The Legend of Oescienne series earns the Literary Classics Seal of Approval

The Legend of Oescienne is an exciting fantasy adventure series that encompasses dragons, prophecies and heroes of mythic proportions.  Humans have been extinct for centuries. So, when the dragon, Jaax, learns that a human infant has been found in Oescienne, he is skeptical.  But upon seeing the blonde haired, blue eyed baby girl he takes responsibility for her, never revealing to her or anyone else the true nature of her existence.

All her life Jahrra has heard stories pertaining to the legends of Oescienne, but never could she imagine she might have anything to do with them. She’s far too busy avoiding bullies at school and seeking adventure with her friends to worry about what her dragon mentor, Jaax, might be keeping from her.  It most certainly never dawned on her that she might somehow play an integral role in the legendary prophecies of Oescienne.

Author Jenna Elizabeth Johnson’s Legend of Oescienne series delights and entertains with each captivating book in this exciting collection.  With powerful imagery, we are introduced to an enchanting world with a colorful array of mystical characters.  Each book leads seamlessly into the next, leaving the reader eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series.  Finishing with an epic conclusion that does not disappoint, people who love fantasy fiction will thrill at the Legend of Oescienne series which is recommended for home and school libraries and has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight, Patricia Reding on her award winning book

WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER AND WHY?

This is an interesting question because I can’t think of a time when I first gave consideration to the thought. I’d always been an avid reader, and from early on, I wrote. But there isn’t a day I can point to when the clouds parted and the sun shone and an epiphany came unto me saying, “You should write.” Having said that, there was an event that served as the catalyst to my starting my first full-length work. Specifically, I was so inspired by a fantasy series I read, that I had to see if I could write one myself.

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AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU ASPIRE TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?

I came from a large family of all girls (eight, that is, count them!), back in the day when we weren’t encouraged to aspire to much of anything, really. Still, even as a child, I was intrigued by courtroom dramas. By the time I was finally able to articulate what I might want to do (practice law), I’d been conditioned into believing that such a venture was reserved for others—that it was not something for me. One day, I dared mention it to a friend. I remember being afraid to even say the words. Then, I quickly followed up with: “But I don’t think they’ll let me.” She responded with one simple question, a question that may well have changed the course of my future. “Who is ‘they?’” she asked. In that moment, something was born—a hunger for more and a belief that perhaps I, too, could have dreams and could follow them. As time unfolded, I found myself pursuing those dreams. I’ve now been practicing law for some years. In many ways, the same idea applied to my writing. I saw others create fascinating works and thought, “Why not me?”

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HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?

My two daughters—my youngest two children—were in their early teens at the time that the Oathtaker story and title came to me. I was lamenting about things I saw going on around me. I had a vision of my children seeing the world I’d grown up in, at least for a moment. It was a world in which (to my young mind, at least, back in the day) people said what they meant and meant what they said. You could count on them to follow through on their word. I felt badly that my children were growing up in a world in which teachers don’t always follow through, spouses give up on marriages, religious leaders on occasion fall (quite publicly) from grace, and politicians are excused with the old adage: “Well, they all lie.” I wanted to make a statement that one’s word matters, and that words have a price. Yet I also wanted to express the great glory that can come with honoring one’s word. To do that in a manner that might be accepted by others, I chose to illustrate the concepts I had in mind through a fantasy story.

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TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:

For me, the most random and funniest events are those moments when in the midst of writing, something trips from the end of my fingertips that I never expected. Sometimes, it’s a funny or thought-provoking, line. For example, in Oathtaker, when a slave woman, Erin, reprimands another, Ginny, whom the reader already knows is slightly cross-eyed, Erin says: “I thought you were only cross-eyed. Now I see that in truth, you are blind.” It’s the kind of line a person would never express out loud in real life, but that a character can get away with saying—and that an author can get away with using. Other surprises have come to me when, for example, a character has shown up in a scene unexpectedly. In Oathtaker, to my delight, that happened at the end of the tale. I remember typing away that Mara (the main protagonist) looked up when the door opened. Then, I stopped, stunned, my hands hovering over my keyboard. I saw the person entering the room, but I was in shock. I had to ask myself: Is that possible? For quite some time, I refused to believe it, but eventually I did, and in the end it was completely right. In fact, it was as though my subconscious knew all along that it was coming, but decided to surprise me along with everyone else.

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WHICH AUTHOR HAS MOST GREATLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE OR HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

I can’t say that any one in particular has influenced my style, but as to impact, I have to go back to the classics. Perhaps my all time favorite is Les Miserables, which to my mind is sheer poetry. Moreover, it tells a tale of sacrifice. In many ways, my stories also suggest that sometimes there are things more important than “self.”

