tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72653373807954384862024-03-29T02:30:18.428-07:00Falling LeafletsJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.comBlogger301125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-70126314941132612062018-03-06T06:56:00.000-08:002018-03-06T06:56:22.984-08:00Happy Book Birthday to BLOOD/WATER/PAINT and WIZARDMATCH!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFemsykI0kXRFcrYn6fmdtLkLWoswODRg5mVH57sc5AjutdTVIJrVZ5bheGSvd2O93YxbQCYKLAiTzk7yjoe0T996fQYFdzHnYMG3_Wbpwies4p8-K1sPSGXQiCuluYBZxVoPq7FUcis/s1600/birthday+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFemsykI0kXRFcrYn6fmdtLkLWoswODRg5mVH57sc5AjutdTVIJrVZ5bheGSvd2O93YxbQCYKLAiTzk7yjoe0T996fQYFdzHnYMG3_Wbpwies4p8-K1sPSGXQiCuluYBZxVoPq7FUcis/s1600/birthday+tree.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><b>Two of my most anticipated 2018 books are out today!</b></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A very happy book birthday to Joy McCullough's BLOOD/WATER/PAINT and Lauren Magaziner's WIZARDMATCH!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I preordered BLOOD/WATER/PAINT and I'm doing a panel with Lauren on March 17th (at the Neshaminy Mall Barnes & Noble in Bensalem, PA), so I'll get a signed copy of WIZARDMATCH soon.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The beautiful covers and book summaries are below~ get thee to a bookstore/library and enjoy!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvS2kOsaIJk0G-eQk83tcg5wI50Hn3R6FmiLwowKj1rr3JVzD5lKoD7iKvWGYw3OYws7VziQyo4teLTefhfK7vFxNRzkmFGMgH32BGCTCjE4oVLo7toV6bHp-6M3ADsJ7w5gzemjUGx_I/s1600/Blood+Water+Paint+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvS2kOsaIJk0G-eQk83tcg5wI50Hn3R6FmiLwowKj1rr3JVzD5lKoD7iKvWGYw3OYws7VziQyo4teLTefhfK7vFxNRzkmFGMgH32BGCTCjE4oVLo7toV6bHp-6M3ADsJ7w5gzemjUGx_I/s320/Blood+Water+Paint+cover.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span id="freeText10188465492073083225" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>BLOOD/WATER/PAINT-A debut novel based on the true story of the iconic painter, Artemisia Gentileschi.</b><br /><br />Her mother died when she was twelve, and suddenly Artemisia Gentileschi had a stark choice: a life as a nun in a convent or a life grinding pigment for her father's paint.<br /><br />She chose paint.<br /><br />By the time she was seventeen, Artemisia did more than grind pigment. She was one of Rome's most talented painters, even if no one knew her name. But Rome in 1610 was a city where men took what they wanted from women, and in the aftermath of rape Artemisia faced another terrible choice: a life of silence or a life of truth, no matter the cost.<br /><br /><i>He will not consume</i><br /><i>my every thought.</i><br /><i>I am a painter.</i><br /><i>I will paint.</i><br /><br /><i>I will show you</i></span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span id="freeText10188465492073083225" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>what a woman can do.</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWB2G2KJLYAzw53D5Eg4GEnEfNZMmQJpgzwnKZd4Nhlbt8-QXB3NRYozpWoRJ9TBWP0FrhdvLa8xiGAAHlNaFwJa7K66emVMUSpwZEhP6dtgw29cFmCNwXlW0RmHtrX-R1DuC1QJMnXo/s1600/Wizardmatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWB2G2KJLYAzw53D5Eg4GEnEfNZMmQJpgzwnKZd4Nhlbt8-QXB3NRYozpWoRJ9TBWP0FrhdvLa8xiGAAHlNaFwJa7K66emVMUSpwZEhP6dtgw29cFmCNwXlW0RmHtrX-R1DuC1QJMnXo/s320/Wizardmatch.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span id="freeText2398974862162889921" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>WIZARDMATCH-</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Twelve-year-old Lennie Mercado loves magic. She practices her invisibility powers all the time (she can now stay invisible for fifteen seconds!), and she dreams of the day that she can visit her grandfather, the Prime Wizard de Pomporromp, at his magical estate.<br /><br />Now Lennie has her chance. Poppop has decided to retire, and his grandchildren are coming from all over to compete in Wizardmatch. The winner inherits his title, his castle, and every single one of his unlimited magical powers. The losers get nothing. Lennie is desperate to win, but when Poppop creates a new rule to quelch any sibling rivalry, her thoughts turn from winning Wizardmatch to sabotaging it...even if it means betraying her family.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-43188994791279517682018-02-19T07:01:00.000-08:002018-02-19T07:01:02.369-08:00Latest Book Recommendations- Rebecca Petruck, Nikki Grimes, Anne Nesbet and more!Hi All!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUhibh6dwYGJasrjBelEVsVGFDg3N1TAVuJer2oh2dEC4CpAkxbGu5OiFPOON6toxbaEWJSOoCfyXmmYQXP4NIpdhz09nFimQqN6CPHUr-dQr-MexZE_wVEYMpAbM54dRH7QUWElCpCs/s1600/Boy+Bites+Bug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="719" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUhibh6dwYGJasrjBelEVsVGFDg3N1TAVuJer2oh2dEC4CpAkxbGu5OiFPOON6toxbaEWJSOoCfyXmmYQXP4NIpdhz09nFimQqN6CPHUr-dQr-MexZE_wVEYMpAbM54dRH7QUWElCpCs/s320/Boy+Bites+Bug.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">2018 is already going by fast, and this little blog has been sadly neglected. I wanted to pop in and share some book recommendations, because I've been on a READING HOT STREAK.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">The last 6 books I've read all get 5 stars from me, all for different reasons. I'm so impressed with all of these authors, who've crafted stories and characters that set me firmly in new settings and new shoes. If you haven't read these (two of them aren't out yet), then please consider adding them to your to-read lists:</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><b>BOY BITES BUG-</b> Rebecca Petruck is SO talented with boy/boy friendship stories that are universal in spirit. The voice here feels so very authentic (much like it does in another book of hers, STEERING TOWARD NORMAL). This one comes out May 8, 2018. Add it to your Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35888422-boy-bites-bug?from_search=true"><b>HERE</b></a>.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODtpYmXs_PXPq66Z0K9WrQ1leZ_usiRkLgs8Q4E9b1syT30r2q8bYUvNYq03pF5e-WF4HnAj8izkb2Xuy_9xmIauE9v6leuuKg7iq3MAH4SEuNqB8cZusGKRSH3AXA4h80eu5wYe9cBw/s1600/Garvey%2527s+Choice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODtpYmXs_PXPq66Z0K9WrQ1leZ_usiRkLgs8Q4E9b1syT30r2q8bYUvNYq03pF5e-WF4HnAj8izkb2Xuy_9xmIauE9v6leuuKg7iq3MAH4SEuNqB8cZusGKRSH3AXA4h80eu5wYe9cBw/s320/Garvey%2527s+Choice.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><b>GARVEY'S CHOICE</b>- I can't believe I haven't read this Nikki Grimes book before now. While my girls played in the puzzle section of the local library last week, I browsed nearby shelves and picked this up. I read the whole thing right there, then checked it out so that I could do a read-aloud at home with the kids. If you haven't read this wonderful novel-in-verse, please, please remedy that. Add it to your Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28695534-garvey-s-choice?from_search=true"><b>HERE</b></a>.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHz3j7XdmdGrTGFbMXXl05FekXxQ0tGTgy7lqnB99obYk-Vhcid-C7gITC7xNonEBZo9fQucyMRoyJrIGIbhxzMdG4TLhLDGIPj3HY83kKOdHKzRb6ALp5EkoVtJh7OQ7rrHpPQtEYoNk/s1600/The+Orphan+Band+of+Springdale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHz3j7XdmdGrTGFbMXXl05FekXxQ0tGTgy7lqnB99obYk-Vhcid-C7gITC7xNonEBZo9fQucyMRoyJrIGIbhxzMdG4TLhLDGIPj3HY83kKOdHKzRb6ALp5EkoVtJh7OQ7rrHpPQtEYoNk/s320/The+Orphan+Band+of+Springdale.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>THE ORPHAN BAND OF SPRINGDALE</b>- Anne Nesbet
continues to blow me away. This is such a heartfelt exploration of childhood,
belonging, things lost and found, and learning that our moral compass blended
with a bit of courage can create unexpected change. The main character is based
on Ms. Nesbet's mother and the author's note made me cry. This one comes out April 10, 2018. Add it to your Goodreads <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35879383-the-orphan-band-of-springdale?from_search=true">HERE</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNERgu4s9SqLrSUFFH-wWaoPr1SMR9f9sGOObBmiFg5KPJukvpMO3T8l7Ki79xITwwYb8rYJbQdqYP89hucQUusNSEPcX-VQ8DduNMdQabyuFAKatlPbruC2o2SO3kLqy86W9L3UJbWTc/s1600/American+Panda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNERgu4s9SqLrSUFFH-wWaoPr1SMR9f9sGOObBmiFg5KPJukvpMO3T8l7Ki79xITwwYb8rYJbQdqYP89hucQUusNSEPcX-VQ8DduNMdQabyuFAKatlPbruC2o2SO3kLqy86W9L3UJbWTc/s320/American+Panda.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">AMERICAN PANDA</span></b><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">- Oh LORD, I laughed out loud while
reading this too many times to count. The themes of respecting past
generations, but being true to yourself are gracefully handled, and Mei's story
will charm your socks off. Add it to your Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297380-american-panda?from_search=true"><b>HERE</b></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRRZth9VWGSOfL7yoySskelxg57MnPXsWwMMYh90xJA1jUhEoBkZuzObenFvEQDc1KZcZCxR5aHceVTHmhHWj8eGzNWO8bK_AxoPJNhR3DBoIcadFtspsjY9w8N0QpnccGvVqrzOHknk/s1600/Shadow+Weaver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRRZth9VWGSOfL7yoySskelxg57MnPXsWwMMYh90xJA1jUhEoBkZuzObenFvEQDc1KZcZCxR5aHceVTHmhHWj8eGzNWO8bK_AxoPJNhR3DBoIcadFtspsjY9w8N0QpnccGvVqrzOHknk/s320/Shadow+Weaver.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<b>SHADOW WEAVER-</b> MarcyKate Connolly's first book in a trilogy is chilling and atmospheric from the very first page. This is the kind of book that is deliciously creepy and has you turning pages as quickly as possible to see what's going to happen to Emmeline...and her "best friend" Dar, a character that will have you checking for rogue shadows on your bedroom floor. Add it to your Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34974119-shadow-weaver?from_search=true"><b>HERE</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlqifFpPHBAnAhhpGzit8lRsTYuctcUfM4Qt1nYBFWWb-VzVZ1ostT9W795Fyu40gOwvd2uew4dbxd7iI4r8w5rIxLC2dEvsX1On4IbFI07At4ma9VwRrh4wgR8SW_fCyAmPQZ-iNMVQ/s1600/The+Night+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlqifFpPHBAnAhhpGzit8lRsTYuctcUfM4Qt1nYBFWWb-VzVZ1ostT9W795Fyu40gOwvd2uew4dbxd7iI4r8w5rIxLC2dEvsX1On4IbFI07At4ma9VwRrh4wgR8SW_fCyAmPQZ-iNMVQ/s320/The+Night+Garden.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<b>THE NIGHT GARDEN</b>- I just finished this last night, and am now a Polly Horvath fan for life. I haven't read any of her other books, but rest assured, they're all going on my to-read list now. The voice is this one is right up my alley, as are the characters. I was so impressed with the writing and with the small moments of philosophical musings about writing and our place in the world. Add it to your Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33155332-the-night-garden?from_search=true"><b>HERE</b></a>.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-13430314280912532962017-10-12T06:32:00.000-07:002017-10-12T06:32:16.197-07:00RIDE ON, WILL CODY! An Interview with Caroline Starr Rose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBUtCWBnhI3Un5KkhVzfzg1GR2da1Y8P9nOB79Ez8pL567_wS_MAiTl6hWIg-Jyo5FVvQpkludAh7Le_UB_yP12k3n9zCoS5TWlNfPM4IMszZSIw_FIx8hl78FXtTW-klATMkJ2ZmvR0/s1600/Ride+On%252C+Will+Cody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBUtCWBnhI3Un5KkhVzfzg1GR2da1Y8P9nOB79Ez8pL567_wS_MAiTl6hWIg-Jyo5FVvQpkludAh7Le_UB_yP12k3n9zCoS5TWlNfPM4IMszZSIw_FIx8hl78FXtTW-klATMkJ2ZmvR0/s320/Ride+On%252C+Will+Cody.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
What a treat to have <a href="https://carolinestarrrose.com/">Caroline Starr Rose</a> on the blog today!<br />
<br />
I first fell in love with Caroline's writing with the beautiful novel-in-verse, <i><a href="https://carolinestarrrose.com/may-b/">May B.</a> </i>I immediately bought it, knowing that it would be a book I wanted to share with my daughters (I've since read it with my oldest, and she loves it!).<br />
<br />
Since then, I've eagerly awaited all of her releases, from the gorgeous and poignant <i><a href="https://carolinestarrrose.com/wetlands-coming-2015/">Over in the Wetlands</a> </i>to her most recent middle grade novel, <i><a href="https://carolinestarrrose.com/jasper-riddle-rileys-mine/">Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine</a></i>, a thrilling adventure set deep in the Yukon wilderness.<br />
<br />
Read on for a summary of her latest picture book, <a href="https://carolinestarrrose.com/ride-will-cody/"><b>RIDE ON, WILL CODY!</b> </a>and an interview about this exciting addition to Caroline's award-winning literature for children. A teacher's guide is available <a href="https://carolinestarrrose.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RideOnWillCodyTeachersGuide_email.pdf"><b>HERE</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Alegreya Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 2.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Racing, flying,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">ever riding,</em><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">hurry, hurry on ahead!</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Alegreya Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 2.6rem; padding: 0px;">
As legend has it, before he was America’s most beloved Wild West showman, young Will “Buffalo Bill” Cody rode for the Pony Express. This lively, lyrical, and action-packed story tells of Will’s famous twenty-one hour journey through Wyoming, where he rode close to 300 miles on twenty-one horses! The trip was said to be the third-longest ride in Pony Express history. Whether truth or myth, Will Cody’s account helped ensure that the story of the Pony Express lived on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Hi Caroline! This sounds like such a fun story and a great read-aloud!
There are so many vibrant characters from the Frontier West. How did you decide
to write a picture book about the young man who grew up to be Buffalo Bill?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">In 2012, my family was on vacation in Colorado. I
happened to notice a sign in Golden for a Buffalo Bill Museum and convinced my
family we needed to stop in. As I walked through the exhibits, a story idea
began to stir. I didn’t know the specifics, but I knew it would be about
Buffalo Bill. The following January, I checked out a number of research books.
