Apocalypsies Love! Book Review: Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman

Apocalypsies Love is all about me telling you what I loved about a 2012 debut book written by one of the amazing Apocalypsies. I also chat with the author to gain insight into their very favorite parts of their creation.

Today I'm featuring BOY + BOT, an adorable picture book written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. And yes - there are several picture book author Apocalypsies too, didn't you know?

So, Boy meets Bot one day and they have fun together until Bot's power switch gets turned off and Boy thinks Bot is sick. He takes him home and falls asleep and then Bot's power switch get turned on and it's Bot's turn to worry about Boy. Eventually they get things sorted out and learn important differences about each other.  

The story is clever, original, and fun.  And the language Dyckman uses is deceptively simple but conveys so much of the characters through voice. I loved it!  The illustrations are also very amusing. My favorite may be Bot reading to Boy from an instruction manual - and funnily enough, it's also the author's favorite scene in the book - as you will learn from my interview with her below. 

Welcome Ame!

So I've already given this away in my review, but what is your favorite scene in the book?

I love when it’s Bot’s turn to take care of Boy, and Bot cradles Boy in one arm while he reads Boy an instruction manual. Dan’s illustration is perfect—funny, but also a very sweet moment.


What is your favorite line in the book?

I adore our catch phrase (“Affirmative!”), but my favorite line is when Bot sees the sleeping Boy and asks, “Did-you-malfunction?” (I know it’s goofy of me, but I have to suppress giggling every time I read it!)


What setting was most fun to write?

The Inventor’s Castle! I’d love to have an Inventor’s Castle at the top of the hill in my neighborhood.

Who is your favorite supporting character - one you could see getting a spin-off book - and why?

Watt! He’s the little light bulb robot who helps the Inventor. (He was Dan’s idea during the illustration phase, so he doesn’t have a name in the book, but I call him Watt.) During readings, I show kids the picture of Watt on the dedication page, and then we play “Spot Watt” as we read the book. Kids love Watt! (He’s mighty charismatic for someone with one eye and no other facial features!) It would be great to see Watt in another BOY + BOT adventure, or even in his own adventure someday.


What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?

At a recent school visit, a Kindergarten class presented me with a packet of their BOY + BOT drawings. That was the greatest! Well, until I got something in my eye. (No, I wasn’t crying! I… I just got something in my eye!) ;)

Thanks Ame! BOY + BOT is available now.  Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: I bought my copy.

  

Return of Cat Tuesday (69)

Today, Lu pulled my skirt off our clothes drying rack to use as a bed (as if the five cashmere sweaters he's stolen from Daniel aren't enough).  Thanks Lu.

Also - there will be no Cat Tuesday next week - but it's for a very good reason.  I finally get to reveal my cover for LEVEL 2!

Giveaway: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

BITTERBLUE is the long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers GRACELING and FIRE.  I've read FIRE (check out my review) and loved it, but I still haven't read GRACELING, even though it's on my shelf.  So, after reading a bunch of other BITTERBLUE reviews, I realized that I need to read GRACELING to appreciate the story to its fullest.  And seeing that I'm in the darkest corners of my writing cave (major deadlines soon, people!) I don't think that's going to happen soon.  

This is all to say that I'm offering a giveaway of a book I haven't read.  But, I have it on good authority that it's worth it and there's also a very, very cool tote bag (that I totally covet) -- so enter here!  US addresses only and I'll pick a winner on May 30th, 2012.

What's BITTERBLUE about?

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.
Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Intrigued?
Check out the trailer: http://youtu.be/S4CxMgsppEw
Graceling Realm website: http://www.gracelingrealm.com
Kristin’s website: http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/
Graceling Realm Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/gracelingrealm
Excerpt: http://www.scribd.com/doc/88018992/BITTERBLUE-by-Kristin-Cashore-sequel-to-GRACELING

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Back in Dystopian August 2011, one of the upcoming novels I previewed was STORMDANCER by fellow Apocalypies member Jay Kristoff (read preview interview).  I was excited by the premise then (dystopian/steampunk Japan!) and got even more interested when Jay shared the most amazing sentences from the book with us during our Apocalypsies Thursday chats. So yeah - now we get to see the cover!

Isn't it gorgeous? I want this on my shelf now.

Or perhaps you need to see a summary to be convinced? Here you go:

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, land choked with toxic pollution, wildlife ravaged by mass extinctions.
AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary beast, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows thunder tigers have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.
A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a hidden gift that would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.
But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.
STORMDANCER will be released September 18 in the US through Thomas Dunne books/St Martin’s Press.

Or perhaps to REALLY be convinced you want a giveaway? Well, I've got that too.  Just fill out this form by May 25th, 2012 at 11:59 pm CST to be entered to win an ARC of STORMDANCER. Open internationally!

Jay is also running a STORMDANCER Uber Giveaway on his own blog. For a chance to win another ARC and some other Stormdancer-y goodness (like so good even I plan to enter), click here for details. My question for the Uber Giveaway is: What color is the sky in Shima?

For more info:

Stormdancer on Goodreads
Jay’s blog
Jay’s Twitter

Return of Cat Tuesday (68)

More cat hijinks ... Kaia and Lu take over our dirty clothes hamper.

