Why I love to host Book Spotlights for Children’s Lit:

Finding stories within the realm of Middle Grade is quite a happy exploration for me, as I have been happily entrenched in my local library’s catalogue for six years come May 2015! A seriously addictive hobby of mine has been to seek out wicked quality stories crafted for young minds whose innocent imaginations are thirsty for believable worlds, compelling characters, and heart-warming tales which seek to teach as much as they are to inspire! I grew up with a happy heart for learning and for expanding my knowledge as I read each new story that whet my palette of interest to soak inside, however, the offerings during the 1980s and the 1990s were a bit on the paltry side compared to the 2000s!

There has been such an explosion of options within Children’s Literature, that in part, I was inspired to create a special page dedicated to reading and wandering through this ocean of choices here on Jorie Loves A Story! Originally inspired to pick up from whence I had left off in order to root out a story or two my own nephew and nieces would appreciate reading, I would in turn discover a new niche of stories that suited my curiosities and enriched my reading joy by the manner in which the authors were penning entire worlds out of everyday lessons, life affirming restitutions, and a deeper love of giving back a measure of awe-inspiring narratives that could give a child (or an adult!) a widening breadth of literary delight!

Imagine then, my on-going quest to not only seek out stories inside general fiction releases but those of science fiction and fantasy as well! In fact, most of the stories I had selected to read for [2014] Sci Fi November were between Middle Grade and Young Adult — a fact, I had not even realised until I complied the final draft for the schedule! Anni Moon was an instant curiosity simply based on the premise — a world in which magic and the artful realm of fantasy merging together to give an intrepid reader (of any age) an adventure they would not soon forget!

By the time I realised a print edition was not available for this blog tour, I had nearly missed my chance to participate as the author was unavailable for an interview! I quickly came up with the secondary option of hosting an excerpt with a spotlight post to draw my readers & visitors alike to seeing a new release they might have either overlooked or not have stumbled across in their bookish travels! This reminds me of why I was so very excited about Portals, Passages, & Pathways and the upcoming new release of Calvin Sparks and the Crossing to Cambria (of which I will be featuring on the 11th of January); proving the point I am attracted to fantasy realms set in step for younger readers! And, who could forget my dedicated passion on behalf of the Leland Dragons? Surely not anyone who follows me in the twitterverse and who has seen my joyfully bookish tweets using the tag I created! (#LelandDragons)

Late in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 7th of January 2015, I suddenly realised my tour stop on the 8th was on fast approach and I hadn’t knitted together the press materials nor sorted out the excerpt which would run with my featured spotlight! Lo and behold, the publicist came through for me and I was able to receive the materials in the nick of time, however, what gave me a happy smile truly is realising I could ‘catch a preview’ of a book I dearly want to read in print! My ruminations on the chapters and pages I was able to read digitally follow shortly, as I am starting to accept limited electronic copies of stories (technically novella or short stories 20 pages or under; see my Review Policy) except to say, this particular sampler was 50 pages in length! I daresay, not even on a good day could I read so much on a digital screen!

I knew I couldn’t read even the first 20 pages in such a short time between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, but the pages I could consume I wanted to give my honest reflections! Making this my first spotlight post wherein I give a miniature glimpse into how my reactions start to generate as I read a story currently available in ebook editions, and hopefully soon in print books!

Acquired Book By: Although I was selected to participate on the blog tour for “Anni Moon & the Elemental Artifact” there wasn’t a print copy of the novel available for me to receive for review purposes. Therefore, I originally elected to host a Book Spotlight for the blog tour whilst including a book excerpt or a few quotations from the novel itself. I learnt I could receive a complimentary chapter sampler (1-6) e-book PDF copy of “Anni Moon & the Elemental Artifact” direct from the author Melanie Abed by requesting it off the author’s website by email. I was not obligated to post a review by doing so and I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Anni Moon & the Elemental Artifact (Book Spotlight w/ Extract)
by Melanie Abed
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Hisham Abed
Source: Direct from Author

Anni doesn’t know about Elementals, Funk, Zephyrs, excited talking Bat-Rat creatures, and, least of all, Dragons. All that changes when her best friend, Lexi, is kidnapped and forces beyond Anni’s control trap her on a hidden, floating island in the Elemental world.

In a race against time, Anni sets out to save her friend. Along the way she finds allies among the Elementals, but she is also presented with a choice, one that might help save Lexi. If Anni agrees to an ancient, open-ended contract, will her sacrifice cost her more than she’s bargained for? Or will it land her in the middle of an age-old war between the humans, the Elementals, and the dreaded Fectus?

{ If this sounds wicked intriguing, visit the Author's Site in order to download the first six chapters of the novel by email! What a special treat! }

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Series: Anni Moon, ,

Published by Oculus Print

on 7th October, 2014

Format: eBook

Pages: 17

[ Visit Ms. Abed’s site to find hidden pages of delight! ]

{ the characters of Anni Moon }

{ the Map of Moon Zephyr }

{ the Glossary Index of Terms found in the Stories }

About Melanie Abed

In kindergarten my life’s goal was to become a teacher who wore only pink and ate French fries all day long. Now that I’ve matured, my goal in life is to become a Miss Marple-Sherlockian-Jedi Knight—I’m totally serious, it’s a real thing.

I love stories, and I’ve had the privilege of working in Hollywood for over a decade in many different capacities, working with celebrities, directors (I’m married to one, plus he’s my illustrator), and a few executives (the head-honcho types that I can’t talk about because I signed confidentiality waivers). I’m not sure any of these people would have hired me if they knew I had a closet full of mint condition Star Wars toys…

However, the life of a freelancer is not for the faint of heart. I’ve kept myself busy with my extracurricular activities, from skydiving to scuba diving, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a degree in Fine Art, an M.A. in Psychology (with a focus in Neuroscience), and a few other things that I like to keep top secret. …Some people think I’m a spy, but I’ll never tell!

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