Eric Devine's Blog, page 16

DARE ME Countdown Giveaway Challenge #4

Thank you all for taking yesterday’s science challenge. I knew it would be difficult, but also that someone would rise to Newton’s standards.

Fortunately Beth Fehlbaum’s answer hit the mark: I think that Law # 1 most applies to life, because unless a person decides to take responsibility for their own lives, they have no one to blame but him/herself if it’s not going well. I’d sum it up as, “You have to be your own best friend.”

That’s perfect, and part of what Ben comes to realize throughout the story. So, Beth, hook me up with your contact info and a copy of Dare Me is coming your way.

And for today’s challenge, something easier, but equally educational…

The challenge: Send me the best YouTube dare that you can find.

Ben, Ricky, John and Trevor do some insane stunts, but I know what else is out there from my hours and hours of research. So find those awesome dares and shoot me the link here, on Facebook or on Twitter. The best dare will air tomorrow and you win a signed copy of Dare Me.

Please make sure the dare is awesome, but I am uninterested in seeing anyone getting seriously injured. Let Tosh. O handle that.

Go, have fun, enjoy Sunday, send me links, and tomorrow I will reveal the last challenge.

DARE ME Countdown Giveaway Challenge #3

If you are familiar with the dashing dude above, then, yes, you guessed it, today’s challenge is all about Newton. No, not the fig kind. But first, yesterday’s winner.

For her account of Dairy Queen disaster and being called “Butterscotch Girl” (see the comment section), Stephanie Rosch wins a signed copy of Dare Me. Send me your email, and thanks for the great story!

And so, back to Challenge #3 and Newton. Surprise, surprise, Ben the kid who does crazy stunts, considers the implications of the physics to them as well as the Natural laws, as they defy them. Therefore, there are the excerpts below from Dare Me. You’ll need them to understand the challenge, as Ben does a good job of summarizing the three laws.

The challenge:  Which law most applies to life?

Answer that with an example, and you’re entered to win. Do so here, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Enjoy Ben’s ruminations below, and remember, Newton’s watching you.

Excerpts:

Law #1

I head to physics and learn about Newton’s First Law. Who knew that it took a genius to figure out that objects at rest or in motion stay that way unless acted upon? It seems rather simple: The beginning of something, or the lack of beginning, is up to the individual, unless someone else forces the issue.

Law #2 

I read Newton’s Second Law: The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.

Right. So, positive things continue in a positive direction, negative, well, negatively; the acceleration matches the force applied, and the larger the mass, the slower the acceleration. Hmm. Was Newton also psychic?

Law #3

I step into physics, and it seems as if we’re continuing a theme here. On the board is written: Newton’s Third Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The words are more like something out of a fortune cookie than a scientific law. Still, maybe I should pay more attention.

DARE ME Countdown Giveaway Challenge #2

Nice work yesterday, everyone! I received some wonderful quotes on being daring, or the consequences of such. But there can only be one winner each day, and yesterday’s is Melissa Wray! 

Here’s her entry: “If you’re going to skate on thin ice, then you might as well tap dance!”

Love that! So thanks, Melissa. All I need now is your mailing address and to whom you would like me to sign the book. Use the contact form and we’re good to go.

And now for challenge #2:

Ben has a love hate relationship with his job. He loves it because his crush works there. He hates it because delivering pizzas isn’t the easiest way to make money.

We’ve all been in his shoes. That first job wakes us up to how life and finances work.

So tell me about your first job, why you loved and hated it. The best story gets a signed copy of Dare Me.

Leave your stories here in the comments, on my Facebook author page , or tweet to to me @eric_devine. Thanks!

DARE ME Countdown Giveaway Challenge #1

First challenge: Give me a quote.

I love quotes, famous, infamous, the everyday. My classroom walls are covered in hundreds. My students love them, choose favorites and point theirs out to each other. Those pearls of wisdom stick.

So imagine yourself, on the edge of that bridge, as Ben is on the cover. What would you say to him? How would you make him believe he’ll be fine, that in fact he is brave? What dash of daring words can you provide?

