Cover Reveal: THE DANGER GANG AND THE ISLE OF FERAL BEASTS by Stephen Bramucci

The Mayhemmers are doing a lot of cover reveals recently, which is excellent news. The latest in our merry band is the new one from Stephen Brammuci, the sequel to The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo. Look out for this one--it publishes on October the 2nd, 2018!

What It's About:
Ronald Zupan, his quick-witted fencing partner Julianne Sato, and his trusty butler Jeeves are off on another adventure. This time, they're trying to rescue the movie star Josh Brigand--who was kidnapped from his latest film premiere by the dreaded Liars' Club.

As the Danger Gang races to save their friend, they face off with a poisoning poet, a band of Roman candle-wielding thugs, and thousands of feral foxes. When their skills of deduction are put to the ultimate test, will Ronald and his pals be able to stick together long enough to rescue Josh and defeat the Liar's Club once and for all?


Fully illustrated by picture book talent Arree Chung, this hilarious, high-action series is a must-have for all adventurers.

Celebrating the launch of THE DANGER GANG AND THE PIRATES OF BORNEO by Stephen Bramucci

One of the greatest thrills for a blog manager is to celebrate a fellow blogger's book debut. The thrill climbs to stupendous level when that blog debut takes place in one's own city, and at one of one's favorite children's bookstores!

I knew The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo's publication date was August 1st. I've been waiting for this day for a long time. What I wasn't prepared for was the throng of people at Green Bean Books in Northeast Portland--and the fact that the novel was all sold out when I got there. Son of a gun! But who should I bump into but a longtime friend, whom I learned is Stephen Bramucci's mother's best friend. Soon my friend Linda was introducing me to various uncles and aunts and friends, and I felt like I was a honorary member of the Bramucci-Parker family. How cool is that!

I met Stephen in person too. Can I tell you how great it is to meet members of Project Mayhem in the flesh? We're a pretty tight bunch, and communicate fairly regularly. But nothing beats meeting face-to-face!

Because of the 'sold-out book' situation, and my desperate need for a signed book, Stephen and I agreed to meet at a coffee shop. I raced to Annie Blooms (my neighborhood bookstore) and put in my order. 36 hours later, The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo was in my hot little hands. (And boy were they hot. It's been 105 degrees for the past couple of days in our fair city.)

Chatting with Stephen was an unadulterated joy. The man is whip-smart, funny, and a born storyteller. He's also a natural in front of the camera, so I decided to make Project Mayhem a Vlog-For-A-Day. I know you'll enjoy hearing about The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo, part of its publication journey, and also about the planned sequel. Three Cheers for Stephen Bramucci, and Three Cheers for The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo!!!

On Reminding Ourselves To Embrace Uncertainty by Stephen Bramucci

I started my career writing about what I called "non-itinerary based travel." That means trips with no plans, no agenda. My personal travel technique was all instinct -- following my nose, asking questions, making a hash of things and living to tell the tale.This wasn't just my favorite way to see the world, it was my favorite way to live. No plans, no reservations, just meeting life head on. 

As much as I hate to admit it, life has changed since those days. With age has come a certain... mellowing. There's also a little more desire for safety and security. Over the past five years, I've spent plenty of nights flooded by the sort of self-induced anxiety that I used to scoff at: 

• Where is my career going?
• Where is this book going?
• When will I ever pay off my grad school debt?
• What will the profession of "writer" look like when I'm seventy?

In short, I've needed a plan. An agenda. An itinerary. Sometimes, it's come in useful:

• I have an agent who helps me plan a career. 
• I have an editor who helps me shape my stories.
• I have a billing plan that deducts loan payments from my paycheck.

Other times no amount of planning can help:

• I have no idea what it will mean to be a writer in 33 years (though I'll still be making those loan payments).

But lately, through a massive convergence of factors, I've also had to give up having a plan. At least a solid one.

• This week, the sequel to my first novel is due. I've never written a sequel before. 
• Next week, I'm moving into a home which I'll be part owner of. I've never owned a home before. 
• July 22, I'm getting married. I've never been married before. 
• August 1, I have a book launch. I've never had a book launch before. 
• September 7, I go on book tour. I've never gone on book tour before. 
• October 23, I have a baby due. I've never been a dad before. 

That's a lot. I'm exhausted just writing it all. You can't plan for all those things at once. It's like a cat, that keeps slipping away every time you think you have your arms around it. My current existence is strewn with forgotten details, like breadcrumbs, and the only light by which I'll ever see them will be shone after the fact. As in, "Oh no! I forgot to hire a wedding DJ!" -- spoken mid-wedding. 

As I type this post, I'm overwhelmed. And tired. And pushed to the max. But I'll tell you this: I've also remembered how freaking invigorating it is to not know the whole itinerary. Uncertainty carries with it a special thrill. 

So what does this all have to do with craft? Last week, I said to my girlfriend, "I guess I should have outlined every beat of this sequel beforehand. That's what a smart writer would have done." 

But if writing is about finding joy, I have to admit that my joy has never come through having a rigid outline. I like improvisation and fluidity. I wrote my novel The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo! without an outline and I wrote the sequel much the same way. Instead, I  surprised myself on every page and -- more importantly -- the characters surprised me. The sequel features a major mistake by one of the protagonists, made out of vanity. I don't know if it ever would've happened had I outlined. 

Writing, as we all know, contains multitudes. There are a million ways to write and if they work, they work. But my recent tsunami of dramatic life changes has reminded me that sometimes not knowing exactly what's coming next is fun for me. And I want writing to feel fun. 

At the moment, the current mantra in writing and life is found in this quote by E.L. Doctorow:

“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

Editor's Note: On his Twitter bio, Stephen Bramucci describes himself as Editor + vagabond-at-large for Uproxx Life (Travel, Food, Adventure). Lover of derring do. His first novel, The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo  is out on August 1st. You can visit his new website HERE

On Knowing Enough To Know That We Don’t Know It All [PLUS EXCLUSIVE COVER REVEAL] by Stephen Bramucci

Five months ago, my publisher, Bloomsbury, told me they wanted to change the title of my first book. The idea was a shock to the system. The book had always been called Ronald Zupan and the Pirates of Borneo!, and I was deeply enamored with the Indiana Jones-ish, pulpy feel of that title.

As it turned out, the Bloomsbury team still wanted to keep the  “and the Pirates of Borneo!” bit—it was the narrator’s name they wanted to cut, in favor of something that would include the book’s other main protagonist, 11-year-old Julianne Sato. Something like The Adventure Crew and the Pirates of Borneo! or The Daring Duo and the Pirates of Borneo!

If there was a combination of adjective and noun, you can bet I tried it.

The Thrill Brigade.
The Peril Squad.
The Hazard Team.

Nothing felt quite right. My editor, Mary Kate Castellani, waited patiently.

In June, I flew to Thailand with my girlfriend. On the first day of the trip, riding in the back of a tuk tuk on the way to a train station, I was finally able to separate myself from the old name. To detach a little. I could see that for all of Julianne Sato’s hard work in the novel, leaving her out of the title would be a slight.

Almost instantly, a new title popped into my head, as if it’d been waiting there all along. I turned to my girlfriend. “The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo!”

She was counting bills to pay our driver. “I like it.” She flashed me a smile. “Actually, I really like it.”

I repeated the title as we bought tickets. I muttered it again as we boarded a 1940s-era train. That night, I emailed the title to Bloomsbury.

Their reply came the next day: Everyone was all in on the Danger Gang.

***

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with my friend Jarret Myer, one of those rare folks whose expertise is having a sense of what’s cool. I told him that story because we were talking about how collaboration is essential to making art and sometimes you have to be willing to bend. Or at least I thought that was the point, until I started to leave and Jarret stopped me.

“Just so you know,” he said, “the new name is way better.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Put it this way: I’d pick ‘The Danger Gang’ up before I’d pick up the other one.”

When Jarret said it, I realized that I agree with him. The new name is more inclusive and fits perfectly with the book’s themes. It’s more big-hearted in its worldview. Ronald often idealizes himself as a solo hero, but in reality he’s not. Since he writes the book from the first person, past tense—after realizing that he couldn’t have succeeded on his mission without help—there’s no excuse for the old title.

I don’t put much stock in the notion of an author with a “singular vision.” I think we, as writers, can be overly rigid about our ideas and become myopic. The best luck we can strike is finding collaborators who will catch our blind spots. People who will urge us, as Mary Kate did when I was hesitant about the title change, to “Take some time and really think about this.”

We all like to talk about the writer’s toolbox. Perhaps one tool that too often gets neglected is the ability to recognize when someone else knows best.

***

With all that said, I’m thrilled to share the cover for The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo. Like Ronald’s adventure, it hasn’t been a solo expedition. The illustrations (on the cover and inside the book) were done by the astoundingly talented Arree Chung—who has added constantly to the project by bringing awesome ideas and superb imagery to the table!

The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo will be released in early August 2017.