WordCrafts Press is pleased to announce the addition of educator/author Marie Sontag, PhD to its stable of authors. Sontag, whose previous novels include the Middle Grade Ancient Elements series: The Bronze Dagger, The Alabaster Jar, and The Silver Coin, and her Young Adult World War 2 historical fiction novel, Rising Hope, is busy prepping the release of her newest novel, California Trail Discovered, which is slated to impact retail in the Fall, 2020.
California Trail Discovered is the First in an Innovative Series of Middle Grade to Young Adult Historical Adventure Novels set in the Pioneer Days of the American West
“California Trail Discovered is a middle grade historical novel set in 1846,” Sontag notes. “After a mysterious house fire kills 13-year-old Daniel Whitcomb’s parents, he and his younger stepsister, Hannah, must move West with their guardian. Orphaned, and desperate to find a way back home to Illinois to solve the mystery of his parents’ deaths, Daniel’s trail leads him on an unexpected path. The rigors of travel by wagon train take their toll as the pioneers ford streams, argue over their chosen route, and deal with sickness, a shortage of food, and death. Along the way, Daniel becomes friends with historical figures such as Virginia Reed, a teen survivor of the Donner Party, and Jim Savage, leader of the Mariposa Battalion, one of the first whites to discover Yosemite Valley. But can his new friendships ever fill the hole left by his parents’ deaths?”
“California Trail Discovered is unique in that it is the first volume in The Whitcomb Discoveries series of historical novels, a series that will begin by appealing to middle grade readers, but then transition into young adult historical fiction, as the main character ages along with the series’ readers,” adds Mike Parker, WordCrafts Press publisher. “It is a fascinating means of engaging younger readers with stories from a period of American history that sadly seems to have been largely overlooked.”
About The Author:
In the wake of her thrilling past as a theatre student, restaurant hostess, nurse aide, and newspaper writer, Carrie Anne Noble now crafts enchanting fiction for teens and adults. Her debut novel The Mermaid’s Sister won the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Young Adult Fiction and the 2016 Realm Award for Novel of the Year. Her second novel, The Gold-Son, follows the adventures of a teenage leprechaun. The audio book received Audiofile Magazine’s Earphones Award and was included on its list of 2017’s best audio books. Her short fiction has appeared in Deep Magic E-zine and Splickety Magazine.
Carrie lives in the mountains of Pennsylvania with her husband and kids, where she enjoys taking walks, letting her imagination run wild, and hosting the occasional tea party.
Connect with Carrie online at www.carrienoble.com
