Review by Lee Lee Thompson, The Perpetual You Magazine“Chute’s novel weaves STAR WARS-like characters with a WONDER-like message to form an enrapturing read for booklovers of all ages.”
US Review of Books“Fast and bizarre… Never a dull moment.“
Foreward Reviews
Category: Young Adult Fiction (13 to 17 yrs) (368 to 448 pages)
Genre: fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher: SparkPress.
Release dates: Jun 2018; Oct 2019; Apr 2020
Format available for review: print (Inside the Sun only), e-book, pdf
Will send print books out: USA and Canada
Tour dates: Jul 7 to Aug 10, 2020
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.
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Series Description:
The 8th Island Trilogy includes Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun. Over the three books, we follow the adventures of a quirky family, the Wellsleys. The main characters are frumpy senior citizen Archie, his daughter-in-law, Tessa, and his ill fourteen-year-old granddaughter Ella.
Archie, searching for his missing son, accidentally transports his family—and a cruise ship full of people—to a magical planet. There, they uncover the truth: all worlds are dying. Yet hope is not lost. A way to restore all that will soon be destroyed is revealed, along with the realization that Ella will play a role no one could have imagined—especially not her.
On the mysterious island of Jarr-Wya, many races of creatures battle for dominion and magic lurks around every corner. When the world falls dark, that is when bravery must shine the brightest, and the Wellsleys will reveal the strength they never knew they possessed—as well as the power of love to save the day.
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AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
Q&A with Alexis Marie Chute, author of The 8th Island Trilogy
What is your education/career background?
My undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design. I also have my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Despite my professional education, I am a big believer in being a life-long learner and am a self-taught filmmaker and art curator.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Or what first inspired you to write?
I have been writing since as far back as I can remember—and even before I could hold a pen. As a child, I was very creative and cerebral. I was always coming up with stories and adventures. Fortunately, I didn’t lose that trait as I grew up. I find writing inspiration everywhere, always. My brain is a sponge for my environment and stimuli. Sometimes this is overwhelming, but most often I use this hyper-awareness to my advantage.
Do you have any interesting writing habits or superstitions?
I am far too busy to have fussy superstitions about my writing. I have three active kids aged ten and under. I juggle multiple creative roles. It has been valuable for me to be disciplined and approach my writing with bootcamp focus. I sit down and work. I love it, but if I only write when I feel like it, I will procrastinate till I’m dead.
What advice would you give to someone who is working on a book but tends to go back to re-read the first chapter, and gets stuck there?
Don’t go back and reread the beginning! That’s my first piece of advice. A more productive way to approach your book is to focus and write the whole first draft, from start to finish, not rereading anything you’ve written earlier in the story. Don’t do any editing during this first draft stage. A first draft is supposed to be terrible! The most important thing to do is get your story out, fully, on paper. Then you can go back to address the whole book, switching your mind into editing-mode, and work on improving the way you tell the story.
A really great book about switching between the creative act of writing and then the critical act of editing is called Writing on Both Sides of the Brain by Henriette Anne Klauser.
What are some interesting facts to note about your fantasy series The 8th Island Trilogy?
I wrote Above the Star during NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November. It happens every year. I wrote the book as free writing, stream of consciousness, and with a newborn on my lap.
I wrote book two—Below the Moon—in a video series I call my “80 Days of Writing.” Each day I filmed myself write in time lapse videos and added in an Author Reflections about what I learned through the creative process. You can find all the videos on my YouTube channel.
The trilogy are hybrid novels. There are 30 to 60 illustrations per book. Inside the Sun has the most illustrations and many of them continue in a sequence over multiple pages. The illustrations were created in the persona of Ella. Ella Wellsley has cancer and because of this cannot talk. The chapters from her perspective are unique because we the readers get to venture inside her head, hear her thoughts, and see the magical worlds through her eyes by her illustrations.
