Thought for the Day:
"A lot of people in this world hear voices in their minds. Some are called crazy, and they lock themselves away in little rooms where they bang their heads against the wall all day. The others
are called writers and they pretty much do the same thing." ~Marion Steiger~
Some Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Fresh eyes are always a good idea when working on a manuscript, but beyond your friends and critique partners, where can you go? I found a great resource recently. Jill Johse has a new business at MyBlockReader.com. She will read your entire manuscript, mark every little error you THINK you have abolished, give you very helpful notes (I received four pages!), with a quick turnaround for not much money. I was very pleased. Click HERE to learn all about it.
I think I have neglected to mention The Bookshelf
Muse blog here. This blog is written by the authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. Every
writer should be reading this blog and should own their book. There is a
veritable treasure trove of information on their site. This post talks about
the physical attribute of voice and can be found by clicking HERE.
My good friend and fellow blogger Morgan Mussell has a terrific post every writer should read, but especially writers of fantasy. I try to never miss his posts. They are always worth my time. Click HERE to find this thought-provoking post called Dreaming with Animals.
You just can’t get enough good examples of how
important showing versus telling really is. HERE is a terrific post on that
from Adventures in YA Publishing, one of my favorite blogs.
It is WINNER time. Last time I offered two books in my giveaway, Whistle in the Dark and Hunter Moran Hangs Out. Our winner is ... wait for it ... Debi! WooHoo. Debi, I will be shipping your books this week. Congratulations and enjoy! If you didn't win, do not despair. I have another spectacular giveaway today. Read to the end to find out what it's all about.
Way back in January, I wrote a review of Shannon Messenger's wonderful middle-grade fantasy, Keeper of the Lost Cities. If you missed it, you can click HERE to read it. I don't have much patience when it comes to waiting for sequels, so I was thrilled when the publisher asked if I might like to have an ARC of the second book, Keeper of the Lost Cities: Exile. I hopped right on that. Sequels are difficult, I think. The writer has to make the book stand on it's own in case someone hasn't read the prior book, yet one can't put in too much backstory or it will bog down. Shannon handled this masterfully. This book does stand on it's own, yet those of us who read the first book get just enough reminders of the first story to bridge the gap to the first. Nicely done, Shannon!
Sophie, while on a hunt for a Sasquatch with Dex, Grady, and Sandor, instead finds an Alicorn, the rarest of animals. It looks like a unicorn crossed with Pegasus. When Sophie leaps with the Alicorn back to Havenfield, she manages it without coming apart. She names the creature Silveny, who makes it clear the only person she trusts is Sophie, and after some wrangling, the Council agrees to leave Silveny with her, Grady, and Edaline, but there are hard feelings on the part of some of the council members.
“This is who we’re trusting with the
most important creature on our planet?” a sharp voice barked as Sophie flailed
in the stinky waste—which was surprisingly glittery. Apparently she’s found the
one thing sparkles didn’t make better.
The divided council spells trouble for both Sophie and others. Jealousy is a powerful emotion and
 |
| Shannon Messenger |
It wasn’t rot or decay or waste like
she would expect from a prison. Nor was it sulphur or magma, like the center of
the earth should smell. The only word she could think of to describe it was “bleak.”
If hopelessness had an odor it would smell like Exile. Sharp and stale and
bitter.
This is a real page-turner. If you still aren't sure about getting it, I have a taste for you. Simon & Schuster has put the first two chapters on line for all to read. You can test drive Keeper of the Lost Cities: Exile by clicking HERE, but be warned, you just might be caught up in it and end up pacing around muttering, "When will it come? What's taking so long?" But it's only a few days until it's out, so order yours now.
And don't forget to check out Shannon's wonderful blog from links to more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday bloggers. There are usually a few giveaways as well. Click HERE to find your way.
Now for the giveaway. You must be a follower, but that's easy. Check the information on the right to find and become a follower. Leave a comment. That will get your name into the hat. If you want your name in there more than one time, Tweet the link to this blog or post it on Facebook or your own blog and let me know. Your name will magically appear in the hat more than one time. If your name is drawn I will send you my gently-read ARC of this wonderful book.
