TOP TEN Children's Book

ECHO McCOOL

Posted on February 27, 2011 by admin

ECHO McCOOL HITS GOODREADS TOP TEN LIST

Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time

by Roger K Driscoll

Contact the author: echo.mccool@gmail.com

ISBN 978-1-908105-26-4

About the book:
Echo McCool is a magical, medieval girl with attitude. Don’t get on the wrong end of her jump kicks, flick-flaks and open-palm strikes. In her own time, Echo escapes death from a poisoned arrow and hides inside a hollow oak tree. She lies dormant for hundreds of years but in the present day she is awakened by Jason Fleeting, a twelve-year-old runaway from a children’s home. Together they set out to solve the murder of Jason’s mother and to rescue his kidnapped sister Lauren.

About the author

After being made redundant by a large law firm, Roger Driscoll dusted down some half-finished manuscripts stored under his spare bed. He got to work, and ECHO McCOOL, OUTLAW THROUGH TIME was the result. Roger lives in East Yorkshire, England, in a little house near the old oak tree and disused railway line where he used to play as a boy in the 1970s. He believes that the most important part of any book is its reader. Without a reader, a book can never come alive.

Brittany’s Review:

Listen to (probably) John Barrowman:

ProbablyJBmccool.mp3

Excerpt from the book:

“The bit where Echo attacks the policewoman.”

Jason had no time to run. Everything seemed to happen in a split-second. PC Knaggs lunged forward, taking hold of him, spinning him around. Now her arm was around his throat, her other hand securing him in a powerful arm-lock. They both faced Echo who took up a fighting stance.

“Let the boy go, thou meddlesome hussy.”

The policewoman twisted harder. Jason cried out. Any more and his arm would break.

“I will give thee one final chance, thou sow-faced drab.”

“Cheeky little brat,” said PC Knaggs. “Think you can fight me, eh? No chance. We do self-defence in the police.”

Echo ignored the warning, taking two careful steps backwards before sinking into a low crouch. With a sudden shriek she sprang up in a high-speed, flying kick. Jason ducked his head as Echo’s boot shot above him, the heel slamming into the policewoman’s forehead, sending her cap flying. PC Knaggs yelped, letting go of Jason as she slammed back-first into the nearest pillar. Jason crashed to the ground and began to crawl away. PC Knaggs recovered, her hair dishevelled, and she dusted down her uniform. Swearing and cursing she charged at Echo, fists flying.

Echo avoided the first punch before countering with a quick left to the policewoman’s stomach. The force knocked PC Knaggs to the ground, but she wasn’t finished. Her right leg whipped out in a wide arc to take Echo’s feet from under her. Both combatants were up and facing one other an instant later. The policewoman aimed a snap-kick at Echo who blocked it with a kick of her own. The girl-dryad then attacked in a blur of motion, landing more rapid-fire punches before her open palm struck the policewoman’s chin with a dull crunch. PC Knaggs reeled backwards into the pillar again, her knees sagging before she collapsed to the ground half-dazed. Jason scrambled to his feet and could only stare in horror.

“We’re in big trouble now!” he gasped.

Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd

For full information see the Shelfari entry: http://tinyurl.com/6eqt6ul

Copies of the book can be purchased via most retailers including WH Smith, Waterstones, Blackwells, Tesco, Alibris and here on Amazon.co.uk: http://tinyurl.com/6ksysab

Also available on Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/6cuv8ev

The book is further available in ebook format including ePub and Amazon Kindle.

