Some great blogs for Readers.

I found a great new blog: http://wordsmithonia.blogspot.com/ devoted to books and characters and great book reviews as well. Mostly children's books too, I might add, YA and MG.

There is also another blog online devoted mainly to Time Travel novels, and I like her enthusiasm and excitement when she discusses them. Try http://timetraveltimestwo.wordpress.com/

Thank you!

J. Lee Graham

New Upload Opportunities for IN THE NICK OF TIME!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/117044

IN THE NICK OF TIME, the first of the time travel books about Andy Mackpeace, is now available to upload for the various electronic devices. Amazon can get you into your Kindle, but now you can use Smashwords for Nook, etc. It's a great website and the price of the book is the same as for Kindle.

I'm working on getting the second book THE TIME OF HIS LIFE also ready for the other uploads. Right now, that is available on Kindle too.

Of course, the paper versions of both novels are always available.

Peace,

J. Lee Graham

Winter Solstice

Happy Solstice Everyone!

I always wonder how Andy, Roger, and Miranda celebrate or what they think about during this day. I would like to think all three of them embrace the ritual of it: at least Andy would have been taught something by his Grandmother Geri about this day. He might have even shared that with Roger and Miranda.

Fun to think about.

Some people go out into the woods at sunset, walk through the snow until they are deep into the forest and there light a candle. They stand in a circle and greet the new Light, the new awareness of the light within all of us and the ability to use that light throughout the new year.

I'd like to hope Andy, Miranda and Roger do that in the woods in New Hampshire.

Happy Solstice Everybody!

Another terrific comment from a fan. Mahalo!

‎"I am pleased to support this project. These books are compelling and heartfelt with a strong message of strength, caliber and dignity. A valuable asset for young people. I want to see more books from this author!"

This was a comment submitted by one donor to my Kickstarter project. Thank you Adam!

My novels IN THE NICK OF TIME and THE TIME OF HIS LIFE are both now available on Kindle and Amazon.com

My Kickstarter Project

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/454459234/time-travel-adventures?ref=email

Welcome to my Kickstarter Project for both my novels: IN THE NICK OF TIME and THE TIME OF HIS LIFE. It's a fundraising event that I want to use to not only promote my novels but promote literacy in the schools and libraries.

This was a fun project to put together; I created another video for Kickstarter as well.

Peace,

J. Lee Graham

The Sequel

THE TIME OF HIS LIFE is now on Amazon. I'm so excited to be starting off the Fall with this sequel to IN THE NICK OF TIME.

http://www.amazon.com/Time-His-LIfe-Lee-Graham/dp/1466281863/ref=sr_1_22?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317672547&sr=1-22

The evolution of character and their relationships to each other continue to fascinate me and it seems, like an actor who plays a part in a long running play, that the exploration of these characters is an ongoing, ever expanding process.

New Life to the new novel!

www.createspace.com/3670920

My new novel is now out on paperback and Kindle! THE TIME OF HIS LIFE is available and it is a wonderful way to start the Fall Season. Thank you to all who believe in my work!

The Decatur Book Festival

Over Labor Day weekend, at the Festival, I had the great opportunity to sign copies of IN THE NICK OF TIME at the Trilogy Bookstore Booth (Trilogy is a great Indie Bookstore in Avondale Estates, Georgia.).

The crowds were terrific, so much to see and hear from fellow writers and teachers. It was very heartening to see the throngs of people who came out for BOOKS! I had a blast.
Mahalo Nui Loa to Sean and Val at Trilogy Bookstore!

It's Alive!

It's here! The new sequel to IN THE NICK OF TIME is now available on Kindle. The paper version is being worked on as I write this.
You can find it now on www.amazon.com in the Kindle section.

In THE TIME OF HIS LIFE Andy Mackpeace, on a class field trip to the New Hampshire Historical Society, hears a boy calling to him from a photograph of Camp Forest Hills taken in 1925. " Who killed me? I was murdered here."

