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Teacher Writes an Exciting Children's Trilogy About Gnomes - 300 Copies Sold in Hometown Gift of the Ancient Grove, Book one of the Naida's Quest Trilogy, is a wonderful piece of children's literature filled with wonderful imagry and positive messages. Reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble compare this exciting tale to the Wizard of Oz, Shrek, and Lord of the Rings. Gift of the Ancient Grove is being read in several California school classrooms (target ages 7-13). (PRWEB) October 29, 2004 -- Her mother was quickly becoming one of the strongest healers of the Ancient Grove, her father the most apt at bringing in the injured woodland creatures of the Forgotten Basin. A queen from a distant land of humans sought their aid in stopping a plague in the Golden Empire. They left...never to return, leaving their daughter, Naida, to be raised by her village of gnomes.Gnomes are usually born as twins, but Naida was born an only child...possessing twice the healing powers. The elders of the village want Naida to take her place amongst the women, but Naida has other ideas...she wants to Quest, a practice reserved for the men of the Ancient Grove. In the light of an autumn moon she sets off with her good friend, Randin, and her pet lynx, Mikki, on an exciting adventure into the world of trolls, sprites, and woodland elves.
Five years ago my daughter asked me to write her a story. "What do you want me to write about?" I asked.
"Write about gnomes, dad. There are no good gnome stories!" she replied.
That night, I, a science teacher, not a writer, sat down at a computer and began to write, I wrote most every morning between the hours of 2 am and 6 am for the next five years. Naida's Quest became a story where I could slip into another world with nothing more than the care for my characters weighing on my shoulders. It was heaven!
I decided I would create a strong female character who stands for her beliefs and is open to challenge. Along with Naida comes Randin, a gnome lad who doesn't quite fit in with the other gnomes. During the story Randin develops into a leader and what he lacks in physical strength...he gains in wisdom and compassion.
My stories were passed around in my local community in Grass Valley, California, where over 200 children have enthusiastically read them. A local author, Lee Roddy, of the Grizzly Adams fame, read the first book and encouraged me to seek publication. In fact, he turned me over to his agent, who quickly sent the first manuscript to Scholastic, Harper, and other big houses who liked the story, but because I am an unkown and Harry Potter hit the market, they turned me down over known authors writing fantasy. Several of the publishers asked me to resubmit in a few years because the market was flooded.
Publish America, who was one of the first publishers that accepted the book, didn't want to wait. So here it is!
The story is imaginative, fun, exciting, packed with messages of positive choice making and personal responsibility. The target age is 9-13, but teens and adults have found the trilogy to be a great read...so I am told. I didn't write the story for publication. I wrote it for my girls. The rest has been icing on the cake. I hope you find it as fun as they did.
Visit my website to learn more about me and Naida's Quest at:
www.publishedauthors.net/kenramirez
Books can be purchased through:
Enjoy The Quest Ken Ramirez
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