I am pleased to welcome fellow author, Annabelle Franklin, to Jemsbooks Interview an Author.
Hi, Annabelle! It’s so nice to have you visit again. Please share a little about yourself and your books with my readers and me.
Please tell us something about yourself.
I’ve written stories all my life, though only recently produced anything I’ve considered worth publishing. I have three children’s books out now, and short stories in three anthologies. All my stories involve some sort of magic. I’ve never grown out of my love of magic; it makes life so much more interesting, and when it goes wrong the results can be hilarious – though not, of course, for the characters involved!
Jjspina: I agree about magic. I love it too! You did succeed in putting in some comic relief in your latest book.
What projects are you currently working on?
For the past 8 years I’ve been working on my Bad Boy Wizard series for 7-10 year olds. The first book was published in June this year, and I’m still editing and polishing the others. For me, the editing and polishing is the best bit! A first draft can be like pulling teeth, but it’s great fun turning that first draft into a story that works. I always think it’s like sculpting a statue from a rough block of stone.
Jjspina: Bad Boy Wizard is a great way to begin this series. I wish I felt the same about editing and polishing as you do. I find it tiring but necessary.
What hobbies do you have when you are not writing?
Dogs! I volunteer for Greyhound Rescue, and I have a whippet who is a qualified therapy hound – though how she passed the assessment I don’t know, as she can be a little horror at times. She reminds me of one of those monkeys in Thailand who steal people’s snacks and sunglasses. Luckily she’s as good as gold when I take her to visit people in care homes, or to local colleges to de-stress the students at exam time.
Jjspina: That is wonderful that you volunteer with your therapy hound to help others in need. Dogs are special and can do wonders for humans to de-stress.
Please share your books with us and a synopsis of each.
In The Astral Gatecrashers: Bad Boy Wizard Book 1, Charlie Busby is visited by a mischievous ghost who claims to have a ‘special connection’ with him. The ghost also tells Charlie he has magical power – all he has to do is will things to happen. Armed with too much power and too little knowledge, Charlie attracts a gang of delinquent entities who cause chaos in the staid little village where he lives. Their main aim is to make trouble for him, and he regrets being careless with his magic – especially as one of them is literally after his guts! Can he send them back to the astral plane before he’s turned into sausages?
In Gateway to Magic, Steven Topcliff’s cousin Tracy has goaded him into activating a one-way portal to Fairyland. Now he’s trapped there, which is very bad news for a boy who’s addicted to gaming, because all tech is banned by law and punishable by banishment to the terrible Forest of Pointy Fingers. To return to Earth, Steven must forge a portal that will take him home – but first he must believe in himself enough to do the necessary magic.
In The Slapstyx, astral-travelling twins Georgie and Gem have to battle a tribe of goblins whose job it is to fill human homes with dirt and grime. These grubby goblins have been enlisted by greedy businessman Zachary Zigstack to manufacture dirt that can only be removed with his eco-unfriendly cleaning products. This evil scheme is killing off the sea creatures, and it’s up to the twins to put an end to it, before the goblins put an end to them.
Jjspina: All your books sound wonderful. I have two of them on my TBR list that I look forward to reading.
Please share your links and where to purchase your books.
The Astral Gatecrashers: https://mybook.to/TheAstralGatecrashers
Gateway to Magic: http://myBook.to/Gateway2Magic
The Slapstyx: http://myBook.to/TheSlapstyx
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
St Nazare in Portugal. I have a fascination with giant waves, and thanks to a deep undersea channel the waves in St Nazare can reach heights of 100ft. I wouldn’t attempt to surf them myself, but it would be exhilarating to watch people who are brave enough to do it.
Jjspina: Wow, that does sound fantastic! I love Portugal I have been there a couple of times but never to St. Nazare.
What would you rather be, an animal or a vegetable?
Definitely an animal! I think it would be boring to be a vegetable and never go anywhere – unless, of course, I’d been magicked by the Bad Boy Wizard! In the second book of the series (out next year) he brings all the vegetables to life, and they turn into monsters and terrorize the village.
Jjspina: I agree with you there, Annabelle, that animals are much more fun and not at all boring as vegetables. Your next book sounds like quite a fun and riotous adventure – veggie monsters on the prowl.
Speak for one of your characters in your books for this interview.
My name is Charlie Busby, and I’m in Year 5 in Upper Bottom Village School. I didn’t want to be bad, but my mother is impossible to please! She makes so many stupid rules, my life would be totally boring if I stuck to them all. Life is totally boring in Upper Bottom anyway, so I try to liven things up a bit with pranks to entertain my friends – and since I discovered my magical power, the pranks have got even better. I just wish my magic wouldn’t keep going wrong!
Jjspina: Charlie sounds like quite a character and a handful for his mother. His character makes for a fun and entertaining story.
Find me on Amazon http://Author.to/AFranklin
Find me on Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/StarFireMagic
Visit my blog http://annabellefranklinauthor.wordpress.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Annabelle-Franklin-Author/1474449249481609
Twitter https://twitter.com/Anabel1Franklin
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6904737.Annabelle_Franklin
Find me on Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/StarFireMagic
Visit my blog http://annabellefranklinauthor.wordpress.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Annabelle-Franklin-Author/1474449249481609
Twitter https://twitter.com/Anabel1Franklin
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6904737.Annabelle_Franklin
Here is her latest book that I have reviewed.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Purchase
A fun beginning full of adventures of this Bad Boy Wizard Series!
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
The Astral Gatecrashers book 1 of the Bad Boy Wizard series is an enjoyable series for middle-graders and preteens. Even though I am not either of these I found this book to be intriguing as the myriad characters came on the scene and the main protagonist took front stage.
This is a creative series with all kinds of mayhem happening at every turn causing much havoc for Charlie, the bad boy wizard himself. The only thing wrong is that Charlie doesn’t know he can do magic until he meets a ghost of himself from the past who convinces him to try to perform some magic by changing a stuffed owl into a dog. Unfortunately, Charlie’s first try at magic is anything but successful causing him to get into more trouble not only with his mother but also with his teachers at school.
The story continues with more mishaps for Charlie as he conjures up creatures that haunt him every chance they get which gets him expelled from school and sent to his room by his mother for days. How will Charlie ever figure out how to send back these strange creatures to wherever they came from and get his mother to trust him again.
This is an enjoyable romp of a tale for middle-graders and preteens that will make them avidly anticipating the next installment of this fun series of adventures with the Bad Boy Wizard.
Annabelle was here once before. This is her previous interview here.
Thank you so much, Annabelle, for coming today and sharing a little about yourself and your books. It was a pleasure to have you here. Please feel free to come back again with new projects to share.
Thank you, readers, for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Free free to come back again soon. You are always welcome.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
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Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina
Award-Winning Author
Jemsbooks for All Ages!
Jemsbooks.com
Jemsbooks.blog
Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net
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Hi Janice, this is a great author interview. I enjoyed learning more about Annabelle and her writing and books.
Thanks for reading, Robbie – glad you enjoyed it! 😊
Thank you, Robbie! ❤️
Thank you so much, Janice, this is great! xx
My pleasure, Annabelle! 🥰
My pleasure, Annette! I enjoyed leaving more about you! ❤️
I am still giggling over your “wicked” little whippet, sounds as though she might inspire a book… Awesome post. Thank you, Annabelle and Janice!
Thank you, Annette! ❤️
She may very well do one day! I’ve often thought of writing a story about a village which is populated only by dogs. I even have a list of characters – I just need to come up with a plot!
Sounds interesting! Best of luck. 🥰