20 Days of Backstory: Day 10

Hi, friends,

It's Day 10 of my blog series on backstory about MAYDAY!

BACKSTORY FACT 10

-

I spent a year researching plane crashes. The Congo crash, featured in the opening chapter, haunted me most. It’s a great teacher: group think can be deadly.

--

Praise for Mayday:

"A fine character-driven tale that slowly grows to a crescendo of satisfaction."
―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Wayne is an appealing protagonist with a strong voice who develops believably over the difficult months, as do the other characters. A well-done book on all levels."―Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The main characters are well depicted and highly appealing.... Thought provoking and touching, Mayday applies to anyone who has ever felt like an outcast and wishes to become someone with a sense of pride."
―VOYA

"Wayne's is an authentic, funny, and sometimes sarcastic teen voice, which comes through clearly, even when he can't speak out loud.... in this sweet tale of survival, heroism, and the search for strength."
―School Library Journal

20 Days of Backstory: Day 7

Hi, friends,

Who likes to know a little behind-the-scenes information about a story? 

BACKSTORY FACT 7

     
Wayne Kovok, the main character, is a fact-loving seventh grader. He shares more than 70 confirmed, true facts in MAYDAY. This was a fun part of the novel to work on because I'm a fact nerd.

I’ve been asked what my favorite facts are and would have to say the history of Arlington National Cemetery and the continued search for Columbia Space Shuttle debris in East Texas. Also, I spent an inordinate amount of time researching the weight and dimensions of the world’s largest matzo ball.

    Here is my copy-editor’s comment that sent me down the rabbit hole.

-          Seems like there have been larger, but I don’t know that any larger than 267 pounds have been recognized officially by Guinness World Records. See http://azjewishpost.com/2010/p-s-tucson-chef-creates-guinness-world-record-matzah-ball-israelis-israel-travels-pilates-guru-hadassah-hears-marquez/

-          http://jewishworldnews.org/worlds-largest-matzo-ball-competition-more-than-just-a-cooked-mass-of-unrecognized-ingredients/

20 Days of Backstory: Day 2

Hi, friends,

Who likes to know a little behind-the-scenes information about a book? I'm sharing 20 facts in 20 days about my forthcoming novel, MAYDAY.

BACKSTORY FACT 2

The original working title for MAYDAY was Wayne Kovok Flies Again


--

Visit www.karenharringtonbooks.com for more information or to order your copy of MAYDAY, out one week from today!

Happy 2016!

Hello friends,

First, I want to wish you a wonderful new year!

Now that it's 2016, I can FINALLY say that I have a book out "this year." The process seems to take so long. Waiting to share a story can be simultaneously joyful and frustrating. But now it's only a few short months away! This is a story about seventh-grade plane crash survivor Wayne Kovok who embarks on a quest to recover two things lost in the crash: his voice, and the American flag honoring the death of his soldier uncle, while trying to find his place between his absentee father and his super-patriotic military grandfather.

Cheers,

kh