Reposting for MMGM: BURN by Alma Fullerton

This is a repost. I originally did this review on a Friday as a Shout-Out, because I know Alma and she is kick-ass awesome But this book really deserves some MMGM attention.

I read a book last night that pretty much took my breath away. It almost made me cry, and books do not make me cry.

BURN, by Alma Fullerton

I have known Alma for a couple of years now. She's the Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI Canada East, and she was one of the first people to encourage me to keep writing. As a moderator of one of my critique groups, she continues to encourage me, as well as many, many others. And she's a damn fine writer.

Things I loved about this book:

- It includes a, honest portrayal of an autistic sibling, and the relationship between her and the MC (who is the older sister) is bang-on.

- It addresses how having a child with special needs can affect each family member in different ways, both good and bad. In other words, it tells the truth about families like this.

- The decision that the mother makes early on in the book, and the decisions that the father makes throughout the book, are all things that I can identify with and that I have wrestled with in my journey as a mother who made the choice to stay at home.

- It gives hope to children who, for whatever reason, are having to grow up too fast. It lets them know that they are not alone.

It it rare to find a book that resonates simultaneously with both middle-grade readers and their parents, but this one does it.

Go read BURN. And then, go here to visit Alma's website and find out about all her other great books! And then visit Shannon Whitney Messenger's blog for links to more MMGM love!

Friday Shout-Outs: and TWO Giveaways!

It's Friday, and it's time for some shout-outs! And there are two pretty frawesome giveaways happening right now too, so make sure you read all the way to the end of this post.

First, a shout-out to fellow Greater-Toronto-Area writer-person Maureen McGowan, whose TWO debut novels were released last Friday! CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR and SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER are two fractured fairy tales with butt-kicking princesses, which just rocks. AND, they're told in choose-your-own-adventure format! How awesome is THAT? (They're both available at Amazon, but try your local indie bookseller first. Let's support local bookstores while we still have them. Okay? Okay.)

And just because they're so cool to look at:

So, go. Buy books. Read blog. She's great! I know you'll like her, and I know you'll like her books.

Next a shout-out to one of my former PB critique buddies, Yolanda Ridge, who emailed to tell me that she is thrilled to be holding a copy of her MG debut novel, TROUBLE IN THE TREES, which will be released on May 1st! YAAAY! Yolanda is smart, talented, and one of the best crit buddies I've ever had. I'll miss her while she ignores picture books for a while so she can focus on her middle grade work (*shakes fist in air*), but I wish her the very, very best of luck with this and all her future books.

And just because it won't be released until May, that doesn't mean we can't have a look-see, does it?

Looks good, huh?

AND NOW: The giveaways! Get excited.

There's another book debuting soon. You might have heard of it. I'll give you some clues.

It's a dystopian, which is exactly the kind of book I love. It's coming out on June 7th. James Dashner (of MAZE RUNNER fame) gave it a kick-ass blurb. It's by Elana Johnson. It's called POSSESSION. It looks like this:

And Shannon O'Donnell is giving an ARC of it away. HERE. So go enter! (But not too many of you, because I WANT IT IT'S MINE ALL MIIIINNNE!)

ALSO: Elana herself is running the most freaktastic giveaway I have ever seen, and I am completely jealous of her book-writing, contest-creating genius. So go enter. Details are HERE.

*ahem* I might have had coffee today.

Happy Friday!

Go Local!

I've always been a proponent of supporting local artists, craftspeople, and businesses, so it's my pleasure to direct you to a super giveaway on Toronto author Claudia Osmond's blog, where another Toronto author - the fabulous Helene Boudreau - is giving away a signed copy of her new book, REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS!

This book, focused on the trials and tribulations of an aquaphobic mermaid (who didn't know she was a mermaid), looks like a really fun read, and Helene sounds like a really fun (and smart!) lady. Go here to check out her guest post, and be sure to play the HEART/HATE game in the comments to enter to win!

YA Spotlight and Contest: DUST CITY!

Today is a very special day on the blog, guys. Today I'm doing something I once vowed NEVER to do - I am reviewing a book. But it's not just any book - it's DUST CITY, by Robert Paul Weston. (Rob is the mind-blowingly crazy-brilliant author of MG novel ZORGAMAZOO, which won the Silver Birch Award... And which rhymes. Yup. I said he was brilliant, didn't I?)

