Another Book Birthday!

January 19th ~ Kevin Craig is Having Another Book Birthday Today!

Wow! One of my favourite writer friends and mentors, Kevin Craig, is releasing his 5th novel today, only a few months after his 4th YA (Young Adult) novel release, Burn Baby Burn Baby, which was an awesome read... you can check out my review HERE.

Today, Kevin's newest release, one of his novels he created at the  Muskoka Novel Marathon in Huntsville, is called Half Dead & Fully Broken. It is a YA (Young Adult) Contemporary-Fantasy, being published by Curiosity Quills Press. The cover design was created by Cover Artist: Eugene Teplitsky.

I was lucky enough to watch him write this novel during one of these 72-hour writing marathons. I believe it was MNM 2010? He's quite incredible... a machine really. He writes, while surrounded by 39 other writers sitting in one giant room, overlooking a beautiful river in the middle of a hot summer. He writes without much sleep, living off little bits to eat here and there, lots of quick trips for coffee refills, with side visits to The Nutty Chocolatier for anything covered in chocolate (who doesn't) and we write together. Occasionally, we chat, we laugh and we sometimes cry together. It's a major bonding weekend for writers. I highly recommend the experience. It has changed my life in an amazing way... and Kevin's too, just ask him.

Sometimes, I love having friends that are so dedicated to their craft, they make me feel like crap, because I'm not working my arse off, half as much as they are. It's just a small reminder of what could happen, if I just put more time into my novels. Kevin has no idea, how much he inspires and motivates me... and probably many other writers that know him, as well. He's simply a pleasure to get to know. I feel blessed. I know that it kind of sounds like I'm pouting above, about feeling like crap sometimes, and maybe I am, but damn, when I grow up, I want to be Kevin Craig... or maybe Sarah Dessen or Katie McGarry would be good too. Well I'm at it, I might as well throw JK Rowling on the list too... I want to make some big cash, when I grow up too. It would be nice to buy groceries once in a while. Average writers get paid less than one penny for every minute of work they put into a novel. You don't need a calculator to figure that one out. :)

Anyway, I am proud of my big brother (yes, I adopted him, whether he likes it or not), so, I can't wait to read this book. My review will follow on January 29th, when I take part in Kevin's Review Tour, running January 22nd - 30th. If you would like a copy of this book, check Amazon and be sure to add it to your To Be Read pile on Goodreads:

                                                    Find Online: Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK


Description of Half Dead & Fully Broken:

Carter Colby is the most unpopular teen at Jefferson High. This would be easier to deal with if his identical twin brother, Marcus, weren’t the hottest, most popular boy in school. 

When Marcus is killed in a motorcycle accident, Carter discovers the one thing more painful than trying to compete with Mr. Wonderful: wearing his dead brother’s face. He felt invisible before the accident, but with Marcus dead, everybody turns away from him in mourning. How can he blame them? He can’t bear to look in the mirror. 

When Carter begins to see Marcus’ ghost, Mr. Wonderful’s quest to save the world and spread happiness may not be over after all, even in death. Marcus knows that Justin Dewar, the boy who drove the truck that crashed into his motorbike, is struggling with the guilt of taking a life. Melanie, Marcus’ mourning girlfriend, was also hit hard by the tragedy. Marcus wants to make things right before it’s too late.

With Marcus’ help, Carter experiences love and friendship for the first time in his life. But is Mr. Wonderful’s helping hand enough for Carter, Melanie, and Justin - three kids fully broken by the tragedy - to save one another?

About The Author:

Kevin Craig is the author of four previous novels: Summer on Fire, Sebastian’s Poet, The Reasons and Burn Baby Burn Baby. He is a 4-time winner of the Muskoka Novel Marathon’s Best Novel Award. Kevin is also a playwright and has had eight 10-minute plays produced. His poetry, short stories, memoir and articles have been published internationally. Kevin was a founding member of the Ontario Writers’ Conference and a long-time member of the Writers’ Community of Durham Region (WCDR). He is represented by literary agent Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary Group. 

Find Kevin Craig Online:
          Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads