Blog Tour: THE WARDEN'S DAUGHTER by Jerry Spinelli hosted by Michael G-G

THE WARDEN'S DAUGHTER by Jerry Spinelli (Alfred A. Knopf, January 3, 2017)

What It's About (via Goodreads):

From Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli (Maniac Magee, Stargirl) comes the knockout story of a girl who must come to terms with her mother's death from inside the walls of a prison.

Cammie O'Reilly is the warden's daughter, living in an apartment above the entrance to the Hancock County Prison. But she's also living in a prison of grief and anger about the mother who died saving her from harm when she was just a baby. And prison has made her mad. This girl's nickname is Cannonball.
In the summer of 1959, as twelve turns to thirteen, everything is in flux. Cammie's best friend is discovering lipstick and American Bandstand. A child killer is caught and brought to her prison. And the only mother figures in her life include a flamboyant shoplifter named Boo Boo and a sullen reformed arsonist of a housekeeper. All will play a role in Cammie's coming-of-age. But one in particular will make a staggering sacrifice to ensure that Cammie breaks free from her past.

Master storyteller Jerry Spinelli spins a tale of loss and redemption like no other. The Warden's Daughter shows that kindness and compassion can often be found where we least expect it.

My Thoughts:

This is a luminous book, and I couldn't put it down. I marveled at the language, at the way Spinelli handled the telling of the tale, and about how Cammie exploded onto the page.

For writers, this would be a good book to study for how to deal with unlikable characters. Cammie acts out big-time, but it's for a reason. A motherless child--her mother died to save her--Cammie is looking around for a mother figure. But all the women she is around are prisoners in the prison where her father is the Warden. There's one trustee (the term used for prisoners who are allowed to help in the warden's quarters) but this woman has secrets and troubles of her own...

It is also a book which should be studied for the writer's use of time. We know from the outset that Cammie is looking back at her life from an adult vantage point and, at the end we realize why. This technique is accomplished brilliantly.

For readers, this is a sophisticated novel which, in parts, is very sad. It may be a book that gets more love from adults than for the target audience, but I would love to hear from any young readers who have tackled it.

Jerry Spinelli, quite frankly, is a national treasure. I was thrilled to be able to read this novel the week of its publication, and to be a part of this blog tour.

January 3: Seeing Double in Neverland

January 4: Here's To Happy Endings

January 5: My Brain on Books

January 6: Book Blather

January 9:  Bookhounds YA

January 10^th: Reviews Coming at YA

January 11^th: Project Mayhem

January 12^th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

January 13^th: Readers in Wonderland

January 16^th: The Cover Contessa

January 17^th: YA Books Central

January 18^th: Reading Nook Reviews

January 19^th: Xpresso Reads

Here is a video of Jerry Spinelli talking about THE WARDEN'S DAUGHTER:

(Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher, and this did in no way affect the content of my review.)

How To Run A Top Notch Blog Tour in Seven Easy Steps by Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

Although my ultimate goal in life is to be the second coming of J.K. Rowling, I am currently only known for my efforts at blogging--both as the fearless manager of this here Project Mayhem, as well as the Don's reluctant sidekick at Middle Grade Mafioso. As such, I often get invitations from both authors and publicists to review books or to take part in blog tours.

In my first flush on enthusiasm, back in 2010, I would often jump at every chance. No request for a review was turned down; no blog tour ignored. It got to the point where blogging was becoming a full time job--except I was unpaid and my own novel writing was being shoved on a shelf to look pretty and sparkly and very obviously untouched. Something had to give.

As a result, I have now become exceedingly picky in accepting requests. (In fact, I feel a bit like an agent winnowing her query list and only showing interest in topics she really loves.) As for blog tours, I will take them on--on one condition: they are well-run, and I pretty much have to do no heavy lifting.

One of the best blog tours I have participated in recently was Jennifer Lynn Alvarez's cover reveal for book three of her Guardian Herd series--LANDFALL. Let me break down what Jennifer did that made it so easy for me to say yes.

1. She contacted me early, about five weeks before the blog tour was set to start. In her email, she showed familiarity with my blog, and addressed me by name. I therefore knew I wasn't part of a mass mailing--a technique which always makes me feel good.
2. She told me the dates of the blog tour, and asked for my top two tour dates.
3. She offered a selection of articles I could use in the blog tour: an interview with the illustrator, or an interview with the voice actor in the audiobook version, or a fan art showcase. (In other words, Ms. Alvarez was producing the content, which is balm to a busy blogger's weary soul.) 
4. To sweeten the deal, she included a swag pack I could give as a prize to a "winner" on my blog.
5. She promptly and professionally emailed me everything I requested, as well as links to her social media, and sent jpegs I could use in my post, as well as links about where to buy her books.
6. On the day of my post, she went on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and drew attention to my post. As a result, I had huge blog traffic on that day, along with many new commenters. She retweeted my own tweets, creating a pleasant buzz around the event.
7. After the blog tour had ended, she sent a very kind email thanking me for my hard work, and telling me she was looking forward to sending the prize pack to my winner, once I had one. (This reminded me that I actually needed to pick a winner.)

