Michael Diack's Blog, page 7
October 25, 2012
Competition winners
The competition was a great success with lots of entries and everyone coming up with some great personality suggestions. New possible flavours suggested were: whiskey flavour, vodka flavour (people like alcohol in their crisps, it seems), cinnamon roll flavour, blue cheese and crackers, jam and cream. *Drumroll time* the winning flavour is - Italian Meatball, with a stereotypical mobster type personality. This flavour will be led by 'The Spudfather' and I'm already looking forward to introducing this character into the story. Congratulations to Rakesh for thinking of this new flavour!
There were some awesome sketches and illustrations sent in as well, with people showing off their great computer drawing skills. The winner is John Sneddon, so congratulations and a $30 Amazon Kindle gift card is on its way!
I'm going to write a post next month to all new writers with advice and tips about marketing, I'm hoping it will be a great help.
There were some awesome sketches and illustrations sent in as well, with people showing off their great computer drawing skills. The winner is John Sneddon, so congratulations and a $30 Amazon Kindle gift card is on its way!
I'm going to write a post next month to all new writers with advice and tips about marketing, I'm hoping it will be a great help.
October 18, 2012
Two amazing competitions on now!
Drawing Competition:
Draw a Super Spud
If you fancy a chance to win a $30 Amazon Kindle gift card prize and a signed copy of The Super Spud Trilogy, then all you have to do is enter this drawing competition. The task: draw a Super Spud!
A Super Spud is a magical crisp packet with arms, legs and facial features. Each flavour has a different coloured package and the flavour name is included on the packet. You can choose to draw any flavour from the book, examples include: steak and spinach, salt and vinegar, ready salted, strawberry and cream, lemon and vanilla, blueberry and menthol mint - or perhaps a new flavour of your own!
Literary Competition: New flavour suggestion
Prizes: 1) a signed copy of The Super Spud Trilogy
2) The winning flavour personality will be included as a CAMEO in the next Super Spud book!
As you know, the personality of the Super Spud is determined by their flavour. For this competition, I'm looking for a new flavour suggestion and what their associated personality would be. The flavour can be anything but the personality must have some logical link back to the chemical properties/name of that flavour. For example, in the stories steak and spinach flavour are high iron foods so the Super Spud is strong and tough, while tuna is known to have healthy omega-3 'brainfood' so these Super Spuds become very smart.
These are the flavours already used (that I can remember): ready salted, salt and vinegar, lemon and vanilla, strawberry and cream, steak and spinach, garlic, blueberry, blackcurrant, menthol mint, Caesar salad, pizza margherita, smokey bacon and spinach, king crab, king prawn, green peas.
How to enter:
This competition is hosted in collaboration with super awesome blogger Katherine on her blog:
http://beyondthehourglassbridge.blogs...
So just head over there to enter!
This competition will close 22nd October.
If you fancy a chance to win a $30 Amazon Kindle gift card prize and a signed copy of The Super Spud Trilogy, then all you have to do is enter this drawing competition. The task: draw a Super Spud!
A Super Spud is a magical crisp packet with arms, legs and facial features. Each flavour has a different coloured package and the flavour name is included on the packet. You can choose to draw any flavour from the book, examples include: steak and spinach, salt and vinegar, ready salted, strawberry and cream, lemon and vanilla, blueberry and menthol mint - or perhaps a new flavour of your own!
Literary Competition: New flavour suggestion
Prizes: 1) a signed copy of The Super Spud Trilogy
2) The winning flavour personality will be included as a CAMEO in the next Super Spud book!
As you know, the personality of the Super Spud is determined by their flavour. For this competition, I'm looking for a new flavour suggestion and what their associated personality would be. The flavour can be anything but the personality must have some logical link back to the chemical properties/name of that flavour. For example, in the stories steak and spinach flavour are high iron foods so the Super Spud is strong and tough, while tuna is known to have healthy omega-3 'brainfood' so these Super Spuds become very smart.
These are the flavours already used (that I can remember): ready salted, salt and vinegar, lemon and vanilla, strawberry and cream, steak and spinach, garlic, blueberry, blackcurrant, menthol mint, Caesar salad, pizza margherita, smokey bacon and spinach, king crab, king prawn, green peas.
How to enter:
This competition is hosted in collaboration with super awesome blogger Katherine on her blog:
http://beyondthehourglassbridge.blogs...
So just head over there to enter!
This competition will close 22nd October.
October 13, 2012
Competitions coming this week!
I'm very excited to announce that there will be two competitions launching this week both with great prizes.
For the artists out there, whoever draws the best Super Spud will get a chance to win a $30 Amazon Kindle gift card voucher and a signed copy of The Super Spud Trilogy.
For all aspiring writers, think of a new Super Spud flavour and associated personality for a chance to win a signed copy of The Super Spud Trilogy, a critique of your work and have your flavour creation included in The Super Spuds: Book 4 due out later this year.
This competition will be hosted via Katherine's blog: http://beyondthehourglassbridge.blogspot.com.au/
There will be full entrance details once the competition is live - watch this space!
For the artists out there, whoever draws the best Super Spud will get a chance to win a $30 Amazon Kindle gift card voucher and a signed copy of The Super Spud Trilogy.
For all aspiring writers, think of a new Super Spud flavour and associated personality for a chance to win a signed copy of The Super Spud Trilogy, a critique of your work and have your flavour creation included in The Super Spuds: Book 4 due out later this year.
This competition will be hosted via Katherine's blog: http://beyondthehourglassbridge.blogspot.com.au/
There will be full entrance details once the competition is live - watch this space!
October 1, 2012
The Unknown Man
Something a bit different from the Super Spuds today. I wrote this little story yesterday based on a hitch-hiker I saw one day in the desert.
The Unknown Man
Hour after hour, he waited in the sun - a lone figure by the edge of the endless blacktop. His black veil sheltered his face from the unforgiving desert sun, but there was no escape from the rising temperature: A relentless 40 degrees by 9 a.m., which quickly drained his vital bodily fluids and moral. Kneeling, the man stared intently at the road, watching – praying – for a car to come to his aid. After one hour, a car approached, its outline punching through the shimmering heat radiating off the tarmac, and the man stood up and stuck out his hand. The car did not stop. The man kept his faith and resumed kneeling, turning his body to keep the sun on his back and the wind on his face. He had no water with him, and there was no water within a hundred miles. At noon, the wind ceased to blow and the punishing heat began to take effect. His lips started to crack, his mouth stopped producing saliva and his head was like a drum pounding to the beat of a slow rhythm.
He strained his eyes to scope the surrounding area for shade, but only the unwelcoming sight of flat gravel plains rewarded his effort. There was no vegetation in this particular location: the environment only existed to take away life, not sustain it. It was at this moment the man began to realize that he may not survive for much longer. The heat would take his body and the desert would take his soul. When the next car came – if one came at all – he would walk into the road and force the car to stop, rather than rely on the generosity of a travelling stranger. The man reflected on what the mind of the driver who failed to stop was thinking. If I were the driver, would I have stopped? The man smiled to himself, he would have done the same and kept on driving, it was easier – and safer – to assume the next car along would stop and help. Leave it for someone else.
As the sun began to set, its brightness dimmed enough to allow the man to stare at it. It would be beautiful, the man thought, if it was not for the fact it was going to rise tomorrow and condemn him to his death. The sun seemed to laugh at him as it disappeared below the horizon, resolute in its confidence as the ultimate giver – and taker – of life on Earth. The wind continued to blow, pushing the sand grains against their will onwards and away. The man stretched his legs out and drifted in and out of sleep – the severe dehydration taking its toll on the strength of his body. It was now midnight, the unbearable heat of the day now long gone. The ground gave up its warmth and the empty space consumed it greedily. The contrast between day and night in the desert was stark and cruel in its conflicting nature. The man almost wished for the sun to come back soon and warm his body again. He knew once it did though – and it would – he would be wishing for the cold again. The dark of the night only confirmed his loneliness: there were no car lights approaching and only the stars kept him company tonight.
International giveaway ends tomorrow so be sure to check out Goodreads to enter!
The Unknown Man
Hour after hour, he waited in the sun - a lone figure by the edge of the endless blacktop. His black veil sheltered his face from the unforgiving desert sun, but there was no escape from the rising temperature: A relentless 40 degrees by 9 a.m., which quickly drained his vital bodily fluids and moral. Kneeling, the man stared intently at the road, watching – praying – for a car to come to his aid. After one hour, a car approached, its outline punching through the shimmering heat radiating off the tarmac, and the man stood up and stuck out his hand. The car did not stop. The man kept his faith and resumed kneeling, turning his body to keep the sun on his back and the wind on his face. He had no water with him, and there was no water within a hundred miles. At noon, the wind ceased to blow and the punishing heat began to take effect. His lips started to crack, his mouth stopped producing saliva and his head was like a drum pounding to the beat of a slow rhythm.
He strained his eyes to scope the surrounding area for shade, but only the unwelcoming sight of flat gravel plains rewarded his effort. There was no vegetation in this particular location: the environment only existed to take away life, not sustain it. It was at this moment the man began to realize that he may not survive for much longer. The heat would take his body and the desert would take his soul. When the next car came – if one came at all – he would walk into the road and force the car to stop, rather than rely on the generosity of a travelling stranger. The man reflected on what the mind of the driver who failed to stop was thinking. If I were the driver, would I have stopped? The man smiled to himself, he would have done the same and kept on driving, it was easier – and safer – to assume the next car along would stop and help. Leave it for someone else.
As the sun began to set, its brightness dimmed enough to allow the man to stare at it. It would be beautiful, the man thought, if it was not for the fact it was going to rise tomorrow and condemn him to his death. The sun seemed to laugh at him as it disappeared below the horizon, resolute in its confidence as the ultimate giver – and taker – of life on Earth. The wind continued to blow, pushing the sand grains against their will onwards and away. The man stretched his legs out and drifted in and out of sleep – the severe dehydration taking its toll on the strength of his body. It was now midnight, the unbearable heat of the day now long gone. The ground gave up its warmth and the empty space consumed it greedily. The contrast between day and night in the desert was stark and cruel in its conflicting nature. The man almost wished for the sun to come back soon and warm his body again. He knew once it did though – and it would – he would be wishing for the cold again. The dark of the night only confirmed his loneliness: there were no car lights approaching and only the stars kept him company tonight.
International giveaway ends tomorrow so be sure to check out Goodreads to enter!
September 22, 2012
Super Spuds: The App
I thought I’d spend my work hours planning a possible story sequence for a Super Spud app. All the apps I download and play always seem to have the same format: you earn coins so you can slowly upgrade and you spend hours of your life doing the same thing over and over just to unlock more things. This is what happened to me with apps like Temple Run - simple but very addictive! I guess a Super Spud app would work the same way, you’d be in control of a Super Spud and you’d walk around the rubbish tip city earning money. This money could come from either finding it, or earning it through competing in sports games or accumulating prestigious medals. For example, earning a Medal of Bravery for performing a heroic act like saving a Super Spud from an invading seagull would earn you ten gold coins. You could then trade in your money to buy new houses, weapons, clothes, or even the postage so you can fly away on holiday and visit another city. The more medals you accumulate would also allow you to enter certain zones within the city, like the army base, adventure playground, or the royal castle. I’d want the game to be as fun and entertaining as possible, so there would be lots of dialogue and interacting with other Super Spuds, with multiple choice dialogue options so you choose the storyline. If the Super Spud you were controlling died, by having their package rupture or being spotted by a human, you’d still keep your total money earned but you’d choose another flavour type (or the same one) and come back, probably forfeiting some of your gold coins. The longer you survived, the more money you’d earn as a bonus.
Beginning: Choose your flavour type!
The first screen would have a range of flavour types to pick from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There are a lot of flavour types in the book, so I’d probably only give you access to five types to pick from initially, then you can unlock more with coins and medals earned during the game. For example:
1. Steak and spinach – (+) very strong, very courageous. (-) eager to be a hero, quick to die, no sense of humour.
On first glance this flavour would be a good type to choose – they are strong and fearless. The problem would be they’d have an overwhelming urge to be a hero and it’s likely you’d end up dying and losing some of your money. It would also be hard to interact with other Super Spuds as all a steak and spinach cares about is working out in the gym and being a hero.
2. Menthol mint – (+) sociable, sometimes heroic. (-) crazy, no dress sense, oblivious to danger.
This flavour would be sociable and easy to interact with other Super Spuds around the city. They are harmless but slightly crazy with no real fashion sense. They would be vulnerable to danger as they are too crazy to understand any threat and would easily run into a thorn bush without thinking. However, their added sociability would allow you to interact with Super Spuds who previously wouldn’t talk to you when you were a steak and spinach flavour.
