For a limited time, my award winning novel, THE CAMINO CLUB, is on sale at AMAZON and KOBO!
The Camino Club on Sale for $1.99!
For a limited time, my award winning novel, THE CAMINO CLUB, is on sale at AMAZON and KOBO!
Category: YA Fiction
EBOOK – $1.99
The Camino Club – Synopsis
LGBTQIA2 Pride – Why I Still Love PRIDE MUST BE A PLACE
5 years ago today, I received the ORANGE BANNER treatment on Amazon for my brand new young adult novel PRIDE MUST BE A PLACE! For those who don’t know, the orange banner indicates BEST SELLER. You get it when your book hits #1!
Happy 5th Anniversary of being #1, book!
It was such a moment, writing Pride Must Be A Place! I remember where I was, who I was…everything about the experience! Such a pivotal moment. What a rush!
I wrote quite a lot of it at the 72hr Muskoka Novel Marathon during the summer of 2015. A week later, Michael and I spent a week at his sister’s cottage and I wrote the remainder of the novel. We would take long walks during the day and discuss the story-line. It was a magical time I still hold dear.
Whenever a writer thinks back on a book they wrote, it’s often that time in their life that they reflect on. It makes them either love or hate their book more…the book is like a litmus test to the time in which they wrote it. That’s the way it works for me, anyway. I LOVE this book! I still love the book because it immediately brings me back to that time when I wrote it!
Click THIS LINK to visit my post about how Pride Must Be A Place is tied in with Lorraine Segato of The Parachute Club.
PRIDE MUST BE A PLACE Synopsis:
Ezra Caine is gay. He’s sort of out at school but not at home, where he fears the wrath of his father’s bigotry. When Ezra’s flamboyantly out friend Alex Mills takes one too many beatings from homophobic bully Will Carter, Ezra finally snaps. Fed up with the situation at school, he decides to do something about it. With the help of his BFF, Nettie, and some unlikely allies, Ezra rallies to create their small-town school’s first gay-straight alliance. The Rainbow Alliance Club is formed. But the changes don’t come without hiccups, one of which being a messy scandal involving Alex and a gay hook-up app. As Ezra and his friends attempt to sway their school into an alliance of tolerance and acceptance, Ezra experiences a few surprises of his own on the home-front. He also learns the hard way that friendships out of convenience aren’t always a good idea, just as some enemies might not be as bad as he originally imagined them to be.
I know it won’t get to the ORANGE BANNER status again, but if you haven’t read PRIDE MUST BE A PLACE…consider picking it up today! It’s good!
AMAZON USA: Pride Must Be A Place
AMAZON CANADA: Pride Must Be A Place
Teen Book Talk – Relationships in Young Adult Books, Cristy Watson and Lyndi Allison
Fellow young adult author and friend, Lyndi Allison, has included The Camino Club in their recent discussion on RELATIONSHIPS in YA on their YouTube channel.
Lyndi discussed one of my favourite characters. Bastien is the elderly man my six teen characters stumble into (one of them–Diego–quite literally) on the Camino de Santiago as they make their way from Ponferrada, Spain to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
I’ve been thrilled by the way readers have embraced Bastien, a character I created to honour a Bastien-like character I myself met on my own pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Listen to Lyndi’s discussion with Cristy Watson on YA relationships at the YouTube like below. You can also check out their books!
LYNDI ALLISON AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
CRISTY WATSON AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
Make sure to check out Lyndi Allison’s website too! Not only are they an author, but they also run a retreat in Panama! CLICK HERE TO VISIT TRANQUILO RETREAT or to learn more about Lyndi’s books.
Here’s some links to THE CAMINO CLUB:
THE CAMINO CLUB (Duet Books/Chicago Review Press) – After getting in trouble with the law, six wayward teens are given an ultimatum: serve time in juvenile detention for their crimes, or walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route across Spain over the summer holidays with a pair of court-appointed counselor guides. When it becomes clear the long walk isn’t really all that much of an option, they set out on a journey that will either make or break who they are and who they are to become.
Amazon USA | Amazon Canada | Chicago Review Press | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Book Depository | BookShop | Indigo-Chapters | IndieBound | Kobo USA | Kobo Canada | Interlude Press/Duet Books | WalMart USA | Target | Blackwell’s (UK) | Booktopia (Aus) | APPLE Books | Goodreads
Book of Dreams Featured at Tor.com!
