Happy New Year

               Happy New Year
to everyone who has supported me and my effort to publish this book. All three versions are in there right places. It is publishes on Createspace Estore, Amazon.com and Smashword.com
...that covers a lot of territory. Thanks everyone and lets have a great 2015

SMASHWORD availability

As of today you can go to smashword.com and buy an Ebook of Enchanted Circles for any device you may have. They have a wonderful site, easy to use.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=enchanted+circles

They're the company that provides these formated copies of my book to many other companies like Barnes and Noble.

Kindle

                   Enchanted Circles is now available

in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com

Ebook in the Works

 
Scott Gordon and I worked Saturday launching the Ebook on Amazon. There is a waiting period but have no idea how long it will be before it shows up online. Hopefully it won't be the monkey wrench that screws up the link like before. I'm crossing my fingers.

ALL FIXED

Amazon.com finally got the kinks worked out online. You now can type in my name or any variation of Enchanted Circles and it will take you to the correct link...YEAHHHH! I have had a few people contact me about the issue, for now anyway, it is fixed. Thanks for your support.

Something New Everyday

woke up this morning, checked to see and read a new review of the book on Amazon and realized the illustrated edition was nowhere to be found...again...to be found on the pages of Amazon. I thought we were done with the problems with set up on Amazon...no such luck. I called and they gave me some more mumbo jumbo about why and how long it would take to get it fixed. I must say, they are nice people but this has been going on for 7 days now.

so, if your looking for the larger, full color illustrated book you have to type in...

          Enchanted Circles, Special Illustrated Edition

The Learning Curve Continues...

Have had some issues with the 2 editions of the book disappearing from the pages of Amazon.com due to the fact that they are the exact same name. Who knew, no one told me, no where was that ever mentioned...even when I reported it the first time. I must say that the help line with Createspace has been amazing and I have talked to REAL people every time with almost no wait time at all. Hopefully by late afternoon, all will be fixed.

An Evening Read

 settling in for an evening read, thanks for sending this in.

Enchanted Circles is Officially on Amazon.com

Enchanted Circles is officially on Amazon.com...both editions. In fact, if you are a Prime Amazon member, you can get a discount right now. Tomorrow, Scott and I will launch the ebook version of the book, so keep you eye out  for that too. I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off of me...but of course, to some degree, another weight has replaced it, ...Happy Holidays everyone.

New Full Illustration from the Book

All the illustrations are about 18"X10" and are of colored pencil, ink and mixed media on paper. This one shows a feature in a prominent place featured in the novel. Cookie jars, gotta love cookie jars.

After some trials and tribulations with color corrections on the illustrations in the book, we just published the book about an hour ago online.  Very happy about that. Right now, you can only get it at createspace.com, the self publishing arm of Amazon. You can still order and get it delivered before Christmas if you order now. It will be available on Amazon proper in a couple of days. Actually, I make more money per copy if you order from createspace. When you go to that site, check out the top right side, find the store button, push it, type in Enchanted Circles and there you go. You have a choice of full color illustrated version and just text version.
Once we are on Amazon proper, it will be available on ebooks too.

I hope you will support this 4 year endeavor of mine. It has been the height of joy and frustration...I hope you enjoy it too. And it you do decide to buy it, tell your friends and please...review it. a review really does sell books.

Nat Lee snapped this pic of me being excited about getting the first proof of my book. I was containing myself the best I could.

Update on the Saga That is Publishing Your Own Book

Just received the proof book in the mail. It was bittersweet. It was amazing in one regard because it was actually my book, in print, something  I have worked years on, resting in my hands. But the colors on all the illustrations are not so good, not terrible but not great either so...back to the drawing board. I have a meeting tonight with Jason to come up with a strategy to fix things. Everyone involve tells me it is all part of the process but...I am excited, disappointed and wanting this thing to move forward much more quickly than it is... wish us luck everyone...

Hurry and Wait

Awaiting the 2 printed proofs of my book,
Enchanted Circles. I need to approve them before they can be available for purchase. If it isn't one thing, it's another. Hopefully, they will be perfect and all will be a "go". In the meantime, I'll be patient and laidback.

A Personal Review of Enchanted Circles

A couple a months ago, I asked Terri to read the book for her thoughts and feedback. She is an avid reader and enjoys this genre of novel. She is also a natural born editor. I asked her to write a couple of paragraphs about how she felt about the book. Thanks Terri.

 

Enchanted Circles is truly an enchanting story. It is evident that Paul Medina is an artist as he vividly paints scenes on these pages, bringing this fantastical adventure of young Zak Evan to life for the reader. Zak is a normal twelve year old boy who has endured his share of tragedy in life, but when he meets a family of sorcerers, his life is forever changed in thrilling ways. While this book is indeed a fairytale of sorts, its penchant for making the reader question what is right and what is wrong is what makes it so special.

 

Though it was written with young adults in mind, readers of any age will be enthralled with this story. It has a sophisticated humor that spans the generations, and the poetry subtly woven throughout the scenes is so captivating with a certain sorcery of its own. I have absolutely loved reading this book and being a part of its magic. Medina has created such a unique story, and I can’t wait for other readers to discover it! 

 

-Terri B

 

What I did this Saturday, December 6, 2014

My dear friend Scott Gordon and I spent 5 long hours on the computer today downloading two editions of Enchanted Circles and publishing my first book. Or should I say, Scott was on the computer for 5 long hours cause I am such an anti-nerd of such things. We have to wait 24 hours for the powers that be to approve everything and it will be available to the public. This is my first venture. I could write a book of what I don't know about the subject. Thank you Scotty Ray, I love you and honor our friendship.

a review from Cindy G of Enchanted Circles

 

A couple of months ago, I asked a few people to read the book for some feedback before we published. here is one of the few mini reviews of the novel.

 

Enchanted Circles is a magical and intelligent adventure, rich in content and intricate imagination.  Paul Medina effectively created a world of characters that I quickly became attached to and found myself rooting for their success.  I’m struggling to find the proper words to describe a story set in present day, but that has a vintage feel that transports you to different worlds that inspire prolific thoughts.  While fantasy/adventure/imagination is my preferred genre of book, I was impressed by the depth of this book’s intelligence.  In summary, it was a smart, imaginative and did I mention fun, read!  The only thing I didn’t like was when it was over.  I wasn’t ready to quit reading it yet.

 

I fell in love with this book.

 

-Cindy G

I want to give a big shout out to Jason Blankenship for the wonderful, elegant  design for the book cover, which appears on the home page of this website. I think he captures that vintage, old world spirit I was after. Thanks, my friend.

Prelude of the book Enchanted Circles

 

 

Prelude

I first laid eyes on that house a week after I began my second summer vacation with my aunt. As I explored the beautiful mountains that surrounded her adobe home, I stumbled on the dwelling almost accidentally when I trekked higher than I had the day before. I later discovered that the house could be reached via the winding dirt road in front of Aunt Millie’s place, close to where it eventually came to a dead end. I could smell the sweet, fragrant aroma of something baking, perhaps cookies, well before the house made itself known to me. I found that to be very odd, considering that pine and pinon ruled the noses of everyone that lived up there. From the dirt road, I could barely see the structure at all; the dense evergreen and the elongated shadow of the mountain obstructed the view, so only the citizens of our part of the valley knew it was there.

To get a better view of the place, I had to trespass and venture down the driveway, but it was worth the risk. The house was absolutely magnificent. The low-slung roof of lead shingles and the massive beams that supported it gave it strength, permanence, a natural beauty that made it look as if it were part of the mountain itself. It appeared positively ancient, marked by a thousand severe winters, its wooden skin as gray as the gnarled pinion that dominated the area. A bank of small, multi-paned windows ran the length of the dirty, neglected façade that gave the impression the house had been abandoned. The front door was comically disproportionate. It looked like a miniature replica for a dollhouse in comparison to the size and weight of the rest of the place. On that first day that I dared to walk down the driveway, I skirted off to the side of the house to get a better look at the chimney. It was of an exaggerated height and built of burnt-orange stone, probably from the bluff, and flanked the entire west side of the house. Although I never saw a wisp of smoke from it, I could only assume that was where the baking took place.

If the place hadn’t been located in such an isolated location, it surely would have been registered with some kind of historical preservation society. Homes of that nature and significance in Minneapolis or Chicago would have been part of some national register. As I gazed at it, I couldn’t believe it hadn’t been turned into some money-making tourist attraction, but I was also glad it had been left alone.

The mansion was wonderful and eerie at the same time, not quite creepy but not altogether benign either. It gave my stomach a flutter to imagine what secrets it held, but the aroma of freshly baked cookies made it feel safe and inviting. I had to admit that the whole Hansel and Gretel story came to mind but this was no haunted house, the type in which young boys conjured monsters from. It had a secret; I felt it immediately in my bones. I sensed a history there and I wanted to know more.

 

Enchanted Circle Illustration

                       All of the illustrations are of colored pencil, ink and mixed media on paper

got the blog up and running, thanks to Nat. will be publishing the book tomorrow...can't wait.