More on Illustrating Your Book

Two more short videos on my experiences working with an illustrator.

Choosing One Illustration Over Another

Streamlining Workflow

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Illustrating Your Book

The first two in a series of short videos on my experiences working with an illustrator.

Transferring the Image in Your Mind to that of Your Illustrator’s

Making Effective Illustrations

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I added another chapter of The Moon Coin to wattpadd

I added chapter twelve of The Moon Coin to wattpad, meaning you can now read half the book there for free. Wattpad also started taking videos, so I posted this little teaser trailer there as well.

The Moon Coin / A Moon Realm Novel

When Lily and Jasper’s uncle disappears, Lily must search for him in the most unlikely of places: the fading realms of her childhood bedtime tales.

“For a feel of the beginning of The Moon Coin, picture what might come into being if you took C.S. Lewis and Dr. Seuss and locked them in a room until they wrote a book together. Got that? And then Dr. Seuss gets kicked out and the whole thing takes a rather J.R.R. Tolkien turn.” -V.K. Finnish, author of The Society’s Traitor, The Discoveries of Arthur Grey

Get it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JFMKB8

Read the first half on Wattpad for free: https://www.wattpad.com/43091698-the-moon-coin-blurb

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The Moon Coin “charming and clever and beautiful and daring”

A Perfect Tales-Told-By-the-Fire Book

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By Tricia Rightmire

I’ve been working on how to phrase this review for a while, but I sit down planning to sound all clever and erudite and end up getting all wistful and making lots of hands-over-my-heart gestures at the screen, so I think this time I’m just going to go with that. . . .

The Moon Coin is lovely, folks. It is charming and clever and beautiful and daring; it’s full of adventure and surprises and courage and puzzles and characters with whom I fell immediately and permanently in love. It’s written with a younger audience in mind—think “older elementary school, some middle schoolers”—but it’s the sort of book that just begs for a blanket and some comfy pillows and a crackling fire on the hearth, with everyone piled in together and hearing about far-off lands full of faeries and dragons and cats big enough to ride (they get really crabby about that, though, so I don’t recommend trying it). It doesn’t shy away from big words or complex ideas, but couches them all in a universe that’s so rich and consuming that they’re not “too hard” . . . and it’s just. so. fun.

The downside is that it’s the first of an as-yet uncompleted series, so you can’t just sit down and binge-read through them all; the upside is that every minute in this world is delicious and grand, and makes you want nothing more than to have your own Moon Coin so you can go adventuring. Grab the youngsters who mean the most to you, settle in, and enjoy!

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From Sketch to Chapter Art, an Illustrator at Work

For me, getting to work with Carolyn Arcabascio was a dream come true. We worked from a master list of scene options, with Carolyn picking out scenes she liked and making sketches. For the prologue, Carolyn drafted three options. All three were great, but two in particular were spectacular. I first went with option 3 (one of my scene suggestions). I think we spent more time on this sketch and subsequent color drawing than on any other piece. But it never seemed right. At the eleventh hour, I asked Carolyn how hard she’d hit me if I suggested scrapping the thing and instead going with the pinky promise scene you see below (one of her scene suggestions).  Carolyn responded: “There would be no hitting involved!” and told me it wouldn’t be a problem. You sure can’t ask for better than that.

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From the Prologue: Bedtime Tales.

Click on image to enlarge.

Richard: Did you make all these sketches in the same location, Carolyn?

Carolyn: Yes, I do all of my work at a drafting table that’s situated in a little nook of my apartment in Acton, Massachusetts. There’s a bookshelf to my right and a wall of “inspiration” to my left, where I hang prints of other artists’ and illustrators’ work. On either side of my drafting table are drawers of supplies, and stacks of sketchbooks and old paintings. The drafting table faces a window overlooking a quiet street and the woods beyond it.

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From Chapter Two: A Coin of the Realm.

Click on image to enlarge.

Richard: Do you use models when you’re sketching?