The 8th Island Trilogy is what’s called portal fantasy. That’s where the main characters start out in the human world and travel through a portal to a magical world. Another example of portal fantasy is Harry Potter. What’s great about portal fantasy is that we learn about the new magical world alongside the main character(s).
Another neat point to mention is that The 8th Island Trilogy is told in both first person perspective (Ella’s chapters) and third person perspective (Tessa’s and Archie’s chapters). This is one cool distinction that sets it apart. Also the fact that it is a young adult series, but has main characters that are not teenagers. Yes, there is one main character—Ella—who is a teen, but her mom and grandpa also play leading roles. This is quite unique for the genre.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I learned that books are hard to make and yet tremendously rewarding and fulfilling. Creating books, for me, is akin to getting tattoos. I am terrified of needles, and thus do not have a tattoo of my own (one day!!), but my friends who get tattoos always tell me it’s addictive. You can never only get one! That’s how I feel about writing books. I’m addicted!
Who is your favorite author?
I love everything Laini Taylor writes. The first book of hers that I read was Strange the Dreamer and I was immediately hooked on her vivid descriptions and complex characters. She’s my hero!
What person(s) has/have helped you the most in your career?
My mom has been a relentless force in teaching me business and determination—she is also tirelessly supportive of my artistic pursuits. My dad and step-dad should be included in this as well. I love them all dearly and am so grateful.
My husband, Aaron, has taught me to believe in myself, and also that self-care is critical. He is truly a teammate in all my crazy adventures.
My children have taught me to shut off and be present. They are all so creative and brilliant in their own ways and provide me with much inspiration and joy.
If The 8th Island Trilogy was turned into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
I’ve spent some time thinking about this and I’ve come up with a graphic of one possible trio for Ella, Tessa, and Archie:
Where can people find you online?
Website: www.AlexisMarieChute.com
Twitter: @_Alexis_Marie
Facebook: Alexis Marie Chute, Art, Photograph and Creative Writing
Instagram: @alexismariechute
YouTube: AlexisMarieChute
LinkedIn: Alexis Marie Chute
Pinterest: AlexisMarieArt
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GUEST POST FROM THE AUTHOR
Writing Rituals with Alexis Marie Chute, Author of The 8th Island Trilogy
By Alexis Marie Chute
When I was a teenage writer, I intrinsically knew that setting the stage for my writing time was very important. I worked at a second-hand desk in my parents’ basement. I dimmed the lights, lit candles, and played music. I felt very writerly and the story I penned back then still lives on in my mind, along with how I enjoyed my creative environment. Unfortunately, I received a piece of ignorant criticism about that story and took it to heart. I abandoned it, which is a terrible shame. Still, it was the beginning of many of my lifelong writing rituals and my discipline as an author.
Being a professional writer means that I don’t have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike. I’ve trained myself through practice, focus, and intention to sit down at my computer and put words on paper (or on a computer screen). Writer’s block is a myth in my world. I always have ideas at the front of my brain and if I do feel stuck I take a few meditative moments to let my mind wander, sort thoughts, and invariably an idea emerges.
When I sit down to write now, many years since I was a teenager, I still enjoy my rituals. These include:
Burning incense and candles. The smells help me stay centered in the moment. My husband says I like to hot box with my incense.
Listening to music without words. Vivaldi. Mozart. Enya. Even Alexa has a playlist called ‘Spa Music’ which I enjoy. I find music with words distracting.
Wearing a cozy sweater or blanket on my lap. Writing is a joyful act and one where I am not performing. Being comfortable is important.
Limiting distractions. This means I am not penning the next great novel in a coffee shop or bustling bookstore. I write at my desk in my home office, my room with a view to a pond, trees, and footbridge. I tell my family that I need an hour or two hours and they leave me alone (most of the time). Or, I am writing at my vintage style black desk in my bedroom. There I am not tempted to distraction by the administrative aspects of my job that are often littered across my workspace in the office.
