Category Archives: Books

authorpages, Books

Quercus’s Review of Out of Time

38 Comments

As I have noted before, one of the great pleasures of blogging is having friends all around the world and seeing places that I will probably never visit. To add to that pleasure, blogging friends who have a fondness for YA fantasy often read my novels. Occasionally they will even write a review of my books.

My blogging friend Quercus, who lives in England, recently read Out of Time, the newest book in my Great Library Series, and took the time to write a review. Here is an excerpt:

According to the Amazon details the book has 276 pages. It didn’t seem like it. Time flew,and although I spread it over two nights, it finished too soon. If there was another in the series I would definitely buy it right away. Unfortunately, there isn’t.

That’s really all you need to know. It’s less than £3 on Kindle, so what are you waiting for?

Of course, book reviews are supposed to be slightly longer than that so I’ll just add a bit of waffle. The action takes place in a magic county called Elferterre (somebody is showing their French roots again!) , which is a convincing place, and has an excellent talking cat. There are very few books that can’t be improved by the addition of a talking cat, so this is good to see.. Even  a talking cat couldn’t improve Don Quixote, but I won’t go into that..

Click here to read the rest of the review.

It really tickled me that Quercus caught Elferterre’s French connection. I was also very pleased to read that he would have immediately bought Book 4 if it had been available.  (I’m working on it!)

Many thanks, Quercus,  for giving Out of Time a close reading and then writing a review of it.

 

 

authorpages, Books, News

A Not So Timely Out of Time

36 Comments

Recently, some of my blogging friends in the United States have mentioned that books they ordered from Hinterlands Press have just been delivered. As the books were mailed a month ago, it seems that Out of Time delivery has not been very timely. Sorry!

When books are ordered directly from Hinterlands Press, they are shipped within a day or two of when the order is received. The pandemic has spurred us into being completely set-up for processing orders from home. We have a scale, and we print labels directly, which include postage. Finally, our postal service picks up packages six days a week directly from our very own mailbox.

What we can’t control is what happens when the packages get to the post office. I think the postal service was extremely stressed over the holidays, and I expect they did their best, given the circumstances.

I hope now that the holidays are over, packages will arrive in a more timely fashion. In normal circumstances, books should arrive within five to seven days of when they are ordered.

Anyway, thanks for your patience and understanding.

 

authorpages, Books

Last Day for the Wicked Good Deal on Out of Time

9 Comments

As the title of this post suggests, today is the last day for the holiday discount on Out of Time—in the United States, 20% off and free shipping.  This comes to a grand total of $12 per book, a real bahgain as we Mainers would say.

I want to thank everyone who has bought the book—sometimes more than one! Because of your support and generosity, this season has turned out far better than I expected.

Let’s face it: 2020 was not the best time to publish a new novel. In a normal year, we would go to different fairs and events, where we always sold a goodly number of books. However, 2020 was not a normal year. Covid-19 put a stop to going to fairs, and home we have stayed. (I’ve watched far too many Star Wars movies over the past week.)

But lo and behold, through my blog and social media, I sold more copies of Out of Time than I thought I would, to friends far and near.

Again many, many thanks.

I appreciate your support so very much.

 

authorpages, Books, News

Last Week for Wicked Good Deal on Out of Time

22 Comments

Many thanks to all of you who have ordered my new YA fantasy novel Out of Time. I so appreciate it. Because of my wonderful blogging friends, my books have traveled all around the world. No small thing for an indie publisher whose budget is as big as a minute.

For blogging friends in the United States who haven’t had a chance to order the book, the wicked good deal on our website is in effect until December 19. The total cost of the book is $12, no shipping fee. (Don’t forget to use the coupon code.) Naturally, I will sign the book if you would like.

Here is the link to our website: https://hinterlandspress.com/

And don’t you think the cover is a festive color for this time of year?

authorpages, Books

A Review of Out of Time by Shane Malcolm Billings

42 Comments

Normally, I don’t post pieces on Tuesday. (My schedule is—for the most part—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.) But last night, Shane Malcolm Billings, our town library’s former Adult Services Librarian, posted such a wonderful, thoughtful review of my new YA fantasy Out of Time that I thought I would share it.

Here are a couple of excerpts of the review taken from Shane’s blog, In His Own Words:

Laurie Graves is back with Out of Time, the third entry in her Great Library Series. More straightforward in its progression than its two predecessors, with their skillful time jumps and multiple narrative threads, Out of Time is also Graves’s most well-written book yet.

Out of Time is faster and flashier than Maya and the Book of Everything and Library Lost, but somehow deeper as well. Graves expands her cast of characters, continues to develop her lead, and experiments with ever more elements of magic and fantasy. Her writing continues to shine, and she has become even more adept at balancing the action sequences with the philosophizing, the adventure with the quiet reflection. These are special books, which will appeal to a wide range of readers. In these trying times, escapism is more welcome than ever. You will find great escape as well as much food for thought in Out of Time, the strongest entry yet in the Great Library Series.

Click here to read the entire review.

Many, many thanks, Shane!

authorpages, Books, News

Friday Favorites: And the Winners Are…

29 Comments

The 2020 Hinterlands Press Giveaway is over, and the names have been drawn.

Readers near and far—from all around the world—entered the contest, and what a treat to note the different places.  A wonderful example of how blogging really expands the horizon, especially during a time when we must stay so close to home.

Here are the winners:

A copy of Out of Time:
Going Batty in Wales

Calendars:
Shane Malcolm Billings, Maine
Ju-Lyn Tan, Singapore
JoAnne LaFear, Maine

Congratulations to the winners!

I wish everyone who entered had won, but alas that is not how giveaways work. However, as we Mainers would say, I can give you a wicked good deal just in time for the holidays. From now until December 19, for orders shipped in the United States, we are offering a 20%  discount for Out of Time on our Hinterlands Press website. 

