Today's tour comes to us from across the seas....Australia to be precise, or at least that's the current residenence claimed by the author. The story tells of a murder, robberies, and basically nature gone awry. The stars...a genius Brain, faithful sidekick.....and a pet named Mavis, who happens to be a crocodile. (*chuckle*chuckle*...you'll see....) Without further ado, today's tour star is....
The Brain Finds a Leg
by
Martin Chatterton
(Gotta love the title, right?) Welcome to the small little water-side community of Farrago Bay. Peaceful and calm with not a care in the world...or so it would seem. Humpback whales attack and kill a boat load of tourists. A reknown surfer is found dead missing a limb or so and under rather slippery circumstances. Mysterious robberies have been occuring at the local businesses. All of these and more without so much as a concrete suspect. Something is not quite right in this sleepy little outpost, but not to worry.....the Brain is on the case!
Who is the Brain (and how on earth did he come upon his name)? Well, in short....the Brain is really an accidental nickname for his preference to be called Theo Brain, but his real name is Theophilus Nero Hercule Sherlock Wimsey Father Brown Marlowe Spade Christie Edgar Allen Brain. (Okay, so short may have been misleading there....) He is the self proclaimed World's Greatest Detective and with good reason...alas I can not reveal all, but let's just say his name wasn't just bestowed upon him....there was quite a bit of thought put into it. The Brain is determined to uncover the truth behind the happenings in Farrago Bay...but not without a little help. Sheldon McGlone, his newly elected sidekick, hasn't been one to draw attention to himself. Known to fly a bit under the radar (when he's able), Sheldon will discover more about himself and what really makes a friend a friend sooner than he thinks.
Let's just say that I had a blast with this one. I have been reading such a myriad of books recently on a variety of topics...I really needed a YA break from it all. The perfect opportunity arose when a blogging friend of mine (*cough* Bri *cough*) passed along the chance to host a stop on this book blog tour. The story is engaging...catching you off guard and drawing you in with each page. I mean the writing...well the actual content is insulting at times, but in a good way. Hmmm, let me see if I can explain that a little better. When you read the work of an author, it tends to be written in their own style and "language", thus reflecting who they are and where they are from. This particular author, Martin Chatterton, had his roots back in Liverpool, traveled he world including stops in the US, and settled down in Australia. What does this say about his writing? Just that it is a unique voice from some of the books I have read. There are passages that are so absurd (read that as insulting) that you can't help but laugh at how the person or situation is being described. It's really quite original (in my humble opinion).
Then you have the storyline. I mean the character names are one thing (thank goodness their origins are explained within the book), but the nature-gone-wild is very imaginative. I can't say too much about that portion without spoiling the story, but I bet you won't be able to guess the exact outcome of this adventure until all is revealed. In the end, this book definitely stands on it's own, but FEAR NOT...it is not the end of The Brain's story! There is another title in this newly started series scheduled for Spring 2010 entitled "The Brain Full of Holes".
With an adventure this interesting, I simply had to opt for an author interview to tie in with this stop on the tour. I simply had a few things I was curious about and thought...hey, you might be too! Check out what Martin Chatterton had to say when presented with my array of questions...take it away!
THE QUESTIONS
Where did you come up with the general story behind "The Brain Finds a Leg"?
Who was your favorite character to write? Why?
Which character did you identify with the most?
Your "about me" information lists you as having been born in Liverpool, but settling in Australia. That's quite a jump! What's the one thing you miss the most about your home country? What's the one thing you LOVE the most about your new one?
Of the wild and crazy critter characters you brought to life, which one was your favorite? Why?
Did you always want to be a writer?
What is the best advice you can offer to aspiring writers?
And now for a few quick quotables....
If I wasn't a writer, I would be... a pro soccer player.
When I am not writing, I can be found... on the beach.
Question ONE....if you could give a cuddly (or-not-so-cuddly) critter a hidden agenda, or sneaky-creepy habit....which would you choose and what would they do that was out of the norm? (Let your creativity fly!)
OR
Question TWO....of all the animals in the Animal Kingdom (not Disney...well, okay, some in Disney, but not only those...), which one do you find the most interesting and why?
+1 for answering BOTH "comment creators"
(not required, but hey...it's an easy-peasy extra entry!)
+1 for being a follower on Twitter...please include your Twitter name!
(again not required but another means of entry)
+2 for tweeting about the contest
(Maximum 1 extra entry...and don't forget to provide the link)
+3 for blogging about contest and/or putting it on your blog sidebar
(either way works for me...but please provide the link...and for those of you with multiple blogs, it does count per blog)
No P.O. Boxes please.
All entries must be received by midnight CST on Friday, December 11th, 2009.
The winner will be drawn no later than Monday, December 14th, 2009 and contacted via email. Winner will be chosen using random.org.
On that note, please include your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win! To avoid spammers, feel free to "code" it as shown in the example above.
Once contact with the winner has been made, you have 48 hours to respond back. If a response is not received within this time frame, another name will be drawn.
Mailing information will be forwarded to the publishers (Peachtree Publishers) for shipment ONLY and then discarded.