Friday, March 25, 2016

Interview with Patricia Grasher, author of MY DOG CAN FLY


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Patricia Grasher will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why do you write juvenile fiction? What draws you to it?

I loved reading as a child and that first fascination has stayed with me. I love the young age group because they are open to almost anything. Magical, fantasy or true life the possibilities are endless.

I still read lots of books in the age group I write for simply because I enjoy them.

What’s your favorite sweet treat?

Definitely ice-cream. Dairy Queen’s Peanut Buster Parfait to be exact. With 710 calories it’s not something that I have very often. Not even once a year but it is yummy delicious. If I could have a second it would be a frozen yogurt chocolate swirl from Costco. And if I could have a third (I like sweets) it would be a couple of chocolate chip cookies. Did I say a couple? I always plan that way not usually how it ends up.

Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.

Does your dog fly? Maybe you don’t really know. Perhaps they turn invisible when they take off. That would make them much more difficult to tell.

Favorite hot beverage. Why?

It changes but this year my favorite is Green tea with mint and a bit of honey. The green tea gives a bit of energy that is a nice pick-up and the mint sort of zings in my mouth with a refreshing wake-up. I don’t always take it with honey – but the sweet is nice as well.

Ideal summer vacation.

A week or two on the Oregon Coast with some of my brothers and sisters. We have done it a couple of times and it was crazy fun. I love getting together with my family with or without their kids. At Waldport, Oregon, the sea lions spend a lot of time on the beach with their young ones and it is fun to walk by and see them. You can actually get quite close before they take to the water.

You’re stranded on a desert island—which character from your book do you want with you? Why?

Well, definitely Aminta. Aminta is a guardian dog – sort of like an Angel. She can fly and turn invisible and is very smart. I’m sure she would find a way to get me off of that island in no time.

You’ve just won a million dollars and you’re not allowed to save any of it. What do you spend it on?

One dream I have had is to open a half-way house for women coming out of addiction rehabilitation. Not a large house perhaps for 5-10 women for low income who could stay up to a year for getting their lives back in order. I have gone through rehab myself and it takes a long time to get turned around.

Favorite class in high school. Why?

Poetry. I actually loved this class so much that I asked if I could take it again and was allowed even though I got an A the first time. When I was in the third grade that is what I wanted to be when I grew up. A poet. I sort of fell in love with "The Owl and the Pussy Cat went to Sea" and was hooked after that. Both of my parents liked poetry and that definitely played a part in my love for it.


When a mysterious cave is found by ten year old Michael and his cousin Emma they are excited. But the cave is not an ordinary cave and the hidden secrets inside that cave are more than they bargained for.

Michael and Emma soon find themselves involved in a dangerous series of events that cause them to join forces with the hidden cave dwellers in order to order to rescue a small boy with a huge secret.



Enjoy an excerpt:

Do not be afraid. Caden grabbed tighter onto Aminta’s fur as they sailed through the midnight sky of a thousand stars. Do not be afraid. He closed his eyes and whispered the words again as he buried his face into the warm and heavily furred, ruff of the dog’s neck.

It wasn’t working.

He was afraid.

From the minute, he had been grabbed in the night by silent strangers he had been afraid. A rough hand had smothered his mouth with a cloth so he wouldn’t scream but he had struggled and tried so hard to cry because he was, no matter what his mom had told him. Afraid.

He was safe now though. For the moment. Big dog had saved him. His mom had told him he would, that he should not be afraid. But it was hard not to be afraid.

What if they found him again?

About the Author:
Patricia Grasher is my pen name for the series, My Dog Can Fly. It’s my pretend name. The name I write when I enter a world of magic and adventure. Where anything can happen and often does.

I am now doing what I have always wanted to do. Write books for children. Like Peter Pan a certain part of me has ‘refused to grow up’ and writing allows the fantasy to bloom and grow. My first book, My Dog Can Fly will be out in March 2016. Getting close!

In my ho-hum real life my name is Patricia Proctor. I live in Vancouver, Washington with a giant big dog named Andre who plows through the house and expects everyone to step aside because he is coming through. Pudge my little dog who wants to be first but realizes this is not always possible around Andre. (He squeals if Andre gets too close as he has been run over a few times too many.) And finally there is my cat, Buddy. He is really the brains of the outfit. Being smart he waits until the thundering herd (my nickname for Andre) passes through and then pretty much does whatever he wants. Sleep, chase squirrels, fights off other cats who dare to trespass into his yard, etc.

