MYSTERIES OF COVE: EMBERS OF DESTRUCTION by J. Scott Savage

MYSTERIES OF COVE: EMBERS OF DESTRUCTION by J. Scott Savage. This is an amazing ending to a great series. I have loved them (although I swore I read the second and upon reading the third I realized I hadn't, but I will!). I loved how everyone learned to work and depend on each other to figure out how to solve the dragon issue and then to execute the plan. They didn't give up when a plan failed. It was the try, try again that we so often forget to do in life. There are hard life lessons that are touched on, and the outcome was the way it needed to be. I highly recommend this book to anyone. 

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It's time to take the battle to the dragons.

In the third and final volume of the bestselling Mysteries of Cove series, Trenton and Kallista—along with their friends, Plucky, Simoni, Angus, and Clyde—fly their mechanical dragons south toward San Francisco, looking to rescue any survivors from the battle of Seattle.

Arriving in San Francisco and investigating the area in secret, the young riders are reunited with Kallista's father, Leo Babbage, who reveals that the humans in the city are working as slaves to the dragons, but that they don't want to be rescued—himself included. He says they are being protected by their new master: a huge, powerful white dragon who lives in an impenetrable tower fortress overlooking the city. Kallista is stunned by the news. Why would her father ever willingly want to work for dragons?

Trenton and his friends are confronted by the guards and their mechanical dragons are seized. Evading capture, the young riders escape and begin looking for a way to break the white dragon's hold over the city—and over Leo. Working with the kids from the city, the young riders track down the source of the dragon's power to an underground chamber that is accessible only through an underwater passageway below the tower fortress.

With the white dragon watching their every move, Trenton and Kallista will need every bit of creativity and ingenuity they can manage to find a way to retrieve their stolen dragons, enter the tower fortress, and take down the dragons once and for all.

MYSTERIES OF COVE: FIRES OF INVENTION by @jscottsavage — #mysteriescove #books #review #steampunk #amreading

MYSTERIES OF COVE: FIRE OF INVENTION by J Scott Savage. This is an exciting new steampunk series that kept me turning the pages through the night. I couldn't put it down and loved everything about it from the characters to the setting and the plot. It's a wonderful new world that we've been introduced to and as you can see from the cover, there are dragons in this world! I love the adventure that Trenton and Kallista take us on. This is a book that is for all age groups, especially those who love an fantastic, entertaining new series. I can't wait for the next installment.

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Trenton Colman is exceptionally creative with a knack for all things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and "invention" is a curse word.

Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious Leo Babbage, who died in an explosion—an event the leaders of Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity.

Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlike anything they've ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are building may threaten every truth their city is founded on—and quite possibly their very lives.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

MYSTERIES OF COVE: FIRE OF INVENTION by J Scott Savage

FIRE OF INVENTION by J Scott Savage. I'm really excited about this upcoming book. Be sure to keep your eyes open for this one!

Book Description: 

STEAMPUNK! Plus Dragons! 

Trenton Colman is a creative thirteen-year-old boy with a knack for all things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and "invention" is a curse word. Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious Leo Babbage, whose father died in an explosion-an event the leaders of Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity.

Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlikely anything they've ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are building may threaten every truth their city is founded on-and quite possibly their very lives.

Author Note: 

Like many of my books, the inspiration for my new series Fires of Invention came from the collision of two ideas. The first time the story occurred to me was while I was watching the musical Wicked with my wife. The moment I walked into the theater and saw the huge mechanical dragon above the stage, I thought, Wow! I have to write a story about that! A few weeks later, I was talking with my nephew, who is probably the most creative kid I know, but whose inventiveness often gets him into trouble, and I thought, What if a kid who had the talents of my nephew lived in a world where creativity was against the law? What if the kids were building . . . a steam-powered dragon? Bam! I had my story.

Powered by great feedback from my agent, Michael Bourret, my good friend and author James Dashner, my publisher, Chris Schoebinger, and the song “Warriors” by Imagine Dragons, I wrote the entire first draft of the first volume in the series, Mysteries of Cove in four weeks. This book is unlike anything I have ever written. There are elements of City of Ember, Dragon Riders, and Hugo in it all mashed up together in a world I fell in love with from the moment I started writing.

I think what’s most exciting to me about this book is that it’s about giving yourself the freedom to imagine. To take chances. Too often we limit ourselves by only trying things we’re confident we can succeed at when what we need to do is give ourselves permission to fail. Often it is when we attempt things with no idea of how we can possibly pull them off that we achieve our greatest successes.

 FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM: JSCOTTSAVAGE

J. Scott Savage is the author of the Farworld middle grade fantasy series and the Case File 13 middle grade monster series. He has been writing and publishing books for over ten years. He has visited over 400 elementary schools, dozens of writers conferences, and taught many writing classes. He has four children and lives with his wife Jennifer and their Border Collie, Pepper, in a windy valley of the Rocky Mountains.