Other flavours would include blueberry (cool, trendy), salt and vinegar (arrogant) and strawberry and cream (smooth talking, safety first).
Once you chose your flavour, you’d enter your character name and then if you died, you’d always come back as that character but you could swap flavour types and personalities. It would be the different personalities and attributes that allow you to progress in the game i.e. you’d have to play as all five flavour types to complete the first adventure and unlock more adventures and flavour types.
Playing the Game
After you’ve chosen a flavour type and entered your name, it would be pretty much a free roaming game. You could walk around the city, chatting with other Super Spuds, entering bars, clubs and houses to search for money and partake in mini-quests. You could go to the local racetrack and drive for money, or compete in the Olympics. There would always be a threat from sharp objects, evil Super Spuds, animals and humans. Hiding from humans and animals would be a key part of the app. There would be a larger overall quest, such as saving the city from attacking evil Super Spuds or rescuing the royal family. The more money and medals you earn, the more prestige you earn and your fame as a Super Spud would increase around the world. I’d also include an evil option on the home screen, where you can choose to play as either good or evil.
This would be the basic outline of the app. Let me know your thoughts!
The book blog tour is going well, thanks to Stormi at lightning book promotions for organizing it. Also, please check out my friend Katherine’s blog hop (link on the top right) to meet some cool bloggers to interact with.
http://lightningbookpromotions.com/
Thanks!
Beginning: Choose your flavour type!
The first screen would have a range of flavour types to pick from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There are a lot of flavour types in the book, so I’d probably only give you access to five types to pick from initially, then you can unlock more with coins and medals earned during the game. For example:
1. Steak and spinach – (+) very strong, very courageous. (-) eager to be a hero, quick to die, no sense of humour.
On first glance this flavour would be a good type to choose – they are strong and fearless. The problem would be they’d have an overwhelming urge to be a hero and it’s likely you’d end up dying and losing some of your money. It would also be hard to interact with other Super Spuds as all a steak and spinach cares about is working out in the gym and being a hero.
2. Menthol mint – (+) sociable, sometimes heroic. (-) crazy, no dress sense, oblivious to danger.
This flavour would be sociable and easy to interact with other Super Spuds around the city. They are harmless but slightly crazy with no real fashion sense. They would be vulnerable to danger as they are too crazy to understand any threat and would easily run into a thorn bush without thinking. However, their added sociability would allow you to interact with Super Spuds who previously wouldn’t talk to you when you were a steak and spinach flavour.
Other flavours would include blueberry (cool, trendy), salt and vinegar (arrogant) and strawberry and cream (smooth talking, safety first).
Once you chose your flavour, you’d enter your character name and then if you died, you’d always come back as that character but you could swap flavour types and personalities. It would be the different personalities and attributes that allow you to progress in the game i.e. you’d have to play as all five flavour types to complete the first adventure and unlock more adventures and flavour types.
Playing the Game
After you’ve chosen a flavour type and entered your name, it would be pretty much a free roaming game. You could walk around the city, chatting with other Super Spuds, entering bars, clubs and houses to search for money and partake in mini-quests. You could go to the local racetrack and drive for money, or compete in the Olympics. There would always be a threat from sharp objects, evil Super Spuds, animals and humans. Hiding from humans and animals would be a key part of the app. There would be a larger overall quest, such as saving the city from attacking evil Super Spuds or rescuing the royal family. The more money and medals you earn, the more prestige you earn and your fame as a Super Spud would increase around the world. I’d also include an evil option on the home screen, where you can choose to play as either good or evil.
This would be the basic outline of the app. Let me know your thoughts!
The book blog tour is going well, thanks to Stormi at lightning book promotions for organizing it. Also, please check out my friend Katherine’s blog hop (link on the top right) to meet some cool bloggers to interact with.
http://lightningbookpromotions.com/
Thanks!
September 20, 2012
Blog tour begins today!
