Monday, April 27, 2020

Land of Twilight Trilogy by Charmayne Hafen Tour Grand Finale #LOTPrism

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops
you'll find snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch - Author Interview

What inspired you to write the Land of Twilight Trilogy?

I am a child of divorce and know how difficult it can be to navigate the issues that accompany divorce. I also know that my faith in Jesus is what brought me through severely difficult times in my childhood. It is for these two reasons that I wrote this trilogy. I want kids to know they are not alone and that they have an ever-present Help to rely on and rest in.

Locks, Hooks and Books - Excerpt from Journey to Twilight

Moving to Phoenix, Arizona felt like the worst thing that could happen to Lorna. Leaving her home and friends in California was the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life.


"This story has some fun mythical characters and Twilight is an interesting place. I like the friendship that built between Sam and Lorna. I really like the illustrations. They are awesome. . . . The characters are well-developed and it's easy to feel their emotions. . . . I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a great adventure."

Hearts & Scribbles - Excerpt from Journey to Twilight

Lorna looked down and saw that the ground was as blue as a sky on a clear day. She grabbed a clump of grass and dirt. It felt like grass and dirt, but the color was all wrong. And the sky? The sky was green like the color of summer grass. Looking at the sky was a lot like looking at the world through a green glass bottle.

Remembrancy - Excerpt from Return to Twilight

Jenny turned her attention to a pack of six chocolate doughnuts sitting on the shelf in front of them. Flicking her hair from her face, she stared back at Lorna. “I dare you to put those doughnuts in your bag and walk out.”

Lorna frowned. “What do you mean…without paying?”

Splashes of Joy - Excerpt from Return to Twilight

Lorna sighed. Warm tears slid down the sides of her face. She felt lonelier than she had ever felt in her entire life. Sam knew she’d mistreated him. He was no longer her friend, and now Jenny was ignoring her, too. Ally hadn’t written or called her in over a month. She was probably loving her new town and school. She’d probably long forgotten Lorna wasting away in Phoenix. She had no one.

Wishful Endings - Excerpt from Return to Twilight

Lorna wiped her eyes with her free hand and smiled at her grandmother. “You can’t always be with me, grandma. I haven’t seen you for so long!”

Grandma Nila smiled and shook her head. “I’m not talking about me, Lorna Loon, although I will be with you as much as I can. I’m talking about the Savior. He is always with you, not just in places like this.”

Christy's Cozy Corners - Excerpt from Trouble in Twilight

Stealing a quick, concerned glance at Sam, Lorna asked, “What are you talking about, Trix? What is the Whatever?” Lorna made quote marks with her fingers.

“The Land of Twilight is dying. The Whatever has taken over and Twilight is dying!”


"It was so good from the first moment Lorna is introduced to Sam being introduced. I loved every moment of it. Ms. Hafen did a great job of spinning this tale. I am giving this novel five stars and recommend it to any parents that think that their child would love this book."

Hallie Reads - Excerpt from Trouble in Twilight

“What did you mean when you said that the Whatever is invisible to those who have no faith? Faith for what?” Lorna hung on to this question as if it where the last one she would ever get to ask. She couldn’t get it out of her mind.


"Each book is filled with lively characters that boys and girls will be able to relate to, they also go through many of these situations that our youth today are going through . . . Truly inspirational books for young kids today! I would highly recommend this whole series!"

Reading Is My SuperPower from Trouble in Twilight

“That’s Socrates! Oh my gosh! I can’t believe this.” Lorna was more excited than she’d been in days. Things were getting good. Would a mystery be revealed in the darkness?


Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of this post...



Journey to Twilight


(Land of Twilight Trilogy #1)
By Charmayne Hafen
Middle Grade Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 113 Pages
November 1st 2019 by Capture Books

Sam and Lorna’s bike challenge becomes far more than a neighborhood race in this action-adventure fantasy for intermediate grades.

Riding over a cairn at sunset, Lorna surfaces in Twilight, where she is given three impossible tasks to complete before her heart's desire is granted.

Story Line: Avid sixth-grade mountain biker, Lorna Wilson, moves to Crestwood, Arizona, after her parents' divorce. Unpacking, Lorna seeks a way to fit into the new crowd when a girl named Ally knocks on her front door.

Splashing in the pool at Ally’s house, Lorna learns about the bike challenge created by a scar-faced neighborhood legend, Samuel Black. She hears herself boasting that she can take on Samuel Black in his own race and win. Lorna's words quickly come back to bite her.

Although none of the kids will root for the new girl, an ancient cairn opens to the Land of Twilight giving Lorna an opportunity to win anything her heart desires.

Illustrations are by award-winning artist, Brianna Osaseri.

Thematic: Time travel ages 9-12; action-adventure; Female protagonist survives parents' divorce; confidence and friendship; conflict opens to opportunity; Celtic; Jamaican; Multi-racial; coming of age fantasy for pre-teens with some paranormal, magical or mystical places and events. Intermediate grades. Book 1 in a series.


(Affiliate links included.)


