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By the Stars. Lindsay B. Ferguson. 2016. Cedar Fort. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Do you enjoy reading books about World War II? Do you enjoy reading romance novels? Would you find it refreshing to read a book with Mormon characters that isn't about polygamy and sister wives? By the Stars by Lindsay B. Ferguson may be just the book you're looking for. The book is primarily set in Utah, except for the chapters that follow our hero, Cal, to training camp and war. The story has a framework, someone has come to Cal's home to interview him. Subsequently, Cal is telling his story--his and Kate's story humbly and simply. Most of the book, I suppose, is what I'd call a flashback.
Cal and Kate met in junior high school. Their lockers were next to each other. For him, it was love at first sight. For her, well, she wasn't looking for love right then. And while she was friendly enough, she wasn't overly interested in being best-best friends or having him as a boyfriend. But that was then. The book gives readers glimpses of their encounters, meetings. A scene here and there spread out over ten years.
I can see why these glimpses had to be so short and almost disconnected. To keep the story moving. After all, if the narrative were continuous, and the book started when he was in eighth grade, the book would be at least a couple hundred more pages. And it would have a lot more angst more likely. That being said, I had a hard time at first really connecting with the characters. This didn't stay the case by any means. But it was almost like I was waiting for the "real" story to begin.
After Cal returns from his three year mission trip for the church (which we learn little about besides his bus trip there, and his first day there), he reconnects with Kate. But don't imagine for a second, that it will be easy to woo her. For Kate won't easily be persuaded to say "I do" to anyone. She doesn't, she asserts again and again, believe in marriage....
Cal's time in the war was in the last year. Readers get glimpses of the war as well....
Once the romance starts, the story picks up. If you like romance, I think this one will work for you. I have to be in the exact right mood for romance. (I think of Anne Shirley needing just the right kind of pen in order to be able to right mushy love letters to Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Windy Poplars.) I wasn't in that right mood while I was reading this one. But even so, I found it enjoyable enough.
© 2016 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Here at YABC, we're thrilled to be revealing an excerpt of Anthony Breznican's debut novel, Brutal Youth, as part of the book's blog tour!
Meet Anthony.
Anthony Breznican was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pittsurgh in 1998. He has worked as a reporter for The Arizona Republic, Associated Press, and USA Today. He is currently a senior staff writer for Entertainment Weekly.
Meet Anthony's book.
Three freshmen must join forces to survive at a troubled, working-class Catholic high school with a student body full of bullies and zealots, and a faculty that's even worse in Anthony Breznican's Brutal Youth.
With a plunging reputation and enrollment rate, Saint Michael's has become a crumbling dumping ground for expelled delinquents and a haven for the stridently religious when incoming freshman Peter Davidek signs up. On his first day, tensions are clearly on the rise as a picked-upon upperclassmen finally snaps, unleashing a violent attack on both the students who tormented him for so long, and the corrupt, petty faculty that let it happen. But within this desperate place, Peter befriends fellow freshmen Noah Stein, a volatile classmate whose face bears the scars of a hard-fighting past, and the beautiful but lonely Lorelei Paskal --so eager to become popular, she makes only enemies.
To even stand a chance at surviving their freshmen year, the trio must join forces as they navigate a bullying culture dominated by administrators like the once popular Ms. Bromine, their embittered guidance counselor, and Father Mercedes, the parish priest who plans to scapegoat the students as he makes off with church finances. A coming-of-age tale reversed, Brutal Youth follows these students as they discover that instead of growing older and wiser, going bad may be the only way to survive.
Sample Brutal Youth for yourself:
Prologue: The Boy on the Roof
The kid had taken a lot of punishment over the years, so he had much to give back.
A steel hatch on the roof of St. Michael the Archangel High School shuddered, then burst open, and the boy crawled out and collapsed against the gritty tarpaper surface, kicking the lid shut again with one sockcovered foot. He wore only his uniform gray slacks and a wideopen button down shirt, streaked with blood that wasn't his. A black canvas book bag hung over one shoulder, swinging back and forth as he scrambled to his knees. He pressed his weight against the closed hatch to stifle the hollering and pandemonium rising from beneath it.
Next to the steel hatch was a bucket, steaming with hot tar. The janitor had been using it to seal sections of loose shingle that had been leaking water into the school during every springtime rainstorm. A grubby tar mop leaned against the bucket. The boy shifted his heavy bag and scooped up the mop, wedging it between the handles of the hatch, locking it shut. Then he fled back across the flat roof toward the ghostly concrete statues lining the edge.
The row of saints had stood watch over St. Michael's for as long as anyone alive could remember. Thomas, the doubter; Joseph, the foster father; Anthony, finder of lost things; Jude, devotee to the hopeless; Francis of Assisi, the lover of nature, who had a small concrete bird in his outstretched hand, and a real drip of birdshit on his concrete head. At the center archway of the ledge high above the school's main entrance stood an even larger statue of a warrior angel, St. Michael himself, wings spread and sword raised against the satanic serpent being squashed beneath his foot.
The boy on the roof was named Colin Vickler. Not that it mattered. This was the end. This was goodbye. There was nowhere else to hide. He climbed up onto the short ledge, first steadying himself on St. Michael's wing, and then hugging its torso as he tried not to stare into the bone shattering drop below. Behind him, the steel hatch shook again—a rumble of thunder on a sunny, spring afternoon. He heard screams rise from the open classroom windows on the face of the school below. Even out here, on the edge, he was surrounded.
He slumped against St. Michael, pressing his open mouth against the concrete figure's arm to make himself stop crying, tasting the stone that had weathered away to dust. The statue lurched, as if withdrawing from him, and he fell back as pieces of the crumbling base tumbled over the ledge.
Peering over the side, he saw a small group of classmates in gym clothes lingering on the school steps. The bits of stone lay scattered around their feet, and they stared up at him, shielding their eyes against the sun.
One of them pointed and said, "Hey, I think that's Clink." Another shouted: "Jump, Clink!" and the rest of them laughed. A girl's voice rose up in a singsong: "Cliiiiiiiink!"
Vickler stood up straight, staring back at them.
He rammed his shoulder against St. Michael. He beat the saint's back. He grabbed the figure's swordwielding arm and rocked him back and forth, cracking the mortar. The statue lurched, and the rusted shaft of pipe protruding through the base cracked loose, splitting the serpent free from the avenging angel's foot.
St. Michael tipped off the ledge and spiraled to the sidewalk, diving toward its own shrinking shadow. It detonated against the concrete steps in a crackling explosion of dust and rocks as the gym students leaped for their lives, shrieking and scrambling over each other.
For the first time that day—for the first time in a long while—Colin Vickler smiled.
As those fresh screams rose up, he stared over the streets ahead, to the shopping center across the road, the receding clusters of homes, the green springtime slopes of the valley rising in the distance, the wide curve of the Allegheny River, an industrial artery slouching along the steel mills and gravelworks as it bent toward Pittsburgh. In the busy street beside the school, traffic crawled past the gas stations, fastfood joints, doctor's offices, and other storefronts that lined Natrona Heights' main strip. Up here, it all looked like some toy village in a model train layout. Tiny. Unreal. It seemed harmless to him now. And he felt so much bigger than it.
The hatch shook again, but the mop handle held. Vickler watched it. Waited. Then nothing.
He stumbled toward the next saint, dragging his heavy behind him.