Hello everyone,
Over the next ten days the Super Spuds are going to be cropping up over various blogs. The tour starts with Marcie and her blog 2readornot2read, featuring an excerpt: http://www.2readornot2read.com/
There will be reviews, interviews and more excerpts coming up. Also, editing will start today for Book 4 - Over Land and Sea. I'm looking forward to the process and working with my editor again. I'll be revealing the cover in the next month or so!
There will be a drawing competition coming very soon, so I thought I'd have a go at drawing a Super Spud so people get the general idea. Below is a steak and spinach flavour with his strong arms and legs, holding a pencil for defence against those pesky seagulls! Only the steak and spinach flavours have strong arms and legs though, all the other flavours would have thinner arms and legs. Colour is up to you, but the flavour type must be written on the package. If you think you can do better than my feeble attempt, stay tuned to enter once the competition is up for a chance to win a $30 Amazon Kindle gift card.
Over the next ten days the Super Spuds are going to be cropping up over various blogs. The tour starts with Marcie and her blog 2readornot2read, featuring an excerpt: http://www.2readornot2read.com/
There will be reviews, interviews and more excerpts coming up. Also, editing will start today for Book 4 - Over Land and Sea. I'm looking forward to the process and working with my editor again. I'll be revealing the cover in the next month or so!
There will be a drawing competition coming very soon, so I thought I'd have a go at drawing a Super Spud so people get the general idea. Below is a steak and spinach flavour with his strong arms and legs, holding a pencil for defence against those pesky seagulls! Only the steak and spinach flavours have strong arms and legs though, all the other flavours would have thinner arms and legs. Colour is up to you, but the flavour type must be written on the package. If you think you can do better than my feeble attempt, stay tuned to enter once the competition is up for a chance to win a $30 Amazon Kindle gift card.
September 12, 2012
Self-critique
I’m very grateful to all the bloggers I have contacted for their honest reviews. Everyone has been very professional and their passion for books and their blog sites is very admirable. I’d also like to thank the people who have won a copy of my book through a giveaway for reviewing it as well. Just as a warning, this self-critique contains some spoilers about what happens in The Super Spud Trilogy.
Negatives :(I need to work on character development. I always planned to have many characters in the book, and due to their vulnerable nature, some of them couldn’t last long. I couldn’t make them seem invincible when the magic rules are so strict. However, I should have realized that even with a book like mine, readers like to feel attached to a character so I probably should have kept Colin alive longer and focused a bit more on dialogue. Colin's adventure probably is too short and I should have taken some chapters from Cougar's adventure. Book four certainly addresses this issue and sees core characters which feature throughout the book. Readers have also said they had trouble keeping up with the number of characters. Paperback readers have commented that the obituary was helpful, but e-readers don’t have this ease of access to quickly flip back and forth. So I do emphasize with any readers who may have had trouble.Level of violence. In hindsight, I probably should have toned down the level of violence. Although a lot of it is comic in nature, the use of thumbtacks, hedgehogs etc… I probably didn’t need to be so gory in my descriptions. I didn’t want this to be a kid’s book, however, due to the references, cynical humour and my general style of writing. I also wanted to make the evil Super Spuds as evil as possible, as evil is a strong word, so they had to be super mean. I don’t think a writer should ever force themselves to write something that is not their natural style, but then again, it might be fun to go back and re-write it – or re-edit, at least – for children. By this I mean no violence, more fun and a stronger sense of good morality (take out the gambling, killing humans, blowing things up…). The cover. I actually liked the cover, with its creased appearance and the ‘guideline amount’ reference to Walker’s crisp packets in the bottom left. Some people have commented it is too simple and looks like a kid’s book, which may deter potential readers. Ideally, I’d have liked an illustrated Super Spud to be on the front but I was happy with the design and I have no regrets. I thought my cover designer did a great job and I’ll see what I can do for the next book.Some people have commentated that the book is too predictable in places, which I agree with in parts. Sometimes it was deliberately predictable, but others parts I could have worked on more. For example, recruiting and using the generals to save the day most of the time. But, I also had feedback that a reader never knows what is coming next, like a falling satellite blowing up a postal train. I’ve tried to create my plots more diverse and unpredictable for book four, so we’ll see.Right, that’s enough dissing my own book for one day! My marketing manager will probably give me a slap on the wrist. The reader is the number one priority though, not me, and I’ll always welcome any feedback to enable me to create a better and more enjoyable story for my audience. Overall though the feedback has been positive, with many great four and five star reviews and it's very rewarding knowing someone has read and enjoyed your work.
