Congratulations to Clara Gillow Clark who won I AM FAMOUS and Sheri Levy who won SHARK NATE-O. ********** Two scruffy, scraggly bearded soldiers in sky-blue trousers and dark-blue sack coats flanked the root cellar doors. Musket rifles at the ready. From astride a bay steed, a third white man--crisp, clean shaven, long, lean--looked down on her… Continue reading Crossing Ebenezer Creek- A Review and ARC Giveaway
Congratulations to Caroline McAlister for winning TANGLED LINES on last week's blog. ******** Two soldiers, two boys. One American, one German. Prolific author Dean Hughes brings their lives, hopes, and dreams together in Soldier Boys (Simon and Schuster, 2001. Audio CD, 2016) Spencer Morgan has just turned 15 in 1941. He longs to show that he… Continue reading Soldier Boys: A Review and a Giveaway
I wish this book didn't exist. What I mean is that I wish Rose Under Fire, a brutally honest book about a young American pilot imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp, didn't demand to be written. But unfortunately, it did. Rose Moyer Justice is an 18-year-old American Air Transport Auxiliary pilot ferrying planes for the British government. Although World War II… Continue reading Rose Under Fire: A Review and a Giveaway!
Congratulations to Cindy Clemens who won a copy of The Boy Project on last week's blog; thanks to all for entering. Here's another chance to win a super book- this time for the favorite middle grade boy in your life! ****** When I received a copy of Kathy Erskine's middle grade novel, Seeing Red, (Scholastic, 2013)… Continue reading Seeing Red–and a Giveaway!
Congratulations to Linda Andersen who won an autographed copy of Linda Phillips' ARC, CRAZY. My last few blogs have been heavy on text, so I thought I would do something different for the next two weeks. Today I'm going to share some of the photographs I consult while writing Half-Truths. Next week, you'll meet a… Continue reading Picture This: A Behind The Scenes Look at Researching Historical Fiction
After reading What I Saw and How I Lied, I contacted the author, Judy Blundell through Facebook. I was impressed with Judy's knowledge of the books that Evie Spooner, her post WWII character, read. Including this literature brought historical accuracy and greater depth to Evie's character. Judy told me how she located her resources. She inspired… Continue reading Blue Willow: A Book That Lillie and Kate Read
I'm taking a break from my blog series on the writing class I took this fall to highlight (and give away!) two books for children. I thought they'd make great holiday gifts for some fortunate student, child, grandchild, niece or nephew. This week I'm hosting Carole Weatherford as she shares wonderful insights into her new… Continue reading Birmingham 1963 + A Giveaway!
Congratulations to Rosi Holinbeck, the newest follower of my blog and the winner of an autographed copy of Hattie Big Sky. For those of you who didn't win the book, here is your chance to win the book on CD. As promised, Kirby shares her own personal connection to Hattie's story: My beloved maternal grandmother… Continue reading Holiday Giveaway #3- Hattie Big Sky on CD
Full Cast Audio does a nice job of providing voices for this humorous yet serious story of a post WWII ex-GI turned ventriloquist. Freddie T. Birch is a ventriloquist without an act-- until he is possessed by a dybbuk, a Jewish ghost, with an agenda of his own. Even if you don’t listen to this… Continue reading The Entertainer and the Dybbuk
Recently, historical novelist and my good friend, Joyce Hostetter, posed these questions on her blog: “What makes research exciting for you? What unexpected or particularly interesting forms has research taken for you recently?” I took up your challenge, Joyce. Here are some answers from my research excursions: Last year I interviewed Charles Jones, a light brown-skinned African American… Continue reading Why I Love Researching Historical Fiction….Let Me Count the Ways