Dead Jed 2 Blog Tour

Welcome to the Dead Jed 2 Blog Tour! Be sure to enter the Giveaway and then read on down for my interview with the author Scott Craven!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner will be drawn January 9, 2015

· Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Dead Jed 2: Dawn of the Jed by Scott Craven (INT)

~ About the Book~

Title: Dead Jed 2: Dawn of the Jed
Publication date: December 9, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Scott Craven

The first part of seventh grade was rough on Jed, but things are looking up now that Christmas is almost here. As with past Christmases, Jed asks for the one thing he’s always wanted–a dog–and again, his parents tell him they’re not ready. But fate has a different plan when Jed sees a dog get run over by a car. Then, it happens. Jed suddenly has a pet, Tread, a zombie dog bearing his namesake–a tire tread down his back. Jed may have gained a dog, but he loses his best friend Luke, who fears the way Jed created his undead pet.

When Jed returns to school, he finds a mysterious group called the No Zombies Now Network spreading rumors of the dangers the undead pose to normal people. Forced to disprove Hollywood stereotypes, Jed has his work cut out for him as stories of a zombie dog begin to circulate. Jed could be expelled if he can’t expose the NZN Network as a fraud. Jed needs help from his kind of girlfriend Anna, especially after he discovers Luke has joined the shadowy group.

 

Once again navigating the treacherous waters of middle school, Jed does his best to stay in one piece. Only this time he’ll need even more duct tape and staples than usual.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters Indigo! | TBD | IndieBound

Add it on Goodreads!

~About Author Scott Craven~

Proud graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, has a teenage son, now a features writer for The Arizona Republic.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter

 

 

~Author Interview~

Hi Scott! Can you tell us a little about your writing journey?

I vaguely remember it starting in a log cabin by candlelight, but then I realize that while I’m old, I’m not that old. One of my first school essays detailed how the Pilgrims discovered Thanksgiving. Little did I know faulty research would be acceptable, if not prized, when Wikipedia discovered the Internet.

What do you enjoy most about being a writer?

Making excuses. “Gee, I would love to accompany you to your 30th high school reunion, but I’ve got this deadline coming up. It’s a writing thing,”

What is the hardest aspect of being a writer?

“Really, you have a writing thing? I’d love it see it when you’re finished.” Dang, tripped up by actually having to put some words together.

How much research goes into your story? 

I’ve put in thousands of hours of research into “Dead Jed.” It goes back to my first viewing of “Night of the Living Dead,” because you can’t write about zombies without knowing their habits, from eating to shuffling around mindlessly. Were you aware most people have no idea “Night … Dead” was a documentary? True story.

Writers are sometimes influenced by things that happen in their own lives. Are you?

 Absolutely. When my first bully shoved me into a trophy display case at school, the first thing I thought of was, “I am so going to write about this someday and get my revenge through words.” Forty years later, bam! How you like me now, Robbie?

Tell us a little bit about your publications.

 “Dead Jed: Adventures of a Middle School Zombie” was my first attempt to make peace with the nightmare that was junior high. That trophy-case anecdote? It actually happened. The sequel, “Return of the Jed,” adds a zombie dog to the mix, because a zombie cat would have been pretty boring. How could you tell a zombie cat for a regular cat? I have no idea. I’m also a reporter for The Arizona Republic in Phoenix. Go ahead, Google my name. Just don’t confuse me with the Nebraska dentist or the Montana wildlife expert. Speaking of the latter, I’ll bet not even Scott Craven, wildlife expert, could tell the difference between a zombie cat and a regular cat.

What is the most surprising thing about writing/publishing you have learned?

Writing is not easy, but it’s not nearly as tough as marketing. Did you know that no matter how many times you mention you mention Stephen King on Twitter, and ask him to read your book and then tweet about it, he still won’t? What’s up with that?

What are you top tips for writers? 

Write as much as you can. When you’re not writing, read. What, you want to eat, sleep and go to work too? Some difficult decisions must be made. Did you know cooking by microwave can save you minutes, if not hours a day? Also, if you subsist on Hot Pockets as I do, it leaves one hand free for the keyboard or turning the page. Try it!

Other than writing what else do you love?

Did I mention Hot Pockets? I did. Cherry Coke Zero as well. And my 19-year-old son. Not necessarily in that order. But it’s pretty close.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Stephen King, even though he’s ignoring my Twitter-stalking. He is prolific, talented and lives like any other guy who grew up in a state he could probably buy at this point. I met him once and I will never forget what he said. “How do you want me to inscribe it?” Magical.

If you had a premonition you would be stranded on a desert island what 5 books would you take?

Classics by Tolstoy, Hugo and Homer (not Simpson). If I couldn’t get through them, they’d still provide plenty of fuel. Wait, do I have matches? Now if there were an all-inclusive resort nearby, my selections would be totally different. Perhaps travel guides and the cocktail menu.

 Five words that sum you up.

I can’t begin to describe how bad I am at math.

That's more than five words, Scott. ;)

How can we learn more?

Scott-craven.com, and on Twitter at @Scott_Craven2 (feel free to Twitter-stalk me. If Stephen King is OK with it, so am I).