Showing posts with label MG fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MG fantasy. Show all posts

Monday, December 19, 2016

Cradle Rock blog tour

I'm so please to have the ever awesome Tara Tyler here today! I'm huge on the outdoors. We get a state park pass every year and love to explore. Here are some hiking do's and don't's from Tara.

When I was younger, single, and carefree, I didn’t know how great I had it! The freedom was ridiculous compared to now. It was basically just me and my dog, Cody. Greatest dog ever!

We lived in scenic Georgia, and Cody and I would go to parks and hike all the time. Loved going to waterfalls, rivers, and mountains. Nothing major, but it was a lot of fun. I miss those times!

Today, I’m sharing a few pics and some do’s and don’t’s for hiking!

CODY!


DO'S
  • Do Scope out the park before you go - if you’re a beginner, don’t do a five mile hike through rough terrain. The levels of difficulty are usually marked.
  • Do Pay attention and watch your step - roots and branches and rocks pop up out of nowhere! - some side paths are not meant for you! - shady trails dry slowly, watch for slippery mud.
  • Do Use a “map my walk” app - it keeps track of how far you walk and you’re less likely to get lost.
  • Do Be aware of wildlife, you’re walking around in their house.
  • Do Wear comfortable, sturdy, not afraid to get dirty shoes.
  • Do Dress appropriately, trails are usually cooler than the temperature predicts.
  • Do Bring water.
  • Do Remember where you parked.
  • Do Donate if there’s a box for it. Save the parks!
  • Do Take only pictures and leave only footprints!
DON'T'S
  • Don’t litter!
  • Don’t jump in the river - it may look inviting on a hot summer day, but rivers are quick-moving and frigid year round! Fishing is fine if it’s legal
  • Don’t go too far. Pace yourself. If you start to feel winded or tired, head back. Unless you’re doing a loop, remember the return trip is as far as the trip out.
  • Don’t freak out if you lose reception - I never had a phone in my hiking days, no one did for thousands of years and we survived! - use the sun as your guide
  • Don’t be afraid to go by yourself, I did most of my hiking trips with just me and my puppy and many times I never saw another soul. But these days, bringing a friend might be safer…

Recently, I brought my boys hiking on one of the easy trails near my parents. Unfortunately, it was spring and the bees were happily buzzing in droves, so these “citified” boys didn’t enjoy it as much as they should have.

In Beast World, the young beasts have to hike around in uncharted territory, facing many dangers in unmarked forests. They experience more Don’t’s than Do’s! Gabe is hardly an outdoorsman, but he is determined. And with his werewolf buddy, Rove, they’re able to traverse the wilds.

Kids these days need more exposure to fresh air and nature and discovery! My recommendation to everyone in this stressed out, virtual world of technology…

TAKE A HIKE!

Thanks so much for having me, Christine! Always love stopping by here. Do you guys have any hiking experience or advice? I'd love to hear it!

WELCOME BACK TO THE FOREST!


CRADLE ROCK, Beast World Book Two
by Tara Tyler

Gabe the goblin just saved his town Broken Branch Falls from splitting apart. He also revealed that humans--horrible creatures of myth and legend--may actually be part of their history! But seriously? Nah!

Now Ona, Gabe’s girlfriend, is headed thousands of miles away to Camp Cradle Rock for Spring Break seeking evidence of humans. Gabe knows better than to tell a stubborn ogress she’s crazy, so he’s letting her go and spending the break at the beach like a normal teenage beast. And he’s determined to have a good time without her, whether he likes it or not.

But when Gabe hears Ona went missing, he and his friends set out for the wilds of the west to find her, no matter what dangerous creatures get in his way. Not even humans.

Check out the Book Trailer!

Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently she has two series, Pop Travel (techno-thriller detective capers) and Broken Branch Falls (fantasy adventures). To squeeze in writing, she economizes her time aka the Lazy Housewife. Make every day an adventure!

Talk to me!
Author Blog ~~ @taratylertalks ~~ Facebook ~~ Housewives Blog


I'm also giving away signed copies of Broken Branch Falls and Cradle Rock, some Beast World swag, and a $20 GC!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, July 28, 2014

Review for Broken Branch Falls


Blurb:
Doing homework for bully ogres and getting laughed at as the butt of pixie pranks, Gabe is tired of his goblin life. When he and his friends step out of their nerdy stereotype and pull a prank of their own on the dragons at the first football game, it literally backfires, bringing a High Council vote to dismantle not only Gingko High, but the whole town, too!

