Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula Blog Tour Count Spatula's Guide to Kitchen Infestations + Giveaway

Blog Tour for Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula 

See below or visit Mac Teen Books for the full schedule 

Who can resist Count Spatula, the vampire and royal chef – who has lost his incisors because of cavity problems resulting from his perpetual sweet tooth? 

I have a special treat for you all today! Count Spatula has stopped by as part of his Guide to Baking tour to tell us how to get rid of the pesky problem of a chocolate mice kitchen infestations. 

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula

by Andi Watson

Published: February 24th 2015 by First Second

Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Princess Decomposia is overworked and underappreciated.

This princess of the underworld has plenty of her own work to do but always seems to find herself doing her layabout father's job, as well. The king doesn't feel quite well, you see. Ever. So the princess is left scurrying through the halls, dodging her mummy, werewolf, and ghost subjects, always running behind and always buried under a ton of paperwork. Oh, and her father just fired the chef, so now she has to hire a new cook as well.

Luckily for Princess Decomposia, she makes a good hire in Count Spatula, the vampire chef with a sweet tooth. He's a charming go-getter of a blood-sucker, and pretty soon the two young ghouls become friends. And then...more than friends? Maybe eventually, but first Princess Decomposia has to sort out her life. And with Count Spatula at her side, you can be sure she'll succeed.

Andi Watson (Glister, Gum Girl) brings his signature gothy-cute sensibility to this very sweet and mildly spooky tale of friendship, family, and management training for the undead.

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Kitchen Infestations. An occasional series by Count Spatula

One of the the hazards of running a busy kitchen is the problem of infestations. No one wants to admit they have vermin trouble or that hygiene standards may have slipped. However, it does occasionally happen and the sooner the pests are tackled the better. The longer an infestation is allowed to prosper, the harder it is to eventually get rid of them. This time I will turn my attention to the baker's most commonplace unwanted visitor, the chocolate mouse.

I've made many thousands of chocolate mice over the centuries and it only takes two to escape to start an entire population that will plague a kitchen for months. Chocolate mice come in three varieties: milk, dark and white. White mice have the advantage of being easier to spot. All of them have enormous appetites and leave behind their natural waste product: chocolate chips.

Prevention is better than cure so take all possible precautions when making chocolate mice and ensure they are securely stored in nibble proof containers. If you worry that one or more has escaped then clean up every crumb, marshmallow and sugar sprinkle from the kitchen surfaces. Put all ingredients in jars rather than paper bags, this will stop them eating their way into everything and prevent a good deal of waste and mess. Denying the mice an easy food source will encourage them to move elsewhere.

If your mice are stubborn to shift, there are a number of ways to get rid of them. The last and least preferable is poison. Naturally, no baker wants poison in their kitchen so I would recommend other methods. Mousetraps are the next best option. If you're squeamish there are humane designs that trap the mouse rather than kill it. Be certain to release the captive as far away from the kitchen as possible. Whichever design you choose, a square of cheesecake will help lure the mouse into the trap. A very strong cheese tempts the whiskery pests best. If your mice become wise to the traps then you can bake or borrow a marmalade cat. Just the smell of a marmalade mouser is enough to scare the mice away and a cat can be pleasant company as long as it keeps its paws off the work surfaces.

While chocolate mice are a delicious treat, they must be treated with great care. The safest way to handle them, I find, is to eat them immediately after they've set, tail and all.

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About the Author/Illustrator 

Andi Watson was born and raised in the north of England where he loved to draw and read books. It rained a lot. Upon graduating college he realised this was the perfect background for a cartoonist. He has created comics for grown ups and children and those somewhere in between. Occasionally he's been nominated for awards (three Eisners, a Harvey, and a British Comics Awards). He works from home where he should buy fewer books or more bookshelves. He lives in Worcester with his wife and daughter. Visit his website and find him on twitter at @andicomics.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, February 16 – Stacked http://www.stackedbooks.org/

Tuesday, February 17 – Bumbles & Fairy Tales http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, February 18 – Love is Not a Triangle http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com/

Thursday, February 19 – Alice Marvels http://www.alicemarvels.com/

Friday, February 20 – Haunted Orchid http://hauntedorchid.blogspot.com/

Monday, February 23 – Supernatural Snark http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, February 24 – Cuddlebuggery http://cuddlebuggery.com/

Wednesday, February 25 – The Book Rat http://www.thebookrat.com/

Thursday, February 26 – The Midnight Garden http://www.themidnightgarden.net/

Friday, February 27 – The Book Smugglers http://thebooksmugglers.com/

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Giveaway

Win a finished copy of Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula

Policies:

Giveaway is for US or Canada residents only (Sorry, other international readers!)

You must be at least 13 years old to enter

See my policies HERE

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