Just as in a family grows with siblings being added at birth or adoption, authors have book families. The siblings are added at each new release. My family began in August, 2015. It’s grown to include the Dragon Courage series, The One Who Sees Me, and now Journey from Skioria. The new book in the family releases today.

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:

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.

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