Bitopia - Review of a Book About Bullying and a Giveaway

Thought for the day:

“We should not write so that it is possible for the reader to understand us, but so that it is impossible for him to misunderstand us.”

~Quintilian (Marcus Fabius Quintilianus), rhetorician (c. 35-100)~ 

A gift for my writer friends: 

Here are some links I think you will find valuable – three great ones this week: 

For a really good list of publishers who work with children’s books, click HERE. 

Click HERE for a site that is just plain fun for writers of children’s books. 

Christie Wright Wild’s is running a series of posts on writing picture books at wonderful blog, Write Wild. There is much to love and learn from on her blog. Click HERE to check it out.

First, let me apologize up front for the problems I am having on my blog with spacing, type sizes, bolding, etc. I have no idea what is going on, but this week things simply look a little wonky. Please just read the words and ignore the nonsense. I'm working on it!

I recently won a ten-page critique over on Carol Baldwin’s blog. You can visit her blog by clicking HERE, and I promise you it will be worth your time. Anyway, the critique came from Rebecca Petruck who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and has her first novel, A Weird Kind of Normal, coming out in 2014 from Abrams/Amulet. Today I received her notes on the first chapter of my first novel, a book I believe in, but have been struggling with, for years. Her comments were spot on and so insightful that reading her notes was, for me, like that metaphorical shot of whiskey Clint Eastwood drinks in an old western that clears his mind and gives him the stamina to face Lee van Cleef. The good news is, Rebecca is a writing gun for hire who can help you face your writing fears. Check out her services by clicking HERE.

For my wonderful giveaway, the winner is Kristin Lenz! (Let’s hear a 21-gun salute!) She is also a writer. Kristin, Kathryn Fitzmaurice will be sending you a signed harcover copy of Destiny, Rewritten soon. Thanks for reading my blog. Enjoy! There will be another giveaway, so stay tuned and please leave comments to have a chance in the drawing.

 

I have been receiving requests lately to do book reviews for middle-grade books – some from authors, some from publicists, and even one from a publisher. It’s very flattering and it makes me realize that I’m actually building a pretty good readership. I feel good about that! Now, if I could just get into triple digits with my followers… In any case, this is a lead in for the book I will review and give away today.

A couple months ago I received a nice letter from a publicist asking me if I would be interested in reviewing Bitopia by Ari Magnusson. She told me it was a middle-grade book about bullying, and I told her to send it along. My grandkids have both been bullied and this is a very real problem for me. If we can find ways to mitigate the problem with engaging books for kids in middle school, I think it’s great, and I will do what I can to get the word out.

Young Stewart is trying to get home from school, which seems like a simple task, but there is a gang of three boys who harass Stewart and make his life miserable at every turn. This day, the boys surround him and really go after him. He escapes into a sewer pipe in a construction zone and, when the bullies start heaving garbage and rocks at him, he runs into the maze of pipes. Lost, he finds what he thinks is a way out only to find himself in a strange place that clearly is not his home town. When he turns back, the way he came out has disappeared.

Stewart finds a girl his age, Cora, gathering strange fruit. She refers to Stewart as a newcomer and says she will take to Bitopia, but they have to be careful of the Venators, frightening creatures that hunt children, picking at them, injuring them, harassing them. When they arrive in Bitopia after being chased by the Venators, Stewart finds himself in a walled city, sealed off from the outside world, and populated completely by human children. All the children arrived in this strange land after suffering terrible bullying. None ages while there. There are stringent rules and everyone has jobs to do, some riskier than others. Stewart discovers there is a book called the Comlat that was written by children from long ago that may hold the secret for all the children to overcome the Venators and return to their homes, but the book is kept locked away and only the Princeps, leader of the city, can see it.

Ari Magnusson

Stewart is determined to read the book and try to figure out the secret to returning home. He convinced Cora to help him, but they are found out. Anyone who does such a thing is destined to be banished from the safety of the city. Yet Stewart continues to try to be heard and try to solve the problem. Can he find a way to make himself heard, to overcome the terror of the Venators?

