Building Character with Tommy Kitt from Powder Monkey

It’s Friday! Time for my blog feature, Building Character in which you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun. 


This week Strands of Thought is excited to host a tour stop for World of Ink. Tommy from Powder Monkey is here to tell his about his harrowing adventure. Tommy, tell us a little about yourself.

Hi, my name is Tommy. I’m 12 years old and lived on a farm with my older brother and my parents, until the Press Gang showed up.

Oh, Tommy, that sounds very serious. Can you tell us a little more about that?

Always considered a sissy by my pa because my lack of size and preference to help my ma around the farm instead of him I was first terrified when the Royal Navy Press Gang arrived at our farm. I never had the backbone to stand up for myself or anyone else, until that day. Foregoing my safety I jumped to my ma’s defense when the nasty big man pushed ma to the ground after pa crumbled after one hit. Now who’s the sissy?

What happened next?

I was kidnapped and forced to work on a ship for the Royal Navy.

What are some of the biggest stumbling blocks you’ve encountered while being forced to work on a ship?

Not being big enough to fight and gain my freedom.

Tommy, if you could change one thing in this world, what would you change?

The cruelty of human kind both mentally and physically; and someone thinking they are better than you because they are bigger and stronger.

I completely agree Tommy. Thanks for visiting today and sharing your story with us. Readers, here is more information about Tommy’s story Powder Monkey.

Powder Monkey: Forced into a life at sea by the Royal Navy Press Gangs, 12-year-old Tommy Kitt finds himself in a floating sea of misery. Poor living conditions and beatings occur daily. Despite his runt like size, Tommy must summon the courage and physical ability to prevail in a situation he cannot escape.

Powder Monkey:
Autographed copies: http://www.donnamcdine.com/donnasbooks.html

Guardian Angel Publishing: http://guardianangelpublishing.com/powder-monkey.htm

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Powder-Monkey-Donna-M-McDine/dp/1616333855/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377360307&sr=8-1&keywords=Powder+Monkey+by+Donna+McDine

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/powder-monkey-donna-m-mcdine/1115469894?ean=9781616333843

And here is some information about Tommy’s author:

Multiple award-winning children’s author, Donna McDine writes, moms and is a personal assistant from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI, Children’s Literature Network, and Family Reading Partnership.

Website: www.donnamcdine.com
Write What Inspires You! blog: www.donna-mcdine.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMcDine
Google+: https://plus.google.com/109412819770020852874/posts
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=50626214&trk=tab_pro
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/donnamcdine/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dmcdine
***

If you have a character from a children’s, tween or young adult book that you’d like to see interviewed on Building Character, please contact kaistrand at yahoo dot com.

Comments

  1. Donna McDineOctober 5, 2013 at 4:54 PM

    Hi Kai,

    Thank you for interviewing Tommy Kitt of Powder Monkey. He was thrilled to chat with you.

    Warmly,
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kai Strand, AuthorOctober 6, 2013 at 6:53 AM

    Tommy has such an important story to tell. I'm so glad I could help him share it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Susan Kaye Quinn, Author of Open Minds, Presents:

Image
Finding Time to Write the Sequel by Susan Kaye Quinn, author of Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) Even before I decided to self-publish my new paranormal/SF novel Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) , I knew it would be a trilogy. But once I had made the decision to publish, the need to get busy on the sequel(s) kicked into high gear. Except that I was also publishing a book. Most writers find it difficult to balance writing with all the other demands in life. Even people who are lucky enough to write full time (which I am, since I write while my kids are at school), there’s still a tug between writing time and all the other things that need to be done. Once you’re published, this all changes, and not for the better. Now, not only do you need to write and get the kids to school and get the laundry done, but you also need to market your book, which can mean everything from actually getting it published (edits, covers, websites, blogs)
Read more

Robot Writing - What It Is & How to Avoid It

Image
Many beginner writers fall into the habit of what I like to refer to as “robot writing.” It’s when you basically write your scenes like a grocery list. Ex: Marcy stood and walked across the room. Then she picked up the candle stick to inspect it. She blinked when she noticed the spot of dried blood. Marcy dropped the candlestick and ran from the room. I call it robot writing because when I'm reading it I tend to fall into a robotic pattern and start to sound like the robot from the old Lost In Space series. "Danger. Danger. Will Robinson." You may as well put numbers in front of each sentence: First Marcy stood and walked across the room. Second she picked up the candlestick to inspect it. Third she blinked when she noticed the spot of dried blood. Fourth she dropped the candlestick and ran from the room. Don’t get me wrong, robot writing is absolutely acceptable in your first draft, no matter your writing experience. Your first p
Read more

Don't Be Closed Minded. Read a Banned Book. #Giveaway

Image
On this list , compiled by the ALA, of the top 100 challenged books of the decades 1990-1999 and 2000-2009, I've read: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Adventure of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Blubber Crank The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time The Dead Zone The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things Fat Kid Rules the World The Giver Harry Potter (series) The Hunger Games (series) The Kite Runner The Lovely Bones Olive's Ocean Speak Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes That Was Then, This Is Now Thirteen Reasons Why Twilight (series) A Wrinkle In Time I would recommend any of them, but especially the titles I've linked. The thing with me and banned books is that I don't get it. The banning thing. Why would you ever feel the right to keep a book out of the hands of other readers? Why would you feel you have the authority to say what some can and cannot read? Do you have the right to voice your o
Read more