Title: Imagine
Author: Jenna Greene
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Champagne Books
Publication: 3rd August 2015
Synopsis:
A fierce wind and
a blast of green light during a strange storm causes everything to change for
Katharine Bowers and Becky Thatcher. The girls wake up in Oren, an entirely
different realm than their earthly city. They meet Enalie, a fading magical
presence who sets an incredible destiny before them… then simply disappears.
Left alone to fend off creatures that hunt them in the night, they must relay a
magical heritage that doesn’t make sense, and – if possible – save a world that
they know nothing about.
Available at Champagne
Books
Now, as a treat I give you the first chapter of the book:
Chapter One
“Becky
Thatcher, turn that light off and go to sleep. Not only is it a school night,
you have a math test tomorrow.”
Becky
wrinkled her nose and reluctantly closed her Harry Potter book. Reaching from
her bed, she flicked off her bedside lamp. Out in the hall, Dad waited until
the room went dark before footsteps announced a retreat to his own bedroom.
Fluffing
her pillows in mild annoyance, she pouted about the unfairness of bedtimes.
Math tests too. Not school—she loved school. It was just that English was her
preferred subject, as well as Art and Music and even sometimes Social Studies.
Math was a dull and uncreative subject. Fractions didn’t make a lick of sense.
She doubted she would score well on that test tomorrow.
She
could have gone to sleep as Dad instructed without too much distress. It wasn’t
the first time she’d read J.K. Rowling’s famous work. She wouldn’t be tossing
and turning in agony all night, desperate to know the conclusion.
Except
it was Sunday night, the end of the weekend, and Becky wasn’t the least bit
tired. Since she wasn’t ready for sleep, and had no last-minute homework to
complete, there were only two things she could think to do: read or draw.
Drawing
was tricky beneath the bedcovers, but reading was manageable. After sneaking a
flashlight from under her bed and pulling the blankets over her shoulders and
head, she retrieved her recently-abandoned book. It wasn’t Harry Potter,
though, but Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Digging underneath again, she
found her original read. Now, staring at the two familiar covers, she bit her
lip in disgruntlement. Which one? That was a real dilemma.
Harry
Potter, Percy Jackson, Lord of the Rings, Eragon, The Hunger Games, The Maze
Runner—she owned, devoured, and adored them all. With her advanced reading
skills, Becky had no difficulties following their elaborate plots.
But she
had a small secret. Sure, she loved reading for the sake of reading. Stories
were an adventurous pleasure. But she didn’t just admire each hero and heroine.
She wanted to be them.
Becky’s
window slammed shut, and she jumped.
Weird.
She hadn’t realized it had been left open.
A thick
gust of wind passed over her bed. She glanced back at the window with a shiver.
The window was sealed tight.
So how
was there wind in her bedroom?
A stack
of papers near the door rustled and flittered about the floor.
Alarmed,
Becky sat up. Her pillow and blankets slid off the bed. A framed picture
dropped from the wall and hit the floor with a thud.
The
temperature in the room grew unpleasantly cool. Her eyes widened as her
bookshelf wavered precariously. There was a subtle humming noise, which seemed
to come from the floor itself. The wind reappeared with another strong gust.
Along with a stuffed bear, she was pushed flat against her mattress.
What
was going on?
When
she leapt from her bed, there was resistance to her movements. Taking a step
was as easy as running under water. A book hit her in the side of the head, and
she stumbled over a roller skate that slid in front of her.
At the
doorway, she was stuck. The door wouldn’t budge. To the window she went next,
acting on a whim, but it was sealed tight too. She was trapped in her room,
facing a turbulent hurricane rising around her. Her heart started to beat
quicker, and her breathing became ragged.
A
macaroni necklace sprang from her dresser. A toy duck was sucked from under her
bed. Her school lunch bag sailed past her legs, and a set of barrettes
skittered across the floor.
“Mom?
Dad!”
Back at
the door, Becky pounded against the wood, rattling the frame but not budging
it. Her iPod and her fifth grade math textbook struck her back, adding to the
bruises she was sure to have. Her hair was a tempest, blocking her vision. But
it didn’t keep her from seeing the way her room suddenly lit up. The light felt
more powerful than a thousand spotlights.
Becky
didn’t know whether to be relieved or more afraid when the wind dissipated.
Warily, she opened her eyes. Her hair returned to her shoulders. Objects
settled on the ground. The light pulsated then…
Sad it ended? Want to read more? You can now purchase the book!
As
a another treat, I have an exclusive interview with Jenna Greene! Are
you psyched as I am?!! *jumps up and down* Lets, go and say hi!!!
Tell me a little about yourself and your background?
I am a grade 6 teacher and writer from Alberta, Canada. I've been married just over two years, to my lovely husband Scott.
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
Yes. When I was five I wanted to be a teacher/writer. When I was six I wanted to be a fairy princess/writer. When I was twelve I wanted to be a actress/writer and when I was in high school I wanted to be a zoologist/writer. The writer part never changed. It's always been my dream.
