I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERBOUND from VAULT Comics Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and spooky stories young readers imprint from VAULT Comics!
Count on a flurry of activity around all WONDERBOUND original graphic novel middle grade titles!
Here’s a list of all of the titles & authors participating in the tour! Check out each individual blog/Instagram/or booktok (schedule below) for more details on each book!
WRASSLE CASTLE BOOK 1: LEARNING THE ROPES INFO
About The Book:
Title: WRASSLE CASTLE BOOK 1: LEARNING THE ROPES
Author: Paul Tobin, Colleen Coover, Rebecca Horner (Colorist), Galaad (Illustrator), AndWorld Design
Pub. Date: September 21, 2021
Publisher: Wonderbound
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 96
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/WRASSLE-CASTLE-BOOK-1-LEARNING-THE-ROPES
Lydia Riverthane has always dreamed of being a professional wrassler, the greatest of all fighters in the kingdom of Grimslade. There are just a few pesky things standing between her and the big tournament at Wrassle Castle.
THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY LYDIA CAN SAVE HER BROTHER—WRASSLING!
Lydia Riverthane has always dreamed of being a professional wrassler, the greatest of all fighters in the kingdom of Grimslade. Growing up in the shadow of Wrassle Castle, where her older brother routinely racks up championship belts, has only fueled her competitive fire. But when her brother is mysteriously arrested for treason, Lydia and her friends must find a way into the year-end tournament. There she can win back his freedom the only way she knows how…wrassling!
Book 1 of the three volume series of original graphic novels.
WRASSLE CASTLE BOOK 2: RIDERS ON THE STORM INFO
About The Book:
Title: WRASSLE CASTLE BOOK 2: RIDERS ON THE STORM
Author: Paul Tobin, Colleen Coover, Rebecca Horner (Colorist), Galaad (Illustrator), AndWorld Design
Pub. Date: April 5, 2022
Publisher: Wonderbound
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 96
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/WRASSLE-CASTLE-BOOK-2-RIDERS-ON-THE-STORM
Ding! Ding! Join Lydia Riverthane as she faces more dangerous challenges as she fights for her brother’s freedom and wrassling glory in Round 2!
READY FOR WRASSLING ROUND 2!
As the Wrassle Castle tournament enters Round Two and Lydia continues to rise up the ranks, winning her brother’s freedom is within reach! But when the nefarious villain behind her brother’s imprisonment kidnaps her best friend away from Wrassle Castle, Lydia is faced with a terrible decision: stay or go. Luckily for Lydia Riverthane, no matter what options are in front of her, she always chooses the same thing…wrassling!
Book 2 of the three volume series of original graphic novels.
WRASSLE CASTLE BOOK 3: PUT A LYD ON IT! INFO
About The Book:
Title: WRASSLE CASTLE BOOK 3: PUT A LYD ON IT!
Author: Paul Tobin, Colleen Coover, Rebecca Horner (Colorist), Galaad (Illustrator), AndWorld Design
Pub. Date: September 6, 2022
Publisher: Wonderbound
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 96
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/WRASSLE-CASTLE-BOOK-3-PUT-A-LYD-ON-IT
It’s the end! And it’s time for Lydia to step into the ring for a slam-to-the-mat finish … something that she has trained for her entire life. For fans of The Nameless City, Lumberjanes, and She-Ra!
THE FINAL SHOWDOWN IS HERE! IT’S THE CHAMPIONSHIP: FOR FREEDOM (HER BROTHER’S) and GLORY (HER OWN)!
Lydia Riverthane readies herself for the finals of the Wrassle Castle tournament, hoping to win her brother’s freedom and get back his good name. But Lydia and her diverse group of friends, Chelsea, Nyle, and Dee, discover that the plot against the Riverthane family goes deeper than any of them thought. Lydia will have to dig deep and unlock the secrets behind her own wrassling if she wants to have any hope of saving her home and family.
Book 3 of the three-book original graphic novel series.
“A rock ’em sock ’em hum-dandy knock-out of a graphic novel!”
Shannon Watters, Co-Creator of “Lumberjanes”
Buy the first 2 books in the WRASSLE CASTLE series now!
About Paul Tobin:
Paul Tobin is the New York Times best-selling author of the Plants vs. Zombies graphic novels, as well as a wide range of other titles for all ages of readers. Paul wrote extensively for Angry Birds, and for Marvel’s all-ages “Adventure” line, and teamed with artist Benjamin Dewey on the Eisner-nominated I Was The Cat graphic novel, and with his Plants vs. Zombies artist Ron Chan for their recently released Earth Boy graphic novel. Along with his wife, artist Colleen Coover, Paul is the creator of the multiple Eisner-Award-winning Bandette comics featuring the antics of the world’s best—and most charming—thief. Paul and Colleen also teamed up on their Banana Sunday graphic novel, and now as the writing team on Wrassle Castle. Paul lives in Portland, Oregon, where he feels that it rains frequently enough, but not hard enough.