The bag. That's what got him here. Thick, full glass jars clattered inside the canvas. The strap cut into his hand, but he wouldn't let it leave his side again, not that it mattered now. The other kids had discovered what he kept inside, though they wouldn't understand. They couldn't. Not even he did, really. A kid had the right to some secrets, if only the ones he could carry. But these had just been taken from him.
He heard voices in the parking lot. More of the gym students were gathered below. His classmates. Former classmates now, he guessed.
One kick. One kick was all it took, and that surprised Vickler. One kick sent St. Francis toppling endoverend to the ground. But the statue didn't deliver the satisfying explosion the angel had. Instead of the sidewalk, it landed with its touchdownraised arms now stuck in a soft flower bed, its head buried: patron saint of ostriches. The kids standing around the garden looked at it with confusion.
Vickler dragged his bag to St. Thomas. He rattled the saint's head. Jars clinked madly in Vickler's bag. Clink. That's what they called him. Clink.
Three kicks later, and St. Thomas became an arrow to the earth. He hit the brick wall along the grand front steps and fractured in two at the waist. This time the kids ran.
St. Barnabas. Decades of hard weather had already crumbled the base of this statue. Vickler heaved him over.
St. Anthony—three shakes, two kicks—pray for us.
Sounds amazing, right? As part of the blog tour, Anthony Breznican is also giving away a copy of Brutal Youth!
Brutal Youth
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by: Anthony Breznican
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Release Date: June 10, 2015
*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*
One winner will each receive a copy of Brutal Youth. US only.
Entering is simple, just fill out the entry form below.
*Click the Rafflecopter link to enter the giveaway*
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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The YABC tour is thrilled to be revealing a quote from Courtney Summers' newest YA novel, All the Rage, as part of the book's blog tour!
Are you ready for that quote we mentioned above?
Just keep scrolling...
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Here it is!
About the Book
The sheriff's son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything-friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy's only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn't speak up. Nobody believed her the first time-and they certainly won't now-but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.
With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women in a culture that refuses to protect them.
About the Author
Courtney Summers lives and writes in Canada, where she divides most
of her time between a camera, a piano and a word processing program. She is also the author of What Goes Around, This is Not a Test, Fall for Anything, Some Girls Are, Cracked Up to Be, and Please Remain Calm.
Book Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/125002191X
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-the-rage-courtney-summers/1119182775?ean=9781250021915
Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/All-Rage/Courtney-Summers/9781250021915?id=6229825482952
IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250021915
Indigo: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/all-the-rage/9781250021915-item.html
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/all-the-rage/id921442373
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Courtney_Summers_All_the_Rage?id=UyudBAAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/all-the-rage-12
Author Links:
Website: http://courtneysummers.ca/
Tumblr: http://summerscourtney.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneySummersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/courtney_s
Instagram: https://instagram.com/summerscourtney/
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Jane Austen's First Love. Syrie James. 2014. Berkley Trade. 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]
I enjoyed reading Jane Austen's First Love. I admit I had my doubts at the beginning. On the one hand, after being so disappointed in Becoming Jane, I was hesitant to read anything giving Jane Austen a romance of her own. Also I wasn't wowed by The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. On the other hand, several people I respect really did love Jane Austen's First Love. While I can't say that I loved, loved, LOVED Jane Austen's First Love, I did really enjoy it. More than I thought I would at any rate.
1791. Summer of 1791. Jane and Cassandra travel to meet their brother Edward's fiancee, Elizabeth Bridges, and her family. (Several other family members go as well. The mother, but, not the father. Another brother, Charles, I believe. But the focus is mostly on Jane and Cassandra). Jane is just fifteen, she's not "out" yet. Her sister is a year or two older and is. Part of what makes this trip special, is that Jane is to be allowed certain privileges. She'll be allowed to go to dances and balls. She'll be allowed to powder her hair, etc. Most--if not all--the events will be family and friends. (Bringing together multiple families. Several of the Bridges' sisters are engaged to be married. All the engagements are being celebrated. There will be plenty of people there.)
On their trip, they happen to meet--quite dramatically--a young man named Edward Taylor. (He happens to be a neighbor, I believe.) Jane becomes smitten with him. He enjoys being with her, but, there aren't any OBVIOUS signs that he's madly, deeply in forever-and-ever-love with her. She may hope that he is "the one." But he is sixteen and not anywhere close to proposing marriage to anyone, no matter how lively, witty, charming, talented, beautiful, etc. Does Jane hope he is the one? The fictional, Jane, I mean? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Without a doubt, Jane enjoys herself tremendously, and finds time with him thrilling.
Strawberry picking. Dances. Dinners. Walks. Riding horses. Play acting. Matchmaking. Such is the stuff of Jane Austen's First Love.
One of the main plots surrounds the Bridges' sisters: Fanny, Elizabeth, and Sophia. They are all older than Jane. They are all of the courting age. Elizabeth and Fanny are engaged. Sophia is close to an engagement as well. Jane is watching; watching carefully, closely, analyzing and taking notes. Jane's observations lead her to believe that the sisters are mismatched! Readers meet a young Jane, an opinionated Jane, who is enjoying the idea of love, of falling in love, of finding love. What does she know of LOVE? What does she know of what makes two people compatible? It's interesting!
I also enjoyed how readers get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Jane writing
The Three Sisters. I would say that readers should take the time to read this little story on their own before, during, or after the novel.
© 2014 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Hello, YABCers! Today we welcome THE YOUNG ELITES teaser tour to the blog! We're thrilled to be a part of the blog tour and to introduce a character from the novel!
Ready to meet the new character?
Scroll, YABCers! Scroll!
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Here she is!
MEET LUCENT (AKA WINDWALKER)
Tall, pale and lean, Lucent is known as the Windwalker. Gifted by the blood fever with the ability to mimic the wind, she is a force to be reckoned with. Her arms are covered in dark, swirling lines that perhaps speak to her abilities—she can conjure the wind, from its howls and painful shrieks to its powerful gusts.
About the Book
Some hate us, think us outlaws to hang at the gallows.
Some fear us, think us demons to burn at the stake.
Some worship us, think us children of the gods.
But all know us.
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I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.
About the Author
Marie Lu is the author of the New York Times bestselling Legend series. She spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin’s Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with one boyfriend, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.
Learn More at her Official Website
Twitter | Goodreads | Web | Pre-order Amazon | Pre-order Barnes & Noble | Pre-order IndieBound
Tour Schedule
Follow the teaser tour for character profiles and a brand new excerpt from THE YOUNG ELITES!
September 28: ForeverYoungAdult.com
September 29: DefectiveGeeks.com
September 30: YABooksCentral.com
October 1: CandacesBookBlog.com
October 2: Parajunkee.com
October 3: ALifeBoundbyBooks.Blogspot.com
October 4: Hypable.com
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As you know, I really liked Amity by Micol Ostow. And by "liked" I mean "had the heck scared out of me."
So when I found out about the Blog Tour for Amity, of course I said I wanted in!
You know what I like about doing author interviews, like this? I get to ask questions! Which means that the things I wonder about, I can get the answers to.
I hope they are things that you also find interesting!
First, here's a short bio of Micol Ostow (from her publisher):
Micol Ostow has written dozens of books for children, tweens, and teens, but Amity is her first foray into horror. I turns out, writing a ghost story is almost more terrifying than reading one. (In a good way.) Her novel
family was called a “Favorite Book of 2011” by Liz Burns at School Library Journal, and her illustrated novel,
So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), was a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens.
