A Special Note From The Author

Hello

I've been asked many times why I have written a co-star into the story with special needs. I've also been asked why the character, John Simon isn't the one born with magical powers. The answer to both questions is basically the same, I wanted to deal with inclusion in a realistic way that is valuable to the reader. As a parent of a son with Downs Syndrome, I know how special they are. In the story, John Simon is able to see things that others, apart from Melie, don't see. This is not a stretch because my son Joe has been able to do this too. You can call it imagination, but to Joe, seeing people in an ancient coaching inn that I couldn't see was very real.
So when you read and hopefully enjoy the series of books 'The Magical Adventures of Melie' I am sure that you will enjoy the very real growth of all the characters.

Sincerely yours - Robert (Bob) Carter

A Message From Margaret Simon

Hello everybody,

I am John Simon's mother. It is very gratifying to know that our son is making such an impact by helping Melie in the first adventure, 'The Magic Eye'. As you probably know already, John was born with Down's Syndrome. I wanted to share a little bit about Down's with you.
Down's syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome, one of the tiny bundles of DNA found in all of our cells.
Normally, our cells contain 46 chromosomes: 23 inherited from each parent. In Down's syndrome, an extra copy of chromosome 21 is included when the sperm and the egg meet to form the embryo. This means there are 47 chromosomes in the baby's cells. Down's syndrome is also known as trisomy 21.
We believe that chromosome 21 must be something to do with love because every Down's syndrome child and adult we have ever met seems to have an abundance of unconditional love as part of their personality. John is no different.

Hunting For Easter Eggs

Amelia Pendragon and John Simon, the heroes in 'The Magic Eye' spent yesterday hunting Easter Eggs. Of course, Melie did not use her new magical skills to find any eggs because that would be cheating. She did however, share most of the eggs she did find with her friends. http://lulu.com/content/6368901

Happy Easter From Melie and John

Amelia Pendragon and John Simon, the heroes in 'The Magic Eye' would like to wish all their friends and followers a very Happy Easter and Passover. Melie and John are very busy at the moment hunting Easter Eggs. Of course, Melie is not using her new magical skills to find any eggs because that would be cheating.

Five Reasons Not To Read The Magic Eye

Here are five reasons why potential followers of 'The Magical Adventures of Melie' series shouldn't read 'The Magic Eye'.
1. The Magic Eye is a family adventure. If you are looking for X rated material then The Magic Eye is not for you.
2. The Magic Eye offers inclusion as a key theme. Melies friends include John Simon who has Downs Syndrome and Maya who is from Trinidad. If you are prejudice in any way then The Magic Eye is not for you.
3. The Magic Eye is easy to read and understand but it does have a lot of twists and turns. The Magic Eye should only take a few hours to read and enjoy. If your idea of a reasonable length book is Tolstoys War and Peace then The Magic Eye is not for you.
4. The Magic Eye is a magical fantasy. If you don't enjoy books like The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Golden Compass and The Spiderwick Chronicles, then The Magic Eye is not for you.
5. The Magic Eye is fun to read and the key characters are likeable. If you enjoy books that make you feel miserable, then The Magic Eye is not for you.
If on the other hand you do like all of the things listed above, please get all your friends and their friends and their friends to follow these updates and start enjoying The Magical Adventures of Melie and The Magic Eye together.

Five Reasons To Read The Magic Eye

1. 'The Magic Eye' blends modern comforts and technology with old world magic in a way that hasn't been tried before.
2. 'The Magic Eye' deals with inclusion and right against wrong/good against evil with the innocence that comes with being a child, yet in a way that will appeal to parents as well.
3. 'The Magic Eye' is the first in a series called 'The Magical Adventures of Melie' and you can be there from the beginning. Enjoying the adventures as they unfold through Melies young life.
4. Followers of 'The Magical Adventures of Melie' can belong to an exclusive club of fans who are involved in the creation of the story as it evolves.
5. 'The Magic Eye' is likely to appeal to readers of all ages who also enjoy books like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the Spiderwick Chronicles. You can help to spread the word as the buzz grows across the globe. How cool will it be in a few years time to say - 'I was there at the beginning' and mean it.

Let's Spread The Word

I wonder if you could do me a huge favour. I have recently published my first novel. It is called ‘The Magic Eye’ and is the first in a series of adventures titled ‘The Magical Adventures of Melie’. I am now starting the publicity campaign for the book.
‘The Magical Adventures of Melie’ blends 21st century living and comforts with the richness, beauty and magic of a bygone age of wizards and fairies. Melie’s adventures take her to mystical places where good must once again defeat the forces of evil. I am inviting you to join the young Melie as she first discovers her magical powers, what they mean to her and most importantly of all, why she has been blessed with them in this modern world of logic and disbelievers
Children and parents will be whisked away to the ‘world in-between’ where Melie and her best friend John mingle with the amazing wizards of old. It is also planned that readers and followers of the series will get so much more than just a good read! Although ‘The Magic Eye’ has been created and written by me with many inputs from my daughter Lexi, the following books will be created and written in a very innovative way. Not only will fans get to share in Melie’s adventures, they will be invited to help to create them. Children will be asked to submit ideas for Melie’s next story. Twice a year, 20 children with the best ideas will be invited with their parents to join us at a special boot-camp. The objective will be to design the next Melie adventure. This will be a weekend of fun, alternating between England and the USA, where we will develop the outline and first chapter for the next book. I will then write the next adventure from these jointly created ideas. I will also share my book writing methods with the families and it may just redefine the way fiction is created and written in the future.
Can you please share this with everybody you know, encouraging them to check out ‘The Magic Eye’ and spread the word amongst all their friends and contacts as well?
‘The Magic Eye’ is available immediately from; http://lulu.com/content/6368901
Many sincere thanks,

Book Availability

The Magic Eye is now available from the publisher at http://lulu.com/content/6368901
This is an exciting development because it means that you can order the book and be amongst the first to read it.

Marketing 'The Magic Eye'

I'm getting ready for a major marketing campaign for 'The Magic Eye' It's an exciting period of time. Now the major question on my mind is how to get everybody I know to tell everybody they know and them to tell everybody they know, etc. Eventually, within six degrees of seperation, everybody should know. It sounds so easy but of course if it was that easy, everybody would do it.
Driving people to this blog is a good idea, but what about driving them to the publisher? And what about Amazon? This publicity malarky looks to be as difficult as writing the book in the first place - maybe even harder.

Final Edit is Approved

Exciting times. The final editing of 'The Magic Eye' has been completed. The book is now available from the publisher at http://lulu.com/content/6368901