Also, I will have another international giveaway on Goodreads from September 15thto October 3rd, so please feel free to enter for a chance to win. Coming very soon I will also be hosting two competitions, one for the best drawn Super Spud and one for best new flavour idea. There will be great prizes for both competitions.
August 20, 2012
The Super Spud Super Blog Tour
Hi all,
I have a fantastic book blog tour coming up between the dates of 21st to 30th September 2012. These blogs below are going to be featuring reviews of The Super Spud Trilogy, interview questions, extracts and a guest post I have written. I'm looking forward to it and many thanks to Stormi at Lightning Book Promotions.
Sept.
21st Marcie @ To Read or Not To Read (review)
22nd Gina @ Gina’s Library (guest post)
23rd Andrea @ Andi’s Young Adult Books (review)
23rd Chaye @ The Book Reaper (review)
24th Delphina @ Delphina Reads Too Much (guest post)
24th Melissa @ There for You (excerpt)
25th Allizabeth @ The Paperback Pursuer (review)
26th Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my! (review)
27th Ruth @ My Devotional Thought (review)
28th Lauren @ A Little Bit of R &R (interview)
29th Phaedra @ Identity Discovery (review)
30th Joy @ Joie de Lire (review)
30th Mariam @ Book-a-holic
http://lightningbookpromotions.com
I have a fantastic book blog tour coming up between the dates of 21st to 30th September 2012. These blogs below are going to be featuring reviews of The Super Spud Trilogy, interview questions, extracts and a guest post I have written. I'm looking forward to it and many thanks to Stormi at Lightning Book Promotions.
Sept.
21st Marcie @ To Read or Not To Read (review)
22nd Gina @ Gina’s Library (guest post)
23rd Andrea @ Andi’s Young Adult Books (review)
23rd Chaye @ The Book Reaper (review)
24th Delphina @ Delphina Reads Too Much (guest post)
24th Melissa @ There for You (excerpt)
25th Allizabeth @ The Paperback Pursuer (review)
26th Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my! (review)
27th Ruth @ My Devotional Thought (review)
28th Lauren @ A Little Bit of R &R (interview)
29th Phaedra @ Identity Discovery (review)
30th Joy @ Joie de Lire (review)
30th Mariam @ Book-a-holic
http://lightningbookpromotions.com
July 17, 2012
The Super Spuds: Book 4
Happy summer holidays everybody!
I’ve been busy the last six weeks writing another set of Super Spud adventures and now they are finished (it still needs editing, though). This new adventure revolves primarily around four Super Spuds: King Martin, G-Boa, Kate and General Nectarine.
The evil Super Spuds have all disappeared and life is great for the rest of the Super Spud world. Their technology is advancing rapidly and their cities are safer than ever, but everything changes after a mysterious fog enshrouds the city of Mt Pleasant and its inhabitants disappear. A new threat faces the Super Spuds and the only way to stop it is for King Martin to enlist the help of the sea salt flavours and boldly go where he has never been before: the sea.
I had a lot of fun writing book four. I’ve learned a lot from the feedback from The Super Spud Trilogy, and although this new book is still packed full of wacky humour, there are less characters than in the first three books. I hope readers will enjoy it just as much – and hopefully more – as the three previous ones. The book starts out with King Martin journeying to China to rescue G-Boa. After that it sees them going to Mt Hollyspud in America, meeting the U.S. President and even flying aboard Air Spud One. New flavours in this book include the salmon flavours (very smart), mixed grill and spinach flavours, and cheeseburger flavours. I’ll be working on the book cover design and hopefully getting it animated; I’d love for someone to draw me some Super Spuds because I cannot draw to save my life…
I’ve got another international giveaway up on Goodreads so please feel free to enter for a chance to win a copy.
Thanks everyone and have a nice day!
I’ve been busy the last six weeks writing another set of Super Spud adventures and now they are finished (it still needs editing, though). This new adventure revolves primarily around four Super Spuds: King Martin, G-Boa, Kate and General Nectarine.
