I had this whole post written and WordPress deleted it–twice! Thank goodness I discovered you could retrieve a draft, although I’m still having to cut and paste it. Anyway, there’s a lot of advice out there telling you to eliminate words like: just very kind This rule is so ingrained, I don’t have an issue…
MMGM: IN A GLASS GRIMMLY by Adam Gidwitz
First of all, the winner of the paperback copy of MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE is: Jennifer Rumberger Thanks to everyone who entered! I’m excited to share IN A GLASS GRIMMLY this week for MMGM. I read Adam Gidwitz’s first book, A TALE DARK AND GRIMM, before I started this blog, so I didn’t get…
A Moment in THE DEXELON TWINCIDENT
Kip Wilson Rechea tagged me in a snippet-sharing blog hop. You can see the excerpt from her YA futuristic thriller, BRIGHTEST MIDNIGHT, here. Thanks, Kip! I’m going to share a snippet from my work-in-progress, THE DEXELON TWINCIDENT. The rules were: “Search for the words ‘moment,’ ‘forever,’ ‘time,’ or the like in your writing, pick your…
Review: THE STORY
Although I don’t make a secret of it, I typically don’t talk about my faith here because this blog is about my writing journey and the books I read. However, today those worlds collide because I have a review of THE STORY: THE BIBLE AS ONE CONTINUING STORY OF GOD AND HIS PEOPLE. Wow. That’s…
MMGM: MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE by Anna Staniszewski with a giveaway!
First of all, the winner of the signed hardcover of WHEN THE BUTTERFLIES CAME is: Akoss! Thanks to everyone who entered! Kimberley also sent me some beautiful bookmarks, so if you didn’t win but would like one of those, let me know. And on to today’s MMGM. I’ve had MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE by…
How Much Honesty Can You Take?
Yesterday agent Mandy Hubbard tweeted: Sometimes, wish I could tell an author: You have talent. But this feels like the book before the 1 you get published. #NobodyWantstoHearThat Well, of course you don’t want to hear that, but maybe you should. Now, if I were just dipping my toes in the querying waters for the…
MMGM: WHEN THE BUTTERFLIES CAME Trailer Reveal, Interview and Giveaway!
I am so excited today because I get to reveal the trailer for Kimberley Griffiths Little’s WHEN THE BUTTERFLIES CAME, plus I have an interview AND a giveaway! I met Kimberley right here on my blog through Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. Her comment on one of my posts inspired me to read CIRCLE OF SECRETS,…
MMGM: THE HERO’S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE by Christopher Healy
Happy Memorial Day! Today I’m featuring THE HERO’S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE, the sequel to one of my favorite middle grade reads of 2012. If you haven’t read THE HERO’S GUIDE TO SAVING YOUR KINGDOM, I highly recommend you do, and definitely before this one. Here’s the description: Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan….
MMGM: RUMP by Liesl Shurtliff
It’s particularly appropriate for me to cover Liesl Shurtliff’s RUMP: THE TRUE STORY OF RUMPELSTILTSKIN this week for MMGM. Why, you might ask? Because I was first introduced to Liesl through The Writer’s Voice contest, which is happening this week. My coach, Krista Van Dolzer, is one of Liesl’s critique partners (her name’s in the…
A Year of Blogging, Including My Top 10 Posts
So I should have done this post a couple of weeks ago. I started my blog on May 2, 2012, in order to participate in The Writer’s Voice contest. I’d debated for about a year whether to start a blog, mainly because I wasn’t sure what value I could add to the conversations already out…
MMGM: PLASTIC POLLY by Jenny Lundquist
It’s only been three weeks since my last MMGM post, and I’m back! Plus I have a few other middle grade books I just picked up, so I should be participating for several weeks. Some of you may recall that Jenny Lundquist’s debut book, SEEING CINDERELLA, was my favorite MG read of 2012. So of…
Without CPs and Betas, I’d Never Get Past the Slushpile
This morning I finished up revisions from my second round of readers and sent my work-in-progress off to a third round. I’m always amazed at the things I miss when I’m editing my own work, and I came to a definite conclusion. If I didn’t use critique partners and beta readers, my manuscripts would never…
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