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You are viewing the most recent posts from the 1564 blogs currently in the JacketFlap Blog Reader. These posts are sorted by date, with the most recent posts at the top of the page. There are hundreds of new posts here every day on a variety of topics related to children's publishing. We have provided a variety of ways for you to navigate through the blog posts. Click the dates in the calendar on the left to view blog posts from a particular date. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. Click a tag in the right column to view posts about that topic. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a "More Posts from this Blog" link in any individual post.
According to Screen Daily, the movie adaptation of Jason’s I KILLED ADOLF HITLER now has director Timo Vuorensola attached. The Finnish helmer is best known for IRON SKY, which is about a secret moonbase full of Nazis who escaped WWII but are back to wreak havoc.
So…some thematic similarities to IKAH, which is about a hitman who goes back in time to kill guess who.
The film will be made in live action 3D. Udo Kier is rumored to be on board. Something tells us this will not be a melancholy meditation on love and heroism but them’s the breaks.
This is a just a mess, due to the pressing matters I alluded to earlier. Man, I sound like Edwin Drood.
§ We kept meaning to link to The Comics Reporter’s interview with Faith Erin Hicks. We were having lunch with a comics figure the other day and we both agreed that Hicks is “the real deal”—or as Tom Spurgeon put it, “It’s just that it’s hard to deny that the young cartoonist has put together a style and a way of working that suits the stories she wants to tell, and that’s a significant accomplishment in any artist’s career.” In other words, she’s a born storyteller; even the things she puzzles over are great:
I find panelling very puzzling, actually. Sometimes it drives you into the story, but not in ways that you expect. I remember how Urasawa used panelling in Pluto, especially in this one scene where robot detective Gesicht is accused of killing a man, and there was just a single panel of his reaction, but the bottom of the panel was slanted downwards, like it was collapsing… it was really, really striking and made the moment impact on me in a much larger way than if it was a simple rectangular panel. I felt sucked into the scene. But then there's guys like Jaime Hernandez who use more simplistic paneling, and I feel very engaged in their storytelling too. I can't put my finger on why they both work, since they're both so different. I'm still learning, still experimenting.
§ A tribute to ’80s minicomics master
Steve Willis as viewed in the “screwball comics” tradition. I’d put
Marc Bell at the top of the even more modern screwball tradition.
You get the sense reading his twisting, winding, totally unpredictable stories that Steve was totally in the moment as he made these — they are barely channeled explosions of the chaos of creativity. Instead of directly working in a tradition of screwball comics, which Steve may or not have absorbed into his psyche, I think he probably taps into the same sources are many of the older screwball artists and thus his work is related. It’s a sort of “pure” screwballism. The ever-shifting, dreamlike, cosmic-absurdist world of Morty the Dog is a neighboring county to Gene Ahern’s Foozland and Bill Holman’s nonsensical fire station.
§ This is an old link, but a report on a Women in Comics symposium in Edinburgh brings up
the Ally Sloper Case:
One of the first works Heather brought up was the famous very early comics work Ally Sloper, often credited to Victorian writer/artist Charles H Ross. I had some vague knowledge of the strip – I’d certainly heard of it and Ally himself is a pretty distinctive comics creation, very iconic (no wonder he expanded out into his own comic and was one of the early comics characters to rake in money through widescale merchandising too, such was his popularity). However I had no idea that Ross’ wife, French woman Emilie de Tessier, usually working under the pen name Marie Duval, work
By: Evil Editor,
on 5/23/2012
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Evil Editor
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I usually don’t comment on my activity or lack of it any more, but I have pressing matters which preclude commenting on some of the big stuff going on—I’m still working on that damn TCAF report—including the ongoing Jack Kirby/Avengers/creators rights matter. Or the matter of the day as I like to call it. I’ve been saving up my links and girding my loins. I guess I feel a bit defensive about it because not commenting on something is often attacked as condoning this or supporting that. My thoughts are complex and I don’t want to dash something off; it’s too important for that.
