Thursday 18 May 2017

The Heart of Escher









James Fisher, a lonely, bullied schoolboy, finds himself in the dark and twisted land of Escher after wishing himself away from an ill-fated family holiday.

Lost and frightened, James must help heal the dying world of Escher, overrun by the creatures of the Nightmare forest, to return home.
Guided by the emerald-eyed cat, Sam, and befriended by the headstrong resistance fighter, Jasper, James is taken on an adventure through a world mirroring his own nightmares, where he is forced to confront his own fears and the ghostly Shadow in order to save Escher.

Unbeknown to James, not only is he fighting for Escher’s future, but also his own.

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Check out the trailer!







Born and raised in Hampshire, I spent most of my childhood dreaming up random adventures.

I left the sunny south coast to study Graphic Communication in Bath, where I fell in love with the rolling Somerset hills when I wasn’t walking up them.

Returning to Hampshire 6 years later, after meeting my now wife, Claire, I enjoy a quieter life, walking in the New Forest and relaxing with my wonderful wife and fluffy cat Molly.

I have always enjoyed telling stories, more often than not in visual form, either in films or animations. However, the idea of Escher was too big for me to do visually by myself so I picked up a pen and started writing.

Having written one novel, I am now keen to tell more stories of Escher, while at the same time expressing my imagination with my art. 


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Top Ten List
  1. Family time
  2. Drawing
  3. Writing
  4. Football (Soccer)
  5. Cats
  6. Chillout music
  7. Going on holiday
  8. Summer days
  9. Apple Crumble
    Steak & Ale pie with mash

Favorite movies

  1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy 
  2. Flight of the Navigator 
  3. Back to the Future
  4. Star Trek - First Contact
  5. The Last Starfighter 
  6. Gladiator 
  7. The Great Gatsby 
  8. Catch me if you can
  9. Aladdin 
  10. The Shawshank redemption



Snippet #2                         
 
Closing his eyes, he felt totally relaxed, but this feeling didn’t last. All of a sudden James felt a cold breeze blow down his neck, causing him to shiver and open his eyes.
 
Everything seemed dimmer, and up above the star was being covered by clouds. The breeze had picked up, and all around James the trees were starting to sway in the wind. Sam rushed under James’ arms and cowered there as a sudden rumbling of thunder echoed across the sky. Equally scared, James was unnerved; the storm seemed to be approaching at some pace.
 
Drawn to the pond, he noticed that something dramatic was happening within the other world. It was as if the surfaces of that world were made up of glitter, and now everything was being blown away, to reveal nothing underneath. What does it mean? James asked himself, as another rumble of thunder told him perhaps he shouldn’t stay here any longer. 






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Monday 15 May 2017

Twice Betrayed






The thread of friendship is stretched to the breaking point…


With the spark of independence crackling in Colonial Philadelphia, Perdy Rogers chafes under the strict rule of her Quaker grandmother and the endless duties of her apprenticeship in Betsy Ross’s upholstery shop. So when her best friend shares a secret and invites Perdy to help plan an elopement, she’s thrilled to be with her friends again. But Perdy has no idea that one favor will unravel the stable fabric of her life and involve her in a tangled web of deceit, lies and treachery.

Disguised as boys, three girls head to the river to put Perdy’s plan into action, but only two return. When the third, a young milliner’s assistant, is found drowned with gold coins sewn into her hems, coded spy letters in her bodice, and a journal implicating another sewing apprentice as her co-conspirator, all eyes turn to Perdy Rogers. But she’s no spy! 

Accused of treason, she struggles to prove her innocence with the help of a handsome stranger and learns the hard way that freedom, whether an individual’s or a country’s, comes at a cost.









As a Master Educationalist Gayle C. Krause taught Children’s Literature, creative writing, storytelling techniques, and acting in upstate New York, where she trained young men and women to become successful Early Childhood and Elementary teachers. She also directed the Pre-K Laboratory School affiliated with her teacher-training program and taught at a local SUNY college as an adjunct professor.

Her years as a creative role model for teens and pre-school children have led to her career as a children’s author. She is a member of SCBWI, KIDLIT, INK, The JAGRS Writing Group, and a past member of the Historical Novel Society and The Poets’ Garage.

Her publishing credits include:

•          Rock Star Santa, (2008) Scholastic.
•          RATGIRL: Song of the Viper - Noble Young Adult /Trowbridge Books (2013)
•          Scheherazade’s Secret – Trowbridge Books 2014
•          Twice Betrayed – Trowbridge Books 2017
•          And coming November 7, 2017 – Daddy, Can You See the Moon? – Clear Fork Publishing.

