Cory Putman Oakes's Blog

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I’m so excited to share that my next middle grade novel, THE SECOND BEST HAUNTED HOTEL ON MERCER STREET, has been acquired by Erica Finkel at Abrams/Amulet! It’s a fun and spooky book about two competing, haunted hotels and the two, smart, detective-novel-loving girls who work in them. Publication is set for Fall, 2020!

As always, a huge thank you to my rockstar agent, Sarah LaPolla, for doing the deal! I’m so excited about this book!! I can’t wait to work with Erica and the rest of the crew at Abrams!

I promise to share more soon, but for now, here’s the announcement from Publisher’s Weekly:

Let’s hear it for Book #5!

I have some fun events coming up this fall! The WITCHTOWN Launch Party, Texas Teen Book Fest, and more! Check out my schedule here:

It’s the Summer Solstice! It’s also t-minus 27 days to WITCHTOWN (July 18!). What better way to celebrate than with an epically witchy GIVEAWAY?

And because I want to thank the fabulous people who have preordered WITCHTOWN – this giveaway is for YOU! It’s very simple: just email proof of your preorder (receipt, screenshot of your order confirmation, whatever) to me at cory@corypoakes.com and you’ll be entered to win this awesome prize package! I’ll draw a name at random on July 17 (the day before WITCHTOWN comes out) to pick a winner. (US only please!)

 

The giveaway package includes:

A pretty moonstone pendant (just like the one Macie wears in the book)

Llewellyn’s 2017 Magical Almanac (for your everyday magical needs)

A deck of tarot cards (every witch needs one)

White Sage smug sticks (to prepare your ritual space)

Two purple tapers and two cool candle holders (for ambiance)

Some tea and a bag of scone mix, so you can fix yourself a cup of tea and snack (and pretend you’re really hanging out in the  WITCHTOWN bakery)

If you haven’t preordered WITCHTOWN yet, no worries! It’s not too late. You have until July 17 to do it (and to send me proof so I can enter you in this giveaway!)

Happy Solstice everybody!

CPO

PS – It’s a good thing I got all the photos taken before my cat attacked the backdrop!! 

 PPS – Here are some links to help you out with that pre ordering!

Pre Order WITCHTOWN at Barnes & Noble

Pre Order WITCHTOWN at Book People

Pre Order WITCHTOWN at Amazon

 

Today is paperback release day for DINOSAUR BOY! Wooooo hooooo!

It means so much to me that the folks at Sourcebooks believe in this book enough to do a paperback! I’m really excited so today I’m celebrating with a list of 5 reasons why the paperback version of DINOSAUR BOY is EVEN BETTER than the hardcover version – plus a giveaway!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: all you have to do is share this post on Facebook or Twitter (limit one time per platform please!) At midnight tonight I’ll pick a random winner from among the sharers who will receive TWO PAPERBACK VERSIONS of DINOSAUR BOY for themselves PLUS I will donate ONE HARDBACK VERSION of DINOSAUR BOY to the library of their choice. (US only please!)

And now, without further ado, I give you:

5 Reasons Why the DINOSAUR BOY Paperback is EVEN BETTER Than the DINOSAUR BOY Hardcover:
REASON #1: It’s lighter!

Even this small child can hold thirteen of them with almost no help at all!

REASON #2: It’s portable! It fits easily into your . . .

backpack . . .

pocket . . .

or quiver of arrows!

REASON #3: It converts easily into a . . .

telescope . . .

or fan!

REASON #4: It has no sharp corners! So it doesn’t hurt if you . . .

accidentally drop it on your foot . . .

. . . or your brother smacks you on the head with it!

REASON #5: And last but not least, it’s CHEAPER!

Same great story, now at a new low price!

Thanks for helping me celebrate the paperback release of DINOSAUR BOY! And don’t forget: if you share this post you’ll be entered to win 2 paperback copies for yourself plus a hardback for the library of your choice!!

Love, CPO

DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS comes out tomorrow (February 2)!!

This is the last of seven days of sneaks peeks and also the last day to enter this awesome giveaway:

Just leave me a comment or share the post on Twitter and Facebook by midnight tonight (Central) in order to enter. I will pick a winner tomorrow after I’ve put all of your entries into Random.org. Thank you for all of the shares (especially on Twitter!)

