Laurie's best blog attempt...
With dragons.
HarperChildren’s Tumblr Giveaway
Harper is giving away copies of VILLAIN KEEPER on Tumblr. You can enter here. The giveaway is on until the first of March. And there is a cool pic.
SALVAGE
First, the cover of this book is gorgeous. The story is really interesting. It’s sort of a cross between BIG LOVE and FIRE
FLY. I liked reading about the journey of a girl who escapes a super oppressive culture and becomes her own person. She has such a distinctive voice. The way it happened felt believable to me, and she didn’t immediately break free from her upbringing. Also, the story unfolds on an interesting and futuristic earth which I found highly entertaining.
SALVAGE by Alexandra Duncan
My favorite part of this book is when the mc tells the story of how a woman sang too loud on the spaceship and alerted other spaceships to their presence and in reply another character told her it was hogwash. Sound doesn’t carry in space.
UNUSUAL CHICKENS FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL POULTRY FARMER
The book hooked me immediately because, hello, super chickens. I loved that the main 
character, Sophie, wrote letters to her abuela and great uncle and Agnes to tell the story. And it was really interesting to see which things she choose to share with each. Also, I grew up in the country and the descriptions of the farm really made me feel like I was outside on a summer day. A great read!
UNUSUAL CHICKENS FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL POULTRY FARMER by Kelly Jones.
I’m so happy I got to read the arc.
Staff Picks
I was really happy and grateful to be selected for staff picks at some great bookstores:
WORD Bookstores: There is a very nice write up for February picks. It just made my Monday. (I’m writing this on Monday.) It was a better treat than lasagna. I said this to someone without explaining I was in a Garfield mood, but thoughts of Garfield and lasagna just make me so happy. You can read it and other great staff picks here!
The Country Bookshop: I visited The Country Bookshop not too long ago. And I grew up not far from Southern Pines. It makes it extra special to be one of their staff picks! Read the newsletter here. That strange smiling person in the picture is me. I’m in front of a castle made of cardboard boxes. That’s likely why I’m grinning like that. Cardboard castles are awesome. I just need it to be a little bigger so I can make camp there 🙂
Fearless Fridays on the FearlessFifteeners blog.
I fear cockroaches and centipedes. And I don’t really want to eat insects. I’m not that fond of their more delicious Arthropod cousins shrimp and lobsters. But in the spirit of facing fears, I will try to overcome the ick factor. I wrote about it here on the Fearlessfifteeners blog.
Hey Kid! Interview
Heidi Schulz (HOOK’S REVENGE and THE PIRATE CODE and more!) is doing interviews where authors write notes to their 8-12 year old selves. I was lucky enough to participate although I had a really hard time deciding what to write! I finally went with my old habit of running into poles. When in doubt, go with physical comedy, right? Check out the link.
Literary Rambles Interview (+ arc giveaway)
I’ve read the Literary Rambles blog for a long time. It’s exciting now to be interviewed by Natalie! When I wrote up the answers, I’d been reading lots of blog entries from debut authors about how anxious they were when their books came out. Those entries made me feel better about any nerves I’ve had. (I feel a bit guilty being anxious because being published is a wonderful amazing thing.) Anyway, because of that I wrote some about my own anxieties when answering the questions. Please check it out and check out Literary Rambles – a great blog!
Spellbound Launch Event
It was a great Saturday at Spellbound. There was some swordplay, some amulet making, and some reading – all while being surrounded by wonderful children’s/mg/ya books. (And there are signed copies of VILLAIN KEEPER available for anyone who wants one!)
The Debut Club: An interview with Laurie McKay, author of THE LAST DRAGON CHARMER: #1: THE VILLAIN KEEPER
Thanks to Lois and the Sweet Sixteeners for the interview!
Sweet Sixteener Lois Sephaban recently spoke to Fearless Fifteener Laurie McKay about her debut MG fantasy novel, THE LAST DRAGON CHARMER #1: VILLAIN KEEPER (February 3, 2015 from HarperCollins).
About the Author:
Laurie McKay has taught biology in the community college system for seven years and lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her family and two dogs. When she’s not dodging students and prepping lab activities, she’s sitting at a local coffee shop and writing.
Find Laurie on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
About THE LAST DRAGON CHARMER #1: VILLAIN KEEPER:
All his life, Prince Caden has dreamed of being sent on a quest to slay a dragon. But before he has the chance, he is ripped from his home in the Winterlands of Razzon and finds himself in Asheville, North Carolina–a land with no magic and no dragons. But a prince must always complete his quest. And the…
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Release Day is here!
It’s hard to believe, but VILLAIN KEEPER is finally available! I even saw it on the shelves in Flyleaf Books and in the local Barnes and Noble!! Woohoo 🙂
And here’s a snowflake to celebrate.
Laurie's best blog attempt... 