The Disappearance of Emily H. -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say ‘infinitely’ when you mean ‘very;’ otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.”
-C.S. Lewis

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Feeling a little delusional about your writing? Maybe we all are a little delusional about our work. Anne R. Allen has some great advice HERE about dealing with those delusions.

Another great post from Janice Hardy HERE on Fiction University. This one is about characters that are too perfect, a problem my critique group can attest I often have. 

Stephanie Gayle did an interesting guest post on The Writer’s Dig that outlines seven fatal flaws that will tell you your novel isn’t ready to submit. You can find it HERE. Number four is one I really need to watch for. 

When I last wrote, I offered an ARC of Lincoln's Spymaster by Samantha Seiple to one of you. This time, Janet Smart is the winner. Congratulations, Janet! If you don't know Janet, you should check our her blog, Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch, HERE. She is a West Virginia writer specializing in children's stories and writing about Appalachia. I will be getting your book out to you this week, Janet. For the rest of you, please keep reading. I have a wonderful book to give away.

I don't read a lot of fantasy. It just isn't my cup of tea. But I do like books that are set in the real world and have some fantastic elements. When I read about The Disappearance of Emily H. by Barrie Summy, I asked the Manhattan Book Review to get it for me for review. I'm really glad I did. Here the the review I wrote. 

Raine has a special ability. She can see sparkles on people or things and, when she picks them up, can read memories from them as her grandmother had before her. She is starting eighth grade at her third middle school and fifth school over all. As she is picking up her schedule, she meets Shirlee who is also new, having only been homeschooled. Before long the newbies are targeted by the mean queen of the school and her minions. Raine discovers she and her mother are living in the house of a girl who had recently disappeared and is thought to be dead. When Raine steals a sparkle, she discovers the mean girls may have had something to do with the disappearance. At the same time an arsonist is on the loose. And there’s more that creates real danger for Raine and others.

“Jennifer uploads a few more videos on YouTube about me, then stops. It’s not really her thing. She prefers to bully in real life, up close and personal. She wants to see her victim’s reaction.”

Barrie Summy has created a delicious mystery with some magic added in that

Barrie Summy

will have readers turning the pages as quickly as they can read. The writing is excellent, the characters real and sympathetic, and the story compelling. It deserves to be read well beyond the tween audience to which it is marketed. 

I have an ARC of this charming 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.

Lincoln's Spymaster -- Review and Giveaway

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

Samantha Seiple

young and old in this well-written biography. The fast-paced story is told through clear, crisp prose and illustrated with great choices in very early photographs which emphasize the non-fiction aspect of the book. Readers will love this fresh take on Pinkerton.

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.