Duck Boy, by Bill Bunn
A fun adventure for middle-graders with eccentric characters and a strange alternate world
Pasadena, CA (PRWEB) August 04, 2014
14-year-old Steve Best comes from a family of alchemists. When his mother vanishes one evening into thin air, leaving nothing but a spilled cup of coffee and a tattered notebook, Steve is forced to look into the family secret in order to bring her back. After a few harrowing experiments he finds himself able to travel between dimensions, where he doesn't find unicorns or sorcerers or castles--just a wasteland where everything is fragmented and unreal, a World of Pieces. He learns to overcome his insecurities and fight back against bullies both real and supernatural.
Part fantasy, part dystopia, and all adventure, “Duck Boy” (Bitingduck Press, 2012) has received praise from adult and teen critics alike. "A fun story aimed at middle-graders... [F]ull of eccentric characters, exciting chases and a strange alternate world," says one Amazon reviewer. A teen on Goodreads adds, "People who like fantasy, but not the kind most people like these days with vampires and werewolves, would like this. I thought it was very fun to read and now I'm interested in alchemy.” Bunn has appeared in several book tours since the book’s release, from his hometown of Calgary to Pasadena, CA, the home of the publisher.
To celebrate two summers of “Duck Boy,” the publisher is offering a special two-week discount starting today (August 4-18). All electronic distributors (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo) will discount the book to 99 cents. As a special bonus in the Kindle edition, readers will get to see five sketches for a redesign of the book’s cover, and can click a link to vote for their favorite.
Since publication of “Duck Boy”, Bunn has continued writing. A collection of essays, “Hymns of Home,” came out in 2013, and a new YA adventure, “Kill Shot,” will appear early next year. Set on the Newfoundland coast, “Kill Shot” is based off the real sighting of a sunken Nazi submarine in a remote Canadian lake.
Being a teacher of writing allows Bill to document his voyage of creation to his students in the classroom and followers on his blog. As The Atlantic recently said, "The best writing teachers are writers themselves." From manuscript to draft to galley to book to book tour, he shares each step of the process, giving an inside look into a real writer's life.
“Duck Boy” is available in paperback and all electronic formats, DRM-free. A full-service publisher handling both fiction and non-fiction, Bitingduck specializes in books with science or nerd themes. Upcoming catalogs will feature young adult titles and hard sci-fi. Submissions in all genres are welcome, particularly nonfiction; the submissions guidelines are found on the publisher site.