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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Interview and Giveaway: Geoffrey Saign, author of WhipEye


I'm thrilled to have Geoffrey Saign stopping by today to chat about his new middle-grade adventure WhipEye! Check out our interview below and enter to win a copy...

WhipEye
by Geoffrey Saign
July 2014
KiraKu Press
ages 9 and up

Samantha and her neighbor, Jake, have no idea that Samantha’s best friend, a parrot named Charlie, is a thousand years old. Charlie is also at the center of a secret battle between magical creatures and an ancient, evil man. When Charlie asks Samantha and Jake to protect him, they are chased by monsters from both sides. To save Charlie, and two worlds, Samantha and Jake have twenty-four hours to figure out how to use the supernatural staff, WhipEye, and find the courage to confront what they fear most…




WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT WHIPEYE


"Whipeye is a thrilling magical adventure with surprises at every turn, a story that deserves to be read." - Laurisa White Reyes, author of The Celestine Chronicles series and Editor-in-Chief of Middle Shelf Magazine

What Kids Are Saying
“WhipEye is a gripping, imaginative adventure from start to finish.  I didn’t want to put it down until the very last page!... I cannot wait to read book two!”

“This fantasy story was so unique and exciting! I had a hard time putting it down. The author developed the characters well, and I felt like I became part of the story.”
                -Five star LitPick reviews


What three words best describe your book, WhipEye? 
Thriller, wildlife, unique

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers, especially reluctant readers, to give WhipEye a try?
WhipEye is easy to read, full of action, and a thousand-year-old parrot keeps it fun.

Grab a copy of WhipEye and answer the following:
favorite chapter? Chapter 27 UNCLE BIGGIE—I love Uncle Biggie!

favorite page? p103, Fun moment with a giant iguana

favorite setting/place? KiraKu

flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser:
p 136, Things are not what they seem on the water as they ride dolphins…

What inspired WhipEye? How did the story come to be?
I thought of a boy walking into a pet store to talk to a parrot. Later I changed the boy character to a girl.  That was all I had at the start.

Then I decided the parrot was ancient, and I wanted to create Samantha’s character into an animal geek, and things flowed from that.

Can you tell us a bit about your young heroine, Samantha, and hero, Jake? What makes them special or unique?
Samantha is in love with wildlife and nature, an animal nerd, and Jake is pushy and silly, but in a nice way. They are both suffering loss and ready for change and adventure.

What do you hope young readers will learn or walk away with after reading WhipEye?
Enjoyment of a good story, but also that learning to trust themselves is vital, and that nature and wildlife have great beauty.

What one magical/mythical creature or person would you love to meet and interact with the most?
A fairy. I’ve always loved that character in books and mythology. I have one, sort of, in WhipEye.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of being an author?
Aside from the joy of writing, hearing from friends, family, and other readers that they love WhipEye and look forward to book two in the series.

Fill in the blanks:
I’m really awesome at Swimming and water stuff, like sailing.

I’m really embarrassed to admit really nothing, but in high school I was short and chubby.

The last great book I read was The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaimon was pretty good.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by WhipEye, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?
It would have green frosting in the shape of vines and leaves around the upper edge, with an African Gray parrot’s head in the center. The WhipEye staff would be curled around the outside of it.
I’d call it the WhipEye cupcake :)  It would taste like pumpkin.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, Geoffrey!


Geoffrey Saign can often be found looking for interesting critters, and magic, while swimming, snorkeling, sailing, or hiking in the woods. His passion for nature and wildlife led to his nationally endorsed book, Green Essentials: What You Need to Know About the Environment, as well as his books African Cats and Great Apes. He has a background in biology, assisted in field research with hummingbirds and humpback whales, and sailed as far away as Australia. With more than twenty years of experience working in special education, he has taught adults and children everything from sailing to novel writing. He won the Shabo Award in 2010. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. You can visit Geoff at http://www.geoffreysaign.com

Win a copy of WhipEye!
Geoffrey has generously offered up 3 copies of his book for three winners. US/CAN winners will get a print copy and INT winners will get a Kindle copy.
DETAILS
-open INT
-ends 8/1
-must be 13+ to enter
-winners will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes
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4 comments:

Carl Scott said...

The magic aspect of this story sounds very appealing and the chance for the kids to face their fears and grow is, of course, a universal theme. I think it sounds like a really good book. I'd love to get a copy.

Robert D. said...

Love the trailer, gives it a very magical feel!

jennifer.essad said...

I love to read stories that take me away, the magic of the stories excerpt makes me want more

anne s. said...

I love that readers will walk away with the beauty of nature, in addition to the wonderful story.