Klutzy Kantor by J. Aday Kennedy

Today I am really pleased to be able to review Klutzy Kantor, a picture book by J. Aday Kennedy, "The Differently-Abled Writer," as part of her virtual book tour. I am inspired by J. Aday, as she has managed to become a children's author, despite being a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic (a result of complications after having caught spinal meningitis), and she is now making her dreams come true, one story at a time. She has also contributed five essays to Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

Now to the review: Kantor is a young, clumsy, flying horse who keeps crashing into and tripping over things. But one thing he is good at is solving riddles. When he says that he wishes he weren't so clumsy, his friend, Agra – an old flying horse - tells him that the leprechaun, Cobbledom McSweeney, will grant a wish to anyone who defeats him in a battle of wits. Kantor sets off to find the leprechaun who asks him to solve a riddle about four ants. But Kantor has to be careful, because the riddle is not all that it seems. This is an amusing story with delightful illustrations that are sure to keep children entertained. I very much liked the character of Cobbledom McSweeney and was highly entertained when Kantor crashed into him as he sat atop his rainbow, causing them both to slide down the rainbow and land right in Cobbledom's pot of gold! A charming story which illustrates the benefits of developing the talents that each one of us has and also shows that lying doesn't pay in the end.

By the way, if you'd like to listen to Klutzy Kantor's song, "Go Me!" go to the Klutzy Kantor book page on J. Aday Kennedy's website. It teaches a dance and the dance steps are listed on a pdf download.

Klutzy Kantor
Paperback: 24 page picture book
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc
(April 14, 2010)
ISBN-10: 978-1616330511
ISBN-13: 978-1616330514
Price: $10.95

Suggested reader age: 4-8

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Win 1 of 5 Prizes and you get to choose!

2 T shirts, 2 mouse pads or a poster

Visit http://klutzykantor.blogspot.com/p/june-2010-klutzy-kantor-blog-tour.html

Rules
No purchase is necessary.
You must be 18 to enter.
Prizes can only be mailed to winners in the continental U.S.A.

For More Chances to Win
* Leave a comment at a stop on the tour and get a separate entry for each.
* Follow J. Aday Kennedy's or Klutzy Kantor's blog or a separate entry for each.
* Blog about the contest (leave link)
* Tweet about the contest (leave link)
* For an additional entry announce the contest on social networks like Live Journal, Jacket Flap, Book Marketing Network, LinkedIn or another social network (leave link)
* For every 13 participants another winner will be selected.
* The first winner named will have first choice of prizes, the second gets second choice and so on. Up to 5 winners can be named.

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Klutzy Kantor Tour Schedule, June 2010

Monday 7 - Donna McDine Write what Inspires
Tuesday 8 - Dallas Woodburn's Writing Life
Wednesday 9 - Mayra Calvani My Secret Bookcase
Thursday 10 - Brigitte Thompson The Business of Writing /
Friday 11 - Kathy Stemke, The Education Tipster
Saturday 12 - Klutzy Kantor Klutzy Kantor's blog (Interview with Jack Foster, Kantor's Artist)
Sunday 13 - Helena Harper Helena Harper Poet & Children's Author
Monday 14 - Peggy Fieland Margarette Fieland: Poetry and Prose
Tuesday 15 - Steve Tremp BREAKTHROUGH BLOGS
Friday 18 Margot Finke Hook Kids on Reading

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Find out more about J. Aday Kennedy and her writing here:

Website: http://www.jadaykennedy.com/

Blogs - http://jadaykennedy.blogspot.com/
http://klutzykantor.blogspot.com/

Email: aday@jadaykebnnedy.com

Interview with author Nancy Famolari

I am delighted this month to feature fellow author Nancy Famolari. Nancy lives with her husband, five horses, two dogs and five white cats on a farm in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. Her stories and poems have appeared in Long Story Short, Flash Shot, Fiction Flyer, Lyrica, Alienskin Magazine Clockwise Cat, and Matters of the Heart from the Museitup Press. She has written 3 novels – Summer's Story, Unwelcome Guest at Fair Hill Farm and her latest venture, The Lake House. This is the blurb.

