Today, I'm inducting Adam Leonard who failed, but went down with quite a fight, to complete his dare for the truth or dare challenge (see labeled tab above). As required for group membership, Adam posted the humiliating chicken photo for a week to earn a spot on teamTEENauthor. Congrats, Adam!
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| Author Adam Leonard |
ABOUT ADAM
Adam has been in the field of education for over sixteen years. He enjoys teaching teens and feels that he has a very good insight into their likes and dislikes. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in education, a Master’s degree in History, and is currently working toward a MFA in Painting.
Several years ago, Mr. Leonard was both surprised and disappointed to discover that the ninth grade boys in his classes disliked reading. They said that the Harry Potter books were for kids and the Twilight books were for girls. He decided he would put his mind to writing a book primarily suited for the rough and tumble, reluctant teenage reader. It had to have cool, but flawed characters and lots of action. Mr. Leonard decided to include a bit of romance and several strong female characters for the female readers as well, and the result was The Rift Riders.
The Rift Riders delves into Greek mythology and reflects the ancient writings of Homer’s Odyssey, which fascinated him in his younger years. Adam is excited to share this tradition of storytelling with a new generation.
Mr. Leonard enjoyed writing the book so much that he began writing a sequel. Before he knew it, he had ideas for a few more books and started writing a couple more. Mr. Leonard will be very happy if his books encourage future students to read!
*For more information about Mr. Leonard and his books, feel free to visit his blog and website below- he would love to hear from you!
For his reward, a member of my Perfect 10 teen panel (what is the Perfect 10? See labeled tab above) has read and reviewed Adam's YA novel, Rift Riders.
PERFECT 10 MEMBER JACKSON'S REVIEW
**read Jackson's bio here
Rift Riders by Adam Leonard is a crazy, high action book. It is about a group of teens who end up going through a portal while running from a group of bikers. They enter another realm called Nereus. Turns out, all of the Greek myths are true and they happened here first. This book was great. I loved 90% of it. I started it on Tuesday and didn’t stop until Friday. I could not put it down. The entire idea was very innovative and I think that original stories are the most amazing. But, this book is obviously not perfect. The characters sometimes contradict themselves, and can feel inhuman at some points. This was irksome, but not enough to change my overall opinion of the story. Also, do not expect this to be like Percy Jackson. All the Greek myths are not the same and it’s for a slightly more mature reader. The book is violent and unforgiving, in a good way. You get immersed in the world and feel like you’re right there. I have read a few fantasy novels lately and Adam Leonard’s world building skills tops most of them! This realm feels big and dangerous and you’re there with the characters. This book is a must read for anyone looking at this and even contemplating getting it. I cannot wait for the second book, keep it up, Adam!
