Witchy Worries #2 Deleted Scene & Giveaway Winner!

I hope you have enjoyed the week of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams! To end the week here is a deleted scene from Rhonda's work on book two. Don't worry, if you follow my blog you will know that I do not add spoliers so even if you haven't read book one, this will not ruin anything for you - just give you a taste for the Adam's family adventures! Thanks to Rhonda for the fun week, I look forward to sharing many more adventures with Abbie. And thanks to all those who entered the contest, the winner is announced below!

This is actually a deleted scene from Abbie 2, in which Abbie’s parents and Mrs. Drake are removing a spell from Abbie that prevents her from sharing the secret of magic with anyone. I can’t tell you why they’re doing it though...because it will ruin a big surprise.


“Okay, Abs,” said my dad, snapping open his medical bag. “I wish we could say we knew exactly how removing this spell will affect you, but since none of us, even Mrs. Drake, has ever seen it done before, we can’t really tell for sure. Don’t worry though, honey. Mrs. Drake and I went into the time warp together and did a lot of research. So, we figure we’re as up to speed as we can get, on the correct removal technique. Your old dad’s on the case here, don’t you worry.”

“I’m not worried, Daddy,” I said.

But I was.

Munch’s eyes were big and round and he wiggled behind the cushion in the easy chair.

“Good job, buddy,” said my dad, stepping over to ruffle his curls. “You stay right there till this is all over.”

“Now Abbie. We’ll need you to close your eyes and empty your mind as much as possible,” said Mrs. Drake in a soft, soothing voice.

I closed my eyes but it was hard to clear my mind because way too many things were rushing through it right then, like worrying whether it was going to hurt… and...and worrying whether it was going to hurt!!…. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly like I do in drama club when we’re doing our relaxation exercises.

“That’s good sweetheart,” whispered my mom, still stroking my hand. “Just take another deep breath like that and on the exhale, let your whole body sink into the couch.”

My dad and Mrs. Drake started to mutter then, quiet words that I couldn’t make out. It sounded like they had a lot of syllables in them. The air thickened up around me, as it if were a muggy, summer night, just before a big thunderstorm. From somewhere in the walls, a deep hum began to throb. It got louder and louder and I felt myself start to shake. A lot.

“Marley?” my mom asked worriedly, her voice trembling.

It’s okay, Tildy,” answered my dad. “We expected some physical reaction. I’ve got my eye on it.”

I shook harder and harder and then…WHAM…my head slammed back… my eyes shot open….And I discovered that I wasn’t in my own homey living room, surrounded by people who loved me.

Uh uh.

I was somewhere dark, and cold, and SCARY!!!

There were huge, creepy shadows moving toward me, and the ground where I was lying was full of jagged, sharp edges and points.

Fear shot through me.

I pushed myself up with my hands, jumped to my feet, and screamed, “Daddy!!!??”

There was a terrible, shrieking ROAR behind me, and I screamed again and leapt forward… into the arms of my dad, who came slamming out of nowhere, right in front of me. He snatched me up and swung me around the other way. A storm of blue sparkles eddied around us.

And there I was… back in our living room, standing in front of the easy chair, with a white-faced Munch staring at me, clutching his pillow to his chest.

....and the winner is......
Jennifer G.!!!!

Congrats Jen, I'm sending you an email now :)

Surprise guest, meet Tom!

I had a chance to talk to Tom before he....well, you'll have to read the story ;)

What did it feel like when Abbie looked in your eyes and realized what you really were?

I don’t mind saying I was powerful lonely right up to that moment but then it was as if the front door had opened and Abbie invited me in. Crikey! That Abbie’s a grand girl. Just grand.

While living with the Adams you read many books, which book was your favorite?

By Jings, it’s a bully high school textbook Doctor Adams secured for me, called Physics: Principles with Applications. I stayed up all night with that one and learned a powerful amount. I tried and tried to tell Abbie all about it but she kept pretending she was snoring.

Being transported from the 19th century, what was the strangest thing you saw?

It gave me a terrible turn but when I first arrived in the 21st century, I got lost in a parking lot. It scared the dickens out of me because I had a hard time figuring what all those big metal things with wheels were. But I quickly deduced that they were rolling conveyances of some sort. I was just desperate to study on what made them move but since I happened to be fleeing for my life just then, I didn’t get much of a chance. And I love a microwave. Just love it. To see those cheesy, bready things Abbie calls pizza turn round and round like that. The way they start bubbling up and steaming. I’m so glad the fella who invented the microwave thought to put a window in it. That was a great notion. Wish I’d had it.

Of all your inventions, what is your favorite?

