Sunday, October 26, 2014

Courage for Beginners -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:


“Creativity is like washing a pig. It’s messy. It has no rules. No clear 
beginning, middle or end. It’s kind of a pain in the ass, and when you’re 
done, you’re not sure if the pig is really clean or even why you were 
washing a pig in the first place.” 
~ Luke Sullivan ~ 

Gifts for My Writer Friends:


Janice Hardy has a great way to create characters with a game. Check it out HERE.

All writers know we can learn a great deal from screenwriters. Billy Wilder was one of the best. HERE you will find his tips for writers. Very interesting reading.

I just ran across a link to a Darcy Pattison post from earlier this year that discusses 29 Plot Templates. You can find it HERE. It’s chock full of good information.
  

I didn't have a chance to post last week. My hubby and I took a short trip to Minnesota for some family business. We were there at the perfect time to enjoy some beautiful autumn colors and weather and had a chance to visit with some family and friends. It was a great few days, and I enjoyed my mini-break. The last time I posted, I offered a copy of Dash by Kirby Larson. Our lucky winner this time is Myra! Congratulations to you, Myra. I will get the book in the mail to you this week. For the rest of you, I have another terrific book to giveaway, so read to the end. 

Back in February, I reviewed a book that I LOVED -- Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington. If you missed that review, you can click HERE and read it. When I saw there was another book coming by her, I snagged it for review as soon as it was listed. I was not disappointed. Courage for Beginners is a terrific book and below you can read the 5-star review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review

Mysti Murphy is having a difficult time. Her mother cannot leave the house. All she does is paint, grow vegetables, and bake bread. Mysti’s father tries to keep everything light and running as normally as possible. He does all the shopping, driving, working, etc., and takes care of everyone, but Mysti knows there’s nothing much normal at her house. Few things are going well in her life. Her best friend, Anibel Gomez, has decided he is becoming a new person, a hipster, when they start seventh grade, and he doesn’t want Mysti to talk to him or act like she knows him while they are in school. When Mysti’s father suffers a terrible accident, Mysti must take over while he is in the hospital.
“I just figure that ever since that tree branch snapped, change has been forcing its way into my life. It’s time to make friends with it. Do something on the outside that matches how I feel on the inside.”
Karen Harrington has written a very complex story full of interesting characters
Karen Harrington
and difficult problems. Mysti has to deal with issues including mental illness, bullying, money issues, a terrible accident, and more. She is a bright, interesting, courageous character, and readers will naturally root for her. The problems she has to face are things middle-graders will relate to. These are things they worry about. The writing is lovely and the story very satisfying. Don’t miss this one.

If you would like to have a chance to win my gently-read hardcover copy, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do. 

 
And don't forget to check Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways. Click HERE to visit.
 
Oh, and please don't ask my why the font changes in the middle of my post. I have no idea and have done everything I can to fix it. Bah!




Sunday, October 12, 2014

Dash by Kirby Larson -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:


“The thing about creativity is, people are going to laugh at it.
Get over it.”
~ Twyla Tharp ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Anne R. Allen has a post all of us need at one time or another. Click HERE to read 14 Block-Busting Never-Fail Tips Every Writer Needs to Know.

Fiction University has a terrific post HERE by Stephanie Gaither on How to Hook Readers from Page One.

I have often wondered what someone means when using the term “literary fiction” and have never gotten a clear answer. Dear Editor.com has a pretty good answer to this. Take a look HERE to see what she has to say. 

Last week, I offered my gently-read copy of All Four Stars by Tara Dairman to one of you. This week's winner is Joanne Fritz. Congratulations, Joanne!! WooHoo for you!! If you don't know Joanne, you can find her blog HERE, and it is worth your time. She does book reviews and giveaways and then there's the brain stuff... Well, you'll have to check it out and take a moment to read her About Me tab. Joanne, I will send the book out this week. For the rest of you, stay tuned as I have another great giveaway this week.

I am going to make this short and sweet this week. I was up at 4:30 this morning so we could drive two hours to an early morning baseball tournament my grandson played in. It was a long day including two games for him and coming home in time to watch the NLCS game between the S. F. Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. Just about enough baseball to keep me happy. Anyway, I
am beat. So I am going to reprint the short review I wrote of Dash by Kirby Larson. I had a the great pleasure of meeting Kirby at a Highlight's Workshop I attended last year, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this lovely book. It did not disappoint, hence the 5-star review. 

Mitsi Kashino is returning to her fifth-grade classroom after Christmas vacation, but her best friends, Mags and Judy, aren’t at their usual meeting place. At school, Mags and Judy are hanging out with Patty, who has never been nice. Judy and Mags ignore Mitsi and never defend her when Patty is mean. At least she still has her very best friend, her sweet dog Dash. But soon everything changes. The Kashino family is sent to an internment camp, and Mitsi isn’t allowed to take Dash. Life in the internment camp is hard on the family, and sometimes the family seems to be disintegrating. Will anything ever be right again for Mitsi and her family?
 
Kirby Larson takes her readers back in time to one of the saddest chapters in
Kirby Larson
our history to tell the moving story of a very American family. Her impeccable research and great writing makes this story feel absolutely authentic. Young readers will be transported and completely immersed in Mitsi’s story, all the while learning an important history lesson without knowing it. This book should find a home in middle-grade classrooms and school libraries across the country and will transcend that age group. Don’t miss this one.

I have a gently-read hardback copy of this wonderful book to offer to one of you. All you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do. 

And don't forget to check Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways. Click HERE to visit.