Thornton Berry Shire Press, Home of the Benjamin McTish Series: ABOUT JUNE

I'm an author and artist living in Santa Cruz CA. with my husband, along with our dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and hopefully some sheep on the horizon, (possibly a goose or two as well). Our three adult children (and mates) live respectively in LA, San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

I work my small farm, that besides the robust tomato concentration and tea garden, includes an orchard, dahlias, roses and latest addition of a massive bearded iris garden.

My life has always been about painting, I can't imagine not doing this. The art of black and white is so unique to itself, it constantly blows my mind that I can create dimension using just two colors. I created my Rock Series years ago and it still keeps going strong. I'll always paint, it's in my blood….it's something that is deeply a part of me.

However, writing, now this is my passion…it feeds my soul like nothing I've ever done before. At present I am immersed in a series of YA Fantasy novels called The Benjamin McTish Series.

I began this journey when I created some storybook illustrations…I gave them names and before I knew it…there was my story. The illustrations were simply the inspiration for this series, the story itself is a lot more grown up than the paintings would imply. The first book is garnering some terrific reviews thus far. The second book is receiving even better acclaim..which is a good thing…it means my characters and my writing are growing, which makes for a better story. And after a long delay, (with personal family health issues), I have finally finished book three. I feel it's adventurous trajectory is in keeping with the last book, so hopefully I can continue with this movement forward onto book four.

This is an amazing world I have surrounded myself in lately…YA Fantasy. It's become something bigger for me which is why I put together the Annual Global Blog Event/Hop to celebrate this genre'. It will take some time and work, but I hope to have this event be something of true merit.

Once I began this process of blogging about writing, I realized how much I enjoyed connecting with other authors, so I opened up my blog to include my own personal interviews of other YA Fantasy authors and working with Virtual Blog Tours. Focusing strictly on MG and YA Fantasy. I've added MG because I'm finding that some 10/11 yr olds are interested in what I'm doing, I had no idea they could be so on top of things. They write and think about some interesting topics when it comes to stories and magic, so we'll be hearing from them as they come into my little world here. And I'm always on the hunt to find unique and exciting authors, illustrators and industry experts to interview as well. So changes abound…stay tuned and in the mean time, enjoy your visit.

Blogs and Website for Art
http://thebenjaminmctishseries.blogspot.com
http://therockseriesbyjune.blogspot.com
http://theartofjune.blogspot.com
http://benjaminmctish.wordpress.com

Contacts:
831-227-1016
thorntonberryshire@icloud.com

My Etsy Shoppe for Art...what's left of it! Had a tremendous success this past Dec/Jan and sold most of my work...gotta start some new ones!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/theartofjuneutm_source=CraftCult&utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=api

RAVE SNIPPETS FOR THE McTISH SERIES FROM BOOK CRITICS

FROM EPIC YA READS: "I've read the entire Harry Potter Series (more than once), and I have to say that Benjamin McTish and the Door Through the Grandfather Tree is every bit as much of an adventurous read!" "June does a fantastic job of building that world fresh and new with mystical creatures, wondrous magic, valiant heroes and evil villains galore..." From BROOKE BLOGS "This is the first YA fantasy book since the Harry Potter series that had me so excited.." FROM KJ READS A LOT REVIEWS:"She makes a world that is so rich, you can smell the flowers, touch the trees, and feel the wind blow..." "this book should be read and read again just for the sheer enjoyment..." Tammy's Tea Time Reviews:"This book had me on the edge of my seat more than once and never did my attention to the story fade..." "I know I for one am looking forward to the next part of the series as it needs no comparison to any other it hold enough magic of it's own to become fabulous!…" WIZARDS-LANA @ GIRLS HEART BOOKS "if you enjoyed the first book in this series you will not be disappointed. Pace keeps the humor up while the action rolls and pierces your heart. Definitely one of those reads that throws you on the edge of your seat without giving you a stroke. If you liked the Harry Potter series, you can't go wrong here!" AMAZON READER "I love this series! I can see it becoming a movie. Can't wait for the next book…." Like reading a Harry Potter Adventure!" WIZARDS-KJ READS A LOT "Without a doubt June Pace is writing a tale of an epic journey of discovery; self, family and otherwise, nothing is ever just as it seems. The story never fails to awe and the imagery is still so clear you can see the sights along with the characters. The fear they feel is as real as if you were standing there with them. A wonderfully written tale that I highly recommend" WIZARDS-T.DRECKER "Summed up, this is even better than book 1 and will appeal to fantasy lovers.." /span>

3 comments:

Robert SellsMonday, April 25, 2016
Thanks for hosting my book, Return of the White Deer. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Or, at least, most of it.
Robert SellsMonday, April 25, 2016
Regarding your concern about the 'rape' scene. I agree with you. I would not recommend this story for middle school children. However, I do think most high school students would be able to handle the scene. I thought Young Adult meant, upper teens and above. The scene was included not in a gratuitous way, but because it was important for the reader to understand Mary's anger. Regarding your criticism about the origin of the White Deer, I agree. In retrospect, I should have discussed the white deer a bit more. Thank-you for your well considered thoughts and honest review.

MENU

ABOUT JUNE

3 comments: