tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10746888362948742722024-03-05T16:26:03.718-05:00Robin WritesRobinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-37223697755104568302020-04-21T18:02:00.002-04:002020-04-21T18:02:45.485-04:00Spring to Me<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Spring, to me, is the unfurling of purple irises,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Like me, brought from my childhood home and transplanted to my grown-up one.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Spring is the scent of lilacs right outside my front door,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Of wisteria, dangling from the trees, so lovely and bright, I forget it doesn't belong.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Spring is dogwoods in delicate, white and pink, bloom,</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />Of the mulititude of Eastern Redbuds, lining streets and backyards as if each branch were coated in mauve.<br />Spring is baby chicks, so soft and delicate, they fit in my hand.<br />Spring is my world being born again.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYqc9OigUHYq2P5TVUJRMkYLH7o3rzJ_8E0fk59es3zTLOd-_aLdI1tQy6JqB0GylEZpKceaSIWBf4dgjUTbwL_mxloMEJk4isSOFCiTXsCpXaD1sLYXYL-D4d6W5j0injllh4EAiq1c/s1600/91918779_10163361479140361_1848483602698862592_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYqc9OigUHYq2P5TVUJRMkYLH7o3rzJ_8E0fk59es3zTLOd-_aLdI1tQy6JqB0GylEZpKceaSIWBf4dgjUTbwL_mxloMEJk4isSOFCiTXsCpXaD1sLYXYL-D4d6W5j0injllh4EAiq1c/s320/91918779_10163361479140361_1848483602698862592_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-48028486492798840672016-03-01T13:17:00.003-05:002016-03-01T13:19:46.263-05:00Giveaway: BURNING GLASS by Kathryn Purdie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcD_V3fcBslu2REIr6VwYXIzPYkRx8yzi7rgKD1IHqVoN7__biS2nlHZfLXTTD_mn-zyPtXm-WqsyCGEcMrb0FyHkrbcKE4sFdcjVqr7YxsbVCQyiLQsUGtdwv6juTSlHJrgNImke9r8/s1600/author1-200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcD_V3fcBslu2REIr6VwYXIzPYkRx8yzi7rgKD1IHqVoN7__biS2nlHZfLXTTD_mn-zyPtXm-WqsyCGEcMrb0FyHkrbcKE4sFdcjVqr7YxsbVCQyiLQsUGtdwv6juTSlHJrgNImke9r8/s200/author1-200x300.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
In honor of Katie Purdie's release day, I'm giving away a signed copy of BURNING GLASS.<br />
<a href="http://kathrynpurdie.com/about/">This girl</a> is the reason I started writing. We'd been in the same apartment complex while our husbands went to school and had grown really close. When she told me she was going to start writing, I had to start writing, too. I'd always wanted to, but it had only been a dream, that is until Katie inspired me to put pen to paper to "get to work."<br />
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It's been wonderful watching and reading Katie's amazing, lyrical writing. She tells powerful stories with complicated characters that I am happy to spend 100K plus pages in their worlds, struggles, and triumphs.<br />
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Sonya in BURNING GLASS is no exception. There's mystery, intrigue, the struggle to know her own heart, and an antagonist that I have a definite crush on. Sonya can feel other people's emotions and sometimes struggles to separate her own emotions from others. It can lead to some poor decision making, but also, to having the power of protecting the emperor (whether she wants to, or not). The comparison of "<em style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Red Queen</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> meets </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Shadow and Bone" is spot on.</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> (click <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23677316-burning-glass?ac=1&from_search=1&from_nav=true">here</a> for the full Goodreads description).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">One lucky winner will receive a SIGNED! copy of BURNING GLASS, but I hope everyone goes out and buys and reads this incredible book. Isn't the copy so pretty?!? You want one, you know it!</span></span></span>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="1f7b76912" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1f7b76912/" id="rcwidget_fgphpnhe" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-24344587721010097552015-04-01T06:18:00.003-04:002015-09-21T16:00:35.184-04:00Author Interview with Paula StokesPaula Stokes of VENOM series, THE ART OF LAINEY, and the newly released LIARS, INC. let me interview her on <a href="http://sportygirlbooks.blogspot.com/2015/03/sporty-author-interview-with-paula.html">Sporty Girl Books</a>. I hope you'll check it out! click <a href="http://sportygirlbooks.blogspot.com/2015/03/sporty-author-interview-with-paula.html">here</a>.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-68524724716726303292015-01-27T04:00:00.000-05:002015-01-27T07:31:19.810-05:00Author Interview with Dianne K Salerni on The Inquisitor's MarkI am thrilled to have the incredible Dianne K. Salerni on my blog today on the release of <b><i>The Inquisitor's Mark</i></b>, the second book in her Eight Day series from Harper Collins! Not only have I learned a ton of craft from Dianne on her <a href="http://diannesalerni.com/blog/">blog</a>, but I've gobbled up each book she's published. I was especially excited when I heard of The Eighth Day series because I have an 11-year-old son and I'm always looking for good MG books that aren't all farts and/or super creepy. I reviewed (and loved) the first book <a href="http://robin-hall-writes.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-eighth-day-giveaway.html">here</a>.<br />
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It's rare that I read a book in the middle of a series and like it even more than the first one. Too often the middle books drag or I feel like they're simply getting us to the next book and don't have their own story. Not so with <b><i>The Inquisitor's Mark</i></b>. Dianne nailed it. This is my favorite book of hers yet. My favorite characters from book one are back (Jax, the Donovans, and Mrs. Crandall) along with a new cast of people, these ones unfortunately related to Jax and part of the Duluc clan. <b><i>The Inquisitor's Mark</i></b> is full of fast-paced adventure, humor, real dilemmas, and new bits of magic that fit seamlessly into the Eighth Day world (<3<3<3 the brownie holes, and no, I won't explain what they are, you'll have to read the book!). I gobbled this book in two sittings and recommend it to everyone-especially if you enjoy Arthurian Legends. (But read <b><i>The Eighth Day</i></b> first.)<br />
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From Goodreads:<br />
After the all-out Eighth Day war in Mexico, Jax, Riley, and Evangeline have gone into hiding. There are still rogue Transitioners and evil Kin lords who want to use Riley, a descendant of King Arthur, and Evangeline, a powerful wizard with bloodlines to Merlin, to get control over the Eighth Day. <br />
So when Finn Ambrose, a mysterious stranger, contacts Jax claiming to be his uncle, Jax’s defenses go up—especially when Finn tells Jax that he’s holding Jax’s best friend, Billy, hostage. To rescue Billy and keep Riley and Evangeline out of the fray, Jax sneaks off to New York City on his own. But once there, he discovers a surprising truth: Finn is his uncle and Jax is closely related to the Dulacs—a notoriously corrupt and dangerous Transitioner clan who have been dying to get their hands on Riley and Evangeline. And family or not, these people will stop at nothing to get what they want.<br />
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With suspense, action, and intrigue lurking around every corner, this fast-paced fantasy series will be a welcome addition for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1. Did you know that
there’s a bookstore called Eighth Day Books in Wichita, Kansas? Wouldn’t that
be a fun place to go for a book signing? Can you tell us about your favorite
experience at a book signing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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That would be a great place to sign Eighth Day books! I’ve
seen the name come up on Twitter while searching for my book title, and my
sister does live in Kansas – but nowhere near Wichita, I’m afraid. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My favorite book signing experiences have been ones where
kids showed up who’d already read <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Eighth Day</i></b>. (This has happened
twice.) What was awesome about these events was that while other attendees
asked me general questions about writing and my books, these kids had very
specific questions regarding their favorite characters, their favorite parts of
the story – and they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">grilled</i> me for
information about the second book, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Inquisitor’s Mark</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2. I imagine that would be wonderful. Kids ask the best questions and definitely put my on my toes. When you wrote
your first draft of The Eighth Day, you wrote it as a YA novel and then changed
in to MG. Can you tell us how you knew that Jax’s story fit better in a MG
world?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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As soon as my agent said, “This is really a MG story,” I
knew it was true. Part of me had felt all along that I should be writing a MG
story, but because my prior two books were YA, I thought I was “branded.” (I
now think branding is nonsense.) One of the reasons I knew my agent was correct
was the reaction my 5<sup>th</sup> grade students had to the premise. They knew
that I had written about a séance fraud (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We Hear the Dead</i></b>) and a peculiar
cemetery (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Caged Graves</i></b>) and they were<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> interested</i> to hear about those books. But from the moment they
learned I was writing a book about a secret day of the week, they pestered me
relentlessly to read it to them – which I couldn’t do, since there were
inappropriate bits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I probably wasn’t off the phone with my agent ten minutes
before I went diving into the document to slash those inappropriate bits and start
making other changes to ready this story for the right audience. (And yes, I did
read the revised version to my students, to their delight.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3. It's great that your class could be a part of your writing. I like that their names are in the acknowledgements. You’ve talked a
great deal on your blog about your writing process. As a fellow pantser, I’ve
appreciated your insight into your personal process and how your writing style
had to change for writing a series. Could you tell us the hardest and the best
part about having to write more from an outline?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I’m scratching my head over the “best” part. I’m not sure
I’ve found one. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I wouldn’t say I’m a pantster as much as a dot-to-dotter. I
know the beginning, the end, and a few high points/events in between when I
start writing. Getting from each dot to the next dot is the actual adventure –
and the pantstering part. As for this series, what I’ve done so far is try to
write up an “outline” for my editor that is really only the “dots” prettied up
so that I look like I know what I’m doing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Unfortunately, this strategy has (so far) failed me for the
outline I must write to propose the optioned fourth and fifth books of the
series. I am stuck on something important that’s needed for a potential Book 4,
and while I would usually “discover” it during the writing of the first draft,
I can’t do that here, and it’s worrying me greatly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to figure it out <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i> writing. That’s the hardest part.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4. I'm confident that you'll be able to figure it out first, and soon. You recently began
writing full-time and moved away from teaching fifth grade. Now that you have
more writing time, do you find it a challenge to be as focused as you were when
doing both jobs? What do you miss most about the classroom and what are you
mostly grateful for about being able to write full-time?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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What I’m most grateful for is that I left a stressful
situation where I could no longer teach the way my heart told me was right and where
my expertise was no longer valued by The Powers That Be. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That and the fact that I can sleep in late, then work all
day in my pajamas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I miss the interaction and connection with the kids most of
all. I see my old students when I attend school events for my own daughters,
and there’s always a pang of regret.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Focus is something I struggled with for the first several
months. Also, I didn’t understand that I was suffering from the stress of a
life change – even though that life change was basically a good thing. Change
is still change, and it’s stressful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve gotten better at viewing my workday as a fluid
schedule, just like my classroom was. In 25 years, I never fell into a pattern
of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It’s
10:17 on Monday so we must be doing Spelling.”</i> We spent each day doing
whatever needed to be done, rather than adhere to a strict schedule. It’s the
same with writing. One day might be devoted to promotional activities; another
might be divided between drafting and research or critiquing. I do what needs
to be done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The biggest problem is knocking off at a reasonable hour. In
teaching, I never had a problem deciding not to grade a stack of papers because
I was tired. Writing full-time, I often push past exhaustion when I shouldn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5. In book 2, <i>The
Inquisitor’s Mark</i>, you use a dual POV to tell your story. We still hear from
somewhat defiant and adventuresome Jax, but the new voice is Dorian, a member
of the corrupt Dulac clan living in luxury in NYC. I’m currently writing a
manuscript with a dual POV. Any advice you could share on writing distinct
characters and keeping your readers clear on whose POV they’re reading? On a
side note, Dorian was my favorite character. I hope he plays a role in book 3!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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When writing dual POV, you need to keep in mind whose
perspective each event should best be told from – that is, which one provides
the more interesting narrative. I know some authors alternate regularly. I
don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Eighth Day series, Jax
gets POV in the majority of the chapters, while a secondary character (which is
different in each book) chimes in irregularly whenever it’s appropriate. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I got some grief from beta readers over the chapter where
Jax meets his nefarious relatives because I wrote it from Dorian’s POV. The
