The
Venetian Job
The
Max Books
Book
3
Sally
Gould
Genre:
Middle Grade Action & Adventure
Publisher:
Orbis Media
Date
of Publication: March 2015
ISBN:
9780994182746
ASIN:
B00QY0ACJY
Number
of pages: 108
Word
Count: approx. 20,000 words
Cover
Artist: Dane at eBook
Launch
Book
Description:
In
'Mafia Encounter', when Max is on a family holiday in Sicily, he and
Charlie notice the mafia seem to be following them. Are they related
to the mafia boss? Will they have to learn the business? Will their
lives ever be the same?
In
'The Venetian Job', Max desperately wants bad guys and action, so
he’ll have a good story to tell when he goes back to school. He and
Charlie hang out with their policeman uncle, but there doesn’t seem
to be a bad guy in Venice. Then in a Palace on the Grand Canal, Max
notices something that doesn’t make sense. Will Max get bad guys
and action after all?
Excerpt
from Chapter 3 of Mafia Encounter
Sharing
a hotel with a mafia boss – even if he was a little old man –
didn’t make me feel safe and warm inside. I could feel my stomach
doing somersaults while we waited for the elevator. I wondered if
Charlie was nervous too. He wouldn’t admit it, even if he were.
Eventually
there was a ping and the doors of the elevator opened. It was empty.
That was good. Well, it was good as long as no mafia guys got in
before we got out.
“I
think I’ll do fifty laps,” said Charlie, after the elevator doors
closed.
“What
about Marco Polo? I want to say we played Marco Polo in Italy.”
He
looked at me like I was stupid. “Marco Polo came from Venice; Italy
wasn’t a country back then.”
Trust
him to turn something fun into a history lesson. “Yeah, whatever.”
The
doors of the elevator opened and we followed the signs to the pool.
It was an indoor pool, there were three lanes and it was probably
about fifteen metres long – long enough for races. I knew as soon
as I saw it that Charlie would want to race.
At
first I didn’t see anyone in the pool, but then I noticed a figure
push off from the edge. Geez, I wanted to have the whole pool to
ourselves. Then I saw two men in black suits sitting at the side of
the pool. The bad feeling in my gut came back. At first I didn’t
recognize them because they weren’t wearing sunglasses. One of them
got up and came over to us as Charlie and me were stripping down to
our swimmers. I could barely take off my shorts, I was shaking so
much.
The
man in black was tall and he had big shoulders. He said something to
us in Italian.
Charlie
said, “Parla inglese?”
I
knew that meant, Do you speak English? I hadn’t worked out how
Charlie could say four English words in only two Italian words.
“Come
back to swim later,” ordered the man in black.
“Sure,”
I said and began to put my shorts back on. I wasn’t stupid. I knew
from school that if someone three times bigger told me to do
something, it was best to do it.
“We’re
staying at the hotel. We’re allowed to use the pool.” Charlie
folded his arms.
Was
he crazy? “We can go back to our room and watch the wrestling,” I
said to him. “Let’s go.”
The
man in black leaned toward Charlie and said very softly, “Mr.
Petruzzelli owns hotel.”
Mr.
P must’ve been Mr. Mafia in the pool. That was good enough for me.
I was out of here. If Charlie wanted to stay and get his head blown
off, that was his business. Real casual, I began to walk back toward
the elevator.
I
heard a voice behind me. “Boy! You stop!”
About
the Author:
Sally
Gould loved books from a young age, but never considered writing
them. While she was busy getting up to the mischief that teenagers
get up to, she forgot about books all together. Then total insanity
took hold and she became a corporate lawyer.
Fortunately,
she had two sons and they inspired her to write stories for children.
Of course, her oldest son is responsible, logical, studious,
considerate, grateful and even makes his bed. The youngest one is
only interested in having fun - lots of it. And, except for his
teachers, he makes everyone laugh. Their antics have inspired many of
Sally's stories. Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family
and two dogs - Pebbles, who is sensible, and Jade, who just wants to
have fun.
Interview – “The Venetian Job” by Sally
Gould
Where are you from?
I
live in Melbourne, Australia with my husband, two sons and our two dogs.
Tell us your latest news?
An
Australian publisher, New Frontier, will be publishing a picture book I wrote
titled, The Brave Knight. It’s
written for 2 – 5 year olds and is about imaginary play. Celeste Hulme will be
illustrating the story. The book won’t be released until 2018, because Celeste
is booked up for the next year or two.
When and why did you begin writing?
I
began writing when my youngest son was in primary school. First I did a writing
course and I discovered that I liked writing in the voice of children. I’m
happy pretending to be anything from a two year old to a fourteen year old.
Usually I write through the viewpoint of a boy, but I’ve had a few books
published that were written through the viewpoint of a girl.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
When
my first book was published. Charlotte
and Me is a picture book for 3 – 5 year olds and was released in 2007.
What inspired you to write your first
book?
My
youngest son was in kindergarten and he was in love with a French girl named
Charlotte. She left Melbourne and returned to Paris to live. My son was so
upset that he stomped his foot and announced “I’m going to Paris and I’m going
to bring Charlotte back.” My heart broke. Then I wrote that story.
Do you have a specific writing style?
My
style is minimalist and accessible to reluctant readers. I try not to use any
big or complex words. My aim is for reluctant readers to be so engaged they
don’t want to put the book down.
How did you come up with the title?
In
this book, there are two stories. The first story, Mafia Encounter is set in Sicily. The book is titled after the
second story, The Venetian Job. I
like the film “The Italian Job”, which also has a robbery and so I adapted it.
Is there a message in your novel that
you want readers to grasp?
The
message in Mafia Encounter is beware of jumping to conclusions.
How much of the book is realistic?
Both
stories are realistic insofar as there isn’t any fantasy or magical elements.
Are experiences based on someone you
know, or events in your own life?
The
stories were inspired by a family holiday we had in Italy. The main character,
Max, is based on my youngest son who has a wild imagination and is very good at
getting into mischief. Max’s older brother, Charlie, is a
more like my oldest son insofar as he’s the sensible and logical brother.
What books have most influenced your
life most?
In
the context of The Max Books, the two Australian authors who have influenced me
are Andy Griffiths and Morris Gleitzman. Both are exceptional in capturing a child’s
voice and writing in an accessible style.
If you had to choose, which writer would
you consider a mentor?
I
don’t have a mentor, but it was the Just
series written Andy Griffiths, Australia’s most successful children’s author,
that inspired me to write for children. They are written for reluctant boy
readers and are very funny.
What book are you reading now?
When
I’m writing I don’t read, so I’m not reading at the moment.
Are there any new authors that have
grasped your interest?
I
find that I’m so busy with my own books and writing that I’m no good at
discovering new authors.
What are your current projects?
I’m
writing a new series of three books titled Enki’s
Quest, which is also for 9 – 12
year olds. It’s the first time I’ve written science fiction.
What would you like my readers to know?
The Venetian Job is the third
book in the series ‘The Max Books’. Each book is a stand-alone, so it doesn’t
really matter in which order they’re read. While the books are aimed at
reluctant readers in middle grade, they also suit more advanced readers who
want a fast paced story in between more serious books. The characters of Max
and his brother Charlie, as well as the Italian setting, make this book
appealing to middle grade readers.
Website:
www.sallygould.com.au
Amazon
Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/sallygould
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