Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta Blog Tour

Welcome to another great blog tour stop at StNC, brought to you today by Month9Books!  Today I have the pleasure of presenting a character interview with the namesake of Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta, Gabriel!  This MG debut premiered on February 5, 2013, and is authored by Shannon Duffy.  I hope you'll find yourself caught up in a new read and discover a new author.  Enjoy!

Marla: Hi, Gabriel. Welcome to Starting the Next Chapter! My first question for you is: What is your favorite thing about sharing your story with all of the readers out there?

Gabriel: Hey. Well, there're so many awesome parts of what happened to me and my friends in Valta, but I'm not gonna lie, some of the animals in Valta were really cool. It was fun to talk about that stuff. And, well, I like that people are gonna see how cool my friends are and how we stuck together no matter what...even when things got real crazy.

Marla: What is your best school subject? Which one do you hate the most and why?

Gabriel: Hmmm. Does gym count? Cause I totally like gym the best. Especially soccer! And well, if gym doesn't count, then I think I'll go with history. I like learning about war stuff and things that happened a long time ago. And yeah, I hate math. To be honest I think it sucks. There, I said it. And I just hate it. Math doesn't need a reason.

Marla: Not going to argue with you there. What did you think when you first found the crystal?

Gabriel: Well, first I thought I was gonna drown under the stupid ice, but then thankfully Brent managed to pull me out. And I knew right away it was something really cool or magical cause what kind of rock glows, lets off heat, and hums? I felt like I hit the jackpot and found something really epic...and I was right.

Marla: What has been the hardest thing about your mom's disappearance?

Gabriel: It felt pretty bad, I'm not gonna lie. I mean, I had been bugging my mom to hang out with me at night a lot cause I was kinda freaked out about the dark, so I figured that I was a pain in the butt and maybe that's why she took off. But if you read my story, you'll find out more about that.

Marla: Who has been your best supporter through everything?

Gabriel: Brent and Piper, my two best friends. They're pretty cool about everything and I know we always have each other's back....unlike dudes like Cedric--but again, I hope you read my story and you can find out more about that loser. Oh! And my dog Zigzag is pretty awesome too.

Marla: How would you describe Valta for those who haven't read the book yet?

Gabriel: Valta is beyond sick--if the Divinities are with the empress anyway. It's really bright with the golden dust, and there are lots of cool creatures like flying tigers and talking monkeys. But, the only thing is, you have to be careful cause as many friendly creatures that they have there, they're probably even more dangerous ones--like gruocks, death mongers, shape-shifters, and ghosts....seriously not the kind of things you want to run into in a dark alley or...a dark, creepy Valtan forest.

Marla: This last question is just for fun. What is the strangest thing you've come across in Valta?

Gabriel: This is a funny question cause strange and Valta when Duke Malgor is being a jerk kind of go together. He makes everything sort of strange. But one really weird thing was when me and Brent and Piper got to the Tandem Wood, we found out that the way to get in there was a lot freakier than anything I could have ever imagined. I think it was called the Unseen Boundary or something weird--and it needed magic to get through. Totally epic!

About the Author

Shannon Duffy grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada, and now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and son, Gabriel. She’s mom to one boy, and several pets. Shannon loves writing, reading, working out, soccer, and the sport of champions: shopping. 

GABRIEL STONE AND THE WRATH OF THE SOLARIAN, Book 2 in the Gabriel Stone series will be available from Month9Books in February 2014!

About the Book

January 1, 2013 from Month9Books

Add it on Goodreads

Gabriel Stone is a twelve-year-old boy still reeling from the unsolved disappearance of his mother. With a dad who’s hard to relate to, and mounting pressures at school, Gabriel lets off steam by hiking in the place where his mother was last seen. There, Gabe and friends find a crystal that proves not only beautiful, but magical beyond their wildest dreams. Only, magic and beauty come with a price: in order to return home, they must save the dying world of Valta.

Review: Two and Twenty Dark Tales

edited by Georgia McBride & Michelle Zink
written by various authors
publisher: Month9Books
date of publication: October 16, 2012
format: digital review copy
pages: 340
source: Netgalley

From Goodreads:

In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Leigh Fallon, Gretchen McNeil, and Suzanne Young.

You may recall hearing all about Old Mother Hubbard and Humpty Dumpty as a child.  What if that wasn't the entire story?  Two and Twenty Dark Tales is here to give you a glimpse of the possibilities behind these classic rhymes with new interpretations and fresh story-telling from a variety of authors.  Ranging from eerie to moving, there is something for everyone in this fantastic collection of short stories.

