Okay, I don't normally blog about other people's blogs, but Natalie Whipple's post on YAWESOME was just too delicious not to share. Check it out! Like, right now.
Natalie Whipple is a YA author made of awesome (which is difficult to find on shelves these days).
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
WINGS by Aprilynne Pike: my review
As promised, I am here to discuss Aprilynne Pike's fabulous debut novel, WINGS! By the way, the long-awaited sequel, SPELLS, is available from Amazon, here
.
As for the first book, WINGS: I bought this book the second I saw that it was recommended by Stephenie Meyer. If you click on Ms. Pike's name above, you can read on her blog about her journey to publication. She actually got a personal referral to agent Jodi Reamer via the famed Twilight Saga authoress. But things weren't all roses and daisies on her path to publication. It's a very fascinating story that aspiring authors and readers alike will enjoy.
Now on to my review of WINGS! Let's use a point system I just made up. Five points for anything I particularly liked. Ah, heck, why not 10?
.As for the first book, WINGS: I bought this book the second I saw that it was recommended by Stephenie Meyer. If you click on Ms. Pike's name above, you can read on her blog about her journey to publication. She actually got a personal referral to agent Jodi Reamer via the famed Twilight Saga authoress. But things weren't all roses and daisies on her path to publication. It's a very fascinating story that aspiring authors and readers alike will enjoy.
Now on to my review of WINGS! Let's use a point system I just made up. Five points for anything I particularly liked. Ah, heck, why not 10?
- 10 Points for a M.C. who homeschools, and loves it.
- 10 Points for a very sweet boyfriend-type.
- 10 Points for a hot, passionate boyfriend-type who creates a love triangle for Laurel.
- 10 Points--no, has to be 50 Points--for completely original story premise and plot. Even reviews and descriptions read before the book did not give away the startling twist of who the protagonist really is.
- 10 Points for vivid descriptions of the bad guys that made me cringe...yes, actually cringe.
- 10 Points for creating high stakes and the question of survival, not only for the protagonist, but also for people she loves.
Well, that's 100 Points, so I should stop.
I'll just add that Aprilynne Pike really pulled me into her world by the end of the novel, so much that I was thinking about it long after I closed the back cover over the sneak peek of the sequel. If I hadn't broken my bank buying The Red Pyramid and a slew of other best-sellers at Barnes and Noble, I'd probably be out picking up SPELLS right now. As it is, I must force myself to wait.
If you have read either book, please feel free to join my monologue in the comments below! (No spoilers, please. Some of us haven't read SPELLS yet.)
Next Read: IF I STAY by Gayle Forman
: "What would you do if you had to choose?"
I'll just add that Aprilynne Pike really pulled me into her world by the end of the novel, so much that I was thinking about it long after I closed the back cover over the sneak peek of the sequel. If I hadn't broken my bank buying The Red Pyramid and a slew of other best-sellers at Barnes and Noble, I'd probably be out picking up SPELLS right now. As it is, I must force myself to wait.
If you have read either book, please feel free to join my monologue in the comments below! (No spoilers, please. Some of us haven't read SPELLS yet.)
Next Read: IF I STAY by Gayle Forman
: "What would you do if you had to choose?"Friday, May 21, 2010
Why My Baby is My Hero (and should be yours, too)
My baby is my hero.
He's got more going on than my current protagonist, who is fighting evil in his own family, and trying to gain control over his very sporadic powers.
You don't believe me?
Listen to this compilation of misery:
TEETHING
- swollen gums
- sore mouth
- compulsion to chew on anything in sight
- runny nose
- sore throat
- mouth breathing vs. hunger (can't eat and breathe at the same time)
- scratchy tissue paper assault courtesy of mom
- exposed sensitive skin
- poky toys
- compulsion to grab things causing pain
BIG BROTHER
- thinks he's a toy
- tries to carry him
- steamrolls him
- takes away his toys
DIAPERS
- poop; need I say more?
- near-constant need for sleep
Okay, I'll stop there, but I'm sure he's feeling other things I can't put my finger on as an outside observer. The amazing thing is that he's laughing, and cruising along furniture as we speak. I'm pretty sure he's eating California right now (USA wooden puzzle). But he's happy.