Today is Sneak Peek #7: CARL SAGAN

When I was researching DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS, I found a quote that really stuck with me and I was thrilled that I was able to include it as an epigraph at the beginning of the book:

The quote comes from COSMOS by Carl Sagan, which is often said to be the best selling science book in the English language. It’s basically a chronicle of mankind’s exploration of our universe, from the dawn of humanity to the present. I first read COSMOS in college and I remember being very struck by how optimistic it was. COSMOS also gives you a sense of the vastness of the universe and our tiny place in it. It’s the kind of book that leaves you feeling very small, but in a good way. I think the above quotation is a good “summing up” of what COSMOS was ultimately trying to say, and it’s also the perfect way to start my space story. I’m so grateful that the people at the Estate of Carl Sagan gave me permission to use it.

Brilliant and inspiring as COSMOS is, I don’t actually recommend it for DINOSAUR BOY-aged readers (9ish to 12ish). It was written for adults and it would be a tough slog for younger folks. The TV show (with Neil deGrasse Tyson) is a good alternative, and if you’re looking for a good non-fiction science book for kids, YOU ARE STARDUST (by Elin Kelsey) and INFINITY AND ME (by Kate Hosford) both have a COSMOS-like feel, but are aimed at younger audiences. (Don’t be put off by the fact that these are picture books – they are the kind of picture books that younger kiddos will like, but older kids and adults can find even greater meaning in.)

Anyhoo, that’s all I’ve got in terms of Sneak Peeks! Thank you so much for sticking with me this past week leading up to the DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS release! I really love this quirky little book and I’m so excited for it to finally be out in the world.

-CPO

PS: DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS hits the shelves on February 2, but it’s not too late to pre-order a copy from your favorite local indie bookstore, Barnes and Noble, or anywhere else you buy books.

DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS comes out on February 2, 2016!

This is Day #6 of 7 days of Sneak Peeks! Today and I get to share two of my favorite parts of the book – the parts that deal with food!

Speaking of food, have I mentioned that there are NERDS and astronaut ice cream in this prize pack? What else could you possibly need for an intergalactic voyage?

For a chance to win the snacks, plus the rest of the cool stuff, leave me a comment on this post (or any of the other Sneak Peek posts: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5) and/or share the posts on Twitter or Facebook. US only please! Thanks for spreading the word!

Today is Sneak Peek #6: TACOS AND NUTRI NUGGETS!

I like to write about food. This is partly because I like to eat food. And partly because I think what characters eat says a lot about them. I like to put food into my books whenever I can, but that was sort of a challenge for DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS because, well, it takes place on Mars. And what do people eat there?

Without giving away too much about the Martian civilization I created for this book (I’ll let you read about that in Chapter 12: MARS CENTRAL), I’ll tell you that my Martians are very smart and innovative. They have figured out how to grow pretty much anything you can think of on Mars (plus a few things you can’t) but here’s the thing – farming on Mars is a lot of work. It’s a giant pain, really. So lately, it’s become trendy on Mars to eat pre-packaged nutritional supplements (called “Nutri Nuggets”) instead of actual meals:

Sound appetizing? You can try them for yourself using this recipe here. (Note: the Earth version of Nutri Nuggets are less turd-like, and have way more marshmallows, than the Mars version – I promise)

The other food I managed to work into the book is one of my personal favorites: migas breakfast tacos. All I’m going to say about this particular dish is that it becomes important in Chapter 27:

And if you’d like to try them for yourself, I have a recipe for them here: SAVIN MARS MIGAS.

That’s 6 out of 7 of the Sneak Peeks down! Just one more to go! And I’ve saved one of my personal favorites for last! See you tomorrow!

-CPO

PS: DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS hits the shelves on February 2, but it’s not too late to pre-order a copy from your favorite local indie bookstore, Barnes and Noble, or anywhere else you buy books.

DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS comes out on February 2, 2016!

This is Day #5 of 7 Days of Sneak Peeks! I’m so excited to get to share some of my favorite things about this book – I hope they’re getting you psyched to read it!

Reminder: if you’d like a chance to win this awesome package of goodies, leave me a comment on this post (or any of the other Sneak Peek posts: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4) and/or share one of the posts on Twitter or Facebook. (US only please)

Today is Sneak Peek #5: THE STAR WARS HOMAGE

So, Sawyer, Elliot, and Sylvie are on Mars looking for Sylvie’s dad. At some point it becomes necessary for them to break into a secret Martian research laboratory. They solve the problem of how to get inside by asking themselves what any intelligent person would ask: how would they do this in Star Wars?

I found it impossible to write a story that takes place in space without thinking of Star Wars frequently, so I thought it was only appropriate that I actually reference it in the book. Chapter 16 is an homage to the original Star Wars. (As are parts of Chapters 17, 18, and 19.)

Chapter 16 also contains what is, by far, my favorite copy edits issue of all time: how to spell “wookkie.” It really is W-O-O-K-K-I-E. The copy edits department and I went back and forth on this one a couple of times!

