Book Launch Day!

Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy is out!

(Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes & Noble.)

 

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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.

..

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.

..

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 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 . . .

..

..

..

Two chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

The Dragondain

Book Two / A Moon Realm Novel

Now available in paperback and ebook.

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

..,,

❍

..

 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.

......

❍

..

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

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

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »

THE DRAGONDAIN

The Dragondain Now Available on

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes

..

..

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.

..

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.

..
..

Two chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

The Dragondain

Now available in paperback and ebook.

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore.

..

Paperback Edition

On Sale at Amazon

Click HERE.

,,

❍

..

 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

On Sale at Amazon

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^®

Read Full Post »

Preview: THE DRAGONDAIN / A Moon Realm Novel

Book Two / A Moon Realm Novel

..

The tale continues . . .

..

..

..

Two chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

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.

,,

❍

..

 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^®

Read Full Post »

Preview: THE MOON COIN / A Moon Realm Novel

..
..

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.

..

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.

..

Six chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

ePub is good for Nooks, iPads, and generic eReaders. Mobi is good for Kindles.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

Table of Contents

Prologue

Bedtime Tales

…….Their uncle had a habit of arriving late or not at all, but when he showed up at bedtime, he always had a new story in need of telling—as if a thousand-year-old publishing factory resided in his head.

..

 

Chapter One

Oscar Knows Things

…….With an explosive flapping of wings, Oscar popped upward a foot or more before settling down and once again clasping the golden perch with his long tail. He shook his head, ruffled his feathers, and opened his eyes wide to take stock of his surroundings, eventually settling his blinking gaze on Lily and Jasper. This appearance of wise scrutiny was completely at odds with his birdbrained nature. And yet. . . .

…….Lily nudged Jasper. “Oscar knows things,” she whispered.

..

Chapter Two

A Coin of the Realm

…….Lily lifted it off the mannequin’s shoulders and examined it in the light. The pendant was made of an outer ring and an inner disk. Connecting the two were a dozen thin tines, evenly spaced like the spokes of a wheel or the hours on a clock.

…….“What’s that? In the center?”

…….Lily flipped over the pendant, examining both sides as best she could in the thin veil of light. The tines grasped only the very edge of the coin, allowing both sides to be easily viewed.

…….“I think it’s a coin, a gold coin.”

..

Chapter Three

Mr. Phixit

…….Uncle Ebb’s workshop, which occupied the entire third floor, was a giant windowless room filled with aisles of parts, cannibalized and half-finished inventions, and junk—lots and lots of junk. The staircase emptied right into the middle of it. The walls gave off a dark blue light, as though these reefs were deep under the sea. The electrimals that lived here were also different: large-mouthed, bulbous-eyed, with long dangling spines. They moved slowly, gliding along the walls like miniature deep-sea dirigibles.

…….Mr. Phixit sat directly in front of the landing.

..

Chapter Four

To Barreth

…….The little rider’s eyes were were small, black, and deeply burrowed in its furry face. It regarded Lily with shock and surprise, as though she were something it had never seen before. Lily stared likewise. Its pelt was dusty-brown and thick under its clothes, and it wore a small metal cap on its head, looped under the chin by a leather strap. A jerkin of stiff leather completed its armor. Tied at its neck, flapping like a cape in the breeze, was a small cloak, which Lily thought made it look like some kind of otter superhero.

..

Chapter Five

Roan’s Charge

…….“Surround her!” roared Roan. “Surround her! Do not allow a single arrow through!” He dove toward Lily and lashed out his paw in a violent stroke toward her head.

…….Before she could even scream, Roan’s massive paw flicked scant inches from her face, the wind of it ruffling her hair. The Rinn had swatted down an arrow that just a moment before was hurtling toward her.

…….“Brace yourselves!” he roared. “They are upon us!”

..

Six chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of

Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink

is pleased to present:

..

The Moon Coin

Available in paperback:

Amazon and SecondLooksBooks.

..

Paperback Version 

On Sale at Amazon

Click HERE.

..

Available for E-Readers:

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

❍

..

The Dragondain

Now available in paperback and ebook.

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore.

..

Paperback Edition On Sale at Amazon

Click HERE

..

Two chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

❍

....

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

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

Read Full Post »

The Moon Coin

Book One / A Moon Realm Novel

Now available in paperback and eBook.

..

Amazon, Barnes and Noble,

and Second Looks Books.

….

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

..

Preview: The Moon Coin.

Six chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

Praise for The Moon Coin

..

“If I had to compare The Moon Coin to any other work, I’d say it is a cross between Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings. It reads very well for middle grade and younger YA, like Narnia, with the immense fantasy of LOTR. The imagery is so captivating, Lily is so mature, and the reader is swept along [on] her adventure as if we are riding the Rinn or facing the dragon ourselves. It is everything you want a great fantasy to be and then some.”

