Links of Interest to Writers

A little writing inspiration for your muse.

• Julie Musil:  Writing Retreats:  The Benefits, and How You Can Plan One Without Going Broke by Dean K. Miller @DeanKMiller @juliemusil

• Open Road Media:  The 12 Best Writing Fellowships & Retreats in the US @OpenRoadMedia

• Cynsations:  Guest Post:  Author-Editor Deborah Halverson on Setting, Wherefore Art Thou? @Dear_Editor @CynLeitichSmith

• Moody Writing:  Scene Simpatico @mooderino "Putting the reader into the character's shoes..."

• QueryTracker:  Books We Can't Live Without:  The Writer Version by Stina Lindenblatt @StinaLL Great suggestions if you're looking for books on craft!

• Writer's Digest/Brian Klems' Blog:  The 5 C's of Writing a Great Thriller Novel by James Scott Bell @WritersDigest @BrianKlems @jamesscottbell 

The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races                     

by Maggie Stiefvater

My Rating:  5/5 Stars

It's difficult to describe this book without giving so much away about the plot, so I'll just offer my thoughts on the book without a summary. You can find a information about the book and a summary of this book at the author's website here. 

I listened to this book on audio CD. 

What I liked: 

• The wildness and danger of the Capall Uisce water horses, 
• The unique world of the island, which Puck and Sean are unable to turn their backs on, 
• Compelling characters with compelling motives, 
• Beautifully written descriptions that described, but didn't go on and on with irrelevant information, 
• The relationship between Puck and her younger brother Finn, 
• The voice of Steve West as Sean, such depth I almost fell into it 
• The alternating perspectives which offered extra dimensions to the story, 
• The romance that eventually developed between Puck and Sean was interesting, unusual, and based on mutual respect rather than superficial lust, 
• Corr is one cool horse and I absolutely fell in love with Dove, a horse with a heart of gold and a love for Puck. 

What I didn't like: 

• The voice of Fiona Hardingham as Puck was a bit shrill at times and pulled me out of the story, 
• The nasty men of the island who didn't want a girl to race,  
• That smackable Mutt Melvern.  (Note: These last two are an example of great characterization, not a flaw in the plot!)

I highly recommend this book!

Not Your Mother's Book Club

Not Your Mother's Book Club Website

Books Inc. located San Francisco claims the title "the West’s oldest independent bookstore." They started Not Your Mother’s Book Club in order to bring writers together with their young adult readers. Even if you don't live close enough to attend one of the Club's events, you can enjoy the information and pictures offered at the site.

For even more fun visit their blog. The Not Your Mother’s Bookclub blog comes with a warning “content may not be suitable for parents.” In fact it is a great place for parents to find out what is happening in their teen's world, as well as gaining some great book recommendations along the way.

 

Not Your Mother's Book Club Blog

Readergirlz

Readergirlz Blog

What will you find at Readergirlz? Information about books: reviews, author interviews, book discussions, live chats, playlists, service projects, and book prizes. This website and blog is a community for young adult writers and readers organized by authors Justina Chen, Dia Calhoun, Lorie Ann Grover, holly Cupala, and Melissa Walker.

Readergirlz Website

Nancy Pearl - Book Lust Forever

Book Lust Forever

The blog of Nancy Pearl, author of the books Book Lust, More Book Lust, and Book Crush and the model for the Librarian Action figure, provides Nancy’s reviews of hundreds of books. Looking for something great to read? This is the place to find it. You can find out more about Nancy at her website.

Book Lust, Nancy Pearl’s Website

Bookie Woogie

Bookie Woogie

The Bookie Woogie blog, subtitled “Three Kids and Their Dad Talk about Books,” accomplishes its mission with great pizzazz. The three children, Isaac (age 11), Gracie (age 9), and Lily (age 6) not only discuss books they have read with their father in a script format, but they draw pictures to illustrate their favorite parts of the book. If you want to know what books kids like, go to real kids for honest reviews! Bookie Woogie is a great place to start.

School Library Journal

School Library Journal

This site isn’t just for school librarians. There is a lot of content for children’s writers:

• Free eNewsletters

• Daily children’s publishing news updates

• Articles about books and school libraries

• Articles from their latest print issue

• Book reviews

• Blogs (including my favorite A Fuse #8 Production from Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library Children’s Librarian)

• Interviews

• Yearly Battle of the Kid’s Books

A Chair, a Fireplace & a Tea Cozy

A Chair, a Fireplace & a Tea Cozy

According to the About Tea Cozy section of this blog, “Liz B. began Tea Cozy in 2005…It’s a discussion of books, movies, and TV shows; with an emphasis on books for children and teens.”

One of the things I love about this blog is the variety of the posts. Three recent posts included a post about an article by Mary Pearson at Tor.com titled "What YA is and Isn’t", a review of the DVD collection of the 1980’s television show thirtysomething, and a review of My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme (Random House, Paperback ed. 2009)