My latest young adult novel Book of Dreams made an appearance at Tor.com yesterday! In the article from Alex Brown titled Mean Girl Werewolves and Evil Arcade Games: The Thrill of Queer YA Horror, Brown called Book of Dreams “Creepy and disconcerting and wonderfully queer.”
Here’s the link to the article: BOOK OF DREAMS featured in TOR.COM
I’m so thrilled my novel shared space with some of this year’s most anticipated reads! What an honour!
If you haven’t picked up BOOK OF DREAMS yet, you can get a copy wherever books are sold! Here are a few links for the paperback/ebook:
Amazon USA | Amazon Canada | Chicago Review Press Print | Chicago Review Press Ebook | Barnes & Noble | Interlude Press | Kobo USA | Kobo Canada | IndieBound | Blackwell’s | Booktopia | Book Depository | APPLE Books
You can also pick up an audiobook copy, narrated by the phenomenal CJ Heineman!
Some Audiobook Links:
KOBO USA | KOBO CANADA | KOBO UK | Audible Canada | Amazon USA | Amazon Canada
BIG NEWS! Hint? Wait Until You HEAR My New Novel!
I have been dying to shout this bookish news from the rooftops and now I finally can! This is big! A bucket list item!
BOOK OF DREAMS IS GETTING AN AUDIOBOOK!!!
O.M.G!
I am so excited about this development. This will be the first time one of my books has been recorded as an audiobook. And the voice actor recording the book? CHEF’S KISS! I actually got to listen to some of the auditions along the way, and then some samples of the actor eventually hired to record BOOK OF DREAMS and I could NOT be happier!
The voice actor is CJ Heineman! The second I heard their audition tape, I knew they were the one! Without a doubt, CJ was Gaige! They do such an incredible job. I’ve only heard the first couple of chapters so far, but it’s pure magic. They’re just the perfect voice to narrate Gaige’s story. If I had imagined Gaige’s voice in my head, CJ is what I would have heard.
This is truly a dream come true. This little book that began with the idea WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THIS KID STUMBLED UPON A BOOKSTORE WHERE NO BOOKSTORE SHOULD BE? at the Muskoka Novel Marathon is now an audiobook! This nugget of an idea that I ran with amidst the chaos of 40 writers hanging out together in one room has been realized into an actual book. Writing is magical, isn’t it!?
Thanks to the people at the Muskoka Novel Marathon for giving us writers a warm friendly place to make magic.
And thanks to my publisher, Chicago Review Press, and its Duet Books imprint, for believing in my story enough to not only publish it…but to produce the accompanying audiobook.
And a HUGE thanks to CJ Heineman for bringing the story to life with their flawless rendition of my narrator, Gaige! Click the pic to be taken to their Twitter profile:
Check out the audiobook of BOOK OF DREAMS today!
It takes a while for the audiobook to be uploaded, so as of yet there is only one place where it is available. I will update this post as it appears on other sites. BUT OFFICIALLY, IT’S AVAILABLE! It just showed up at KOBO CANADA!
AUDIOBOOK LINK AT KOBO CANADA!!!
Just a quick reminder that I will be signing paperback copies of Book of Dreams at Chapters-Indigo Oshawa Centre on Saturday October 1st, 2022 at 1:00pm. THAT’S THIS COMING SATURDAY!! Please come out and say hello!
Chapters-Indigo Oshawa Centre
419 King Street West, Unit #1135,
Oshawa, Ontario
L1J 2K5
Canada
CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE INDIGO OSHAWA LOCATION.
99 Cent Sale for the Amazon Kindle or Kobo of My Novel THE CAMINO CLUB!
I don’t know how long this is going to be available, but AMAZON and Kobo are currently having a 99¢ sale for the Kindle/ebook versions of my young adult novel THE CAMINO CLUB! (PURCHASE LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!)
This award winning novel places six teens on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route across Spain. Think of a more diverse THE BREAKFAST CLUB but instead of taking place in a school library over the course of a Saturday, it takes place across a country while the delinquent detentioners face the struggles of hiking through mountains and villages and vineyards.