And what's more, I have one brand-spanking-new, signed copy of DUST CITY to give away!

I am very excited to be able to spotlight this book today. Not only is it a thought-provoking read, but it does something I love, which is take a very modern story and put it in an extremely dark fairy tale setting. It pays homage to the original tone of the stories of the Brothers Grimm, to great effect. Here's the publisher blurb:

"Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?


His son, that's who.


Ever since his father's arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, young Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves, until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed.


Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone - and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner.


Can Henry solve the mystery of his family's sinister past? Or, like his father before him, is he destined for life as a big bad wolf?"

 How awesome is that?


There are a lot of things I like about this book. It deals with a number of issues that are very relevant to teens today: drug abuse, gang violence, identity crises, and more. These ain't your momma's fairytales, folks. And while Henry grapples with these issues, he does so in a world in which nothing is black-and-white. In Dust City, there is a whooole lot of grey, right up to the end. Just like in life.

Additionally, the characters in Dust City are very well-drawn. Henry does good things, and bad things; smart things, and really, really dumb things. He makes mistakes, just like every other teenaged boy out there, and every other character in this book is like that. And I loved them for it. When I found myself thinking, No, Henry, don't do it! It's a set-up! I knew I was onto a winner. Not many authors can make me care about their characters enough to think at them. And meeting each new character and figuring out which traditional fairytale they were from, and then finding out that I was right as I got to know the character more, was like getting little presents throughout the narrative. Awesome.

And also - and this is kind of shallow, but... You have to feel the cover of this book. It's textured. It feels... I`m not going to tell you how it feels, but I`ll tell you that I love it; it is so, so appropriate for this book. You have to go to your nearest bookstore and stroke it.* (The bookstore people will understand; they've probably beat you to it, actually. You know you want to.)

Don't you want to read this book right now? Well. You could go out immediately and buy it. You could immediately order it for your Kindle. Or you could win a signed copy right here, right now. In fact, I think you should go ahead and buy a copy anyway, because you're going to want to have a copy to read and re-read while your nice autographed copy rests pristinely on the shelf.** It's that good.

How can you win a signed copy of this book, you ask?

It's easy. Just:

1) Be a follower of this blog.

AND

2) Leave a comment on this post, telling me the name of your favorite fairytale.

The contest will run until MIDNIGHT on the night of MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST. I will put the names of every person who enters into a hat, and randomly draw the winner. The winner will be announced on my Wednesday Wisdom post on November 3rd. (In case you're wondering, my favorite fairytale is Hansel and Gretel.)

Good luck! And... GO!


*Yes, I do that. Bookstore people love me.
**Yes, I do that, too.

HALLOWEEN CONTEST EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

Halloween is coming - one of my favorite holidays!  I love Halloween because I get to dress up in something reeeeealllllly crazy.  Or, just something unusual, like that alternative career path I never took as a brain surgeon.  Hey, stop laughing, I'm serious!

Plus, you know:

not that I do that anymore - I don't want to end up like this gal...

Migraine...  uuuhhhhhnnnnnn.  Death by migraine...


Um...  What was the point of this post?  Oh, yeah!  It's time for the

HALLOWEEN CONTEST EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

Bet you want to know what you're supposed to do, right?  Right?

Well, this is a contest, folks, so you have to do more than just the usual thing.  You have to make an effort.  And since I love dress-up (as long as it's a little wacky), your task, should you choose to enter this contest, is to email me a photo of yourself in your Halloween costume.

ONE PHOTO PER PERSON.

Now, I know some of you will hate that idea.  Maybe you're 21st century Cavepersons like myself.  So alternatively (or additionally), you can tell me your wacky Halloween costume ideas in the comments to this post.

FEEL FREE TO POST AS MANY IDEAS AS YOU LIKE.

THE RULES:

- You must be a follower of this blog.

- You must leave a comment, either to tell me to check my inbox for a photo or to share your wacky costume ideas.  Also in your comment: your email address, so I can contact you if you win.

- Contest closes at 12 noon on Monday, November 1st (to give you late-night partiers time to sleep in and email your photo from the night before).

- This is a contest, so I will pick my favorites, possibly assisted by my clever Hubster and darling children, or possibly not.  But the point is that I will pick, so have fun with it and be creative.

- Winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 at 6:00am.

