Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

knowonder! has done it again. SPREAD YOUR WINGS: A Collection of Dragon and Princess Stories is now available to order. 31 read-aloud stories focusing on dragons and/or princesses offers parents and their children a month of bedtime stories in one collection. Why read-aloud stories? Knowonder's focus is children's literacy. The benefits of read-aloud stories are numerous. Builds listening skills Increases child's vocabulary Improves vocabulary skills Develops learning aptitude Strengthens family bonds ...so much more knowonder! story collections are compiled for children 0 - 10 years of age, but the varied stories will be enjoyed by kids and adults of all ages.  I'm thrilled that two of my stories are included in the newest knowonder! collection. KELL -  a story about a dragon who gives up her hoarding after meeting a young princess  BLITHE AND MIRTH: A JOLLY TALE - My newest story about a princess who is forced to choose a prince to ma...

It’s Friday! Time for my blog feature, Building Character in which you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun.  This week Strands of Thought is excited to host Mea from Magical Mea. It’s lovely to have you with us, Mea. Tell us a little about yourself. Hi, my name is Mea. I’m the little sister of Matthew. I have magic --  but don’t tell anyone – it’s a secret! I like to hide things with my magic. Later when I find stuff, everyone is so happy. Then I get lots of praise, ‘cuz I’m such a good finder! Well, that sounds fun, Mea, but I sense sometimes it isn’t. Does it cause problems sometimes? The problem I have is that I don’t want to do what Matt and Grandma Nonie tell me to do. Matt wants to boss me around and I’m tired of it. I like to hide things and then find them. I like to have fun and play tricks. But they want me to listen to them. They want me to be just like Matt, but I need to be...

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers. Today’s guest is author, Lia London. Welcome to Strands of Thought, Lia. Tell us a little about you, please. In grade school, I started writing skits for school assemblies, and quickly gained a reputation for writing on-demand scripts.  By my freshman year in college, I was commissioned to write a musical for Children’s Educational Theatre in Salem, Oregon.  I kept writing for others for 20 more years and grew up to be an English teacher.  Then I finally wrote a novel for myself.  While starting a blog to advertise it, I realized I’d rather keep writing stories—but I had too many ideas and not enough time if I was going to keep the blog posts coming.  So I decided to write stories with my readers and created Collaborative Fiction.  The last two (and mos...

Though I've been writing young adult fiction forever, I'm super excited about the July release of my first young adult novel,  KING OF BAD ! About the book: Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules or observe curfew. He wears his bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; that is until he learns he has superpowers and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being bad. In a school where one kid can evaporate all the water from your body and the girl you hang around with can perform psychic sex in your head, bad takes on a whole new meaning. Jeff wonders if he’s bad enough for SVA.   He may never find out. Classmates vilify him when he develops good manners. Then he’s kidnapped by those closest to him and left to wonder who is good and who is bad. His rescue is the climactic episode that balances good and evil in the super world. The catalyst – the girl he’s crushing on. A girlfriend and balancing the Supers is good, right? Or is it...

What a wonderful publisher I have. Because I will be at an event all weekend she has discounted my book to help me celebrate. I feel it is only fitting that we thank her by making sure a lot of books sell! So head over and to my blog and choose your format. Almost all of them have the discount keyed in. http://www.kaistrand.com/Mid-Grade.html After you have your copy in hand, share this post or the link to a buy page with your friends and help me spread the word about the discounted priced. This weekend only - so act fast. What people are saying: This book was sooooooooooo good it was mind blowing. The details that were in every sentence made me jump into the book and I felt like I was in the book and living terra's life!” –A Kid’s Review The ending was ingeniously done considering where it felt the last couple chapters were heading. –DK This is a classic story of good versus evil, coupled with a coming-of-age quest. Terra has so much to learn about herself, h...

If you are in or around Central Oregon this weekend, be sure to stop at the Redmond Street Festival to visit with Kai Strand. She'll be in attendance with her books and some beloved SWAG. Just look for the Central Oregon Authors booth and stop in to say "HI" When: June 15 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, June 16 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Where: 6th Street, Downtown Redmond, OR Between Forest and Deschutes.

Welcome to my blog feature, Building Character in which you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun.  This week Strands of Thought is host to Tobias Rogan from Fresh Meat. Welcome to Strands of Thought, Tobias. Tell us a little about yourself and what your life is like. Hi. I’m Tobias Rogan, fifteen years old. I lived in Hampton, New Hampshire with my parents and my two little sisters until I got a crush on this guy, Larry Denning. He was twenty-two and I was dumb enough to think he liked me. Yeah, I like guys even though I am one. So what? Anyway, I was an idiot. Larry assaulted me and changed me into a werewolf, and now I’m never going to see my family again. Oh! Wow, that makes the normal worries of the teen years pale in comparison. A werewolf? Really? Yep, I just got turned into a werewolf by this guy I thought liked me. While he was attacking me. Oh, and the werewolf Alpha who took me in ...

Welcome to my blog feature, Building Character in which you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun.  This week Strands of Thought is host to Frank from Beware of the White. Welcome to Strands of Thought, Frank. Tell us a little about yourself and what your life is like. Hello. My name is Frank. I’m eighteen years old. I graduated from high school last June. I was working for my dad until I got assigned to protect Terra. Oh, I didn’t mention that I’m also a Spirit of Security in the Underworld, did I? I can’t usually talk about that to people from the Outerworld, so I tend to forget. Tell us more about your assignment to protect, who was it…Terra? Yes, Terra is a new Nature’s Spirit. Spirits are the offspring of Peacekeepers and humans. They learn they are Spirits when they turn twelve and go to the Underworld for training. Unfortunately for Terra, on her very first night in Concord, she learne...