This is a two-for-one week as I review and give away two books on the theme of bullying which Joyce Hostetter and I tackle in the spring issue of Talking Story. From the number of novels-in-verse that I review, you may guess this is a genre close to my heart. Ever since I was in… Continue reading Orchards: A Review and a Giveaway
Congratulations to Clara Gillow Clark who was over-the-top excited to win Darcy Pattison's book, 30 Days to a Stronger Novel. ****** I am late to the party celebrating WONDER’s impact on the literary world. I’d heard of the book but didn’t cross paths with it until I received a copy at last year's mid-year SCBWI-Florida… Continue reading WONDER: A Review and a Giveaway
I think I can honestly say that I've never read a Cynthia Lord book that I haven't enjoyed. From her picture books about a wild and wacky hamster, to her sensitive middle grade book Rules about an autistic boy and his family, Ms. Lord has a way of telling stories that entertain, teach, and delight readers of all… Continue reading A Handful of Stars: A Review and Audio Book Giveaway!
To thank Rebecca Petruck for her support and writing instruction, I'm offering a copy of her debut novel, Steering Toward Normal as a giveaway on this blog. You'll find my review of this middle grade book for boys and girls here and directions for entering the giveaway below. In addition, Joyce Hostetter and I are giving… Continue reading Two Chances to Win Books + Three Writing Classes
In this last installment in this series, Jenn Bower shares how she connected with her agent, and her advice to her fellow writers, illustrators, and "authorstrators." Next week her agent, Danielle Smith of Red Fox Literary, gives us a glimpse of why she decided to represent Jenn. (You can find links to the previous blogs… Continue reading Jenn Bower: A SCBWI-Carolinas story- Authorstrator Part IV
Writing a book from two points of view (POV) is not easy. Although I'm following Mary Kate Castellani's advice to write Half-Truths from both Kate and Lillie's POV, there have been times I've wondered if I can successfully pull it off. It's challenging to: Write a story with two separate character arcs. Write a story that has its own "big picture" arc interweaving… Continue reading Three Books. Two Points-of-View. One Giveaway. (Make that Four.)
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Congratulations to Gail Hurlburt, who persevered and WON an autographed copy of Chris Woodworth's book, Ivy in the Shadows. For those of you who didn't win, don't despair! Next May I will give away my last copy of this book as a part of the Friendship issue of Talking Story. If you don't receive this… Continue reading And the Winner is…
Now that I have your attention, let me introduce you to Snow Wildsmith, author, book reviewer, and former teen librarian. Snow was a recent expert for the Talking Story newsletter on graphic novels. In this interview she answers a few more questions about her recent book, A Parent's Guide to the Best Kid's Comics: Choosing Titles… Continue reading Everything You Wanted to Know about Graphic Novels…BUT Didn't Know Who To Ask. PLUS THREE GIVEAWAYS
Did you read that title and think, "Is this a blog about museums that feature jugglers?" Or perhaps, "Who in the world juggles museums?" I confess. It's neither. Image from simplyeeleen.blogspot.com This post features two recent projects: The first is a guest blog on Elysabeth Elderling's Writing Emporium entitled, "Juggling the Writer's Life." She asked… Continue reading Juggling Museums