Anna J. Walner

A nn A J. WAL n ER

My Work I am a mother, and a published author. I’ve always had a passion for writing, spending my life obsessed with literature. As an author, my creativity has grown. I not only read the stories I love, but I create them too.

My Journey

Anna began her journey to becoming an Author at a young age, escaping into the world of books. Visiting far away places and going on thrilling adventures, while dealing with Social Anxiety.

take shape. The Enrovia Series was her first series, establishing her own company, Silver Dawn Publishing, and venturing out for the first time. Anna is now am International Bestselling Author of The Uluru Legacy Series, “Garkain”. Her journey as an Author is only just beginning, with three more books in the series, and a new work in progress always at the ready.

Stay Connected

annajwalner.com

Uncaged Welcomes Anna J. Walner

Welcome to Uncaged! In November, you have the second book in a series, Larougo releasing. Can you tell us more about this young adult fantasy book and series?

Readers of “Garkain” were left with a few questions! “Larougo” picks up exactly where we left off. And with plenty of new conflicts, alliances, and surprises, ARC readers are already hailing it as better than the first!

How many books are you planning on with the series?

There are four books in The Legacy. The third will be releasing next year, and will take us into New Adult territory.

What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?

In “Garkain”, the most difficult scene was probably the Unbinding Ritual. Because it was the moment where we find out how Amelia will differ from the rest of The Colony, due to her unique circumstances. Weaving in science with Fantasy is always a challenge. But I wanted to provide readers with a sense of believability that we hadn’t seen with vampires and lycanthropes yet.

Are you attending any in-person book signings or conventions this year?

I have been fortunate enough to be slated for a signing in September of this year, and possibly more after the release of Larougo in November.

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

Amelia’s story is derived from mine. My origin story is, in a way, hers as well. I was adopted from Hospital in Houston as well. And I also took the DNA test, reconnecting with some of my biological family.

Which comes first, the plot or the characters in the planning stages?

Characters always. I believe that if the Author can manage to make their readers care enough about the characters, form a connection with them, that it provides for a much more immersive and enjoyable experience. If you can make me feel for the characters, I will follow them through the entire series. You have me invested in their lives.

What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?

With a two-year-old, and being a single mom, I don’t get much of that honestly. But I do enjoy playing video games or watching movies with her. It’s our time to hang out and unplug.

If you could have one all-year season, which would it be and why?

Fall. I have always been a sucker for fall. And maybe that’s because I live in Texas, where it’s such a relief to feel that cool breeze flow in from the first cold front of the year. And you have Halloween,

Thanksgiving, and Christmas all on the horizon.

How many hours a day do you write? On average, how long does it take to write a full novel?

It truly depends. With “Garkain”, the process was slow. It was the first introduction into this world, and to these characters. There was this intrinsic pressure to make the characters relatable, funny, and interesting. Once the groundwork was laid, the other books in the series came easier, more quickly. The characters were already fully defined and their distinct personalities were easy to settle into when writing.

Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now?

I prefer E-books. Only because I can always have it at the ready. Either phone or Tablet. I may not always remember to put a book in my purse, but I never forget my phone!!

What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you?

Thank you, first of all, for taking this ride with me. Each video and review mean so much to me. To know that you have enjoyed the book, or recommended it, truly does make this all worth it!

Enjoy an excerpt from Garkain

Garkain Anna J. Walner YA Paranormal

A girl in search of her family finds more than she ever dreamed possible. Blending myth with reality, this awardwinning debut provides a truly unique and realistic spin on the genre you love.

centuries. A safe haven for both Vampire and Werewolf. She’ll become something she never thought existed, agree to things she never thought she would, and find a life worth dying for.

Excerpt

Coming Home

Amelia stared at the man in the seat next to her, watching him breathe deeply in a dreamless sleep as they flew over the Pacific Ocean on their way back to the States.

She would be going home to tie up loose ends and delete her former life completely. Roan would be seeing the States for the first time, both of them making the most of their three months before returning to a life that would be a huge commitment for them.