For a free reading sample see: http://cheaplit.com/sample/42658/echo-mccool-outlaw-through-time

Email the author: echo.mccool@googlemail.co.uk

Follow the adventures of Echo, the magical, half-dryad, high-kicking stripy heroine of Wicca Forest and beyond:

http://www.twitter.com/Echo_McCool

http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Echo-McCool-Outlaw-Through-Time/132544866808255

facebook.com/RogerK.Driscoll

http://facebook.com/RogerKDriscoll.author

http://www.beverleyguardian.co.uk/community/losing_his_job_helped_roger_realise_dream_1_3379244

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Author-s-book-praised-literature-website/article-3623280-detail/article.html

Posted in alex rider, alex rider echo mccool, Brandon Mull, Brandon Mull Books, Brandon Mull Echo McCool, Brandon Mull Fablehaven, Catweazle, Catweazle Echo McCool, Dust Blood, Echo Culpepper, Echo McCool, Outlaw through Time, Echo of Inglewood, Fablehaven, G P Taylor author, G P Taylor Dust Blood, G P Taylor Echo McCool, G P Taylor Roger K Driscoll, G P Taylor Shadowmancer, ISBN-978-1-908105-26-4, Ivanhoe, j k rowling, j k rowling echo mccool, Nancy Springer, Nancy Springer Books, Nancy Springer Echo McCool, Nancy Springer Echo McCool, Nancy Springer Rowan Hood, outlaw, philip pullman, philip pullman echo mccool, roald dahl, roald dahl echo mccool, Roger Driscoll, Roger Driscoll author, Roger K Driscoll, Roger K Driscoll author, Roger Keith Driscoll, Rowan Hood, Shadowmancer, Tenkys the Goddess, The Lyonesse Pentagram, Uncategorized, Witch Wood, Witchcraft | Tagged Alan Garner, beverley, brandon mull, Brandon Mull Books, brandon mull echo mccool, Brandon Mull Fablehaven, Clive King, Daniel Plantagenet, Dryads, Dust Blood, Echo Culpepper, Echo McCool, Echo of Inglewood, Eoin Colfer, eoin Colfer Echo mccool, Fablehaven, fantasy, Fenella Grey, g p taylor, G P Taylor author, G P Taylor Dust Blood, G P Taylor Echo McCool, G P Taylor Roger K Driscoll, G P Taylor Shadowmancer, goodreads, grosvenor house publishing, ISBN 978-1-908105-26-4, ivanhoe, J K Rowling, j k rowling echo mccool, Jason Fleeting, magic, martial arts, nancy springer, Nancy Springer Books, nancy springer echo mccool, Nancy Springer Rowan Hood, Philip Pullman, philip pullman echo mccool, Richard & Judy 2011 Echo McCool, Richard Carpenter, Roald Dahl, roald dahl echo mccool, roger driscoll author, Roger K Driscoll, Roger K Driscoll author, Rowan Hood, Rustic Fantasy, scarborough, shadowmancer, Susan Cooper, Terry Pratchett, terry pratchett echo mccool, The Dryad and the King, The Lyonesse Pentagram, The Random Dryad, time travel, top ten, yorkshire | 244 Comments

Disney Pixar’s BRAVE

Posted on May 19, 2012 by admin

In the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland, stories of mystical legends and epic battles have been passed through the generations since ancient times. Disney Pixar’s “Brave” a new tale, joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts. ”Brave” tells the story of Merida, a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

BRAVE

Posted in Echo McCool, Outlaw through Time, Roger Driscoll author, Uncategorized | Tagged brave, disney, Echo McCool, echo mccool outlaw through time, pixar, princess merida, Roger K Driscoll, time travelling princess merida | Leave a comment

The Tally – E G Wolverson

Posted on November 9, 2011 by admin

I’ve been keeping an eye on the pre-publicity for E.G. (“Eddy”) Wolverson’s novel “The Tally” for a specific reason. Eddy hails from Hull, just a few miles up the road from me, and I thought the least I could do was to mention The Tally on its launch day. So without further ado here is the product description; I hope it grabs your attention as much as it did mine:

“Welcome to the Student Bubble.

Welcome to a world where DJs play the same songs in the same order every single night, and the one (and only) hit wonder reigns supreme. Welcome to a world of crude cartoon and misplaced melodrama, a word free of all but the most trifling of consequences, where exaggerated sensitivity is rife and a semester’s success or suicide hangs on the whim of a woman.

