BUTTER and DEAD ENDS by Erin Jade Lange
I met Erin Lange at a recent conference and bought her books immediately. She has one of the strongest voices I've ever read. Her debut BUTTER just made YALSA's 2013 Teens' Top Ten List and she has a new release entitled DEAD ENDS.A lonely obese…
THE BEST LAID PLANS by Tamara Mataya
From last week's interview with Kelly Barnhill, her short story, "The Insect and the Astronomer," is now available for free! This week, we switch to romance. I found Tamara Mataya on Twitter when I saw her posts on Janet Reid's blog. Not only…
THE TRUE STORY OF JACK and IRON HEARTED VIOLET by Kelly Barnhill
When I read this blog post by author Kelly Barhill, I knew I wanted to interview her immediately. In addition to her novels, she also has a new short story called, "The Insect and the Astronomer" in Lightspeed Magazine. Be sure to check it out!Enter…
Once Upon a LORD OF THE RINGS Panel…
One of the perks of my day job is working with faculty who teach really interesting subject content. This semester I had the privilege of doing a library session for a class studying Tolkien and LORD OF THE RINGS. Even better, I've been invited…
Interactive Book Trailer: Jonathan Stroud’s THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE
The book trailer for Jonathan Stroud's THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE (the first in the Lockwood and Co. series) is probably one of the best I've seen--because it's interactive. And, it's perfect for Halloween.Go ahead and give it a try:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUfYuhW6Kqg]And…
Let’s Start a Mutual Admiration Society
This morning, I ran into a coworker who goes to the same place I do for physical therapy and massage. Apparently, my physical therapist told her that I was one of the bright spots in her day. I was completely flabbergasted! It was excellent…
Conserving Brain Energy…Odds are, We’ll be All Right
There's nothing like the common cold to help with perspective. When I perused my new novel pages written pre- and post-illness, I found something surprising. Post-illness--they were (at least from a line-edit standpoint) relatively flawless.…
Elysium: The Dangers of Relying on World-Building Alone (Beware of Spoilers)
I'll have to admit, I was excited when I saw the trailer for Elysium. Very cool premise. A select group of rich people live on a utopian, heaven-like space station called Elysium, while the rest are stuck on Earth, with high pollution, sickness,…
Housekeeping…
This week, in lieu of a post, I'm doing a bit of housekeeping to make the blog a bit more user-friendly. More than one person has told me they're unable to leave comments, and I'm also looking to install some better, more sustainable share…
Don’t Be Afraid to Bomb
Right now, among the fiction I'm reading (ENDER'S GAME, which I love, plus a Baby-sitters Club prequel called THE SUMMER BEFORE), I'm also reading a great nonfiction book by Teri Hatcher (of Desperate Housewives fame) called BURNT TOAST. The…