Andy and Miranda, once again using the incense sticks bequeathed to him from his grandmother, time travel to the camp to solve the mystery. Andy becomes a camper while Miranda lands in the kitchen as one of the hired help. Unprepared for the evil that stalks there, the two travelers must race against time to discover the killer and put a ghost to rest.

Excited about the coming birth of my sequel to IN THE NICK OF TIME. The sequel, called THE TIME OF HIS LIFE, will soon be available on KINDLE and CREATE SPACE. I have posted some beginning chapters on this blog before, but now the birthing process begins.

In THE TIME OF HIS LIFE, Andy Mackpeace, while on a class field trip to the New Hampshire Historical Society to look at an exhibit of the various boys camps in the state, spies an old group photograph of some campers from Camp Forest Hills taken in 1925. One camper calls out to him saying, "Who killed me? I was murdered here?" Andy discovers that he has the gift for psychometry. Andy and Miranda, through the guidance of Andy's Grandma Geri, time travel back to Camp Forest Hills to solve the murder. Unprepared for the evil that lurks there, they race against time to uncover a killer and put a ghost to rest.

The characters from IN THE NICK OF TIME

Sometimes it's fun and important to imagine the characters as so completely real, they begin to talk back to you. Often, people will say to me, "Andy is my 'favorite' character", and others will say, "No, Roger," or "No, Miranda!"

While Andy is the main character and the focus of the novel, it seems that readers too glean some sense of identity from Andy's friends. For me, when creating them, I loved thinking about them in real time: What do they eat? What do they wear? How do they walk? What makes them angry? What makes them sad? The list goes on and on.

Whenever I get a role in a play, the same process occurs. Who is this new character? How does he walk? How does he hide his embarrassment? How does he show his happiness? What is his favorite food, song, movie, book? It is a blast using the clues from the script to decipher the character.

Much of that theatrical 'training' becomes the same foundation for creating characters. A great shout out to Ken Hornbeck and Peter A. Carey for some of those theatrical juicy tidbits!

Healing and IN THE NICK OF TIME

So many people have commented on the healing quality of IN THE NICK OF TIME. While my intent was to tell a terrific time travel novel with rich characters who exhibit various emotional responses to the surroundings and events that occur to them, there seems to be, unconsciously, a thin veil of healing in the pages. Forgiveness is a common theme I feel drawn to as well; again, it seems to reveal itself in unplanned ways!

The adventures of Andy Mackpeace (and his friends Roger and Miranda) are not easily handled. Choices are made at times that are not always for the best. I like the idea of characters, especially Andy, transforming from his mistakes.

In IN THE NICK OF TIME, the maturing process happens to all three characters, their own sense of empowerment is strengthened, and as a result, their sense of community and belonging is deepened.

That's the powerful alchemic response called 'healing'.

Grandma Geri would have been proud. :)

THANK YOU ICS!

The International Community School in Avondale Estates invited me to give a talk to all the 4th graders and then read from my novel IN THE NICK OF TIME. I had a blast! A big MAHALO! (Thank you in Hawaiian) to Lori the Librarian, and all the 4th grade teachers there, and especially to all the 4th graders themselves!

Book signing for IN THE NICK OF TIME

A recent booksigning at TRILOGY, a new age store in Avondale Estates, Georgia. Thanks to owners Sean and Val for creating such a great store!

Another fan and her comment!

A great new quote from a recent fan for IN THE NICK OF TIME. She writes:

"J. Lee Graham has such a gift at portraying the teenage emotions and thoughts and telling a really good story."

Thank you Sofia!

Chapter 2 of THE TIME OF HIS LIFE

Again, due to the pleadings of some people, (thank you!) I have posted Chapter 2 of the sequel to IN THE NICK OF TIME currently titled THE TIME OF HIS LIFE. I'm enjoying the process of editing this book, watching Andy, Miranda and Roger and Grandma Geri become more evolved as a new adventure awaits. Enjoy.