I won’t spoil the story by telling you exactly how they break into the lab, or what happens once they get in there. But I will tell you that Chapter 16 is my favorite chapter in the entire book.

And tomorrow, I’ll tell you about two of my other favorite things in the book – hint, they are FOOD!

-CPO

PS: DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS hits the shelves on February 2, but it’s not too late to pre-order a copy from your favorite local indie bookstore, Barnes and Noble, or anywhere else you buy books.

DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS comes out on February 2, 2016!

Welcome to Sneak Peek Day #4! The prize package is still up for grabs:

For a chance to win: leave me a comment on this post (or any of the other Sneak Peek posts: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3) or share any of the posts on Twitter or Facebook. (US only please!) Thanks for helping to spread the word on Dinosaur Boy Saves Mars!

Today is Sneak Peak #4: THE BURPSERS

The Martians have invited the Plutonians to Mars for a rematch of the infamous final soccer game of the 2014 Intergalactic Cup . . .

. . . but everybody knows that the game is really an excuse to vote the Plutonians out of the Intergalactic Soccer Federation.

You see, a few years ago, Pluto was demoted from “full planet” to “dwarf planet” status. The Martians believe that this makes Pluto ineligible to be a member of the Intergalactic Soccer Federation (the ISF). The Plutonians disagree. (If you’re starting to think that the Martians and Plutonians don’t agree on very much, you’re right – they don’t).

Even though the rematch is being called the FRIENDSHIP AND GOODWILL GAME, there is rampant cheating on both sides. Rumor is that the Martians are rigging the game in their favor. And a militant group of Plutonians who call themselves the Brotherhood United for the Restoration of Planetary Status (the “BURPSers”), have snuck some of their members onto Mars to make trouble before the game even starts.

It’s a bad situation, which becomes personal to Sawyer when he has to figure out whether his new friend, Venetio (the Plutonian stowaway), is a BURPSer or not. And also when he finds out that Sylvie may have had a bit more to do with that famous Martian victory than he realized. And when the kids uncover a plot that could have devastating planetary consequences . . .

But before they can save the planet, Sawyer and his friends have to complete their first mission, which is to find Sylvie’s missing dad. And to do that, they’re going to have to break into a secret science lab.

More on that tomorrow, in Sneak Peak #5!

-CPO

PS: DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS hits the shelves on February 2, but there’s still time to preorder a copy from your favorite local indie, Barnes and Noble, or anywhere else you buy books!

DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS comes out on February 2, 2016!

This is Day #3 of 7 Days of Sneak Peeks! 7 days of me telling you some of my favorite things about this book. (I hope you didn’t miss Day #1 and Day #2! It’s not too late!) I’m also giving away an awesome prize package that is full of Dinosaur Boy Saves Mars-y stuff!

For a chance to win, leave me a comment on this post and/or share it on Facebook or Twitter. You can earn up to two entries per post (one comment, one share) for each of the seven days, so you can enter up to 14 times! US only please.

Today is Sneak Peek #3: THE STOWAWAY

So, where were we? Oh yes: Sawyer, Elliot, Sylvie, Sawyer’s grandfather (Dr. Franklin), and two polar bears named Harriet and Roland are headed to Mars (by way of Saturn) to find Sylvie’s missing father. On the way, they discover that there is a stowaway onboard their UFO:

The stowaway, an eleven-year-old Plutonian named Venetio, says he is headed to Mars for a very important soccer game between Mars’s RED RAZERS and Pluto’s KUIPER KICKERS. He won his ticket to the game from a radio station, but he had no way to get to Mars. So he snuck onboard the UFO and hid in a storage cabinet, where he has been surviving on stolen Snickers bars until the polar bears finally sniffed him out.

The game is a pretty big deal, especially for a die-hard soccer fan like Venetio. It’s the first time the Martians have played the Plutonians since the hotly contested 2014 Intergalactic Cup. The Martians won the final game of the cup off of a penalty kick, scored at the last second by Martian soccer legend Tycho Brawn. The Plutonians claim that Tycho cheated in order to get the penalty. The Martians say he didn’t. They’ve been fighting ever since – a fight that Sylvie (who is half Martian) and Venetio eagerly take up on their way to Mars (to everyone else’s annoyance).

The 2016 Summit Friendship and Goodwill game (the game that Venetio won his ticket to) is the long awaited rematch between the two planets. It’s also destined to be of intergalactic importance . . . for reasons I will explain in tomorrow’s Sneak Peek #4. See you then!

CPO

PS: DINOSAUR BOY SAVES MARS hits the shelves on February 2, but it’s not too late to pre-order a copy from your favorite local indie bookstore, Barnes and Noble, or anywhere else you buy books.