Young Tom-o wiles away his evenings in a purple drunken stupor, lost to the tender mercies of what he desperately wishes was a hopeless love affair, but in reality isn’t even that. Gristle, meanwhile, is enraged when his weak-bladdered housemate Spadge moves out, only to be replaced by a neurotic freak named Jamal, who dares not only to bring books into his house, but to read them too.

And for poor Will, matters are even worse. Women are staying in of a night! How’s he supposed to rack up his ‘tally’ of conquests if women daren’t leave their digs? They’re all terrified that they’ll be next to fall prey to the invisible menace that has started stealing students away from the streets of Hull. Will has nothing to fear though – after all, he has his recently-arrived destitute father to watch his back. And the fearsome Gristle. And the zealously neurotic Jamal. And the dangerously depressed Tom…

The Student Bubble is about to burst, and when it does, the degenerated residents of 146 Worthington Street will find themselves in a reality that they’re not equipped to comprehend, let alone survive in.”

You can give Eddy the recognition he deserves by purchasing and reviewing The Tally in the Kindle Store. Here’s the Amazon.co.uk link. Best of luck, Eddy!
The Tally – Amazon UK Link

Posted in Echo McCool, Outlaw through Time, Roger K Driscoll, Roger K Driscoll author, Uncategorized | Tagged Dr Who echo mccool, e g wolverson, Roger K Driscoll author, the tally | Leave a comment

Dryads in Fiction

Posted on October 25, 2011 by admin

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryad

Dryads are mentioned in Milton’s Paradise Lost, in Coleridge, and in Thackeray’s work The Virginians.^[12] Keats addresses the nightingale as ‘light-winged Dryad of the trees’, in his Ode to a Nightingale. In the poetry of Donald Davidson they illustrate the themes of tradition and the importance of the past to the present.^[13] The poet Sylvia Plath uses them to symbolize nature in her poetry in “On the Difficulty of Conjuring up a Dryad”, and “On the Plethora of Dryads”.^[14]

In the ballet Don Quixote Dryads appear in a vision with Dulcinea before Don Quixote, they also appear in the classical ballet Sylvia

Dryads are also featured extensively throughout The Chronicles of Narnia by British author C.S. Lewis and are shown to fight along side Aslan, son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea, and the Pevensie Children.

The same characters recur in David Eddings’ The Belgariad, where Dryads live in seclusion on the Wood of the Dryads within the Tolnedran Empire and among the most prominent in the storyline is Ce’Nedra.

In the animated show Monster School, the character Rose Greendae is a dryad who can turn into a tree at will.

In the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, there is a dryad named Juniper who is the girlfriend of Grover Underwood.

____________

Other dryads in fiction:

Sue Maynard – Ebon Black and the Seven Dryads

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ebon-Black-Seven-Dryads-ebook/dp/B005HSPMUS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319464657&sr=8-1

Frank Stockton – The Lost Dryad

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Dryad-Stockton-Frank-Richard/dp/1110970137/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1319464733&sr=8-7

The Dryad Project – James Moy

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dryad-Project-James-D-Moy/dp/1843866900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319464820&sr=1-1

The Dryad by Justin Huntly McCarthy

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dryad-Novel-Justin-Huntly-McCarthy/dp/1103049151/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319464820&sr=1-3

The Oracle of the Missing Dryad – Kristin Groulx

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oracle-Missing-Dryad-Kristin-Groulx/dp/0981131522/ref=sr_1_56?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319465055&sr=1-56

Mr Griffin and the Dryad – Frank Stockton

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Griffin-Minor-Canon-Pipes-Dryad/dp/1425468659/ref=sr_1_100?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319465215&sr=1-100

Kindle Book Review: Echo McCool: 98 Five-star Ratings Gets our Vote!

