Artistic Reflections

BOOK SPOTLIGHT

The Snake Pit: Jr High Can be Torture

The Snake Pit: Jr High Can be Torture is a book everyone who has ever experienced bullying or knows someone who is, should read.  This isn't an easy book to read but those who do will feel it's weight.  Sadly this book is timely and sheds light on what has become a serious problem today and at a time when many at not free of it even in their own homes.  No longer is this a problem of half hour family shows where the bully  gets a black eye and leaves his victm alone.

Donna Dillon published her first book in October 2010. When Master Koda Select Publishing approached her with a publishing contract, she took the opportunity in hopes to expand her reach and build her brand.
1. What led you to publish your work with MKSP? I can write, but I suck at marketing. Kim and her team had some definite ideas about how we could get The Snake Pit books moving. It was a no-brainer for me.
2. How has it felt being with a publisher compared to doing it all on your own? I have never been a loner. I much prefer being part of a team, so, so far, it has felt pretty good!
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Together, Donna and Master Koda Select Publishing will be re-releasing her first novel today with updated editing and a fresh new cover.

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Donna, why did you write this book?
Cinda, the character in my book, The Snake Pit, was born with a cleft palate, and so was I. The things that happen in the book are fiction, but how she felt was exactly how I felt growing up. Being bullied for something you can't possibly help, or change, is horrible. I chose to turn it into something positive, but many bullied children do not. I'm 47 y ears old now. I can still hear the bullies voice in my head. But, the thing I remember the most, the thing that bothers me the most: the silence from those who just stood by and let it happen, and did nothing to stop it. That is why I wrote this book.
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Author Bio:

Hello everyone! I am Donna Dillon: Author, Illustrator, and M&M connoisseur. I am the author of 5 and 1/4 books thus far. I have been writing in the young adult genre with The Snake Pit and Return to the Snake Pit which both deal with bullying in the public schools, and the children's genre with Why Did It Have to Rain Today? and My Special Christmas Child. My new book is a leap into the thriller/suspense genre so I'm anxious to finish and see how that goes.
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Fun facts about Donna:
Five things people might not know about Donna
5 things about myself that few people know:
1. I can ride a unicycle.
2. I can write as fast backwards as I can forward.
3. I once played Miss Mona is a stage production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
4. I can't breathe through my nose and I have never had a sense of smell. I can taste, though, don't ask me why, it's a miystery.
5. When I was 22 I was flown out to Hollywood and made a make up commercial for Victoria Jackson cosmetics that you can still catch on TV late at night. I also met Johnny Depp and had my picture taken with Heavy D on that same trip.

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The Snake Pit: Jr. High can be Torture Synopsis:

Cinda doesn't look like other twelve-year-old girls. A facial defect, and the surgery to correct it has left her face scarred and disfigured. When she walks into Hargrove Junior High for the first time, Cinda knows the other kids won't see how smart she is, or what a good friend she could be. The other kids will see her as a monster, and her life will be torture.

The school cafeteria, or The Snake Pit, as the kids call it, is the prime location for bullying. One pretty girl in particular takes an instant dislike to Cinda. Day after that day she is pushed, tripped, and laughed at. Not all the other kids bully her, but only one tries to help.

Charlene Carsten is Cinda's only friend. She tries to stop the bullying, but the other kids won't listen. She tries to tell the Principal, but he only sees what he wants to. She tries to tell the teachers, but they all say the same thing, “kids will be kids.”

When Cinda falls victim to a vicious prank at a school dance, it sets off a series of events that will change the lives of everyone involved.


The Snake Pit: Jr High Can be Torture is now available on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Snake-Pit-Jr-High-Torture-ebook/dp/B00NJCKFCO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1410655270&sr=8-5&keywords=donna+dillon