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WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?

Of course, there is the obvious of taking a story from start to finish. That may seem ordinary to many, but I suspect many writers would agree that it feels miraculous—particularly the completion of a first full work. Aside from that, both my books are award-winners and WindDancer Films asked to take a look at Oathtaker (Volume One). Not many new authors can claim that a major film production company has shown interest in their work. Even so, I’d have to say that it is the comments from readers that mean the most. I especially like when someone tells me that he or she didn’t read fantasy before, but because of my stories, has been “converted.”

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CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?

The best advice for a new author seeking to promote her work would be the worst advice for her, in general. That is, if she wants to be great at promotion, she needs time to do it. This might suggest she should quit her day job. Please don’t! Instead, new authors should be active on social media—preferably before they first publish. (I wish I’d known this before I first published!) Also, I would encourage them to enter contests, but to be wary of them. They are not all equal. An author should look to enter those that are used to promote ideas with which the author agrees. For example, Literary Classics caught my attention because I discovered LC’s emphasis on works of quality.

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DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?

Ephemeral and Fleeting: The Oathtaker Series, Volume Three went “live” on March 24, 2017.  I know there will be more to the series, so I suppose I should get started on the next one (post haste!). I’m very excited about Volume Three. Also, I’ve decided to take the plunge into audio books and have spent some time looking into them and doing some recording. You see . . . I want to read them myself. We’ll see how that all goes. It is daunting—and exciting.

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IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?

Yes! If you are a blogger and would be interested in reviewing my works, I would love to hear from you. To all other readers, I very much appreciate getting feedback—particularly “in the moment” feedback. So, if you’re reading one of my stories, please feel free to contact me via Facebook and follow me there, or on my website www.PatriciaReding.com  and share your thoughts with me. Finally, if you’d like to know more about how my works came about, I’d be delighted if you would join me on Bublish. Just click on the “Follow on Bublish” button. Bublish is a great tool for authors to use to share with readers what they were thinking in the writing process, what things might have influenced their stories, and so on.

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LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight K.B. Hoyle on her award Winning Books

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WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER AND WHY?

The first time I knew I wanted to be a writer was, I think, as a very small child reading The Chronicles of Narnia. There was something so transportive about those stories. I was the child who used to go into my closet and push on the back wall, trying to get to Narnia, and it amazed me that someone could write something that produced that effect--that longing--within me. I knew I wanted to grow up to do the same for others. 

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AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU ASPIRE TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?

Aside from a writer? Everything! The stories I read and the movies I watched inspired me to imitate the heroic characters within them. I can remember wanting to be an artist, explorer, archaeologist, astronaut, humanitarian, singer, actor, fighter pilot--you name it! It just had to be fantastic, and it had to be something that changed the world. That was my one caveat: I wanted to change the world. 

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HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?

The Gateway Chronicles is very personal for me. Growing up, my family attended a summer camp in upper Michigan the same week every year with the same families, and the experiences I had at that camp--and the friendships I formed--integrally shaped my childhood and who I am today. It was a magical place and time in my life, so as an adult, when I sat down to figure out the setting and characters for my first fantasy series, I decided to base it on my experiences at the camp I loved so much from my childhood. From there, I decided to pay homage to the first fantasy series that ever inspired me to want to be a writer--Narnia--and make it Gateway Fantasy, and then pay further homage to the fantasy series of my teen years that re-ignited my love of fantasy literature--Harry Potter--and make it a sort of friendship adventure where the characters have year-long adventures, and where the readers get to grow alongside the characters and walk the metanarrative with them. From all these things, The Gateway Chronicles was born! 

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WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY?

Oh wow… How can I choose just one favorite line out of six books? Okay. I don't know if it's my favorite line, but I think it's probably the most compelling line, although it needs a little explanation. The Gateway Chronicles is full of oracles and prophecies, which are often delivered as riddles. In book 2, The Oracle, a very important oracle is delivered to a character, and she spends the remainder of the books (3-6) trying to decipher what exactly this means for her. Here's the line: 

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"Twice wed, twice dead, twice stained red." 

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WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARE MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY?

I am definitely most like the main character, Darcy. I wrote her to be like me--digging deep into my adolescent psyche (it was a dark time). In all seriousness, though, I really do think I had typical teenaged angst, and because I tell the story through a limited perspective (Darcy's), it only made sense to dig through my mind and memories to make her as realistic as possible. As I've told many people--since she's not terribly likable in the first couple books--I start her off very much as I was in early adolescence, but as she grows, I make her into the sort of person I wish I could have been as a teenager. 

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WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?

