Welcome to my Tag Team Events!

Laura and I are the Tag Team Bloggers.

You can find Laura at fuonlyknew

We Tag Team an author and publish our posts at the same time.

Whether it’s for a cover reveal, giveaway, review, interview, or something more, the author will be tagged by us and you will be alerted to go to Laura’s blog or mine to see additional content.

It’s really fun to see how differently we view the same book and you get an extra chance to win with our giveaways!

Be sure to follow us to be kept informed of future tag teaming events.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrating the release of Delta Legend in paperback!

 I loved this book. Creatures and Monsters, of one kind or another, are some of my favorite stories. I love getting lost in the fantasy of another world.

Read my review and enter the giveaway for a signed paperback at the end of the post.

 ~~~~~~

A Guest Post from Kelan

 THE RIDE OF SUSPENDED DISBELIEF

 Writing Urban Fantasy Adventure is a bit like creating a wild new theme park ride. It’s a really fun gig. If done right, readers will happily board your attraction and stay engaged through the whole crazy ride, ping-ponging between anticipation, fear, laughter, and satisfaction.

 As a novelist, I have to make sure my story has all the necessary elements required for a great ride, and suspended disbelief is a key element in good fantasy fiction.

In Urban Fantasy, fantastical things happen in the modern world as we know it. Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge of writing for this genre is creating a sense of isolation in our modern world. Considering the sheer number of humans crawling all over the planet armed with multiple means of connecting, this can be a formidable task. Enter the all-important selection of location.

The setting for Delta Legend goes by both the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the California Delta. I refer to it by both names in the book. Though surrounded by populated cities, the heart of the Delta retains a sense of isolation due to its vast expanses of farmland and seemingly endless waterways that snake on for 1000 plus miles. That’s right—one thousand.

It was definitely challenging to describe this unique region in a way that would give people who’ve never been there a visceral sense of the place. Luckily, I have a couple things going for me in this regard. One, I have a background as a screenwriter, so I write visually. And two, I spent a good deal of time in the California Delta from the time I was 15 until I was in my mid 30’s. And let me tell you, no matter how old I got, swimming or waiting to get picked up on a water ski in the Delta, always freaked me out a bit. Anything could be lurking in those deep murky waters.

 Photo by Kelan

 Of course, if anything like what happens in the book were to actually happen in the Delta, it would be extremely hard to keep it on the down-low, but that’s where the all-important suspended disbelief and sense of isolation come into play.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When 16-year-old Oakland teenager, Calvin Pierce, makes a bad decision and winds up getting arrested, his mother is quick to take action. Determined not to lose a second son to the drug and gang violence of the inner city, she sends Calvin to spend the summer working for his great uncle in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

There in the predominately white region of agriculture and recreational boating, Calvin’s a fish out of water with a chip on his shoulder. But when severed body parts are discovered floating in a slough, his summer of proving himself takes on new meaning.

Something deadly is lurking in the deep, murky waterways of the Delta. Now the daunting task of containing the living incarnation of a mythical creature falls to Calvin and his ragtag posse of oddball characters.

My Delta Legend Review

To see my full review, go HERE.

I won this book in a Giveaway on fuonlyknew’s blog. Thank you Kelan and Laura for the giveaway.

When I first picked this book up all I saw was a monster in the water, super, right up my alley. I love these stories. As I read along, it became apparent it was much more than that. Kelan did a great job with the small town descriptions and details of the people lives that brings them together to save their town and themselves, detailing their acts of heroism, growth and change, bringing out the best in people.

Something in the water. Awesome – I could hardly wait to begin reading. Is it bigger than Jaws? You’ll have to read it to find out.

I love creature stories, so it’s easy for me to rate this one very high. The cover was over the top. Simple, yet complex, as you delve into the eye trying to see what’s there. The cover and title related well to the book, it’s important to me that they do.

I really got a feel for the small town setting, where the cafe was the focal point and you could hear all the latest gossip. The cops even hung out there. I used to visit a small southern town in Mississippi, and their local hangout was a gas station, where everyone would meet, drink colas and play checkers. Very ……….quaint? Does your town have a local hangout?

The characters were well developed and realistic. I could picture them in my mind and relate to them easily. Some of the characters were hateful and disgusting, others so much like your next door neighbor, just living their lives. When Kelan described Huestes as a Weeble, I busted out laughing . It brought back memories of buying them for my son when he was young. Can’t you just picture Huestes? “Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.”

Kelan laid a good base in the first half to crank it out in the second half.The suspense kept building and I kept waiting for the creature to appear. Every time someone went near the water, I was waiting for the monster to get them. Just like Jaws. Don’t go in the water. How many times do you have to be told, don’t go in the water. LOL!

The Lochness Monster, Bigfoot, Aliens……would you believe someone’s story, or would you have to see for yourself?

There were two surprises at the end. One I saw coming and I figured Kelan threw that one in to distract me from the other one, which I didn’t see coming. I am a voracious reader, so when the author throws in a surprise or two, it makes my day. Keeps me on my toes.

Even though there is a Book II, this tied things up nicely, while leaving it open enough to continue the story. I can hardly wait to find out what happens next, so I hope you are busy writing, Kelan.

The history leading to the legend was well-developed and detailed, going in to depth about Chinese history in relation to building the Transcontinental Railroad and the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta.

I can absolutely see this as a movie. As I was reading along, the scenes played out in my mind as the story unfolded. I saw the ending as if I was watching it on the big screen.

    5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

~~~~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a young adult, Kelan O’Connell spent her summers aboard a family houseboat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Apparently, she still harbors suspicions about those deep murky waters. Though she’s been writing in one form or another since the age of 20, Delta Legend is her debut Young Adult Crossover novel.

Kelan began writing in college, creating character monologues as a way to stand out in auditions while also cranking out sketch comedy. She holds a degree in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University and has worked in the Entertainment Industry in Northern California and Los Angeles, among her many other day jobs.

She currently lives in Northern California with her partner, Sound Engineer/Producer Tom Size, and the incredibly spoiled pets of Camp Runamuck.

Website   /   Blog   /   Goodreads

Wanna come along for the ride? It’s fun … and a little scary.

To get your copy of Delta Legend by Kelan O’Connell, click on the cover below.

~~~~~~

 I have my eye on you.

 ~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY

  Kelan O’Connell always has some of the most fantastic giveaways and this one is no exception. International.

1 (one) signed paperback to a lucky commenter.

Leave your email and let me know:

Does your town have a local hangout, where all the latest gossip can be heard?

This is a Tag Team event – for another opportunity to win, go to fuonlyknew.

 Giveaway ends February 3, 2014.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look below or on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~