Will in Scarlet -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he’ll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer.”  ~ Ray Bradbury~

Some Gifts for My Writer Friends: 

Barbara Krasner of The Whole Megillah is possibly the best author interviewer I've ever run across. Seriously. She recently did a fantastic interview with author Neal Bascomb that can be found HERE. This is really worth your time. 

Click HERE to find a list and links to the 62 top writing articles from 2013 in Writer’s Digest. 

A great post on character flaws can be found by clicking HERE.This is the blog of Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman who have written The Emotion Thesaurus and other great resources for writers. If you aren't following their blog yet, I do recommend it.

Last week, I offered a copy of The Ghost in the Glass House to one of my readers who left a comment. Cue the spotlight! Our winner is Morgan Mussell! WooHoo! Morgan is a writer and publishes a most incredible blog. Click HERE and hop on over to The First Gates. There is always something interesting on his blog. Morgan, I will get your book to you this week. If you didn't win, read to the end. I have another fabulous book to give away.

Sometimes I run across a book for middle-schoolers that is so smart and fun that it is a true joy to read. Recently I read Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody, and it is just that kind of book. I LOVED it. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

Everyone knows the story of Robin Hood, but until now, no one was aware how badly his unrequited love for Maid Marion affected him. This is really the story of Will Shackley, age thirteen, whose father went off to the Crusades with Richard the Lion-Hearted and was captured and held, with Richard, for ransom. Will has to grow up in a hurry. Prince John is intent on usurping the throne and sends Sir Guy to take over the castle of Shackley with the help of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Will escapes and finds himself with a bunch of Merry Men in the Nottingham Forest, who would like to ransom him. He convinces them he can lead them to a great treasure, but he really plans revenge on Sir Guy.

“Prince John’s since given the stewardship of Shackley Castle over to Sir Guy. But the truth of the matter is, I don’t care. John, Richard, or King Fart the Great, they’re all the same to us out here in the wild.”

The surprises come one after another in this terrific page-turner for middle-grade boys, but since there is a little romance hinted at and such amazing action, girls and, heck, everyone will want to read this.

Matthew Cody started creating comics for Marvel and DC Comics, but has made a seamless move to middle-grade author. This could be the beginning of a series, and, if so, it will be a blockbuster.

One of you will be lucky enough to win a nice gently-read hardback copy of this wonderful book. Please leave a comment. If you want more than one chance to win, spread the word by posting this link on your blog or on Facebook or some other social media or tweet out the word and let me know. I will put your name in the hat for every place you post this. This drawing is for U.S. addresses only. 

To find other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday books, stop by Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog which you can find by clicking HERE. She always has a great list of blogs posting MMGM reviews and giveaways.

Review and Giveaway of The Ghost in the Glass House

Thought for the Day:

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely..." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Some Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Carol Baldwin wrote an excellent post you can see HERE about applying the beats from Save the Cat in your novel. 

Click HERE for some wonderful advice on getting your first page just right. 

An excellent post on the use of dialogue tags can be found HERE. 

When I last posted here, I offered a copy of Turn Left at the Cow to one of my readers who left a comment. It was nice to see some new readers here and one of the new readers won. Congratulations to Rebecca Petruck!! (WooHoo!) Now here is an interesting coincidence: Rebecca is an author whose debut novel, Steering Toward Normal, will release in May and just happens to be set in Minnesota and has a cow in it. How about that? I can't wait to get my hands on Rebecca's book. It looks like every bit as much fun as Turn Left at the Cow. You can learn more about Rebecca by checking out her web site by clicking HERE. 

I know I took last week off, but I had family things and some writing of my own to work on. I've got some projects I'm working on that are pretty important to me, so I might take a week off now and again, but I will be here pretty regularly with book reviews and giveaways, so please keep on coming by and tell your friends who like to read this is a good place to get free books. I have another one for you today and it's a good one. I am pasting in the review I wrote for the San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review below. I think you will enjoy it. Read on to see how you can have a chance to win a nice hardcover copy of it.

The Ghost in the Glass House

Carey Wallace

By Carey Wallace
Clarion Books, $16.99, 240 pages
Clare has not been home in three years, not since shortly after her father died. Her mother took Clare and began to travel the world, to be anywhere but where Clare’s father wasn’t. They find themselves in another rented home near the seaside. Everyone else from their group has seaside summer homes, but not Clare and her mother. But they have some things no one else has: a glass house and a resident ghost. The glass house is locked and Tilda, the housekeeper, claims the key has been lost. Clare’s mother finds the key, but Tilda hides it away. Clare keeps watch and discovers where the key is and makes a wax duplicate. When she enters the glass house, a disembodied voice speaks to her. Over days, the ghost, Jack, comes to depend on Clare and even to love her. When Clare tries to have time with her own friends, a complicated group, jealousy rears its ugly head.

“A faint weight covered her entire hand now, as if a leaf had fallen onto it from a tree above. It had none of the heat of Bram’s hand, but warmth spread through her from it, as if a tide had turned in her blood, drawing it all toward that place with stronger and stronger waves.”

This charming ghost story, set in the roaring twenties, won’t scare anyone, but shines a light on the complications of the human condition within a lovely and mysterious book.

 If you would like to have my gently-read copy of The Ghost in the Glass House, please be a follower (in the column to the right where it says "Followers" just click to Join This Site. Easy and free.), then leave a comment about the post today. Your name will go into the proverbial hat one time for that. If you want more chances, Tweet the link or post it on Facebook or some other social media sharing and tell me about it. I will put your name in the hat once more for each time you do that. This drawing is for U.S. addresses only. If you would like to hear about more marvelous middle-grade books, please hop on over to  the lovely Shannon Messenger's blog by clicking HERE and checking out the list she posts for Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday.