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Winner of Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

June 13, 2013 by

savvyverseandwitWinners

Congrats to Amy F who won a copy of Beth Hoffman’s Looking for Me.

She said, “These reviews sound great. I have read a few duds and am looking for a book that will emotionally pull me in. This sounds like the book.”

From GoodReads:

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop.  Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky.  It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.  But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Filed Under: announcements, winners Tagged With: ,

Our Held Animal Breath by Kathryn Kirkpatrick

June 10, 2013 by

Source: Wordtech Communications and TLC Book Tours
Paperback, 96 pages
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Our Held Animal Breath by Kathryn Kirkpatrick is a slim volume of poetry that is broken into three sections.  Although there is a deep sense of anger and hurt over current events and the rape of the world by humanity, many of these poems also have a personal side to them — deep personal losses of friends and family.  At times, the narrator is baffled at how some things come to be, like in “Millennium” where the narrator is left with an altar in a room flooded with light.  “How did I come by this altar,/these windows of stained glass?/When I meet the fox again,/I set her free./The meadow she finds/is neither desert nor glacier.”  (page 11)

Kirkpatrick wonders about the connections between humans and nature, particularly animals.  She postulates in “At the Turkey Farm” whether we absorb the loneliness and longing of turkeys when we eat them during holidays, but at the same time she talks about their only solace as being able to stand in the fading light in their own poop.  At the heart of the poem, the narrator is exploring the existence of these animals as walking corpses and ghosts haunting the farms but not really living.  In a way the poem itself is haunting, forcing readers to contemplate these farms where animals are bred to be something other than themselves, serving mostly as food.

Strange Meeting (page 22-3)

Is this how an animal feels
on the other side of a human eye?

I was a woman speaking
to men I didn’t know.

Large and strong, they
knew about power
in ways I may never

I sat framed and assessed
no threat a square jaw decided
negligible bent knuckles said

I looked back through my animal
eye, saw

the slit throat of the cow
in the leather shoe

the poisons deep in the soil
where the cotton grew

the felled trees
of the papers stacked

the mountains leveled
in the electric hum of light and heat
where we sat.

I saw clearly
all they had done and would do
to make a world we’d be losing fast.

I saw why it was lost.
And I saw how we would lose it.

In some poems, Kirkpatrick weaves in the teachings of Buddhism, but in some instances, those teachings cannot stop the suffering. “After Zazen” explores the many forms of suffering facing humanity, including accidental swallowing of stones to cause near suffocation and death and the invasion of one country into another. Raising questions about suffering on many fronts, the narrators are searching for ways to end it or at least ease the pain. Meditation may not be the best solution or it could be. Beyond these moments of suffering, the narrator blur the lines between animal and human to find the similarities of feelings and behaviors, but to also outline the loyalties that have been forgotten, like that of a dog and master. Perhaps that loyalty should be expanded to include other aspects of nature.

Our Held Animal Breath by Kathryn Kirkpatrick offers a wide range of poems for discussion in book clubs, focused on the impact of human activity on the environment and the changes that are possible if we just think outside the box.  What are the ways that we can brainstorm to feed ourselves and continue to live and grow without harming other animals and nature.  While the brown of the cover is a bit off-putting; the shoe seems out of place on the wire fence, though that may be on purpose given the sometimes out of place nature of our own existence in the world.

About the Poet:

Raised in the nomadic subculture of the U.S. military, Kathryn Kirkpatrick was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and grew up in the Phillipines, Germany, Texas and the Carolinas.  Today she lives with her husband, Will, and their two shelties in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and she currently holds a dual appointment at Appalachian State University as a Professor in the English Department and the Sustainable Development Program. She has a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Emory University, where she received an Academy of American Poets poetry prize.

Giveaway:  1 copy of Our Held Animal Breath

Want to win a copy of her book?  Leave a comment below with an email

I’ll contact the randomly drawn winner, who must be age 18 or older and live in US or Canada as the publisher is sponsoring the giveaway.  Deadline to enter is June 17, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST

This is my 23rd book for the Dive Into Poetry Challenge 2013.

 

 

 

This is my 35th book for the 2013 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: challenges, Dive Into Poetry Challenge 2013, giveaway, New Authors Challenge, poetry, Publishers/Publicists, Read in 2013, review copy, reviews, tlc book tours Tagged With: ,

Giveaway: Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

May 31, 2013 by

Beth Hoffman is a talented writer, and she keeps telling me that I increase her poetry to-read list, which makes me happy.  However, today is not about poetry in the most literal sense, but in the sense that Hoffman has a wonderful writing style.

