Villains © Tonja Drecker
A good villain is someone we love to hate. The best villains,
though, make us sympathize with them and see a bit of ourselves mirrored in
their decisions and actions. They disturb with their dark desires and make us
think. Especially for children, villains leave their mark. They cause chills,
make us cower under the blankets, and force night lights to burn long after
midnight.
I’ve always been a chicken. The most evil and sinister
villains had me checking closets and peering under my bed for months. The
villain I feared most was the child-catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I
referred to him as ‘Big Nose’ and was convinced he lived in our basement—it was
a spooky basement! He had me hesitating to go down those stairs for more years
than I’ll ever admit. I always wondered why he hated children so much and
shuddered whenever I pictured his huge net or the carriage with the bars.
In Music Boxes, forming Madame Destinee was a real
treat. She needed to be elegant, eccentric and have the right pinch of
sinister. Unlike Big Nose, I didn’t want her outright evil, but rather one
which entices and lures in with sweet promises. For me, she’s a mixture of
Cruella de Vil and the witch from Hansel and Gretel. My sweet-tooth would still
have me biting into that tasty gingerbread house. For all her horribleness,
Madame Destinee holds a special place in my heart.
When the audio book was created, Madame Destinee was, for me,
the most important part. When I heard the narrator’s, Nance Weber, voice
transform and give Madame Destinee new life, it was… well…a Wow-moment. I can’t
wait for everyone to experience her lure them in with rolling ‘darlings’, sweet
cakes and promises of dreams come true.
“I only desire your talent...”
Twelve-year-old
Lindsey McKay's biggest dream is to be a famous ballerina. But after
moving to New York, she ends up at the Community Center with a
teacher who’s a burly bear in tights.
When
she meets Madame Destinée, the teacher of a top dance school who
offers her classes for free, Lindsey can't believe her luck. In
exchange, she must perform in the school’s exclusive midnight
shows, ones sure to make her a star. But something’s not
right...
One
by one, the other dancers disappear. Each time they do, a music box
with a figurine just like the missing ballerina joins Madame
Destinée’s growing collection. If Lindsey doesn’t discover the
truth about the dance school, she might end up a tiny figurine
herself.
**Music
Boxes was
recommended by The Barnes & Noble Kids Blog as one of the 5
Spooky New Middle Grade Books for Campfire Chills!!**
**Now
available in audiobook!!**
After
finishing her BA in International Studies at the University of
Denver, Tonja Drecker spent many years in Europe devouring chocolate,
cheese and wine while investigating the birth places of myths,
legends and mysterious tales.
Currently
residing somewhere in the back woods of the Ozarks, she writes away
while tending to chickens, cows and her family of six. Her stories
have been published in several collections and magazines including In
the Shadow of the Eagle's Eye in REAL GIRLS DON'T RUST (Spencer Hill
Press, 2013), A GLOWWORM (Black and White Publishing Company, 2017)
and Meringue, Murder and Marzipan in FULL DARK (Obsidian Books, 2017)
. She's an avid book reader, professional children's book reviewer,
outdoor addict and always in search of a new adventure (based in
reality, the imagination, or otherwise).
Follow
the tour HERE
for special excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
No comments:
Post a Comment