(MMGM) Laurisa White Reyes, author of the Celestine Chronicles Series {Interview & Giveaway}

Be sure to check out the full schedule of this year’s 3rd Annual March MG Madness and enter to win a box of 6 books!

The very lovely Laurisa White Reyes is stopping by the March MG Madness today to tell us all about her Celestine Chronicles Series! Plus, there's a fab giveaway...

The Rock of Ivanore (Celestine Chronicles #1)

The annual Great Quest is about to be announced in Quendel, a task that will determine the future of Marcus and the other boys from the village who are coming of age. The wizard Zyll commands them to find the Rock of Ivanore, but he doesn’t tell them what the Rock is exactly or where it can be found. Marcus must reach deep within himself to develop new powers of magic and find the strength to survive the wild lands and fierce enemies he encounters as he searches for the illusive Rock. If he succeeds, he will live a life of honor; if he fails, he will live a life of menial labor in shame. With more twists and turns than a labyrinth, and a story in which nothing is at it seems, this tale of deception and discovery keeps readers in suspense until the end.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

The Last Enchanter (Celestine Chronicles #2)

Months have passed since Marcus and Kelvin succeeded in their quest to find the Rock of Ivanore. Kelvin is living as royalty in Dokur, and Marcus is studying magic with Zyll. When Fredric is murdered and Kelvin becomes king, Zyll and Marcus head for Dokur in hopes of protecting Kelvin from meeting the same fate, though it quickly becomes apparent that none of them are safe, and Marcus has had disturbing visions of Zyll's death. With the help of his old friends Clovis and Bryn, joined by new friend Lael, a feisty girl in search of her mother, Marcus uncovers a powerful secret that will change the course of his life forever.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / Indiebound

What three words best describe your Celestine Chronicles series?

Action-packed! Mysterious!  Funny!

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers, especially reluctant readers, to give this series a try?

When enchanter's apprentice, Marcus, sets out to locate the Rock of Ivanore he soon finds himself in the middle of an enemy invasion and must use magic, a skill he has yet to master, to save his homeland and friends from destruction.

Grab a copy of the latest book in your series, The Last Enchanter, and answer the following:

favorite chapter? Chapter 68 - where we first meet the gryphon

favorite page?   233 - where we discover a very important secret about Ivanore

flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser?

"A crow?" Xerxes lamented. "He made me a common crow?"

"Well, just look at it this way," added Marcus, trying not to laugh, "even in death, Zyll had a sense of humor."

What inspired this series? How did the story come to be?

The series began as bedtime stories for my now 17-year-old son (He was 8 at the time.). Those stories became The Rock of Ivanore, but the characters and storyline grew and grew. Now I have plans for five books in this series, and three in a parallel series called The Crystal Keeper, about a character named Jayson fourteen years before The Celestine Chronicles begins.

There are some memorable characters in the Celestine Chronicles series, do you have a favorite? What do you love about him/her? Did any of your characters end up surprising even you with the way they turned out?

My personal favorite character is Jayson, an Agoran/human half breed man who befriends Marcus in book I. He is integral to the entire series. Plus he's just really cool. He can see in the dark, is really fast and strong, and is a true hero.

If you could travel to any fictional fantasy world, where would you go and what would you do there?

I think I would love to visit the Shire of Middle Earth from The Lord of the Rings. The life of Hobbits, peaceful and quiet, has always appealed to me. I am not like Bilbo, seeking adventure, but I would probably be quite content living as most Hobbits do, just enjoying nature and good company.

As a middle-grade author, why do you think middle-grade is so important? What do you love about writing and reading middle-grade?

Most really young children love books, but for some reason many middle graders lose interest in reading. I think there are a number of reasons why, such as spending too much time watching TV, playing video games, and spending time on various electronic devices. But I also think being assigned books in school that don't appeal to kids can turn them off to reading as well. When kids are forced to read something they don't like, they often start disliking reading altogether.

This is a critical time to help kids fall in love with reading, and the way to do that is too allow kids the freedom to select whatever stories connect with them. So variety is essential. Some kids love fantasy or mysteries. Others love reading about horses. Others prefer funny books. Reading at this age is meant to be fun. If it's not fun, then they're not reading the right books.

What is your all time favorite middle-grade book, middle-grade hero, and middle-grade heroine?

That's a tough question.  I think my favorite middle grade book of all time is Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. That story is both funny and touching.  But I also love all the characters from Margaret Peterson Haddix's The Shadow Children series. I could list a hundred books and characters, but those are the first to come to mind.

Fill in the blanks:

I’m really awesome at other than writing? Singing. I love to sing songs from Broadway musicals, but only in my car or in my shower. Never in public.