A life that she never dreamed of, but now she couldn’t imagine any other way. She still pondered the events of the last few weeks, and their future to come. How they would unite two separate worlds as one. How they would lead a new community into the future, reshaping it and bringing fresh ideas to an archaic society. For now though, she tried to push the thoughts from her mind. This was their time together now. Their last three months of freedom.

Amelia brushed the hair from Roan’s forehead as she watched him for a while. It was hard for her to completely process the events that led up to this moment. Only a few months ago she’d been a girl with no family. And now she was a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, and in December, she’d be a wife. Twenty-five years of wondering and questions. Imagining the why’s, searching on the internet for a possible connection. Taking the DNA test two years ago and signing up for the online registry. Bouncing from foster home to home, never finding a place to fit. If she’d only known, if she only had a clue what awaited her . . . just the Colony, as they called it, had changed her in ways she never imagined were possible. Psychically, emotionally, and spiritually. She was, quite honestly, a completely different person.

The things she had seen and experienced defied explanation for anyone outside of their community. She had been Unbound, no longer tethered by human rules or laws. What she was now must remain a secret to anyone outside of their hidden world. No one could ever know. Not her friends or her family in the States. No one. It was safest that way. So much had happened in such a short time. She’d met her family, and fallen in love with the country, was intrigued by the culture of her people, and made the decision to accept a proposition that would change everything. She had agreed to things she never thought she would. Become something she never thought existed. And found a life worth dying for.

RELEASES NOV 2:

What is Fantasy?

Guest column by JP McClean

by JP McClean

Whether I’m at a dinner party, attending a book event, or captive on a plane, if I disclose that I’m a writer of fantasy, the next question will likely be, what is fantasy? It’s the question I’m asked most often. Fantasy has long been one of my favourite genres to read, so the question surprised me at first. I’ve since learned that most readers know what to expect from a romance, thriller, mystery, or suspense novel, but they’re not always clear about what they’ll get with a fantasy book. We all know fantasy is the ‘and’ that follows science fiction. And if you type “what is fantasy?” into any search engine, you’ll get a definition that includes fictional universes and mythical creatures.

But fantasy is so much more than that.

It includes the high fantasy world building of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and the low fantasy urban setting of Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse books and Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files.

It includes classics like Peter Pan, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Mary Poppins. It’s old-time television favourites Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Flying Nun. It’s Back to the Future, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Ghost Busters.

The 2020 Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) codes, which help libraries and bookstores determine where to shelve books, break the fantasy genre into the subcategories:

o Action and Adventure o Arthurian o Contemporary o Dark Fantasy o Dragons and Mythical Creatures o Epic o Gaslamp o Historical o Humorous o Military o Paranormal o Romance o Urban

BISAC codes also classifiy fantasy as a subgenre of the romance, Christian, and erotica genres. You can also find fantasy titles tucked inside the occult and supernatural, and magical realism genres, and in the thriller supernatural sub-genre.

As you can see, fantasy’s scope is huge. It’s one of the reasons I love writing in the genre. After years of reading and watching a wide variety of fantasy titles, you could say my imagination is pickled in the possibilities.

If I had to boil down fantasy to its essence, I’d say that, at its core, fantasy contains at least one fantastical element that requires the reader to suspend their disbelief. It could be a dragon, a vampire, a troll, a werewolf, or just a neighbour who can fly. It could be an unfamiliar world or dimension. It could be all of those elements rolled into one epic tale. But it’ll never be boring.

As for me, I tend to stick close to home in my writing. My stories are grounded in today’s world (minus the pandemic) with characters that could be your friends and neighbours. I like to keep the magic a secret I share with the reader; a secret the non-magical characters in the books aren’t privy to. And though I’m no longer surprised by the “What is fantasy?” question, I love it when the reaction I get to my answer is a nod and a knowing smile. Because the person who asked the question may not know who J.M. Berry is, but they all know Peter Pan.