beta readers felt that Jax should get POV for such a momentous occasion, but I
knew they were wrong. (Sorry, beta readers.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Writing from Dorian’s perspective was the right thing to do because – in
this instance – my MC Jax was the outsider, the stranger. I felt it was more
important to describe this meeting from the POV of someone who knew all the
family’s terrible secrets and who was unsure how he felt about dragging his long-lost
cousin into the mess. Plus, when Dorian met Jax, he saw this tough, brave kid
worth looking up to. Jax doesn’t think of himself as tough or brave (compared
to Riley), so it was important for readers to see him through Dorian’s eyes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I taught my 5<sup>th</sup> grade students analogies, and so
it was very rewarding when one of them told me, “Jax is to Dorian what Riley is
for Jax.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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My advice: Don’t go for the easy when switching POV. Go for
the most interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yes, we will see Dorian again in Book 3!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6. This answer was precisely what I needed. I had added some scenes so I could go "back and forth" more evenly, but the story was dragging. And I completely agree on Dorian being the POV when Jax met her relatives. It was perfect. As someone who is
part of a big, close-knit family, the theme of the family ties was a strong one
for me—most particularly as I followed Dorian’s story. I learned so much more
about Grunsday and what is possible for Kin and Transitioners, alike. What was
your favorite new element to develop in book 2?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Oh, it was definitely Jax’ s estranged family!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jax is simultaneously attracted to and
repulsed by them. One minute, they’re like the family he longs for – the aunt
who wants to feed him and wash his clothes, the uncle whose smile is just like
his late father’s, the embarrassing grandmother who wants to pinch his cheeks …
and the next minute, they’re trying to talk him into betraying his best
friends. The Ambroses are not all bad, but they’re not the good guys by a long
shot!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7. If you could be a
Transitioner what mark would you bear?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I need Riley’s voice of command, because my children don’t do
their chores the way they are supposed to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">8. I could use that one too. Nice choice. Anything else you
would like to share with us?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just that this book was a lot of fun to write – for all the
reasons above, plus the chance to bring back Jax’s friend Billy and give him a
bigger role to play. (AND that thing Jax does in Central Park with Riley, which
was simultaneously thrilling and awful to write.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fast five:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Last thing you drank<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vodka martini. Drinking it now, in fact.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Last thing you ate<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Artichoke hearts straight out of the can.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Last thing you
listened to<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Just Wanna Run</i>
by The Downtown Fiction<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Last book you read<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jackaby</i> by William
Ritter<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Last movie you saw<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stardust</i> with
Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Robert De Niro (yes, an old one but
really, really fun)<o:p></o:p></div>
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I LOVE <i>Stardus</i>t. It's so fun to have you on the blog. I hope you have a wonderful release day!<br />
Where to find Dianne: <a href="http://diannesalerni.com/blog/">website</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/diannesalerni">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DianneKSalerni">Facebook</a><br />
Where to find The Inquisitor's Mark: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22206715-the-inquisitor-s-mark?ac=1">Goodreads</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Inquisitors-Mark-Eighth-Day/dp/0062272187/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422321404&sr=1-1&keywords=the+inquisitor%27s+mark">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-inquisitors-mark-dianne-k-salerni/1119919971?ean=9780062272188">B&N</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2TYFxQqmXdB60he1zblrb9zxtIQSTEBesYN4P_VncmhbXZ4F06Vi34flD1Rfc89UDDWhylBbO_BEgcXST0Fhx_cKVYOm79nTQyIS7gJBzRfr4t-N5F2rzy7f3ZZSW_XgbUmv4VRBK7M/s1600/Dianne-at-Asenath-grave-author-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2TYFxQqmXdB60he1zblrb9zxtIQSTEBesYN4P_VncmhbXZ4F06Vi34flD1Rfc89UDDWhylBbO_BEgcXST0Fhx_cKVYOm79nTQyIS7gJBzRfr4t-N5F2rzy7f3ZZSW_XgbUmv4VRBK7M/s1600/Dianne-at-Asenath-grave-author-photo.jpg" height="200" width="187" /></a></div>
DIANNE K. SALERNI is the author of <b>The Eighth Day</b> fantasy series (HarperCollins) and YA historical novels, <b>The Caged Graves</b> (Clarion/HMH) and <b>We Hear the Dead</b> (Sourcebooks). Dianne was a public school teacher for 25 years before leaving the profession to spend more time hanging around creepy cemeteries and climbing 2000 year-old pyramids in the name of book research.<br />
<br />
I'm lucky to be interviewing 2 incredible authors today. To read my interview with Sara B. Larson on <i><b>Ignite</b></i>, the the second book in her YA series, click <a href="http://sportygirlbooks.blogspot.com/2015/01/author-interview-sara-b-larson-and.html">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1074688836294874272%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D6852472471672630329%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-_28lDm6SUMo%252FVMbnY9Rul-I%252FAAAAAAAAHPc%252Flfetx-um52o%252Fs1600%252FDianne-at-Asenath-grave-author-photo.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2996px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1074688836294874272%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D6852472471672630329%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-_28lDm6SUMo%252FVMbnY9Rul-I%252FAAAAAAAAHPc%252Flfetx-um52o%252Fs1600%252FDianne-at-Asenath-grave-author-photo.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2996px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-57029260504082244282014-10-14T17:17:00.001-04:002014-10-14T17:17:18.204-04:00REMAKE by Ilima Todd (Giveaway Time)Although REMAKE hit the shelves and Amazon pre-orders early, today is the official release date for this beauty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGokgojy98WqDXYvshJYggXSfj5K5SQvsp4IMyo_bnrTAiTLf_i8kfbJwzGlI2s9nvI4Lr64tPnWxddISdM5_cxBImOQ39l9VmrOa36lfj1QNHJxcNKfYt8bl9I4VE9DqVibDErXEIGA/s1600/Remake_cover+copy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGokgojy98WqDXYvshJYggXSfj5K5SQvsp4IMyo_bnrTAiTLf_i8kfbJwzGlI2s9nvI4Lr64tPnWxddISdM5_cxBImOQ39l9VmrOa36lfj1QNHJxcNKfYt8bl9I4VE9DqVibDErXEIGA/s1600/Remake_cover+copy+2.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
I told my WIFYR class that when they all became famous I'd post the "I knew her when photo." So, here's the shot of the two of us from 2011. *Go, Plums!*<br />
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Today Deseret Book's Fall flyer came in the mail and it gave me chills to see her book on the teen page. Read this book. Buy it if you haven't already and melt as you read about Nine and Kia and Theron and Freedom, or not so Freedom.</div>
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If you're a lucky commenter, you can win a copy from me. And I might just be able to twist her arm and get her to sign it for you.</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-79834294724436096022014-09-01T04:00:00.000-04:002014-09-01T04:00:06.919-04:00Middle Grade Monday with Author Gayle Rosengren<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
I'm so honored that Gayle was willing to come on Robin Hall Writes. You will love her, if you don't already, after reading this interview. Her debut, <i><b>What the Mood Said</b></i> released from Putman/Penguin Young Readers Feb. 20, 2014.</div>
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Okay, let's get to it:)<br />
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<b>RH: As I mentioned,
I found your book at the library and had to read it because of the cover. I'm
mainly a YA reader, but I dabble with MG when my children have favorites or one
catches my fancy. And that's exactly what your debut did for me.</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Were you thrilled with your cover?</b></div>
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GR: I was blown
away by my cover!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a former librarian
I know how important a good cover is to attracting a reader and one of the
first things I said to my editor when she called to say Putnam wanted to publish
my book--after some excited babbles of delight and thanks--was "Please, please
give me a good cover!" (That's a direct quote.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't know if that's what spurred the
amazingly lovely cover that MOON received or if it would have been every bit as
beautiful if I'd said nothing, but I am deliriously happy with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recently saw my second book's cover and it
is amazing, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The art department at
Putnam/Penguin Young Readers is nothing short of fabulous! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RH: Could you tell us a little bit about the
process of creating your cover (if you were able to give suggestions or if
Putnam did it all, etc.)?</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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GR: Putnam did ask
for any photos I might have of the farmhouse, but other than that, I think they
had a vision from the beginning of what the art should look like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My editor, Susan Kochan, worked closely with
the art director to have artwork that would evoke the feeling of Esther's enthusiasm
for life and her love of the farm, and I think they captured it perfectly as
well as beautifully. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RH: Did Jonathan Bean, who did the
illustrations at the start of each chapter (which I love!) also draw the cover?
His drawing style fit so well with the feel of your writing.</b></div>
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GR: No, Mr. Bean
didn't create the cover art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was
the work of talented artist/illustrator Zdenko Basic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chapter art by Jonathan Bean was a thrilling
surprise that came later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I agree that
his black and white art showing the seasons and settings--Chicago or farm--are
a perfect match for my story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>RH: When reading
What the Moon Said, I could picture Esther and her mother rather well. I come
from a family of five girls and two boys, and the family dynamic you created
felt real to me. I especially liked the letters Esther would write to Julia. I
felt for Esther and her need for her mother to demonstrate her love. </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I read on Literary Rambles that Esther came
about a little from how you imagined your mom at ten and then bits of you
trickled in and then she became her own self. How many revisions did it take to
really discover Esther and her family?</b> <o:p></o:p></div>
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GR: Amazingly, not
all that many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn't so much that I
changed Esther's character as that I allowed it to evolve and grow over<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the course of the year, much as it would have
in real life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The character I had the
most difficult time with was Ma, because I needed to show her through Esther's
eyes yet embed hints (for example the information Julia shares in a letter
about how Ma blamed herself for the death of her little sister who resembled
Esther so much) as to why she might hold herself so aloof from Esther.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to make her brusque without making
her seem mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a tricky tightrope
walk sometimes and I had to rewrite scenes that centered on Ma several times to
get them "right".<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RH: Your grandmother was from the old country
and superstitious like Esther's mom. Did you grow up believing some of the same
things Esther did? Or were many of the superstitions ones you researched?</b></div>
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GR: Nearly every
superstition I used in the story was one that I learned from my grandmother while
I was growing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Esther, I
sometimes wondered how she kept track of so many!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did do some research on Russian
superstitions and added a couple of things--primarily the bits about the
fairies, because there was an experience from my girlhood that I definitely
wanted to use in the story but didn't want to use exactly the way it
happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here's the real story: when I
was about eight years old my grandmother told me I wasn't to play with a new
girl from down the block because she had a mole on her face which Grandma
referred to as the "mark of the devil". <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had</i>
to use this event, but no way was I going to insert the devil into my story, so
instead I used the fairies that pervade many Russian folktales and
superstitions to explain Ma's fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fairies, after all, could do plenty of damage, and in What the Moon Said
they were the cause of Ma's fear of Bethany.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>RH: What the Moon
Said is set in Chicago and Wisconsin early in the Depression. I have a huge
respect for people who write historical novels. The need to be accurate
terrifies me so much that even in my contemporary novels I create fictitious
locations. </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Can you tell us about your
research process and how much time it took? Was there anything you couldn't
find that you have to guess about? What surprised you most in your fact
finding? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b>GR: The need for
accuracy in historical fiction was the single most difficult aspect of writing
Esther's story. Like you, I am much more
comfortable writing about make-believe places and events where I can't be
caught in a mistaken detail. I did lots
and lots of research on everything from the cost of a stamp in 1930 to what
crops are planted in southern Wisconsin and in what months and when they are harvested.
I fretted over every detail fearing I'd make some unforgivable error and lose
all credibility and get blasted by reviewers. But every time I read any part of
the manuscript I found myself questioning new details and then fact-checking
them. There were three phases to my
research. First, the conversations with
my mother about her childhood, especially on the farm; then I read books about
the Depression; and finally I did detailed research online. The internet was an
incredibly useful tool. I do confess to
making up the name of the town the farm is set near. I wanted the freedom to make up the details
of the community without getting snarled up in the "facts" of a real
town's history. Luckily, too, I had the
comforting reassurance of knowing that amazing copy editors at Putnam were
watching my back and double-checking anything that raised any sort of flag for
them. But yes, writing historical
fiction adds a whole extra layer of work and stress to the writing process.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RH: Your verb choices were precise and strong.
From page one I knew you could create a vivid story. Can you tell us about your
drafting (pantser/plotter/detailed outliner) and revision process? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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GR: I am a plotter
who works from a rough outline. First I
get an idea; then I let it simmer on the back burner of my mind for a while to
see if it holds my interest/passion and if lots of sub plots sprout from the
main idea. If it does and they do, I
start making lots of notes about the main character, their family, their
friends, and the setting. Then I create a
crude outline--really more of a summary broken down into chapters. And when I know how my story is going to end,
I begin writing the first chapter. It always takes ten times longer than
writing any other chapter since I am still feeling my way a bit and I'm laying
the foundation for everything else that is going to follow in the book. If the
first chapter isn't solid, it won't grab the reader, and the rest of the story
won't grow organically from it.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RH: Could you tell us what you're working on
now? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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GR: I just finished
the final copyedits on my second book which will be coming out in August of
2015.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's another historical fiction
novel for middle graders, but it's from a more recent time period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cold War on Maplewood Street</i></b>
and takes place in Chicago during the week of the Cuban Missile Crisis in
1962.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Now that it's
officially out of my hands, I'm working on a contemporary story (also MG) about
loyalty and how far it should go.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RH: What were your favorite books growing up? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GR: Little Women, Trixie Belden </i>mysteries, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anne of Green Gables, Taffy's Foal, Heidi, A
Wrinkle in Time, The Wheel on the School, and Charlotte's Web </i>are just a
few of the many, many books I loved as a girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RH: My ten-year-old son is writing a book. Do
you have any advice for young aspiring writers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>GR: Tell your son I
said, "Way to go! I'm very
impressed. Writing is hard work--but
when it's your passion, there's nothing that you'd rather do." As for advice, I always tell aspiring writers
to keep a journal--not necessarily about their daily activities; that can get
boring pretty quickly. But about highlights/lowlights
of family events, personal disappointments and triumphs, and especially the <i>feelings</i> that accompanied them. These
are great to draw on later to remind us how a ten or twelve-year old thinks and
expresses his feelings. The other reason
to keep a journal is to jot down ideas for stories, and to paste in pictures
from magazines that suggest settings or stories, as well as to keep track of
ideas for unusual characters. A journal
is also a great place to keep a list of the books they especially loved reading
including a few notes about <i>why</i> they
loved them. All of this is not only going to be a great resource in the future
but is a fun way of nurturing the blossoming writer within them.</div>
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RH: Thanks so much for being here and sharing so much of your writing experience with us. I can't wait for <i><b>Cold War on Maplewood Street</b></i> and am looking forward to your MG contemporary.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKexck6YWtPnxwYBj6XR1VmqZSB7YAdmgMjVeKx9VD6KXlHtH-4aTmvj5io2AHTZFhitqvb9FVkLRgKh7qB4bw1SR4xAyKdQiwz3ASw8yW_Kepeqh6o3QAGAzcmJBYXvG8bcaVNmBwW4Q/s1600/6886590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKexck6YWtPnxwYBj6XR1VmqZSB7YAdmgMjVeKx9VD6KXlHtH-4aTmvj5io2AHTZFhitqvb9FVkLRgKh7qB4bw1SR4xAyKdQiwz3ASw8yW_Kepeqh6o3QAGAzcmJBYXvG8bcaVNmBwW4Q/s1600/6886590.jpg" /></a>Gayle has a great website with all kinds of links to exploring the world where Esther lived. Find all that goodness <a href="http://www.gaylerosengren.com/">here.</a></div>
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Find <b style="font-style: italic;">What the Moon Said </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17866844-what-the-moon-said?from_search=true">Goodreads</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Moon-Said-Gayle-Rosengren/dp/0399163522/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409243870&sr=1-1&keywords=what+the+moon+said">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-the-moon-said-gayle-rosengren/1115700074?ean=9780399163524">B&N</a>, or better yet, at your local bookstore.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gayle grew up in Chicago. Like Esther, she enjoyed school, was an avid reader, and loved dogs and horses. She attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where she majored in Creative Writing and was the editor of the literary magazine. Gayle never outgrew her passion for children's books, and she worked as a children's and young adult librarian at a public library for several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, enthusiastically sharing her love of books with young people.<br /><br />Also like Esther, Gayle eventually moved to Wisconsin, but by then she was a mother with three children. She worked in the reference library, and later as a copyeditor, at American Girl. During this time period she published short stories for children in Cricket, Ladybug, Jack and Jill andChildren's Digest magazines.<br /><br />Now Gayle writes full-time in her home just outside of Madison, Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband, Don, and slightly neurotic rescue dog, Fiona. She is living her dream, she says, writing books she hopes will make the same difference in children's lives as her favorite books and authors made in hers. What the Moon Said is her first novel.</span><br />
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Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-33431623485067075722014-07-21T19:57:00.001-04:002014-07-21T19:57:50.746-04:00Summer School is Now in SessionThat's right, I'm taking summer school. I enrolled for Nerdy Chicks Rule Summer School: Building Character organized by authors<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 26px;"><b> </b></span></span><a href="http://www.kamikinard.com/">Kami Kinard</a> and <a href="http://www.sudipta.com/">Sudipta Bardhan- Quallen</a>.<br />
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The first class started today and was led by the amazing <a href="http://www.kathyerskine.com/Kathryn_Erskine/Home.html">Kathryn Erskine</a> (National Book Award Winner for MOCKINGBIRD among other brilliance). She challenged us to walk in our characters shoes. One of the activities we did was to take the Meyers Briggs test for our character. You can find one free <a href="http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp">here</a>.<br />
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You can read her post <a href="http://nerdychickswrite.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/kathryn-erskine-walking-around-in-your-characters-shoes/">here</a>, but what would be even better is if you join me for summer school. You'll have access to exclusive webinars and great worksheets to use as we explore our characters and complete our "homework." The program is free and registration is still open <a href="http://nerdychickswrite.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/register-for-summer-school-get-it-write-this-summer/">here</a>.<br />
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I hope to see you in class!<br />
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This week I'll be at <a href="http://www.theyaclub.com/">The YA Club</a> Tuesday and <a href="http://mormonmommywriters.blogspot.com/">Mormon Mommy Writers</a> Thursday.<br />
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Keep writing and believing in yourselves because you guys rock!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-19931997694625600112014-07-09T10:32:00.003-04:002014-07-09T10:32:54.465-04:00Guest Post, Cover Reveal, and GIVEAWAY with Cortney Pearson and PHOBICIn honor of her cover reveal, Cortney is giving away a $50 dollar Amazon gift card!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22465896-phobic">PHOBIC</a> Series: The Forbidden Doors #1
Genre: YA Horror
Release date: September 2014<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYKbbWv6sxNHkHSy-gra_B5NZ2eMPLR7dgCw2Xi0rqLWYyjN0ma1dC9zEi2eqMXUxV1K1te5jXejD2U8pDJotqJ2oHlyEprb1eC70h4tFnFlT09Lz2wY4YMWh6yMMgKT-JtSzJ02TyY4/s1600/PhobiceBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYKbbWv6sxNHkHSy-gra_B5NZ2eMPLR7dgCw2Xi0rqLWYyjN0ma1dC9zEi2eqMXUxV1K1te5jXejD2U8pDJotqJ2oHlyEprb1eC70h4tFnFlT09Lz2wY4YMWh6yMMgKT-JtSzJ02TyY4/s1600/PhobiceBook.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Fifteen-year-old Piper Crenshaw knows her house is strange. It’s never needed repairs since it was built in the 1800s, and the lights flicker in response to things she says. As if those things aren’t creepy enough, it’s also the place where her mother committed murder.
To prove she’s not afraid of where she lives, Piper opens a forbidden door, which hides a staircase that leads to the ceiling. That’s when the flashbacks of the original residents from 1875 start, including a love affair between two young servants. Each vision pulls Piper deeper into not only their story, but also her house. Piper confides in her best friend, Todd, whom she's gradually falling for, but even he doesn't believe her. At least, not until her house gets axed during a prank, and the act injures Piper instead, cutting a gash the size of Texas into her stomach.
Piper realizes her house isn’t haunted—it’s alive. To sever her link to it, she must unravel the clues in the flashbacks and uncover the truth about her mother’s crime, before she becomes part of her house for good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcPVMuIcaeXHgWzRxd6ucmLaFBxVzBeKZ_J-y5c3S0W1qdCyd15XRDD5JU3AYuKFox7UrMyS4fgR4lVsEkUjonrLSJPUa_KnPvkvMVtLuhaHnaOWaSN7JzQaXhYcGKx4TRgtAetmXNZQ/s1600/Aunt+Vay's%2Bstairs.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcPVMuIcaeXHgWzRxd6ucmLaFBxVzBeKZ_J-y5c3S0W1qdCyd15XRDD5JU3AYuKFox7UrMyS4fgR4lVsEkUjonrLSJPUa_KnPvkvMVtLuhaHnaOWaSN7JzQaXhYcGKx4TRgtAetmXNZQ/s1600/Aunt+Vay's+stairs.jpg" height="320" style="-webkit-user-select: none; cursor: move;" width="239" /></a>From Cortney: As writers we are constantly gathering inspiration (whether we know it or not). An overheard conversation, watching people interact, teenagers laughing together, hearing others tell stories. I believe we subconsciously refer to our life experiences as we write and create stories. We have to. In order to generate realistic emotion and detail that readers can relate to, we have to have some kind of jumping-off-point to base them on. I'd like to share just a few things that sparked ideas for me as I created the world of PHOBIC, a world which is based on the ethereal aspect of seemingly ordinary places.
Inspiration #1
My great aunt lived alone in this fantastic old house built by her father, my great-great grandfather. And it felt like stepping back through time every time I walked through the door. BUT. Right off from her back door--the entrance we always used--was a staircase. It wasn't long. It wasn't even hidden like those in my story. But this staircase led to Aunt Vay's basement with its concrete floor and old cast iron stove and that pair of metal roller skates that always sat alone on a shelf. I hated going in that basement, especially by myself.
Looking back at these pictures now I wonder why I'd been so scared, but as a kid that basement was terrifying!
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpP9q1rBc5ShENW0W4eOOdegNXp_E6JODU2K5Z2l8jUfzV66CKjfkv0SGcvVselZhU1hDUd9kltfyrebTTJCzW6OoeXy4GN0r8WWoo4XVNd9EDo2Pzsxw1inJV2i-YzVH3yf8_ugWYFA0/s1600/Aunt+Vay's+basement.jpg" height="240" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" />The basement in PHOBIC plays a huge part in the mystery of the house Piper lives in. It's a place she's been forbidden from entering, but this time she's determined to find out why.
Inspiration #2
Another instance happened at Aunt Vay's when my mom, sister, and I had pulled in late at night to sleep after traveling from California to Utah all day long. We were tired. It was cold and windy outside. And my mom couldn't find her key to the back door. We tried that knob several times and then as I went to reach for the knob again, the door opened. All on its own. OPENED. My mom, sister, and I all exchanged looks and when I checked the knob (on the now open door), it was still locked. True story! So it prompted the opening and this scene in PHOBIC:
My best friend Todd’s red pickup appears at the curb, spewing exhaust like the truck has a cigarette up its backside. I jerk up. My pulse kicks at the sight of him. That’s been happening a lot more lately, my insides flaring up and doing some sort of spastic dance whenever I catch sight of his alluring smile and dark curls.
Leaving the second Pop-Tart on the table, I stuff my phone in my pocket and snatch up my backpack and clarinet case. I dart past the round, velvet-topped table in the wide hallway to the front door.
I reach for the knob. It won’t turn.
Heart pounding, I try again. One way, then the other. Chick. Chick. The lock mechanism is vertical. The door isn’t locked.
“Not now,” I say under my breath. “Please not now.”
The hairs at my nape skulk up one by one until they all stand on end. My wrist flicks, and the obstinate knob makes the same chick chick sounds. The eerie feeling spreads down the length of my arm, making the knob cold under my touch. What is going on? I’m used to my house doing strange things, but why won’t it let me out?
Inspiration #3
The Winchester Mansion in California has also been intriguing to me, especially the staircase that leads to the ceiling. This whole house is completely creepy, but especially this:
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaNBOsvUKK1vYyb8KrLqyC7vrGcodfsyTtKWJvDb_1wbZ9sB81OMZkodvvJ16eCAKcxIz6KPC4S74qmmDAhT2fBlvsewvzKLaTvVMo4aMnb9QWaiHa5Nu733vcipBgaeYSaHQ3Toj0VM/s1600/winchester_house_stairs_to_nowhere.jpg" height="320" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="239" />
Piper's house also has a hidden staircase similar to this one. Her discovery of it knocks her sense of reality way off course, and she begins seeing flashbacks of the original residents of house. Which leads to...
Inspiration #4
I LOVE romances, along with Victorian/Regency-era stories. So my final inspiration for the story--particularly the flashbacks that Piper has to the past--is:
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBNIAkxEoBQjZ8kT6MwCCRYMqCdidW_7Lhvghx_IKI0nx85aNzPrpHR7TpI84i88Fxmhi_Bfy8DUzYoYm7h0bxo_Zx48Qyf-sTEqVeZ1xaS68O5TgjfAHXJ4cvyxitH7-lvE3RNq9quM/s1600/downton+abbey.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" />
Downton Abbey (I know it takes place after the two eras above-mentioned. But still, inspiration.) It was after watching the first few episodes that my two star-crossed servants in love sprang into my head.
There were many other sources of inspiration as well, but these are the main ones. What about for you? What inspires you when you write?<br />
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cortney Pearson is a book nerd who studied literature at BYU-Idaho, a music nerd who plays clarinet in her local community orchestra, and a writing nerd who creates books for young adults. She lives with her husband and three sons in a small Idaho farm town.<br />
<a href="http://www.cortneypearson.com/">Website</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/cor2ney">@cor2ney</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cor2ney">FACEBOOK</a><br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/642629211/" id="rc-642629211" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: The book was amazing, really. I mean spiderwebs catching rocks, wow. Man, and what a cliff hanger. I haven't seen a cliff hanger like that since, well, actually, I've never seen a cliff hanger like that. It was a five star book. I especially like long books because long books give you a lot of time to read it every day. Your descriptions were amazing!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What do you think is the worst thing that Grace did?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: Grace really is awful, isn’t she? I’m sure a lot of readers will
disagree with me, but I actually think the worst thing she does is in that
first scene in the general store, when she takes Kara’s seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her later actions are evil, of course, but
that is just flat-out <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mean.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: Oh, that's a good one. I hadn't thought of that one. When you named Kara's brother Taff, were you eating Laffy Taffy?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: Haha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, I have never
eaten Laffy Taffy in my life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(But now I
really want to try it.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not really
sure why “Taff” is “Taff.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just
seemed to fit, somehow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: What are the ferries like? Are they old style ships? Since the
animals are so different are the fish different too?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: Yes, the ferries are old style, like something you might have seen
in the 17<sup>th</sup> century or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The fish are, for the most part, normal fish—with a few notable
exceptions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> really</i> strange creatures are in the Thickety. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: Cool. Why did you call the Thickety, the Thickety?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: It’s like a thicket, but bigger…and with monsters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">IH: Mom told me a </span>thicket<span style="font-family: inherit;"> is a clump of trees. I didn't know that, but now it makes sense. Is the Sordyr her uncle or grandpa or something to want her so bad? </span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: Sordyr wants Kara for a very specific reason, which I promise I will
reveal in book 2!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, it’s probably
the most important secret in the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: I can't wait. What are the most dangerous creatures in The Thickety?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: I think you should answer that one for yourself after you read the
second book! I got to make up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a lot </i>of
creatures in that one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much fun…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: Can Taff (or any boy) but really Taff, work the grimoire?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: You ask good questions!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
the best of Kara’s knowledge, only girls can use grimoires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Taff and Lucas have looked at a grimoire
and seen nothing but blank pages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: How long have people lived on the island? What year is it?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: The Children of the Fold have lived on De’Noran for centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The calendar in Kara’s world is not the same
as the calendar in our world, so I can’t really say what year it is in a way
that would make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just for myself,
I created a thirty-page historical outline, however, and in that I reference
events as ‘A.K.’ (after Kara’s birth) and ‘B.K.’ (before Kara’s birth).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, according to that reference, the year is
12 A.K.!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: Cool. Have you started book 2? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: Actually, book 2 is completely done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve seen the cover and all the illustrations, which are
incredible!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Andrea Offermann is such an
amazing artist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m actually working on
the third book right now, and I’ll be done with the first draft of that by the
end of September.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And then I’ll
sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>IH: I can't believe you already finished it. I have to read it. March is forever. I am writing a book too. I'm 68 pages into it. Any advice or
questions for me?</b></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">JA: That’s wonderful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My advice
would be to work on it consistently each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even if it’s just for a short period—10 or 20 minutes—it’s important to
touch base with your story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This way,
your mind will always be thinking about it, and sometimes you’ll come up with
some cool ideas when you’re not even trying!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Good luck and keep writing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>IH: Thanks, you too. Bye!</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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J. A. White lives in New Jersey with his wife, three sons, and a hamster named Ophelia that doesn’t like him very much. When he’s not making up stories, he teaches a bunch of kids how to make up stories (along with math and science and other important stuff). He wishes dragons were real because it would be a much cooler way to get to work.</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-2501542222323949932014-06-30T03:30:00.000-04:002014-06-30T10:56:05.088-04:00ILIMA TODD & REMAKEGuys, get ready for some gushing, because this book has my heart.<br />
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I was its first reader, and I know I won't be the last. I cannot wait to hold this beauty in my hands on October 14th. I met Ilima at my first writer's conference back in 2011 and we've been good friends and critique partners ever since. We've come a long way since Louise Plummer's class! Ilima's the one who introduced me to Firefly, and for that alone, I'll be forever grateful. But more than that, she's taught me how to be a better mother, a better friend, and a better person.<br />
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This book success couldn't have happened to a better person and I have been privileged to watch her go through her steps to published author. When I grow up, I want to be just like her:)<br />
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Not only does the story rock and did I see smoking hot Kai walking down the street in the marine town where I used to live, but I have thought about Nine, her journey, and how much her story means to all of us since reading it in its early stages. Nine lives in a futuristic society where children are raised in batches and on their 17th birthdays choose everything from whether they'll be male or female, to the color of their skin, their name, and their life profession. It's a big deal, especially when they don't have all the facts. I won't give away everything, so you can soak up all the goodness on your own, but here is Ilima holding this week's Publisher's Weekly magazine with her book cover on the front. How incredible is that for a cover reveal?<br />
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And here's a close up of the book cover. Her husband designed it and Shadow Mountain liked it so much, they only modified it a bit. Isn't the font perfect for the subject matter?<br />
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From Goodreads:<br />
<i>Nine is the ninth female born in her batch of ten females and ten males. By design, her life in Freedom Province is without complications or consequences. However, such freedom comes with a price. The Prime Maker is determined to keep that price a secret from the new batches of citizens that are born, nurtured, and raised androgynously. But Nine isn't like every other batcher. She harbors indecision<br />and worries about her upcoming Remake Day her seventeenth birthday, the age when batchers fly to the Remake facility and have the freedom to choose who and what they'll be.When Nine discovers the truth about life outside of Freedom Province, including the secret plan of the Prime Maker, she is<br />pulled between two worlds and two lives. Her decisions will test her courage, her heart, and her beliefs. Who can she trust? Who does she love? And most importantly, who will she decide to be?</i><br />
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Links to the awesome<br />
<a href="http://ilimawrites.blogspot.com/">Ilima Todd</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22299642-remake">Goodreads</a><br />
You can pre-order below<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Remake-Ilima-Todd/dp/1609079248/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403997164&sr=8-1&keywords=remake+ilima+todd">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/remake-ilima-todd/1111526026?ean=9781609079246">B&N</a><br />
<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781609079246">Indiebound</a>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-71585168752104218702014-06-27T03:30:00.000-04:002014-06-27T03:30:04.568-04:00Currently…Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Currently…</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Thinking</span> about how weird it is to be all alone in my house. My husband took this kids to grandma's for the weekend. I've never had the house to myself like this. It feels like I'm breaking a law and at the same time it feels freeing. I can do anything or nothing at all. Scary.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Enjoying:</span> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18651970-the-thickety">THE THICKETY by J. A. White</a>. My 10 yo son recommended it to me. He said, "Mom, even you would love this one." My smart son has me figured out. I won't read a lot of his MG favorites, but this one is right up my alley. </div>
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From Goodreads: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Kara Westfall was six years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: witchcraft. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The villagers live in fear of the Thickety and the terrible creatures that live there. But when an unusual bird lures Kara into the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book with unspeakable powers. A book that might have belonged to her mother.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">And that is just the beginning of the story.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Thickety: A Path Begins is the start of a thrilling and spellbinding tale about a girl, the Thickety, and the power of magic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Feeling</span>: Sleepy, but then it is 9:41pm and I'm an early riser.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Wearing:</span> Yoga clothes from the class I taught tonight. I should be honest though, even if I hadn't taught tonight I'd probably be in yoga pants. They're my favorite even when I'm not pregnant.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Needing:</span> To finish revisions on my WIP, dang it, and get it out to some betas. Anybody willing to swap MSs?</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6.Wanting:</span> This house, horses included.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. Listening:</span> To silence. It's so rare. I mean I can here the katydids outside. I should really stay up later than my kids every once and a while so I can experience this phenomena more often.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. Making: </span>A baby and this blog post<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">9. Eating:</span> A Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cup<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">10: Drinking:</span> Red Raspberry Pregnancy Tea. Mix in some honey and it's pure heaven. (r<a href="http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2012/09/using-red-raspberry-tea-for-pregnancy-postpartum-red-raspberry-leaf-tea-recipe.html">ecipe here</a> in case you're interested)<br />
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Want to list your own Currently? Let me know in the comments or add a link to your post and I'll check it out. </div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-16646253506226500442014-06-16T20:50:00.001-04:002014-06-16T20:51:32.561-04:00COVER REVEAL: Will the Real Prince Charming Please Stand Up?My lovely and talented agent sister, writing as Ella Martin, has the most gorgeous cover for her modern fairy tale retelling with a twist. And you don't have to wait long for this beauty to be available because<br />
Will The Real Prince Charming Please Stand UP? is coming July 1st from Astrea Press<br />
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal;">The Blurb: If only
fairy tales warned “happily ever after” only happens with the right guy...</span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal;">15-year-old
Bianca learns the hard way when she falls for Dante, the hottest guy in her
class, who turns out to be anything but charming. And it doesn’t help that Tim,
a long-time crush and her brother’s best friend, still makes her head fuzzy.
