Why I Decided to Go on a Virtual Book Tour by Renee Hand

The reason why I chose Pump Up Your Book Promotion's virtual book tour was because I wanted my books to get out to the world virtually. Though my books are available in bookstores and on-line I wanted to make sure the right audiences were going to see them; that’s where Pump Up Your Book Promotions came in.

I visited the sites and learned more information about how my book would be promoted. I saw what they were doing and felt that joining the tour was going to give my books great exposure, that and the information that has been provided to me has been invaluable.

So far my tour is going great. I have had some blogs where the discussions have been just phenomenal. I have talked to and met many new people I never knew existed and have hopefully built some new friendships. I have learned more about blogging and book promotion than I knew before. Overall I feel that my book tour experience has been a memorable one and I hope the rest of the tour does even better. Thank you so much for this opportunity. It is greatly appreciated.


Renee Hand is the author of Magic Hearts, which won Best 2006 Fantasy Romance and Seduction of the Lonely Heart, which won a National Literary Award for Best Romance of 2007. The firs two books in her new children's detective series, The Crypto-Capers have recently been released. The Case of the Missing Sock and The Case of Red Rock Canyon are available at Amazon.com.

Visit Renee online at www.reneeahand.com.

Renee Hand and The Crypto-Capers - A New Interactive Reading Series for Kids

Today's special guest is author Renee Hand. The first two books in her Crypto-Capers series have been released and a third book is due out later this year. We reviewed The Case of the Missing Sock and The Case of Red Rock Canyon here and here.

In this story siblings Max and Mia Holmes, along with their good friend Morris and their flamboyant Granny Holmes, are know as The Crypto-Capers. They are a group of detectives who unravel crimes by solving cryptograms that criminals leave behind.

Renee is touring the blogosphere in June to promote Book 1. The Case of the Missing Sock leads the Crypto-Capers to Florida, where they are hired by a Mr. Delacomb. The mystery leads the team to different locations. Clues flourish throughout the mystery. Suspects by the handful seem to pop up at every turn, but who committed the crime?

Readers must solve the cryptograms and puzzles to help the detectives solve the crime.

Renee shares with us the inspiration behind this new interactive children's detective series and why she targeted this specific age group.

My Crypto-Capers Series is read mostly by 4th-7th graders. I wrote in this age group for many reasons. After doing lots of research and asking some of my book industry friends, I came to the conclusion that there were a lack of books out there for this age group, especially around that 5th – 6th grade level. The biggest complaints I have heard from some teachers I have asked concerning reading, is that they have kids who are just not interested in reading. Reading comprehension we know is big in schools and in testing and there are many kids out there who are just not thinking about what they are reading and they want everything just laid out for them nice and easy. Several kids that I have talked to from all over have admitted this to me. That’s a problem and it is a hard one to overcome. Kids not wanting to think about what they are reading, and just getting by. Well, we all know that you just can’t “get by” in life. In life we know that we need to have reading comprehension in our lives as well as problem solving and critical thinking. If kids don’t start asking themselves why things happen then they will never know.

That’s where my series comes in. This series is fun and entertaining, always keeping the reader’s attention. Not only does the series challenge the avid reader, but also keeps the reluctant reader's attention. As soon as the reader picks up the book, they have instantly joined the team as a detective. The reader will be asked to look up different things and to participate in the story on different occasions. My goal was to have kids remember what they were reading because they were learning information with value, yet having fun at the same time. I am all about having fun in my stories and the activities I create for it. I want kids to learn about various things and remain interested in them. But most importantly I want my readers to ask why? Why did this happen? How did it come about? That’s what I love about mysteries. I love to read mysteries and the reason why is because I have to think about what I am reading. I have to pay attention to detail and why events in the story are happening. That is what I am teaching kids to do in my series. They need to ask why, and when they do, they will be rewarded with an answer and a better understanding. Kids have to realize that they also can’t always believe what they see, sometimes our eyes deceive us. We see things happen and we come to a conclusion based off what we see, not what we know. I am getting kids to find the whole truth in something and not to believe everything they see but to put the effort into finding out what really happened.

There were no major hurdles that I had to overcome in writing in this genre or for this age group. The biggest thing that every author deals with is getting your book out there to the right audience who will most benefit from it. I have learned a lot since my first book was published a few years ago. I have four books to my credit with more to come and each book brings its own frustrations and problems to overcome, but what I have also learned is to be strong and determined. Any problem can be fixed with a little time and patience.

View The Crypto-Capers video trailer!



The Case of the Missing Sock and The Case of Red Rock Canyon can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the author's website.

Video Trailer for The Crypto-Capers

Author Renée Hand will be going on a virtual book tour in June with Pump Up Your Book Promotion. She'll be discussing the first book in her new interactive children's detective series, The Crypto-Capers. In The Case of the Missing Sock--which we reviewed here--the Crypto-Capers go to Florida to investigate the theft of a missing sock.

