Interview with Fiona Ingram, author of 'The Search for the Stone of Excalibur'
Fiona Ingram was born and educated in South Africa
Do you consider yourself to be a born
writer?
I
think so. I have always scribbled something, either plays for the family,
stories to entertain my young brothers, poetry to amuse family members, and
then later writing a book just came naturally. Being an avid reader also helps!
Tell us about your recent release.
What was your inspiration for it?
The Search for the Stone of Excalibur is the second book in my
Middle Grade adventure series The
Chronicles of the Stone. Book 1 began the adventure after my mother took me
and my two young nephews on a family trip to Egypt. I came back and penned The Secret of the Sacred Scarab right
away and, when I reached the end of the book, I realised my young heroes hadn’t
saved the world yet; they needed more books! The second adventure takes the
heroes to Britain, where King Arthur’s sword has been discovered and there is a
powerful stone embedded in the hilt. Could this be the source of Excalibur’s
legendary powers?
Tell us about your children's books.
I
never imagine that one book, which began as a short story filled with anecdotes
about our trip to Egypt, would end up as a book, and then a book series. The
series is extremely gripping: young heroes Adam and Justin have to locate seven
ancient Stones of Power scattered throughout the known world of several
thousand years ago. Adam has a special connection with the stones. United, the
stones enable someone to read the legendary Egyptian Book of Thoth, the most powerful book in the world, and thus learn
the secrets of ultimate knowledge, achieve immortality, and control time,
eternity, and the creatures of the land, sea and air. Of course there are
baddies who also want these stones, and they pursue our heroes as they travel
the globe in search of these powerful objects. Each book takes the kids to a
new country, exploring ancient history, geography, culture, mythology, legends,
and archaeology within each story. It’s an amazing adventure for the heroes as
they meet people who help or hinder them on their quest.
What are you working on now?
Book
3: The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper
is non-stop adventure! Continuing the adventure
that ended in Britain just a short while ago, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair,
with their friend Kim Maleka, are now hunting for the third Stone of Power, one
of seven mysterious stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be located in
an ancient city, hidden in the depths of the Mexican jungle. When their small
plane crashes in the jungle, Adam, Justin, Kim, and James – their archaeologist
friend - are rescued by an uncontacted tribe. James, who is wounded, must stay
behind as the kids, with only a young boy, Tukum, as their guide, make their
way through the dense and dangerous jungle to find the city. Raft riding 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 in search of the lost city of stone gods. 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?
What type of book promotion works for
you? Any special strategies you’d like to share?
It’s an understatement to say
I have tried everything because I have. I work very hard at marketing my books.
Some options have been a waste of money; others have yielded mediocre results.
However, a hugely successful strategy for me is what I am doing right now;
going on a blog tour. It is organised; the hosts are keen to have you; their
readers are interested in the genre you write; you can tell potential readers
things that maybe you don’t get an opportunity to do otherwise; and also you have
a chance to offer readers something special as a thank you, and to encourage
them to read further. You can also get reviews from hosts interested enough to
read your book/s and give their opinion. It’s also a way of creating a
following of people who will continue to read your books and will look out for
them in the future. Another very successful strategy is entering book awards
because that tells people your book is of a high quality. I was fortunate that
my first MG adventure, The Secret of the
Sacred Scarab, won a bunch of awards, and that certainly influenced my getting
international publishing contracts.
Is there anything else you’d like to
say to our readers?
If you are a parent or have young relatives just getting into reading, the
greatest gift you can give them is to instil a love of reading. Enjoying
reading is a learned process, and a young child associates the pleasure of
reading with a parent or beloved relative with the pleasure of reading as they
grow older. Literacy is priceless, and reading and loving books will set that
child’s feet firmly on the path to a successful future.
For More Information
- Visit
Fiona Ingram’s website.
- Connect
with Fiona on Facebook
and Twitter.
- Find
out more about Fiona at Goodreads.
- Visit
Fiona’s blog.
About the Book:
Title: The Search for the Stone of
Excalibur
Author: Fiona Ingram
Publisher: Biblio Publishing
Pages: 376
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Format: Paperback/Kindle/Nook
Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few
months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin
Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven
ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of
a newly discovered sword that archaeologists believe belonged to King Arthur:
Excalibur. However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as
they travel to Scotland
to investigate an old castle. Little do they know there is another deadly
force, the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Time is
running out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. Can Justin and Adam
find the second Stone of Power and survive? And why did Aunt Isabel send a girl
with them?
Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but
also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important
clues to the Seven Stones of Power. As their adventure unfolds, they learn many
things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt look
tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems to
have such good ideas when they are stumped. Book extras include some historical
background on King Arthur, the Dark Ages, warfare and weaponry during Arthur’s
time, and details on Excalibur. A fascinating peek into the life and times of
the real King Arthur, perfect for young time travelers and budding
archaeologists.
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