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Showing posts from 2017

Repost of Megan Whalen Turner interview

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I've been studying three of my favorite authors to help me push through to writing again. My first, and all time, favorite is Megan Whalen Turner. I love her stories; I love Gen; I love the layers of writing.
As I've read interviews with Megan I remembered I got to do one with her! I MET HER! She was kind and funny and gracious. I loved that she knitted the whole time we sat around her and gawked and plied her with questions.
So, in honor of searching inside myself to become a better write by studying my favorties, here is that interview from 2013:


Welcome Megan today! I want to be her when my author shelf grows up. If you haven't read her THIEF series, now is a good time.

 Now for Megan's interview:

What was the first book that turned you into a reader?

Probably it was the Narnia books by CS Lewis.  I remember foisting them on my third grade teacher and I knew I'd read them many times over by then.


What's your favorite snack?

Er?  How could I pick just one?  H…
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The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, read by Neil Gaiman

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KID AUTHORS: True Tales of Childhood from Famous Writers by David Stabler & Doogie Horner

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The series that includes Kid Presidents, Kid Artists, and Kid Athletes now chronicles the lives of Kid Authors! Here are true tales of famous writers, from long before they were famous--or even old enough to drive. Did you know:
- Sam Clemens (aka Mark Twain) loved to skip school and make mischief, with his best friend Tom, of course!
- A young J. R. R. Tolkien was bitten by a huge tarantula--or as he called it, -a spider as big as a dragon.-
- Toddler Zora Neale Hurston took her first steps when a wild hog entered her house and started chasing her!
The diverse and inclusive cast includes Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, J. K. Rowling, Langston Hughes, Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll, Stan Lee, and many more.


Opening line:
"Everybody loves a good story--and we all know that a well-told story has a beginning, a middle, and an end."

This was a fun and quick book to read. Little interesting insights to a few writers with cute illustrations for each.
Ronald, aka, J.R.R. Tolkein was b…
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THE FIRE QUEEN by Emily R. King

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In the second book in The Hundredth Queen Series, Emily R. King once again follows a young warrior queen’s rise to meet her destiny in a richly imagined world of sorcery and forbidden powers.

Though the tyrant rajah she was forced to marry is dead, Kalinda’s troubles are far from over. A warlord has invaded the imperial city, and now she’s in exile. But she isn’t alone. Kalinda has the allegiance of Captain Deven Naik, her guard and beloved, imprisoned for treason and stripped of command. With the empire at war, their best hope is to find Prince Ashwin, the rajah’s son, who has promised Deven’s freedom on one condition: that Kalinda will fight and defeat three formidable opponents.

But as Kalinda’s tournament strengths are once again challenged, so too is her relationship with Deven. While Deven fears her powers, Ashwin reveres them—as well as the courageous woman who wields them. Kalinda comes to regard Ashwin as the only man who can repair a warring world and finds hers…
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FINALE! Summer reading challenges complete.

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Wow! What a busy summer!  We visited this whole other country and then visited the country.  We welcomed home a daughter who was gone for 18 months (and cried), put up a pool and played.  We got so much rain in the spring that new flowers appeared in the flower beds. The roses are still blooming and smell so good. But the time went too quickly! I'm not ready for the fall! 








I read 27 books in July and August. Some I really liked, others I didn't. I got my TBR pile down a teeny, tiny bit. I have a few more I want to finish this weekend as it's a long weekend:

If My Moon was Your Sun
by Andreas Steinhofel, Nele Palmtag (illustration)

Max lives in a small town, much smaller than yours. His grandpa is losing his memory, but still remembers quite a bit. You can imagine how they hurried, Max and his grandpa, followed by old Miss Schneider, who insisted on coming along. Why were they in a hurry? Because everyone was after them. Max had skipped school to rescue his grandpa, and they …
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Summer reading updates! #3

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Next week (August20-27)  the #COYER challenge is to read only audio or ebooks.

I'm wrapping up my TBR Wipeout challenge this week. Here are my thoughts on my summer reading:

I got a lot of books off my TBR pile! I read 18 books in June and July. August isn't over yet (sumer'snotoversummer'snotoversummer'snotover) so I still have a few weeks to finish up my challenges.

Here are the ones I'm hope to read through the rest of August:





Dream me by Kathryn Berla


Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy








Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts















These are the ones I've enjoyed the last couple of weeks:


The Killing Curse
by H.B. Moore

"Taheer Sayid picked up his cell phone and selected his most trustworthy contact."

HB Moore kills it again! Another great addition to this series!













Havencross by Julie Daines

"Two hundred fifty miles into this journey and not a word spoken."

Deception, lies, romance, unrequited love and smugglers a…
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Summer reading update #2

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For #COYER this week (July 23-30) I'm reading only physical books, which was a little hard only because I was finishing up two ebooks. but i have plenty of hardcover to read! I'll let you know what I read in a few weeks.

Another month of reading!

Here are the ones I am reading:




The Killing Curse 
by H.B. Moore








It Started With Goodbye 
by Christina June










Don't Kiss the Messenger 
by Katie Ray










Thick as Thieves 
by Megan Whalen Turner













Here are a couple I enjoyed the past couple of weeks:


My Lady Jane
Cynthia hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey. In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married …
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Summer reading updates...

