Mundie Moms

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

The Water and the Wild by K.E. Ormsbee; Blog Tour: Author Guest Post & a Giveaway!


Hello and welcome to the blog tour for K.E. 's THE WATER AND THE WILD, hosted by Chronicle Books. This sounds like a fabulous MG read, and it's a book I'm looking forward to featuring shortly on Mundie Kids. I'm thrilled to have author K.E. Ormsbee on the blog today. She's here to share with us who she'd pick for her dream cast for The Water and The Wild. Take it it away K.E. 


My Dream Voice Cast for The Water and the Wild
K.E. Ormsbee

When I was a kid, I listened to a bunch of stories. I would sit at my mom’s feet, entranced as she read stories like Charlotte’s Web, Madeline, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I would bounce on the bed with anticipation as my dad read my favorite bedtime story, Stone Soup. And the highlight of my preschool experience was the day my older sister visited the classroom and read a Berenstain Bears book for storytime.

My family owned an impressive number of read-along cassettes, too. Technically, you were supposed to listen to the tapes whilst following along in a corresponding book, turning the page every time you heard the gentle strum of a harp. But I didn’t like following along. I preferred just listening and visualizing the characters and places in my mind. I would haul the jukebox to the backyard, slide a cassette in, and swing on the swingset, eyes closed, listening to the story play out.

It should come as no surprise, then, that I’m a huge fan of audiobooks. Whether I’m road tripping or crocheting or training for a race, listening to a spoken story gives my imagination an outlet. And even when I read a book the good old-fashioned way, my brain works hard to develop an auditory landscape, as well as a visual one.

All this to say, whenever I picture the “dream cast” for a book I’ve written, it’s not a matter of what the actors would look like so much as how they would sound. Today, I’m excited to introduce you to the main characters of The Water of the Wild, along with the talent I think would voice them perfectly. You know, like, in a Miyazaki or Henry Selick film. Sigh. A girl can dream.

Lottie Fiske is the twelve-year-old heroine of The Water and the Wild, and I think Lily Morgan would perfectly channel her bright, stubborn spirit. If you need some convincing, just watch the opening scenes of the movie Flipped.

Mr. Wilfer is a revered healer in the magical land of Limn and might just be the only one who can help cure Lottie’s sick friend, Eliot. I shamelessly cast John Cusack in the role. And no, that has nothing to do with the fact that I fell in love with his voice when I was an Anastasia-obsessed kid or that he stars in some of my all-time fave 80s movies. I just think he’s reached the right age to play a fatigued but kind father figure.

Adelaide Wilfer, one of Lottie’s newfound friends in Limn, is headstrong, fashion-conscious, and snotty. I love Kiernan Shipka’s performances both in Mad Men and The Legend of Korra, and I think she would nail Adelaide’s prim and determined demeanor.  

Oliver Wilfer, Adelaide’s brother, is a reserved, poetry-spouting boy who was born with a dangerous magical ability. Ever since I saw Asa Butterfield in Hugo, I’ve thought he would be the perfect voice for Ollie. I mean, his accent alone is—I’m doing it, I’m going for the obvious pun here—smooth as butter.

Fife Dulcet, another new friend of Lottie’s, is vivacious, clever, and a touch mysterious. I think Disney star Karan Brar could wonderfully portray Fife’s energetic, wisecracking personality and also handle his more serious moments.

Silvia Dulcet is Fife’s mother and the ruler of the will o’ the wisps. She’s a very calculating character with a sugary sweet exterior. Silvia is the easiest to cast; I can’t hear anyone but the fabulously talented Jena Malone providing her voice.

King Starkling is the Big Villain in The Water and the Wild. He’s surprisingly young for someone with so much power, and I think Freddie Highmore’s voice could convey both the youthful and sinister sides of his character.

The Barghest is a mysterious creature with unknown loyalties who follows Lottie and her friends throughout their journey. Keith David is a voice acting god (Gargoyles, anyone?) and, I think, the perfect pick for one of my favorite members of the TW&TW cast.