Return to Twilight


(Land of Twilight Trilogy #2)
By Charmayne Hafen
Middle Grade Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 142 Pages
January 21st 2020 by Capture Books

In this second book of the Land of Twilight Trilogy, seventh-grade Lorna struggles with the meaning of friend like, how to be one, how to choose one, and how to keep one.

Lorna rejects her dad, deceives her mom, and turns her back on the ethereal Land of Twilight. She even turns on her best friend, Sam, in favor of gaining the attention of a new girl in the neighborhood, Jenny. Lorna sheds her own social norms, stealing and hiding as she pretends to enjoy her second year in challenging Crestwood, Arizona.

It has to be Sam's turn to do what true friends do.

An exciting read for readers ages 9-13 who enjoy Celtic mythology, magic, and busting the dust of the Arizona desert with your best friend.


(Affiliate links included.)


Trouble to Twilight


(Land of Twilight Trilogy #3)
By Charmayne Hafen
Middle Grade Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 129 Pages
April 1st 2020 by Capture Books

How can the most colorful world in the universe turn hapless and gray?! That's what mystifies both Sam and Lorna.

Trix falls from the Land of Twilight, showing up at the discarded camper shell in the Arizona desert where Sam and Lorna are making their secret plans.

Trix and Melvin focus on the Land of Realtime because the lives of both Lorna and Sam have interwoven with the Land of Twilight. How can the four unravel themselves?

A tragic accident forces Sam to again realize that life can change suddenly. Now he and Lorna must rethink what in life is most important to them.

History, philosophy, and faith enter the scene through interdimensional time travel. The Land of Twilight Trilogy is filled with adventure and supernatural elements for readers ages 9-12. With its relatable characters and fast-moving plot, Sam and Lorna discover their priorities. As Sam faces unbearable consequences, he learns the bonds of true friendship and personal truth are real.

Readers are given not only an interesting story filled with allegorical elements about the meaning of faith, but are also challenged to think about their own ideas of reality and meaning.


(Affiliate links included.)

About the Author


Charmayne Hafen has been writing since she was nine years old when she kept a private journal documenting love and loss in her fourth-grade class. In 2016, she published her first book, The Land Of Twilight, which was selected as a winner in the category of Juvenile Fiction in the Winter 2017 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards. Using knowledge and skills acquired from her MA in counseling, Charmayne wrote The Land Of Twilight series to help kids navigate the sometimes difficult waters of divorce. Her love of Celtic mythology also influenced the book. The first book in the series has been republished under a new title called Journey To Twilight which will be available November 1, 2019. There will be two more books in the series coming out early [2020].



Tour Giveaway


One winner will receive an ebook of Journey to Twilight and a $50 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally
Ends April 30, 2020

ENTER HERE
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Review of Micah McKinney and the Boys of Summer by Nina Chapman


With equal parts humor and heart, Micah McKinney and the Boys of Summer tells the story of twelve-year-old Micah as she embarks on the summer before middle school. More than anything, Micah hopes to undergo a miracle transformation. One that will bring with it new friends, a fresh start, and boobs . . . preferably the round kind. If that happens, then maybe she can finally forget about what happened in the past. About losing her mom, about losing her best friend, and about the disaster she became in sixth grade, when everything fell apart. She and her dad have just moved away from their old neighborhood, and Micah's childhood home, to put some space between themselves and the secret burden they both bear, one that's already changed their lives and has the power to do even more damage. Soon after moving into her new neighborhood, Micah is greeted by the Water twins, Luke and Megan. Micah is surprised to find herself caught between their two worlds. In one world, there's Luke and his band of neighborhood boys, who challenge Micah in feats of strength, crowning her the kahuna at the local pool and vying for her attention, even though she doesn't quite understand why. And then there's Megan, whose world is full of lip gloss and padded bras, and the fine art of being a girl. As Micah awkwardly navigates her way through crushes, friendship, and the challenges of becoming a teenager, she discovers that the real transformation that needs to take place is in how she sees herself.



Book Links
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**My Thoughts**
I loved this book so much. Micah recently lost her mother and had some kind of a crisis with her old friends. She and her father have moved to the other side of town so that they can start over again. We eventually find out what happened and then you really feel sorry for her.

Micah is also at that awkward stage where she is 12 turning 13, so she wants to grow boobs and is trying to find out who she really is. Anyone who went through puberty is going to understand that.

But underneath her questioning and awkwardness is an amazing young woman who has a lot more confidence than she ever realized she had. She also is not into the typical girly-girl stuff that the new girls in her life seem to be. That and her feisty competitive nature help to win her over to the boys in her new neighborhood. They appreciate her for being real, for sharing in their joking, and for keeping up with them in the athletic world. And yes, there are some crushes going on in both directions.

This book reminded me a little bit of Mean Girls with a lot of Judy Blume undertones written for the modern girl. I thought back to my own awkward years and was reminded of a lot of amazing young women I know today. Micah is a young lady worth looking up to and is easily relatable. And again, I just loved this book. I recommend it for all coming of age girls.

I hope the author continues to write more, because I think she is a great voice in this YA world

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for honoring my request for a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.