A Book and a Chat with Ray East and Sam D

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I am back from my trip back across the pond to England, and what a wonderful time I had there, the whole country during the Olympic Games seemed to be walking around with a smile on its face. From the first to the last it was a truly magical event.
You can read my Olympic blogs at http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com
Talking about magical it’s great to have on my first show back a writer of another truly magical time and location.
Ray East along with her partner Sam D is the author of the magical, mythical, adventure, romance, coming of age YA fantasy novel  VOLUSPA- A Magical World.
While the book is a YA fantasy. It is a crossover between urban fantasy and paranormal romance with a mythological and dystopian twist. This book showcases a unique coming of age story of a fifteen year old girl who struggles with the ramifications of forbidden love, obscure parentage and in essence struggles to find her place in a world that is threatened by her very existence.
One reviewer described the book as having “the edge of Harry Potter, the vibe of Narnia and the twists of Twilight”… now that puts this book as a must read, which it is.
About VOLUSPA- A Magical World(Taken from Amazon)
Twilight meets Harry Potter Amy, a forlorn fifteen year old girl from NYC, never thought that she would attend school on a magical mountain with wild animals as her classmates and that she would go to a prom on a flying carpet.
Its love at first sight when Drake- a shape shifter rescues her from a pre-historic beast and befriends her. Little does she know that Drake’s father is the tyrannical leader who has always wanted Amy and her kind dead. In her struggle to challenge the supremacy in the magical world, she realizes her powers, confronts aspects about herself that she may not be comfortable with, makes lasting friends while excelling in her school – something which she had not been able to do in her human world.
All hell breaks loose, as Drake goes missing and Voluspan mercenaries try to hunt Amy down. Amy and her friends use strategic warfare, pit adversaries among themselves and use every last drop of strength, skill and courage as they take on warriors far more ruthless and skilled than themselves. But Amy is in for a rude shock when she finally finds Drake.
The book has already received many rave reviews with readers clamoring for the next in the series, it is indeed a book for the whole family. As one reviewer wrote..
A plot which sucks you in and you wish for more. The 5 main characters of Amy, Drake, Jacek, Amelio and Cornelius are very well fleshed out, and this is something you dont get to see a lot in middle grade books. I love Amy, the 15 year old heroine and i felt i could relate to her a lot.
What makes books for me is the writing, and this story is amazingly written. There are ancient creatures, gnomes, kapas, griots, niads,gangrels, magic, and you think to yourself “This is true fantasy as far as fantasy will go” but because of the writing, you also feel for the characters, and it all seems so real, so normal, and so true. The events in the book are grand and fantastical, but the emotion that the characters feel, and that you feel with them, is very grounded and personal.
The writing and the story caters itself well to the teen reader, but I enjoyed every bit of reading it with my 12 year old.
I now also add my voice to the many others saying bring on book two…
So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Ray East and Sam D
Barry
Direct link to the show “A Book and a Chat with Ray East and Sam D”
or you can download the mp3 file of the show from “Ray East and Sam D”
You can find out more about my guest and their books at: “Ray East and Sam D –  Voluspa: A Magical World”
Barry Eva (Storyheart)
My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK Including my Olympic Blog – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat “YA Book Banning and Censorship”

Recently the book banners once again crawled out of their pits of nastiness to once again try to remove YA literature from classrooms and libraries. A certain Wesley Scroggins an associate professor of management at Missouri State University, and obviously standing for re-election for some post or other decided that Laurie Halse Anderson’s book “Speak” was “filthy an immoral”, he then classed it as pornography as the book includes two rape scenes, how a person can compare “pornography to rape” I just cannot understand.

Today I had two guests whose work has also suffered from “YA Book banning and censorship”

Ellen Hopkinson whose books include “Crank”, “Burned” and “Fallout” to name a few with a new YA verse book “Perfect” and her first adult verse novel “Triangles” coming out shortly, has been affected by such one person book banning events as happened to Laurie Halse Anderson. She explained how several authors had their books removed from a major book event in Texas, the response was so dramatic from the authors that the event in the end had to be cancelled. Yet she writes about subjects people need to know about, that YA readers welcome to educate them about life and it’s problems.

Ellen during a truly wonderful ninety minute share explained how time and again she is asked to talk about the subjects of her books, how she receives letters from people who have read her book and quit doing meth etc.

My other guest Sarah Ockler was mentioned in the same mindless rant of Wesley Scroggins, her debut book “Twenty Boy Summer” will soon be joined on the book shelves by “Fixing Delilah”. She was shocked at the statement by Mr Scroggins to what basically goes on all the time in schools, and was to be honest some very mild sex, where at least he r characters had condoms.

The show covered many aspects YA Book banning where one persons voice can control hundreds of people who disagree, where people who follow upon these complaints make decisions without even reading the book.

Take for example “The Diary of Anne Frank” a classic novel a standard for reading since even I was at school. One parent at a public school in Virginia made a complaint that “the book includes sexual material and homosexual themes.” And suddenly the 7,600-student school system in rural Virginia can no longer read the book. A person complained about Harry Potter in Texas and now that school nobody can read any science fiction/fantasy, how a school wants Huckelyberry Finn banned, the list goes on and on.

Judy Blume said it right when she stated

“Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won’t have as much censorship because we won’t have as much fear.”

The whole aspect of education, sharing reading, how YA readers self censor and so much other chat from the guests and those listening in the chat room filled the show from end to end with fine discussion and education.

So sit back and listen or download an great show as I discuss “YA Book Banning and Censorship” my two special guests “Ellen Hopkinson” and “Sarah Ockler“.

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat YA Book Banning and Censorship””

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“Ellen Hopkinson and Sarah Ockler”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
“Ellen Hopkinson”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
“Sarah Ockler”

Don’t Forget November is MALE YA MONTH

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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Across the Pond – Six Months And Going Strong

It has been six months since my book Across the Pond (by Storyheart) was published. So much has happened in that time, am I a published author?

Today while checking out I contest came across the ruling definition of what was classed as a published author.

“We are using Romance Writers of America guidelines to determine publishing status. Anyone who has either: “(1) earned at least $1,000 in the form of an advance on a single novel or novella published by a non-subsidy, non-vanity publisher; or (2) who has earned at least $1,000 in the form of royalties or a combination of advance plus royalties on a single published novel or novella published by a non-subsidy, non-vanity publisher” is considered a published author and is not eligible to enter the contest.”

So have I made $1000? No…
Did I get an advance of $1000? No…

So I guess I don’t class as a published author.

Perhaps if I was Barack Obama writing details of what went on behind the scenes on the campaign trail. Margaret Thatcher on her years with Dennis, or Secrets of the next Harry Potter file. Perhaps if I detailed how Hulk Hugan’s agent turned down the chance to promote the now “George Foreman” grill, choosing instead to put the Hulksters name to a now long forgotten food mixer. I might then be classed as an published author.

So what has happened in my 6 months?

Well I’ve won a couple of awards, I have coming up to a hundred reviews, over sixty on Amazon alone. I’ve chatted to people all over the world during a wonderful fun virtual book tour, made many new friends, been on radio and TV shows, visited schools and had lot’s of fun.

People of all ages have enjoyed “Across the Pond”, sharing their comments and encouragement through reviews, messages, blogs and emails. Even being compared with such great authors as Judy Blume.

So do I describe myself a published author?

Storyheart

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
Across the Pond
http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com/
http://across-t-pond.com

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