Privateer's Apprentice Blog Tour: Interview with Susan Verrico

I'm excited to have the Privateer's Apprentice Blog Tour stopping by today with my interview with Susan Verrico. Privateer's Apprentice is a historical adventure story for middle-grade readers...

Privateer's Apprentice

by Susan Verrico

9/1/12

Peachtree Publishing

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When Jameson is kidnapped and taken to sea, he must learn how to survive - and how to apply the skills he has learned at home as a printer's son.

Jameson Cooper always assumed someday he'd grow up to be a printer like his father. But after the death of his parents, he's wrongly accused of stealing bread and sentenced to indentured servitude for the baker, changing his fortunes forever. What happens next defies all of Jameson's expectations: suddenly knocked out and kidnapped, he awakes on board the Destiny, captained by the fearsome Attack Jack, a privateer in the service of Queen Anne.

Now Jameson is learning an entirely new trade as a sailor. He's also using skills he learned from his father to aid Attack Jack in mapping the New World so that they can claim new territories for England. But the captain and his first mate, Solitaire Peep, have a secret hidden deep in a cave on a mysterious island. England's future might hang in the balance...and so might Jameson's.

What three words best describe PRIVATEER'S APPRENTICE?

 Excitement, Suspense, Adventure

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) why they should give PRIVATEER'S APPRENTICE a try? 

Jameson’s journey, filled with danger and adventure as he travels from a jail cell to a secret island, will keep you turning the pages until you reach the very last one.

Grab a copy of PRIVATEER'S APPRENTICE and answer the following:

Favorite chapter?

 Chapter 24. Jameson has to step up and he does.

Favorite page?

188 – I really like the scene where Jameson is sketching the crew as they sit around the fire on Crossed Island.

Favorite character? 

Tie between the captain and Cook.

Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser:  

Page 178 – The judge, who thinks Jameson is lying, threatens to have Jameson’s arms and legs pulled from his body and put on display.

What inspired PRIVATEER'S APPRENTICE? And what do you hope readers will walk away with from this book? 

Growing up in Florida and hearing about pirates and buried treasure was an inspiration. I thought every shiny object in the sand was a gold coin. I hope readers will first and foremost, enjoy the story, especially those who normally don’t read historical fiction. I hope they walk away with a better understanding of the period, Queen Anne’s War, and life on a sailing vessel.

Since PRIVATEER'S APPRENTICE is a historical fiction novel, did you have to do a lot of research while writing? If so, what kinds of research did you do? 

I did tons of research. I began with just a general overview of the period and then went deeper into sailing vessels, weapons, occupations, etc. I had a great editor at Peach Tree who even had me checking word origins to make sure the word was in use during the story’s time period.

What do you love about writing middle-grade fiction? Why do think middle-grade is such a popular and important category of books? 

The life of a middle school student is very interesting. There is so much going on: school, building new friendships and letting go of old ones, finding one’s own path. Students enter middle school as 11 or 12 year olds and in two or three short years they transition to young adults ready for high school. It’s such a fast paced journey! So, for writers, the middle school age provides a wealth of ideas and opportunities. On the flip side of that, middle schoolers are a demanding audience. They have their friends, school, clubs, etc., so they require books that have the power to pull them away from all that for a little while. I think it’s important that those type of books are available to them so that they move smoothly as readers from their elementary years through their high school years. You don’t want them to stop reading when they leave the elementary grades.

Who is your favorite middle-grade hero and heroine? 

Junior from The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian. That’s probably considered more young adult, but students in my class loved it and so did I. He was so courageous. Heroine: Anne from Anne of Green Gables. I loved her spirit.

What's your favorite thing about being a writer? What's the hardest? 

Favorite: Creating the scenes in my head and plotting a story. The hardest is always the writing for me.

 Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at___

 being optimistic.

I'm really embarrassed to admit that___

 I would make a terrible pirate. I would be seasick, refuse to scrub the deck without sunscreen, and insist on a low carb diet. No weevil filled biscuits for me.

My pirate name would be ___.

 I don’t think I would be allowed to be a pirate.  I would talk like an English teacher which would probably annoy everyone on the ship, and I would be forced to walk the plank.

My favorite middle-grade curse word or expletive is ___. 

I don’t have a favorite, but I’m always amazed at the way kids can rework a word or phrase to mean something totally new.