I guess the short version is “Viva Jack Kirby!” You can’t go wrong with that.
In the meantime, here’s a post from The Secret Sun: The Avengers, or Jack Kirby Conquers the World.
The aliens, the ultra-violence, the tech, the vision– that’s all Jack. The self-sacrifice, the superteam as bickering family, the old New Deal liberal morality– that’s all Stan. This Whedon guy knows his stuff and knows it well enough to translate from the sunny, optimistic Sixties to the grim, dour Twenty-Teens. Not an easy task.
Neil gives a commencement address like no other! Truly inspirational...
So I’m counting down until my well-deserved vacation starting this weekend in Hawaii! I’ll also be working on my novel at a writer’s retreat with the lovely Heather McCorkle. So excited about all the things I will get accomplished next week. :)
So being the beauty addict that I am, I decided to do something different with my hair for the trip and the early summer. Something I haven’t done in maybe 10 years — I got braids — specifically Senegalese twists. They took 7 hours to install — nope, that’s not a typo — 7 hours with two Nigerian women working on my head.
Here’s the end result: |
|
Here’s a close up. Little shiny and intricate ropes like a work of art: |
|
How did I spend my time at the braid shop? I thought I was going to read Insurgent by Veronica Roth but then I was introduced to the world of Nigerian movies — also known as Nollywood.
I was totally sucked into the drama, comedy, and interesting characters. It definitely made my 7 hours go by in a pleasant way. Here are some Nollywood film-making tips that can be easily applied to novels:
Emphatic heroine. In the movies I watched the lead character was truly someone you could relate to easily and found yourself hoping she would get to her goal.
Well rounded villains. Most of the “bad guys” in these movies usually had goals of their own and specific reasons for acting they way they did.
Drama, drama, drama. With these movies, there was never a dull moment. Always something happening. No belly button musing going on at all!
Unique setting. A lot of the movies were shot in various locations in West Africa and it opened me up to a different culture and exposed me to new surroundings.
On Monday, I asked my Nigerian co-worker if she had any DVDs that I could borrow for my plane trip. Ha, ha. I’m glad that I got my first taste of Nollywood.
Writer friends, what are your favorite international movies? Do you find the storytelling different? Have you learned anything new that you can put in your writing?
One of the blogs I always enjoy visiting belongs to the talented Lynne Chapman. Her blog is filled with tons of valuable information. Like
this post, for example, where she explains a little about how she designs her spreads.
Go have a look at her
blog and
website which is filled with super cute art and many videos, really fun stuff!
It's Wednesday Query Critique time! Remember to enter by midnight EST in order for your chance to win the weekly query critique.
REMINDERS: These critiques are for those who prefer a private critique versus a public one. Please read my prior post on
Query Tips before entering. Also, as mentioned in my big giveaway, I tend to be very direct and picky, but my goal is to get your query in the best shape possible. Finally, the query is only the first step--make sure the entire book is as good as the query before you hit "Send." To enter the weekly query critique giveaway, simply follow the directions below. Good luck!
RULES:
Just leave a comment telling me you'd like to be entered in the giveaway and give your email address, using (at) and (com) as follows so the spam bots don't find you.
I will use a random number generator to pick the winner who will receive a query critique through email. NOTE: If your query involves space monkeys, I might make an exception and do an extra critique!
By: Sue Bursztynski,
on 5/23/2012
Blog:
The Great Raven
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Here's a blog I have just discovered and begun to follow, known as The History Girls. It's a blog by a bunch of women writers of historical fiction. I have only heard of a few of them, who hasve written for teens, but all of them write wonderful posts about their writing and research. It's fascinating stuff. The web site is set up for reviews and interviews, though they're not up as yet. I was particularly hooked by a postabout "Tommy Atkins" the common British soldier as immortalised by Kipling? The post discusses the difficulty of making anyone below officer rank your hero, because it's almost impossible to run off and have adventures with no horse and not bring allowed out of camp - and how does your low-ranking hero save the day when any officer would simply consider him impertinent for making suggestions? The author of a book called Into The Valley Od Death, A.L. Berridge, considered this a challenge and met it. What's really good about this blog is that it comes out daily. If you love history and are interested in the process of writing it, why not wander over and take a look?
