MMGM: THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH’S by Lee Gjertson Malone

I’m back with another MMGM! I have to say the cover of this one caught my attention when it kept popping up in my Twitter feed, so I clicked on it to read the description, and then I had to get my hands on the actual book. I’m so glad I did. Seventh grader Jeremy…

Read more »

Quick Tip: After A Major Revision, Do a POV Voice Check

When you’re writing multiple points of view, it’s important that those voices stay distinct. I’ve recommended before that you revise each POV individually early on in the process to ensure the characters have their own arc and voice (Revising One Character at a Time, 3 Tips for Revising One Character at a Time). It must…

Read more »

MMGM: STORY THIEVES by James Riley

Hi there, MMGM readers! I know it’s been forever since I did a middle grade review. It should be no surprise that a James Riley book would bring me back into the fold, considering how much I love the HALF UPON A TIME series. I’ve been meaning to read STORY THIEVES for a while, and…

Read more »

YA Series Recommendation: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Well, I already told you this recommendation was coming in my favorite reads of 2015 post. I actually ended up finishing two of the three books before the end of the year, so it’s probably a good thing I gave The Selection series an honorable mention for 2015. It wouldn’t be quite fair to list…

Read more »

YA Review: WANDERLOST by Jen Malone

A couple of years ago my critique partner Kip Wilson told me about this sweet romance by Jen Malone that I would love–because she’d read it in advance. So when an opportunity arose to enter for an ARC of WANDERLOST, I was all in. Imagine my joy when I won and got to read this…

Read more »

YA Review: WINTER by Marissa Meyer

Anyone who was following me on Twitter last week was probably expecting this review. For that matter, if you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, it won’t surprise you either, considering I reviewed the first three books in The Lunar Chronicles series and CINDER, SCARLET and CRESS made it onto my favorite…

Read more »

YA Review: THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee

A couple of weeks ago my critique partner Kip Wilson sent me the lovely gift of a signed copy of THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee. I’d been hearing a lot about this book already from another writer friend of mine, Anna-Marie McLemore (if you haven’t read THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS yet, do it!), so…

Read more »

YA Review: THE SECRETS WE KEEP by Trisha Leaver

Although I didn’t win this book through PitchWars like the last couple I reviewed, I did pick it up after learning about it from Trisha Leaver’s PitchWars mentor bio. As soon as I read the blurb, I was dying to read the whole book. Check it out. Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella…

Read more »

YA Review: DOWN WITH THE SHINE by Kate Karyus Quinn

Today I’m excited to share a review of another advanced copy I was privileged to read as a result of PitchWars–DOWN WITH THE SHINE by Kate Karyus Quinn. It’s another dark one, but it also surprised me by making me laugh out loud. I’ll get to that in the review, but first, here’s the description……

Read more »

YA Review: A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis

Remember that ARC I mentioned I was reading last week? It was A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis, and it’s sooo good. It doesn’t release until Oct. 6, but you should pre-order it right now because I’m not passing this one along. It’s staying right here on my gorgeous shelves. Anyway, let me tell…

Read more »

That Magical Moment When Feedback Clicks

Don’t you hate it when you know something’s wrong with your manuscript–maybe it’s even been pointed out to you by multiple sources–but you can’t figure out how to fix it? Or, even worse, when you think you’ve fixed it and then you receive comments from agents after you start querying that reveal the issue was…

Read more »