October 31, 2012

Zombie Cat: The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty

Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween.
I love zombies.
I love cats.

A zombie Cat on Halloween? Perfect!

I was contacted a bit about about this new book out: Zombie Cat by Isabel Atherton.  After taking a look at it, I knew it would be fun to highlight on Halloween.
WARNING! Although this is a picture book it's not really for the toddler set!!!


ABOUT ZOMBIE CAT


Tiddles is a suave, carefree kitty cat whose only pleasures in life are eating mice, wooing the ladies, and being generally apathetic toward his owner,Jake. But when a toxic spill occurs outside of town, Tiddles finds himself savagely attacked by a nasty-looking radioactive field mouse, and he wakes up as one of the undead. However, he still retains a bit of compassion and refrains—for now—from zombie Bacchanalian delights, such as eating living beings’ brains! Umm . . . any brains at all!However, Tiddles, a.k.a. Zombie Cat, is decomposing rapidly and would prefer to live a normal life in the zombie apocalypse with his owner, Jake.But will Jake take in his former cuddly pet or will ZC be doomed to roam the streets trying to avoid the inevitable pull of his undead yearnings? Zombie Cat is a humorous adult picture book in the vein of Pat the Zombie and Ten Little Zombies: A Love Story. Isabel Atherton’s quirky storytelling combined with Bethany Straker’s captivating (and slightly grotesque!) illustrations make this the perfect addition to any Halloween collection. It’s the ideal gift for any crazed zombie fanatic—or equally crazed cat lover.
Tiddles even put something information about himself together!

A PERSONAL NOTE FROM ZOMBIE CAT 
Good day to you all! my name is Ti...Zombie Cat, and I'm quite new to all this zombie stuff. If you're willing to hear all about my woes, I can tell you in the book about my life: 'Zombie Cat: The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty'.It's hugely emotional for me as you can imagine, and makes my eye well up with blood....still - there's some happy stuff in there too. Like my love of the King of Pop...now THERE was an entertainer .I've put together a little bit about myself - not to blow my own trumpet but I really am rather handsome for a zombie. The ladies can't get enough, I can tell you. At least, that's what I assume when I see their eyes pop out of their heads. Actually that could be a side effect....

NAME: Zombie Cat, formerly known as Tiddles
AGE: 6
BIRTHDAY: Halloween! Would you believe it? What a coincidence!
FAVORITE COLOR: Yellow and red - as they're pretty much the only colors I can see out of my eye.
FAVORITE BOOK: Mine of course!
FAVORITE MOVIE: Cat People - it's a masterpiece.
FAVORITE FOOD: B...BB..BBBBBRAAAIIIINSS!


And lastly check out the trailer for this!



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isabel Atherton is an author, a literary agent, and director of Creative Authors Ltd. When she is not helping her authors she likes to write illustrated books herself. She is the author of Zombie Cat, an illustrated adult humor book, and Smelly Ghost, a children’s picture book due out in fall 2013.
www.creativeauthors.co.uk

ABOUT THE ILLISTRATOR

Bethany Straker is an illustrator and designer. She has illustrated for various magazines including Bliss and Disney Girl at Panini Comics, GoGo’s Crazy Bones at Titan Publishing, Running Fitness, and Runner's World.Zombie Cat is her first book! You can see some examples of her work on herwebsite, www.bethanystraker.com.

October 29, 2012

Cover Crush: The Murmurings


I love book covers. Love love love them! I've been known to drag my sister around Barnes and Noble and show her all the covers I like. I'll hunt down certain students in the morning because I know they'll love a cover as much as me. I really think I develop a crush on certain covers!

Today I'm crushing on:


Creepy and Captivating! 
Nuff said :)

A teen girl starts hearing the same voices that drove her sister to commit suicide in this creepy, suspenseful novel.
Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn't believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

October 26, 2012

Team OWL Review: Kill Order by James Dashner




I have loved The Maze Runner series, and I have a ton of kids that have loved it today.  The prequel, The Kill Order, came out recently, and I have a great review by a Team OWL student!

Take it away!


