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Congratulations! You have found my super secret page, where I'll post bonus content about my books. I'll update this page with new material from time to time, so be sure to check back.
Below, I've created a little game to help you get more familiar with my books: Kingdom of Ore and Flowers, The Lost Bones, Luminary, and Tearless (click on the titles to read the descriptions, or head over to the Book Art page for more clues). Each picture is an item or a place in one of these four books. It's your job to guess which one you think each picture represents. Then you can read a little bonus content about each book! I'll start with an easy one.
Correct! As promised, this is one of the easiest ones. If you read the description of The Lost Bones, you'll see that Bay is apprenticed to a dune hunter. This is a picture of a dune. Good job putting two and two together. Here’s a glimpse into Bay’s work in the dunes: By the time Bay caught up, Ritt was hard at work, using his shovel to send sand cascading down the side of the dune. A twisted bit of wood and a shard of clay, both with sand still clinging to them from their recent time spent in a dune, already rested beside the other shovel. As Bay bent down to grab his own shovel, Ritt called out, "Ah ha!" When Bay straightened, the wooden handle gripped firmly in his hand, Ritt's arm was deep within the dune, nearly to the shoulder. He tugged on something that refused to budge. More sand tumbled down the side of the dune as he struggled, burying him almost to his knees. "Come help me!" Grinning, Bay ran over and got to work digging Ritt out. He had to climb up the side of the dune a bit, then started flinging shovelfuls of sand away from the older boy. But the faster he moved, the faster more sand seemed to tumble down the dune.
Wrong! I gotta say, I'm not 100% sure you're paying attention. If you read the description of The Lost Bones, you'll see that Bay is apprenticed to a dune hunter. This is a picture of a dune. But don’t worry! You'll have many more chances with the pictures below. In the meantime, here's a glimpse into Bay's work in the dunes: By the time Bay caught up, Ritt was hard at work, using his shovel to send sand cascading down the side of the dune. A twisted bit of wood and a shard of clay, both with sand still clinging to them from their recent time spent in a dune, already rested beside the other shovel. As Bay bent down to grab his own shovel, Ritt called out, "Ah ha!" When Bay straightened, the wooden handle gripped firmly in his hand, Ritt's arm was deep within the dune, nearly to the shoulder. He tugged on something that refused to budge. More sand tumbled down the side of the dune as he struggled, burying him almost to his knees. "Come help me!" Grinning, Bay ran over and got to work digging Ritt out. He had to climb up the side of the dune a bit, then started flinging shovelfuls of sand away from the older boy. But the faster he moved, the faster more sand seemed to tumble down the dune.
Correct! Looks like you read the description of Luminary, and remembered that Caya sees only in grayscale . . . at least at first. Take a look below for a glimpse into Caya's colorless world. My gaze floats over the parlor, taking in the myriad shades of gray—in the furniture, the hand painted wallpaper, the stained glass of the center window, the rug. To the carefully chosen items that decorate the room, like the small wooden clock with the ivory face, resting silently on the mantle since no one has wound it in weeks. Or the enormous crystal vase on the side table that, supposedly, shines like diamonds when it catches the light just right. Whatever that means.
Wrong! Take a closer look at the description of Luminary. Remember how it says that Caya sees only in grayscale? Only a luminary would be able to see the colors in this stained glass window. Read the excerpt below for a deeper look into Caya's world. My gaze floats over the parlor, taking in the myriad shades of gray—in the furniture, the hand painted wallpaper, the stained glass of the center window, the rug. To the carefully chosen items that decorate the room, like the small wooden clock with the ivory face, resting silently on the mantle since no one has wound it in weeks. Or the enormous crystal vase on the side table that, supposedly, shines like diamonds when it catches the light just right. Whatever that means.
Correct! Well done. It looks like you were paying attention, and noticed that there are thorns in the drawing of Sam on the Book Art page. Thorns actually appear throughout the book. The wizard's castle is full of things that exist only to cause pain. Here's a look at Sam’s arrival at the castle: Sam couldn't imagine what one old wizard could possibly do with so much space. But he had to admit that the closer he got, the more intimidating it all looked. Especially once they were near enough to see the vines that covered every inch of the outer wall. They looked like they were nothing but thorns, thousands and thousands of them, all as long as his hand.
Wrong! This is actually from Tearless. Perhaps you should've explored my site a little more before playing the game. If you head over to the Book Art page, you’ll see that thorns are featured pretty prominently in the drawing of Sam. Thorns actually appear throughout the book. The wizard's castle is full of things that exist only to cause pain. Here's a sneak peek at Sam's arrival at the castle: Sam couldn't imagine what one old wizard could possibly do with so much space. But he had to admit that the closer he got, the more intimidating it all looked. Especially once they were near enough to see the vines that covered every inch of the outer wall. They looked like they were nothing but thorns, thousands and thousands of them, all as long as his hand.