I was pretty convinced my story would focus on Cody’s Wild West show, but his
Pony Express work (if it happened at all — most historians now believe his Pony
Express years were fabrication) was what really caught my attention.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Tell us one fun item that you came upon during research
that did </b><b><i>not </i>make
it into the book?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I love this quote from Buffalo Bill about writing. It
sums up his no nonsense personality pretty well (and humors me as an author): <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“Life is too short to make big letters when small ones
will do; and as for punctuation, <span style="color: blue;"><b>if my readers don’t know enough to take their
breath without those little marks, they’ll have to lose it, that’s all.</b></span>”<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Writing about historical figures can be daunting. What
advice would you give writers who are looking to represent a person from
history with limited text and just 32 pages to work with?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Go deep rather than wide</b></span>. A historical picture book
isn’t meant to cover everything in a character’s life. Pick a moment and shine
a light on the character’s response to the event. Show us her bravery or his
curiosity, her commitment or his determination. Let us live the moment right
alongside the character. Leave us feeling as if we’ve been there!<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>You’ve written prose and verse novels, nonfiction, and
picture books. How do you ease from one storytelling voice to another? Do some
types of writing come more easily than others for you?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I’m not sure I move from one storytelling voice to the
next with ease, but <span style="color: blue;"><b>I do think it’s important for the story to be in charge of
its form and not the author</b></span>. Each piece has one best way it can be
communicated. I sometimes know if a book will be verse or prose going in, but
sometimes not. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What’s really important, though, is not to force a form on a
piece of writing because it’s what I’m most comfortable with or is what I want
to try. <span style="color: blue;"><b>I need to listen to the work — sometimes through trial and error — to
find the best way to “show” it to the world</b></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Verse is absolutely easier* for me than prose. It
somehow feels more natural (even though I wrote three prose novel manuscripts
before writing my first book, the verse novel, <i>May B.</i>). I<span style="color: blue;"><b> don’t want to
rest on what feels most familiar, though. </b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">*It’s important to point out no writing is every easy,
at least for me!<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>I love your cover! Did you get to offer input during the
illustration process?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I love it, too! The action and the colors are just
perfect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I had much more input with WILL CODY than I did with
OVER IN THE WETLANDS. Perhaps it’s because I was with a different publishing
house or because the story was historical fiction or maybe a combination of the
two. I got to see early sketches and comments meant for illustration Joe
Lillington from both the art director and my editor. I was also invited to
leave comments about the depiction of the setting, historical elements —
anything, really. It was so interesting to watch those sketches become the
final art. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Caroline, thank you
so much for visiting Falling Leaflets, and congratulations on another wonderful
book! Readers, click on the links below to purchase RIDE ON, WILL CODY! for yourself,
your friends, and your family:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<a class="button" href="https://www.albertwhitman.com/book/ride-will-cody/" style="background-color: #608b9b; border-radius: 3px; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: "Alegreya Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; padding: 1.6rem 2.4rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: uppercase; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; width: auto;">ALBERT WHITMAN AND CO.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Alegreya Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Alegreya Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Alegreya Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 2.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<a class="button" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807570680/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807570680&linkCode=as2&tag=carolbyline-20&linkId=a342a4ab03e8ac5103fb90d958c5e232" style="background-color: #608b9b; border-radius: 3px; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; padding: 1.6rem 2.4rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: uppercase; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; width: auto;">AMAZON</a> </div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Alegreya Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 2.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<a class="button" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ride-on-will-cody-caroline-starr-rose/1126079575" style="background-color: #608b9b; border-radius: 3px; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; padding: 1.6rem 2.4rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: uppercase; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; width: auto;">B & N</a> </div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Alegreya Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 2.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<a class="button" href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780807570685" style="background-color: #608b9b; border-radius: 3px; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; padding: 1.6rem 2.4rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: uppercase; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; width: auto;">INDIEBOUND</a></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-57760877800035173182017-09-12T04:57:00.001-07:002017-09-17T03:59:04.812-07:00THE GREAT HIBERNATION by Tara Dairman- Release Day Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q2umCITvQ-3hynbSjjkrzXosle4emjK4JvxDUqUHewPfn-fB2VSkgPdB8RzUGkCrADEJh1ts8fISTtFZQvvRUJImBJ35cugJOcy0XJsb3GG19WSVzBDYNQs4B0IguVkT4dzKB9lMTws/s1600/great+hibernation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q2umCITvQ-3hynbSjjkrzXosle4emjK4JvxDUqUHewPfn-fB2VSkgPdB8RzUGkCrADEJh1ts8fISTtFZQvvRUJImBJ35cugJOcy0XJsb3GG19WSVzBDYNQs4B0IguVkT4dzKB9lMTws/s400/great+hibernation.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Today is the day!</span></b><br />
<br />
Tara Dairman's fourth book, THE GREAT HIBERNATION, is out in the world, and you don't want to miss it. <b>Leave a comment to be entered to win an eBook~ winner will be chosen on 9/19. <span style="color: red;">UPDATE: THE WINNER IS VERONICA BARTLES. Congratulations, Veronica! I'll get in touch via your social media.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I could go on and on about the cleverness and heart of this book~ about the characters and the setting~ about Jean Huddy's courage~ about a town where the PARENTS ALL FALL ASLEEP! When I told my 8-year-old the premise, she said, "OMG, Mom. That is <i>so </i>cool."<br />
<br />
She was excited to hear that she'll be seeing Tara and getting a signed book at <b><a href="http://www.onemorepagebooks.com/">One More Page Books</a></b> in Arlington, VA on Saturday, September 23, at 3:00 pm (psst, you can come too!). Read on for a book summary and much praise from reviewers.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>The most important tradition in tiny St. Polonius is the annual Tasting of the Sacred Bear Liver. Each citizen over twelve must eat one bite of liver to prevent the recurrence of the Great Hibernation, when the town founders fell asleep for months.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>This year is Jean Huddy’s first time to taste the liver. It doesn’t go well.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>A few hours later, all the adults fall into a sleep from which they cannot be woken, and the kids are left to run things. At first, they have a blast. But then the town bullies take over the mayor’s office and the police force, and pretty soon Jean begins to suspect that this “hibernation” was actually engineered by someone in town.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>Courage, teamwork, and scientific smarts unlock an unusual mystery in this delightful and funny story about one girl who inspires the kids around her to join together to save their home.</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Praise for <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Great Hibernation</em></strong></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Definitely will not induce drowsiness. <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Utterly original.”</strong></em><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">—</em>ADAM REX<br />
author of <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The True Meaning of Smekday</em> and the Cold Cereal Saga</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Imagine <b>Lord of the Flies as a comedy set in snowy terrain</b> and you have </em>The Great Hibernation<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: a hilarious, whip-smart page-turner you don’t want to miss.”</em><br />
—JENNIFER CHAMBLISS BERTMAN<b><br /></b><i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Book Scavenger</i> and <i>The Unbreakable Code</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Memorably humorous</strong>…Lighthearted enough to entice readers with the silly premise and whimsical illustrations sprinkled throughout, this middle grade book nonetheless explores some rather important political ideas about individuality and the need for a balance of powers in governance. <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A strong selection for most middle grade shelves.</strong>”<br />–</em><a href="https://taradairman.com/2017/07/03/school-library-journal-loves-the-great-hibernation/" style="border: 0px; color: #1982d1; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Quirky without being over-the-top, Dairman’s novel is <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">a funny, wintry romp</strong> that explores just what might happen if kids were in charge.”</em>-BOOKLIST</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“[A] <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">whimsical mystery</strong>…The fast-paced plot belies the sleepy small-town setting, and it’s refreshing to see a cast of characters who genuinely love their village and their families, whatever their quirks, instead of yearning to escape them.”</em>-BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> (</em>BCCB)<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </em></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-37059310020595889932017-09-05T03:22:00.002-07:002017-09-05T03:24:18.609-07:00Under the Bottle Bridge~ Release Day, Reviews, & Events<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdA6SILLQijZVwNQaZ2OmkNGbVDtJLYC0fLOnTh-2Dw3pQZNbJslZsIALnedySs2tIRcgjDa6hvLXFcOimSrMhIHHPi05MDoVs23Wo3i_n8-mea3KwyBc5QspGifyOtvb0DNIyiZMktg/s1600/Under+the+Bottle+Bridge-+Cover.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdA6SILLQijZVwNQaZ2OmkNGbVDtJLYC0fLOnTh-2Dw3pQZNbJslZsIALnedySs2tIRcgjDa6hvLXFcOimSrMhIHHPi05MDoVs23Wo3i_n8-mea3KwyBc5QspGifyOtvb0DNIyiZMktg/s400/Under+the+Bottle+Bridge-+Cover.PNG" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />
Today is release day for <i>Under the Bottle Bridge</i>! Leave a comment on this post to enter to win a hardcover~ <b>I'll pick a winner on Saturday, September 16.</b><br />
<br />
<b>If you read <i>Under the Bottle Bridge</i>, you'll meet:</b><br />
Minna Treat, Crash Hardly, a mysterious newcomer, mischievous twins named after tea, an uncle with 82 parenting books (and counting), and an Irish Wolfhound named Beast.<br />
<br />
<b>You'll encounter:</b><br />
Bottle messages, historic disasters, lots of sneaking around, and a stinky incident involving pumpkin-flavored pickles & pickled pumpkin slices.<br />
<br />
<b>And you just might:</b><br />
Want to take up woodcraft/glassblowing/candlemaking, buy tick spray, get the urge to go foraging for wild edibles, think twice next time geese honk overhead, and wonder where your personal bridge is taking you in life.<br />
<br />
Here are a few review excerpts:<br />
<br />
<b>"Beautifully written, with vivid characters, this exploration of family and friendship shines from the first page...Give to fans of Holly Goldberg Sloan's <i>Counting By 7s.</i>"</b> -<i>School Library Journal</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Minna's coming-of-age story is as solid and well-crafted as the furniture made by her uncle, and the bottle mystery is engrossing...truly poignant. Hand this to fans of Turnage's <i>Three Times Lucky</i>." </b>-<i>Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>"Lawson creates an engaging cast of characters." </b>-<i>Kirkus Reviews</i><br />
<br />
Here's where I'll be online and in-person in the coming weeks. I'd love to see you in the comments of a post or in-person!<br />
<br />
<b><u>ONLINE</u></b><br />
<b>Wednesday, September 6</b>: I'll be at one of my favorite blogs, <a href="http://www.literaryrambles.com/"><b>Literary Rambles</b></a>. I'm giving away a hardcover and my AMAZING agent Tina Wexler is offering a free query critique!<br />
<br />
<b>Thursday, September 7</b>: I'll be at <a href="https://taradairman.com/blog-2/"><b>Tara Dairman's blog</b></a> with a recipe for hearth milk and a hardcover giveaway.<br />
<br />
<b><u>IN-PERSON EVENTS</u></b><br />
<div style="background-color: cornsilk; font-family: Georgia;">
<b><a href="http://booksofwonder.com/" style="color: #333333; text-decoration-line: none;">Books of Wonder – New York, NY</a> </b><br />
Sunday, September 17, 4 pm<br />
Middle-grade panel and launch party! (with Tara Dairman, Tracey Baptiste, & Alison Cherry)</div>
<div style="background-color: cornsilk; font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: cornsilk; font-family: Georgia;">
<b><a href="http://www.onemorepagebooks.com/" style="color: #333333; text-decoration-line: none;">One More Page Books – Arlington, VA</a> </b><br />
Saturday, September 23, 3pm<br />
Kidlit panel! (with Tracey Baptiste, Caroline Carlson, & Tara Dairman, moderated by Madelyn Rosenberg)</div>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Here are some links, for anyone looking to get a copy:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481448420?aff=simonsayscom">IndieBound </a>(find your nearest independent bookstore)<br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-the-bottle-bridge-jessica-lawson/1125685896?ean=9781481448420">Barnes & Noble</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1481448420?tag=simonsayscom">Amazon</a><br />
<br />
<i>Under the Bottle Bridge </i>is also available as an audiobook, via <a href="http://dreamscape./">Dreamscape.</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjca6Dor6hyt1dRQE_4HMLbvr-NufNiC3IWa5oKWwkW39z8Kr80Z5u60kUcX7kOCO93Nhsn5oq9in09uK-vdpNGe8qmnBU9_ukjRJJFZFtkMGpu2xDaLwEmH83zpony_DaJKWDn5HBaEms/s1600/Under+the+Bottle+Bridge-+Cover.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjca6Dor6hyt1dRQE_4HMLbvr-NufNiC3IWa5oKWwkW39z8Kr80Z5u60kUcX7kOCO93Nhsn5oq9in09uK-vdpNGe8qmnBU9_ukjRJJFZFtkMGpu2xDaLwEmH83zpony_DaJKWDn5HBaEms/s200/Under+the+Bottle+Bridge-+Cover.PNG" width="135" /></a></div>
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><u>PUBLISHER SUMMARY</u></span></b><br />
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">In the tradition of </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Rooftoppers </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">and </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Three Times Lucky</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">, critically acclaimed author Jessica Lawson returns with her fourth whimsical, lyrical, and heartfelt middle grade novel about a girl who’s desperately trying to keep her life together, when everything seems to be falling apart.</span></b><br />
<b><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">In the weeks leading up to Gilbreth, New York’s annual AutumnFest, twelve-year-old woodcraft legacy Minna Treat is struggling with looming deadlines, an uncle trying to hide Very Bad News, and a secret personal quest. When she discovers mysterious bottle messages under one of the village’s 300-year-old bridges, she can’t help but wonder who’s leaving them, what they mean, and, most importantly…could the messages be for </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">her</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Along with best friend Crash and a mystery-loving newcomer full of suspicious theories, Minna is determined to discover whether the bottles are miraculously leading her toward long-lost answers she’s been looking for, or drawing her into a disaster of historic proportions.</span></b>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-47027306876665356842017-08-08T04:08:00.001-07:002017-08-11T15:56:22.930-07:00Let the Countdown Begin! ARC Giveaway~ UNDER THE BOTTLE BRIDGELess than a month from now, my 4th book will be released!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMo0g8ak_OFkdYLi4mO-lcOH5KU_M_dt7B0Hty-CARcl6YzBD6_oc59k3Hb1thL1PAJSicjxi6BK3i4AtzYzzIi9KngYUx8q1MWbO3Tap10XmOF8xhCKsB6cgRHwyV_YpSCwPkD_c9Jt8/s1600/NEW+%25283%2529.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMo0g8ak_OFkdYLi4mO-lcOH5KU_M_dt7B0Hty-CARcl6YzBD6_oc59k3Hb1thL1PAJSicjxi6BK3i4AtzYzzIi9KngYUx8q1MWbO3Tap10XmOF8xhCKsB6cgRHwyV_YpSCwPkD_c9Jt8/s320/NEW+%25283%2529.PNG" width="216" /></a></div>