Bianca has to ask: WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="color: #0d0e00;">The Cover:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0d0e00;">.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0d0e00;">.</span><br />
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And now all the pretty. I am in love with Bianca's yellow dress. Now if only I could convince my prince charming to play dress up with me. Do they have proms for thirty something year olds?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVEsZn-lpo8fWI-u9gMJE9-v6T2oMVl2S_qsyh0-_PRkJMjMUvG0yk6JuL52Qb4JXGvWsarZTNLBTJVjN6L77zOoT8ksLVU9VwUxBv83iPG_A8XIA_VX_qcgPnl392HptKgCe-b8zanw/s1600/AC_WillTheRealPrince500x750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVEsZn-lpo8fWI-u9gMJE9-v6T2oMVl2S_qsyh0-_PRkJMjMUvG0yk6JuL52Qb4JXGvWsarZTNLBTJVjN6L77zOoT8ksLVU9VwUxBv83iPG_A8XIA_VX_qcgPnl392HptKgCe-b8zanw/s1600/AC_WillTheRealPrince500x750.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
GIVEAWAY TIME: Because WTRPCPSU is being released as on ebook, one winner will have the choice of receiving a new Kindle 6" ereader or a new Kobo Touch! Now that's a giveaway I can get behind.<br />
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/75de873/" id="rc-75de873" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>
<br />
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal;">Ella
Martin is a prep school survivor and a Southern California native. She writes
books about spunky teenagers who are way cooler than she ever was, and she
totally believes in love and happy endings. She likes sunny places and is
terrified of snowy winters, so she now lives in Florida with her husband and
son.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Blog:
www.ella-martin.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Twitter:
@westgateprep<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Facebook:
www. facebook.com/AuthorEllaMartin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Tumblr:
www.westgateprep.tumblr.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-77749530756904609102014-06-12T06:57:00.001-04:002014-06-12T06:57:59.998-04:00Day in the LifeThis was me, two days ago.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQrdfrkXIzY13OxPcbU8Cz740Vu87latLcjELNTmtU4Uev0kL8Q8-R-IXT0aY8C7VuuugxNSdVxaZycn1c1NuWJeIOD9nG2HGZ3T4hi3Y-7dbJJVm7DGe1-pL24kwR-bXQQybp9TeqvE/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQrdfrkXIzY13OxPcbU8Cz740Vu87latLcjELNTmtU4Uev0kL8Q8-R-IXT0aY8C7VuuugxNSdVxaZycn1c1NuWJeIOD9nG2HGZ3T4hi3Y-7dbJJVm7DGe1-pL24kwR-bXQQybp9TeqvE/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a><br />
I got to bed early the night before and crossed my fingers I'll wake before 6 am (alarms stress me out)<br />
5:49 am rolled out of bed<br />
5:50-5:59 am checked email, fb, and pintrest on my phone<br />
6:00 am sat on my bean bag to write<br />
7:49 am freak out because I lost track of time. Wake sleeping husband and all three kiddos. School starts at 8:30.<br />
It's a cold cereal breakfast, but they were fed, dressed, with teeth and hair mostly brushed, and lunches ready by 8:18.<br />
8:20 am waved to kids and husband<br />
8:21 am hit the shower<br />
8:49 am 2 yo woke up<br />
8:50 am get him breakfast while responding to emails for two blogs I contribute to<br />
9:30 am wrote a few notes about a new story idea<br />
9:40 am start the wheat grinder and put in a movie for 2 yo<br />
10:00 am to 12:00 pm sanded picnic benches, took frequent breaks to make bread, check on my little guy, and hydrate. Boy was it it hot and humid already.<br />
12:01 pm lunch (leftovers for me, yogurt, granola, and half a sandwich for my boy)<br />
12:30 while bread rose, I made a pan of monkey bread and started a load of wash<br />
1:00 pm put 2 yo to bed and started this post.<br />
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After that it was picking kids up from school, horseback riding lessons for the 6yo, feeding the crowd, Webelos for my 10yo and me helping the girls at my church (YW 12-18) to make candy grams for the dad's for Father's Day. Yup, life just keeps on coming.<br />
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And writing is one of the things that helps me get through it all.<br />
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All my days are a little bit different, but this is a pretty good representation. Today I woke up before 5 and joined #5amwritersclub on twitter for the first time in months. I've missed these guys. If you're an early riser I recommend joining them.<br />
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Are your days like mine? How do you find time to write?<br />
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Happy happenings in my writing world:<br />
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I fell in love with a new blog, The YA Club and begged them to let me be a part. (not kidding, either) I join their writing team next month, but you can check them out and swoon over their blog design and incredible posts already up in the first 12 days <a href="http://www.theyaclub.com/">here</a>.<br />
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My agent sister, Gail Nall, revealed her super cute cover for her MG, Breaking the Ice. See it <a href="http://www.kidliterati.com/2014/06/cover-reveal-breaking-ice-by-gail-nall.html">here</a>.<br />
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Sporty Girl Books is celebrating being ONE with a big giveaway. You can enter below or check out our year in review and giveaways <a href="http://sportygirlbooks.blogspot.com/">here</a> (on site) or rafflecopter below.<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/776f831/" id="rc-776f831" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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As I revise VOICES, my current WIP, I am using Susan Dennard's revising method. You can check out her super helpful posts <a href="http://susandennard.com/2011/05/13/soozs-guide-to-revisions-lesson-1-what-the-heck-did-you-write/">here</a>. It's not quite as magic as the handy edit button below, but almost.<br />
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<br />Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-72902822078811339152014-04-23T09:00:00.002-04:002014-05-01T09:53:48.158-04:00THE EIGHTH DAY GiveawayEdited to add: We have a winner. Thanks for all who entered!<br />
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You have eight days to enter the rafflecopter below to win a copy of Dianne K. Salerni's THE EIGHTH DAY, out today from Harper Collins.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPEghN65HjAlpfaa9qy9a2MlSCk3Zz-XFfT4C81URD4dVHhe1NTvMCS8V57HLA7GgKGTj1i2BzLPQvEp0eUDUJblnlht4BBO6ju3wu6_ths1rKG0KrrtOUDxqzPi7MoqpMcRttBJDGEE/s1600/18635086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPEghN65HjAlpfaa9qy9a2MlSCk3Zz-XFfT4C81URD4dVHhe1NTvMCS8V57HLA7GgKGTj1i2BzLPQvEp0eUDUJblnlht4BBO6ju3wu6_ths1rKG0KrrtOUDxqzPi7MoqpMcRttBJDGEE/s1600/18635086.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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I've read all of Dianne's previous works, but this is the first for her in middle grade. Not only that, but her first time delving into fantasy. This is a wild ride into a boy and a heritage that, once he turns thirteen, allows him to be one of the few people not frozen on Grundsday, a twenty-four-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday. But it's not just good guys like Jax and his questionable guardian who live this extra day, this is a the only day when great evil, locked away by Merlin himself, can live. But the bad guys want to eliminate the seven-day world--meaning our world!-- and Jax's mysterious neighbor is the key to their plan. That's a lot for a thirteen-year-old to take on.<br />
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THE EIGHTH DAY is a face-paced ride I thoroughly enjoyed with the Arthurian legend a great bonus. I'm always looking for great MG novels with strong male protagonist now that my son devours books. This one has less potty humor than some of his favorites (The Janitor series, for instance), but all the page-turning adventure that he needs. Jax's world was well developed and even the secondary characters walked off the pages. The world traveling a definite bonus. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.<br />
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Thank you Harper Collins for the ARC and Dianne for writing another great story. I'm not surprised it sold so quickly, and in a pre-empt at that. Read this book. You won't regret it…and your kids will be clamoring to read it next.<br />
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Now to finish packing. My flight to Utah for LDStorymakers leaves in just over two hours!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVLXohvSzlu-3AKOMj7b5RZ0v1ooRY5R_43oZBIL9K3SS-VgsrbHP41S2vdNSg22jaJ3KUImddfozY4dkKGTIQxp9h5eTa7S8P8fldUugzmQDJLNepdU6ydxOCNiOmzWe9RZV6NBDJrE/s1600/DianneSalerni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVLXohvSzlu-3AKOMj7b5RZ0v1ooRY5R_43oZBIL9K3SS-VgsrbHP41S2vdNSg22jaJ3KUImddfozY4dkKGTIQxp9h5eTa7S8P8fldUugzmQDJLNepdU6ydxOCNiOmzWe9RZV6NBDJrE/s1600/DianneSalerni.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Author of THE EIGHTH DAY (a MG fantasy series releasing in April 2014 from HarperCollins) and YA historical novels THE CAGED GRAVES (Clarion/Harcourt) and WE HEAR THE DEAD (Sourcebooks). I am represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger, Inc. She's also a fifth grade teacher and a skier. She runs First Impressions on her blog along with Marcy Hatch. You can find Dianne <a href="http://diannesalerni.blogspot.com/">here</a> and THE EIGHTH DAY <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Eighth-Day-Dianne-Salerni/dp/0062272152/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398257587&sr=8-1&keywords=the+eighth+day">here</a>.</span></span></span></div>
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Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-29848500824963807362014-03-31T03:30:00.000-04:002014-03-31T07:51:55.607-04:00My Writing ProcessI was tagged by the incredible Ilima K Todd, author of the REMAKE series coming out this fall from Shadow Mountain. You can check out her post here.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What am I working on?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Growing baby number five! Release date: September 20th, 2014 </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, folks, this is an announcement--and the reason I'm so absent online right now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am thankfully into my second trimester, so I hope to be writing and maybe even blogging again soon. We'll see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If I wasn't in preggo H-E-double hockey sticks, I'd be:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">*Revising my first draft of VOICES, my 2013 NaNo project, so I can get it out to first readers</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">*Rewriting (for the millionth time) GUTTER GIRL based on latest beta reads.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">*Researching for my super secret project</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">*Playing with the voice of twelve-year-old Ruby, from LIFE IS A TONGUE TWISTER</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How does my work differ from others of its genre?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">All of my books, whether YA or MG have contemporary settings and tons of humor. About half of my books are in the magical realism genre. All my (YA) MC's are athletes. Sports is a huge part of my life, so it's no surprise that it trickles over to my stories. Another way I differ? Don't expect lots of kissing. I'm much more likely to write an awkward scene with an almost kiss, burp, instead of a make-out session. Again, probably because that was my HS life. Plenty of yearning, but enough awkward nervousness to keep me from getting much action. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Why do I write what I do?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Because I have so much fun answering the question "what if." What if a girl could smell real love? What if a girl started hearing voices when she kissed boys? What if an introverted, stuttering twelve-year-old lost the protection of her mother and had to start speaking for herself? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How does my writing process work?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One of those "what if" questions knocks me over and doesn't go away. I'm a pantser, so depending on where I am in other projects, sometimes I just jump in and try her out for a test drive--1 or 2K and see if I like what I'm creating. Sometimes, like with VOICES, the story percolates on the back burner for a year and I know more than the beginning and the ending point. These draft up faster and still give me plenty of discovery/surprises along the way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately I'm an extremely messy first drafter. I word vomit all over the place and have to do a ton of clean up and sometimes complete rewrites before my stories are ready for any eyes. Then it goes out to one or two readers and based on their feedback I revise. That means I do a decent amount of rewriting, flush out parts that need more attention, combine secondary characters, and change my many characters names starting with the letter M. Once the MS goes through enough revisions and betas to be as good as I can get it, I send it to my agent. She sends me feedback and I revise like crazy all over again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm tagging the lovely <a href="http://blogginglikebobloblaw.blogspot.com/">Katy White</a>. You can find her post next Monday and learn about her writing process.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Best of luck to everyone doing the A to Z challenge starting tomorrow. I'm using the month as an excuse to not blog, except for my review and giveaway of THE EIGHTH DAY by Dianne K. Salerni (spoiler: it's brilliant and I LOVE the "what if" that inspired the book.)</span><br />