Happy Wednesday, Musers! I just got back from a little jaunt to Disney to celebrate my daughter's birthday. I'd share all the happy-go-lucky pictures, but there are none, as is evidenced by her refusal to smile in just about all of them. At least I don't have to worry about her entering the high-stress fields of acting or modeling.
Speaking of happy-go-lucky, I skipped over to
Laura Pauling's blog today to celebrate her book launch and share my thoughts on
Taking the Mystery out of Editing Those Pesky Subplots. Or, if you prefer:
Biscuits and Subplots and Cake, Oh My! Every good spy needs an alias, so I figured my post should have one, too. Even though it has nothing to do with spies. And very little to do with cake.
Regardless, if you've got a sec, please stop by and congratulate Laura on her new release!
Here are a few items I finished up for Kid’s Clothing Week over at elsie marley. I made them the same way I did this hat except this time I cut out the picture I wanted and appliqued it on the hats. These are all made from outgrown pajama tops, though the little dog applique came from a normal, completely wrecked, but favorite T-shirt.
Here in Germany it has just now gotten really warm, but before that, the kids needed spring hats while biking. These thin ones are perfect for tucking under a helmet.
Next up is a dress for my 8-year-old, or is it a nightgown, or is it a shirt for me? We haven’t decided. It started out life cut out to be a Go-To Dress from The Train to Crazy, like this one. But the fabric is really too stretchy and thin to work very well for that pattern, so I thought I’d make it into a nightgown by adding knit bindings. By the way, very good knit binding instructions here.
The knit bindings were kind of wide so they ended up looking more like a funnel neck and sleeves, which is fine. And bonus!–the whole thing fits over my head and works as a top. Maybe I’ll steal it.
I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, seeing as how it sat so long just cut out and being nothing and seemed to have no future.
A few more sewing items to come as well as pics from the Waldorf basar. We’ve been doing some exploring nearby within Germany, so hope to share more about that soon. It’s only about 6 weeks now until we move back to the U.S. I can’t believe it.
Much of the recent focus on Marvel has seen them as a corporate behemoth, crushing the innocent as they march across America in their golden boots. But a recent news story reported by the Huffington Post reminds that the people working for the company are still doing everything they can to support and entertain their fans, and help out wherever they can.
When 4-year old Anthony Smith, a young comic book fan with hearing impairment, was told by Doctors that he needed to wear a hearing aid, he refused. He didn’t want to feel like he stood out and was alone. So his mother, superheroic Christina D’Allesandro, sent an email to Marvel comics, asking if there were any examples of superheroes who also wore an aid - if she could find pictures showing her son that there was nothing unusual about wearing an aid, perhaps he’d change his mind about wearing one himself.
Not only did Marvel point her to a famous storyline where Hawkeye temporarily damaged his hearing (during his time with the West Coast Avengers, fact-fans); but editor Bill Rosemann decided to take Anthony as his inspiration to create a new superhero, called The Blue Ear.
Here’s a look at Blue Ear in action, as drawn by Nelson Ribeiro:
Bolstered by D’Allesandro’s email, a number of Marvel’s staff started to draw their own Blue Ear artwork, and sent it over to Anthony. And now he’s not only a superhero – but a superhero who hangs out with the Avengers, Anthony has now happily started wearing his hearing aid. After all, he’s got Hawkeye backing him up now, as drawn by Manny Mederos:
Now the only thing left is to bring him into Marvel continuity!