In her spare time, Ostow blogs with the National Book Award-winning literacy initiative
readergirlz.com. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, her (utterly fearless) daughter, and a finicky French bulldog named Bridget Jones. Visit her online at
www.micolostow.com or follow her on Twitter @micolz.
Liz: I vividly remember the first time I read THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, and the first time I saw the original movie. When were you introduced to the story? The book or one of the movies?
Micol Ostow: Actually, my first introduction to the Amityville legend came via my favorite master of horror, Stephen King. In his early nonfiction treatise on horror,
Danse Macabre, he dissected what he felt worked and what didn’t work in the movie, specifically. Ironically, if I recall much of his criticism of the original movie had to do with its focus on the physical manifestations of the house’s evil spirit rather than a build of psychological terror or dread. I didn’t end up seeing the movie until the 2005 remake, which I found really effective. Afterward, when I was kicking around ideas for my follow-up to the novel family, that remake was on tv and sparked something in me. That was when I went back and finally watched the original movie and read the book. So it was a surprisingly long time coming for a horror buff, in addition to my coming at it with a weird amount of preconception and bias given my total ignorance of the original subject matter!
Liz: While AMITY is a scary haunted house story about the supernatural, it's also a scary haunted house story about a very real haunting: the very real family dynamics that trap people, as well as the evil that people can do even without ghosts or hauntings. What type of research did you outside of the AMITY references and homages?
Micol Ostow: The “research” question is always hard to answer because the answer is slightly embarrassing: I’m very drawn to dark stories and I’m fascinated by the question of evil from within versus evil from without, so much of the research I did both for family and Amity was actually just background reading I’d done before I even had the slightest notion to write either book. Putting aside the obvious Amityville source material, though, I’d say the book’s most clear-cut influences to me are
The Shining and
The Haunting of Hill House.
To me, Connor is basically Jack Torrance – a flawed character who is driven to evil deed via the energy of the house, the way Torrance is driven mad by the Overlook Hotel. And Gwen is a successor to Hill House’s Eleanor, the fragile, overlooked (no pun intended) woman whose history of madness renders her fear unreliable. Both are to some extent tropes of the genre and there are plenty of examples of each throughout pop culture, but those two are my very favorite iconoclasts. I probably reread
The Shining in particular at least twice a year. Does that count as research?
Liz:
What was the scariest book you read as a teen? Micol Ostow:
The Shining! (That was a gimme.) I wasn’t quite a teen though, and definitely wasn’t supposed to read it. My mother was a Stephen King fanatic and kept those terrifying 1970’s library hardcovers on her nightstand, perhaps unaware of how they were imprinting on me (or maybe that was her plan all along?...)
Pet Sematary made an impression, but
The Shining was the one I actually snuck out of the children’s room to read in furtive fifteen-minute increments. I think I was maybe twelve? At most.
Liz: What was the scariest movie you watched as a teen?Micol Ostow: Again, I wasn’t quite a teen – maybe eleven-ish? – but my younger brother had been home sick with something icky and lingering, and as some kind of pity-bribe thing my mother, I guess, allowed him to rent
A Nightmare on Elm St. #s 1-5. I stumbled in as they were queuing up the first movie and got sucked in. TERRIFYING. That one and #4 are the two that still get me, every time.
Liz:
Thank you so much!Check out all the stops on the
Amity Blog Tour.
Two stops for tomorrow:
readergirlz and
Little Willow.
Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
© Elizabeth Burns of
A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
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I have a very special guest on my blog today: Betsy Bird, one of my favorite kidlit bloggers! Her passion for kidlit and her
excellent blog posts are some of the reasons I decided to start blogging about kidlit and YA lit!
Betsy has written a book with her fellow American kidlit bloggers, the late
Peter Sieruta and
Julie Danielson. (Julie is also one of my favorite kidlit bloggers, and one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.) There aren't physical copies of
Wild Things in the Philippines yet, but if you click
here, us Philippine readers can get Kindle editions.
Wild Things is a behind-the-scenes look at the American children's book industry. A *naughty* behind-the-scenes look. The book *is* about "acts of mischief in children's literature." :D
Betsy, thank you so much for visiting Into the Wardrobe. Dear readers, Betsy's guest blog post is below. Please check Into the Wardrobe again later this week for my review of Wild Things!
You Know When They Say Winning the Lottery is the Worst Thing That Can Happen to You?
It’s True.
By Betsy Bird
You may have seen YA author John Green allude to this recently.
Not too long ago he created this lovely little Mental Floss video called
47 Charming Facts AboutChildren’s Books.
At around 2:53 you’ll hear John talk about the great Margaret Wise Brown.
John points out that Ms. Brown almost randomly left the rights to her classic picture book
Goodnight Moon to the neighbor kid next door.
Literally.
The boy next door.
But this being a quick video John doesn’t exactly go into any detail.
Curious about why exactly Margaret did that and what the effect was on the kid?
In
Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature (written by myself, Julie Danielson, and the late Peter Sieruta) we looked into the story and here’s what we found.
The fact of the matter is that Ms. Brown was lovely, vivacious, and died tragically young. As recounted in our book, she was just 42 when she died of an embolism. In fact, it was the cute little can-can kicks she did for her doctor to show how great she was feeling that ultimately did the deed.
Few perfectly healthy 42-year-olds expect to be dead at any moment, so we should take Margaret’s will with a grain of salt. She apparently changed it more than once and had she lived she probably wouldn’t have kept it the same for very long. Nonetheless, and for whatever reason, she did indeed leave the rights to what would become her greatest work to Albert Clarke, her 9-year-old neighbor.
Weird? Not as much as you might think. See, the fact of the matter is that Goodnight Moon wasn’t really a hit in Margaret’s lifetime. It did okay but it took some time for the book to gain any ground in the cultural mindset. So when she granted Arthur the rights it wasn’t supposed to be any great shakes.
Next thing he knows, the kid’s a millionaire. Fabulous, right? Apparently not. Though it might be a bit of a stretch to say it this way, money ruined Arthur. But for the details of how exactly he was ruined I’m afraid you’re just going to have to read our book. Sorry about that, but trust me when I say that I hope John Green learns a lesson or two from Margaret’s story. The next time he feels like leaving the rights to, say, An Abundance of Katherines to little Johnny down the street as a nice gesture, maybe he should think again. Trust me. Little Johnny will be just fine without the cash.
Welcome to the Janus Silang blog tour!
Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tabon is a new Filipino young adult novel written by
Edgar Calabia Samar and published by
Adarna House. We're kicking off the blog tour with a cover reveal and first chapter preview.
Check out the cover below!
Here is a blurb about the novel:
Sa tournament ng TALA Online sa bayan ng Balanga, namatay ang lahat ng manlalaro maliban kay Janus. Sunod-sunod pa ang naging kaso ng pagkamatay ng mga kabataan sa computer shops sai ba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Kinontak si Janus ng nagpakilalang Joey, isa rin umano sa mga nakaligtas sa paglalaro ng TALA na gaya niya. Hindi inasahan ni Janus ang mga matutuklasan niya mula rito na mag-uugnay sa kanya sa misteryo ng kinahuhumalingan niyang RPG—at sa alamat ng Tiyanak mula sa Tábon!
