Thought for the Day:
“Love is the answer to everything. It’s the only reason to do anything. If you
don’t write stories you love, you’ll never make it. If you don’t write stories
that other people love, you’ll never make it.”
~ Ray Bradbury ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Some years ago, I was in a critique group with several beginning writers. I was really a beginner at the time. One day we had quite an argument about point of view. One of the writers insisted books could only be written in either first person or third person limited, that nothing else was allowed. I tried to convince her there was such a thing as omniscient PoV, but she was having none of it. The Writer Magazine has an interesting article HERE on omniscient PoV.
M. L. Keller has a good post HERE on secondary characters. We can’t get along without them.
Writers Helping Writers always has good stuff. I especially like the post HERE on how to indicate a passage of time in your story.
Last week, I offered a gently-read hardback of Why Fish Don't Drown? by Anna Claybourne to one of you. It's such a fun book. I guess it pays to get your comment in early. This week's winner is Linda, the very first to leave a comment last week. Congratulations, Linda! I will get your book out to you soon. For the rest of you -- yes, I do have another great giveaway this week.
I find it hard to believe that I have never before read a book by Avi. This guy has written sooooo many books, and somehow I have never gotten around to reading him until this year. I read a review of The Player King on Dorine White's wonderful blog, The Write Path, and knew it was for me. I love historical fiction, and she made it sound so enticing. She has wonderful reviews, so check out her blog. Anyway, I was able to snag a copy for review and grabbed it. Here is the review I wrote for the Tulsa Book Review.
Lambert Simnel has no memory of his parents and doesn’t even know how
old he is. All he knows of life is working in a dingy tavern, basting
meat and fetching bread and cleaning up. It is 1486 in England, and King
Henry VII sits on the throne. Young Prince Edward, who really has a
stronger claim to the throne, has not been seen for some months, and it
is thought Henry may have done away with him. A monk comes to the tavern
and buys Lambert from the tavern keeper. The monk trains Lambert to be
Edward, telling Lambert he has forgotten who he truly is. It becomes
clear to Lambert that powerful men intend to make him the true king of
England and that his life might be quite good if he goes along with
their plans.
Author Avi has written a compelling
story based on real people and true
happenings. The writing is crisp and
the language perfectly suited to the time and place. The characters are
fully realized and very believable. Avi’s setting descriptions are
extraordinary and take the readers directly to 15th-century London. This
book will turn young readers into history lovers.
 |
| Avi |
I have a gently-read hardback for of this 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 Greg Pattridge's blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.