©Copyright 2021 JP McClean for Uncaged Book Reviews www.uncagedbooks.com

JP McLean’s latest release is Blood Mark, which comes out October 19, 2021. What if your lifelong curse is the only thing keeping you alive? Jane Walker survives the back alleys of Vancouver, marked by a chain of bloodred birthmarks that snake around her body. During her tortured nights, she is gripped by agonizing nightmares when she sees into the past. It isn’t until, one-by-one, the marks begin to disappear that she learns the deadly truth: Her marks are the only things keeping her alive. JP (Jo-Anne) McLean writes urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers which have received honourable mentions from the Whistler Independent Book Awards and the Victoria Writers’ Society. JP is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. She is a certified scuba diver, an avid gardener, and a voracious reader. Raised in Toronto, Ontario, JP lived in various parts of North America before settling on Denman Island on Canada’s west coast, where she now lives with her husband. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking dishes that look nothing like the recipe photos or arguing with weeds in the garden.

jpmcleanauthor.com

Ed Monosov

Scattered Memory Beads

Scattered Memory Beads

Michael Skeen

This book is a collection of autobiographical stories that will forever remain in my memory.

These are stories about people dear to my heart who shaped my and other children characters in difficult postwar times.

Weaving together his “Scattered Memory Beads”, the author shares his personal stories one bead at a time in this memoir. As a tribute to the people who have helped and supported him through the twists and turns of his tough life, author Ed Monosov shares his memories through this compelling collection of autobiographical stories. These are stories about people dear to his heart who shaped his and other children’s characters during the difficult post-war times. These pages depict the life of a man who has seen and has been through a lot.

This book has been written in Russian, but now available in Russian and in English.

Ed Monosov has lived through a complicated eighty years. He keeps in his memory the images of caring people who did not let the soul of a lonely boy freeze in the twists and turns of harsh life. He remembers absolutely nothing about himself and his family before the start of World War II, before their evacuation to the outback of Russia – to Bashkiria and Tatarstan.

The first amber bead of his memory was born under the Nazi bombardment of their caravan of refugees heading to the east, a caravan of unfortunates

like him and his mother from besieged Leningrad, Muscovites and from other occupied territories of Russia. After many years of hardship he eventually found his home in the USA.

He retired in 2013 after many years of successful scientific research in University of California and in the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (famous La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation).

A Life in Motion

Life in rural Wisconsin is always A Life in Motion.

A snippet of life on the farm with Cyrene.

A Volunteer Life

Each month I’ll share part of my life on this small farm. Some fun, some serious, but always in motion. I’ll share my tips for gardening, show you my gardens and harvests, fixing and rebuilding areas in the barn, the new baby chicks that will arrive in the spring, adventures with my goats and horses and since I’m always cooking and trying new things, I’ll post a recipe that I thought worked out well each month with pictures. Hope you enjoy the column and get a glimpse of what life is like for us here in the country.

I’ve always felt that my life has been enriched by volunteering at various times in my life. When I lived in Texas, I volunteered at a local hospital pushing a cart around with items from the gift shop for patients who needed toiletries or just a newspaper. Many of the patients always looked forward to my visit. Some were long term patients and didn’t get many visitors and those were the ones I’d spend extra time with, talking about just about anything, I hoped I helped their stay a little. Since I couldn’t fly home to Wisconsin on every holiday, I volunteered at a soup kitchen close to Dallas, to help in the kitchens to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving, talk about getting a new perspective on being thankful. Here in Wisconsin, I rounded up all my friends, co-workers, family members and neighbors and collected coats, hats and gloves for a homeless shelter for my own personal coat drive. Arriving with a loaded back seat and trunk with sizes of every shape and color, the people at the shelter were more than grateful.

In the last several years, my daughter and I have been volunteer board members at a horse rescue called Racer Placers, Inc. This is a non-profit 501c organization that works primarily with ex-harness racing Standardbred horses, retraining them for a new life after racing. Some horses just didn’t race well, some were injured and some raced until the cut off age of 15 years. And just sometimes, there is room for other breeds who need help. This has turned into a passion for both my daughter and I and if this rescue ends at some point, I’m confident we will continue to volunteer locally at another one.

I started riding horses when I was nine years old. My very first horse, was an older Morgan mare and the bond I shared with her has never been duplicated. Pair a young girl and a horse, and it’s a recipe for a lifelong love for horses that is almost unbreakable. I grew up with this horse, she saw me through my first boyfriends and first crushes, to the heartbreaks, but what was always steady was my horse. I did a lot of horse shows as a youth, with both my horse and as I improved on my riding skills, I rode for other owners in horse shows.

I also transferred that love of horses to my daughter, at a very young age.

horses in my life for a few months. I had taken care of my Quarterhorse gelding Chico for the final two years of his life, battling cushings and laminitis. It was an There finally came a moment when I didn’t have

overwhelming couple of years of trying different medications, and shoeing methods working with my vet and farrier just to get him comfortable. When I finally said goodbye, I needed time to process, grieve and recover. But do you ever? When I was finally ready to look for a new riding partner, and one I could share with my daughter - I looked to adoption first. I found an adoption place not too far from me called Racer Placers and was drawn to one of the horses on their website. So I filled out the application, and when I got the call that I was approved, I went up to meet Check My Swagger. Although I liked her even after meeting her and was interested in adopting her, she would need some time as she was going to be spayed as they found a cyst on an ovary and would need the rest time. But in the meantime, they had a nice little Morgan/Tennessee Walker mare that had come in from the kill pens on the east coast. She actually was an Amish owned mare, so she would have been used as mostly a working horse. We did manage to adopt Swagger within a few months, but this started our relationship with Racer Placers. But the hole left in my life after Chico was beginning to fill in. There is always room to love another. And these horses hadn’t had the one-on-one attention and love, but we were going to change that.

Racer Placers does some fantastic work and we couldn’t be more proud to work with them. Volunteering at an animal rescue of any kind is not for the faint of heart. We’ve seen some bad cases come in and turned them around to be healthy and happy and found their new forever homes. We’ve also seen the other side when there isn’t much hope except to give the horses the best care for the end of their lives and show them that someone cared before they leave this world. Even though there are sad moments, the moments that overshadow all the bad is when the horse and adopter is matched perfectly, and you see the joy on the adopter’s face and the light in the horse’s eyes for his second chance.

When horses come in mostly from the racetracks, Racer Placers evaluates them and then decides what training they would need to be able to have a successful life after the track. Many of the horses ride and drive when our agency puts them up for adoption.

We have a set of trainers on standby that help out and get these horses ready for their new homes, and even though they’ve never had riders, Standardbreds seem to take to training quite easily.

As an organization, we’ve had “Driving Fun Days” to help get the word out about our horses and to help people learn to drive a horse. Many people in our area want to learn how to harness and drive, and we have a fun learning day. In Wisconsin, there are driving clubs and even endurance driving meets and shows where the drivers dress up and compete.

In 2019, we had so many horses and ponies in the organization, we had a Youth Event, where kids were paired up with an adoptable horse for two months, and under close supervision, they were

| A LIFE In MOTIOn COLUMn |

responsible for all the horses care and training. All had to be done without riding because of insurance reasons, but at the end of the two months, the kids showed the horses in events at a show ring, from showing their grooming skills and obstacle classes to a fun costume class at the end. Every kid was a winner and the costume class was great. It was one of those moments when you are proud of all the kids and what they accomplished. Some of these horses had bad ground manners before the kids took over, but you would never know it at this show.

The horses all had new skills taught by the kids, the kids had learned responsibility, and the community learned more about our cause. It was a big win all around. Several horses and ponies were adopted by their youth and family they were paired with and the others were adopted out soon after.

Today, we have horses that have been adopted out that do search and rescue and parades. There is even a “celebrity alumni” horse, click the image below to watch a short video on how Levi and Sandy visit a hospice twice a month. So volunteering for me is a way to give back to the lifestyle of horses that I’ve lived all my life. I am thrilled everytime I hear of how well these horses are doing. From walking through fire at a desensitizing clinic:

to the show arena from English:

to gaming and even carrying the smallest of riders.