Meet Shannon Duffy

Hi, everyone! I'm really excited today because I have Shannon Duffy with me. She's my publishing house sister, a great friend, and the author of the middle grade novel Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta, which released yesterday from Month9Books.

First, here's the synopsis and my review of Gabriel:

Synopsis:
Gabriel Stone is a twelve-year-old boy still reeling from the unsolved disappearance of his mother. With a dad who’s hard to relate to, and mounting pressures at school, Gabriel lets off steam by hiking in the place where his mother was last seen. There, Gabe and friends find a crystal that proves not only beautiful, but magical beyond their wildest dreams. Only, magic and beauty come with a price: in order to return home, they must save the dying world of Valta.

My thoughts:
Gabriel is a very likable character that made me feel for him right from the start. And his two best friends, Piper and Brent are so much fun, especially with the way they bicker with each other. Gabriel is desperate to find out what happened to his mother, but instead he finds a whole other world, a world that is going to die unless Gabriel can find the divinities and save them all.

The creatures Duffy cooked up in the book are amazing. I mean look at the flying tiger on the cover! I also loved that everything in Valta is the opposite of Gabriel's world, which makes navigating a little... backwards. The three friends meet a great cast of characters on their journey and they learn a lot about themselves on the way.

This is a great adventure with characters you'll want to read more about, and you can in the rest of the series.

Please welcome, Shannon Duffy!

Hi, Shannon! Okay, I have to ask, of all the great creatures in Valta, who's your favorite?
That's soooo tough to answer! Of course I love Gabriel cause he's based on my son. And Brent is based on my awesome newphew so love him too. Loove Piper's spunk. But I have to say I really do love Finley the monkey. He's just so cute and sweet that I wish I could get some magic dust to make him real and bring him home with me. hehe

I know your son's name is Gabriel. How similar is he to the Gabriel in your book?
I have to say a lot. My son will kill me for saying this, but he is the same with the horror movies. He's so interested to watch them, but when it gets dark he wants to then sleep in my room. I don't let him watch them anymore....and he does sleep with a nightlight, but hey, so do I. LOL And my Gabe is based on the Gabe in the book as far as looks too, and he has a strong, leader type personality I'd say. So, yeah, he's a lot like Gabriel in the book. :)

Which of your characters would you not want to meet in a dark alley?
Duke Malgor for one. He is just pure evil and doesn't care who he has to step on to get what he wants.

Can you tell us anything about the second book in the series?
Well you can expect Gabriel, Brent, and Piper to return to Valta to go on another different, but very important (and dangerous) quest.  You'll see the return of some familiar characters and be introduced to some new cool ones, too.

Just for fun:
Favorite animal: Dogs--I have three.
Best comfort food: Hmmm French Fries.
Superpower you wish you had: To heal people.

Thanks for coming by today, Shannon!

Thanks so much, Kelly for inviting me to your blog today!

~Shannon

Shannon Duffy grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada, and now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and son, Gabriel. She’s mom to one boy, and several pets. Shannon loves writing, reading, working out, soccer, and the sport of champions: shopping. Shannon Duffy is available for quotes, signings, video or podcast appearances, and all opportunities relative to GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA. 

GABRIEL STONE AND THE WRATH OF THE SOLARIAN, Book 2 in the Gabriel Stone series will be available from Month9Books in February 2014!

ABOUT MONTH9BOOKS:

Month 9 Books is a publisher of speculative fiction for teens and tweens… where nothing is as it seems. Month9Books will donate proceeds from each of its annual charity anthologies to a deserving charity. Individually, authors may donate his or her advances and royalties to a charitable organization. Month9Books will also release 10-12 non-charitable titles annually.GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is Month9Books’s first Middle Grade release. Month9Books is distributed by Small Press United, a division of IPG. You may visit www.month9books.com for more information.

Goodreads GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15841297-gabriel-stone-and-the-divinity-of-valta 

Goodreads SHANNON DUFFY: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3873156.Shannon_Duffy 
Shannon Duffy Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShannonDuffyLit 
Shannon Duffy Website: http://www.shannonduffylit.com/ 
Goodreads Month9Books: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/67761-month9books 
Month9Books Blogger Central: http://month9booksblog.com/?page_id=477  
Month9Books Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/month9books 
Month9Books Twitter: http://twitter.com/Month9Books 
Month9Books Publishing Website: http://www.Month9Books.com 

Feel free to leave a comment for Shannon or answer my "Just for fun" questions.