Lena Nelson Dooley is an award-winning, multi-published Christian novelist and screenwriter.
Showing posts with label Menehunes Missing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Menehunes Missing. 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 —fun,
exciting, intriguing and wholesome!
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 and have visited a couple times. My dream
vacation would be to be invited by the Robinson family (descendants of
Elizabeth Sinclair who bought the island in 1863) to visit 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
came to mind as the perfect setting.
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 ’s treasured
little people who worked hard (generally at night) building things like ponds
and roads.
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
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
“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.)
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Labels:
Cheryl Linn Martin,
Menehunes Missing
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