Great news! The boss (short for very-hard-to-get-approval-from general manager of Catapult Press) approved the manuscript and the cover (after a bit of consultation with my design assistant), so Give me a Break is all set to go. Here’s the cover & the blurb. I’d really appreciate it if you could share this post with your social networks – use the buttons at the bottom of the post. If you want a print version, it’s important that you fill in the form below because lots of requests will make it happen more quickly.
Give me a Break, a young adult magical realism novella by Tahlia Newland will be published on ebook by Catapult Press in early June 2012. A print version is planned for later in the year and will include the short story collection, A Matter of Perception.
The blurb
Sixteen year old Carly wants to write her own life and cast herself as a superhero, but when she stands up to a bully, the story gets out of her control. Dylan, a boy who supports her stand, turns out to be a secret admirer, and Jason, the bully, makes Carly his next victim. While romance blossoms, Dylan struggles with attacking words, an unreliable movie director, a concrete habit that requires smashing, and an unruly Neanderthal. Meanwhile, Carly has to deal with flying hooks, unflushable cowpats, and mean dragons, all while trying to stop Jason’s abuse before Dylan resorts to violence. Will Carly earn her wings and find magic strong enough to prevent Jason from striking again?
Although Give me a Break deals with very real issues, the magical realism style provides a strong fantasy element in the form of extended metaphors for the characters’ inner experiences. The universality of the themes and unique style makes enjoyable reading for all ages.
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Congratulations!!!! I love the cover!
I’m glad you like it. It took a while to get the cover right. I had to do major rewrites of the middle chapters to get it passed too, and a lot of fine tuning of the second half of the book, but it’s looking good now.
Sorry it’s taken me AGES to finally respond to this – but congrats! I can’t wait to see where you’ve taken this story.
It’s getting deeper all the time.