Max Xylander Blog Tour Stop ( Spotlight & Giveaway )

~About the author~

Jon Thomason lives with his family in San Diego, after many years living in the beautiful Seattle area. He has a successful career in high tech where he's been fortunate enough to participate in many big-name industry releases.

Storytelling permeates everything he does. In the moments when Jon is not helping build the story of the tech world, he can almost always be found working on a project: writing, photography, videography, graphics design, or 3D art.

And he's always careful to conceal his jinni magic abilities, though perhaps might slip one day and be discovered...

~About the book~

Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud

Max has anger management issues. But she has a secret, too. She can make things happen. Like magic. She almost killed a loser skate punk and nearly used it on her stuck up older sister. The question is, can she do anything other than blow things up? Can she learn to control it? And is it really possible that an obscure teenage girl is the key to keeping all of humanity safe?

Philip just got his ring back. He got it taken away for messing with his teacher’s mind so he can cheat on a test. Now that he has his ring, he thinks he should be able to use his power to make his life better. A lot better. The problem is that people want him to be responsible. But if you could do magic, wouldn’t you use it to escape work in any way possible?

Aaron wants to be a soldier. He knows there are lots of people who would try to take over, and he’s determined to stop them. The problem is that there’s this new girl. And she might be not be on the right side of things. She’s really talented and pretty, but she might be able to destroy everything he believes in. Whatever the case, he knows he needs to learn to be world class with the magic sword while he figures out what to do.

Brynn never gets out. Her grandfather won’t permit it. Her only access to the outside world are high fashion magazines, so she has an unusual idea what she should wear. She’s dying to get out and travel. And adopt animals. Any kind of animal. Is she a lonely future granny with cats or are her ridiculous clothes actually the next fashion craze? What possible role could she play in the destiny of the world?

Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud is a fast-paced fantasy adventure for all ages (10 and up) and is the first of a planned trilogy. Fans of magic, swordplay, secret agents, and conspiracies set in a modern everyday world will not be able to put the book down. Jon Thomason is a debut author and paints a vivid world of magic right under our noses and delivers rapid-fire action that keeps the pages turning.

~Excerpt~

...She spent every possible second learning better control and more power. She couldn’t leave it alone.

When Max was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at age 9, she raged and fought. At the first needle, she shouted, “It’s not fair!” but nothing could express how she felt after hundreds. She was at the mercy of the doctors and of Fate. Couldn’t say no or yes. Couldn’t choose.

Now, her new talent let her take the world on her own terms. It was narcotic and wild. She loved the feeling of gathering a ball of flame brighter than the sun and releasing it any way she could dream up.

She became stronger with the power than she was with her muscles. She learned how to guide the flow of power. It felt like sculpting as she carved the flow of fire into different shapes. The flows could move objects any direction, depending on how she shaped them. She could apply the flows precisely or violently, or better yet, precisely and violently.

Before long, she bored of things she could do in her room and turned to practicing her skills in public. The more she did, the more reckless she became. No one could ever guess—who would believe it? The freedom was exhilarating...

~Purchase~

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

~Praise~ 

"Impressively inventive and enjoyable...vivid storytelling and exceptional characterization...Max's personality is layered and complex...conveyed flawlessly...keeping readers intrigued and engaged...writing style is smooth, and a subtle sense of humor comes through...narrative tension builds at a good pace and easily flows toward a satisfying and exciting conclusion...parents are likely to both approve of the story and enjoy reading it themselves...talented writer...sure to find an appreciative audience that will eagerly anticipate the next book in the series." -- ForeWord Clarion Review

"Thomason shines in his heroine's characterization...magical" --blueink Review

~Links~

Facebook * Amazon * Goodreads * Twitter

~Giveaway~ 

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash plus a copy of Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud
Print copy to US only, Ebook Internationally
Ends 3/31/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway