Join Sharron
Thornton and Raymond Thornton,
author and illustrator of the illustrated tweenie novel, Upir and the Monster Gang, as they tour the blogosphere
October 1 – November 16, 2013 on their first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!
ABOUT UPIR AND THE MONSTER GANGComing from a long line of highly respected vampires, Upir knew that going to Neewollah, the Monster Mausoleum, would help him live up to his family’s reputation, but he never anticipated the terrifying turn his stay there would take. Upon entering, Upir befriends several strange creatures and their nights soon become treacherous when they have to dodge flying skulls whose hollow eye sockets shimmer with bright blue lights, avoid huge plants with tongue-like tentacles that devour young monsters, and run from a mad scientist who loves to use the monster students in his experiments. Most of all, they try to stay away from Muriel, an ill-tempered, nasty gorgon girl with slithering snakes for hair. She is the leader of three cantankerous monsters that follow her every command. Her group is bent on destroying Upir and his gang.Without warning the young monsters find themselves entangled in a plot to destroy the Monster race. Will they escape the clutches of this horrifying villain and alert the Monster world, or will they become his loyal soldiers?
Excerpt:
The
Welcoming Committee
“Yeah, you kid!” A monster with
an enormous bumpy head, bulbous nose and winged ears pointed at the vampire. A
single tooth protruded from the troll’s lower lip as he gaped at Upir.
A wolf-boy, his grin
revealing sharp pointy teeth, was with the group. His eyes had a hungry look to
them.
Upir swallowed and tried to
sound calm. “Yeah, what do you want?” he asked.
A green goblin boy, a skateboard
under one arm, shoved his way between the other two and glared at Upir. “We’re
the welcoming committee around here,” he said sarcastically.
Upir doubted that. “Okay,” he
said slowly.
The goblin boy pointed up at the
troll. “He’s Groks. I’m Gordon.” He tilted his head at the wolf boy. “And
that’s Raff.”
Raff sneered, “What’s your name?”
Without thinking, Upir said his
whole name. “Upir Amarande.”
“Yooper! Yooper!” Groks laughed,
slobber spilling down his chin. “What kinda stupid name--”
“Move it!” A girl with dozens of
slithering snakes for hair came forward as the other three monsters stepped
aside. The gorgon stood before Upir, her breath smelled of swamp water; the
snakes on her head hissed and stretched toward him. “What did you say your name
was?”
Upir told her.
“Amarande, huh?” She looked Upir
up and down and smiled, “Well look what we’ve got here boys, a little monster
royalty in our midst.”
Upir started to shake his head,
but before he could speak, the gorgon stuck out her hand. “Glad to have you
aboard,” she said.
Upir shook her hand as he asked,
“Aboard?”
Groks groaned. “Muriel, we don’t
need a vamp--”
“Shut up, troll!” She turned
back to Upir. “My gang,” she said as her head tilted toward the monsters behind
her. “We plan on running this place, and I’m inviting you to join.”
Upir smiled. “Serious?” he
asked. He didn’t like the fact that, once again, he’d been befriended because
of his name. But to run with the in-crowd, he could deal with that. “Thanks,”
he said.
“What’s going on!” a voice
screamed behind them. The kids turned. The
hunchback lumbered toward them, his hump weighing him
down to the floor. “What are you kids doing in the hall? It’s almost lights
out. Get to your rooms!” Turning to his hump he mumbled, “Hugo always has to
chase kids all over the place.”
Muriel lowered her gaze and
innocently said, “We’re going now, Mr. Hugo.” Turning to her gang she growled,
“Let’s go!” She slapped Upir on the arm as she brushed past him. “Welcome to my
gang, Amarande. See ya around.”
“Yeah, see ya around,” Groks
said hitting Upir on the back so hard that he stumbled into the wall.
Raff snickered and Gordon
hooted. Muriel called out another “Shut up!” before they were out of sight.
Upir pushed open the creaky door
and entered a dark, stone-like cave.