Of course, no contest is complete without PRIZES!!!  And since it's Halloween, I've obviously picked appropriate prizes!

First up, a copy of WICKED LOVEY, signed by Melissa Marr!  Can I just say how cool she is?  When I met her, I asked her what had compelled her to organize the Smart Chicks tour - a group of awesome women who write awesome books on a SELF-FUNDED book tour - and you know what she said?  She said she thought it would be a great thing to show girls that women can do this and be successful.  She wanted to empower girls.  She rocks.  And so does her book.  And the greedy me wants to keep it, but I know there are an awful lot of you out there who haven't had the chance to meet her and talk with her, so it makes me feel good to know that someone out there is going to LOVE this.

Second up, a copy of RAISED BY WOLVES, signed by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!  Okay, first of all, she looks about 16, which is SO not fair!  And secondly, she's very very smart.  She's studying developmental psychology WHILE WRITING TONS OF BOOKS, and her first YA novel was published when she was just 19.  She's a phenomenon.  And so is her book.  And the greedy me wants to keep this one, too - I mean, she was raised by WEREWOLVES!  And it's GOOD!  Trust me, that psychology degree is going straight into her books.  Her characters are that good.  You're going to love it.

So, great prizes!  Fun contest!  Tell your friends!  It won't get you any extra points, but it will make for more fun when I post some of the best piccies.

And...

GO!

PHOTOS. OF. AWESOME!

Remember those photos I promised you?  I bet you thought I was going to let you down, what with there not being a new post up this morning, huh?

Well.  It took a little longer that I had hoped, but I finally (temporarily) got my camera working.  And as for my awesome weekend, let me just say...

I got to meet the ladies who wrote all those.

Did I mention I got their books signed?

All those books?

Yeah.  And the women were pretty great, too - the funny, quick-thinking, hilarious kind of great.  And the generous kind - they signed books for HUNDREDS of people.  HUNDREDS.  Margaret Stohl actually came out and worked the line, signing books and chatting while people were waiting, because she's that cool and nice.

So, yeah.  AWESOME.


NOW: since I have almost a hundred followers, I'll have an announcement coming up in the next couple of days, involving a contest with some pretty cool prizes.  AWESOME prizes, even.  But not yet.  For now, I'm going to go lie down in the middle of my books of awesomeness.

Got Plans This Saturday?

My camera has died.  So, no photos today.  I'm sad, too.  Hopefully, I'll have some for you on Thursday.  In the meantime, you'll just have to keep guessing about what I did this past Saturday.  (I know.  I'm evil.  You'll adjust.)

Instead, I wanted to share the news of a really cool event that some Canadian authors I know (and others I don't know) are participating in this week.  It's called "Airlift to L.A.", and it's the brainchild of children's author Helaine Becker, who is working in conjunction with Access Books and four other authors (Rob Weston, Kari-Lynn Winters, Jill Murray, and Wendy Kitts - who has a picture book coming out soon with Nimbus Press) to bring hundreds of books to Bunche Elementary in the Compton Unified School District on October 2nd, 2010.  (That's this Saturday, guys!  And click those links back there to check out their author blogs and websites - pretty great stuff!)

Why Bunche Elementary?  Because their library has about 3 books for every kid who attends the school.  3.  A tiny fraction of what they should have.  And 90 % of the kids who go to this school live at or below the poverty line, which means school is probably the only place they have access to books at all.  Their library shelves are practically empty.  Not only that, but these kids, who have so little and whose lives are so challenging, need books more than anyone - to escape the daily hardship they endure, to know that they are not alone, and to see that the world can hold more for them than this.  I know this need.  We can't ignore it.

So, what can you do?  If you live in the L.A.area, you can volunteer to help paint the refurbished library and stack their new books on the shelves.  Remember, that's THIS SATURDAY, October 2nd, at 9 AM.

If you're busy this weekend but live in the L.A. area, you can volunteer with Access Books (who provide books for dozens of impoverished schools in Southern California) and help with marketing, publicity, or a myriad of other things.

If you're nowhere near the L.A. area (like me), you can hold a book drive, donate books, or simply help out by donating some cash.

Just do something.  Then, leave a comment about it.  And spread the word!

ROAD TRIP!

Happy Monday, everybody!  I hope you had a good weekend.

