It’s been one year since my little Phillip was put on the page. Like a proud Momma, I am! He would have had a better birthday if it weren’t for Edward–oh, you don’t know about that, yet–but, you will! Book II, Above the Stars will fill you in! In the meantime, please join me in wishing my Phillip a Happy Birthday!
Handsome little fellow, isn’t he?
Meet Razorsnoot! You’ve read about his before in Phillip’s Quest, Book 1: Winterfrost. You know, the goblin with digestive issues–probably from eating small rodents–and henchman for the Red Queen, well, here he is again. In living–sort of–color!
Such a pretty fellow! And now, the poor guy has competition. It was bad enough when Jet set his butt on fire in Phillip’s Quest, Book 1:Winterfrost, but now he’s dealing with the Queen’s favorite chiroptera bat, Bael! But, he still has to learn how to deal with Jet!
He rode to the top and approached the witch, head bowed. His
spider slinked up the knoll, ever so quietly. Razorsnoot was
dumbfounded by the Red Witch’s transformation. Where was that
hideous dragon of hers? He peered at the huge, black horse with his
one purple eye. He hated the dragon, but a horse? He decided he
could handle a horse, until he saw its eyes. They were red! The horse
watched Razorsnoot as he approached on the spider.
“Your report, Razorsnoot,” said the witch as she peered down at
the skulking figures.
“Yesssssss, ma’am,” hissed the goblin. “Market destroyed, jusssssst
as you commanded.”
“And the bodies?” she responded.
“We captured a bunch of the little runtssssss and locked them in
the wagonsssss. The resssst are lying dead in the market.”
“Very well!” replied the witch. “Run and fetch me that little
gnome, Phillip, and his wife Ivy and our business shall be complete.”
Razorsnoot picked at a large wart on his nose and looked around.
He had a tendency to pass wind when he was nervous.
“Umm…Phillip and hissss wife Ivy, ma’am? I don’t recall (fart, fart)
their whereaboutssssss (fart).”
“You don’t recall their whereabouts?” responded the Red Witch
with a raised and dreadful tone. “One of your very simple instructions,
goblin, was to capture OR kill two VERY specific gnomes. You were
provided descriptions. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU VILE
CREATURE. GO BACK DOWN THERE AND BRING ME THEIR BODIES!
NOW!”
“(FART, fart, FART, fart) Yes ma’am! (fart),” cried Razorsnnot.
Jet’s eyes glared at the mumbling and frantic goblin. The steed
had become agitated and his nostrils began to smoke.
As Razorsnoot reared his spider around to go back down the hill
to the wagons, he started to fart uncontrollably. The other goblins
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could even here his farts from the bottom of the hill and they began to
snicker and giggle.
Jet’s nostril’s opened up. He shot a flaming hot blast of fire right
at the goblin’s backside.
“AYYYYEEEEEEEEEEE!” screamed Razorsnoot.
He lept off the spider and rolled down the hill. His rear was on
fire.
“Help me!”–Phillip’s Quest, Book 1: Winterfrost
Is he not the sweetest llama you’ve ever seen? Llamont is from my newest book–to be out on October–“Above the Stars,” Book II in the Phillip’s Quest series. He is drawn by the brilliant illustrator/artist, Dean Kuhta and lives, with his wife, Llemura, in the mountains of Ice Cave Canyon. An important character to the series, Llamont may be one of the prints available during our Kickstarter campaign in September! 
–From: Phillip’s Quest, Book II: Above the Stars, by Belinda C. Barker and Illustrated by Dean Kuhta–
He was chomping on a long blade of grass. This odd looking fellow wore no boots on his very furry feet. He was the herder of the spotted goats. The goat herder had a few of the silly goats lagging behind. He seemed completely unaware of the dinosaur beside him or the gnome standing on top. Edward had managed to scramble to the top of Stinky’s head where he perched himself so he could get a better view of the activities.
“Lassies, p-p-please now. Yur a-laggin’ b-b-behind. It’s almos t-t-time fer t-t-tay.” As he spoke, there were little sprays of liquid coming from his mouth. Indeed, he spit as he spoke.
“We’re goin’ as fast as we…” The head goat, Veni-Vedi, fell over in faint. It lasted two or three seconds and then, “can. Hold yer britches!”
This odd fellow plus many more make their appearance in the newest book of the Phillip’s Quest series as Phillip and his two companions, Edward the Squirrel and Stinky the Dinosaur, continue on their quest for Winterfrost Castle. Meet Bael, the Red Witch’s new villain who tries to straighten out Razorsnoot, the farting goblin. Meet Oli, Edward’s sister who is taking care of a special gnome. And meet Chaspere, the lizard who’s a wizard!
Look for the “Above the Stars” Kickstarter Campaign beginning in September, so that Llamont, Llemura and their silly, spotted goats can leave Ice Cave Canyon for the pages of “Phillip’s Quest, Book II.” Win free prizes–jewelry, art prints, gift cards, free signed copies of “Winterfrost” and “The Ragwort Chronicles,” and MORE.
Sign up for the “Gnome Gnews-Letter” at this website for updates about the campaign, new books and exciting offers!