Readers can also check out the author's website at www.reneeahand.com for more Crypto-Capers fun and to join The Crypto-Capers Fan Club!






Check out The Crypto-Capers video trailer:

THE CRYPTO-CAPERS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR JUNE '09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Join author Renée Hand as she travels the blogosphere in June 2009 with Pump Up Your Book Promotion Public Relations on her first virtual book tour to discuss the first book in her new children’s detective series, The Crypto-Capers in The Case of the Missing Sock (North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.).

In this story siblings Max and Mia Holmes, along with their good friend Morris and their flamboyant Granny Holmes, are know as The Crypto-Capers. They are a group of detectives who unravel crimes by solving cryptograms that criminals leave behind.

The Case of the Missing Sock leads the Crypto-Capers to Florida, where they are hired by a Mr. Delacomb. The mystery leads the team to different locations. Clues flourish throughout the mystery. Suspects by the handful seem to pop up at every turn, but who committed the crime?

PRAISE FOR THE CRYPTO-CAPERS:

“In this carefully crafted novel for kids, the author was able to create an atmosphere of mystery and wonder through likeable and well-known characters such as Sherlock Holmes… this interactive novel would be an immediate hit in classrooms all over the world.” — Nicole Harris, AllBooks Review

“A great new interactive mystery series that your children will love!” — Cheryl Malandrinos, The Book Connection

Renée Hand is the award-winning author of Magic Hearts and Seduction of the Lonely Heart. The first two books in her new children’s detective series, The Crypto-Capers have recently been released by North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.

You can find Renée online at www.reneeahand.com.

If you would like to follow Renée Hand on her virtual book tour, visit the official Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tour site at http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.

Renée Hand’s virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours, a virtual book tour agency for authors who want quality service for an affordable price. More information can be found on their website at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com.

THE CASE OF THE MISSING SOCK VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '09

In this story siblings Max and Mia Holmes, along with their good friend Morris and their flamboyant Granny Holmes, are know as The Crypto-Capers. They are a group of detectives who unravel crimes by solving cryptograms that criminals leave behind. Mia is an expert puzzle solver. Max is great at deduction and reasoning. Morris is a computer genius, and Granny…well, Granny is the muscle of the group. Don’t let her size or age fool you—she is quite handy.

The Case of the Missing Sock leads the Crypto-Capers to Florida, where they are hired by a Mr. Delacomb. The mystery leads the team to different locations. Clues flourish throughout the mystery. Suspects by the handful seem to pop up at every turn, but who committed the crime? Help the detectives solve the case by solving the cryptograms and puzzles.

AUTHOR'S BIO:

My love for reading and writing started when I was a child. I always had a passion for it. I remember frequently wearing out the stone steps to the local library. When in a bookstore I would sit in the middle of an aisle perusing a novel that I was eagerly going to purchase but couldn’t wait to read. Often, when I had extra time, I would write stories that would pop into my head locking myself in my room for hours. Now that I am older my love for reading and writing has not diminished. In fact, it has only become a bigger part of me. It is because of this that I chose to share my interests with other readers who love books as much as I do.

My goal in writing is to entertain, but more importantly it is to build a connection with my readers. If I make another person feel some kind of emotion while they read my books, whether it be love, anger, or compassion, then I did my job as a writer and that makes me feel good about what I write about. Romance is something in all of us. It is something that brings passion to our lives and happiness to our hearts. It is the strength, courage and determination of when two souls find each other and their journey, that inspires me to write in this genre. It shows that love, of any kind, is not an easy path to take. You must fight everyday to keep it for it is never easily attained and can so easily be lost or forgotten.

Since my first novel has been published I have done over 50 events. I have been on radio, TV, and have been in over 30 newspapers. I have experience talking in classrooms about writing. I have presented at various libraries, have done several book signings and many other venues with more going on in the future. My family has encouraged my talents and creativity and I couldn’t have gotten this far without their support and love. Having Magic Hearts published really was a dream come true and I am thankful to God for all of the blessings in my life. I have also received an award for Magic Hearts for Best 2006 Fantasy Romance. I am thrilled. My second novel Seduction of the Lonely Heart has won a National Literary Award for Best Romance of 2007. I am thankful for these two awards.

I have also ventured in writing other genres. I have a new children's detective series out. The first book of the series, The Crypto-Capers in the Case of the Missing Sock, is currently released. This story is filled with adventure and heart. With relatable characters and you, as the reader, a part of the story, helping the detectives solve the case. I love being an author! Thank you for all of your support.

You can visit Renée online at www.reneeahand.com.