Correct! Nicely done! If you took a look at the Kingdom of Ore and Flowers page, you would have noticed that it's about a magical garden where all the plants are made of precious metals and gemstones. Read below for a description of the garden. Chrysanthemums and lilies. Dahlias, snapdragons, asters, and gardenias. Mixed among the flowers are ferns and caladiums and spider plants. Enormous gunnera leaves on long, drooping stalks. Creeping ivy and elder bushes, heavy with berries. Those and countless others spill over one another—a chaos of flowers and shrubbery, as though someone mixed up a thousand types of seeds and flung them at random onto the ground. More roses than one could ever imagine climb up the hundred-foot wall that surrounds the garden, seeming to long for the sun. Then dozens of squat, bowed trees loom over it all, their thick branches sloping down over the narrow, unruly paths, scraggly mosses dripping toward the ground. And every single plant in sight is made of metal, many glistening with gemstones even in the moonlight.
Wrong! Uh oh. Looks like you need to take another look at the page for Kingdom of Ore and Flowers. There, it describes a magical garden where all the plants are made of precious metals and gemstones. Read below for a description of the garden. Chrysanthemums and lilies. Dahlias, snapdragons, asters, and gardenias. Mixed among the flowers are ferns and caladiums and spider plants. Enormous gunnera leaves on long, drooping stalks. Creeping ivy and elder bushes, heavy with berries. Those and countless others spill over one another—a chaos of flowers and shrubbery, as though someone mixed up a thousand types of seeds and flung them at random onto the ground. More roses than one could ever imagine climb up the hundred-foot wall that surrounds the garden, seeming to long for the sun. Then dozens of squat, bowed trees loom over it all, their thick branches sloping down over the narrow, unruly paths, scraggly mosses dripping toward the ground. And every single plant in sight is made of metal, many glistening with gemstones even in the moonlight.
Correct! Nicely done! Turns out that the thorns around the outer wall aren't the only dangerous plants at the castle. But since the wizard collects tears from everyone in his kingdom, that's not very surprising, is it? Here's a preview of Sam entering the wizard's greenhouse full of horrors for the first time: There was one whole bed of strange, ball-shaped plants covered in spikes as long as his fingers. Some plants had berries of a bright, enticing red or a sickly green, and Sam felt certain they were poisonous. Wanting to see around Ero, Sam took a step to the left. A plant by the door lunged toward him, snapping shut inches away from his leg. Sam jumped back in alarm, and watched as the strange plant settled back into place. It opened up until it no longer looked like a mouth, but resembled a flat, brown disc about the size of a dinner plate, its teeth looking like little spikes around the edge. The entire greenhouse was full of plants meant to hurt, from the ground all the way up to the top of the dome. Even the posts holding up the second and third levels were covered in the same vines as the outer wall.
Wrong! This one is from Tearless. Remember those thorns from above? Those weren't the only dangerous plants in the castle. As it turns out, the wizard has a whole greenhouse full of them. Here’s a preview of Sam entering the greenhouse for the first time: There was one whole bed of strange, ball-shaped plants covered in spikes as long as his fingers. Some plants had berries of a bright, enticing red or a sickly green, and Sam felt certain they were poisonous. Wanting to see around Ero, Sam took a step to the left. A plant by the door lunged toward him, snapping shut inches away from his leg. Sam jumped back in alarm, and watched as the strange plant settled back into place. It opened up until it no longer looked like a mouth, but resembled a flat, brown disc about the size of a dinner plate, its teeth looking like little spikes around the edge. The entire greenhouse was full of plants meant to hurt, from the ground all the way up to the top of the dome. Even the posts holding up the second and third levels were covered in the same vines as the outer wall.
Correct! You probably figured it out because I mentioned that Bay carved a fish bauble in the description of The Lost Bones. You might be thinking to yourself that this picture makes no sense, because Bay's bauble looked more like a whale, and Bay was a terrible carver. Well, you're right again! This is one of the baubles his guardians gave him when he left with the dune hunter, to protect him on his journey: A little tree—carved from the lost branch of a breadfruit tree, complete with intricate, twisting roots—to protect him from winds and storms. A cresting wave sculpted from the stone handle of a diver's knife, to protect him from drowning. A glistening, oddly shaped pearl, carved with the image of a tiny, tumbling waterfall, which would help him find drinkable water. Even a bauble of a fish that would actually help him catch fish.
Wrong! This is a fish bauble from The Lost Bones. “Wait!” I hear you saying. “You said Bay was a terrible carver! That his bauble looked more like a whale! This can't be it!” Well, you're definitely right about that! This is one of the baubles his guardians gave him when he left with the dune hunter, to protect him on his journey: A little tree—carved from a lost branch of a breadfruit tree, complete with intricate, twisting roots—to protect him from winds and storms. A cresting wave sculpted from the stone handle of a diver's knife, to protect him from drowning. A glistening, oddly shaped pearl, carved with the image of a tiny, tumbling waterfall, which would help him find drinkable water. Even a bauble of a fish that would actually help him catch fish.