I adored her first novel, Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt (my review), and I am looking forward to reading her new book, Looking for Me, on my upcoming vacation.

From GoodReads:

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop.  Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky.  It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.  But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

While I haven’t read this one yet, I have seen some great reviews, like these:

From Life in the Thumb:  “She made me love Teddi before I was done with chapter one. She made me cry, smile, sigh, laugh, and wish so hard that I could step into the pages of her story.”

From S. Krishna’s Books:  “It’s so much fun to immerse yourself in this novel, to imagine sipping at a glass of sweet tea while reading it. Hoffman brings the South to life for the reader; her descriptions are vivid and she includes details that will both enchant and delight readers.”

From Booking Mama:  “Any one who has read CEECEE knows that Beth has a knack for storytelling and creating memorable characters, but I think she’s outdone herself with LOOKING FOR ME. I absolutely loved Teddi and I loved being along on her journey to self-discovery.”

From Beth Fish Reads:  “In fact, such dichotomous combinations color the novel. The writing is beautiful yet homey; the plot is simple yet complex; and we are in turns both smiling and teary. In a word, Beth Hoffman has written about real life. One of Hoffman’s greatest strengths is in how easy it is to become emotionally involved with her characters.”

Do I have you convinced yet? I am.

If you’d like to win a paperback copy of Beth Hoffman’s Looking for Me, please leave your name, comment, and email address below. 

You must be 18 and up to enter.  The giveaway copy has been provided by the author.

Deadline to enter is June 7, 2013 at 11:59 PM

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: ,

Guest Post & Giveaway: Sweet Treats in The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor

March 26, 2013 by

The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor becomes the center of Daisy McCrae’s life, even though she feels out of place as an adopted child and out of sorts with the life she expected to lead after breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job.

With my recent discoveries in foodie fiction, it should come as no surprise that I’d be interested in reading Taylor’s book, which includes recipes.  There will be a giveaway after the guest post for 1 copy to U.S./Canadian residents.  So stay tuned for that in a little bit.

Please give Taylor a warm welcome as she talks about her book, recipes, and more.

It seemed fitting that a book set in a bakery would include recipes. However, I knew when I was writing the novel, I couldn’t just include any recipe. I had to incorporate recipes that not only offered tempting flavors but also conveyed emotions and memories.

THE UNION STREET BAKERY is the story of Daisy and her two sisters Rachel and Margaret who are bound together by a failing family bakery they each want to save. Each has their own journey and favorite sweet treat that has special meaning to them.

The bakery’s sugar cookies are one of my heroine Daisy’s first memories. They were the last treat her birth mother bought her before she abandoned her at the bakery as a three year old in the bakery cafe. For years when Daisy baked the cookies she couldn’t help but taste the sweetness and the bitterness.

There’s also a taste of history with Hennie’s Freedom cakes. These savory crackers were a staple for many of the nineteenth century sailors who came and went from the port city of Old Town Alexandria. They were also the only source of income for a nineteenth century slave who made and sold the crackers during her very rare, precious free moments.

Even Mike’s Chocolate Espresso Torte is poignant. It’s delicious and quite decadent but it too carries sad memories. Daisy’s sister, Rachel, can’t make the beloved bakery favorite without remembering her late husband who created the cake.

I hope you get a chance to bake a few of the recipes I’ve included in the back of THE UNION STREET BAKERY. And just to give you a taste of things to come, I’ve included Mike’s Chocolate Espresso Torte. Enjoy!

Mike’s Chocolate Espresso Torte

¾ pound butter
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup strong coffee
¾ pound semisweet chocolate chopped up
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler. Mix the eggs and sugar together but not to the point that they are frothy. Slowly mix the chocolate/butter mixture into the egg/sugar mixture. Add coffee and stir well. Pour this mixture into a greased 8-inch spring form pan. Bake the torte at 350 degrees for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 300 degrees and bake for one hour.

There is no way to tell if the torte is done by looking at it or sticking a knife into it. Just take out of the oven after an hour. It will be high, like a soufflé at first but will sink down in a few minutes. Let it sit until it is completely cooled. Refrigerate overnight. Unmold, slice and serve.

If you try out the recipe, you’ll have to stop back and talk about how good it tasted. My mouth is watering already.  Thanks, Mary for joining us today.

For the giveaway, leave a comment here about your favorite “sweet treat” recipe.

