Mockingbird in Mark Twain's Hat by Kaia Alexander Book Tour, Interview, Review, and Giveaway

Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat by Kaia Alexander 

 Publisher: Waterside Press, Oct, 2020 

Category: Children’s illustrated chapter book 

Tour dates: May 27-June 30, 2021 

ISBN: 978-1949001914 

Available in Print and ebook, 138 pages 

Description Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat

Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat, is an adventure story full of animals that talk. Wynne is a precocious mockingbird born in the rural south in the late 1800s. His whole family are singers, but at four days old, he wants to be a novelist just like his hero, Mark Twain. 

 When crows attack his nest, he’s swept away on an epic adventure along the Mississippi River. Wynne learns to read and write, makes new friends in surprising places, and is mentored by Mark Twain himself. Full of delightful quotes from Mark Twain, this novel for children ages 8-12 shines with important lessons of character, perseverance, love, and the importance of friendship. 

 Praise Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat 

 “We LOVE this book! As we finish each chapter, we can’t wait to find out what happens next! I am ordering another few copies as gifts for my daughter’s friends.”- Yaron, Amazon

 

“With ‘The Mockingbird in Mark Twain's Hat’, Kaia Alexander is at the top of her formidable writing talents. She has mastered historical fiction, screenwriting and with this, a timeless children's story. This is a delightful adventure featuring unforgettable animal characters that will become embedded in the heart of every reader. Whether you read this to a little one or gift it to a child to read, this is an ideal book that entertains and enthralls with every page while evoking a period and piece of literary history. I believe that Mark Twain himself would approve! Kaia not only brings her beloved animals to life, but she evokes the universal yearning to uniquely express oneself, like the protagonist of the story, Wynne. Above and beyond a simple children's story, Kaia weaves in thematic layers that remind me of myth and legend. I guarantee that the characters and story will stick with you forever and inspire children to be themselves, challenge themselves, and learn to write! They may even become interested in Mr. Twain himself, just like Wynne. Or maybe, the kinds of songs that Wynne learns to sing, and that they can learn to sing their own.”-Stuart Volkow, Amazon 

 “Like all Kaia Alexander's books, it's a page turner and you can't put it down! A delightful adventure with twists and surprises. Love the characters and the illustrations. This is a great gift book for children as well as adults and sure to become a classic!  ”- S. Peck, Amazon 

Interview with Kaia Alexander

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I hope you have fun with this interview! 

Since summer is coming up quickly, let’s do a summer theme interview!  
 
Q: What inspired you to write this book? 

Since we’re on the theme of summer, I should mention that the working title of this novel for about eight years was Mockingbird Summer. In fact, that title ends up being the name of the novel that our main character, Wynne, writes in the end. See the illustration for the final chapter.

When I was finishing my last year at Antioch University, I was in the third trimester of my pregnancy with my son, Atticus. Everything made me cry, unsettled me, and my heart cracked open like an eggshell. It didn’t feel especially poetic, because being pregnant – while you have the keen sense of smell of a velociraptor - is also terrifying. During that time, a mockingbird couple made a nest in the torulosa pine tree beside my balcony, and I watched their eggs hatch into two bright little chicks. Then the crows came, and began to torment the family. 

I guarded the nest as best I could, but eventually I always had to go to school. There was a night I came home and the chicks were gone. The parents were gone. I crawled around in the hedge like a mad woman thinking I heard a chirp! And I had. One of the mockingbird chicks had survived. I collected him in my palms, a hearty little fellow, and put him in a shoe box until I could get him to bird rescue. At the time in school I was studying Mark Twain. In the ways that pregnancy blurs the lines between your brain and your heart, your body and the world, I found that while studying Mark Twain, I thought about my little mockingbird chick often, tearfully. I thought about how strong and springy his tiny legs were. How bright his black eyes shone. Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat came of those musings, those memories, and my intense feelings of fear of the crows and the enormity of the world that every baby bird must fly into, and survive. So, I wrote the book for my unborn son, and dreamed of the day I could read it to him. It had to have a happy ending, for everyone, because as an author, I wanted to give to children the beauty of an adventure that ends by going home to a nest full of love. 

Q: Where is your favorite summer spot to write in? 

I really hate writing in the summer, because I surf, and I love to be outside, and the appeal of my journal and the keypad is never as strong as the urge to be in nature. So, I do my big surf sessions in the early morning as the sun comes up, so I’m more settled and able to sit down at my laptop. Before the pandemic, I loved writing in cafés. We don’t have café’s with comfortable chairs where I live, so now I mostly write at home, which I hate. How hard is it to buy comfy chairs for the patrons? Maybe they don’t want us to stay. I’ve taken to writing at a beautiful local hotel, because they have free wifi, and the food is phenomenal. So I may write there more often. There’s a magic to the people parade, as you see them on vacation, and on their business trip, that makes the place you live come alive again. I love that.

