Hey, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Alyssa Alessi and her new book, “Izzy Hoffman is Not a Witch,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Alyssa and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
Izzy Hoffman is Not a Witch
by Alyssa Alessi
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GENRE: Middle Grade Horror
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BOOK BLURB:
Twelve-year-old Izzy has been haunted by the shadow of her ten-times-great grandmother for as long as she can remember. This is no ordinary ancestral ghost: This great granny was the first woman to be hung for witchcraft in Izzy’s small New England town.
Every October first, tourists flood the streets of Marblehead. Unfortunately, this year so do a mysterious man and a possessed town psychic. When the man shows up at Izzy’s family-run bookstore, making odd demands and threatening her mom, she must find the connection between this creep and her ghostly visions.
Trying to make sense of this chaos, Izzy roams into secret rooms, holds seances at the local tarot parlor, and digs through the old family cookbooks that sit on her shelves. When she discovers that she may be a part of a once-in-a-century ritual, Izzy must decide whether it’s going to take baking magic or blood magic to protect herself and her parents from the return of the witch hunt.
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EXCERPT TWO:
The tarot reader is only a few blocks down. The cheesiness of her storefront makes me second guess coming here. A neon crystal ball flickers in the window. I open the door and I’m hit in the face with the scent of incense. She has floral tapestry hanging from literally everywhere. It’s so dark in here I’m surprised she can even see her cards.
“Hello?” No answer. What am I doing? I turn to leave but hear the faint sound of a woman talking from a distance. Miss Clara is walking a client out of her back room.
“Thank you so much.” A young woman sniffles while wiping away tears.
“You are very welcome, love and light.” The client leaves and Miss Clara stops when she sees me. The old woman wears a pair of small rectangular purple sunglasses. They match her black-and-lilac colored robe, which flows freely around her frail ancient body. Her white fluffy hair gives her a frazzled appearance that doesn’t match her sudden robotic tone.
“Izzy, I’m so happy you came to see me. That crystal looks great on you.”
“Yeah, well it doesn’t work. You should give my friend her money back,” I snap.
“Well, I think you know it isn’t instant magic. You must believe in things for them to work.”
I had a really hard day so far and I’m not in the mood to play her games.
“Oh my god! Will you stop? What is with you? Why did you tell my friend I’m a witch?” I get made fun of enough by kids my own age and don’t need some crazy old lady spreading rumors about me.
“Well, aren’t you?” she asks.
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GUEST POST:
Five Ways to Deal with Rejection as a Writer
No one tells you the amount of rejection you will face as a writer. No one tells you the ridiculous number of times you will refresh your email after sending a query letter or your first pages to an agent or editor. The butterflies and increased heartrate you feel when you see a reply, only to be gut punched by, “unfortunately I didn’t fall in love with this the way I had hoped.” The heartbreak comparable to your first breakup. The failure sets in like an F on a final you’ve studied hard for.
I know the feeling all too well, and here are five ways I talk myself into submitting work after a steady flow of rejections in my inbox.
First of all, if you are submitting, that means you are completing poems, short stories, novels or whatever it is you write. That takes determination and hard work that no one can ever take away from you. Be proud of you and remind yourself daily.
Second, be prepared to hear “no”, “sorry’’, and “unfortunately” a lot! I see articles that mention how many times famous books like Stephen King’s Carrie or J.K.R’s Harry Potter was rejected and it never made me feel better. Famous books got turned down thirteen times? Really, that’s it? After about twenty rejections I was feeling defeated. Then I started hearing of success stories about writers with over two hundred rejections and I found my people. The people who heard “no” but kept going anyway. I learned that the number of rejection letters could look like five or five hundred. Be prepared for the “no.” It doesn’t mean your work stinks, it just means it hasn’t found the right place yet.
I know, hundreds of rejections? That sounds depressing. So, the next thing is to be kind to yourself. Celebrate every victory along the way, no matter how small. You got an editor to reply with something more than a form rejection? Heck yeah, celebrate! You hit fifty rejections? Sounds like you put yourself out there fifty times and that’s something to celebrate. Got a partial request? Do something nice for yourself, whether it’s getting ice cream or buying yourself a new notebook. Do something to remind yourself that this journey is extremely taxing on the soul, and you must find joy along the way.
Next is looking for ways to improve. If you were lucky enough to get feedback on your query or first pages, now is the time to take the advice. If you have critique partners, don’t be afraid to ask for their opinion. Making some changes before submitting again might be exactly what you need.
Lastly, taking a step back when you need to. Sometimes that means working on something new, or not working on anything writing related at all. If you feel like your mood is overall down and you’re not feeling as passionate about your work, maybe taking a break is necessary. For me, some time out in nature is what I crave to cure my rejection blues.
After three manuscripts, (one picture book, one graphic novel, one middle grade novel) and about one hundred and twenty rejections, my work has found a home. I know moving forward, I will hear “no, sorry” and “unfortunately” many more times. But doing all the things I mentioned above will get me through, and I hope it helps you too.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Alyssa Alessi is a writer of middle grade, young adult and short stories all inspired by the unsettling macabre aesthetic of New England. As a child she was on a constant hunt for ghosts, vampires, and her own powers as a witch. When she couldn’t find them, she settled for writing them into existence. You can find her hiking any trail in the Northeast said to be haunted, roaming old cemeteries with a camera in hand, or thrift shopping anywhere antiques are sold. She resides in Boston, MA with her husband, three children and their mini dachshund.
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CONNECT WITH ALYSSA:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AlyssaAlessi
Instagram:
https://instagram.com/pagesinthegraveyard
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23300822.Alyssa_Alessi
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143075367-izzy-hoffman-is-not-a-witch
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon US Hardcover:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Izzy-Hoffman-Witch-Alyssa-Alessi-ebook/dp/B0C3SKNM1N
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Izzy-Hoffman-Witch-Alyssa-Alessi/dp/1953971857
Amazon CA Hardcover:
https://www.amazon.ca/Izzy-Hoffman-Witch-Alyssa-Alessi/dp/1953971865
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
Barnes and Noble Hardcover:
Kobo US eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/izzy-hoffman-is-not-a-witch
Kobo CA eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/izzy-hoffman-is-not-a-witch
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Alyssa will be awarding a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a favorite book from childhood?
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThe cover look good. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a terrific book.
ReplyDelete