Here’s the synopsis of THE CAMINO CLUB:
After getting in trouble with the law, a group of wayward teens are given an ultimatum: serve time in juvenile detention for their crimes or walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across Spain over the summer holidays with a pair of court-appointed counselors. Although they come from diverse backgrounds, the unlikely friends try to make the best of their situation. The pilgrims grow closer on their journey, but they may not make it to their destination—the Cathedral in Santiago. If they do, will they each find what they’re looking for, and will their newfound friendships endure?
For a limited time, you can pick up the Kindle/ebook versions of this young adult novel on Amazon/Kobo for $0.99 (price varies with country)! I don’t know how long this will last, as this is a sale my publisher, Chicago Review Press, has instigated.
Here are some purchase links:
THE CAMINO CLUB on AMAZON CANADA
THE CAMINO CLUB on KOBO CANADA
Check ebook platforms in your country for sale details!
Pre-Order Camino Child by Brien Crothers Now!
On Monday I shared the cover of the upcoming young adult novel from Brien Crothers. Pre-Orders are now active for CAMINO CHILD! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to fans of both young adult fiction and stories set on the Camino de Santiago.
CAMINO CHILD – Fifteen-year-old SUMMER DARLING and her grandmother have left their home in southern California to fly to the rugged coast of northern Spain, following a cryptic note and pages from a forty-year-old travel diary neither knew existed. The answers to a family mystery, Grandma Pat is now certain, lie along the ancient pilgrimage trail called the Camino de Santiago.
To be honest, Summer isn’t all that interested in the journal. She’s learned the hard way to view family with suspicion and keep outsiders at arm’s length. But Summer will do anything for Grandma Pat, and so she hefts a backpack and sets out for a walk of more than 500 miles.
When tragedy strikes, though, Summer has to make a choice. Can she continue the journey alone, trekking across a country she knows almost nothing about? And will the answers she finds on the journal pages fill the aching, lonely hole in her own heart?
As she explores the sunny beaches of the Camino del Norte and the wide-open spaces of the Camino Francés, Summer will discover friends in the most unexpected places, beauty on the most difficult days, and more than a little “Camino magic.”
Pre-Order today and be among the first to read Camino Child when it releases on Tuesday, October 4th!
From the moment Summer Darling touched down on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain, I fell in love with her strong-willed spirit and tenacity. Camino Child was an amazing read, filled with courage, strength, and perseverance against all odds. Summer is such a strong young woman and it was a pure delight to watch her grow into her power in this beautiful story.
You won’t want to miss it. Pre-order today!
Book Giveaway for Canadian Readers!
My publisher is hosting a GOODREADS giveaway with 10 print copies of BOOK OF DREAMS up for grabs (click this sentence to go to the blog post that has the link)! As this Goodreads giveaway is only open to the USA, I thought I would host a giveaway of my own, for my CANADIAN readers!
This giveaway is ONLY taking place on Twitter (as in, Twitter is the only place you can enter). It’s easy to enter. Simply FOLLOW ME (if you are not already doing so) and RETWEET the GIVEAWAY TWEET or THREAD. Winners will be announced on Monday September 5th. I’ve made it really easy for you.
The GIVEAWAY TWEET is my PINNED TWEET, which means when you go to my Twitter profile it will be the tweet at the very top of my tweet-stream. Just RETWEET that, or the thread it’s attached to, and you will be entered into the contest.
Here’s a link to my Twitter Profile: @KevinTCraig
Here’s what the PINNED TWEET looks like:
Once you follow me and retweet the pinned tweet, you will be entered. Watch my Twitter on the 5th of September for the announcement of the winners. If you happen to win, I will send you a DM (direct message) asking for your full name and mailing address. Once I have this, I will mail you your copy.
THIS CONTEST IS ONLY OPEN TO THOSE LIVING IN CANADA…mailing address must be in CANADA.
Good luck!
Goodreads Giveaway for My Upcoming Novel – BOOK OF DREAMS!
Duet Books and Chicago Review Press are giving away 10 copies of my upcoming release, BOOK OF DREAMS! This GOODREADS giveaway runs until MONDAY SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2022, so enter soon!
OPEN TO USA ONLY.
Here’s the link that will take you to the giveaway page pictured above. Once there, you can click on the button that says ENTER GIVEAWAY (you will have to be logged in to Goodreads):
GOODREADS GIVEAWAY FOR BOOK OF DREAMS
Book of Dreams is also available for pre-order wherever books are sold!