Because there are six books in the series, there are many themes and messages I hope the readers can take away from the books. Overall, though, I want my readers to walk away knowing that no matter how bad life gets, they should never despair, because there is always hope in this life--especially as long as good people are willing to stand up against evil and oppression. I also hope my readers will glean a strong message of the importance of self-sacrifice and serving others. That sometimes doing the right thing means putting others ahead of yourself. 

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TELL US SOMETHING RANDOM/INTERESTING/FUNNY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:

I think all writers are just a touch crazy--just a touch. I know I definitely have my oddities! For example, I personify things and name them, as relates to my writing work. My laptop is Scribbus MacDoodle, and he's a HE. And I have an antique typewriter who is female, and her name is Rhonda Royale. I also plaster my office with notes, like Sherlock Holmes on a case, and also like Sherlock Holmes, when I'm writing a book, because of all the details--and the amazing layers of details--I have to keep straight (the world-building), I'm able to enter into a mind-palace of sorts where I have everything neatly organized. I can walk around and touch and see and smell the world in my mind--I can even talk with the characters. A great deal of writing actually consists of me staring blankly at the wall while I am inside the mind-palace, hard at work! 

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WHICH AUTHOR HAS MOST GREATLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?

J. K. Rowling has had the greatest impact on my writing style because I studied how she constructed Harry Potter before I sat down to write The Gateway Chronicles. If you want to learn how to do something well, a good place to start is studying the person who wrote a crossover, billion-dollar smash hit in your genre! 

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WHAT BOOK HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

This is always a struggle to answer, but I think I would have to say The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the simple fact that it's the first book to awaken that longing within me for the "other." And if that longing within me hadn't been awoken, I don't think I would have become an author. 

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WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?

My greatest literary accomplishment--aside from getting published--has been winning the gold award for YA series for The Gateway Chronicles from Literary Classics! 

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DO YOU HAVE ANY WRITING RITUALS?

I don't have any particular writing rituals, aside from doing my best to shut down my social media browsers to not let myself get distracted. I usually take a quick read through whatever it is I wrote the day before, but I try to avoid revising at that time. It's always important to just move forward when you're writing your first draft. Deep revisions come later. 

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HOW DID YOU FIND AN AGENT?

I'm hoping 2017 will be the year I land an agent, as I have a new manuscript ready for publication that I'm really excited about. I've been actively pursuing agenting for a few months here. I was published with The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House in 2011, though, after they discovered me through a reviewer who had reviewed a copy of my first two (then self-published) books. 

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WHAT DID YOU DO TO CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION/PUBLISH DATE/OR OTHER OF YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?

My husband and I usually keep the celebrating pretty low-key. We have four small boys, so while it's exciting when I have another book published, or I win an award, or something like that, it's difficult to get out, and we don't exactly have money to burn! We have, in the past, just gone out for dinner or dinner and a movie. My husband has bought me flowers to celebrate the awards, though. That's been nice! 

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CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF BECOMING PUBLISHED AND ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT OFFER FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?

The process of becoming published is going to be different for everyone these days. The first thing aspiring authors need to do is establish a brand and a platform. Many publishers and agents want to see that an author comes with some sort of social media base ready-made. You can do this through writing a monthly newsletter, getting plugged in and promoting your brand on social media, or self-publishing your first/second/third books to get your name out there--or some combination of these. The main things to keep in mind these days are: The market is saturated with authors doing exactly what you're trying to do, and YOU are the only one who is going to sell your book--no one else. 

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CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?

Self-promotion is a tricky thing, but there are some crucial steps to consider for success: 

-Figure out who you are as a writer and for whom you are writing (your audience): This is your brand

-Figure out how to write effectively for this audience by studying the most effective writers in the genre: This is the research for how to become the best storyteller and writer you can be.

-While doing that, be working on setting up your online persona as an author and start drawing in people who might be interested. 

-Be prepared to give things away for free. 

-Figure out where on social media your audience hangs out, and follow them and their interests religiously. *Do not use these social media platforms for personal usage, but for promotional usage, without spamming people! 

-Enter contests

-Build relationships with likeminded people and keep contact lists

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IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?

I have an author newsletter that goes out about once monthly, and I'd love to invite readers to subscribe! I blog about writing, share exclusive content, relay my publication news, and more! Here's the link: http://www.kbhoyle.com/subscribe.html 

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WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED? 

The Breeder Cycle series

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?

I have a completed manuscript called The Girl in the Sea that is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. I am really excited about this book, and it's the book for which I am actively seeking agenting. I am also writing Clone, the third and final book in my YA Dystopian trilogy, The Breeder Cycle.

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I don't have any news as to when either The Girl in the Sea or Clone will be available. There is too much up in the air right now regarding my publishing future. But people who are interested should subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know when I DO have news! 

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LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org