Location: New Zealand
Member Since: Nov. 01, 2011

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Maureen Crisp is a children's writer and teacher based in New Zealand. She has published with School Journal NZ, Penguin New Zealand, and Marmac Media. Maureen also wrote a popular column for kids in a nationally distributed newspaper for ten years. Maureen writes a weekly blog roundup on publishing tips and trends for her fellow children's writers in New Zealand and around the world.
In 2017 Maureen was awarded the prestigious Storylines Betty Gilderdale Award for Outstanding Services to Children's Literature in New Zealand. Maureen was one of the team of judges for The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2018.
She has a keen interest in astronomy and loves finding things out which all feed the stories she tells and writes.

Smashwords Interview

Have you ever wanted to run away and join a circus?
The music, the lights, the smell of candyfloss dragging you into a fun-filled world of tricks and stunts and laughter and close happy times with your family. It sounds like a perfect life. I wrote the Circus Quest series sitting in a Circus Warehouse where performers and students were rehearsing and learning new tricks to take on tour. Bit by bit I added to the circus world in my head and on paper while I watched the students and trainers prepare for new performances for the coming touring year. Although the circus life sounds wonderful, it is filled with hard work too. Everybody must keep fit and supple for their performances. They must be able to work together in a huge family atmosphere. Sometimes injuries and equipment breakdowns can make circus life stressful. I wanted to show what life is like behind the Big Top. It can be a fabulous way to spend the summer. The Circus performers all said that the joy on children's faces is the best payment in the world.
When did you first start writing?
I've been scribbling ideas down since I was a child. I lived inside my head a lot imagining huge epic stories. When I was a teaching student I started to write down ideas. Sometimes they remained idea fragments and sometimes they evolved into stories and got published. My stories often spend years being refined and changed before I stop twiddling with them and leave them alone.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Marmac Media online

Website: http://maureencrispbooks.com
Twitter: @craicer
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://maureencrisp.com

Where to buy in print

http://maureencrispbooks.com

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The First Star by
Series: Starlight, Book 3. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 60,010. Language: English. Published: December 12, 2022 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Young adult or teen » Science Fiction, Fiction » Children’s books » Family / Siblings
Noah can’t wait to go home. He doesn’t fit in and his family won’t miss him. He never dreamed he would end up living in a nightmare. Who can he trust? The pirates who take him in, his protector who abandoned him, or is he just bait in an elaborate trap? The 3rd book in the Starlight series. The Fraser family, caught between worlds, hunted by aliens, and holding the key to the survival of Earth.
Star Bright by
Series: Starlight, Book 2. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 48,350. Language: English. Published: December 12, 2022 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Family / Siblings, Fiction » Young adult or teen » Science Fiction
Staying hidden is the price of survival. Rachel’s dreams have come true, a tropical island, a music studio, school, and friends for the first time in her life. Then she finds out the cost. Can she escape or is she trapped by the power inside her? Star Bright continues the story of the Fraser family, caught between worlds, hunted by aliens, and holding the key to the survival of Earth.
Uneeda Unicycle by
Series: Circus Quest. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 7,270. Language: English. Published: August 10, 2021 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Readers / Chapter Books, Fiction » Children’s books » Performing Arts / Circus
Circus life is a balancing act. One moment you’re up. The next moment you’re down. The future of Circus Charles is in the balance. Are they up or are they down in Badenbon? Join Kestrel and Skye on a circus tour filled with codes, villains, and DANGER The Circus Quest Series follows a traveling circus on tour as they hunt down and solve clues to become Circus Challenge Champions.
Star Light by
Series: Starlight, Book 1. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 43,160. Language: English. Published: December 13, 2020 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Action & Adventure / Survival Stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure
Hidden away, four children are being kept from the outside world. Why are their lives in danger if they are discovered? Caleb’s world begins to crumble, he hears voices that no one else can hear. The answers challenge everything he thought he knew. The Fraser family are caught between worlds, hunted by aliens and hold the key to the survival of Earth. Age 10 +
Accidental Aerial (Circus Quest Series Book 5) by
Series: Circus Quest. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 7,670. Language: English. Published: October 6, 2020 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Readers / Chapter Books, Fiction » Children’s books » Performing Arts / Circus
Why does saying ‘Break a Leg’ mean ‘Good Luck’ in show business? When the Circus is plagued with accidents, everyone is on edge. They need Good Luck but is it worth the cost? Join Kestrel and Skye on a circus tour filled with codes, villains, and danger. Book Five in the Circus Quest series. Each book contains clues, codes, gags, and black & white illustrations. Age 6+
Circus Quest Boxset Books 1-3 by
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 19,270. Language: English. Published: August 22, 2020 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Performing Arts / Circus, Fiction » Children’s books » Readers / Chapter Books
Join Kestrel and Skye on a circus tour filled with codes, villains, and DANGER! A strange letter and code propels the circus into a tour they will never forget. Circus Charles is competing to find the best circus in the world. But not everyone wants them to win. Will they be stopped like last time? Read the first three books in the Circus Quest Series.
Tumbling Town (Circus Quest Series Book 4) by
Series: Circus Quest. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 7,220. Language: English. Published: January 16, 2020 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Readers / Chapter Books, Fiction » Children’s books » Performing Arts / Circus
Circus Quest Series Book 4 Tumbles, trips, and falls. The circus games are here. Kestrel and Skye face their biggest challenge when Circus Charles bumps into The Rainbow Revels. May the best circus win. Join Kestrel and Skye on a circus tour filled with codes, villains and danger. Follow a traveling circus on tour as they hunt down and solve clues to become Circus Challenge Champions!
Performing Poodles (Circus Quest Series Book 3) by
Series: Circus Quest. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 7,080. Language: English. Published: May 9, 2019 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Performing Arts / Circus, Fiction » Adventure » General
Kestrel is outperformed by a poodle? The clues are getting harder. When Pepper, the performing poodle is dog-napped, Kestrel races to the rescue. Is he out of luck as well as out of time? Join Kestrel and Skye on a circus tour filled with codes, villains and danger.
Magician's Moustache (Circus Quest Series Book 2) by
Series: Circus Quest. Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 6,880. Language: English. Published: July 16, 2018 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Performing Arts / Circus, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
Magician’s Moustache - Circus Quest Series Book Two Skye discovers that hanging upside down isn’t always magic. With a guide rope on the Big Top snapped, the first show of the new tour is off to a bad start. The next clue is hidden in a clock. Unfortunately the town of Papenton is filled with clocks. Join Kestrel and Skye on a circus tour filled with codes, villains and danger!
The Playbill (Circus Quest Series Book 1) by
Series: Circus Quest. Price: Free! Words: 7,120. Language: English. Published: July 16, 2018 by Marmac Media. Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Performing Arts / Circus
Circus Quest Series- Book One: The Playbill A strange letter and code propels the circus into a tour they will never forget. The mysterious Puzzle Master has invited Circus Charles to once again compete to find the best circus in the world. But not everyone wants them to win. Will they be stopped like last time? Join Kestrel and Skye on a circus tour filled with codes, villains and danger!
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