Each story on offer in this anthology takes on a particular Mother Goose rhyme and spins it in an entirely new way.  My personal favorite was "Sing a Song of Six-Pence" by Sarwat Chadda, a dark and foreboding take on the rhyme of the same title.  With an unusual yet intriguing narrator and a forlorn setting, the tale Chadda tells is barely recognizable yet amazingly inventive.  That's only the beginning.  From front to back, this book is chock full of some truly wonderful stories.  

If you're a particular fan of short story anthologies, Two and Twenty Dark Tales is a must.  With such a fantastic selection of stories, you just can't go wrong.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every adaptation the book has to offer.  It made me think about all of the possibilities in interpretations of such time-honored, traditional rhymes.  I can promise you one thing in particular, as well: You'll never look at Mother Goose the same way.

Buy Two and Twenty Dark Tales at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This digital review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Two and Twenty Dark Tales Blog Tour - Interview w/ Angie Frazier

Welcome old readers and new!  Today I have for you the latest stop on the Two and Twenty Dark Tales Tour.  In case you haven't heard, Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes is a collection of short stories by several YA authors we all know and enjoy.  Month9Books is donating proceeds from the sale of the first 5,000 books to YALitChat.org, which "fosters the advancement, reading, writing and acceptance of young adult literature worldwide," (their words, not mine). Be sure to check out my review, which is forthcoming.

For today's stop, Angie Frazier was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us all.  Angie is the author of the Everlasting series and the Susanna Snow series, both published by Scholastic.  Her contribution to the anthology is a take on the rhyme "Boys and Girls Come Out to Play" where the boys and girls are called out to play... by witches!  Definitely one to look out for!

Marla: Hi, Angie! Welcome to Starting the Next Chapter. Thanks for being here today.

For those out there meeting you and your work for the first time, can you tell us all a little about yourself and your books?

Angie: I’ve written two YA novels, EVERLASTING and its sequel, THE ETERNAL SEA. They’re historical fantasy adventure/romance, but one reader called them “Indiana Jones in skirts” and I think that suits them perfectly! I also have two middle grade mystery novels out starring Suzanna Snow, THE MIDNIGHT TUNNEL and THE MASTERMIND PLOT.

Marla: How would you describe your contribution to Two and Twenty Dark Tales?

Angie: It’s a spin on the little known rhyme, Boys and Girls Come Out to Play. It starts out, “Boys and girls come out to play, the moon doth shine as light as day” and I wondered why children would go outside to play in the middle of the night. My imagination went to work and my retelling resulted in a tragic story about two sisters and some dangerous witches that beckon teenagers to their woods for a life or death game of magic.

Marla: What has been the best thing about contributing a story to this anthology?

Angie: I fell in love with this short story and I think I’d like to explore it a little more. It could definitely be a full-length novel someday.

Marla: Where is your favorite place to write?

Angie: very comfortable but ergonomically incorrect couch in my writing cabin!

Marla: Which authors are your biggest influences?

Angie: For contemporaries, I adore Sarah MacLean and Jennifer Donnelly. They make me want to be a better writer. For classics, Edith Wharton and Dodie Smith are close to perfection in my opinion.

Marla: What is your favorite thing about writing?

Angie: When I’m writing, I’m not living one life, but multiple lives. My characters and their stories take me along for the ride. When their story is complete, I can begin a new adventure.

Marla: What is your favorite Mother Goose rhyme and why?

Angie: So many! After reading Leigh Fallon’s Wee Willie Winkie in this anthology, I think that’s the one that most freaks me out now!

Marla: Last question: Which Mother Goose rhyme would you most want to find yourself in the middle of?

Angie: They’re all so messed up, I’m not sure I’d want to find myself in any of them! I know the one I’d most like to avoid though: Little Miss Muffet!

Thanks for the interview, Angie!


About the Author

Angie Frazier is a writer and mom, a good cook, and a horrible housekeeper. Angie’s debut novel, Everlasting, published by Scholastic Press, is a mixture of everything she loves in a good book: history, mystery, adventure, romance, and fantasy. Her middle grade novel, The Midnight Tunnel: A Suzanna Snow Mystery is a Spring 2011 Kids' Indie Next Pick, and Kirkus has called it "a likely and likable Edwardian Nancy Drew." She lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband and their three daughters.

 

About Two and Twenty Dark Tales

In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Leigh Fallon, Gretchen McNeil, and Suzanne Young.

Useful Links

Angie's Site / Angie on Twitter / The Eternal Sea on GR / Two and Twenty Dark Tales on GR / The Tour Schedule

The Giveaway

One lucky reader will win an ebook copy of Angie Frazier's book, The Eternal Sea!  This giveaway is open internationally.  Good luck, everyone!

The Prize

a Rafflecopter giveaway