It got me thinking about two things:
1. My baby is amazing! He's resilient. He's perky. He's way tougher than I'll ever be. I mean, I'm sick right now, and I'm being a total baby (obviously not) about it. He's just going on with his quest of learning to walk. And that's plain heroic.
2. The hero of my current WIP is weak sauce compared with Baby LJ. And I could learn something about characterization by looking at what an actual, real-life hero deals with on a daily basis. We are what we do, right? LJ is a hardcore survivor type. My protag is a sissy la la. Maybe if I gave him a few more external problems (big brother, teething, diapers) and a solid internal dilemma (compulsion to stick everything in his mouth), he'd make for a rounder, more developed character.
Food for thought, people. I'm off to make my fictional hero more like an 8-month-old.
BIG NEWS for FALLEN fans! A Sneak Peek...
From beloved author Lauren Kate, comes a Sneak Peek at FALLEN's sequel: TORMENT.
Read 18 totally new pages HERE.
I'm hooked! I'm dying to know where the starshot comes back into play. Immortality has new rules in this sequel, and it's going to be an adventure to feel them out.
A blurb from the link above:
"Hell on earth.
That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her
fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity
to find one another, yet now he tells her he must go
away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—
immortals who want to kill Luce. He hides her at
Shoreline,a school on the rocky California coast with
unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of
fallen angels and humans.
At Shoreline, Luce learns
what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as
windows on her previous lives. Yet the more Luce
learns, the more she realizes that Daniel hasn’t told her
everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.
What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true?
What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?
The second novel in the
addictive FALLEN series . . . where
LOVE NEVER DIES.
KEEP READING"
So there it is, people. The blurb to go with the all-out GORGEOUS cover that made me buy the first book in the series. *sigh* Now go pre-order it.
Read my review of FALLEN.
Read 18 totally new pages HERE.
I'm hooked! I'm dying to know where the starshot comes back into play. Immortality has new rules in this sequel, and it's going to be an adventure to feel them out.
A blurb from the link above:
"Hell on earth.
That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her
fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity
to find one another, yet now he tells her he must go
away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—
immortals who want to kill Luce. He hides her at
Shoreline,a school on the rocky California coast with
unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of
fallen angels and humans.
At Shoreline, Luce learns
what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as
windows on her previous lives. Yet the more Luce
learns, the more she realizes that Daniel hasn’t told her
everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.
What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true?
What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?
The second novel in the
addictive FALLEN series . . . where
LOVE NEVER DIES.
KEEP READING"
So there it is, people. The blurb to go with the all-out GORGEOUS cover that made me buy the first book in the series. *sigh* Now go pre-order it.
Read my review of FALLEN.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
THE HOMESCHOOL LIBERATION LEAGUE: My Review
Ah, another great read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book: an honest look at the educational options available to children today, wrapped up in teenage drama, as it ought to be.
We've all read fiction with an agenda before, and I was prepared for this to be just that, based on the title. But I was wrong. Happily wrong.
The narrator's view of homeschooling is definitely biased, but the experiences the author throws at her make for a very well-rounded view of several different schooling options. THE HOMESCHOOL LIBERATION LEAGUE is the most honest fiction I have read in years. Enjoying a story without an agenda, as you all know, is a rare thing.
Katya's voice is delightful, and sometimes delightfully absurd. She's a teenager after my own heart, who loves to use her creativity. Whether it's planning a foraged-food feast of weed-salad and barberry wine, or just convincing her parents to let her stay home from school for the next year--she is up for the challenge!
There's adventure and angst and drama in this YA book, but there's also romance. It isn't Katya's first kiss that we're experiencing, but it is her first love. And who knew violin lessons could be so steamy?
Katya is thirteen, and Lucy Frank did a fabulous job making her voice match this volatile stage of life. She's emotional and excitable, but she's also more thoughtful than her parents or teachers give her credit for. Doesn't every teenager feel misunderstood this way?
I also enjoyed the catalog of changing friendships that often happens during middle school as teenagers discover who they naturally are and who they want to be. One of Katya's friends seems especially torn between playing "the game" and being herself, a question I think most adults can still relate to their lives.