This is a story full of legacy, traditional arts, mysterious messages, changing friendships, and hearth milk.<br />
<br />
It's a story about an uncle trying hard to be a parent and a child trying hard to parent herself.<br />
<br />
It's a story about impossible searches.<br />
<br />
Most of all, it's the story of Minna Treat, a young girl with a big heart, a somewhat smart mouth, and a secret quest.<br />
<br />
And there's a dog in it, too.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>To enter the giveaway, tell me which type of traditional artisan you would be, given the chance (or tell me one that's not on the list!): </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Blacksmith</b><br />
<b>Silversmith</b><br />
<b>Glassblower</b><br />
<b>Chandler (candlemaker)</b><br />
<b>Woodworker/Woodcarver</b><br />
<b>Weaver</b><br />
<b>Potter</b><br />
<b>Tailor/Seamstress</b><br />
<b>Cobbler</b><br />
<b>Cheesemaker</b><br />
<b>Baker</b><br />
<br />
A winner will be chosen on 8/11. <b><span style="color: red;">UPDATE: Via Random.org, the winner of the ARC is Faith Hough! Congrats, Faith! DM me on Twitter and let me know your preferred shipping address. The next giveaway will be on 8/16 over at <a href="http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/">From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors.</a></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPV145lDPvLX3U8Vi9BTN7xIfO9cezKO_f6EbCYJTJXv1SwWmR__X1OEQb175GyZXtntcuDp2JQr-zqxaglhPQ3MKzZ5A495_HQTGNtL5I-_COYbLulZVu9c-ge4NDBTLJPKDLKM9G0o/s1600/NEW+%25283%2529.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPV145lDPvLX3U8Vi9BTN7xIfO9cezKO_f6EbCYJTJXv1SwWmR__X1OEQb175GyZXtntcuDp2JQr-zqxaglhPQ3MKzZ5A495_HQTGNtL5I-_COYbLulZVu9c-ge4NDBTLJPKDLKM9G0o/s320/NEW+%25283%2529.PNG" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">In the weeks leading up to Gilbreth, New York’s annual AutumnFest, twelve-year-old woodcraft legacy Minna Treat is struggling with looming deadlines, an uncle trying to hide Very Bad News, and a secret personal quest. When she discovers mysterious bottle messages under one of the village’s 300-year-old bridges, she can’t help but wonder who’s leaving them, what they mean, and, most importantly…could the messages be for </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">her</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Along with best friend Crash and a mystery-loving newcomer full of suspicious theories, Minna is determined to discover whether the bottles are miraculously leading her toward long-lost answers she’s been looking for, or drawing her into a disaster of historic proportions.</span></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-54414545756879508422017-05-09T11:45:00.001-07:002017-05-17T18:33:10.648-07:00Paperback Birthday! Giveaway of WAITING FOR AUGUSTAHi All,<br />
<br />
So the winds are changing, the Lawsons are moving into an old stone house next week (I'll keep you updated on the status of pet chickens, but for now, just know that we'll have one available for naming via suggestion~ all name suggestions must be from a book), and ...<br />
<br />
the paperbacks of <i>Waiting for Augusta </i>are out today! Leave a comment for a chance to win one! I'll choose a winner on May 17th. <b><span style="color: red;">UPDATE: The winner is Books4Learning! Please let me know a good mailing address and I'll send the paperback your way!</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nzWWx1e7m4_zGk6TpiNuZp3AAl955AkN14y-PibR6mTvCycgI0P29wABM4CpTIKu6-pHeSdkxEVyM3N_StCrYEH9HrKSfILhCEewOZarfhtJcI1V69dX4bauXda0x3tYEV3bCh8zwrM/s1600/augusta+paperback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nzWWx1e7m4_zGk6TpiNuZp3AAl955AkN14y-PibR6mTvCycgI0P29wABM4CpTIKu6-pHeSdkxEVyM3N_StCrYEH9HrKSfILhCEewOZarfhtJcI1V69dX4bauXda0x3tYEV3bCh8zwrM/s320/augusta+paperback.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<i>Waiting for Augusta </i>is the story of Ben Putter, a boy who believes he has a golf ball stuck in his throat. He steals his dad's cremation urn and sets off on a journey to scatter the ashes, fulfill his dad's final wishes, and hopefully make that darn ball go away. A mysterious runaway joins up with him, with an agenda of her own. Here are some nice things some reviewers have said:<br />
<ul class="unstyled" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: center;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 3em;"><div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;">
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;">
"A whimsical, heartwarming, multilayered story about finding grace enough to accept the flaws in those we love and courage enough to act from our most deeply held beliefs."<span style="color: #666666; text-align: center;">– Kirkus Reviews</span></blockquote>
</div>
</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 3em;"><div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;">
"This moving and emotional coming-of-age story tackles themes of racism, friendship, and growing up. . . . An absorbing work of historical fiction."</div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-top: 0.5em;">
– School Library Journal</div>
</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 3em;"><div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;">
"Best for readers who like a wealth of plot and southern setting, as in Sheila Turnage’s <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Three Times Lucky</i> (2012)."</div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-top: 0.5em;">
– Booklist Online</div>
</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 3em;"><div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;">
"This is a beautifully written book that will tug at the heart strings of readers. The writing is lyrical and rich with imagery...This is a worthwhile addition to library shelves."</div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; margin-top: 0.5em;">
– School Library Connection</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
“Colorful, quirky, and full of heart, with an ending readers won’t forget.”</div>
<div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<span style="color: #666666; text-align: center;">– Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor-winning author of Savvy, Scumble, and Switch (PS, I LOVE Ingrid Law books and was so excited about this blurb!)</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
AND the paperbacks happen to have a sneak peek of my upcoming book (September 2017) <i>Under the Bottle Bridge</i><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqzgJ2EhoZ8-a-ow74fsyM1AuBIYO-rJxglSrQDmqj2H2GqzFST7HJSXO6omkQy40EUrAASCt5AFioTG0g9xYrEhOZ0fpMXI21vR5FGLeXjscaXh007Ot2upHGTTUhZYFnCZYp8uq8cs/s1600/bb+sneak+peek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqzgJ2EhoZ8-a-ow74fsyM1AuBIYO-rJxglSrQDmqj2H2GqzFST7HJSXO6omkQy40EUrAASCt5AFioTG0g9xYrEhOZ0fpMXI21vR5FGLeXjscaXh007Ot2upHGTTUhZYFnCZYp8uq8cs/s320/bb+sneak+peek.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmXLPMLvPsDK1G65Fp8_kc6w6Dg2hTYADrinvG_08jzvNTriqtl0oC9sNLp5MvNPadUsDyvFwwICMdHGzfpjbSl7ZZ1gPFMWXLFhnoajF8O-BBdBNSW2-lbHIeCuLvubFMdekk1H-DPY/s1600/bb+sneak+peek2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmXLPMLvPsDK1G65Fp8_kc6w6Dg2hTYADrinvG_08jzvNTriqtl0oC9sNLp5MvNPadUsDyvFwwICMdHGzfpjbSl7ZZ1gPFMWXLFhnoajF8O-BBdBNSW2-lbHIeCuLvubFMdekk1H-DPY/s320/bb+sneak+peek2.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
Just leave a comment to enter!Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-10540609171517025192017-03-27T07:57:00.001-07:002017-04-03T13:57:03.453-07:00Review & Giveaway: K.M. Walton's ULTIMATUM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcHrnklG1aGJNi_No5-Xg7C-RyeyZU2DiYicjoAArwyxB6QyWDV-s7XzXotOMsGKn53gR7EetG8PzmXi-Wi87LHvUJ-xf7ZBrxS1nynSnAV39D0oTkzYIbdT4L0BLFROOspWhCRIGbco/s1600/ULTIMATUM-fromwebsite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcHrnklG1aGJNi_No5-Xg7C-RyeyZU2DiYicjoAArwyxB6QyWDV-s7XzXotOMsGKn53gR7EetG8PzmXi-Wi87LHvUJ-xf7ZBrxS1nynSnAV39D0oTkzYIbdT4L0BLFROOspWhCRIGbco/s320/ULTIMATUM-fromwebsite.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Hi All~<br />
<br />
Life's been very busy lately, so my apologies about not getting around the blogosphere as much as I used to. I'm buying my very first home (!!!), which is a process full of excitement and phone calls and insurance stuff and budgeting and more phone calls and that sort of thing.<br />
<br />
After moving from Colorado to Pennsylvania last Fall, I was lucky enough to connect with a group of writers in the area (including <a href="http://diannesalerni.com/">Dianne Salerni</a>, author of lots of awesome books including The Eighth Day series, and the fabulous Joanne Fritz, who writes middle grade fiction and blogs over at <i><a href="http://mybrainonbooks.blogspot.com/">My Brain on Books</a></i>). It was at a recent get-together that I met K.M. Walton, an author of young adult books who had an upcoming book launch. I planned to attend the launch, but unexpected travel plans got in the way.<br />
<br />
I called the store ahead of time and bought two signed copies and today, lucky readers, I'm giving one away! <b>JUST LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE ENTERED~ a winner will be chosen on Monday, April 3. <span style="color: red;">UPDATE: The winner of the signed copy of ULTIMATUM is... Julia Tomiak! Congratulations, Julia, please email me with a good shipping address and I'll get it sent to you!</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Here's the publisher's summary:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>From the author of <em>Cracked</em> and <em>Empty</em> comes a gripping, emotional story of two brothers who must make the ultimate decision about what's more important: family or their differences.</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<b>It's not Oscar's fault he's misunderstood. Ever since his mother died, he's been disrespected by his father and bullied by his self-absorbed older brother, so he withdraws from his fractured family, seeking refuge in his art.</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Vance wishes his younger brother would just loosen up and be cool. It was hard enough to deal with their mother's death without Oscar getting all emotional. At least when Vance pushes himself in lacrosse and parties, he feels alive.</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<b>But when their father's alcoholism sends him into liver failure, the two brothers must come face-to-face with their demons--and each other--if they are going to survive a very uncertain future.</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
My reading diet is largely made up of chapter books and middle grade books these days, and I found myself reading ULTIMATUM slowly at first, trying to reacquaint myself with language/style aimed at older readers. By the end, these characters were so real to me that I desperately wanted a sequel in my hands. My review is below~ click <b><a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4926-3507-9">HERE</a> </b>to read the STARRED Publisher's Weekly review.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>I started K.M. Walton's ULTIMATUM slowly~I eased in, getting used to the distinct voices of brothers Oscar and Vance. By the last hundred pages I was racing through to see what would be resolved and what wouldn't. This story--of grieving, of individual pain, of the complexity of brotherhood, and of what we do when offered second chances of connection--touched me deeply. It felt authentic~ though the father figure is about as bad as you can imagine, there are tiny glimmers of heart, even in him. Technically, I was so impressed with the execution of Walton's approach~ dual narratives and a timeline both in the past and present. Great ending, many tears throughout. Highly recommended.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Okay, that's all from me~ just leave a comment to enter! If you'd like, you can mention that last great YA book that you've read (or any book).</span><br />
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-35083264336872880422017-02-06T07:53:00.001-08:002017-04-22T15:16:39.120-07:00COVER REVEAL of my next book! Introducing... Under the Bottle Bridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hi All! My next book, <i>Under the Bottle Bridge,</i> will be released by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on September 5th, 2017! You can add it to your Goodreads account <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34228343-under-the-bottle-bridge?from_search=true">HERE</a></b>, but for now you can see it up on Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Under-Bottle-Bridge-Jessica-Lawson/dp/1481448420/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486394373&sr=8-1&keywords=Under+the+Bottle+Bridge"><b>here</b></a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The setting is the fictional town of Gilbreth, New York, a place that puts great stock in traditional arts~weavers, blacksmiths, silversmiths, glassblowers, bakers, herbalists, and the like. My protagonist, young Minna Treat, comes from a long line of woodworkers that can be traced back to the founding of Gilbreth. She and her uncle (who's also her legal guardian) are the very last of the Treats... and if Minna can't find a solution, they may be the first to leave the place that's been their family home for generations.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's a story of bridges, secrets, legacy, message bottles, seasons of change, family, hearth milk, and things lost and found. I'll do an ARC giveaway in the coming months, but for now, I'm so pleased to share the cover with you.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The artist, the incredible <a href="http://www.soniak.com/"><b>Sonia Kretschmar</b></a>, did such an amazing job of capturing the heart of the novel (the official summary is below). I hope you love it as much as I do!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUDTxJvXnsSA-9_0X84x61x7swM9qxWuTipDvbIwR8sEqBdmTEIojuCtY29BemwnbNd3siw3x466pRqf3dP2o711Ak0eNf-O5XxNL1lp0kU8sXOxT5o5HLM8dZrkk5iWOiLD5c08al34/s1600/Under+the+Bottle+Bridge-+Cover.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUDTxJvXnsSA-9_0X84x61x7swM9qxWuTipDvbIwR8sEqBdmTEIojuCtY29BemwnbNd3siw3x466pRqf3dP2o711Ak0eNf-O5XxNL1lp0kU8sXOxT5o5HLM8dZrkk5iWOiLD5c08al34/s640/Under+the+Bottle+Bridge-+Cover.PNG" width="432" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>In the weeks leading up to Gilbreth, New York's annual AutumnFest, 12-year-old woodcraft legacy Minna Treat is struggling with looming deadlines, an uncle trying to hide Very Bad News, and a secret personal quest. When she discovers mysterious bottle messages under one of the village's 300-year-old bridges, she can't help but wonder who's leaving them, what they mean, and, most importantly... could the messages be for her?</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Along with best friend Crash and a mystery-loving newcomer full of suspicious theories, Minna is determined to discover whether the bottles are miraculously leading her toward long-lost answers she's been looking for, or drawing her into a disaster of historic proportions.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-59314895427655082392016-12-12T05:23:00.001-08:002016-12-19T08:27:47.575-08:00Midnight Without A Moon- Pre-Release Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-xOjcKHIXAQQRmAuLdcCs1ppa0K3XZF3gn8c8WyyitHCKQShSP3uT9o_MOhlgpDyJtqHGDWmeyyLT2lhwM8KXKegmuKcekOthT_Q8i1UPlyTdK64IY5kwbGtOlrxwF69aFUlWJ-XxVM/s1600/Midnight+without+a+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-xOjcKHIXAQQRmAuLdcCs1ppa0K3XZF3gn8c8WyyitHCKQShSP3uT9o_MOhlgpDyJtqHGDWmeyyLT2lhwM8KXKegmuKcekOthT_Q8i1UPlyTdK64IY5kwbGtOlrxwF69aFUlWJ-XxVM/s320/Midnight+without+a+moon.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
This holiday season, I've bought a lot of books to give as gifts. When I stopped at my local indie bookstore last week, I pre-ordered copies of Linda Williams Jackson's upcoming <i>Midnight Without A Moon</i>. Linda and I know each other from my early days in the blogging community, and I was thrilled when I first heard about the book. After reading an advanced copy, I knew it was something special that I wanted to share with people.<br />
<br />
It comes out on January 3rd, just three weeks from now! <b>Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win a copy~ I'll choose a winner on 12/19 (if your email address is not attached to your profile, please include it in your comment). <span style="color: red;">UPDATE: The winner is.... Caryn Caldwell! Congratulations, Caryn, it's a special book. Thank you to all who entered~ I hope you all get the chance to read this once it comes out in January!</span></b><br />
<br />
Here's a summary (my review is below that):<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>It’s Mississippi in the summer of 1955, and Rose Lee Carter can’t wait to move north. But for now, she’s living with her sharecropper grandparents on a white man’s cotton plantation. </i></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Then, one town over, an African American boy, Emmett Till, is killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. When Till’s murderers are unjustly acquitted, Rose realizes that the South needs a change . . . and that she should be part of the movement. </i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Linda Jackson’s moving debut seamlessly blends a fictional portrait of an African American family and factual events from a famous trial that provoked change in race relations in the United States.</i></span></div>
</div>
<br />
My review:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #FFF1EB; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is the powerful story of Rose Lee Carter and her journey to find strength and
purpose in a Jim Crow South on the verge of changes, set against