Looking back in time I have done a number of silly and amazing things. I spent four years in the U.S. Navy as a Cryptologic technician, getting into all sorts of trouble in Iceland and Germany before being sent back to the United States and told to be a good sailor. Straighten up and sail right. Which I sort of did. After my service was over I bummed around for a couple of years and then joined a monastery in Spokane, Washington. I was a nun for 30 years living a good life with some wonderful sisters. I published 5 books, ran a full time AM radio station from the fourth floor and had a large internet ministry that was recognized at one point by USA Today. I actually managed to live a pretty active life for a contemplative nun.

My life changed in 2009 when things inside my head and outside no longer seemed to fit. I went through a lot of counseling and came up with the decision that being a nun was no longer the best for me. In 2011 I was officially give the okay from Rome to return to lay life. My time in the monastery was wonderful it just wasn’t for forever. God does call us to new adventures all the time. My latest adventure is writing this children’s action fantasy book.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/patriciagrasher
Website: http://www.ayearwithjohnkremer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Patricia-Grasher/100010245673512

The book is FREE on Amazon.

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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Hunters of the Dream by Ingrid Koivukangas


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ingrid Koivukangas will be awarding an Eco Heart Oracle Deck valued at $38 US, (the Eco Heart Oracle is an integral part of the Hunters of the Dream trilogy) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour (International Giveaway). Click on the banner for more chances to enter.

Why do you write juvenile fiction? What draws you to it?

I have loved reading since I can remember. I was deeply impacted by books that I read when I was growing up – as an adult too. I wanted to be able to create and share views of the world, seen and unseen, through storytelling.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance novels…I loved books that transported me to a magical world filled with adventure and challenges to overcome.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Why?

Astronaut, aka: StarTrek – wow, who wouldn’t want to go exploring where no man has gone before?!
Archaeologist, aka: Indiana Jones – more exploring!
Librarian - I loved books and it seemed like the best place to be, where the books are
Writer - I loved words and using them to make up stories
Musician - I love music and wrote songs when I was younger
Artist – I loved creating things and working with all kinds of mediums

What book is on your nightstand currently?

A few including, The Biology of Bees by Mark Winston, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski, The Market Gardener by Jean-Martin Fortier and more!

Favorite TV show from your childhood?

StarTrek! I loved that they were exploring new worlds and learning about new beings, while overcoming incredible odds and danger. Boldly going where no man has gone before! Loved it.

Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.

Aurora's a normal teen, then a long-silent Oracle awakens in response to the Darkness. Will she find courage to lead Hunters of the Dream?

You’re stranded on a desert island–which character from your book do you want with you? Why?

Beaumont Seabring. He has a time traveling 15th C carrack sailing ship!

Favorite class in high school. Why?

English class. Especially creative writing–it was like not doing schoolwork, and homework was a joy.

When the summer holidays begin, Aurora thinks she’s just a normal teenager about to have another boring summer. Then, for her seventeenth birthday, Nana Brin gives her a long-silent Oracle that has been passed down through their family for generations. The mysterious Oracle soon awakens in response to the creeping Darkness that is escaping and destroying all worlds. Aurora must quickly find the courage to come to terms with her calling as the Huntress of the Dream.

Check out this excerpt:

The cards rustled, shifting in their dusty threadbare bag. They had lain dormant, forgotten, for generations. The Oracle woke slowly, like a hound sniffing the wind, trying to catch the scent of what had disturbed it, before calling forth a warning. The Oracle bristled. Attuned to the subtle vibrations of the Worlds it sensed a shifting in the balance of energy. The Darkness was once again pulsing, sending out tendrils of elusive gloom. It too had lain waiting, patiently. Over time it had slowly gained power, recruiting those it could ensnare with its black promises. It could not yet escape from the confines of the agreement reached during the Great Darkness...but soon the winds would shift and change. Fully awake, the Oracle began to cast out its own response, filaments of white light unfurling, in a quest to find the Huntress before the Darkness did.

About the Author:
Ingrid Koivukangas, BFA, MFA, is an award winning environmental artist, writer, designer, Reiki Master and educator.

As an artist Ingrid works intuitively at sites creating new works in response to sites and their energies and histories both natural and human. Her work encompasses many media including site specific ephemeral, large scale public works, writing, video, photography, sound, web, sculpture, painting, drawing and printmaking.