The thing is, I had not heard of the GUARDIAN HERD series before Ms. Alvarez contacted me. But you can bet your bottom dollar I'm a fan now, given that the author was so pleasant, personable, and professional. In fact, I'm linking to the original blog tour post, so you can see for yourself what a great cover Book 3: LANDFALL has, and read about David McClellan, the wonderful illustrator who created it. 

Let me know if there are other things which make it easier for you to take on blog tours. And let me know if you, or a young reader in your life, has read the GUARDIAN HERD books! I'd love to know what you think.

Tara Dairman's THE STARS OF SUMMER blog tour by Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

Blog Tour button designed by Kristin Rae

Hooray, Project Mayhem is last stop on Tara Dairman's The Stars of Summer Blog Tour. I've known Tara since we were both finalists on Miss Snark's First Victim's Baker's Dozen auction back in 2011. Tara was snapped up by agent Ammi-Joan Paquette, and had a book deal before the summer was out. Her debut, All Four Stars, pubbed in 2014 and was a smashing success. (I blogged about it--complete with an interview with Tara--HERE.)

Now Book 2 is out, and dare I say it, I think it's even better--which is saying something! Gladys Gatsby, 12-year-old food critic for the New York Standard, is trying to keep her job a secret from her parents, as well as surviving her friend Charissa's summer camp. There is a great new character in the ensemble, Hamilton Herbertson, a middle grade novelist who is an actual middle schooler, and gloriously pompous to boot. There are some great, great scenes--Hamilton and Gladys struggling with their swim tests; Gladys eating her way through New York's hot dog stands, and subsequently vomiting on her nemesis Gilbert Gadfly's shoes; an award ceremony in which Hamilton thinks he's a shoo-in; and Gilbert Gadfly's delicious final comeuppance.

It's hard to get a grizzled old Middle Grade Mafioso to laugh. (Tears are a different story. I'm getting much more lachrymose in my old age, when I think of the vicissitudes of life.) But reading The Stars of Summer, I laughed a lot. Knowing, as I do, how much kids this age are into cooking shows, I'm betting that Tara has another hit on her hands.

Tara kindly answered my questions--and here they are:

1) Have you ever floundered about and failed a swimming test?

Absolutely. My parents made me take swimming lessons every summer at the community pool, and I was terrible at them. I remember failing and needing to repeat several levels. Also, the college I went to had a swimming test as a graduation requirement, which I took my freshman year--just one length of the pool, but I was so nervous. So I definitely had a lot of real-life swimming-test angst to draw on when writing those scenes in THE STARS OF SUMMER. Ironically, now, I really enjoy swimming!

2) Have you ever been to an awards ceremony? [If so, I presume not in a blazing red flamenco dress.]

I've never been to a fancy televised awards ceremony, but a good friend of mine went to the Emmys several times with her TV-writer boyfriend when we were in our 20s, so I'd heard all about the experience from her.

3) Have you ever eaten a Gatsby sandwich?


You know, the Gatsby is the one hot dog in the book that I actually haven't eaten myself. I've been to South Africa and remember seeing Gatsby stands all over Cape Town, but I never actually tried one. I kick myself for that now. I've had some other dishes that combine hot dogs and French fries, though, like this Bolivian dish (picture below) with sausage, fries, tomato, and hard-boiled egg. Delicious. 

 YUM!

Tara is a great writer, a foodie, and a world traveler. You can find her on her website, on Twitter: @TaraDairman or on Facebook.

Congrats to Tara for all she's accomplished. And there will be a Book 3, coming in spring 2016. I can't wait!

All the Other Kinds of Writing by Dianne K. Salerni

I think all aspiring writers imagine what it’s like when you finally publish a book:

Digging back into research
for a book I wrote 7 years ago.

deadlines for your editor, biting nails over your reviews, book signings, and etc. But I for one never realized just how much writing I’d have to do that wasn’t manuscript writing.

A lot of us have our own blogs, of course. Personally, I post twice a week at my own blog and once a month here at Project Mayhem. Occasionally I post for my agent’s blog.

Then there’s blog tours around the release of your book. Some authors create one release promo and send it out to everybody participating in the tour – or offer a choice of three. In my opinion, it’s a bit of a cheat to the bloggers and the blog readers when the exact same thing appears on 30 blogs. I’ve stopped accepting those on my personal blog, and I’m definitely not going to take that approach for my own blog tour. Anyone who's kind enough to host me is going to get an original post.