What are some of your favourite authors?
I adore many YA writers: Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Lauren DeStefano, Maureen Fergus, Suzanne Collins, and, of course, J.K. Rowling.
Do you have any ambitions about your writing career?
I want to write good books that people want to read. (And if people laugh or cry because of my words, that would be nice too).
What inspires you to write?
It's something that I have to do. If I go too long without writing, whether it be a story or a poem, I get a bit twitchy. I like expressing myself. I like placing my thoughts into creative sentences. When I write, I step outside myself for a moment and it feels great.
What genre are your books? Why did you choose this genre specifically?
Both my books are YA books, though one is realistic and one fantasy. I don't know if I choose the genre, or if the genre chooses me. I tend to have moments where either a character or a plot line comes to me, and then I write it down. I suspect, though, that I'll always be a YA writer.
How did you come up with the title for the book?
The title has to do with the theme of the book - the idea that imagination/creativity have incredible power. I think when people get to the end of the book, they'll look back on the title and say, "AHA!"
Did your own experiences help you write the book?
Even though this book is a fantasy, I think my life shows up in it. Things I've read. Things I've learned. A lot of the emotions I've felt in life are portrayed in different scenes.
How do you come up with traits for your characteristics?
Some of the main characters are based on people I know/have known. The character of Kat, for example, is a mixture of two roommates I had in university. Their names were Cathy and Kate, and they both had far more spunk than me, which I envied.
Do you think about the people who are going to read your book when you’re writing?
I try to. I know which parts make me laugh/cry, and I hope that they effect the reader in the same way.
Do you know how your story is going to end before you begin writing?
Yep. It's the middle that is a bit of a mystery.
If you have the chance to do it all over again, would you change anything?
I don't think so. I've been working on IMAGINE for over twelve years. I've thought a lot about the characters and their adventures. I've changed what needed to be changed and I like what I've produced.
Is there a message in the book you’re trying to portray to the readers?
I'm trying to let people know that imagination/creativity have an importance in this world. That art has meaning and shouldn't be dismissed, for it has incredible power that is not measurable.
I am a grade 6 teacher and writer from Alberta, Canada. I've been married just over two years, to my lovely husband Scott.
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
Yes. When I was five I wanted to be a teacher/writer. When I was six I wanted to be a fairy princess/writer. When I was twelve I wanted to be a actress/writer and when I was in high school I wanted to be a zoologist/writer. The writer part never changed. It's always been my dream.
What are some of your favourite authors?
I adore many YA writers: Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Lauren DeStefano, Maureen Fergus, Suzanne Collins, and, of course, J.K. Rowling.
Do you have any ambitions about your writing career?
I want to write good books that people want to read. (And if people laugh or cry because of my words, that would be nice too).
What inspires you to write?
It's something that I have to do. If I go too long without writing, whether it be a story or a poem, I get a bit twitchy. I like expressing myself. I like placing my thoughts into creative sentences. When I write, I step outside myself for a moment and it feels great.
What genre are your books? Why did you choose this genre specifically?
Both my books are YA books, though one is realistic and one fantasy. I don't know if I choose the genre, or if the genre chooses me. I tend to have moments where either a character or a plot line comes to me, and then I write it down. I suspect, though, that I'll always be a YA writer.
How did you come up with the title for the book?
The title has to do with the theme of the book - the idea that imagination/creativity have incredible power. I think when people get to the end of the book, they'll look back on the title and say, "AHA!"
Did your own experiences help you write the book?
Even though this book is a fantasy, I think my life shows up in it. Things I've read. Things I've learned. A lot of the emotions I've felt in life are portrayed in different scenes.
How do you come up with traits for your characteristics?
Some of the main characters are based on people I know/have known. The character of Kat, for example, is a mixture of two roommates I had in university. Their names were Cathy and Kate, and they both had far more spunk than me, which I envied.
Do you think about the people who are going to read your book when you’re writing?
I try to. I know which parts make me laugh/cry, and I hope that they effect the reader in the same way.
Do you know how your story is going to end before you begin writing?
Yep. It's the middle that is a bit of a mystery.
If you have the chance to do it all over again, would you change anything?
I don't think so. I've been working on IMAGINE for over twelve years. I've thought a lot about the characters and their adventures. I've changed what needed to be changed and I like what I've produced.
Is there a message in the book you’re trying to portray to the readers?
I'm trying to let people know that imagination/creativity have an importance in this world. That art has meaning and shouldn't be dismissed, for it has incredible power that is not measurable.
About the Author
Jenna Greene is a middle school teacher in Alberta, Canada. She lives with her husband and their two dogs: Thor, Dog of Thunder and Tyko. Her other YA novel is Heroine, published by Aaspirations Publishing.
Jenna Greene is a middle school teacher in Alberta, Canada. She lives with her husband and their two dogs: Thor, Dog of Thunder and Tyko. Her other YA novel is Heroine, published by Aaspirations Publishing.
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