Category Archives: Young Adult

Happy 6th Birthday to My Debut Novel!

30 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by in Amazon, book, Book Birthday, Book Cover, Book Recs, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Bookstores, Coming of Age, eBooks, Friday Reads, FridayReads, Good Reads, GoodReads, Kevin Craig, Museitup, Museitup Publishing, MuseItYoung, Novel, Novel Excerpt, Novel Titles, Novel Writing, Novels, Reading, Readings, Reads, Summer on Fire, Summer Reads, Uncategorized, YA, YA Fiction, YA Issues, YA Lit, YA Reviews, Yalit, YALitSaves, YASaves, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction

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Six years! SUMMER ON FIRE hit the bookstores six years ago today. The book that changed my status from writer to author. It was such a journey. It began in 2003 as my very first NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) manuscript. And it took until 2011 to see it through to the finished product.

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Summer On Fire – 6 Years Old Today!

Buy it today on AMAZON:

Amazon Canada Kindle Edition $5.51

Amazon Canada Print Edition $4.63

Amazon USA Kindle Edition $4.21

Amazon USA Print Edition $7.95

Zach Carson is a loyal friend. But is loyalty enough to keep best friends together when one of them sets fire to the rural barn they use as the local hangout? Zach, Jeff Barsell and Arnie Wilson struggle to pick up the pieces when news spreads that a body was discovered in the burnt out shell of the neighbouring home. When the word murder is used by the local police, the stakes grow even higher. When the police start searching for their most likely suspect-none other than Jeff’s older brother, and nemesis, Marty Barsell-the boys decide to join forces and come up with a way to prove his innocence. But just how innocent is Marty Barsell? When Marty admits to being at the scene of the crime, the three friends enlist the help of Zach’s annoying sister, Sherry, as well as the sympathetic town eccentric, Ms. Halverton. But can they keep it together long enough to save Marty, and themselves, from imminent catastrophe? Summer on Fire is the story of friendships, and the lines we are asked to cross in order to keep them.

Some of the greatest compliments I have ever received for my writing can be found in reviews of my debut novel. I can’t even count the amount of people who brought up the movie STAND BY ME in their review of the book. This is one of my all-time favourite movies, based on Stephen King’s short story THE BODY. Every time Summer on Fire was compared to this movie, my heart grew another size.

I will let some of the reviews speak for the book on this, its 6th birthday:

READ WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SUMMER ON FIRE:

“A coming of age story that makes ‘Stand By Me’ just seem like a nice song…”

 

“SUMMER ON FIRE touches on friendship, loyalty, lying and honesty, owning up to personal responsibility, facing your problems/fears instead of running from them, and not giving up on the seemingly hopeless cause.”

 

“I kept flashing to Stephen King’s novella, The Body (the basis for the Stand By Me movie) even though this is set firmly in the 80s and in Canada. And yet, while writing in his own style and with a storyline that’s completely different, he channels that vibe”

 

“In his debut novel Summer on Fire, Kevin Craig successfully captures the passing of life within an Ontario town in the early 1980s and what might happen were that town to suddenly be struck by tragedy.”

 

“The book’s setting and descriptions were excellent and not overdone. Set in a rural town, it reminded me much of the town where I grew up. Kids were free to roam around the neighborhood after dark, and it was a simpler time.
Really, I just loved everything about this novel. Summer on Fire is a great summer read, and I couldn’t put it down”

 

“Reminded me of Stephen King’s The Body!”

 

“Kevin Craig writes so beautifully, painting the whole picture, in Summer on Fire as well as his other published novel Sebastian’s Poet. I am definitely a fan and look forward to his next book.”

 

“The book reminded me of Stand By Me and The Goonies. It is an enjoyable read, taking us into the inner workings of a young man’s mind.”

 

“I LOVED the tone and feel of Summer On Fire. Very Stand By Me.”

 

“Summer on fire pulls in all the good keynotes that made movies like Goonies, Stand By Me and My Girl so resonant. The characters are real, the dialogue and actions are natural and the story just flows. It is a book that has you grinning like a fool by the end.”

 

“I highly recommend this book and place it along side “Stand by Me” for a MUST READ!”

 

“Kevin Craig has done a fantastic job writing a compelling story of friendship, loyalty and owning up to the mistakes people make. I would recommend this to middle schools for their reading programs. 5 stars for a great story.”