Leave those in a comment below or hit me with your best @eric_devine. If you send a link alone, please reference Challenge #1, or I’ll think you’re a spammer, and I’ve seen enough weight loss ads, thank you

Now, go, pen your own, steal someone else’s; just give us all some inspiration. I’ll reveal the winner in tomorrow’s post and new challenge.

DARE ME Countdown Giveaway Challenge

The countdown has begun. As of today, the publication of Dare Me occurs in only five days. Therefore, to mark this awesome event, I am running a book giveaway challenge, starting tomorrow.

For the next five days, at 9 am, I will provide a prompt here. You must reply to the prompt via Twitter, and I will choose the best reply from the day as the winner––So if you’re not on Twitter, go sign up and follow me: @eric_devine.

If you win because you’ve written the most compelling response, I’ll notify you and will then need the following:

an address where I can mail your signed copy
any personalization you’d like along with my signature

So get ready to get creative. Much like Dare Me, the prompts will test your mettle. Can you rise to the challenge? We’ll find out, starting tomorrow.

Weddings and Writing

This past weekend I found myself at the end of my friends’ wedding ceremony, shirtless, with ripped suit pants, and a GoPro strapped to my head. There’s a story behind that description, but I’m not telling it here. However, I will discuss why this state of affairs makes me feel as if I behaved as any good writer should.

It’s always all about the story. So when the groom asked if I would use his GoPro to record the wedding, I was thrilled. Often, wedding videos are a third-person narration of the event, and are not as intimate as the genuine experience. That’s not to say the jarring and boisterous images I caught are worthy of cinematography, but the first-person narration they are is much more close to the reality of what it was like to be on top of the mountain, in the ballroom and especially on the dance floor. That aspect is the same in writing. I’ve read hundreds of third person point of view novels, and there is nothing inherently wrong with the narrative decision, but I always find myself wondering how the story would sound from the inside, not from the onlooker’s perspective. I hope my recording accurately depicts what is what like from within.

Every good story has an excellent cast of characters. Weddings are a wellspring for watching human nature interact in its myriad forms. Therefore, capturing not only the bride and groom––the main characters––but the family, friends, and colleagues is equally vital. What do they say? How do they act? How awesome do they dance? They are a beautiful microcosm trying to make the evening work for the two people they are all in attendance for. I did my best to tell their stories as well, seeing what they saw, understanding the bride and groom as they know them. It’s the same with my characters. I care equally for them and try to make their existence as interesting as possible while remembering how much their depth adds to the story as a whole.

The last important piece of storytelling is being open to the organic way in which the story unfolds. Many weddings follow a familiar script, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t deviation. At this wedding there was no DJ, but a rock band. There wasn’t a wedding cake, but homemade pies. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen, just friends and family supporting. This was how their story was supposed to be, for them, and it worked, in part because of how the dance floor stuck to the script, by becoming a focus: would people get up and get down, or would they sit it out at the table? I think if you paid attention to my introduction, you know the answer: we rocked it. And the stories from there abound, and will continue to be told again, and again, unfolding for those both in, and not in attendance, creating a story of a story––legend.

What more could a storyteller want?

Thanks, Anna and Gordon. May all of your stories have a happy ending.

Full Kirkus Review of DARE ME

I know I previously teased about the Kirkus review of Dare Me, but here it is, below, in its full shining glory. Please share this bad boy, and feel free to tell people that you know an author who is “astute and riveting.” You know, cuz Kirkus says

DARE ME
by Eric Devine

Age Range: 12 – 18


Buy now from
AMAZON.COM

BARNES & NOBLE

LOCAL BOOKSELLER









KIRKUS REVIEW

Fully attuned to the adrenaline-fueled appeal of dares, Devine deftly conveys the dire consequences that can ensue once the first step is taken.

Ben, a perfectly normal high school senior, and his buddies Ricky and John pull an amazing stunt, which they post anonymously on YouTube, hoping for “weblebrity.” What comes their way is a contract promising them money if they continue to do ever-more-dangerous dares. When not filming dares, narrator Ben works as a pizza-delivery guy and longs for popular co-worker Alexia, who’s attached to a bad boy. His reflections on physics, English class and math become more penetrating as the ante ups with each completed dare. Adding in cameraman Trevor changes the equation only a little. Trev is a nerd and a target for bullies, but he’s also exceptionally smart and a quick thinker. As the stunts continue, Ben begins to have his doubts. Further complicating matters, Ben’s dad is out of work, and Ben’s sister wants to do a paper on their macho antics for her college psychology class. Devine’s examination of the teenage boy’s need for adrenaline is admirably complex, and he frames it within an engaging and realistically foulmouthed narrative. Ben reflects, “This is larger than us, and we’re already in motion and gaining speed. The natural course is to let this run take us where it’s going. There are no brakes in freefall.”

