Welcome to my tour stop for Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand by R.S. Mellette. This is an upper middle grade, lower young adult sci-fi adventure novel that's perfect for the whole family. This tour runs Feb. 9-20th with reviews and interviews. Check out the tour page for more information.
Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand
by R.S. Mellette
Book Description:
"E = mc2 is no longer the most powerful force in the universe. Your wand is."
Twelve-year-old Billy and his best friend Suzy Quinofski didn't mean to change the universe. Billy, a quantum physics prodigy, just wanted to find a way to help his hoarding, schizophrenic mother – and maybe impress a coven of older girls in high school. Suzy, his intellectual equal, wanted to help her friend and cling to her last remnant of childhood, a belief in magic. Together they made Billy a real, working, magic wand, and opened a door to the Quantum World where thoughts create reality, and all things – good and bad – are possible.
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Author Interview
1. Who are your favourite authors of all time?
That’s not an easy question for me, because, being dyslexic, I didn’t grow up with a love or reading. For me it was a chore, literally. I can’t tell you how many times my parents asked me, “Have you done your reading today?” Luckily, I was diagnosed as a kid, so by high school, I was reading more, but still, not a lot. Larry Niven was the first author that I started to seek out. My Dad taught me that, since I liked one of his books, I probably would like others by him. I know it sounds strange to have to teach someone that, but that’s the world of a dyslexic.
I’m mostly fans of writers I know. Wilton Barnhardt is hilarious, both in person and on paper. I love his Emma Who Saved My Life and Gospell. He as a new book out (Look Away, Look Away) that I haven’t read yet. Suzanne Collins was a good friend in college. She is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life, so I’ve been a fan of hers since long before she wrote. R.C. Lewis (Stitching Snow) I haven’t actually met, but know from online. She did the book design for Billy Bobble Makes A Magic Wand, and is not only a sweetheart, but very knowledgeable about the biz. Same for Mindy McGinnis (Not A Drop To Drink). Cat Woods is another writer I love. Her debut novel is coming out from Elephant Bookshelf Press soon, so hopefully all of your readers will love her, too.
I also like Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Newsroom), David Simon (The Wire), Rod Serling (Twilight Zone, Planet of the Apes), but haven’t met any of them.
2. If you could travel in a time machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
“What is behind me is not important!” Well, actually, it is majorly important, so don’t skip history class. I would like to go to the future, like 50 years to see where the new beachfronts are after the oceans rise 30 feet. Then I’ll come home and buy future beachfront property.
3. If you could have a signed copy of any novel what would it be and why?
I’ve never been a big autograph person, and I read e-books, so I’ll say Hunger Games, because I haven’t seen Suzanne since 1982, so it would be nice to say hi and maybe catch up a little bit.
4. If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?
I would invite five random homeless kids. Think about it. Sure, you could invite Jesus or Michelangelo, but they are going to smell really bad! I would make them shower before dinner, and then you never know if Jesus is going to flip out over the waitress showing her hair, or something a la what he did at the Temple. Things we do today are probably horribly offensive to someone from 4 BC. Michelangelo probably wouldn’t even show up, as he was a near hermit. If he did, he would definitely be an asshole. Besides, I don’t speak Italian or Aramaic, so that would be a problem.
Einstein? I can read everything he thought that is worth knowing, and I’m a Southerner, so I don’t want to be told not to salt my food before tasting it. If I can’t see the salt, there isn’t enough of it.
Ben Franklin might be fun, but he’d be more interested in the waitress than anything I’d have to say. Same if Raphael came along.
Besides, all of those guys get invited to these things all of the time. They’ll be bored. But how much fun would it be to take a bunch of starving kids to a swank restaurant? They can ransack the place with laughter. I’ll help them raid the freezer for ice cream.
5. Have any hidden talents you would like to share?
If I did, they wouldn’t be hidden now, would they?
6. Do the words come easily most of the time? How do you unblock your writer’s block?
It depends on what I’m writing, if I haven’t strayed from my outline, and what part of the story I’m on. With Billy Bobble I have to stop a lot to think of the “rules” of the Quantum World I’ve created. I’ll take a day or two to consider a new aspect of magic. I don’t want to write myself into a corner, and I don’t want to solve every problem the kids might face in the future. When I’m stuck in those kinds of sections, I might one word a day. But when I’m in an action section, and all the voices are clicking, I can crank out a thousand words an hour.
I haven’t run into full blown writer’s block, so I don’t have any advice on that – knock wood.
7. Which character is your favourite and why?
I don’t know about which is my favorite, but I feel a little sorry for Suzy. She does as much work to make the Magic Wand, but Billy gets all of the credit. She is nice and snarky, and that’s fun to write – but Billy has a big dark streak, which is also fun.
Basically, I like them all. If I didn’t, they wouldn’t be in the book!
8. When it comes to writing, what are your strong points? What are your weaknesses?
Strong points, dialogue. I have a theatre degree and work in film and TV, so I have a good ear for dialogue.
Weaknesses? I’m not great at romance. In many ways, I am Billy Bobble. I’m in my head 24/7. When it comes to romantic plot lines, I’m always like, “What? Oh, yeah, okay. Good idea.”
9. What type of books do you enjoy reading?
I like YA – any kind of Action/Adventure – But I’m tired of the “which boy will she choose” YA. I want to know which one she’s going to kill.
More specifically, Harry Potter, Tom Clancy (the old stuff), the Percy Jackson Series, things like that.
10. How long does it take you to write a book?
Hard to say, since I’m always working on them while trying to sell them – which takes MUCH longer than writing them. The second Billy Bobble book has taken me almost a year, but it was hard to slog through, writing wise. I hope readers don’t feel that way! The first book came a lot faster, maybe nine months? But then I changed the ending twice, and we worked on it for a year at EBP. Writing not a business for the impatient.
