The Legend Series Blog Tour: Day 5

Please welcome author L.F. Young as he continues his online blog tour for the enticing Legend Series! Today is Day 5 of the tour, and it's my pleasure to share these words of a very important character in Young's MG novels... Willie the Dragon. Be sure to check out the puzzle below, as well as the Morning Rain Publishing coupon which can be used for your book purchasing delight. And don't forget to enter the raffle! You could win book swag!

Hello everyone, and thank you Jessica for inviting me to say a few words on your beautiful blog. My name is Willie, and I am a dragon. That is to say, I was named Willie by Ryan. I didn’t have a name, back then. Ryan and I have grown to be close friends, and I have been asked to explain what my typical day is like. That’s a tough question for a real live dragon. I guess what I mean is, my day is a little bit boring compared to the stories most people think they know about dragons. I have never

burnt down a village. I actually can’t breathe fire, and I can’t fly, either, although apparently some of my ancestors did. Mostly, I live underground, and I keep out of sight during the day, asleep in my lair. I don’t think humans would understand my species, well, other than Ryan, of course. We liked each other right away.

Let me see… I can tell when night falls and it’s time to get up, even from underground. Ryan told me about time and clocks and watches, but I just use my nose to tell time. I wake up when the smell of the air in my tunnel system changes, and I know I won’t be spotted as I look for food. My favourite foods are what Ryan calls tomatoes, but I can only get good vegetables and fruit like that in the summer, and I am sure the farmer doesn’t mind. After all, the deer and rabbits get their fill, and I

don’t even leave a mess. I also like the red juicy things on trees that he called apples, and there are a lot of those trees nearby. I spend a long time eating as I go along the countryside under the cover of darkness. In fact, I eat for most of the night. The other thing I really like to do is swim in my winter feeding grounds: the ocean. There, I can have as much of the seaweed and plants as I want, and the bonus is I have never seen a human down where I go for meals. I am also a great swimmer, and I can stay submerged for a very long time. I have been to a lot of places in the world by travelling in the oceans, but New Brunswick is the best, and now that I have found a friend, I won’t be so lonely. I hope you like our story, and I know you will learn some pretty interesting things about the ocean and about nature all around us. I sure enjoyed this chance to talk to everyone. Thanks again, Jessica.

In 1995, Lockard Young started banging away at the computer, and before long he had completed five chapters of a book. Because the characters were named after his children, he thought it fitting to read the tale to them. Enthralled by the story, they demanded more and so Lockard wrote. The end result was a story entitled, Ryan’s Legend, and then its sequel, the Legend Returns. Two books were born, and so was a hobby.

A plumber by trade, Lockard lives with his wife in the countryside of rural New Brunswick. In addition to a number of stories he has “in the works,” Lockard also has an impressive poetry collection, inspired by his trip to South Africa.

                                                                                                                   Morning Rain Publishing

http://morningrainpublishing.com/project/ryans-legend/

http://morningrainpublishing.com/project/the-legend-returns-by-l-f-young/

Learn about book cover design during tomorrow's Day 6 of the tour by visiting http://morningrainpublishing.com
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Creating a Book Club

As a child I didn't have a great variety of book outlets. For a short time a public library became available in my tiny, isolated community, but due to the great expense of shipping books back and forth, it's doors soon slammed closed. There was a large library in our school, though for some strange reason it was almost never utilized. I believe it was because the books needed fresh cataloging... All that to say, the people in my life who recognized my love for literature, my yearning for more of it, thankfully nurtured it in any way they could. My mother shared the novels of her youth with me, and read countless fairy tales by my bedside. My father allowed access to his collection of biographies and history books, despite their adult content. And my teachers shared the greatest works of fiction and fantasy, which were my favorite, and often purchased titles I inquired about.

I was fortunate.

Throughout the years of reading I longed for others like me. I wished to yarn about the fantastic worlds I discovered between pages with more than just the loving adults around me. They were great and all... but I was a kid!

There were of course a few friends who enjoyed reading as I did, but none were ever as consumed, dedicated, or (let's face it) obsessed, as I was. How much I would have loved a nerdy "and not ashamed of it" book club.

For this reason, I have decided to create a Middle Grade book group at my current place of work, Penson School. I introduce to you the I Love Books Club!

I want to make this club a space for any young book lover to feel at home in their passion for the power of words. This will not be your ordinary, sit around the table and be quiet, book group. I aim to reveal the energy behind the book lover's soul through vivid conversation, character charades, cover vs. content knuckle rounds, novel themed costume meets, and more! I can't wait to get started.

Another special feature I'd like to introduce to the I Love Books Club is a monthly Author Q&A or Meet and Greet event. These need not be face to face, but may be worked online through email, video, or by live Skyping. If you are a Middle Grade or Picture Book author interested in making a group of book fans very happy (as well as interested in your work) please get in touch.

Let's spread the book love! You can visit the I Love Books Club blog and keep up to date on what we're reading, what we're celebrating, and more, by clicking the link below. We'll be enjoying our first meeting this Tuesday!

Visit the I Love Books Club Blog