Most kids really like fantasy, and this is a great way to get a message across about bullying that is not too heavy-handed or preachy. The book, for the most part, moves along quickly and has lots of good tension and a compelling story. The characters are likable and engaging.

I can see this being used in the classroom along with a study guide the author has available, but it certainly is entertaining enough to find readers without it being assigned. I will be giving away my gently-used copy to one lucky reader. Please leave a comment to have your name in the drawing. If you Tweet the link to this post or put it on FaceBook or put it on your blog post, please let me know and I will put your name in a second time.  I will post the winner on my next post, so check back. And next week I have something even more exciting for you won’t want to miss!

Don’t forget to stop by Shannon Messenger’s wonderful blog for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday links. Click HERE to find it.

On the book giveaway, this is for U.S. only. Sorry, but it would be too expensive for me to send books out of the country. But please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. Remember, if you have trouble leaving a comment, click on the title of the post and it will give you just this post with a comments section on the bottom. Also, if you haven’t signed up by email, please do. Just look in the upper right-hand corner of this page, pop your email address in, and you will receive an email each time I put up a new post. Your information will not be shared with anyone.           

An Interview with Writer Kathryn Fitzmaurice and a Spectaular Giveaway

Thought for the day:

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." ~ Scott Adams ~

A gift for my writer friends:

 Here are some links I think you will find valuable – three great ones this week.

For great writing advice from Kurt Vonnegut, click HERE. 

For help avoiding the dreaded Information Dump, click HERE. 

For a wonderful article on Writing Character click HERE. 

For my wonderful giveaway, the winner is Elizabeth Varadan! (Cue the balloon drop!) Elizabeth tweeted and posted the blog post link on Facebook for extra chances and it paid off. She is also a writer. You can find out more about her by clicking HERE. Elizabeth, I will get your copy of Destiny, Rewritten soon. Thanks for reading my blog. Enjoy! There will be another very exciting giveaway, so stay tuned and please leave comments to have a chance in the drawing.

 

Last week I reviewed Kathryn Fitzmaurice’s wonderful new book, Destiny, Rewritten with a giveaway of my gently-read ARC. I also promised I would have something even more exciting this week.  Hard to believe, but I am here to deliver. First I have a very generous interview with Kathryn. She answered all my questions AND she is going to send one lucky reader an autographed hardcover of this wonderful book! She just received her copies this week and is holding one of them for you, so make sure you read to the end to see how to win.

Your writing has such a great, natural flow to it. Do you spend a lot of time planning your writing – outlining and such – or is it a much more organic process for you?

Thank you, Rosi, that’s very nice of you to say.   For some books, I do an outline.  A DIAMOND IN THE DESERT had a very long outline, all done in sticky notes, which were placed on the wall of my office.  I did this so when I came back to write each day, I just picked up where I left off.  I had to do an outline for this book because there was so much information, (what happened at the camp, in the war, and in baseball) and I wanted to make sure I didn’t leave anything out.  I also made sure to send each draft to the gentleman I interviewed, so he could check it for accuracy.  For other books, though, I usually just have a very rough outline, so I know more or less where I’m going, but I like to allow things to just happen, too.  Sometimes these are the very best scenes, the ones that surprise you!  I wrote my favorite scene in DESTINY,REWRITTEN one morning, and it was not on my rough outline. 

How do you discover your fictional characters? Are they based on real people?

I think many writers use pieces of real people to make up their characters.  In my first novel, THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY, there were several characters that had a lot of my friend’s qualities in them.  (For example, Mr. Tom was actually a real homeless guy who lived on the streets in Laguna Beach.  I haven’t seen him lately, though.  And Mama was a version of my hairdresser of eleven years, who is very talented!) As I’ve written more, though, I find I can make up characters easier then when I first started. 

