Blog Tours – Page 91 – Sincerely Karen Jo

WeirdoAcademyTour

Hello lovelies and welcome to my stop for the Weirdo Academy Blog Tour. If you’re new to my blog, welcome to Sincerely Karen Jo. Today, I have a special guest post from the author, Charles Curtis. He’s here to talk about the reasons why he loves his book cover.

Hope you enjoy reading and don’t forget to leave your comments at the end!

Cover Love

One image has to say it all, and I always felt The Accidental Quarterback – the first book in my Weirdo Academy series – had so many of the book’s storylines and themes to pack in.

There’s the fact that it’s about a seventh grader playing football, the allusion to some mysterious superhuman powers without giving too much away, not to mention indicating the main character (Alex) and his friends are coming of age and just starting middle school. On top of all of that, I was hoping the cover would have a comic book feel to it, given the subject matter and my love of all things Marvel and DC while growing up (if you’re scoring at home, it’s Marvel > DC, but that’s a subject for another guest post).

The cover absolutely delivered on all of that and more. I particularly love that it’s filled with movement – Alex running with a football, his body seemingly supercharged, followed close behind by Sophi and Dex.

The second cover has that similar comic book theme and more action. In The Impossible Pitcher, Alex turns his attention to baseball (something you might have guessed from the title). He’s throwing a pitch, and this time, it’s the ball that’s supercharged.

Just how happy was I with the covers? Here’s proof: I dressed like Alex for Halloween.

Accidental Quarterback

(Weirdo Academy #1)

by Charles Curtis

The Accidental QB Cover

Publication Date: November 7 2017

Publisher: Tantrum Books/Month9Books

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Alexander Graham Ptuiac, the son of an inventor, dreams of playing football. But his dreams are thwarted by his lack of athleticism and overall lanky build. Like any kid with a dream, Alex tries out anyway, just in case. If nothing else, maybe he can win the role of water boy. So when Alex suddenly manifests superhuman powers during football tryouts, Alex can’t believe his good luck. He’s got game! But his new abilities can get him kicked off the team; unless Alex can keep it a secret long enough to find out how the heck he got this way. Enter Dex, a diminutive classmate who can somehow jump as high as ten feet in the air. Now, Alex isn’t the only one at school with a secret. Except, the boys have caught the attention of some pretty nefarious adults, intent on making sure neither Alex nor Dex make it through the season.The only thing stranger than Alexander Graham Ptuiac, accidental quarterback, is the shocking truth about himself and his parents. When truth is stranger than fiction and adults are out to get you, there’s only one thing to do. Play ball!

The Impossible Pitcher

(Weirdo Academy #2)

by Charles Curtis

The Impossible Pitcher

Publication Date: November 7, 2017

Publisher: Tantrum Books/Month9Books

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Alex and Dex are local heroes. Suddenly, everyone wants to be friends with Alex, Dex and Sophi.

But someone more powerful than any of them lurks in the background, keeping a close watch until it’s time to swoop in and capture them. Still, Alex tries to maintain some semblance of normalcy — in the offseason, he wants to play baseball. As Alex becomes a formidable pitcher, his powers grow and so does his obsession with controlling them.

With Alex finding less and less time for Dex and Sophi, Dex discovers his cat-like abilities start to disappear soon after he starts spending time with a girl.

As the friends struggle to maintain their friendships, that mysterious someone gets closer and closer. Can the three friends find their way back to one another before it’s too late? Or will middle school tear them apart for good?

About the Author

Charles Curtis a sportswriter for USA Today’s For The Win. He has reported and written for other publications including ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, Bleacher Report, NJ.com, TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

Follow and Connect with Charles Curtis – Website • Twitter • Facebook

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Thanks for reading. Leave your comments down below.

Sincerely Karen Jo

RotDKTour

Hello lovelies and welcome to my stop for the Rage of a Dragon King Blog Tour. If you’re new to my blog, welcome to Sincerely Karen Jo. Today, I have a special guest post from the lovely author, J. (Jenny) Keller Ford. She’ll be sharing 10 awesome writing tips for aspiring authors

Hope you enjoy reading and don’t forget to leave your comments at the end!

When you’re first starting out as an author, there is no doubt you can become overwhelmed. There is so much information out there on how to write, how to edit, how to find an agent, should you find an agent, etc., that a lot of really good writers give up before they’ve ever written a word. This business, just like any other, especially in the arts, is filled with competition, contradicting information that it’s easy to find yourself trying to stay afloat in a sea of confusion. When I first started out, the main tip I always got from other authors was “Don’t give up. Authors who give up never get published.” While true, it really didn’t give me what I was looking for when I asked for writing tips. I have since come up with a few tips of my own for aspiring authors and I hope this helps in even the smallest way.

