Showing posts with label Cheryl Linn Martin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cheryl Linn Martin. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
MENEHUNES MISSING - Cheryl Linn Martin - One Free Book
Welcome back, Cheryl. Why do you write the kind of books you do?
I’ve worked with and loved
kids in this age group (8-12+) for years in parks and recreation. A fellow
author told me a number of years ago that kids in this age group needed wholesome books to read. So, I write
mysteries set in Hawaii
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the
happiest day in your life?
My last day of work outside
the home, when I realized I could now write full-time! Yaaaaaaaay! (I’m bopping
up and down and screaming like Kimo,
Leilani’s ten-year-old annoying brother!)
How has being published changed your life?
I now do less writing and
HUGE amounts of marketing and promotion! Ugh! But it’s all good because I am
living my childhood dream of being
the published author of a mystery series!
What are you reading right now?
You can usually find me
reading a mystery or a suspense novel. Although, I’ve found some
historical/historical romances rather enticing. Right now I’m reading a
historical as well as a suspense!
What is your current work in progress?
I am working on books four
and five of The Hawaiian Island
Detective Club in hopes the series will be extended beyond the first three.
I am planning a rewrite of book one of my series, Detective Michael Macks and Me and my mind is also rumbling with
thoughts of a new series!
What would be your dream vacation?
I LOVE Hawaii Niihau . The island is
virtually untouched by the outside world. I could experience their way of life
and hear them speak the ancient language. What an amazing blessing that would
be!
How do you choose your settings for each book?
I try to think of what
might be interesting to kids, someplace they can experience and learn about,
yet someplace real. Hawaii
If you could spend an evening with one person who
is currently alive, who would it be and why?
Beth Moore because I think
she’s amazing and inspiring! I could use a dose of her enthusiasm, and I’d love
her thoughts on serving the Lord and furthering God’s kingdom.
What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
I love planting a
vegetable garden, although it’s sometimes difficult to get many red tomatoes in
the Pacific NW! I also participate on the drama team at church and love all the
roles I’ve played—challenging, yet rewarding.
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and
how do you overcome it?
Finding time! When I
decide to push through on writing, I set a weekly goal with room to catch-up or
get ahead on the weekends. I record my word count every week. It encourages me
to continue plugging away.
What advice would you give to a beginning author?
Set goals for your word
counts—and make sure they are reasonable goals! Reward yourself as you reach
those goals each week or each month.
Attend workshops and find
those helpful hints, but, most important, apply them!
Tell us about the featured book.
Menehunes Missing is about a school fundraiser in which participants
search for Menehune statues hidden around town. Leilani, Maile and Sam enter
the contest and soon discover that the statues are disappearing. They are
determined to find out who is taking them and why.
Oh yes! You may ask—what exactly is a Menehune? They are Hawaii
Please give us the first page of the book.
Ekahi
(One)
I smoothed the
crumpled paper, stared at the words, and read the first clue.
I’m Menehune Number One. Find and check me out if you can. I’m hiding
amongst kids and cords.
Maile Onakea and Sam
Bennett, my best friends, suddenly burst into my room.
Sam jumped onto my
bed, his shaggy blonde hair flopping around like palm fronds in the wind. “Did
you get it? I’m crazy pumped about this whole Menehune Hunt thing. Bet no
matter how hard the clue is, you’ve already figured it out, huh? Come on,
Leilani! Read that puppy out loud.”
Maile giggled. “Sam,
you’re insane.” She also plopped onto my bed, tucked a strand of her long hair
behind an ear, and locked dark brown eyes on mine. “So, what does it say?”
I ignored her
question. “You guys sure got here fast.”
“My mom and I picked
up Sam, then came straight over. Mom thinks it’s cool we’re doing the statue
search thing.”
I nodded. “So does
mine. She says the money raised will really help the school. Guess there’s been
a couple hundred people who’ve already paid the entry fee.”
I pictured myself
starting eighth grade with a computer room full of brand new equipment.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website address is www.cheryllinnmartin.com
I also have a blog all about Hawaii
You can also connect with
me on my facebook author page at www.facebook.com/authorcheryllinnmartin
Twitter at http://twitter.com/clinnmartin
“Tweeters” can add the
hashtag: #HIDC for The Hawaiian Island
Detective Club if they’d like.
What They’re Saying About Pineapples
in Peril, Book One of The Hawaiian Island Detective Club
Nancy Drew is
Back . . . And She's Hawaiian! –Jessica
Nelson
KIDS AND PARENTS:
My daughter, who is not a
huge reader, is loving her copy! She is
reading Pineapples in Peril and I don’t have to push her to read the 15
minutes she’s supposed to read every day! –A Mom
My son was super excited to show his class the book that
you autographed. He has already finished the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. He
is already excited about the next book in the series! –A Mom
My thirteen-year-old twin girls
just finished reading Pineapples in Peril and both loved
the book. One particularly focused on the characters. "I felt like I knew
them by the time I got to the end." She also enjoyed how the author built
the plot in such a way that kept her guessing. My other twin writes: "What
I liked was the never-ending excitement, as well as the atmosphere of intensity
growing with every page. I enjoyed how Leilani includes her brother even though
he gets on her nerves." –A Mom
Bethany loved your first
book! I will be ordering this one for her. –A Mom
The fifth-grade class in library this morning were so
excited to check out Pineapples in Peril! Also, a few of
the students who had purchased books were carrying them into library. I had one
student tell me she has already read it all the way through one time and is in
the process of reading it a second time because "it is soooo
good!" –C. Reed, Librarian
This is such a great book! –A Fourth Grader
Thank you for writing my favorite book ever! –Emma
Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing this book with us, and giving us a peek inside your life.
