Phantom Island: Wind - Softcover

Dallas, Krissi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1438961804 ISBN 13: 9781438961804

Publisher: Authorhouse, 2009

Synopsis

"One fateful summer night ...when one rule is broken ... five teenagers will discover an unexpected adventure full of magic, romance, and true friendship." Seventeen-year-old Whitnee has spent six years rebuilding her identity after her father's mysterious disappearance left her with more questions than answers. With her two best friends, she returns as an employee to the summer camp of her childhood. Nestled in the Texan hill country, Camp Fusion is everything Whitnee remembers ... except for the haunting visions that only she can see. One fateful night, Whitnee and her friends embark on a magical journey where unexpected adventure and heart-stopping romance collide - a journey that might unlock the dark, complicated mysteries of Whitnee's family history. But will she find the answers she is looking for before it is too late?

About this title

From the Author:

Inspiration to write comes from so many places and in so many forms. I have to say that the initial desire to write a YA fiction book started with my middle school students. I have some excellent writers in my classes, and through reading their personal writings, I thought, "I should be doing this, too." I wrote at least seventeen different novels growing up - only about five of them were completed before I became an adult. And I lost some of that desire to write creatively when I reached college. 

So now, as a teacher, I get to read and discuss great literature all the time! And I decided I wanted to write a book that my students and I could enjoy together - a book with adventure and mystery and, yes, even romance! (Middle school boys are actually very romantic - they won't admit it, but they like a good love story, too.) In the past few years, my students and I studied pop culture books such as Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins in my classroom. We had so much fun with themes like love and mortality and fantastical elements set in a real world that I knew I wanted to write a story with a similar attraction. 

So... where did the characters for Phantom Island come from? Well, it started with my two best friends - Melody and Sam. Mel and I have been best friends since middle school and even went to college together. It was there that we met Sam, who became a close "guy friend" for both of us. (Little did I know that my senior year of college I would end up dating Sam and eventually marry him.) But I love the friendship that I have with both of them - it is loyal and true and does not fade with time. I know this is a rare gift, and as I pondered the memories and the special relationship there, I knew I had my Whitnee, Morgan, and Caleb. Writing those characters was SO easy - I just had to go, "Okay, how would Sam respond there? Or what look would be on Mel's face if that happened?" 

Writing my preteen characters came very naturally, too. I live at the middle school level, so it was fun to bring that age group to life in the book. I soon discovered that with Amelia and Kevin's characters, I could ask the questions that the reader was probably wondering or clarify the information the reader needed. The natural inquisitiveness of that age group, as well as their endearing personalities, gave a jumping off point for setting up my Island. Plus, I just couldn't write a debut novel and not feature middle schoolers - they are the best!

Creating the Island was a totally crazy and fun and exciting experience... I cannot adequately explain where all of the inspiration and ideas came from because I don't always know. Sometimes ideas came to me while listening to a song in the car, or as an epiphany out of my sleep in the middle of the night, or through conversations with friends, but I will say this - I discovered the term "phantom islands" and became interested in the idea of "lost lands" as I researched theories on the show, LOST, over the years. I loved that show and kept thinking, "What if a group of teenagers discovered a magical island? What would their adventure be? What kind of connection would it have to their real world lives?" As a child, I was mesmerized by the Bermuda Triangle and the stories of Atlantis. I am an avid reader and studier of the Bible - a huge influence in my life. And I love the idea of magical worlds on the border of our realities. (TRANSLATION: I go to all of the midnight release parties for books and movies like Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and the Olympians... I even make fan t-shirts. And, no, it doesn't matter that I'm almost thirty years old.)

I hope you enjoy the adventure on the Mainland AND on the Island - both are equally important to the ultimate outcome of the Phantom Island series. Phantom Island: WATER will be coming soon... until then, have fun surviving the Island with the characters! Are you part of the Wind, Water, Earth, or Fire tribe? Only you can know.

From the Back Cover:

There was an unfamiliar sound ... like the crashing of angry ocean waves on a shore. My eyes flew open and were immediately struck blind in the harsh sunlight. A myriad of thoughts ran through my head at once as I rolled over on my back, slowly brushing the gritty material off my face. What happened? Isn't it supposed to be night? How long was I out?
                Once my eyes adjusted to the bright light, I gazed at my surroundings in utter confusion. Pure white sand was clinging to my damp skin. Before me stretched an ocean so blue it seemed digital, like a moviemaker's CG effects. And definitely not like any beach I'd ever seen at home - this was so not Texas.

About this edition

• Publisher: Authorhouse
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1438961804
• ISBN 13: 9781438961804
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416