Very Special 5-Star Review on Red Headed Book Lover

I am deeply honored by this beautiful review. 

"..this is by far the best YA/children books I have read this year." 

"The Crystilleries of Echoland is an exceptional novel that will introduce the reader to the young protagonist, Will, a twelve-year-old boy who, along with the readers of the book, discovers a new and slightly frightening new realm. Will will soon learn that he is a Sound and that he has an Echo. An Echo is a reflection of somebody, and Echo’s live in Echoland. However, Will’s Echo is special as he is a Prince destined to be King. Yet his corrupt Uncle has taken the throne, and so it is up to Will and his friends to make sure his Echo takes the throne, restores justice and peace, as well as finds out what truly happened to the Prince’s father--and this, book lovers, is the premise of the excellent The Crystilleries of Echoland! 

Never before have I read a YA book quite like this one and I am going to type a bold statement, but this is by far the best YA/children books I have read this year. I understand that this statement is bold but I have read a lot of children books of books with a similar nature and although many of them are fantastic, they were missing something for me. The Crystilleries of Echoland, however, has everything I wanted and so much more. It has excellent writing, poignant moments, action-packed scenes to keep children entertained and a great steady, streamlined story that is guaranteed to keep readers captivated from start to finish.

The story of The Crystilleries of Echoland was exceptional and has blown me away. I had such high expectations for the book, especially since when I read the description so you can imagine my surprise as well as my delight when I found that my expectations were exceeded! Yes, book lovers, the phenomenal author Dew Pellucid managed to impress me more than I could ever have imagined. Pellucid has injected an abundance of energy into the novel and wow does it thrill and excite you but also move you!

Dew Pellucid is a genius, I know this is a bold statement, but it is true; the fact that she has incorporated poignant themes into her story and weaved it with entertaining themes make her a genius writer. Authors, in general, are incredible because they can reach so many people in the world and the fact that this book will reach many children makes me a happy parent as all children need to have the pleasure of reading this book and to learn about the topics explored as well as be entertained.

Dew Pellucid is not only an excellent writer for the themes she explores throughout her story..."

Keep reading on Red Headed Book Lover

For Authors: How I Revived My Book's Amazon Ranking

I’ve been talking to fellow author’s about OnlinBookClub.org as an unequal tool for promoting my self-published book. Powered by an honest review system from club members, the site has enabled me to revive my book sales. Despite winning 6 book awards, The Crystilleries of Echoland’s Amazon ranking in the over-crowded genre of YA Fantasy was slipping into the million plus. But after I purchased a review package from OnlineBookClub.org, within about a month, as reviews started coming in, people started discovering the book. Though sales are still sluggish, people are reading the book on Amazon Unlimited. As a result, the ranking of the book remains below 350,000 and mostly better. In addition, 2 audiobooks have sold as well.

Only an author can appreciate how excellent these numbers are. Further, as the book achieves more 4 out of 4 star reviews, interest from book club members keeps growing.

I have come to really appreciate this community of readers. The reviews of the book are exceptional in quality and insightfulness. Each reviewer gives a unique perspective. I find that sharing the reviews on Facebook provides my 900+ page fans a glimpse into the intricacies of the plot and the complexity of the themes. 

Depending on your budget, if you’re an author with a self-published book that you know is good and worthy of success, I recommend testing the waters with OnlineBookClub.org. I think you will be happy you did. 

4 out of 4 Star Review by Lesler

I am humbled that my story, though written for teens, engages intelligence adults, who write so beautifully! This review captured my heart because the reader's favorite character was not a human at all but a mischievous dog, who was based on my dog :-)

Here's a little of Lesler's 4 out of 4 Star Review "In The Crystilleries of Echoland by Dew Pellucid, Will Cleary is an unusual 12-year-old. His twin sister Emily disappeared ten years ago, and the whole in his family's soul has been hard to fill. When Will discovers he needs to enter Echoland to find his sister, he has a pet wolf and falcon who help him on his mission. Experiencing dangers of all kinds, Will must persevere to find his sister and make his parents feel better.

In an eleven-day journey through Echoland, Will works with Echoes to fight against the Fate Sealers. Fate Sealers are determined to end Will's life, and his companions do what they can to keep their charge safe. Can Will survive this hazardous land? Can Will find his sister once and for all? If Will finds and saves his sister, can they make it out of Echoland? Only time will tell in this thrilling Young Adult fantasy.

