Recently our blogger Yamile wrote about including diversity in our books for children. One of her great points was to make the character of ethnicity the hero or heroine rather than the sidekick.
I'd like to continue with that topic as I am currently working on a picture book to help young children understand how to approach people with physical disabilities.
There aren't a lot of books that include differently abled leads, but (UCW's own) Julie Daines' book, "Unraveled" offers young readers a heroine whose legs are crippled. Daines said that she wanted to provide a love story without the perfect princess-type heroine.
Frankly, I'm surprised there aren't more heroes and heroines with such issues. Not only does it increase understanding of diversity in readership, but in the most clinical of writing terms, it can be very useful to the drama of the story as it adds another layer of difficulty with which the character must contend.
Another tough, but useful, subject is long-term illness in children.
Lupus is a topic dear to my heart (in the interest of full disclosure, I am the board chair of the Lupus Foundation of America, Utah Chapter). And I get to interact with some of our youth who are dealing with this disease. They are bright, enthusiastic, and overburdened--trying to balance the regular social interactions and school with fatigue and other health-related complications.
Lupus causes flares and remissions of widely variable time frames--sometimes within the same day. This is difficult for a lot of adults to understand. But kids are often labeled by their peers as "fakers"; symptoms ebb and wane, affecting different parts of the body at different times, and fatigue is always lurking in the background.
So, while I add a rousing cheer to Yamile's great post and remind you, our UCW blog readers, to consider diversity of all kinds in your lead characters, allow me one latitude (I promise to only take the blog sideways ONCE this year):
Tomorrow is the Walk to End Lupus Now in Salt Lake City's Liberty Park.
I invite you to join us. Walk. People watch. And see some really heroic characters.
www.utahlupus.org
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Blog: Utah Children's Writers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: #WeNeedDiverseBooks, different ability, walk to end lupus now, diversity, children's literature, lupus, disability, unraveled, Julie Daines, Add a tag
Blog: Mermaid's Musings (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Kindle, unraveled, Evernight Teen, Stephanie Lawton, S.X. Bradley, Bette Maybee, Sylah Sloan, P.E. Cunningham, Christine Klocek-Lim, Erin Butler, Add a tag
Need a few more books to read during summer vacation? All Evernight Teen titles, including my YA mystery, Unraveled, are on sale for a week on Amazon.
Check them all out: Evernight Teen Amazon Kindle books:
Disintegrate by Christine Klocek-Lim
Phoenix: The Rising by Bette Maybee
Shrapnel by Stephanie Lawton
Elysium by Sylah Sloan
Unraveled by S.X. Bradley
Slayer for Hire by P.E. Cunningham
Blood Hex by Erin Butler
Blog: Mermaid's Musings (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Blog Hop, unraveled, Evernight Teen, Kindle, free eBook, Add a tag
Being a writer affords me the liberty of creating characters who mean something to me and have characteristics that I like to see. I love getting to know them, then standing back and letting them tell me their story.
Here is some insight into the men of Unraveled:
Caedon Keene: the hot blackbelt who is interested in Autumn. He's sensitive, but deadly which makes him even more alluring.
Eduardo: Autumn's Taco Bell loving cousin. He's her partner in crime and modeled after Tommy Lee of Motley Crue:
Papi: Autumn's father. He's a baker, and an honest hardworking man. He doesn't understand Autumn's math gift, but believes in her talent.
Now for the cool stuff
What’s up for grabs on my blog?
A FREE E-book of Unraveled
How to enter? Answer this question in the comment section below:
What's your favorite mystery novel?
What’s up for grabs on during the Blog Hop?
• One lucky hopper will win a KINDLE PAPERWHITE eREADER sponsored by Evernight Teen.
• Every book blogger/reviewer site is giving away one free eBook from Evernight Teen (winner’s choice of any eBook from Evernight Teen’s website).
• Plus, each author offers their own unique prize! So visit each blog hop stop for a host of fabulous prizes to win.
Be sure to leave your answer and your email address in the comments below to be eligible to win an eBook of Unraveled.
Continue hopping to the next stop!
Here is the Link so you can go on to the next blog for a chance to win more prizes.
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...
Blog: Mermaid's Musings (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: sxbradley, blog tour, giveaway, unraveled, Add a tag
I'm doing a blog tour this week and next. Hope you can drop by one of these sites. A few of them have giveaways, so you can enter for a chance to win my book, Unraveled.
15 – Spotlight @ Dana’s YABook Pile
15 – Guest Blog and Giveaway @ A Little Bit of R & R
17 – Spotlight and GIveaway @ The Rambling’s of a Toddler’s Mom
17 – Interview @ Laurie’s Non-paranormal Thoughts and Reviews
18 – Spotlight & Review @ Lindsay’s Scribblings
18 – Spotlight @ The Bootheel Cotton Patch
19 – Spotlight & Extended Excerpt @ Laura Diamond
19 – Guest Blog & Review @ My Guilty Obsession
22 – Guest Blog @ Karen Y.Bynum
24 – Interview & Review @ Out There Reviews and Stuff
25 – Interview & Review @ Girls Heart Books
26 – Spotlight & Review @ Falling into Reading Reviews
29 – Spotlight @ New Age Mama
30 – Character Post & Review & Giveaway @ Reader Girls (Post from Autumn's Point of view: What makes a great FBI profiler and what she expects to gain from becoming one?)
Blog: Mermaid's Musings (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Valentine's Day, Blog Hop, unraveled, Add a tag
Happy Valentine's Day to all my fellow YA & Mysterybook lovers.
In honor of Valentine's day, I am giving away an Ebook or paperback (You choose) of my new YA mystery novel, Unraveled.
When her investigation reveals the killer is someone she knows, Autumn offers herself up as bait and sets a dangerous trap to unmask his true nature and to obtain a confession for her sister’s murder
Blog: Mermaid's Musings (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: unraveled, book cover, Add a tag
Forensic Friday is being replaced with Freak-Out Friday.
Unraveled now has a cover and is on the front page of www.evernightteen.com
It's a milestone as a writer to see your book cover. I wish this feeling on all the writers out there.
I dont really have a fave mystery novel...im still kinda new to the genre.
Thanks so much for the opportunity!
farmaki(at)live(dot)com
This is awesome. Thanks for the opportunity. I have liked them on FB! jmelter at gmail dot com
I love any of J.D. Robb's books from the In Death Series.
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
I love Heist Society(the first book)by Ally Carter
[email protected]
My favorite mystery book is Along Came A Spider By: James Patterson from the Alex Cross series.
Thanks for the give away!
[email protected]
Sherlock Holmes and Along came a spider are two of my favourites.
[email protected]
Thank You (:
My favourite is the Traces series by Malcolm Rose.
[email protected]
Thanks:D
My favorite mystery is Cut & Run! Thank you for the chance to enter.
wendynjason04 at gmail dot com
I dont have a favorite mystery novel. I read pretty much only romance novels. :) Tho, i have read quite a few with mystery in them! :) Thank you!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Bible is a mystery to me!
Thanks for the chance!
Heather
thriftschooling (at) gmail (dot) com