fourteen-year-old Emmett Till's murder and trial (among other tragic, bigoted
crimes). Vividly drawn characters and scene-setting will put readers right
there with Rose, bursting with anger and sadness about the injustices she
witnesses and endures, and struggling to make a decision about whether to seek
a destiny outside of Mississippi, or to stay and be part of an important
movement.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">This book has it all from the first page~
setting, voice, character, heart, senses. Linda Williams Jackson's debut is
just what Sharon G. Flake said in the blurb on the back of the ARC I read:
"... an unflinching bird's eye view of 1955 Mississippi. A magnificent
piece of writing!"</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdMoheb9trWWIQfRUxes7g703GC5TQxCUG0N-joABjRKBLfMVn_1Jf878dojvUiJ2ALVog7T2PCv1rXTzobsIKhlQHHD1mmF44GLV0bQxK7X7exq5I4amuazHWGdRP_ptUhLSxDewM04/s1600/LindaWJackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdMoheb9trWWIQfRUxes7g703GC5TQxCUG0N-joABjRKBLfMVn_1Jf878dojvUiJ2ALVog7T2PCv1rXTzobsIKhlQHHD1mmF44GLV0bQxK7X7exq5I4amuazHWGdRP_ptUhLSxDewM04/s200/LindaWJackson.jpg" width="152" /></a></div>
<b>Bio courtesy of Linda's website: </b>http://lindajacksonwrites.blogspot.com/<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 17.6px; text-align: justify;">Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta in the teeny-tiny town of </span><a href="http://cityofrosedalems.com/" style="background-color: black; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 17.6px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Rosedale</a><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 17.6px; text-align: justify;"> , Linda Williams Jackson likes to spin stories about everyday people in small-town settings. Though she has lived in a few other states (Alabama, Missouri, and Kansas), Linda currently makes her home in a not-so-small city in Mississippi with her husband and three children.</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="background-color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 17.6px; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTuWuDMgEWpjJ6D-4hPSYaZzRJIyev31lsGmZnmA3G4n0dzR24com7Xi7nUTT-4A9SzMidiERGfJg1BtM-PKwHchKy7ECb56rTeyFlhEdTGySc_oTXxJFSClwe0UwfVTvX_-WEqb10mU/s1600/mom%2526ben3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTuWuDMgEWpjJ6D-4hPSYaZzRJIyev31lsGmZnmA3G4n0dzR24com7Xi7nUTT-4A9SzMidiERGfJg1BtM-PKwHchKy7ECb56rTeyFlhEdTGySc_oTXxJFSClwe0UwfVTvX_-WEqb10mU/s320/mom%2526ben3.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While a degree in Math and Computer Science from the University of Alabama allowed her to enjoy careers in Information Technology, Linda now prefers manipulating words rather than numbers and symbols. Besides her debut middle-grade novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-without-Linda-Williams-Jackson/dp/054478510X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1454290293&sr=8-1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Midnight Without a Moon</a> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">from HMH Books for Young Readers (January 3, 2017), Linda is published in multiple Chicken Soup for the Soul titles and has written reading assessment passages for various educational publishers.</span></span></div>
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-58897312002983147522016-12-05T06:32:00.000-08:002016-12-11T14:41:43.753-08:00Book Spotlight & Giveaway~THE STORY WEAVER: PENELOPE'S PERILS<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jg8I__lUQMkyVZ5NWO1dVZxQNGuQ0d8kZnjgZeRUZeN1lDNOZf6y0LtJeL0W32QHf3MUoI4VClLTKWR5DAxpJhFCuotkWdNfdawhqumrSQ5Wi5frhhpW00ZNZxxSr-BnKyIEnrP_SU4/s1600/015_Emma+Holding+Flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jg8I__lUQMkyVZ5NWO1dVZxQNGuQ0d8kZnjgZeRUZeN1lDNOZf6y0LtJeL0W32QHf3MUoI4VClLTKWR5DAxpJhFCuotkWdNfdawhqumrSQ5Wi5frhhpW00ZNZxxSr-BnKyIEnrP_SU4/s320/015_Emma+Holding+Flower.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photograph from <i>The Story Weaver</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;">Hello Everyone!</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">I've been busy lately with a big move from Colorado to Pennsylvania and haven't been blogging at all~ I'm so pleased to return to posting by featuring a new book by a dear friend, Adriana Carlson.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">"Co-authored" by a mischievous sprite named Harrier Bogbean, <i>The Story Weaver: Penelope's Perils </i>is the first in a trilogy. </span>The plot and characters are wonderful, the novel's voice is engaging, and the inclusion of original photographs (taken by the author herself!) makes this a great choice for lovers of <i>Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children </i>by Ransom Riggs.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Adriana was kind enough to let me ask her a few questions (the interview is below)~ </span><b style="text-align: center;">just leave a comment on this post to be entered to win a copy of the book. I'll choose a winner on December 11th. <span style="color: red;">UPDATE: The winner is Amy! Congratulations, Amy~ please email me your address and I'll get the book mailed to you.</span></b><br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b>
Here's a summary (my apologies for any formatting issues):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYh3jd8jGGWNnb1qccGpLc6uPQXouHe2OtxwdtcRajYNi_UaEs1YJ_j5d98iz_rEjcHBNWkTZWEI-s6fdSwCL78ec1iAOLWo1CW35buXitYJS6-kRNjErtv1pj2BoU9nIeoNuztbNwQEk/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYh3jd8jGGWNnb1qccGpLc6uPQXouHe2OtxwdtcRajYNi_UaEs1YJ_j5d98iz_rEjcHBNWkTZWEI-s6fdSwCL78ec1iAOLWo1CW35buXitYJS6-kRNjErtv1pj2BoU9nIeoNuztbNwQEk/s200/cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><b>1926- Edinburgh, Scotland:</b></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Penelope Collins and her father are the only ones who remember the folk and fairy tales of the world. Penelope's never met her mother, but she's always felt her presence. Lonely Penelope’s life changes for adventure after a vindictive teacher expels her for telling her schoolmates the tales she knows. Fleeing from her soulless school, she returns home. An enchanted fox appears that night to tell her a wondrous truth: her mother is alive, and creates the tales forgotten by the world on a hidden isle just across the sea, but her mother's in danger and won't Penelope come to help?</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Like Prometheus bringing fire to earth, Penelope must travel to the isle and bring the tales she loves back to the Realm of Men. Terrors lurk at each encounter with the fairy and folk tale inhabitants of the isle, none of whom are left the way Penelope remembers their stories ending. A rogue sprite follows her journey and photographs her quest to find the Hob King, the cursed leader of the hobs, who kidnapped her mother. The Hob King will do anything to change his story – even if it means resurrecting the ancient god of chaos to stop Penelope.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Now it’s up to quiet, lonely Penelope to save her mother, save the stories, and save the world from looming destruction. The Story Weaver: Penelope’s Perils combines the ancient myths of Mesopotamia and the fairy tales of Northern Europe. It is illustrated with over 40 photos to create a photographic trilogy.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>~AUTHOR INTERVIEW~</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What were your favorite books as a child?</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I always loved anything fantasy with historical elements: <i>Five Children and It</i>, <i>The Castle in the Attic</i>, <i>Mary Poppins</i>, and of course <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i>.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What was your inspiration for this story?</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I've always loved both mythology and fairytales. I was inspired by the lesser known folktales from the Northern European countries. I liked creating a world where ancient mythology was the history behind fairytales and folktales.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcQn6SJM94mczRqERvMFz5EgWn7TtU7OP9gBUPFe290ZLeJyvLC1ixCJL82mneW7LH0quT37IYC72i3sSuhyphenhyphen2_vWrXhzEpdmS-3U_giNvnVsAWmcisAz1g7Diq91Qly1yXbeTTcsKIlo/s1600/Queen+Aschenputtel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcQn6SJM94mczRqERvMFz5EgWn7TtU7OP9gBUPFe290ZLeJyvLC1ixCJL82mneW7LH0quT37IYC72i3sSuhyphenhyphen2_vWrXhzEpdmS-3U_giNvnVsAWmcisAz1g7Diq91Qly1yXbeTTcsKIlo/s200/Queen+Aschenputtel.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Aschenputtel from <i>The Story Weaver</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;"><b>You're a photographer as well as a writer and the book features photographs you took yourself~ what were both the benefits and challenges of integrating your visual creativity into this book? </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The benefit is creating something that hasn't been done much. When I tell people that the book is a photographic novel then they are instantly intrigued. The down side of photographically illustrating the book is how long it takes! My photo shoots depend on so much that I don't have control of: people's schedules, weather, time of day, finding a babysitter... It can be a lot to juggle! But I'm so glad I did it this way, and I'm having even more fun finishing up the second and third book!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">~~</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I agree with Adriana~ the photographs add so much. Again, just leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEA05iSkYXX5x3PeErrjRgfWlLvfSO4XJmuubA52h-3DnhI0GU9QJWnUKTE_ZIHQQyy4FJaQXmT5U5delHkgC5QLTlG-BHMXojmy25SjlNnVOWoleYlyWvMdxIaptTgmIibwgSnmxEYmY/s1600/Adriana+bio+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEA05iSkYXX5x3PeErrjRgfWlLvfSO4XJmuubA52h-3DnhI0GU9QJWnUKTE_ZIHQQyy4FJaQXmT5U5delHkgC5QLTlG-BHMXojmy25SjlNnVOWoleYlyWvMdxIaptTgmIibwgSnmxEYmY/s200/Adriana+bio+shot.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>About the Author: </b>Adriana Carlson lives in the shadow of a mountain with her husband, three magical creatures, and a dog and cat. She knows the world is full of wonder, there are elves in the woods, and magic is everywhere.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Links</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.adrianacarlsonauthor.com/">Adriana Carlson- Author Website</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Story-Weaver-Penelopes-Perils/dp/1535283823/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480948099&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Story+Weaver"><i>The Story Weaver</i> on Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-90640281446053691422016-07-01T10:27:00.001-07:002016-07-06T14:27:39.617-07:00GIVEAWAY #2 of Tara Dairman's STARS SO SWEET!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkdNA1F-0eLeVGvbEur_kFmuf7UBY-Aet5vQ7iAiKe_FVOgv4YJgqg1Kqycu_GlTMD2guwfvH2rzpdYu9SiEBv7_DzN303bPdtoM1EGf8UAOCXKHdu2os_Z4e3gan5FEDOlric47DAZM/s1600/Stars+so+Sweet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkdNA1F-0eLeVGvbEur_kFmuf7UBY-Aet5vQ7iAiKe_FVOgv4YJgqg1Kqycu_GlTMD2guwfvH2rzpdYu9SiEBv7_DzN303bPdtoM1EGf8UAOCXKHdu2os_Z4e3gan5FEDOlric47DAZM/s320/Stars+so+Sweet.png" width="211" /></a></div>
Folks, it's JULY~ that means Tara Dairman's STARS SO SWEET, 3rd book in the delicious MG foodie series starring Gladys Gatsby, will be hitting shelves in just 18 more days, on July 19th!<br />
<br />
I recently gushed about the book in <b><a href="https://fallingleaflets.blogspot.com/2016/04/stars-so-sweet-review-and-arc-giveaway.html" style="text-decoration: underline;">this post</a> </b>and I'm doing one more ARC giveaway to drum up excitement for the release. So if you'd like to get your hands, eyes, and heart on this glorious book before the rest of the world, just leave a comment.<br />
<br />
I'll choose a winner from the comments on July 6th and mail it out right away! UPDATE: <span style="color: red;"><b>THE WINNER IS ... ANDREA MACK! Congratulations, Andrea~ please email me your address (jessicaselawson(at)gmail<dot>com) and I'll get it mailed!</dot></b></span><br />
<br />
Best of luck in the giveaway~ here's a summary:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">As the summer winds down and Gladys Gatsby prepares to start middle school, she is nervous about juggling schoolwork and looming deadlines from her secret job as the New York Standard’s youngest restaurant critic. When her editor pushes for a face-to-face meeting to discuss more opportunities with the paper, Gladys knows she must finally come clean to her parents. But her perfectly planned reveal is put on hold when her parents arrive home with a surprise: her Aunt Lydia, one of the only adults who knows her secret, fresh off the plane from Paris. Gladys and Aunt Lydia try one last ruse to fool her editor at the Standard, but even with her aunt’s help, Gladys just can’t manage the drama of middle school and a secret life. It’s time for Gladys to be true to herself and honest with her friends and family, regardless of what those around her think.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBsLGOFdmn2uMtYDorCL5KzudWjOWdBXHvPc7jJCktpyEAZ8hEImanZv9hzEohTDjDDVm6_iTmkNbHa93n3I5yz8gLr9FKpMyuTzMhNI5DDQmMnRC1IC_MYqF3fB1hKhWpwj5tQj5VoA/s1600/tara-blog2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBsLGOFdmn2uMtYDorCL5KzudWjOWdBXHvPc7jJCktpyEAZ8hEImanZv9hzEohTDjDDVm6_iTmkNbHa93n3I5yz8gLr9FKpMyuTzMhNI5DDQmMnRC1IC_MYqF3fB1hKhWpwj5tQj5VoA/s400/tara-blog2016.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-12123835230459492902016-05-10T14:26:00.000-07:002016-05-25T07:02:31.219-07:00Release Day~ Waiting for Augusta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyoB_iZgphes_Uz07eQUOaeOaLBZw7vEA-jD2lI_tAAss31BrTnr_g6BNML-8LnE9_3eQmf82OhhyptG5vCZ5i1oh__MdHuH3k-MG9FVroNToJ3Bo7HSde3X-Q6yrdRlCHnpJw5qhIJI/s1600/IMG_6787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNESnnjjo6F3W3KWN_991kW7q6PeZ0kTHAPxdUR4BEpkTWj8VZV9EkxmUCZKdzSDhO3ImJaF1ccNtihOBhxxBw2k2mETtkjNo7T30QOCpK7aDvcuW80IFNuP3UDLCH4t1WHT-_ZhTx9f4/s1600/WAITING_FOR_AUGUSTA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNESnnjjo6F3W3KWN_991kW7q6PeZ0kTHAPxdUR4BEpkTWj8VZV9EkxmUCZKdzSDhO3ImJaF1ccNtihOBhxxBw2k2mETtkjNo7T30QOCpK7aDvcuW80IFNuP3UDLCH4t1WHT-_ZhTx9f4/s320/WAITING_FOR_AUGUSTA.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
It's Pub Day!<br />
<br />
WAITING FOR AUGUSTA is officially in the world. This quirky book has been a part of my life for several years now.<br />
<br />
It's part journey of a young boy to find out how to stand up for his own beliefs, part tribute to father-son relationships, part tribute to my golfer hubby, and part adventures in chicken-battling/train-hopping/truck-stealing/barbecue-eating/breaking-and-entering. All kinds of fun and tough stuff.<br />
<br />
I hope you like it.<br />
<br />
If you feel like entering to win a copy, I'll be at the following blogs over the next couple of weeks~ you can leave a comment on the posts to enter:<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://leandrajwallace.blogspot.com/">May 14: Leandra Wallace's blog</a></b><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.literaryrambles.com/">May 16: Literary Rambles</a></b> (this post will include an interview with my agent and a query critique giveaway!)<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://beckywallacebooks.com/blog/">TBD: Becky Wallace's blog</a></b><br />
<br />
Best of luck if you enter any of the giveaways! Here's a summary of the book:<br />
<br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Eleven-year-old Benjamin Putter has a lump in his throat, and he’s certain it’s a golf ball. He knows it sounds crazy, but everything’s been topsy-turvy since his father died last month. And he doesn’t know how to fix it.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Then, one day, something starts tugging at Ben, telling him to hurry to Augusta, Georgia—home of the Sistine Chapel of golf courses.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Ben might be going a little crazy, but escaping Hilltop, Alabama, sounds like a darn good idea. (And just maybe it will make that lump go away.) As he makes his way to Augusta, Ben partners up with a mysterious runaway named Noni, and they embark on a journey full of surprises—and possibly magic—at every turn.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">And here are a few review snippets:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>Colorful, quirky, and full of heart, with an ending readers won’t forget.”</b></div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">
– Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor-winning author of Savvy, Scumble, and Switch</div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">
<div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<b>"A whimsical, heartwarming, multilayered story about finding grace enough to accept the flaws in those we love and courage enough to act from our most deeply held beliefs."</b></div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
– Kirkus Reviews</div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<br /></div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<b>"This moving and emotional coming-of-age story tackles themes of racism, friendship, and growing up. . . . An absorbing work of historical fiction."</b></div>
<div class="cite" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