Carolyn: I use a combination of models and photo references. If I need to work out the nuances of a character’s posture and really understand the perspective of it, I’ll ask whatever friend or family member is handy to pose for a sketch. Often, I’ll get into the position myself or mimic the facial expression I want to portray in order to get the feel of it. And sometimes, if there’s a character being portrayed multiple times across scenes, I’ll make a rough model of their head out of clay so I’ll have it to refer to.

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From Chapter Four: To Barreth.

Click on image to enlarge.

Richard: When drawing fantastical creatures, do you use bits and pieces of real animals for inspiration, or have you actually seen a wirtle and you’re just not telling us? 😉

Carolyn: No wirtles native to Massachusetts, fortunately! When figuring out the look of fantastical creatures, I use photo references of different animals to understand the way the anatomy might work, and then combine features as I see fit and as the story calls for. To understand the wirtle’s legs and paws, for example, I referred to a series of photographs of show dogs leaping over hurdles. The severely arched, scruffy back was influenced by photos of hyenas on the prowl. The bone-structure of the face ended up being something of a cross between a cow and a warthog, and I wanted the snout to be bare—kind of gross and raw-looking. Add it all up and, voila! We have a wirtle.

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When Lily and Jasper’s uncle disappears, Lily must search for him in the most unlikely of places: the fading realms of her childhood bedtime tales.

Gold Medal Winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award.

Epic fantasy for ages 9 to 99. Visit the Moon Realm

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Copyright © 2011-14 by Richard Due. All rights reserved.

No portion of this website may be used in any manner without the expressed written consent of the copyright holder.

Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^®

The Moon Realm^®

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The Moon Coin (Book Trailer)

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When Lily and Jasper’s uncle disappears, Lily must search for him in the one place she never imagined possible: the setting of her childhood bedtime tales: the Moon Realm.

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Copyright © 2011-14 by Richard Due. All rights reserved.

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Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of Ingenious Inventions

Run Amok, Ink^® The Moon Realm^®

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Illustrations and Excerpts from The Moon Coin

Illustrations and excerpts from the

The Moon Coin.

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From Chapter One

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From Chapter Two

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From Chapter Three

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From Chapter Four

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From Chapter Five

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From Chapter Six

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From Chapter Seven

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From Chapter Eight

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From Chapter Nine

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From Chapter Ten

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From Chapter Eleven

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From Chapter Twelve

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From Chapter Thirteen

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From Chapter Fourteen

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From Chapter Fifteen

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From Chapter Sixteen

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From Chapter Seventeen

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From Chapter Eighteen

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From Chapter Nineteen

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From Chapter Twenty

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Copyright © 2011-13 by Richard Due. All rights reserved.

No portion of this website may be used in any manner without

the expressed written consent of the copyright holder.

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Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of

Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^®

The Moon Realm^®

.

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NEWSFLASH: The Moon Coin and The Dragondain are now in Barnes and Noble’s brick and mortar bookstores!

Gibbering Gnome Press NEWSFLASH!

Paperback copies of The Moon Coin and The Dragondain are now in Barnes and Noble’s brick and mortar bookstores!!! Not every location has them on the shelf, but they can all order it for in-store pick-up.

It also means you can order the paperback books through B&N’s website (free shipping eligible). In fact, B&N is currently offering the best deal I’ve seen: 25% off The Moon Coin!

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Copyright © 2011, 2012 by Richard Due. All rights reserved.

Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of

Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^®

The Moon Realm^®

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Jen’s Book Closet Reviews The Dragondain

“And while this title is considered middle-grade fiction (ages 7-12) due to the ages of its protagonists, it is so much more than that. It is an addictive drug for those of us who have lovingly flipped through its pages. It is the fantastical story you dreamed of while waiting to fall asleep. It is youth brought to life. It is all the things I still wish I could do. Things like have adventures of my very own.”

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Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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THE DRAGONDAIN Print Edition has Launched!

“Tales, unlike stories, never lie. You see, a tale is an account of

things in their due order, often divulged secretly, or as gossip.

Would you like to hear one?” —Lord Autumn

It’s the middle of the night, you need to send your brother to the Moon Realm, and he won’t wake up. So you improvise. . . .

