GUEST POST and GIVEAWAY
Hannah Both Ways
by Rosie Greenway
Hannah Both Ways is currently on tour with Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post by author, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
A devastating Twitter prank yanks Hannah out of the popular crowd and turns her into the high school’s best bad joke. Determined to finish the year and graduate, Hannah must keep the humiliating details from her impulsive mother - who just might pack up their belongings and move. Again.
Hannah hovers below the radar by submersing herself in a new routine. Post-it notes, Dewey Decimal numbers and carefully planned trips to the library are her refuge. That is, until a persistent new student invades her space. Lucas has complete disregard for Hannah’s cynicism and snark, and he seems to know the bullies who targeted her. Can Hannah trust him, or is he part of another ploy to torment her?
Excerpt
“I’m not making fun. I’m stating a fact. The Special Ed bus is shorter than the regular bus. It’s not like I called him a retard or something.”
He scowls. “Don’t use that word.”
“I wasn’t.” I scowl back. “I said at least I didn’t call him that. Jesus.”
I roll my eyes at him but he’s not looking at me. He’s staring at a point about two feet above my shoulder.
“I know how it feels, that’s all. To be made fun of. For something you can’t help.”
There’s that vulnerability again. Or is it a weakness? Now I’m intrigued. “Why? What’s your deal?” I ask. I tilt my head, pretending I’m only vaguely interested.
He perches on the arm of the chair across from the one I’ve just vacated. “Dyslexia. Totally screwed me up when I was learning how to read. Had to develop ‘strategies.’” He makes air quotation marks with his fingers. “Kept getting pulled out of class to go to the Spec Ed room. Grade One sucked. Kids called me ‘retarded.’ Teachers called me ‘troubled.’”
Again with the air quotation marks.
“And were you? ‘Troubled,’ I mean.” I mimic his gesture.
He snorts, but he’s not smiling. “Yeah, I was troubled all right. With a capital D.”
I don’t get it. For a second, I don’t get it. Then I realize what he means. People with dyslexia sometimes see letters or words backward.
“That’s funny,” I say, wishing I hadn’t found that funny, and already regretting the compliment.
Praise for the Book
"This story depicted verbal/written bullying perfectly and I applaud the author for creating an outstanding story that deals with a very difficult subject. I would absolutely recommend Hannah Both Ways not only to young adults but older ones as well. It’s a great way of bringing cyber-bullying to light and showing a positive outcome to a dismal situation." ~ Tamara @ The Avid Book Collector
"Hannah Both Ways is solid gold. No matter your experience in high school, the story will hit home. While I adored Hannah and all of her idiosyncrasies, Lucas was the character who completely stole my heart. He handled life with the skill of an old soul; that is, he was wise beyond his years. Lucas and Hannah shone like stars in the YA couples category. The secondary characters were noteworthy, too. Author Rosie Greenway clearly put her experience as a high school teacher to work in this novel. Her depictions of peer pressure, bullying, and social hierarchy were spot on. Social media spreads rumors like the plague, and Greenway used that to her advantage when building, or rather, tearing down Hannah’s character. I work with children like Lucas every day, and really value the voice Greenway gave him. Rarely do I dole out 5 stars, but this book deserves it! Count me in for Greenway’s next book. It can’t come too soon." ~ savingsinseconds
"This book blew my mind. I couldn't put Greenway's book down. Her protagonist, Hannah, was so complex and real and smart and lovable. Greenway's writing was completely fresh and dynamic. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary writing. The language is a bit strong, in places, which startled me, but then maybe I'm just a wuss. Older YA, for sure." ~ Gabriele Goldstone
"Very cute. Hannah had spunk & Lucas had swoons. Together, they were pretty freaking adorable." ~ Christina
"Hannah Both Ways is book that will touch you, and make you think about real social issues teens are struggling with. Rosie managed to address several different issues in this story, some were being bullied due to not being normal and others were being bullied because of someone else trying to get what they wanted. This is all happening more and more, and was written beautifully. The characters were believable and I really liked the story." ~ Take Me Away to A Great Read
Guest Post by the Author
My Inspiration Behind Hannah Both Ways
In October of 2012, Canadian teen Amanda Todd committed suicide. A couple of years prior to her death, she had been blackmailed by a stranger into exposing herself on webcam. A topless picture of her began to make the rounds on social media, and she was taunted, bullied and harassed by schoolmates and peers. Todd became very depressed, and ultimately suicidal. The bullying continued, and Todd’s emotional state worsened. After a failed suicide attempt, a series of cutting episodes and a non-fatal overdose, she hanged herself on October 10th , 2012
I was stunned and horrified by this tragedy. Social media can be a great way for teens to stay connected, but it can also be an insidious and powerful tool for bullying and viscious attacks. I suppose it was this incident which initially inspired Hannah’s backstory and the whole Twitter episode. I started writing, not entirely sure exactly where the story was going.
A couple of months after Todd’s suicide I came across a tweet which really inspired the germination of Lucas’s character and helped me pull the story together. This is the actual tweet:
After reading this, particularly the last line, "Beautiful work does not traffic with the trivial," I decided that rather than merely highlighting bullying in my novel and focussing entirely on the thoughtless and cruel things that teens sometimes do to one another, I should show that there are many teenagers who are compassionate and altruistic - who have already risen above trivial concerns and are active, caring participants in their school community or their community at large. Lucas is one such teenager.
Once I had Hannah and Lucas in place, the story came together remarkably quickly.
About the Author
Rosie Greenway grew up on the outskirts of Toronto, and continues to live and work in the GTA with her husband and family. After spending her formative years public-school hopping, Rosie attended the University of Toronto, specializing in English literature. A former English teacher, Rosie now finds herself putting into practice the many lessons she used to impart to the students in her class room. While she has often turned to writing as a way to relax and unwind, Hannah Both Ways is her first foray into the world of Young Adult publishing.
When she isn’t writing, Rosie is an avid traveler, armchair film critic, enthusiastic foodie and voracious reader. She is a passionate literacy advocate and one of her greatest achievements is instilling in her daughter the joy of reading.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win one of two print copies (US/Canada) or one of five ebook copies of Hannah Both Ways by Rosie Greenway (international).
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