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
PINEAPPLES IN PERIL - Cheryl Linn Martin - One Free Book
When I went to the American Christian Fiction Writers national Conference in September, I kept seeing people who had little handmade pineapples attached to their name tags. I asked one lady where she got hers, and she immediately "pineappled" me. So I'm introducing this author to you today.
Welcome, Cheryl. What has drawn you to
writing for children?
I was first inspired to write as a child, reading Nancy
Drew. I knew at that young age that I would one day write a mystery!
Striving to do what God has placed in front of me
motivates me to keep pressing forward. Sharing wholesome mysteries filled with
fun, humor, mishaps and unexpected moments for kids to enjoy also motivates me
to continue this amazing journey.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I do push-ups with the Oregon Duck (the U of O mascot)
whenever Oregon
scores—and, yes, they’re men’s push-ups! With the way Oregon often scores, I can end up doing 240
or more push-ups during one game! I figure it’s a fun way to get a work-out!
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I have always enjoyed writing, but once I started writing
fiction I soon discovered that writing was much more than just a desire and
some aptitude—it really is a craft that takes a lot of study, trial and error,
and perseverance.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I truly love mysteries! I also enjoy suspense and recently
have enjoyed branching into historical romances, although, if they have a
little intrigue in them, I become even more entrenched in the story! I guess I
just can’t get away from my passion—mystery!
What other books have
you written, whether published or not?
There will be three books (and possibly more! I’ve written a
fourth and am working on a fifth) in The Hawaiian Island Detective Club. I have another series, also for
Middle Readers, but a little older age within that group—about 11-14 or so.
I’ve written the first and am working on the second. It’s about a fictional
detective (Detective Michael Macks from novels) who helps a 16-year-old girl
solve murder mysteries—that is, unless he’s totally annoying her with his
silly, quirky behavior. The series is entitled The Macks and Me Murder
Mysteries.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
I love to sing and participate in drama team at church. I also
try to get out of the house every so often—maybe check out a garage sale with
my hubby, go out for a coffee, go to the gym with my son, or go shopping! I
LOVE a good sale!
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of, besides family?
Being a published author! This is a dream-come-true!
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
I would probably want to be a Persian cat. We have a
Persian named Lilly, and she’s definitely “The Queen” around our house. Ahh, to
have that status—to be served food and water everyday, to demand attention (and
actually get it!) and to always have someone else cleaning up after you—what a
life!
What is your favorite
food?
I’ll admit it—I love cheesecake!
Is it hard to break
into the children’s market?
Right now I’m hearing from parents that there just aren’t
enough wholesome books available for Middle Readers. I think if you have
something for that age, get it done and work toward finding an
editor/publisher. Kids are hungry to read good stuff!
What advice would you
give to an author wanting to do that?
I think if you have something for that age, get it done, and work toward finding an
editor/publisher. Kids are hungry to read good stuff! My books in this series
are all around 50K words for ages 8-12. If I write 5K per week, I’m done in 10
weeks. You can have a book for Middle Readers done this month if you
participate in NaNoWriMo, but if not, you could follow my routine and have one
done by mid January!
One of the women in
my critique group was a teacher’s aid in an elementary school. She started a
writing club, and she finished a children’s fantasy novel during NaNoWriMo
right along with her students. What would you like to tell us about the featured
book?
Besides being a fun and intriguing mystery, the story
explores sibling and family issues as well as 13-year-old angst. In book one, Pineapples
in Peril, Leilani learns some wonderful things about her annoying
brother. But then there’s reality—Kimo will always be her pain-in-the-pants
younger brother! So, every book in the series has the wonderful moments
involving family and siblings, along with the frustrating times. Kind of like
real life, huh?
How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website address is www.cheryllinnmartin.com I also
have a blog all about Hawaii
at www.lifeinflip-flops.blogspot.com
You can also connect with me on
my facebook author page at www.facebook.com/authorcheryllinnmartin
Twitter at http://twitter.com/clinnmartin
If “tweeters” would like to comment on The Hawaiian
Island Detective Club, they can add the hashtag: #HIDCThank you, Cheryl, for introducing us to your detective stories. They would make good Christmas gifts. I always like to give books to children along with their other gifts.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Hawaiian Island Detective Club: Pineapples in Peril
- paperbackPineapples in Peril (The Hawaiian Island Detective Club)
- KindleLeave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
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