In the book's conclusion, the author states that he took twelve years to conceptualize the world of Echoland. This was time well spent, as I absolutely loved this book. The imagery provided was vivid, and I felt well connected to the main characters. I enjoyed Will Clearly, but my favorite character had to be Poudini, Will's trusty dog who traveled with him through Echoland. Poudini stole the scene at times, which provided much joy. The book also provided excellent illustrations that aided in telling the story.

This storyline was engaging, and the writing flowed smoothly. I found myself reading through the book quickly, wanting desperately to read as much as possible each session..." Keep reading on Online Book Club...

4 out of 4 Star Review

This review on Online Book Club is so beautiful in its penetration into the heart of the novel that it kindled in me the idea of sharing my favorite reviews here. This reviewer not only understood the intricate plot but the double-meaning (the theme) that the events were intended to illustrate. I am always very grateful for a reader like Karina Bordas. Here's a preview of her review:

Review by KarinaBordas -- The Crystilleries of Echoland 

The Crystilleries of Echoland by Dew Pellucid is a young adult fictional novel full of betrayal, life-threatening escapades, the search to uncover the truth, and discovery. Pellucid also approaches in a captivating manner concepts such as racism, equality, sanctity of life, bullying, and kidnapping. Although geared towards mature young adult readers, this novel will appeal to anyone that wishes to escape into a world of intrigue.

Echoland is named for the place where the translucent beings that are called Echoes live. Those that live in what the reader considers the human world are considered Sounds. For every Sound there is an Echo and if something happens to one of the beings, there are negative repercussions to the other. Within Echoland there are charms that can read past events, open doors, and other wondrous magic – each one different from the other. These charms – crystillaries – have been deemed illegal by the current ruler and thrown into a lake of frozen abyss.

You first meet Will, a twelve year old boy who has spent his life dealing with the loss of his sister, Emmy. When Emmy and Will were one year old they were both kidnapped. No one knows exactly what happened, but Will returned with a wolf (Damian) and falcon (Dea') a short time later. Since that time, Will's parents have been obsessed with finding Emmy – his father in books, his mother in water. Through a twist of events, Will – along with Dea' and Damian – travels to the parallel mystical universe of Echoland. There, with the help of his friends, Will ventures to find Emmy and bring her home.

Keep reading on Online Book Club 

My Secret: I Discovered the Best Way to Promote My Self-Published Book

I’m writing this post for other authors promoting their book on a small budget. Though I have tried advertising with Facebook, Google, Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon, I eventually discovered that the best return on investment came from the little known site OnlineBookClub.org.

This is a community of book readers with over 1 million users, who actually leave reviews after they read your book. And in many cases, the reviewers will also agree to post their honest review on Amazon. At no point do you pay the reviewer or communicate with him or her, which keeps the system honest. 

I took this screenshot on October 20th, 2018
Check out The Crystilleries of Echoland today

I began by purchasing an initial review, which was then featured on the forum. I later decided to buy a review package. This meant that I paid OnlineBookClub.org for making the book available to 50 readers to review. After about 3 weeks, reviews started to appear on the forum. What I love about these reviews is how in-depth they are and how unique to each reader. I also found that the more the reader liked the book, the more enthusiastic she or he were about sharing their opinion on Amazon. As an added bonus, the reviewers list any typos they encountered.


OnlineBookClub.org update me by email when a review posts. The site’s Author’s Dashboard is very easy to use, so with one click I can request that a review be shared on Amazon too. I haven’t yet tried any advertising with OnlineBookClug.org because my budget is truly small, and I wanted to focus and getting the book into the hands of readers. I have decided, however, to spend all my future budget here and nowhere else. It is an interesting experience in itself, because any success The Crystilleries of Echoland will achieve will be due to this book club.

So many places online just seem to grab your money and offer little in return. I hope this trade secret helps you spread the word about your book without leaving you feeling flea-bitten all over.

Award-winning author, Tal Boldo
Pen names: "Dew Pellucid & E. L. Neve

Echoland on Audible

Audible Edition

Audible Edition

Read by award-winning narrator, B. J. Harrison. 