Posted on August 10, 2011 by admin

I’ve been watching Roger K. Driscoll’s, Echo McCool at Goodreads for a very specific reason. The cover caught my attention when I found it on Goodreads.com’s Best Books of 2011. Since then I kept my eye on it, because it rose so quickly up the charts. He is now #8 in Goodreads Best books of 2011 and has all 5-star ratings and there are 98 of them. Did you hear that? Roger has ninety-eight (98) 5-star ratings and not one single 4, 3, 2 or 1. Other readers questioned this, but then after reading it they admitted that it certainly was a great book.
Those ratings grabbed my interest and so I am posting Echo McCool: Outlaw Through Time as The Kindle Book Review’s second book that we recommend. This book was written for the 12-15 year old in mind and is a time traveling, adventure story that not only seems to grip the imaginations of young teens, it has also “WOW’ed” adult readers as well. What’s best…and honestly, quite amazing is that this book, with higher ratings than most bestsellers is only 99¢…for now. Better hurry and get yours before the price goes up.

Echo’s Amazon rating is low because this book has obviously been overlooked or under marketed, but with ratings like that, Roger deserves some recognition. You can give him the recognition he deserves by purchasing and reviewing Echo McCool in the Kindle store.

After you’ve read Echo McCool, be sure to report back here and tell us if it lived up to the hype. And Roger, who btw, is on facebook and Goodreads, you are welcome to guest blog here anytime and tell us how you captivated 104 readers (Amazon included). Best of Luck Roger.
Now go get out Echo McCool by Roger K. Driscoll!
You can check out the Goodreads ratings and reviews HERE

Jeff Bennington

http://thekindlebookreview.blogspot.com/2011/06/echo-mccool-has-cool-98-5-star-ratings.html

http://rogerkdriscoll.com/

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Kids’ book sells out

Posted on July 16, 2011 by admin

BEVERLEY: WHSmith in Toll Gavel has had to restock with new copies of Molescroft author Roger Driscoll’s children’s book Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time after selling out.

The story about a magical medieval girl is set in a mythical place called Oswaldley but based on locations in and around Beverley.

It was named in the top ten best reads of 2011 by the website www.goodreads.com

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Kids-book-sells/story-12729951-detail/story.html

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The Best thing that’s Happened in the UK since Transportation

Posted on June 12, 2011 by admin

From the blog of award-winning Australian author Mark Dapin

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Fantastic news for the thousands of overseas readers of this blog: King of the Cross is now available from amazon.co.uk at the I-lose-about-ten-dollars price of £4.99. It’s being sold as “used-like new” from Oswaldley Bookstore, but all copies are actually new and Oswaldley is my mate Roger. Other dealers stock it, but only Roger’s are new. Buy it for your friends and family in the UK for Easter (it’s more traditional than a chocolate egg) or pesach (it tastes better than a burnt offering). It’s the ideal gift for birthdays, weddings, funerals, Anzac Day, Liberation Day (Italy) and the May Day holiday.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Cross-Mark-Dapin/dp/1405039620/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1303030550&sr=8-3
And if you are a young adult, or used to be a young adult, or know somebody who’s a young adult, you should also buy Roger’s own book, Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Echo-McCool-Outlaw-Through-Time/dp/1908105267/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303030961&sr=1-1
Imagine the thrill of owning two books by people who used to live in the same house. You can’t buy that sort of experience.
Well, obviously, you can. But you couldn’t until last week.
http://markdapin.blogspot.com/2011/04/best-thing-thats-happened-in-uk-since.html#comments
Hey all. Check out this! It’s a really cool website I found.

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Author’s debut book in top ten list

