Author Erik Daniel Shein

About the Author

A visionary storyteller and animal activist, Erik Daniel Shein blends his talent for children’s and young adult writing with a passion for CGI animation and animal health and well-being. He got his start first as a trained herpetologist, studying reptiles and amphibians, before turning his gaze to the art of written and visual storytelling.

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As one might imagine, he is deeply passionate about animals, often featuring them in his stories and content, and he weds this passion with his philanthropic pursuits as a fierce advocate for animal rights. He has authored and co-written more than 30 novels and feature films, including the animated fantasy adventure tale, The Legend of The Secret Pass (Lions Gate Entertainment, 2019).

In addition to his writing, Erik is the founder and CEO of Shein Partnership LLC, a creative asset and intellectual property firm, with projects ranging from Live Action and CGI animated feature films, to television specials and series, and book publishing. A revered leader in the entertainment and publishing domains and a man of many talents, Erik is also a talented producer and voice actor.

Visit his websites:

Author website: http://erikdanielshein.com

Foundation website: https://thesheinfoundation.org

Facebook Arkwatch Holdings https://www.facebook.com/Arkwatchholdingscreativeassetcompany/

Jungalou Crew and Riley Too!

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Authors Erik Daniel Shein, Melissa Davis, and Karen Fuller

Hardback ISBN: 9781955086974

Paperback ISBN: 9781955086981

eBook ISBN: 978194955086998

Genre: Preschool Interactive Adventure
Release Date 10/1/2021

Description: 

The preschool years are the fundamental foundation for our children’s learning development. By encouraging a child’s interactive participation throughout the story, your little ones will have fun learning preschool basics: colors, numbers, letters and more.

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Jungalou Crew! Trunks up, let’s go! With a little bit of magic, your little ones will follow the Jungalou Crew on a new adventure where they’ll meet Riley, the surfing hippo and learn a little about being responsible while having fun.

Jungalou Crew The Ancients

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Authors Erik Daniel Shein, Melissa Davis, and Karen Fuller

Hardback ISBN: 9781956788327

Paperback ISBN: 9781956788334

eBook ISBN: 978194956788341

Genre: Children's Superhero Adventure
Release Date 12/28/2021

Description: 

The ancient rulers have called upon Lumi the firefly to help save the planet. Tasked with putting together a team of young superheroes, Lumi and his new team prepare to save the world from the notorious Gilly Ring.

From the moment their parents moved them into the ancient relic of a house, Indigo Thornberg finds herself in a world beyond her worst imaginations. The wallpaper walls and clawfoot bathtub makes it clear the house was built long before the beginning of time. Their house isn’t even wired for the internet! To top it off her room is—pink! Like bubblegum pink, the pale pasty kind that ballerina girls would die for, but not Indigo. And while that might seem like the worst thing that could happen to a goth girl like herself, something even worse is lurking in the shadows. 

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The only thing that makes the move bearable is the fact that her twin brother Crow is just as miserable as she is. The moment the teens turn sixteen, their lives take a bizarre turn as a dormant magic awakes within them. They are called to the one place that keeps them safe from the things that go bump in the night: the mortal veil. 

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As they slip through the veil, they find that their destiny awaits on the other side. They must find a way to close the veil to keep their world safe from the evil that wishes to destroy it. Never one to back down from a challenge, Indigo is prepared to take on the trials ahead of her, but Hevexa is filled with dangers in all shapes and sizes, monsters that exist outside of her wildest imagination. 

Will they be able to restore the veil before the monsters of Hevexa take over their world? Or would they lose themselves to the darkness on the other side?

A Graphic Novel Experience of The Monsterjunkies

Author: Erik Daniel Shein

Hardback ISBN: 9781950890033

Genre: Graphic Animation/Art

Release Date May 10, 2019

Description:

Welcome to the Monsterjunkie Universe, where the magical is real and the bizarre is quite normal.

Ah, but unfortunately all is not well at this quirky, gothic manor at 1313 Road to Nowhere. Outside forces are scheming to rid this eccentric family from the area. While their teenagers Crow and Indigo, as well as their friends, are forced to cope with harassment for simply being different.