The last great book I read was__

Actually, two books come to mind. Jefferson’s Sons and The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by PRIVATEER'S APPRENTICE, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

 A Privateer’s Apprentice cupcake would be full of Island flavor. The cake would be as white as the sand on Crossed Island. The frosting would be pale yellow and taste like fresh bananas. It would be decorated around the edges with Tropical Skittles and coconut. I would name it something like Island Surprise.

Thank you so much, Susan, for stopping by to chat! And that cupcake sounds super yummy!!

Susan Verrico

Facebook / Goodreads

Susan Verrico has been writing stories since she was ten, when she won her fifth grade class writing contest. She grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and spent countless hours roaming nearby beaches looking for pirate treasure. She earned a BA in communications and a MA in writing from Rowan University. A history buff, Susan spends her spare time researching and writing. She teaches language arts in a middle/high school in New 

Don't miss any of the stops on the 

Privateer's Apprentice Blog Tour:

Monday, the 22nd - Sally's Bookshelf: http://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com
Tuesday, the 23rd - Book & Movie Dimension: http://bmdimension.blogspot.com
Wednesday, the 24th - Boys to Books: http://www.boystobooks.com
Thursday, the 25th - ME!
Friday, the 26th - There's a Book: http://www.theresabook.com

Interview: J.E. Thompson {The Girl from Felony Bay}

I'm so excited to have author J.E. Thompson here today to talk about his new middle-grade book, The Girl From Felony Bay! Look for my review of this great book next week...

by J.E. Thompson

4/30/13

Walden Pond Press

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The last year has been rougher than sandpaper for Abbey Force and her dad. He's in a coma after his accident a year back, wherein he was framed for a terrible crime he didn't commit. And their home, Reward Plantation, an idyllic spot on the eastern coast of South Carolina, had to be sold to pay off his debt to society. Abbey is stuck living with her uncle Charlie, who, even in the few hours a day when he's sober, ain't exactly your ideal parental role model.

But it turns out the new family that moved into Abbey's old house has a daughter named Bee. And she's just as curious about all the No Trespassing signs and holes being dug out by Felony Bay, in the corner of what used to be Abbey's home. It appears someone's been poking around a mystery that dates all the way back to the Civil War--and it just might be the same someone who framed Abbey's dad.

Fresh, funny, and heartwarming, Girl from Felony Bay is the perfect book for fans of Rebecca Stead's Liar & Spy and Sheila Turnage's Three Times Lucky.

What three words best describe THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY?

Mystery, Plantation, Treasure

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) to give THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY a try?

It’s a mystery with the speed and thrills of a rollercoaster ride, including buried treasure, alligators, cottonmouths, scary swamps, bullies, bad guys, and two really brave and resourceful girls.

Grab a copy of THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY and answer the following:

These next questions are very difficult! They are like choosing my favorite child!

Favorite chapter?

Okay, if I have to have one favorite, how about Chapter 24? You might ask why, but I can’t tell you why because I’d spoil the book, but that’s a chapter where some very scary things happen to Abbey and Bee and . . . but I can’t tell you anymore.

Favorite page?

Once again, unfair question! But I guess it might be the page where the girls are hiding in the dark in the ruined old cabin and the bad guys are in the next room.

Favorite character? 

Abbey Force, of course! After all, she’s the narrator and the main character and she’s tough and smart and kind hearted and courageous. As her father used to say, “She is a Force to be reckoned with!”

Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser?  

“Two feet ahead of me, way too close for comfort, something that looked at first like a thick black root had just crawled from underneath a layer of dead magnolia leaves. It was maybe four feet long and as thick as a beer can in the middle. The sight made my heart start to hammer.”

What inspired THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY? Where did the idea for the story come from?

Up until I wrote THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY, I had written adult thrillers, however my twelve year old daughter wanted me to write a book for her age group. She is an equestrian, and at the time I wrote the book she kept her pony (named Timmy just as in the book) out at a plantation owned by some friends of mine. Over the years I have spent a lot of time on the plantation and have grown to love the beauty and tranquility of the setting. I have also spent a lot of time thinking about the heritage of slavery and how that terrible institution and the Civil War that ended it have shaped so many aspects of our lives today.I guess it was just natural that my desire to write a Middle Grade book would grow to encompass a number of those themes. Having read Edward Ball’s great book, SLAVES IN THE FAMILY, it was easy to invent Bee Force and her Grandma Em as the new owners of Reward Plantation. It was also easy to bring in a badly damaged Confederate blockade runner as part of the story and also the idea of buried Confederate gold. The rest of the story grew up around all those ideas and I ended up with Felony Bay (which isn’t a real place) and then THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY.

What do you hope readers, especially young readers, will walk away with after reading THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY?

I would like my readers to walk away with a respect for people, both kids and adults, who stick to their guns and have the courage to honor their convictions in spite of the fact that people who are older, more powerful and supposedly wiser tell them that they are wrong. Sometimes doing the right thing, being loyal and honoring one’s own sense of right and wrong can involve a lot of personal risk. Those moments are frightening and difficult, but people choose their leaders from among those who have the fortitude to do the right thing, especially when doing the right thing is most difficult. I’d like to think my readers will come away with a greater sense of certainty in their own lives about the types of people they want to be.

 Charleston, SC (the setting) is almost like another character in the book...can you talk a bit about that? Why did you set your story in this setting? 

Charleston IS a character. It’s such an old city and it has so much history in its blood, both good and bad, that a sense of the past is as thick as the summertime humidity here. In the earliest days Charleston had Blackbeard and Anne Bonney and other pirates; before and after the American Revolution it was the wealthiest city in the United States, enriched by the slave plantation economy; it was where the first shots of the Civil War were fired; and for over a hundred years after the Civil War it was a very poor city where little changed, where very old buildings were preserved simply because there was no reason to knock them down and build something else. Today, the entire peninsula of Charleston has been preserved and restored, and people live modern lives inside very old homes. For example, my house was built in 1783 by a merchant who had a dock across the street and who imported finished goods from England. Not a day goes by when I am not conscious that I am more the caretaker of my house than the owner, and I often refer to it as Mrs. Birthright’s house, the name of the lady who lived here for 60 years before my family.

Who is your favorite middle-grade hero and heroine?

Is Huckleberry Finn a Middle Grade hero? If not Huck, then Harry Potter. And I have to vote for Abbey Force for the heroine and if not Abbey, then Hermione Granger.

Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at 

Fly fishing and cooking

I'm really embarrassed to admit that 

I’m a full grown adult but I love Middle Grade and YA fiction

My favorite middle-grade appropriate curse word or expletive is 

frig, as in friggin’

The last great book I read was 

THE FALSE PRINCE

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by THE GIRL FROM FELONY BAY what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

It would be an unusually shaped cupcake, because it would be made in the shape of an alligator. It would be made of chocolate so dark that it would look a bit like pluff mud, and I would try to craft the icing on top so that, just like great, soft French cheeses, it would smell terrible (like pluff mud) but taste absolutely wonderful!

Thank you so much for stopping by John!

J.E Thompson

Website / Goodreads

John Thompson spent twenty-five years as an investment banker before becoming a full time writer of adult thrillers and middle grade fiction. His adult novels have won significant critical acclaim (Finalist for Best Fiction by the Southern Independent Booksellers and Independent Publishers Gold Medal for Best Thriller of the Year). They include: The Brent Lucas Series (Armageddon Conspiracy, The Hong Kong Deception, The Baghdad Vendetta (coming September 15, 2012) and Salem VI: Rebecca’s Rising co-authored with Jack Heath.Written under the name JE Thompson, his first middle grade novel, The Girl From Felony Bay, will be released in April 2013 by HarperCollins/Walden Pond Press.When he is not writing he enjoys the outdoors in all forms: fly fishing, biking, bird hunting, golf and tennis. He lives with his wife and daughter as well as his Boykin Spaniel (Lulu) and his Jack Russell (Mr. Bean) and spends his time between homes in Charleston, SC and Hawley, PA.In Charleston he is something of a self-professed do-gooder and has served on a number of boards focusing on education, health care and the environment.

Interview and Giveaway: Emma Adams

Emma Adams is stopping by the March MG Madness today to talk about her book The Puppet Spell. You can win an e-copy too!

The Puppet Spell

by Emma Adams

1/2013

Rowanvale Books

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Unlike her rebellious sister Lucinda, fifteen-year-old Lexa prefers to spend her free time playing video games, fighting the forces of evil with her partner-in-crime Marlon. But when Lucinda steals an invisibility potion from their uncle’s storeroom, she unleashes chaos into their lives. Lexa and Marlon find themselves catapulted into a world far more dangerous than any video game, full of misleading illusions, sinister Conjurors and deadly Fey, and threatened by a man with a grudge known as the Puppeteer. Accompanied only by Lexa’s uncle’s unreliable (and rather dangerous) Chimera, Lexa and Marlon must navigate this world to find Lucinda- before they too fall under the spell of the puppet master…

What three words best describe THE PUPPET SPELL?

Fun, imaginative and wacky!

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) why they should give the THE PUPPET SPELL a try?

It’s a fast-paced fantasy adventure for all ages featuring eccentric characters, bizarre spells and an unreliable sidekick who also happens to be a terrifying monster. Convinced? :P

 Grab a copy of THE PUPPET SPELL and answer the following:

Favorite chapter? 

Chapter Six was one of my favourites to write. Crazy conjurors and buildings coming to life – fun!

Favorite page? 

Tough one! Looking at the first chapter, I’m quite fond of Lexa and Marlon’s conversation about zombies on page 15.

Favorite character? 

Has to be the chimera. I enjoy writing characters who refuse to do what they’re supposed to. He’s unreliable, sarcastic and unpredictable – and likes to eat people when their backs are turned. Yep.

Flip to a random page and give us 1-2 sentence teaser:

“I looked back at the bottle. The label read, ‘Instantaneous Invisibility: three doses.’”

What inspired THE PUPPET SPELL? Where did the story idea come from?

I wanted to write a traditional fantasy adventure with a modern twist.  I’d been working on another book series for years but it just wasn’t working out, so it was refreshing to invent a whole new set of characters. The original idea for this was in an old notebook I found in my room. I’d written the beginning of a story about a hidden laboratory a few years back, and I started thinking about how I might finish it. One idea led to another and The Puppet Spell was born!

THE PUPPET SPELL is infused with mythological elements...what are some of your favorite mythological beings?

My all-time favourite has to be dragons. I collect dragon ornaments and someday I’m going to write them into a story! When researching The Puppet Spell, I became fascinated by the idea of chimera, too, as they’re formed of pieces from different mythological creatures and as the legends are so varied I pretty much had free rein to give them whatever abilities I liked!

Why did you decide to write a middle-grade book? What do you love about writing middle-grade?

I like how fun and action-packed it is – after all, the key is not to bore your reader! It means I get to have fun writing it, too. And I get to revisit my childhood self.

Why do you think middle-grade is such a popular and important category of books?

Again, I think it’s because it’s fun. Kids at that age need heroes to root for, and the best MG books have fast-paced storylines and inventive plots.

 What is your all time favorite middle-grade book? Who is your favorite middle-grade hero and heroine?

I’m going to have to be cliché and go with the Harry Potter series…but Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy is a close second! My favourite HP characters are Snape, Sirius and Hermione.

Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at 

multitasking (seriously…I must be the only person I know who can read a book and watch a film at the same time!).

I'm really embarrassed to admit that 

I fall over. A lot. Except it happens so often I don’t even really get embarrassed any more if I face plant in public! I also can’t dance to save my life.

My favorite video game is 

Pokemon HeartGold. Yep, I’m still an unashamed Pokemon nerd at 21!

My favorite place to write 

is at my desk.

The last great book I read was 

the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Fantastic series.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by THE PUPPET SPELL what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

Very interesting question! I’m picturing a cupcake that’s two-sided – one vanilla, representing the ordinary world, and one chocolate, representing the other world! And rainbow sprinkles on top. I’d call it the Chimera Cupcake! 

Emma Adams

Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Emma is a 21-year-old author of fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal for young adults, from Birmingham, UK. When she isn't reading voraciously, studying, or taking every opportunity to travel, she can be found in front of her writing desk.
Having aspired to be a writer since the age of ten, Emma aims to give life to her (admittedly bizarre) daydreams, through creating weird and wonderful alternative worlds. Her debut novel THE PUPPET SPELL, published in January 2013 by Rowanvale Books, is a fantasy tale for young adults and the young at heart, inspired by her lifelong love of traditional fantasy, mythology, and video games.
When not living the crazy life of an English Literature with Creative Writing student at Lancaster University, Emma reluctantly resides in the attic in her parents' house in Birmingham, writing about demons and other assorted night terrors. She has recently signed a contract to publish her new NA/YA supernatural fantasy series with Curiosity Quills Press. 

Win an ebook copy of The Puppet Spell!

Emma has generously offered up one e-copy of her book to one reader.

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Interview: Dorine White

I'm excited to have author Dorine White stopping by today to talk about her middle-grade book The Emerald Ring. You can check out the full March MG Madness schedule of events and giveaways here.

The Emerald Ring 

(Cleopatra's Legacy #1)

by Dorine White

5/14/13

Cedar Fort

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Ordinary tween life turns upside down when Ancient Egypt intrudes on modern middle school life. Twelve year old Sara Guadalupe Bogus reads about adventures, but unexpectedly is drawn into one when a mystical emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra becomes stuck on her finger.
A series of burglaries spook Sara’s small Ohio hometown. Concluding that the root of all the crimes is the emerald ring, Sara realizes it’s up to her and her friends, Heidi and African exchange student Kainu, to save the town and protect Cleopatra’s legacy. Filled with magic, the ring thrusts Sara into a world filled with nightmares, allows her to shape shift into an Egyptian cat and battle assassins.

WS: What three words best describe THE EMERALD RING? 

Action, magic, and mystery

WS: Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) why they should give the THE EMERALD RING a try? 

Ancient Egypt intrudes on modern middle school life when an emerald ring once belonging to Cleopatra, gives Sara the power to understand animals and shape shift into a cat, but she has to avoid the blood thirsty cult that is after the ring too.

WS: Grab a copy of THE EMERALD RING and answer the following:

Favorite chapter? 

Old Socks and Armpits

Favorite page? 

Page 14, when Sara thinks someone calls her a fat pig, but it is the hamster. 

Favorite character? 

Sara, I love how strong she is, and her courage.

Flip to a random page and give us 1-2 sentence teaser: 

What was that? While looking at the windowpane, she noticed a long, furry tail head out of her window into the night. An animal? A breath of relief came, but then she blinked. Her reflection looked straight back at her. Whatever had just left her room had passed through the solid glass.

WS: What inspired THE EMERALD RING? Where did the story idea come from?

 I love fantasy, and one day the idea to combine Egypt and the modern world popped into my head. Of course, there had to be magic! I was probably day dreaming at the time lol.

WS: Why did you decide to write a middle-grade book? What do you love about writing middle-grade? 

This book actually started as a YA novel, but all the people who critiqued it told me I had a middle grade voice. After some wavering, I finally took their advice and re-wrote the story. I found middle grade flowed from my fingers more easily than YA, and I didn't look back.

WS: Why do you think middle-grade is such a popular and important category of books?

 It is during the elementary years that a child builds a love of reading. Those years are so important. If a child can find a genre that they love and want to read, it is a blessing. Whenever I see a kid reading a book, I want to give someone a high-five.

WS: What is your all time favorite middle-grade book? Favorite middle-grade author?

 I read so many, that I don't really have favorites anymore, but when I was a kid I loved Mary Poppins by PL Travers. Another that stayed with me was A Wrinkle in Time by L'Engle.

WS: Who is your favorite middle-grade hero and heroine? 

I have to say Nancy Drew. When I was a kid I read the entire series. Boy-wise, hmm, maybe Percy Jackson.

WS: Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at ___.

 sleeping :)

I'm really embarrassed to admit that ____. 

I hate socks.

My favorite midnight snack is ___. 

a bowl of cereal.

My theme song would be ____. 

It's Never Enough(Shell Shock)- from Pretty in Pink

The last great book I read was ___. 

Pride and Prejudice 

WS: If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by THE EMERALD RING what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

 How about a chocolate cupcake with vanilla butter cream frosting and green coconut flakes on top. For the decoration, what else? an emerald ring. I'd call it The Cat's Meow. (based on the cat in the book)

Thanks so much for stopping by Dorine!

Dorine White

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

 My name is Dorine White. 

 My first book in The Cleopatra's Legacy series, The Emerald Ring, will be published by Cedar Fort Books on May 14, 2013. It is a middle grade fantasy novel.

 I am a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and the PNWA (Pacific Northwest Writers Assoc.). I highly recommend joining either if you want to become a children's author or illustrator. 

Interview and Giveaway: Maggie Lyons

I'm pleased to have middle-grade author, Maggie Lyons, back today for an interview! Today, Maggie is going to talk about her new book Dewi and the Seeds of Doom. Plus, there's a giveaway...

