Elliot K. Carnucci is a Big, Fat Loser: A Book about Bullying by Catherine DePino Giveaway, Excerpt & Interview

Elliot K. Carnucci is a Big, Fat Loser: A Book about Bullying

by Catherine DePino

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BLURB:

   

The kids at Ralph Bunche Middle School love to pick on Elliot Kravitz-Carnucci. He struggles with his weight, looks like a geek, makes top honors, and lives above the Carnucci Home for Funerals in South Philadelphia with his distant, workaholic father and Nonna, his quirky, overbearing grandmother.

   

Since his parents divorced, he splits spending his time with his funeral director father and his mother Rayna, who dreams of becoming the queen of commercials on the west coast.

   

At the hands of his peers, Elliot experiences a series of bullying episodes that escalate from entrapment in a school supply closet to a brutal “swirly” (head dunk in the toilet) that lands him in the hospital emergency room.

   

Elliot has a small circle of loyal friends and a mentor named Duke, an aging school custodian, who root for him to overcome his bullying issues so that he can enjoy his life as a teenager and a budding singer/performer. Can Elliot win his fight against the nasty bullies, or is he doomed forever? Read this funny, sad, and crazy book to find out.

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Excerpt 

“Help–I can’t breathe–let me out. Somebody help...”

I pounded the inside of the musty supply closet until my knuckles turned blue. Did anybody even have the key?

           

What if they don’t come? What if I’m trapped here all night?

           

I could hear loud voices and laughing, so I knew Kyle Canfield and one of his friends from the basketball team were there, waiting to see if I would cave in and plead for mercy.

           

The bell blared. Classes changed. Kids stampeded through the halls. Then, silence.

Finally I heard someone shout, “I’ve got the key, Doc.” 

          

“Thanks, Duke,” Doc Greely, the assistant principal, said to Mr. Boardly, the man who’d sprung me loose.

Mr. Boardly, the head custodian, better known as Duke, offered me his arm, and I stumbled out of the closet. He was as thin as his mop handle, but all muscle–no flab like me. A scruffy white beard covered half his face.

           

He slammed the closet door shut and bolted the lock. “One of the hall guards reported noise coming from this area. We came as soon as we heard.”

           

Duke patted my shoulder. “Let me know if I can help, Elliot.” I could hear his keys clanging as he walked down the hall humming “Duke of Earl,” that old sixties song he loved. That’s where he got his nickname.

“Up to their old tricks again, Elliot?” Doc asked on the way to his office.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Catherine DePino has sold thirteen books for parents, teachers, and children to mainstream publishers. She self-published her fourteenth book, Elliot K. Carnucci is a Big, Fat Loser: A Book About Bullying because she wanted to give it a wider forum. Her background includes a BS in English and Spanish education, a Master’s in English education, and a doctorate in Curriculum Theory and Development and Educational Administration from Temple University. The author worked for many years as an English teacher, department head of English and world languages, disciplinarian, and curriculum writer in the Philadelphia School District. After this, she worked at Temple as an adjunct assistant professor and student teaching supervisor.

Catherine has also written articles for national magazines, including The Christian Science Monitor and The Writer.

For many years she served on the board of The Philadelphia Writers’ Conference.  She holds membership in the Association of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Her new self-help book, 101 Easy Ways for Women to De-Stress, Reinvent, and Fire Up Your Life in Retirement,appeared on the market in March, 2014.

Interview

Where are you from?

I’m from Bucks County, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. I was an English teacher, disciplinarian and department head in the Philadelphia Schools for 31 years and then worked for Temple University as a student teaching supervisor. I believe that my job helped me create a realistic backdrop for Elliot’s story. It also gave me a first-hand look into the inner workings of school systems and how they deal with bullying problems. Finally, my everyday encounters with students provided me with an understanding of how bullying affects them and what they can do to solve their bullying problems.

Tell us your latest news?

I’m working hard to promote Elliot K. Carnucci is  a Big, Fat Loser: A Book About Bullying. Out of all the fiction books I’ve written, I feel the most passionate about it because the main character is very close to my heart.

I’ve also written Fire Up Your Life in Retirement: A Hundred and One Ways for Women to Reinvent Themselves, a non-fiction book for retired and soon-to-be retired women. I’ve traditionally published all of my books except for Elliot and a non-denominational prayer book called Hi, God, It’s Me: e-prayers for teenage girls. The publisher gave me the e-book rights back to this book, so I decided to self-publish it. My books about bullying have been published in many different languages.

Elliot is my first big venture into self-publishing; I decided to do this because of the somewhat controversial setting in this book. Because Elliot’s father is a funeral director, he lives with his dad and bossy but lovable grandmother in an apartment atop the funeral home. To complicate matters, his parents are divorced, and his mom lives an exotic life making commercials on the west coast. Elliot does his best to confront his bullying issues and receives support from the school custodian, his friend and mentor, and two close friends. One point I make here and in all my books about bullying is how important it is for bullied children to build a support system. They cannot do it alone. Family, extended family, and the school must work together with kids to help them become bully-free.

