Chronicles: The Library of
Illumination (YA SF)
By C.A. Back
ISBN #978-0983572374
Antique Press
Price $13.93
298 Pages
Rating 5-Stars
“I Loved It. Highly
Recommended For Readers 9 To 99.”
Young Johanna Charette works for a book delivery
service. When one day she’s asked to pick up a package at The Library of
Illumination it changes her life forever. Finding the librarian, Malcolm Trees
on the floor behind the couch, at first she thinks he’s dead, and then discovers
there is more to the old man than meets the eye – as well as The Library of
Illumination. Here the books are enchanted, and every book ever written is
available; trouble is, open the book and it comes alive. The old man is
preparing Johanna to take his place as librarian, which she eventually does.
She also hires young Jackson Roth, a boy her junior by a few years, but who
quickly gets a crush on her. His curiosity also gets them in a little trouble
along the way, but nothing compared to the orb that appears mysteriously in the
secured library, then their accidental teleport through a portal to the Library
of Illumination of the 12th Realm. It seems an alien race is after
all the knowledge available in all the libraries, and things get more
complicated along the way.
This was a wonderful read, entertaining and fun.
Perhaps it will remind the reader of THE LIBRARIAN TV episodes, but it is
different. The author is an excellent writer, and knows books. I got a kick out
of the scene where Malcolm Trees opens a National Geographic magazine and a
lion popped out. To save him, Johanna opens TARZAN OF THE APES by Edgar Rice
Burroughs, and Tarzan pops out sans loin cloth “in all his glory” shocking her
a little bit. But Tarzan distracts the lion long enough for Malcolm to close
the magazine. The author has fun talking about all the great books in our
literature, and I enjoyed it too. Although episodic, it is a fun and exciting
read. I highly recommend this to readers from 9 to 99.
Tom Johnson
Author of PANGAEA: EDEN’S
PLANET
Guest Post by C.A. Back
Five Things You Should Know if You Want To Be A Writer
I’d like to thank Pulp Den for hosting me as a guest
blogger. I’ve got a new YA fantasy—Chronicles:
The Library of Illumination—coming out and I’d like to share a few things
it’s taught me about the process of writing.
If you’re just starting out on your first novel—take
your time to enjoy the journey. You’re crafting something unique. Think of your
writing like a fine wine that needs time to mature. Most “overnight sensations”
will tell you—it took years for them to skyrocket to fame.
To help you get started, I’ve put together a list of
five things you should know if you want to be a writer:
1.
Read everything
you can get your hands on in the genre you want to write. You learn a lot from
reading other writers’ books. You pick up rhythms, and words, and new ways of
looking at writing when you read with a practiced eye.
2.
Write your first
draft without stopping to edit it. It’s called a first draft for a reason.
If you pick away at one chapter night after night, you may never get past it.
Just write. Don’t look back until you come to the words The End.
3.
Read your
manuscript out loud. You’ll be surprised at how different your words might
sound. If something sounds off, fix it. If you stumble over the
same section a few times, a reader might stumble as well, so work on it until
it flows smoothly. If you don’t understand what you were trying to say after reading
a sentence once, neither will you fans. Now is the time to make corrections.
4.
Carefully edit
your work. A first draft from a new writer is rarely a pretty thing. Make it as
good as you can and when you think you couldn’t possibly make it any better,
hire a proofreader to clean up any grammatical and punctuation problems. You
don’t want a potential agent to turn you down because you didn’t know the
difference between who’s and whose. Or because your punctuation is off. I love
the saying that goes: Let’s eat Grandma
Let’s eat,
Grandma Commas save lives
5.
Your work is far
from over. Most agents and editors will (no doubt) point out where your book
needs fixing and ask you to rewrite it. They know what sells, and they’re
trying to help you put out a bestseller. Your first impression will be that
they’re ruining perfection. Get over it, and rewrite the manuscript. If you
have trouble finding an agent or publisher and decide to publish your own book,
consider hiring a content editor first. It’s not cheap, but now that you aren’t
getting critical guidance from an agent or publishing house, you need to
replace that loss with another professional set of eyes. Now, you’re probably
thinking that instead of hiring a proofreader in step 4, you could have hired a
content editor instead (for a higher price) but if that editor’s vision didn’t
jibe with your newly acquired agent’s/publisher’s vision, you’d have to rewrite
the book anyway.
Finishing your manuscript is key. A lot of people may
start writing a book, but not everyone finishes it. So give yourself a pat on
the back when you’ve completed all the steps on the above list. Then get ready
for your next hurdle. Most writers today, whether published by the a major
publishing house or their own indie imprint, need to market their work, and
that means setting up blog tours—like this one—and doing readings and book
signings in libraries and book stores. It’s a big job, and you shouldn’t just
focus on the finish line. Enjoy the journey, learn everything you can about the
process, and when a new writer asks you for advice, give it freely.
I’m really glad I’m able to share this with you today.
If you’ve got any questions, I’d love to hear from you at c.a.pack@libraryofillumination.com. Chronicles: The Library of Illumination is now available in
hardcover and ebook formats.
One more thing...
in honor of my book launch and virtual blog tour, please enter my raffle
from April 22 through May 6, 2014 to win an Amazon, or Barnes & Noble gift
card, or a Triquetra necklace—the symbol of the Library Of Illumination.
Rafflecopter code:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YWNlNjJiNDFhODkyOTRhYWU1ZmMyM2VjZmRkZDExOjA=/
Excerpt :
“What’s this? Jackson asked, picking up a book that sat by itself
on a bottom shelf. A thick layer of dust obscured the cover. “Did you leave
this book down here?”
“What book?”
He opened the book to a random page to see what it was about.
Dracula suddenly loomed over him, blood dripping from his mouth. “Uhhh ...!”
Jackson’s scream did not get past his throat.
Dracula moved in for the kill. The teen managed to slam the book
shut just as the vampire’s teeth made contact with his skin.
“What are you doing?” Johanna poked her head around the corner of
the shelf and spotted the blood on Jackson’s neck. She looked down and
recognized the volume of Dracula by Bram Stoker and winced.
“We must have missed that one. Are you all right?”
Jackson swiped at his neck.
“Come with me.” Johanna led him to the circulation desk. She took
out a first-aid kit and cleaned away the blood with an antiseptic wipe.
“Am I ...?”
“It’s just a surface wound.” She wrapped the bloody wipe in a
tissue and threw it in the wastebasket. “You’re going to live ... but not
forever.”
Jackson sighed with relief. “You know, when my mother used to
patch me up, she would kiss it to make it better.” He raised his eyebrows and
grinned at her.
“If you got hurt working for Larry at Once A-Pawn A Time, would
you ask him to kiss it to make it better?”
“You really know how to hurt me.”
Johanna laughed. She leaned in and lightly kissed Jackson’s neck.
He could feel the hairs along his nape tingle.
“All better?” she asked.
He merely nodded, too
stunned to answer.
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