It’s never easy to find enough time to write, especially when you have a family. What gets in the way for you? How do you find time to write?

Since my oldest son is now off to college on the east coast, and my youngest is a junior in high school, and my husband commutes to Los Angeles every day, I have the house to myself most days and try to write after walking the dog each morning.  When my youngest son gets home from school, though, he takes over my office to do his homework! 

This is your third book. Do you have a favorite? Which was the hardest to write and why?

I don’t think I do have a favorite.  I like them all for different reasons.  (This is what I’m supposed to say!)  A DIAMOND IN THE DESERT was definitely the hardest to write.  I had to do a lot of research before I even wrote one word.  And I had to send it back and forth to the gentleman who I was interviewing, Tetsuo Furukawa.  He read every draft for accuracy because I wanted to make sure all of my details were correct.  He would mark up each draft with notes.  I still have all of his notes!

Kathryn Fitzmaurice

What did you like to read when you were in middle school?

Poetry.  I wanted to be a poet for the longest time.  I have notebooks full of poetry! 

What is the last book you read?

THE DOG STARS, by Peter Heller.  I loved this book.  I could not put it down!

Who is your favorite author and why?

Kate DiCamillo because I remember reading BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE with my oldest son when he was in second grade and when Opal had her father tell her ten things about her mother right after she brought home Winn-Dixie, and then Opal went back into her room and memorized those ten things so when she found her mother she would know her….I thought, my gosh, this is brilliant, this is amazing and heartfelt and how did she do that?... and I want to someday, hopefully, write something this special. 

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given as a writer?

My grandmother, Eleanor Robinson, who was a science fiction author, told me to write what I know.  I try to do this, but there are days I wish I could go to lunch with her and ask her how.  I didn’t really start writing seriously until after she passed away, and so I read her books and study her techniques.  I try to see how she did things, how she carried her plot, grew her characters, etc., but it’s hard sometimes, only having her books and a few notes from her unpublished manuscripts. 

What advice would you pass along to those of us who haven’t gotten that first book published?  

I would say to attend as many conferences and writing retreats as possible.  You never know who you might meet that could be interested in your story.   Also, I think being a part of a critique group is a good idea because writers need support and feedback

I’ve loved all three of your books and am looking forward to the next. What is next for you?

Thank you, Rosi!  I am working on a half-fantasy/half real-life book.  I keep changing things as I go but I’m slowly writing through the story.  Yesterday I deleted a lot of it, parts I didn’t like.  Sometimes that’s necessary.  First drafts can be messy!  

Thank you for so generously sharing your time and thoughts. Is there anything I didn’t ask about that you’d like to tell us?

I have a wonderful dog that is named Holly who sits with me everyday on her feather pillow as I write.  At 3pm each afternoon, she puts her paws on my legs and tells me it’s time for her dinner.  I don’t know how she knows it’s 3pm, but she does. 

Thank you for interviewing me.  

And thank you, Kathryn, for being here and answering so many questions. I'm sure everyone will enjoy this.

Please leave a comment to have your name in the drawing. If you Tweet the link to this post or put it on FaceBook or put it on your blog post, please let me know and I will put your name in a second time.  I will post the winner on my next post, so check back. And next week I have something even more exciting for you won’t want to miss!

Don’t forget to stop by Shannon Messenger’s wonderful blog for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday links. Click HEREto find it.

On the book giveaway, this is for U.S. only. Sorry, but it would be too expensive for me to send books out of the country. But please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. Remember, if you have trouble leaving a comment, click on the title of the post and it will give you just this post with a comments section on the bottom. Also, if you haven’t signed up by email, please do. Just look in the upper right-hand corner of this page, pop your email address in, and you will receive an email each time I put up a new post. Your information will not be shared with anyone.           

Kathryn Fitzmaurice's Wonderful New Book -- Destiny, Rewritten -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the day:

Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations. 
 ~Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing~

A gift for my writer friends:
Here are some links I think you will find valuable – three great ones this week. 

