The Wonders of the Peculiar Parasol
by Mark M. Even 
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GENRE: Young Adult
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BLURB: The Wonders of the Peculiar Parasol is an outstanding fantasy that shows how Mandy discovers her magic under strange circumstances. It focuses on how Mandy will get home and how she'll discover her real purpose in coming to this land, providing the basics of how this new world operates in a manner that elementary-level readers can readily understand: "The parasol and the dragonstone work together to sense the presence, or lack of presence, of the inner magic of the person holding the parasol. The dragonstone uses the infinite power of the sun to tap or channel or access that magic. And one way it does that is to transport an individual to Storyworld.” As Mandy harbors a secret, puzzles out how to use the dragonstone, and interacts with her family while battling lizards and building an army, young readers will relish the blend of real-world family dilemmas and fantasy world encounters. (D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review)
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NOTE: The book is $0.99.
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Excerpt: She opened the parasol and placed it on her shoulder. Just as she started twirling it, she heard the creak of the back door to the house open. Grandma rushed out, waving her arms and shouting, “Mandy, wait! Don’t!” Too late, it’s my turn! Mandy thought. A blue glow fell across her. Her vision blurred in the blue light. She felt like she was standing still… and spinning at the same time. Indistinct, blurred images appeared and disappeared in front of her, quickly fading away. She felt frustrated; she couldn’t quite make out what the images were. Finally, she found herself standing on a desolate hillside. Below spread an open vista of hundreds of acres of land covered in boulders. Across this landscape, large and small vents spewed steam, which condensed into shimmering silver, white, and blue water vapor rising into the stark blue sky. Turning to her right, Mandy saw a large unevenly formed mountain some distance away. On top of the mountain sat what appeared to be an old stone castle with massive parapets and what Mandy thought was… a drawbridge. There were some… creatures flying around the castle and in between the fortifications and towers. “I wonder what those are,” Mandy said aloud, squinting her dark hazel eyes to try and make out their shapes. Behind Mandy, a deep bass voice loudly said, “Oh… no! How did we get to Talon?”
From The Author:
What do you miss most in this "new world"? I've got many things that come to mind: going to my favorite restaurant for a nice dinner with friends and/or family, travel (I have had 3 separate trips cancelled or re-scheduled into 2021), BASEBALL -- either on TV or at the game (I have a ticket package at the Minnesota Twins), and going to the theater (I've had tickets for 3 separate musicals in Minneapolis that are now scheduled for fall of 2021).
And actually, as I think about it, if push came to shove, I could make do without any of the things listed above (well, except maybe baseball). As most people have, I've been coping with the "new world" of masks and social distancing. I've been able to play golf regularly and do some fishing. My grandkids are all close-by and we are able to meet for dinners or family gatherings, and we've even worked in some social contact with friends and other relatives.
But, the one thing I miss the most is going to the MOVIES! My wife and I would often go to the local cinema (or the IMAX for some of the blockbusters) whenever a new movie would come up. There's nothing better than sitting in a theater recliner, watching an action/adventure movie on the big screen, and sharing a tub of popcorn with your sweetheart. As a big Marvel Universe and DC superhero fan, I was looking forward to all of the new flicks scheduled to come out -- Black Widow, the next Wonder Woman, the new X-Men, and others. And, I have to admit, I concede to going to a chick flick now and then, in order to keep the peace.
Catching a new movie (or TV Series) on Netflix or some other streaming service just isn’t the same (although The Mandalorian came pretty close).
I crave the big Surround Sound and becoming immersed in the story and action of good movie – it doesn’t even have to be a great movie – I just want to be entertained for 90 minutes or more and be blown away by special effects and plot twists.
If we can start attending movies again, it will start feeling more normal to me.
Stay healthy!
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AUTHOR Bio and Links: I retired from almost 40 years working for IBM in Mar, 2017. I’ve been married for 43 years to my wife, Joyce and have 3 children and 8 grand-children. I enjoy golfing, fishing, bird-watching and travel. Shortly after retiring from IBM in 2017, I was at a small-town celebration in northern Wisconsin and noticed that a number of the little vendor booths were people selling children’s books that they created and self-published. I looked at these and told myself that I could write something like that. And I did, but these were the type of books that were targeted at small kids and needed vibrant pictures and artwork. In the spring of 2018, I was visiting my niece and her family, and she told me of this wonderful idea for a story for a children’s book and after talking with her about it, we agreed to collaborate and I took on the task of writing the story. After many iterations, The Wonders of the Peculiar Parasol became a reality. www.dragonstonestories.com (Mark Even website)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Even-Books-106679040686753/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19679689.Mark_M_Even
(Cresting Wave Publishing) Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Wonders-Peculiar-Parasol-Dragonstone-Story/dp/0988904829
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Mark M. Even will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
RAFFLECOPTER:
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