The Kill Order
By James Dashner

The Kill Order, a prequel to the Maze Runner trilogy, begins with a new character named Mark who has survived the sun flares. The small settlement in which he lives with his girlfriend, Trina, and his other friends, Alec, Lana, Misty, and the Toad, plus other survivors, is assaulted with virus-carrying darts in a plan to wipe out half the human race. But as the bodies pile up, the plan goes horribly wrong, and Mark and his friends must learn to survive in a world filled with crazed people who have been infected.
           
I thought this book was excellent because it  keeps you on the edge of your seat  throughout, and I couldn’t stop reading. Everything was described really well. I believe that this book was just as good as the Maze Runner books, maybe even better. James Dashner paints a world in which I would not like to live, and creates an exciting thriller with many twists.

The plot describes Mark’s life after the sun flares and the journey he makes to survive, and also shares his memories from the time during the sun flares and a brief period after. This vivid story captivates you and keeps you reading for hours. The setting, which is supposedly in the future, is based in the United States  and provides a large area for this breathtaking series to take place.
           
Mark, the main character, was a great  choice because of  an unrelenting devotion to his friends. He is very capable and trustworthy, and he doesn’t give up easily. Mark pulls the whole story together through his determination to stay alive.
           
I think this book is more appropriate from age 13 up. It is graphic and paints very vivid pictures of zombie-like people, which means blood and gore is described. This book is a good read for both boys and girls and proves to be a good but serious read.

NOTICE: Read the top-secret files in the back of the book for an interesting revelation.




About the book
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

October 24, 2012

Blog Tour: Speechless +Giveaway

Today I'm very excited to be a part of the blog tour for Speechless hosted by Kismet Book Touring!

I don't know how many of you know that October is National Anti-Bullying Month.  Being a teacher I'm acutely aware of the problem of bullying in our schools - and having been bullied in 7th grade I'm even more aware of how it affects students.  In honor of National Anti-Bullying month, I'm talking about SPEECHLESS by Hannah Harrington, a young adult novel about bulling.

About  Speechless - Goodreads,  amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Indie Bound
Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret.

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.


As I said above I was the target of bullies when I was a 7th grader. I don't like talking about it even now 30 years later. Why? I feel silly that I "let" it happen. I'm embarrassed by it. All those stupid feelings. I don't really even want to go into how exactly I was bullied, but in short: my ENTIRE class turned against me (I only had about 30 kids in my class). They called me names, refused to be near me. Generally made my days horrible. I think in the long run I could deal with that, but what bothered me the most was how it ended. It didn't end because I got mad or a teacher stepped in. It. Just. Ended. One day it was the worst thing possible to talk to me or be seen with me and the VERY NEXT DAY it was 100% ok. I never got - even to this day - why. What changed???? I hadn't! It has bothered me forever that someone held enough power to just turn that switch for no reason. The unfairness of it was crazy. Even today as I type this it makes me mad. But there it was. After 6 months of being the target of everyone I was once again "OK". And it took me a long time to trust it or anyone that said they were my friend. Bullying - horrible. Enough said.

In an effort to show support and raise awareness, Speechless has connected with Love is Louder Movement:

The Love is Louder movement was started when the Jed Foundation, MTV and actress Brittany Snow decided to do something to help those feeling mistreated, misunderstood or alone. Now hundreds of thousands of people around the world have joined the Love is Louder movement and are using their actions to make their communities and schools better places for everyone.  Come join the Love is Louder movement with us. Get started now at LoveisLouder.com/SPEECHLESS

A bit about the author

About Hannah Harrington  - website |  blog | Twitter | tumblr  |Goodreads | Harlequin Author site

Hannah Harrington resides in Michigan with one dog and too many cats. When she isn’t busy writing like a crazy person, she enjoys arguing about politics, watching documentaries, playing guitar (very badly) and speaking about herself in the third person. She released her debut novel Saving June in December 2011 and wowed readers with its intense subject of teen suicide. Her latest novel, Speechless (September 2012), explores the topic of bullying. You can find her online at www.hannahharrington.com


Tour Schedule:

Monday, October 15th - Page Turners
Tuesday, October 16th -  Love Is Louder
Wednesday, October 17th - Harlequin Blog
Thursday, October 18th - My 5 Monkeys
Friday, October 19th - The Daily Bookmark
Monday, October 22nd - Wastepaper Prose
Tuesday, October, 23rd - YA Bibliophile
Wednesday, October 24th - The O.W.L.
Thursday, October 25th - In Between
Friday, October 26th - I'm a Book Shark

For more info about guest posts check out the the Speechless Tour Page


Now the giveaway!