Be prepared for an adventure of a lifetime with stunning graphic art which tells the Monsterjunkie tale.

Arkwatch Holdings LLC commissioned Len Simon Animation to do the animated characters for Thunder: An Elephant's Journey.

The Story and Art of Thunder and Friends

Authors: Erik Daniel Shein, L. M. Reker, and Melissa Davis

Hardback ISBN: 9781949812916

Genre: Graphic Animation/Art

Release Date April 23, 2019

Description:

The story of Thunder: An Elephant’s Journey is a heartfelt tale of a young African forest elephant and the plight the elephants and all animals face at the hands of poachers. In the Forward, creator Erik Daniel Shein explains the purpose and drive behind Thunder’s story. Be prepared for an adventure of a lifetime with stunning concept art which tells Thunder’s tale.

From the moment Thunder took his first step, it was clear that his footsteps would make quite an impression on the world around him. 

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The tiny elephant’s life was pretty much perfect until one fateful night when poachers crept into it. In the cloak of darkness, they sprang on his herd separating him from his mother and the rest of the African pygmy herd. After a harrowing escape, Thunder must dig deep inside to find the courage to find his way home. With helpful friends and the watchful eye of the Great Tusker in the sky, Thunder’s journey is the adventure of a lifetime.

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Len Simon Animation LLC commissioned to do cover.

Hi Erik 

I hope you’re well. I’m writing to let you know that your review for “Thunder“ was selected by our Indie Editors to be featured in Kirkus Reviews 1/15 Issue. Congratulations! The review appears as one of the 35 reviews in the Indie section of the magazine which is sent out to over 5,200 industry professionals (librarians, publishers, agents, etc.) Less than 10% of our Indie reviews are chosen for this, so it's a great honor. I have included a link to the digital version for your preview: https://www.dropbox.com/s/apwcspsaup58eg2/Kirkus_

online_011517.pdf?dl=0   

All the very best and congratulations,

Crystal Timbeross 

Client Promotions & Advertising Associate   

KIRKUS REVIEWS |  KIRKUS MEDIA LLC 

One tiny elephant, one gigantic adventure… 

A search for adventure may get Thunder more than he bargains for. He never expects to find himself alone again, but the footprints left by his mother will be his guide to healing and finding his way. On his journey he finds himself making some new friends: Razor, a grumpy lion; Dash, a speedy genet; Archie, a chatty lizard, and two whimsical gorillas, Harold and Neville. A trip back to the caves reunites Thunder with old friends, and together they join forces to save the day and help Thunder find peace.

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Len Simon Animation LLC commissioned to do cover.

A story of perseverance and courage…  

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Thunder is on the ultimate quest to fulfill his destiny. Tasked with finding Hope Haven, Thunder sets out to discover the mystery of Hope Haven with his friends Razor, a solitary lion; Dash, a spotted genet; and Archie, a black banded monitor lizard. When they discover that Hope Haven is a sanctuary for abandoned and injured animals, Thunder stumbles upon more than what he bargained for. He must find the courage to protect those that he loves once and for all.
 

Len Simon Animation LLC commissioned to do cover.

Courage has no bounds….

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A great tusker is in trouble, and destiny calls Thunder again.

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When a great tusker is captured by the uprights, Tusker’s mate, Thandi, seeks out the legendary Thunder to save her mate.

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Thunder and Razor are on a rescue mission, and time isn’t on their side. And when a young gifted boy, Jabari, drops from the trees wanting to help, Thunder is unsure what to trust, instinct or his heart. He could use the boy’s help, but uprights got them into this mess in the first place….

Len Simon Animation LLC commissioned to do cover.

Seed Krackers

Authors: Erik Daniel Shein

Co-Authors: L. M. Reker and Melissa Davis

Hardback ISBN: 9781629895864

Paperback ISBN: 9781629895871

eBook ISBN: 9781629895888

Genre: Middle-Grade Animal Adventure

Release Date 04/24/2017

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Description: 

Up, up, and away! Pani and Omo are off to a new adventure to seek out new life forms and most importantly, new food. When the starving pelican and seagull discover a colony of Seedkrackers, they had no idea how much their life would change. If they had not stopped on the small Seedkracker island, they would never meet the amazing Cloud Dancer, Marama, who would lead them on the best adventure yet, to the legendary Hushma. 

