Hi, everyone!
Welcome to another edition of Spotlight Saturday at Darlene's Book Nook, where we feature authors and their books!
We will be joined today by S.W. Lothian.
About S.W.:
About S.W.:
S.W. Lothian is a funny and cool guy from Australia. His kids call him ‘Phil Dunphy’, because he reminds them of the dad from Modern Family. He isn’t sure whether this is a compliment or not, but he takes it as a compliment. As an imaginative kid he dreamed of creating exciting worlds and funky characters, and thought he’d be the most famous person to ever do this. He loved to draw and was dux of Art in High School. Top of his dream list was to be an animator. Along with his friend (who went on to be a semi-regular in an Aussie TV Soapie) they would make their own comic books – it kept them entertained and out of trouble (most of the time).
He loved watching all those classic cartoons on TV - Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Road Runner (surely, Coyote would win one day), Wacky Races, the list goes on and on. All he wanted to do was to create cool characters and stories by hand. He was sure his animation dream would happen - It was to be the perfect career.
BOOM! Then reality hit. As weird as it may seem, there were not a lot of opportunities for world famous animators in his home city. The dreams were parked as reality and the corporate world beckoned. Then, 25 years later, the long-held dream to create erupted like a jam donut in a microwave and S.W. started writing children's fiction for kids. Perhaps his awesome stories will become so popular that they will be animated one day.
When he writes, it’s for his kids. He writes stories to excite them, inspire them and teach. Stories with awesome edge-of-your-seat action and adventure scattered with fun. Stories that let adults remember their own childhood dreams.
His dream has evolved over the years, from superstar cartoonist – to corporate soldier – to proud parent – to children’s writer. In his wildest dreams, his books will be extremely successful. However, it’s one step at a time. A waterfall starts with a trickle; he hopes his books are his waterfall. He’s building that waterfall – one book at a time.
Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, S.W.!
S.W. has written a guest post, so I will now turn the floor over to him!
About the Quest Series
by S.W. Lothian
The Quest series is an exciting time-travel adventure like no other, which has won over fans from all ages. Kids love it because it takes them on an action-packed ride, and adults love it because it reminds them of their childhood dreams of adventure. It has been described as Harry Potter meets Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones meets The Mummy.
The underlying essence that I have tried to inject into this series is maximum adventure, maximum action, amazing settings, awesome humour and relatable characters. I wanted my heroes to be just everyday kids, who find themselves in the most awesome adventure of their lives. These books are so vividly burnt into my mind, that I can see the settings, smell the air, and feel the emotions of the characters. It has taken me years to get the story to where it is now, and there are still a couple more books to come. My dream would be for the series to become loved enough to spawn a CG movie or two or more (A very wild dream, I know - but one that I'll hold onto - ya gotta have dreams.).
JJ, Linc and Rani are just three normal kids who have found themselves in adventures that none of them could ever have imagined. The series is an edge-of-your-seat tale of time-travel that spans from modern times to ancient Egypt. The past and present collide as our heroes are tasked with saving history (and the future) from turmoil. It's not an easy job, especially when their arch enemies have an army of living statues, known as Uberdiles at their side. Over the course of the quests, our heroes meet many wonderful characters and learn about their own strengths, the importance of teamwork and loyalty, and how to trust each other.
Last year I was fortunate enough to travel to Singapore and I visited Universal Studios (I'm a theme park fan). One of the key things that attracted me to visit the newest Universal theme park was that I knew there was an ancient Egypt zone, which housed one of my favourite rides, The Mummy. Well, as soon as I arrived in the zone I felt just like I had stepped through time and into my books. The ancient Egypt theming was awesome and the detail and scale were stunning. There were even some giant statues of one of my characters, Anubis. To read more about my visit, click here to jump to my blog post.
I'd be honoured if you would give the Quest series a go and read each of the exciting quests. I'm confident that you'll find that it will take you on an adventure that will knock your socks off.
Thanks so much for joining us today, S.W.!