#FridayReads MY NOVELS…

16 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by in Best Adult Novel, Best Adult Novel Award, Best Young Adult Novel, Best Young Adult Novel Award, book, Book List, Book Recs, Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Burn Baby, Burn Baby Burn Baby, Half Dead, Half Dead And Fully Broken, Kevin Craig, Muskoka Novel Marathon, Novel, Novel Marathon, Novel Titles, Novels, Sebastian's Poet, Summer on Fire, Summer Reading Series, Summer Reads, The Reasons, Uncategorized, YA, YA Fiction, YA Issues, YA Lit, YA Reviews, Yalit, YALitSaves, YASaves, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction

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books

 

I thought I would feature my books for Friday Reads, in case you’re searching for something to read this Father’s Day Weekend. Here’s what they are about:

THE REASONS: With a mostly absent father, one sister deceased and the other on the verge of invisibility, and a certifiably insane mother, Tobias Reason is forced to grow up fast. When his older sister Deja’s tragic death causes his mother to fall deeper into insanity, Tobias attempts to be a surrogate parent to his younger sister, Annabel. But broken mother Maggie takes up a lot of his time, causing Annabel to fall even further into the background of their chaotic existence. When Maggie flippantly hands her mother’s house over to Tobias, he sees an opportunity to learn how and why his family has become so shattered. His world begins to collapse from the weight of the secrets he un-buries, and he focuses in on a stranger from his parents’ past… a possible Ground Zero to Maggie’s fall into insanity. If Tobias can somehow eliminate the past, he can make his family whole again.

SEBASTIAN’S POET: Sebastian Nelson is a boy in search of a family. Abandoned by his mother, Sebastian is left with a broken father who doesn’t even seem present when he does show up. Forced to be the main caregiver of his younger brother, Renee, and lost in a sea of indifference, Sebastian only wants to experience the love a real, stable family could afford him. One morning he discovers the famous folksinger, Teal Landen, asleep on the sofa. Teal’s nurturing nature brings an immediate sense of security into Sebastian’s tumultuous life. But a dark secret looms between Teal and Sebastian’s father of a hidden past. Sebastian is driven to discover their secret, but also he’s aware of how tenuous their hold on Teal really is. He doesn’t want to lose the feeling of home Teal’s presence has brought him. If Sebastian pushes too hard, he could lose Teal forever. He could be destined to raise his younger brother alone, while witnessing the total decline of his emotionally devastated father. If Sebastian is abandoned by the only healthy influence in his otherwise shaky existence, he will also be forever in the dark about the secret that will reveal so much about his fractured family.

SUMMER ON FIRE: Zach Carson is a loyal friend. But is loyalty enough to keep best friends together when one of them sets fire to the rural barn they use as the local hangout? Zach, Jeff Barsell and Arnie Wilson struggle to pick up the pieces when news spreads that a body was discovered in the burnt out shell of the neighbouring home. When the word murder is used by the local police, the stakes grow even higher. When the police start searching for their most likely suspect-none other than Jeff’s older brother, and nemesis, Marty Barsell–the boys decide to join forces and come up with a way to prove his innocence. But just how innocent is Marty Barsell? When Marty admits to being at the scene of the crime, the three friends enlist the help of Zach’s annoying sister, Sherry, as well as the sympathetic town eccentric, Ms. Halverton. But can they keep it together long enough to save Marty, and themselves, from imminent catastrophe? Summer on Fire is the story of friendships, and the lines we are asked to cross in order to keep them.

BURN BABY BURN BABY: Seventeen-year-old Francis Fripp’s confidence is practically non-existent since his abusive father drenched him in accelerant and threw a match at him eight years ago.Now badly scarred, Francis relies on his best friend Trig to protect him from the constant bullying doled out at the hands of his nemesis, Brandon Hayley-the unrelenting boy who gave him the dreaded nickname of Burn Baby.The new girl at school, Rachel Higgins, is the first to see past Francis’s pariah-inducing scars.If Brandon’s bullying doesn’t destroy him, Francis might experience life as a normal teenager for the first time in his life. He just has to avoid Brandon and convince himself he’s worthy of Rachel’s attentions.Sounds easy enough, but Francis himself has a hard time seeing past his scars. And Brandon is getting violently frustrated, as his attempts to bully Francis are constantly thwarted.Francis is in turmoil as he simultaneously rushes toward his first kiss and a possible violent end.

