Review - Interview - Giveaway "The Grotto under the Tree"

Some information

Title: The Grotto under the Tree

Author: John A. Theo Jr.

Pages: 139

Genre: Young Adult

Published: February 2013

Publisher: Astraea Press

My Scource: author and Candace's Book Blog

My score on Goodreads: 4 stars

Covertext

Sebastian and Sara mistakenly descend into a mystical land where elves, mermaids, gnomes and other mythological creatures live. The two discover they have stumbled into an ancient battle between these fair folk and evil creatures called the Kylo. Their guide on this journey is Capri, an elf lord who is on a quest to find his lost tribe. The Kylo chase the children and Capri in his flying galleon north into the Arctic Circle where they find the most unlikely ally. During the final battle the children learn about sacrifice, love and ultimately forgiveness.

My Review

What a great experience to travel back in time and read the kind of book I used to read when I was younger. As a child/young adult I adored heroes of my own age who discovered the most special places on earth and got to know the most wonderful creatures in that world! 

With "The Grotto under the Tree" John A. Theo Jr. provides us a good read for young and old. A book you can appreciate at every age and no matter what kind of books you normally like to read.

In this book we meet Sara and Sebastian, two young children who are neighbours and go to school together. Outside their school stands a beautiful oak tree who survived many storms and is known by young and old in the neighborhood. Sara and Sebastian too have played under it many times. When the tree is severely damaged in a storm, the two friends discover some strange things around it. Their curiosity leads them towards a very special world with very special creatures in it. Too bad for them their encounter isn't so peaceful because of some bad forces trying to attack the beautiful creatures Sara and Sebastion just met. Both necessity and friendship take the children along in this big battle between good and bad, a battle that must be fought for every living being on earth (and beyond).

What I loved about this book is the fact it can learn the young readers lots of lessons. You have to take care of your friends and you have to keep on believing in the good things even though that's not always easy. Also the fact there were some totally unexpected turns in the book was appreciated here. The author is able to keep the story going and to keep it exciting without making the story long or boring. 

Interview with the author

First we want to get our author a little better. Here's some information!

John Theo Jr. has numerous published articles on arts, culture and sports figures. He holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, MA. During the day John serves as Vice President of Operations for Blue Sky Holdings, which owns many commercial fitness clubs. John is also an adjunct professor at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, where he teaches screenwriting. John's Book, The Grotto Under The Tree, has been released by Astraea Press.

Talk about some things in the book that are more personal to you, or some places in the book you've visited, or want to visit.

I wrote a scene where Sebastian finds his mother in the living room during a thunderstorm. He knows she never liked thunderstorms. He tries to comfort her by crawling into her lap like he did as a little boy, but instead she rocks him back to sleep. This was a subconscious homage to my mom who passed away in 1996. My way of sending her a hug.

How you came up with some of the more unique elements?

For Father Christmas' character it was a knee jerk reaction to the charicature of the fat red-suited santa claus our society has portrayed him as. I researched the historical Saint Nicholas and what I found amazed me. Ironically I made him more like the historical person which no one in movies or books has done before. He ends up being more like Gandalf in The Lord of The Rings than a chubby man in a red suit who delivers toys. I think people will really like this version of him.

Can you give some facts about the city or place the book takes place in?

It takes place in a town similar to the one I grew up in. The school and oak tree are based on Great Oak Elementary School where I went in Danvers, MA. I did alter the town to make it a seaside town though.

Can we meet the characters?

(Tell us about your main characters! Looks, personality, some background story, and/or maybe a few quotes from the story?)

Sebastian is the intellectual 5th grader who aces all his tests yet cannot throw a baseball. Sara is the popular athlete who struggles in school.

How do you come up with those special names for the characters? It seems like a difficult part of writing the book.

I keep a journal of names that jump out at me from time to time. When I go to sit down at with a story I can pull from them. It makes it an easy, and fun, part of the writing process for me. With that said, names are a tool that should not be overlooked. I teach my students that names offer another layer and opportunity to "show" rather than "tell". For example, Tolkien is a master of this in his Lord of The Rings trilogy. You have characters like "Wormtongue" and "Treebeard", but he (being a philologist) had almost every name mean something. Names of swords, names of rocks and mountains, etc. It's another layer to the story that, if the reader peels back, offers a reward of discovery. With that said, sometimes you just want to name a character Stu and leave it at that. 

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Chick Lit Central: The Blog!: Girl talk with Gemma Burgess...plus a book giveaway

Chick Lit Central: The Blog!: Girl talk with Gemma Burgess...plus a book giveaway

Winners Giveaway Dangerous Waters

Hi everybody,

because I don't have time tomorrow and there's nobody entering the giveaway anymore, I decided to close it some hours before the deadline :D 
First of all I want to say THANK YOU to Anne Allen for this giveaway and to all of you who've read the interview or/and entered the "competition".

Now... the winners... Random Line Picker picked the following two ladies as winners, so they'll receive an e-copy of "Dangerous Waters". Congratulations!!! (and enjoy :D It's a great read!)

To all others: thanks for entering and hopefully you'll win a book next time :D

Have a great evening/day/night and much love to all of you!

