D.R. Martin's Blog, page 13

New Review on tHe crooKed WorD

Thanks to Becky McKinnon for her fine review of Johnny Graphic on tHe crooKed WorD blog. The review also appeared on Goodreads. Here are some highlights of what she had to say:

“There are great character interactions here. It’s wonderful to see a sibling relationship that is caring, where they would do anything to help and protect each other. It makes a nice change! That’s not the only great family relationship, either, but I don’t want to give spoilers!”

“Another big plus: the vocabulary is not ‘dumbed-down” for kids.’”

To read the whole review, just go here.

Johnny Graphic Reviewed on Reads 4 Tweens

Yesterday I heard from Amanda at Reads 4 Tweens that she had done a feature review of Johnny Graphic on her website. It’s a thorough, thoughtful overview of my story, and I’m really impressed by the attention she gave it and the detail she went into. Thanks, Amanda! Here are a couple of excerpts from her comments:

“This pulp adventure, with ghosts and zombies and flying boats, is quick paced and engaging. It reminds me a bit of Dinocalypse Now in tone—clever and action packed—although with its young protagonists it’s more explicitly aimed at the middle grade set.”

“The nonstop action and off-kilter but still familiar world make for an engaging read. Although I get a slightly ‘boy book’ vibe from it, it’s full of proactive female characters, too. The plight of the ghosts adds depth to it—I hope that most readers will go from finding them spooky and sometimes funny to feeling sympathy for the difficult situation they’re in. It opens the door to a lot of conversations about any group of people that’s marginalized.”

To read Amanda’s whole review, just click here.

October 1, 1935…in Our Universe

The adventures of Johnny Graphic are set in motion on October 1, 1935, when Burilgi the ghost warrior murders Mongke Eng in Silver City–halfway across the continent from Johnny’s hometown of Zenith.

What, I wondered, was happening on October 1, 1935, in our universe? A trip to the microfilm room at the University of Minnesota’s Wilson Library provided the answers, in the form of the New York Times of that date. This was, of course, right in the heart of the Great Depression–worse by far than our Great Recession of the last few years. At the same time, dark clouds were forming over Europe. Hitler was preparing to throw the entire world into war.

The top front-page story, though, was about the ocean liner Rotterdam going aground near Morant Cays in Jamaica. Four-hundred-sixty passengers and crew were taken to safety and transferred to the British steamer Ariguant.

The headline next to it reports that the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is about to launch a war in Africa. Thirty thousand troops are on the way, with 220,000 awaiting their orders.

Another story describes how Europe is dividing into two camps. Democracy, led by Great Britain, is seeking allies to face the dictatorships of Germany and Italy.

President Franklin Roosevelt gave a speech at Boulder Dam in Nevada, where he urged American industry to take more responsibility for speeding up employment. On the same trip, his automobile encountered hazardous conditions on a narrow mountain road and had to turn back.

Mayor LaGuardia of New York City has warned motorists to turn down their radios late at night. Those who don’t comply will face drastic action.

Inside the paper, there’s a report from Boston on the world premiere of George Gershwin’s great folk opera, Porgy and Bess. On the sports page, baseball prepares for tomorrow’s first game of the World Series–the Detroit Tigers vs. the Chicago Cubs, in Detroit. A three-ticket grandstand package for the three games to be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago costs $15.50; a bleacher seat for a single game is only $1.10.

Yesterday, in 1935, San Francisco (Silver City) had a high of 76, a low of 58, and partly cloudy skies. Duluth (Zenith) reported a high of 54, a low of 46, with clear skies.

Great article on grown-ups and kids’ books

A few blog posts ago I wrote about how grown-ups (such as myself) can find a lot to enjoy in books that have been written for middle-grade and young adult readers. Here’s a terrific article on just that subject. Apparently more grown-ups are reading kids’ books than kids are. Who knew? Here’s what the article in The Atlantic Wire says:

“According to a new study from Bowker Market Research, adults make up the majority of people buying young adult fiction, and most of those grownups are buying the teen-targeted books for themselves.”

Johnny Graphic Featured on Kindle for Kids

Johnny Graphic and the Etheric Bomb is now among the featured titles on Kindle for Kids, one of the web’s leading sites for young e-book readers. There are lots of other great books to learn about on Kindle for Kids, as well. Check it out right here.

Win a Paperback of Johnny Graphic on Goodreads

From now until the 28th of September, Goodreads members can register to win a free paperback copy of Johnny Graphic and the Etheric Bomb. I’m giving away 10 copies and will be mailing them out right after Goodreads selects the winners.

To enter the contest, just go to the Johnny Graphic page on Goodreads by clicking this link.

If you’re not a member of Goodreads, you should consider signing up. It’s a great place to talk about your favorite books and authors, and meet other readers with tastes similar to yours. It’s a lot of fun. And it’s free.

 

 

 

For Sale at Twin Cities Bookstores

When I was writing Johnny Graphic and the Etheric Bomb, I figured I would primarily sell my novel as an e-book–for your Kindle or your Nook or your iPad. What I didn’t know then was that many kids between the ages of 9, and 12 or 13 still prefer to read paper books that they hold in their hands. When I learned this, I set up Johnny Graphic as a print-on-demand (POD) paperback, as well. You can order it through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any other online or physical retailer that sells POD books.