HALF DEAD & FULLY BROKEN: Carter Colby is the most unpopular teen at Jefferson High. This would be easier to deal with if his identical twin brother, Marcus, weren’t the hottest, most popular boy in school.When Marcus is killed in a motorcycle accident, Carter discovers the one thing more painful than trying to compete with Mr. Wonderful: wearing his dead brother’s face. He felt invisible before the accident, but with Marcus dead, everybody turns away from him in mourning. How can he blame them? He can’t bear to look in the mirror.When Carter begins to see Marcus’ ghost, Mr. Wonderful’s quest to save the world and spread happiness may not be over after all, even in death. Marcus knows that Justin Dewar, the boy who drove the truck that crashed into his motorbike, is struggling with the guilt of taking a life. Melanie, Marcus’ mourning girlfriend, was also hit hard by the tragedy. Marcus wants to make things right before it’s too late.With Marcus’ help, Carter experiences love and friendship for the first time in his life. But is Mr. Wonderful’s helping hand enough for Carter, Melanie, and Justin – three kids fully broken by the tragedy – to save one another?

All are available at AMAZON, or at INDIGO CHAPTERS/KOBO, and some are available at BARNES & NOBLE. Or, wherever books are sold. Three of these novels won the MUSKOKA NOVEL MARATHON‘s BEST NOVEL AWARD and one, Burn Baby Burn Baby, was listed on the LIBRARY SERVICES FOR YOUTH IN CUSTODY’s 2016 IN THE MARGINS BOOK AWARDS LIST.

The Brussels Novel Writing Experiment

04 Thursday May 2017

Posted by in Agents, Amazon, Beauty, Best Adult Novel, Best Adult Novel Award, Best Young Adult Novel, Best Young Adult Novel Award, Bruges, Brussels, Creativity, Dialogue Writing, Emotional Writing, GTA Writers, I Will Tell the Night, Kevin Craig, Muskoka Novel Marathon, Novel Writing, On Writing, Travel, Uncategorized, Writer, Writers, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Camp, Writing Dialogue, Writing Life, Writing Prize, Writing Program, Writing Retreat, Writing Tips, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction

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I felt so confident (and dare I say innovative) when I willy-nilly decided, back in January, to randomly choose a European country to travel to–and hide out in–to write a novel during a week in May.

It’s May. I leave for Brussels in two days. The bravado and confidence has left me. As the flight date approaches, I’m getting excited to see the city I chose. I’m also realizing how much I’m going to miss a certain someone when I’m gone. I’m also worried I’m not going to be able to write a novel while I’m gone.

Every year, as the July Muskoka Novel Marathon approaches, I get super nervous that I’m going to come up with nothing during the annual 72hr novel writing marathon in Huntsville. I convince myself ahead of time that I’m going to get there and stare at a blank computer screen and write nothing. In 2016, that’s exactly what I did–more or less–for the first 24 hours. When I was mumbling into a cup of coffee about my despair over not having anything to write about, a writer friend told me to write my story–“but tweak the shit out of it so it doesn’t look quite like yours”. He immediately released an idea in me and that idea flowered into the novel that went on to win BEST ADULT NOVEL at the marathon.

So a part of me knows that the lack of confidence and the fear and the anxiety is part of the shtick. It’s part of who I am. I tell myself over and over and over again that I’m not worthy, that I can’t handle it, that I can’t do it, that I’m incapable, that I’m hopeless, that I’m going to fail, that I CAN’T. But there’s no corresponding rational part of me that points out that this is just part of the shtick. I’m in the head-space, at the moment, that is convinced I will fail at the writing part of this journey. I can’t do it. I will fail.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still manic-ally looking forward to seeing a new European city. I love travel. I would do it every day if it were a possibility. And to be honest, BRUSSELS wasn’t as randomly chosen as I would like to believe it was. To say I closed my eyes and pointed at a map of Europe and said, “This is where I will go to write a novel” is more romance than reality. I have been smitten by the eventuality of Brussels for some time. And, more pointedly, BRUGES…which I will also be exploring. I can’t wait to see these two places. I’m sure the travel part of this trip will be a smashing success. It’s the writing part I fear. It’s the being-away-from-someone-whose-constant-presence-makes-me-happy part I fear.