Correct! The only real clue here is that the donkey is standing on a beach, so bravo. When Bay leaves with the dune hunter and her other apprentice, Ritt, it's to scour the beaches of their island for lost things—items the storms pulled out to sea, infusing them with magic before spitting them back out again. They load all their broken treasures into their wagons, and have a pair of donkeys to pull them. Here’s a quick look at these two adorable donkeys, Kelp and Barnacle: “That one's Kelp,” Ritt said, pointing toward the donkey that pulled Oriana's wagon. He was mostly a soft tannish color, though his mane, ears, and the tuft at the end of his tail were the color of rich soil. And his face and chest were almost completely white. “Oriana's had him for almost twenty years.” The donkey was like the dune hunter. Quiet. Strong. Seemingly disinterested in the world around him. “And this handsome fellow is Barnacle,” Ritt said, moving up to the second donkey and scratching his ears. He was the smaller of the pair, darker than Kelp on top with an underside that ran to a sort of whitish-gray, and light rings around his eyes. “He's mine.” Barnacle made a funny snorting sound and rubbed his nose against Ritt’s chest.
Wrong! Ah ha! You didn't think I'd do the same book twice in a row, did you? None of my book descriptions mention a donkey, so I can see why you didn't know this was from The Lost Bones. But the clue here was the ocean. When Bay leaves with the dune hunter and her other apprentice, Ritt, it's to scour the beaches of their island for lost things—items the storms pulled out to sea, infusing them with magic before spitting them back out again. They load all their broken treasures into their wagons, and have a pair of donkeys to pull them. Here's a quick look at these two adorable donkeys, Kelp and Barnacle: “That one's Kelp,” Ritt said, pointing toward the donkey that pulled Oriana's wagon. He was mostly a soft tannish color, though his mane, ears, and the tuft at the end of his tail were the color of rich soil. And his face and chest were almost completely white. “Oriana's had him for almost twenty years.” The donkey was like the dune hunter. Quiet. Strong. Seemingly disinterested in the world around him. “And this handsome fellow is Barnacle,” Ritt said, moving up to the second donkey and scratching his ears. He was the smaller of the pair, darker than Kelp on top with an underside that ran to a sort of whitish-gray, and light rings around his eyes. “He's mine.” Barnacle made a funny snorting sound and rubbed his nose against Ritt’s chest.
Correct! Nice! This is another one where the clues were on the Kingdom of Ore and Flowers page. There, it describes how Wil has to climb the hundred-foot wall around the garden and draw the plants. And later, he's asked to draw the Flower Crown itself. These are charcoal sticks like those Wil uses to create his drawings in the excerpt below: My hand flies across the paper as I create the rough outline. But I take the time to sharpen my charcoal sticks with a penknife before I start to fill it in. This part takes more care. Strengthening the lines. Shading just so, so Da and Herron can get the shape right of every petal, every leaf. The exact way the stems twist around one another. Each individual stamen, so they don't miss a single one.
Wrong! Nope! Sorry! This is another one where the clues were on the Kingdom of Ore and Flowers page. There, it describes how Wil has to climb the hundred-foot wall around the garden and draw the plants. And later, he's asked to draw the Flower Crown itself. These are charcoal sticks like those Wil uses to create his drawings in the excerpt below. My hand flies across the paper as I create the rough outline. But I take the time to sharpen my charcoal sticks with a penknife before I start to fill it in. This part takes more care. Strengthening the lines. Shading just so, so Da and Herron can get the shape right of every petal, every leaf. The exact way the stems twist around one another. Each individual stamen, so they don't miss a single one.
Correct! This was a really hard one, so I must say, I'm quite impressed. This comes from an important scene in Luminary, right after Caya starts seeing colors. Read on to see how Caya reacts to seeing fire in color for the first time. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for the color of fire. Sucking in a startled breath, I lift the match until it's only inches from my eyes. The tiny flame dances for a few seconds, the color so vibrant that I almost can't believe it's real. As the flame moves down the match, the burned tip glows the same bright color, though it lacks that otherworldly quality. It's as if it's trying to emulate the fire, desperate to keep burning even though the flame has gone. Then the color blinks out, replaced by blackness. My eyes dip down, finding a flame so small I can hardly see it anymore. Disappointment clenches at my chest, and I toss the match into the oven, already reaching for another one. This time, I use the match to light the kindling, and I leave the oven door open as I wait for the water to boil. If I had my way, I'd crouch in front of the flickering fire for the rest of the night. I don't think I'll ever see anything more beautiful.
Wrong! This was a really hard one, though, so don't feel too bad. This actually comes from an important scene in Luminary, right after Caya starts seeing colors. Read on to see how Caya reacts to seeing fire in color for the first time. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for the color of fire. Sucking in a startled breath, I lift the match until it's only inches from my eyes. The tiny flame dances for a few seconds, the color so vibrant that I almost can't believe it's real. As the flame moves down the match, the burned tip glows the same bright color, though it lacks that otherworldly quality. It's as if it's trying to emulate the fire, desperate to keep burning even though the flame has gone. Then the color blinks out, replaced by blackness. My eyes dip down, finding a flame so small I can hardly see it anymore. Disappointment clenches at my chest, and I toss the match into the oven, already reaching for another one. This time, I use the match to light the kindling, and I leave the oven door open as I wait for the water to boil. If I had my way, I'd crouch in front of the flickering fire for the rest of the night. I don't think I'll ever see anything more beautiful.