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While on Hushma, the Seedkrackers and their newfound friends must help foil the plot of the rebel Komodo Dragons who want to bring chaos and discord to the peaceful land of Hushma.

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Len Simon Animation LLC commissioned to do cover.

For Dexter the penguin and Jax the lava lizard, life on the Galapagos island is filled with one lazy day after the next. Dexter wants more, and when he finds an egg on the beach, he is ready to claim it as his own. The prospect of being an “uncle” fills him with excitement he can’t contain, so he convinces his best friend Jax to help him. So when the egg hatches and a tortoise emerges, the pair are at first shocked, then smitten with their hatchling. Dexter lovingly names him Silas.

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The years fly by on their peaceful island, and Silas grows into an intelligent and curious tortoise with a thirst for adventure. An avid inventor, like Dexter, Silas creates a raft that will take them on their first adventure. They learn of the tortoises on Isabela Island, and before long they are on a quest to find them.

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When they are rescued by Admiral Cassius, a marine iguana, they learn that Queen Afrodita, a pink marine iguana, is holding the tortoises of the island captive and slowly starving them. Admiral Cassius is the leader for the rebellion against the queen’s rule, but his army isn’t large enough to rise up against her. When Silas formulates a plan that will save everyone on Isabela Island from the queen’s rule, the admiral pulls together his troops and they all pitch in to help.

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Can one tortoise make a difference against impossible odds? Find out in A Galapagos Tale.

Magic and wonder fill our world in ways we can never comprehend. Sometimes it brings together the most unlikely of friends. This is one of those stories. 

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One young cub and one teenage girl are about to learn that our differences are what make us special. Every so often, a Spirit Bear is born in our world bringing hope and peace, but her story does not start that way. 

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From the moment Aurora was born, the tiny white bear cub stood out from the rest of the grizzly bears of the Great Bear Rain forest. Aurora tries to live her life just like any other cub but is soon picked on for being different. When she has had enough of their cruelty, Aurora runs away from her home on the mountainside glen. She has no idea that her adventures will lead her to a human girl who will teach her how to accept herself and be brave in a world that seems set against her. 

Len Simon Animation LLC commissioned to do cover.

Rocket Hound

A Race for Freedom

Authors: Erik Daniels Shein & Melissa Davis

Hardback ISBN: 9781629897011

Paperback ISBN: 9781629897028

eBook ISBN: 9781629897035

Genre: Middle-Grade Animal Adventure

Release Date 11/06/2017

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Description:

Oaktree Farm is a sanctuary for animals that need new homes. From the billowy white sheep, all the way down to the tiny little chicks, Farmer Hubbard has a respect for all animal lives. Rocket, a greyhound and former racing dog, has made Oaktree his home after several years on the racing circuit. He loves his home and the friends he has made along the way. He is happy in retirement, until new pups make their way to the farm.

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Cody and Taz are completely infatuated with racing. The chocolate lab and Australian shepherd are always racing along the pasture fences pretending to be all time famous racers who they call ‘Rocket Hounds’ after the famous racer Rocket. At first, they have no idea that the greyhound at Oaktree is the infamous racer. The retired race horse on the farm also puts ideas in their heads.

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When the pups sneak off to find the race track, Rocket has no other choice but to follow after them. After he finds himself back at the track, he must run the race of his life to bring the pups back home safely and save the other retired greyhounds from a gruesome fate. Can one old dog bring them all home?

A young warrior must rise above what he is to become what he was born to be…

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Legend proclaimed that the Mystic Warriors would be the key to saving the Inca people, and the secret to all could be found on the top of Machu Picchu in the Amazon Basin.

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The young prince, Mateo, had lost everything at a young age. An attack on his village took the only thing he had left—his loving grandfather. Lost and alone, the young boy learned to survive on his wit.