Darkness Before Dawnby J.A. London
Published by: HarperTeen
Released on: May 29th, 2012
Paperback
368 Pages
Rating: 5/5
*Please note, this review was based from an ARC*
I was very curious about Darkness Before Dawn. It seems as though the vampire craze has definitely settled down so I wasn't too sure what to expect. What I had delivered was far more than I ever could've imagined. I fell in love with the writing of the mother/son duo that goes by the name of J.A. London. I am more than touched just to know that this book was written by a mother and a son. I didn't find this out until I was finished, which added to the amazingness it delivers.
For the most part, it takes place in a settled city after a war that led to massive changes to not only humans, but vampires as well. To live among the vampires is unheard of, and trying to make peace isn't easy. I'm not sure if there is really any peace at all. Dawn Montgomery has had her parents and brother ripped from her life by those vile vampire beasts, yet she now has to work hand-in-hand with them, trying to deliver a somewhat livable environment without fear of being attacked by vampires. Dawn already has a boyfriend, but that's not saying that he's a good one by any means. And while out with her best friend Tegan, she gets put into a horrid situation where she is saved by pure luck and a guy named Victor. I believe that Victor landed a place in my heart long before it settled in Dawn's. He isn't the Night Watchman that everyone thinks he is, he's far from it. He is quite persistent in what he wants and brings to the table, more than any character has in quite some time.
When a new guy comes into town, bearing the name of Sin. I couldn't help but not like him. It didn't matter who else did. I just didn't trust the guy. Sadly, he proved himself in ways I never expected even with my instincts running high. Darkness Before Dawn is full of unexpected events, turns and surprises. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Susan Quinn is one of the hardest working writers I know. She's frightfully organized, incredibly generous and often quite lucky. And did I mention talented? And super nice?
Today I'm proud to be part of the virtual party celebrating the release of the second book in her Mindjack trilogy. I've been lucky enough to be one of the beta readers for both books in this series and let me just say they are more than worth the $2.99 Ebook price.
But don't just take my word for it. Read a sample.
Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy
When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you.
Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers.Now available!$2.99 Ebook at
Amazon (and
Amazon UK) and
Barnes and NobleRequest a KindlegraphPaper copies available at
Amazon or get
signed copies from the author
Browsing through new and forthcoming YA fantasy covers over at The Enchanted Inkpot, I found a book that I knew I had to buy, based on the cover alone. I can't, at this point in my life, support diversity in books for kids and teens by actually writing them myself, but I do have a credit card, and I know how to use it. It is also nice that it sounds like a book I'd have been interested in, regardless (but when and why did Cole become a girl's name??? For how much of the book will this bother me?)
Transcendence, by C.J. Omololu (Walker Books, June 5, 2012, Young Adult)
"When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.
As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.
Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?"
I find the placement of the male and female characters on the cover interesting too--I can't decide if the dude is the passive one, with the girl being in charge, or if she is hiding behind him. I think she looks too fierce for the latter...
(Those interested in writing diversly for kids and teens might want to visit this week's series at CBC Diversity. And anyone interested in the representation of divesity on YA covers should check out this post at Kate Hart's blog)
Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
By: Emily,
on 5/23/2012
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Geez -- way to stack the
Newbery deck, first-timer.
Amazingly good.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio. Knopf, 2012, 320 pages.
Writing the Middle Grade Novel – From Start to Finish Part Two
By Suzanne Lieurance*****
In Part 1 of this 3-part article, you learned how to get your novel started. Now, here are some tips and tricks for plotting and writing your novel.
1. When plotting your novel, start from the ending and work your way back to the beginning. Where do you want your main character to end up at the end of the story? What will he/she have accomplished and how will this character have changed by the end of the story?
Think of some big culminating event for your novel and create a "ticking clock" so your main character must solve the overall story problem before time runs out (things must happen quickly so you can sustain the dramatic tension throughout the story).
2. Write the jacket flap copy for your book-just one or two paragraphs that let the reader know what the story will be about. By summarizing this, YOU will get a better idea of EXACTLY what your story is about, too.