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
About Colleen Coover:
Colleen Coover is a comic book storyteller and illustrator living in Portland, Oregon. With writer Paul Tobin, she is the co-creator of the comics Banana Sunday and Bandette. Colleen and Paul are the co-writers of Wonderbound’s new series Wrassle Castle, drawn by the artist Galaad. When she is not making comics or creating illustrations for a variety of clients, Colleen spends her time spinning yarn, knitting sweaters, and eating ice cream. She is a member of Helioscope, a collective of Portland-based creators. colleencoover.net
Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads
About Galaad:
Galaad is a French comic book artist and a former freelance illustrator, animator, concept artist, and storyboard artist for the entertainment industry – specifically for video games and animation.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
WRASSLE CASTLE
Paul Tobin (PT) (writer) – answers below
Colleen Coover (CC) (writer) – answers below
PAUL TOBIN
The Winter Holidays and YOU!
- What Winter holidays do you celebrate in December and January … and how do you celebrate them?
PAUL TOBIN: My wife and I celebrate Christmas and New Years, both with friends. We head over to their house here in Portland, Oregon, and I astonish everyone with how many cookies I eat. I am very good at eating cookies and I appreciate when the holidays give me an opportunity to share my talents with my loved ones.
- What traditions are old family traditions?
PT: Gossip. Is that a tradition? We share gossip about everyone else. I swear we should gift-wrap some of the more tasty gossip and applaud when the packages are unwrapped.
- What traditions are ones that YOU’VE started?
PT: I try to include ME in all the festivities. I think that’s the only new tradition that I’ve really pushed forward.
- What sort of activities during the holidays are your favorites?
PT: Simply being with friends. Another year of getting to share this world with them. That’s become even more important, obviously, in the last couple of years, when it was difficult to see anyone at all.
- What activities do you like the least?
PT: Shopping at all. At least in public. Online shopping makes things a little easier, but I can’t stand crowds of people frantically shopping, smacking each other with their candy canes.
- What are your favorite holiday memories from childhood?
PT: Unwrapping a stuffed bear, which I named Ben. I still have Ben. He’s a good bear. I also retroactively enjoy my memories of my Grandma Steinberg giving me blankets. As a kid, I didn’t care for the blankets, but Grandma is long gone now and I can still think of her when I use those blankets.
- What are your favorite holiday memories from adulthood?
PT: Either walking or biking back from our friends’ house with my wife. It’s cold and dark and it’s a long walk and it seems perfect. Just the two of us. The night. The pleasure of having visited our friends. It’s a kind of magic.
- What are your favorite holiday foods?
PT: Christmas cookies. I would stare a starving orphan straight in the eyes as I took the last cookie from a plate.
- What makes these Winter holidays so special for you?
PT: Watching my wife make sweaters. She’s made about, maybe six million of them now? Something like that? But whenever it’s the slightest bit cold it gives her an excuse to make another one, and I love seeing the calm joy on her face as she knits.
- Anything else you’d like to talk about that is holiday-related?
PT: Remember it’s the holidays—and winter—for your pets, too! Maybe give them a place to stay warm if they’re outside pets, and an awesome pet bed for your dogs! If the pet bed came in a cardboard box, that’s a great gift for your cats!
The Winter Holidays and … your characters!
- How do your book’s characters celebrate the holidays?
- Do they celebrate with family & friends?
PT: Yes. They wrassle them. It’s really all about wrassling. All of these answers are going to be wrassle-related.
- What do they eat?
PT: Victory or defeat. Sometimes they eat their pride. Other times they eat Christmas cookies.
- What do you think they’d like to do?
PT: Share some drinks. Some laughs. Some presents. Some pastries. Maybe give each other some homemade championship belts, and talk about the world and their adventures. Yes, they’d wrassle, but in a friendly, reflective, manner. For a bit.
- If your book’s characters visited during the holidays, how would you celebrate with them?
PT: I would bake them some banana bread and then point out that I am too old to wrassle, and then launch a sneak attack.
- Would your character like to say anything to readers for holiday cheer?
PT: Lydia would definitely say that there is nothing more important than friends and family. Share some time with them. If you want to wrassle, then wrassle. If you want to play video games, play video games. If you want to play with pets and discuss life and the world, do that. The greatest gift you can give anyone during the holidays is the same best one you can give them all year round: be there for each other.
COLLEEN COOVER
The Winter Holidays and YOU!
- What Winter holidays do you celebrate in December and January … and how do you celebrate them?
CC: We low-key celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve, usually spending a quiet day at home before heading out to be with friends. If the weather is not too wet, we like to walk to our friends’ houses, and enjoy the quiet streets and cold air.
- What traditions are old family traditions?
CC: My family used to always gather at one of my grandparent’s houses and have a massive dinner, with turkey and ham and all sorts of different side dishes. I used to love the pickle tray when I was little, except for the time I ate something that I thought was a slice of red candied apple, and it turned out to be a pickled beet. Yuck!
- What traditions are ones that YOU’VE started?
CC: I’ve started knitting a lot in the past few years, so I like to make my husband a new hat each winter, or a holiday stocking, or a sweater.
- What sort of activities during the holidays are your favorites?
CC: I like to read holiday-themed romance or mystery novels. They’re very cheesy, but they make me feel cozy.
- What activities do you like the least?
CC: Deleting emails and throwing out junk mail for holiday sales and promotions, and muting all the holiday-themed advertising I come across on television.
- What are your favorite holiday memories from childhood?
CC: Waiting in my pajamas for my parents to wake up on Christmas morning so I could find out what Santa had brought me the night before! I have a photo of me at the age of about six, holding up the orange that came from the bottom of my stocking. (There were candies and toys in there, too, don’t worry!)
- What are your favorite holiday memories from adulthood?
CC: Walking home slightly tipsy after midnight from our friends’ New Year’s Eve party, looking at all the houses still lit up with holiday lights and decorations, hearing the occasional fireworks in the distance.
- What are your favorite holiday foods?
CC: I love sage turkey stuffing! It has always been my favorite and always will be, seasoned with celery and onions and super moist and savory. Love it. I could make an entire meal of it.
- What makes these Winter holidays so special for you?
CC: I like how quiet everything gets, with the traffic lightening up to almost nothing, and how strangers you meet walking down the street will greet you like a friend, just because it’s the holiday and there’s no one else to be seen for blocks.
The Winter Holidays and … your characters!
- How do your book’s characters celebrate the holidays?
- a. Do they celebrate with family & friends?
CC: Lydia probably is required to attend formal Winter holiday political functions with her parents, but then when she gets away, she slips away to hang out with her crew, for sure!
- What do they eat?
CC: Dee’s family bakery is sure to make a special line of pies to celebrate the longest nights of winter—probably something with preserved fruit and spices, soaked in wine or rum. Maybe they’re little folded-over hand pies, so you can eat them while walking down the street!
- What do you think they’d like to do?
CC: I think there’s probably a big wrasslin’ event—maybe Ice Wrasslin’ on the river: a big, slippy, free-for-all with snowballs flying all over the place.
- If your book’s characters visited during the holidays, how would you celebrate with them?
CC: I’d want to eat those hand pies!
- Would your character like to say anything to readers for holiday cheer?
CC: Enjoy the long nights and cold days; enjoy being warm inside with your loved ones, whether family or friends; enjoy your times of solitude and quiet; enjoy your times of companionship and celebration
WINTER WONDERLAND with WONDERBOUND – eBook Links! 12/2/2022
GHOSTER HEIGHTS
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/j37s8c6foi0zuxigd63f6mnz2oy6d6li
THE BROTHERS FLICK: The Impossible Doors
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/xsz9ykrb9ebb72wtozmzqigaanbyan4o
KENZIE’S KINGDOM
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/26cwxhuw40ssq5dtxagvfc6j15sll4ov
POIKO: Quests & Stuff
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/q3bj76g87n5l6irviizs2hjhk4bmant5
THE UNFINISHED CORNER
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/d1odmtcbt6zwxh31nqwm93mh54fx2aol
HELLO, MY NAME IS POOP
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/3420ly9sq2vlbpguchbxbe92sc1x8qmf
VERSE Book 1: The Broken Half
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/ypw0ir8zmfvsgwgyas4qn6eg7emkfxzw
VERSE Book 2: The Second Gate
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/38nxxi6q3ysk57589uvqzgmfrrw642f9
WRASSLE CASTLE Book 1: Learning the Ropes
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/1dwx4nmmbhlb6d7y2rfefwimpk3jvv5y
WRASSLE CASTLE Book 2: Riders On the Storm
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/vwcheg7369a1g0cv0uxm5s7e9tti3hh3
WRASSLE CASTLE Book 3: Put a Lyd On It!
https://vaultcomics.box.com/s/yk5y3tjvfjyvmp8xv81t6r0fw6hp27p2
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will win finished copies of every book featured in the WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERBOUND from VAULT tour, US Only.
1 winner will win eBooks of every book featured in the WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERBOUND from VAULT tour from iBooks, International.
Ends January 17th, midnight EST.
Week One:
12/12/2022 | Feature WRASSLE CASTLE/IG Post | |
12/13/2022 | Feature KENZIE’S KINGDOM/IG Post | |
12/14/2022 | Feature POIKO/IG Post | |
12/15/2022 | Feature THE BROTHERS FLICK/IG Post | |
12/16/2022 | Feature GHOSTER HEIGHTS/IG Post |
Week Two:
12/19/2022 | Feature THE UNFINISHED CORNER/IG Post | |
12/20/2022 | Review/IG Post | |
12/21/2022 | Review | |
12/22/2022 | Review/IG Post | |
12/23/2022 | Review/IG Post |
Week Three:
12/26/2022 | Review/IG Post | |
12/27/2022 | Review/IG Post | |
12/28/2022 | IG Review | |
12/29/2022 | IG Review | |
12/30/2022 | Review/IG Post |
Week Four:
1/2/2022 | Review/IG Post | |
1/3/2022 | IG Review | |
1/4/2022 | IG Review/LFL Drop Pic | |
1/5/2022 | Review | |
1/6/2022 | Review/IG Post |
