The MAGIC WARBLE (Is that a cool cover or what?)

                                                         The MAGIC WARBLE

                                                                             by Victoria Simcox

          

                                                                

Book Blurb:

Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and an evil queen – all these and more can be found in The Magic Warble, an enchanting tale of adventure and friendship.

Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and the evil Queen Sentiz.

In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she’s honored as “the chosen one” the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz’s control. But it’s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous “Magic Warble” in its final resting place. And she must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen’s “zelbocks” before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, as well as an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.

*Passes out the coffee and chocolate*
This book had us (that's me and my guest reviewer) captivated, as we  found ourselves transported into a world that we never wanted to leave. You'll see her review after mine. :-)
We found this book totally enjoyable. And it has the magic warble. And Kristina's pet rat, Raymond. Nuff said! :-)
Except I must say more.
Kristina is an amazing character. She views herself the way many teens do. Unpopular. *thinking about my high school days.* *sigh* Many kids will identify. That's the wonderful thing about books. Especially this book.
Excellent world building!  I was transported to Bernovem and walked with Kristina throughout the story. I was actually there with her! The illustrations are magnificent. Even one with a map of the world I was to travel through. Victoria has a flair for description. And she flavors her story with the right amount of action. The Magic Warble will definitely keep you riveted. Kristina is the chosen one and her journey leads her to some new friends. Really cool friends. Fairies, gnomes, and dwarfs.
These are the magical creatures who help her as she journeys to place the magic warble.Queen Sentiz is a super fantastic antagonist. EVIL, she is. Very evil. Mwa ha ha ha. I loved her character!
Throughout the story, Kristina stays the same. But one thing. She isn't perfect. She's normal. Just like the teens who will read the book. I don't think I should give anything away, so I'll just say that this is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. You have to read it! If you want to know more about Victoria Simcox (she homeschools) and her book and the books that are to come go here

Guest review by Ivy:

I loved Kristina and Werrien (he's the prince). Kristina is awesome (and my new friend) who saves a world and stays the same as she was before. She isn't some adult dressed in teen clothing. She's just like me. I was sad when the book was over, because I didn't want to leave this very cool world I was in. This is THE BEST BOOK EVER! If you loved The Chronicles of Narnia you will fall in love with The MAGIC WARBLE. And one of the best things about it were the short chapters. I love short chapters. The book held my interest all the way through and I could NOT put it down. There are drawings in it too. I can't wait for the next one. When I finished reading the book, I had to find out when the next book was going to be ready.She said she was 90% finished with it.

                                                  Giveaway
I will choose one random commenter to win an autographed copy of The MAGIC WARBLE (thanks, Victoria Simcox!).

Rules:

1. Be a follower of my blog and do one of these: follow Victoria Simcox at her blog (blog address above), like the Magic Warble on FB http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=577159739#%21/pages/The-Magic-Warble/118277634882514, or follow her on twitter http://twitter.com/VictoriaSimcox                                

2. Leave a comment on this post
3. Extra entries for spreading the word: FB, twitter, blog posts, sidebars. Let me know in the comments what you did. (one entry each)
Sorry, US only.

Good luck!                                                                  

                              

The Magic Warble, By Victoria Simcox Review and Giveaway scheduled for Monday August 29th.

This book is made of awesome. Ivy read it in a few hours. There will be cyber chocolate and coffee too. Come one come all! :-)

Join Me??

WriteOnCon started today. Are you coming with? WriteOnCon

I'z advertising

First up, thanks to all of you for sending your prayers and well wishes for Christopher and our family. MWAH!

Now for the advertisement. Head over to my pal Michael's Middle Grade Mafioso and read his awesome interview with very cool author Chris Rylander about his excellent debut, The Fourth Stall. Trust me, this book sounds like an absolutely funny read. And you know how I love funny. Michael is doing a giveaway if he has thirteen or more commenters. But I know when you comment you will tell Michael that Robyn must win. *hypnotic voice here*

So head over and while you're there follow him or the Don might come lookin' for ya. *wink*

Christopher

Most of you know about my Christopher. Born with a rare brain disorder, he's a regular at Chapel Hill, one of North Carolina's teaching hospitals. Recently we found out that he may have to have surgery. Surgery for him is even more dangerous than for most people. I was scared. Needless to say, I requested prayer from all my writerly pals. <3 you Lenny Lee!

Anyway, we found out he will not have to have the surgery. The thing has disappeared from his body. YAY! The doctor was shocked. He couldn't find an explanation. But we could!


We are very thankful to my wonderful, fantastically, awesome pals for thinking of us and for praying for Christopher.

Miracles do happen. Thanks everyone. xo

Could This Happen To You?

The internet has covered this horror story for several days. Go here to read about the scam, if you have been under a rock, in your writing cave or off the internet for a week or so.

Self-published YA author, Aaronni, was supposedly offered representation by Writers House Jodi Reamer. And with lightning speed the author was also offered a book deal with Razorbill and one with Harper Teen.

As I learned about the scam and read other posts dealing with this horror, I wondered if this could happen to me. I consider myself *experienced* in our world. I believe I would catch the obvious. And I know I would never announce the agent deal until after the contract was signed. A caution flag would be seen in my minds eye if an agent told me she got a seventy-five percent commission. More warnings would color my eyes if the agent told me she had gotten  a book deal that fast. With an exorbitant advance offer, I believe I would become keenly aware that all was not as it appeared. Or would I?

I waited to write this post until I could have time to think about it. This author has been through enough. But I wondered...would thrill take over and could I possibly lose all sense of *experience*? Would elation color the red flags green? Could this happen to me?

The person that carried out this hoax should be ashamed of him/herself. And would another writer actually do this to one of their own? Their own kind??

I've learned a lot in this business and I still have lots to learn. But kindness, decency, caring for all life makes me feel sick at my stomach after reading about this hoax.

Can we learn from this? Dang right we can! Pay attention to the warning signs. Be diligent. We're in this for the long haul. Nothing this great ever happens that fast. You do not pick up an agent and a book deal in the same week.

Could this happen to me? Maybe. Could it happen to you?

I know I've been missing in action lately. Sorry. My Christopher is having a health issue. He needs your prayers. And so do I. <3