Thought for the Day:
“Writing is like fishing. It’s just like fishing. If you don’t fish that often, you’re not going to catch that many fish.”
~Sandra Cisneros ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
My critique partners have accused me of having characters who are too perfect. I know I’m not alone in this. I have learned to work hard at making my characters more realistic and less perfect. HERE is a great post by Beem Weeks at Story Empire blog with The Importance of Flaws in Our Characters!
Slow down, Bucko! HERE is a good Narrative Nugget from Janice Hardy to help you make a story worth savoring.
Lynette M. Burrows, writing for Writers in the Storm, has a GREAT post HERE on point of view with stellar examples. It’s called Choosing a Powerful Foundation for Your Story, and it is well worth your time.
I’m in my happy place. Baseball season is in full swing, and there are games to watch whenever I want. Now I just need to find a way to get to some of those parks I have left to visit. I probably won’t get to all of them this year. That was my plan, but life has a way of getting in the way of plans. But I will get to a few as the season goes along. My Giants are having a great start to their season, so it’s especially fun for me. I do have a little writing news. Last year, I won second place in the Tennessee Mountain Writer’s Conference contest for my short story Rebekah’s Star. Since their conference is one of the few that has a children’s literature category, I thought I would enter my short story, Helen’s Home Run, and I won another second place. There aren’t many places to sell children’s short stories, so it’s nice to find a place for them, and it’s always nice to get confirmation that my work is worthy.
Last week, Carol Baldwin got in touch and offered to send a copy of her book, HALF-TRUTHS, to one lucky winner. Even though the announcement of the giveaway went up a little late, I put everyone’s name in the hat unless they mentioned they already have the book. This week’s winner is Brenda from Log Cabin Library. Congratulations, Brenda! I will be in touch to arrange getting the book to you. If you aren’t familiar with Brenda’s blog, check it out HERE. She does a lot of great reviews. Thanks for reading and commenting, Brenda.
I had an email not long ago from a publicist asking if I would be interested in a review copy of FIRES BURNING UNDERGROUND, a new middle-grade novel by Nancy McCabe. I looked it up and it sounded interesting, so I agreed. Here are my thoughts.
Anny has been homeschooled all her life, but now she is going to public school for the first time. The night before school starts, Anny’s family gets the news that a boy from their church died in a house fire. Anny isn’t close with Robert, but this shakes her. She and her best friend, Ella, are both going from being homeschooled to middle school. Ella is much more excited about it than Anny. But the transition isn’t as hard as Anny thinks it might be. She makes friends right away. Larissa, Anny’s new friend, has a lot in common with Anny, and they really hit it off. But underlying everything for Anny is her wondering about her own sexuality and how it might impact her relationship with her very religious parents. In addition, Larissa and Anny have an interest in a Ouija board Larissa brings over. Anny’s mom says it could lead to devil possession. Between Robert’s death, Anny’s sexual confusion, and worries about the occult, Anny has a lot to deal with.
Nancy McCabe has written a book that has plenty of middle-grade drama and early teen angst. It is well written and focuses on problems many young readers will relate to. I never really felt grounded in the when of the story. It could have been set anywhere from the 1970s to the 2010s. There were things that pointed to a lot of different times. I’m not sure if young readers would find this a problem, but I never quite got comfortable. Still, this is sure to find a good audience.
I have a gently-read paperback copy to give to one of you. All you need to do is be a follower (it’s free and easy — see the top, right corner of the post) with a US Address, and leave a comment. If you share the link to this post on social media, please let me know in your comment, and you will get an extra chance. And please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
Another great post, Rosi! Your links for writers are always fantastic and even if they’re not what I’m looking for right now, I feel like I’ll come back to them later and think, “Oh yeah, that’s what I what I needed to read.” I’m going to share your blog with some of my writer friends. I’m not doing this to win your giveaway, I am just hoping that this will help them as well.
Also, I love baseball, too. And I have only been to six parks, I think, but there’s no place like Wrigley Field. Fenway comes a close second.
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Aww. Thanks for your kind words and for sharing my blog. I appreciate it. I love Wrigley. It’s such a sweet stadium. There’s a reason they call it the friendly confines! I haven’t been to Fenway yet, but I might make it this summer. I’ve been to games in 22 parks, and I hoped to finish this summer, but it looks like it will take me another year. Good luck int he drawing.
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A wonderful review, Rosi!! Thanks for sharing this – it definitely sounds super interesting!! I’m adding this to my TBR!! 🙂 I’m definitely not going to join the giveaway since I’m not a follower of your blog (I do love reading your posts!! WordPress is just really glitchy for me when it comes to my email and account and it keeps failing to sign me in and all that) and I’m not in the US. But if I ever see this book in a bookstore, I am definitely getting it!
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Glad you enjoyed the review. You might want to try using a different browser. I can’t use WordPress at all on Safari. I have to use Firefox. That might solve your problem. Thanks for the kind remarks.
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It sounds like a good book, but I’m like you–I get frustrated when I can’t place a book firmly in its time period. It shouldn’t be so hard!
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Writers are demanding readers. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Sounds great—right up my alley. My favorite books are contemporary, realistic fiction, though it sounds like this one may be set a few decades ago.
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I think you’d like it. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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I’m glad you can be in your happy place with baseball. I’m glad you enjoyed Fires Burning Underground. I’ll pass on the giveaway and let someone who has time to read it now win.
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Enough reading time is hard to find! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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I definitely put Fires Underground on my TBR list and would love a copy to pass on to my nieces and nephews.
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Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Hello Rosi, Thanks for this weeks writing tips. They will be helpful. I will pass on the give away.
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So glad you like the links. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Hi Rosi,
aww thank you for Carol’s book and your comments about my blog. Looking forward to reading it. Happy MMGM
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You’re welcome. Don’t forget to email me your information. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Thanks for the links. The one on making flawed characters was especially good. I recently featured a review of Fires Burning Underground so let someone else win the Giveaway. A well crafted story sure to appeal to many young readers. Happy MMGM!
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It’s hard to write flawed characters, isn’t it? Glad you liked the link Thanks for the comment.
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Interesting book and interesting critique, Rosi. We read more critically when we’re writers, don’t you think? NO need to enter my name…I have more books than I can read! And congratulations to Brenda for winning Half-Truths!
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Do we ever NOT have more books than we can read? I know I’ll never finish my stack. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Thanks for sharing this review, Rosi! I had not heard of this book. It sounds like it explores some interesting topics.
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You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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This sounds like a great read. It sounds like a book that will keep readers turning the pages. Thanks for sharing!
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It is a good read. Young readers will really be engaged. Thanks for reading and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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Congratulations on your story getting second place – and for two years in a row! That is fantastic!! Are you planning to submit either story to publications or will you share them on your blog? (Hint! 🙂 ). Glad you are enjoying the baseball season! Thanks so much for the links and the one liner, and interesting review, as always. Have a great week! (Apologies if this posts twice, I got an error the first time!)
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Thanks for the kind words. I’m reluctant to post the stories here because then they would be considered published, and I could no longer submit them for publication or contests. If you are really interested, I’d be happy to send them to you. So glad you found things on the post you liked. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Hi Rosi, I’d love to read them if you don’t mind sending them! 🙂
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Love this cover, too! I’ll have to add it to my list. 🙂
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