Welcome to the Official Blog Tour of:
THE DREAMSTONE,
Book Two in The Dream Keeper Chronicles
A thrilling fantasy-adventure series for middle-grade readers!
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Don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY
at the bottom of this page for a chance
to win one of over 30 prizes!
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Interview with Mikey Brooks
Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write?
What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal
favorites?
I love to write stories for
kids. I have picture books and middle-grade books. I love writing for kids
because they already believe in magic so it is easy to open a new world for
them to explore. My first picture book was Bean’s
Dragons and I think it will always be my favorite book only because it’s a
story about my daughter and her imaginary dragons. I think the more personal a
book is to an author the more attached they are to it.
What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite
movies or tv shows? Hobbies?
I love to just spend time
with my girls. I have 3 daughters and they love to play pretend. We will tear
apart the living room couch and imagine it’s a pirate ship. We’ll explorer the
ocean and find treasure islands. A second later that ship is a submarine and we’re
mermaid hunters. Another minute passes and we’re on our way to the moon in a
rocket. There is nothing you can’t do with a couch and four heads of
imagination. At night when the kiddos are in bed I like to snuggle next to my
wife and watch movies. We like “feel good” movies, you know, the ones that make
you feel better about yourself when it’s over. We also like magical shows like Once Upon a Time or Charmed.
"All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy
or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute
pictures of your kitty or other pet?
HA! I do not like cats! To me
cats are the worse pet in the world. Half the time I wonder who is the pet when
it comes to a cat. I’m a dog lover. Although I don’t have one now, my lab
passed away two years ago, I hope to have another. I do have some really
squawky birds, 4 parakeets; they specialize in headaches.
What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become
writers? Any advice you'd like to share about writing?
I think there are some great
groups you can be a part of. Some require a membership fee and some do not. The
first on my list is to join the Authors’ Think Tank. It’s a Facebook group of
about 900 authors, with all levels of success. You can check them out at their
blog at www.foreverwriters.com.
Next I’d check for local writers’ groups. In Utah we have what’s called the
League of Utah Writers. They have local chapters that meet weekly or monthly.
It is good to meet and get to know other writers because we help each other to
succeed in our goals. Writers are like family, we understand each other. If you
write for kids, I’d recommend the Society of Children’s Writers and
Illustrators. They have a membership fee but they also work with local chapters
and have very large conferences.
What writers inspired you to become an author?
L. Frank Baum is the one who
got me reading as a kid and is the instigator of my love of middle-grade
fantasy. I have all of the Oz books and share them with my daughters. They will
forever remain on my favorites list.
Any special appearances or events coming up that you want to
mention?
I have the blog tour for The Dreamstone running now until
December 16th. You can check out the full line up at my website: www.insidemikeyworld.com.
We have some great giveaways so make sure you enter the contest. Also the
audiobook for The Dream Keeper is now
available. I encourage you to check that out. It is pretty amazing!
If you could travel to any time in history, when would you visit?
I’d have to say the 17
century. I’ve always loved Alexandre Dumas and his tales of swordfights and
noble brotherhood. I’d want to be a musketeer for a day. Learn how to ride a
horse and swordfight, maybe even challenge a man to a duel.
If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones
would you choose? What food would you serve?
I’d love to have the whole
cast of The Dream Keepers for dinner, nightmare NOT included. I think I’d have
it lax and serve pizza. I’d love to just chat with them and catch up on life.
If you could travel anywhere, on earth or off, where would you go?
England. I have always had a
fascination with the United Kingdom. I love everything about it. One day I hope
to visit there.
What color would you wear if you had only one choice?
Brown. I don’t know why but
that’s what I’d wear.
Describe your dream writing spot.
I like it quite, clean (I
can’t write if the room is messy otherwise I want to clean), and against a
black wall. I do that now and for some reason it helps. Maybe it’s because
nothing is distracting me. I can fully delve into the world I’m creating.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I am excited to announce the release of
book two in middle-grade fantasy series THE DREAMSTONE. It is an action-packed
adventure with a toe in both the real world and the fantastic.
DREAMS:
Dorothy called it Oz,
Alice called it Wonderland,
but Nightmares call it HOME.
When
Parker’s mom is dreamnapped by the wicked Mab, it is up to him and Kaelyn to
save her. When they return to Dreams, they discover Mab isn’t their only
problem. Gladamyr has lost his powers and the only way to get them back is to
become what he fears the most—a nightmare.