Chapter 2

Mr. Flanders gestured to the teacher outside. “Whenever your class is ready, that is fine!”
Andy Mackpeace was sitting on the steps of the Historical Society with his friend Miranda Roberts. They were eating lunches and the late September sun was shining on their faces making life feel warm and toasty. The rest of his Social Studies class were sitting there too, eating and talking.
“Have you spoken to Roger this week?” Miranda asked. Roger was Andy’s best friend who had moved away to Montana three weeks ago.
“We email each other almost every day, but since he’s tried out for football, I usually don’t hear from him until late at night.” Andy stuffed the remains of his plastic wraps and brownie crumbs into his paper bag and walked over to throw it away. “Other than that, he’s doing great. Montana is a whole new world for him.”
Mr. Hahn, the teacher, grouped the class together. “Ok, you have your worksheets: the photos you are about to see will help you answer the questions.” Andy and Miranda were in 8th grade, and Social Studies for that year meant learning about their home state: a complete New Hampshire History. Andy thought the whole idea was insane, and sounded boring, but Mr. Hahn was one of those teachers who brought it all to life, making the little struggles and triumphs of New Hampshire sound like a day at the UN.
Their field trip was a great introduction to New Hampshire: a study of the boys’ camps that flourished in the state and continued to do so even today. Andy had never gone to one; Miranda had been to a girls’ Field Hockey training camp, but since they both lived in Silver Lake, a small town, it was sort of pointless. The camps were for the rich kids from Boston and New York who wanted to get out of the city. “Now, I don’t have to remind you to stay quiet in there,”
Mr. Hahn said as the group went filing into the doors. “You’ll have about 45 minutes to do your research.”
The troupe marched up the wide marble stairs swooping up to the second floor. At the top, on the left, was the entrance to a large room with a banner that read:
BOYS’ CAMPS, CULTURE, AND THE NEW HAMPSHIRE EXPERIENCE: 1898-2008.
“These stupid camps have been around this long!” Miranda said, passing under the banner. “Oh, and of course, the girls’ camps aren’t even represented here!”
The room was a series of make shift walls which contained photographs, printed materials and camp flyers arranged chronologically. She and Andy strolled through the turn of the 20th century camps, names like Camp Pasquaney, Camp Asquam, and Chocorua, looking at the old style clothes and haircuts.
“Check out what the counselors are wearing!” Miranda whispered. She gestured to a photo of college aged men sitting on the grass wearing jackets and ties and long pants and shoes.
“That had to have been for the photographer,” Andy said. “That’d be ridiculous to wear that all day in the sun!” He was right. Other photos showed the counselors in shorts, hiking boots, loose shirts and old hats.
“Question 1: List several differences in the style of clothing throughout the span of the century”.
Andy and Miranda began writing the answers to their questions.
As Andy rounded the corner of one wall and entered the area marked 1920-1940, he came into a group of photos showing a camp called Camp Forest Hills. The display started with a hand-drawn cartoon map of the camp. Camp Forest Hills had been situated at the base of a small mountain, with a lake at the top of it. The base contained the playing fields and some shacks, with a road winding up the hill, through the pine trees to the lake. Along the road were buildings, presumably camp sites, cabins, and bathrooms, which ended at a small lake shaped like a pair of glasses. “Spectacle Pond”, the map read. According to the map, the lake had a long dock built on it stretching from the beach out into the water.
Andy examined every inch of the map. He turned his head to stare at the several photos regarding daily life at Camp Forest Hills. The first showed a row of boys and counselors standing on that long wooden dock, and they looked about ready to dive off. The caption read: ‘Diving and Swimming are an intricate part of learning survival techniques at Camp Forest Hills. Boys are taught to swim, dive, and compete in healthy, active games.’
Andy laughed to himself. ‘Learning survival techniques?’
His eyes moved to the next photo: a group shot of the counselors and the boys. The caption read: ‘Camp Forest Hills, Groton, New Hampshire. Boys and Counselors, Summer of 1925.’ Andy looked at the faces of those non-grinning people from 82 years ago. He started with the top row of, clearly, the counselors. There was an older man there too who looked like a doctor or perhaps the owner of the camp.
