Cynthia P. Willow Books - Stories Spun in the Shade
Follow Cynthia >
  • Home
  • Filmer Little
  • BOXED SETS
  • Ciella Naden
  • AUDIO BOOKS
  • Contact
  • THE FAIRY COLLECTION
  • SHELLEY
  • Letsi and the Labyrinth
  • The Kingsley Adventures
  • The Hell Tales
  • The Karini & Lamek Chronicles
  • Saving Private Benjamin
  • Rhyming Picture Books for Children
  • Acknowledgements
  • About Kingsley Lake
  • Indie Authors / Writers
  • Ciella In The Woods Photo Shoot
  • Dragon Gloves
  • Crocheted Scarf
  • Coraline Doll
  • Basket
  • Earrings & Choker Set

The Land of Flames Audio Book Giveaway!

11/14/2013

12 Comments

 
Hi there! Thank you for joining me under the shade of the willow tree!
I'm so excited about my latest audio book release! You can enter to win a FREE copy in my giveaway below!
I have several copies to give away, so your chances to win are pretty great!

Picture
What is The Land of Flames about?
This story began when my children were quite young.  They helped create some of the characters and what the story should be about.  This is the first story I ever completed, and its original intent was to entertain my children and their friends, who loved books with fairy-tale creatures and fantasy elements. It's appropriate for ages 8+. Here is the back cover blurb:

Enter a world of fairies, dragons, dwarves, and elves in The Land of Flames, a magical world where possibilities are endless and truth makes a difference.

Ocamar, the villainous dragon king, and his dragon clan, have overtaken The Land of Serenity and everyone in the land is in jeopardy. The only hope seems to be with Rumbleflin, the oldest and wisest of the elves, who plans to lead an army rebellion.

To add to the conflict, Ocamar and Rumbleflin have been harboring secrets from one another for years, and what happens when those secrets are revealed will have a major impact on everyone.

Can an army of fairy-tale creatures defeat a clan of dragons and restore their Land of Serenity?

Picture
ABOUT THE NARRATOR, TK KELLMAN!
TK Kellman has over 30 years experience in voice. He is the winner of 17 Regional ADDY Awards for Excellence in Commercial Advertising Production.

You and your children will love to hear him voice the characters in this fantasy. And he adds some awesome sound FX too!

Before you enter to win this FREE audio book, please hop over to Amazon and listen to the sample reading by TK! And be sure to comment the blog because I will be picking a winner from the comment section as well! I want to know what it is about this audio book that makes you want to have it!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME IN THE SHADE AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN MY BOOKS! PLEASE STOP BY MY HOME PAGE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER BOOKS! THANKS!
12 Comments

Review of "Emaline's Gift (Volume 1 of the Magi Chronicles)" by Brad Francis

1/2/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
I really enjoyed this story for many reasons. If you read this book and don't like it based on the fact that it contains scripture and tends to be a little too preachy for you, then you didn't read the description. The author clearly states that his intention with this story was to write a book similar to Harry Potter while strengthening his readers' faith. He was successful. I'm a Christian, so I was expecting the use of scripture. I am not disappointed. Not only did this book fulfill my expectations in that regard, but it also satisfied my thirst for adventure and fantasy when I read a book. I was hooked on the first page and on the edge of my seat at times. There are a handful of typos here and there, but not enough to make me put the book down or think the author isn't a fantastic writer. And certainly not enough to take away one of the 5stars I gave to him. I look forward to reading future books in this series and recommend it to everyone. Even if you don't believe in God, you can still appreciate this story just as you might enjoy Star Wars and the use of the Force. If you're one of those parents who are against Harry Potter and would like a nice alternative, preview this book, and then let your children read it if you choose. Lastly, my hat's off to the author for the last page. What's on the last page? I'm not telling...



1 Comment

The Next Big Thing!

12/26/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Alan Rickman as Professor Snape
So, I have this friend and fellow author named Brad Francis.  Brad always has something funny to blog about.  His blog is one of the few I read regularly.  Check out his blog here.  Check out his books here.  I have to add that I'm currently reading his book Emmaline's Gift: A Christian Fantasy Adventure (The Magi Chronicles), and I got hooked on the first page.  You should read it if you love fantasy or if you're a Harry Potter fan, or both.  Seriously, you should give Brad's writing a look-see.
   
