The Castle Blues Quake

Don't miss a word from the author at the end of the post.

Title: The Castle Blues Quake

Series: The Ghost Whisperer #1

Author: Linda Covella

Publication Date: July 20, 2014

Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal

Synopsis

12-year-old Pepper Connelly leaves her best friend, Chrissie, behind when her family moves from New York City to Santa Cruz, CA. Pepper discovers a boy, Corey, hiding in her backyard shed. Unknown to Pepper, Corey is a ghost trying to contact his grandfather, Boppie, before he crosses over. He tells Pepper he must locate Boppie before Social Services finds him. Pepper agrees to help.

While Pepper’s communication with Chrissie dwindles, her friendship with Corey grows. She tells Corey about her passion for writing songs, and throughout the story, she composes a song about Corey. Corey teaches Pepper to play the harmonica. Soon, she’s torn between finding Boppie and knowing when she does, Corey will certainly go back on the road with his traveling-musician grandfather.

Other characters help her on her quest: new classmate Ally Cressman, who dresses in an odd-ball, non-mall style; Sawtooth Sam, the mysterious saw-playing street musician; and Madame Mchumba, who performs her psychic readings at the Boardwalk amusement park. Earthquakes, haunted house rides, poltergeists, and crystal ball readings propel Pepper toward the shocking conclusion of her search.

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Author Bio:

Author Bio

Linda Covella’s varied job experience and education (associate degrees in art, business and mechanical drafting & design, a BS degree in Manufacturing Management) have led her down many paths and enriched her life experiences. But one thing she never strayed from is her love of writing.

A writer for over 30 years, her first publication was a restaurant review column, and as a freelance writer, she continued to publish numerous articles in a variety of publications. But when she published articles for children’s magazines (“Games and Toys in Ancient Rome” and “Traveling the Tokaido in 17th Century Japan,” in Learning Through History magazine, and “Barry’s Very Grown Up Day” in Zootles magazine), she realized she’d found her niche: writing for children. She wants to share with kids and teens her love of books:  the worlds they open, the things they teach, the feelings they express.

The Castle Blues Quake, a middle grade paranormal, and Yakimali’s Gift, a historical novel for young adults, are her first novels.

She’s a member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

No matter what new paths she may travel down, she sees her writing as a lifelong joy and commitment.

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Giveaway: There is a giveaway for this tour. A $15 Amazon/B&N Giftcard or a Book Depository shopping spree of the same value –OR– a swag pack from the author. Use the following link to enter. There will be two winners. Open Internationally. 

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And now a word from the author:

Never Give Up!

Are you pursuing a dream? Is there a “special something” you’re working hard at, a goal that would mean the world to you, if only…?

Are there times you get discouraged? Times when you are close to throwing in the towel?

Well, I’m here to tell you: Never Give Up! Yes, you’ve heard it before. But, really, if your dream is your passion, keep at it. Don’t quit. Don’t. Give. Up.

My dream was to be published writer. There was a bit of the ego thing going on, I have to admit. To see my name on the cover of a book would be a real thrill. More than that, though, I love to write, and after publishing articles for various children’s magazines, I realized I’d found my niche writing for the best audience I could imagine. I wanted to bring to kids and teens the joy I found in books from an early age: books opened up new worlds for me, taught me things, and expressed feelings for me that either I didn’t want to or didn’t know how to articulate.

For years, I wrote, received rejections, cried, revised. Wrote some more, received more rejections, wept, and revised. I could go on, but you get the idea. (The crying jags stopped after the, oh, 50^th rejection.)

My road to publication has been a long one. A road filled with potholes and bumps that caused me to trip, but never to quite fall flat on my face: I never quit. I took to heart criticism I was lucky enough to get from editors or agents. I listened to my critique partners’ suggestions. I took classes and worked hard at improving my craft. And I discovered how much support there is out there in the writing community. Support came from fellow writers, from teachers, from organizations, and from my five fabulous critique partners.

Believe me, you can’t go this alone!

Now, finally, my dream has come true with two “debuts” in the same week: The Castle Blues Quake featured on this blog tour and my young adult novel Yakimali’s Gift.

Always remember why you have your dream, why it's important to you. Always think of that star you're reaching for, and some day you will hold it in your hand.

I’d love to hear about your dream. What are you doing to accomplish it, or what did you do to make it happen?

Oh, yeah, one more thing…never give up!