Authors To Watch: Fiona Ingram Author of THE TEMPLE OF THE CRYSTAL TIMEKEEPER #authorstowatch

 

Fiona Ingram is a children’s author, but up until a few years ago, she was a journalist and editor. Something rather unexpected sparked her new career as an author—a family trip to Egypt with her mother and two young nephews. They had a great time and she thought she’d write them a short story as a different kind of souvenir…. Well, one book and a planned book series later, she had changed careers. She has now published Book 3 (The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper) in her middle grade adventure series Chronicles of the Stone, with many awards for the first book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, a few for Book 2, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and several for Book 3! She also teaches online novel writing for aspiring authors and she finds that very satisfying. Fiona’s experience with raising an adopted, disadvantaged African child struggling with literacy got her interested in the subject and she has written numerous articles on child literacy. Relaxation time finds her enjoying something creative or artistic, music, books, going to the theater or ballet. She enjoys doing research for her book series. Fiona loves animals and has written two animal rescue stories. She has two adorable (naughty) little rescue dogs called Stanley and Pumpkin, and a beautiful black cat called Bertie.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: http://www.FionaIngram.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/FionaRobyn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chroniclesofthestone

Book Series Website: www.chroniclesofthestone.com

Blog: http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2868182.Fiona_Ingram

Title: THE TEMPLE OF THE CRYSTAL TIMEKEEPER: CHRONICLES OF THE STONE BOOK 3
Author: Fiona Ingram
Publisher: Bublish Inc.
Pages: 318
Genre: Juvenile (preteen) / Action / Adventure

BOOK BLURB:

A plane crash! Lost in the jungle! Hunted by their old enemy, will Adam, Justin, and Kim survive long enough to find the Third Stone of Power? With only a young boy, Tukum, as their guide, the kids make their way through the dense and dangerous jungle to find the lost city of stone gods, where the Stone of Power might be located. River rafting on a crocodile-infested river and evading predators are just part of this hazardous task. Of course, their old adversary Dr. Khalid is close behind as the kids press on. But he is not the worst of their problems. This time Adam will clash with a terrible enemy who adopts the persona of an evil Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca, and is keen to revive the ancient tradition of human sacrifice. Adam, Justin, and Tukum must play a dreadful ball game of life and death and maybe survive. Will they emerge alive from the jungle? Will Dr. Khalid find the third Stone of Power before they do?

Praise:

“Action, danger, and excitement are the key words for the riveting adventure novel, The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper … Its spellbinding storyline explores the history of the Aztec and Maya gods and their cities with exceptional accuracy; this is one of those books you can’t put down. With authentic historical facts expertly woven into this spectacular action-packed fiction series, no one of any age can resist its magnetism. This is a fascinating and exciting fiction story created with expertise and finesse, which educates while entertaining the reader.”

— Susan Williams, for Readers Favorite

USA Book Awards:

• Winner Pre-teen Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2017
• Winner Book Excellence Awards 2018
• NYC Big Book Awards Distinguished Favorite 2018

Read the first chapter and receive a free download of The Young Explorer’s Companion Guide, a nonfiction guide to the journey and cover history, geography, mythology and subject kids will love to learn more about. In this guide, your child will discover the story behind The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper and experience the history of the Maya and Aztecs as well as who was the ancient priest-king Topiltzin and why he is important.

Click here to read the first chapter and download your free copy of The Young Explorer’s Companion Guide!

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon (print): https://amzn.to/39swq1j

Amazon (kindle): https://amzn.to/3iSb549

B&N eBook: https://bit.ly/3psW6QL

B&N Print: https://bit.ly/2Ymyf9E

Kobo: eBook: https://bit.ly/2Yi9wTB

iBook: https://apple.co/2KSX8GG

iTunes: https://apple.co/3qUFXny

Google Books: https://bit.ly/2MyMKEk

We welcome you to My Bookish Pleasures! Can you tell us how you got started writing fiction?

Although I’ve worked for a long time in publishing, it was always non-fiction. I wrote a fiction story quite by accident after going on a trip to Egypt with my mom and 2 young nephews. I thought a short story starring them would be a fun souvenir. It turned into a book and then a book series and changed my life.

Describe your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and where do you write?

I do a mixture of plotting and pantsing. When I was busy with the first book in the Chronicles of the Stone series, I thought of the story arc seven books in advance, just because the concept got grander and my heroes needed much more time to save the world. I work on a basic timeline of events that must happen. Then I write freely within those plot points. I make notes when new ideas pop up and then I go back and work them in where necessary. I have a big notebook for everything. I work from home, so I am blessed with a lovely study in my house.

Can you tell us about your most recent release?

The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper is the most recent published work in the adventure series, although I have completed Book 4 and have begun Book 5.

How did you get the idea for the book?

When I was still writing Book 1, I did loads of research on the ancient world and so many legends and stories seemed to have threads linking to other cultures. I guess I picked the ones that have always interested me. Book 3 is set in Mexico and features the Maya and the Aztecs among its themes.

Of all your characters, which one is your favorite? Why?

The main characters, Justin and Adam, are based on my young nephews and are, of course, dear to my heart. Justin is brave and confident, leaping into danger to save others. Adam, who is the actual star of the series, is more sensitive, more intuitive, and he understands things better. They complement each other. I always end up loving the secondary characters as well and I try to make them as interesting as possible.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?

This time the research was harder because I could not go to Mexico. I read a lot of jungle exploration books, watched videos, and tried to get as much of a feel for the country as I could. I never have trouble actually writing. The story just seemed to flow. Because there is an end goal in mind with the entire story arc, the characters know where they are going, and I write around their quest.

What projects are you currently working on?

Tweaking Book 4, The Treasure of the Knights Templar, set in Paris, and busy writing and researching Book 5, set in India. I have a working title for that currently.

What advice would you offer to new or aspiring fiction authors?

1.      Never give up.

2.      Make sure your final product meets the highest standards of the publishing industry.

3.      Tell someone every day about your book because word of mouth is the best publicity, and it is free!