Hi guys!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we've teamed up with The Children's Book Review to bring you their latest AWARENESS TOUR starring a Children's Fiction story that is all about facing your fears and taking chances, two things that can be hard at any age! So, while we get acquainted with the story line, I want you to also contemplate your TOP FIVE FEARS...because after the introductions, we're going to find out what one of the author's themselves had to say on that very topic! Ladies and gents, may I present today's title in the spotlight...
by
Anthony J. Rapino and Anthony D. Grate
Ages 10+ | 392 Pages
9781626349667
Greenleaf Book Group
About the book...
Sometimes our greatest moments of enlightenment come from our worst mistakes.
When life supplies eleven-year-old Tommy Grant with some unfavorable circumstances intruding on his otherwise tranquil life in rural 1980s Ohio, he retreats into the spell-binding Order of Cosmic Champions. When he discovers that the largely successful animated program and toy line is holding a nationwide ”Create-A-Character” contest where applicants submit their action figure designs, Tommy knows he has to enter as surely as he knows his own name.
But when Tommy’s character design fails to win the contest, he finds his world crumbling from all sides. And there is only one way he knows to fix it. What follows is a whirlwind coming-of-age adventure of righting wrongs, overcoming perilous obstacles, confronting our inner demons, and challenging the limits of reality. In this waxing nostalgic and imaginative fantasy, readers will discover what excitement lies waiting when you take risks and conquer your fears.
Only one question remains: In the final hour when you heed the call, the courage to give your all, will you stand or fall?
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~~~ GUEST POST ~~~
TOP FIVE FEARS
with Author Anthony J. Rapino
Many horror writers will tell you that nothing scares them, and I’m certainly guilty of that particular proclamation. After all, I consume horror movies and novels like a bottomless bowl of Halloween candy at midnight. My grubby little hands paw the contents as I unwrap piece after piece, gorging myself on creature features and ghost stories with nary a flinch. But it’s all a lie. Horror writers are far from desensitized, and even I can compile a list of my top five fears.
FEAR #5: The Ocean at Night
To be precise, the middle of the ocean with no sight of land and the fathomless depths below my treading feet. There’s nothing but inky black all around me. What lurks under that filament of obsidian? Water splashes behind me and I spin, sucking cold salt water into my nose and coughing it out even as some long slippery thing brushes against my ankles. I try to swim but with no destination in sight and no light to guide me, it feels like standing still. I am lost, cold, and surrounded by unseen underwater creatures who will soon drag me deep into secret places.
FEAR #4: Getting Lost
This is an old fear that has less relevance in a world with GPS, but somehow those lingering tendrils of dread still wrap around my throat from time to time. The origins of my fear of getting lost goes back to a particular day in elementary school when the teachers dismissed us on a different side of the building than usual. My mother hadn’t been informed, and the longer I stood waiting the more terrified I became. As I grew older, this same worry would resurface whenever I had to drive a place I’d never been. A mundane fear, but a potent one for me. I wish I could have been more like Tommy, the main character of our new novel Tommy and the order of Cosmic Champions, who has no trouble leaving home on an epic adventure with little concern of getting lost.
FEAR #3: Change
Speaking of mundane, it doesn’t get more boring than this. A general anxiety of change has haunted me throughout my life. I like being comfortable in my routines and any time I experience a big change, it causes more than a few butterflies to flutter around my gut.
FEAR #2: Public Speaking
This one isn’t completely true. I’m an adjunct college professor and teach classes filled with students on an everyday basis. However, and this goes back to my fear of change, if I had to stand in front of a full auditorium and give a speech, I would most certainly become nervous because the stakes are higher. Perhaps not exactly fear, but I needed to fill one last slot before getting to the big one.
FEAR #1: Nonexistence
Let’s be clear. I’m not afraid of the act of dying. What scares me to my core is the unknowable beyond and specifically if there is nothing after death. I’ve had plenty of people wave this away and say things like, “You won’t be alive, so there’s nothing to be afraid of,” or “It’s just like before you were born.” These notions sound like wisdom only they don’t get to the core of my issue: We cannot fathom nonexistence because it’s impossible to experience. And that’s what death is, assuming there’s no afterlife. You don’t exist in any form. There’s no thought, no emotion, no sensations. Just endless nothingness. All we know is existence and death strips that away until you are gone. And frankly, I don’t want to be gone.
That’s a scary notion, even for a horror writer.
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About the Authors
Anthony J. Rapino resides in Northeastern Pennsylvania with his cats Luna and Poe. When he’s not writing speculative fiction, Anthony can be found in the classroom teaching English or crouched in dark alleyways sculpting horrific autumnal creatures out of clay.
His short work has appeared in On Spec, Acapella Zoo, Black Ink Horror, Madhouse, Liminal Spaces, and others. His novel, Soundtrack to the End of the World, and story collection, Greetings from Moon Hill, are both available now.
Proof of psychosis and a full bibliography can be found on his website: http://www.anthonyjrapino.com
Follow Anthony on social media: https://linktr.ee/arapino
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Anthony D. Grate lived through the ’80s, from ages six to sixteen, by surviving on steady doses of Masters of the Universe, Kool-Aid that he put way too much sugar in, and BarNones. Occasionally he put pencil to paper and created comic strips to entertain his friends. He dreamed of one day working for Marvel or DC. Once out of college, however, he found himself selling furniture. Life sure is funny.
After a few failed attempts to use a new thing called ”the internet” to find a nice lady to share life with, a nice lady found him. They married and soon found themselves raising four children together. Meanwhile, in his spare time, Anthony tried desperately to appease the creative spirit dwelling within him. Comic strips, websites, books, board games, interactive online games . . . you name it, he probably gave it a shot.
Nowadays, Anthony juggles the responsibilities of a husband, father, business owner, and creator pretty well—or at least he thinks so. He lives in the same quiet corner of Ohio that he always has, with no plans of changing that. The guy’s not much for change, which is probably why he still watches Masters of the Universe and eats too many BarNones. He did ditch the Kool-Aid, however.
...BOOK LINKS...
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~~~ GIVEAWAY ~~~
Enter for the chance to win an exciting Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions prize pack—including an Amazon digital gift card!
Five (5) grand prize winner receives:
- A hardcover copy of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
- A $35 Amazon Digital Gift Card
- The Novel Soundtrack on USB/Cassette
- A View-Master w/Reel
- A Mini Comic
Ten (10) winners receive:
- A hardcover copy of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
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Special thanks to Bianca at The Children's Book Review for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the author for the guest post. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. Be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the tour for more bookish fun!
TOUR SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 13, 2022
A book review of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
Monday, August 15, 2022
An article by author Anthony J. Rapino
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
An interview with author Anthony D. Grate
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
A book review of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
Thursday, August 18, 2022
A book review of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
Friday, August 19, 2022
A book review of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
Monday, August 22, 2022
A book review of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
A book review of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
A book review of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