Jagged pieces of rock, some crooked as bad teeth,
protruded from the ceiling and floor. Nestled in an alcove was a bunk bed made
of heavily-polished dragon bones. On one wall rested a long narrow desk of
stone and against the other wall sat a black coffin, just his size. The room
smelled like the dust of ages past. And although there was no window, a strange
light emanated across the ceiling. Looking around the room, Upir noticed a
ghost hovering above the top bunk. The floating boy wore a long transparent
shroud; a green woolen scarf was slung around his neck. A long chain, wrapped
around his waist, clinked as it drifted lazily
in the air. Upir saw the rock wall through the boy’s
glowing form.
The ghost boy smiled making his
blue eyes look bluer and his plain face look mischievous. “Hi,” he said. “I’m
Gusty,”
Upir smiled back. “I’m Upir,” he
replied, glad he hadn’t offered his last name. He knew everyone would find out
soon enough. But until then, maybe he’d have a chance to make friends on his
own.
Gusty moved, seeping in and out
of form like a genie near the mouth of its bottle. Upir blinked a few times,
not sure the boy was really there.
“Yeah, he’s really there,” said
another boy who emerged from a pile of blankets on the bottom bunk. He stood
up, his rumpled flannel shirt and jeans hung limply from his stick frame.
“Gusty likes to show off,” he said. The boy’s head was a carved hollow pumpkin.
Light flowed through the triangular holes; the yellowish rays reflected across
the room like searchlights. The grin on his face was cheerful. “I’m Payne,” he
said to Upir. “Welcome to Neewollah
We’re on our way to be published! My name is
Sharron Thornton and I wrote a children’s novel entitled Upir and the Monster
Gang. The book has 60 full page, full colored illustrations which were done by
my son, Raymond Thornton. We have chosen to use an online, crowdfunding
site called Kickstarter to begin this amazing venture.
Beginning October 1st and running through November
16th we are doing a pre-launch, first edition sale of our book. Attached
to this email is a link to our Kickstarter page. There you can watch our video
and see some of the Upir and the Monster Gang products we have listed. One of
the great things about Kickstarter is that it’s like a grassroots campaign that
spreads and then builds momentum.
After the Kickstarter we have marketing and distribution
lined up to take Upir and the Monster Gang to the next level, but we need your
help getting it started. Please share our Kickstarter page with your family and
friends on your email lists, social media and any other networks you may have
and then ask them to share it also.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.My ReviewAn entertaining and beautifully illustrated middle grade book, Upir and the Monster Gang by Sharron and Raymond Thornton, reminded me of the best things about being a young reader. I thought each character was well introduced in a non-threatening manner (no blood dripping fangs necessary!), I felt the dialogue was age appropriate and occasionally humorous and found the story’s pace and level of action good.Taking us on Upir’s first non-family adventure, Ms. Thornton introduces us to her hero as he first arrives at “Monster Camp”, the paranormal equivalent of “summer camp”. While a member of vampire royalty, Upir plans to keep his “bloodline” on the down-low and is determined to make friends with the other kids at camp. On his first night he meets Isabelle, a young female witch, and becomes the roommate of Gusty, an adolescent ghost who is half way to mastering his powers, and Payne, a pumpkin headed scarecrow.As Upir and his “gang” of friends begin their daily routine at camp, we are introduced to their instructors and the lessons the gang will be learning over the summer. Ms. Thornton does a good job developing each character and has them taking some strange and interesting classes. She also introduces several challenges for Upir and his friends as they meet some kids who are basically bullies and strange occurrences begin taking place at camp.
On alternating pages, throughout the length of the book, are great illustrations which bring each character to life. While I could have read this on my Kindle, I actually read this on my laptop so that I could truly enjoy the visual experience of Mr. Thornton’s illustrations. Without gushing like a fangirl, all I can say is that it was truly worth the experience!Will Upir and his gang of friends be able to foil the plans of a wicked warlock? Will Upir and Isabelle’s fledgling attraction be the start of a teenage romance? You’ll have to read Upir and the Monster Gang to find out. I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing this in print!My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns
About
the Authors:
Sharron Thornton taught elementary school for 35 ½ years.
