The Paradox of Vertical Flight -- a Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day: 

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”  ~ Carl Sandburg ~ 

Some Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Spice up your dialogue, but just enough by clicking HERE for a great post. 

Seven Quick Ways to Write Sentences that Sizzle is the name of a good article from The Writer’s Village written by editor Jodie Renner. Find it HERE.

 

Would you like to add suspense to your story? HERE is a great post on that topic.

Last Sunday's post had a chance for one of my readers to win a copy of This is NOT a Drill by Beck McDowell. Well, sometimes it pays to get in early. Natalie Aguirre was the first to leave a comment and her name was the first to be picked from the hat! Congratulations, Natalie!! Natalie is a writer and an attorney -- a very busy lady -- and blogs at Literary Rambles with Casey McCormick (who works at a literary agency). Click HERE to check it out. They also give away a LOT of books, so if you like to read, you might want to subscribe, and they run a regular agency spotlight, so if you are looking for an agent, you really don't want to miss their posts. Natalie, I will be in touch and will get your book out this week.

I have spent the last eight hours at baseball games. My grandson plays on three different teams and today he played one game with one team and two games with another. I keep score, so there I was for many hours of pretty darned exciting baseball. They did, of course, win all three! (Proud Grandma here.) I tell you this because I am just wrung out. So I am simply going to post a review I wrote last fall of a book I really enjoyed. Read to the end to find out how you can have my copy of The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski.

Jack wakes up on his eighteenth birthday and decides it might be a good idea to almost commit suicide. His ex-girlfriend calls before he can figure out how to almost kill himself. She has just given birth to their son. Jack has not heard from Jess in quite awhile. She wants him to see their son before he is given up for adoption. Jack goes to the hospital and, when Jess hands the baby to him, everything changes. Jack decides he really wants to introduce his son to his grandmother, Bob, and he takes the baby and leaves. Being a student of philosophy (and not being very believable as a high school senior), Jack names the baby Socrates and begins to imbue the newborn with stories of ancient Greece and lots of mythology, a great foundation for any child. Jack corrals his best friend, Tommy, to help him get to grandma’s house and Jess comes along as well as they dodge police and take a journey of a lifetime.

“High school psychology taught me it’s important to give out verbal cues when someone else is talking, even when you have no idea what they’re talking about.”

If one is looking for an entertaining read, look no further. This book is wacky and wild and funny, but a bit over the top.  Teens will like this one a lot.

Emil Ostrovski

I suggest you click HERE and poke around Emil Ostrovski's web site. His bio and his "Unfrequently Asked Questions" are worth a look. He's a very funny guy. 

If you would like to win my gently-read ARC of The Paradox of Vertical Flight, be a subscriber or a follower (it's free and easy -- check the right-hand column), have a U.S. address, and leave a comment. If you would like an extra chance in the drawing, spread the word by sending out the link to this post by Twitter, Facebook, your own blog, or whatever way you choose and tell me in your comment that you have done so. Next week I will draw a name from my proverbial hat and will send the book to that winner. I will, if all goes well, be back with a picture book review on Friday and then a middle-grade, YA, or adult book next Sunday. Please come back!