Avalon: Web of Magic \ Author Guest Post + Giveaway!

Hello everyone! 

Today I am very excited to be able to share with my readers a wonderful book series called Avalon Web of Magic.  This fantasy series is for middle-grade - Young Adult readers and it quickly growing by leaps and bounds. The books are newly being made into manga (Japanese-style comics) as well as a movie which will be released in 2012.  Avalon even has it's own line of toys, merchandise and clothing which can be purchased here. So let me tell you more about these amazing books and the author Rachel Roberts. There will also be a giveaway for a Avalon stuffed animal and poster. Thank you for stopping by and I hope everyone will enjoy learning more about the series.

Circles in the Stream

Book One - Avalon Web of Magic

by Rachel Roberts

Purchase: HERE

Add on Goodreads

Three very different girls are all drawn to a secret place deep in the woods. There they discover a portal to another world through which strange and wondrous animals have emerged, searching desperately for the magic that will keep them alive. The animals are

peaceful and good, but what follows them through the portal is pure evil. Emily, Adriane,

and Kara have been chosen by magical beings called Fairimentals to protect the magical

animals, though they don’t know why. To save them and their world, the three girls must

begin a quest to find the lost home of legendary magic, Avalon…or to perish trying.

All That Glitters

Book Two - Avalon Web of Magic

by Rachel Roberts

Purchase: HERE
Add on Goodreads

Emily and Adriane have one thing that Kara doesn’t – a magic gem. But when Kara finally finds a magic stone of her own – a diamond unicorn horn – it brings more trouble than anyone can handle. Pesky dragonflies start showing up everywhere and newFairimentals warn of danger. Worst of all, a band of terrifying monsters stalk Kara. All these creatures come from another world. And all want something from her – but what? Finding out may take Kara, Emily, and Adriane a step closer to Avalon, the source of all magic. But it may also cost one of them her life.

Cry of the Wolf
Book Three - Avalon Web of Magic

by Rachel Roberts 

Purchase: HERE

Add on Goodreads

Adriane and Stormbringer, the mistwolf, have a unique bond. But is it strong enough to save them when Storm is lured through the portal to Aldenmor? Adriane thinks it is, and follows Storm to the magical world. There, Adriane faces the challenge of her life as she confronts the entire mistwolf pack and tries to bring Storm home. The strange boy she meets may be able to help her, but she’ll still needs Emily and Kara’s magic if she is going to survive this battle.

To check out the rest of the series go HERE!

Rachel Roberts - Rachel's Writing Tips

Greetings mages! Here are some tips to get you writing your own story.

Just start writing: 
Sometimes it feels scary to look at a blank screen or piece of paper. You want everything to be perfect, but the most important thing is to get your ideas and feelings onto the page, no matter what they look like on the first try. The goal is to create the building blocks of your story, one step at a time.

You have an outline with chapters, so expand on those, filling them out with descriptions and dialogue. Start with one chapter at a time, and soon you'll have a first draft! As you go, try printing each chapter and scribbling notes all over it with a good red pen. You'll end up crossing out what you don't need, rearranging some things and coming up with new ideas. Once you input these notes back into your document, you've got a second draft that is looking more polished and one step closer to being done. Repeat the print-scribble-input process until you're satisfied that you have your final draft. Remember, working on a story is half writing and half editing - even this blog went through several drafts! - so just write, knowing that you're building your story piece by piece and will smooth out the rough edges with each draft.

Research:  Nothing takes a reader out of a story faster than feeling like the writer doesn't know what they're talking about. So if you decide that your character is going to ride a train, but you, the author, have never ridden a train, you don't know how a train feels and smells and sounds, so your description is not going to be authentic. Go to the library, research on line, talk to someone who has experienced what you're writing about, or, if possible, get on that train yourself.

Research is especially important when writing fantasy. That might sound weird - how are you supposed to research things you're making up? But fantasy is where research meets imagination. You need good, solid details to make your creatures and magical places feel authentic, no matter how fantastical they are. Creating a magical creature like a mistwolf definitely takes imagination, but without researching how wolves look, move, hunt, and communicate, Stormbringer, Dreamer and the rest of the pack wouldn't have the details that make them feel like real creatures.

How do you make your story unique?  Stay true to what you love. When you write from the heart, your descriptions and characters feel authentic, and your story will reflect your unique point of view. Whatever fascinates you - whether it's magic jewels or three toed sloths or spaceships - your excitement will shine through your writing and get readers interested and excited, too. Trust your instincts. If you think something's funny, odds are that your readers will laugh also.

It's all in the details:  Small details make a big difference. Know the details about your character and your settings, from what kind of stuffed animals are on your heroine's bed to what kinds of trees are growing in your magical forest. You don't need pages and pages of description, just a few key details to make the people and places in your story feel real. Your story will also have certain rules, from how a portal works to the layout of your main character's house. Once you establish these rules, you've got to be consistent. If your unicorn is blue in one scene and green in another, that's going to confuse your readers and take them out of the story. Try keeping a list of important details and drawing maps of your locations so you'll always know what your world looks like and what rules you've got to follow.

Choosing the perfect word:  The perfect word can turn an okay description into a wow-I-feel-like-I'm-actually-there description. It's also important not to repeat yourself and use the same words over and over. Writing Avalon, it's challenging to come up with different ways to say twinkly - there's so much magic flying around, and well, it's twinkly. If you get stuck, grab a thesaurus and start searching. And if you still can't find the perfect word, don't let that stop you in your tracks. Use a placeholder - whatever fits best at the moment - and you'll try again on the next draft.

As with any creative project, writing takes time, work, and discipline. Stories don't just pop onto the page looking perfect, and I hope these blogs have given you some tools to get from your first idea to your final draft. And remember, as you go through each step of the writing process, have fun!

Your fellow writer mage,
 Rachel

Rachel Roberts loves magic, music, adventure, and animals. She is an avid campaigner for animal rights and for the protection of wild places. Rachel’s been reading since she could first hold a book and loves getting lost in a great story. She has been a writer and editor her entire professional life. She says most ideas for her stories and characters come on long hikes. She carries a small notepad for jotting down thoughts. Then at home she expands on the ideas with cat pals, Attila and Raider. Rachel also loves music, and plays the piano, flute, and is learning to play guitar. Avalon: Web of Magic is Rachel’s first series of novels.

I would love to give a huge thank you to Premier Digital Publishing and Rachel Roberts for hosting this wonderful giveaway. They have offered to give away two items from the Avalon

merchandise shop for the readers of my blog.

 

1 Magical Animal Babies (stuffed animal)

1 Avalon Poster

Images of these items and more are found here.

Giveaway is open to US/Canada ONLY. 

There will be TWO winners.

Ends Oct 25th

a Rafflecopter giveaway