Amazon USA | Amazon Canada | Chicago Review Press Print | Chicago Review Press Ebook | Barnes & Noble | Interlude Press | Kobo USA | Kobo Canada | IndieBound | Blackwell’s | Booktopia | Book Depository | APPLE Books | Goodreads
Gaige’s curiosity gets the better of him when he discovers a bookstore on an abandoned street where no bookstore should be. He steps inside and is immediately enthralled by its antiquarian sights and smells. But one book in particular calls to him. It isn’t long before he gets a bad feeling about it, but it’s already too late. The store’s aged bookseller gives him no alternative: once he touches the book, it’s his—whether he wants it or not. It’s bought and paid for and there are no returns. The book leads Gaige on a horrific descent into the unknown. As he falls into the depths of its pages, he loses blocks of time, and his friends become trapped inside ancient cellars with seemingly no means of escape. Gaige soon learns that the ancient bookseller is a notorious serial killer from a previous century, and fears that he has fallen into a predicament from which he may not escape. When all seems lost, he finds the one person he can turn to for help—Mael, a sweet teen also trapped inside the book who didn’t fall for the bookseller’s tricks. Together, they race against time to protect Gaige from joining a long string of boys who vanished without a trace inside the Book of Dreams.
Lastly, I’ll be at CHAPTERS-INDIGO Oshawa Centre, signing copies of BOOK OF DREAMS, on October 1st!
Enter the Goodreads Giveaway today! USA ONLY. Contest closes SEPTEMBER 5th!
Camino Child – An Upcoming Novel Set on the Camino de Santiago!
Every once in a while I get to read an amazing manuscript prior to its release. When this happens, I can’t wait to talk about it, to tell everyone how much they will love it! The wait is always so difficult. Then, finally, one day the manuscript has a release date and I can finally shout about it!
That day has come for CAMINO CHILD, the amazing upcoming novel by BRIEN CROTHERS!
If you’re a fan of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route across Spain, and an avid reader of books set on the Camino, you will absolutely adore CAMINO CHILD. Like my own The Camino Club, this is a young adult novel. The main character of CAMINO CHILD is such a fierce, strong female lead. You’ll fall in love with Summer Darling and the grit and tenacity she summons as she attempts to complete the Camino de Santiago and land at the cathedral in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela.
Here’s a brief synopsis of the novel:
CAMINO CHILD: After they receive pages from an old diary, Summer Darling travels to Spain with her grandmother. When Grandma Pat dies, Summer is left to walk 500 miles on an ancient pilgrimage route and to unravel her family’s mysterious past.
SUMMER DARLING’S life had an unusual start. She was born in an apple orchard. By her teenage years, she was living in a commune on the Olympic Peninsula, where her father grew pot with his friend, Paul, the leader of The Camp. When Paul, a lustful man and controlling leader, began to notice Summer’s beauty, she was whisked off to southern California by her Grandma Pat.
When Grandma Pat receives the first few pages of a travel journal written in 1982 by her older and now deceased sister, Georgia, Pat and Summer follow the diary to Spain and the famed El Camino de Santiago. They wonder who sent those journal pages, and why the mystery. The ancient pilgrimage route stretches out 500 miles ahead of them. More of the journal pages are received then forwarded from home. The mystery unfolds as Summer negotiates a path through tragic loss, shyness, weather, blisters, and boys.
What will Summer discover about her family and herself as she treks across an entire country?
The cover reveal for this novel was yesterday, and I’m glad to share it here today.
AUTHOR BIO: BRIEN CROTHERS grew up in rural northern California, where he still lives today. His writing journey began with a journal Brien wrote when he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and went on photo safaris in the Serengeti. Since then, Brien has written about his travels and published some of the more useful information for others to enjoy. Now, Brien focuses on more travel opportunities, meeting amazing people, listening to their stories, having his own experiences, and blending those into travel adventure stories and novels for young people and the young at heart. Brien’s one true hope is to inspire young people to expand their worldview, gain perspective, and make this world a better place.
CAMINO CHILD Release date: October 4th, on Amazon. Other outlets soon after. As purchase links are made available, I’ll share them here.
This is one you won’t want to miss. It has all the feels! I was thrilled to read the early version of this manuscript and so glad to see it will soon be hitting shelves! Mark your calendars!
KEVIN CRAIG 