Book Title: THE SERAPHIM’S SONG – Book 5, The F.I.G. Mysteries by Barbara Casey
Category: YA Fiction (Ages 13-17), 213 pages
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Publisher: Gauthier Publications (Hungry Goat Press)
Release date: April 2022
Content Rating: G. THE SERAPHIM’S SONG is suitable for all readers – adult and young adult.
Many changes have taken place at Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women while Carolina and Larry were on their honeymoon in Frascati, Italy, on the Granchelli farm. The newlyweds have been given a larger bungalow; Ms. Alcott, niece of the founder of Wood Rose, and Mrs. Ball, assistant to the headmaster, have moved into a bungalow together; and Jimmy Bob, caretaker and night watchman at Wood Rose has moved from his family home down the road a bit into a small bungalow on the orphanage property with his hound dog Tick, as well as his new cat and her litter of kittens.
Summer is coming to an end and the F.I.G.s will soon return to the universities to complete their special projects. They are starting to feel anxious, and the coping mechanisms they have used their entire lives are starting to work overtime. Dara’s thoughts turn to an unknown language, possibly from another world; Mackenzie focuses on the relationship of math to music; and Jennifer keeps hearing the note of B flat minor and is drawing dark swirls on her canvas board.
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Meet The Author
In addition to her own writing, Barbara is an editorial consultant and president of the Barbara Casey Agency. Established in 1995, she represents authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan.
In 2018 Barbara received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and Top Professional Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas.
Barbara lives on a mountain in Georgia with three cats who adopted her: Homer, a Southern coon cat; Reese, a black cat; and Earl Gray, a gray cat and Reese’s best friend.
Connect with the author: Barbara Casey Author ~ Barbara Casey Agency ~ Goodreads
Guest Post From Barbara Casey
WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS
I frequently get asked how writing fiction for adults is different from writing fiction for young adults? Word count, language choice, and age of protagonist are some of the things that separate YA fiction from adult fiction regardless of the genre, but probably the most important difference is perspective. Even then, there is some blurring and there are always exceptions.
Teens tend to have a weird tunnel vision. Everything is new to them. Impulse control is faulty at best. They often can’t reason out probable consequences to their actions. To differentiate between what is fun and what is simply dumb or dangerous can become confused.
Because of these things, fiction written with a young adult reader in mind is often more immediate. Adults are usually relegated to the background, and even if they’re not, quite often they’re not given a POV of their own; everything is filtered through the teens’ limited, if not faulty, perspective.
Usually aimed at ages 12 to 18, young adult fiction is recognized as an important money-maker in the publishing industry even though statistics show that the majority of teens have switched to social media on the Internet rather than reading books. Another statistic shows that by some market estimates, nearly 70 percent of all YA titles are purchased by adults between the ages of 18 and 64. I have found this to be especially true with The F.I.G. Mysteries.
My idea to write The F.I.G. Mysteries first came from a memory of driving past an orphanage every day on my way to the university where I was studying. From that memory I created three young female orphans – females of intellectual genius, who are from different parts of the country, and who have IQs in the genius range. Because the F.I.G.s are so different from the other orphans, they have only each other to rely on for support and understanding. As they get older, it is only natural they would want to find out why they are so different, why they have been placed in the same orphanage, and how will they survive in a society where they are considered weird. Feelings of inferiority and inadequacy, fear of the unknown, and even survival are the challenges the F.I.G.s face, not unlike what young adults face in the real world every day.
The raw emotion each F.I.G. experiences in her search for answers within the pages of these five books is entangled with mystery, danger, and a realization that serves to cement the bond between them even more. In the end, the reader should feel a sense of relief and resolution, and most of all, a quiet satisfaction.
Mystery Review Crew, thank you for your interest in the F.I.G.s, and for giving me the opportunity to talk about them. My best to you and your bloggers. ~Barbara
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July 18 – Laura McHale Holland, Author, Dreamer, Storyteller – book review
July 19 – Mystery Review Crew – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 20 – Sadie’s Spotlight – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
July 20 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
July 21 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
July 22 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
July 25 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Enter the Giveaway:
THE SERAPHIM’S SONG Book Tour Giveaway
Mystery Review Crew,
You have such a beautiful and interesting site. Thank you for allowing me to take part and talk a little about The F.I.G. Mysteries. All best. ~Barbara
Thank you so much Barbara! We loved having you, and such a great guest post. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.