Words with... Wendy & Charles Siefken: 99c blog tour

Wendy and Charles Siefken, the mother-and-son writing team, have taken a day off from battling zombies, werewolves and dragons to reveal a few truths about themselves and what really got them writing books together. Welcome Wendy and Charles... 

Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?

Charlie loves to read books and play online Xbox games. I like to read as well and I like gardening.

Ah, I've had to hide my PlayStation games as I'm easily addicted! My cat now sleeps on it! I can't actually play zombie games... they make me jump!

What makes your writing unique?

We write about zombies, dragons and werewolves. Our dragons and werewolves are nice, not bloodthirsty killers, and we have hope in our stories.

It sounds like a fascinating and original combo... I wouldn't want to run into any of those in a dark alley, except maybe a dragon, especially if I'd missed the night bus...

Do you have any writing rituals, such as a particular treat or good luck charm, etc?

We go to O.J.’s restaurant to talk about story ideas and people watch.

Do you have a set writing schedule or do you write when the fancy hits you?

We don’t have a schedule; we write when we can. We don’t wait for it to fancy us though either.

Is music part of your writing process? If so, what do you listen to?

For the most part I listen to country when I write and Charlie has an eclectic taste that ranges from country to rock.

Yay, I love rock music too, though I have been seen wiggling to some country...

Is your glass half full or half empty?

Definitely half full.

If you could have a dinner party with five people (living or dead) who would be invited?

Christopher Paolini, Rick Riordan, Stephen King, JK Rowling and Martin Crosbie.

About the authors

Charles Siefken (1992-present) is a recent high school graduate. This is his first book of many to be published. He currently resides in rural central Iowa where he enjoys reading sci-fi books and playing video games, among other things. Charles works at a local auto mechanic shop and will be attending college this fall to get a degree. Christopher Paolini was his inspiration to become a writer.

Wendy Siefken (1966-present) works full-time from home, writing stories, and is a virtual assistant to those in need of an extra pair of hands online. Wendy lives on a farm with her family and enjoys reading, gardening and other activities with relatives and friends. This is her first publication with Charles, with many more to follow. It all started as a school project for her youngest son and business partner, which grew into a desire to become published authors.

About the book

Kai's Journey is an adventure in the fantasy realm of what ifs. What if zombies took over the world? What if werewolves were real? What if dragons were really not from Earth, but from another planet? I hope you enjoy this YA book. It is ideal for a young reader whom you might not want reading a book containing a lot of blood and gore. This novel doesn’t have that; it has a story without all the graphics of a battle.

The book blurb

Kai has been fighting for survival and trying to find a way to rid the world of the disease his father created... Kai's father accidentally created a race of zombies and, like a virus, it soon spreads throughout the entire world! 

Kai comes across a young woman named Clover, who is part of a clan travelling across the United States to try to find what is left of humanity. Clover is part of a clan who has a secret of their own. Hiding among what is left of the human race, will Kai be able to handle the truth? 

Kai and Clover are watching a meteor shower when their lives are changed forever! Kai and Clover begin a heroic journey, fuelled by the increasingly dim hope that somehow the human race will have a chance to start over.

Links:

Blog

Website: Siefken Publications

Website: WordPress
Facebook

Thanks for visiting, folks!

And thanks to you readers for visiting!

Happy reading & writing :)

Book review: Grimsley Hollow - The Chosen One by Nicole Storey

An enjoyable Halloween ride with a cool hero

I really enjoyed this book. I love Halloween and so it was cool for me that the book is set during that time, especially as we don’t celebrate it much in the UK. We are transported into Gage’s (main character) world and see everything through his eyes. Gage is also autistic, so the reader learns what this means for our hero. I found this an interesting addition and it opened my eyes to some things, such as how Gage’s senses are more acute than the average person – taste, smell and hearing, in particular. He also tries to control how he reacts or overreacts to things. It’s a really fascinating addition to the book and we get a youth who is not your typical hero, which is the point - everyone is a hero.

At the beginning of the book, we learn that Gage doesn’t really have any friends. His family seems a happy one and he loves his sister, Sydney, dearly. She gives him confidence. As the writer tells us, ‘in her eyes, he was a hero. Sydney made him feel important; she looked up at him when so many others simply looked through him.' Things like this made me remember how weird and baffling things often were when growing up, and the author gets it spot on. But Gage is not a sad character - instead I found him fun.

Gage has a big imagination and his own hideout – the fort, guarded by Tonka, the dog – where the boy likes to start a ‘mission... his monster-bashing adventures’, the writer tells us. Gage is also a budding writer, it seems, as he imagines his missions and writes them down. But things take a strange turn when the boy makes the discovery of an unusual object that shouldn’t really be there. Then he meets the odd, but enigmatic Eve and the adventure really takes off.

The author has created a believable setting for her characters to inhabit. There are rich descriptions of the human world and that of Grimsley Hollow, well-rounded players, a gripping plot and suspense. Gage is a great central character, and I enjoyed how he learns about himself and others, and slowly builds some confidence. 

I recommend this book simply because I know you’re going to enjoy it.

Book links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads

Blog (Nicole's)

Smashwords