Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards

 

Hello Everyone,
I didn't have another post for Middle Grade Monday, but then thought it would be a good time to share some exciting news:  My middle grade novel, The Prophesy of Ilverzah, made it to the quarter finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (I still can't believe it myself).

Honestly, I was stunned when I saw my name on the list, as well as humbled and excited.  This seems like such a big step for me.  This is the first novel I wrote - it started two and a half years ago as an ill thought out decision to do National Novel Writing Month (for those of you who don't know, you write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November).  I sat down November first, not knowing what to write, not having a plot, but only some notion of a main character.  In fact, it took me several days to come up with a plot, but, I sat down each day and wrote my (absolutely terrible) 50,000 words.  I have then spent the last two and a half years editing the book and making it into something, I hope, other people would like to read.

So, for those of who are interested, you can go to Amazon and read the first 5000 words of my novel, as well as leave comments (for which I would be very grateful, I would love the feedback).

Here is the synopsis:
The Prophesy of Ilverzah is the story of four children who become immersed in a fantastic, beautiful, yet war torn magical parallel universe called Ilverzah - a universe that needs their unique talents in order to regain peace.

After shy, bookish, thirteen year old Mara finds a faerie in an energy field she created after a science experiment, her whole world changes. Along with her brother, Tom, and their friends Rose and Jason, Mara gets pulled into Ilverzah, unable to leave despite the efforts of the best magicians in the land. As idyllic and seductive as Ilverzah is, all the children want is the one thing that eludes them, to return home.

However, Mara and her friends soon find that Ilverzah is also a dangerous place. The land has been ravaged by a devastating, generation long, civil war. To make matters worse, the leader of the Demetros, the deranged centaur, Prince Carolos, believes that the children hold the key to winning the war and will not rest until he has them in his grasp. Then there is Ilverzah itself, the world has closed the portals home to the four friends. Perhaps there is some truth to the ancient prophesy that four children will tip the balance in the war and must play their part. If this is true, then Mara and her friends must each learn to use their unique gifts before it is too late.

The Prophesy of Ilverzah is an upper middle school fantasy novel, complete at 60,000 words, which I humbly compare to Narnia meets the Trojan War. It is a story of magic, prophesies, unexpected talents and trust in a chaotic and dangerous world.

Middle Grade Monday is a meme sponsored by Shannon Messenger.  You can go to her blog to get a list of all the great blogs participating.