New Release Celebration (& Giveaway): The Trojan Horse Traitor by Amy C. Blake

And the lucky winner is...Katy!! (Winner chosen via random.org.) Thank you so much to Amy and to all of you who stopped by and entered our giveaway! We hope to have more, so make sure to check back again :) 

We're thrilled to have a special guest, Amy C. Blake, visiting Lands Uncharted today to celebrate her new YA fantasy release, The Trojan Horse Traitor!

    

Left on Castle Island to attend Camp Classic, thirteen-year-old homeschooler Levi Prince finds himself at the center of an enchanted world of amazing abilities, cloudy motives, and wicked beings that will challenge his very spirit. He begins to form friendships, but life at camp becomes more confusing as questionable activities and uncertain agendas bring about conflict that tests his character in ways he never expected. Finally, faced with a friend's betrayal, Levi is forced to confront true evil. Will he find the courage to stand his ground, and to become the hero he was always meant to be? 

Amy answered a few questions for us about The Trojan Horse Traitor:

What inspired the idea for this story?   

As a pastor's wife and homeschooling mother of four, I love to read, and so do my children. We especially enjoy fantasy novels, but none of the books we read have homeschooled heroes. When Levi and Terracaelum entered my mind (I don't remember exactly what made me dream them up), it was only natural that Levi be a redheaded, homeschooled pastor's kid like my own children. Camp Classic came into being because we follow a Classical Christian educational system for our homeschool, and I thought it'd be intriguing to incorporate a story from Classical mythology into my plotline. I also thought it would be fun to make my runty main character tackle archery, fencing, canoeing, and wrestling, along with the torments of Latin verbs and History dates during summer break.

Since we're all about exploring new worlds here at Lands Uncharted, tell us about your setting and any fantasy elements involved in your book.

The Trojan Horse Traitor is set in Terracaelum, a realm populated by mythical creatures yet ruled by a human man and woman (similar to Brandon Mull's Fablehaven, though I hadn't read the series when I wrote this book). The name, Terracaelum, comes from the Latin words terra (earth) and caelum (sky or heaven). Camp Classic is a summer camp for Classically educated kids on Castle Island, a tiny island in the middle of Lake Superior. Yet the far northern cliff of Castle Island is the connecting point with Terracaelum, which is invisible except when the drawbridge is lowered. Except for the director and his wife, Camp Classic's staff is nonhuman--elves, dwarves, and pixies who pass for humans to the campers who are unaware that they've left Castle Island and entered Terracaelum. Beyond the castle, other mythical creatures live--dragons, mormos, basilisks, dverger, harpies, griffins, rocs, unicorns, merweavers, lake monsters, and a shape-shifting demon sorcerer named Deceptor.

Who is your favorite character in The Trojan Horse Traitor, and why?   

I'd have to say my main character, Levi Prince, is my favorite. I love Levi for many reasons. One is that he's a homeschooled, redheaded pastor's kid, like my own children (three out of four are redheads anyway). For another, he's likeable but flawed, which means I (and most of humanity) can easily relate to him and his problems.

Describe the readers who will love this book.   

The Trojan Horse Traitor is just right for 9- to 14-year-olds, though older teens and adults who enjoy Christian fantasy often tell me they love the book as well. While Levi is homeschooled and so will appeal to homeschoolers, kids who are traditionally schooled will also enjoy exploring Terracaelum with Levi.

Finally, please share a favorite line or passage from The Trojan Horse Traitor with us. 

Here's a passage from Chapter 4:

Lightning shattered the sky. Thunder vibrated the ground. What should Levi do? They had to get away from this drop-off, and there were a lot more kids than crazy Mr. Dominic and his kooky-looking staff. Levi glanced back at Trevor, still scrubbing mud off his nose, eyes hidden by his lowered hood. Did he even see the danger?

Levi turned forward and grabbed Sara’s raincoat sleeve. “Sara, we’ve got to get out of here.”

She twisted around as lights burst behind her like Fourth of July fireworks. Eyebrows scrunched, she flashed him a half-amused, half-puzzled smile, as if she thought he was teasing. “Why? Don’t you like it?” She turned and pointed north. He followed her pointing finger to where empty air had dropped away to a storm-tossed lake mere seconds before.

Now he saw a castle.

It was a huge gray stone fortress that looked like it had stood there for centuries, not mere seconds. Orange lights glowed from the windows and red pennants waved on its four towers. The waters of a moat lapped at Mr. Dominic’s boots. A lowered drawbridge stretched across the moat to where Mrs. Dominic waited, sheltered in the doorway from the now-gentle rain. 

Levi’s sleeping bag splashed into the mud beside his duffel. Had he lost his mind?

The Trojan Horse Traitor is available in both e-book and paperback formats from Amazon. It's also available from Barnes and Noble and Books a Million. 

About Amy:

Award-winning author Amy C. Blake is a pastor's wife and homeschooling mother of four. She has an M.A. in English from Mississippi College and has written articles, devotionals, and short stories for a number of publications. She'd love for you to visit her website at amycblake.com for tips on homeschooling, advice for the rookie pastor's wife, and helps for the Christian life. You can also find more information on her website about her novels--Whitewashed, Colorblind, and The Trojan Horse Traitor.

 

Here are some ways you can connect with Amy:

Website - amycblake.com

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!

Amy has generously offered to give away an ebook copy of The Trojan Horse Traitor. To enter, leave a comment below and make sure to include your e-mail address or Twitter handle (unless we already have it). I will post the winner here on Thursday, February 18th. 

Thanks so much for visiting, Amy!