Young Adult – KEVIN CRAIG

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.

Where is My Ending – Where is Ethan Sinclair…

When we were young, it was such an easy fix to go from malaise to happy. “When your get up and go has got up and went…”

One merely had to reach for a hunk of cheese.

When you’re an old writer who just can’t seem to find their way anymore, there’s more to it. I’ve been trying for the past year to restart my writing life. It’s been all but dead, to be honest. I thought that reading all the right books would be the cure, but nope. I thought that reading my own works would help, but nope. I thought that sitting down and forcing myself to write would help, but nope. I thought that editing my work would help, but nope. I long for the days when everything would be fixed by a good ole hunk of cheese. Those were the days.

I have a deadline with my next (ALREADY CONTRACTED) novel. In truth, I’m over a year past my deadline. My publisher is being really supportive in even allowing me to still strive for a submission date sometime in the uncertain future. Charitable doesn’t begin to describe it. I have been struggling to figure out how to finish this book for 2 years. With no end in sight.

I keep going back to the beginning and editing my way through to figure out an escape, an ending. The struggle is REAL.

Where is Ethan Sinclair. That’s the name of the novel. I don’t f*cking know!? That’s the problem. Where is my ending?! I need an ending. This book is literally killing my desire to write. It’s STOPPING me from beginning other projects, thus completely murdering my writing path. I am now a writer who keeps circling back to the beginning of the novel that won’t tell me its ending.

How’s your writing life going? How about this pandemic?! Really not a good thing for creatives, is it?

Where is my ending?

I think I’ll go and eat some cheese…

If you want, you can pick up my latest book…I wrote it myself, back when I was a writer!

BOOK OF DREAMS (Duet Books/Chicago Review Press) NOW AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD!

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.

And, hey, stay tuned…WHERE IS ETHAN SINCLAIR just might find a way to end itself. Watch for it (hopefully) in 2023…if there is a god.

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:

You can also pick up an audiobook copy, narrated by the phenomenal CJ Heineman!

Some Audiobook Links:

BOOK OF DREAMS now on AUDIBLE!

The audiobook for BOOK OF DREAMS is now widely available!

Narrated by the talented CJ HEINEMAN, my newest novel BOOK OF DREAMS is now available as an audiobook! CJ does such an amazing job narrating this story!

Thanks and gratitude to CJ HEINEMAN for bringing BOOK OF DREAMS to life! And thanks to Duet Books and Chicago Review Press!

Here’s the AUDIBLE link:

AUDIBLE CANADA

And here’s the Amazon links for the Audiobook:

AMAZON CANADA

AMAZON USA

This audiobook is also available at Kobo, and wherever audiobooks are sold.

Get the BOOK OF DREAMS audiobook today!

Here’s my LINKTREE where all my books are available through various links: LINKTREE

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.

The Active Living Centre in Huntsville, Ontario, where the marathon usually takes place (when there’s not a pandemic).

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!!!

AUDIOBOOK LINK AT KOBO UK!!!

AUDIOBOOK LINK AT KOBO USA!!!

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!)

Michael and I arriving at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela at the end of our own Camino in September 2019! I wrote **The Camino Club** after my first Camino in May of 2014.

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.

**The Camino Club** was the Silver Winner of the 33rd annual Independent Book Publishers Association’s Benjamin Franklin Book Award!

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?

The Camino Club is from Duet Book, the LGBTQ YA imprint of Chicago Review Press!

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 USA

THE CAMINO CLUB on AMAZON CANADA

THE CAMINO CLUB on AMAZON UK

THE CAMINO CLUB on KOBO USA

THE CAMINO CLUB on KOBO CANADA

THE CAMINO CLUB on KOBO UK

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** by **Brien Crothers** – RELEASE DATE: **TUESDAY OCTOBER 4th, 2022**!

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!

AMAZON USA PRE-ORDER LINK

AMAZON CANADA PRE-ORDER LINK

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.

Reminder, while you’re here…I will be at the **Oshawa Centre Chapters-Indigo** at 1pm on **Saturday, October 1st**, signing copies of **Book of Dreams**!

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.

**10 Copies of *BOOK OF DREAMS* up for Grabs on GOODREADS! Enter now! 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!

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.

**Camino Child**, the upcoming young adult novel by **Brien Crothers**!

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!