Cover Reveal: ROB WORM'S BIRD ADVENTURE by Rob Kent

 

With nonstop action, adventure, and humor, this thrilling tale will have 7- to 11-year-old readers wriggling on the edge of their tails!

After an early spring rain, Rob Worm’s bunch burrows to the surface to enjoy the mud. At 9-and-a-half months old (10 years in human time), Rob has been deep underground over half his life. He yearns for adventure and can’t wait to see the surface! Unfortunately, a robin can’t wait to see him.

When Rob pushes his best friend to safety, the robin scoops him up instead and carries him off to feed to her hatchling. Rob wriggles free but is dropped on the roof of a human house.

To get home to his bunch, Rob Worm is going to have to first get down, and then contend with a nest of nasty yellowjackets, fierce colonies of warring ants, a crafty spider, sizzling hot cement, and a pond filled with hungry koi, all while being pursued by a revenge-seeking robin.

Available 3/23/23

It's going to be a great year, Esteemed Reader. I can't wait to share this book with you and to tell you more about it the closer we get to launch. I could never choose an absolute favorite story I've told, but this one will have to duke it out with the Banneker Bones trilogy for the top spot, and it would be a close fight. And really, I love them both so, so much (and all the rest of my books, of course).

For today, I just want to bask in the beauty of Steven Novak's incredible cover. Steven has designed all my covers and I wear his designs on my shirts and plaster them on mugs and light switch covers because I love them with my whole heart. He's an amazing artist and I'm humbled his breathtaking work has so frequently had my name on it.

This cover in particular is something really special. It makes me smile the biggest, happiest smile every time I look at it. It's just so bright and colorful and good natured and it makes me hope the story that is to follow lives up to it. It's certainly an improvement over the first version of the cover I drew in the fifth grade when I was 11 and thought naming the main character after myself was an inspired idea.

7 Questions For: Author Steven Novak

Steven Novak is the author of the Breadcrumbs For The Nasties series of novels, Forts, Goats Eat Cans, numerous children's books, and a number of comics. He is an accomplished illustrator and has designed book covers for authors across the globe. He lives with his wife in southern California, has two cats, and apparently likes to stare at the sky dramatically in black and white photos. His work can be found online at www.novakillustration.com

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Steven Novak has been writing, drawing, and creating stuff pretty much from the start.

Seriously, the guy has spent nearly his entire life hunched over a pad of paper with a pencil in his hand.

His spine is mostly crumpled.

After four years at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio, Steven headed to southern California. It was there that he married his wife, Tami, and began his professional career.

Steven is also a cover designer for hire and I highly reccomend him as he's designed the covers for all of my books to date.

Click here to read my review of Forts: Fathers and Sons.

And now Steven Novak faces the 7 Questions: 

Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

That’s tough. I don’t know. It’s hard thing to nail down. I still love The Martian Chronicles. I’m not even sure it’s Ray Bradbury’s “best” book, but it’s the first I fell in love with, and the one I always come back to. I read Fight Club when I was in high school and it blew my mind. As a lifelong comic book fan I’d hate myself if I didn’t mention Watchmen. Cat’s Cradle was a revelation back in the day. Then there’s Maus. Anything by John Swartzwelder is usually good for a laugh. The first book I ever loved was Harold And The Purple Crayon. Does that count?

Eh, who cares? I’ve already named more than three.

I’m a rule breaker.

Deal with it.

Question Six: How much time do you spend each week writing? Reading?

I write in spurts. When I’m really into the process I can bang out a book in a couple weeks. When I’m not, I’m lucky to crank out three or four words in a couple months.

Honestly, I’m not even sure I like writing.

Scratch that, I’m fairly certain I hate it.

It’s a pain in the butt. Once I have the story worked out in my head, I’m mostly done with it. The act of transforming that story into a book feels like slogging through waist-deep mud in concrete boots. It’s annoying. And pointless.

Who buys concrete boots anyway?

Why did I waste my money on those things?

Question Five: What was the path that led you to publication?

I was working as a freelance product designer for a company in Palm Springs a few years back. All of a sudden they no longer required my services. I was out of work, and the economy was garbage, and I’d grown so comfortable in the position that I hadn’t taken the time to secure much of a client list.

