At the back of the shop in a tall chair sat the largest and oldest cat I’d ever seen. He’d been white once, maybe. His ears were tattered and a single snaggletooth protruded past his raggedy cheek.
Grimalkin
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Tag Archives: sci-fi
IndieReader Loves Idiot Genius
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IndieReader had some very nice things to say about Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy.
January 15, 2019 / in Discovery Awards 2019 / by IR Staff
IR VERDICT:
Abducted into a secret world, eleven-year-old Willa Snap takes readers on an imaginative journey through a place filled with mechanical people and fantastical machines. There’s wit and passion in the dialogue as author Richard Due delights with the first installment in the young adult series of IDIOT GENIUS novels, “WILLA SNAP AND THE CLOCKWERK BOY.” Don’t miss heart-stopping escapes and time machine-building dragons as Due weaves and winds a thrilling, and highly satisfying, novel.
Fun Things You May Enjoy Searching on the Internet, or in an Ancient, Smelly Fire Hazard of a Book
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Afterword page from Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy (paperback edition).
Willa Snap’s Clockwerk Dress!
Willa Snap Just Won a National Indie Excellence Award!!
Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy wins a National Indie Excellence Award for Juvenile Fiction!!!
I can’t believe it! Wow! Thanks NIEA!!!
Clockwerk Dress (getting closer)
Minus the wig and Clockwerk surface decorations.
Clockwerk Dress Bodice and Sleeves
This bodice will have a huge number of gears and clockfaces and chain attached.
The wire’s been added to the hem of the outer skirt. The way it moves when Willa’s walking around looks pretty cool.
The zipper will be either blackened, or covered. (the buckles are purely decorative)
Clockwerk Dress and Wig
The outer skirt. The lip on this piece will have stiff wiring sewn in to freeze motion, and better simulate the look of the dress on the cover.
The wig: napkin sketch to straightened.
Willa Snap Wins an IPPY!
Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy just won Independent Publisher Book Award for Juvenile Fiction!
I can’t believe it! I couldn’t more proud!
“Thoroughly engrossing story recommended for young sci-fi and fantasy fans who hold a prior attraction to books such as John Bellairs’ House with a Clock in its Walls.” -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Willa always knew one of her mother’s crazy inventions would cause trouble. She just didn’t think it would get the whole family banished to Grandeur, a hidden city of Geniuses deemed too dangerous to remain Outside.
Now, with the help of her cat, the Magnificent Lady Grayson of the Silky White Underbelly, or Just Grayson for Short, Willa and her new friends must scour Grandeur’s strange avenues in search of the Clockwerk Boy. Among her encounters: a curiosity shop run by curiously intelligent cats. Gear Hall, where Clockwerks outnumber humans. And the Jolly Rajah, a man-o’-war o’ pancakes, where your meal of flapjacks and hot chocolate is served with a brace of pistols and side of grappling hooks. Prepare to be boarded!
International Rubery Book Award Shortlist ~ Young Adult
Independent Publisher Book Award Medalist ~ Juvenile Fiction
National Indie Excellence Award ~ Juvenile Fiction
Eric Hoffer Award Category Finalist ~ Young Adult
“It’s unusual to see such sci-fi depth and detail in a title directed to young adults, but this is precisely what makes Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy such an appealing production: the characterization is solid while its fantastic setting will intrigue ages well beyond its intended 9-12-year-old audience. Highly recommended for young adults seeking something compellingly different.” -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
The Clockwerk Dress: Fabrics and Gears and Boots, Oh My!
The Fabrics
The Gears
A few Clockwerk bits . . . tick-tick-tick . . .
Gilting the boots!
Two Willa impersonator’s means two pairs of boots. C is a good bit taller than J. So, one pair of short heels (above) . . . and one pair high (below).
Idiot Genius: Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy 