Today, I'm thrilled to welcome author S.A. Larsen to Middle Grade Minded to talk about the re-release of her middle grade fantasy, MOTLEY EDUCATION. Without further ado, here's the beautiful new cover for the updated edition:
Quiz time! I know, so soon. Can you
pitch MOTLEY EDUCATION to me Twitter-style (i.e. in 280 characters or less)?
A misfit spirit tracker & her
skittish BFF must elude one ornery school headmistress & brave beasts of
Norse mythology to retrieve a relic vital to saving the spirit world, only to
discover the true meaning of her quest has been inside her all along.
#motleyeducation #mglit
Excellent pitch! Now let's find out more about the world of MOTLEY EDUCATION. Sheri, can you finish these sentences, pretty please?
My main character Ebony is…sweet at
heart, feisty when cornered, and more courageous than she knows. Her favorite
place is the Boneyard, the cemetery between her family’s house and Motley
Junior High. It’s where she can be herself. She hangs out there with Fleishman
and the only three ghosts she can see – Mayhem, Mischief, and Meandering. She
loves them, but they are a constant reminder of how her spirit tracking skills
don’t work as they should; her fellow students don’t let her forget it, either.
She doesn’t walk around looking injured, though. Instead, she wears a tough
exterior – fingerless gloves, miniskirt, tights with skulls on them, and blue
and pink strips in her hair. One thing she can’t hide is the guilt she feels
for constantly disappointing her mother. See, her mom is gifted. So is her
father, younger brother, and weird twin aunts. It’s not fun being different. At
least, this is what she thinks at the start of her story. 😉
Ebony’s best friend Fleishman is…the best friend everyone
wants. He’s honest, loyal, kind, and ridiculously smart, which is convenient
during homework study. When Ebony gets a bit too feisty, pushing boundaries,
Fleishman is there to reign her in. But he’s not without his own issues. He’s
too uptight, needs facts to believe anything, and fears pretty much everything
. . . with one exception – his legless lizard Nigel that he carries with him
everywhere. Oh, and he rarely laughs at Ebony’s jokes. But she figures he’s missing
a funny bone, so she lets it go most of the time.
Motley Junior High:
School for the Psychically and Celestially Gifted is…a centuries-old school,
where kids with special skills related to Norse mythology can develop,
grow, and learn in the proper environment. Once a student is accepted and signs
the Terms of Enrollment agreement – which is vital because there are
instructions on how to avoid a fire giant attack – he or she is assigned to one
of the two school groups. The Sensory group explores the realm of psychic
abilities, while the Luminary group charts astrology, the stages of the moon,
and creates potions, spells…even a hex or two. *Mankind has drifted so far away
from its origins that it has completely forgotten about the World Tree –
Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, MJH has lots of
educating to do.
Don't miss S.A. Larsen's awesome giveaway happening now on Twitter (ends 10/2/2019):
S.A.
Larsen is an award-winning author, childhood apraxia of speech advocate, and
major ice hockey fan, who has watched more hockey games than she could ever
count. Her favorite stories open secret passageways and hidden worlds to
inspire and challenge the heart. She’s also the author of the award-winning
young adult fantasy romance Marked Beauty (Ellysian Press 2017). She lives in
the land of lobsters and snowy winters with her husband and four children,
where she’s writing Ebony and Fleishman’s next adventure. Visit her cyber home
at salarsenbooks.com.
