It will be an exciting year promoting the literary arts, fostering creative writing around our community, and shining a light on Piedmont North Carolina’s amazing children’s book writers.

In this intriguing animal fantasy turned post-apocalyptic tale, an old bear defies the traditions of her world to care for an orphaned human boy. Casseomae’s peaceful ursine existence living and foraging among the ruins of the “Skinless Ones” (i.e., humans, whose dominance over the natural world was finally brought to an end by the wolves long ago) is interrupted when a “metal bird” crashes near her home and the old bear discovers a human boy among the wreckage. Reminded of the many cubs lost to her, Casseomae is drawn to protect the boy, despite the fact that the Forest’s ruler, the wolfish Ogeema, will most certainly want this new Skinless One dead; with the help of a clever but temperamental rat and a faithful dog, Casseomae leaves her territory in search of a safe place to raise the boy herself. This isn’t a warm and fuzzy animal fantasy but a bleak-toned tale of pointed social commentary; the animal characters are deftly drawn, reflecting the strict, heartless survival code that defines their existence, while a few terrifically poignant moments reveal their more benevolent, relatable attributes. Fans of zombie books and other end-of-the-world scenarios will be thrilled by the multiple chase scenes and the death-at-every-turn motif, and the clearly built world and brisk dialogue will make this an easy transition for middle-school readers looking to jump on the YA dystopia bandwagon.

The folklore staple of a human child raised by wild beasts gets a postapocalyptic twist in Bemis’ novel.

Humans, known as Skinless Ones, Old Devils, or Companions—depending on who is speaking of them—are supposedly extinct. Their cities are empty and the Forest is now controlled by vicious packs of wolves, who claim to have exterminated the humans, and who maintain a strict hierarchy in which formerly domestic pets are despised by the wild animals. When childless bear Casseomae rescues a boy “cub,” the sole survivor of a spaceship crash, she sets off to find a place where she can raise him in safety, away from the wolves and dogs who wish to claim him alternately as a sacrifice and a savior. This is a thoughtful fantasy, rich in characterization and drama, with a unique language that is simultaneously ancient and familiar. Bemis creates a believable reality in which all that is left of humanity is the oral tradition of rats (who lived among humans without befriending them)—by passing on stories, the rats preserve the truth.

— Kara Dean

Heidi, please contact me at john@johnclaudebemis.com, so we can make arrangements for shipping the book.

Thanks to everyone who participated!  Keep an eye here on the News page or on my Facebook author page for more chances to win advance copies of The Prince Who Fell from the Sky.

1. Write the story you’ve always wanted to read.  What is the perfect story you’ve always wanted to read but have never found in a bookstore or library?  That’s the one you need to write.

2. Look at the everyday world around you with curiosity.  Connect new information (something you see at a yard sale or hear about on a nature show) with all those ideas floating around in your head (the “compost bin” of memories, experiences, and stories in your brain).  Weird and wonderful ideas can arise if you put different ideas together in ways you haven’t seen before.

3. Make lists of Magnetic Nouns.  Magnetic Nouns are types of people, places, or things that you find deeply fascinating.  Find ways to bring your passions and obsessions into your stories.

4. Ask “What if?” questions.  These are the best questions writers can ask to get imaginative ideas.  What if my dog could talk?  What if we never had to sleep?  Try asking “what if” questions about some of your Magnetic Nouns or ask some “what if” questions if you get stuck for what to have happen next in your story.  Some of the best story ideas arise from “what if” questions.

Congratulations all you Young Authors on being honored at our state’s celebration and awards ceremony!  Thanks to the NC Reading Association for sponsoring this wonderful program.

A compassionate bear defies everything to save a boy from certain death in this original story blending creation myth with post-apocalyptic and animal-fantasy traditions.

The Forest, where Casseomae hunts, forages and has given birth to several litters of stillborn cubs, is littered with relics of the humans, or Skinless Ones. Ages before, Skinless cut down the trees and nearly drove hunting animals, or voras, into extinction until the Ogeema (wolves) eradicated them. When a human starship crashes in the Forest, Casseomea discovers a human boy in the wreckage. Instinct compels her to save this cub who is “not so different from the ones she lost.” Determined the new Skinless One will “upset the order of the Forest,” the Ogeema pursue Casseomae, who flees with the boy. She is joined by Dumpster, a sassy, street-smart rat, and Pang, an outcast dog. Together they travel along overgrown highways, past abandoned power lines, gas stations and garbage dumps to ruined cities, seeking a safe haven. In contrast to the somewhat bleak social commentary, Casseomae’s unwavering hope for the silent boy in her care never waivers. Appropriately, animal characters are fully developed and complex while the boy remains a pivotal unknown.

Compelling animal fantasy grounded in ecological warnings.

As part of the giveaway, I asked participants to suggest other books that fans of the Clockwork Dark series might enjoy while they’re (patiently… or not so patiently) waiting for the 3rd and final installment, The White City, to come out on August 23rd.

These are the suggestions:

Giveaway details here.

While you’re eagerly awaiting the final book in the Clockwork Dark, I want to share a list of other recommended books that fans might enjoy.  Fantasy adventure, sci-fi, steampunk, historical fiction, classics, anything!  All responses will be shared on my website and on Facebook on Monday, July 25th.

Thanks for participating and good luck on winning your copy of the thrilling conclusion to the Clockwork Dark trilogy!