Dinosaurs, time travel and, dealing with local bullies are all intertwined in this suspenseful story.

Daniel's interested in dinosaurs, but the fact that there are old dino bones around his dad's farm isn't going to save them from having to sell the place. Or is it?

Take your fiction to the next level! Maybe you're a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you've already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel - one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists. Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share - regardless of genre - then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace. You'll learn to: • establish a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place • weave subplots into the main action for a complex, engrossing story • create larger-than-life characters that step right off the page • explore universal themes that will interest a broad audience of readers • sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish • develop an inspired premise that sets your novel apart from the competition Then, using examples from the recent works of several best-selling authors - including novelist Anne Perry - Maass illustrates methods for upping the ante in every aspect of your novel writing. You'll capture the eye of an agent, generate publisher interest and lay the foundation for a promising career.

Control dinosaurs. Tame women. Rule the world.With the defeat of Wyss, Victor has taken out his most deadly adversary yet and added loyal survivors to his tribe.But Dinosaurland has ways of keeping everyone on their toes.Distant smoke to the east alerts Victor that potential allies are in trouble, so he must choose between making a long journey without his most powerful friends, or losing the opportunity to advance the technology of his tribe.

Writing can be fun -- and here's the book to prove it! Hemingway. Dostoevsky. Shakespeare. All of them wrote masterpieces when they were adults. But imagine what they could have written when they were kids, if only they had had this book! Be a Writing Superstar is an irreverent, encouraging writing guide for young readers, which covers a whole spectrum of topics. It succeeds in teaching them the nuts and bolts of the entire writing process -- from brainstorming their early ideas and shaping them on paper, right through to hosting their own book launch! Yes, kids will be trading witty repartee and bon mots with their fellow scribes, as they get their literary game on! And, for when the dreaded writer's block kicks in, kids can draw inspiration from their writing heroes by reading some short interviews with famous Canadian authors and illustrators! Some of Canada's finest, including Robert Munsch, Mélanie Watt, Gordon Korman and Kenneth Oppel, agreed to answer 5 Silly Questions about their writing, and all of them are included in this book. A hilarious reminder that writers are funny people and writing is, above all else, fun!

The must-have reference for novel writers! If you're serious about transforming your writing into vibrant, engaging, and marketable fiction, you've found the right book. The Breakout Novelist gives you the craft and business know-how you need to make your stories stand out. Veteran literary agent Donald Maass brings together the best innovative and practical information from his previous books and workshops to help you set your novel apart from the competition. Maass shares examples from successful and contemporary writers across all genres to equip you with strategies for crafting compelling fiction--from core elements like character, setting, description, and plot, to more advanced techniques including theme, tension, and suspense. Plus, you'll find over 70 practical exercises to help you evaluate your writing to the breakout level. You'll also learn from Maass's experiences from more than three decades in the publishing industry. Get straight talk from an insider about agents, contracts, industry changes, and how to be the kind of author who builds a successful career book after book. If your goal is to craft powerful stories that capture your audience's attention from the first page to the last, then The Breakout Novelist is an indispensable reference.