I’m really embarrassed to admit that I'm afraid of bees. Terrified of bees. I was only stung once as a child, by a dead bee in a sandbox, but I've been scared of them ever since. I mean, I literally scream like I'm being tortured when one flies too close to me. My kids think it's funny.

The last great book I read was Cress by Marissa Meyer, book 3 in the Lunar Chronicles. I love that series!!! It's considered young adult, but so far I haven't found anything in that book inappropriate for older middle grade readers.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by the Celestine Chronicles series, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

Well, it would have to be chocolate because I love chocolate EVERYTHING, but the frosting would be dark pink and very sweet -- made from willenberries, a special treat on the Isle of Imaness.

Thank you so much, Laurisa, for stopping by today!

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

Win a copy of The Rock of Ivanore!

Laurisa has generously offered one copy of her book for one winner.

DETAILS

-US only

-ends 3/31

-must be 13+, one free entry per person

-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

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The Last Enchanter Blog Tour {Excerpt and Giveaway}

I'm so thrilled to have The Last Enchanter Blog Tour

(Book II of The Celestine Chronicles) stopping by today! This is a fun-filled fantasy adventure series for middle grade readers!  

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In Book I, THE ROCK OF IVANORE, enchanter's apprentice Marcus Frye and five other boys set out on a dangerous journey to locate the Rock of Ivanore and bring it back to their village.

In THE LAST ENCHANTER, months have passed since they succeeded in their quest. One of the boys, Kelvin, is living as royalty in Dokur, and Marcus is studying magic with Zyll. When Lord Fredric is murdered and Kelvin becomes king, the Enchanter Zyll and Marcus head for Dokur in hopes of protecting Kelvin from meeting the same fate, though it quickly becomes apparent that none of them are safe, and Marcus has had disturbing visions of Zyll's death. With the help of his old friends Clovis and Bryn, joined by new friend Lael, a feisty girl in search of her mother, Marcus uncovers a powerful secret that will change the course of his life forever.

In addition to THE LAST ENCHANTER being released on OCTOBER 15th in hardback, THE ROCK OF IVANORE is also now available in paperback! Both titles can be purchased at bookstores nationwide and online at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Indiebound. They are available as E-books, too.

To celebrate the release of her newest book, author Laurisa White Reyes is giving away a brand new 16 GB NOOK HD!!!  Details on how to enter the giveaway can be found at the end of this post. In the meantime, please enjoy the book trailer and this excerpt from THE LAST ENCHANTER 

 

EXCERPT from THE LAST ENCHANTER

Marcus waited until he heard Zyll turn the lock in his door before heading back down the corridor. Zyll had told him to do what he thought was best, and that’s exactly what he would do.

He passed several armed sentries, one at every door, as he made his way through the lower level of the Fortress. Kelvin was determined not to let the Agoran rebels get inside again. Maybe Marcus shouldn’t worry about his brother. With all these guards around, Kelvin was far safer than Fredric must have been. Still, he deserved to know how their grandfather died. Secrets had nearly destroyed Marcus and Kelvin’s relationship during their quest eight months ago. There would be no secrets between them ever again.

Marcus didn’t want to go back to the dining room. Kelvin and Jayson were probably still arguing over dinner, and what Marcus had to say was private anyway. He would go instead to Kelvin’s council chambers and wait for him there.

Other than the sentries, the interior of the Fortress was quiet. Most of the servants had already retired to their rooms for the night. Marcus hurried across the vast entry hall toward the east alcove where the offices were located. He had made it halfway when he suddenly had the feeling that he was not alone.  He turned and looked behind him, but there was no one beside the guard standing at the Fortress’s main door. The light from several oil lamps left the corners of the room hidden in darkness. Someone could easily conceal himself in one.

This is silly, Marcus thought. I’m letting my mind play tricks on me. Still, he walked the rest of the way as fast as he could without actually running.

The door to Kelvin’s council chambers stood just inside a narrow alcove. To Marcus’s surprise, the sconces on the wall were not lit. The alcove was dark except for a weak glow from the lanterns in the great hall.  He had expected to find a guard here, too, but the alcove was empty—or was it?

Near the door to Kelvin’s chambers Marcus saw a large, dark clump of something on the floor. He approached cautiously and touched it with his foot.  An arm fell forward, hitting the floor with a dull thump. Marcus stepped back, his breath quickening. The dark clump was a sentry. In the dim light, Marcus couldn’t tell if he was unconscious or dead.

Behind him, Marcus heard the sound of footsteps which stopped abruptly.

“Hello?” Marcus called out hoping it was one of the other guards. “There’s a man here,” he said. “I think he’s hurt!”