When a confused Jasper awakes, he’s convinced he’s dreaming. But by the time he meets Greydor, Jasper understands that this is no dream. In fact, persuading the King of the Rinn to work with the men of Dain to defeat their common enemy is a nightmare. Then there’s the other side of the coin: convincing Tavin and Dubb that saddling a Rinn isn’t certain death. (“It’ll be fun!”) And perhaps even a greater worry: can he make friends with Dubb’s daughter Darce before she punches his lights out?

Lily has problems, too. There’s a little mousie scratching in her closet. Or at least, it sounds like a little mousie. Oh, and her second confrontation with Curse, and trying to form her first peerin. (Don’t you have to be from Dain to do that?) And where’s Ebb?

One thing’s for sure: now that Lily and Jasper have entered the Moon Realm, nothing can ever be the same again.

Illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio. Book Two in the award winning Moon Realm Series.

For a Two Chapter Preview: click HERE.

Book Two / A Moon Realm Novel

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The tale continues . . .

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Two chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

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The Dragondain

Book Two / A Moon Realm Novel

Now available in paperback and ebook.

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes iBookstore, and Second Looks Books.

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 The Moon Coin

Book One / A Moon Realm Novel

Now available in paperback and eBook...

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes iBookstore, and Second Looks Books.

......

❍

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Copyright © 2011 by Richard Due. All rights reserved. Gibbering Gnome Press,

A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^® The Moon Realm^®

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The Traverse City Children’s Book Festival, the Moonbeam Awards, and a literary scavenger hunt.

I just got back from a trip to Traverse City, Michigan, where the Traverse City Children’s Book Festival was held in a beautiful old Opera House. It’s lovely town right on the shore of Lake Michigan, and the people there support not one, but two amazing independent bookshops: Horizon Books, and Brilliant Books. (You can get THE MOON COIN in Horizon Books now, btw, just sayin’.)

The Traverse City Children’s Book Festival. I’m in the lower right corner.

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I got to meet a lot of amazing authors at the festival, but for me the most exciting part was meeting the kids: you would have thought they were in a candy store!

Some of the winners on display in the Opera House. (I did NOT arrange these books!)

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After the festival, we packed up, got dressed up, and headed out to the top floor of the tallest building in town: the Park Place Hotel, where the Moonbeam Awards Ceremony was held.

I’m the dude on the far right. Jim Barnes, master of ceremonies, is in the center.

Link to the press release HERE.

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Lastly, I want to mention that the GoodReads Group, Anything Goes, has picked The Moon Coin as their December Book of the Month. Anything Goes is mostly comprised of UK members, but anyone is welcome to join. I’ve been in contact with Chris, a group moderator, and she’s given me permission to put together a little international contest. So get ready for a literary scavenger hunt (drawing off The Moon Coin). The winner will receive a signed, numbered, paperback copy (I will ship this anywhere I can (except to the moon Darwyth; if you’re on the moon Darwyth then you’re on your own; sorry). I’ll post the contest here at Anything Goes on the December the 1st. So if you like scavenger hunts, be on the lookout!

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2012 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards: Gold Medal Winner

The Moon Coin just won the 2012 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for pre-teen fiction.

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Link to the press release HERE.

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Cover Reveal for the Print Edition of THE DRAGONDAIN

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Click the image directly above or HERE for a larger image.

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Copyright © 2012 by Richard Due. All rights reserved. Gibbering Gnome Press,

A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^® The Moon Realm^®

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Moon Realm Swag

Here’s a pic from my nature light studio

(more commonly referred to as: the porch).

A sampling of what I’m taking to the Baltimore Book Festival next weekend.

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Reads4Tweens Reviews THE MOON COIN

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I would highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys fantasy. It’s suitable for ages 8 and up, although younger readers might prefer to have it read out loud to them. Lily is the main character of this book, but it will appeal equally to boys and girls. —Reads4Tweens

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Click the image directly above or HERE to read the review.

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THE DRAGONDAIN

The Dragondain Now Available on

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes

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The Chronicles of Narnia meets Game of Thrones

Precocious reader to adult: 304 paperback pages, 85,000 words, full-color illustrations. Book one of the Moon Realm series.