Free shipping is still included. And you get a signed copy. (Unfortunately, shipping is too expensive to extend this discount to my out-of-country friends. So sorry!)

Again, congratulations to the winners! I will be getting in touch with you soon for your mailing addresses.

 

authorpages, Books, Celebrate

An Announcement and Some Giveaways

70 Comments

Glory be and Hallelujah! Clif and I have finished proofing Out of Time, Book Three in the Great Library Series.

Do I feel like butter spread thin on too much bread? I certainly do. But I also feel a keen sense of accomplishment. Out of Time took two years from beginning to end, and finally it is ready to go out into the world.

Right now, Out of Time can be ordered through Amazon. Next week, our book can also be purchased through bookstores and other online vendors. By November 28, we will have books on hand so that we can sell signed copies to readers in the United States. I will keep you all posted as I know many of you like to order directly from us.

For readers new to my blog, here is a brief overview of the Great Library series: In our universe, two forces—Time and Chaos—battle for control of the Great Library, a mysterious place where all information flows. From the Great Library come the sentient Books of Everything, which contain the vast knowledge of the library. The Books are sent to planets across the universe to help the various inhabitants.

In the middle of this battle between Time and Chaos is one kid from Earth—Maya Hammond, a girl who has the ability to see to the heart of things. She comes into possession of Earth’s Book of Everything, and adventures ensue as she tries to protect the Book and the Great Library from Chaos. In Maya and the Book of Everything and Library Lost, Maya goes back in time and across the universe, all the while being pursued by Chaos’s minions.

In Out of Time, Maya travels to Elferterre, which is in a dimension ruled by Magic. On Elferterre, Maya hopes to find a magical artifact that will help tip things in Time’s favor.

The overall message of the series is that facts do matter, which somehow never stops being a relevant topic in our real world.

So there you have it. Nearly 900 pages in a nutshell.

Now here’s the fun part—to celebrate the publication of Out of Time, we are giving away one signed copy of Out of Time and three calendars that feature Clif’s snappy map of Elferterre.

Click here to enter the contest.

Prizes will be mailed anywhere on the planet.

Entries will be accepted between 11/14/2020 through 11/28/20.

The drawing will be held on December 1, 2020.

So don’t be shy! Sign up for the giveaways.

authorpages, Books, News

Ta-Dah! A Map of Elferterre

74 Comments

I’m coming down the homestretch with the proofing for my new YA fantasy, Out of Time. By mid-November, I should be done. Fanfare, please! I certainly won’t be sorry when that arduous job is done.

I’m not sure how much I’ll be blogging until the proofing is finished. More than likely, posts will be sporadic.

However, I did want to share our first-ever map that will be in Out of Time. The map was created by my husband, Clif, and it features the country of Norlander, which is in the magical realm of Elferterre, where Maya and her new team—Will, Jay, and Lexie—must travel.

In Elferterre—green and mysterious with a touch of steampunk—Maya, Will, Jay, and Lexie encounter allies and foes, including a talking cat, a witch, sprites, ogres, imps, and a mechanical horse. All the while, Magic swirls around Elferterre, enhancing the good and bad in every creature that Maya and her team meet.

Stay tuned!

authorpages, Books, Music, News

Taking a Short Break but Still Time for a Couple of Friday Favorites

68 Comments

The time has come to take a short break from blogging, maybe a week, maybe two, as I finish proofing my new YA fantasy novel Out of Time, Book Three in The Great Library Series.  Proofing is fussy, time-consuming work but absolutely necessary. Out of Time will be published in November, which is just around the corner. Hence the need to focus all my creative attention on the book.

Still, it is Friday, and before I go on my break, I do have time to slide in a couple of things that are making me happy.

Even in mid-October, when the leaves are falling and the air is decidedly crisp, the patio is still one of my favorite places. Nowadays, Clif and I must bundle up for drinks and snacks on the patio, but we still enjoy being out there. Notice how the patio has now been set-up for socially-distanced visits. The patio is twenty years old, and never have the chairs and tables been arranged the way they are now. A sign of life during the pandemic, that’s for sure.

Now on to an inside pleausre—music. What in the world would I do without NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert? Not only have I been able to listen to old favorites such as the Avett Brothers, but I have also been introduced to groups I’ve never heard of. One of those groups is alt-J, an English indie rock band. Why had I never heard of them? Indie rock is one of my favorite genres, and alt-J’s debut album, An Awesome Wave, came out in 2012. I have no excuse. But thanks to NPR and Tiny Desk, I now have another group to add to my list of favorites.

And because I’m going to gone for a while, here’s a bonus Tiny Desk Concert with musicians Lily & Madeleine. Such lovely harmonies.

As we Franco-Americans would say, à bientôt.

authorpages, Books, Nature

That Nip of Fall

57 Comments

Just like that, fall is here. It seems that only a short time ago we were using the air conditioner. However, the temp has dipped so low  that there have even been frost warnings all over the state. So far, our cozy home in the woods has escaped being nipped by frost. Nevertheless, we have to use heat in the morning and at night.  Too sudden? You bet. But this is Maine, and that’s how the weather rolls here.

Fortunately, it gets warm enough in the early afternoon for lunch on the patio. Yesterday, Clif grilled Beyond Beef burgers, and as a side, I had some little tomatoes courtesy of our own Farmer Kev. How nice it was to eat in the sun. (Again, what a change from a mere couple of weeks ago.)

The garden is definitely past its best.

But along the edge of our yard, asters are still in bloom.

And the leaves are just beginning to change.

This is a busy time for me. The proof copy of my YA fantasy Out of Time is in. Now begins the extremely picky task of going over the book line by line to catch any errant typos or formatting errors.

Onward, ho!