I want to do this. The suitcase is relatively packed. The laptop is ready for the journey. The day trips are booked for mid-week—Brussels walking tour on Tuesday and Bruges walking tour on Wednesday (because walking is the only true way to SEE a place–I learned that on the Camino)—I’m imagining sitting in front of the screen for the rest of the trip, tapping away at my keyboard. I’m sending myself anticipatory good vibes. I’m hoping this novel writing experiment is a success. For more than one reason.

(CLICK ON THE PIC/LINK BELOW TO BE TAKEN TO MY AMAZON PAGE TO CHECK OUT MY PUBLISHED NOVELS…)

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My published novels – Summer on Fire, Burn Baby Burn Baby, Half Dead & Fully Broken, The Reasons, Sebastian’s Poet.

I’m sitting here with TWO consecutive novels that didn’t make it to publication. One–a Gay YA issue novel, PRIDE MUST BE A PLACE, about the forming of a gay/straight alliance in a high school–was loved by my agent and read by almost every single major and mid-range publisher in North America. They all rejected it—mostly with glowing compliments regarding the writing, etc…but with the death knell causing reason of it being BEHIND THE TREND. The second novel–a road trip returning home after estrangement because of a death in the family story called I WILL TELL THE NIGHT–was rejected out of the gate, by my agent. As I felt it contained some of my best writing, the rejection threw me for more than a loop. It is making me reevaluate everything at a time when I had previously planned to sit down in a foreign country and write a new novel. I’m on shaky ground here. Not to mention how devastating it was to have PRIDE unanimously rejected by so many (ALL) major publishers.

I suppose I should be honored that they all requested fulls of PRIDE MUST BE A PLACE, and that they all apparently read said fulls. I suppose I should be honored by the rejections that are so complimentary I could frame them and hang them on the wall for inspiration. But I’m not. A writer mostly only hears the NO. Every rejection is a hit. Especially when you have already rejected yourself. When it comes from the publisher/agent, it’s kind of a reassurance of your lack of belief in your ability as a writer. I don’t know if it’s just me, or if it’s a rampant thing in creatives, but I don’t have faith. Well, I do…I have faith in my inability. And yet I keep on keeping on.

So here I am. I’m a soon to be traveler again. I’m looking forward to seeing a new city I dreamed of seeing. I’m feeling really sad about being away from the one I love for an entire week and looking forward to getting back home to be with them. I’m also just a boy, sitting in front of a laptop, asking it to love him. This experiment HAS to work. I neglected to sign up for the MUSKOKA NOVEL MARATHON this year. I wanted to take away the safety net of having a back-up novel writing plan in place for the year 2017. I LIKE writing my novels in (relatively) one sitting. So I narrowed this year’s novel writing journey to ONE PLACE, ONE WEEK, ONE CHANCE. That chance is BRUSSELS.

I’m going to miss you like crazy, Michael. Even though I already know we will be in almost constant communication and I’ll be having fun exploring new places and you’ll be having fun in the wonderful world of Disney, I’m going to miss our everyday everydayness for the coming week.

With all the anxiety of a full grown holler monkey about to jump up and down on a sheet of movie studio glass in the hopes of it not shattering into a million tiny pieces (this is the thing that seems like it would be the most demonstrative example of high-anxiety to me–so please go with it and don’t argue with a crazy person), I am ready to begin my experiment. Please, FRANCIS DE SALES, wherever your heart and mind and soul and spirit may be, please watch over me, a mad and failed writer in a world filled with mad and failed writers, while I’m gone to this place on earth to hole-up in a sub-standard hotel to write the Great North-American Novel ironically nowhere near North-American soil. Please, dear patron saint of writers and journalists, take pity on my misguided experiment. Allow me to, at the very least, find a way to write one word after another word after another word while I’m gone. I need this. I am a fallen scribe who needs something to believe in. Please give me the strength to SIT & WRITE. And, please, GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT. Tell me a story, all about a glory…how to begin it? There’s nothing in it…

$0.99 Holiday Sale – Burn Baby Burn Baby AND Half Dead & Fully Broken!

