Friday Fiction

Today on Friday Fiction I'll be talking about Don't Judge a girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter.

Even though this is book three of the Gallaher Girls series, it was the first I’ve read.

Ally Carter has a strong middle grade voice. This book was Harry Potter meets James Bond. I love all the secret passages and school halls they are hanging out in. The characterization is great and the Main character is believable and three dimensional.

Of course, there is always a boy involved in a good middle grade series and the mysterious Zach does not disappoint. Who wouldn’t go for a guy that has a parachute in his back pack, so that when he jumps from a train barreling down tracks across a ravine he survives? Hot!

She had fantastic one-liners. Classic teenage talk mixed with Bond lingo, and more memorable than “I’ll be back.” Okay, showing my age now. LOL

This book was full of everything a female middle grade reader could want. Also, parental thumbs up for content. I look forward to reading more from Ally Carter.

Oh, forgot to mention. I met her at the RWA National Conference and she’s EXTREMELY nice.

Next week on Friday Fiction I'll be starting a three week discussion on MokingJay by Suzanne Collins.

Goodreads.com a Reader's Perspective

Today I have Julie talking about Goodreads.com. I've asked her to specifically mention her view on authors networking on this website.

Welcome, Julie!
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Hi everyone, it's great to be here.

I love Goodreads.com. It is a great forum for people to share their love of books and the writers who bring them to us. Goodreads.com gives you the ability to create different bookshelves to catalog all of the books you have already read, want to read, and are currently reading. You can also categorize the books further into any bookshelf you like. It is completely unique to your personality. The site also allows you to add friends and share your bookshelves so you and your friends can see what you are reading along with all the books you have already read. It can be as interactive as you like it to be. You can share books and swap books. There are so many ways to use the site.


There are a lot of authors out there you can follow and keep up with. It gives you the chance to have a closer relationship with them. I am not familiar with the marketing aspect. I have never come across an author trying to peddle their book to me. I like the idea that the authors on the site are available to me.


Goodreads.com is a great place to go for reviews. The reviews range from simple, the reader either likes the book or did not like the book, to very in depth and insightful. There are also spoiler alerts to let you know so you do not read something that will ruin the book for you. It is also a great place to post reviews. The reviews stay a part of your page so years later when you have forgotten what the book was like you have a record of your thoughts! I love this aspect. It is journaling for your books!


I also want to mention the giveaways. There are tons of giveaways. You just sign up and wait until you are notified. I have won two books from Goodreads.com. Both of the books came in the mail in about 2 weeks. There are no strings attached. They may ask that you review the book after you have read it but it is not necessary.


If you are interested in discussions, there are tons of groups you can join on Goodreads.com. There is a group for anything! Most of them anyone can join. It is a great way to share your thoughts and ideas, to hear what others think, and to ask any questions you may have about what ever it is you are interested in.


All in all, I feel that Goodreads.com is an awesome place to share my love of reading.


Julie

Friday Fiction

For book club this month we read Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie. I’m not a fan of mysteries, but I found it to be a quick read. I would have preferred more clues, so the reader could be part of the investigative process. Then again, it kept my attention looking for clues that weren’t there. In the end, I did guess who was involved, but didn’t know how or why.

For September book club we’ll be reading Summer at Tiffany’s, a biography about the first two woman to work at Tiffany’s in New York.
This week I’m reading Don’t Judge a girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the RWA conference, and let me tell you, she’s a nice lady. I’m looking forward to reporting on that next Friday.
What are you reading? Do you have a book recommendation? I love to read books based on recommendations!

Coming up next week: Wednesday Julie Helligrath will be guest blogging here about Goodreads.com, a reader’s perspective. Tomorrow Emery Lee will be guest blogging about her Perilous Journey at http://newkidonthewritersblock.blogspot.com/ Hope you can join us!

Characters—They’re everywhere

Having trouble developing three dimensional characters? Stop and take a look around you. So many interesting and unique characters interact with you daily. Co-workers, neighbors, friends, and relatives are full of personality traits that can inflate your flat character into a life-size hero or heroine that leaps off the page. You can even find some amazing villain traits. It all depends on who’s around you. Admit it, there is always that situation where someone stabbed someone in the back, or did a random act of kindness. I for one would love to get the shirt that warns people to be nice or they’ll appear in my next novel.

