An enchanted coin. A witch’s curse. And rats, rats everywhere! What’s a boy to do?When Rudi Bauer accidentally takes a witch’s coin, he unleashes her curse. Accident or not, he knows he’s got to fix things, so he tries to return the coin, only to lose it on the witch’s magic mountain just as the snows come. Plagued all winter by terrible dreams, Rudi tries to find the coin again in the spring, but it has vanished—and a plague of rats has descended on his village.
Then a stranger arrives and promises to rid the village of rats—for the price of the missing coin. Desperate to get rid of the rats, the villagers agree—but when they cannot pay, the stranger exacts a price too terrible for anyone to bear. Now Rudi is going to need all his courage—and some help from his savvy grandmother and a bold young girl—to set things right in this fast and funny adventure.
Doesn't that sound fun? I'm reading it right now and hope to have a review up soon.
Enjoy today's post:
I was on vacation in Florida, bored on a rainy day, so I did what anyone else would do in the same situation: I Googled myself. And there it was! (And now of course I'm going to keep Googling myself, because you never know what you might find!)
How did you feel?
Excited! And honored. And surprised. I have to admit, I'd never heard of the Beehive Awards before, but I live in Connecticut, so I hope that's a good excuse. Reader awards are my favorite. I can't think of anything better than being recognized by the kids who read my book.
Give us your elevator pitch.
How did you know I need to work on that? Here goes:
The Brixen Witch is the story of a boy named Rudi who brings home an enchanted coin, and a curse along with it. Rudi must confront a mountain witch, a mysterious stranger—and a plague of rats—in order to erase the curse and save his village.
What's your favorite snack?
Hmm...This is hard because I love to eat! I love hot, buttered, salty popcorn. McDonald's french fries. Apples and peanut butter. Graham crackers with peanut butter. Chocolate chip cookies. I could go on for hours.
What do you never leave home without?
My cell phone. It's a wonderful gadget: email, appointment book, and even my e-books are in my phone. I've loaded lots of games onto my phone, but I only play Scramble With Friends and Bejeweled. I'm really bad at most games. I've given up on Angry Birds.
Do you have any pets?
Yes! We have a black-lab mix named Scout, who will be two years old in a couple of weeks. We think she is part jackrabbit, because she has really long legs and can jump really high. She is afraid of ladybugs.
Do have a favorite getaway?
We have lots of hiking trails near our house here in Connecticut, and I love walking in the woods with Scout. This summer we are taking a hiking trip in England and Wales. I'm very excited. And hoping to learn how to pronounce the names of places like Llangattock and Ffawyddog.
What is one piece of advice you would give aspiring writers?
Read, read, read. Write, write, write. Which sounds like two pieces of advice, but it's really all part of the same process.
Writing well enough to be published takes lots of practice, the same way you have to practice your cello if you want to play Carnegie Hall, or your ground strokes if you want to play center court at Wimbledon. There are no shortcuts.
What are your goals for 2013?
Read, read, read.
Write, write, write.
Seriously:
1. Finish a sequel to The Brixen Witch.
2. Figure out what to do with another (finished) novel, now in a drawer. Is it worth revising, or should it stay in the drawer forever?
3. Learn how to pronounce Llangotock and Ffawyddog.