And ohohoho you can read the first chapter
here or below!
Edgar Calabia Samar will be at National Book Store SM North on May 10 at 3 p.m. Please join us for the book signing and book discussion!
Links:
Janus Silang blog tour scheduleJanus Silang on Facebook Janus Silang on Wattpad
Last month I took part in the Hilary McKay blog tour with an interview focused on her Lulu books. It was such a fun interview - we got to have a fascinating conversation about how she worked with illustrator Patricia Lamont to portray her character Lulu. The publisher, Albert Whitman & Co sponsored the tour and promised to give away copies of the Lulu books to two lucky commentors on my
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By:
Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 3/27/2013
Blog:
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I am very excited today to be part of the Hilary McKay Blog Tour! Today she is stopping by for an interview focused mainly on her books Lulu and the Duck in the Park and Lulu and the Dog by the Sea. These two endearing early chapter books are a delight to read. I will be giving away copies to two lucky commentors on today's post, so make sure you stick around and put in your two cents at the
As I promised last week, I finally have an MMGM again!!!
In fact, today I'm hosting a stop on the Chronicles of Egg Blog Tour--something I *usually* don't do, since blog tours tend to require more organization and time than I have these days. (stupid deadlines!) But I met Geoff Rodkey last year at an amazing event called
Tweens Read, and after seeing how hilarious he was--and hearing him talk about his awesome book (which I was dying to read)--I decided to take part, and I'm SO glad I did. It forced me to finally make time to read DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE and holy action-packed adventure, Batman!
Here's how the publisher describes it:
It's tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody's trying to kill you.
Not that Egg's life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.
But when Egg's father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.
Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff
Suddenly, Egg's running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he's been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.
Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
Sounds awesome, right? Well I can assure you, IT IS. But I won't ramble about it anymore than that because I actually have a guest post from the author himself to share with you guys as part of the tour. Plus I have an extra-fabulous 2-book giveaway below, so make sure you read until the end! And now, I'll let Geoff take it away!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOT FUNNY AT ALL: THE REAL HISTORY OF THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
The adventure-comedy-mystery-romance Deadweather and Sunrise takes place in an imagined universe that's loosely based on the world of the Caribbean Sea during what's known as the Golden Age of Piracy.
When I first had the idea that led to Deadweather and the rest of the Chronicles of Egg trilogy, I considered making it not-so-loosely based, and setting the story in the actual, historical Caribbean Sea circa 1700.
Then I did some research, and I quickly realized I had to make the whole thing up.
Because as romantic and entertaining as swashbuckling pirates and sun-drenched islands might seem from a distance, the truth is there was nothing romantic, and even less that was funny, about that entire era.
Take the pirates themselves. They weren't charming like Johnny Depp. And they didn't make people walk the plank. That actually would have been merciful. What real pirates liked to do was torture their victims using techniques like "woolding" -- which sounds pretty tame until you realize it refers to tying a knotted rope around someone's head and twisting it with a stick until the victim's eyes burst out of their skull.
Real pirates also liked to flog victims until their skin fell off, then dunk them in salt water. And they got a particular kick out of setting fire to people. But not the whole person. Just selected parts of their bodies. (Those parts? Yes. Those parts.)
And the truly amazing thing? A lot of these guys turned pirate after first getting press-ganged into the British Navy…and deciding life on a British naval ship was too violent for them.
Soooo…not exactly fertile ground for an adventure-comedy. Adventure, yes. Comedy? Not so much.
Although a lot of my research did find its way into the books. For example, the mountain made entirely of silver? That really existed. It was called Potosi, and at one point its riches were almost singlehandedly financing the entire Spanish Empire. Here's a picture:
The picture actually makes it look kind of charming. But it wasn't. No offense to the Spanish, but working the mine at Potosi was no picnic.
And if you look closely at the bottom left corner of the picture? I'm pretty sure that's a severed head. On a stick.
That didn't make it into the book, either.
Find Geoff Rodkey online
Buy DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giveaway time!!!
(and dude--it's a seriously awesome giveaway)
One lucky winner will win a SIGNED paperback of THE CHRONICLES OF EGG: DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE *and* a SIGNED ARC of THE CHRONICLES OF EGG Book 2: NEW LANDS (which doesn't come out until May 2!)
To enter simply leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm (pacific) on Sunday March 24th. I'll choose one random winner and post their name on Monday, March 25th. US and Canada residents only, please!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And for more awesome middle grade recommendations, check out the other MMGM's floating around the blogosphere:
- Annie McMahon is featuring *blush* KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES!! (That will never stop being surreal!). Click HERE to see what she thought.
- Shari Larsen is awed by THE AGE OF MIRACLES. Click HERE to see why.
- Andrea Mack has chills for THE GRAVEROBBER'S APPRENTICE. Click HERE for her review.
- Flash, the Feline Extraordinaire, (and Professional Mews to Cindy Strandvold) recommends A HOUSE CALLED AWFUL END. Click HERE to see what that's all about.
- Susan Olson is spreading the love for BESWITCHED. Click HERE to learn more
- Rosi Hollinbeck is also featuring DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE--with a GIVEAWAY. Click HERE for details.
- Katie Fitzgerald is cheering for LATASHA AND THE KIDD ON KEYS. Click HERE for her review.
- Laurisa White Reyes is celebrating PLASTIC POLLY--with a GIVEAWAY. Click HERE for details
- Dorine White is singing praises for MICHAEL VEY: THE PRISONER OF CELL 25. Click HERE to see what she thought.
- Joanne Fritz always has an MMGM for you. Click HERE to see what she's talking about this week.
- The Mundie Moms are always part of the MMGM fun (YAY!). Click HERE to see their newest recommendations. And if you aren't also following their Mundie Kids site, get thee over THERE and check out all the awesome!
- The lovely Shannon O'Donnell always has an MMGM ready for you! Click HERE to see what she's featuring this week!
- Karen Yingling also always has some awesome MMGM recommendations for you. Click HERE to which ones she picked this time!
- Pam Torres always has an MMGM up on her blog. Click HERE to see what she's spotlighting this week.
- Michelle Isenhoff is always part of the MMGM fun. Click HERE to see what she's talking about today.
If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count--but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you're featuring and a link to your blog at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com. (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so I see it)
NOTE: I used to not have a cut-off time for adding links to the post, but with how insane my schedule is right now, if you don't email me by Sunday evening (usually around 11pm PST is when I put the links together) I can't guarantee I'll have a chance to add you. BUT, you are welcome to add your link in the comments on this post so people can find you!
*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen posts ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me ahead of time
By: Shelagh Watkins,
on 10/29/2012
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In his new book A New Language for Life: Happy No Matter What, Dr. Louis Koster shows you how to transform your life from a place of higher awareness, to trust yourself and life, and experience an overall sense of peace and well-being—no matter what.
Why did you feel compelled to write A New Language for Life?
Louis: I was humbled by my experiences. There is no other way of saying it. I felt entrapped by the circumstances of my life and at some point realized that there was nowhere else to go. I knew that the way I viewed the world had to change. This was my defining moment. I realized that if I considered life as fundamentally good, I may as well trust what was occurring in my life as fundamentally good, rather than condemning it. I made then and there a commitment to be happy and content, no matter what the circumstances of my life. This commitment became a passage of awakening and higher awareness that allowed me to transcend the circumstances of my life and reclaim my capacity to manifest my life. I then became willingly compelled to share this message of awakening and inner peace with others.
Why would someone want to read A New Language for Life?
Louis: Entrapment in our circumstances is the human experience without exception at some point in a person’s life. In A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What!, readers are invited to dwell in two powerful affirmations–The Choice and The Insight, which by its own unique design, open up a passage of awakening and higher awareness without changing anything about the circumstances of your life. The Choice andThe Insight release being from its entrapment in language and allow readers to experience an authentic freedom to be and be present again to the true joy of life.What makes A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What! so appealing is the simplicity of its passage. A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What! is attractive, since the title of the book is attractive and captures people’s immediate attention.
Is there a particular timely nature of the subject area?
Louis: We live in an era of unprecedented change and are trapped in cycles of crises. In depleting the resources of our planet, we may lose the fragile web of life that sustains us on planet earth. There is more at stake in being happy than our individual happiness, since a commitment to being happy brings about a sense of oneness and perspective to our experience of life. Readers learn that our default way of being is insufficient to deal with our current issues and concerns and that true survival of the human race is only possible inside of oneness.
Are there specific benefits from reading your book?
Louis: Dwelling in the affirmations of the book, The Choice and The Insight, the reader experiences an authentic freedom to be in whatever circumstance they find themselves in life. A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What! shows how you can defeat day-to-day depression, struggle and unhappiness, or any ordinary bad mood. A New Language for Life shows you how to weather the winds and storms of life from a deep and abiding source of inner peace. Some of the benefits that workshop participants of A New Language for Life report are less resentment and more peace. After the workshop, they were less preoccupied with other peoples’ opinion about them and the freedom to just be. Participants felt less immobilized and consumed by the circumstances in their lives and were able to give attention to what really matters in their lives.
Describe the audience for your book.
Louis: The book is for anyone who is in transition in life and has a sense that there is more to life than what they are currently experiencing. The book is for anyone who is committed to a life beyond struggle and suffering, a life beyond a sense of entrapment by circumstances. The book allows you to empower yourself through the challenges you are facing in life. You are led to a place where you start to trust your own experience of life and begin listening to your own truth again. The book offers a way to reconnect with the essence of your being and a way to live according to your true nature.
What personal experiences led you to write A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What!?
Louis: In essence, the idea for the book came to me by making the distinction between being, and the “I,” and by recognizing being as a separate, but invisible reality, the only reality that is in keeping with our true nature, despite what our senses, or the “I” tell us that we are. In hindsight, each event in my life has been an integral part of a journey of trusting myself and life, which allowed me to free myself from my self-imposed limitations, realizing that I am much more than what defines me, and come to an authenticity of being.
How do you see A New Language for Life making a difference for people?
Louis: A New Language for Life is a message of peace and oneness. A New Language for Life is a message of a higher awareness. A New Language for Life allows you to live a life that is wholesome. A New Language for Life shows you how to defeat day-to-day depression, anger, and unhappiness, or any ordinary bad mood. A New Language for Life, shows you how to weather the winds and storms of life from a deep and abiding source of inner peace.
Where do you see the messages in A New Language for Life going?
Louis: I see A New Language for Life becoming part of our daily conversations. People may see in A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What!a simple and elegant design that allows them to release themselves from the entrapment in language and start living their lives in a way that is more wholesome and in an alignment with the true nature of their being.
What do you see is the relevance of A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What! in today’s society?
Louis: The innate nature of being is kindness. How to get in touch with that and how to maintain that in the face of life’s daily occurrences, is the challenge. A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What! could aid people who are already participating in some spiritual practice to stay centered in their being. Now is the time. Now there is a window in the experience that people have of our current times, an opening to look beyond the horizon of what they see. Apart from personal enlightment, there is a narrow window in the next couple of years to change the way we view ourselves and each other to sustain our fragile life on planet Earth.
How do you see A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What! is in keeping with other spiritual teachings?
Louis: Anyone who has been dwelling in the possibility of A New Language for Life, Happy No Matter What!will recognize similarities with Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Taoism. This book aligns with other spiritual teachings, in fact enriches other spiritual teachings.
What people, philosophers have influenced you in writing this book?
Louis: I was influenced by the philosopher Martin Heidegger, by Albert Einstein, and Krishnamurti, who all from their own unique perspective dwelled inside of oneness. I am inspired by the message of peace by the Dalai Lama. I have a deep respect for the wisdom of the pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides, who spoke about unveiling the truth of oneness.
How has writing A New Language for Life influenced your personal life?
Louis: It allowed for my wife and I to have an extraordinary relationship. It allowed me to live a peaceful life. It allowed me to be more caring for my patients and be in touch with what really matters for them. It allowed me to step a little outside the classical paradigm of practicing medicine, which is predominantly evidence-based, and return to the art of medicine, where true caring makes a difference. It allowed me to have a great relationship with my brother and appreciate his great wisdom. It allowed me to just be grateful for the privilege of being alive.
Who were your biggest teachers?
Louis: My biggest teachers were my parents, my brother, and my wife and daughter. They kept me straight.
What are your other interests?
Louis: Spending time with my family, traveling, reading and language. I am currently studying Arabic, and welcoming any opportunity to practice speaking Spanish.
Who are you favorite authors?
Louis: My favorite authors are historical novelists like Gabriella Garcia Marquez, John Steinbeck, George Orwell, and Ernest Hemmingway.
To find out more about Dr. Louis Koster, visit his website: http://www.louiskoster.com/
Coming soon! Interview with Dr. Louis Koster on October 29th as part of the 2012 Virtual blog tour announcing the release of A New Language For Life: Happy No Matter What!
2012 Virtual Tour Itinerary for
A New Language For Life: Happy No Matter What!
by Louis Koster
www.louiskoster.com/virtualtour
October 13
Tour Itinerary at Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist Blog
Tour Itinerary at Literature & Fiction Blog
Highlighted Title Listing at Independent Publisher
Review by Irene Roth at Blogcritics
October 14
Review by Irene Roth at Roth’s Book Reviews
October 15
Review by Laura Strathman Hulka at Readerwoman Blog
October 16
Review by Dr. Grady Harp at Powell’s
Interview and excerpt at Book Promo Central
October 16 – October 29
Three international ebook giveaways at Library Thing
October 17
Podcast with Big Blend Radio
October 18
US paperback giveaway at Curled Up With A Good Book
Interview at Curled Up With A Good Book
Review by Barbara Bamberger Scott at Curled Up With A Good Book
October 19
Review by Viviane Crystal at Crystal Book Reviews and at The Best Reviews
October 22
Interview at Alpha Chick
October 23
Review, video & excerpt at Spiritual Lounge
October 24
Excerpt at Your Awakened Self Blog
October 25
Review by Helen Gallagher at New York Journal of Books and at Open Salon
October 26
Author essay, excerpt & giveaways at One Story At A Time
October 28
Podcast with Where Am I Going Radio
October 29
Interview at Literature & Fiction Blog
October 30 – November 12
Three US paperback giveaways at GoodReads
October 31
Review by Christine Zibas at Digital Journal and at Bookpleasures
November 1
Review by Irene Conlan at The Self Improvement Blog and at Ezine Articles
November 2
Review by Gloria Oren at Gloria’s Corner Blog
November 5
Excerpt at Night Owl Reviews Blog
November 6
Interview by April Pohren at Blogcritics
November 7
Interview by Cheryl Malandrinos and giveaway at The Book Connection
November 8
Podcast with Conversations Live Radio
November 9
Videos at Preview The Book, Flickr, Photobucket, & Daily Motion
November 12
Review by Darin Godby at Luxury Reading and at Book Blogs Ning
By:
jrpoulter,
on 9/28/2012
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Hi Everyone! 