Astute and riveting. (Fiction. 12 & up)

DARE ME by Eric Devine | Kirkus.

Tweets from the road: First Signing for DARE ME

On Saturday Market Block Books held my first signing for Dare Me. It was a gorgeous day with lots of foot traffic from the Troy Farmers Market. I met teachers and parents who snapped up copies of both Dare Me and Tap Out for their students and children–and even one man who admitted Dare Me was going to his daughter, once he’d had a chance to enjoy. There was even a guest appearance by the world famous author, Dennis Mahoney, who was in for a copy and to talk to the incomparable Stanley from Market Block about Troy Author Day. Below are tweets from Saturday, including a screen shot from a baffling Amazon image. Even better is my super awkward pitch to Stanley about Dare Me. I try to stay poised, but it’s been a while since I’ve been out promoting.

If you didn’t have a chance to come out, check my schedule at the bottom. Thanks.

How could I not suggest this?

All of these people came out for my signing @MarketBlockBks Come join us. http://t.co/jgNvvPVwjA—
Eric Devine (@eric_devine) September 21, 2013

You have to love the ornate feel of everything in Troy.

View from the inside ow.ly/i/3dbfy—
Eric Devine (@eric_devine) September 21, 2013

Like I said, Dennis was there. Here’s proof:

Just got my copy of @eric_devine's DARE ME from @MarketBlockBks.

Check out the great book trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=n0P8Ky…—
Dennis Mahoney (@Giganticide) September 21, 2013

And Amazon. They don’t want to release the pre-orders yet. However, during this window of time, Dare Me was on sale, and only one copy was left. No clue.

I do not know how much I trust this screen shot. Really? Only 1 left? #deception ow.ly/i/3deCq #YALIT—
Eric Devine (@eric_devine) September 21, 2013

Good times trying to figure out what to say:

View this document on Scribd

Market Block Books: Eric Devine signs his new book

Hey, just a quick reminder that I will be at Market Block Books on Saturday from 11-1. They currently have the only copies of Dare Me in the area, so if you want to know the story before everyone else, come on out. Thanks.

MBB: Eric Devine signs his new book “Dare Me” | The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza.

MBB: Eric Devine signs his new book “Dare Me”



@ Market Block Books



Start: 09/21/2013 11:00 am


End: 09/21/2013 1:00 pm

Market Block Books welcomes author Eric Devine for a book signing of his new book Dare Me, a story about instant visibility, identity, and what it takes to stay true to one’s self in the face of relentless pressure. When Ben Candido and his friends decide to post a YouTube video of themselves surfing on top of a car, they finally feel like the “somebodies” they are meant to be instead of the social nobodies they are. Overnight, the video becomes the talk of the school, and the boys are sure that their self-appointed senior year of dares will live in infamy. Every dare brings an increased risk of bodily harm, but Ben cannot deny the thrill and sense of swagger that come with it. The stakes become even more complex when a mysterious donor bankrolls their dares in exchange for a cut in the online revenue the videos generate. But at what point do the risk and the reward come at too high of a price?

 

Eric Devine is a writer, high school English teacher, and educational consultant. He is the author of Tap Out, a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, and This Side of Normal. He lives in Waterfordwith his family.

Dare Me (Paperback)

By Eric Devine
$9.95

ISBN-13: 9780762450152

Availability: Coming Soon – Available for Pre-Order Now

Published: Running Press Kids, 10/2013

Tap Out (Paperback)

By Eric Devine
$9.95

ISBN-13: 9780762445691

Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days

Published: Running Press Kids, 9/2012

Other Editions of this Title








Location:




290 River Street
Troy

, New York12180

My Dear Teen Me Letter

Dear Teen Me is a website (and an anthology) of letters from Young Adult literature authors to their teenage selves. I had the privilege to have mine posted yesterday. Due to technical glitches on my end, I couldn’t include it here. Therefore, today, my letter is below, along with the link to the original, which has comments from those who appreciate this insight into my life. I hope you enjoy the letter as well. It is one of the more emotional pieces I’ve written, because all that’s in it, just like those teen years, has never fully faded away.