<br />Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-20748893226385214552014-03-10T06:35:00.000-04:002014-03-10T15:29:16.949-04:00How do you like my new look?As a prize for a contest on David P. King's blog, Darren Hansen redesigned my blog. Didn't he do an incredible job? I love the interactive header with it's moving bits and the classic look.<br />
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From Darren: By day I'm a website designer and by night I like to write science fiction and fantasy. I have a special place in my heart for writers and would be happy to help with quick questions about blog design for free.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;">As for rates on professional work, I would charge about $200 for a professional interactive header like the one I made for you. Non-interactive headers would be much less, like $50. It really depends on the project, but those are good ballpark figures.</span><br />
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His website is found at <a href="http://www.darrenhansen.com/">www.darrenhansen.com</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;">You can contact him at darren@darrenhansen.com</span><br />
Darren is also the creator of Ink Pageant where writers can share their blog posts with each other and lift each other. Check it out <a href="http://inkpageant.com/">here</a>.<br />
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Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to stare at my header some more (and get to work on final edits for my Publication Primer submission for LDStorymakers due today.)<br />
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Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-18360626003007918722014-03-05T06:19:00.000-05:002014-03-05T06:19:12.927-05:00Jolene Perry, THE SUMMER I FOUND YOU, & Research<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This beauty released into the world yesterday. Not only is it my favorite cover of 2014, but on of my favorite 2014 reads as well. I was able to get an ARC through NetGalley. You can see my gushing review <a href="http://robin-hall-writes.blogspot.com/2013/10/author-crush-jolene-perry.html">here</a>. Since reading THE SUMMER I FOUND YOU, I've become a read-everything-Jolene-writes person. She was kind enough to come of the blog for her release week.</div>
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Take it away, Jolene:</div>
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RESEARCH!!</div>
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When I started out writing The Summer I Found You, it was titled Used To Be - a pretty weak title, but it was my jumping off point.</div>
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Who did my characters used to be, who were they during the story, and who were they at the end of the story. All very, VERY, different people.</div>
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The idea of writing a returned soldier was intriguing, so the book really began with Aidan, but I needed someone who would understand him... And I found Kate.</div>
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Suddenly my sweet love story had turned into a mess of ideas involving a one-armed veteran and a girl with diabetes.</div>
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I have two arms.</div>
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I do not have diabetes.</div>
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So.</div>
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I needed to research.</div>
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I know a LOT of people who went overseas in the military including cousins, my husband, high school friends, and kids I used to babysit. I wasn't starting from scratch--even though it felt like it a lot of the time.</div>
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One of my good high school friends learned she was diabetic after passing out in an assembly - that was my beginning point for Kate. I also used a writer friend of mine with diabetes, and she was SO SO helpful. </div>
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But knowing a few people doesn't make enough research for a book.</div>
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I learned SO much more than one would ever guess after reading The Summer I Found You, and that's a good thing. Probably 95% of what I read didn't end up in the book in any way that a person would recognize. I think this is a good thing.</div>
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I spent hours on The Wounded Warrior Project. Found programs soldiers used. Read story after story after story of men and women who came home from war with missing limbs. What programs were out there to help them. Blogs of soldiers talking about what it was like to come home. Listened to my husband again on what it felt like to be home again. How he felt disjointed, out of place...</div>
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And Kate. that stubborn, stubborn girl. I knew how she would react to diabetes long before I learned anything about the disease. But I pretended I'd just been diagnosed when I researched. I poured over websites - American Diabetes Association. The Mayo Clinic. Support groups for family members and for people with new diagnosis.</div>
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For a while I woke up every morning glad I wasn't giving myself insulin shots. Glad I had both arms. That my husband came home safe.</div>
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But after all that research - my characters still did what they wanted to do - it's that I had enough information to put them in positions that were true to their situations.</div>
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Never. Ever. Underestimate the power of learning about the world you're placing your people into. It gave me ideas for plot points, which added tension, which increased Kate's understanding of Aidan, and his understanding of her, and things much bigger than both of them.</div>
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But - I'm a learner and a teacher at heart. Always will be. Hopefully as other people write, they'll find excitement and a new appreciation for their life as they research. And I know that when I read fiction dealing with things I don't understand well, it's a really, really fun way to learn...</div>
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Do you enjoy novels about situations outside of things you understand?</div>
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Just curious.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zMYUDrUZTYs0FijtxWQLPkz0YyfmZEj98al2qsbOtcrU8IKW8KB23INRayAOM8K-v5MEkDl9pRMf3Dv0L7RK66skm6vMsTMOpFbeUMOj1fXDToBjofX02VZBl8X8ip5b-dCzP1LlxTM/s1600/Jolene+Profile.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zMYUDrUZTYs0FijtxWQLPkz0YyfmZEj98al2qsbOtcrU8IKW8KB23INRayAOM8K-v5MEkDl9pRMf3Dv0L7RK66skm6vMsTMOpFbeUMOj1fXDToBjofX02VZBl8X8ip5b-dCzP1LlxTM/s1600/Jolene+Profile.png" height="200" width="140" /></a>And if yes, I'd LOVE to hear what you all have been reading - especially if it gained you some greater appreciation of what you have.</div>
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Thanks so much for turning over your blog to me!!!</div>
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~ Jolene</div>
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<a href="http://www.jolenebperry.com/">www.jolenebperry.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Summer-I-Found-You/dp/0807583693/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1392835288&sr=1-1">AMAZON</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-summer-i-found-you-jolene-b-perry/1116819617?ean=9780807583692">BARNES</a></div>
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Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-84945731392919265662014-02-14T07:32:00.001-05:002014-02-14T11:17:02.554-05:00Happy Valentine's Day<div style="text-align: center;">
In honor of Valentine's Day, I read this Middle Grade beauty. When I saw it at B&N I knew my 8 year old, whose favorite holiday is "Love's Day," would scoop it right up.</div>
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And I'm totally in love, not only with Ollie and 1957 Binder, AK, but also with Tess Hilmo's writing. I'm not surprised by its starred reviews or the multitude of well-deserved awards. Read this beauty, you won't regret it. Oh, Jimmy and his frogs.<br />
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From Goodreads:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Ollie’s daddy, the Reverend Everlasting Love, pulls their travel trailer into Binder to lead a three-day revival, Ollie knows that this town will be like all the others they visit— it is exactly the kind of nothing Ollie has come to expect. But on their first day in town, Ollie meets Jimmy Koppel, whose mother is in jail for murdering his father. Jimmy insists that his mother is innocent, and Ollie believes him. Still, even if Ollie convinces her daddy to stay in town, how can two kids free a grown woman who has signed a confession? Ollie’s longing for a friend and her daddy’s penchant for searching out lost souls prove to be a formidable force in this tiny town where everyone seems bent on judging and jailing without a trial.</span><br />
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What are your favorite Valentine's reads?<br />
<br />
And now, because I can't resist, a few Valentine's from me to you.<br />
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<br />Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-34024361407485526062014-01-24T17:21:00.000-05:002014-01-26T17:27:28.542-05:00ELEVATED Cover Reveal<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">About ELEVATED:</b> The
last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the
elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she's
been avoiding for five months.<br />
<br />
Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly
hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all
contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to
Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him
everyday.<br />
<br />
But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t
be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing
the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still
loves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVg7neJWy_u97U7JjTeUFuAg1Kj9a8xsnIsMkcP1CP8DSPVRcCx0zVkcm3h-XfGRpRM9FrxFklbCuFnFs_s3a7Dw6peVK8Hcozh0VhSvkuDHq0diPraU9HOTwdk7J3wNAQdRl_xWXAk4/s1600/ELEVATED+final+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVg7neJWy_u97U7JjTeUFuAg1Kj9a8xsnIsMkcP1CP8DSPVRcCx0zVkcm3h-XfGRpRM9FrxFklbCuFnFs_s3a7Dw6peVK8Hcozh0VhSvkuDHq0diPraU9HOTwdk7J3wNAQdRl_xWXAk4/s1600/ELEVATED+final+cover.jpg" height="640" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Buy Links:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Kobo: <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/elevated">http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/elevated</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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iTunes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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On Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18947183-elevated">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18947183-elevated</a>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Praise for ELEVATED:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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"ELEVATED will take you on an emotionally gripping
journey through the highs and lows of first love."<o:p></o:p></div>
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~Carolee Dean, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Take Me There </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forget
Me Not</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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"Poignant, raw, and intense, ELEVATED is a novel that
will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last
page."<o:p></o:p></div>
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~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Audition</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Sound of Letting Go<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrZJtYVufGkw9wfAhP8QKG5v0StgEKGR7dCPllVHtrABzWVCHJfxT1bt0vhTLoj8NkCPr2MB4nLu-VGdmCSj-0jAqnzPavZZTCL9xeCE5gJtuUOLqkfWArF0auHU9S_KMFqsbA3K1aXc/s1600/Elana+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrZJtYVufGkw9wfAhP8QKG5v0StgEKGR7dCPllVHtrABzWVCHJfxT1bt0vhTLoj8NkCPr2MB4nLu-VGdmCSj-0jAqnzPavZZTCL9xeCE5gJtuUOLqkfWArF0auHU9S_KMFqsbA3K1aXc/s1600/Elana+Johnson.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">About Elana Johnson:</b>
Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender,
Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster),
is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">From the Query to the Call</i>, is also
available for <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/www\.docstoc\.com\/docs\/123185124\/From-the-Query-to-the-Call-by-Elana-Johnson\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";">download</span>,
as well as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Possession</i> short
story, <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.smashwords\.com\/books\/view\/106783\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";">Resist</span>. School
teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/elanajohnson\.blogspot\.com\/\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";">personal
blog</span> or <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/twitter\.com\/elanaj\/\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";">Twitter</span>.