3. Next, figure out all the steps it will take for your main character to get to the ending. First, where does your character start out? What does he/she want more than anything? What happens next to change things a bit and make it a bit more difficult for your main character to get what he/she wants?
4. Turn your plot into an outline of chapters. Try starting with a 12 chapter outline, although your story may end up being longer than 12 chapters. But 12 chapters keeps it manageable at the start. This will also help you create your story in 3 acts of 4 chapters each.
5. As you're creating your outline, keep the plot triangle in mind. Introduce your characters and setting at the bottom left side of the triangle. Then, create rising action as you develop problems for your main character (your story starts moving up the triangle this way). These problems all lead to the climax of your story (which is at the top of the triangle). Generally, plan the climax for chapter 10 or 11 of the story, then resolve everything in the final chapter or so.
6. For each chapter, think of what MUST happen in order for your main character to move closer to the climax and the ending of the story. You'll think of more complications brought about by the antagonist or other outside events as you do, so don't worry about having all of this in place from the start.
7. As you're outlining, think in terms of scenes you can create for each chapter. Plan for 1 to 3 different scenes per chapter, for the most part. Consider your main character. Based on what he or she is like, how can you use other characters to create an interesting subplot? In middle grade, you don't want too many subplots and they need to be fairly simple.
Follow these tips to create a compelling plot for your story to avoid the sagging middle! Then, read Part 3 of Writing the Middle Grade Novel - From Start to Finish with tips for finishing your manuscript!
For more writing and marketing tips and resources visit Suzanne Lieurance's
Working Writers Club and sign up today. It will put your writing career in 'drive.'
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzanne_Lieurance Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/6025056If you missed Part One, CLICK HERE.
For Part Thre
Welcome to my world of writing workshops...
all wrapped up for the school year
I've been working backwards in the story this week. As I discussed previously, I don't work through the roughs chronologically, but take them in the order in which they most interest me, so I 'get into' the book as quickly as possible.
Now I am concentrating more on how the whole 'swapping places' idea is set up. Above is the first spread, where the idea is hatched. I'm really pleased with this one but, though it looks simple, it didn't come together quickly. I had trouble keeping both characters large but also out of the gutter, whilst keeping them close so their relationship was intimate enough. Below you can see all my tiny variations on the composition:
As you can see, I also tried out lots of alarm clock designs too: hard to make it fun without getting fussy. I love the big, curved BBBRRRRIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG!!! of the alarm that pulls the whole image together - I do hope Gullane let me keep it that way.
Above is the next spread: where Lucy and Sparky actually swap, and Mum and Dad are fooled. The two little drawings came toge
Italy is a country that lives and breathes love in all its forms. There's no other nation in the world that would feel the joy of life more deeply and genuinely, that would celebrate the gift of human existence more vividly and exuberantly. Italians love to live, and they love enjoying life with all their senses.
What's the magic formula? Well, let me tell you this: Life in Italy is not easier than in other parts of the world. Italians do not have less problems and more money than you. Just like you, they have family issues, nasty bosses and occasional bad hair days. The only difference is that they choose to see life through different (very Italian) eyes.
Italian life is firmly anchored in everyday rituals, habits and little pleasures that Italians rely on. No matter what happened this morning, tonight there will be aperitivo with coworkers, a delicious home-made dinner, a glass of exquisite wine, a chat and latest gossip with friends on the piazza. In the morning, the sun will rise again, the sky will be blue and you'll hit the beach to show off your sun-kissed skin and brand new bikini. Life's good, and it's getting better and better.
I often wonder why it's so much easier for us to focus on what's wrong with your life, rather than on what works right now and in what ways life has blessed you. We struggle, we strive, we plan, we organize, we control, we rush, we worry, we stress. We focus on keeping up with the Joneses and we put off happiness by telling ourselves we'll be happy when ___ (we earn a certain amount of money, sell a certain number of books, buy a bigger car and our dream house, find the perfect guy . . . Just fill in the blank.)
