Photo Credit: Nic DeStefano
Dan Poblocki is an American author of mystery and horror novels for young people. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. During his pre-teen years, his family moved to Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Dan currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with two scaredy cats.
Dan graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in theater. Subsequently, he toured the United States playing ultra-challenging roles such as Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Shoemaker in The Shoemaker and the Elves to packed houses filled with literally thousands of screaming children. (He hopes they weren’t screaming in fear.)
Dan ended his promising acting career to focus on other endeavors. While exploring various artistic options, he held a number of jobs in New York City including: a floral groomer, an audience-wrangler for a popular game show, a computer analyst, a chemotherapy-unit assistant, and a traveling bathing suit sales-dude.
That’s right. A traveling bathing suit sales-dude.
Dan graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in theater. Subsequently, he toured the United States playing ultra-challenging roles such as Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Shoemaker in The Shoemaker and the Elves to packed houses filled with literally thousands of screaming children. (He hopes they weren’t screaming in fear.)
Dan ended his promising acting career to focus on other endeavors. While exploring various artistic options, he held a number of jobs in New York City including: a floral groomer, an audience-wrangler for a popular game show, a computer analyst, a chemotherapy-unit assistant, and a traveling bathing suit sales-dude.
That’s right. A traveling bathing suit sales-dude.
Dan now writes full time. He's probably working on something new this very minute!
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Series: Shadow House (Book 2)
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Scholastic (December 27, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545925517
ISBN-13: 978-0545925518
Praise for YOU CAN'T HIDE
"Shadow House has everything I love—strange characters, magic and the supernatural, endless danger and adventure—and a mystery I dare any reader to try to solve". ―R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps
I’ve worked with some really wonderful editors recently who have made me see the value of not using very many or actually really any superfluous or extraneous words. () Keep sentences short!
How would you describe yourself in three words?
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Affable. Nefarious. Wacky.
Did you learn anything from writing YOU CAN'T HIDE and what was it?
Did you learn anything from writing YOU CAN'T HIDE and what was it?
I learned how difficult writing book 2 in a thriller trilogy can be. You’ve got to answer some questions, raise more questions and ratchet up suspense. All while knowing exactly how things will end in book 3, yet not being able to actually tie anything up.
For those who are unfamiliar with the character of Dylan, how would you introduce him?
For those who are unfamiliar with the character of Dylan, how would you introduce him?
I won’t spoil anything from book 1, but I can say that Dylan is a young actor who believes that he’s filming a horror movie with his twin brother Dash. Both boys are keeping devastating secrets from each other. Dylan has been through some things in the past that have made him quick to anger and easy to manipulate.
What part of the characters of Poppy and Marcus did you enjoy writing the most?
What part of the characters of Poppy and Marcus did you enjoy writing the most?
Both Marcus and Poppy change significantly from book 1 to book 2, as the house bears down on them both psychologically and physically. I loved building their arcs. Poppy starts to gain confidence and starts to realize that she’s a leader. Marcus focuses on efforts to make up for mistakes he keeps making, resulting in some very big consequences.
If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I’d love to introduce Cyrus Caldwell to some of the villains from my other books. Maybe Johnson Harwood from The Nightmarys. Or the ghost of the Nazi spy in House on Stone’s Throw Island. I think it would be fun seeing them try to out-villain one another.
Which character have you enjoyed getting to know while writing YOU CAN'T HIDE?
Which character have you enjoyed getting to know while writing YOU CAN'T HIDE?
Dash Wright (Dylan’s twin brother.) I love his emotional journey. It’s one of high highs and very low lows.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your readers. What would it be?
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your readers. What would it be?
Finish what you start.
Who was your first girlfriend?
Who was your first girlfriend?
Minnie Mouse.
When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
I can’t remember. This makes me sad!
Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
I think it was Disney World. (Where I met Minnie Mouse, of course.)
What is your biggest fear?
What is your biggest fear?
Simple: Sharks!
What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
Strangely, it’s the one in which I was actually a teenager: the 1990s. I feel like it was the safest one for the type of young person that I was. It feels like a more innocent time. None of us had any idea what was about to hit us after the millennium.
What is your greatest adventure?
What is your greatest adventure?
I recently moved away from New York City after being in the area for almost all of my life. I’m expecting this new period to be a great adventure. Otherwise... when I hiked over mountains on the Freycinet Peninsula in Tasmania to stare out at the Southern Ocean toward Antarctica. That will probably stick with me as one of the most incredible days of my life.
Where can readers find you?
Where can readers find you?
I have a Facebook author page (@danpoblockibooks), a twitter account (@danpoblocki), or you can find me writing at a number of cozy cafes in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Shadow House will find you . . .
Poppy, Marcus, Dash, Dylan, and Azumi are all trapped within Shadow House, a sinister estate where past and present intertwine. As they fight to find a way out, the kids think the ghosts of the house are the greatest danger they face. Little do the kids know it's the secrets they're each hiding that will prove even more lethal.
They're going to have to come face to face with their fears if they stand any hope of escaping the house alive. Is there anyone or anything in the house they can trust? Or is all hope disappearing, too. . .
TEN DREAMS VACATION STOPS (NO ORDER
- Meteor Crater – Flagstaff, AZ
- Freycinet Peninsula – Tasmania, Australia
- Table Mountain – Cape Town, South Africa
- Ram’s Head – St. John, USVI
- Charles Bridge – Prague, Czech Republic
- Neuschwanstein Castle – Hohenschwangau, Germany
- The Haunted Mansion – Disney World, FL
- Highgate Cemetery – London, UK
- White Mountains – New Hampshire
- The Pyramids of Central and South America
Poppy, Marcus, Dash, Dylan, and Azumi are all trapped within Shadow House, a sinister estate where past and present intertwine. As they fight to find a way out, the kids think the ghosts of the house are the greatest danger they face. Little do the kids know it's the secrets they're each hiding that will prove even more lethal.
They're going to have to come face to face with their fears if they stand any hope of escaping the house alive. Is there anyone or anything in the house they can trust? Or is all hope disappearing, too. . .
Enter Shadow House . . . if you dare.
BONUS: Step inside Shadow House with the free app for your tablet or phone! Each image in the book reveals a haunting in the app, where the choices you make determine your fate.
BONUS: Step inside Shadow House with the free app for your tablet or phone! Each image in the book reveals a haunting in the app, where the choices you make determine your fate.
You can purchase You Can't Hide at the following Retailers:
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you DAN POBLOCKI for making this giveaway possible.
7 Winners will receive a Copy of You Can't Hide (Shadow House #2) by Dan Poblocki.
WEEK ONE
MARCH 6th MONDAY The Avid Book Collector EXCERPT
MARCH 7th TUESDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW
MARCH 8th WEDNESDAY Sabrina's Paranormal Palace REVIEW & FAVORITE BOOKS
MARCH 8th WEDNESDAY Books, Dreams, Life RANDOM THINGS
MARCH 9th THURSDAY Allison's Nook REVIEW
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MARCH 12th SUNDAY Reading for the Stars and Moon EXCERPT
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MARCH 13th MONDAY Captivated Reading MUSIC PLAYLIST
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MARCH 15th WEDNESDAY Book Lovers Life EXCERPT
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