She also co-founded the <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/querytracker\.blogspot\.com\/\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";">Query
Tracker blog</span>, and contributes to the <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/leaguewriters\.blogspot\.com\/\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";">League
of Extraordinary Writers</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Social Media Links:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Website/blog: <a href="http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/">http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/</a>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ElanaJ">https://twitter.com/ElanaJ</a>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/possessionthebook">https://www.facebook.com/possessionthebook</a>
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Tumblr: <a href="http://elanajohnson.tumblr.com/">http://elanajohnson.tumblr.com/</a>
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Wattpad: <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/elanajohnson">http://www.wattpad.com/user/elanajohnson</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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League of Extraordinary Writers: <a href="http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/">http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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WriteOnCon: <a href="http://writeoncon.com/">http://writeoncon.com/</a>
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Elana on Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4044383.Elana_Johnson">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4044383.Elana_Johnson</a>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rafflecopter Code:
Copy and paste this into the HTML side of your website/blog.</b> People can
enter to win $15 Paypal cash by helping to spread the word about ELEVATED.</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2572e942/" id="rc-2572e942" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-81758282660939617912014-01-14T03:00:00.000-05:002014-01-14T03:00:00.696-05:00Book Review: BEING SLOANE JACOBS by Lauren MorrillOut Jan. 7th, 2014 from Delacorte Press<br />
*received via NetGalley for an honest review*<br />
<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">From Goodreads: <i>Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.</i></span><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.</span></i><br />
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This is another beauty I read over Christmas break during my "oh so brave," kindle-only road trip. This one reminded me of two of my all-time favorite movies: Parent Trap-- without the setting up the parents part, and The Cutting Edge--but with less romance ON the ice.<br />
Though I didn't read this book in one sitting, I read it eagerly and happily. The story is told from the POV's of two Sloanes from two very different backgrounds, each running away from their issues and convinced that it would be easier to trade places (and master a new sport!), than to face their own lives. There's plenty of scheming, pretending you know something you're clueless about, adjusting to different wardrobes, living environments, and hot boys. I'm still thinking about this book weeks later. It's not just hockey and figure skating, it's real family issues, sports performance, and yes, boy drama.<br />
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BEING SLOANE JACOBS has a believable plot (which considering the premise is rather amazing). Both Sloane Jacobs are funny, relatable, and walk-off-the-page real. Lauren Morrill, I've decided, is a master. She's now on my read-everything-she-writes, not-questions-asked list. So, no surprise here that Lauren's MEANT TO BE, is on hold at my library. I am confident I will enjoy it just as much.<br />
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Have you read BEING SLOANE JACOBS? What is your favorite book of 2014 so far? Your favorite of 2013?<br />
My favorite surprise book (of 2014) that blew me into happy is Julianne Donaldson's EDENBROOKE.<br />
<br />
Please sit down if you're not already.<br />
Did you do it?<br />
Are you seated securely? Do you have smelling salts close at head?<br />
Okay, I'll tell you:<br />
Julianne Donaldson was better than Jane Austen.<br />
<br />
<br />
But back to BEING SLOANE JACOBS. Read it. You will love it whether you're a sporty girl or not.<br />
<br />
<br />Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-55883459521321876302014-01-07T03:00:00.000-05:002014-01-07T07:12:25.839-05:00Happy Birthday, DEFY!The first I heard of Sara Larson's fantasy, girl pretending to be a boy, DEFY was through one of my CP's. She told me this was her second favorite book of all-time, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. When it popped up on NetGalley, I grabbed it, sent it to my kindle, and did my "I'm so cool I got this book" dance. But that I didn't open it. I was afraid.<br />
<br />
What if it wasn't as amazing as my CP thought?<br />
<br />
In seventh grade when I started to seriously work on my creative writing (and I had a gem of a teacher who encouraged me), I wrote so many stories of girls pretending to be boys at boarding schools, on soccer teams, in battle, etc.. And yes, I had the boob wrapping, awkward locker scenes, as well. I LOVE these types of stories, but they have to be done just right for me to be sucked in.<br />
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The other reason I was slow to open DEFY was because I'd met Sara at LDStorymakers and I rather like her. I didn't want to NOT like her book, so the safest course of action was to put off reading it. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Not only is she tall and gorgeous, but she is also outgoing, easy with everyone, and just plain fun.)</span><br />
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Finally, over my first road trip with only a kindle for my reading pleasure (scary!), I got over my fears and opened DEFY.<br />
AND gulped it down in five hours straight. Any book that keeps me up late reading is a winner (IMO).<br />
If you enjoy fantasy, butt-kicking heroines, love (triangles), and page turners, give this one a go. But I'm warming you, make sure you have time to set everything else aside because DEFY will suck you in to the last page.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunORyCinjeQCV4xL_Lit6rdZPtHlRqyL-r_bBIIku7_RSClzAq8_wIZcQx7v2GKgWcMcd9JUT-xYH_c2u9dBi3dfa-JL301AqQpBbRQARv9fJWav1l0si5-neyJwdxtkOeCSFTEAfS2g/s1600/17406847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunORyCinjeQCV4xL_Lit6rdZPtHlRqyL-r_bBIIku7_RSClzAq8_wIZcQx7v2GKgWcMcd9JUT-xYH_c2u9dBi3dfa-JL301AqQpBbRQARv9fJWav1l0si5-neyJwdxtkOeCSFTEAfS2g/s1600/17406847.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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From Goodreads:<br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.</span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?</span> </i>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-75076672715133619802013-12-18T02:00:00.000-05:002013-12-18T20:45:56.520-05:00Brown Paper Packages aka Last Minute GiftingIf you're like me this year, with eight days to Christmas, you're still scrambling to finish gifting.<br />
Here are some of the favorite books at our house to get your book giving spirit going and help you finish your list!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Board Books:</span></b><br />
CAVEMAN A B.C. STORY<br />
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This is not your average alphabet book. This one tells a story in 26 words. Even our ten-year-old likes to read CAVEMAN and it's a hands down favorite for potty training our two-year-old.<br />
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BIG CHOMP<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Picture Books</b></span> (Do you call these a series?):<br />
PETE THE CAT, ELEPHANT & PIGGIE, FANCY NANCY<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArVMV0RYJjVJqLTF74CIK0QgFpYlQn4H3Hagf_UZhlYy-QJAVa4sQzvv-waDNpP_zMVsS1lU45Ramurp4hf2WXlMPPOEaDKJcC3nb3edSgPwrFCNyarKC17RnAGvWclErxNR7ZgdL_xk/s1600/12875557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArVMV0RYJjVJqLTF74CIK0QgFpYlQn4H3Hagf_UZhlYy-QJAVa4sQzvv-waDNpP_zMVsS1lU45Ramurp4hf2WXlMPPOEaDKJcC3nb3edSgPwrFCNyarKC17RnAGvWclErxNR7ZgdL_xk/s200/12875557.jpg" width="155" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Je7uGhkNkm4F0yA_1zEoj-LYwvHj3TKN6CFnFvk5y5uhZ_BbyiEhd2RItLA8EC2o8r4G-6w6tIf0-BtJhT9Tc1GnHmat6FRSVIN9MG0sKt6sA5snMkj1W7N2Jdnqie6GTnN96em7HEQ/s1600/426625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Je7uGhkNkm4F0yA_1zEoj-LYwvHj3TKN6CFnFvk5y5uhZ_BbyiEhd2RItLA8EC2o8r4G-6w6tIf0-BtJhT9Tc1GnHmat6FRSVIN9MG0sKt6sA5snMkj1W7N2Jdnqie6GTnN96em7HEQ/s200/426625.jpg" width="163" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcll6SfDbyrlRAHa0tf8HyVZbAFJnjbYaSLia-cEpVNNdhXMSAxRl4Eg1c40e6fJMefrzb21gEQFjUCVATM-v7bDk0mDzVlE1OK9s_vA6_RQ54w8P5Rp-tDqxNlKsd46mGzrNu3JLeCAw/s1600/11867718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcll6SfDbyrlRAHa0tf8HyVZbAFJnjbYaSLia-cEpVNNdhXMSAxRl4Eg1c40e6fJMefrzb21gEQFjUCVATM-v7bDk0mDzVlE1OK9s_vA6_RQ54w8P5Rp-tDqxNlKsd46mGzrNu3JLeCAw/s200/11867718.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chapter Books</span></b>:<br />
Boy: DRAGON SLAYERS ACADEMY<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pKcv4b1FjuCMHPh6JkCXtTjXgQFhonvRbfw3eCAPwU_C4JUzXyajAZAtEwQ2FtmqgCM5sjVzHHAxcncq-zQf-BL8xk4Y_fAGuAEtw6WSi7_IBpDZY1Cos5c9E26LzFAMl-Y8BidqejA/s1600/352299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pKcv4b1FjuCMHPh6JkCXtTjXgQFhonvRbfw3eCAPwU_C4JUzXyajAZAtEwQ2FtmqgCM5sjVzHHAxcncq-zQf-BL8xk4Y_fAGuAEtw6WSi7_IBpDZY1Cos5c9E26LzFAMl-Y8BidqejA/s200/352299.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
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Girl: Is your Fancy Nancy lover too old for picture books? Have no fear, Jane O'Connor saved the day with NANCY CLANCY chapter books.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLpkVitet-8Rc31MEPiDEPMj4CGelEoqK93fDvLMG8gFbWc6WW-bYFrqShjkdWN5i9IjSk9kNfgTx74YEoCfwcaUkoudIFNv2ZmcgfeSgtaOmmqASg8YDHFtXbNBWNsx82p86iMlvEzc/s1600/13119928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLpkVitet-8Rc31MEPiDEPMj4CGelEoqK93fDvLMG8gFbWc6WW-bYFrqShjkdWN5i9IjSk9kNfgTx74YEoCfwcaUkoudIFNv2ZmcgfeSgtaOmmqASg8YDHFtXbNBWNsx82p86iMlvEzc/s200/13119928.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Family Read Aloud:</span></b><br />
THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER AND A TALE DARK AND GRIM<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAV1WG-UaiGsWIr00dEoGiGiymADJ7MC4NAty3WrFqaI35iYbW9Jee3JxYEkzrPWmZjb06mTVTdmWuhKX_QI0Mz9lD3Do0QuXW9vU4Vsci_Dfh8WLQC-FuyC7sBr4oHQnH0faJEA6EwSk/s1600/51047Cn4CNL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAV1WG-UaiGsWIr00dEoGiGiymADJ7MC4NAty3WrFqaI35iYbW9Jee3JxYEkzrPWmZjb06mTVTdmWuhKX_QI0Mz9lD3Do0QuXW9vU4Vsci_Dfh8WLQC-FuyC7sBr4oHQnH0faJEA6EwSk/s200/51047Cn4CNL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SbFL-aaHIqSacMrbSjAPher9weuwH31zJyQf-GIxD0wETPWRAZ0S5VcnDAFx_4gUZpuXX-hQ2WOWpSl8cyag_kRD3-V6tASIDxsRxtTRyHqsrF8AXNxSgAtJ_SrY60mAjBm4zB5Iw-Y/s1600/7825557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SbFL-aaHIqSacMrbSjAPher9weuwH31zJyQf-GIxD0wETPWRAZ0S5VcnDAFx_4gUZpuXX-hQ2WOWpSl8cyag_kRD3-V6tASIDxsRxtTRyHqsrF8AXNxSgAtJ_SrY60mAjBm4zB5Iw-Y/s200/7825557.jpg" width="131" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Middle Grade:</span></b><br />
THE EVER AFTERS, MAY B (perfect for Little House on the Prairie lovers), and RUMP<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpMGkQVazXKs-D9C3_weylXR283Rfb2Rneht8-l7x7Q8vdi3IPPF904YRSlPhhvBGlGLNP5omvCpoV1ZWRaFl5IGf18lm109lx9v2UMpQIgTujLpGwEnEiUhM8IOdIRy4Yw7uzD0VFm8/s1600/15766776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpMGkQVazXKs-D9C3_weylXR283Rfb2Rneht8-l7x7Q8vdi3IPPF904YRSlPhhvBGlGLNP5omvCpoV1ZWRaFl5IGf18lm109lx9v2UMpQIgTujLpGwEnEiUhM8IOdIRy4Yw7uzD0VFm8/s200/15766776.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rrNkmE8dGhmV6vPLooid8bT4OIggRF_MZDehlkZzbYtTRF8wVAJMBRFOvAPEUPAZ8aRtMMwnNwQBF8D3NlMTcXCUrfJa_mOUZETD18-Gib9gDvG7XyU5suJkfx4LfuukRNzmsZRxxJQ/s1600/16074843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rrNkmE8dGhmV6vPLooid8bT4OIggRF_MZDehlkZzbYtTRF8wVAJMBRFOvAPEUPAZ8aRtMMwnNwQBF8D3NlMTcXCUrfJa_mOUZETD18-Gib9gDvG7XyU5suJkfx4LfuukRNzmsZRxxJQ/s200/16074843.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRbzBLTDyMnSgxDjO-RDwe07fRFDgSYxt4yNWsTpJS1JR76vuhsN_U7uko-snQpK0GTP1yU3HUw_yN0MdAuvoTZc5z2gB1oVYk0IQgITuxJ38JS-lX6uMjUrtDVnsAvFBdORo5PY507o/s1600/11527309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRbzBLTDyMnSgxDjO-RDwe07fRFDgSYxt4yNWsTpJS1JR76vuhsN_U7uko-snQpK0GTP1yU3HUw_yN0MdAuvoTZc5z2gB1oVYk0IQgITuxJ38JS-lX6uMjUrtDVnsAvFBdORo5PY507o/s200/11527309.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">UPPER MIDDLE GRADE:</span></b><br />