But, having created a paperback book, I realized that I wanted just a little bit more. I really wanted to see my novel on display in a fine bookstore. Every author dreams of that.

So, I ordered a bunch of POD copies of Johnny Graphic and contacted a couple of bookstores where I live–in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I asked: “Would you folks be interested in carrying my kids’ ghost adventure, Johnny Graphic and the Etheric Bomb?”

Happily, the bookstores have agreed to take on Johnny Graphic.

Now, or in the near future, any of you who live in the Twin Cities can pick up your copy in person. It’s at the Red Balloon on Grand Avenue in St. Paul (absolutely the best kids’ bookstore in these parts). And it’s at Magers & Quinn in Uptown in Minneapolis (the premiere independent bookstore in Minnesota).

Tintin and Johnny Graphic

Not too long ago a friend wondered if Johnny Graphic was inspired, in any way, by the great Belgian cartoon hero Tintin. After all, she said, Tintin was a teenaged newspaper journalist who flew all over the world having adventures with this trusty sidekicks (most especially Snowy the Dog and Captain Haddock). I agreed that these were points in common, but that Tintin hadn’t even occurred to me when I started writing about my twelve-and-a-half-year-old news photog hero. Of course, I’d love it if kids got to know Johnny a fraction as well as they know the famous Tintin. (Strange fact: Tintin is hugely popular around the world, even 82 years after his creation in 1930. But not so much in the U.S. I’m not sure if Steven Spielberg’s Tintin movie last year made much impact in America.)

No, I didn’t have any thought of Tintin when I was creating Johnny. I was vaguely aware of the young Belgian newsman with the blond cowlick, but had never read any of his adventures. Johnny Graphic is purely my invention; inspired modern fantasy writers like J.K. Rowling + the great 1920s newspaper comedy The Front Page + 1930s pulp adventure stories such as Doc Savage.

But I have started reading Tintin books and am enjoying them lots. The stories are great fun and the cartoon work of Herge is exquisite. If you’ve never read them–whether you’re a kid or an adult–you should.

What’s So Great about Kids’ Books?

Okay, I’ll ‘fess up. I’m an adult. And I read books intended for adults–sometimes grim, serious books. But when I really want to have fun reading, I usually grab a book by someone who writes for kids. I’m a big fan of Garth Nix, Eoin Colfer, J. K. Rowlings, Rick Riordan, Karl Hiassen, Dave Barry, Diana Wynne Jones, and others. My all-time favorite book of all books is a kids’ book–Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows.

Here is why I love kids’ books…

The storytelling. The story–the plot–is super important in kids’ books. It’s all about the challenges the hero boy or girl is facing, and how he or she handles them. And you’re right there with that kid, all the way through, biting your nails. Reading a good kids’ book is like riding the roller coaster.

The momentum. These books rarely bog down. You don’t have to push through them. They pull you along. It’s hard to put them down.

The characters. The young heroes are usually (not always) straightforward and easy to like. You’re on their side right away and you care about them. You identify with them. I mean, everyone is a kid or was a kid. The villains tend to be entertainingly nasty and easy to hate. The supporting characters are often good-natured and eccentric and stalwart.

The humor. Not every kids’ book is funny, but a lot of them are. Whenever I read a kids’ book by Hiassen or Barry, I always end up laughing away. Much to the dismay of my wife, who is usually sitting nearby reading some serious, grown-up book.

The adventure. The stories can take place anywhere, anytime. Incredible events occur. Danger is ever-present, but the young heroes always manage to come through okay. Though, of course, the occasional sidekick doesn’t make it.

And those are just a few of the reasons I read books written for readers who are nine, twelve, fifteen years old. What do you like best about the kids’ books you read?

Johnny and the Pulps

In the 1930s–even in an alternative universe such as the one Johnny Graphic lives in–there wasn’t as much for a kid to read as there is today. Every library, of course, stocked its shelves with classic literature that appealed to young people–authors such as Jules Verne, Louisa May Alcott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. There were boys’ and girls’ adventure novels and mysteries, as well. Think Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Comic books had just gotten started. And there were pulp magazines–chapter stories with dauntless heroes and colorful action covers.

“Pulp” got its name from the cheap paper all those adventure and mystery magazines were printed on. They came out every month (sometimes more often) and cost a dime or fifteen cents. Keep in mind, back in the 1930s that would be big money for the average kid. A lot of pulp fiction was aimed at adult readers, but some of it was popular with young readers. A few of the major pulp heroes included Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, the Shadow, Doc Savage, and the Phantom.

Johnny, for example, loves pulps such as Captain Justice Adventures and Astounding Stories with Duke Donegan. He’s as fanatic about keeping up to date on the Captain’s campaigns as any modern kid is about his or her video games or TV shows. Johnny imagines himself a kindred spirit of Captain Justice, the fearless hero in the red cape and streamlined helmet. As Johnny is flying across the Greater Ocean with Mel and Nina and the others, he passes the time by reading these kinds of stories.

Johnny doesn’t have a pocket radio or smartphone or an iPod. These things don’t exist in 1935. But when he wants some ripping-good entertainment, he can always escape into his pulp magazine adventures.