So, beyond the obvious what are some everyday happenings you can bring into your characterization? Recently I’ve struggled with a MG hero that didn’t jump off the page for me. All the character development question sheets and bio’s weren’t helping.

Last night my son showed me how to breathe more life into this hero. Here’s an example of a social interaction with my two younger sons that lead me to the character trait I’d been looking for.

My four-year-old hasn’t been able to sleep the last few nights because of fear of spiders. Here is how my six-year-old son handled getting his brother to sleep.

Son: “I’ll take care of it mom.”

Me: “That’s sweet, but honey I don’t know what you can do.”

Son: “Just come upstairs. I’ll call you to tuck him in. He’ll be in bed waiting for
you.”

Me: “Okay honey, I’ll be up in a few.”

Yeah right. If I can’t get him to sleep there is no way he can.

Fifteen minutes later.

Son: “Mom, we’re ready!”

Me: “Okay, coming.”

I walk up the stairs and find my six-year-old tucking my four-year-old into bed, both with a smile. I immediately check the room for some sort of contraband but found nothing. I tuck my youngest in and pull the door closed—well leaving a two finger space open—behind me without any complaint.

Me: “How’d you do it?”

Son: “He was scared of spiders getting him in the night.”

Mom: “Yes”

Son: “Today at school I learned to draw an owl.”

Son points to picture of an owl taped to his brother’s door.

Son: “Owls eat spiders. It will protect him tonight while he sleeps.”

My son the Sheldon (Big Bang Theory) showed me how to build a stronger MG hero. A character that uses logic to overcome obstacles.

Go team Sheldon!

Do you have anything that recently happened that could bring a character to life? If so, share. I’d love to know how real life people have influenced your characters. Do you have your own secret way of developing stronger charactes?

Writing update

Things have been crazy in my writing life the last few months, but in a good way. I attended my first ever RWA national conference, which you can read about in an earlier post dated August 2nd.

I’ve also joined an amazing group blog http://newkidonthewritersblock.blogspot.com/. I post two Saturday’s a month. My next post will be a spotlight on Emery Lee’s publishing journey on August 21st. Some might ask why I’ve joined a blog if I already have one. Well, there are several reasons, but mainly it was an amazing opportunity to concentrate solely on the craft of writing. In a group blog I’ve got fellow bloggers that provide support and they post about experiences I can relate to at my current stage of my writing career.
Over the past week I’ve started submitting my current novel, RISE FROM DARKNESS.

I’ve also been working on critiques for others, and writing book II of the series. Of course, I also have to fit time in for studying the craft. The current book I’m working on is BREAK INTO FICTION by Mary Buckham and Dianna Love. These ladies are amazing instructors and I hope to someday attend their plotting cruise. Four days at sea with fellow writers doing nothing but plotting my book. A writers dream! No kids, no phone, nothing but writing.

Last on the writing front, I'm working on new material for in-services at the middle schools. I’m also hoping to expand into high schools. I’ll be posting about those in a few days.

It’s time to go study. Enjoy your evening.

Book Review

The Highest Stakes by Emery Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I first picked up “The Highest Stakes” it was with great trepidation that I began reading. Considering I read and write Young Adult fiction, the sheer weight of the book sent me running in the other direction. Oh, and not to mention the fact that I know NOTHING about horses, old England, or racing. However, I’d seen such high praise about the book I decided to give it a try.

With limited time I planned to read fifty pages a day. By day two I’d completed the book. There’s nothing like starting a book with meager expectations and being blown away by the end.

The pace forced me to turn the pages, the characters wouldn’t let me put the book down, and the storyline tugged at my heart. Twists, turns, forbidden love, and danger filled all 500 and something pages. “The Highest Stakes” is a must read and not just for lovers of historical romance or horse enthusiasts. It’s a book for everyone who enjoys a fantastic read.
Tamara
www.tamaradhanson.com

View all my reviews >>

New Kid on the Writers Block group blog

I wanted to let everyone know I’ve been invited to join a group writing blog, http://newkidonthewritersblock.blogspot.com/. It’s a blog of writers who are persuing their dream of publication. There will be posts on writing resources, information, contests, and so much more.

I’ll be blogging twice a month about various writing topics. During those two days I will refer everyone to the New Kid on the Writers Block blog. Today I posted an introduction and my next day of the month will be 8/21/2010.

Hope you get a chance to go over and say “hi” today. They are a great group!