I was young. And a little dumb.

I ended up cleaning the bathrooms at the local Best Buy during the week, twirling signs on the weekend, and delivering packages during the holidays. It was a strain on my marriage and did very little for my already low self-esteem. While it put some cash in my pocket, it wasn’t exactly the most creatively fulfilling line of work.  

In order to stay sane I started writing the Forts series. I love those books. They’re the most personal things I’ve ever written. Technically they’re a mess, but who cares? I didn’t write them to sell them. That part just sort of happened. They helped me come to terms with some nasty parts of my past, and my father, and refocus on the most important things in my life.

Lemons into lemonade, and other hackneyed expressions.

Question Four: Do you believe writers are born, taught or both? Which was true for you?

Creative people are probably born creative. The act of writing is mostly taught. I don’t necessarily think all writers are artists. Writing is sometimes a job. Like any job it can be repetitive, and silly, and not very creative, and honestly, sort of dumb.

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

My favorite thing about writing is coming up with the idea. I don’t keep notes. I don’t plan, or storyboard, or do anything a good writer should probably do. If it’s not good enough to remember, it probably wasn’t that good to begin with.

It’s possible that’s just an excuse for laziness.

I can admit that.

My least favorite thing about writing is actually writing. I understand how stupid that sounds. I really do.

It’s also the truth.

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Don’t listen to anything I say? Ignore me entirely and write a romance novel about vampires? I dunno.

I’m the wrong person to ask for advice. I’m a bit of a weirdo, and not “successful” enough for the masses to take notice. I own two pairs of pants and wear the same four shirts in rotation. I rarely shave. I’m the king of the introverts, standoffish in public and a goofball at home. I’m a grump and I like being a grump.

If your ball lands on my lawn, I’m keeping it!

I’m that guy.

I suppose the best advice I can offer is to write because you love to write. That’s it. Don’t plan on getting rich, because so few do. Even the writers who are actually selling books aren’t “rich.” They’re paying their bills, and feeding their families, and that’s great, and it’s a heck of a lot better than digging used tampons out of those little metal boxes in women’s restroom.

Trust me on this.

No matter what you pursue in life, make sure you love it. Life’s too short to waste it doing something you hate.

Also, never root for the home team. Be different. Same is boring, and in the long run same is always forgotten.

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Poe?

That dude’s gotta be wonderfully weird, right? It would make for an interesting lunch. What would he eat? His old-timey money would be useless so I’d probably have to pay. He’s a little guy though. Probably wouldn’t eat much. So that’s a plus. We could complain about stuff together.

I’d show him a video on my cell phone and watch his head explode.  

www.novakillustration.com

Book Review: FORTS: FATHERS AND SONS by Steven Novak

WARNING: This story is upper middle grade trending toward young adult. Most readers should be fine to proceed, but there is some light adult language and adult themes throughout. Uncertain parents should probably read this one for themselves before giving it to their children (which is far preferable to complaining after the fact). Get involved in your children's reading, parents:)

First Paragraph(s): A thousand years of peace had come to an abrupt and violent end. Off in the distance, trees that had stood eons longer than there have been inhabitants in this quiet, peaceful world collapsed to the ground. The thunderous boom resulting from the massive structures meeting their untimely demise echoed throughout the red forest.  The creatures that called this very old, very simple place home felt tremors for miles in every direction. In response to the commotion, frightened groups of these thin, pale-skinned beings took to the treetops, hoping to learn the cause of the disturbance.  Making use of limbs longer than the whole of their bodies, they scurried up the sides of the massive growths. One by one large, egg-shaped heads containing grotesquely large eyes parted the densely covered foliage, breaking the crest of the afternoon sky. Like a flock of birds, their heads moved in silent unison, focusing on the ruckus in the distance. Less than a mile away, patches of trees toppled to the ground as great plumes of dust and smoke rose toward the sky to take their place. The monstrous wall of debris began to spread across the forest, blocking out the light of the three sister suns.  
For the very first time in  its history, this place was slowly being enveloped by a darkness brought on, not by night, but something else entirely - something evil, angry, and aggressive – something that would change it forever.

