Free Camp, which somehow became known as FreeK Camp, is for special kids. But just how special, most people will never know. Two vans are on their way to the camp in rustic New England, their passengers just starting to get acquainted. One van makes it. The other mysteriously disappears. Now each group of kids must bond together to discover and use their paranormal and psychic powers. The lives of one group literally depend on it. Part mystery thriller, part detective story, part sci-fi, FreeK Camp is all hold-your-breath-I-didn't-see-that-coming adventure.
Annie's Book Stop in Nashua, New Hampshire reports that it's the adult customers who are going thriller-crazy over Steve Burt's FreeK Camp. But two Cape Cod booksellers and a Connecticut bookstore say it's the teen and tween mystery/suspense lovers that are cleaning off the bookshelves. Thriller, mystery, suspense, teen, tween, adult? It hardly matters. The book has already rocketed to #1 Top-rated (by customers) on Amazon.com in the category Children's Mystery/Detective/Espionage and #4 Top-rated in Children's SciFi/Fantasy/Magic. It's available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and laminated-cover library edition. Released in May 2010, the book has won 12 awards its first year: the Paris, London, New York, New England, San Francisco, and Hollywood Book Festival Awards, the Beach Book of the Year for both 2010 and 2011, 2 Mom's Choice golds, the Moonbeam Children's Book Award, and was a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Award. The book and what will become the FreeKs series is now under consideration by a major publisher. And this summer Burt is busy on the sequel, FreeK Show.
Stories to Chill the Heart series e-booked, also available as single e-shorts!
Steve Burt's award-winning 4-book series is now available for Kindle (Amazon) and Nook (Barnes & Noble) readers. Odd Lot (Benjamin Franklin mystery/suspense award silver medalist), Even Odder (Bram Stoker Award Nominee, New England Book Festival Award silver medalist), Oddest Yet (Bram Stoker Award Winner), and Wicked Odd (Ippie Award finalist) are on sale as individual e-books or theycan be found in one giant e-book collection, "Steve Burt's 39 Oddest Tales." Many of the popular horror stories, such as "John Flynn's Banshee," "The Mason's Leech," and "Night Train to Plantation 13" have been made into individual 99 cent Kindle shorts.
Christmas stories to become Kindle singles
Folks have long loved Steve Burt's award-winning collection of touching holiday stories, A Christmas Dozen. It was a regional bestseller in New England in 2001. Now, not only has the book been Kindled and Nooked into an e-book, but it will soon be possible to purchase single e-book stories from it for 99 cents. What a great e-Christmas card to send to loved ones! Watch for them on Amazon.com.
With the astonishing success of FreeK Camp (12 major awards, #1 Top-rated Children's Detective/Espionage on Amazon.com), Steve Burt has been in demand as a school visitor all over NY and New England, including the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, where instead of him "signing" his books, someone else "signed" them as he spoke).
What a lucky coincidence Steve and teens and tweens love to talk about the same topics--reading, writing, and the psychic and paranormal teen detectives in his FreeKs series. These student fans have carried FreeK Camp to school and have brought it to the attenion of their friends, teachers, bookclubs, and media specialists (lirary editions available through Follett Library Resources, plus there's a free printable 20-page Parent/Teacher Guide on the BurtCreations site's Welcome Page.)
While some of the kids found the book on Amazon.com as a print book or a Kindle, many learned about it after reading and enjoying Steve's earlier award-winning series of short story collections, the Stories to Chill the Heart books. They include Odd Lot (Benjamin Franklin Award mystery/suspense), Even Odder (Bram Stoker Award Nominee that was a runnerup to Harry Potter in 2003), Oddest Yet (Bram Stoker Award for young readers), and Wicked Odd (Ippie Award finalist).
Fans will be happy to learn that the sequel to FreeK Camp, tentatively titled Free Show, is in the works, being writtten over the summer of 2011. Call 860 405-5183 to schedule a school visit or email Dr. Burt at PasStev@aol.com.