The evil Super Spuds have all disappeared and life is great for the rest of the Super Spud world. Their technology is advancing rapidly and their cities are safer than ever, but everything changes after a mysterious fog enshrouds the city of Mt Pleasant and its inhabitants disappear. A new threat faces the Super Spuds and the only way to stop it is for King Martin to enlist the help of the sea salt flavours and boldly go where he has never been before: the sea.
I had a lot of fun writing book four. I’ve learned a lot from the feedback from The Super Spud Trilogy, and although this new book is still packed full of wacky humour, there are less characters than in the first three books. I hope readers will enjoy it just as much – and hopefully more – as the three previous ones. The book starts out with King Martin journeying to China to rescue G-Boa. After that it sees them going to Mt Hollyspud in America, meeting the U.S. President and even flying aboard Air Spud One. New flavours in this book include the salmon flavours (very smart), mixed grill and spinach flavours, and cheeseburger flavours. I’ll be working on the book cover design and hopefully getting it animated; I’d love for someone to draw me some Super Spuds because I cannot draw to save my life…
I’ve got another international giveaway up on Goodreads so please feel free to enter for a chance to win a copy.
Thanks everyone and have a nice day!
June 19, 2012
First 5-Star review!
Hi all,
I had a great review by Shantria on Amazon:
5 STARS!!...... for creativity, originality, laugh-out-loud funniness, and pure, raw, awesome-ness! The Super Spud Trilogy is a book of 3 stories of genetically engineered potato crisps that take on a life of their own when not eaten by their expiration date. They have different personalities depending on the flavor of potato crisps. There are over a hundred adventurous and interesting characters in the story, though most of them experience a sudden or gruesome death at unexpected moments during their wild endeavors. If you refer to the obituary in the back, of the Super Spuds who lost their life in the making of this story, it helps to keep track of the characters and all of the fatalities that occur throughout their adventures.
This is a quick read, with constant humour, dialogue, and action- unpredictable, with twisting plots. I read a large a part of this novel at work during my breaks, and I found myself laughing out loud and then having to look around and make sure that no one was watching me. I was totally surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel, nothing like anything I have ever read. I would also recommend it to older kids or teens. I would love to see this novel as an animated film for adults and children, with a little tweaking to downplay the violence. Over here.... Disney Pixar!!! Or maybe even a late night animated sitcom. Move over "Family Guy"!!! Michael Diack slam dunks it with this debut novel. Looking forward to reading the second novel. Get on with it, Michael!
I'll be posting more giveaways on Goodreads in the next few months, and I'm currently 1/6th of the way through the second set of adventures of the Super Spuds. This new story sees the Super Spuds travel to America, China and an epic sail across the Atlantic. Familiar characters will return, as well as some you thought died, and, of course, it will have the same wacky humour! Have a great summer everyone and I hope the weather is good wherever you are!
I had a great review by Shantria on Amazon:
5 STARS!!...... for creativity, originality, laugh-out-loud funniness, and pure, raw, awesome-ness! The Super Spud Trilogy is a book of 3 stories of genetically engineered potato crisps that take on a life of their own when not eaten by their expiration date. They have different personalities depending on the flavor of potato crisps. There are over a hundred adventurous and interesting characters in the story, though most of them experience a sudden or gruesome death at unexpected moments during their wild endeavors. If you refer to the obituary in the back, of the Super Spuds who lost their life in the making of this story, it helps to keep track of the characters and all of the fatalities that occur throughout their adventures.
This is a quick read, with constant humour, dialogue, and action- unpredictable, with twisting plots. I read a large a part of this novel at work during my breaks, and I found myself laughing out loud and then having to look around and make sure that no one was watching me. I was totally surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel, nothing like anything I have ever read. I would also recommend it to older kids or teens. I would love to see this novel as an animated film for adults and children, with a little tweaking to downplay the violence. Over here.... Disney Pixar!!! Or maybe even a late night animated sitcom. Move over "Family Guy"!!! Michael Diack slam dunks it with this debut novel. Looking forward to reading the second novel. Get on with it, Michael!
I'll be posting more giveaways on Goodreads in the next few months, and I'm currently 1/6th of the way through the second set of adventures of the Super Spuds. This new story sees the Super Spuds travel to America, China and an epic sail across the Atlantic. Familiar characters will return, as well as some you thought died, and, of course, it will have the same wacky humour! Have a great summer everyone and I hope the weather is good wherever you are!
