Philippa Dowding's Blog - Posts Tagged "creepy"

Beware the leafy girl ... hide from the wounded soldier .... and what's a FREAK SHOW doing there?

What could be creepier than a fair?

Tee-hee! Find out more about my forthcoming novel, Carter and the Curious Maze (Dundurn, Aug 2016), watch the new book trailer here: https://www.goodreads.com/videos/9804...

That's me playing the spooky soundtrack. Enjoy.

ARCs are available now from Dundurn Press.
Here's more about the book on my other blog: http://phdowding.blogspot.ca/2016/01/...

"In classic ghost story tradition, an exquisite tension builds...this book is a delicious, spine-tingling treat for midde grade readers. Every scary page makes it imperative to keep reading ..." --Canadian Children's Book News, Spring 2016

What a fantastic review from CCBC, thank you so much. This book is a weird little mind-bender for sure, and was just nominated for a Hackmatack Reader's Choice Award, 2016-2017. It's been compared to Goosebumps by KirkusReviews, and to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by others. Here's to weird, scary and fascinating tales, and monsters, because hey, we've all got lingering monsters right? I see you, Myles ....

Here are a few more reviews:

ALA Booklist: http://www.booklistonline.com/Myles-a...

Canadian Teacher Magazine:
http://www.canadianteachermagazine.co...

And for fun, here's the book trailer (with me playing guitar!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oyVz...

I finally got around to finishing a proper book trailer for Jake and the Giant Hand, book one in the award-nominated Weird Stories Gone Wrong series (followed by Myles and the Monster Outside and Carter and the Curious Maze).

I love it! It's been a lot of fun putting these book trailers together, thanks to the wonders of Powerpoint (where I build them) and the talents of Shawna Daigle, the amazing illustrator for all three books.

For me, book trailers are just another tool in the marketing toolbox, and I try to make them short (60-90 seconds), highlight the book cover at the beginning and the end along with contact information on the last frame. I also add a musical score that fits the theme, and as a musician that makes it doubly fun (I've composed and created the guitar music for all my book trailers). Finally, I try to make them about six months before the release date, about the same time as the book goes out for review in ARC or E/ARC form. It gives reviewers one more place to check the message, feel and tone of the title.

I've done book trailers for books with illustrations and without, and the first is much easier, because you have an instant storyline with illustrations.

Do book trailers sell books? Perhaps, but more importantly, they're an enticing, warm bellying-up to the reader, a fun way to introduce yourself and your title.

Take a look at all three book trailers, and let me know what you think!

Jake and the Giant Hand Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYj_i...

Myles and the Monster Outside Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oyVz...

Carter and the Curious Maze Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pauvF...

For a different feel, here's the book trailer for my YA book, The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW5lI...

Carter and the Curious Maze: Weird Stories Gone Wrong

It's a strange day for me, a day of lasts and firsts. My daughter just finished her last day of her undergraduate degree, my son just finished his last day of high school ... and I just got my first ever 4-star review (their highest rating) from CM Magazine for my forthcoming book, Carter and the Curious Maze.

It's quite an accomplishment, considering I've had 6 other reviews from them, and while they've all been pretty good, the highest rating I've ever had before is 3.5 stars (for my first book, The Gargoyle in My Yard).

Thank you CM, for making today not only a day of lasts, but a day of firsts, too.

To read the review, and more about firsts and lasts, click to my other blog: http://phdowding.blogspot.ca/2016/06/...

Here's the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pauvF...

Happy reading!

"I was standing at the midway, with ice cream running down my arm, and noticed a small plaque next to the bandshell. It told of a 250-year-old trading fort that stood on that very spot! I'd never heard of a French trading post in my city ... the discovery added a curious historical overlay to the fair, and fired my imagination. I knew I wanted my next story to be set in a fairground."

So there you have it, the main reason I wrote my forthcoming title, Carter and the Curious Maze, was because of ice cream running down my arm, and a historical plaque! I still love fairs, and I hope you'll check out my new title which is set entirely in the creepy historical confines of a fair near you.

Here's the longer post on my other blog:
http://phdowding.blogspot.ca/2016/07/...