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This week (June 25-July2)  in the #COYER challenge I'm only reading ebooks. I'll be back on July 23rd to update how that went.

Here are the books I'm reading right now:


The Library of Light and Shadow
by M. J. Rose









A Season in London (Timeless Regency collection)
 Elizabeth Johns, Heather B Moore, Rebecca Connolly









 Strange the Dreamer
by Laini Taylor










My Lady Jane
by Cynthia Hand









I've read a lot of books this past month. Here's a rundown on what I enjoyed:


The Clockwork Dynasty
by Daniel H Wilson

Present day: When a young anthropologist specializing in ancient technology uncovers a terrible secret concealed in the workings of a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll, she is thrown into a hidden world that lurks just under the surface of our own. With her career and her life at stake, June Stefanov will ally with a remarkable traveler who exposes her to a reality she never imagined, as they embark on an around-the-world adventure and discover breathtaking secrets of the p…
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Annual Summer TBR Wipeout and other challenges

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I'm doing FOUR reading challenges this summer. Not hard. Just reading. Cleaning out my Kindle and hardcover books by finally reading those books that have been begging to be picked up and loved.

My reading challenges are with #COYER (Clean Out Your E-Reads), Modern Mrs. Darcy , TBR Wipeout and Summer Book Trek *



I think it sounds fun and a great way to push me to get books on my TBR pile read!


A Beautiful Blue DeathA Study in SilksPrisoner of Ice and SnowDream MeAsh and QuillBring Her HomePerish From EarthHello, SunshineMy Own Mr. Darcy*Relax, I'm a Ninja*An Ocean Away*A Season in London*Star-touched QueenThe Clockwork DynastyLies Jane Austen Told Me*As You WishMy Lady Jane*Havencross*Flame in the MistWatch Me DisappearSecret of the India Orchid*Fitness JunkieRoyal BastardsThe Original Jinny MoonWreckage*Girl Out of WaterIt Started With GoodbyeDon't Kiss the MessengerThick As ThievesDefy the Stars The Go BetweenRise and Shine, Benedict StoneThe Library of Light and ShadowM…
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My summer reading list challenge! Join me! #COYER

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I'm doing a reading challenge this summer to try and catch up on my reading, especially my e-books.

#COYER (clean off your e-reader) begins June 17th. There are two ways to do the challenge:

1. Read all the books you want. Read and review.
2. Summer reading list and the read-a-thon that goes with it. I'm choosing this option.

Find out more HERE.

I think it sounds fun and a great way to push me to get books on my TBR pile read!

A Beautiful Blue DeathA Study in SilksPrisoner of Ice and SnowDream MeAsh and QuillBring Her HomePerish From EarthHello, SunshineMy Own Mr. DarcyRelax, I'm a NinjaAn Ocean AwayA Season in LondonStar-touched QueenThe Clockwork DynastyLies Jane Austen Told MeAs You WishMy Lady JaneHavencrossFlame in the MistWatch Me DisappearSecret of the India OrchidFitness JunkieRoyal BastardsThe Original Jinny MoonWreckageGirl Out of WaterIt Started With GoodbyeDon't Kiss the MessengerThick As ThievesDefy the Stars The Go BetweenRise and Shine, Benedict StoneTh…
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I rocked my childhood or how my childhood affects my writing

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At least, in my mind I rocked it. I mean, look at these toys and shows! How can one not love what I got to play with and watch while growing up?


These were favorite toys when I was little. I LOVED them and they got a lot of use not only from me but my siblings too. I remember making words with the magnetic letters when I was first starting to spell. We also had the house. We use to take the furniture and people outside and make houses for them out of dirt, sticks and flowers.






My family use to have these bunnies as decor.  I petted them.  I liked their fuzziness!






Stickers! I loved the googly eye stickers and the Scratch n' Sniff stickers. The smells bring back memories of junior high days. Which may or may not have been tumultuous and ugly. But all was well when friends shared stickers.












NOTES! 
I passed so many notes in the my years from elementary to high school. We even folded them this way. We retold our day with stick figures or made up very important quizzes like this:


Do you lik…
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100 (or something like that) Book Challenge!

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I'm taking my lead from Nathan Bransford and doing the 100 book challenge. He said it was harder for him than he thought. I'm kinda excited to look at all the books I've enjoyed reading.



I'll meet Nathan's challenge and see how hard it is.


UPDATE: like two hours later... I ended up 180! WHAT?? I added every book in a series. So I went back and put the books in a series on the same line. Even doing that I still had 137. 
My middle grade, picture books and all genres are mixed up in this list.

This challenge was hard in that it took FOREVER to go through my goodreads books and find the ones I loved/enjoyed reading.



So here is my list, in random order that I don't expect anyone to read because it is freaking long. LOL

What about you? Can you come up with 100 fav books?


The Far Pavilions, Shadow of the Moon Jane EyrePride and PrejudicePersuasion An Assembly Such as This, Duty and Desire, These Three RemainA Tale of Two CitiesA Christmas CarolSilas Marner The Screw…
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Seven of my favorite April 2017 reads!

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I read a lot of great books this month. So many more I wish I had time to read! Can't the publishing industry just take a month off so we can get 1/4 of our TBR pile read??
Look at all the beautiful covers in this list!!!

This list, in no particular order, highlights a few of my favorites:



Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.

Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when on…
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