Ingrid's artworks have been exhibited in Canada, the USA, Europe and Asia. She's been featured as an artist in residence on CBC-TV; has had numerous gallery exhibitions; has many site specific ephemeral works left in situ and large scale permanent public art projects.

Ingrid's artworks have been included in many publications and books including: Art in Action: Nature, Creativity and Our Collective Future, published by the Natural World Museum and the United Nations Environmental Programme and Art + Science Now: How scientific research and technological innovation are becoming key to 21st-century aesthetics by Stephen Wilson, Professor of Conceptual and Information Arts at San Francisco State University. One of her favourite publications to be included in is Scholastic Book's Now See This! Art That Influences.

Ingrid has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with Distinction, from the University of British Columbia Okanagan and a Master of Fine Arts, Environmental Sculpture, from the University of Calgary. You can view her work at: www.ingridkoivukangas.com.

Ingrid lives on Salt Spring Island with her husband Robin, two dogs, Lucy and Scout, and a fierce cat named Hunter.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13548228.Ingrid_Koivukangas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IKoivukangas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuntersTheDream
Website: http://www.IngridKoivukangas.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hunters-Dream-Book-One-Gathering-ebook/dp/B0194J80JA
Chapters / Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/hunters-of-the-dream-book/9780973632767-item.html

Get a free online Eco Heart Oracle reading: http://bit.ly/FreeEcoHeartOracleReading
Visit the World of Wonder membership site. This site is for Hunters of the Dream readers. Continue exploring the world of Hunters of the Dream: http://bit.ly/EnterAWorldofWonder

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Friday, March 11, 2016

Life on Base: Quantico Cave by Tom and Nancy Wise


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tom and Nancy Wise will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

For Stephen, his life on base is much the same as most other children’s. The difference is in the details. Look both ways before crossing a tank path and be sure to check if the spent bullet casings you find in the long-abandoned trenches are actually empty. Sports stop at the sound of the evening trumpet call as he and his friends stand at attention while the flag is retired. Quantico Cave is a story of friendship and competition, and when Stephen meets up with a friend he once knew at a previous home station, the contest hits a whole new level that places everyone at risk.

Here's an excerpt from the book:

Stephen’s breath hung in the air, white in the early morning sunlight filtering through fresh fog that tangled in the low brambles of the Virginia woods. He hunkered alongside his topographical map, head down, butt planted in the grass. This orienteering challenge was his chance to do what a real Marine can do. His chin was propped on one bent knee that jutted out like a pale, bald mountaintop from his blue jean shorts. He wore his favorite t-shirt, marine drab with a scarlet-red Marine globe and anchor emblazoned on the front. Watching Jimmy from the corner of his eye, Stephen pondered their next move. Get it right. Semper Fi.

Jimmy looked like a deflated balloon as he stood next to Stephen. “We're lost? Oh man. I can’t”

Stephen cut him off quickly. His head wobbled on top of his knee as he muttered, “Nope, we’re not,” without lifting his gaze from the map. “I got this.” And Dad is watching.

“We ain’t?” Jimmy sounded hopeful. His eyes scrunched as he focused hard, trying to see the map folded to their location. “I can’t lose. My Dad’ll kill me.”

“Stop. Alright?” Stephen mustered all the manliness of his twelve years and hoped his voice sounded more confident than he felt. He stole a quick glance toward the shadows. The camo-clad figure that followed the boys’ every move through the woods watched. Stephen tried not to look in that direction. Dad’s watching. He’s counting on you.

“They’re struggling, too.” His head bounced on his knee as he talked. “Look.” His eye, against his will, darted back to the shadow as he pointed to the map with a grubby index finger. “Where the lines come real close,” he said, peering through the blond hair that hung over his eyes. “Remember?”

About the Authors:Tom and Nancy Wise are award-winning authors. Their first novel, The Borealis Genome, is the grand- prize winner of the Chanticleer Book Reviews Dante Rossetti 2013 Award for YA Novels and Award Lab Lit Category. Thomas grew up in a military family moving from base to base as the child of a Marine, living the life of an officer's brat in times of war while Nancy was raised the youngest child of a WWII veteran. When not working together on their novels, Tom teaches at University and authors articles on project management topics and nonfiction books published by Gower Publishing in the UK.

https://www.facebook.com/Tom-Nancy-Wise-678608352235570/
http://www.authorthomaspwise.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bxsiPspN0g
https://twitter.com/BorealisGenome
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Base-Tom-Nancy-Wise-ebook/dp/B018N4HK7K

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