My Reaching Readers Post for Kidliterati

Reaching Readers by Asking Questions and taking them shopping --for BOOKS! Want to know what caught this 8th grader's eye and imagination from the bookshelves?

Follow the link . . .

Kidliterati   

Review: Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman

Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first heard about Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman from the online writers conference WriteOnCon. Peggy was one of the middle grade panelists. I was so blown away by her clear, haven’t-quite-heard-it-like-that-before, insight into kid lit—I just had to read her book. Besides everyone was saying how wonderful it was. And it was!

Sky Jumpers is a middle grade adventure set in a world recovering form the green bombs of World War III. The bombs destroyed almost everything and the only thing that matters in this new town of White Rock is inventing, so the world can regain some of what they’d lost. This new world is somewhat familiar, but very different.

The deadly compressed air of the Bomb’s Breath is a remnant of the War in this post apocalyptic world, and it changed everything. “When the green bombs hit, they left behind side effects. Besides new plants, metals having different properties, weather patterns changing, and the existence of the Bomb’s Breath, the green bombs destroyed any ability to create a stable magnet.” The bombs also left behind a deadly sickness.

I connected to the main character, twelve-year-old, Hope. She longs to invent, but can never get her due credit, and maybe inventing isn’t her greatest strength, the way taking chances is. And taking risks, like jumping off cliffs into the Bomb’s Breath, may be what saves her town from something even more horrible than what the Bomb’s Breath has left behind.

The second time I sat to read this—without interruptions, I couldn’t put it down. My adrenaline raced throughout, and I was eager to find out what would happen when the bandits invaded demanding antibiotics the town of White Rock invented. I felt for many of the characters in this book: Hope’s friends, her family, and community. How they all worked together in the aftermath of the War, and with the new terror taking over their village.

Hope comes up with an idea no one else had thought of, using one of her most potent abilities: leadership. The action heats up and we hope for the best till the end. I was left very satisfied after reading this story. I even shed a few tears. This is a great read for kids who love adventure and danger in their fiction. Hope is a character I rooted for and loved and would follow into another adventure.


View all my reviews

National Novel Writing Month.

I say, why the heck not?

I'm querying my tween magical adventure book and trying to figure out what to do with my YA thriller novella, while in the middle of revising my MG light Sci-Fi from #CampNano back in July.

So when my writing group said, hey we're getting busy with NaNoWriMo, I was like, gosh, I've got so much to work on already, but I can't miss out. (I said this in July, too.) I hate missing the party!

I'd plan to finish my Jazz Age Psych/Thriller (don't know if it's NA or YA, because I've only written about three chapters, and can figure that later--much later. Like, after my sloppy draft is planted in this 3rd dimension, or are we in the fourth? That's another topic.), at some point anyway. Why not get in on the action, even if I only get my usual ten handwritten pages a-day, or twenty, as I did in July. Anything is better than nothing. Right? 

Haven't made any notes. I barely have an outline. But I sing Jazz. I'm use to improvising. I dig it. Love it. I also have a mad show tonight. Tomorrow may be filled with eye pain and strain. But I'll come in swinging my pen, and try to figure out words counts along the way.

That's a whatta I'ma gonna do!  Hope you will too. It's my first time. If you're searching for writing buddies, you can find me at karen8Lee. I like writing buddies.

Here's to Halloween Eve and the madness that's sure to follow through November. Who's idea was it to begin the day after Halloween anyway? Ah, well. Let's ROCK IT!

A Very Busy Librarian Talks About the Books She Loves.

My interview for the Kidliterati blog with Jefferson Market Librarian, Rebecca Schosha, can be found here:

A Very Busy Librarian Talks About The Books She Loves.

She talks about the books kids love. Great reads for your TBR list!

Enjoy!

Kidliterati Blog is Coming!

They are coming, and they are taking over... well, they're taking over to help you find kidlit books for MG and YA readers. Interviews, Book Reviews and more from the perspective of 24 kidlit writers!!  And it's gonna be AMAZING!

I'm so excited to be a part of it!  That little MG beta reader group that was started oh, almost two years ago, has grown. Oh, have we grown.

Several are recently agented, a couple have sold to publishers, and it's just cRaZzY exciting times all of us, growing and learning together--A truly inspiring and encouraging group. I'm lucky to have met them, and in awe of their skills and talent.

You’ll have the opportunity to get excited by kidlit, too. Our blog launches Wednesday, July 10^th… 

See our sweet badge ---->

Yep, it’s a club. And you’re all invited!  Follow along; there are lots of Goodies on the horizon. Give aways: Books and critiques and stuff for the kids, for the readers and for our community.