Mine was kind of crazy

Friday evening, I took my older one to the bookstore to meet Natale Ghent.  She was coming to the tween book club meeting that night because the kids had all read her book THE ODDS GET EVEN, which my own little odd fellow really related to.  It deals with bullying in a funny and liberating and wonderfully awesome way and you need to read it if you read middle grade at all.  (It was shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award this year, guys.  READ IT.)  And Natale was funny and warm and related SO well to the kids.  I am her newest fan, and meeting her was the highlight of my week.  And we talked BOOKS!

Then came Saturday, which was a little bit awesome - it involved seven Smart Chicks, some microphones, flying keyrings, and a few hundred people screaming and hooting.  I was one of the screaming people.  In case you haven't figured it out, I'll post pictures tomorrow that will explain everything.  But believe me when I say, it was AWESOME.  Oh, and: BOOKS.

And then yesterday, my family took a road trip to this place:

to meet this lady, who also dragged her family there on a road trip of their own.  And we had a lovely afternoon chatting about all things writing while our spouses entertained the kids.  Somewhere else.  They say it was the Children's Museum, but based on the volume of sand that came out of my littler one's shoes, I'm guessing they tried digging their own version of the Chunnel under Lake Ontario.

So, MORE awesome.  And also, MORE BOOKS!

So, yeah.  Three days, three bookstore visits, one weekend of awesomeness.  I'm wishing it were Friday all over again.

How was your weekend?

SPEAK. Loudly.

Yesterday's post was such a hit that I wanted to leave it up for another day, but there's some really important stuff going down right now and we just need to discuss it.

I'm sure you've heard of SPEAK.

It is a raw, beautifully crafted exploration of the traumatic emotional journey of a girl who endures something unbearable, but does not feel that she can safely speak about it.

How ironic that some guy who thinks he's somebody in Springfield, MO wants to silence it.  How ironic, too, that he lives in a suburb of Springfield called Republic, and he dares to call into question the foundational belief in the right to freedom of speech for which our Republic stands.

You know, I grew up in Ohio.  When I was a teenager 15 years ago, all the things he complains about in the books were happening.  Not in books or movies, but in real life, to me and my friends.  Kids were getting drunk.  Kids were getting high.  Kids were definitely having sex, and some kids were getting pregnant.  Even at my college prep high-school, where we were supposed to be the best of the best, these things were all actually happening.  Books like SPEAK gave us the tools we needed to figure out how to handle these things and come out the other side better and stronger than before.

But let's say he's right - let's say, for argument's sake, that the only reason teenagers even get into this stuff is that they read about it or see it in movies or on TV first.  All teenagers are perfect angels, until they're corrupted by the insidious and dangerous media.  (They're not, and he's not right, but let's just suspend disbelief for a second and pretend.)

The problem is, all adults aren't.  And if my son gets mugged by an adult, or sees his girlfriend getting raped by an adult, or comes across a child getting beaten by an adult, I want him to have had access to books like SPEAK so that he knows that it is okay to talk about it and get help with it.  I want him to have the tools to succeed, no matter what crap life throws in his way.

So, let's speak up.  Blog about it, and leave links on Laurie Halse Anderson's blog to your posts.

Write to the superintendent of the Republic School District, Dr. Vern Minor, or to the high school principal, Daren Harris.

Comment directly to Scroggins’ opinion piece.

Submit a letter to the editor of the News-Leader.

It's time to speak.  LOUDLY.

In Celebration of Author Visits, and an Announcement

The other week I took my son to see a well-read guy
Who wrote a novel all in verse.  (A thing I've never tried.)

We sat around in folding chairs; our books were in our laps.
And then the author sauntered in, to our resounding claps.

The bookstore lady grinned and said, "My gosh, I love this job!
I give you Robert Weston!"  And he said, "Please, call me Rob."

He took a seat, we said "hello" and introduced ourselves.
He talked about his favorite books; we told him ours, as well.

Then questions, lots of questions - yes, we really picked his brains.
He shared all his techniques, his secret methods, and his pains.

He gushed about his agent, cover artist, and the rest
Of lovely folks who worked so hard to make his book the best.

We asked him just how long it took to write it, anyhow?
He said it took him four whole years - the kids said, "Holy cow!"

We begged him, "Will you read for us?"  He smiled and said, "Why not?
Just let me find the passage in this softback that I brought."

