Will Harley Find the Missing Mayan Statue & Save the World?
Welcome to one of the June 10th stops on the blog tour for Harley James and the Mystery of the Mayan Kings by Leah Cupps with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
Author Guest Post
What Do You Love Most About Writing Middle Grade Fiction?
Middle grade fiction is a special arena, because you are capturing an audience that still has the imagination of a young child, but also has an interest in history.
Around the age of ten, is when I personally became interested in the ancient history. Indiana Jones was all the rage, and I was a huge fan. Raiding tombs, discovering the mysteries of the ancients, mystical powers…my young heart was full of adventure. And that’s my story. But real inspiration for Harley James, was my 9-year-old daughter Savannah.
My 9-year-old daughter Savannah was the inspiration behind Harley James. In the summer of 2021, Savannah was watching a documentary series on National Geographic about a lost Mayan city. When I saw her engaged in the story of the Maya, I had an idea. What if we wrote an adventure story together that took place in the famous city of Tikal?
Being an avid mystery thriller reader, I had never considered writing for a younger audience. I had even outlined a book for a female version of that character as an adult. But when I sat down and thought about creating a younger version of this character, it made sense.
The rest is history. After some back and forth banter, we came up with the character of Harley James. Savannah even helped come up with some of the plot points for the book.
Harley also has some special skills. She is an amateur cryptologist, or someone who excels at solving riddles and decoding messages. I love this idea of incorporating riddles into the story, because it engages kids beyond just reading the words…they have to solve the puzzles, too. Who doesn’t love solving a good mystery?
About the Book
Harley James and the Mystery of the Mayan Kings
by Leah Cupps
Published 11 May 2022
Vision Forty
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Page Count: 172
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
Will Harley Find the Missing Mayan Statue & Save the World?
Amateur cryptologist Harley James has just landed in the sticky jungle of Tikal, Guatemala—home to the famous Mayan ruins. She’s made a few friends, a few mistakes…and a ground-breaking discovery.
The legendary statue of the long-lost Mayan King.
Just as she is about to impress her father with her discovery, the statue is stolen. Right from her own room!
And what’s worse? The legend says if the statues of the three kings are reunited, they’ll bring back an army from the dead to rule the world.
Follow along with Harley as she tracks down the missing Mayan statue, solves a few riddles and stumbles upon a secret society that will change her life forever!
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
Excerpt
Tikal, Guatemala, Present Day
You know how you just know something in your “knower”? As if you had a crystal ball built into your brain?
Well, today I had a feeling. This was going to be my year.
I, Harley Rebecca James, am going to win the Junior International Cryptography Competition.
What is that, you ask?
JICC is an online competition that follows the story of two explorers as they embark on a cryptographic adventure. Solving riddles and clues are my favorite things to do, so naturally, I love cryptography. Each week for twelve weeks, a new chapter is released, with a new code to break. Thousands of kids enter to win. And I was about to solve the clue for week two.
Thirty-nine characters. A famous phrase… got it!
I scribbled the answer down in my journal and smiled.
“Where there is ruin, there is hope for treasure,” I whispered to myself.
A quote from the ancient philosopher Rumi. Of course, I’ve heard Dad say this a hundred times.
The code itself had been easy to crack. The technique used was a simple Caesar shift. The hard part had been finding the key to unlock the cipher.
I couldn’t wait to get back to my room so I could log on and enter the answer.
“Harley? Have you finished your report on Mayan glyphs yet?” A voice suddenly broke through my thoughts.
Report?
Right. I was supposed to be finishing my homework, not cracking codes.
“Almost,” I replied, tucking a piece of unruly blonde hair out of my face. I was with my tutor Jessica Rodríguez and her dog, Daisy, sitting under the shade of one of the famous temples of Tikal, an ancient Mayan site nestled in the dense Guatemalan forest.
About the Author
Leah Cupps is an author, designer and entrepreneur. She came up with the idea for Harley James with her oldest daughter Savannah. Savannah had taken an interest in Mayan history and so the two of them worked together to come up with the idea for the first Harley James book; the Mystery of the Mayan Kings.
Leah lives in Indiana with her husband and three children. She is also the cofound of Vision Forty Press, a small family owned publishing company.
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon
Giveaway Alert!
Leah Cupps will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveawayDisclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanks for hosting!
I liked the excerpt.
Congratulations on your release of Harley James and the Mystery of the Mayan Kings, Leah, I enjoyed the guest post, excerpt and I enjoyed following the blast and learning about your book, which sounds like an exciting mystery to share with the kids! Good luck with your book and I hope the blast was a success! Thanks for sharing it with me and have an amazing TGIF!
Oh just love that this book has to do with Guatemala! I have been to Tikal so would love to read this with my grandsons.
Happy Friday! I hope that you have enjoyed your book tour as much as I have enjoyed reading about you and your work. Harley James and the Mystery of the Mayan Kings sounds like an awesome story and I am looking forward to sharing it with my grandchildren