1. Who are your favourite authors of all time?
That’s not an easy question for me, because, being dyslexic, I didn’t grow up with a love or reading. For me it was a chore, literally. I can’t tell you how many times my parents asked me, “Have you done your reading today?” Luckily, I was diagnosed as a kid, so by high school, I was reading more, but still, not a lot. Larry Niven was the first author that I started to seek out. My Dad taught me that, since I liked one of his books, I probably would like others by him. I know it sounds strange to have to teach someone that, but that’s the world of a dyslexic.
I’m mostly fans of writers I know. Wilton Barnhardt is hilarious, both in person and on paper. I love his Emma Who Saved My Life and Gospell. He as a new book out (Look Away, Look Away) that I haven’t read yet. Suzanne Collins was a good friend in college. She is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life, so I’ve been a fan of hers since long before she wrote. R.C. Lewis (Stitching Snow) I haven’t actually met, but know from online. She did the book design for Billy Bobble Makes A Magic Wand, and is not only a sweetheart, but very knowledgeable about the biz. Same for Mindy McGinnis (Not A Drop To Drink). Cat Woods is another writer I love. Her debut novel is coming out from Elephant Bookshelf Press soon, so hopefully all of your readers will love her, too.
I also like Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Newsroom), David Simon (The Wire), Rod Serling (Twilight Zone, Planet of the Apes), but haven’t met any of them.
2. If you could travel in a time machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
“What is behind me is not important!” Well, actually, it is majorly important, so don’t skip history class. I would like to go to the future, like 50 years to see where the new beachfronts are after the oceans rise 30 feet. Then I’ll come home and buy future beachfront property.
3. If you could have a signed copy of any novel what would it be and why?
I’ve never been a big autograph person, and I read e-books, so I’ll say Hunger Games, because I haven’t seen Suzanne since 1982, so it would be nice to say hi and maybe catch up a little bit.
4. If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?
I would invite five random homeless kids. Think about it. Sure, you could invite Jesus or Michelangelo, but they are going to smell really bad! I would make them shower before dinner, and then you never know if Jesus is going to flip out over the waitress showing her hair, or something a la what he did at the Temple. Things we do today are probably horribly offensive to someone from 4 BC. Michelangelo probably wouldn’t even show up, as he was a near hermit. If he did, he would definitely be an asshole. Besides, I don’t speak Italian or Aramaic, so that would be a problem.
Einstein? I can read everything he thought that is worth knowing, and I’m a Southerner, so I don’t want to be told not to salt my food before tasting it. If I can’t see the salt, there isn’t enough of it.
Ben Franklin might be fun, but he’d be more interested in the waitress than anything I’d have to say. Same if Raphael came along.
Besides, all of those guys get invited to these things all of the time. They’ll be bored. But how much fun would it be to take a bunch of starving kids to a swank restaurant? They can ransack the place with laughter. I’ll help them raid the freezer for ice cream.
5. Have any hidden talents you would like to share?
If I did, they wouldn’t be hidden now, would they?
6. Do the words come easily most of the time? How do you unblock your writer’s block?
It depends on what I’m writing, if I haven’t strayed from my outline, and what part of the story I’m on. With Billy Bobble I have to stop a lot to think of the “rules” of the Quantum World I’ve created. I’ll take a day or two to consider a new aspect of magic. I don’t want to write myself into a corner, and I don’t want to solve every problem the kids might face in the future. When I’m stuck in those kinds of sections, I might one word a day. But when I’m in an action section, and all the voices are clicking, I can crank out a thousand words an hour.
I haven’t run into full blown writer’s block, so I don’t have any advice on that – knock wood.
7. Which character is your favourite and why?
I don’t know about which is my favorite, but I feel a little sorry for Suzy. She does as much work to make the Magic Wand, but Billy gets all of the credit. She is nice and snarky, and that’s fun to write – but Billy has a big dark streak, which is also fun.
Basically, I like them all. If I didn’t, they wouldn’t be in the book!
8. When it comes to writing, what are your strong points? What are your weaknesses?
Strong points, dialogue. I have a theatre degree and work in film and TV, so I have a good ear for dialogue.
Weaknesses? I’m not great at romance. In many ways, I am Billy Bobble. I’m in my head 24/7. When it comes to romantic plot lines, I’m always like, “What? Oh, yeah, okay. Good idea.”
9. What type of books do you enjoy reading?
I like YA – any kind of Action/Adventure – But I’m tired of the “which boy will she choose” YA. I want to know which one she’s going to kill.
More specifically, Harry Potter, Tom Clancy (the old stuff), the Percy Jackson Series, things like that.
10. How long does it take you to write a book?
Hard to say, since I’m always working on them while trying to sell them – which takes MUCH longer than writing them. The second Billy Bobble book has taken me almost a year, but it was hard to slog through, writing wise. I hope readers don’t feel that way! The first book came a lot faster, maybe nine months? But then I changed the ending twice, and we worked on it for a year at EBP. Writing not a business for the impatient.
About the Author
R.S. Mellette has written, directed, designed and acted in theatre, film, television, and publishing for over 30 years. His credits in various jobs include XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS, BLUE CRUSH, and his own JACKS OR BETTER, which won Dances With Films Best Screenplay award in 2000. He has been working with the festival ever since.
His novel, Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand, released in December 2014 from Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. For novelists, Mellette blogs for From The Write Angle. For filmmakers, he writes for Dances With Films.
Author Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
1st Prize- *signed* copy of Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand.
2nd Prize- Season two of Xena: Warrior Princess.
Open to US only.
Ends 2/25/15
Ends 2/25/15
Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop! I love his interviews, he always answers the questions so well!
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