Sincerely,
Eline

Interview with Anne Allen and GIVEAWAY

First of all I want to thank Anne Allen for taking some time to do this interview and for giving us the opportunity to give two e-book versions of "Dangerous Waters" away. Enjoy!

Who is Anne Allen?

Anne Allen lives in Devon, by her beloved sea. She has three children and her daughter and two grandchildren live nearby. She was born in Rugby, to an English mother and Welsh father. As a result she spent many summers with her Welsh grandparents in Anglesey and learnt to love the sea. Her restless spirit has meant a number of moves which included Spain for a couple of years. The longest stay was in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years after falling in love with the island and the people. She contrived to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent returns.

By profession Anne is a psychotherapist but has long had creative ‘itches’, learning to mosaic, paint furniture, interior design and sculpt. At the back of her mind the itch to write was always present but seemed too time-consuming for a single mum with a need to earn a living. Now the nest is empty there’s more time to write and a second novel is gestating, but novels take a lot longer than children to be born!

Some things we'd liked to know...  

What's so special about Guernsey that you wrote an entire book about it?

It’s a beautiful island only a few miles from the French coast though it’s actually British. I think all islands have a certain mystique and a feeling of separateness and Guernsey is a great example of this, with a fascinating history going back to Neolithic times. There’s a strong French influence, reflected in the personal and place names and there’s a local Guernsey-French dialect. I lived there for many happy years after arriving for a holiday and falling in love with both the island and its people. Guernsey has beautiful sandy beaches, cliff walks, windy lanes and a pretty ‘capital’ in St Peter Port. The Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans in WWII, creating an impact to the present day. There’s definitely scope for stories to be based on Guernsey!

What places on the island do we need to visit when we go there and why?

Well, St Peter Port is a must – it has something for everyone. There are narrow cobbled streets full of great shops, cafes and restaurants and gorgeous views over the harbour and neighbouring islands. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Les Miserables and Victor Hugo finished writing the book while living in St Peter Port and his house is still exactly as it was back in the nineteenth century. The beaches are all worth visiting but I particularly like L’Ancresse and Lady’s Bay in the north of the island. And don’t miss Herm! It’s an even smaller island 15 mins away by boat which has an atmosphere all of its own. There are no cars or bikes so everyone walks around at their own pace. A place to really unwind and which always seems to enjoy even better weather than Guernsey. 

What got you into writing and when did you start it?

About 6 years ago I entered a writing competition after being pushed by my mother. Bless her! She thought it would be a useful experience as I’d always talked about writing one day. It wasn’t fiction, though, instead the national magazine wanted a true-life story in 500 words based on a significant life event. I still entered (my life had been anything but boring) and won. It was quite a boost and spurred me on to write Dangerous Waters shortly after.

Will there be other books written by you? Are you currently working on a project? 

Yes, I’m writing my second book, Finding Mother, now. It’s the story of a young woman’s search for her natural mother after her marriage crumbles. The setting is predominantly Guernsey but there are excursions to England, Jersey and Spain.

Which writers have influenced you the most?

It’s hard to be specific as I’ve read voraciously since a child. The romance writers whose books I’ve most enjoyed have been Maeve Binchy, Erica James and Katie Fforde. Mystery and suspense writers include Mary Higgins Clark and Robert Goddard.

What's your favourite place to write a book?

In my own space – either at my desk or a table , or, weather permitting, in the garden. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I was out and about in a café, for example.

Do you have certain habits when it comes to writing? Some things you need around you during the process?

I like to know I’ll be uninterrupted! If the muse arrives, you have to keep her close. So it’s better to have all other ‘jobs’ out of the way before sitting down to write. I start by writing in longhand so need paper and pen and space to spread out. Plenty of water and hot drinks are also needed to keep me going.

What's your writing day like?

It varies. If my time is unlimited I’ll just sit down to write until either I’m hungry or I hit a ‘block’. I can write for hours at a time on a good day, otherwise it tends to be a bit patchy.

Did you base your main character Jeanne on someone you know? She looks so real (and she writes ;) )...

Well, in some ways she does remind me of my younger self! Although we naturally don’t share the same history, I can relate to some of her experiences. But I didn’t consciously base her on anyone I’ve known.

What would you like to have achieved in 10 years?

To have written a few more books and be a ‘successful’ author.

Thank you Anne Allen for this great interview and I don't think it'll be a problem to be a 'successful' author in 10 years. We'll help you by reading your books and loving them!

How to win "Dangerous Waters" by Anne Allen?

The only thing you have to do to win an e-book (we'll pick 2 random winners - worldwide) is leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address in it. The giveaway ends sunday 07/10 at 11 a.m. (Belgian time).

Bonus entries

If you'd like to have more chances to win this book, you can add these things in your comment (all entries can be in one post):

1. What's the place you'd like to live most of all? Why?

2. Follow this blog and say you're a follower.

3. Follow Anne Allen on Twitter https://twitter.com/AnneAllen21 and say you're a follower.

4. Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ElineTack and say you're a follower.

5. Share this giveaway on your Blog or Twitter and give us a link.

 Like to learn something more about Anne Allen and her book? Please visit these sites:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Anne's site