Never give up. Authors who give up, never get published. It’s true. I had to get it out of the way, to there. 🙂
Never, ever, ever compare yourself to other authors. More times than not, it will lead to massive amounts of self-doubt. Authors have enough of their own doubts without adding more. Remember, you have your own voice, your own style, so let it shine through.
Read, and read a lot. Read in the genre you want to write. If there is an element of romance in your Sci Fi, read romance, too, not just Sci Fi. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.
Surround yourself with beta readers and listen to them. They are worth their weight in gold when you find good ones. Receiving criticism is hard. No one likes to hear their baby needs work, or is ugly in its current form. Put on your big girl/boy pants, don your thick skin, and really look at the suggestions they give you. Listen to those things that are similar across the board. If more than 2 people bring up the same thing, it usually is a good sign you need to take notice of their suggestions.
Start connecting with people who can help you when the time comes to market your book. Join Facebook groups, be active. Sign up on Absolute Write. Scan the forums. Participate in other messages from other would-be authors who are looking for advice, too. Follow your favorite authors. Sign up for newsletters. You want to strategize yourself so people know you and see you as a serious contender and someone they like.
Social Media – get involved, but don’t make it all about your book. Your future fans want to see you’re human and have a life outside of books. Help others, promote others. When the time comes, they’ll promote you.
Arm yourself with books that can help you. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have written a whole series of Thesauruses. There are six or seven in the series and I suggest you get every single one of them. These books will show you how to take your stories from “tell” to “show”. They are a must for every author’s library of How-To books.
Think about if you want to go the traditional route or the self-pub route of publishing. Each have their goods and their bads. Talk to other authors. Narrow down a list of agents and publishers. Research them. Make sure they deal in your genre. The last thing you want is to send your space opera epic adventure to an agent who publishes cook books. Again. DO YOUR RESEARCH. Writer’s Marketplace and Writer’s Beware are two great sources.
Writer’s block got you down? Sit at your computer or with our pad and pen and start writing anything that comes to your mind. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense. The point is to get the words to flow. Before you know it, there is a story coming out of you. It’s an amazing thing. All you have to do is kickstart the old brain.
At some point, you have to stop editing. There will always be something you want to change, something your characters said that you think you can make better. A scene that could have used an extra punch, but if you keep editing, you’ll never get published. At some point, you have to be happy and content with what you have. It will never be perfect. Nothing ever is. Love your baby. Know you’ve done your absolute best. When your beta readers love it, your editor and publisher love it, then you’ve accomplished something wonderful. Bask in it, and move on to the next. Keep writing.

Rage of the Dragon King

(The Chronicles of Fallhollow #2)

J. Keller Ford

RotDKCover

Publication Date: October 24, 2017

Publisher: Month9Books

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David and Charlotte paid their dues. They traveled to another realm, battled the Dragon King, recovered the all important magic key to the mage tunnels, and found the heir to the throne of Hirth, as promised. Now it’s time to go home. There’s just one problem: the powerful crystals needed to activate the tunnels have been stolen…and David’s parents have mysteriously disappeared along with them. Guess who’s not going home to Havendale anytime soon.

Eric Hamden, squire extraordinaire, survived the poisonous knick of a shadowmorth’s blade, rescued the king of Hirth from the bowels of the dragon’s lair, and confronted a heartbreaking betrayal that nearly got him killed. Still reeling from the news, Eric sets his sights on a daring rescue only to wind up in a prison of his own with David and Charlotte at his side. But rescues come in strange ways, and before they know it, the three end up in David’s hometown of Havendale…and Eric gets a quick schooling in Modern Life 101. He’d rather fight a dragon.

With secrets, lies and betrayals meeting them at every turn, David, Charlotte and Eric soon discover that Havendale isn’t the sanctuary they’d hoped for. Even their best-laid plans can’t prepare them for the danger that stalks them. This time, no amount of magic or prayers can save them. War has been declared, and in the final battle, someone must make the ultimate sacrifice. Let the battle begin.

Other Books in the Series

Book 1

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About the Author

(Jenny) Keller Ford is a scribbler of speculative fiction and YA tales. As an Army brat, she traveled the world and wandered the halls of some of Germany’s most extraordinary castles in hopes of finding snarky dragons, chivalrous knights, and wondrous magic to permeate her imagination. What she found remains etched in her topsy-turvy mind and oozes out in sweeping tales of courage, sacrifice, honor and everlasting love.

When not torturing her keyboard or trying to silence the voices in her head, Jenny spends time collecting seashells, bowling, screaming on roller coasters and traveling. She is a mom to four magnificent and noble offspring and currently lives in paradise on the west coast of Florida with a menagerie of royal pets, and her own quirky knight who was brave enough to marry her.

Published works include The Passing of Millie Hudson, a paranormal short story that can be found in READING GLASSES. IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING is her debut novel and the first installment in the Chronicles of Fallhollow Trilogy. Book 2 in the series is slated for Fall 2016.