Two series my ten-year-old absorbed this year: REDWALL and THE JANITORS<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM48pssjrTO3ULmQdLV5871Z1IxvPGRFR5bAsx_xibCKFgCL1wFU-TjnRyCQztG_th_KYiC9sTsdMPYYj7qPwVQAgdpcWcngaIaEX55HQ5KPUwWZM-TKBIMJvMylUvUlYsx0ZIlDnNb0/s1600/10318247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM48pssjrTO3ULmQdLV5871Z1IxvPGRFR5bAsx_xibCKFgCL1wFU-TjnRyCQztG_th_KYiC9sTsdMPYYj7qPwVQAgdpcWcngaIaEX55HQ5KPUwWZM-TKBIMJvMylUvUlYsx0ZIlDnNb0/s200/10318247.jpg" width="134" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYGJ2n9lMc0ulkS9vpcXqRHcSPNQCkXu2EAl1VP4JoLIpl0EhWSYQBjiUk8Pm7LSnoWIeg9Aa082tp4G4IB93ybW4xscZH1DmJQx42QDCInb64SRSEHnndl_mh0dDPUrYVQyyGLEOiCQ/s1600/1205572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYGJ2n9lMc0ulkS9vpcXqRHcSPNQCkXu2EAl1VP4JoLIpl0EhWSYQBjiUk8Pm7LSnoWIeg9Aa082tp4G4IB93ybW4xscZH1DmJQx42QDCInb64SRSEHnndl_mh0dDPUrYVQyyGLEOiCQ/s200/1205572.jpg" width="130" /></a><br />
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What books are you giving to the little people in your life? Any favorites my family missed?<br />
<br />Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-43440835875395408002013-12-06T02:30:00.000-05:002013-12-06T02:30:04.398-05:00SWITCHED by Cassie Mae REVIEW and GIVEAWAY!!<div style="text-align: center;">
****This copy was provided to me by Netgalley or an honest review****</div>
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From Goodreads:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Ever since high school, Kayla has been crazy for gorgeous football player Talon. But before she could muster the courage to tell him, he became a hot item with her beautiful BFF, Reagan. The only person who knows Kayla’s secret is Wesley, Talon’s best bud—and he’s got it bad for Reagan. Now they’re all in college together, hanging out 24/7. For Kayla, seeing the two lovebirds together is absolutely unbearable. So Kayla and Wesley hatch a plot to drive them apart before Talon has a chance to give Reagan the Christmas gift she’s been waiting for.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Soon enough, the once happy couple is fighting. Reagan suddenly can’t get enough of Wesley’s goofy sense of humor, and Talon seems to be paying more attention to Kayla than a guy who’s “only a friend” ever should. But just when everything seems to be falling into place, Kayla and Wesley accidentally spend a night together and discover a hitch in their plan they never considered: that switching partners may not lead to a perfect ending after all.</span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><em>First line: </em></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><b><i>I love my best friend’s boyfriend. But I swear I saw him first.</i></b></span><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><em><br /></em></strong>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><em>Note to anyone who decides they want their best friend’s significant: suck it up and deal, otherwise you end up like me – surrounded by your friends, but feeling 100% alone.</em></strong><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><em><br /></em></strong>
This is the second of <a href="http://readingwritingandlovinit.blogspot.com/">Cassie Mae's</a> books through Random House Flirt. Her first one, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI, I reviewed (and adored) <a href="http://robin-hall-writes.blogspot.com/2013/09/ketchup.html">here</a>. If you follow my blog you know I fell for Cassie Mae a few years back and read her entire blog, start to finish in two sittings. She is hilarious and not afraid to let it all hang out. I knew then that I'd read anything of hers and happily beta if she'd ever ask me. Yup, I was smitten. And I still am. She writes funny, sexy characters, awkward situations, and plenty of mishaps along the way.<br />
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SWITCHED was everything I'd come to expect from her, but it still read fresh, new, and holy cow the guys in this novel were hot. Wesley had my drooling. I kept thinking, <i>come on Kayla, realize he's the one for you. </i>Cassie managed to write two characters (Kayla and Wesley) I loved even when they were trying to break up their best friends and that (the likable characters) isn't not easy to pull off. Reagan I wanted to clobber more times than not, but she was great too. The condom war was hilarious!<br />
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I think of this story as a love square (do such things exist?). Some of my favorite scenes were Kayla biting Talon's nose, she and Wesley's snowball fight, when Talon helps her into the Open Mic night, and when Kayla eats Talon's mom's burnt cookies.<br />
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If you're looking for a fun, NA read, I hope you'll give this one a try.<br />
You can find it on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18166750-switched?ac=1">Goodreads</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Switched-Flirt-New-Adult-Romance-ebook/dp/B00DTELN9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385839401&sr=8-1&keywords=Switched+cassie+mae">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/switched-cassie-mae/1115947394?ean=9780345548825">Barnes and Noble</a>.<br />
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In addition to the giveaway below, I'm allowed to choose one person at random who comments on this blog between now and Dec. 8th at midnight to win their own NetGalley review copy of SWITCHED.<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/235bab26/" id="rc-235bab26" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-27253729762137038112013-12-04T02:00:00.000-05:002013-12-04T05:40:48.168-05:00IWSG Hard vs. Hard Core: In search of balance<div style="text-align: center;">
In my writing I swing from two extremes:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrbYA9KJkrBow3kwlNURxUnINm8BuboL67W3KHQiLynp8n9dHYMm_uCAwWe70fEF6iYChVRCbZGso0DR1yu6PtAtzKU7g5K0uLsYPUYhCVSPvYIEkznaJeIyVFXig2gd15uTRZ1oYyxs/s1600/Writingishard.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrbYA9KJkrBow3kwlNURxUnINm8BuboL67W3KHQiLynp8n9dHYMm_uCAwWe70fEF6iYChVRCbZGso0DR1yu6PtAtzKU7g5K0uLsYPUYhCVSPvYIEkznaJeIyVFXig2gd15uTRZ1oYyxs/s1600/Writingishard.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard</td></tr>
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and</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vR_lvNps7hs72Li8i3yhNQrtKQ0iuJcQWea0NtliSmZjvWibT9YmlL3B1_Xr2vukHlh9Bfx_ukXodtY4qzARh5ABRHfCFy-NM_2VXIylQ1OEPXnSoW-kOeb0A8OiuvoByxWp3sC30ZA/s1600/tumblr_meznn8UCOu1rxcw1k.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vR_lvNps7hs72Li8i3yhNQrtKQ0iuJcQWea0NtliSmZjvWibT9YmlL3B1_Xr2vukHlh9Bfx_ukXodtY4qzARh5ABRHfCFy-NM_2VXIylQ1OEPXnSoW-kOeb0A8OiuvoByxWp3sC30ZA/s320/tumblr_meznn8UCOu1rxcw1k.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard Core</td></tr>
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I want to find a happy, healthy medium between I suck, my writing sucks, I have no good ideas, and I can't make dinner or listen to an entire sentence not coming out of my own head because I am on the rollingest roll in existence. This book baby won't even need to be edited.<br />
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Instead I want this<br />
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and this</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSGI1eKRtZUbO93nomEiZBtqzPJm-gxgP3QurNSgPNEKuKxLG2T1Rg65mA2inBNVAFZkEiMNiKi9Um2ylWHEG1FrZaxBZMP0yBatwIwpNUzPb5GP74pvLN70hoxN3AFlzUeaFGcLZuWk/s1600/putrello+typing.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSGI1eKRtZUbO93nomEiZBtqzPJm-gxgP3QurNSgPNEKuKxLG2T1Rg65mA2inBNVAFZkEiMNiKi9Um2ylWHEG1FrZaxBZMP0yBatwIwpNUzPb5GP74pvLN70hoxN3AFlzUeaFGcLZuWk/s1600/putrello+typing.gif" /></a></div>
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so I can feel this</div>
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So tell me, dear readers, how do you find that beautiful balance? </div>
<br />Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1074688836294874272.post-20915965237325132292013-12-03T10:55:00.000-05:002013-12-03T13:14:12.249-05:00THIRD LIE'S THE CHARM by Lisa and Laura RoeckerHappy Release Day!!!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cRq6-BVAS_qPKeveFlwik2mr2G-NGT6O01NiPksolcKYhd5yk_t5JnywICgutqzUmONkF8hG33ZrTTzjRL67KKUqG02hy7bOuk2xIMqW_vCnQ7PCkqjS5-3IdYPT0_jGdVdfZe3K8_A/s1600/confetti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cRq6-BVAS_qPKeveFlwik2mr2G-NGT6O01NiPksolcKYhd5yk_t5JnywICgutqzUmONkF8hG33ZrTTzjRL67KKUqG02hy7bOuk2xIMqW_vCnQ7PCkqjS5-3IdYPT0_jGdVdfZe3K8_A/s320/confetti.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I first found out about The Liar Society books through Janet Gurtler, another great YA contemporary author who publishes through Sourcebooks Fire. When she posted the covers on her blog I had to read the books. And then when I read the first one I immediately delved into the second one. So guys, this is a time I can shout from the rooftops that the books are as good as their covers.<br />
Also, I'm always intrigued with people who can write collaborations and the idea of sisters working together on a book is rather intriguing for me. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Jolene Perry guest posted about it <a href="http://robin-hall-writes.blogspot.com/2013/11/guest-post-writing-collaborations-by.html">here</a>.)</span><br />
I couldn't wait for the final book in this thrilling saga to come out, so when I recieved a review copy from Netgalley I did some jumping and I little bit of dancing;)<br />
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Here's the cover, it's my least favorite of the three, but fitting for this final book.<br />
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From Goodreads:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">New friend into old, the bond of the Sisterhood will never grow cold.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Life at Pemberly Brown is a whirlwind for Kate Lowry. Determined to finally destroy the secret society responsible for her best friend Grace’s death, Kate joins the Sisterhood hoping to go all Trojan Horse on their asses. But the night of her initiation another student at Pemberly Brown dies in what looks like tragic accident.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Kate knows better.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Kate and her faithful ginger, Seth Allen, immediately uncover a connection to the boy’s death and the secret societies that rule Pemberly Brown. But it’s not until Kate begins receiving pages from Grace’s old journal that she begins to piece together what really happened the night she died and how it connects to Pemberly Brown’s most recent tragedy.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, Kate’s ex-boyfriend Liam is following her around like an angry guard dog and she’s falling hard for the mysterious Bradley Farrow. Both boys are tied up in the mystery that surrounds Pemberly Brown, but only one of them can truly be trusted.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">In this chilling conclusion to The Liar Society series Kate will fight to save her school from the evil that lurks beneath its hallowed halls. But will her quest destroy her or finally lead her to true love? She can only hope her third lie’s the charm.</span><br />
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*****</div>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As you guys know, I don't want to spoil the ending for everybody. But know I ached for Kate and the difficult decisions she had to make, in love, in friendship, and all in the name of bringing down the Sisterhood. There are twists, surprises, and a rather satisfying end. So great work L & L Roecker, for writing a great conclusion to a series I've thoroughly enjoyed. Read this book. But read THE LIAR SOCIETY and THE LIES THAT BIND first:)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Have you read this series? Are you as happy with the character development and humor sprinkled into this chilling ride? <a href="http://sportygirlbooks.blogspot.com/2013/12/book-review-racing-savannah-by-miranda.html">I reviewed another great book, RACING SAVANNAH by Miranda Kinneally out today over at Sporty Girl books if you'd like to check it out.</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">What's your most anticipated read for this month? Please share, because I don't want to miss it:)</span></span></span>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462486350293703991noreply@blogger.com4