Lists can be extremely useful, especially when they are constantly being updated!
Here are two such.
The first, compiled by the enterprising and enthusiastic Brain Grove, is a list of US publishers who are currently accepting submissions for children’s books – http://j.mp/SVbnCk – he also, very helpfully, adds links toeach entry to take you straight to the site. I also recommend his ebook on query /submission letter writing.
The second, a veritable database, is continuously being updated by the very proactive authors, Delin Colon and Lisa Kalner Williams – http://bit.ly/writerinterviewopps …
If you haven’t joined www.jacketflap.com, I highly recommend it – an excellent networking site for all things related to children’s literature and books.
Get busy and good luck!
The Age of Miracles. Karen Thompson Walker. 2012. Random House. 288 pages.
We didn't notice right away. We couldn't feel it. We did not sense at first the extra time, bulging from the smooth edge of each day like a tumor blooming beneath skin.The Age of Miracles is a thoughtful coming-of-age story narrated by Julia, age 11. When the "big event" happens, or the big announcement about the big event is made, Julia is entering sixth grade. What's the big announcement? Well, the earth has changed its rotation, the days (and subsequently) the nights are getting longer and longer. The earth no longer revolves around the sun in twenty-four hours. Within a week or two (or maybe three?), days are closer to forty hours than twenty. And the days (and nights) are just going to keep getting longer and longer and longer.
The terror of the situation is felt almost immediately by some, but for others it takes a while. Julia's mother was already prone to anxiety even before the announcement, but since the news came she's more hysterical than ever. And she's not alone.
The Age of Miracles captures what it is like for "life as we know it" to fall apart gradually, piece by piece, layer by layer. Specifically it captures what it is like to be eleven in a strange new world. Julia's world is just as much impacted by her new school year, her school worries about friendships and crushes, as it is the global catastrophe. Julia's home life mirrors the greater falling-apart of the world. As her mother is weighed down with sickness and anxiety, as her father escapes his burdens by taking comfort in a neighbor woman, as the three continue to live disconnected from one another.
Perhaps it is only natural for Julia's concerns to be about whether or not she'll ever see her best friend again (her best friend is moving away), or if the boy she likes will ever talk to her or like her back, to wonder if she'll ever get breasts, or to wonder if her parents will get a divorce, to wonder if her mom knows about the affair, to be worried about her grandfather's mysterious disappearance, than to be concerned about food and water supply, to be concerned about if the planet is still capable of supporting life. If the complete cycle of a day becomes several months long, for example, that means weeks of direct sunlight--too much sun, too much radiation, too much heat; but it also means months of complete darkness--not enough sun, too dark, too cold. What kind of crops can grow in conditions like this? Can greenhouses even begin to support enough food for an entire planet? No, there are enough people worrying about the tomorrows, let Julia remain in the worries of today.
Personally, I found the novel compelling. It was an easy, quick read. Is the absolute best post-apocalyptic book? Probably not. It's not
Alas, Babylon or
The Earth Abides. But it was a good read. I liked its thoughtfulness, its reflective nature. The narrator is reflecting back on the early days of the crisis, she's remembering what it was like at the beginning. I'm not sure if readers ever learn how many years have passed since the novel began, but, we do know that "the end" wasn't imminent or immediate. That people have had plenty of time to accept the slow passage into the end of times--at least the end of times as they know it, as they can imagine it.
The Age of Miracles reminded me, in a way, of "The Inner Light." (For those unfamiliar with that title, well, it's only the BEST, BEST, BEST Star Trek episode ever, Star Trek Next Generation to be precise.) It also reminded me--not in its exact details, but in its feel--of the Twilight Zone episode, "The Midnight Sun."
Not sure if you've already seen a few of these posts floating around the blogosphere, but myself and a group of fellow bloggers have all teamed up today to pay tribute to an author who is every bit as incredible as her books. The hilarious and fabulous Myra McEntire.
Why Myra?
Well, we all have our own reasons to celebrate her awesomeness. Maybe it's her hilarious tweets or her sweet and steamy books. For me, it's more personal than that--though that may be because I'm lucky to *know* Myra a little.
Myra is exactly the kind of author I want to be. Classy (well, when she's not tweeting about Moonshine and pimped-out big wheels--then she's just my favorite person ever), kind, generous, supportive, and most importantly, REAL. She's not afraid to be herself, whether it be admitting that she's running out for emergency chocolate in frumpy flannel, or being the one to jump in with a blog post that says everything I'd been thinking but couldn't figure out how to say.
I value her opinion so highly that she was the friend I turned to when I needed one. more. opinion. on the early chapters of LET THE SKY FALL to make sure I wasn't crazy for thinking I could write YA. And it was her sweet, encouraging response that gave me the courage to finally send pages to my agent.
So if you aren't following this amazing lady on
Twitter or her
blog you NEED to. And if you haven't read HOURGLASS--or pre-ordered TIMEPIECE--here are some handy ways to do just that:
To Pre-Order TIMEPIECE:
To order HOURGLASS:
17 Comments on Author Appreciation Blog Tour: Myra McEntire, last added: 4/5/2012
By:
Administrator,
on 2/5/2012
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Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them!
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I am so happy to launch my good friend and great author, Margaret Norton’s, blog tour today for her book, When Ties Break. Margaret Norton is a writer, speaker, personal life coach, and It Works! distributor. She blogs about her life at http://healthy-n-fitgranny.com. Her first book, When Ties Break: A Memoir About How to Thrive After Loss, is available as an e-book for just 99 cents on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with grand kids, reading, traveling, photography, and dancing.
**And even more exciting, Margaret is giving away fabulous prizes to go along with her Celebrate 60 blog tour and re-launch of her book. Here are details: **
Leave a comment on this post to enter into Margaret’s Celebrate 60 blog tour contest. Margaret is celebrating her 60th birthday by giving away three grand prizes: a 30-minute FREE life coaching session (by phone—for U.S. residents only), her memoir in paperback (for U.S. residents only), and her memoir in e-book (for anyone!) format. Each blogger participating in the tour will randomly select one winner from all the comments and enter that name into the grand prize drawing. Margaret will contact the three grand prize winners for their choice of prize the week of 2/27 and announce winners on her blog on March 2.
***For extra entries into the contest, please tweet about the contest, using the hashtag #Celebrate60 OR tweet about why you love being the age you are! (Don’t forget to use the hashtag.) Anyone who tweets with #Celebrate60 will get an extra entry into the contest for the three grand prizes. Any questions? E-mail ME, Margo, Margaret’s publicist, at margo (at) margodill.com .
Now here’s a guest post from Margaret herself!
Never Give-Up on Your Dream to be a Writer
Several years ago, at the age of 58, I published my first book. It was the first thing that I had written – except for church bulletins, family Christmas letters, and business correspondence – in 35 years. During my book tour, I did a signing in the town where I attended high school and had lunch with my best friend from the 9th and 10th grade. My contact with her had been sporadic through the years for various reasons. As we spent time together and talked about school events, memories came flooding back. She told me that in the 9th grade I had wanted to be a writer.