Each Blog on the tour is giving away a copy of Speechless and “Read for the Fun Mood” pens to support the Teen Reading Week.

One winner from all entries during the tour gets an epic Prize Pack:


KindlePaperwhite with Speechless Skin, 
1 iPhone Skin
5 Copies of Speechless to share with friends & family
1 copy of Saving June!

Fill out the Rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

October 22, 2012

Cover Crush: The Elite

I love book covers. Love love love them! I've been known to drag my sister around Barnes and Noble and show her all the covers I like. I'll hunt down certain students in the morning because I know they'll love a cover as much as me. I really think I develop a crush on certain covers!

Today I'm crushing on:



And I thought I loved the cover for book one!!!! 
Wow.
Just wow!

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

October 20, 2012

Author Interview: Tiffany Schmidt - Send Me a Sign

Today I could not be more excited to welcome Tiffany Schmidt to the blog.  Tiffany has a fantastic book out: Send Me a Sign.  
This book has a personal meaning to me.  I've mentioned it a few times on the blog, but many of you may not know.  I am a 9 year breast cancer survivor.  When I was 32 years old and the mother of a 4 and 1 year old, I was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer.  I went through chemo and radiation and thankfully have been NED (no evident of disease) since!  
So when Bloomsbury approached me about featuring to this book I jumped at the chance.

About the book

Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she didn’t expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose. From debut author Tiffany Schmidt comes a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting story of one girl’s search for signs of life in the face of death.

My Thoughts
Writing an authentic book about the experience of going through cancer is extremely difficult.  And doing it in the form of a young adult novel is even harder.  Tiffany Schmidt handled it brilliantly.  I found the book to be honest, real and thoughtful.  It is a book I would hand to kids dealing with cancer in their family AND kids who are looking for an amazing realistic fiction book.  Even though are ages and experiences are much much different, I could relate to what Mia felt and said.  I understood her need to keep her cancer a secret.  There were times I wish no one knew! Even now.  I hate being defined by my cancer history.  It's a part of who I am now, but it's not the whole of me.  Mia didn't want that to happen to her, so I got what she did.  That is just the start of why I liked this book.  In this day and age of some many YA books being filled with vampires and angels and other "creatures" (books I love!!!), it was great to see a book that shined looking at what many many teens face each day.  Well done!

Now I'd like to welcome Tiffany Schmidt who was kind enough to answer my questions.

Welcome Tiffany to The O.W.L.

We'll start with the easy questions.


Point of View: 1st or 3rd  —1st
Boy or Girl main character —Girl
Genre — Contemporary fiction
Middle Grade or Young Adult — Young Adult
More boy or girl book (stereotypically) — Girl

The Serious Questions!
This is a serious book about a topic that many people face – I myself am a breast
cancer survivor, and in my school district we lost a young man to cancer. Why this
topic? Where did idea stem from?


Hooray for battling cancer and winning! I love hearing survivor stories!
And I am so sorry to hear about the young man in your district who did not make it. It's one of my
greatest hopes that one of these days we'll talk about cancer the way we talk about polio or
measles --- as something mostly eradicated.

Why this topic? So many reasons. One is I'm fascinated by the way we treat and perceive people we know are ill. Even at the most basic level, don't you feel more tired as soon as some says, "You okay? You look exhausted today?"

Multiply this times an infinity and you get one of the reasons that my main character, Mia, chooses not to tell her friends and classmates when she's diagnosed with leukemia. She doesn't want to be a person who is treated differently or pitied. If other people knew, she'd be forced to face the realities of her illness in ways she's just not ready for yet.