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When Mateo grew older, his Uncle Diego, the warrior that stole his birthright and kingdom, threatened his people again, and Mateo must rise above what he is to become who he was meant to be—what he was born to be…. A King

An 800-Year-Old Amulet Holds the Secret – The Legends are Real 

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The ancient magic that has been dormant for centuries will awaken and prove to the world that not all heroes wear capes. Some wear skirts, but only on special occasions. Because, really, let’s face it, how practical would a skirt be when you’re saving the world from the darkest magic known to man? 

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When fourteen-year-old Seraphina Miles is sent to live with her estranged archaeologist father, she has no idea she would be in for the adventure of a lifetime. When she finds a strange amulet hidden in the ruins of Machu Picchu, her boring summer is suddenly filled with a magic beyond her dreams. The amulet leads her to a golden egg in the middle of a burning fire. When the shell breaks, the phoenix hatchling nestled inside imprints on Sera. Their special connection sends her on a quest to find the missing stones which will give her the power to defeat the winged serpent that hides in the shadows.

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If you love heart racing adventures filled with mystical creatures, magic older than time itself, and heroes that defy conventions, Sera’s story will keep you entertained until the very last page. The Call of the Phoenix is the first book in the Destined Guardian Series.

Rise of the Winged Serpent

The Destined Guardian Series Book 2

Authors: Erik Daniel Shein and Melissa Davis

Hardback ISBN: 9781949812282

Paperback ISNB: 9781949812299

eBook ISBN: 9781949812305

Genre: YA Paranormal Supernatural Fantasy

Release Date 02/04/2019

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Description:

Evil stirs in the darkness. Seraphina Miles can feel it bleeding into the world around her, suffocating the life of every living creature. The shadows become its playground, while it stalks the new Guardian. Evil will not stop until it possesses the magic flowing through her veins.  

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Part of her wants to run as fast as her feet can carry her, but Sera’s destiny prevents her from giving in to her fears. Too much is at stake. Now that she is aligned with the elemental fire rippling just beneath the surface, the fourteen-year-old must learn to control her element without unleashing its rage onto the world around her.  

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With the mythical phoenix at her side, Sera’s next step is to align the winged serpent, Challis, with the next Guardian, so that the golden serpent can rise again. From the very moment Sera gives Maya her amulet, the two girls find themselves on a race against time. Maya must possess the courage to become the next Guardian and harness the elemental winds that whip around her. If the new Guardian cannot master her new powers, all will be lost.  

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With no room for error, the girls must combine their magic to protect the world from Bianca before she unleashes the deadliest creature to ever walk the earth.

Samantha Taylor is not your average teenager. From the moment she could speak, her first words were filled with questions of the way things worked around her. With a father who fostered her love of science, mirroring his own, Sam is fascinated with genetics and computer programming, two things that have been known to get her into trouble from time to time. While her eccentricities might make it difficult to make friends at her school, she does have one friend, Charlie, a teenage boy who dreams of one day becoming a paleontologist due to his obsession with all things primordial. Especially after the two of them discover the fossil of a triceratops in the back of his uncle’s property.

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Sam’s world seems complete, until one life-altering accident bumps it off its axis, sending her into a tailspin she cannot control. When her best friend Charlie is in a coma, Sam feels the only way to bring him back is to create the one thing he dreamed of seeing his entire life, a living breathing dinosaur. She spends every waking hour, creating a virtual reality program that will help her manipulate the genetic code trapped within the rocks that contain the primordial DNA. The DNA of the triceratops they found has been preserved far beneath the earth.  

She knew she could crack the code, but the consequences were never figured into the equation…. 

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Sam is catapulted into mass chaos as helicopters fly over her house, and she finds that everything she thought was true is tarnished in deception. The consequences of her actions have them fleeing for their lives…. 

A Forever Home for the Holidays

Authors: Erik Daniel Shein, Melissa Davis, Karen Fuller

Hardback ISBN: 9781953271150

Paperback ISBN: 9781953271167

eBook ISBN: 9781953271174

Genre: YA Family Inspirational

Release Date 9/29/2020

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Description:

Emma Miller has lost everything. At the tender age of thirteen, a tragic accident took her parents and her beloved dog from her. Now stuck in the foster care system, Emma is in foreign territory. Her experience so far has her wanting to run away.