Slaves to our own conditions and criteria, we miss the precious moments that fill our days, the moments that we take for granted. The moments that Italians accept, embrace, acknowledge and appreciate because they know better. They understand life is nothing but a series of little, seemingly insignificant flashes that, when put together, create a magical string of love, awe, zest, delight, sweetness and gusto.
I love my life in an Italian way, and I know I've been blessed with all the riches that truly matters. People who love me; a body that walks, runs, jumps and breathes; the freedom to do whatever I want and be whoever I desire to be; friends to laugh with; pets to play with; the beauty of nature; the smell of espresso before I take the first sip; the bliss of chocolate melting in my mouth; fresh, crisp sheets; a perfectly sharpened pencil; a glass of wine when watching the sunset; the desire to learn and know more; the wisdom of the written word; the miracle of emotions; the perfection of the present moment.
I could go on and on, and the list would be endless—and I'm sure yours would be too. The eternal secret of dolce amore, the key to loving your life no matter what, is right here, within your grasp. Just take a deep breath and look around. Your life is here and now, you just need to open your eyes, see it, feel it, and love it. As a wise man said, the past is history, the future is mystery, the present is a gift. I'm sure this happy camper was Italian.
8 Comments on Dolce Amore: The Art of Loving Your Life Like an Italian by Barbara Conelli, last added: 5/26/2012
Our beloved Sunday water aerobics instructor was replaced recently. The class is having a hard time adjusting to the new instructor. She uses a different set of moves and it's hard to hear her instructions. She has dismissed one of my favorite moves, saying that it goes against the guidelines of <insert unknown acronym>.
I've been thinking a lot these past few weeks about what it's like for our students every fall as they adjust to new teachers and what we can do help them start thinking about what to expect and how to deal with the changes. Things we can do this spring while our students are still a part of our close-knit, safe and predictable classroom communities include:
• Talk about changes they've undergone in the past. List the positives of change along with the negatives.
• Think about what they've learned from favorite teachers. Remind them that when you move from teacher to teacher, you carry them all with you -- you never really leave a favorite teacher behind.
We can encourage our students to
• Be patient. Give the new teacher a chance.
• Be an independent learner. (For our children, this might mean reinforcing the importance of the learning they do on their own at home after school and on weekends and holidays. For me, it has meant abandoning the water aerobics class in favor of my own self-styled hour of water exercise. It feels good to swim laps again, and to decide for myself what arm, leg, and core exercises I'll do and for how long.)
In the fall...(I can't believe I just wrote that! We have only 6 days of school left before the much-needed summer break, and I'm thinking about next fall!!!)...In the fall, when I greet a new group of students, I'll try to be even more aware of the adjustments they are going through as we figure each other out. I'll try to remember to
• Ask for their input as we establish routines and norms and make the classroom ours.
• Have them tell me the things they loved about teachers in the past...not that I could make any promises that I would be just like them, but so that we can explore my similarities and differences to their former teachers.
• Be gentle as I guide them in their learning so that I don't completely contradict or disregard what another teacher taught them, but rather show them how learning is layered, and how the new learning they do with me will be added to, but will not replace their previous learning.
*Series Spoiler Warning.
This is the third book in a series, please don't read if you don't want to be spoiled*
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children (May 1, 2012)
eARC: 320 Pages
Series: The Ghost and the Goth #3
My Review of Queen of the Dead (TGATG #2)
Genre: YA Paranormal
Stacey Kade's Website | Blog | Twitter
From Goodreads. Alona Dare has been living as Lily "Ally" Turner for over a month...and it's not been easy. Besides being trapped in a body so not as good as her original one, she's failing miserably at playing the sister and daughter of people she barely knows. Plus, she can't help but think that Will Killian - the boy she hates to care about - somehow wishes the real Lily were back.