~ 2018 Pacific Book Awards winner ~ 

~ 2018 Purple Dragonfly 2nd place winner ~   

~ 2018 Readers' Favorite 4th place winner (HM) ~

~ 2018 Los Angeles Book Festival runner-up ~

~ 2018 New York Book Festival Honorable mention ~

~ 2018 San Francisco Book Festival Honorable mention ~

Readers' Favorite Winner

This award means a lot to me because thousands of books had competed from all around the globe (and perhaps from Echoland too). This is the book's 6th award.

The Crystilleries of Echoland on Readers' Favorite

Author Interview with Dew Pellucid

Here's a snippet from my interview about "The Crystilleries of Echoland"... and other things, really.

What advice would you give other writers? 
For me, reading a lot in preparation for becoming a writer was most helpful.

How did you decide how to publish your books? 
I first tested the waters with literary agents. But I decided to self-publish in the end. It gave me more creative control. After all, I am not writing in order to make money but because it makes me happy.

What do you think about the future of book publishing? 
There's a lot of good mixed in with the bad. Author's can reach out to readers directly. A niche book can find an audience. But the marketplace has a stronger voice now. Books don't have to pass a quality bar, so long as readers are willing to read them. But literature isn't easy to read, it's not fun in a meaningless way. So what will happen to literature if the bar for success is a sales ranking?

Keep reading on Book Goodies Blog.

$0.99 July 12 through 19 SALE

🎈$0.99 BOOK SALE TODAY🎈
(original price: $4.99)

Purple Dragonfly Book Awards WINNER & Pacific Book Awards WINNER (and 3 other awards besides)--OK, it's time to celebrate my newly released teen fantasy!

Described by readers as "complex", "intriguing", "unique", "imaginative", "gripping"--Echoland is see-through and full of secrets. And duality!

REVIEWS:

"...A young hero must ally with his alter ego in an intricate parallel universe..." --Kirkus Reviews.
"This murder mystery fantasy takes place in a see-through world I never imagined before."
"Interesting, unique book, with a world unlike anything I have read before."
"...not only for YA readers but adults as well."
"A different take on the fantasy genre...complex..."
"Beautifully written! This story didn't hold back. I felt fully immersed..."
"Friendship, bravery and mystery...a page turner..."
"...magic and intrigue, love and loss, hope and friendship..."

http://bit.ly/Echoland_on_Amazon

❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️

PLOT:

In the lucent land of the Echoes, how see-through your skin is determines whether you live or die. Until a group of 13 year-olds (Echoes and Sounds) unravel an ancient riddle at a strange Orphanage and set a chain reaction in motion that frees Echoland forever. (Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/Echoland_on_Youtube)

🧚‍♀️ 🧚‍♀️ 🧚‍♀️

 JULY 12--19 SALE:

The Kindle edition is $0.99 instead of $4.99, but only on Amazon US http://amzn.to/2FMOiCp & Amazon UK http://amzn.to/2FFu4P3. 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ ILLUSTRATIONS: Here's a sneak peak. Andy Simmons created the large illustrations. I created the small ones, which begin each chapter (over 60).

🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀

AUDIOBOOK: Just published! Read by award-winning narrator, B.J. Harrison. Over 40 voices.

🎈 🎈 🎈 🎈

Author Interview: Dew Pellucid on "Writers & Authors"

Quote from your Book | Favorite Quote “And on this sea of song, he floated for who knows how long.”

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? I always loved literature passionately. I wrote poetry as a kid. I knew I wanted to get lost in storytelling. I always knew.

When did you write your first book and how old were you? I wrote my first short story when I was 8 years-old. In elementary school my poems were published in this school paper. I wrote my first (terrible novel) at age 24. It was beautifully written and utterly boring. So I decided to write for kids, and then I had to learn how to write a good plot. Today I write under two pen names, Dew Pellucid for teens, E. L. Neve for adults.

How did you begin writing? Did you intend to become an author, or do you have a specific reason or reasons for writing each book? 

Keep reading on Writers & Authors

5th Book Award for "The Crystilleries of Echoland"

So happy to share with you that "The Crystilleries of Echoland" is a winner in the prestigious Purple Dragonfly Book Awards (2018). This award comes from the delightful literary review for children's books, Story Monsters. This awards means a lot to me.