But this is a book seeping with young adult spirit. I recommend it with five stars.
NEXT READ: Aprilynne Pike's WINGS
Join me next week to discuss this YA fantasy recommended by Stephenie Meyer, author of the TWILIGHT saga.
We've all read fiction with an agenda before, and I was prepared for this to be just that, based on the title. But I was wrong. Happily wrong.
The narrator's view of homeschooling is definitely biased, but the experiences the author throws at her make for a very well-rounded view of several different schooling options. THE HOMESCHOOL LIBERATION LEAGUE is the most honest fiction I have read in years. Enjoying a story without an agenda, as you all know, is a rare thing.
Katya's voice is delightful, and sometimes delightfully absurd. She's a teenager after my own heart, who loves to use her creativity. Whether it's planning a foraged-food feast of weed-salad and barberry wine, or just convincing her parents to let her stay home from school for the next year--she is up for the challenge!
There's adventure and angst and drama in this YA book, but there's also romance. It isn't Katya's first kiss that we're experiencing, but it is her first love. And who knew violin lessons could be so steamy?
Katya is thirteen, and Lucy Frank did a fabulous job making her voice match this volatile stage of life. She's emotional and excitable, but she's also more thoughtful than her parents or teachers give her credit for. Doesn't every teenager feel misunderstood this way?
I also enjoyed the catalog of changing friendships that often happens during middle school as teenagers discover who they naturally are and who they want to be. One of Katya's friends seems especially torn between playing "the game" and being herself, a question I think most adults can still relate to their lives.
But this is a book seeping with young adult spirit. I recommend it with five stars.
NEXT READ: Aprilynne Pike's WINGS
Join me next week to discuss this YA fantasy recommended by Stephenie Meyer, author of the TWILIGHT saga.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Wordle Word Cloud Fun
Here's my middle grade novel, Drats! Foiled Again! summed up in a wordle blurb.
Guess who the main character is. :-) I guess I'm saying his name quite often, so as not to confuse him with his evil twin. I love writing paranormal superhero stuff!
And here's this blog summed up in wordle, as well (in pink, of course):
Pretty easy to see my main topics here!
Alright. I'm off to butcher another brilliant idea in its execution! Wish me luck!
Blissful reading, and happy writing!
Guess who the main character is. :-) I guess I'm saying his name quite often, so as not to confuse him with his evil twin. I love writing paranormal superhero stuff!
And here's this blog summed up in wordle, as well (in pink, of course):
Pretty easy to see my main topics here!
Alright. I'm off to butcher another brilliant idea in its execution! Wish me luck!
Blissful reading, and happy writing!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Doggerel: A poem about bad writing
I've written a thousand bad poems, and maybe a dozen real gems. Unfortunately, I can't find the good ones because I put them in the same place with the bad ones. They are lost.
Lost, lost, lost.
Here's a new one for you:
Doggerel
by Katrina Lantz
Show, don't tell,
Ms. Nelson said.
And then with ease
Will words be read.
Show, don't tell,
McDonnell chimed.
By now, I'm stumped.
"But why?" I mimed.
Show, don't tell,
The bloggers say.
But find your voice
And never stray.
Show, don't tell,
Editors cry.
And now I've stopped
My answering why's.
At last, it clicks.
I know the crux:
Show, don't tell
Means rambling sucks.
THE END
Oh, don't mention it. I'm always happy to provide you with a rhymey-slimy verse or two.
Got a 20-line poem to share? Do it in the comments below.
Lost, lost, lost.
Here's a new one for you:
Doggerel
by Katrina Lantz
Show, don't tell,
Ms. Nelson said.
And then with ease
Will words be read.
Show, don't tell,
McDonnell chimed.
By now, I'm stumped.
"But why?" I mimed.
Show, don't tell,
The bloggers say.
But find your voice
And never stray.
Show, don't tell,
Editors cry.
And now I've stopped
My answering why's.
At last, it clicks.
I know the crux:
Show, don't tell
Means rambling sucks.
THE END
Oh, don't mention it. I'm always happy to provide you with a rhymey-slimy verse or two.
Got a 20-line poem to share? Do it in the comments below.
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