About the Books:
TITLE: The Golden Scarab
About the Books:
SERIES: Quest, Book #1
AUTHOR: S.W. Lothian
PUBLISHER: CreateSpace
PUBLICATION DATE: April 4, 2012
FORMAT: Paperback, 326 pages
ISBN: 9781469989129
Warning: Those of you who read this book will travel through time. If you suffer from motion sickness, you may experience some uncomfortable symptoms as time-travel occurs. If you currently suffer from boredom, you will experience un-boredom while reading this book. If you have a tendency to laugh-out-loud, then you may annoy others sitting close by. If you like action and adventure, strap yourself in for the ride of your life.
JJ Sterling is a normal 12 year old, living in a normal house, with a normal family. That is, until a normal day turns his life upside down. One day, he’s visiting his dad at the museum, and the next thing he knows, he’s thrust back in time . . . and he’s battling against an army of living statues with his best friend. This definitely isn’t what he would usually call normal. It seems JJ was in the wrong place at the right time, and now he’s on the most awesome adventure of his life.
All is not well in Ancient Egypt and heroes are needed. An evil force threatens the peace, and JJ and his friends have no choice but to be those heroes. Guided by the King of the Gods, they embark on a desperate quest. They must overcome amazing and dangerous challenges, as they search for the only thing that can save Egypt. A magical amulet known as the Golden Scarab is the key to peace. It must not fall into the hands of evil or it will spell disaster.
Heroes take on villains in this action-packed race against time. Who will be first to find it? Only time will tell.
Join the Quest - become a Quester.
Buy Links:
SERIES: Quest, Book #2
AUTHOR: S.W. Lothian
PUBLISHER: CreateSpace
PUBLICATION DATE: September 28, 2012
FORMAT: Paperback, 276 pages
ISBN: 9781478232506
The tide has turned in a battle against the flow of time.
Life in Ancient Egypt couldn't be better. The statues now have freedom of movement and the people have comfort in knowing that the evil God Seth has been defeated. It is the Season of Ahket and celebrations are in full swing as they party towards its exciting climax. The annual flood of the Nile River will bring another year of prosperity. But, as day breaks the celebrations take a totally unexpected turn. Hapi, the Nile God, mysteriously disappears and with him so does the Nile. Egypt without the Nile spells disaster and to make things even worse, the mysterious events are already impacting the future.
Desperate to reverse the devastating curse that has been cast, the Alliance of the Gods call on the help of JJ, Linc and Rani. Having already saved Ancient Egypt once before, these heroes from the future must travel back in time to do it again. With help from new and old friends they embark on a new quest that is a frantic race against the flow of time, to conquer an evil force that has an old score to settle. Danger lurks at every turn as they try to solve the mystery and battle against those who want to see them fail. As time flows by it is running out fast. If they fail it will change history - if they succeed it will preserve it.
'The Cursed Nile’ is an epic battle where the past has the power to change the future, and the future has the power to change the past. Which one will triumph?
Buy Links:
Amazon Kindle / Amazon Paperback
SERIES: Quest, Book #3
AUTHOR: S.W. Lothian
PUBLICATION DATE: June 1, 2013
FORMAT: Paperback
ISBN: 9781484946107
It's time to reunite without the burden of a perilous quest. Let's just sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. The idea is simple enough. What could possibly go wrong?
Tragedy sends a shockwave across the land, and rumours begin to surface and spread. Has the very thing that protects the Pharaoh gone missing? An ancient Egyptian legend foretells that without it, the safety of the Pharaoh is doomed. Khafre calls upon his trusted friends from the future to seek out the fabled Ankh of Life.
It's a quest to discover if the legend is true. If it is, our heroes need to find the ankh and return it to its rightful place. The awesome foursome from the future are in the race of their life - against the passage of time and mysterious forces that want them stopped.
This edge-of-your-seat adventure weaves its thrills and mystery through the very crossroads of time itself. From ancient Egypt, to the centre of time, to modern Paris. The gang of four must face their most amazing encounters so far.
The pressure is on. Who is trying to stop them? Will our heroes overcome the danger and challenges of their newest quest? Only time will tell.
The time has come for the legend to rise and protect.
Buy Link:
Amazon Kindle
Two winners will each win a complete set of all three books in The Quest Series (digital copies)!
To enter the giveaway, you must complete the Rafflecopter entry form below.
The giveaway is open worldwide until June 30, 2013.
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Thanks so much for having me on your blog Darlene. I don't know how you manage to read so much and post so often. Do you have some sort of time-capsule?
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