The Crystilleries of Echoland won second place in the Middle Grade Fiction category (as well as an honorable mention in the Young Adult category.) This is the book's 5th award.

Audiobook Release: The Crystilleries of Echoland

❄️       ❄️       ❄️ 

Dear Unlucent Sounds,

The Crystilleries of Echoland audiobook is here! I love how it turned out!

"In this middle-grade fantasy, a young hero must ally with his alter ego in an intricate parallel universe in order to rescue his sister and save his own life." --Kirkus Reviews

❄️       ❄️       ❄️ 

MAKING AN AUDIO BOOK
3 months ago I picked my favorite narrator for my story. It wasn't an easy choice. I spent hours listening to audio samples...until I found B.J. Harrison. I bought one of his books and spent many nights listening to him. At last, I thought, "This is my dream narrator. Now what? How do I convince him to record my book?" I REACHED OUT to B.J. with a link to the story and illustrations. In a few hours, I heard back. He read the first chapter, loved it and agree to narrator the story. Yay!!! ☺️

2 MONTHS LATER
We started work on the book. After lots of brainstorming, we came up with over 40 character voices. I have no idea how B.J. kept them all straight, but he did! And just as I hoped, he proved to be an exceptional reader. He breathed my words to life. His gift for acting out emotions made every character real. He never over or underacts a part. And his narration style carried me so deep into Echoland that I forgot I invented it.


 

2018 Pacific Book Awards WINNER

THIS AWARD makes me very happy. Previously, the book was a runner-up at the 2018 Los Angeles Book Festival, and received an Honorable Mention at the 2018 San Francisco Book Festival--but this time the book won first place in its category, Young Adult fiction.

Paperback Edition 

Kirkus Review: The Crystilleries of Echoland

"In this middle-grade fantasy, a young hero must ally with his alter ego in an intricate parallel universe in order to rescue his sister and save his own life."

"Twelve-year-old Will Cleary was only 2 when he and his twin sister, Emmy, became two of hundreds who “simply vanished” without a trace, whose disappearances were recorded in a dusty tome known as the “gravestone book.” Only Will returned, brought back a week later by Deá and Damian, a wolf and a falcon who became his inseparable companions. Now Will, with Deá and Damian at his side, sets off to rescue his sister. His quest leads him to unexpected, magical destinations, including a land where a boy relived his birthday over and over before uncovering the secret of Echoland, a shadow version of Earth. There, everyone has a translucent counterpart—an “Echo,” who can only live while their “Sound,” or earthly equivalent, remains alive. Will’s Echo, the Prince of Echoland, has dangerous enemies; they plan to murder Will in order to destroy the Prince. Will must negotiate the dangers of this strange world to help the Prince before the murderous Fate Sealers kill them both. Author Pellucid appears as a character in this novel. In Echoland, she creates a complex, detailed world, filled with crystalline imagery. The relationship between Sounds and their Echoes is intriguing, if sometimes confusing, and the narrative weaves in elements of Hamlet (the prince must avenge his dead father) and Christianity (both young heroes were born on Christmas). The plot features several twists as Will painfully learns who his friends and enemies are. Some of the action scenes are chaotic, and there are some grisly scenes, but the suspense is handled well. The ending leaves several loose ends unresolved, suggesting a future third volume."

"A gripping, if sometimes dark and perplexing, fantasy coming-of-age novel."

Kirkus Indie Reviews

Birthday Celebration with $0.99 Sale

The Crystilleries of Echoland is 1 month old. How the days flew by 🙂 So I created a count-down deal on Amazon, to celebrate. Today the book is $0.99 and will go up by a $1.00 each day until it returns to $4.99.

So what has happened in the past month?

The book won its first award (2018 Los Angeles Book Festival Runner-up).

The paperback editions were published after the Kindle, both black & white and color.

The book trailer (video) surpassed 22K views.

More readers liked the book than not.

Everyone loves the swag giveaway. (If you haven't entered, what are you waiting for?)

The book's Facebook page surpassed 800 followers.

My dream narrator agreed to record the audiobook (work starts in May).

I changed the cover a bit (check out Will's eyes).

People are actually buying the book. 🙂

Hope to see you in Echoland.