She felt it was important that her students developed a love for reading. One
of the special times of each school day was right after lunch recess when she
read a novel to her children. It didn’t take the kids long to get quiet and settle
down for they were anxious to hear where the next chapter would take them.
Sharron soon realized that books were doors to imagination for all children at
all levels of learning.
When she retired, Sharron missed all of those young
faces. She missed their emotional involvement with the characters and story
lines from the books she read to them. So, she decided to work on an
illustrated novel with her son Raymond who is an artist. Thus, Upir and the
Monster Gang was born, a world of monsters, mad scientists, zombies, ghosts,
vampires and all things that live in the night. Sharron has been writing for
almost a decade. Besides the Upir series, she is working on several other
children’s novels.
Raymond Thornton is an artist from Northwest Indiana. At
the age of fifteen he started his fine art training at the Drisi Studio Academy
of Fine Art. For five years he studied the finer points of painting and
drawing. He then continued his studies at Columbia College and the American
Academy of Art in Chicago where he received a degree in fine art.
Raymond’s oil paintings have been exhibited across the
country. He has received many awards including the gold medal at the 96th
annual Allied Artists of America Exhibition and an award of excellence at the
2012 Oil Painters of America Eastern Exhibition. He has illustrated many
national ad campaigns. Most recently he illustrated and co-created with author
Sharron Thornton, his mother, Upir and the Monster Gang. It is an illustrated
novel about a young vampire and his monster friends which features over 60 full
colored illustrations.
Their latest book is Upir and the Monster Gang.
Visit their website at www.upirandthemonstergang.com.
Upir
and the Monster Gang Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule
————————————————————
Tuesday,
October 1 – Book review and Book trailer reveal at Inside BJ’s Head
Wednesday,
October 2 – Book featured at 4 the Love of
Books
Wednesday,
October 2 – 1st chapter reveal at Rural Mom
Wednesday,
October 2 – Book trailer reveal at My Book Addiction
and More
Thursday,
October 3 – 1st chapter reveal and Book trailer reveal at Mom With a Kindle
Friday,
October 4 – Book reviewed at My Devotional Thoughts
Friday,
October 4 – Guest blogging and 1st chapter reveal at The Fiction
Enthusiast
Monday,
October 7 – Book featured at Bookworm Lisa
Tuesday,
October 8 – Guest blogging at Book Reviews by Dee
Wednesday,
October 9 – 1st chapter reveal at Authors and Readers
Book Corner
Thursday,
October 10 – 1st chapter reveal at Mayra’s Secret
Bookcase
Friday,
October 11 – Interviewed at Literal Exposure
Tuesday,
October 15 – 1st chapter reveal at 4 the Love of
Books
Wednesday,
October 16 – Guest blogging, 1st chapter reveal and book trailer reveal at Ali’s Books
Friday,
October 18 – Book review, Guest blogging and Book trailer reveal atQueen of All She
Reads
Monday,
October 21 – Book reviewed at The Road to Here
Tuesday,
October 22 – 1st chapter reveal at The Road to Here
Tuesday,
October 22 – Guest blogging at Carol’s Notebook
Tuesday,
October 22 – Book featured at Bibliotica
Wednesday,
October 23 – Guest blogging at Crystal’s
Many Reviews
Thursday,
October 24 – Guest blogging at Bibliotica
Friday,
October 25 – Interviewed at Review from Here
Wednesday,
October 30 – Book reviewed at Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday,
October 31 – Book trailer reveal at 4 the Love of
Books
Thursday,
October 31 – 1st chapter reveal at Cindy’s
Love of Books
Thursday,
October 31 – Book reviewed at Getting
Your Read On
Monday,
November 4 – Book review and Book trailer reveal at My Book Retreat
Wednesday,
November 6 – Interviewed at Acting Balanced
Tuesday,
November 12 – Book reviewed at Mary’s Cup of Tea
Thursday,
November 14 – Book featured at Literary Winner
Friday,
November 15 – Book review and Interview at 4 the Love of
Books
Friday,
November 15 – Book featured at Every Free Chance
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