Thought for the Day: “When I’m writing the first draft, I’m constantly reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box, so that later I can go back and build castles.”~ Jordan Peele ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: Queries can't be avoided if you want to be published, but writing them can be… Continue reading THE SUMMER SCRAPBOOK — Review & Giveaway
Tag: Middle-Grade Diverse Books
A DAY AT THE BEACH — Review
Thought for the Day: There is not an idea that cannot be expressed in 200 words. But the writer must know precisely what he wants to say. If you have nothing to say and want badly to say it, then all the words in all the dictionaries will not suffice.” ~ Eric Hoffer ~ Gifts for… Continue reading A DAY AT THE BEACH — Review
CONFESSIONS OF A MANGO — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”~ Jack Kerouac ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: I wrote on here recently I didn’t see many posts about book endings, so, of course, there was one this week from K. M Weiland HERE called The Psychology of… Continue reading CONFESSIONS OF A MANGO — Review & Giveaway
MASCOT — Review
Thought for the Day: "You are lucky to be one of those people who wish to build sand castles with words, who is willing to create a place where your imagination can wander. ~ Anne Lamott ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: Every book needs good pacing and tension throughout. HERE is a good article… Continue reading MASCOT — Review
ORPHANLAND — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "I'm always aware of writing around things I can't do, and I've come to think that that's actually what 'style' is - an avoidance of your deficiencies." ~ George Saunders ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: I've often read about a story being structured in three acts, but HERE K. M.… Continue reading ORPHANLAND — Review & Giveaway
WILD MOUNTAIN IVY — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: “I don't sit around waiting for passion to strike me. I keep working steadily because I believe it is our privilege as humans to keep making things. Most of all, I keep working because I trust that creativity is always trying to find me, even when I have lost sight of… Continue reading WILD MOUNTAIN IVY — Review & Giveaway
SPARK — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "I have rewritten–often several times–every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasers." ~ Vladimir Nabokov ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: Janice Hardy has a great Narrative Nugget HERE that will help you make your characters more well-rounded. Her articles are always worth your time. Do you have… Continue reading SPARK — Review & Giveaway
SCHOOLED — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "I made a startling discovery. Time spent writing = output of work. Amazing." ~Ann Patchett~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: It's tempting to use flashbacks to solve writing problems, but you have to do them right. HERE is a great post from K. M. Allan with Flashbacks: Dos and Don’ts. As writers,… Continue reading SCHOOLED — Review & Giveaway
THE BLOSSOMING SUMMER — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: “Imagine tension like holding a reader’s feet under water; you don’t want to pull them down until they drown. You have to let them come up for air.”~ Lauren Magaziner ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: Sarah (Sally) Hamer has a wonderful post HERE on Writers in the Storm about How… Continue reading THE BLOSSOMING SUMMER — Review & Giveaway
THE GIRLS OF SKYLARK LANE — Review
Thought for the Day: "Writing is not like dancing or modeling; it's not something where—if you missed it by age 19—you're finished. It's never too late. Your writing will only get better as you get older and wiser. If you write something beautiful and important, and the right person somehow discovers it, they will clear… Continue reading THE GIRLS OF SKYLARK LANE — Review