What do you hope people take away from the story?
This a tough question because I feel that once a book is in readers' hands, the experience becomes theirs, not mine. And just like readers bring all sorts of different backgrounds and emotions TO a book, I feel like what a reader takes AWAY from Send Me a Sign is going to depend on the individual.

I do, however, love hearing what resonated with readers, what aspects of the story stuck with them, and if they feel like it challenged or changed the way they think.

What part/character/event are you most excited/proud about in Send Me a Sign?
I'm thrilled each time someone tells me that Send Me a Sign made them laugh, cry, or stay up way too late reading. It means so much to hear that readers connected that much with my characters and their stories.

Tell about your writing process. How long did it take you to write Send Me a Sign from idea to finish? Please tell about revision if you can! I’m really interested in what research you had to do for the book to keep it authentic and realistic.
I wrote Send Me a Sign while teaching sixth grade, so it was written in early morning/late night dribbles and school break/summer vacations floods.

I'm very lucky to have great critique partners whose revision notes really challenged me as a writer (though I will admit there were times I'd open an email full of suggestions and blink back I-can't-do-this tears). I was just looking at some early drafts this week and I'm amazed how much the plot and characters changed and evolved-- and equally amazed by the things that stayed consistent through all versions of the story.

As for researching the cancer aspects -- it was intense and heartbreaking. I approached it from many angles. I had doctor friends send me articles from medical journals that I read with highlighters, dictionaries, and notepads in hand. I simultaneously read all of the picture books about cancer I could find. This way I was reading about cancer in it's simplest language while also striving to understand it at a much deeper level. In addition to the medical aspects, I wanted to know the human stories of cancer patients -- so I talked to cancer survivors, people going through treatment, and people who'd had extended stays in the hospital for a variety of reasons. I read cancer blogs. I watched documentaries -- in particular "Dear Jack," which chronicles musician Andrew McMahon's battle with leukemia. His story and his music were a major source of inspiration for me as I wrote.


We’ve been a bit serious, so let’s end on a light note.
Do you chew gum? Yes or No If yes favorite kind?
Of course! I like mint gum best. The kind in my purse right now is Extra Spearmint. I do have issues with gum, however, in that I almost always end up accidentally swallowing it. I just forget to stop chewing and then suddenly realize it's not in my mouth anymore... It's a good thing that urban myth about it staying in your stomach for seven years isn't true!

Do you text?
Yes! With toddler twins running around my house, it is usually WAY too noisy to talk on the phone. Since taking my eyes off them for even an instant is risking all sorts of trouble, my texts are usually written in a hurry and contain all sorts of autocorrected weird words.

Was school lunch just as yucky then as it is now?!
Probably? I'm not sure -- I was a packer. The school lunches never looked all that appealing. I remember asking "What IS that?" when friends who were buyers would sit down at the table. Occasionally they'd answer, "I don't know..." 



Thank you so much for joining us on The O.W.L. and for sharing how this story came to be.  I hope others read it and love it!

October 17, 2012

Team OWL Review: Eragon


Today I have a great review by one of my 7th grade students! She's reviewing a book I haven't read yet - Eragon!


Eragon by Christopher Paolini

This book starts out with the main character, Eragon, hunting in The Spine, a supposedly haunted mountain range. He discovers a polished blue egg which delivers a dragon hatchling. Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. With only an ancient sword and the guidance of an old story-teller, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. As he travels throughout the world of Alagaesia, he meets adversaries and comes ever closer to the enemy…

This book was beautiful. It will captivate readers who loved The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Paolini illustrates a whole new world in which I would love to live in. There are so many reasons why this book is a wonderful piece of literature. His words make Eragon’s world come alive and are vivid in your mind. This book will keep you burning the midnight oil to finish.

The plot is that Eragon is the last Dragon Rider and he must make a dangerous choice, whether to serve evil or defeat it. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. The setting is in medieval times where there is an tyrant king who rules all of Alagaesia. All of the magical beings are in hiding from him. A group of rebels called the Varden wants Eragon to join them and fight with him and he has to make that choice.