The lake house has been empty for ten years – the scene of a brutal murder. Undeterred by the story, Mark and Tory buy their dream house, but when they move in strange things happen. While exploring the house on the first afternoon, they find a hunting knife wedged in a closet under the stairs. Could this be the murder weapon?

Tory, a romance novelist, becomes fascinated by the unsolved murder. The owner's beautiful, young wife was found stabbed to death. The police say it was a burglary gone wrong, but she doesn't believe it. Alone at the house during the week, while Mark works in New York, Tory feels the presence of the murdered woman. When she asks questions, the townspeople become antagonistic. Only Andy, the newspaper editor, tries to be helpful. After someone shoots at her, Mark tells her to stop the investigation. But she has to know: is she crazy, sensing the presence of a ghost, or is the town covering up a brutal murder? As her investigation continues, more accidents happen. Is someone trying to frighten her away, or is she the killer's next target?

I asked Nancy a few questions about her latest book.

How did you get the idea for Lake House?
When my husband and I were looking for a house in Pennsylvania, we found one we liked on the Internet. I called the realtor only to find that the house had been sold and was going to settlement the day I called. Subsequently, we went to Pennsylvania to see other properties with the realtor. During the day, he told us the story of the house. It had been vacant for ten years because of a murder that occurred there. A young couple purchased it and hoped to live there permanently, but couldn't afford to give up their jobs in New York. I thought this story had all the makings of a good mystery, so I used it as the basis for Lake House.

Who is your favorite character?
Tory is the obvious favorite. She grows a great deal during the course of the novel, finding that she can trust her instincts and act on her own. She starts the book rather timid, but by the end has definitely become a strong individual. I also like Chess Devon, Chief of Police. She's a tough lady keeping order in Montbleu, while fending off the advances of her ex-lover, Inspector Bartlett Thomas.

I must admit to a fondness for my minor characters. They remind me of people I know in the Endless Mountains, some of whom are real characters. I had great fun bringing them into Tory's story. I particularly like Hank and Eddie, the men who deliver the mattress. For me, they are quite typical (with a little exaggeration) of the men who do odd jobs in small towns. Living for the hunting season is a very real way of life in the mountains.

What did you find difficult or easy about writing The Lake House?
The Lake House is my most ambitious novel to date. It's long for me, nearly 300 pages. I have a complex plot and a sub-plot. Keeping the mystery moving while developing the romantic sub-plot was a challenge. I had to make a very detailed time-line, rewrite some sections several times. I'm happy with the result. I hope my readers are.

The easy, enjoyable part of writing The Lake House was the development of the background and minor characters. I love the Endless Mountains. It is a truly beautiful spot. Putting an amalgam of local characters into the story was great fun. While the minor characters aren't built on any individual, their mannerisms are shared by many people here.

Do you plan to write another murder mystery?
The Lake House is actually the second book in a series I've planned – the Montbleu Series. The first book, Murder in Montbleu, is just about ready to published. I plan to do that later this year. Two other books in the series are in draft form. I hope to edit them and get them ready for publication in 2011. After that, I'm not sure whether I'll continue the series. It depends on whether I get new ideas and on whether readers are interested.

Thank you so much, Nancy. I wish you success with the book and the series!

The Lake House
ISBN: 978-1452817941
Publisher: Createspace
Available from: http://www.amazon.com/Lake-House-Nancy-Famolari/dp/1452817944/
Price: $12.50

Find out more about Nancy at:
Website: http://sites.google.com/site/nancyfamolari/
My Space: http://www.myspace.com/nancyfamolari/
Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/friends/
Blogs: http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com/
http://nancyfamolari.wordpress.com/

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Learn from new and experienced authors. Join Writers on the Move's June 2010 Authors' Tour. http://tinyurl.com/2c4wzc8

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