Well of course I’m only thirteen, so I haven’t invented too much of anything just yet, and blame it all, when I get back to the past, I’ll forget everything that happened to me in the 21st century so I’ll have no idea what I’m going to invent. But I’ve been doing some Google-searches on myself and it seems my assistants in my lab and I will tackle inventing a Kinetograph and a Kinetoscope. That’s the first motion picture camera and a box to view the moving pictures in! I love the movies. Did you know you can see them in all three dimensions now?! That’s some bully inventing right there.

What do you wish you invented?

Since everybody’s always clapping me on the back about inventing the light bulb, I sure enough wish I truly had! The truth is, in 1840, a British fella named Warren de la Rue invented the first electric light bulb but he used platinum coil in it so it was too costly to manufacture. In 1879, I came along and got the notion of using a long-burning carbon filament. Well, after getting the notion for about a thousand things that didn’t work so well first. I sorry to say I didn’t invent the light bulb, I only perfected it.

Who knew, I learned something new today! Thanks for popping in Tom.

(Just a reminder that the draw for a signed copy of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams ends tomorrow morning at 8 AM EST!)

An Interview with Rhonda Hayter

I hope you have enjoyed the week of Witchy Worries so far! Today we have an interview with the author, Rhonda Hayter.


Tell us about the book

It’s a middle-grade novel about a fifth-grade girl who has all the same problems as any girl with a strict teacher, too much homework and a little brother who can make life difficult. But Abbie and her family all happen to be witches and so there are a lot of magical complications to her life too. And because there are certain shenanigans involving time travel, she gets to meet someone very famous from the past. So although the book is funny, I’ve snuck in a little education as well.

What was the inspiration for The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams?

When my younger son was little, he was the most cherubic, adorable, curly-headed little sweetheart you’ve ever met...except when he wasn’t. He had a very hard time managing big feelings and he’d just melt down so that you’d hardly even recognize him. During one of these major tempests, I turned to my poor stressed husband and said, “My God. It’s like he turns into a werewolf.” And that gave me the idea for a little boy who really did turn into a werewolf when he couldn’t manage his anger. And for a sister who might have to cope with it. That was really the seed for the whole book. Oh, my son eventually grew out of the meltdowns I’m happy to say.

What was your favorite scene to write?

There’s a scene when Abbie does something she shouldn’t do and she has to face her parents when they find out. And what she learns is that even if she makes poor decisions, they’re still on her side. It doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences for her misbehavior, it just means that they love, support and understand her no matter what. It’s how I try to parent my own kids and I’m kind of embarrassed to say I wept when I wrote it and I tear up every time I read it.

You did a great job capturing the spunk, curiosity & energy of a 5th grader. How hard it was to get back into a 10 yr olds frame of mind? (It's so long ago for me!)

It’s plenty long ago for me too, believe me. But I have to confess I was able to cheat because at the time I first wrote it, I had a fifth-grader coming home telling me about what was going on at school, talking a mile a minute and sharing fifth-grade concerns with me.

If you could travel in time, where would you go?

Ah but I do travel in time—in books. And I love going back to Jane Austen’s time, and Charles Dickens...with all that elaborate, beautiful language. I’ve been trying to turn my kids onto them...but they ain’t havin’ it. Not yet anyway.

What are you working on next? Are there any plans to make this into a series?

Well I have very big plans for it. I’m on revisions for the second one, in which Abbie encounters Harriet Tubman and I’ve made a good start on the third, in which Susan B Anthony drops by. No contracts are signed yet though, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

(Don't forget there's a chance to win a signed copy - click here to enter!)

Meet Abbie Adams!

Abbie Adams is the main character in The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams. She is in the 5th grade and one curious little girl. Without further ado, here's my interview with Abbie! (Don't forget there's a chance to win a signed copy - click here to enter!)

What is the hardest part about being a witch?

Well, gee, I don’t want to get all poor me or anything because... well sure, I can do stuff like zap myself onto a beach in Hawaii any old time I feel like it. But just try never being able to tell your best friend about who you really are. Sometimes I even have to lie about it. To my best friend!!

Of all the spells you know, which is your favorite & what does it do?

I’ll tell you the truth, it’s one my mom hardly ever lets me use...but it’s a really sweet one that involves a little wiggling of the fingers and thinking about a dish towel. In two seconds flat, all the dishes are done and completely put away, counters cleaned and all. Am I right? Sweet? Mom only lets us use it on special occasions though. Since it’s a non-witch world we live in, she’s a big stickler about my brother and I learning to do things without magic. Sigh.
Oh. I bet you were thinking about something a little more glamorous weren’t you? But come on! Getting out of doing the dishes? You gotta admit, that’s a good one.

Can you tell us about your most embarrassing moment?

My dad says it’s not that unusual in a young witch but I have a little problem sometimes with buildup of excess magic charge in my fingertips. It drives me crazy! Just to make it extra horrible it always gets worse when I’m nervous. And I happened to be kind of nervous one day at school, when I was about to deliver my oral report on Betsy Ross...because the truth is, I didn’t really have a lot of time to do any research because all week long my brother Munch had been...well...that’s another story.
Anyway, while I was in the middle of a sweeping gesture showing how big the first flag was, a HUGE bolt of magic charge suddenly discharged from my fingertips—and it zapped my teacher Miss Linegar right on the rear end. She jumped about a mile and was looking around to see what had stung her...and I had to pretend I had no idea what had happened. That’s while I was right in the middle of trying to pretend that I had plenty of ideas about Betsy Ross..., which I unfortunately didn’t. I’m hoping I grow out of that one soon.

If you were allowed to use magic to turn yourself into anything for just one day, what would it be?

Um...I hate to seem braggy, but..well...I kinda can turn myself into anything any old time. It’s always fun but I think the most fun I ever had was when Munch and I turned ourselves into wild mustangs in Montana and joined a herd there. We spent the whole day running races against each other through the canyons.
Will you ever go back in time to visit Tom?

You know I’d like to, but I’m afraid it would make me really sad. You see when we go back in time, we’re not allowed to talk to anyone there because it would change the past. We always have to disguise ourselves as pillars or something and just watch. And just watching somebody you’re dying to hang out with...it would be awfully disappointing I think.

What would you like to be/do when you grow up?

That’s an easy one. I’m going to be an actress like my Aunt Sophie. She’s really famous and gets to be in all kinds of movies. And well... I mean here I go getting braggy again, but after Aunt Sophie saw me in my play...um, you don’t have to go telling everyone this or anything, but she said I was a born actress.

Thanks for stoppong by Abbie!

The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams + Giveaway

I am excited to host a week of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams by Rhonda Hayter. This is a super cute, middle grade book which I reviewed last week. I hope you enjoy what we have planned. To start it off, I thought you'd like to know a bit about the book & author plus a chance to win your own copy :)


The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams

By Rhonda Hayter

Dial Books for Young Readers

Released: April 1, 2010


Synopsis

Abbie Adams is a regular eleven-year old girl with normal problems like a really strict fifth-grade teacher. (Meet Miss Linegar. Rhymes with vinegar.) She’s chronically behind in homework, forced to keep a big secret from her very best friend and hoping like heck she can remember all her lines in the drama club play. But Abbie also happens to be a witch and in addition to everything else, she has to cope with stuff like her little brother morphing into a werewolf and trying to eat his first-grade teacher...not to mention figuring out what exactly is up with her very, very peculiar cat.


About the author:

Rhonda Hayter was born in St. Jean, Quebec. She was an actress for some time, appearing in plays on tour and in New York and Los Angeles. Now, she works as a story analyst for a famous movie producer. When she and her husband found themselves with two little boys, one of whom morphed into a werewolf one day, The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams was born. Rhonda now lives in Los Angeles with her family. This is her first book.

To learn more visit: rhondahayter.com

Review: The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams

Publisher: Dial

Released: April 1, 2010

Hardcover: 256 pages

Reading level: Ages 9-12


My Rating: 4 / 5

My Thoughts:

Abbie is trying to cope being a witch and living a 'normal' life. She finds it hard to keep such a big sercret from her friends and often has to rescue her little brother from his magical tantrums. Her dad comes home with great news one day, and a present for Abbie...the pet cat she'd been asking for forever!! But one day Abbie notices something different about this cat and the family knows it's up to them to do everything in their power to undo the spell.

The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams is a cute story I think kids will love - who didn't wish they couldn't perform magic when they were younger? Written from the perspective of Abbie, a 10 yr old girl, Rhonda did a great job capturing the energy & excitement that kids have. Ok, maybe Abbie rambled on but to me this added a little excitement when reading. The plot moved along at a nice pace, with hints along the way as to who cast the spell. Although magic may appear to fix many problems, the whodunit did not appear from thin air :) A great book that teachers will love and could use in class as Rhonda (not so subtly but in a fun way) threw in a few english lessons and the historical references. Without giving too much away, I can tell you that the cat is an infamous inventor whom they must rescue and bring back in time, which offers lots of discussion opportunities!

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Next week I'll be hosting a week of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams for YA Roundup with some fun interview (and a contest)!