I'm thrilled to have author S.M.W. Claw here today to chat about her new middle-grade book, Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday! Plus, you can win a copy...
Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday
by S.M.W. Claw
June 13, 2016
Age level: 9 & up
Grade Level: 4th & up
Calypso Blue is no orphan, but she might as well be. When she finds herself on a lush tropical island with two pesky adults who insist they're her parents, she knows they're lying.
For one thing, they (and their five children) have brown hair; Calypso has blond. For another, her real parents would never make her comb her hair. Or demand she dig a latrine. Sure, they all wear the same glasses as Calypso--glasses so thick and geeky they might as well be safety goggles--but that does NOT mean they're related. It means nothing at all.
Obviously, Calypso’s best option is to run away and join a family of parakeets. Or orangutans. Heck, even a den of spitting adders might be nice. But then, Calypso finds a filmstrip where a shadowy man in a hat claims she chose to come to the Island. She answered a want ad--an ad she can’t remember, but that promised constant danger, feelings of utter abandonment, and perhaps … treasure.
What three words best describe your book, Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday?
This was hard to do, but I think I've settled on--Unprecedented, Transformative, and Pure-Genius.
No, that's not quite right. Let's try--Magnificent, Monumental and Awe-Inspiring.
Hmmm, how about Earth-Shattering, Spectacular and Sensational?
Fine. I can't do it. You decide.
Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers, especially reluctant readers, to give your book a try?
Calypso Blue finds herself on a strange island with a strange family, wearing an absurd pair of goggles, but has to save the dad from a giant saltwater crocodile, the mom from a sacrificial ritual, herself from mauling by the evil guy's vicious tigers (oh, and a shark!) before she can figure out those danged goggles and nab the treasure to bring it home.
Grab a copy of Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday and answer the following:
Favorite chapter?
I love chapter 3... just the thought of three little boys and a baby tackling their mother to the ground to be free to watch a film strip--the know-it-all thinking he has it covered by sitting on her ankles--then her wriggling free and holding everyone hostage with the rubber band she wrenched from her hair... It makes me giggle every time.
Favorite page?
Page 265. I also giggle at the thought of a doll's plastic head saving everyone from the fangs of a striking cobra. Thunk.
Favorite setting?
I like Christopher Crinkle's Christmas Hut on the beach. Christmas is magical and everyone could use a little more, even on a tropical island.
Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser:
Frank pulled up on his knees, encouraged by Baby Boo's bravery.
"Rip out its palatal valve!" Calypso screamed, unsure Frank could even hear her over Pepper's shrieks and the growls of the croc.
What inspired Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday? How did the story come to be?
Well, first I tried to write a YA book based on myself in my early twenties. One chapter of that was enough to put the entire nation of Mongolia into a drool-induced coma.
So then I tried a family living in Victorian England, because that's never been done before...
But finally, one day I thought, "A tropical island... Mmm, that's where I want to go... "
Can you tell us a bit about your heroine, Calypso Blue? What makes her special? What do you love about her?
Calypso is an athlete. She likes to move fast and she likes to win, sometimes to the expense of her better judgement. She's not concerned at all about her personal appearance, but she is concerned for anyone who appears to be in distress. She's not afraid to be nosy or take matters into her own hands.
She's also more than comfortable with the binomial of any spider in the world, not to mention their behaviors, ecology and life cycles.
It's endearing to me that she (like most of us) often isn't very self-aware. And I can't help but be proud of her merciful nature, which burns constant at her very core.
Calypso Blue finds herself on a tropical island...if you suddenly found yourself on a mysterious island, what three things would you want to have with you?
Scriptures, a water filter and a big knife (This is assuming I'm already wearing clothes. If not, then switch them out for the big knife; I'll use rocks.)
What do you hope readers will walk away with or learn from after reading Goggles Gone Strong: MightyMonday?
What I *hope* will happen is everyone will forgive their mother for that time (or a few) when she wasn't perfect.
What’s the best thing about being an author?
Um... For me the biggest surprise is that writing a book is just as satisfying and fulfilling as reading a really good book.
But instead of staying up too late to finish, my brain is full after a couple hours and I can get to bed on time. I do have a day job, you know.
Fill in the blanks:
I’m really awesome at___
I don't want to make everyone jealous, but I'm really awesome at giving birth. Time and again my caregivers think I'm lying there asleep and fifteen minutes later we have a baby. They go on and on about how they can't believe it; I shrug my shoulders, and then I get up and do all the stuff I always do. It's a super-power, I guess.
I’m really embarrassed to admit that___
I've written a book. Hardly anyone I actually know, knows.
The last great book I read was___
Well, the Bible and the Book of Mormon are two of the greatest books ever, and I read both this morning.
If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?
I'd bake a mango, coconut cake with an aquamarine, mango buttercream icing. There'd be a secret, hidden treasure somewhere (I'm not saying where) with an umbrella or a palm tree or two sticking out the top. Half of it would be missing. Or appear to be. I'd call it Calypso's Escapade.
S.M.W. Claw lived a miserable and unfulfilling existence* until the day she was invited to play Ultimate Frisbee by one boy, and left madly in love with another (her husband).
The Claws live with a hoard of ordinary, run-of-the-mill children, whom they believe to be spectacular and exceptional, and for whom they would gladly dash into a burning building to save.
Or just make the mundane, daily sacrifices required over a lifetime.
*5.775% accurate
Win a paperback copy of
Goggles Gone Strong: Mighty Monday!
SMW Claw has generously offered one paperback copy for one winner.
-open to everyone
-ends 6/13/16
-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes
-please read full list of rules below
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4 comments:
II absolutely love calypso. She sounds like some character! I know how she feels. I spent most of my life thinking I was adopted. :) The book sounds like a fun read.
Thanks for the opportunity! <3
Thank you for the giveaway, it sounds like a great book.
Great giveaway love to read this book!
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