– School Library Journal</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24DodTeQKPL6NRKRDNq_hraLz8s3uUBNp4GcEQEiKX2Ckp8FDSiprRFgUWaBM1uLWRysZtz3eqedUmDtv2tj5tLgyfYN-5mopaRLkklAhxzwiDfg2rqjZn4zTdYrKmS2cSAjYZ-lsLCo/s1600/Tess+with+WfA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24DodTeQKPL6NRKRDNq_hraLz8s3uUBNp4GcEQEiKX2Ckp8FDSiprRFgUWaBM1uLWRysZtz3eqedUmDtv2tj5tLgyfYN-5mopaRLkklAhxzwiDfg2rqjZn4zTdYrKmS2cSAjYZ-lsLCo/s320/Tess+with+WfA.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gd77EvEUpotvekaia-jCn4FIKg1hbCsL8bBX-KeXzdRSchSeiuzrA7anR7lzrj5Of3hyphenhyphen7LrY_hQRafEJBEr194WteYZMIhz7kBf6jwrrWbRXXEvZoqKdTU7ZmfgYJqCh6Z0vnmLIy-4/s1600/To+use.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gd77EvEUpotvekaia-jCn4FIKg1hbCsL8bBX-KeXzdRSchSeiuzrA7anR7lzrj5Of3hyphenhyphen7LrY_hQRafEJBEr194WteYZMIhz7kBf6jwrrWbRXXEvZoqKdTU7ZmfgYJqCh6Z0vnmLIy-4/s320/To+use.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLudy43LNW6bAXzBfAQ5sqQVqytQraa4pIAzMVKxZkYw-oKYo-Fk4wUalUCebGwA4f42LPrXYbTtz903JpR79_t-wbUffRUqVZyN4NZ484532n6AO7CVffhpKNqhiDYSSLkQGi8cQRNOU/s1600/IMG_6787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLudy43LNW6bAXzBfAQ5sqQVqytQraa4pIAzMVKxZkYw-oKYo-Fk4wUalUCebGwA4f42LPrXYbTtz903JpR79_t-wbUffRUqVZyN4NZ484532n6AO7CVffhpKNqhiDYSSLkQGi8cQRNOU/s320/IMG_6787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-92020897110910727482016-04-22T08:45:00.000-07:002016-04-29T12:59:28.730-07:00STARS SO SWEET~ Review and ARC Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvgC33ku1qDEyUgvTJEBqqr3zvy1awNLFWNIn52Nea9e-KJtXH2TfbNjsRpA8qlp5GWjRXs5W6rR-mz7wfWXmP9UpR1XuEyuOtKGGMw6GQd-r98yRKmTjfjjT28I7zZ8B8tihqHirL_o/s1600/Stars+so+Sweet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvgC33ku1qDEyUgvTJEBqqr3zvy1awNLFWNIn52Nea9e-KJtXH2TfbNjsRpA8qlp5GWjRXs5W6rR-mz7wfWXmP9UpR1XuEyuOtKGGMw6GQd-r98yRKmTjfjjT28I7zZ8B8tihqHirL_o/s400/Stars+so+Sweet.png" width="263" /></a></div>
Friends, I've got a delicious treat for you today. The third book in Tara Dairman's middle grade Gladys Gatsby series will be out this July, and I managed to get my hands on TWO advanced copies! I'll give one away this week and one in early June. <b>Just leave a comment to enter and I'll choose a winner next Friday, April 29. </b><span style="color: red;"><b>UPDATE: The winner is.... Mrs. Kirchner! Congrats, Mrs. Kirchner, please email me a good mailing address at: jessicaselawson{at]gmail[dot]com</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
I cannot say enough about the delightful Gladys or her growth over the three books that started with the Crystal Kite Award winner <i>All Four Stars </i>and continued with the equally hilarious and yummy <i>The Stars of Summer. </i>I fell so in love with this young foodie and her adventures that I'm holding out for another book after this one.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://taradairman.com/books/">Tara Dairman</a> </b>is extremely well-traveled (check out her 2 year, 74-country honeymoon <a href="https://taradairman.com/extras/famous/"><b>HERE</b></a>) and has sampled local cuisine all over the world~ who better to write the chronicles of a middle grade foodie than an author who loves food and knows first-hand the way it connects people. Her blog even features<a href="https://taradairman.com/extras/recipes/"> <b>recipes from the first book</b></a>.<br />
<br />
I'm lucky enough to be able to claim her as a critique partner and cannot wait to get my hardcover of STARS SO SWEET. Tara recently shared some exciting news~ all three books will be available on Audiobook! Release dates for those are May 10 (<i>All Four Stars</i>), June 10 (<i>The Stars of Summer</i>), and July 19 (<i>Stars so Sweet</i>).<br />
<br />
Once again, I'll do a seven-word highlight review of the <b>things this book does incredibly well</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Highlights of STARS SO SWEET: </b>Characters, Humor, Heart, Mouthwatering Food Descriptions, Friendships, School Setting, and.... Chapter Titles (seriously, these are so fantastic)!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Here's a summary of STARS SO SWEET</b>:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;">As the summer winds down and Gladys Gatsby prepares to start middle school, she is nervous about juggling schoolwork and looming deadlines from her secret job as the </span><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Standard</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;">’s youngest restaurant critic. When her editor pushes for a face-to-face meeting to discuss more opportunities with the paper, Gladys knows she must finally come clean to her parents. But her perfectly planned reveal is put on hold when her parents arrive home with a surprise: her Aunt Lydia, one of the only adults who knows her secret, fresh off the plane from Paris. Gladys and Aunt Lydia try one last ruse to fool her editor at the Standard, but even with her aunt’s help, Gladys just can’t manage the drama of middle school and a secret life. It’s time for Gladys to be true to herself and honest with her friends and family, regardless of what those around her think.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN14LQYSQKWTqWC__6HFjopXHByGnEek81g7MTYBx3vQyeemGdlwtE7TOaj9pEM8YycZ18Dr1qHpph1_RAJyhASLgszdxRVg8kw7h47BpLL8FqTtdOMfA_KVYgmuNLniiS30rMMjEjJ20/s1600/Tess+with+All+Four+Stars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN14LQYSQKWTqWC__6HFjopXHByGnEek81g7MTYBx3vQyeemGdlwtE7TOaj9pEM8YycZ18Dr1qHpph1_RAJyhASLgszdxRVg8kw7h47BpLL8FqTtdOMfA_KVYgmuNLniiS30rMMjEjJ20/s320/Tess+with+All+Four+Stars.JPG" width="179" /></a></div>
Before I end this post, I thought I'd give you an idea of how long I've been a fan of this series. Here's a picture of my youngest with ALL FOUR STARS at a a local bookstore...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKLf7fAkuSeRQauPFT7pw-_y5-mFh7crHO2S9H2DUrD2kNIWQisfuDc41Hw0E1aRe-PF7L-siRAdo0Sk3T8fZ1fR-YpIxpMF-4r-TmuPa3QhWDBl1szK5NZEfg-1X9H9O4UNndu8rJdI/s1600/IMG_6650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKLf7fAkuSeRQauPFT7pw-_y5-mFh7crHO2S9H2DUrD2kNIWQisfuDc41Hw0E1aRe-PF7L-siRAdo0Sk3T8fZ1fR-YpIxpMF-4r-TmuPa3QhWDBl1szK5NZEfg-1X9H9O4UNndu8rJdI/s320/IMG_6650.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And here she is proudly holding Book #3!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Best of luck in the giveaway!<br />
<a href="https://taradairman.com/"><b><br /></b></a>
<a href="https://taradairman.com/"><b>Tara Dairman's Website</b></a><br />
<b><a href="https://twitter.com/TaraDairman">Tara Dairman on Twitter</a></b><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TaraDairmanAuthor"><b>Tara Dairman on Facebook</b></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/allfourstars/"><b>Tara Dairman on Instagram</b></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9l_sP7QQSUNNXtoXrzm-VTB_m_FfPLrE8QqeZHNuSe-4Tj5ljrjUj2rlsuO1YGsNfEykXrD6jmTsFThFRx98Ex2scmBzqp8himCjLO3M5CCFWSY6XT-WnOaqdDQN76mkf5EAJX1fbdRA/s1600/tara-blog2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9l_sP7QQSUNNXtoXrzm-VTB_m_FfPLrE8QqeZHNuSe-4Tj5ljrjUj2rlsuO1YGsNfEykXrD6jmTsFThFRx98Ex2scmBzqp8himCjLO3M5CCFWSY6XT-WnOaqdDQN76mkf5EAJX1fbdRA/s640/tara-blog2016.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-58384119600216034522016-04-13T12:41:00.003-07:002016-04-20T08:37:06.227-07:00Tricia Springstubb's EVERY SINGLE SECOND: Highlights-Style Review and Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDIjVSFqHpIAadYI3g72zd7fOctJAER8wV1ATa_TnIwwe9jxgiB-fph5270B584_8QqhthxyPpaAnuHjgPB3quV-o_tA1mnYqSRy5mOCQtGqQpUun9D1l8EqtjpuWGR_IBcMeqstE_o0/s1600/bigESS.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDIjVSFqHpIAadYI3g72zd7fOctJAER8wV1ATa_TnIwwe9jxgiB-fph5270B584_8QqhthxyPpaAnuHjgPB3quV-o_tA1mnYqSRy5mOCQtGqQpUun9D1l8EqtjpuWGR_IBcMeqstE_o0/s320/bigESS.png" width="224" /></a></div>
Hi All!<br />
<br />
I've been a fan of Tricia Springstubb's for quite some time, and recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of her upcoming book, EVERY SINGLE SECOND. All I can say is, wow...it's Impressive with a Capital I. Oh wait, that's not all I can say! I can say a whole ton, actually, but I'll try to keep it succinct.<br />
<b><br /></b>
So this is a new idea~ instead of a lengthy review (which I could definitely provide~ this novel has so much to applaud), I'm going to tell you seven things that I think are especially admirable in Tricia Springstubb's latest middle grade novel (and if you need more than one opinion, click on this<b> <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/reviews/single/9780062366283">STARRED review in Publishers Weekly</a>)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>HIGHLIGHTS OF EVERY SINGLE SECOND: </b>Heart, Conflict, Tension, Relationships, Authenticity, Voice, Framing/Structure<br />
<br />
There you go, folks! This one should definitely go on your MUST-READ lists! A summary of the story is below~ just <b>LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE ENTERED TO WIN MY ADVANCED COPY (winner picked on 4/20/16) <span style="color: red;">UPDATE: Via Random.org, the winner is ... Joanne Fritz! Congratulations, Joanne, please email me your address or DM me on Twitter (handle @JS_Lawson) and I'll get that book shipped to you!</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><strong><br /></strong></span>
<span id="freeText13540697984717312553" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><strong>SUMMARY:</strong></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><strong><br /></strong></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><strong>From acclaimed author Tricia Springstubb comes an incredibly powerful and timely novel about how a single act impacts a community, a city, and the way a young girl views the world around her.</strong><br /><br />A single second. That’s all it takes to turn a world upside down.<br /><br />Twelve-year-old Nella Sabatini’s life is changing too soon, too fast. Her best friend, Clem, doesn’t seem concerned; she’s busy figuring out the best way to spend the “leap second”—an extra second about to be added to the world’s official clock. The only person who might understand how Nella feels is Angela, but the two of them have gone from being “secret sisters” to not talking at all.<br /><br />Then Angela’s idolized big brother makes a terrible, fatal mistake, one that tears apart their tight-knit community and plunges his family into a whirlwind of harsh publicity and judgment. In the midst of this controversy, Nella is faced with a series of startling revelations about her parents, friends, and neighborhood. As Angela’s situation becomes dangerous, Nella must choose whether to stand by or stand up. Her heart tries to tell her what to do, but can you always trust your heart? The clock ticks down, and in that extra second, past and present merge—the future will be up to her.<br /><br />Tricia Springstubb’s extraordinary novel is about the shifting bonds of friendship and the unconditional love of family, the impact of class and racial divides on a neighborhood and a city, and a girl awakening to awareness of a world bigger and more complex than she’d ever imagined.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-74894226590003057832016-03-15T08:58:00.001-07:002016-03-21T13:32:54.092-07:00Countdown to Becky Wallace's THE SKYLIGHTER & Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84EHLA5ZkIsl_9souTHw70H16mhqdZb35gTG4XV-DxsQ2DfdURNHdGwDuK5sHf1dzAb8xF2liB0Kzg0eA6fbMK2w89QkzzxO0y5h7vtY6-EUjegCRblSfN5d_m28B9AFpey4hJV08efc/s1600/TheSkylighter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84EHLA5ZkIsl_9souTHw70H16mhqdZb35gTG4XV-DxsQ2DfdURNHdGwDuK5sHf1dzAb8xF2liB0Kzg0eA6fbMK2w89QkzzxO0y5h7vtY6-EUjegCRblSfN5d_m28B9AFpey4hJV08efc/s320/TheSkylighter.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just one more week until Becky Wallace's <b><a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/The-Skylighter/Becky-Wallace/The-Keepers-Chronicles/9781481405683">THE SKYLIGHTER</a></b> hits shelves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone, I adored <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/The-Storyspinner/Becky-Wallace/The-Keepers-Chronicles/9781481405652"><b>THE STORYSPINNER</b></a> and feel so lucky to have read an early version of this next book in The Keepers' Chronicles! But I haven't read the final version and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm so stoked about getting the hardcover of <b><a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/The-Skylighter/Becky-Wallace/The-Keepers-Chronicles/9781481405683">THE SKYLIGHTER</a></b> that I'm giving away a copy! And if you haven't read <b><a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/The-Storyspinner/Becky-Wallace/The-Keepers-Chronicles/9781481405652">THE STORYSPINNER</a> </b>yet, I'll give you a copy of that one as well!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>*Just leave a comment and consider yourself entered~ I'll announce a winner next Monday, March 21, the day before the book is released.*</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>UPDATE: Via Random.org, the winner is.... Sara! Congratulations, Sara! Please email me or get in touch via Twitter (handle: @JS_Lawson)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's what School Library Journal has to say about THE SKYLIGHTER:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">A compelling, unique world with Portuguese-inspired echoes of Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind (DAW, 2007),</span><span style="background-color: yellow;"> this series is a must</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> for fans of fantasy."</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Here's a summary:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Johanna and Rafi are in a race against time to save their country before a power-mad Keeper destroys everything they hold dear in the “enthralling magical world” (Cinda Williams Chima, author of The Heir Chronicles) introduced in </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">The Storyspinner</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">As the last of the royal line, Johanna is the only person who can heal a magical breach in the wall that separates her kingdom of Santarem from the land of the Keepers, legendary men and women who wield elemental magic. The barrier protects Santarem from those Keepers who might try to take power over mere humans…Keepers who are determined to stop Johanna and seize the wall’s power for themselves.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">And they’re not the only ones. As the duchys of Santarem descend into war over the throne, Johanna relies more than ever on the advice of her handsome companion, Lord Rafael DeSilva. But Rafi is a duke too, and his people come first. As their friendship progresses into the beginnings of a tender relationship, Johanna must wonder: is Rafi looking out for her happiness, or does he want the throne for himself?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">With war on the horizon, Johanna and Rafi dodge treacherous dukes and Keeper assassins as they race to through the countryside, determined to strengthen the wall before it’s too late…even if it means sacrificing their happiness for the sake of their world.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #0000ee; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">THE SKYLIGHTER- Other places to read reviews/interviews and win free stuff!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Again, if the giveaway winner hasn't read THE STORYSPINNER, I'll be shipping a copy of it as well! Here are a couple of reviews to get you salivating:</span><br />
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGFRJkY-i99Ia1UxWQ_Dp-r-xNLV57ji8xMgzO_adxwvJuArljqoDP6_KwRQWKTkts-n94sghlWOLhbkliF1UAKbvarrOXwwurx541062hU1s5e5TopYFd8OOZYyJjbSPKeVAHSF62z0/s1600/TheStorySpinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGFRJkY-i99Ia1UxWQ_Dp-r-xNLV57ji8xMgzO_adxwvJuArljqoDP6_KwRQWKTkts-n94sghlWOLhbkliF1UAKbvarrOXwwurx541062hU1s5e5TopYFd8OOZYyJjbSPKeVAHSF62z0/s320/TheStorySpinner.jpg" width="211" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"This first installment of </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Keepers’ Chronicles</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is as engaging as fantasy gets, full of magic and romance, intrigue and espionage, epic battles and heartbreaking loss. The quicker the second book comes out, the better. This is definitely recommended for public and high school libraries." (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">VOYA</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; line-height: 26px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; line-height: 26px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">"In this beautifully constructed first installment of a new fantasy series, Wallace creates a lush environment, interweaving unique characters. Recommended for fans of classic fantasy (J.R.R. Tolkien) as well as more modern fantasy adventures by Melina Marchetta, Kristin Cashore, and Sarah J. Maas." (</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">School Library Journal</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">)</span></span></span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-59868237514463670392016-03-04T08:11:00.000-08:002016-03-11T08:57:24.182-08:00Midnight Without A Moon- Review and ARC Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIG0scmw5eq68fzOUSLYdgmQOuKTtcavjZdnh22zyiiVTRaj6eu99OQ2zG0GHHERL8aWbtYrvCg4sOMwKBlGJfRbXjS3MsvB95dsvOY_FwadxBHN6rIpf0uN0Y_owotvzRIVKKsMltpc/s1600/Midnight+without+a+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIG0scmw5eq68fzOUSLYdgmQOuKTtcavjZdnh22zyiiVTRaj6eu99OQ2zG0GHHERL8aWbtYrvCg4sOMwKBlGJfRbXjS3MsvB95dsvOY_FwadxBHN6rIpf0uN0Y_owotvzRIVKKsMltpc/s400/Midnight+without+a+moon.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
I was lucky enough to win Linda Williams Jackson's MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON from Caroline Starr Rose's blog (see the excellent interview <a href="http://carolinestarrrose.com/5076-2/">HERE</a>). In the spirit of sharing excellent literature, I'm going to pass the ARC along to one of you readers, in hopes that you'll read and review it as well. The book doesn't hit shelves until January 3, 2017, but this one deserves all the advanced buzz we can give it. Add it to your Goodreads "Want to Read" list if you have one!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>UPDATE: Via Random.org, the winner of the ARC is Melissa Guerrette! Congratulations, Melissa~ please email me your preferred mailing address. You can also get in touch w/ me via Twitter. My handle is JS_Lawson.</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>My Review (5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads):</b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the powerful story of