The Book of Ages–hidden handbook of the High Council, filled with knowledge and power–may be Gabe’s only hope. With the help of friends old and new, can Gabe complete his quest to find the Book in time to save Broken Branch Falls? Or will he remain an outcast forever?

My review:
If Gabe told anyone he'd like to try a sport, everyone would laugh at him. Goblins are the nerds of the community, and they aren't allowed to step out of their role. Yet when Gabe and his friends do, chaos erupts and the High Council votes to segregate all the beasts. Desperate to make sure this doesn't happen, Gabe and his friends go on a quest to retrieve the Book of Ages which is a hidden tome filled with knowledge that might help them. It's their only chance, but can they work together to complete the quest?

I absolutely loved it. This MG fantasy has all the quirky charm and lovable characters as the Harry Potter series. Tara Tyler does an excellent job of taking the familiar fantasy world concept and twisting it into something highly original. The history and politics of this world fascinates me as do the various beasts. While I did like the quest Gabe and his friends went on, it was the worldbuilding and characterization that had me devouring this book.

Gabe may be a goblin, but he's your everyday teen wanting to break out of the stereotype he's been forced into and try something new. He's the perfect hero as I related so well to him. Ona was my favorite character. An ogress with clean teeth and who loves music! Rove also intrigued me, especially with his story. The whole cast was fantastic.

I highly recommend this to readers of all ages. I can't wait for more books in this world!

Buy Broken Branch Falls here:
B&N ~~~ Amazon
 
Add it to your GOODREADS list!

Tara Tyler has had a hand at everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After living up and down the Eastern US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently, she has two series, The Cooper Chronicles (techno- thriller detective capers) and Beast World (MG fantasy) She's an adventure writer who believes every good story should have action, a moral, and a few laughs!



Also by Tara Tyler, techno-thriller detective series,
The Cooper Chronicles, Book One: POP TRAVEL
 

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Broken Branch Falls is here!

It's Beastly Blitz Day!

I'm a huge fan of MG fantasy. I can't wait until my son is old enough to start reading great books like Tara's with me. We play all sorts of pretend/imagination games together already. I believe children have a natural inclination to do such things as it is, but people complain we see them doing so less and less. I've found it easy to pull any child into a game using their imagination. All they need is to be opened to possibilities. What I'd like to see is more adults playing with their kids in such a way. There's nothing to be embarrassed about! It's tons of fun, and little ones want to do what the big kids (us!) are doing. Imagination is just as important as intellect. Wonderful MG fantasy stories can bring kids and adults together and start them on the path to grand adventures.

BROKEN BRANCH FALLS (MG Fantasy)
by Tara Tyler
Release Date: June 24, 2014 - TODAY!!
B&N ~~~ Amazon
Publisher: Curiosity Quills



Gabe is an average fifteen-year-old goblin. He’s in the marching band, breezes through calculus, and gets picked on daily by the other kids at school, especially the ogres. But Gabe wants to break out of his nerdy stereotype and try other things. He has his eye on the new ogress at school. Though it’s against all beastly rules, there’s just something about her.

Gabe starts a fad of mingling with other species, forcing the High Council to step in and ruin things by threatening to destroy the school and split up Broken Branch Falls. With help from other outcast friends, Gabe sets out on a quest to save his town. They'll show 'em what different friends can do together!



Add it to your GOODREADS list!

Tara Tyler has had a hand at everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After living up and down the Eastern US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently, she has two series, The Cooper Chronicles (techno- thriller detective capers) and Beast World (MG fantasy) She's an adventure writer who believes every good story should have action, a moral, and a few laughs!



Also by Tara Tyler, techno-thriller detective series,
The Cooper Chronicles, Book One: POP TRAVEL


Monday, May 5, 2014

Broken Branch Falls cover reveal!

Welcome to the Forest!

It's time for the highly anticipated, most spectacular cover reveal of the day!


BROKEN BRANCH FALLS (MG Fantasy)
by Tara Tyler
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Publisher: Curiosity Quills

Gabe is an average fifteen-year-old goblin. He’s in the marching band, breezes through calculus, and gets picked on daily by the other kids at school, especially the ogres. Gabe’s closest friends are goblins like him, but Gabe is tired of being a goblin – he’d like to try other things. And he has his eye on the new ogress at school. It’s against all beastly rules, but there’s just something about her.

