Now, on with the show...
I had the pleasure of attending the Launch Pad Workshop with Greg. Now, I have the pleasure of introducing his new book.
The Galaxy Games series is written by Greg R. Fishbone and published by the Tu Books imprint of Lee & Low Books. In this hilarious middle-grade romp through space, eleven-year-old Tyler Sato leads a team of kids representing all of Earth in a sports tournament against alien kids from across the galaxy.
Book #1: The Challengers is available now!
Greg R. Fishbone is an author of galactic fiction for young readers, including the Galaxy Games series of humorous middle grade sci-fi novels from the Tu Books imprint at Lee & Low Books. Greg also serves as an Assistant Regional Advisor for the New England regions of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, is a two-time NESCBWI conference co-director, and founded of the Class of 2k7 debut author group. This summer he participated in the NASA and NSF-funded Launch Pad program at the University of Wyoming, intended to provide authors with better knowledge of astronomy and theories of science literacy. Visit his website at gfishbone.com for more information.
As part of the book tour, which you can access information here, Greg has puzzle pieces. Here is mine:
Greg was also kind enough to answer some questions. Enjoy! And check out his book!
Q) What inspired you to write this story?
A) I was put on the spot at a writing conference, where I was asked to pitch a middle grade sports series. I think it's a great exercise for authors to consider a new genre in the context of their own unique style and personal experience. For me, I knew that one of my strengths was humor and my interests were in team sports and aliens, so I ended up with something that was all my own.
Q) How long did it take you to write?
A) I wrote a first draft in about a month. Then I spent seven years revising it until it sold. There wasn't much of the original text that survived the process, but the premise remained remarkably constant.
Q) Can you talk about the story's evolution and publishing history?
A) Some of the major changes were in the format and the time frame. My first draft was a chapter book, about 15,000 words long. The published book is an older middle grade about four times that length. The original story started as Earth was recruiting its first team for the Galaxy Games sports tournament, but an editor remarked that she'd be even more interested in the story of how aliens came to Earth in the first place, the offer to compete, and the world's reaction. That's the story that appears in The Challengers and she was right--it's a much more exciting place to start.
Q) What can readers expect from you in the future?
A) I've finished a draft of the second book in the Galaxy Games series which raises the stakes, introduces some new characters, and takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through the galaxy.
Q) Where can readers find you?
For more information check my website at http://gfishbone.com or the Galaxy Games series site at http://galaxygamesseries.com. There are also some great posts this month that you can find through the blog tour site at http://galaxygam.es/tour and also a few contests you can join.