—Gathering Leaves Reviews (5 Stars)

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“The Moon Coin was Middle-Grade Fantasy at its best! The world Richard Due created was lush and overflowing with imagination and wonder. This story puts you in a fantasy overload, full of creatures and places you only dream about existing. When I was a kid I would have annihilated this book, slept with it under my pillow, and carried it with me at school.”

—Sizzling Reads (5 Flames)

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“The Moon Coin, fast, furious and immensely enjoyable, reminded me of what I love about fiction. . . . The way Mr. Due has crafted his tale is wickedly enthralling, with a touch of what we know added into the larger mix of what we don’t, we get to discover everything right along with Lily (and eventually Jasper). There are surprises around every corner and by taking the more difficult theme of division, forcible annexation and the underlying currents of coloring up the truth, Mr. Due has made The Moon Coin into a story that is deeply layered and developed as much as it is entertaining and delightful.”

—In the Closet with a Bibliophile (5 Stars)

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“. . . I fell in love with the hand drawn illustrations. Call me old fashioned, but I really miss the days when all illustrations looked like these. Computers are a fantastic invention (without them this ebook wouldn’t exist) but I sure do miss the gorgeous fruits of someone talented’s labor. Carolyn Arcabascio’s illustrations really bring the story to life. They are that little link that makes all the difference in becoming immersed in the story.”

—Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile (5 Stars)

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“The world of the Moon Realm is so wonderfully detailed and vivid that you have no trouble imagining everything that Lily is going through. The book also includes really fantastic illustrations. The world building is really awesome and is most definitely a stand out feature of this book.”

—A Bookish Affair (4.5 Stars)

Click HERE to Read More Reviews of The Moon Coin.

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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^®

Read Full Post »

Free Sneak Preview of the First Six Chapters of THE MOON COIN

Preview: The Moon Coin / A Moon Realm Novel

..
..

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

..

Six chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

Table of Contents

Prologue

Bedtime Tales

…….Their uncle had a habit of arriving late or not at all, but when he showed up at bedtime, he always had a new story in need of telling—as if a thousand-year-old publishing factory resided in his head.

..

Chapter One

Oscar Knows Things

…….With an explosive flapping of wings, Oscar popped upward a foot or more before settling down and once again clasping the golden perch with his long tail. He shook his head, ruffled his feathers, and opened his eyes wide to take stock of his surroundings, eventually settling his blinking gaze on Lily and Jasper. This appearance of wise scrutiny was completely at odds with his birdbrained nature. And yet. . . .

…….Lily nudged Jasper. “Oscar knows things,” she whispered.

..

Chapter Two

A Coin of the Realm

…….Lily lifted it off the mannequin’s shoulders and examined it in the light. The pendant was made of an outer ring and an inner disk. Connecting the two were a dozen thin tines, evenly spaced like the spokes of a wheel or the hours on a clock.

…….“What’s that? In the center?”

…….Lily flipped over the pendant, examining both sides as best she could in the thin veil of light. The tines grasped only the very edge of the coin, allowing both sides to be easily viewed.

…….“I think it’s a coin, a gold coin.”

..

Chapter Three

Mr. Phixit

…….Uncle Ebb’s workshop, which occupied the entire third floor, was a giant windowless room filled with aisles of parts, cannibalized and half-finished inventions, and junk—lots and lots of junk. The staircase emptied right into the middle of it. The walls gave off a dark blue light, as though these reefs were deep under the sea. The electrimals that lived here were also different: large-mouthed, bulbous-eyed, with long dangling spines. They moved slowly, gliding along the walls like miniature deep-sea dirigibles.

…….Mr. Phixit sat directly in front of the landing.

..

Chapter Four

To Barreth

…….The little rider’s eyes were were small, black, and deeply burrowed in its furry face. It regarded Lily with shock and surprise, as though she were something it had never seen before. Lily stared likewise. Its pelt was dusty-brown and thick under its clothes, and it wore a small metal cap on its head, looped under the chin by a leather strap. A jerkin of stiff leather completed its armor. Tied at its neck, flapping like a cape in the breeze, was a small cloak, which Lily thought made it look like some kind of otter superhero.

..

Chapter Five

Roan’s Charge

…….“Surround her!” roared Roan. “Surround her! Do not allow a single arrow through!” He dove toward Lily and lashed out his paw in a violent stroke toward her head.

…….Before she could even scream, Roan’s massive paw flicked scant inches from her face, the wind of it ruffling her hair. The Rinn had swatted down an arrow that just a moment before was hurtling toward her.

…….“Brace yourselves!” he roared. “They are upon us!”

..

Six chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of

Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink

is pleased to present:

..

The Moon Coin

Available in paperback:

Amazon and SecondLooksBooks.

..

Paperback Version

On Sale at Amazon

20% Off

Click HERE.

..

Available for E-Readers:

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

❍

..

The Dragondain

Now available in paperback and ebook.

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes iBookstore.

..

Paperback Edition

On Sale at Amazon

20% Off

Click HERE

..

Two chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

..

❍

....

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

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

Read Full Post »