She and Will have been trying to find a solution, looking for a two-for-one miracle that would free Alona and keep Lily alive. Visits to local psychics have proven useless, but then they stumble across Malachi the Magnificent, who seems to be different. His office is full of ghosts, for one thing. But Malachi doesn't seem to hear or see them, which is odd. Plus, he bolts the moment he sees Will. To make things even weirder, Misty Evans, Alona's former best friend, is waiting in Malachi's lobby and claiming that she's being haunted. By Alona.
Will's convinced that Malachi has answers, while Alona is all kinds of pissed that someone's impersonating her. But their efforts to uncover the truth will bring them much unwanted attention and put them directly in the path of a ghost who will stop at nothing for another stab at life. Even if it means destroying Alona.
Review by Kate
BODY AND SOUL, by Stacey Kade, is the final book in The Ghost and the Goth series. I have enjoyed this series so much, I was happy and sad to read its conclusion.
As usual, I loved the flirty banter that Will and Alona shared throughout the book. Their internal thoughts never really translated properly, leaving the both of them always wondering the status of their relationship. Alona has changed so much since the first book! Her progression in personality was a treat to read. I yearned for her and Will to find a way to be together since they were so obviously perfect for each other, even though they never knew that when she was alive.
Other than the ongoing romance plot, I liked the story in this book. Alona is dealing with Lily's family and how much they care about their daughter, which is something Alona never knew she wanted. Then there was the paranormal element with Alona's former best friend being haunted by "her" and another ghost trying to push herself on Will while Alona was busy being a human. The suspense was top-knotch and it kept me glued to the pages to find out what happened next!
Overall, Kade solidified my love for her writing with this series. If you are looking for a fun, intelligent, and slightly paranormal read, this series is for you!
While Mini Grey's Traction Man Meets Turbo Dog made my Best Picture Books of 2008 list, this is my first review devoted to her wonderful books. Traction Man and the Beach Odyssey couldn't have come at a better time. I recently wrote an article on Gender Equality in Picture Books and came to the conclusion that, rather than more books with girl protagonists or more books with boy
"People change and forget to tell each other."
Lillian Hellman, playwright (1905-1984)
T
his round of A Round of Words in 80 Days runs from April 2nd to June 21st. Here are my goals for this round, all involving YA manuscripts. Abbreviations are used for the titles. In red are my updates.
A) Revise TWILAMPH. I edited this manuscript during the last round and sent it off to beta readers. I received feedback from all three of my betas. Now I’m returning to it for new revisions and edits. I hope to be done with this manuscript by the end of the round. I revised 3 more chapters, so 28 out of 28 chapters have been revised. I'm done with one portion of this goal. I'll be editing this manuscript real soon.
B) Finish EK. I wrote over half of the draft during the last round. I’d like to finish this draft, do some major revisions, and then put it away for a month or so to look at with fresh eyes for the next round. I added 2 more chapters since Wednesday, so 27 out of 27 chapters are done. Yes, I'm done with a portion of this other goal. I went over the hurdle of the draft phase, but I have a lot ahead of me. I already wrote two pages of revision notes that I'd like to tackle for this round.
C) This is optional and only if I’m on task with A and B. I’d like to write an outline for a shiny new idea I have. I'm still jotting down notes for this optional goal, but I haven't started an outline.
That's it for me. I'm exhausted. I'm not going to work on my manuscripts for a few days. I'll get busy again during the three-day weekend.
I hope your writing is going well.
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Timo Rocks. Literally- he sings in a death metal band as well.
But here’s an interview I did with him awhile back:
http://thelotteryparty.com/torquemada-irons/
Hitler was just a misunderstood artist. Rejection is the most brutal of human conditions and young Adolf underwent the metamorphosis into the monster of our historical lore by his rejection from art school. See him his happiest and read all about it at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2010/02/happy-little-hitler.html
@Brandt
Nobody in the world- past or present- sees themself as a villain. Doesn’t mean the word can’t apply.