Review + Author Interview + Giveaway (IN & INT): Night Of The Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

Welcome guys, to our first ever giveaway! 

Almost a month ago, on 22nd August, 2012, Amazon launched Kindle in Indian stores. This is great news for Indian readers like us, who keep reading books in Kindle format. You can check out the entire news article right here. You can also check out Amazon's Indian website here. 

I got to know about this news from author Scott Cramer, who has written Night of the Purple Moon, book #1 in The Toucan Trilogy. I myself won the book in a giveaway hosted by Aeicha @ Word Spelunking sometime back. I thought the book was simply great! You can read my review a little later in this post itself or if you want, you can read it separately right here. Scott has agreed to do a giveaway of his book for you all. So come along and participate! 

*Note: Throughout the post, NOPM stands for Night Of The Purple Moon.  

  

GOODREADS SUMMARY OF NIGHT OF THE PURPLE MOON:

The epidemic strikes everyone who has passed through puberty.

Abby Leigh is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple. For months, astronomers have been predicting that Earth will pass through the tail of a comet. They say that people will see colorful sunsets and, best of all, a purple moon.

But nobody has predicted the lightning-fast epidemic that sweeps across the planet on the night of the purple moon. The comet brings space dust with it that contains germs that attack human hormones. Older teens and adults die within hours of exposure.

On a small island off the coast of Maine, Abby must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her -- adolescence.

REVIEW:

Night of the Purple Moon was a brilliant read.
Life on Castine Island was absolutely normal, until the night of the purple moon. The space dust killed all the adults on the planet, save for some scientists living in quarantine. The situation leaves kids alone to take care of themselves. The lives of all children on the verge on puberty are in danger as they will be the next victims of the purple moon.
Abby, Jordan and Toucan of the Leigh family take the initiative and bring together all kids of Castine Island. All of the kids are extremely intelligent and mature for their age. What I really liked about them was that they are so inclined on making sure that everyone is safe. Especially Abby, who is so determined and a strong shoulder for the others.
The story revolves around the kids and the roles that they play in difficult situations. Many times, situations were explained from various points of views, which made the book more interesting. Sometimes, you could absolutely relate to some of the incidents and even many of the characters, which I thought made it more realistic and easy to relate to.
I thought that the book was put down in a very systematic and thorough manner. I do wish that the end was more detailed. Overall, Night of the Purple Moon was a great read. If you get the chance to read it, don't miss it! It was really touching and hard to believe that the kids are fighting not only for surviving, but also living life the best way they can manage. What I learnt from the story was that bravery, courage and love are all it takes to get through almost anything!
I won the book in a giveaway and I would like to thank author Scott Cramer for it. 

RATING: 

X 4

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

Scott Cramer

We have with us today, author Scott Cramer, who very kindly answered all our questions. The answers are all so interesting and fun to read! Here we go! 

1) Can you tell us a bit about your book, Night of the Purple Moon?

Many readers and reviewers have said the novel is very dark. At the same time, they have mentioned the story is inspirational and that it handles some of the harsher scenes in a sensitive way. For me, that has been great to hear, because I set out to write a book where the characters must struggle against impossible odds and they might succeed or they might not.

Briefly, NOPM is a little bit like ‘Lord of the Flies’. Kids are in charge. In fact, 13-year-olds comprise the oldest generation on the planet. A comet passes by Earth and deposits space dust into the atmosphere. The dust contains bacteria that attack the hormones testosterone and estrogen. Virtually everyone with large amounts of those hormones, essentially everyone who has passed through puberty, dies overnight.

The story follows a group of kids on an island off the New England coast. The main characters are Abby Leigh, her brother Jordan, and their neighbors, Kevin and Emily Patel. Abby and Jordan have a two-year old sister, Toucan.

2) What gave you the idea to write NOPM?

I really love the YA novels: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and Homecoming by Cynthia Voight. In each book the young main characters faced incredible odds and took dangerous journeys.

In thinking about a novel, I wanted to increase the odds and raise the stakes. Rather than have one or both parents die, what if all parents die? What if the electricity stops and there is no more running water? What if all the survivors have a ticking bomb inside them, the act of growing up; puberty becomes a death sentence.

That is a gut-wrenching, perilous situation for young teens and children to find themselves in, and that is the germ of the idea that led to my writing Night of the Purple Moon.

