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Review: Night of the Purple Moon (The Toucan Trilogy #1) by Scott Cramer (interview)
Night of the Purple Moon (The Toucan Trilogy #1)
written by Scott Cramer
published by Train Renoir Publishing
find it here: (affiliate links) CURRENTLY FREE! Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Smashwords, Goodreads
Why did I pick this book: The author, Scott Cramer, asked that I review his book. I gladly accepted his request. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)
Did I enjoy this book: I did enjoy this book. I read every free chance I had and I could not put this book down. I finished it in a bit over a day…it would have been less than a day if not for other obligations that did not permit reading.
Night of the Purple Moon was sad and heartbreaking yet endearing and had me cheering for the kids to survive. I couldn’t imagine a world where all of the children are left to fend for themselves. It was so encouraging to see the children of Castine Island band together to make their new situation work especially when there were other children in the country that were only out to save themselves and did not care about each other.
These children took care of the babies and toddlers, they learned to farm for food, they had to bury the dead. Through it all, they did what they had to do in order to survive. I felt so bad for the kids.
The main characters, Abby and Jordan, were so brave and strong willed. They really stepped up. I felt bad for Mandy in the end. Her decision broke my heart, as it did hers. All of the characters were so well-written and the reader connects with them.
I want to say so much more about this book and these characters but I don’t want to give anything away and spoil it for all of you. I was disappointed when I hit the end of the book because I wasn’t ready for it to end! I was so happy when I found out this was only the first book of a trilogy!
Would I recommend it: Simply put: Get the book and read it. It was a great read that I could not put down.
Will I read it again: I probably will not but it all depends on when the second book comes out. However, I will be anxiously awaiting book #2 in The Toucan Trilogy – Colony East!!!
About the book – from Goodreads: The epidemic strikes only those who have 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.
Where did you come up with the idea for Night of the Purple Moon, which is now book one of The Toucan Trilogy? In Cynthia Voigt’s Homecoming, the book opens with three kids sitting in a car in the parking lot of a shopping mall after their mother has just wandered off. She never comes back and they set out on a journey to find a long, lost aunt. That is a dire situation.
In thinking about my story, originally titled ‘Book for Toucan’, I wanted to raise the stakes. I asked the questions, “What if all parents disappeared? Older brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents, too.” Convinced that such a scenario would be one of the most frightening things ever, I then started thinking, How could it happen in a way that falls within the literary realm of believability?
With this as my high level plot, I then had a chance to create some characters that would face impossible odds. To let them struggle and either fail or succeed is usually what makes a good story.
In one sentence, why should we read your book? It is a story with some very dark moments that is also about hope and faith and never giving up.
Any hints on book #2? Here’s a hint:
What is your favorite genre to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?I am a slow reader. I am in awe of book bloggers and voracious readers who read many books.
I am also proud to say that I have read many genres, including Russian novels. On my own I read Homer’s The Illiad and The Odyssey. I went through a science fiction phase, a murder mystery phase, a biography and autobiography phase, a history phase, a Cormac McCarthy phase, a Henry Miller phase, a beat generation phase, an Ernest Hemingway phase, and a phase of big fat thrillers. My favorite authors tend to be the ones who write simple sentences.
I see from your website, http://nanonoodle.com/, that you have had many diverse jobs over the years including dishwasher, offshore drilling rig roustabout, and paperboy. Which of these was the most interesting and why? My job as dishwasher was not the most exciting but I left the position as a legend. Here’s how…
I worked as a dishwasher on Cape Cod. It was the first time ever I was a dishwasher and my coworkers joked that I was “slower than death chained to a stump.” The dishwasher is always the last one out and I was tired of getting home at 2:30 a.m. Home was a peaceful cottage in the woods where I slept on the floor next to the fireplace, kept warm by a DuraFlame log. The restaurant closed at midnight on Saturday and every Saturday, without fail, “The Cape Cod Cowboy”, a singing troubadour who played at a local bar, and his entire posse of band members and groupies would show up for eggs, bacon, the works at 11:55 p.m. They were a hungry, good-natured bunch and they never cleared out until at least 2 a.m.
One Saturday evening the cook got sick and went home. I had some experience as a short-order chef and I stepped up to the grille and rustled up the grub for the Cowboy and his posse. Instantly I became a folk hero to management.
If I ever feared (or hoped) they would let me go, that was no longer a possibility after I saved the day. Several weeks later I gave them my notice, going out, as they say, on top.
Why did you become a writer? To become rich and famous. But a better question would be, “Once you learned that the probability of wealth and fame would be extremely small, why did you keep writing?”
Lots of reasons that I’m aware of, and probably a few subliminal ones.
There is nothing better than being able to connect with readers around the country and world. NOPM has middle-grade kids as the principal characters, but people of all ages seem to like the book.
There are also the brief moments of joy when you enter the writing zone and things flow effortlessly. It’s a lot like surfing, or at least the way that I surf. There is a lot of hard work paddling out and wiping out and missing waves, and getting held under and dealing with the fear of waves outside my comfort zone, but when there is a glassy groundswell and you catch one just right and carve down the face of a wave, it’s very sweet. Same for entering the writing zone.
What are three things you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your book that you can’t find on the internet? (Or that you would really have to do some searching to find.) I never went to my high school prom; I couldn’t find anyone to go with me.
I have a fear of heights, but I wrote a magazine feature story on sky scraper window washers in Boston, and I joined the guys and went down the side of a 40-story skyscraper like a spider. Just typing this is giving me butterflies. Would I do it again? Yeah, probably…
My wife, an artist and fifth grade science teacher, is the brains of our operation. You’d probably actually find this fact on the Internet.
Thank you so much, Scott! I really enjoyed this interview!