When no one replied, Marcus realized once again that his imagination was running away with him. But he did need to find help for the sentry. He was about to leave when he heard a new sound coming from inside the chambers: an unmistakable rattle as if something had fallen and rolled across the floor.

Marcus stepped over the guard’s body and took hold of the door handle. Slowly he turned it, pushing open the door just an inch. Candlelight spilled through the narrow crack into the alcove. Marcus saw now that the sentry’s eyes were open, staring dully up at nothing. He was most certainly dead. And Marcus suspected that whoever was inside the room had done it.

Pushing the door open a little further, Marcus stepped inside. Large tapestries hung floor to ceiling against the walls. Three stories above, the stained glass ceiling looked like a patchwork of black and gray. Charred remains of a log stood cold in the fireplace, though six candles burned in an ornate candelabra beside Kelvin’s desk. On the floor lay an ink bottle, dark liquid trailing from it like a tail. This must be what had made the noise. Marcus bent to pick it up. The glass bottle felt warm to the touch.

The air in the room was chill. So why would the bottle be so warm? Someone must have been holding it, Marcus thought, but who?

As he set the bottle back on the desk, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. A tapestry fluttered ever so slightly. Marcus’s heart raced. He reached for his knife, but then remembered he had left it in his room for he had thought he was just going to talk to Kelvin. What would he have needed it for? He reached for the tapestry with trembling fingers and jerked it aside, but the only thing behind it was a bare wall.

All of sudden, something heavy hit him from behind. Sharp pain exploded across his shoulders, and Marcus’s face smashed into the wall. He felt drops of hot blood trickle onto his lips. Licking them, he tasted copper, and he wondered if the loud crack he’d heard had been his back breaking or something else. He turned and saw Kelvin’s chair in pieces behind him on the floor. Someone had thrown it at him! He had only a second to think before something else came flying at him, but this time it was a man.

The man yelled. Marcus caught the glint of a blade in his hand just before it came down on him. Marcus twisted away just in time, the blade grating instead against the stone wall. But the man did not stop. He sliced his dagger wildly in every direction. Marcus jumped and slid his way across the room, doing his best avoid the attacks. The man was slender, almost frail-looking, and yet was surprisingly fast and strong. He lunged at Marcus, not with the dagger, but with a set of blood-stained claws extended for the kill. It wasn’t a man at all, Marcus realized. It was an Agoran.

Marcus grabbed the candelabrum. As he swung it in an arc, the candles flew off. Two went out as they hit the floor, but the other four stilled burned, casting long, unnatural shadows onto the tapestries. One lit the corner of a tapestry on fire, the flames soon licking the woven patterns like a hungry snake. The candelabrum hit the attacker with a force that would have knocked most men to their knees, but this one didn’t even flinch. When the Agoran took hold of it, Marcus expected him to yank it out of his hands. Instead he thrust it forward, pushing Marcus off balance. He fell onto his back, sending a fresh tremor of pain through him. A second later, the attacker was on top of Marcus, holding the point of a blade to his throat. Damp tendrils of long, shaggy hair clung to his face. His pupils, narrow like a cat’s, peered at Marcus, recognition slowly dawning.  The Agoran and Marcus stared at each other, both remembering the day months earlier when they had first met.

Just then the door to the chamber flew open. A guard rushed in, his sword raised. Behind him came Kelvin and Jayson. The Agoran leapt off of Marcus and crossed the room in half a breath’s time. The guard ran after him, but the Agoran tore the burning tapestry free from the wall and flung it at him. The guard screamed in pain as fire engulfed his uniform. The tapestry dropped to the floor, the flames trapping the Agoran at the back of the room. Marcus managed to roll clear of it, though he felt his skin blistering with the heat and smelled the guard’s scorched flesh.

Jayson ripped the burning fabric from the guard’s body as Kelvin picked up his fallen sword. Kelvin slashed at the tapestry, trying to make a path through the fire. As he broke through, Marcus looked up to see what would happen next, but to his and everyone’s surprise, the Agoran was gone.

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Laurisa White Reyes, author of THE LAST ENCHANTER, 
is giving away a brand new 

16 GB NOOK HD!!!  

There are many ways to win:

1) Take a pic of you and your copy of THE LAST ENCHANTER - post it on the web (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, a website, etc.) and email the link to:  laurisawhitereyes(at)yahoo(dot)com

2)  Follow Laurisa's blog and/or Facebook page

3) Tweet about this giveaway

4) Leave a comment below

The winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter. 

To enter the giveaway, fill out the form below. 

U.S. residents only, please.  

This giveaway will end on November 6th. 
 

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