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When Lily and Jasper’s uncle disappears, Lily must search for him in the most unlikely of places: the fading realms of her childhood bedtime tales.

Gold Medal Winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award.

..

It’s the middle of the night, you need to send your brother to the Moon Realm, and he won’t wake up. So you improvise. . . .

When a confused Jasper awakes, he’s convinced he’s dreaming. But by the time he meets Greydor, Jasper understands that this is no dream. In fact, persuading the King of the Rinn to work with the men of Dain to defeat their common enemy is a nightmare. Then there’s the other side of the coin: convincing Tavin and Dubb that saddling a Rinn isn’t certain death. (“It’ll be fun!”) And perhaps even a greater worry: can he make friends with Dubb’s daughter Darce before she punches his lights out?

Lily has problems, too. There’s a little mousie scratching in her closet. Or at least, it sounds like a little mousie. Oh, and her second confrontation with Curse, and trying to form her first peerin. (Don’t you have to be from Dain to do that?) And where’s Ebb?

One thing’s for sure: now that Lily and Jasper have entered the Moon Realm, nothing can ever be the same again.

Illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio. Volume Two of the The Moon Realm Series.

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Two chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

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The Dragondain

Now available in paperback and ebook.

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore.

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Paperback Edition

On Sale at Amazon

Click HERE.

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❍

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 The Moon Coin

Book One / A Moon Realm Novel

Now available in paperback and eBook.

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Amazon, Second Looks Books, and Back to the Books.

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Paperback Edition

On Sale at Amazon

Click HERE.

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Available for E-Readers:

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore

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❍

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Copyright © 2011 by Richard Due. All rights reserved. Gibbering Gnome Press,

A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^® The Moon Realm^®

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Cover Reveal: THE DRAGONDAIN

Cover Reveal for Book 2 in the Moon Realm Series

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eBook version available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Paperback edition to follow later this year.

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Copyright © 2011 by Richard Due. All rights reserved. Gibbering Gnome Press,

A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^® The Moon Realm^®

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Preview: THE DRAGONDAIN / A Moon Realm Novel

Book Two / A Moon Realm Novel

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The tale continues . . .

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Two chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

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The Dragondain

Book Two / A Moon Realm Novel

Now available in paperback and ebook.

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore.

..

Paperback Edition Regularly $12.99

On Sale at Amazon

20% Off

Click HERE.

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❍

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 The Moon Coin

Book One / A Moon Realm Novel

Now available in paperback and eBook.

..

Amazon, Second Looks Books, and Back to the Books.

..

Paperback Edition Regularly $12.99

On Sale at Amazon

20% Off

Click HERE.

..

Available for E-Readers:

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore

..

❍

..

Copyright © 2011 by Richard Due. All rights reserved. Gibbering Gnome Press,

A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^® The Moon Realm^®

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Sharon the Librarian Review THE MOON COIN

Sharon the Librarian reviews The Moon Coin

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Click HERE or the image above for the review.

 

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Win Autographed Copy of THE MOON COIN

via GoodReads.

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Click HERE or the image directly above.

Plus a T-Shirt!

Here’s a quick visual tour of the paperback:

For a higher quality video, click HERE.

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Click HERE to get a Six Chapter Preview

2012 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards: Gold Medal Winner

Tales, unlike stories, never lie. You see, a tale is an account of things in their due order, often divulged secretly, or as gossip. Would you like to hear one? —Lord Autumn

Uncle Ebb was so good at telling his tales of the Moon Realm that Lily and Jasper used to wonder if he’d been there himself. But as teenagers, they’re beyond all that—up until the moment they’re plunged into the fantastic bedtime tales of their youth. Now, armed with nothing more than memories—and the moon coin—Lily and Jasper must piece together Uncle Ebb’s shattered tales and unite the fractured Moon Realm, or lose the moons they loved so much . . . all over again.

Illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio. Volume One of the The Moon Realm Series

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Copyright © 2011 by Richard Due. All rights reserved. Gibbering Gnome Press,

A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink™ The Moon Realm™

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