Deadline for U.S./Canadian entrants is March 29, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST

Filed Under: giveaway, guest post

Six Sisters’ Stuff: Family Recipes, Fun Crafts, and Much More & 4×4 Dinner Giveaway/Challenge

March 5, 2013 by

Six Sisters’ Stuff:  Family Recipes, Fun Crafts, and So Much More! is a flexible paperback cookbook that not only includes gorgeous photos of entrees, appetizers, and desserts, but also a variety of crafts to keep your kids occupied and to dress up the table.  Camille, Kristen, Elyse, Stephanie, Lauren, and Kendra are biological sisters and know what it means to have a busy life, but they still make time for family dinners and this book includes 100 easy-to-follow recipes using ingredients commonly found in your pantry.

The full-color photos in this cookbook will make your mouth water even if you’ve just eaten dinner.  From the main meals to the slow cooker meals, these women have made cooking for a family incredibly easy and simple with these recipes.  There are salads, sides, and breads, plus dessert — oh, the dessert.  (I made one for book club, see photos and reaction below)  But this book is not only about the food and having family meals together, but it also is about spending time with family whether it’s on a road trip or inside on a rainy day (I’ll be testing these out in the coming weeks).

There are projects ranging from creating simple decorations like a snowman out of blocks and felt bows to more complex projects like bookshelves made out of pallets.  These projects are sure to occupy family members and make the house look more beautiful.  The sisters also offer advice on spring cleaning, which may seem like common sense but for a first time homeowner with a new kid the task can be overwhelming.  There also are healthy snack ideas, fun date ideas to keep the romance alive, and a weekly breakdown on how to build a 72-hour emergency kit for the entire family.

Six Sisters’ Stuff:  Family Recipes, Fun Crafts, and So Much More! is appealing to look at, create from, and learn.  It’s not only about cooking a healthy meal in a short amount of time with the ingredients on hand, but it’s also focused on ensuring that family time becomes a priority.  Readers will have no choice but to dig in and start creating.  Delicious family recipes ready to fill watering mouths and simple crafts to spruce up any busy home.

My baking experience with Mom’s Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies:

As is usual with me, I was pulled in a hundred different directions and had to improvise the recipe, though I do plan to make this recipe the way it is written at some point.  I wanted to make these for book club in February, but with little time, I turned to my favorite box brownie mix, Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie mix, which never fails me.  And I quickly found the brownie pan I chose would require me to use 2 boxes, which met the hubby had to run out and get a second box.

But then I made the Chocolate frosting from the recipe for on top of the marshmallows.  The recipe called for 2-3 cups of powdered sugar, but I found out quickly that 2 cups was too little because the frosting was soupy, so I had to make it 3 cups for the right consistency.  Once I got the frosting made, i spread it on top of the marshmallows (which I really didn’t need the whole bag of).

The pan must have still been a bit warm because the frosting melted a little too much over the marshmallows, making it an even gooier mess than I expected, but it didn’t seem to matter to the book club members who were eager to try it.  I just had to have the first piece, and one of the corners, since those are my favorite!  I took a close up of one piece to share with everyone.  YUM!

Six Sisters photoAbout the Six Sisters:

In February 2011, we started our blog SixSistersStuff.com. After years of living close to one another, we were being pulled in many different directions- one sister moved to the West coast, another sister followed her husband to medical school, one moved away to college, and another sister had just lost a baby. We needed each other now more than ever and we used our blog as a way to stay in touch.

Before we started blogging, we were constantly calling each other for recipe ideas, craft projects, and ways to keep our children entertained during those long winter days. The blog was the perfect way for us to share those ideas with each other and we were having so much fun doing it. We are all busy, whether it’s with our kids, jobs, school, husbands, community involvement, or something else eating up our time, so all the recipes and projects you will find on this blog are quick and easy! Our recipes are family favorites that use ingredients that can commonly be found in your pantry and our crafts and home decor projects can be made with little or no money. We don’t claim to be amazing chefs- we just know the importance of feeding your family a home-cooked meal and sitting down to eat it together.

 

This is my 12th book for the 2013 New Authors Challenge.

 

 

About the 4×4 Dinner Challenge:

4X4 dinner challenge

  • Pledging to accept the 4×4 Dinner Challenge means the family will eat together at least four times per week for four weeks.
  • Families are encouraged to register online, and they will receive meal tips, ideas for family activities, and helpful recipes to make meeting the challenge easy.