Interviews are easy. You answer the questions. Guest posts are trickier, especially if you’ve just publicly declared (ahem!) that you plan to make each one unique.

But that’s not all. My publicist pitched me and my book to Huffington Post, and they said they’d consider accepting an article on X topic. So, there’s an assigned article for me to write – and hope they like – and hope they post. It’s not guaranteed.

My agent recently asked for a 1 page synopsis on two different books, to be used in pitching for film and foreign rights. So don’t think you’re done with the dreaded synopsis after your querying days are over. I also didn’t realize I’d be the one to write sales announcements. They are harder than they look!

Last week, I wrote an 8-page synopsis of the second EIGHTH DAY book and a 5-page plan for the series story arc.  This weekend, my To-Do list includes: the proposed Huffington Post article, 2 posts for my own blog, this post for Project Mayhem, and two guest posts for THE CAGED GRAVES tour -- one on the inspiration for the story and one on mortsafes.

Then, on Friday night, the producer of the short film based on WE HEAR THE DEAD called me. The producer and director are working on a “series bible” – a proposal for a television series based on the film and the book. The producer wanted to know if I could compile a list of events in the Fox sisters’ lives that didn’t make it into my book, as well as every séance trick I can think of. So exciting! But since I wrote that novel in 2006, this is going to require digging back into my original research. 

I've been writing like a maniac all week and never touched any of my manuscripts. Who knew?

A Special Project, a Great Book

The Secret Underground

by Natalie Bahm

 

Goodreads Blurb:

Twelve-year-old Ally is the only witness to a bank robbery in her small town. Unable to block out the memory of the robbers, a notorious gang known as the Gauze Men, Ally joins her little brother and a bunch of neighborhood boys digging a hole in her backyard.

Only the hole isn't just a hole - it's a massive set of tunnels snaking beneath the neighborhood and heading for an abandoned steel mill. Ally is old enough to know the danger, but she reasons spending time with sixth-grade heartthrob Paul is more fun than sitting at home with her worries. And dangerous it is - none of the kids' parents realize the tunnels exist, but the Gauze Men might.

100% of proceeds from this book will be donated to help a baby boy named Jayden, and contribute toward his family's massive medical expenses. Jayden suffers from a combination of congenital problems including Hirschsprung's disease.

Natalie wrote this book to help Baby Jayden and his family, who have been through untold emotional and financial hardship since his birth. The proceeds for this incredible book will go to Jayden's parents. Wow. I am blown away by Natalie's compassion and generosity. I hope you will all buy a copy, spread the word, whatever you can . . .

GUEST POST:

When I was a kid reading aloud terrified me.  When I read to myself the words on the page made sense, but when I read aloud they got blurry and mixed up.  I stuttered and missed words and read very slowly to compensate.  When a teacher called on me to read in class I’d panic, sure that I would mess up and look silly. 

I was lucky enough to have teachers who realized I was a good reader (thanks to comprehension tests), but other students teased me. I never volunteered to read aloud, and tried to keep my eyes down during class reading times so I wouldn’t be asked to read.

It was bad.

When high school came I knew I needed to get over my fear. I practiced reading aloud to myself at home.  I tried to skim ahead when the class was reading something, so if I got called on I could recite bits from memory.

Then one day, I was in English and my teacher asked me to read a long poem to the class.  I read the entire thing without stumbling once.  I still remember the feeling of triumph in that moment.  I’d conquered my fear.

Two weeks ago, I finished recording the audiobook for The Secret Underground.  It was such an interesting experience.  I learned a ton about narration and recording.  I made all sorts of mistakes and spent HOURS fixing them.  Fifteen years ago I never would have imagined I could read a whole book aloud, much less a book that I’d written. I’m pretty sure middle-grade-me would be proud.

Natalie Bahm’s The Secret Underground will come out September 28^th with all profits going to the family of baby Jayden Huynh.  Jayden is a two-year-old with serious health problems. You can read more about the project here. The eBook version of The Secret Underground is available for preorder on Amazon and Apple/iTunes.  The print and audio versions will be available on release day at all major online booksellers.

Guest post with E.J. Patten and Critique Giveaway! Beards Rule! Return To Exile Blog Tour

Everyone, please give a warm welcome to guest blogger, E.J. Patten, author of the fantastic middle-grade novel RETURN TO EXILE! E.J. has given us a great post on beards (because facial hair is cool, though I prefer lamb chops myself)  and is also generously giving away one query critique or ten page manuscript critique to one lucky reader! Rules to enter at the bottom of the post. Now, take it away, E.J!!!

First off, a big thank you to Project Middle Grade Mayhem for inviting me (E.J. Patten) to contribute to this blog as part of the Return to Exile blog tour. Since this is my first post here, I want to discuss one of the biggest issues facing authors and publishers today. No, I’m not talking about the role of ebooks, Pottermore, or the DOJ lawsuit against Apple. I’m talking about beards.What is the proper amount of facial hair for an author? Is a lot too much? A little, not enough? Look at this guy:

His beard is, like, eleven feet long. Could he be an author? How about this woman?