She lives in a small town not far from where she was born. She listens to her muse sing through the trees of the Pocono Mountains and is inspired to write for children everyday.


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Twice Betrayed Snippet #1

 

I sprint up and down the wharf, yelling. “Abby? Abby where are you?”

No answer. Again, I dart back to the makeshift castle. Maybe my eyes played tricks on me.

Maybe I missed her snuggled up between two big rice sacks. She isn’t here. I run my hands blindly along the wooden boards of the dock and up the sides of the crates and sacks, when my hand catches on an opening. A rice sack has been pushed out and lies on the wharf.

          My heartbeats burst so fiercely in my head I can’t breathe. I wrap my arms around myself, grasping the sides of Jonathan’s jacket as fear slithers along my flesh like a black water snake. I can’t stop shivering. I squirm out of the hiding place and stare out at the cold, heartless river, not seeing what’s really there, but the horror in my mind.

“She wouldn’t have.” My words are a dry whisper. “I told her to stay hidden.” I freeze where I stand. The uneven waves travel from the middle of the river and lap against the wharf poles that support the dock, where Abby’s castle is built.

Shuddering, I take huge gulps, but no air enters my lungs. My heart threatens to burst from my head, its pounding excruciatingly loud in my ears. My legs give out and I crash to the wooden dock. Guided by the cargo ship’s dim lantern, I crawl to the edge. The river is as deadly as any wild beast. I force myself to look down. I don’t know what I expect to see, but my stomach lurches as I scan the waters below.

Lodged in front of a wooden post, a red satin ribbon ripples on the Delaware’s dark surface.

 

Twice Betrayed Snippet #2

 

            I slip my hands in and out of my pockets and glance side to side as I climb Lizzie’s steps. My heart skips a beat. I breathe deep and knock, hoping I won’t face Constable Duffield again. Hushed whispers filter through the open window and it takes a while for Lizzie’s mother to answer.

          I smile. “Hello, Mrs. Duffield, is Lizzie at home?”

          Somber-faced, she addresses me at the door. “No, she is not.”

          “When will she be back?”

          Callousness clouds Mrs. Duffield’s usually friendly eyes. “She won’t be home until Christmas, and even then, she won’t be home to you.”

          I wince. “Pardon me?

          “Let me make this clear, Prudence. Elizabeth has been sent to boarding school in Boston. We don’t want her associating with the likes of you and

Priscilla Moore. Lord knows what you’d try to get her to do.”

          My mouth drops. “Me? I—”

          “Good day, Miss Rogers. Do not return to my door. You’ve no business here, even when Elizabeth returns.” She slams the door in my face.

          Dazed, I stare at the brass doorknocker. A cold wave, as brisk as a January breeze, rushes over me and I back up. With my hands half-curled into fists, I stumble off Lizzie’s porch, the very one where I played knucklebones as a child. The porch that just the other night was privy to Priscilla’s secret, and the part we all played in it. Now, I’m not to step on it again.

          Ever?

          Not allowed to talk to Lizzie.

          Ever?

          They sent her all the way to Boston to make sure I couldn’t.

Why?

I bite my lip and perch on the stone wall adjacent to Lizzie’s house. What do they think I’d try to get her to do? My gaze drops to Jonathan’s clothes, still tucked under my arm.





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Tuesday 9 May 2017

A Strange Twist of Fate







While growing up, going to libraries felt like an adventure filled with mystery and wonder to Debra. The hushed tones invoked secrets, and the dusty, sometimes moldy scent of paper smelled like perfume. Leaving the library with just a single book never happened. Years later, her love of reading turned to passion for writing. Debra’s an award-winning artist who lives in southern Arizona where the average summer temperatures are truly hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.




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One widow, one killer--who will die first?
  

Gutsy, grieving Anna is determined to find who murdered her husband. Hampered by agonizing loneliness, her obsessive-compulsive mother, and her over-controlling father, she defies convention and the law to investigate on her own. When she runs up against a handsome police detective who’s determined to save Anna from herself, she has to step up her rogue search for the killer before time, and dwindling leads, runs out.


This book is a winner in the Kindle Scout program





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~ Amazon ~ Amazon UK




Character Casting

First one is Debby Ryan as Anna








The guy next to her is Wes Brown (as Detective Lee Adams).






You might recognize Meg Ryan in the next picture (as Margo Wright)

 



and Rutgar Hauer (as Judge Jackson Wright (Hammer Jack)) 
 






To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page