The Times/Chicken House longlist - The Flight of the Griffin by C.M Gray

I am so excited today for The Flight of the Griffin to be included as one of the 21 'longlisted' books in The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition. It is a great honour and I'm just buzzing!

Congratulations to my 20 companions on the 'Longlist' 2013!

The Dark ages festival of Samhain

- The summers end and coming of darkness -

Tonight we’re celebrating Halloween in our own very modern way with pumpkins, parties and trick or treats galore. But to find the origins of Halloween we have to firstly go back to the early Christian festival of 'All Hallow’s Eve,' celebrated as the night before ‘Hallowmas’ which later became known as All Saints Day. However, did you know that back in the dark ages, before Christianity came to Britain and the period where my story Shadowland takes place, there was also a festival celebrated at this time, and it was known as Samhain, which translates as summer’s end.

Latest interviews!

Read my latest interviews and read more about the mind games of a YA author at...

From the Bootheel Cotton  and  Curse of Ancient  Shadows

Analysis of two days FREE on Amazon...

Shadowland was a FREE download on Amazon for two days....

...So how did it go?

I've participated in FREE days on Amazon before and, to be honest, I didn't promote those days very well. I certainly got less than a thousand downloads for my troubles. It did lead to an upturn in sales for a week or so after and I got a bunch of nice reviews, 25 so far with a 4.3 average which I'm delighted with.

However, for this return to offering my treasured book for FREE... the book I sweated over for more than a year before letting it lose into the world, I decided that if I was going to do it, then I would go for as many downloads as I could.

I Got 8,403 downloads in two days!

Well that made me happy! Most, 7,269, were in the US with a further 1,066 being in my native UK. I'm now watching to see how and if this translates into paid sales and more reviews... I shall keep you informed.

Giveaway of Shadowland

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Shadowland

by C.M. Gray

Giveaway ends October 31, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

My Interview on 'I Am A Reader, Not A Writer'

Thanks 'Inspired' Kathy for the visit to your awesome blog!

Visit 'I Am A Reader, Not A Writer' to read the interview and enter a giveaway for a signed copy of The Flight of the Griffin! 

Interview: 
If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?A fire starter machine thingy... a fishing outfit and Maria Kirilenko to ...errr... play tennis with:)

What is one book everyone should read?Anything by John Steinbeck. It was only after reading his writing that I realised there really is a difference between an average writer and the very best. I can only aspire to one day come close to his level of work.

Latest reviews for The Flight of the Griffin!

Latest Reviews for THE FLIGHT OF THE GRIFFIN by C.M. GRAY

1.      “Flight of the Griffin” by C.M. Gray has all the elements one could hope for from a MG/YA/Crossover fantasy adventure. Although it is about four younger boys (their ages always felt vague to me), it is written in a way that adults will certainly enjoy it as well. The crew of the boat The Griffin, Pardigan, Quint, Tarent, Loras, and their shape shifting companion Mahra (my personal favorite) embark on a quest to restore the balance of good and evil, all while being hunted by a demon and facing challenges. While the concept isn’t exactly new, the story felt original in its details and with the characters. The writing was strong and had very few errors from what I could tell. An enjoyable read that I would recommend to fans of fantasy and adventure without hesitation. (5 stars) Karen Matthews.

House Millar interviews C.M.Gray

Read my Interview at House Millar!

http://networkedblogs.com/zIY90

Another great 5 Star review for The Flight of the Griffin!

Thanks Daniel at Book-O-Matic for the following great review!

Review- The Flight of the Griffin by C.M Gray

In a world of excitement, danger and fantasy, four crew members of a boat called "The Griffin" begin a journey to find the three crystal skulls that intend to save the world. The four crew members are Pardigan; the thief, Tarent; the priest, Quint; the fighter and leader and Loras; the magician. Accompanied by the shapeshifter, Mahra, the crew of The Griffin begin the journey by inheriting gifts from "The Book of Challenges". Each gift is unique to that person and they use their gifts to help them on the thrilling quest. Faced by hardships such as demons and riddles, the crew and Mahra intend to save the world whether or not it means sacrificing themselves.

Review for The Orphan Stone by Rod Tyson

The Orphan Stone by Rod Tyson is pretty much hard to put down once you start the book, just don’t get past about mid way after the hours of darkness! This can be one scary book with one nasty witch come spirit that freaks out our heroin, poor old hippy Salem.

It’s a great story as Salem, her mum and some friends go to an old manor to do some restoration. Things don’t go too smoothly after the discovery of some old bones, children’s bones in a secret room. Some rather grisly murders send Salem and friends on the chase against ‘Red Meg,’ (and boy, is she red) and a few creepy locals.