Rose Lee Carter and her journey to find strength and purpose in a Jim
Crow South on the verge of changes, set against fourteen-year-old Emmett Till's
murder and trial (among other tragic, bigoted crimes). Vividly drawn characters
and scene-setting will put readers right there with Rose, bursting with anger
and sadness about the injustices she witnesses and endures, and struggling to
make a decision about whether to seek a destiny outside of Mississippi, or to stay
and be part of an important movement.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">This book has it all from the first page~ setting,
voice, character, heart, senses. Linda Williams Jackson's debut is just what
Sharon G. Flake said in the blurb on the back of the ARC I read: "... an
unflinching bird's eye view of 1955 Mississippi. A magnificent piece of
writing!"</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">Okay, folks! Just leave a comment to be entered to win my advanced copy of MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON! I'll choose a winner on Friday, March 11.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><b style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">UPDATE: Via Random.org, the winner of the ARC is Melissa Guerrette! Congratulations, Melissa~ please email me your preferred mailing address. You can also get in touch w/ me via Twitter. My handle is JS_Lawson.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><b style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">As always, happy reading!</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-75136974711086817392016-01-21T08:29:00.001-08:002016-01-21T08:29:59.303-08:002016: First 3 Books Read and What's On My TBR ListSo we're off to a new year of reading! So far, I've finished one adult book and two middle grades:<br />
<br />
<img alt="22430677" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403531431l/22430677.jpg" height="200" width="124" /><br />
THE FAIR FIGHT kind of blew me away. I haven't read something that got me into the head of different characters in that particular way in quite awhile. I recommend it a whole bunch.<br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="23714521" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1430501923l/23714521.jpg" /><br />
ORBITING JUPITER by Gary Schmidt just killed me in the best of ways. I knew it was going to be good after reading this <a href="http://bookpage.com/interviews/18869-gary-d-schmidt#.VqECFCorLIU">BookPage interview/review</a>, but I wasn't prepared for the raw power of the simple, pure, honest prose. I wasn't prepared for the ending, either. This is a book that I'm glad that I've read. One of those ones that you quietly think about every now and then long after finishing.<br />
.<br />
<br />
<img alt="25885733" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437017431l/25885733.jpg" height="320" width="212" /><br />
<br />
I adored RED by Liesl Shurtliff! Her world-building is so rich in the senses. There are scenes full of enchantment and danger, and characters full of humor, heart, desires, and flaws. I can't wait for the next one in this companion novel series (RUMP, JACK, RED). I have an inkling about whose story might be next, but I'll keep it to myself.<br />
<br />
More books I'm dying to read this year (please let me know in the comments what's on your list!):<br />
<br />
<i>The Skylighter</i>, Becky Wallace *will be doing a givaway*<br />
<i>Stars so Sweet</i>, Tara Dairman *will be doing an ARC giveaway of this title!*<br />
<i>Booked</i>, Kwame Alexander<br />
<i>The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, </i>Janet Fox<br />
<i>Lily and Dunkin</i>, Donna Gephart<br />
<i>The Wild Robot</i>, Peter Brown<br />
<i>Counting Thyme, </i>Melanie Conklin<br />
<i>Hour of the Bees, </i>Lindsay Eager<br />
<i>Grayling's Song</i>, Karen Cushman<br />
<i>A Clatter of Jars, </i>Lisa Graff<br />
<i>Pilfer Academy</i>, Lauren Magaziner<br />
<i>Some Kind of Happiness</i>, Claire Legrand<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price</i>, Jennifer Maschari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Forest of Wonders</i>, Linda Sue Park</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Paper Wishes</i>, Lois Sepahban<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Key to Extraordinary</i>, Natalie Lloyd<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Pax</i>, Sara Pennypacker</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society</i>, Janet Sumner Johnson</div>
<i>A Rambler Steals Home</i>, Carter Higgins<br />
<i>The Luck Uglies 3: Rise of the Ragged Clover</i>, Paul Durham<br />
<br />
On a 2017 note, I'm already looking forward to Linda Jackson's MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON, which is MG historical fiction. It comes out on January 3, 2017. As I understand it, there will be a cover reveal and giveaway of that over at <a href="http://carolinestarrrose.com/blog/">Caroline Starr Rose's blog</a> soon!<br />
<br />
Oh, and I should probably mention that my next book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Augusta-Jessica-Lawson/dp/1481448390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453393497&sr=8-1&keywords=Waiting+for+Augusta">Waiting for Augusta</a></i>, will be out on May 10!Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-80935525395992178662015-12-30T15:18:00.001-08:002016-01-01T06:31:30.961-08:002015: Books Read & LovedHello! Hope you're all doing well as the year comes to a close.<br />
<br />
Okay, here (in no particular order) are <i>some</i> of the books that I've read and enjoyed throughout 2015. Most of these were first-time reads, others were nostalgic re-reads (e.g., Karen Cushman, Rita Williams-Garcia, Sharon Creech). Feel free to chime in with your favorite books of the year!<br />
<br />
~~~<br />
<b><u>MIDDLE GRADE:</u></b><br />
<br />
<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GPFQPTLwL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ydWvhwCmL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510ZbAnxeZL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RGiCmq8FL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41S7i227+zL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61bt71M94RL._AA160_.jpg" /><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>A Nearer Moon</i>, Melanie Crowder<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Stars of Summer</i>, Tara Dairman (2nd in a series~ Gladys Gatsby is SUCH a lovable protagonist)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, </i>Kelly Jones</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Wish Girl</i>, Nikki Loftin<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Switch</i>, Ingrid Law (LOVED this whole series- <i>Savvy</i> and <i>Scumble </i>are the first 2)<br />
<i>Bridget Wilder, Spy in Training</i>, Jonathan Bernstein<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Astounding Broccoli Boy</i>, <o:p></o:p>Frank Cottrell Boyce (one of my fav authors!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Fuzzy Mud</i>, Louis Sachar<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Stella by Starlight</i>, Sharon Draper<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Hollow Boy: Lockwood & Co.</i>, Jonathan Stroud (LOVE this series)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Blackthorn Key</i>, Kevin Sands (great start to a new series)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Goodbye Strange</i>r, Rebecca Stead<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Truth about Twinkie Pie</i>, Kat Yeh<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Secrets of Selkie Bay</i>, Shelley Moore Thomas<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Gracefully Grayson</i>, Ami Polonsky</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b><u>MORE MIDDLE GRADE:</u></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518kEIPPjYL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61fYYRXjdGL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lZ0dDU84L._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61v0phFEFNL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mVuiXHJeL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61I4aMozeDL._AA160_.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<i>Circus Mirandus</i>, Cassie Beasley<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The War that Saved My Life</i>, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley<br />
<i>The Wolf Wilder</i>, Katherine Rundell<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Curiosity House, the Shrunken Head</i>, Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Walk Two Moons</i>, Sharon Creech<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Love that Dog</i>, Sharon Creech</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Unmapped Sea</i>, Maryrose Wood<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Thing About Jellyfish</i>, Ali Benjamin<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Friendship Riddle</i>, Megan Frazer Blakemore<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Crenshaw</i>, Katherine Applegate<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Roller Girl</i>, Victoria Jamieson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Rules for Stealing Stars</i>, Corey Ann Haydu</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lost in the Sun</i>, Lisa Graff<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Detective’s Assistant</i>, Kate Hannigan<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Thickety: The Whispering Trees</i>, J.A. White<br />
<br />
<b><u>MORE MIDDLE GRADE:</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513K8wyd4GL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61g4DAqMIyL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rWDS1Z+5L._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61P6ey0gHqL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5130odeUl-L._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rcQNqzRkL._AA160_.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Gone Crazy in Alabama</i>, Rita Williams-Garcia (another series I've LOVED)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>PS Be Eleven</i>, <o:p></o:p>Rita Williams-Garcia<br />
<i>One Crazy Summer</i>, <o:p></o:p>Rita Williams-Garcia</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Arcady’s Goal</i>, Eugene Yelchin</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Finding Ruby Starling</i>, Karen Rivers</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>George</i>, Alex Gino</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Sunny Side Up</i>, Jenni Holm<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Milo Speck</i>,<i> Accidental Agent</i>, Linda Urban<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Moonpenny Island</i>, Tricia Springstubb<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Echo</i>, Pam Munoz Ryan<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans</i>, Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>A Plague of Boggles</i>, Catherine Jinks<o:p></o:p><br />
<i>Jinx's Fire</i>, Sage Blackwood (EXCELLENT series!)</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>MORE MIDDLE GRADE:</u></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Prw1eiJaL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B3E5XBb1L._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gz9R-zqbL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VeAtmoVTL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vEAJ0+nLL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51cLXQNvaQL._AA160_.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<i>Stella By Starlight</i>, Sharon Draper<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Blue Birds, </i>Caroline Starr Rose<br />
<i>The Key that Swallowed Joey Pigza, </i>Jack Gantos<o:p></o:p></div>
<i>Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times</i>, Emma Trevayne<br />
<i>Catherine, Called Birdy</i>, Karen Cushman</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Alchemy and Meggy Swann</i>, Karen Cushman<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, </i>Bette Bao Lord *Childhood Favorite<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls</i>, Elizabeth Varadan *Wonderful voice!<br />
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
<b><u>YOUNG ADULT:</u></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WmmlZL5yL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xbt8X+5ML._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zCS5BMbyL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51srmG5WzeL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61dO4Ii+0IL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517SuQjmzFL._AA160_.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Storyspinner</i>, Becky Wallace (LOVED this, sequel is out in March)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Bone Gap</i>, Laura Ruby</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>See No Color</i>, Shannon Gibney</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Shadowshaper</i>, Daniel <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 29.76px;">José </span>Older</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>More Happy Than Not</i>, Adam Silvera<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Mark of the Thief</i>, Jennifer Nielsen</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Boxers/Saints</i>, Gene Luen Yang (got these books signed at an event!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Instructions for the End of the World</i>, Jamie Kain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>American Born Chinese</i>, Gene Luen Yang</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Hired Girl</i>, Laura Amy Schlitz (MG/YA cusp)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Audacity</i>, Melanie Crowder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender</i>, Leslye Walton</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I’ll Give you the Sun</i>, Jandy Nelson</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>, Robin Talley</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Jumped</i>, Rita Williams-Garcia<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Mortal Heart</i>, Robin LaFevers</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<b><u>NONFICTION:</u></b><br />
<br />
<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wAAzcD2uL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41wmScO2UaL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41zAv4Ncy0L._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41dYcNELq3L._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jwxlk8knL._AA160_.jpg" /><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ear8meJJL._SX386_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="200" width="155" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Hyperbole and a Half</i>, Allie Brosh</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People</i>, Mahzarin A. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Bad Feminist</i>, Roxane Gay</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Bossypants</i>, Tina Fey</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and other concerns)</i>, Mindy Khaling<br />
<i>Two Roads to Augusta</i>, Ben Crenshaw, Carl Jackson, Melanie Hauser<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>ADULT FICTION:</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pj4xpfhvL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51x9g6TPgEL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51voMQMvW+L._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41S6moAxwSL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TXJ98YHpL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41-YkFaghDL._AA160_.jpg" /><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<i>The Girl on the Train, </i>Paula Hawkins<br />
<i>Pretty Baby, </i>Mary Kubica<br />
<i>Dodger</i>, Terry Pratchett (YA, but I think it's great with any audience)<br />
<i>Chocolat</i>, Joanne Harris<br />
<i>Shopaholic to the Stars</i>, Sophie Kinsella<br />
<i>Queen of Babble series</i>, Meg Cabot<br />
<i>The Martian</i>, Andy Weir<br />
<i>The Fair Fight</i>, Anna Freeman (still reading, but LOVING)<br />
<br />
<b>MISC.<u> </u>(not sure where these fit~ loved them!):</b><br />
<br />
<img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FzGMSRNRL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dJ-F337ZL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F535YesDL._AA160_.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Shaun Tan books- The Arrival, Lost and Found, The Lost Thing<br />
~~~<br />
<br />