To win a copy of this colorful cook book, do the following:

  1. Like the Six Sister’s STUFF Facebook page and join the 4×4 Dinner Challenge
  2. Click the 4×4 Family dinner banner on the Website (on the right sidebar) and leave a comment joining the challenge.
  3. Come back here and leave a comment on this post about what you’d like to check out in Six Sisters’ Stuff.

Deadline to enter is March 10, 2013, at 11:59 PM EST.

Filed Under: challenges, giveaway, New Authors Challenge, nonfiction, Read in 2013, Reference, review copy, reviews Tagged With: ,

Giveaway: The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs

February 19, 2013 by

I’ve got a treat for those readers who adore fiction set in the 1940s and deal with family secrets.  The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs is earning early praise from the Romantic Times Book Review, which said:

Sachs’ latest is so beautiful in every aspect that readers will have difficulty pinpointing the best parts. Rich in San Francisco history with brilliant characters you’ll warm up to, the two different story lines will enrapture you as well. Both women’s romances will have readers blushing and rooting for love to prosper. Elegant and tasteful, this novel is not to be missed.

What intrigues me about this book is that it is told in flashbacks, which can be tricky for writers.  And Dana Sachs’ novel is based on some true events from her own history as a Jewish American, and the inspiration for Goldie comes from her own centenarian grandmother.

Here’s a bit about the book:

Anna, a 35-year-old woman struggling to cope with the recent loss of her husband and desperately trying to get out of an emotional rut, receives an odd call one day from her estranged and feisty 85-year-old grandmother, Goldie Rosenthal. When Goldie invites Anna to accompany her on a trip across the country to return a collection of Japanese artwork to its original owner, a mysterious friend in San Francisco, Anna decides to put their differences aside and join the adventure. Goldie, however, is not upfront with Anna about the reason for the trip or the background of the artwork, and keeps these secrets to herself.

Through flashbacks to Goldie’s young adulthood as a Jewish American in San Francisco during the 1940s, readers are introduced to the Nakamura family. Goldie and Mayumi Nakamura work together at Feld’s, a luxury department store, and quickly become close friends. It’s not long before Goldie meets Mayumi’s sophisticated and outspoken brother, Henry, that the siblings introduce Goldie to a world of art, fashion, and culture that she had never imagined existed. Those joys evaporate, however, when Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. The attack puts the Nakamuras on the other side of an unbridgeable chasm of racism and paranoia that leads to their expulsion from San Francisco and subsequent internment in remote camps far from the coast. Just as her granddaughter Anna will have to find a way to leave heartbreak behind sixty years later, Goldie must learn to move on.

Booklist has said: “As with most well-crafted literary journeys, it’s not really about the destination, but this one does feature a sweetly surprising, cinematically styled twist at the end of the road. An ideal recommendation for the book-club set.”

Also, feel free to check out some of the reviews from the TLC Book Tours.

If these early responses and the book description have piqued your interest, please leave a comment below before Feb. 23, 2013, at 11:59 PM EST.  Must be a U.S. resident with a U.S. address to enter for 1 copy.

Filed Under: announcements, giveaway

Winners of The Realm of The Lost

February 14, 2013 by

The 2 winners of the ecopies of The Realm of the Lost by Emma Eden Ramos are:

Anna of Diary of an Eccentric

and

Julie of Booking Mama

Congrats to you both!  I hope you enjoy meeting Mikey and all the rest.

Filed Under: announcements, winners Tagged With: ,

Giveaway and Interview with Pam Jenoff, Author of The Ambassador’s Daughter

February 13, 2013 by

The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Jenoff is set in Paris in 1919, a time when the world’s leaders are attempting to rebuild after the Great War, WWI.  Margot Rosenthal comes with her father, a German diplomat, to a peace conference, but soon finds herself trapped and contemplating a return to Berlin and her wounded fiancé, Stefan, rather than endure the lingering anger against Germans in the City of Light.  Check out some sample chapters.

Jenoff has crafted a number of novels in the past about WWII and WWI, international intrigue and espionage, and romance.  You can check out my review of Almost Home.

Today, I’ve got a treat for my readers as a prelude my review of her latest novel, The Ambassador’s Daughter — an interview with Pam Jenoff and a giveaway.

1. What book has impacted you the most?

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. She combines her practice of Zen Buddhism with creative writing that just broke me wide open. Her approach really got me writing in the mid-nineties, which paved the way to my career as a novelist.

2. What are you currently reading?

With three small children, I’m usually reading something that rhymes or has lots of pictures. For myself, I read in spurts, lots at once, then not much when I’m researching. I’m actually between books at the moment, but I just placed a huge order of books and am eager to receive it.