All of my books have been written with these rituals. They are not prerequisites for creativity, but aspects of my creative process that bring me joy.
My books, in chronological order, include:
Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy After Loss
The 8th Island Trilogy
Above the Star
Below the Moon
Inside the Sun
Book Details:
Book Title: Above the Star by Alexis Marie Chute
Category: Young Adult Fiction (13 to 17 yrs), 368 pages
Genre: fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher: SparkPress.
Release dates: Jun 2018
Format available for review: e-book (mobi for kindle, epub), PDF
Tour dates: Jul 7 to Aug 10, 2020
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.
Book Description:
When frumpy senior citizen Archie goes in search of his missing son in the Spanish Canary Islands, he stumbles upon a higher mission: locating a magical cure for his ailing fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Ella. Using a portal-jumping device called the Tillastrion, Archie and a stone-headed creature named Zeno are transported to Jarr-Wya, a magnificent yet terrifying island in a connected realm―along with Ella and her strong-willed mother, Tessa, who accidentally stow away on this not-so-secret quest.
What they find on Jarr-Wya is an island tortured by a wicked Star anchored in the sea, and a raging three-way battle for dominion between the stone-wielding Bangols, the fiery Olearons, and the evil Millia sands. Ella’s wit and resourcefulness emerge in this new world, while Tessa is forced to confront her long-buried secrets and a confusing new love triangle. When Ella is captured, Tessa and Archie―with the help of a company of peculiar allies―set out to save her and unravel the terrible mystery of her cure. A mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night adventure of three unlikely heroes, Above the Star reminds us that even the smallest act of bravery can transform our lives and the fates of the worlds around us.
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Book Details:
Book Title: Below the Moon by Alexis Marie Chute
Category: Young Adult Fiction (13 to 17 yrs), 448 pages
Genre: fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher: SparkPress.
Release dates: Oct 2019
Format available for review: e-book (mobi for kindle, epub), PDF
Tour dates: Jul 7 to Aug 10, 2020
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.
Book Description:
Ella Wellsley is not your typical teenager. Cancer left her mute, but not powerless. Trapped in a parallel dimension, Ella rallies her strength to join her family―her mother, Tessa, her grandpa Archie, and her magical boyfriend―in locating the cure to her illness. This cure is entangled in the fate of all worlds, and threatened by the presence of an evil Star anchored in the sea. The Star has thrown life everywhere into chaos―and it is Ella who holds the key to unlocking its mystery.
Caught in a web of betrayal, mistaken identities, secrets, and love triangles, Ella, Tessa, and Archie must overcome their troubled pasts to ensure a future for all worlds. On this journey―armed with unearthly abilities and unexpected allies―each member of the Wellsley family will learn the power of love in the face of their greatest fears.
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Book Details:
Book Title: Inside the Sun by Alexis Marie Chute
Category: Young Adult Fiction (13 to 17 yrs), 384 pages
Genre: fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher: SparkPress.
Release dates: April 2020
Format available for review: e-book (mobi for kindle, epub), PDF
Tour dates: Jul 7 to Aug 10, 2020
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.
Book Description:
All worlds are dying, and it’s up to one broken and dysfunctional family from Earth―the Wellsleys―to save the day.
Cancer-ridden Ella celebrates her fifteenth birthday beneath an enchanted mountain, but it is what lies even farther below―the mysterious Star in the sea―that demands she grow up quickly. While Ella grapples with the sacrifice she must make and the lies she is forced to tell, her mother, Tessa, is hell-bent on protecting her.
Through bizarre encounters, love-sick Tessa realizes that she is not the lonely orphan she believes. Her husband, Arden, and father-in-law, Archie, are not the only ones with magical bloodlines. This revelation changes everything. As Archie chooses to embody his unexpected ancestry, he learns that leading the charge in the ultimate battle against evil won’t be as easy as he thought. He’ll need his family―and the strange allies he has gained―by his side to give Ella enough time to set things right.
