EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Karmack
by J. C. Whyte
Karmack is recommended for children ages 7 and up. This book blast and giveaway is brought to you by Mother Daughter Book Promotion Services.
Description
A strange little creature enters the lives of three tough guys at Higgins Elementary. And from that point on, pranks come back like boomerangs, smacking the bullies right in their fifth grade butts!
Sully, the leader of the gang, is the only one who can see this creature, which he names Karmack. Sully learns that the creature’s job is to balance all the bad pranks the bullies have pulled over the years. Karmack warns that if this fails, "dreadful, awful doom" awaits them all.
Sully soon realizes that he must save not only himself but his friends, who have no idea why they keep getting boomeranged by Karmack!
Karmack won First Place in the 2014 Purple Dragonfly Writing Contest, a national contest for children's book authors, in the category of chapter books (ebooks).
Excerpt
Through front yards, backyards, and down the main road, the pursuers continued to chase the squealer into town. Sully, Breeze, and Gonzo (also known as Curtis Sullenburg, Matthew Brezinski, and Carlos Gonzalez) were the toughest dudes in fifth grade. Everyone knew these three were definitely trouble. And the worst was Sully, their leader.
The old Statewide Bank building lay just ahead, on the corner of Main Street and Railroad Avenue. And that was where the squealer ran out of gas.
Sully immediately pinned him to the ground, right there at the corner. Lying in the snow, the squealer looked petrified. Sully laughed and let go of the boy - just knowing he scared the living daylights out of the kid was enough for Sully. But not Gonzo - he dropped his backpack on the left side of the squealer’s face. “That’s for making us chase you,” he said.
Sully let out a loud “Hah!”
Then the boys heard a rumble. It came from above them - from the pitched roof of the bank. Sully looked up in time to see a bundle of snow drop from the roof. It fell downward, toward Gonzo, who was still hovering over the squealer.
“Hey, look out,” Sully shouted, but not in time. Gonzo did look up, just as the pile of snow hit his face. The squealer managed to squirm out of the way and take off down the road. Breeze began to dig out his friend.
But Sully was frozen to his spot, still gazing at the roof of the bank. Because he saw something up there - a small figure no bigger than a two-year-old. And was it…laughing?
Sully knew it couldn’t be a child. Not with that long, fat nose. Definitely not a child.
Was it just his imagination? Or maybe…a reflection…from ice on the roof? After giving his eyes a good rub, Sully changed his view of the roof by walking around the corner. And there - there was that little guy, laughing again! The creature in the funny green outfit saw Sully too. Then came a flash of light as it darted to the other side of the roof, beyond Sully’s vision.
“Breeze…did you…see that?” Sully wanted to know.
“Yeah, Gonzo got dumped on. Lucky break for the squealer.”
“No, I mean…ah, forget it.” Sully knew he’d seen someone. Yet…
Never the shy one, Sully next ran into the bank to question the first teller he saw. “Is some guy up on the roof?”
“What?”
“You got some guy shoveling snow off the roof? My friend, he got dumped on.”
“Uh, not that I’m aware of.” The female teller turned around and asked the branch manager the same question. Then she returned to Sully. “No one’s on the roof. What’s the problem?”
“I saw…somebody…up there.”
The manager came to the counter. “There’s no one up there, son. Some snow must’ve fallen from the roof. Is your friend all right?”
“Yeah, I guess. But I coulda sworn I saw someone up there.”
The teller smiled. “Probably just glare from the sun. Nice to have some sun today, isn’t it?”
But Sully only shrugged and walked out of the bank.
The guys were waiting for him outside. Gonzo was dusty with snow. And he was cradling the left side of his face. It was red and starting to swell.
“What’s going on?” asked Breeze.
“That’s what I wanna know.” Sully frowned as he committed the creature’s face to his memory. Anyone crossing Sully usually lived to regret it.
That is…until now.
Meet Karmack
Picture here show what I’s look like. Most humans no can see Karmack. Must be speedy-eyed, like new friend Sully. Speedy-eyed very rare. You’s be speedy-eyed?
Sully and he's gang make many bad tricks. They’s pile high like skyscrapers over boys’ heads. I's job be balance skyscrapers.