TO SEE WHERE RENÉE, MAX, MIA, MORRIS, AND GRANNY HOLMES STOP NEXT, VISIT www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com.

The Crypto-Capers in The Case of Red Rock Canyon by Renee Hand--Book Review

Following up the success of her first Crypto-Capers children's mystery, The Case of the Missing Sock--which we reviewed here--Renee Hand and the Crypto-Capers return for another adventure in The Case of Red Rock Canyon.

In Book 2, Max, Mia, and Granny Holmes are in Las Vegas, Nevada while computer genuis Morris, who continues to develop all types of techno gadgets, stays safely in touch with them from their house on Baker Street in London.

When a one-of-a-kind necklace goes missing from a theater production, the Crypto-Capers are hired by the producer to find it--never realizing that their very lives could be in danger.

Hand kicks it up for readers a notch in The Case of Red Rock Canyon. While a key was provided for the cryptograms in Book 1, there is no key included in Book 2. The clues for how to solve the cryptograms come from the story. In addition, while the level of danger in The Case of the Missing Sock is fairly low, one of the Crypto-Capers is kidnapped in this new one, and the remaining two have to solve the crime and find their missing partner.

Which brings me to my one tiny nitpick about the book. Keeping in mind that Morris, the technology guru, has a way to monitor the location of and vital signs for the missing Crypto-Caper, there doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency on the part of the others to find their missing partner. They go out to eat and partake in small talk about how expensive their lunch was, but until the last few chapters of the book, they don't seem to be all that concerned about their partner's fate.

That aside, the first two books indicate that this is going to an excellent series that will attract all types of children: boys, girls, puzzle solvers, mystery lovers, and even reluctant readers.

Again Hand makes the wise choice of dropping readers right into the action from the very first page, engaging the reader right out of the gate. It appears that the cases the Crypto-Capers must solve will grow in complexity throughout the series, continuing to challenge your young reader.

While you definitely don't need to purchase The Case of the Missing Sock to enjoy The Case of Red Rock Canyon, I believe young readers will want to follow the Crypto-Capers from the very beginning because once they start, they'll never be able to stop.


Title: The Crypto-Capers in The Case of Red Rock Canyon
Author: Renee Hand
Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
ISBN-10: 0-87839-309-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-87839-309-I
SRP: $12.95 (U.S.)

The Crypto-Capers in The Case of the Missing Sock by Renee Hand--Book Review

What do you get when you cross an accident prone computer genius, an expert puzzle solver, a flamboyant grandmother who loves knitting--even though she's terrible at it, and a young detective who can solve crimes that stump senior members of Scotland Yard?

A great new interactive mystery series that your children will love!

Sibling detectives Max and Mia Holmes reside on Baker Street in London. Along with their Granny Nellie Holmes and their technology wizard best friend, Morris, they make up the Crypto-Capers.

In Book 1 of this series, The Case of the Missing Sock, the Crypto-Capers travel to Florida, where Mr. Delacomb hires them to locate a stolen antique sock with a specially made pair of Prada sunglasses tucked inside. With new suspects popping up everywhere they turn, the Crypto-Capers must use Max's great skills at reasoning and deduction, Mia's ability to solve puzzles, and Morris's penchant for technology, to help them solve the crime. And just in case you think Granny has wandered off for no good reason, you'll discover her wanderings are usually very productive.


Before I say anything else, I have to tell you that my daughters--ages 7 and 5--are already bugging me to get done reviewing these books so that they can have them. I have both Book 1 and Book 2 - The Case of the Red Rock Canyon, and Granny is definitely a favorite character based upon the cover art from Book 2. My girls are starting to make up their own stories without having even read these; so illustrator Alla Dubrovich deserves a huge nod for creating attention-grabbing covers.

The Case of the Missing Sock actually opens in London, with Max in the middle of something good. I don't want to destroy the surprise, so I won't say much more on that, but Hand wastes no time in getting right to the action.

Then we get to meet the rest of the team and get some backstory on the family. The backstory is trickled in between the current day happenings, so it doesn't have a chance to take over the storyline or distract the reader. Hand does an excellent job of sharing just the right amount of detail to make the reader feel like he is experiencing everything along with the Crypto-Capers, while not overloading him with unnecessary junk that weighs the story down.

What I enjoyed most about this book and the plans for other books in the series, is that it gives readers, especially reluctant ones, a reason to pick up a book. By having the reader decipher cryptograms along with the team, The Case of the Missing Sock becomes more than just a book; it becomes an interactive adventure.

The Crypto-Capers by Renee Hand is one series of children's books that I plan to keep an eye on!


Title: The Case of the Missing Sock
Author: Renee Hand
Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
ISBN-10: 0-87839-304-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-87839-304-6
SRP: $12.95 (U.S.)