The last post I wrote was how to submit a review on Amazon.com. Like FaceBook and other social media sites, there is a definite algorithm for how they rate their users. None, more evident than Amazon.com. An author must have 40+ reviews on a book, before Amazon even notices them And, they rank an author by the number of those reviews. There are literally millions of authors on Amazon, so you can imagine how difficult it is to move up in rank. The higher the rank, the better the royalty. Right now, “Winterfrost,“has only 8, count em’ 8 reviews of the almost 500 books sold. Phillip is very sad. Just the other day he said to me, “Boots and britches, Miss Belinda, what are we to do?” And Edward…well, you can imagine a squirrel going well, nuts! So, I said, “Guys, I’ll think of something.” Here it is! A CONTEST! 1. Either email, IM or Private Message me through FB and send me your email address after you have written a review on Amazon.com of either “Winterfrost” or “The Ragworts.” 2. After either “WInterfrost” or “The Ragworts” reaches 40 reviews, there will be a random drawing for an: a) FREE First Edition, signed copy of Phillip’s Quest, Book II: Above the Stars, b) a card for a free ebook of your choice from Authorhouse.com and c) a free Autumn Moon Tree, made by Ethora. Check out the Etsy shop!
“Nuts and acorns, acorns and nuts, that’s a lot, Miss Belinda!” Edward began running around like a squirrel with peanut butter! “Yes, Edward, it is, but we have to get these folks to write those reviews!” So, folks, please help us get to 40 reviews on Amazon.com and you can win a prize! Only 32 to go! Thanks. xoxox
As you can see, my busy bee buzzed away. Good bye busy bee! In its place, “Winterfrost!” Quite frankly, the bee was driving me crazy, buzzing from one thing to another and the Red Witch was about to turn her into a snaggletoothed possum from Vandersnatch Swamp. Maleficent has nothing over on the Red Witch! And the old girl (RW) was getting her ice cubes in a bunch because she wasn’t getting enough press time. So, here it is! A website dedicated to Winterfrost and all the goings on between there and Twistedoak! There are so many:
1. A monthly newsletter will be launched. “Gnome Gnews” direct from Winterfrost Castle is just days away. This will be great for the kids, so let me know if you want it delivered to their inbox.
2. “Winterfrost” will be out in Kindle and ebook format. Look for that early June!
3. The Ragwort Chronicles, The Beginning: The Ragworts of Brokenfell
is live in both ebook and soft cover. It is a shorter book for 3rd graders and up. And, although it is for sale at any bookseller, I have a limited number of signed First Editions for sale, incl. shipping, for $21.95. A bonus gift will be included.
Go to my “Buy…” page and let me know.
4. Above the Stars, the 2nd book in the Phillip’s Quest Series is in illustration right now! Dean Kuhta is doing the wonderful illustrations. Look for a September Kickstarter Campaign.
5. Across the Elusive Sea,Book III, is almost half-way done!
Remember to let me know if you would like a colorful and fun newsletter sent to your child’s inbox!
The Busy Bee has been really busy, after all!
Did you know that a review from a reader is like a million dollars to an author? Well, only of they’re good, of course. But still, a bad review helps an author learn what needs to be fixed. After you have sold a few books, especially through Amazon, it’s always nice to check in with the customer reviews to see what’s been written. What I’ve found out though, is some people don’t know that the option is available. And, don’t realize how valuable that review is. So, boys and girls, ladies and gents, friends and family, here is “Writing the Review, 101.”
If you’ve ever bought anything on Amazon, then you should already have an account. If you haven’f, good for you! No, really, Amazon is a great place to shop–especially for BOOKS or ebooks! So, I will assume that you’re not part of the 10% of people in the US who has never bought anything on Amazon. But, lets start at the beginning so:
The best review of all.
Had a question from a young man today, not knowing too much about gnomes.
So, like what do they do? Just sit in the garden?
Well, “that’s part of it,” I said, “but they are Mother Nature’s caretakers.”
Gnomes are the earth’s very first “tree huggers.” I say that fondly. They live in forests, mostly at the base of and under trees. They care for creatures of the forests. Gnomes are instrumental in the repopulation of trees and other beneficial plants. They’re like the
forests goodwill ambassadors.
Of course, the next question had to be, “well like, are they real?” I looked at the child’s eyes and responded, “do you want them to be?” He whispered, “yes.” “Then,” I said, “in your heart, they are.” And off he went. Happily, I hope.
Above the Stars, the continuation of Phillip’s Quest for Winterfrost begins as the three companions arrive in the land of Winterfrost, a land of “unbelievable beauty and incredible cold.” A book as beautiful as WInterfrost, this book is filled with new and old characters alike. Meet Phillip’s new friends, Llemura and Llamont; new enemies, Bael and a new wizard and the unicorn, Chaspère and Unilda. Find out what happens to the companions and their beloved Twistedoak as they continue their epic saga. Will they get through this challenging journey together?
Above the Stars is written by Belinda MIller and has the beautiful illustrations of Dean Kuhta. A fantasy of words and pictures.
Above the Stars will be available for sale in book and ebook format, late October, 2014 through Amazon.com.
Winterfrost Publishing 