“Write what disturbs you, what you
fear, what you have not been able to talk about. Be willing to be split open.”
~ Natalie Goldberg ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Does
Janice Hardy ever run out of wonderful ideas for writers to strengthen their
works? I think not. HERE is a great post on mirroring.
HERE
is a wonderful gathering of inspiring quotes from authors on motivating
yourself. I particularly like what Dinaw Mengestu and Jami Attenberg have to
say, but, honestly, these are all great.
The
ladies at Writers Helping Writers has a great post HERE on the importance of
grounding your characters in your readers world.
I'm sorry I didn't get a post up last week. We did have a nice family day for Easter, but that wasn't the reason. Our Xfinity went out last Sunday morning and didn't come back on until very late that night. No telephone (yes, I do have a land-line), no television, and no internet. No internet means no blog. I felt like I was living in another age. My, we do get used to our connections to the world. Anyway, I'm here now and am going to give away the ARC of Like a River by Kathy Canon Weichman as promised. Our winner this week is Janet Smart, a writer from West Virginia. You can get to know her through her blog, Writing in the Blackberry Patch by clicking HERE. Congratulations, Janet! I will get the book out to you this week. I have another giveaway, so please stay tuned.
This week I would like to tell you about a fascinating book I read recently. Watch the Sky by Kirsten Hubbard captured me with the cover. Isn't that an intriguing cover? Then I read about it and was able to claim it for review. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review. I absolutely love this book and think all of you will as well.
Jory is in
sixth grade and, after being homeschooled until fifth grade, feels like he’s
finally fitting in. His sister, Kit, who never speaks, is still homeschooled.
Kit wandered into their lives three years before, but Jory loves her like a
real sister. Their mom, who has debilitating headaches, keeps busy with Kit and
baby Ansel. Jory’s stepfather, Caleb, keeps them safe and watches for signs.
Something is coming, but Caleb won’t tell them what. And sometimes Caleb gets
mean and acts a little crazy. When the time comes, they must be ready. They
mustn’t talk to anyone about Caleb’s plans. But Jory starts making friends, and
somehow he lets some secrets spill. Suddenly, Caleb announces it’s time, and
the family begins digging a bunker in the canyon. Jory begins to question
Caleb’s motives, but is it too late?
“Alone underground, Jory
leaned against his half-filled wheelbarrow, inhaling the damp, earthy air
through his bandana. Tall stacks of two-by-fours sat in the space’s center.”
Kirsten
Hubbard has written an absolutely riveting middle-grade thriller. The
characters are well-founded and absolutely believable and engaging. The close
third-person point of view pulls readers completely into Jory’s world, and
readers will feel his every hope and fear. This is an exceptional coming-of-age
story that will stay with readers long after the cover is closed.
 |
| Kirsten Hubbard |
I have a gently read ARC of this terrific book for one of you. To win, 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.
Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.
