear the march of feet but not see them, he slid out of the tree and followed at a safe distance.

Questions swirled in his head much like flies buzzing around the meat market. Who would want to take the teacher? Why would they march him off? Where were they taking him? What about his friends? Had they all deserted him? As he contemplated these questions without answers, he moved silently, accustomed to sneaking around people and not being heard or seen.

“Achim,” he whispered to himself, “you’ve been in many scrapes in the past, but this one beats all.”

Look for the continuation of the story to come later this week. I’ll leave a link to it once it’s posted.

The characters are twelve-year-old Clare, her nine-year-old brother Dante, and her twelve-year-old friend, Lily. Today, I have the honor of introducing you to Clare. I was able to do an interview with her!

Me: Clare, I heard you started this whole Seed Savers adventure. Tell me a little about that.

Clare: Sure. When I was twelve I first heard the word “seed” at church, and–

Me:  Wait–you hadn’t heard the word “seed” before?

Clare: That’s right. I’m from a future where kids don’t know what seeds are. It’s forgotten about, like the words “television set.” So I asked an older woman about seeds and she started teaching me.

Me: That would be Ana?

Clare: Yes. Ana became my teacher. And then, of course, I brought my friend Lily in on it, and Dante, my brother.

Me: So now that you know about seeds and real food, do you think you can go back to the Vitees and Carbos and that kind of food?

Clare: Definitely not!

Me: How’s that going to work out?

Clare: I’m not sure. Right now it’s frustrating because I’m in hiding and so we can’t garden. If I were out, and nobody else’s safety depended on it, I would try to grow a garden anyway. I mean, Gruff had a garden on his balcony in New Jersey and he got away with it.

Me: This is true.

Clare: I might even go back to Canada. But I really want to be part of the change. I want everyone to have freedom of choice about their food.

Me: Seems reasonable. Some people are wondering if you and Lily are growing apart…

Clare: I wouldn’t worry about it.

Me: What about Jason? Is this a romance?

Clare: (rolls eyes) Does everything always have to be a romance? Can’t  a girl and a guy ever just be friends? I thought you said this interview was about Seed Savers?

Me: I’m sorry. I think readers just naturally gravitate towards that. Okay, let’s wrap it up on a final note about Seed Savers. Do you think your Movement is going to have a victory any time soon?

Clare: (smiles) Of course. With young people in the Movement, how could we be anything but victorious?

So, if you now are intrigued, go check out S. Smith and her books, Seed Savers. They’re a great read for kids and kids in adult bodies.

Link to other giveaways!

Thanks to Karen’s Got Mail, I am part of a giveaway! In celebration of the pre-order of Dragon’s Future book 1 of Dragon Courage series, we will be doing a giveaway of a metal photo print of Dragon’s Future book cover valued at $25! You can enter by commenting here on the blog telling me what your favorite fantasy story is, going to my Facebook page, or through rafflecopter. Any and all ways work. You can go to all three to increase your chances of winning. I hope you enjoy. Have fun, and may your dragon fly true!

You will win a 4×6 copy of this printed on aluminum.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the 4th of July Giveaway Hop hosted by Karen’s Got Mail. I have teamed up with a fantastic group of bloggers to share these giveaways with our readers. Be sure to hop around to the participating blogs and enter some fabulous giveaways! Also, make sure to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway which features a $50 Target Gift Card!

Karen’s Got Mail and the 4th of July Giveaway Hop participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations.

So what is the story about?

Every child of Woolpren dreams of becoming one, but only a few are chosen. Now, ten-year-old twin brother and sister, Ruskya and Duskya, have been selected to join an elite group of riders: dragon riders. Full of awe and excitement, the twins leave their mother, and their home, to train for their new lives.

Fifteen years later, dragons are becoming extinct and riders are rare. One day, Ruskya is at the general store in town when a man announces that he is recruiting new dragon riders. Ruskya goes undercover, and discovers that there is another colony of riders with their own agenda—a quest to find a mysterious plant that could restore the dragon population, or destroy it. When a battle erupts between the two colonies, it’s up to Ruskya and his friends to fight for their dragons’ future, and their lives.

Follow Ruskya’s quest in this exciting young adult fantasy series by new author Kandi J Wyatt.

The book will go on pre-order at amazon soon. It will be released on August 10th.