FAR WORLD: AIR KEEP by J Scott Savage--Book Buzzin'

FAR WORLD: AIR KEEP by J Scott Savage. I've waited a long time for this one. Can't wait for it to be released! (Cover and blurb taken from Desertbook.com)

Available February 28, 2013

The adventure continues…

It’s been six months since Marcus and Kyja obtained the help of the land and water elementals, but before they can secure the help from the mysterious air elementals, the two friends must first be reunited. A task easier said than done.

Master Therapass is worried that trying to pull Marcus to Farworld would put him in danger of the shadow realm, but if Marcus stays on Earth, he'll be sent back to the Philo T. Justice School for Boys instead of being able to stay on the protected grounds of the monastery.

While attempting to return to Farworld, Marcus find himself in the Abyss of Time, facing four doors: the Is the Was, the Will Be, and the Never Was. What he learns in that dangerous place has the potential to change his life—and Kyra's. But does he have the courage to tell her what he learned?

And in Farworld, a drought, floods, and blizzards have seized the land, hinting that perhaps there is a traitor in the elementals' midst. The Dark Circle is growing in power, and as Marcus and Kyja desperately search for the air elementals, they must first answer the question "Is there anyone we can trust?"

Book Reviews

The Maximum Ride Series (The Angel Experiment, School’s Out Forever, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning, Max, Fang) James Patterson

I enjoyed this series more so toward the end rather than the beginning. At times it seemed to have more of a tree hugger agenda, but the characters are all fun. There were enough twists and turns that kept me wanting to read. I like the idea of having wings and being able to have some of the avian abilities while depending on your family, whether they are blood or not. However, I’m not sure how I feel about the end of Fang. There are definitely issues that have not been concluded and I’m curious to see where Patterson takes it from there, but I really have mixed feelings about it. I'm finding I've grown attached to some of the characters and it's hard when life happens to them. This series is good for all ages and I would recommend it to most kids.

Stormbreaker
Anthony Horowitz

Throughout this entire book I felt like I was reading a movie. I still can’t place my finger on what movie it was, but the plots are exactly the same. It’s a good read but I’m not sure I’m interesting enough to read the rest of the story. Although I have seen boys eat it up. Maybe I’ll have to give it another shot later on.


Farworld Land Keep
J. Scott Savage

This series is a lot of fun. I enjoyed this second book as much as the first. I liked how choices and sacrifices had to be made. The characters really grew a lot, learning about their own weaknesses and how their personal strengths can help others. They also learned that they can change and make weak things stronger. I’m excited for the third book to come out, whenever that may be.

J. Scott Savage-Keynote Speaker

Jeffrey Scott Savage was a wonderful keynote speaker. What's holding you back? I loved how I could take what he talked about specifically to writing and apply it into other aspects of life.

What's standing in your way? Specific to writing, these are the things Savage listed.

* The economy

* The evil conspiracy to keep new authors out

* A lack of connections

* Mean editors and agents

* Using wrong font/paper/margins

* Yourself-more often than not its the barriers we place on ourselves. We convince ourselves we can't do it.

Although most of this can be writer specific the last one can be applied to anything we do. Most often it is the barriers we place on ourselves that cause us to not try or do or take a risk.

Setting proper expectations

* How do you define realistic expectations?

* What's too high?

* What's too low?

* Why set limits on yourself? Anything is possible.

In setting the expectations get rid of the "I can't . . ." "No one will . . ."

Worry about the things you can control. Do all you can do and then don't worry about it. In the world of writing . . .

Things You Can’t Control/Things You Can Control

· What the agent wants/Doing your best work

· What is “In”/Finishing your manuscript

· If your book sells/polishing your query

· The right time & place/submitting often & regularly

· How long an agent takes/starting the next project

· How much your publisher markets you/marketing yourself

This is true in life too. How often do we stress and worry about things that are out of control? What would life be like if we were able to but aside those things and move on? Thinking about how nice my life would be if I actually did this, I would be a much happier camper.

Next he talked about not comparing ourselves to others and Dancing in the Dark.

Dancing in the Dark

· Determine if you have an idea or a plot

· Retrace your steps

· Do you have too many or too few story lines

· Write what inspires you

· Check to see if your character is acting or reacting

· Give your subconscious time to work

Recognize the Dark before the Dawn-Things always are darkest before they brighten

When we begin something new the path is clear but the higher we climb the less clear the path.

Our frustration builds as we near the next level and our urge to quit can be a sign that we have reached the top of this level of growth. Don't give up.

Break through those barriers that hold us back.

Great advice for anyone and everyone whether you're a writer or not. Don't set limits and barriers on yourself. If you aspire to be a writer, do it. If you aspire to be something else, do it. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't . . . including yourself.