Besides Brad and his writing being epic, he tagged me on his blog and convinced me to do this blog hop thing.  So, I'm supposed to blog about my current work in progress (WIP) by answering the following questions, so here we go...

Title- The Karini and Lamek Chronicles, Book 1 ~ The Land of Flames

Where did the idea come from?  Back in 2006, my children were just old enough to get into fantasy, and they were bringing the Scholastic flyers home in their backpacks from school.  I realized that I'd always enjoyed writing when I was in school and had always wanted to write my own book, so this story was my first.  I am now revising it.  It is the first book in a trilogy. 

Genre: Fantasy


What actors would play your character in a movie version?
Most of the characters are mythical, so a movie would most likely be computer animated with voice-overs.  With that being said, Alan Rickman (SEE PHOTO TO THE RIGHT)
would be my first choice for the voice of Ocamar, the dragon.  The voice of Karini, the pink fairy, would be played by Laura Marano.   
Lamek’s voice would be John Ross Bowie.  Why John Ross Bowie, you wonder?  Because when he plays Barry Kripke on the Big Bang Theory, his lisp is perfect for the part of Lamek. 
As far as the elves go, they could be played by people.  I could see Rumbleflin being played by Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty.  I realize Phil is not a movie actor, but he's perfect for the part.  All he'd have to do is braid his beard, and he'd be good to go.  Well, he'd have to have some pointy ears put on.  Hehe...   Okay, for Rumpleflin, 16-year-old son of Rumbleflin, I choose Dylan Minnette because he has the perfect look for him.  His mother, Nevaeh, a good witch, would be played nicely by Rachel Weisz, who most of you would know from The Mummy.
(SEE PHOTOS BELOW FOR ABOVE ACTORS / ACTRESSES)
The rest of the cast I'd have to think about.  I've got a lot of characters...
  


Picture
Laura Marano
Picture
John Ross Bowie
Picture
Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty"
Picture
Dylan Minnette
Picture
Rachel Weisz
Short Synopsis ~ The people and creatures in the magical Land of Serenity must unite and fight together to gain back their kingdom from the grips of the bitter dragon, Ocamar.  Led by Rumbleflin, the oldest and wisest of the elves, an army is formed.  Along the way, secrets are revealed, friendships are made, and the group suffers a great loss.  Faith, hope, and love guide these characters through this adventure filled with magic and surprises. 

Agency Representation ~ I'm an indie, and I love it! 

How long did it take to write the first draft? About a year if I remember correctly.  That was back in 2006, and I was still in my 20's... sigh...

What other books in the genre compare?  Based on the definition of "compare," I would say the Narnia series.  That doesn't mean I'm claiming my story is or even should be compared to the greatness of these.  I'm not trying to sell myself short, but... well, I just can't place myself with C.S. Lewis.  I have to list the Narnia books because they were the first fantasy series I ever read.  I own them all and have read them all more than once.  They contain good versus evil, magic, talking animals, mythical creatures, and unlikely heros.  My story contains all of these elements.  


Who or what inspired this WIP?  My kids inspired this story.  They actually helped me name all the characters and helped me start the story.  Once I got started, the characters took over.  My kids were young at that time.  They're teenagers now. 

Anything to add?
  Yes!  Check out this young aspiring writer's blog: 
Katelyn Marie Shear is only 14 years old, but recently participated in the NaNoWriMo contest and won!  She has many books in the works.

Also check out Kristin King, author of Cain's Coven: Begotten Bloods Book One (Volume 1) and Unsinkable Vampire: A Begotten Bloods Novella. 

0 Comments

    Author

    I love to write fiction and fantasy with a twist of faith.  I usually focus on a young adult audience, but have ventured into some mature stories as well.  But, you don't have to be young to enjoy my writing, just young at heart. 

    Archives

    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    June 2015
    January 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All
    Audio Books
    Christmas
    C.S. Lewis
    Dragons
    Ebooks
    Fairies
    Fantasy
    Harry Potter
    Hobbit
    Movies
    Narnia
    The Lord Of The Rings
    Tolkien
    Vampires

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.