Join the Blog Tour for Katie Hines

I’d like to thank Ginger for giving me the opportunity to share with you about my book, “Guardian” today on her blog. My 10 day blog tour continues tomorrow on Marvin Wilson’s blog with an interview with me.



Here’s a brief synopsis of “Guardian”:


Imagine you have made a secret promise that can lead you to the discovery of an incredible treasure and an ancient power. But in order to fulfill that promise, you must defeat an age-old sect that is determined to claim the treasure and power themselves.

Drew Newman is ready to tell his friends a secret, but two strangers burst on the scene, demanding an ancient, magical book. He plummets into a world of uncertainty and fear as his home is invaded and he desperately tries to find the book.

Aided by the mysterious Jean-Paul, Drew’s search takes him and friends to Oak Island, Nova Scotia, where he continues his search. Joined with his Grandpa Ian and cousin, Zea, the tension ratchets up when Drew is kidnapped and he encounters the head of a sect that wants the book, a magical talisman and a treasure for themselves.

Sprinkled with magic, “Guardian” explores the commitment of a boy determined to fulfill his promise to his mother and claim an uncertain destiny.

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It actually took me three years to write this book, which some long periods of time (like 3-4 months) in between edits. I began with three months of research, and I will say that the research added depth to my story, and a mostly historical accuracy. Some fictional liberties were taken.

This story came about when my husband and I discovered a true-to-life treasure story about Oak Island, Nova Scotia. There is a pit where, due to a lot of circumstantial evidence, led people to believe there was treasure located. Because of all the money thrown into excavation attempts, it is called “The Money Pit.”

Although literally millions of dollars have been spent trying to excavate this pit and reach what is believed to be a fabulous treasure, fortune hunters have come up empty. The pit has flooded numerous times due to an ingenious tunnel from Smith’s Cove all the way to the treasure shaft where the excavations have taken place. People have died while trying to reach this mythical treasure.

Well known individuals, such as John Wayne and Franklin Roosevelt, have been a part of the Oak Island treasure story excavation attempts.

Excavation attempts began as early as the late 1700s, and continued throughout the 20th century. Today, the island is privately owned, and any treasure hunting has been stopped and cannot continue without the permission of the person who owns the land where the Money Pit is located. Read more about the Oak Island treasure story here: http://forum.oakislandtreasure.co.uk/

“Guardian” can be ordered through http://4rvpublishingllc.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through your local bookseller.

You can find out more about Katie at her own website or join in the fun at her blog.

Pot Roast and Carrots by Katie Hines

What the heck does pot roast and carrots have to do with writing? Well, a lot actually. Let's examine the typical pot roast: the roast itself, the seasonings, onions, carrots, potatoes, perhaps celery and other yummy veggies. At least that's the ingredients that go into my pot roast. On occasion, I make gravy, too.

Every story should have a pot roast in it. It should have a central plot, a theme, and several subplots. Depending on how long your story is depends on how large your pot roast will be.

Be sure and lavish lots of spices on the roast. You can sprinkle them on the story through rich conversations and humor. Like spices, adding some humor to your story will add that extra special ingredient of getting your reader to plug into you and your writing and want more.

Now comes the veggies. Now, we have all heard that veggies are good for you. They are, AND they're good for your story. How about taking your character development to the nth degree? Make them so diverse and special that your reader can't put your book down for wanting to find out more about your character.

Veggies also come in the form of plot twists and development. Every good story has a nice, diverse plot, taking your characters and story into places where "no one has gone before." And, don't forget to have your character change and grow in your story. That's really icing on the cake--oh, I didn't mention cake? Here it is, then, that final taste that has you leaning back in your chair and savoring the final moments of the book or story.

Go ahead, writers, now's your turn to cook some pot roast and carrots.

Tomorrow's Tourist

Help me welcome, Katie Hines. She and I met through a publishing association, and she'll be here tomorrow to share details about an upcoming release. I'm happy she agreed to grace my blog, and I 'pirated" this from hers:

Although I've been writing for as long as I can remember, I didn't get serious about it until I decided to write a memoir. That's when I realized I didn't know what I was doing. So I started researching and learning about writing do's and don'ts. I wrote quite a few newspaper pieces, and then completed a middle grade novel.

You can find find her at Walking on Water. Gotta love her blog title.