--Dew Pellucid.

Behind the Scenes: 3 Covers & 82 Illustrations

The illustrations in The Crystilleries of Echoland began with a letter.

 “Your intriguing work captured my eye and imagination. I’d therefore like to see if I can harness your skill to make a dream come to life…”

I didn't write this. It was my best-friend. He sent an email to the very talented Andy Simmons. Andy was magnificent. The see-through, sparkling world of the Echoes intrigued him. He started sending illustration after illustration our way.



Here's Andy's work on the cover. This is the cover for an earlier edition of the novel called, "The Sound and the Echoes". Look carefully and you'll see that my pen name changed during this process from Lucid Pellucid to Dew Pellucid...but that's another story for another day.



After changing the original novel considerably, I decided to publish it under its current title: "The Crystilleries of Echoland". And then I worked on a new cover for the novel, working with the old image files on Affinity Photo for Mac.
  

Next came the illustrations inside the novel. I included all of Andy's original illustrations, scattered throughout the book. But I also wanted each chapter to begin with a small illustration. This was a daunting prospect, because the novel has over 60 chapters. Using Andy's art, free online photographs and my own photographs, I used Affinity Photo for Mac and Photoscape X to create the images I needed. Here are some of my favorites:

Discover "The Crystilleries of Echoland" for yourself:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Australia
Amazon Japan
Amazon Germany
Amazon Spain
Amazon France
Amazon Mexico

First Echo Swag

I created new bookmarks to share with Sounds who visit Echoland. Follow this blog by email (tab on the right) for news of my coming giveaways. And more Echo swag coming soon!

News: I just added a SWAG GIVEAWAY, with 4 beautiful items open for grabs: a dartboard, a clock, a lamp and a puzzle. Visit the giveaway tab on this blog and enter for free.

New 5 Star Review

Reviewed By Liz Konkel for Readers’ Favorite

The Crystilleries of Echoland by Dew Pellucid begins as thousands of children disappear with only one child ever having returned. Will Cleary returned with a falcon and a wolf to watch over him, but his twin sister remained behind in Echoland, another world filled with reflections of us called Echoes. All Will's parents have done since he came back is to plot ways to find his sister, often barely acknowledging his existence. When his faithful protectors reveal a shocking truth, Will is pulled back into the world he doesn't remember on a journey to find his sister. Along the way, he turns to new allies for help as he's swept into the discovery of the missing children, into solving a murder, and into helping the rightful heir onto the throne. 

Dew Pellucid blends together an exciting fantasy adventure with a murder mystery in a journey of growing up. Echoland is a unique and ghost-like mirror world with transparent trees and people. Everything is described in ghostly detail, but often reflects our own world with a mix of absurd and ominous twists. Every little detail of this world matters in the larger picture of the story. It's a wondrous and yet dangerous place that pulls you along for the journey. The stakes are high with Will's life constantly at risk, but his journey through this world teaches him bravery and true friendship. Will's friendships are the strongest connections he has as both of his parents seem to shrug him off whenever he's around, too occupied with trying to find his sister to really see him. Dea and Damian are more than just his pets, they're his protectors, the ones watching over him since he returned home, and the ones that lead him back to Echoland. His life at the beginning is only briefly touched upon, but it's clear he's alone except for his pets so, when he makes friends in Echoland, it further illustrates how important that bond is for him. 

His new friends liven the story up while also giving a sense of heart to the tale and providing him with people he wants to protect. Peter is his first real friend in this world. He's a magician who starts off a bit suspicious, but quickly turns into Will's strongest supporter. He has a mischievous side to him, but he's also loyal and compassionate. Animals play a large role throughout the story as Will's pets are the catalyst for his return to Echoland, but it's the Echo Wolf he bonds with later that fills a certain void. Peter has a strong attachment to his dog Poudini, who has an emotional place in the story. Fun nods to common things in our world maintain a lot of the humor throughout as Echoland has Crystalmas instead of Christmas and Poudini is a fun play on the famous magician. The illustrations are stunning and capture important moments throughout with an array of blue hues that capture the lucent essence of the world. The Crystilleries of Echoland is a hero's journey in a story of strength and courage with a dazzling array of illustrations.

Buy on Amazon