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.

Rockin' Book Reviews - Reviews

"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!”

Baroness' Book Trove - Reviews

"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.

Teatime and Books - Reviews

"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.

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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.

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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.

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Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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].

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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

Review of Hidden Pictures at the Zoo by Liz Ball

Bust out your binoculars to find these hidden items!

• 50 fun puzzles filled with hidden objects at the zoo
• Over 400 hidden animals and items within each illustration
• Seek, find, and color, as these fun black & white puzzles double as coloring pages
• Learn fun facts about the animals at the zoo, from monkeys to lions

Hidden Pictures at the Zoo is filled with 50 black and white hidden puzzle pictures—all from inside the zoo!

With more than 400 secret items and animals for children to find within each illustration, from cute monkeys to tough lions, kids will be on the prowl for hours!

Kids will also learn while they play, with mini "fun facts" in the margins that are all about zoo animals.

But the fun doesn't stop there! These black and white pages double as coloring activities—seek & find, then color—so go wild!

Author and illustrator Liz Ball has over 3,000 hidden pictures published in more than 150 newspapers, magazines, and publications both across the U.S. and internationally. Her work has also been recommended by doctors, teachers, and parents to help improve eye coordinating, spatial skills, memory retention, and concentration. A member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, she is a frequent speaker at schools, libraries, and writers' conferences.

Find the hundreds of cool animals and secret items hiding inside Hidden Picture Puzzles at the Zoo!

Book Links

Goodreads * Amazon * B&N * IndieBound

(affiliate link included)

**My thoughts**
When I was a kid, I loved doing the hidden pictures in my monthly Highlights magazine. This is a whole book dedicated to those, with even more intricate pictures and a ton of information. Visit various exhibits in the zoo and find a bunch of objects hidden in the drawings. It's not as easy as you think it's going to be! At the same time, you get to learn some fun facts about the animals featured in each exhibit. Kids will especially love all of the poop facts! And there is an answer key in the back in case you really get stuck on finding a picture. It will keep kids busy for weeks!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review of Dog Town by Debbie L. Richardson

Welcome to the book blast for Dog Town by Debbie L. Richardson! I have an excerpt and my thoughts for you today on this middle grade adventure. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for even more and then enter the great giveaway!

Harry loves to race around the streets of Dog Town. When he stumbles upon the lost city of cats, he finds himself in a race against Dog Town’s fastest canine, Grizzly.

The winner of this race will have the power to save Cat World, or destroy it.

Harry wants to win, but there is one small problem. The race is in the ocean, and Harry is terribly afraid of water.

Can Harry overcome his fear of the water and save Cat Town?

Read an excerpt:

HARRY was dreaming that a cat fell out of the sky and landed on his head.

He woke at once. It was dark inside his kennel. He was uncertain if it was very late or very early, but he was wide awake and puzzled about the cat in his dream.

Cats were unheard of in Dog Town. The way summers without mosquitoes were unheard of. Or non-fattening chocolate bars were unheard of.

Baffled, Harry tried thinking about something else. Instead, he became consumed by visions of cats. As he struggled to find meaning behind his odd dream, he became convinced it meant something horrible for dog-kind.

The blanket at his feet offered a good place to avoid thinking on his dream any further. He hid under the blanket, until the heat of the summer’s night made it hot enough to cook a roast.

Harry pushed his nose outside his kennel. It was hot and humid tonight, and there wasn’t a breath of wind. Vastly different to that afternoon when the wind’s temper had set every door in the house banging.

Even though it was too hot inside his kennel, he didn’t want to leave it. Outside in his backyard, shadows skipped across the treetops. Shadows that didn’t belong to the moon or to the wind.

Book links:

Kobo  * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords * iBooks * Goodreads

**My thoughts**

This middle grade story is for those who love to read adventures, especially involving animals. I felt like there were elements of Secret Life of Pets as the adventures of the animals happen unbeknownst to the "Furless Ones" or humans in their lives. 

You have three worlds: Little Rover for the small dogs, Big Rover for the big dogs, and Cat Town for the cats. All of these animals used to coexist in the same world until something happened that determined they needed to be separated with lots of extreme rules and laws. And they do not mix. In fact, dogs have been taught for years that cats are extinct. So imagine Harry's surprise when he ventures off into forbidden territory and comes across Cat Town!

He also finds a rather sinister statue there, the description of which actually kind of grossed me out, personally, but a lot of kids will get a kick out of. I don't really understand the meaning of it, though they do explain its importance later on in the story.

Overall, it is a story about the importance of friendship and not letting fights get overly blown out of proportion. I could actually see this one getting turned into a movie or something that kids would enjoy.

Thank you to the author and Goddess Fish for fulfilling my review request. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About Debbie L. Richardson

Debbie Richardson has published fiction novels as D L Richardson. She has published three young adults supernatural fiction novels, and science fiction and supernatural thrillers for adults. This is her first children’s book.

She was born in Dublin, Ireland and grew up in Australia. It was always crowded and noisy in the family home. At one stage there were also three dogs, a cat, a budgie, and three mice living with seven people the same house.

Debbie learned to find a quiet space within books.

She now lives in the south coast of New South Wales with her husband and a small dog named Teeka.

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/DogTownKidsbook

Website:
www.dlrichardson.com

Debbie L. Richardson will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway