Prepping for a book signing, by J.C. Kavanagh

BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Award
The Twisted Climb

Just imagine being face-to-face with countless strangers who have come to check out your book. And you. What to say? What to wear? What to do? 
I have three book signings this month and the thought of each one brings on the fears - what if no one comes - what if no one buys my book - what if my tongue turns to mush and gibberish pops out in the middle of a conversation. Oh boy, I hate it when I get a case of the 'what-ifs.' Gah!

Me before a book signing

Me putting on a bit of sass during a book signing
 

Me after every book signing :)



The Twisted Climb sequel: Darkness Descends

I've been busy working on the sequel to my book and enjoying the story as it unfolds in the playground that is my mind. Here's a sneak preview:

DRAFT IN PROGRESS:
The darkness descended around her, its blackness sliding against her bare arms like the cold clammy fingers of a corpse. Georgia shivered with fear, her lips trembling.

“CONNOR,” her mind screamed. “I NEED YOU.”

But her big brother was not in this frightening, unfamiliar place. Six-year-old Georgia was alone in the darkness, surrounded by giant pine trees on one side and a grassy meadow on the other. A yellowish full moon shone brightly from the heavens, ghoulishly displaying its pock-marked face while illuminating a narrow path between the pines. Georgia squinted ahead.

Where am I?

She crossed one arm over the other and gave herself a hug. She was not only missing her big brother, she was craving the solace that Foleydota, her stuffed-toy baby pangolin, brought her during the night. She whimpered as a sob built up in her throat. She gulped it down. The prospect of being alone in the dark was making her panic.

“I’m a big girl n-n-now,” Georgia said with feigned confidence, pushing her tongue in the space where two baby teeth used to be. A moment later, the sound of an owl hooting in the distance made her screech in terror.  

“Please,” she whispered to the darkness, crouching low to the grassy earth. “Why am I here? I don’t want to be here… is this a dream?” Georgia turned her face to the glowing moon. A single, hot salty tear trickled down her right cheek and she buried her face on her knees.

“Wake up,” she told herself.

A light wind rustled the trees and bushes. They rubbed and shifted together, creaking and moaning, first in soprano notes, then bass. The high-to-low-to-high notes continued, like a wind instrument tuning up and down the musical scale. It was an eerie, whistling sound and Georgia’s terror escalated in keeping with the amplified volume. She was breathing in shallow pants. The intensity and number of high-low notes slowly changed – from a duet to a multi-instrument, full-blown orchestra. Every tree and every bush surrounding Georgia joined the thrashing, whistling, wailing band. The soprano pitch descended just as the bass note moved up the scale. Georgia covered her ears but it did not reduce the cacophony of notes as they raged in opposite directions. It sounded like dozens of cats simultaneously and ferociously brawling as they slid, claws out, down an old school blackboard. Suddenly, the high-low screeches met in the middle of the scale, howling and hissing with an urgency that made Georgia’s skin crawl. Then, in a thunderous clash much like the slam of cymbals coming together, the notes spoke in unison, screeching a single-syllable command.

“Climb.”

Georgia fainted.

 

* * * * *

Stay tuned for more previews of the sequel to The Twisted Climb: Darkness Descends

 

J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb

A novel for teens, young adults and adults young at heart.

VOTED Best Young Adult Book, P&E Award, 2016

www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh

www.bookswelove.net/authors/kavanagh-j-c-ya-fantasy-canada/

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

Prepare for punishment by J.C. Kavanagh

WINNER Best Young Adult Book 2016, The Twisted Climb

Summer is over - at least for school kids - so it's time for the punishment to begin: picture punishment. Let me clarify. Betty White, one of the funniest people on the planet, made a statement on a TV show many years ago that explained the purpose of sharing vacation pictures. It was PUNISHMENT, eye-rolling eyeball-agony, plain and simple. She basically said, "Who cares?" what you did or what you saw or what you were wearing and who gives a fat-rat's bottom anyway? Looking at someone's vacation pictures is just cruel.


Well, prepare for the onslaught.


I had a fantastic summer, thank-you-very-much, and I'll show you just how fantastic it was.
Brace yourself.

 
 

Deer everyday at our campsite, Killbear Provincial Park,
Parry Sound, Ontario

There were no bears this year at Killbear - surprise! But deer came to forage behind our site three times a day, bringing fawn and even 8-point daddy.

 Posing with my sister-in-law on her super-fast Hobie Cat.

 

Before and after the storm pics, Georgian Bay.

Gah - there are more pics - the visual punishment continues....

Below are pics from my sailing vacation throughout Georgian Bay and the North Channel (Ontario) - rated one of the best sailing destinations in the world. The waters are clean and Caribbean-clear. Stunning. Me and my partner, Ian, sail a beautiful Catalina 36 named Escape Route II.

Anchored off Hope Island, Georgian Bay.



Escape Route II, at anchor in
Covered Portage Cove near Killarney, Ontario

 

Delicious pike caught in Baie Fine, close to The Pool anchorage and Lake Topaz.

At anchor in The Pool. The quartz mountains around Killarney are the breathtaking backdrop.

Overlooking Baie Fine and McGregor Bay. At the top of this 500m climb are the ashes of Stuart Fraser Cork, one of the famous Group of Seven painters. This was one of his favourite painting perches.

 
Posing with the coolest blow-up duckie in Killarney :)

At the Benjamin Islands, North Channel. Note the 'crooked' trees. They grow that way, adjusting to the prevailing northwest winds. These trees are often part of the Group of Seven paintings.

The pain is almost over......

Me and my captain, Ian.

Well, that's it for my eyeball punishment to you. If you made it this far - thank you!


I'm getting ready for three book signings in October so if you're in the Greater Toronto Area - come see me!