I think that Christopher Paolini chose Eragon to be the main character because in the beginning, Eragon doesn’t believe himself to be special. When the dragon hatches, he wonders why it had chose him to be its Rider. As the story progresses, he grows stronger and believes in himself more. He wasn’t incredibly confident in the beginning. That is how most people are when they face a new, unfamiliar situation. He is not an immediate hero. Though, he becomes one.

The age range I think it’s best for is about 11 and up because there are battles and Paolini has a wide and advanced vocabulary in the book. Though, if a younger student would want to read it they definitely should. It is also a boy and girl book, anyone can read it. Even though, it may look long and hard it is most definitely worth the time to read.

Next time you go to a bookstore or a library, make sure to look for a copy of Eragon!

October 15, 2012

Team OWL Review: Uglies - Shay's Story


Title: Uglies: Shay's Story
Authors and Illustrators:  

“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves.”—Shay 
 
Uglies told Tally Youngblood’s version of life in Uglyville and the budding rebellion against the Specials. Now comes an exciting graphic novel revealing new adventures in the Uglies world—as seen through the eyes of Shay, Tally’s rebellious best friend who’s not afraid to break the rules, no matter the cost.
 
A few months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Shay eagerly awaits her turn to become a Pretty—a rite-of-passage operation called “the Surge” that transforms ordinary Uglies into paragons of beauty. Yet after befriending the Crims, a group of fellow teens who refuse to take anything in society at face value, Shay starts to question the whole concept. And as the Crims explore beyond the monitored borders of Uglyville into the forbidden, ungoverned wild, Shay must choose between the perks of being Pretty and the rewards of being real.




Why did you decide to pick up this book and read it?
A teacher recommended it and asked whether I would like to read it or not. I was really happy she showed me this because I have read the Uglies, Pretties, and Specials series and I have to admit I was curious about Shay’s story and they have it so that was exciting to see.

Did you like the book? Please explain why you liked it or not.
Yes I did like this book it was really cool to see what happened in Shay’s point of view versus Tally’s in the book series. Shay is Tally’s best friend. It showed how they got together like how they met and the story of Uglyville. Since it’s a graphic novel it gives you a good idea what this place looks like and the difference between pretties and uglies. Shay questions whether she should be real, herself or on her sixteenth birthday, should she go through this surgery called the surge for short. It also has a tad bit of romance in it which was really cool.

Tell me what you thought of the main character(s). Did you like him/her/them? Did you like how they acted/reacted to events in the story?
Shay and Tally were the mainish characters. I did like them especially Tally but in the end 

(WARNING SPOILER ALERT) 
was confused why she had betrayed Shay and many others in the "smoke" I liked the characters determination for the truth though. It was cool to see it in their view.

What part did you like the best and why?
My favorite part would have to be when Shay would sneak out on her hoverboard and go to new pretty town to see the pretties and the better living style they got because it was nice to see the comparison between the two "categories”.

Tell me anything else about the book and your opinion of it that you want to share!
I don’t know I just liked that the author had created something like this because it’s nice to know that he knows what his readers might like and that he creates what he thinks his readers might like. I really liked the fact that it was a graphic novel because it gave really nice pictures to the read and for those who don’t like reading that much it still gives you a great story with not as many words.

Would you recommend this book to a friend?
Yes even if they haven’t read the series it’s a good place to start if they are interested in reading it, and if they already have read it and are curious about Shay it answers a lot a questions I had in the book series and I’m sure they would like it too.

Thanks for that great review!!!!!!!

October 12, 2012

Author Interview with Irene Latham: Don't Feed the Boy +GIVEAWAY

Today I'm so very excited to welcome Irene Latham to The O.W.L. Irene is the author of the great book Leaving Gee's Bend.  
Today I get to share with you her new MG book 
Don't Feed the Boy!

 No kid knows more about zoo life than Whit. That's because he sleeps, eats and even attends home-school at the Meadowbrook Zoo. It's one of the perks of having a mother who's the zoo director and a father who's the head elephant keeper. Now that he's eleven, Whit feels trapped by the rules and routine of zoo life. With so many exotic animals, it's easy to get overlooked. But when Whit notices a mysterious girl who visits every day to draw the birds, suddenly the zoo becomes much more interesting. Who is the Bird Girl? And why does she come by herself to the zoo? Determined to gain her trust, Whit takes the Bird Girl on his own personal tour of the zoo. He shows her his favorite animals and what happens with them behind the scenes. For Whit, having a friend his own age that he can talk to is an exciting new experience. For Stella the Bird Girl, the zoo and Whit are a necessary escape from her chaotic home life. Together they take risks in order to determine where it is they each belong. But when Stella asks Whit for an important and potentially dangerous favor, Whit discovers how complicated friendship and freedom-- can be.