SYNOPSIS:
In Book 1, The Dream Keeper, Parker and Kaelyn discovered that Dreams was a real
place that everyone visits while they sleep. An evil nightmare named Fyren took
control of the gateway to that world. Parker and Kaelyn teamed up with
Gladamyr, the only dream keeper to escape capture by Fyren, and together they save
Dreams from Fyren’s rule. After the defeat of Fyren the children return to
Awake to find Mab, Fyren’s next in command, has dreamnapped Parker’s mom.
The
story continues in Book 2, The Dreamstone,
as the children return to Dreams to save Parker’s mom. Finding her, however, is
not their only problem. Mab has waged a war on the Crossing and has sent an army
of dragons to bring it down, nightmares have been released from prison, and
Gladamyr has lost his powers to shape-shift. Parker, Kaelyn, and Gladamyr must
once again defy all odds to set things right and save Parker’s mom before it’s
too late.
In
Praise of THE DREAMSTONE:
“The Dreamstone, by Mikey Brooks, is a wild stallion
of a story: fast, thrilling, and unpredictable. I was hooked in chapter one. If
he can snare the attention of an old reader like me, he’ll have kids sneaking
this one into class underneath their text books…If this one isn’t a
kid-pleaser, I don’t know what is.” –Michelle Isenhoff, author of the Divided Decade Trilogy and the Taylor Davis Series.
“This really is a cracking novel.
Action-packed and spellbinding!”—Cas Peace, author of The Artisans of Albia series.
"If you like the Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, or the Harry Potter series, you'll love this!" –An Amazon Reviewer.
"If you like the Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, or the Harry Potter series, you'll love this!" –An Amazon Reviewer.
AUTHOR BIO:
Mikey Brooks is a small child
masquerading as an adult. On occasion you’ll catch him dancing the funky
chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is
the author/illustrator of several books including the best-selling ABC
ADVENTURES: MAGICAL CREATURES and BEAN’S
DRAGONS as well as the middle-grade fantasy-adventure series THE
DREAM KEEPER CHRONICLES. His art can be seen in many forms from picture
books to full room murals. He loves to daydream with his three daughters and
explore the worlds that only the imagination of children can create. Mikey has
a BS degree in English from Utah State University and works full-time as a
freelance illustrator and cover designer. As a member of the Emblazoners,
he is one of many authors devoted to ‘writing stories on the hearts of
children’. He is also one of the hosts of the Authors’
Think Tank Podcast. You can find more about him and his books at: www.insidemikeysworld.com
 |
| Now Available in Audiobook! |
BOOK
LINKS:
ISBN:
Hardback:
978-1-939993-22-9, Paperback: 978-1-939993-23-6, eBook: 978-1-939993-24-3
PRICE:
Hardback: $19.95, Paperback: $12.99,
EBook: $2.99.
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10 winners will receive
a gift bag with numerous signed
books marks,
collector cards, wrists bands, and a handmade dream key necklace.
Paperback Books:
Can You
Survive? Treasure Island, by Blake
Hoena
The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer, by Lisa Cole Orchard
Color of Freedom, by Michelle Athearn Isenhoff
Explorer X-Alpha, by Lm
Preston
Gangsterland, by Ansha
Kotyk
Cycles, by Lois Brown
Andy Smithson: Blast of the Dragon’s Fury, by L.R.W Lee
Princess Kandake, by Stephanie Jefferson
Weight of the Crown, by Stephanie Jefferson
Arrow of the Mist, by Christina Mercer
Cassidy Jones, by Elise
Stokes
The Seventh Attendant, by Elise Stokes
Curse at Zala Manor, by BBH
McChiller
The Curse of the Double Digits, by Lynn Kelley
Into the Forest and Down the Tower, by Ann T. Bugg
Off to Camp and Discovering Art, by Ann T. Bugg
Agency, by Shantal
Hiatt
Psyched, by Juli Caldwell
Ragesong, by J.R. Simmons
EBooks:
Secret Sisters
Club, by Monique
Bucheger
Trouble Blows
West, by Monique
Bucheger
The Alien Mind, by Virginia Jennings
The Last Time Keepers, by Sharon
Ledwith
Frogs & Toads, by Stacy Lynn Carroll
Nexus Point, by Jaleta Clegg
Warrior Beautiful, by Wendy Knight
Shahira and the Flying Elfs, by Anna del C Dye (PDF)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you for the wonderful interview and featuring me on your blog!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! It was nice getting to know you better.
ReplyDelete