Hashtag on twitter #july10

See you in the feeds.

Thursday's Children Blog Hop. Inspired by. . .

Pitch Contests!

Yep. After another round of #PitMad this past week, and the Writer's Voice recently, I can assure you that these adrenaline inducing, live and public pitches, are inspiring.

And How…

*You get to put your stuff out there. Whether it’s in 140 characters, as in an elevator pitch, or your query and first page. Other writers and even agents comment and/or critique your work. This definitely charges my battery.

*You can read what’s out there in writer land, and in writer’s minds in its developing stage and possibly the books of tomorrow--more for the TBR list!

* You can see what other agents are looking for by what they pick or comment on. And often tell us in their search through pitches. You can see what other writers are digging and want to add to their TBR. –In this case if an agent hasn’t commented, you may get several writers who really really want to read your book. Once again, proving subjectivity reigns.

*And quite possibly the BEST thing about writers’ contests is meeting/connecting with other writers!  

(‘course Blog Hop are great for this too… I’ve met some very inspiring writers through this hop!)

*And the you-never-know element: 

The coaches for The Writer’s Voice didn’t pick my MG from the 150 submissions they got; however, since my first page and query were still up on my blog, an agent found ME! And asked for a partial!!  Very cool. And very exciting.

Have you participated I any online pitch contests, or query/first page contests?

What have you gained or learned from them?

And Once again, I'd like to thank Rhiann Whynn Nolet and Kristina Perez for organizing this weekly hop and keeping the energy and the LOVE going. They ARE inspiring! Hop on the blog, get inspired and meet some great people. And write, write, write. . . 

Thursday's Children Blog Hop. What inspires you?

THE TAROT

This is a weekly bog hop hosted by  Rhiann Wynn-Nolet and Kristina Perez, about what inspires you. Please join us. I will try the link, but if I can't get it to connect, please got to Rhinn or Kristina's blog and hop on.

The Tarot inspires me, questions me, and has been instrumental in helping me create my first novel length fiction. 

The Tarot figure semi-prominently within the pages of ABEGALE FORCE: When Abegale finds her grandmother's mysterious herbal medical book, The Tarot fall from its pages. Her grandmother's left a note explaining how to use the cards; how to bridge her unconscious and trust her intuition—and eventually figures out where her grandmother has been for the last three years.

In my early twenties, I became fascinated with The Tarot. I began collecting several decks. As many as I could afford. They were so beautiful, mysterious, and FILLED with symbolic situations—my focus at that time. Each deck had a history and story of its own. I was writing a lot of poetry then, and delved into esoteric studies of all kinds. I went deeper into my study of The Tarot, practicing on friends, who were only too willing, practicing on myself, taking intricate notes of what I was experiencing the moment the cards were laid out, and what the cards were showing; the patterns, the symbols, and how the passing of time resulted in the card’s fulfillment of a question, or situation the person had asked about.

I sometimes think of The Tarot as a way my ‘over self’ uses the symbols in the cards to make contact with my mind—or consciousness.

They say within The Tarot every life experience can be shown, each conflict, resolution, and tool to over come. Or the process of ‘individuation’ as Carl Jung said. “They [the cars] combine in certain ways, and the different combinations correspond to the playful development of events in the history of mankind.”  To read more about Jung’s perspective of The Tarot: Carl Jung

Sounds perfect for writing fiction—right? I didn’t use the cards as a tool for creating my fiction, ABEGALE FORCE, but I suppose it’s within my subconscious from the years of study. I expect it’s seeped into my blood and now pours from my pen. Ha!  I’d like to think so, anyway.

I once read The Tarot over the phone--as a job—for about a week. An interesting experiment; I found I was less judgmental not seeing the person, only hearing their voice. I could be true to the cards and springboard a story from my intuition. I drew on conclusions from the cards laid in front of me.  There was a past, a present, and a possible future. A choice. Where again, events turn into unlimited possibilities—because nothing is fixed in time. Nothing.

I may use The Tarot the next time I’m stuck on plot, or a character’s motivation. Why not try it? What about you?  Do you have a deck?

The Fool: 0, zero, the beginning, symbolic of the egg, with its unlimited potential. It marks the beginning of the Tarot journey, The Major Arcana, ending at 22, The World--completion.

The Fool jumps off where others fear to tread.

Mary K. Greer's Blog.

I found Ms. Greer's books a great help. I highly recommend them,

and her blog for beginning readers. Have fun!

Here's my attempt to attach the linkey: Sign on!