Happy New Year! My next post will be about some 2016 books that I'm looking forward to.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-90269105447041971432015-12-20T08:55:00.000-08:002015-12-20T08:55:38.120-08:00To You and Yours...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJg-5krIVFE_9FIz3i1T979cZSVcINPRgN0BbcyauICzrjcBpvK5ofulA3-CwaTf5gCixFsG1_zxNfY6IqJsKsdqNFMBzIYe9DsWjgGHD-X3BDGyveVO2KioeTsQ3UvcUJiOd2RBUESg/s1600/tree+trimming+2015.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJg-5krIVFE_9FIz3i1T979cZSVcINPRgN0BbcyauICzrjcBpvK5ofulA3-CwaTf5gCixFsG1_zxNfY6IqJsKsdqNFMBzIYe9DsWjgGHD-X3BDGyveVO2KioeTsQ3UvcUJiOd2RBUESg/s640/tree+trimming+2015.jpe" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Holidays!</span></b></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">I'm planning a post about the middle grade and YA books I've read in 2015 (and the ones I'm looking forward to in 2016~spoiler, HUGE anticipation for the newest Karen Cushman book, as she's one of my major literary crushes), but for now, I'll leave you with a few photos from my holiday season.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3mhyXTrC3XUitZtWVpMqJXMSY3ebVpeF11uFmJKEBQiq6R8wX-0K9j_uc4jFKP4AlKQLjX6ctAxPclFmEvZd7prW4bAD5tzKmsIQMvRgAbpSDgXCO6F0cx4-qX8UCKCj0bdAmLNtB1k/s1600/IMG_6151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3mhyXTrC3XUitZtWVpMqJXMSY3ebVpeF11uFmJKEBQiq6R8wX-0K9j_uc4jFKP4AlKQLjX6ctAxPclFmEvZd7prW4bAD5tzKmsIQMvRgAbpSDgXCO6F0cx4-qX8UCKCj0bdAmLNtB1k/s200/IMG_6151.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stockings 'round the fake fireplace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKCd3xFMCGySHmsoBhQk4O6o6R5bIO4zZRKMjY3sP1_qj9Xsix6XwI1ib74yi9g8HETDM8hoX36ECR-YFC8IsYw68Jer0EbDohHPQEdWthKJysHZladCGIWizc_XLwhBKFtftYh2Ewxg/s1600/IMG_6153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKCd3xFMCGySHmsoBhQk4O6o6R5bIO4zZRKMjY3sP1_qj9Xsix6XwI1ib74yi9g8HETDM8hoX36ECR-YFC8IsYw68Jer0EbDohHPQEdWthKJysHZladCGIWizc_XLwhBKFtftYh2Ewxg/s200/IMG_6153.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowmen & elves strewn everywhere</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRATe93hXnZGMlw4As4uxdkJN5LtoOt_GFAdz4sDVOrIEfnhjkL0uePUaYGjxJ9Pmd8BkcxBy0WuIqdoYmjn-pL1Uufp1jLI6pibBNhvWifRfYl91lMP0UcJUq1FWqkXDkUPcZqSARsAM/s1600/IMG_6148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRATe93hXnZGMlw4As4uxdkJN5LtoOt_GFAdz4sDVOrIEfnhjkL0uePUaYGjxJ9Pmd8BkcxBy0WuIqdoYmjn-pL1Uufp1jLI6pibBNhvWifRfYl91lMP0UcJUq1FWqkXDkUPcZqSARsAM/s320/IMG_6148.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wassail simmering on stove</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGP5OwNAxiGzvzyiFBKh028Do2x2dcz23SfnKbFaURGkV-_HlGme3z-YHk00CAftSEt6MGw8xewDVC3pOLsB4KIYKY-l_n3ecFEW8OMt_KCuz-rSlSyYVFRspvjazbxG4YX-5y8qvQgo/s1600/IMG_6155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGP5OwNAxiGzvzyiFBKh028Do2x2dcz23SfnKbFaURGkV-_HlGme3z-YHk00CAftSEt6MGw8xewDVC3pOLsB4KIYKY-l_n3ecFEW8OMt_KCuz-rSlSyYVFRspvjazbxG4YX-5y8qvQgo/s320/IMG_6155.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walnuts for roasting! (much tastier than chestnuts, in my opinion)<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GOqFiYgEIOrKZuvS7dbSIHhUNGEpLnkUYeUPWnmc2QXJbFToMzXyz8t-wMXaCNKyULONtjSGMpvzzo5vtQ__NxzscYMfFrl3fcpfib54A9PKXqQbsbJ0rENIAtdWeVqs45LwHZNAveI/s1600/IMG_6214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GOqFiYgEIOrKZuvS7dbSIHhUNGEpLnkUYeUPWnmc2QXJbFToMzXyz8t-wMXaCNKyULONtjSGMpvzzo5vtQ__NxzscYMfFrl3fcpfib54A9PKXqQbsbJ0rENIAtdWeVqs45LwHZNAveI/s320/IMG_6214.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookie stealing: A holiday tradition at our house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv662kASvhVGfEqLaKHVYG2FIuc3Jl3mQeXEFF89Lloc07KBy528g0LPSYIFsScjMrmV-LjRkkBBpW_jqQSBYogEN-Ks-M1pakf3kRXyzierrj7TyLc-YibUvO7tvX2e650KxzLcOQYjI/s1600/IMG_6136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv662kASvhVGfEqLaKHVYG2FIuc3Jl3mQeXEFF89Lloc07KBy528g0LPSYIFsScjMrmV-LjRkkBBpW_jqQSBYogEN-Ks-M1pakf3kRXyzierrj7TyLc-YibUvO7tvX2e650KxzLcOQYjI/s320/IMG_6136.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of snow! I'm asking Santa for a garage this Christmas...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGqQ0W51PZx3TU_ftClxjPxjzibrKEi3kZURTSyYnPmA7Rsi-vPbvhFklPex2mcoO4iuqdxnSbssrhnBlaTFVblmL9u4s5I2wtbEGCPxO-U0Zwg0a6KQNS3ttaRaYLkT9CctCw3pMFMg/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGqQ0W51PZx3TU_ftClxjPxjzibrKEi3kZURTSyYnPmA7Rsi-vPbvhFklPex2mcoO4iuqdxnSbssrhnBlaTFVblmL9u4s5I2wtbEGCPxO-U0Zwg0a6KQNS3ttaRaYLkT9CctCw3pMFMg/s320/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting together with family (I'm 3rd from the right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5vhpRgZRfxt50IA-KZ8mVMTtDMMJ-r5yQ7iK_WUNxEUhW9DAlX1fJ2iEg69t_P7mvOKjeUBYFTRzgrrSaeWnnuY2aJpXzxrvhZxKugz0W0uRZM_btu8HBqvRjhvVac5pZ_JOq9JnmJo/s1600/IMG_5191+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5vhpRgZRfxt50IA-KZ8mVMTtDMMJ-r5yQ7iK_WUNxEUhW9DAlX1fJ2iEg69t_P7mvOKjeUBYFTRzgrrSaeWnnuY2aJpXzxrvhZxKugz0W0uRZM_btu8HBqvRjhvVac5pZ_JOq9JnmJo/s320/IMG_5191+%25282%2529.JPG" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the beasties!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3T4qNfPj9QTvksg0tU98EkJgBriEavQ7hzOgqxArKl08go9SdU4m58G6qNfqDBT76MQ-y-S3D6oP9MtYENEC3_ipkd7iXgJQndO6fzx6bMA-j727grywa930d40YEc6SXTdEu2ZIscRg/s1600/IMG_5324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3T4qNfPj9QTvksg0tU98EkJgBriEavQ7hzOgqxArKl08go9SdU4m58G6qNfqDBT76MQ-y-S3D6oP9MtYENEC3_ipkd7iXgJQndO6fzx6bMA-j727grywa930d40YEc6SXTdEu2ZIscRg/s320/IMG_5324.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wee beasties love playing in the snow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Hope your holidays are filled with love, happiness, and maybe a little magic!</b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8729eAJYV1F6QjuY1YmUc-Evsi6HzNW-bGt_4d768wq5VTpdh7kElmjo7epMFlQIgwA96R22j7045Pn7eVwfThINmT5oLXxmZ1A0K0QEljUBJVBCjUQkVfCYPrn5ba5GiRb5e5n2NCao/s1600/tess+with+christmas+tree+2015.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8729eAJYV1F6QjuY1YmUc-Evsi6HzNW-bGt_4d768wq5VTpdh7kElmjo7epMFlQIgwA96R22j7045Pn7eVwfThINmT5oLXxmZ1A0K0QEljUBJVBCjUQkVfCYPrn5ba5GiRb5e5n2NCao/s640/tess+with+christmas+tree+2015.jpe" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-58295506632336002882015-10-29T10:35:00.001-07:002015-10-29T10:38:02.733-07:00Get thee over to author Tara Dairman's blog!Hi All!<br />
<br />
My dear friend and critique partner Tara Dairman's 3rd book is coming out next summer, and she's revealing her cover and doing a giveaway today (you can enter through November 5th)~ her middle grade series is perfect for any young readers (and adult ones, too!), especially those with an interest in all things foodie,<br />
<br />
Here are the first two covers:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvHTJbCBaZFp_z5smHknHQiY5ChqiHDodhyru8sOi9ceENNY1cJ8T7NM9mSji0LB2j95apLUGsU_GQlkdSt0RFFrSyx2VVtO88iTYCvpwr7fXnCtMYPDR-Hl2-VqvQGKPuGsW2DX7KZQ/s1600/Stars+of+SUmmer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvHTJbCBaZFp_z5smHknHQiY5ChqiHDodhyru8sOi9ceENNY1cJ8T7NM9mSji0LB2j95apLUGsU_GQlkdSt0RFFrSyx2VVtO88iTYCvpwr7fXnCtMYPDR-Hl2-VqvQGKPuGsW2DX7KZQ/s640/Stars+of+SUmmer.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The first two books, <em>All Four Stars</em> and <em>The Stars of Summer</em> are must reads~ great characters, hilarious narratives/dialogue, and mouth-watering food descriptions~and all the cover art is by one of my favorite illustrators, Kelly Murphy. Tara said that we could spread the 3rd cover image far and wide, so I've posted Book #3's cover below, but you MUST go to her blog in order to enter the giveaway, so get over there!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://taradairman.com/2015/10/29/cover-reveal-giveaway-stars-so-sweet/"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">BIG LINK TO TARA'S BOOK GIVEAWAY</span></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjol1YWP7V6AX_y7OrKl17pdlFz7p36SKemVuL7OC2RslogYHMqVzEYawG1-EfVH3WnACNLKV-iSLp404OQDVUyTPu37PdOFzQaMxdze3hgYZMM2hM4qYKVBx8F2wNnYMuxsw-6Gd-UAQo/s1600/Stars+so+Sweet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjol1YWP7V6AX_y7OrKl17pdlFz7p36SKemVuL7OC2RslogYHMqVzEYawG1-EfVH3WnACNLKV-iSLp404OQDVUyTPu37PdOFzQaMxdze3hgYZMM2hM4qYKVBx8F2wNnYMuxsw-6Gd-UAQo/s640/Stars+so+Sweet.png" width="420" /></a></div>
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-82845278165722833352015-09-30T09:21:00.000-07:002015-10-23T04:57:07.505-07:00Want To See The Cover Of My Next Book? Here's WAITING FOR AUGUSTA<span style="font-size: large;">Hi All!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The fine folks over at </span><a href="http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/it-s-live-cover-reveal-waiting-for-augusta-by-jessica-lawson-giveaway-international"><span style="font-size: large;">YA (and Kids!) Book Central</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> are doing my cover reveal today! Actually, it's a full jacket reveal. </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kenardpakart"><span style="font-size: large;">Kenard Pak's </span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> artwork was so lovely that we wanted to show as much of it as possible, and Lizzy Bromley of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has done a fabulous job with the cover/jacket/book design. Just click the link to see WAITING FOR AUGUSTA's jacket and enter to win an early copy!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/it-s-live-cover-reveal-waiting-for-augusta-by-jessica-lawson-giveaway-international"><span style="font-size: x-large;">http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/it-s-live-cover-reveal-waiting-for-augusta-by-jessica-lawson-giveaway-international</span></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And here's the cover~ remember, the entire jacket is over at the above link, so if you want to see that (and if you want to enter to win an ARC) head over there next! The book will be available May 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdwkPjI4Kx2LAv7xBk53NXJNUFxUKU6pJ_9w4YoblXfcssYCoLRSvcID0n-uZ2DOX4uwGqKThfXgAgrAsD71CGvQJyZOW0v86uAg9LzjcZ4cLwFDxqAbCVPW5wdM-u_4f8Tw6LcTq7rc/s1600/WAITING_FOR_AUGUSTA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdwkPjI4Kx2LAv7xBk53NXJNUFxUKU6pJ_9w4YoblXfcssYCoLRSvcID0n-uZ2DOX4uwGqKThfXgAgrAsD71CGvQJyZOW0v86uAg9LzjcZ4cLwFDxqAbCVPW5wdM-u_4f8Tw6LcTq7rc/s640/WAITING_FOR_AUGUSTA.jpg" width="420" /></a><span style="color: green;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 40px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 40px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 40px; white-space: pre-wrap;">About the Book</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px;">
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Eleven-year-old Benjamin Putter has a lump in his throat, and he’s certain it’s a golf ball.</em></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>It sounds crazy, he knows. But everything's been topsy-turvy since his father died last month.</em></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Then one day something starts tugging at Ben, telling him to hurry to Augusta, Georgia—home of the most famous golf course in the world.</em></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Ben might be going loony, but escaping Hilltop, Alabama sounds like a darn good idea. (And just maybe it will make that lump go away.) As he makes his way to Augusta, Ben partners up with a myserious runaway named Noni, and they embark on a journey with surprises—and possibly magic—at every turn.</em></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-87124309718137288542015-09-09T04:52:00.000-07:002015-09-09T04:52:07.902-07:00Decatur Book Festival, Oh, How I Loved You: How I met Meg Cabot, Jane O'Connor, Judy Schachner, and more!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTIvq3MI7TT9ilXe2PzhPvAPBN9bZ2ClYY4hksY9boG5NVryg05xSifVdVwqHEV4LivrBf77BWvbLcEbjL9R_OjRF1xinjeZsv3jU1e-1Jk-lFERqyR7GARZ2m6ohyphenhyphendzJ_dppvkkdLsk/s1600/DBF.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTIvq3MI7TT9ilXe2PzhPvAPBN9bZ2ClYY4hksY9boG5NVryg05xSifVdVwqHEV4LivrBf77BWvbLcEbjL9R_OjRF1xinjeZsv3jU1e-1Jk-lFERqyR7GARZ2m6ohyphenhyphendzJ_dppvkkdLsk/s320/DBF.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Boy, did I have a great Labor Day weekend! I was lucky enough to attend and participate in the Decatur Book Festival, where I spotted and interacted with readers and authors galore.<br />
<br />
My panel with Meg Cabot (whose books I adore), entitled "Happily Ever After" was on Sunday afternoon and since I arrived in the early afternoon on Saturday, I got to spend some time soaking up sessions and atmosphere~ readers and writers and families and just a whole lot of fun, with the added bonus of funnel cake and barbecue smells wafting around the festival grounds. Here are some highlights:<br />
<br />
I went to a panel with Ingrid Law <em>(Savvy, Scumble, </em>and the brand-new <em>Switch),</em> Jacqueline Kelly (the Calpurnia Tate books), and Jeanne Birdsall (The Penderwicks series). Here's a photo of Jacqueline Kelly (and that's Jeanne Birdsall beside her)!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlh64vOSGys4PNzIRaD6pfzigjbn4b8dvkLtv0O1_ZEJZ9HjrqBFQtlgr6vPGBQv9JF3QqFOMRXQNUUL3JxsuBmyT_ieKB4OTaSvgxXozXtOKoewc5hFDYtt0NOkrWkhluiPtYX6_MR4/s1600/Jacqueline+Kelly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlh64vOSGys4PNzIRaD6pfzigjbn4b8dvkLtv0O1_ZEJZ9HjrqBFQtlgr6vPGBQv9JF3QqFOMRXQNUUL3JxsuBmyT_ieKB4OTaSvgxXozXtOKoewc5hFDYtt0NOkrWkhluiPtYX6_MR4/s320/Jacqueline+Kelly.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacqueline Kelly! And Jeanne Birdsall!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I got to talk with Ingrid Law<em> </em>over ice cream!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq5Om15pkUMSYItC98LjtWbx44VR8z6sJJiXDvkQkS8B3II1efnsMafBIvQSI9xSwevAW84l4YJp0Gdb-ror-Njwq31BQlw5psQy7c6CKkrbBXqf5A34lfIcFg0MYs_msNcjPTr0iKmg/s1600/Ingrid+Law+and+me3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq5Om15pkUMSYItC98LjtWbx44VR8z6sJJiXDvkQkS8B3II1efnsMafBIvQSI9xSwevAW84l4YJp0Gdb-ror-Njwq31BQlw5psQy7c6CKkrbBXqf5A34lfIcFg0MYs_msNcjPTr0iKmg/s320/Ingrid+Law+and+me3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Ingrid Law!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Jane O'Connor, author of the Fancy Nancy books, was reading a paper in the hotel lobby and she was SO gracious when I interrupted her to say, "I LOVE YOU. I mean, your books! WE love your books! My entire house! I mean, me and my kids!" Folks, I teared up, I was so excited. My oldest daughter <em>loves </em>her books (of course I whipped out photos of my kiddos). We chatted for a bit, and then she let me take a selfie with her (with her <em>fancy</em> feather boa!)!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2pEQkmPsDIS_5Lpd8XX8mDzQ5z45gz4buBZvPzPWm50PNhPgAIx59PFxC0BxkWYFVQZs9Kqe6mcsX7k-q4ns1rPLlHf7K4UZ9B2GwiDIUwhtPSeNX58Hp8BOxGogUd5hPPN5u6l9Mno/s1600/Jane+O%2527Connor+and+me+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2pEQkmPsDIS_5Lpd8XX8mDzQ5z45gz4buBZvPzPWm50PNhPgAIx59PFxC0BxkWYFVQZs9Kqe6mcsX7k-q4ns1rPLlHf7K4UZ9B2GwiDIUwhtPSeNX58Hp8BOxGogUd5hPPN5u6l9Mno/s320/Jane+O%2527Connor+and+me+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane O'Connor and me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I spotted Judy Schachner, author of the Skippyjon Jones books, in the gorgeous book store Little Shop of Stories (if you ever go to Decatur, you MUST visit it) and said hello, then bought her most recent picture book, <em>Dewey Bob.</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMwmsw-WFamhb-vJM5xuhWXIF4sSyHWnP4ZeGvIPxKzOy6sCIS9flB2euyR6Lrh3yrMIIbWJYcpFFnup8AoQhaGmFUvW0ultmZSnrJ20_wu-yd6KYmo8O7b5CXp486JYBpioftbajtJk/s1600/Judy+Schachner+and+me2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMwmsw-WFamhb-vJM5xuhWXIF4sSyHWnP4ZeGvIPxKzOy6sCIS9flB2euyR6Lrh3yrMIIbWJYcpFFnup8AoQhaGmFUvW0ultmZSnrJ20_wu-yd6KYmo8O7b5CXp486JYBpioftbajtJk/s320/Judy+Schachner+and+me2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Judy Schachner! And me :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And I also got to chat with Anica Mrose Rissi (author of the Anna Banana chapter books), the super sweet and kind Beasley sisters (Cassie is the author of the middle grade book CIRCUS MIRANDUS and Kate has a middle grade coming out next year called GERTIE'S LEAP TO GREATNESS that sounds fantastic), and I got to meet Laurel Snyder (whose picture books SWAN just came out). My parents drove down from Nashville, and we got to see a Pat Conroy session as well.<br />
<br />
And then, the panel. Ladies and gents, it was a blast. Our moderator, Elizabeth Lenhard, was so wonderful (she's the author of lots of books, including the knitting-and-friendship-themed Chicks with Sticks series and her latest, <em>Flirt: Our Song)</em>, the audience members asked great questions and we talked about everything from our books (I was there promoting <em>Nooks & Crannies </em>and Meg was promoting the delightful <em>From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess</em>) to our writing processes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uF0d8oiPTpdS-X_9aQ9LYYcVeeORxZJBw3YRBAzWmq6EYSTaSi9DpkcbPwZo9qknMwyMxiWOp5Swi80StaJOncrdVF41XFXw5qeIlaZ8U0qtB1bNnSn2WQ7w7_2nHE3hmucq3wpl-uI/s1600/Panel+with+Meg+Cabot2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uF0d8oiPTpdS-X_9aQ9LYYcVeeORxZJBw3YRBAzWmq6EYSTaSi9DpkcbPwZo9qknMwyMxiWOp5Swi80StaJOncrdVF41XFXw5qeIlaZ8U0qtB1bNnSn2WQ7w7_2nHE3hmucq3wpl-uI/s320/Panel+with+Meg+Cabot2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-R: Moderator Elizabeth Lenhard, Meg Cabot, and me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGT37h0fdOOqe6DuN7b-wXt9vMUjIPqFE9hHOm-eMeitTCkvT6nEY_NfHE3B0guPMyfu8Qc-FZJMtWvmt3v2EayTk0Z45UYHlmGXdsYuUF-OdR865HQWupm28CJ4GPdOX814zrmTJORT4/s1600/Panel+with+Meg+Cabot+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGT37h0fdOOqe6DuN7b-wXt9vMUjIPqFE9hHOm-eMeitTCkvT6nEY_NfHE3B0guPMyfu8Qc-FZJMtWvmt3v2EayTk0Z45UYHlmGXdsYuUF-OdR865HQWupm28CJ4GPdOX814zrmTJORT4/s320/Panel+with+Meg+Cabot+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagUDxc6Dp4AKInyx4l-yihslcMYa_t9WrLdSXbWFwjfIcXFarIDe-GZQZHLgRXD0VDVaXovOY_z4dJ9JUNhKXf1O-Mtiii2ok17vTC_Jg7l5NqL92FpKkN7O35jAaKKV_C8o0PKdYSbI/s1600/Panel+with+Meg+Cabot7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagUDxc6Dp4AKInyx4l-yihslcMYa_t9WrLdSXbWFwjfIcXFarIDe-GZQZHLgRXD0VDVaXovOY_z4dJ9JUNhKXf1O-Mtiii2ok17vTC_Jg7l5NqL92FpKkN7O35jAaKKV_C8o0PKdYSbI/s320/Panel+with+Meg+Cabot7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxTftqt1qNl-fRG29AZnUO0qvOYdgbNNevaa_kFy4U_7Xi3HrQDWKT5WqRANWVEjirgQZQtiYDhKwjDthdlOvelWtT7HyFIRWbFIBdXpKgCMB_p1ka1-YErq-wA2FgpPFdQ24ZWTTQ70/s1600/Meg+Cabot+%2526+me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxTftqt1qNl-fRG29AZnUO0qvOYdgbNNevaa_kFy4U_7Xi3HrQDWKT5WqRANWVEjirgQZQtiYDhKwjDthdlOvelWtT7HyFIRWbFIBdXpKgCMB_p1ka1-YErq-wA2FgpPFdQ24ZWTTQ70/s320/Meg+Cabot+%2526+me.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQ96VMzsNzdU_6pwLOCTEh9T2ceeTuvOJIHBzO35F-eG9m9VdsuentnyWBWV3hhk8C59oELjSLU4xs86RvLn8weuFan1IHgXh9qVDp3sRlU4VPzbxruWwIB1av-3aKMkLL_U3HJKp5so/s1600/Signing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQ96VMzsNzdU_6pwLOCTEh9T2ceeTuvOJIHBzO35F-eG9m9VdsuentnyWBWV3hhk8C59oELjSLU4xs86RvLn8weuFan1IHgXh9qVDp3sRlU4VPzbxruWwIB1av-3aKMkLL_U3HJKp5so/s320/Signing.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The signing table</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Looking around at all the young, eager readers throughout the weekend, I felt like I was going back in time. I would have loved to attend a book festival like DBF when I was young, and I can't say enough about how well-organized it was.<br />
