by: Dana Hammer
Genre: Middle-Grade Greek Mythology Fiction
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Publisher: Cinnabar Moth Publishing
Dion Isaacs (the reincarnation of Dionysius), Athena’s brother, is wreaking havoc. After to an unfortunate bee-venom poisoning at his wine business, he is down on his luck and crashing at Athena’s place. But the former god of wine, feasting, and excess is a bad influence on Fanny’s best friends, with his partying, wacky business schemes, and general debauchery. Sure, Dion is a fun guy. But there is such a thing as too much fun, and Fanny seems to be the only one who sees it.
Meanwhile, Fanny’s mother is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, which basically means she pukes all the time, because she’s pregnant. With her mom unable to work, her dad is taking extra shifts to make more money, and things are getting tense at home. Fanny is excited to be a big sister, but all this sickness and stress over money are starting to take their toll on her.
Can Fanny save her friends from Dion’s negative influence, while also solving her family’s money problems? Of course she can. She’s Fanny Fitzpatrick.
An Introduction to Fanny Fitzpatrick
By Dana Hammer
My new novel, Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem, is going to be released on February 6th, and I’m super excited. Not only because I want to share this story with you all, but because Fanny is a wonderful, fun character who I think you will enjoy getting to know better.
In the first book, My Best Friend Athena, we are introduced to Fanny. She is a smart girl who is especially good at math. She is kind, empathetic, and funny. She wants more than anything to be a famous singer someday, and she has a beautiful singing voice — but there’s just one problem — she has terrible stage fright.
Oh, and her best friend is the reincarnation of the goddess Athena.
Now, in the second book, Fanny has grown a lot. She is working on her stage fright. She is better at dealing with the jealousy that comes when your best friend is a little too perfect. But she has new problems to deal with, and these problems will challenge her to grow even more.
First of all, her mother is vomiting all the time. This is not just a stomach bug, but serious vomiting that goes on for weeks and weeks. Her mom can’t work, and now her dad is having to take on extra shifts at work, and everyone in the family is feeling the effects of financial stress. There isn’t anyone Fanny can turn to for help. Her best friends are both from exceedingly wealthy families, and would not understand her problems. Fanny does her best to help out, with mixed results. Some of her ideas are excellent, but not well executed. Some of her ideas are a bit silly, but well intended. And finally, she does manage to save the day, and alleviate some of her family’s financial burdens. Without giving away any spoilers, the way she does this is unexpected, and fun.
Second, she’s having to deal with Athena’s brother Dion (the reincarnation of the god Dionysius). Dion is down on his luck, crashing at Zeus’ place, trying to get some money to start a new business. His plan involves entering an ice-cream eating competition, and using the proceeds to start a cheese making company. To do this, he enlists Fanny’s friend Gemma’s help. Gemma trains him in the art of speed-eating, and agrees to be his cheese-making business partner. This leads to her skipping school to attend business meetings, tuning out in class to read about cheese, and generally making a lot of questionable decisions. Dion also throws elaborate, expensive parties that keep Athena up all hours of the night, ruining her ability to concentrate on much of anything.
Fanny is the only one who can see Dion for what he is — a spoiled brat who has no self control. It’s up to Fanny to save her friends from Dion’s excesses, before he ruins everyone’s lives. We learn that Fanny is a strong and capable girl, who is able to stand firm in her convictions. But she never loses her sense of humor, or her sunny disposition, even while dealing with some pretty serious issues.
Basically, Fanny is the girl we all root for, and I hope you all enjoy getting to know her better.
I hope Mom doesn’t have breast cancer. She would have told me about that though, right? You don’t hide cancer from your only daughter. That would be messed up. I get out of bed and pad down the hallway until I get to the bathroom. The puking is louder now, and I can hear Mom gasping between retches. I knock on the door.
“Mom? Are you OK?”
“I’m fine, Sweetie.”
Then she retches again.
“No you’re not Mom! You’re sick! Do you want some Sprite?”
Mom gives me Sprite when I’m nauseated, and it usually helps.
“Mom? I think you need to see a doctor. You’re not getting better.”
“Fanny! Go away!”
I don’t know what to do. My dad has already left for work, so he can’t help. I think about calling an ambulance, but then I remember that 911 is only for emergencies, and I don’t think this counts as an emergency.
“Mom, I’m gonna call an ambulance,” I say.
“NO!”
“But Mom—”
“Fanny, go decorate the tree!”
This stops me for a moment. Decorate the tree? Why?
“Why?”
“I’m not feeling up to it. Go decorate the Christmas tree. It’ll be a big help.”
I stand by the door, not knowing what to do. Is Mom trying to be tough, like the time she hurt her ankle and refused to go get X-rays, and she just limped around the house for a week until it swole up to like twice its size, and Dad finally made her go to the hospital, and it turned out she’d FRACTURED IT? Should I be like Dad and put my foot down and call an ambulance?
“Mom? Are you OK?”
“I’m fine, Sweetie.”
Then she retches again.
“No you’re not Mom! You’re sick! Do you want some Sprite?”
Mom gives me Sprite when I’m nauseated, and it usually helps.
“Mom? I think you need to see a doctor. You’re not getting better.”
“Fanny! Go away!”
I don’t know what to do. My dad has already left for work, so he can’t help. I think about calling an ambulance, but then I remember that 911 is only for emergencies, and I don’t think this counts as an emergency.
“Mom, I’m gonna call an ambulance,” I say.
“NO!”
“But Mom—”
“Fanny, go decorate the tree!”
This stops me for a moment. Decorate the tree? Why?
“Why?”
“I’m not feeling up to it. Go decorate the Christmas tree. It’ll be a big help.”
I stand by the door, not knowing what to do. Is Mom trying to be tough, like the time she hurt her ankle and refused to go get X-rays, and she just limped around the house for a week until it swole up to like twice its size, and Dad finally made her go to the hospital, and it turned out she’d FRACTURED IT? Should I be like Dad and put my foot down and call an ambulance?
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Thank you so much for hosting today. it's appreciated!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteSounds like a good story.
ReplyDeleteThis promises to be an interesting read!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it.
Do you prefer sweet or savory snacks?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you like to do for fun?
ReplyDeletelooks like a fun one
ReplyDeleteSounds great, I like the cover.
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