23 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by in Best Adult Novel, Best Young Adult Novel, Best Young Adult Novel Award, Books, BooksSaveLives, Bookstores, Burn Baby, Burn Baby Burn Baby, Canadian Bookstores, Contemporary YA, Curiosity Quills, Curiosity Quills Press, eBooks, Half Dead, Half Dead And Fully Broken, In the Margins, In the Margins Book Awards List, Kevin Craig, Muskoka Novel Marathon, Novel, Novel Marathon, Novel Titles, Novels, Uncategorized, YA, YA Fiction, YA Issues, YA Lit, YA Reviews, Yalit, YALitSaves, YASaves, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction, Youth in Custody

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The publisher of two of my novels, CQ Press, is having a holiday sale. It’s sitewide, with different genres/markets being offered on different days. My two titles are among the titles that will be selling for $0.99!

From Curiosity Quills Press website:

Christmas has come early to Curiosity Quills Press, and you’re all invited! Between December 12 and 24, almost all* our titles will be on 99 cents countdown sale. To make things easier, we’ve broken the sale period down into seven different genre-based categories, with each genre’s books on sale for a two day period.

Click through the following genre-based categories for each of the seven sale periods:

Horror: December 11 – 12 | Contemporary: December 13 – 14

Science-Fiction: December 15 – 16 | Fantasy: December 17 – 18

Historical: December 19 – 20 | Mystery/Thriller: December 21 – 22

Romance: December 23 – 24

My titles are both under the category of romance. It was the category that most fit them…though I wouldn’t call either of them romance. They are Young Adult Contemporary Fiction. They both involve teen love, but as a side theme, really.

Read below for descriptions on both:

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Burn Baby Burn Baby – On Sale for 99 cents DECEMBER 23rd and 24th ONLY!

Seventeen-year-old Francis Fripp’s confidence is practically non-existent since his abusive father drenched him in accelerant and threw a match at him eight years ago. Now badly scarred, Francis relies on his best friend Trig to protect him from the constant bullying doled out at the hands of his nemesis, Brandon Hayley-the unrelenting boy who gave him the dreaded nickname of Burn Baby. The new girl at school, Rachel Higgins, is the first to see past Francis’s pariah-inducing scars. If Brandon’s bullying doesn’t destroy him, Francis might experience life as a normal teenager for the first time in his life. He just has to avoid Brandon and convince himself he’s worthy of Rachel’s attentions. Sounds easy enough, but Francis himself has a hard time seeing past his scars. And Brandon is getting violently frustrated, as his attempts to bully Francis are constantly thwarted. Francis is in turmoil as he simultaneously rushes toward his first kiss and a possible violent end.

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Half Dead & Fully Broken – On Sale for 99 cents DECEMBER 23rd and 24th ONLY!

Carter Colby is the most unpopular teen at Jefferson High. This would be easier to deal with if his identical twin brother, Marcus, weren’t the hottest, most popular boy in school.

When Marcus is killed in a motorcycle accident, Carter discovers the one thing more painful than trying to compete with Mr. Wonderful: wearing his dead brother’s face. He felt invisible before the accident, but with Marcus dead, everybody turns away from him in mourning. How can he blame them? He can’t bear to look in the mirror.

When Carter begins to see Marcus’ ghost, Mr. Wonderful’s quest to save the world and spread happiness may not be over after all, even in death. Marcus knows that Justin Dewar, the boy who drove the truck that crashed into his motorbike, is struggling with the guilt of taking a life. Melanie, Marcus’ mourning girlfriend, was also hit hard by the tragedy. Marcus wants to make things right before it’s too late.

With Marcus’ help, Carter experiences love and friendship for the first time in his life. But is Mr. Wonderful’s helping hand enough for Carter, Melanie, and Justin – three kids fully broken by the tragedy – to save one another?

CLICK ON THE BANNERS BELOW TO BE TAKEN TO THE AMAZON PAGES FOR EITHER BOOK:

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You can go directly to Amazon on the sale dates to grab the Kindle versions for 99 cents, or get them directly from the publisher’s website HERE.

BURN BABY BURN BABY made the 2016 American Library Youth in Custody IN THE MARGINS BOOK AWARD LIST!

HALF DEAD & FULLY BROKEN won the Muskoka Novel Marathon’s BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL AWARD!

Don’t forget! Pick up these YA novels for your Kindle on December 23rd or December 24th…for ONLY 99 CENTS!