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C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

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What Happens When Characters From Two Different Books Meet?

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Have you ever wondered what would happen if a character from one book met a character from another? Well, wonder no more because today you’re going find out. My Sam from Sign of the Green Dragon is asking Joshua from Joshua and the Arrow Realm some questions. The Character Book Club was a brilliant idea from two top middle grade storytellers Jess and Stephanie. 
So take it away Sam and Joshua!
Sam:  Hey, Joshua, I just finished reading your last adventure, and wow! You had some rough times. What was the scariest part for you this time?
Joshua:  Definitely when I was all alone and thought my friends had abandoned me. It’s scary enough in the Arrow Realm with all kinds of freaky beasts ready to jump you, but at least with a friend you can fight them off together! 
Sam:  I’ve been wondering about the Lightning Road. That’s pretty scary by itself. What happens to a kid if he falls off that thing?
Joshua:  I am pretty sure they float in the Great Beyond forever! I almost fell off the edge of Nostos once into the Great Beyond and saw bones floating by. Yikes, I didn’t want that to be me – or my good friend, Charlie! He took a big chance by jumping on the Lightning Road with me when that girl, Ash, grabbed me back to Nostos and the Arrow Realm. The road is narrow and only a few people can fit on it at once. Charlie totally risked his life to go with me. Like I said, he’s a good friend.
Sam:  I was trying to tell Joey and Roger about the Wilds, but they didn’t believe me. Maybe if you told them what it’s like and who lives there, they’ll listen. 
Joshua:  The Wild Lands are scary and cool all at once. Scary, because Queen Artemis starves the animals there to hunt us kids! Charlie and I almost got munched on by cretan and agrius beasts and we were sooo lucky to meet up with Ash, who saved us! She’s the leader of the Wild Childs who live there in treehouses way up in the tree tops to stay safe. The houses all connect with bridges right under the stars. I mean, who doesn’t want to live in a treehouse, right? The Wild Childs hunt, haul water up, and even have a veggie garden up there (I know, vegetables, right? But when you live without grownups around you kinda have to be one yourself). 
Sam:  Oh, and tell them about “scram and cram.” What’s that mean? Joey’s real interested in how to use that when he gets back to school.
Joshua:  Hey, that’s a good idea, Joey! I learned from the Wild Childs that “scram and cram” is one of their rules that means run and be quiet. I bet you can totally use this in school. LOL! The Wild Childs have a rule sign when you enter their main tree house with this rule on it and other rules like “Keep on the Runabout” and “One for the Many”. They all watch out for each other which is pretty cool. They are like a family, because they left all of their own families behind when they were stolen from Earth. 
Sam:  I liked Ash. I thought she was really cool living in the Wilds and on her own. Do you think you’ll get to hang out with her again?
Joshua:  Yeah, at first, I thought Ash was kinda weird because she dresses in animal skins but she turned out to be a pretty good friend who hid me away when I had nowhere else to go. I really hope we can hang out again – just not while we’re on the run for our lives! I sort of miss living in the treehouses with lots of kids around.
Sam:  In your first adventure, Leandro was kind of like a dad to you (have to say that kind of made jealous), but he sure wasn’t this time. How did that make you feel? 
Joshua:  Well, you’re really lucky to have an uncle who cares about you. I only have my grandfather, Bo Chez, who isn’t around much right now. I wished for a while Leandro was my dad, but not on this adventure! At first I was mad that he wasn’t there for me, but then just sad about it. I kept wishing he would be the guy I used to know.
Sam:  The best thing was when you turned yourself into a cadmean beast. Tell us what that was like. I got kind of itchy reading that part, but I’d give it a try. Do you think I could do something like that?
Joshua:  Turning into the cadmean beast with flame-throwing breath was pretty scary! When I saw myself in the mirror I freaked out. It does take a special technique to do it, as I learned, and you can only do it on the world of Nostos so not sure you could do it Sam. BUT I could try and teach you! Although turning yourself into a bird might be way better. We could fly all over and check things out from above. Next time I go to Nostos you could come along, but I’m warning you – things get crazy there and you never know who, or what, will be after you!
Sam:  I had to look up Oracle. It’s a pretty powerful thing. Do you think the Oracle can give back the powers to the gods and stop Zeus from plundering Earth?
Joshua:  Honestly, I don’t know. The Oracle was always a myth and now that I know it’s true, I’m not sure what all its powers include … and I’m afraid to find out, even if it means making Earth a better place.
Sam:  Hekate came back to life once. Man, is she wicked. Do you think that will happen again? And if it does, what then?
Joshua:  If she does, I am ready to toast her all over again – for good! I’ll get Zeus’s lightning bolt and blast her into the Great Beyond. Nothing in this world of Nostos surprises me, so maybe she could come back to life but let’s hope not. She was so mean to me and all of my friends and family!
Sam:  I asked about this Zeus guy, and Uncle Jasper told me he’s the most powerful god of all. Do you have a plan for keeping out of his way, or are you going to go straight at him?
Joshua:  Phew, keeping out of his way in this adventure was a good thing! I need to talk to my friends on Nostos first to see how to deal with him. Everyone is pretty scared of Zeus but there has to be a way to take him down if we work together – or change his mind about plundering Earth. If he could find other resources for Nostos and stop stealing us kids, that would be a great ending!
Hey! This was fun. We need to get together again. Be sure to let me know if you’re heading back to Nostos. 
Thanks for hanging out, Sam. This was super fun! I bet we’d have a most amazing time together on an adventure but let’s stick to our own world for now.  
Website
Donna Galanti is the author of paranormal suspense Element Trilogy (Imajin Books) and the fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series (Month9Books). Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse that has lots of nooks and crannies, but sadly no ghosts. Visit her at www.elementtrilogy.com and www.donnagalanti.com.
Connect with Donna:

Baby Moo has a dream. He wants to travel the world and sing on the stage of the Sydney Opera House! While he loves his home at Sunrise Sanctuary, it hasn’t been the same since a piglet named Nathan showed up and stole all the attention away from Moo. Jealous of the new baby, Moo decides now is the time to make his escape and pursue his dream.
But the world outside the sanctuary gates is not quite the fun and exciting place Moo imagined, and he quickly finds himself in big trouble. Moo’s friends Missy the dog and Ruthie the cat rush to help him, and land in some trouble of their own.
Lost and frightened, Moo and his friends must rely on each other to find their way back home. Will they ever see Sunrise again? 
Release date: September 8, 2016 from Native Ink Press
Links:
https://julieflanders.blogspot.com/p/baby-moos-great-escape.html
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Julie Flanders will donate $1 to Sunrise Sanctuary, home to Baby Moo and numerous other rescued animals, for each copy sold in September. 
Tweet: 
Baby Moo’s Great Escape by @JulesFlanders is here! $1 will be donated to @sunrise_ohio for each copy sold in Sept.  http://tinyurl.com/– 

Julie Flanders, Writer

Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Amazon

Sunrise Sanctuary

Comments

  19. What an intriguing idea–it opens up so many possibilities. I did something a little sneaky when I snuck a minor character from one novel, into the next novel. Only a couple people noticed though.

    • That sounds like sneaky fun, Kathleen! I think it's also fun for readers to see characters in a different light from one novel to another – even if not a series. Maybe a new thing you do for all you stories? 🙂

    • Some people I share writing with (before anyone else sees it) often put in characters that represent our critique group members. In one story I was Lee the owner of a florist shop. I liked that.

  21. Very cool. Not gonna lie, I might need to steal this concept for one of my DBTC posts. I have a few characters that I think might get along (and some that really won't)

  22. I agree with the boys. This was fun. Their authors, C Lee and Donna, are fun too. Thanks for a fun post. I guess that's enough fun, huh? Congratulations, Lee and Donna on creating such amazing characters.

  28. Hi Cheryl/Lee!

    Joshua wrote:

    "It’s scary enough in the Arrow Realm with all kinds of freaky beasts ready to jump you, but at least with a friend you can fight them off together!"

    I totally agree. STRONGER TOGETHER! 🙂

  29. The two boys are so cute! The Arrow Realm sounds like a scary place and a very exciting read. I'm wishing Donna much success with her book. And yay for Julie and Baby Moo! 🙂

  31. I just can't seem to adjust to all that black on Baby Moo's cover, isn't it supposed to be a children book? Why would they pick out black lettering?

    • I'm imagining all kinds of character conversations. But Roland does something similar in his books. He's the master at bringing people together from all different ages to chat.

    • LOL, too funny. We should. Mine was actually a bull calf. When he started getting his horns daddy put him out to pasture because he was afraid he'd hurt me playing. Do you know after not seeing me for 2 yrs, daddy was trying to round him up and could not catch him, I walked out into the field and called his name, Bossy and he came right to me and walk docilely into the trailer and let me love on him. I miss that bull.

  45. Hi Lee and Donna – fascinating to add to the story line of the two characters interacting from the two books – encouraging youngsters to read both. I am absolutely certain Moo would love to sit and mull things over in a field of daisies …

    Cheers Hilary