by Ben Zackheim | Aug 17, 2015 | Shirley Link & The Party Poopers |
Shirley Link & The Party Poopers is here! Well, almost. On August 20th, you can head on over to Amazon and snag Shirley’s FIFTHadventure.
What’s the book about?
Our favorite amateur detective is worried about her friend, Jacob. He’s been acting odd lately. Okay sure, he’s usually odd, but he’s also being unfriendly which isn’t like him at all.
When Shirley and her friends, Wylie and Marie, discover that Jacob’s difficult cousins are in town they begin to see why he’s in such a bad mood. But when police reports start to flood in about missing items, the team suspects something else may be going on in Jacob’s household.
Join Shirley for the most perplexing case of her career as she tries to solve the case of The Party Poopers!
And here’s the cover, by the talented Robin Hoffman!
by Ben Zackheim | Dec 14, 2014 | Writing |
My nights were Merlin. My days were Simon.
Meetings at work were doodles — what did the characters look like? What made Excalibur special?
Plot twists popped out of a martini. Oh yeah, one crucial theme sparked from a spicy chicken wing during Date Night in SoHo.
About 1000 pages were written right after Jack was born. I read the first draft in the middle of a forest and decided it was inspiring and horrible. Robin talked me off that cliff.
I hope you enjoy Simon’s butting heads with Merlin. I hope Maille Rose (pronounced Molly Rose) becomes a favorite of yours too. Oh, and I hope the ending leaves you wanting more. Because I want to write much more.
The Camelot Kids has been a part of my life for almost nine years. It was mine. Now it’s yours.
by Ben Zackheim | Oct 21, 2014 | Writing |
I’ve talked a lot about the softcover collection of The Camelot Kids coming out in December, 2014. Why am I so excited? Well, besides seeing the story all together in one volume, there’s the spectacular artwork of Ian Greenlee. Ian has been body slamming every single piece for The Camelot Kids eBooks (yes, in a good, loving way). His art is getting a lot of buzz in the illustration world. And readers LOVE what they’ve seen so far.
Here’s one review:
“I love love love this series!!
The illustrations are really really wonderful. I wish I had some to frame for my office.”
And another:
“This is the first in an exciting new middle grade series, by Ben Zackheim, with stunning illustrations peppered throughout, this one is sure to be a hit.”
I want to give you a peek at how we’ll be using the artwork in the softcover edition. From the start, Nathan Fox (Art Director and cover artist) has wanted the illustrations to emerge from the story. His meticulous sense of theme and intent are woven into every visual decision he makes. For instance the theme of The Camelot Kids: Part One was “Emergence” which translated into wonderful illustrations of our characters stepping into a new world. But the softcover will give us a whole new way to play with the theme.
Example?
Well, when Simon Sharp finds the vambrace in the grass in Part One, it’s his first step into Merlin’s domain. Simon doesn’t know it at the time, but Ian did a fantastic job of showing the confusing, dramatic moment. In the book, you’ll be able to see the drawing in all of its detail, and you’ll notice how some art appears to embrace the text of the story. In the two-page spread below, notice how the leaves flow from one page to the next, like ivy growing through the prose.
This is just one example of the beauty and attention to detail that you’ll find in The Camelot Kids: Book One, coming in December. Yes, THIS December ;-)
by Ben Zackheim | Oct 1, 2014 | Writing |
Little Boo is a pet fish. He was given to Merlin by his friend Myrtle on his 3712th birthday. Merlin, however, has no time for animals that don’t make themselves useful.
So he put Little Boo to work as the manager of his store/lab, The Spell. Hey, who better to manage people than a pet, right?
To get around the whole Fish-Can’t-Walk-or-Talk thing, Merlin built Little Boo a robotic body, powered by magic steam.
Welcome to the world of The Camelot Kids!
And here he is, making himself useful. Ian Greenlee captures the moment when Little Boo offers Simon and Maille Rose a tour of The Spell. It doesn’t go well, as you’ll see in The Camelot Kids: Part Two!
by Ben Zackheim | Aug 29, 2014 | Writing |
Thank you.
Thank you for your support. Your patience. Your kindness. Thank you for your Likes/Shares/Retweets ;-)
One of the hardest parts of launching a book is letting go. I’ve lived with these characters for nine years in one form or another.
Now The Camelot Kids belong to you.
I hope you love them and their story as much as I do. Forgive them their dense teen moments. Celebrate their complete inability to get along. And, uh, I guess you should just try to ignore the smell of the boys’ quarters.
Go pick ’em up! The ebook will be $1 for a week and then the price will go up (just in time for Part Two in September).