Doesn't it sound like a fantastic mg book?!!?  Everything a middle grader is facing!

Irene was kind enough to answer some questions about herself and Don't Feed the Boy.  Welcome Irene!!!


Thank you SO MUCH for having me! Hope your school year is off to a great start!





Let's start with the easy questions!
Point of View: 1st or 3rd     3rd
Boy or Girl main character   boy
Genre   contemporary
Middle Grade or Young Adult   middle grade
More boy or girl book (stereotypically)   animal J  


The Serious Questions!

Why middle grade books?  Tell a little about why you like to write for this age level.  

I love the innocence and adventure of middle grade books, how kids are mature enough to be independent, still willing to try new things and not yet squashing themselves into boxes with specific labels. It’s such an open, wonderful, exciting time of life.

 What part/character/event are you most excited/proud about in Don’t Feed the Boy? 

Writing this book allowed me to go back to that animal-crazy, I-wanna-be-a-veterinarian girl that I was and re-experience everything I fell in love with about zoos and animals and ultimately, humans (my favorite animal of all).

Tell about your writing process.  How long did it take you to write Don’t Feed the Boy from idea to finish?  Please tell about revision is you can!  

I remember the moment I got the idea for this book: it was 2008, and I was in a bookstore with my father, shopping the after-Christmas sale. I asked him, “How ‘bout a book about a boy who lives at the zoo but feels like he was born the wrong species?” My father laughed—that’s how I knew it was a good idea. So I worked and worked (so many drafts!), sold the book in 2010, worked and worked even more, and now it’s a real book! As for revision: I tend to revise in stages—I read for plot, then again for character, then again for voice. And since this book contains so many animal facts, I did special drafts just to make sure the text was as accurate as possible. (Incidentally, the way I know it’s time to stop revising is when I start changing things back to the way they were in a previous draft. Time to let that story go live its life without me!) 

 When you were in middle school kind of student were you?  Did you write then? 

I loved being outdoors and spent a lot of time in the back pasture with our horses and rabbits. My best friend and I had a special notebook that we wrote messages in and passed back and forth. When we had sleepovers, we slept outside in a tent. I don’t really remember all that much about school—except I hated PE! I was always too self-conscious to enjoy sports. I made a deal with my teacher that I would clean the erasers and chalkboards if she didn’t make me participate in PE. This worked out (probably) because I was a very good student in all the other subjects. And yes, even then I was writing poems and creating little bound books with original artwork. Unfortunately I wasn’t very good at finishing stories. I’d stop mid-page and dash off to another story. Getting to “the end” is something I didn’t learn until I became an adult—and sometimes I still struggle with it.

And because it's the owl my standard question always is: WHOOO do you admire when it comes to writing? OR WHOOO do you like to read or really enjoyed in HS or middle school? 

As a middle-schooler I was a huge fan of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE and Walter Farley’s Black Stallion books. I didn’t read them just once—I read them dozens of times.


The Fun Questions! (based on what 7th graders do!)

 Do you chew gum? Yes or No If yes favorite kind? 
Yes, Big Red (Want to make a chimpanzee happy? Give him a stick of sugarless cinnamon gum!)

Do you text? 
I love to text! I especially love the conversations I have with my kids via text. Plus I think I am much more witty by text than I am in real life, on-the-spot conversations. (My brain works better while typing!)

Was school lunch just as yucky then as it is now?!
I don’t know—I always brought my own lunch. :)

I too loved the Little House books!!! I read them over and over and over!!

Thank you so much for sharing about Don't Feed the Boy


Do you want a chance at a copy??  Fill out the form below.

US residents only and must be at least 13


a Rafflecopter giveaway