And as he read, the children all leaned forward in their chairs
To hear the story of a girl who eavesdropped from her stairs.

He waved his arms, he leaped about, he cackled, wheezed, and grimaced.
I gazed upon my son: his eyes were shining, start to finish.

The bookstore lady thanked him then, and asked if he could stay
And greet the children one by one to end their special day.

He shook our hands; he signed our books; he posed for pictures, too!
I asked him: "Do you teach a class?"  He said, "Why, yes, I do."

SO:


If you live in the GTA (just like my son and me),
Then you can take Rob Weston's class, down at the U of T.

Grey Griffins Contest!

In case you haven't heard yet, Shannon Whitney Messenger is hosting an awesome contest to win signed and drawn in copies of THE BRIMSTONE KEY, the latest in the middle grade Grey Griffins series by Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis, as well as some awesome signed posters of artwork from the series.

Woo-hoo!

Go enter!

In Defense of Multitasking

I have a private peeve. I hate it when writers sneer at authors who are famous for doing something else. Hate. It. Yes, I understand the resentment when "celebrity" authors get a free pass while the rest of us struggle to get our work seen; I share that resentment. And I have read books by "celebrities" that I thought were complete dreck, and I'll admit to allowing myself the thought that if the authors of those books hadn't been famous, their books would never have been published.

But by the same token, I've read some books by celebrities that I thought were really good. And I hate the assumption by struggling writers that any good book written by a celebrity must have been basically rewritten by the editor in order to make it publishable. Is there some rule that says a person can only be good at one thing in their lives? Who says that there aren't a few celebrities who have worked hard, gotten feedback on their work, made revisions, and made the grade on their own?

I was an actor before I was a writer. After I took ten years off from acting to be a stay-at-home-mom, I started taking acting classes again. I plan to take more, and to have to work my way up. When I decided I wanted to be a writer too, I joined SCBWI, and went to conferences and workshops, and I plan to attend more, and to have to work my way up. I have joined critique groups to better my writing craft; I have performed in plays for free to get the experience and better my acting craft.

I am an actor and a writer. I hope one day to be very good at both.

How about you? What's your opinion on professional multitasking? Can a person be really great at more than one thing?

Did You Skip Your Starbucks Today?

Because of writer and blogger C. J. Redwine's quest to adopt a baby girl from China, I did.

You should, too.

Do it for the contests. Do it because it's a good thing. It doesn't matter.

Just do it.

My Thoughts, but Somewhere Else

Or, I'm Being Interviewed!

The lovely (and funny) Bru has interviewed me on her blog, Pitch Slapped. (Isn't that a great blog title? See, I told you she was funny!) Needless to say, I am flattered and thrilled and all sorts of happy that she wanted to do this. Yay, Bru! So hop on down there, and check it (and her blog) out!

See you there, and thanks for stopping by.

Close Encounters of the Literary Kind

I popped into my local Chapters bookstore yesterday, (that's the Canadian version of Borders or Barnes and Noble), and had the pleasure of running into Rich Meyrick, there to promote his new book JASPA'S JOURNEY: THE GREAT MIGRATION.

Rich was friendly and enthusiastic, and his book - an adventure set in the serengeti - sounds like a lot of fun for middle-grade-level readers. Apart from the obvious writer-chat (I blog! Do you? Have you been to such-and-such conference? Etc.), Rich was gracious enough to congratulate me on my recent magazine publication, and to sign my brand-spanking-new copy of his book, which I can't wait to read!

It served as a good reminder for me of how hard authors need to work to promote their books. Before I started writing, I only thought of marketing in terms of the really big-sellers, with their dolls and their movies and their posters and what-have-you. I thought marketing was something the publisher did for you. But I was wrong. Being a writer is not just about writing; it is also about self-promotion.

Thanks to Rich for helping me remember that, and more importantly:

Congratulations, Rich, on the publication of your first fiction novel. May there be many more to come!

Thanks for stopping by.

It's Party Time!

Picture book author and freelance writer Jean Reidy is having a party to celebrate the release of her picture book, Too Purpley, now available at a bookstore near you. Head on over to www.jeanreidy.com for more about the book, as well as free gifts for all guests, prize drawings, a chance for authors to win a free picture book critique, a chance for librarians to win a grand prize, and a lot more.

And congratulations to Jean Reidy!

And as always, thanks for stopping by.