<br />
Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-75525621709566101582015-08-12T04:00:00.000-07:002015-08-12T05:49:18.932-07:00The Need for Strong Female Characters: Guest Post by Sherel Ott<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWiesU1JoCYxByKEiC8V2KDsPzQmti6RCbLhF-x-oN1E_xyhFC6OezUHY8QSetEkfAfv4OiF-kHZ63p4766mNWfsd5CDeO5Xrx2quHN3A-xXeonJ_pxnAG1kdYoQDAUIJbqU3cW7iSs8/s1600/S.O.+Blog+Tour+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWiesU1JoCYxByKEiC8V2KDsPzQmti6RCbLhF-x-oN1E_xyhFC6OezUHY8QSetEkfAfv4OiF-kHZ63p4766mNWfsd5CDeO5Xrx2quHN3A-xXeonJ_pxnAG1kdYoQDAUIJbqU3cW7iSs8/s320/S.O.+Blog+Tour+graphic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Today I'm pleased to be handing the blog over to Sherel Ott, author of <em>Princess Janai and the Warrior Maidens of Quinu: The Cities of Tonga and Tongia</em>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Here's Sherel, with a post on strong female characters. Be sure to check out the links and giveaway at the bottom of the post!</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDjUSJSZitjhYAZnLJSYd7y8O4WQDW0k0rvEvGl_LUfUJB2Bfv0d7i8uz78PiM_LyzMmfUDoCio2jXzFNRp8s0JULKyOiEAECEmmrDvHg8G6Meg65wXmHN8IIijDzd82fcI0Vz2OfS0Q/s1600/Sherel+Ott+headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDjUSJSZitjhYAZnLJSYd7y8O4WQDW0k0rvEvGl_LUfUJB2Bfv0d7i8uz78PiM_LyzMmfUDoCio2jXzFNRp8s0JULKyOiEAECEmmrDvHg8G6Meg65wXmHN8IIijDzd82fcI0Vz2OfS0Q/s320/Sherel+Ott+headshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have four nieces, who at the time that I decided to write <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Princess Janai and the Warrior Maidens of
Quinu: The Cities of Tonga and Topngia</i> were between the ages of four and nine.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an avid collector of animation movies,
I had noticed that there were not a lot of positive, strong women of color on the
big screen or in a book for them to identify with in a positive way and dream
to be just like that person.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I found it offensive that women of color were
portrayed and valued for their physical assets, dancing skills or trying to
scheme their way up the ladder as if they did not have a mind or the ability to
make it to the top on their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
had noticed that a lot of the female heroine characters were timid, needing
direction, guidance and rescuing. I wanted to show the girls and women, in
general, that they don’t need to be like that if they can believe in
themselves. Society has devalued women and made them devalue themselves so much
that they believe that in order to be whole or fulfilled, they have to be part
of a couple and that they are weak otherwise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted women and girls to see themselves as being
capable of handling any situation on their own.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgqyuxeC2ORfZIyHyidNVm2mAeVykUTce3pUTjbzLpcE1ZdTCFs6qR-8Z7nqnutvrzEUGAUMyOSZr2CfOSK-Av3EnOlR1ivK18R6NAaq8tJykgQY2Sro1Ar5sffN8JKZRJS9_9mD7b9o/s1600/Sherel+Ott+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgqyuxeC2ORfZIyHyidNVm2mAeVykUTce3pUTjbzLpcE1ZdTCFs6qR-8Z7nqnutvrzEUGAUMyOSZr2CfOSK-Av3EnOlR1ivK18R6NAaq8tJykgQY2Sro1Ar5sffN8JKZRJS9_9mD7b9o/s320/Sherel+Ott+cover.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I decided to write this book for the
middle-school aged/tween genre because it is during this time that girls AND
boys formulate who they are and learn to either value or devalue themselves
based on the information or feedback that they get from the other people they
interact with.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think we should start when they are young to help teach girls
to love themselves and see themselves for who they are and not depend on
someone else to tell them or validate them on how beautiful or popular they are
or if they’re smart or dumb. Because of things like this, society has put
labels on people and try to make them fit into certain category. When we don’t
fit into any particular category that they deem appropriate, they then try to
make them fit by attacking their character, making them doubt themselves,
having them compare themselves to others (whom they say are beautiful, smart
and socially acceptable) instead of letting them be their own unique, individual
self. This is how we cause a lot of identity issues and self-esteem problems
with girls and boys.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Each book in the series will
highlight different problems/issues that girls will go through growing up,
helping them to navigate some of the pitfalls. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t expect to reach all the girls, but I
do hope to reach quite a few girls and instill in them the value of their own self-worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want girls and women to know that yes we
may be the fairer and “weaker” sex, but that does not mean that we are weak;
that we can be strong of mind and character and that yes with training, we can
be strong of body as well. Women can be cunning, industrious and inventive just
like men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can stand on our own,
support ourselves and our families if need be. Women are just as POWERFUL as
men. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even though my books are for girls, because of
the issues and problems that the characters will be facing in the book, it will
be good for guys as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problems
and issues will not solely be narrowed to just female situations, but can be
broad enough to be issues that boys can identify with as well. They too will go
through some of these same problems with possibly a different variation and this
will help them to be able to identify with some of the situations and problems
in their own live and help them to grow and solve them and provide them with
different coping skills as opposed to aggression and anger.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpCTmwabpXIgsnPueZfDHdj0Q-O-0KG4V9b8tKd1Kx21ZQ6Z6dUtMF3G-W4kbCFyIj8kpynzWlUH-ndG7gJ4mPNu2upMRCO7g8YAeiBHs11POms8_VJ6JPWEd5OJIdnvdZeWTABlKgzg/s1600/bookcover3d.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpCTmwabpXIgsnPueZfDHdj0Q-O-0KG4V9b8tKd1Kx21ZQ6Z6dUtMF3G-W4kbCFyIj8kpynzWlUH-ndG7gJ4mPNu2upMRCO7g8YAeiBHs11POms8_VJ6JPWEd5OJIdnvdZeWTABlKgzg/s200/bookcover3d.png" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><strong><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">About Princess Janai and the </span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Warrior Maidens of Quinu: The Cities of Tonga </span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">and Tongia</span></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">All Janai wants is to be just like everyone else. Being the Princess and having to try out for the Warrior Maidens is just part of her problems. She has the present Warrior leader unhappy with the fact that she is trying out, because that means her time is almost up and she enjoys her “status” too much to give it up without a fight. Not to mention someone just froze two of her guards into living statues with the fabled Mist Flowers of Tonga. Now she and a small group of warriors must travel to a forbidden city and obtain the antidote before the two guards are lost forever…all in 24 hours. Is she capable? Will she make it in time?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">About</span></strong> <strong><span style="font-size: large;">Sherel Ott</span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An eclectic collector of animation movies, Sherel Ott is a writer of fantasy and romance stories. One day while watching an animated movie, she noticed that there weren’t a lot of movies or books with girls of color in leading roles…as heroines, adventurers or with strong moral characters and wondered… Where were the influential leaders, doctors, lawyers or royalty of color? Why weren’t there any strong black female characters where a girl of color could be proud of her skin color and the type of person representing and say … “I want to be like her!” Wanting something more for her own nieces to look up to and strive to emulate, other than what girls of color were currently being portrayed as or should settle for is how her book initially took form. She wanted to show that there are black princesses, warriors, adventurers of all walks of life. That she should be and can be recognized for what she does and who her true self is, not be prejudged by what color her skin was. <u></u><u></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a fan of all fantasy, magical, mystical, celestial and other worldly creatures, Sherel began reading sci-fi/fantasy stories at a young age. <u></u><u></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I have always been a sci-fi and fantasy type of person. I always felt as a child that I belonged in those types of worlds rather than here. Reading them had always been my way of escaping from my shyness as a child." Sherel Ott. She had started collecting fairies of all types and now has a mini collection of collectible faery ornament to decorate her Christmas tree every year. <u></u><u></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sherel creates her stories first by writing them out and then typing them on the computer. She feels she gets her inspiration greatest when she writes and from nature itself. She strives to present her stories in a way that anyone can relate and identify with no matter how old or young...with a little fun, a little action/adventure, yet with a hidden message. Writing since the age of 14, her first published book--Adventures of Princess Janai and the Warrior Maidens of Quinu: The Cities of Tonga and Tongia -- brings a story of strong African American females. It's an adventure series particularly geared towards girls, although boys will also find it an enjoyable read. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Sherel is not writing, she is working as a full-time Family Nurse Practitioner and has been so for the past 17 years. She presently resides in Felton, DE.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Social Links:</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><u></u><u></u></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Webpage: </span><a href="http://www.sherelott.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.sherelott.com/</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <u></u><u></u></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SherelOttAuthor">Sherel Ott Author</a> <u></u><u></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/SherelOttAuthor">@SherelOttAuthor<u></u></a><u></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><strong>Where to Purchase:</strong> </span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Princess-Janai-Warrior-Maidens-ebook/dp/B00NF0P994/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438641082&sr=8-1&keywords=sherel+ott"><strong>Amazon</strong></a></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<strong></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Radio Appearance</span> (information via Sherel's marketing staff): </strong>Please join us tomorrow, August 13th, for a live online interview with Sherel and Literary Diva, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/diva29 at 1:00p.m. EDT. If you miss the interview, it will be available later in the day on Literary Diva’s site and Sherel’s.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Other Blog Stops on the Tour:</span> </strong>Check where Sherel is each day on her ten day tour by clicking here: <a href="http://www.sherelott.com/virtual-book-blog-tour-schedule/">http://www.sherelott.com/virtual-book-blog-tour-schedule/</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Giveaway:<u></u></strong></span><u></u></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><strong>1<sup>st</sup> Prize</strong>: $50 Amazon.com gift certificate and signed copy of </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><strong>Princess Janai and the Warrior Maidens of Quinu: The Cities of Tonga and Tongia</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><strong>2<sup>nd</sup> Prize</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">:</span> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">$25 Amazon.com gift certificate and signed copy of </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><strong>Princess Janai and the Warrior Maidens of Quinu: The Cities of Tonga and Tongia</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><strong>3<sup>rd</sup> Prize</strong>:</span> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">$10 Amazon.com gift certificate and signed copy of </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><strong>Princess Janai and the Warrior Maidens of Quinu: The Cities of Tonga and Tongia</strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;">
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="cfd1de2823" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cfd1de2823/" id="rcwidget_sq8hz0gj" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://gvwy.io/om690v2"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Giveaway via Facebook</span></strong></a><script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script> (click link)
</span></span></span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7265337380795438486.post-14262483619083447902015-08-06T06:28:00.002-07:002015-08-06T06:38:41.152-07:00Decatur Book Festival, Here I Come!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyMMEOxY8FLHYM_4K26ETR63Xj6vs_AVvy8jEcE_x6oihaMZD6SuEk3ugHBjJWOu4f1EWZhuZzSnSSz4S5PUP47ORNXsawBdBpWin6tXEHZK2rkmCBFXRUcQ7FM8DT6TY-dudmJDyXeU/s1600/2015-dbf-promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyMMEOxY8FLHYM_4K26ETR63Xj6vs_AVvy8jEcE_x6oihaMZD6SuEk3ugHBjJWOu4f1EWZhuZzSnSSz4S5PUP47ORNXsawBdBpWin6tXEHZK2rkmCBFXRUcQ7FM8DT6TY-dudmJDyXeU/s320/2015-dbf-promo.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Hi All!<br />
<br />
What are you doing over Labor Day weekend this year? How about a trip to Decatur, Georgia for some literary delights? With categories ranging from fiction to journalism, food & cooking to feminism, the Decatur Book Festival will have authors and literature in attendance for every reader.<br />
<br />
I'll be on the Children's Stage, which will also host lots of folks you've heard of~ <strong>Jeanne Birdsall</strong> (<em>The Penderwicks </em>series), <strong>Ingrid Law</strong> (<em>Savvy, Scumble</em>, and the upcoming <em>Switch</em>), <strong>Adam Gidwitz</strong> (<em>Dark and Grimm</em> series), <strong>Gennifer Choldenko</strong> (<em>Al Capone </em>series, <em>Chasing Secrets</em>), <strong>Rodman Philbrick</strong> (<em>The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg </em>and <em>Freak the Mighty)</em>, and lots more! (full children's author list <a href="https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/presenters/genre/children"><strong>HERE</strong></a>)<br />
<br />
<strong>MY APPEARANCE:</strong><br />
<br />
One month from today, on <strong>Sunday, September 6th</strong>, I'll be on the Children's Stage with <strong><a href="http://www.megcabot.com/">MEG CABOT</a></strong> (!!!), author of <em>The Princess Diaries </em>and many other books. I just read her new MG Princess Diaries spinoff, <em>From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess</em> and loved it. Here's some information about our session:<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Happily Ever After</span></strong><br />
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-12">
<span class="555f31f4171201f16269c735"><strong>Children's Stage at Decatur Recreation Center presented by Decatur Education Foundation</strong></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Sunday, 3:45-4:15</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Sometimes, life takes unexpected twists and turns! Meg Cabot (<em>From The Notebooks of a Middle School Princess</em>) and Jessica Lawson (<em>Nooks and Crannies) </em>weave tales of ordinary girls finding extraordinary adventure!</strong></div>
</div>
<br />
Session Link: <a href="https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/sessions/view/5571c5c729b076a6559ad505">https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/sessions/view/5571c5c729b076a6559ad505</a><br />
<br />
Full Children's Stage Schedule:<a href="https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/sessions/index/venue:555f31f4171201f16269c735">https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/sessions/index/venue:555f31f4171201f16269c735</a><br />
<br />
Festival Website: <a href="https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/">https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hope to see you there!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpykMJ0O3O2I9SfUEWfX6hhbjQU988o9KtkcQRzpOMo-oCvtHLdy1wJl-OSsjvcI57-UQ9G4omay7OgKqzeHN-c8lb1-j63ZH5p-hmsmty66apB8J6kRNoGYizwTW8N79DPufo7L8sj0/s1600/DBF.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpykMJ0O3O2I9SfUEWfX6hhbjQU988o9KtkcQRzpOMo-oCvtHLdy1wJl-OSsjvcI57-UQ9G4omay7OgKqzeHN-c8lb1-j63ZH5p-hmsmty66apB8J6kRNoGYizwTW8N79DPufo7L8sj0/s320/DBF.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14121018905141253640noreply@blogger.com15