‘Who were these people?’ Andy thought. ‘Did they like it there? Were they happy? What were they thinking?’ Andy peered closer as he moved toward the second row.
He began at the left and guessed the ages of the camp kids were about his own: thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. One boy had two ears sticking straight out while his mouth pouted in some sort of “Jeez, do we have to be here doing this!” frown. Andy laughed out loud.
He roamed through the row, scanning the short kid peering out between two heads, the bright blond haired kid, past the taller guy with a shock of hair combed straight back, all of them glaring at the camera. ‘These were the rich kids,’ he thought. He moved toward the right, studying, looking for signs of what it had been like to have lived back then, when his eyes came upon Jake Hollis.
“Who killed me?” Jake said. “I died here. I was murdered.”
The words vibrated through time, through 82 years and landed on the first person who was able to hear them. Andy spun around to see if anyone else noticed this. No one was paying him any attention, and even Miranda had raced ahead to look for any sign of a girl’s camp. Did the picture really talk? No, that’s impossible, Andy thought. But there was energy. Energy zinging at him from the photograph. Something was being said to him.
Andy stared at the boy: he was the last kid on the right in the second row: he was kneeling on his right knee, his arms folded across his chest and he was looking straight into the camera. He had dark, dark hair that wasn’t parted or pasted back on his skull. It was a full head of straight hair with bangs that completely covered his forehead. His shoulders were broad for a boy his age, and his eyebrows were dark too, giving his eyes a callous, obstinate look. He appeared to be about 5’7” or 5’8”; since he was kneeling, it was hard for Andy to tell. The boy was average in weight. He was wearing shorts and this short sleeved camp shirt, just like many of the others, and his face had a feigned hardness that was rehearsed. Despite the coldness in the eye, Andy felt he looked like the type of guy whom you could depend on, you could trust.
“Who killed me?” Jake’s voice said again. “Who killed me?”
Like the ripples a lake makes when you throw a rock into it, the words pulsated out from the picture and into the room. Goose bumps slithered across Andy’s arms, and a shiver went up his back. He looked behind him and saw one of his classmates peering over his shoulder. Andy was about to say, “Hey, did you hear that?” when the classmate wandered off, bored.
Andy turned to the picture again. The vibrations got stronger.
“I was murdered here.”
The energy came from that boy: that boy who was the last boy on the right in the second row. It filled Andy’s ears and his head and he turned away. He looked at the windows and the September sun beaming in, making the museum gathering stuffy, almost sleep inducing. He wondered if that was what made him imagine the voice. He turned and read his assignment sheet. But, the temptation was too strong. He raised his head again toward that innocent photograph, and every time he put his eyes back on the boy, the dark words came through. Stronger. Insistent.
“Who killed me?
I was murdered here.
Who killed-”
“Stop it!” Andy yelled as he keeled over toward the display. He grabbed for the wall, missed, hit a menu board instead and knocked over a table of brochures. The racket was like a cannon shot, and Andy bolted, his stomach turned to mush. The young boy ran as fast as he could out of the exhibit, out of the stuffy air and those god-awful vibrating pulses.
He flew down the stairs, dropping his notebook and his pen. He saw the Men’s room at the bottom and pushed the door. It crashed into the wall with a BANG! echoing across the lobby and up the stairs into the photo exhibit. The door stayed open. Andy headed for a toilet, but his brain knew he’d never make it. He reached a garbage can instead and hurled up his lunch. His retching reverberated through the building, and everyone, from the research librarian in the back room, to the entire Social Studies class on the second floor, heard every chunk of his sandwich and brownie hitting the bottom of the empty can.

A Video Promo For IN THE NICK OF TIME

A brief fun video I made demonstrating the magical power of those ingenious Grandma Geri Incense sticks! :) Enjoy.