Toronto Eaton Centre, Indigo: October 14
Oshawa Indigo: October 21
Barrie Chapters: October 28

J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb

A novel for teens, young adults and adults young at heart.

WINNER: Best Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers’ Award

Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh

www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

Titillating preview by J.C. Kavanagh

WINNER Best Young Adult Book 2016, The Twisted Climb

I've been prepping for Autumn book signings and excited to meet new and current readers. I'll be heading to Ontario Chapters stores in Barrie, Oshawa, Kanata and Toronto's Eaton Centre in October and November. Please come on by and introduce yourself! 

The Twisted Climb is an award-winning novel about three teenagers who meet in a strange, moonlit dream world where the only way to ‘fall’ asleep is to climb. As they climb their way up a dark, forested, mountain that is loaded with adventure and paranormal activities, they overcome private fears and negative circumstances. The main characters – Jayden, a brash girl known more for her bullying tactics than sportsmanship; Connor, a calm, intuitive young man, and Max, a young teenager trying to be a man in a boy’s body – join forces in their common dream world and battle to overcome the crazy obstacles on their climb. However, their adventures take a more sinister turn when they meet Richard Hatemore, a sickly boy who seems to live in the dream world they are so desperately trying to escape from and who does everything in his power to prevent them from reaching their goal. As the sleep climbers move closer to the top, they begin to work together as a team and ultimately, face their greatest challenge together.

These past few months I've been working on the sequel and loving every minute of it! I'm constantly reviewing the original book and I thought I would share a wee excerpt of my favourite part. At this point in the book, the characters have met in the dream world and are trying to figure out how to get to the top of the mountain so they can 'fall' to sleep. Their attempt at zip lining has been interrupted and their zip line cut by a strange-looking boy.....

Jayden, Connor and Max made their way to the base of the zip line platform. The dim lighting from above illuminated the steps. There were dark shadows all around them as the moon made its way in and out of the night-time clouds. Suddenly, Connor held up his hand. “Listen!”

The three stood still and listened intently. A weird type of sing-song chant floated down from above, then silence, followed by several loud thuds.

“I don’t like it.

I don’t want it.

I HATE it.”

THUD THUD THUD

“What the heck?” whispered Jayden.

“It’s that boy,” replied Connor.

“I don’t like it.

I don’t want it.

I HATE it.”

THUD THUD THUD

Over and over again, the boy repeated the words, ending with three loud thuds, like a hammer hitting a plank of wood.

“Do-do-do we have to go up there?” asked Max timidly.

“Yes we do, if we want to get to the Town of Sleepmore in the quickest way possible,” replied Connor. “And I’d rather zip line over the valley than hike. Wouldn’t you?”

“I guess so,” said Max. He looked frightened.

“Listen,” said Connor, “maybe this guy is lost and wants to get to the Town of Sleepmore too!”

“And that’s why he dropped us in the middle of the Valley of Tired?” asked Jayden. “I’m not being sarcastic,” she said before Connor could get angry. “I just don’t trust the guy.”

“Me neither,” piped up Max.

“Well,” said Connor, “let’s go find out what he’s all about.”

Leading the way, Connor climbed the ladder-style steps up to the platform. The closer they got, the clearer the chant and the louder the thud of the hammer, or whatever it was the boy was using to make the thunking noise.

Near the top, Connor stopped and peered over the platform. The boy was outlined against the fluorescent light behind him while the moon cast a milky glow as it peeked out from the clouds. He sat with his legs crossed, eyes closed as if in a trance, repeating the chant. His arms seemed unusually long, extending into his hands without any apparent wrists. With his right hand, he clutched the cable cutters in a vise-like grip, slamming the tool down at the end of each chant. His bald head shone in the faint light. Wisps of long, dark hair jutted out from behind his large ears. A deep, red scar ran across the top of his head, from one ear over to the other. His small body seemed unnaturally thin and bony. Connor was trying to figure out how old he was when the boy opened his eyes.

“You’re baaaack,” he said with a horrible grin, his thin lips stretched wide between sunken cheeks.

Connor scrambled up the remaining steps and crossed to the middle of the platform, followed by Jayden and Max. Jayden glanced at Max and took his hand in hers. He was trembling and obviously terrified. She put her arm around him protectively, then looked at the strange-looking boy and pushed away all thoughts of fear.

“You’re such a dick!” she declared.

The boy looked startled, as if he had been recognized.

“What? Is your name actually Dick?” spat out Jayden.

“Not quite,” replied the boy, flashing deep black eyes at Jayden. “It’s Richard. Richard, um, Hatemore.”

Before Jayden could say another word, Connor interrupted. “Why are you doing this?” he demanded, spreading his arms and pointing to the cut zip line. He walked to the opposite side of the platform, pulling Jayden and Max with him.

“It’s my job,” replied Richard with a sneer, keeping his distance from them.

“Your job sucks!” announced Jayden, pointing her finger at the boy. “You need a new job — one that helps kids fall to sleep!”

“Never. Never!” replied Richard angrily. “I want you to hate more sleep!” He raised the cable cutters and slammed the tool down hard.

THUD.

At the same time, Connor turned and checked out the secondary zip line leading to the end of the Valley of Tired. It was intact. As quick as a cobra, Connor clipped his harness onto the pulley. With a sweeping motion, he grabbed Jayden with his right arm, Max with his left and hollered, “Hold on!” Connor jumped off the platform.

****

Stay tuned for the sequel to The Twisted Climb: Darkness Descends. In the meantime, you can purchase the award-winning The Twisted Climb here: http://www.bookswelove.net/authors/kavanagh-j-c/

J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb

A novel for teens, young adults and adults young at heart.
WINNER: Best Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers’ Award
Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh
www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh
Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)