Wanted to be a writer? How did I forget that? What happened to that dream? How did I get so far off course? My working life included a combination of owning my own businesses, working for non-profit agencies and 17 years trying to climb the corporate ladder. There was very little writing and very little encouragement to develop my creativity. I married young, had a family, and then divorced. And repeated that several times. Life got in the way. I needed to earn enough money to raise my family and sought jobs with the highest income potential rather than following my heart. My life came to an abrupt crossroads in 2004 after the death of eight individuals connected to me.
Write to heal is what my therapist suggested. During the first few months of 2005, I poured all my thoughts onto paper. Why did bad things happen to good people? One thing led to another. I found myself going all the way back to my childhood,
RESEARCHING MY WRITING
AGAINST THE TIDE: THE VALOR OF MARGARET WILSON
Because I am a librarian by profession, I know where to search for generic information. Since I write in several genres, my research follows different patterns. Margaret Wilson’s story is historical fiction, based on the life of a teen martyr in 17th century Scotland. Obviously, that required a different type of research than My Little Book of Bald Eagles or Eye on the Iditarod: Aisling’s Quest, a biographical account of an eleven-year old Maine musher with a lofty goal.
Through nearly forty years of writing, I have learned that research is time-consuming, that one often neglects to take the road she should have taken the first time and time runs out for getting that particular story published. My observations, considerations and conclusions can help you write your historical novel no matter its location or time frame.
First of all, don’t attempt to write about a period of time or an historical person that does not cause you to react emotionally. You may have to spend years gathering sufficient information to write a story that will catch an editor’s eye. If your excitement wanes before you complete the piece, your writing will lose the spark that ignited it.
I first heard of Margaret Wilson when I was proofreading for a now defunct publishing company. I was awed by her unshakeable faith that enabled her to die a martyr’s death at the age of seventeen. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. It was at least thirty years after I first read the inscription from her grave marker in a Scots kirkyard that my novel was published. Since I was writing about a foreigner living in her native land, it was a challenge to make the story authentic.
1 Comments on Researching My Writing with Award-winning Author Hope Irvin Marston, last added: 2/5/2012
By:
Tarie,
on 2/2/2012
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The Sydney Taylor Book Awards recognize and honor outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Every year the winners are celebrated and showcased through a blog tour. Below is the schedule for this year's exciting roundup of interviews with the winning authors and illustrators!
Sunday, February 5
Susan Campbell Bartoletti, author of Naamah and the Ark at Night
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Ima On & Off the Bima
Holly Meade, illustrator of Naamah and the Ark at Night
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe (Here here here!)
Shelley Sommer, author of Hammerin' Hank Greenberg, Baseball Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Great Kid Books
Monday, February 6
Marcia Vaughan, author of Irena's Jar of Secrets
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Shelf-Employed
Ron Mazellan, illustrator of Irena's Jar of Secrets
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at The Children's War
Tuesday, February 7
Trina Robbins, author of Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Bildungsroman
Anne Timmons (and possibly Mo Oh), illustrators of Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Gathering Books
Morris Gleitzman, author of Then
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at The 3 R's
Wednesday, February 8
Michael Rosen, author of Chanukah Lights
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at A Chair, a Fireplace, & a Tea Cozy
Robert Sabuda, illustrator/paper engineer of Chanukah Lights
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Practically Paradise
Susan Goldman Rubin, author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Cynsations
Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children
Thursday, February 9
Durga Yael Bernhard, author and illustrator of Around the World in One Shabbat
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger
Borders has fallen. The e-book has placed a pox-filled blanket in the arms of librarians and Chinese printing presses and would-be assassins who like to underline passages and dog-ear their paperbacks. Marketing budgets are dwindling to nothing. Lakes are turning blood red. And authors are left wondering “what in the sam-heck is a wordsmith supposed to do to get the kids to read his tale about misfits building a giant machine in the wake of apocalypse?”
Simple. BLOG TOUR!
To those out of the loop, a blog tour (or web-log junket, if you must) consists of an author posting interviews and musings on the blogs of like-minded writers and critics in an effort to reach a larger audience for his/her book. Blog tours have been proven to increase sales by 2,037%!
Now, if I’m going to do a blog tour in support The Only Ones, I’m not going to half-ass it or go the typical route. I want this thing to have pyrotechnics, inflatable pigs, upside down drumming–everything except Hell’s Angels getting all stabby. But for that, I need your help. So I’m calling on bloggers near and far to join me or, more specifically, to invite me over to their blog, where I will do any of the following things:
- Participate in an Eating Contest! You name the food item (anything is game, so long as it’s chicken wings). Then we set up a Skype video chat. We stare each other down as we scarf large quantities of chow. Ten minutes. Dirty looks allowed. Marc Bittman and Michael Pollan will be the referees, and they will be contractually obligated to say things like “gentleman, start your small intestines” and “plop plop fizz fizz, o what a battle this is!” If you insist on eating fried worms, then Thomas Rockwell will be the judge. But he must be dressed in a neon green bookworm costume, and refer to me as “The Golden Pancreas.” When all is said and done and the champion is crowned, I will write about the experience in a ten-part series on your blog. The series will be titled: We Were Hungry Once…And Young.
- Write a Love Letter to Your Crush! If you spend most of your day blogging, then chances are you’re a little unlucky in love. Rest easy Miss/Mr. Lonelyhearts, because I am ready, willing and able to pen a missive that will win hearts and minds. We will address it to that someone special and I fill it with mixed metaphors and fiery loins (STD-free, of course). Try this sample out for size: “From your bushes, I have been watching you sleep. From behind this computer screen, I have been frantically Googling, memorizing the addresses of your exes and printing out turn-by-turn directions and streetview pics so that escape routes are clear. From the corner of my soul, where I keep the scalped plastic dolls and the memories of that one crazy summer and the riverside and Boxcar Joe and the pinky swear that was a held a little longer than I was comfortable with and the hand-dug grave that was supposed to be “deep enough,” I reach out to you, and ask you to be my love, and I pledge my ever lasting devotion to you, in this life and in the lives that follow, including the one where we are reincarnated as frolicking ferrets. Did I tell you I have ferrets?”
- Time Travel! This is gonna require some physics. But hey, I believe in you. Think about it. People blog about food, movies, dati
The National Writing for Children Center is a showcase for children’s book authors and illustrators. Each month, they showcase up to 12 authors and/or illustrators to let children, parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, and others interested in the world of children’s literature know about these artists’ wonderful new children’s books. I'm excited to be a host this week for their Author Showcase and welcome everyone to Tradebook Tips for Teachers from Children's Author Diane Kredensor, who will share with us how her new picture book,
Ollie & Moon
covers many different aspects:
Geography: get out a map or a globe and look for Paris. These little cats LOVE to travel and there’s a whole big world out there for them to see. In the second book in the series, Ollie and Moon are in New York City. My plan is to continue to take them all over the globe, with each new city serving as a backdrop, while the stories are about a kid-relatable issue between two best buds.
Language: talk about the French words in the text, such as bonjour and brie
Social Studies: talk about different nationalities, and the different holidays, foods, traditions, and languages different cultures have. I’m thrilled about Ollie and Moon visiting different countries of the world. Their travels reflect a larger theme of Global Citizenship. By modeling curiosity about the world, Ollie and Moon help kids understand diversity.
Critical Thinking: Ollie and Moon ask questions and display critical thinking skills during their cumulative guessing game, and they’re also all about creativity! They might come up with zany solutions, like Moon’s suggestion that her surprise is “an elephant playing the French horn while juggling animals.” Ollie and Moon always keep open minds and open hearts!
Adjectives—the guessing game is a great opportunity to talk about the part of speech that qualifies a noun: a descriptor, a quality, e.g., round, musical, red, bright with lights
Friendship and conflict resolution: Even though they’re best friends, Ollie and Moon occasionally hit the proverbial bump in the road. But despite everything, they eventually pedal their bicycle down the path to greater understanding. They use humor and communication to face whatever adventures arise.
A big thanks to Diane Kredensor and the National Writing for Children Center. Be sure to follow Day 4 of Ms. Kredensor’s tour tom
The National Writing for Children Center is a showcase for children’s book authors and illustrators. Each month, they showcase up to 12 authors and/or illustrators to let children, parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, and others interested in the world of children’s literature know about these artists’ wonderful new children’s books.
I'm excited to be a part of their Author Showcase this week and want to welcome everyone to day three of Vikki Ford’s 6-day National Writing For Children Center's April Author Showcase tour where she discusses her new picture book
Angel Anya's Adventures: Anya's Magic Heart
.
I'll pass this post on now to Vikki, so she can tell us more about her book...
Angel Anya's Adventures: Anya's Magic Heart can help children to realize how unique they are just being who they are. It teaches that a child should just let their own heart love shine forth in the world as that is who they are. It can be shared in a non religious or spiritual manner or it can incorporate both if the teacher “fills” that portion in depending on the type of school.The purpose is to help children realize they are loved and loved so that even if they are in foster care, without a family, or with the best of families, they are here because of who they are. The book was written for simple parents yet it does not in any way limit a child from seeing two parents or no parents. It is all about them, not about who they have or don’t have in their lives because they have themselves and that is enough.
A big thanks to Vikki for sharing her book and be sure to follow Day
Children’s author Donna McDine is being showcased the entire month of April at the National Writing for Children Center. Part of this showcase includes a 6-day virtual book tour and I'm excited to say, I'm the host of day three of the showcase tour!
Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions. Her stories have been published in many print and online publications and her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway
. Donna has two more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, The Hockey Agony and Powder Monkey. She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids and Publicist for the NWFCC from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI and Musing Our Children.
But without further delay, I'm passing this post over to Donna...
Donna McDine: Hello Lori. I’m excited to have you hosting me on my NWFCC tour. And I’m over the moon to announce that I’ve hired NWFCC homeschool specialist, Amy O’Quinn to write an educator’s guide for
The Golden Pathway. The guide will include different topics for each major subject:
Language Arts (English)
Math
Social Studies
Science
And to round out the guide a section on Art activities will be included.
To assist the educator and student in getting to know the author and illustrator an interview with both will be also be included. More details forthcoming at my blog –
http://www.thegoldenpathway.blogpsot.com.
Stay tuned for publication availability.
A big thanks to Donna for stopping by and I hope you all get the chance to check out The Golden Pathway![]()
Hosted by:
Reading level: grades 4-8
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545208629
ISBN-13: 978-0545208628
Buy the book:
Amazon
A mysterious adventure of self-discovery that reveals shocking secrets!
It is 1905 and young Suzanna works at her family's inn in Loch Harbor, New Brunswick, where she is trained to be a well-mannered hostess and a charming lady. Suzanna has other ideas for her future--she wants to be a detective. When a young guest goes missing on a stormy summer night, Suzanna's famous detective uncle, and idol, comes to solve the case. But Suzanna learns that not everything is as it seems. With a little help from her friends, can she solve the mystery of the missing girl before her uncle gives up?
In this scene, Suzanna stumbles upon a mystery inside the underground tunnel running between her parents’ hotel and the servants’ house. It’s dark in the tunnel, thunder rumbles overhead, and Suzanna soon realizes she’s not alone in the tunnel…
My hands searched for the knob, a glass nub barely visible even in full light. My fingers found it and gave it a twist. A musty odor hit my nostrils and I wrinkled my nose. I descended the short flight of curving steps into the dark tunnel. The darkness was palpable, eerie. I could hear the muffled storm through the cement ceiling and few feet of earth, and when I came off the last step, my shoe landed in a puddle. The rain had seeped through thin cracks in the walls, pooling in spots along the uneven floor.
I walked briskly, running my hand along the damp wall to ground myself. It was raw and cold, and within a few moments the teeny hairs on the back of my neck perked. I slowed my pace, all my senses instantly alert.
I wasn’t alone.
The tunnel made me blind, but I still felt the presence of another person. Was that possible? Trust your intuition. One of Lucy’s tarot cards had said something along those lines. But those cards…tarot readings. They were for amusement and nothing to be taken seriously. I hadn’t even bothered to write in my notebook about the four cards she’d flipped. I pushed down my shoulders and went forward a few more steps until the oppressive weight of some invisible warning slowed me down.
I held my breath and listened to thunder, the drip of water as it trickled through a crack
Heaven-sent?
Ellie was never particularly good at talking to boys—or anyone other than her best friend and fellow outcast, Ruth. Then she met Michael.
Michael is handsome, charming, sweet. And totally into Ellie. It’s no wonder she is instantly drawn to him. But Michael has a secret. And he knows Ellie is hiding something, too. They’ve both discovered they have powers beyond their imagining. Powers that are otherworldly.
Ellie and Michael are determined to uncover what they are, and how they got this way . . . together. But the truth has repercussions neither could have imagined. Soon they find themselves center stage in an ancient conflict that threatens to destroy everything they love. And it is no longer clear whether Ellie and Michael will choose the same side.
In this electrifying novel, Heather Terrell spins a gripping supernatural tale about true love, destiny, and the battle of good versus evil.
My Review
Ellie Faneuil was a great character. At first, she kinda got on my nerves. Ellie seemed like she didn't know what she wanted in life, scattered, not so sure of herself. She had very little self-esteem. Her best friend Ruth also seemed the same way to me, fragile, scared, mistrusting, whiny. However, they seem to fit together like two-peas-in-a-pod.
The back-n-forth of Ellie getting angry with Micheal was a little frustrating to read, but, I'm sure if I was going through a major life changing ordeal, I might be a little on edge also. I also enjoyed reading that Ellie had parents. Yes, I know most teens have parents, but, you barely read about them. I know in most teen books I read, the teens do what they want, when they want. It was very refreshing to see Ellie actually get grounded for something she did wrong, and have evening dinners with her family.
The antagonist in this book Ezekiel, was a very good bad guy. He was sinister and evil. He wanted Ellie and couldn't have her, she didn't want him back. Terrell did a fantastic job with Ezekiel, he was sinister enough yet approachable, I wanted to hear him out. I wanted to hear what he had to say.
This book got off to a slow start and slowly started to pick up after she started dating Micheal. It really began to pick up when Ezekiel (evil guy) came into the picture, and had a very nice climatic ending. This book is obviously about Angels, and done very well. The author is very good at explaining where and how they became that way. It is definitely worth the read. With the romance and actio
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How jolly! Thanks Andromeda! I'm e-mailing you with my address. -- Jill