Thought for the Day:
"There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life
that is less than the one you are capable of living."
~ Nelson Mandela ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Beth Stilborn at By Word of Beth has a great post with lots of terrific links all about character names and titles. Check it out HERE.
Some thoughts on writing from John Steinbeck. Worth the time. Click HERE.
I took a nonfiction workshop a couple years ago through the Highlights Foundation. Peggy Thomas was on the faculty, and it was a terrific workshop. Peggy writes about nonfiction at her blog Anatomy of Nonfiction. She has a great post on Using Fair Assumptions in Nonfiction HERE. If you ever work in this genre, this is really worth your time.
Last week I offered an ARC of Connect the Stars by David Teague and Marisa de los Santos. The winner this week is Joanne Fritz. Congratulations, Joanne! I will be getting the book out to you this week. If you don't know Joanne, you should check out her blog HERE. She is a writer with a fascinating and inspiring "About Me" on her blog. Every once in awhile I go to her blog and read her "About Me" just for inspiration. Seriously. Right now she is running a giveaway there for a fun book. Fear not. I have another giveaway this week, so read on!
My grandson is a history buff and his special area of interest are anything related to Lincoln and the Civil War. When I saw this book as an option for the San Francisco Book Review, I knew I had to get it. Here is my review for them of Lincoln's Spymaster: Allen Pinkerton, America's First Private Eye by Samantha Seiple.
Allan Pinkerton was a barrel maker. In an effort to get free wood, he visited a small island. There he found evidence of strange goings-on. After some investigation, he helped uncover a counterfeiting ring. This was his first step on a long journey through law enforcement and building of the greatest detective agency. As Pinkerton built his detective business capturing many outlaws, including train robbers, he came to know leaders in the railroad business. It was one of these, Samuel Felton, who hired Pinkerton to uncover a plot to destroy his railroad. In the process of doing so, Pinkerton discovered a plot to assassinate Lincoln before he could take office. In foiling that plot, Pinkerton sealed his future as an integral part of Lincoln’s inner circle in Washington D.C. throughout his administration, extending even to being a war spy during the Civil War.
“The information in Pinkerton’s reports to McClellan was not just collected by his spies. He also interrogated deserters, prisoners of war, refugees, and runaway slaves.”
Samantha Seiple has found a subject who will absolutely fascinate readers
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| Samantha Seiple |
I have an ARC of this wonderful book I would be happy to send to 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.