3) Are any of the characters in the book based on someone you know or are they completely imaginary?

Every character starts out with elements of people I know, and perhaps even elements of my personality. But that is like doinga rough sketch with a pencil. The more I write the more the characters take on lives of their own. You know you have succeeded in creating a strong, three-dimensional character when as a writer you start to guide them, rather than dictate what they should do. They take over and very often surprise you with their decision making. The trick is to both let them go and to keep them headed in the general direction of the narrative. Characters, like people, sometimes tend to wander.

4) I totally admired the bravery and courage in all the NOPM kids. 

What character traits do you admire the most in your book characters?

Three words: Never. Give. Up. My characters certainly have weaknesses and fears and flaws, but they are also tenacious. They get knocked down, but they get back up. They become overwhelmed, but they somehow find a way to regain their focus.

It’s not to say that there are not times when they fail, despite their best efforts. When everything seems like it is lost. People go through phases like that, and the question becomes: can someone else step up and keep things going. Can the strength of the community overcome the occasional failings of an individual?

Teamwork is an important element of survival in Night of the Purple Moon.

5) When will the next book in The Toucan Trilogy be out? Can you tell us a bit about what to expect?

When it will come out is hard to say. But I can report that I am working on it every day. Some days it is slow and other days the story propels forward. Writing is a process like that. What is so interesting to me is that because several of my characters are well defined, they are moving the story forward. Yet it is also true that people change, and so do characters.

What to expect? Hmmm… I better let the story speak for itself when the time is ready! And I don’t want to spoil Night of the Purple Moon for anyone who has not read it.

6) Who are some of your favourite authors and what kind of books do you like to read the most?

Usually I read non-fiction while I am writing fiction, which is pretty much all the time. Lately I have been reading mountain climbing books, sailing adventures, and other survival stories, and stories about people living in deserted places by choice.

As far as writers of fiction…Lois Lowry, Jules Verne, Rudyard Kipling, Michael Grant (Many people have compared NOPM to his GONE series).

7) What do you think about Kindle being launched in India?

I am so incredibly excited! I live in a town in Massachusetts north of Boston. Over the past ten years, the Indian population has steadily increased. It might be up to seven or eight percent now. My neighbors, in fact, are from India. (I have yet to tell my neighbor that I used his nickname for one of the names of my characters!) In any event, whenever I go to our town library, it seems like half the people checking out books and browsing are Indian. Which leads me to the conclusion that Indian people love to read, and what could be more exciting than reaching such a large audience. I also understand that it will take a little while for kindles to catch on in India, but it is such a great first step for Amazon.

(Good news, too, is that people can read Kindle books oniPads, PCs, and android phones with a free app from Amazon)

8) Is there anything else that you would like to share with the readers?

I’d like to say that NOPM is a great story for people of all ages. Though I would not recommend anyone under the age of 12 reading it, due to some of the sadder scenes.

I also really hope that readers enjoy NOPM. Connecting with readers around the world has been incredibly fulfilling. I can think of no greater compliment than someone writing me to say they needed a box of tissues by their side as they were reading Night of the Purple Moon, and they could not put the book down, and they cannot wait to see what happens next. 

Thank you so much for answering all our questions, Scott! Wish you all the very best, and I can hardly wait to read more of your books. :) 

GIVEAWAY:

Now onto the part you've been waiting for! The giveaway! 

Scott has generously offered one Signed Paperback of his novel to one lucky Indian reader on account of Kindle being launched in Indian stores. Also, FIVE Kindle copies of the book are up for grabs for our International readers. 

Well, what are you waiting for?  

Giveaway rules are simple: 

• Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form for the giveaway that you are eligible for. 
• Winners will be announced here on the blog and also emailed, after which they will have 48 hours to respond  or else we'll be compelled to choose another winner. 

That's all, folks! Good luck to you all and may the odds be ever in your favour! 

*NOTE: The Signed Paperback giveaway is INDIA only. The Kindle copy giveaway is INT. 

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Thank you so much for stopping by, guys! I hope you all enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed putting it up. :)

NIGHT OF THE PURPLE MOON ON AMAZON:

Those of you who'd like to purchase a copy of NOPM on Amazon, you can do so right here. 

Sarika