Lynette Noni was devastated when her Hogwarts letter didn’t arrive, but she consoled herself by looking inside every wardrobe she could find, and she’s still determined to find her way to Narnia one day. While waiting for that to happen, she creates her own fantasy worlds and enjoys spending time with the characters she meets along the way.  With a professional approach, a delightful attitude and bursting with novel ideas, Lynette Noni is currently the youngest author to be represented by Pantera Press - an emerging dream-weaver to expect wonderful things from!

Lynette Noni grew up on a farm in outback Australia until she moved to the beautiful Sunshine Coast and swapped her mud-stained boots for sand-splashed flip-flops. She has always been an avid reader and most of her childhood was spent lost in daydreams of far-off places and magical worlds. 

Akarnae, her debut novel, fuses magic, wonder, willpower and technology - Harry Potter meets Narnia meets The X-Men.  Set in the enticing parallel world of Medora, Akarnae is the first book in the five-part Medoran Chronicles.

“I love getting lost in stories – both that I create, and those others have created for my enjoyment.” Lynette Noni, young adult author, hopeless idealist and an eternal dreamer

 

SIX MINUTES WITH LYNETTE NONI:

Today LitPick is joined by young Australian author Lynette Noni! Lynette is the author of AKARNAE, the first book of five in the YA fantasy series, The Medoran Chronicles! Lynette is a lover of chocolate and Disney, but not necessarily in that order!

How did you get started writing?

I started writing about five years ago, just after I'd finished my university degree. The YA market was booming at that time and while I was reading some wonderful books, I was hungry for a particular story that I just couldn't find anywhere. So, on a random whim, I guess I just decided to try and write the book I wanted to read. AKARNAE was a result of that.

Who influenced you?

No one specifically influenced me. It was more that I was searching for a story that had all my favourite elements rolled into one wondrous book. I couldn't find it anywhere, so I thought, "Why not see if I can create it?"

Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

I love reading - especially the YA genre. There are just so many possibilities in it! But a few things I consistently appreciate are a good, strong protagonist (not a wallflower!), some awesome and lovable secondary characters, and a beautiful world that I can escape into (and never want to leave).

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

As cliché as it sounds, if writing is something you're passionate about, then never give up! The publishing industry is extremely challenging to break into, and it's so very subjective. You will likely face rejection, so you have to decide whether it's worth it or not. If it is, then don't give up hope, because all it takes is one 'yes' for your dreams to come true - and I'm living proof of that!

Where is your favorite place to write?

At home, in comfy clothes, with total silence (because I get distracted too easily).

What else would you like to tell us?

Writing is a wonderful and terrifying responsibility. As an author, I have the tremendous honour of creating beauty and sharing it with people of all ages, all over the world. So, to my readers, I'd just like to say thank you for trusting me with your time--and maybe even your heart--and for connecting with my stories and characters in ways I never dreamed possible.

Lynette, thank you for joining LitPick for six minutes! We’re looking forward to the next four books in the series!

 

 

Akarnae: The Medoran Chronicles begin

Through 16 year old Alex, Noni creates seemingly innocent doorways to wonderful parallel worlds – allowing elements of Hogwarts, Nania and Earthsea to filter through.   As sinister motives are brought to light, the secrets of the sentinel Library of Legend that the Akarnae Academy for the Gifted is built on help Alex unlock her intrinsic abilities.  By challenging her mental and physical abilities - assisted through corporeal, technical and medicinal wizardry - Alex discovers her own gift.  But will she risk her own life to save her world?  Readers can look forward to a further five books as the Medoran Chronicles continue.

Pantera Press is a boutique Australian publisher dedicated to discovering and nurturing the next generation of Australia’s best-loved authors like Lynette Noni.

Recent reviews:

"Do I go with the, “It’s like Harry Potter mixed with X-Men and The Chronicles of Narnia” quote?  Can I describe the pure awesomeness of Alex without giving things away? Characters, focus on characters. No friendships? The ways it’s better than typical young adult fantasy? The fun alternate world? The fantasticness that it is the first of a series…I really liked this book...Now you can go find it, tell your friends about it and then, this is the really important part, after you read it tell me so we can sit down and talk about all the things that make it awesome!"  http://behindthewillows.com/2015/02/11/akarnae-by-lynette-noni/

Entertaining, magical, and positively delightful, Lynette Noni's Akarnae is a very promising introduction to the Medoran Chronicles. The possibilities are endless for Akarnae, and fantasy fans will surely not want to miss reading this YA debut. Alex's adventures in Medora are just beginning and I can't wait to follow her journey in the sequel! http://midnightbloomreads.blogspot.ca/2015/02/akarnae-by-lynette-noni.html?m=1

"I adored every single thing about this book...every single moment I could be reading, I was!! The only bad thing I have to say is that because it was only just released, I'm guessing that I will have to wait a while for the next book in the series, and I hate waiting for sure-to-be-amazing sequels! If you liked Harry Potter and Narnia, you'll LOVE this!" http://aussiebookworm.weebly.com/bookblog/akarnae-lynette-noni

People reading this may find some similarities to Harry Potter, such as the whole school environment, but Akarnae is still very much its own entity. For one thing, there are many extraordinary things in the world of Medora, but it’s emphasised that it’s not magic, but very advanced technology – bringing to mind Arthur C Clarke’s quote, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Even qualities that we might call superpowers are treated as normal genetic quirks.......Overall, Akarnae is a lot of fun to read, and when Lynette  https://velociraptor256.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/book-review-akarnae/Noni brings out the next installment in The Medoran Chronicles, I’ll certainly be reading that too. https://velociraptor256.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/book-review-akarnae/