Posted on June 11, 2011 by admin

A BEVERLEY author has just seen his first published work named as one of this year’s top ten books.
Roger K Driscoll’s children’s book Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time was picked out for praised by independent literature comparison website www.goodreads.com
The children’s fantasy novel aimed at nine to 12-year olds is also now on sale at WHSmith book store in Toll Gavel, Beverley.
Mr Driscoll from Curlew Close, Molescroft, said: “I’ve been scribbling for years but this is the first one that’s been published, it took a lot of practice.”
The author grew up in the Beverley area and was inspired to write because of his enjoyable childhood playing out from dawn till dusk.
His story about a magical medieval girl linking up with a 12-year-old runaway is set in a mythical place called Oswaldley.
“Oswaldley is really Beverley, Witch Wood is Burton Bushes and Hazelby is Driffield. I don’t have any children myself and it’s difficult to say why I chose to write children’s books, they chose me.
“I think it depends on what sort of time you had when you were that age. I had a great time.
“I lived not far from where I live now and we used to play out all the time. I don’t think that happens so much.
“Sometimes we went raking off for miles.”
Mr Driscoll is a former legal executive who was made redundant in 2008 and used his redundancy money as an “advance” so he could take time out to write.
He was able to secure a deal with Grosvenor House Publishing, one of the directors of which is the respected Yorkshire author GP Taylor.
He said: “I wouldn’t say my career has ended but it’s on hold. It was difficult to do both at the same time because legal work is quite taxing. You end up shoe-horning in the writing.”
Whatever happens, anyone who enjoys Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time can be assured there is a sequel on the way.

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School and Other Cruelties

Posted on June 3, 2011 by admin

BEVERLEY author Roger K Driscoll has seen his first published work named as one of this year’s top ten books.

Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time was praised by independent literature comparison website www.goodreads.com

The children’s fantasy novel aimed at 9 to 12-year-olds is now on sale at WHSmith book store in Toll Gavel, Beverley.

Mr Driscoll, of Curlew Close, Molescroft, said: “I’ve been scribbling for years, but this is the first one that’s been published.”

The author grew up in the Beverley area and was inspired to write because of his enjoyable childhood.

His story about a magical medieval girl linking up for adventures with a 12-year-old runaway is set in a mythical place called Oswaldley.

But the author said: “It’s based on Beverley and the East Riding. I’ve used different place names, but they’re all linked to this area. “Oswaldley is really Beverley, Witch Wood is Burton Bushes and Hazelby is Driffield.”

The book is published by Grosvenor House Publishing, one of the directors of which is respected Yorkshire author GP Taylor.

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Goodreads Top Ten

Posted on May 18, 2011 by admin

Losing his job helped Roger realise dream

Published on Friday 13 May 2011 12:26

REDUNDANCY forced a Beverley man into realising a life-long dream of becoming an author.

Roger Driscoll’s first book, Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time, is now rated as one of the top 10 best reads of the year by the website www.goodreads.com.

The book is the tale of Echo McCool, a magical, medieval girl with attitude.

In her own time, Echo escapes death from a poisoned arrow and hides inside a hollow oak tree. She lies dormant for hundreds of years, until the present day when she is awakened by Jason Fleeting, a 12-year-old runaway from a children’s home. Together, they set out to solve the murder of Jason’s mother and to rescue his kidnapped sister.

Roger’s work is heavily influenced by 1970s TV writer Richard Carpenter, who created series including Catweazle and Dick Turpin.

After some success in England when he was first published in January, Roger’s Amazon rating in America started to go up.

More recently, the book was rated in the top 10 best books of 2011 by the users of American site goodreads.com.

“That was quite unexpected,” Roger said. “I thought it would start in my own back yard and spread out, but it’s done the opposite and really taken off in America.”

Roger said being made redundant from a large law firm in Hull was the push he needed to finish half-written manuscripts he was storing under his spare bed.

“Trying to write on a weekend and evening takes its toll. Being made redundant gave me the chance to write full-time, which is so much better for me,” he said.

Roger first became interested in writing after meeting a children’s author whilst on holiday as a child in the Yorkshire Dales.

“I thought ‘that’s the life for me’,” he said.

However, Roger turned to law, although he did complete some writing work during this time and sent it off to various publishers.

“It’s very difficult in this country to get taken on by the big guys, so many people aspire to do it,” he said.

Roger eventually had success with Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time, seeing the book picked up by Grosvenor House Publishing, a small company based in North Yorkshire.

He is now working on the sequel to Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time and also plans to write a short novel.

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TOP TEN Children's Book – Echo McCool