Amanda911 by Mark Schreiber | Review, $50 Giveaway, and Interview
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Book Details
Amanda911 by Mark Schreiber Published by Pleasure Boat Studio on 10/01/2021
Genres: Fiction, Humorous, Literary Fiction, Teen, Young Adult
Format: eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 342
Source: Amazon Purchase, Goddess Fish Promotions, Kindle Unlimited, Received from the author or publisher for review.What's it like to be a teen influencer?
Sixteen-year-old Amanda Dizon is an ordinary girl in an ordinary town in Iowa. But when she falls into an abandoned well in her backyard during presidential primary campaign season, the national media post the story; the candidates visit her in the hospital, and she becomes a star on the new social media platform, PingPong.
Amanda911 is a story for our time, about an occupation that didn't exist a few years ago, but that millions now aspire to. It's a funny, fast-paced journey through the contemporary digital landscape that is the influencer phenomenon.
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Excerpt from Amanda911
I can’t believe you guys! exclaimed Nicole. You never heard of MakeItRain? It’s crowdfunding for personal tragedy.
But I only fractured one ankle, said Amanda. The doctor said I can probably go home tomorrow.
But nobody knew that when the story broke, did they?
What is this figure? asked Amanda’s mom. $305,050? Is that the goal?
The goal is ten thousand dollars! Nicole shouted above the music.
$305,050 is the amount pledged. So you can easily afford to buy me a Jaguar. I just want a basic one. And you’ll have money left over to buy a car painted rainbow colors for yourself, and probably a house with a life-size stuffed unicorn.
A life-size stuffed unicorn?
This can’t be legitimate, whispered Amanda’s mother.
Amanda’s mom grabbed her daughter’s arm. Can you please give us a minute, Nicole?
She helped her daughter into a wheelchair and wheeled her into the corridor, where it was quiet enough to talk in normal voices, and bright enough to see each other clearly.
She knelt down so that their gaze was level. Are you OK, darling?
Are you kidding? This is the best day of my life!
You suffered a traumatic experience.
The well? I should have fallen down that thing a long time ago!
Listen, this is all nice and fun, and I’m glad all your classmates have finally taken an interest in you, even if they have ulterior motives…
Mom, cut to the chase.
But none of this is real. It’s just entertainment. The RainMan account, the six million friends…
It’s seven million now!
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Purchase Links for Amanda911
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My thoughts on Amanda911
Amanda911 is spot on in reflecting today’s influencer culture. My grandsons used to want to be firefighters, policemen, or doctors when they grew up, and now they quickly pop up with “Youtubers!” They are under 10!
The narrator of the story, Amanda’s Grandpa, lends a stable, if somewhat drunken, voice to the chaos erupting in the family. He seems the least affected by internet fame.
Amanda’s story is so believable and funny. It shows how quickly fame can come to one family and the changes it makes to family values. While I laughed a lot at the antics, I was a bit saddened by the underlying currents. All Amanda ever wanted was to be liked for herself. But, it seems no one was ever happy with who she was. Her parents, best friends, and classmates were constantly trying to change her into their vision of Amanda or ignore her.
I think readers of all ages will enjoy this quick tale of instant fame and the changes it brings.
I received a copy of the book for the tour but used my Kindle Unlimited subscription to read this one This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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About Mark Schreiber
Mark Schreiber was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1960, graduated high school at age fifteen, and began writing novels full-time.
Princes in Exile, which explores a prodigy’s struggle to accept his own mortality at a summer camp for kids with cancer, was published in 1984 and made into a feature film in 1991. It has been published in ten countries, received two awards in Europe, and was shortlisted for the Austria Prize.
Carnelian, a fantasy, was published by Facet in Belgium.
Starcrossed, a rebuttal to Romeo and Juliet, was published by Flux and translated into French and Turkish.
His illustrated science book, How to Build an Elephant, was published as an Apple app by Swag Soft.
He has written over forty books and received two State of Ohio Individual Writer Fellowships.
For the last seven years, he has been a digital nomad, living on four continents. He currently resides in Costa Rica.
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Author Interview
What is something you’ve lied about?
I never lie, except perhaps to myself.
Who is the last person you hugged?
Jael, my fifteen-year-old stepson.
What are you reading now?
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.
How do you come up with the titles of your books?
I don’t write sequels or in one genre, so every book is different.
Princes in Exile is a metaphor, the camp bunk name. Since it’s about cancer, I wanted something inspirational.
Starcrossed is a rebuttal to Romeo and Juliet—true lovers don’t destroy each other, they save each other. So the title is from Romeo and Juliet— “a pair of star-crossed lovers…” Also, she believes in astrology, and her soulmate is a budding astronomer.
Where the Ocean Meets the Sky is about a colony of beach-dwelling centipedes who try to cross the ocean to see what’s on the other side, so the horizon is aspirational.
The View From Bora Bora is a poetic title for a poetic memoir about the month I spent in the South Pacific after my girlfriend left me for another guy. The inspiration for the title came from The View From Serendip, a memoir of his life in Sri Lanka by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.
Amanda911 came to me quickly, as I used my niece’s real first name and created a snappy user name that reflected her plight.
Please share your dream cast for your book.
Having had Princes in Exile made into a film, I know it takes so long to make a movie that the actors you love could be dead by then, or have outgrown the role, especially for teen leads. Amanda911 had leads for both a teen girl and a senior male, so both these somber possibilities are probable.
I’ll just be glad to see it made before I die!
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Giveaway!
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!
September 27: Books in the Hall
September 27: Literary Gold
September 28: Rogue’s Angels
September 29: Andi’s Young Adult Books
September 29: Author C.A.Milson
September 30: Westveil Publishing
October 1: Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
October 1: FUONLYKNEW
October 4: The Avid Reader
October 5: Fabulous and Brunette
October 5: It’s Raining Books
October 6: All the Ups and Downs
October 7: Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
October 7: Hope. Dreams. Life… Love
October 8: Gina Rae Mitchell
October 11: Straight From the Library
October 11: Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love
October 12: BooksChatter
October 13: The Pen and Muse Book Reviews
October 13: Girl with Pen
October 14: Read Your Writes Book Reviews
October 15: Jazzy Book Reviews
October 15: The Faerie Review
October 18: Our Town Book Reviews
October 19: The Obsessed Reader
October 19: books are love
October 20: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’
October 21: Long and Short Reviews
October 21: Lamon Reviews
October 22: Novels Alive
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Purchase Amanda911 online from a local book store.
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Easy Amazon Links for Amanda911
Amanda911Shop on Amazon Kindle/e-book 
Amanda911Shop on Amazon Paperback
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[…] week’s Author of the Week is Mark Schreiber. I recently reviewed his teen novel Amanda911 and am looking forward to reading more from him. He has a large list of available books on Amazon. […]
Many thanks for your perceptive review, Gina! I’m particularly glad to see Amanda911 resonates with older readers as well as teens.
[…] Amanda911 by Mark Schreiber […]
I enjoyed the excerpt , interview, and review! Thanks!
Sounds like a good book
I hope you like it Sherry!
Book looks and sounds interesting and intriguing. Would love to read & review in print format
Hope I Win
Thanks Crystal! If you don’t win send me an email and maybe I can get you a copy.
I liked the excerpt.
Thanks, Rita!
Thanks for reading, Rita!!!
Thanks for hosting!