Perhaps you recognize this early picture of Jane Austen? No? How about this young man, could he grow up to be an author?

He’s obviously cool enough: sunglasses on in school, blurry girl high-fiving him, and just look at how that geeky guy on the left worships him—see the jutting jaw, the sparkling eyes, the slightly parted mouth? This hairy guy is definitely writer material. He can also spell the letter “B,” which is a good start for any aspiring writer and leads to all kinds of words like “banana” and “balderdash” and “boom goes the dynamite”—important words, especially for middle grade writers.

Clearly, there’s a link between facial hair and genius. The reason for the link is equally as obvious: if the hairs are on your face, then they aren’t poking you in the brain!

Conclusion: author beards = good.

Now, enough about that subject, even though those pictures are pretty sweet.

This post isn’t about facial hair, or Teen Wolf, or Jane Austen’s early experiments with Rogaine. It isn’t about Return to Exile, either, even though this post is for my blog tour, and you should all buy one or two thousand copies for everyone you’ve ever met.

So what is this post about? Honestly, I have no idea. I was really just looking for an excuse to post those pictures.

Let’s say it’s about a writer’s voice, shall we—that indefinable something that agents and editors are always looking for, but can seldom explain before I grow bored and wander over to the hors d'oeuvres in search of crab cakes.

Let me give you a few examples of voice:

1. Basic sentence: The hungry man stood on the field looking down at a flock of geese.
2. Horror: The hungry geese flew over the field, looking down at the lone man.
3. Overdone Literary: The man stalked fallen bits of forgotten troves across the fields—bags of flesh and garlic, whistling winds, bottled, and sacks filled with fading corpulence. I found a way beside him, a way of cloth and tin and broken black cloves, peppercorn, and anise. I walked without moving, dragging decaying oleander and an iron carapace of my own making that stretched out around me, but offered no protection. Behind me, I trail; in front, I walk. Me of me, a million billion miles long, from dirty ridges, I fall to the waiting geese, who pluck and devour my bones.
4. Hemingway Literary: The man watched the geese.
5. Shakespeare: Forsooth! The geese a play do make of man. To spy, to see, to eat with one accord, and thereby impugn no false intent. Oh wretched beast! Oh fowl delight! Depart, and by my mouth return to earth!
6. Middle-grade: “Don’t miss or we’ll eat you for dinner,” said the man as he looked over the flock of geese nesting in the nearby junipers. The boy beside him exhaled slowly, knowing the threat was said in jest, and at the same time, knowing it wasn’t. The boy squeezed the trigger and the gun bucked, knocking him backward into a ditch. He scrambled to his feet and the man jerked the gun from his hands. “It’s a good thing you’re an orphan, Boy,” said the man, licking his lips, “no one will miss you when you’re gone.” And then the boy did magic, and everything got really cool and better.

Anyway, you get the idea. Voice is about saying the same thing in different ways. When people say, “find your voice as an author,” I have no idea what they’re talking about. I’m an author. That means I’m inherently deranged. My head is full of voices and I pick the one I need in the moment. In fact, right now, a voice in my head is telling me that this post is stretching on and growing rather boring. At the same time, another voice is telling me to burn things, and still another is asking if there are any pudding tarts left. Since I haven’t had pudding tarts in years, I’m going to assume the answer is “I hope not.” If you’re looking for a challenge, pick a few genres from the following list and rewrite the sentence below using a different voice each time.

Sentence: The sad woman lost her hat soon after the child appeared.

Genres:

1. Return to Exile (It’s my blog tour, I can do what I want!)
2. Middle-grade
3. Fantasy
4. Sci-fi
5. Mystery
6. Thriller
7. Romance
8. Horror
9. YA
10. Any of the above + funny
11. Something else

Leave your rewritten versions and crazy voices in the comments for all to enjoy, along with your favorite beard picture (can you leave pictures in comments? I have no idea. Leave a link, maybe?). And buy my book, Return to Exile, Book 1 in The Hunter Chronicles, by me, E.J. Patten. Seriously. It’s cooler than Teen Wolf.

You can visit the other stops on the Return to Exile blog tour, and find cool giveaways including books and Hunter’s Bracelets (from the book) by visiting the blog tour calendar.

Happy writing!

Click here to read fellow Team Member, Michael Winchell's review of Return to Exile!

To enter the critique giveaway from EJ:

1. Please follow Project Mayhem if you don't already
2. Leave a comment on beards, Return to Exile, or pudding tarts! (Really, just say something nice to E.J.!)
3. Share the love, this is optional, but always appreciated! ;)