Richard Due's Blog: Delusions of Grandeur?

18th consecutive 5-star review!

18th consecutive 5-star review! Need a summer reading suggestion? Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy, ages 10 and up. $9.99 for the paperback (free shipping for Amazon Prime members). eBook currently on sale for $1.99.

"Thoroughly engrossing story recommended for young sci-fi and fantasy fans who hold a prior attraction to books such as John Bellairs' House with a Clock in its Walls." -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Willa always knew one of her mother's crazy inventions would cause trouble. She just didn't think it would get the whole family banished to Grandeur, a hidden city of Geniuses deemed too dangerous to remain Outside.

Now, with the help of her cat, the Magnificent Lady Grayson of the Silky White Underbelly, or Just Grayson for Short, Willa and her new friends must scour Grandeur's strange avenues in search of the Clockwerk Boy. Among her encounters: a curiosity shop run by curiously intelligent cats. Gear Hall, where Clockwerks outnumber humans. And the Jolly Rajah, a man-o'-war o' pancakes, where your meal of flapjacks and hot chocolate is served with a brace of pistols and side of grappling hooks. Prepare to be boarded!

International Rubery Book Award Shortlist ~ Young Adult
Independent Publisher Book Award Medalist ~ Juvenile Fiction
National Indie Excellence Award ~ Juvenile Fiction
Eric Hoffer Award Category Finalist ~ Young Adult

"It's unusual to see such sci-fi depth and detail in a title directed to young adults, but this is precisely what makes Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy such an appealing production: the characterization is solid while its fantastic setting will intrigue ages well beyond its intended 9-12-year-old audience. Highly recommended for young adults seeking something compellingly different." -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

WillaSnap.com

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Published on July 31, 2018 10:40 • Tags: artemis, castle, catherynne, children, city, clock, dragons, events, fowl, gaiman, games, hollow, house, howl, hunger, jackson, lemoncello, leviathan, library, moving, nevermoor, peculiar, penderwicks, percy, riordan, rowling, serafina, series, shusterman, steampunk, teen, time, tween, unfortunate, walls, wrinkle

Another 5-star review for Willa Snap (4.9-star avg)

Click on review to read on Amazon.

WillaSnap.com

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Published on October 04, 2018 10:56 • Tags: artemis, castle, catherynne, children, city, clock, dragons, events, fowl, gaiman, games, hollow, house, howl, hunger, jackson, lemoncello, leviathan, library, moving, nevermoor, peculiar, penderwicks, percy, riordan, rowling, serafina, series, shusterman, steampunk, teen, time, tween, unfortunate, walls, wrinkle

Um, another day . . . another 5-star review for Willa Snap?! (4.9-star avg) Really? Totally bean!

I wasn’t sure how this book would be received. I’m feeling really humbled by these incredible reviews and book awards. [now I have to go cry for a bit]

WillaSnap.com

Click on review to read on Amazon.

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Published on October 05, 2018 04:23 • Tags: artemis, castle, catherynne, children, city, clock, dragons, events, fowl, gaiman, games, hollow, house, howl, hunger, jackson, lemoncello, leviathan, library, moving, nevermoor, peculiar, penderwicks, percy, riordan, rowling, serafina, series, shusterman, steampunk, teen, time, tween, unfortunate, walls, wrinkle

IF YOU DONT READ THIS YOU’RE JUST A plain IDIOT!

Click review to read on Amazon.

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Published on October 19, 2018 07:37 • Tags: artemis, castle, catherynne, children, city, clock, dragons, events, fowl, gaiman, games, hollow, house, howl, hunger, jackson, lemoncello, leviathan, library, moving, nevermoor, peculiar, penderwicks, percy, riordan, rowling, serafina, series, shusterman, steampunk, teen, time, tween, unfortunate, walls, wrinkle

Flying Devils and the Marine Screw Propeller

(something for the teachers and librarians)

Facts in the Fiction: Flying Devils and the Marine Screw Propeller. (the science and history behind IDIOT GENIUS: WILLA SNAP AND THE CLOCKWERK BOY)

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Published on November 04, 2018 06:24 • Tags: artemis, castle, catherynne, children, city, clock, dragons, events, fowl, gaiman, games, history, hollow, house, howl, hunger, idiotgenius, jackson, lemoncello, leviathan, librarians, library, moving, nevermoor, peculiar, penderwicks, percy, resources, riordan, rowling, science, serafina, series, shusterman, steampunk, stem, teachers, teen, time, tween, unfortunate, walls, willasnap, wrinkle

Newton’s Apple! Franklin’s Fire! Einstein’s Hair!

The Many Exclamations of Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy

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Published on November 07, 2018 07:54 • Tags: albert-einstein, artemis, castle, catherynne, children, city, clock, dragons, einstein, events, feynman, fowl, franklin, gaiman, games, history, hollow, house, howl, hunger, idiotgenius, jackson, lemoncello, leviathan, librarians, library, moving, nevermoor, newton, nikolatesla, peculiar, penderwicks, percy, resources, richardfeynman, riordan, rowling, science, serafina, series, shusterman, sirisaacnewton, steampunk, stem, teachers, teen, tesla, time, tween, unfortunate, walls, willasnap, wrinkle

Human Memory More Like Clockwerk Memory Than Previously Thought

Human Memory More Like Clockwerk Memory Than Previously Thought

Visit WillaSnap.com for full post.

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Published on January 15, 2019 04:12 • Tags: artemis, castle, catherynne, children, city, clock, clockwerk, dragons, events, fowl, gaiman, games, hollow, house, howl, hunger, jackson, lemoncello, leviathan, library, memory, moving, nevermoor, peculiar, penderwicks, percy, riordan, rowling, serafina, series, shusterman, steampunk, teen, time, tween, unfortunate, walls, wrinkle

IndieReader Loves Idiot Genius

The staff over at IndieReader had some very nice things to say about Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy

"Abducted into a secret world, eleven-year-old Willa Snap takes readers on an imaginative journey through a place filled with mechanical people and fantastical machines. There’s wit and passion in the dialogue as . . ."

Full blurb here: https://indiereader.com/2019/01/idiot...

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Published on January 20, 2019 07:36 • Tags: artemis, castle, catherynne, children, city, clock, clockwerk, dragons, events, fowl, gaiman, games, hollow, house, howl, hunger, indiereader, jackson, lemoncello, leviathan, library, memory, moving, nevermoor, peculiar, penderwicks, percy, review, riordan, rowling, serafina, series, shusterman, steampunk, teen, time, tween, unfortunate, walls, wrinkle

Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy

Your mother’s identified as an Idiot Genius, your family’s abducted to a strange new city—for safekeeping—and now your timeline’s in danger. What’s an ingenious 11-year-old to do?

99 cents, limited time.