So, there you have it! A little peak inside my mind’s ear. Should you step into the world of The Water and the Wild, I hope that you, too, have a fabulou



ABOUT THE BOOK 


By K. E. Ormsbee
Released on: April 14th, 2015 - TODAY
Ages 8-12
Purchase the book from: Amazon | B&N 
Add it to  Goodreads

A green apple tree grows in the heart of Thirsby Square, and tangled up in its magical roots is the story of Lottie Fiske. For as long as Lottie can remember, the only people who seem to care about her are her best friend, Eliot, and the mysterious letter writer who sends her birthday gifts. But now strange things are happening on the island Lottie calls home, and Eliot's getting sicker, with a disease the doctors have given up trying to cure. Lottie is helpless, useless, powerless—until a door opens in the apple tree. Follow Lottie down through the roots to another world in pursuit of the impossible: a cure for the incurable, a use for the useless, and protection against the pain of loss.

About K. E. Ormsbee
I was born and raised in the Bluegrass State. Then I went off and lived in places across the pond, like England and Spain, where I pretended I was a French ingénue. Just kidding! That only happened once. I also lived in some hotter nooks of the USA, like Birmingham, AL and Austin, TX. Now I'm back in Lexington, KY, where there is a Proper Autumn.

In my wild, early years, I taught English as a Foreign Language, interned with a film society, and did a lot of irresponsible road tripping. My crowning achievement is that the back of my head was in an iPhone commercial, and people actually paid me money for it.

Nowadays, I teach piano lessons, play in a band you've never heard of, and run races that I never win. I likes clothes from the 60s, music from the 70s, and movies from the 80s. I still satiate my bone-deep wanderlust whenever I can. 

Visit K.E. via her Website | Twitter | Facebook

ENTER TO WIN
Thank you to Chronicle Books, I've got a SIGNED copy of The Water and the Wild to giveaway! This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada. To enter, please fill out the form below:

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Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books; Top Ten Tuesday #27

This weekly meme is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish

Hello & welcome to this week's Top Ten Tuesday. Today's topic is, Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books. My last posted TTT topic was, Ten Books I've Recently Added To My TBR List.  

I love today's topic. I LOVE book quotes. I always keep a notebook near me when I'm reading, so I can write down quotes. Though there is the rare occasion where I've highlighted a ton of passages in an arc before, because there were so many great quotes in it. Such was the case with my arc of David Leviathan's Two Boys Kissing. Two of his passages from that book are listed below. I have so many favorite quotes, it was hard to pick only ten. So here goes. These are ten inspirational book quotes that I LOVE. 


"Life is a book, and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read."
- Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess

"Books are my friends, my companions. They make me laugh and cry, and find meaning in life."
 - Christopher Paolini, Eragon

"We always underestimated our own participation in magic. That is, we thought of magic as something that existed with or without us. But that's not true. Things are not magical because they've been conjured for us by some outside force. They are magical because we create them, and then deem them so."
- David Levithan, Two Boys Kissing

"...becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be from it, that's the point." 
- Veronica Roth, Divergent

"Sometimes you make choices in life, and sometimes choices make you."
 - Gayle Forman, If I Stay

"Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes it's own magic." 
- Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remember to turn on the light."
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prison of Alkaban

"Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now."
- Christopher Paolini, Eldest

"It's one of the secrets of strength: We're so much more likely to find it in the service of others than we are to find it in the service to ourselves."
- David Leviathan, Two Boys Kissing

"You matter!"
- Liza Weimer, Hello?

"We must all make the choice between what is right, and what is easy."
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

"You endure what is unbearable, and you bear it. That is all."
- Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess


I obviously failed at sticking to only ten quotes. What are some of your favorite quotes?

Out Today! New YA Releases For April 14th, 2015

Looking for a new release to pick up today? Check out which YA books are hitting book store shelves today.

Which books are you looking forward to picking up?

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