Philippa Dowding's Blog, page 9

BLOG TOUR WEEK!

This week is BLOG TOUR week for my forthcoming title, Everton Miles is Stranger than Me, which lands in stores on Oct. 15 (book launch, Oct. 22, Yonge/Eglinton Indigo).

All week, I'll be talking about the book on different blogs, answering fantastic questions from great bloggers, and trying to get the word out.

One of my favourite questions was from blogger Helen Kubiw: what's the nature of forgiveness and mercy in the story?

Had to think about that one!

Another great question from blogger Michelle at FabbityFab: how do you create a mythical fallen angel like Abilith the Rogue?

That one took a while to answer, too (and included a list of books I re-read and shows I watched, from Milton's Paradise Lost to Star Trek's Enterprise franchise, for the early Vulcans.)

Here's the complete blog tour schedule, hope you'll join us: http://phdowding.blogspot.ca/2016/10/...

BOOK LAUNCH, Everton Miles is Stranger than Me

It's BOOK LAUNCH time, and naturally, my book friends are all invited. Hope you can make it!

Book: Everton Miles is Stranger than Me
Everton Miles Is Stranger Than Me: The Night Flyer's Handbook
Where: Yonge/Eglinton Indigo (Toronto)
When: Saturday, October 22
Time: 12 pm -3 pm (author reads at 1 pm)

Join me for the coffee, cookies and magic realism!

Here's a longer blog post about the launch: http://phdowding.blogspot.ca/2016/10/...

One new book, 2 new graduates, an empty nest ... hello September 2016

September always hits me hard. It's a wall of change, a breaking sea of transition... call it what you will, I know I'm not alone in the gentle melancholy that descends on me after Labour Day.

I've published my 7th book this summer, which was amazing. My kids graduated from high school and university, we removed an ancient carpet, we went sailing, plus a lot more ...

...but for me this year, and for the first time ever, both my children are out of the house at least until Thanksgiving. Today, my husband, a college teacher, is back at work for another year.

He and I have had the house completely to ourselves for a week now, and it's really hitting home. This place is QUIET, way too TIDY, and the dog is NOT a child replacement (except he kind of a little bit is).

The hardest part, or one of them, is figuring out what to cook. The leftovers are ridiculous! Cutting back from 4 people to 3 wasn't as hard as from 3 to 2 ...

Anyway, this has definitely been a summer of transition. But not all bad. I spent this morning writing a longer post on my other blog and realized, HEY, I have NO REASON to feel blue. The summer was fantastic, change is good, wear sunglasses as long as you need to!

Here's the blog post, a very personal one (rare for me), in which I take stock of the summer that was. Hope it inspires you to do the same:

http://phdowding.blogspot.ca/2016/09/...

Dowding offers a charming sequel ...

"Dowding offers a charming sequel ... a page-turner that is funny, magical and entertaining."--Kirkus Reviews, July/2016



Well, that's a wonderful first review for my next book, Everton Miles is Stranger than Me, the sequel to The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden, which was shortlisted for the OLA Red Maple award, in 2015.

Thank you, KirkusReviews! It's always a bit nerve-wracking waiting for your first review of a new book. The word "tenterhooks" comes to mind! (A kind of sharp nail, used to attach cloth to tenters, according to Merriam Webster.)

Together, the books are called The Night Flyer's Handbook Series.

If you'd like to read the entire review, here's the link: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

And here's a link to my longer blog post about the series: http://phdowding.blogspot.ca/2016/08/...

Everton Miles is Stranger than Me is forthcoming from Dundurn Press, October 2016.

Win a copy of Carter and the Curious Maze

"This original take on time-travel historical fantasy is a sure bet for young scary-story enthusiasts" KirkusReviews, July 2016

In the infinite Hall of Mirrors game here on Goodreads ... there are 10 copies of my forthcoming title, Carter and the Curious Maze to be won in a Giveaway!

Here's the link to the Goodreads Giveaway:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Good luck.

Here's the booktrailer for a peek at the "engagingly eerie illustrations" by Shawna Daigle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pauvF...

It added a curious historical overlay to the fair...

"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/...

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY, Everton Miles is Stranger than Me

"Do we all think we're being chased by deadly entities, I wonder? Probaby, but how many of us actually are?"

It's Giveaway time for my forthcoming sequel, Everton Miles is Stranger than Me. This is the sequel to my Red Maple 2015 shortlisted title, The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden.

If you like fantasy, magic realism, YA novels about angst-ridden teenagers trying to figure out life ... or if you like fallen angels, doomed father figures, redemption, enormous 800-page medieval, illustrated handbooks ... this might just be the book for you!

Here's the Goodreads Giveaway link: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Contest is open to U.S. and Canadian readers, and closes July 1/2016. Good luck!

A sure bet for scary story enthusiasts

"By turns scared, angry, and in denial, likable Carter grounds the well-plotted story. The maze is no tired narrative time-machine device; like Mr. Green, it has a spooky agenda of its own. Otherworldly illustrations, drawn with hallucinatory clarity, complement the text, enhancing the mysteries...

This original take on time-travel historical fantasy is a sure bet for young scary-story enthusiasts. (historical note) (Fantasy. 9-12)" --KirkusReviews, June 2016

Wow, what a fantastic review for Carter and the Curious Maze, my new title in the Weird Stories Gone Wrong series for middle grade readers. Thanks KirkusReviews!

Here's the full review on Kirkus, if you'd like to read it: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

And here's the Goodreads page for the book (also doing pretty well there!): Carter and the Curious Maze

Finally, please enjoy the book trailer for a peek at those "otherworldly illustrations" by Shawna Daigle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pauvF...

Highly Recommended, 4 stars in CM Magazine

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!

The fine art of Book Trailers, lingering giants and BUGNADO!

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...