Dear Teen Me from author Eric Devine (DARE ME, TAP OUT) « Dear Teen Me.

Eric,

Eric’s senior photo, taken months before homecoming.

Here’s what’s going to happen: On this kick return, homecoming game of senior year, the other team is going to try to take off your leg. They’ll come really close and there will be times later in your life when you wish they had. A prosthetic leg would, in some ways, be easier than the nerve damaged and muscle atrophied stump you’ll see through surgery, only to have let go from beneath you for a year. Maybe longer.

But here’s the thing, the hit will be good for you, possibly the best. You’ve lived pretty close to the edge as is. Have woken up countless times wondering where you were and how you got there. Until that one night, when your friend Bryan forced you to talk to your girlfriend, in spite of your haze and indifference. Really, that night he begged her not to give up on you.

Because of him, she’ll be with you as you live the amazing cliché of homecoming-court-member-injured-during-the-game. She’ll be there during the surgery, and after, when you lose a host of friends, because partying with a gimp isn’t much fun. And she’ll be at your side, when, incredibly, still on crutches, you’ll suggest that you were stupid when you said, “I plan on being single when I go to college.” In fact, you’ll suggest that this relationship should last longer, like… forever. And the next day you’ll think this through and you won’t cringe.

Eric and Carrie on the court at the homecoming dance, post-game. Note the crutches and the pain.

And by the end of senior year, when your world, like your leg, has been whittled away, there will be a clutch of friends still standing with you. Somehow they’ll be around much longer than you could have ever imagined. It’ll be like a Friends episode, except without the money and living in the city and being beautiful.

But right now, you’re not thinking about that. You’re thinking about what it takes to be a man. How hard you’re going to have to hit the other team. Much later, probably when you have two daughters, you’ll understand what it truly means to “man up”, but for now you’re a testosterone-filled psycho. Except you’re not. You write poetry and rock your English classes and have a disdain for self-centeredness, especially in yourself. Those traits, including being a rage-fueled boy, will serve you well. Because you are going to leave a piece of yourself here, on this field, and you will forever be tied to the tumultuous wave of adolescence, because you will refuse to let go. In many ways you will never grow up. And in extraordinary ways you will.

Writing will be an outlet. Purely emotional at first, so don’t be embarrassed by what emerges. Talking to yourself on paper is better than talking to no one at all. That conversation will eventually turn and you will hone a voice for telling these stories–not just yours, but of the teens like you. Because there are more than you can imagine, and they will be thankful that you don’t pull punches and that you speak with honesty. Trust me, this isn’t “popular”, but when have you ever cared about that?

Eric and his friends for 50s day at school. Goofy, yes, but Bryan is the one wearing plaid.

And so, that hit that’s coming, you’re prepared for it, as if you’ve trained for the moment, as if the past five years battling diabetes has shored up your defenses. You are strong and you are weak, and you’re about to find out how to live with that contradiction.

The referee blows the whistle and the kicker lines up. You stand near the end zone, taking in the crowd, your girlfriend with the rest of the homecoming court, and October of your senior year feels glorious.

The football slices the air, to your teammate. You prepare to block for him. This is you, right before it falls apart. This fragile self you’ve bound in muscle, about to learn, again, just how delicate we all are.

Grown-up Eric.

The opposing team streams your way. You see light and your teammate at your back. You sprint and block until they dive, one on each side, your left leg their aiming point.

Your scream reverberates off the concrete of the nearby building. The game halts. Your attackers slap hands, congratulating each other on a job well done.

And it is. Because only when you lose yourself can you then find yourself, and you’re already slipping, with the grass at your back and the bright sky above. And pain, so much pain.

Embrace it. Your former life is over. From here you will build, and you have everything you need to succeed.

Sincerely,

You at 35.