Blog Tour and Giveaway!

May 2, 2023 ♦

Mrs. BookDragon ♦

Blog, Interviews, Lit Review Crew

♦

0 Comments

Welcome to the

World’s Worst Time Machine

Blog Tour & Giveaway!

Guest Post by Dustin Brady

I am delighted to welcome Dustin Brady to talk about his latest book for kids, World’s Worst Time Machine!

About the Book:

From best-selling author, Dustin Brady comes a new illustrated novel series perfect for fans who love funny, unexpected adventures and wacky plot twists.

For kids, life can be boring, but Liam and Elsa know how to create their own fun — or so they think. After finding a $3 time machine at a garage sale, Liam uses the machine to summon Thomas Edison for help with his book report. It’s not until the time machine sends a different Thomas Edison from the 1930s that chaos ensues.

World’s Worst Time Machine is the newest series from best-selling children’s book author of the Trapped in a Video Game series, Dustin Brady. Using his signature style, Brady’s laugh-out-loud sense of humor and daring adventure will keep even the most reluctant reader wanting to turn the page.

Join Dustin’s “insider Club” for a first look at new releases and free goodies throughout the year!

Purchase Here.

About the Author:

Dustin Brady writes funny, action-packed books for kids. Although he regularly gets locked out of his own accounts for forgetting passwords, Dustin still remembers the Super Mario Bros. 3 Game Genie code for infinite lives. It’s SLXPLOVS. Dustin lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife, kids, and a small dog named Nugget.

Website | Facebook

Guest Post By Dustin Brady:

FIVE RULES FOR RELUCTANT READERS

Growing up, I read everything I could get my hands on. I loved mysteries and adventures and comedies and especially stories that combined all three. When I started working on my first book seven years ago, my number one goal was to create my 10-year-old self’s favorite book ever. I kept descriptions to a minimum. Cranked up the action. Inserted twists and turns and as many jokes as I could fit onto the page. Then, I published the book and waited for kids like me to pick it up.

Kids like me did pick it up. They liked it, too. But I also started hearing about another group of kids who were getting even more out of the book. They were called “reluctant readers.”

I had never heard the term “reluctant reader” before. I obviously understood there were plenty of kids who didn’t like to read, but it never crossed my mind that people were trying to reach them. I just figured that books were for readers and TV was for everyone else.

But then, I started getting notes from parents and teachers of students who’d never finished a book on their own before. Some of these students faced learning disabilities, while others had simply never found anything that interested them. But once they read my book, they were hooked. I was deeply moved by these stories and made it my mission to reach reluctant readers through my books.

After talking with a number of reluctant readers over the years, I’ve developed several guidelines that help me stay on track in my mission. Whether you’re writing for a reluctant reader or looking for a book that might break through to one, consider these five rules:

DON’T BE BORING

This is my number one rule. It’s also so obvious that you’re probably already skipping to the next point. Clearly, no book should be boring. And yet, it’s so easy as a writer to slip in a scene that simply functions to set up something down the road. If there are readers who struggle with every page, I need to constantly reward them with mystery, action, or humor. I can’t afford to let a page go by without giving them something that they’ll enjoy.

KEEP CHAPTERS SHORT

Reaching the end of a chapter feels good for anyone, but especially someone who struggles with reading. I want to reward my readers as often as possible, so I try to keep my chapters no longer than 1,000 words. That should take a struggling reader around ten minutes to complete. Anyone can do something for ten minutes. Short chapters also give me more opportunities to deploy my secret weapon.

WEAPONIZE CLIFFHANGERS

Nearly every chapter of every book I write ends on a cliffhanger. They’re the best tool I have for keeping readers engaged. They also keep my story moving. It’s tough to write a lot of short chapters and have each one end with some sort of new question or tension, but if I’m able to pull it off, I can be sure the plot is moving quickly enough to keep even the most reluctant reader engaged.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

I try to never use a complicated word when a simple one will do (Exceptions are made for complicated words that are very funny. World’s Worst Time Machine has characters named Alvin Karpis and Mason Farkas. So when the opportunity presented itself to include the phrase “Karpis-Farkas fracas,” I couldn’t stop myself.) I am also very sparing on descriptions. My books have illustrations, and most kids are going to imagine whatever they want anyway, so what’s the point in going on and on?

SURPRISE

World’s Worst Time Machine has an epilogue written as an after-credits scene that I place after all the back matter. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that anywhere, but I always enjoy after-credits scenes during superhero movies, and I figured that it would be a nice little surprise for the reader. For every book I write, I try to think of one or two little things like that that will delight the reader.