Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem
by Dana Hammer
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GENRE: Middle Grade Greek Mythology
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BLURB:
Dion Isaacs (the reincarnation of Dionysius), Athena’s brother, is wreaking havoc. After to an unfortunate bee-venom poisoning at his wine business, he is down on his luck and crashing at Athena’s place. But the former god of wine, feasting, and excess is a bad influence on Fanny’s best friends, with his partying, wacky business schemes, and general debauchery. Sure, Dion is a fun guy. But there is such a thing as too much fun, and Fanny seems to be the only one who sees it.
Meanwhile, Fanny’s mother is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, which basically means she pukes all the time, because she’s pregnant. With her mom unable to work, her dad is taking extra shifts to make more money, and things are getting tense at home. Fanny is excited to be a big sister, but all this sickness and stress over money are starting to take their toll on her.
Can Fanny save her friends from Dion’s negative influence, while also solving her family’s money problems? Of course she can. She’s Fanny Fitzpatrick.
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Excerpt One:
I wake up in the morning to the sound of my mom puking. She’s not a quiet puker. It sounds like she’s trying to vomit up all the organs in her body while also running a chainsaw or something. And, worse, she’s been doing it for days now. Last night, we were eating dinner and she couldn’t keep any of it down. She said it was the onions, but she normally likes onions, so I think she’s just very sick.
At first, I thought it was just a stomach bug or maybe food poisoning. I remember one time I got food poisoning from some bad tacos, and it was the worst thing ever. I was so miserable I wanted to die.
But like I said, it’s been days now. She should be feeling better. And for the first time I’m really worried about Mom. I wonder if it’s something serious. I remember a couple years ago when Toya’s mom was vomiting all the time because she was having chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her mom is fine now, but she was really sick for a long time.
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Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem — favorite scene to write
by Dana Hammer
I’ve long been fascinated with the world of competitive eating. At first, it was just morbid curiosity. Who are these people who eat such huge quantiles of food, so quickly? Do they have eating disorders? Do they have magically expanding stomachs? Do they puke? Do they feel guilty about wasting food? Also, why?
Then it became a more nuanced fascination. For instance, I’m truly impressed by the gurgitators who can eat super spicy chilis without dying. I’ve spent far too much time watching videos of regular looking people consuming peppers that I could not sniff without pain. I’ve learned much more than I need to know about methods of getting large bits of hot dog down the throat without choking. Basically, I’m kind of a fan of competitive eating. And also, kind of horrified by it.
So my favorite scene to write was the one where Gemma starts training Dion for the big ice cream eating competition. Gemma is my favorite character to write in this series. She’s quirky in all the best ways. She’s a creative, stylish girl who appreciates the finer things in life, and knows a disturbing amount about taxidermy. So naturally, she follows the sport of competitive eating very closely, and is the perfect mentor for Dion in his quest to win the ice-cream-eating prize money.
She takes her job seriously, and is not afraid to use negative reinforcement techniques to keep Dion focused and on-track. I love that she sprays Dion in the face with a water bottle like a bad dog when he underperforms. In the original draft, she poked him with a stick, but my publisher had me change it to something less violent. I actually think it’s a good change. Spraying him in the face is funnier, and also practical, as it helps to wash the sticky ice cream off his face.
Of course, Fanny disapproves of the Gemma-Dion partnership, and for good reason. It brings out a mean side in Gemma, and Dion does not have a good sense of what is appropriate for a child do be doing with her time. And so, while I am glad that Fanny is able to help her friend extricate herself from Dion’s wild schemes, I have to admit that I was a little sorry to see the Gemma-Dion partnership end, because it was fun to write, and fun to witness.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Dana Hammer is a novelist, screenwriter and playwright. She has won over forty awards and honors for her writing, few of which generated income, all of which were deeply appreciated. She is not a cannibal, but she is the author of A Cannibals Guide to Fasting. Dana is also the author of middle grade fantasy My Best Friend Athena which was inspired by a desire to write something her 9-year-old daughter could read.
https://www.amazon.com/Fanny-Fitzpatrick-Brother-Problem-Hammer/dp/1962308014
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144280278
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GIVEAWAY
Dana Hammer will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you so much for hosting today!
ReplyDeleteWhat strategies do you suggest for staying motivated during the writing process?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an incredible read.
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