When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing poetry as a child and wrote articles for the school newspaper and literary magazine. My first article for a local paper told the story of working in an ice cream parlor as  a pre-teenager. Customers would give anything to win the “I Was a Pig at Greenwood Dairies” button. Only the coveted few who could wolf down a Pig’s Dinner, a gigantic sundae with six big scoops of ice cream, every topping in the house, and a mountain of whipped cream. After that I wrote “Guest Opinion” columns for my daily newspaper.

When I was working, time for writing became scarce, but I kept my dream alive by writing articles for magazines. Then when I retired, I submitted an idea for a grammar book to an educational publisher. The editor said she weren’t looking for that kind of book but would I be interested in writing a study guide for the works of Cynthia Voigt, a YA author. Of course I was elated at the prospect of publishing my first book and jumped at the opportunity. Later, J. Weston Walch accepted my proposal for Grammar Workout, a book which ties together grammar and writing to make learning grammar painless for kids.

  

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I first considered myself a writer when I published my first article about the ice cream parlor. Once I started writing, I knew it would be my lifelong passion and that I would always write.

What inspired you to write your first book?

When I write, I always start with a title and finish with a story. The title stays with me throughout the writing process, motivating me to write and not stop until I finish. It was that way with Grammar Workout, which I consider my first book because it was my own idea and not the publisher’s as the study guide was. I’m very involved in physical fitness (you have to be when you sit at a computer for long periods), and I was an avid Jazzerciser for many years. Now I love Zumba as it exercises every muscle of the body: the music and motions give you what I would call a spiritual experience. That said, I wanted my first book to use the sports metaphor, and that’s how Grammar Workout: 28 Lessons, Exercises, and Activities to Jump Start You Writing came to life.

  

What would you like my readers to know?

I’d like them to know how much I value their responses to my writing. I want to hear my readers’ ideas on all the topics I write about: bullying, grammar/writing, women’s issues, and prayer. I’d love them to take a look at my website and to write to me via the website with any questions and comments. I listen and take all my readers’ ideas to heart.

Visit her website at www.catherinedepino.com

Links

Website: www.catherinedepino.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/C.Spinelli.DePino

Fire Up Your Life: 101 Ways for Women to Reinvent Themselves

http://www.paragonhouse.com/product.php?productid=508&cat=0&page=&featured=Y

Elliot K. Carnucci is a Big, Fat Loser: A Book About Bullying

http://www.amazon.com/Elliot-Carnucci-Big-Fat-Loser-ebook/dp/B00G3IUEDG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393457610&sr=8-1&keywords=elliot+k+carnucci+is+a+big+fat+loser

Excuse Me, Your Participle’s Dangling: How to Use Grammar to Make Your Writing Powers Soar

http://www.amazon.com/Excuse-Me-Your-Participles-Dangling/dp/1475802773/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393457870&sr=8-1&keywords=excuse+me+your+participle%27s+dangling

Who Says Bullies Rule?: Common Sense Tips to Help Your Child Cope

http://www.amazon.com/Who-Says-Bullies-Rule-Common/dp/161048469X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393457997&sr=8-1&keywords=who+says+bullies+rule

Hi, God, It’s Me: e-prayers for teenage girls

http://www.amazon.com/God-Its--prayers-teenage-girls-ebook/dp/B0062F6FVK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1393458157&sr=8-3&keywords=hi+god+it%27s+me+e-prayers+for+teenage+girls

Real Life Bully Prevention for Real Kids

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Life-Bully-Prevention-Kids/dp/157886965X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393458248&sr=8-1&keywords=real+life+bully+prevention+for+real+kids

In Your Face, Pizza Face: A Girl’s Bully-Busting Book

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Face-Pizza-Girls-Bully-Busting/dp/1878076930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393458385&sr=8-1&keywords=in+your+face+pizza+face                                                                                                                          

101 Ways to Help Preschoolers Excel in Reading, Writing, and Speaking

http://www.amazon.com/Preschoolers-Excel-Reading-Writing-Speaking/dp/1578865751/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393516967&sr=8-1&keywords=101+ways+to+help+preschoolers+excel+in+reading

Quick and Easy Grammar Games to Boost Writing Power

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=quick%20and%20easy%20grammar%20games%20to%20boost%20writing%20power

Blue Cheese Breath and Stinky Feet: How to Deal with Bullies

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cheese-Breath-Stinky-Feet/dp/1591471125

Hi, God, It’s Me: e-prayers for Teenage Boys

http://www.amazon.com/Hi-God-Its-Me-E-Prayers/dp/1585952117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393518362&sr=8-1&keywords=hi+God+it%27s+me+e-prayers+for+teenage+boys

Ready, Get Set, Go, Grammar!

http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Get-Set-Go-Grammar/dp/1931334188/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393518500&sr=8-1&keywords=ready+get+set+go+grammar

Grammar Workout: Twenty-Eight Lessons, Exercises, and Activities to Jumpstart Your Writing

http://www.amazon.com/Grammar-Workout-Exercises-Activities-Jump-start/dp/0825142717/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393518818&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=grawmmar+workout+twenty+eight

Catherine will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/04/virtual-book-tour-elliot-k-carnucci-is.html