Wed Rabbit -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

"Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.

You need to start somewhere." 

~ Anne Lamott ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Flashbacks are tricky, but sometimes they are necessary. HERE Randy Ingermanson has a good post on just that topic. 

Anne R. Allen offers fixes for plot holes in your manuscript HERE. My favorite section is called Too Dumb to Live. 

This is a lot of fun. HERE is a post with 25 synonyms you should be using.

My daughter Maggie, who is between acting gigs right at the moment, is spending some time building a website for me. We are hoping to be able to go live in the next week or two, so changes are coming! I'm pretty excited about it and am busy sending her stuff that will make me look good. I think it's time for me to make this move. I hope I can invite you all to check it out very soon.

Last week I offered a gently-read hardback of Saturdays with Hitchcock by Ellen Wittlinger to one of you. This time our winner is Danielle Hammelef, who always shares the link to my blog a lot of places. Thanks for doing that Danielle. I will get your book out to you soon. Congratulations! For the rest of you, I have another book to give away and this one is FUNNY and has some fun fantasy as well.

When I looked over a list for review books from the Manhattan Book Review, I ran across a book called Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans. At first I thought it was a picture book, but when I looked it up, found it to be a middle-grade novel. When I saw the cover (Don't you LOVE it?), I hearkened back to Bunnicula, one of my all-time favorites, so I knew I had to have it, and I snatched it right up. I had no idea what a fun ride I was in for. Here is the review I wrote for the Manhattan Book Review.

Fidge is eleven, and she is tired of having to read The Wimbley Woos book to her four-year-old sister, Minnie, over and over. And that’s not the only thing that’s annoying about Minnie. She has annoying toys, especially Wed Wabbit, and she always gets her way even if it gets in the way of the one thing Fidge wants. Fidge is so angry and retaliates in the smallest way, but the worst thing happens. She has to stay with her scaredy-cat cousin, Graham, and during a storm both of them are transported into the Land of Wimbley Woos. Strange things are happening there, and when they find out Wed Wabbit has taken over as king, things get really interesting. They have to get Wed Wabbit and get him back to Maddie. It’s quite a challenge.

Author Lissa Evans has written the most refreshingly funny and smart book to

Lissa Evans

come out in quite a while. This is a page turner of the first order and has great messages about friendship, courage, loyalty, and much more, but the messages are well hidden in this clever, laugh-out-loud funny story. Get thee to a bookstore and buy this book!

I have a gently-read hardback 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.

Saturdays with Hitchcock -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat,

determination and hard work.”

~ Colin Powell ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

First I want to mention Jess Carroll to you. Jess has the most awesome service for those who write picture books, especially rhyming ones. Her critiques are AMAZING! And she will soon be starting an on-line rhyme academy. You can check out her services and other things HERE and friend her on Facebook to stay apprised of her upcoming classes. 

BookFox has an interesting post HERE on chapter lengths. It’s not something I have thought a lot about, but I think I should. 

Just for fun — an article HERE about the strange and wonderful things found between the pages of books. 

I am an over-explainer. I know it. I have to cut, cut, cut to get my over-explaining out. Janice Hardy has a great post HERE on just that topic. 

When last we met, I offered a paperback copy of the wonderfully funny book, Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage. This week's winner is cschwanke2013, who, I surmise, works at the Charlotte Mecklinberg Library in North Carolina. Congratulations to you, cschwanke2013. I will get your book out to you soon. Thanks for reading and commenting. For the rest of you, I have another fun giveaway this week, so read on!

I am a bit of a movie junkie and, as a kid, spent every possible Saturday at the movies. So when I saw a book called Saturdays with Hitchcock by Ellen Wittlinger on the list for the Manhattan Book Review, I had to grab it. This is not her first rodeo. Check out all the books listed on her website! Here is the review I wrote for them. 

Small town life is simple, especially if you are a twelve-year-old girl, right? Maybe not so much if your ne’er-do-well but favorite uncle is injured on the film set and comes home to visit just as your mother loses her job, your grandmother seems to be losing her memory, a new boy joins you and your best friend in activities and it is clear he has a crush on you, your best friend forever confides to you that he is gay and that he like-likes the new guy, and your grandmother’s old boy-friend shows up and it’s clear he is still smitten with her after all these years. Yeah, maybe not so simple. Maisie, aka Hitchcock, loves movies and wants to make them. It would be nice if it were just her and her best friend, Cyrus, as it has been forever, but life changes, and Maisie’s life is quite a balancing act.

Author Ellen Wittlinger has written a truly important middle-grade novel that

Ellen Wittlinger

addresses a lot of difficult issues today’s kids are likely to face. Her writing is strong, her dialogue pitch-perfect, and the story is compelling. Not to be missed.

I have a gently-read hardback 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.