Book Review and Author Interview: Revived by Cat Patrick

Cat Patrick has some crazy cool concepts as starting points for her books.  There was FORGOTTEN (my review) about a girl who can only remember the future and not the past and the upcoming ORIGINALS about three clones who share the life of one girl.  REVIVED is about Daisy, a girl who has died 5 times and been brought back to live by a drug called Revive.

At the start of the novel, Daisy is killed (her 5th time) by bees and she has to move from Michigan to Omaha, Nebraska with her agent "parents" to start over.  Though she shunned contact back in Michigan, she decides to live more in Omaha and becomes friends with a girl named Audrey and her hot brother Matt. Meanwhile, Daisy discovers that the Revive program might be more sinister than she thought.

Daisy and her relationships with Audrey and Matt take up a lot more page time than the intrigue surrounding the program.  Though they seemed to form deep bonds more quickly than is probably realistic, I enjoyed their camaraderie and conversations and found the plot developments genuinely moving. REVIVED is a quick, satisfying read.

I'm thrilled to have Cat on the blog today for a short interview.  Let's dive in!

REVIVED features a drug called Revive that brings its taker back to life. Despite the fact that it doesn't really work that way, if you could give Revive to anyone in history, to whom would you give it to and why?

I'll admit that Stephen King's 11/22/63 is fresh in my mind, but I'd love to bring back President Kennedy and see how the world would be different with him still in it.

Being able to cheat death, Daisy at first doesn’t seem to grasp the real value of life. Was this thematic undertone a deliberate choice or did it naturally develop while you wrote?

It was a deliberate choice. I always knew Daisy would discover the value of live through loss. The loss itself developed over the course of writing and editng the book but the intent remained the same.

Since you created a secret government agency with sinister motives, I have to ask – are you a conspiracy theorist? What are our governments hiding from us?

I wouldn't call myself a conspiracy theorist but like anyone, I do wonder what secrets our govermnet keeps from us. My first thought: Aliens!

The kids in the Revive project face off against the animals of Pet Sematary – who wins?

Yikes! Unfortunately, I think the animals of Pet Semetary would win because eventually, the drug Revive would run out. I think those animals are impossible to kill.

When I got my first check from my book advance, I splurged on a Kate Spade handbag. What did you buy?

Some funky Fluevog shoes. I love them!

Thanks Cat! REVIVED just came out in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC Disclosure: I received this book as part of a publisher sponsored blog tour.

Apocalypsies Love! Book Review: The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

Apocalypsies Love is all about me telling you what I loved about a 2012 debut book written by one of the amazing Apocalypsies. I also chat with the author to gain insight into their very favorite parts of their creation.

Today I'm featuring THE VICIOUS DEEP, a thrilling YA featuring a teen who finds out he has merfolk lineage.

Here are some things I love about this debut:

A hot merman? Hello! What's not to like? Tristan can come off as arrogant, but he's also charming as he tries to come to terms with his new identity.

All the merfolk mythology. It's obvious the author is fascinated by the subject and did her research.

I like that the book doesn't take itself too seriously. There are amusing details such as the sea king chewing gum ("The flavor is all gone." - ha!) and Tristan wondering where certain parts of the male anatomy go when mermen are tailed.

The author is from Ecuador (where I was an exchange student for one year) and I enjoyed how she integrated tidbits from Ecuadorian culture. It jazzed up the characterization considerably.

Now let's chat with Zoraida!

What is your favorite scene in the book?
My favorite scene is Chapter 10. This is Tristan's big reveal, and though it seems so many things are coming at him all at once, I think there's still a level of surreal humor that keeps him grounded.

What is your favorite line in the book?
"And when I open my eyes, it's still there-- My great blue fishtail."

What setting was most fun to write?
I absolutely LOVED writing the mermaid island of Toliss. It's where the Sea Court travels from coast to coast. You can see their hierarchy

Who is your favorite supporting character - one you could see getting a spin-off book - and why?
I love Marty McKay. He's such a complex character underneath his humor. He's got a big heart and big personality. In the world he lives in, he's got just as much self-discovery waiting as all the lost souls that go bump in the night.

What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?
Meeting other writers! We're such a strange bunch with our writing quirks. It's like knowing you're not alone in the world.

Thank you Z!

THE VICIOUS DEEP is available now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: I got my copy via Netgalley. Also Z and I once shared a cab across NYC. The cab driver got a ticket. 

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Kitties are super happy we're back home.

Book Review and Blog Tour: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Sunday is the youngest child in a family named for the days of the week.  She's fond of writing, but she sticks to writing about family history because the things she writes come true.  Her adventure starts when she meets a lonely frog in the woods - a frog who turns out to be the prince of the realm, from a family at odds with her own. Will Sunday and the frog prince find love? Will she find a comfortable place within the family hierarchy? Will she come to terms with her own power?

ENCHANTED is a pure delight for any fan of fairy tales.  Kontis weaves in so many references and allusions to tales well-known and obscure, but these flights of fancy never overwhelm the main storyline.  Sunday's relationship with the prince progressed naturally and I loved her interactions with her family.

Most of the fairy tale retellings I've read have been considerably darker so I appreciated the light, airy atmosphere which swirled with fun and whimsy.

ENCHANTED is available now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

I'm excited to be able to share an exclusive deleted scene from ENCHANTED read by the author herself. Enjoy!

Return of Cat Tuesday (66)

I adore this photo of Kaia making herself very at home on our new sofa cover ...