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However, love can come from unexpected places; she only has to open her heart to find it. When presented a Christmas miracle, Emma holds on to it for all she’s worth, but will it be enough?

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A Forever Home for the Holidays is a heart touching, emotional roller coaster ride about a young girl’s journey to find herself.

1313 Road to Nowhere

The Monsterjunkies Graphic Novel Book 1

Author: Erik Daniel Shein

Hardback ISBN: 9798478488017

Paperback ISBN: 9781955086950

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Genre: Graphic Novel/Gothic

Release Date 9/15/2021

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Description:

Another rare and unusual creature has been delivered to the macabre estate at 1313 Road to Nowhere in Foggy Point, Maine. This is a place where the magical is real and the bizarre is normal. Welcome to the Monsterjunkie Manor.

Ah, but all is not well in the quirky, gothic Monsterjunkie world. Outside forces are scheming to rid them from the area while the teens and their friends cope with harassment for being different. Of course, it does not help that the name itself brings suspicion and rumors about what goes on at this mysterious mansion.

Will their private world be exposed? Can the Monsterjunkies continue to carry on their peaceful ancestral legacy in the world of cyptozoology and helping endangered species while coping with these dark distractions?

Shadows

The Monsterjunkies Graphic Novel Book 2

Author: Erik Daniel Shein

Hardback ISBN: 9798478444723

Paperback ISBN: 9781955086967

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Genre: Graphic Novel/Gothic

Release Date 9/18/2021

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Description:

A year has passed since the Monsterjunkie family has opened up their mysterious, macabre estate to a few trusted souls. But Hawk and his sister Raven face new challenges, including random acts of cruelty and harassment, a secret trauma that haunts Hawk, and a shocking crisis with a close friend as they seek sanctuary in the most unexpected and unusual places. The Monsterjunkies continue their ancestral legacy in the world of cryptozoology, and delight in their quirky, mystical, and charming traditions. But can this enchanting family raise their children in a world that is not?

Children's Books

Willie Bear's Christmas Wish

Author: Erik Daniel Shein

Hardback ISBN: 9781956788198

Paperback ISBN: 9781956788204

eBook ISBN: 9781956788211

Genre: Children's Holiday Fantasy

Release Date 10/30/2021

Description:

Your little one will love the heart-touching story about a broken Christmas tree ornament and his heartfelt wish. Willie Bear’s Christmas Wish teaches children about responsibility and the importance of protecting all animals and wildlife.

“Mickey and I are proud to be part of “Willie Bear’s Christmas Wish”… We highly recommend this wonderful book written by Erik Daniel Shein.

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“A beautiful Christmas book, bringing adorable animals to life. One broken little ornament is sadly neglected…then mended and placed in a prominent position, high on the Christmas tree…and loved just as much as the other ornaments.

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“This amazing story teaches children about responsibility…and the importance of protecting their pets, all animals and wildlife.

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“Beautiful illustrations, with colorful pages and a wonderful Christmas story to delight even adults.

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“For those who value and care about the welfare of God’s critters and special creatures. “Willie Bear’s Christmas Wish”…is a must read for children of all ages.”—Jan and Mickey Rooney

Apple the Racing Cow

A Valentines Day Story

Author: Erik Daniel Shein

Hardback ISBN:

Paperback ISBN:

eBook:

Genre: Children's Holiday Adventure

Release Date 2020

Description:

This Galloping Guernsey takes on the special challenge of competing against several sanctuary animals—a field of zebras and stallions. She ignores the strangeness of being a “racing cow,” as this Valentine’s Day story emphasizes using the talents that we possess, and accepting the valentines from appreciating admirers. The valentines of the Sanctuary are the gratitude and love they show Apple for her bravery and tenacity—not for winning.

Past Project

The Reptile Chronicles

Erik has been fascinated with reptiles since he was a child. He put out an entire series of books on reptiles through Sterling Publications. In 2007 he was a part of an independent animated nature TV special project called The Reptile Chronicles. It was very successful and won 3 industry awards: Telly Award, Communicator Award, and a Davey Award. These awards were for the best independent animated special.