Do you like a nice middle grade story involving plucky protagonists literally sucked into a fantastical world where magic happens, Esteemed Reader? Of course you do, you're here:) You're going to love Forts and you should pick up a copy straight away.

It should come as no surprise I'm a fan of author Steven Novak. He's a writer of gloriously violent horror fiction for older readers as well as enchanting stories written primarily for children. He's a man after my own heart:) He's also designed the covers for my books, including the newest, a middle grade book revealed last week. So you know I think his artwork is top notch, but can the man write?

Esteemed Reader, he can and how! I've enjoyed his Breadcrumbs For the Nasties series immensely, but as with most of the adult horror stories I read, I won't discuss it here. Instead, I recently read Forts: Fathers and Sons, a decidedly upper middle grade tale, and enjoyed it so much I'm looking forward to volumes two and three. 

The first thing I couldn't help but notice, given my great appreciation for Novak's artwork, is what a really great looking book Forts is. Seriously. If you're thinking of publishing your own middle grade book, this is the way to do it (I read it just in time). It's well formatted and the wonderful illustrations throughout enhance the reading experience. Even after reading the book, I find myself flipping through the pages to enjoy the pictures again. 

So, Esteemed Reader, as you can no doubt deduce from the first paragraph above, the magical land of Fillagrou is in a hard way due to warfare being waged by the Ochan Army. It's tough times, but as it happens they've been waiting for five children to come and restore order to their world. Fortunately for them, in the first few chapters of Forts, we might five such children. 

One thing I really liked about Forts is that the chapters are written from various perspectives, allowing us to spend time with all of the children. But if we have to settle on a protagonist, the most likely main character is 14-year-old Tommy Jarvis, even if he is a rather unhappy child:

Instantly, Nicky recognized that his brother was in bad shape. His hair was a mess, his head hanging low, his expression tired and forlorn. The look on his face vaguely resembled the looks Nicky had seen on the animals at the zoo a week earlier when he class had been on a school field trip - sad, lost, and hopeless, as if they were meant to be somewhere else, to see something more but yet had been completely and totally unable to do so.

I love that simile:) Tommy has a lot of reasons to be as unhappy as an animal in a cage. When we first meet him, he's fresh out of detention and he's soon attacked by a bully and his gang. This is a smart move on Novak's part, introducing Donald the bully this way as, small spoiler, he's one of The Five. But the main reason Tommy and his 11-year-old mute brother Nicky are unhappy is their mother has died and their father, Chris Jarvis, has since become an abusive alcoholic:

“I don’t believe a God d**n word you’ve said to me, Tommy. You’re lying to me, and I can’t stand liars. I’m gonna teach you not to lie to me, Tommy. I’m gonna show you what happens to little boys who lie to their fathers.” 
Up the stairs went the mad pair of wildly flailing bodies; up the stairs and into the bedroom at the end of the hall; the terrifying noise muffled by the heavy slamming of the door. 
With his every limb shivering, Nicky Jarvis crawled back in front of the television, grabbed the remote and turned the volume up high. It was not that he did not want to hear the sounds that came from upstairs, but rather that he somehow instinctively understood that his brother did not want him to hear.

The Jarvis brothers immediately had my empathy and I was particularly touched by the way Tommy draws pictures for his little brother to cheer him up. If ever two boys were in need of a fantasy adventure in a far away place, it's these two. More, I like that Novak treats this element of the story so seriously. Because their issues are presented authentically, the fantastic is all the more believable and magical. 

But don't worry, Esteemed Reader. Though there are sad parts, Steven Novak is very funny and there are plenty of laughs:

Before Donald followed, he put his arm behind his back, poking questioningly at the seat of his jeans. After confirming that he had not pooped his pants, he quickly caught up with the two.

And the reader doesn't have to wait too long before the fun starts. The Jarvis boys and their neighbor Staci are visiting a fort when they're attacked by Donald and his gang. Tommy and Donald fight it out and end up in a rushing stream where this happens:

Like the dark green, hungry monster Nicky had imagined it to be, the water gobbled them up and swallowed them whole. Tugging their thrashing, oxygen-deprived bodies into itself without an ounce of sympathy or remorse, it drew them down furiously and spit them out toward a fate already determined and a world that would change them forever

And that's about as much of the story as I can reveal without spoiling. There's a nasty prince bent on seizing power over Fillagrou (isn't there always) and though the odds are far against our five heroes, if they can somehow manage to work together, there might just be hope yet.

Forts: Fathers and Sons is a fun title and it ends on a cliffhanger, so you may as well buy book two as you're reading book one. The writing is highly descriptive, proving Steven Novak can create striking images with his words as well as his usual art supplies. There's plenty of suspense, and a bit of gore, which kept me turning pages, and the characters are memorable and easy to root for. As always, I'll leave you with some of my favorite passages from Forts: Fathers and Sons:

As he started to toss the sack over his right shoulder he noticed that the one functional strap was torn, rendering it useless. He stared at it for a moment, allowing himself to fully absorb the stinging pockets of pain sprouting up on various parts of his body like the glow of lightning bugs against a pitch black night.

Every last ounce of blood in Chris Jarvis’ body quickly rushed to his head, slamming into the underside of his brain like a train smashing into a car left on the railroad tracks.

He loved his father, but not quite as much as he hated cars, and grease, and working under hot cars while covered in grease.

In every direction trees were tipped over and shattered. Clumps of dirt and grass were strewn as if the earth had been lifted up and tossed into the air with no regard for where it might land. A thin cloud of brown dust and dirt permeated the air, blanketing everything for miles in every direction.  Vision beyond short distances was almost impossible.


STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Book of the Week is simply the best book I happened to read in a given week. There are likely other books as good or better that I just didn't happen to read that week. Also, all reviews here will be written to highlight a book’s positive qualities. It is my policy that if I don’t have something nice to say online, I won’t say anything at all (usually). I’ll leave you to discover the negative qualities of each week’s book on your own.

Introducing The Middle Grade Ninja Newsletter

Hello there, Esteemed Reader. The blog has slowed down a bit at the moment. Sorry about that. I'm typing this with Little Ninja on my chest in the midst of revising one project, writing another, and planning a third. It would be work if I didn't love it so much. As is, writing and planning books is now what I do during the time I used to play video games.

I'm learning publishing as I go and as promised I'll share my lessons with you. Every source I've consulted assures me that to make it as an indie author I need to have a mailing list. That sounds like fun to me, so I've got one going and you can sign up right now.

The Middle Grade Ninja Newsletter will be an update about going-ons at this blog. When I secure my next big author or agent interview, I may share it through the newsletter before posting it here and I'll also send occasional information about book sales and free ebooks. I promise never to bug my subscribers more than twice a month and probably not that often. The newsletter is free if you want to sign up. I think it's going to be a good time.

My critique group the YA Cannibals has got some big things coming your way as well, including a possible podcast (still in the planning stages). Wouldn't you like to listen to Mike Mullin and I debate the proper use of the word "that?" Of course you would! Who wouldn't? And check out this amazing cover reveal for Love and Other Unknown Variables by one of my besties, YA Cannibal Shannon Lee Alexander. Isn't that a swell looking cover? It's an even better book, so you should pre-order it immediately. 

Speaking of cover reveals, I've got a new adult horror novella coming your way next week. Steven Novak's incredible cover is on display over at one of my favorite book blogs, The Bookie Monster. Head there for more details about the book and to enter her contest to win a free copy of both my newest and All Together Now. I'll be posting an afterword here next week.

Since I'm not posting Mr. Novak's cover here (yet), I wanted to share this sweet logo he made for the YA Cannibals. It looks to me like it was meant to be worn on the back of a leather jacket and next time the cannibals head to a conference, expect to see us wearing our insignia like the rough, tough gang of young adult writers we are:)  

I can't say enough about the artwork of Steven Novak. My biggest regret is that I can't write more books fast enough for him to design covers for. But he's working on a new kid-friendly cover now to be revealed sometime next month for The And Then Story. I promise, this summer, you'll know why I call myself the MIDDLE GRADE Ninja instead of the Adult Horror Ninja:)

Until then, I have so much to do and all of it is fun, fun, fun!