Q: Which character is the most like yourself? 

My character Lolly is a beaver, and she’s a single mom. She’s been through a lot in her life, a lot of loss, but she still has a pure heart. She’s endured stigma, and I relate to that, especially as the BQ in LGBTQ. Lolly comes to the rescue in the end of the tale, and her life is all about being there for others as a helper. She’s resourceful, which you have to be as a mother, but especially a single mom.

Q: What is your favorite season? 

Summer. If I could live half the year below the equator I would have the “The Endless Summer”, just like the surf film I loved growing up. I love warm beach sand, and lizards in the heat, and the throbbing of the insects in the night. There is hope to summer, and the fruit, I live for that stone fruit.

Q: What would your perfect Summer Day look like? 

My surfboard, the sunrise as the moon sets, a bag full of books, an umbrella, my son and our dog, and the beauty of the sea and my feet in the sand, a sporty bikini. I’ll wear a sporty bikini till I’m an old lady; I love the breeze against my skin. I’m from California, and the beach is my happy place. The water restores something in me that gets depleted with work and chores and obligations. We all need that tranquility of the spaces where water brushes the land: the beaches, the riverbanks, the lake shores. I do.

And now for the vital questions! 

Q: A picnic at a park, the beach, or in a random field under a big, shady tree? 

My half-sister in England just sent me the most gorgeous picnic hamper, and I can’t wait to take it to the beach with wine and cheese and sandwiches. I’d love to have someone I’m dating to go with, but I’ve spent the pandemic alone. Shade is always a good idea, though. Companionship, the beach, a good laugh and some shade.

Q: Ham and cheese sandwiches, fried chicken, tuna salad, or fresh veggies and fruits? 

Tuna salad. Corn chips. Mango and watermelon. Although, you’ve made me crave ham now.

Q: Lemonade, iced tea, water, or juice? 

I love a mint mojito or a glass of rosé. If I’m not working, I like to enjoy a little booze. I work all the time. With the pandemic, the only way I know I’m not working is if I have some spirits in hand: bourbon, a gimlet. I love ginger beer, though. I drink a lot of water, tea and ginger beer while I’m at my desk. (Phlebotomists love me. They can’t believe how hydrated I am.)

Q: Is your drink of choice sweet or unsweetened? 

Drinks are my reward. I love beverages. I often have 3 beverages beside me at one time. I do entire store trips to different stores just for special kombuchas and flavored waters and spirits. I drink tea every morning, black tea with goat cream and mango honey. At parties I love to be the bartender and make sure everyone has a drink they love.

Q: Cheesecake, ice cream, cake, or cookies for dessert? 

My sadly not sexy answer to this question is I’m severely allergic to gluten and to cow dairy and a bunch of other staples. As a guest at parties I tend to offend everyone; it’s awful. Plus, I’m a serious athlete, so I also eat for performance, and enjoy my strict paleo diet. It’s wonderful that women especially are discovering an active and balanced lifestyle, and that the world is now making improved equipment for us. I find that my mental health and physical health have become increasingly imperative as I age, and honoring the instrument of my body helps me stay balanced in a way I failed to when I was younger, and suffered. I make choices today that honor the person I will be tomorrow – writers have to learn to do that so we keep our minds sharp. Just finding a dessert I can enjoy is rare. I tend to keep chocolate bars in the house. Pure chocolate is perfection! 

My Review ★★★★★

Mockingbird in Mark Tain's Hat was such a fun read for me. Wynne knows from the time he is four days old that he wants to be a writer. He has no interest in learning the songs of the woods he lives in. He does like the tunes he hears the girl that passes under his tree singing and whistling but is told that mockingbirds do no mock humans because they are horrible creatures. He is also told to stay away from other animals like skunks and beavers. 

When crows attack his tree and he gets carried away by yet another predator, the young girl ends up saving him and taking him home with her. He gets to go to school with her and learns all sorts of things that can help him with his dream of becoming a writer. This is where his journey begins, but there is so much more he experiences and learns along the way. 

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone that enjoys fun characters, adventure, and growth in their tales. It is a pretty quick read but packs a lot into its 138 pages. 

 

Disclaimer: I did receive this book free or at a discounted rate in order to read it and give my opinions on it. I was not required to leave a positive review. As usual, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

  About Kaia Alexander

 

 Kaia Alexander is an award-winning novelist, filmmaker, and writing coach, as well as founder of the Entertainment Business League, who can be found surfing her native California coastline. 

 Website: https://kaiaalexander.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThisisKaia

Buy Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat 

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  Giveaway Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat by Kaia Alexander 

 This giveaway is for 1 print copy to 3 winners. It is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ends on July 1, 2021,midnight pacific time.

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