When a prank goes wrong, Gabe is forced to join the football team as punishment – but finds a way to make it work. Soon the whole school is getting in on the fad of mingling with other species. Too bad the adults have to step in and ruin things by threatening to destroy the school and split up Broken Branch Falls. And Gabe is their scapegoat. With help from friends, old and new, Gabe sets out on a quest for the Book of Ages, which holds the laws of all beastkind and hopefully the key to saving Broken Branch Falls. After all that trouble, it better work.

Add it to your GOODREADS list!

Also by Tara Tyler, techno-thriller detective series,
The Cooper Chronicles, Book One: POP TRAVEL



Tara Tyler started out as a math teacher. After having a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering and living up and down the Eastern US, she now writes and teaches in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently, she has two series, The Cooper Chronicles (techno-thriller detective capers) and Beast World (MG fantasy) She's an adventure writer who believes every good story should have action, a moral, and a few laughs!


AND you can get up to five entries in this fun raffle just for commenting on five of the many cover reveal posts (see below) - This week only!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal Participants! Thanks you guys!! You the Beast!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Teaser Tuesday with Curse of the Bane and That Fatal Kiss cover reveal

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This is the second book in Joseph Delaney's The Last Apprentice series. I'm loving this one even more than the first, and the first one was awesome. It's MG dark fantasy fiction. I love the world Delaney has created, but even more so the supernatural creatures. Wow. Original and frightening!
 
Here's your teaser:
What I have lost, or might yet lose, I dare not think about. Beauty is a terrible thing; it binds a man tighter than a silver chain about a witch. (page 43)

Now for Mina Lobo's magnificent cover reveal!

Mina Lobo has long held a passion for Greek mythology. The story of the goddess Persephone's marriage-by-kidnap to Hades, Lord of the Underworld, has particularly fascinated her, and thus came about Mina's debut novel, That Fatal Kiss. Coming September 2013, the revisionist tale features a fiery and noble heroine, a handsome and broody hero, and some heated, earth-shakin' lovin'!

Given Mina's self-professed neurotic nature, it took her and cover artist Steven Novak a few go-arounds before settling on the cover design for That Fatal Kiss. It had to be curiously compelling, slightly spooky, and yet super sexy—and so it is!



The Book:

Feared by mortals for his inexorable power, and loathed by his fellow Greek gods for the same, Hades rules the Underworld alone. A stark eternity looms before him until he discovers Persephone. Struck by the youthful goddess’ beauty, kindness, and spirit, he must have her. But Hades believes Persephone could never love him, and so he conspires with his powerful brother, Zeus, to take her by force.

Persephone too seeks a mate but her possessive mother, the goddess Demeter, frustrates her husband hunting. Then Hades abducts Persephone, tearing her away from the Upperworld she loves to reign with him in the dank depths below. Though outraged, Persephone cannot deny the desire ignited within her by the dark lord’s touch. And even as she hopes that Demeter will unearth her, Persephone aches to surrender to the heat in Hades’ immortal soul.

The Teaser:
“Enough,” Hades said, closing the distance between them. “I have taken you with your father’s consent, as custom allows. You are in my kingdom, under my rule, and if you have any care for your continued well-being, you will get into my bed. Now.” And with the removal of the pins that held together the black cloth about his waist, he stood naked before her.

The anger warming Persephone clashed with another fire that roared to life within her. She choked on a breath and turned her face from him. “Be warned; I will resist you with the full force of my being, through violent means, if necessary.”

His large, unyielding hands encircled the soft flesh of her upper arms as he said, “If you must. Though your surrender to me would prove more satisfying to us both.”

The Author:

Mina Lobo has a lot of Scorpio action going on in her natal chart, which makes for a rather sybaritic and lust-driven Sagittarian. She aims for a wildly successful future as a writer of dark and whimsical romance while dodging the slings and arrows of her outrageous teenaged son, who's buggered off to college (hence the "Lite" in her Twitter handle, below). She enjoys comedic horror and alt rock, goth, & new wave music, as well as quality Belgian chocolates.

Mina invites you to keep abreast of updates regarding That Fatal Kiss, as well as the development of any new neuroses, by stalking her at her usual haunts:

Her blog: Some Dark Romantic
On Facebook: mina.lobo.1
On the Twitter: @GothMomLite
And GothMomLite Will Tumblr For Ya as well