Can they defeat the unstoppable Millia sands―and another unexpected foe―before everything they hold dear is destroyed? Or will their adventure tear them apart for good? The finale to The 8th Island Trilogy will hold you spellbound until the final page, and long after.
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Meet the Author:
Alexis Marie Chute is an award-winning author, artist, photographer, art curator, filmmaker, and public speaker. She has received over 40 noteworthy distinctions for her visual and literary work. Her award-winning fantasy series The 8th Island Trilogy includes, Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun. The series has been described as “A WRINKLE IN TIME meets THE PRINCESS BRIDE” by The Perpetual You magazine, and “Fast and bizarre… never a dull moment” by Forward Reviews. The 8th Island Trilogy “weaves STAR WARS-like characters with a WONDER-like message to form an enrapturing read for blooklovers of all ages” – US Review of Books. Chute’s bestselling memoir, Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy After Loss, was a top Kirkus title of 2017 and received a plethora of other literary distinctions. The memoir was accompanied by the feature documentary of the same name, which has screened internationally for the last three years. Chute received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design from the University of Alberta, Canada, and studied at Media Design school in Auckland, New Zealand. She graduated valedictorian with her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, USA. Chute is a highly regarded public speaker. She has presented on art, writing, bereavement, and the healing capacities of creativity around the world. Contact the Author/Artist for bookings info@alexismariechute.com When not in her art/photo studio or at her computer, Chute loves to spend quality time with her family, read fiction and non-fiction, watch reality TV, paddleboard, and canoe. She is not a winter person but lives in frosty Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her husband and their three living children.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~
Pinterest ~ YouTube ~LinkedIn
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Tour Schedule:
July 7 – Splashes of Joy – series spotlight / guest post / author interview / giveaway
July 7 - Working Mommy Journal – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 7 - fundinmental - series spotlight / giveaway
July 7 - Corinne Rodrigues | Booksnista - series spotlight / giveaway
July 8 - Leels Loves Books – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 8 – Book Bustle – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 8 - Living in a Bookworld – series spotlight / giveaway
July 9 - Confessions of the Perfect Mom – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 9 – I'm Into Books – series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 10 – Falling Into A Good Book – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 10 - She Just Loves Books – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 13 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 13 - Books and Zebras – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 14 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 14 - Cheryl's Book Nook – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 15 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 15 - Blooming with Books – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 16 – Working Mommy Journal – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 16 - Books and Zebras – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 17 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 17 - Writer with Wanderlust – series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 20 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 20 - Rockin' Book Reviews – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 20 - Adventurous Bookworm – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 21 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 21 - Stephanie Jane – series spotlight / giveaway
July 21 - Leels Loves Books – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 22 – T's Stuff – series spotlight / author interview / giveaway
July 22 - She Just Loves Books – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 22 - Blooming with Books – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 23 - Rockin' Book Reviews – book review of Inside the Sun / guest post / giveaway
July 23 – Confessions of the Perfect Mom – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 24 – Falling Into A Good Book – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 24 - Books and Zebras – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 27 – Book Bustle – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 27 - Adventurous Bookworm – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 28 – Working Mommy Journal – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 28 - Olio by Marilyn – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 28 - Library of Clean Reads – series spotlight / giveaway
July 29 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS – series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 29 - Blooming with Books – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 30 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 30 - Cheryl's Book Nook – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 31 – She Just Loves Books – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 31 - Pen Possessed - series spotlight / giveaway
Aug 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – series spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Aug 3 - Leels Loves Books – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 4 – Confessions of the Perfect Mom – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 4 - Cheryl's Book Nook – book review of Inside the Sun / guest post / giveaway
Aug 5 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 5 - Adventurous Bookworm – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 6 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 6 - Olio by Marilyn – series spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Aug 7 – Falling Into A Good Book – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 7 - Jazzy Book Reviews – series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Aug 10 - Books for Books – series spotlight
Aug 10 –Book Bustle – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
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