For a great article on How Long You Should Keep Trying to Get Published click HERE. 

For 7 Ways to Add Subplots to Your Novel click HERE. 

Writer’s Digest Most Popular Articles on Writing of 2012 is always worth a look. Click HERE. 

For my wonderful giveaway, the winner is Barbara Watson! (Cue the spotlight!) Barbara is also a writer and a freelance editor who gives terrific feedback. I speak from experience. You can find out more about her and the services she offers by clicking HERE. Barbara, I will be sending you an ARC of Winter’sTide. Thanks for reading my blog. The book will be on its way soon. Enjoy! There will be another giveaway, so stay tuned and please leave comments to have a chance in the drawing.
 

I read the book I’ll be reviewing this week quite a while ago, but have been waiting to review it when it was due out. It's a new book by Kathryn Fitzmaurice. I've reviewed her other two books on my blog and if you missed them, please check them out. You can read about The Year the Swallows Came Early by clicking HERE and click HERE to read about A Diamond in the Desert. Her new book, Destiny, Rewritten will have its official release on February 19, but I’ll bet you can preorder it now. And you should. It’s such a delightful book. What follows is the review I wrote for the Sacramento Book Review that appears in the February issue.

Emily had been named for Emily Dickinson. She had been told it’s her destiny to be a poet, but she doesn’t like writing poetry. Can destiny be changed? Emily’s mother, a poet and professor of English, believes in destiny. She had bought a first edition of The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson before Emily was born and had written Emily’s life story in the margins. She had even written the name of Emily’s father in those margins, although Emily never discovered it. Emily doesn’t find out that name is there until after something terrible happens. Emily sets the book on a box when she takes a phone call from her best friend, Wavy. The book is mistakenly donated to the local charity store when Emily’s cousin sticks the book into the box when it is picked up by the charity. When they discover the book is gone, Emily’s mother tells her that her father’s name is there, the father she has dreamed of and yearned for as long as she can remember. Her mother believes in destiny and feels that if Emily never found it, she isn’t ready to know yet.

“I stood on the platform watching the silver glint of the last car reflecting sunlight, how it curved around the track, then disappeared. I had no map, no backpack, and no plan.”

Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Emily goes on an epic search for the book that leads her through every used-book store in Berkeley and introduces Emily to a cast of characters worthy of every page turn. The journey also leads Emily to a lot of self-discovery and personal growth. She is accompanied on much of this journey by Wavy and Emily’s cousin, Mortie, an annoying and incredibly smart eight-year-old. Throughout the story, Emily keeps up a one-sided correspondence with author Danielle Steele that acts something like a cathartic diary. But can Emily find her book? And if she does, will it hold the answers she has spent so much time looking for? There are a few surprises along the way, along with a most satisfying conclusion that would make Danielle Steele proud.

Kathryn Fitzmaurice has written another wonderful book that will have her legions of young fans racing for the nearest bookstore. It is a page turner with lots of mystery, twists and turns, and fun. Young girls will love everything about this book, and so will any woman who gets her hands on it. This is just a terrific read.

I will be sending my gently used ARC to one of you. Please leave a comment to have your name in the drawing. If you Tweet the link to this post or put it on FaceBook or put it on your blog post, please let me know and I will put your name in a second time.  I will post the winner on my next post, so check back. And next week I have something even more exciting for you won’t want to miss!

Don’t forget to stop by Shannon Messenger’s wonderful blog for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday links. Click HERE to find it.

On the book giveaway, this is for U.S. only. Sorry, but it would be too expensive for me to send books out of the country. But please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. Remember, if you have trouble leaving a comment, click on the title of the post and it will give you just this post with a comments section on the bottom. Also, if you haven’t signed up by email, please do. Just look in the upper right-hand corner of this page, pop your email address in, and you will receive an email each time I put up a new post. Your information will not be shared with anyone.