You’s got skyscraper over you’s head? From many bad tricks? Bad tricks hurt. Universe no want you’s hurt. Want good tricks only. Good tricks balance bad tricks. You’s gotcha?
I’s very busy. Got many jobs. Like blow wind for hurricane, send snow down mountain for avalanche, spew fire from volcano. But if you's make many bad tricks and build skyscrapers over you's head, I's must balance.
I’s have big fun balancing Sully - even drop caterpillars on he's head! But Sully get angry, want hurt Karmack. I’s shake from scare.
Then Sully get smart. Learn to make good tricks so skyscraper go poof! I's so happy I's dance!
Fun Facts about Karmack
Height: about the size of a toddler
Weight: on the pudgy side, especially around the middle
Hair: a few sprigs of grass on the top of head
Eyes: green and beady
Ears: kind of pointy
Nose: big and bulbous
Gender: unknown, but Sully refers to Karmack as he
Clothes: a bunch of leaves twisted together tunic-style
Language: some English, though not very good (see above)
Praise for the Book
"Karmack is a well-written, middle grade book tackling the difficult topic of bullying from the perspective of the bully. The character development is absolutely brilliant as the reader witnesses the transformation of Sully from an aggressive, angry bully to a positive role model and respected leader among his peers. While the concept of karma is not for everyone, I found myself agreeing with the main message of how our actions have consequences, intended or otherwise. I would recommend this book to middle grade classrooms as a great book to generate discussion around bullying." ~ Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews
"A wonderful story about growing up and treating others with respect, Karmack is well paced, funny, and manages to teach important lessons without coming off preachy." ~ Jess W., Amazon
"A fun read with important lessons for us all about Karma, and why bullies have more to balance than most people. Great for ages 9 up, child centered, non-preachy, action packed, great classroom read aloud." ~ Carolyn W., Amazon
"What an AMAZINGLY FUN story! EVERYONE needs to read it! Full of FUN, FANTASY, and FANTASTIC REVENGE on a bully! Fun for ALL ages!" ~ Shauna W., Amazon
"Karmack is a captivating pre-teen fantasy and author J.C. Whyte has created a strong cast of characters that are well developed and quite likable. As the story progresses, the suspense builds to a delightful outcome that is sure to keep readers anticipating Whyte's next round of literary treasures. We look forward to seeing more from this author." ~ Literary Classics Book Review, Amazon
About the Author
When J. C. Whyte was eleven, her 6th grade teacher gave a class assignment to write a poem about a sport. Realizing her classmates would probably choose popular American sports like baseball or football, J. C. decided to write about something different: golf. And to her complete surprise, the teacher found it comical; she was thereby encouraged to keep writing.
Then over summer break, students were told to choose 26 books from a reading list and write a book report on each. J. C. was horrified! She wanted to enjoy her summer, not spend it reading! You see, J. C. was a very slow reader and didn’t much enjoy the experience. Plus, kids back then didn’t have all the fun books to choose from today. But that same teacher who had assigned the sports poem told J. C.’s mother she could write 26 stories instead of reading them. That was absolute genius! Although she didn’t actually write 26 stories (perhaps six?), J. C. submitted one which made her teacher laugh out loud in class. And she got an "A" on her summer reading assignment. J. C. has never forgotten that wise teacher who let her play to her strengths.
So from the age of eleven, J. C. knew she wanted to be a writer. Yet by the time she reached college, she understood that writing stories seldom paid the bills. So she got her degrees in Journalism and Communications Management. Then for many years she channeled her creative energies in the field of Public Relations.
Marriage, kids, and several more degrees and occupations later (including stints as a travel agent and paralegal), J. C. entered law school – mostly for the challenge of writing creative arguments for the court. But while in law school, she became a columnist for the student newsletter, writing humorous pieces on the strange and quirky life of a law student. She was absolutely thrilled when one of these articles was chosen for publication in The National Jurist, a magazine distributed to law students throughout the US.
But after graduating and passing the Bar, J. C. realized within a few years that creative writing was still what made her heart sing. So now, as a grandma, she’s returned to writing. And with publication of her middle grade novel Karmack, she’s come full circle, back to where her writing journey began.
Giveaway
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