Magic By Moonlight by D.L. Cocchio - Personalized Autograph Book Giveaway

Summer break is here. This month my "mommy school" program is ready for the kids. I usually stock up on Workbooks, worksheets, website locations and books that I know they will enjoy. We enjoy summer but we also continue our schooling. Summer is one of the best times to get your children engaged in reading and what better way to get them to read, then to join them in a book.  One of the books that should be added to your to be read pile is Magic by Moonlight the follow up to Be Careful What You Wish For.


Book Description:
With a magical amulet in hand, three friends are whisked back in time to the Salem witch hunts, a terrible time in our history. When Tituba, the Parris' slave, secretly teaches the children a lot more than housekeeping, like voodoo, fortunes, and spell casting, it leads to utter chaos in the village. Ultimately, Emily, Megan, and Ben uncover a hidden secret which may alter the course of history. Can they get the villagers to see what's really causing the fits and tantrums before they get accused of being witches themselves? Follow the friends on a fantastic adventure as they uncover a mystery when they travel back in time.

What I Can Tell You:
Emily and Megan are back and this time they use the magical amulet to visit Salem during the witch hunts in 1692 when a bunch of "afflicted" girl's accused people of "bewitching," Emily and Megan with the help of their friend Ben enter 1692 to find out more before they take on the roles of the "afflicted" for a school play. They tell everyone  they are distant cousins of Abigail and eventually stay with her and her family. Through their explorations of the area and the people, they find something they believe may be causing the fits of the "afflicted". Will their discovery change the course of history? Should they change the course of history? All will be revealed dear friends. All will be revealed!

What I love about what D.L. does with the story which is exactly what I loved about Shape of Mercy (which was oddly enough the same characters and I reviewed just a few weeks ago) is that the authors take a story from history and weave in fictional characters to make the story modern and more appealing. Most children aren't interested in history, it is bland, wordy and sometimes hard to understand. But alter it, make it current and it becomes interesting.  D.L.'s take on the Witch Hunts and how things could be interrupted was brilliant. It is the way kids would think and act if they suddenly found themselves inserted in a different time (if this could ever happen).

I love how the children reacted to their conditions, surroundings, food, and education on the mill. It is a well written, interesting story and textbook in one.  What I think is great about the marriage of fiction and non-fiction mix-ups is that, these stories open the readers mind to research further. To find out more about the non-fiction part of the story because now they know some of the players. Knowledge is power and getting kids to read books in a world of technology is hard, but making it fun and entertaining, brings out the researcher in all of us.

Great book for ages 8-14.

Interview with Author D.L. Cocchio

What inspires you to write?
I have always loved to write, ever since I can remember. As a kid, I would spend most of my summers reading and writing. I think it was a great escape, being able to create a fantasy world. Mostly, I am inspired by places I visit and people I meet. I tend to be able to weave a story around the things that interest me. They say to write about what you know and love, so I do.

How did you come up with the story of a magic amulet?
I wrote the first amulet story when my daughter was about 10. Watching Jen and her friends play dress up and make up stories to go with it, inspired me to write the story. I decided to put it in the setting of one of my favorite places to go – The NY Renaissance Fair.

Will the story of Emily and Megan continue?
I plan on writing two or three more adventures with Emily and Megan, but right now I am taking a break from the series to write a Teen novel about 16 and 17 year old kids with paranormal talents, such as a being psychic. I will post more on that as it develops on my website: http://www.dlcocchio.webs.com/.

What was your favorite book growing up?
I think I read the entire mystery section of the local library in about two summers. I loved the Nancy Drew type books. In high school, my favorite book was Lord of the Flies.

What is a book on your To Read Bucket List?
I have been meaning to read Switched by Amanda Hocking. I came across her blog and wanted to check out her writing. I love to read YA genre.

Do you have a favorite author?
Three of my favorite authors are: Alyson Noel (Immortal Series), Kelley Armstrong (Summoning, etc.), and Cait Tiernan (Sweep Series).

If you were stranded on an island, which book would you want with you? Why?
I would probably want to have a classic like Swiss Family Robinson. It might give me some survival ideas and provide good reading.

What advice to you have for writers?
To keep on writing, rewriting and rewriting some more. That’s what perfects your work. Let friends read it and comment. And most of all… never up!

What is your hobby?
My hobbies are reading and writing, of course. And I enjoy doing crafts.

March 16th, D.L. was on the Silvia Rossi radio show, listen to the interview here.

Please visit the other bloggers to enter their giveaways.


The Giveaway: One lucky winner will receive a copy of Magic By Moonlight by D.L. Cocchio

Sponsor: D.L. Cocchio

To Win:
Mandatory Entry. If this is not followed, none of your extra entries will count. Head over to D.L.'s website, then come back and tell me something you learned about Debbie by Midnight, July 7, 2011

For Extra Entries:

*Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link for (5 extra entries) (each entry must be separate).
*Follow Debbie's blog (3 entries, each must be separate)
*Follow D.L. Cocchio on Twitter (3 entries)
*Like Magic Moon Press on Facebook (3 entries, each entry must be separate)
*Subscribe to my newsletter/email (2 entries) (each entry must be separate)

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*Open to US only.

Disclosure: I am hosting this giveaway for D.L. Cocchio who provided the
review and giveaway copies.
I received no monetary compensation.