Thought for the Day:
“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
~ Kurt Vonnegut ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Writing Forward has 42 Tips for Fiction Writers HERE. A lot of these are really good.
We all have to write author bios. It’s a tough thing to do. HERE is a good post on The Digital Reader to help you with that task.
Have you ever thought about how your setting can help define your characters? The Uninspired Writer’s blog has HERE. Check this out.
HERE is one extra link for you. My friend Darlene Jacobson asked if I would write a guest post for her blog about how I do research for my writing. It ran last week. I hope you enjoy it.
My brave and beautiful daughter Maggie battled breast cancer last year and thought she had it licked. Alas, she has been recently diagnosed with a recurrence. She will be having a double mastectomy and reconstruction the end of the month which means she won’t be able to lift anything for three months. Pretty tough for an actor who earns much of her living by waiting tables. She will be releasing a new album this month at a benefit concert in Sacramento. If you are in the area, please join us for an evening of music and fun. HERE is the link for tickets. You can hear a taste of her music HERE. If you are not in the area and are inclined to help her out, HERE is the link for a GoFundMe campaign she has set up. Share the link if you can. Thanks!
Last week I offered a gently-read copy of Lisa Williams Kline‘s wonderful book, One Week of You. This week’s winner is Danielle Hammelef. Congratulations, Danielle! I will get your book out to you this week. Danielle always shares the link to my blog all over the place for extra chances. It seems to have worked!
This week I have a book review for a really fun book in a series — The Law of Finders Keepers by Sheila Turnage. I haven’t read all the books in the series, but I read an earlier one, and when I found this one, it was like going home. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.
The Desperado Detective Agency is still in business and looking for new cases. Of course, the search for Mo’s upstream mother is always a priority, but when they are hired to find Blackbeard’s pirate treasure, thought to carry a curse, before an interloper named Gabe can get to it. The town becomes somewhat divided during this quest. Attilla, lifelong enemy of Mo, goes to work for Gabe, and Harm’s mother, whom he hasn’t seen in years, comes to town and also works for Gabe. Spying, lying, and danger become quite commonplace in this quest. While all this is going on, Mo is busy with some solid clues that might help her find upstream mother.

For those who have read earlier books in this series, this will be a comfortable homecoming. For those who haven’t, this book stands well on its own. Author Sheila Turnage, a superb writer, has created a heartfelt story that will hold reader’s interest and make them fall in love with the town of Tupelo Landing and the characters who populate it. The story is a page-turner and a satisfying conclusion to this four-book series. Don’t miss it.
There will be no giveaway this week. I gave the nice hardbound copy I received for review to the library at my granddaughter’s charter school with a tiny budget. Check back next time. I may have a giveaway then. If you are reading this in your email, please click HERE to get to my blog, then click on the title of the post, and leave a comment. And don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at the Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
I keep your daughter in my prayers every morning. I’m so sorry to hear this news and will keep her in my daily prayers. Thank you for sharing an update with us. As far as the book part of your post goes, I don’t want to miss out on the book featured here as I love mysteries! And I’m grateful to have won. Thank you!
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Thanks, Danielle, for your prayers.
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I am so sorry to hear that your daughter has had a recurrence. Sending all healthy thoughts her way. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about research. That’s something I always want to learn more about.
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Thanks for the healthy thoughts, Liz. Always nice to see you here.
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Like others here, I’m so sad to hear about the return of your daughter’s cancer. I send all the caring thoughts I can in your (and her) directions. This awful disease doesn’t just affect the person with it.
Another fun sounding book this week, and I’m glad you can share it with your granddaughter’s school library. Someday the world will wake up. Our schools will be palaces of learning with magnificent libraries and teachers who are paid well.
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Thanks, Nancy, for your caring thoughts. I appreciate it.
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This sounds like a book my granddaughter would enjoy. Thanks for the review. best wishes for your daughter. That is tough.
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Thanks, Carol.
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Hi, Rosi. My prayers go out to your daughter. Thanks for wonderful links and your review. I’ve got a post on Darlene’s webpage today, in case you want to check it out. I enjoyed reading yours last week.
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Thanks for your prayers, Janet. It was nice to see your comments on Darlene’s blog, and to see your book featured there.
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Thinking of your daughter and hoping for the best. The step she is taking now can probably beat it. My sister-in-law’s daughter-in-law had the same operation, a double mastectomy, about 15 years ago, and she is in good health now. So, I think Maggie can be optimistic, although this is such a difficulty thing for her to go through. And for you!
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Yes, Maggie is very optimistic. We all are. Thanks for your thoughts.
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My thoughts are with Maggie and your family. My husband’s daughter underwent the same surgery 15 years ago and her health is good. Maggie’s music is beautiful! I the benefit concert is a huge success.
What a fun read. I love the name of the detective agency. It sounds like a great series.
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Thanks for your thoughts and your kind words about Maggie’s music. Fingers crossed the concert does well. The book and series are fun. You would like them, Patricia.
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Great post! I really liked this book too. My son is working on a book report on the first one in the series. I will keep your daughter in my prayers.
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Thanks for your prayers, Beth.
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I enjoyed your post on historical fiction and the link to the tips for fiction writers. These are invaluable resources as I enjoy writing and reading historical and contemporary fiction.
I had not heard of this series but always enjoy detective type stories. I’ll be tracking down a copy to compare with another recent read with young sleuths: THE LAST, LAST DAY OF SUMMER.
My thoughts and prayers are with Maggie. I’m reading a book now where the six year old gives her cancerous tumor a name and refers to in unkindly terms until it is gone. Books can heal!
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Thanks, Greg. Prayers are greatly appreciated. Glad you like the links.
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Cancer is a beast, but they’ve made significant progress in treatment. My thoughts are with you and your daughter. And thank you for mentioning the series. I love a good detective story.
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Thanks, Lee.
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This is a fun series. I haven’t read this one yet…
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It is a good one. I hope you get a chance to check it out.
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I’m really into mysteries these days and am thinking I may want to write one sometime. I may want to check this out.
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It’s a good one, Natalie!
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Thank you for the links to Maggie’s music and fund! The song was lovely!
The Law of Finders Keepers certainly sounds like a fun book. I’m sure it will be enjoyed by many kids at the school!
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Sending healing thoughts to your daughter.
I have read the first two books in the Mo and Dale series- but I haven’t read this one yet. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. 🙂
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I love Sheila’s books and have read the first two. I will have to add this one to my list of must reads. Thanks for the great review Rosi.
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