When Dewi is clobbered by a falling rat, the nosy Welsh dragon snoops his way into a challenging predicament. Helped by a toad with a passion for chemical wart cures, Dewi discovers that a megalomaniac baron is secretly breeding mutant corn at an unfriendly castle. To thwart the genetically modified-corn baron’s sickening plan, he must use moxie and firepower in a series of catastrophe-skirting capers.

From Halo Publishing

Released Oct. 2012

Purchase: Amazon / Halo Pub

WS: What three words best describe DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM?

Fantastic dragon detective

WS: Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers why they should read DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM?

If you love losing yourself in whirlwind adventure stories brimming over with surprises, mishaps, chaos, and comedy, you’ll find this Welsh dragon detective’s antics irresistible as he battles an evil baron who breeds genetically modified corn.

WS: What do you hope young readers will learn or take away from DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM?

• It’s good to be curious about things and ask questions.

• Friends are important.

• It would be a good idea to find out exactly what you are eating, especially if it comes off a supermarket shelf.

WS: Grab a copy of DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM and answer the following:

Favorite chapter? Chapter 1 in which Dewi decides to take up a challenge and dig into a mystery. Favorite page? When Dewi finds a last-minute hiding place and eavesdrops on the dastardly baron. Favorite character? Peegor, the baron’s long-suffering and equally ghastly servant. Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser from that page: “What’s the matter, Peegor? Is your dungeon too warm and your straw mattress too comfy for you to get up until half the day has gone?” A very nasty laugh crawled through the gap in the baron’s rotten teeth.

WS: Besides your own character Dewi, who is your favorite dragon character from any book or movie? 

Hiccup’s pet dragon, Toothless, in Cressida Cowell’s hilarious How to Train Your Dragon book series.

WS: Imagine you've discovered a time machine and you step inside...do you go back in time or into the future? Where do you go?

I’d go back to the past, about two hundred years ago, to France or Britain, when the air was cleaner, food far more wholesome, and people much more sociable.

WS: What would the title of your autobiography or memoirs be called? 

What a Motley Slew!

WS: Random favorites:

Midnight snack? I’m asleep long before midnight. But if I can add a food I might dream about, it would be a small bowl of lobster bisque— no, make it a large bowl. Place to write? At my desk with a view from the window of ducks doing ducky things on the creek. Superhero? Jeffrey Smith courageous pioneer advocate for the right to know what’s in our food. Nail polish color? No polish. My fingernails are short because I play the piano, and I don’t want to highlight the fact they’re short—but wait! I just remembered I have toes. I paint my toenails metallic rusty red to match the hair on my head. And now that I think of it, that color may also match the rust inside my head. Obviously a Freudian insight here. Middle-grade appropriate curse word or expletive? Oh no!

WS: Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at procrastinating, especially when it comes to filling a blank page. I'm embarrassed to admit that I like liver, onions, and spinach. Liver, onions, and spinach—oh my! My first literary crush (author or character) was Robert Louis Stephenson (Treasure Island). The last fantastic book I read was Jerry Spinelli’s The Wringer. Talk about a grab-your-thoughts, rend-your-heart, and stick-to-your-memory’s-ribs kind of story!

WS: If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by DEWI AND THE SEEDS OF DOOM what would it look and taste like and what would you call it?

Dewi’s lightly charcoaled lamb chops cupcake would taste of—surprise!—lamp chops and it would be served with flaming hot sauce.

Maggie Lyons: Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Google+
Maggie Lyons is a writer and editor who was born in Wales and crossed the pond to Virginia. With no regard for the well-being of her family and neighbors, she trained as a classical pianist. Then came a career of putting rear ends on seats—that is, orchestral management, marked by reams of marketing and fundraising writing and program note scribbling for audiences, many of whose first priority was to find their names in the donors’ lists. Editing for academic publishers also brought plenty of satisfaction—she admits she has a fondness for nerds—but nothing like the magic she discovered in writing fiction and nonfiction for children. Several of her articles, poetry, and a chapter book miraculously appeared in Stories for Children Magazine and knowonder! magazine. Her middle-grade fiction Vin and the Dorky Duet and Dewi and the Seeds of Doom are published by MuseItUp Publishing and Halo Publishing International. She hopes her stories encourage reluctant young readers to turn a page or two.

Win a copy of 

Dewi and the Seeds of Doom!

Maggie has generously offered one copy of her book, in the winner's choice of paperback or ebook, for one lucky winner. This is a perfect book for the younger readers in your life!

DETAILS

-OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

-Will run from 1/2 - 1/7

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