3. Any advice to aspiring writers?

I would tell aspiring writers three things. First, you have to be tenacious. For a long time it didn’t look as if The Kommandant’s Girl was going to get picked up. But with the help of my agent, I developed the attitude that if this one doesn’t sell, the next one will. You just have to keep on knocking at the door until it opens.

Second, you have to be disciplined. Writing takes a lot of time, and I’m not just talking about the first draft. There are the revisions, and then there’s the business marketing side of it. You have to make choices in order to consistently carve out the time for your writing, if it is going to be important to you.

Finally, the single biggest skill that has helped me as a writer is having the ability to revise. My books have gone through dozens of rewrites from first draft to publication. Many times I had to take broad, conceptual suggestions from my agent or editor and incorporate them into the work. Often I wasn’t sure if I liked or agreed with the changes. Sometimes I would take the leap of faith and see if the changes worked (they almost always did). Other times I would go back to whoever was making the suggestion and say, “Whoa, let’s slow down here and revisit” in order to negotiate changes that made the story better without destroying my gut-level instinct about the spirit of the book. But ultimately, I truly believe my ability to integrate those changes made all the difference.

4. If you could pen any previously printed work as your own it would be —-fill in the blank—-because—-fill in the blank.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. When I was in college, someone read the whole thing aloud to me, bit by bit in the evenings and it was magical.

5. Did you base any of your characters on any real people in your life?

I try not to base my work on real life. I think that real life makes for great setting, but terrible plot. That said, a few characters might remind me of people I know or physically resemble them. And I once had the distinct pleasure of seeing an ex-boyfriend after many years and telling him, “I’m killing you off in my next book. What would you like your name to be?”

Thanks, Pam, for joining us today and sharing your thoughts on books and writing.

To enter to win The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Jenoff, you must be a US/Canada resident and leave a comment on this post by Feb. 16, 2013.

Filed Under: giveaway, Interviews Tagged With: , ,

Giveaway: The Realm of the Lost by Emma Eden Ramos

February 5, 2013 by

The Realm of the Lost by Emma Eden Ramos, a middle-grade fantasy novella about a 13-year-old girl, opens up a new world to readers, but also gives them pause about how they act and react in their own real lives, especially when angry or disappointed.  Ramos has an uncanny talent for creating a feisty young woman who is growing up and finding it hard to balance the changes that happen in her family life.

I reviewed Ramos’ novella in October 2012, and really enjoyed it, hoping the author would write more about these realms and the people Kat meets.  You can check out my review.

Today, I’ve got a treat for you, dear readers, a character interview and excerpt from Ramos’ novella, plus a giveaway of 2 e-copies; without further ado, please check out the interview and excerpt and enter the giveaway:

The Interview:

Today I am joined by The Realm of the Lost’s eight-year-old Mikey. Hey, Mikey, How’ve you been?

Pretty swell, I think.

You think?

Well, you know. I just…I still get into trouble sometimes.

Still? I know that was a big issue for you in the past.

Yea, I know. I guess I talk too much.

Let’s say you sometimes speak out of turn. Have you been in any trouble lately?

No, but I will be.

Really?

I shouldn’t even be talking to you. You know that!

Okay. We’ll make this quick then. I’m just checking in.

Alright. I just hope no one around here finds out.

In The Realm of the Lost, you are one of Kat’s guides, her realm brother. What was that like? A lot of responsibility, I bet.

Oh, yea! Realm brothers and sisters are very important. And I’m an old-timer, you know. Sure, I’m only eight, but I’ve been here a long time! I know this place better than anyone.

I don’t know if I’d go that far.

I would. I know this realm better than you do!

Mikey!

Sorry.

Can you briefly explain what a realm brother is?

Sure. Realm brothers and sisters are like regular brothers and sisters, only they’re not related to you. They were never part of your family on earth. In fact, you probably didn’t even know them when you were alive!

So when Kat came to The Realm of the Lost, did you immediately like having her as your realm sister?

No. Well, I did until she got bossy. Then I didn’t like her for a short time. But I got used to her.

When people read Kat’s story, they may have some questions about your past.

Why?

Because it’s interesting! You’re interesting. Still, The Realm of the Lost is mainly Kat’s story.

Does that mean she’ll get all the attention?

Well, yea. As I said, it’s her story. She tells the story.

Can I tell a story, too?

Maybe, if you want to. It’s a lot of work to tell a whole story.

I don’t think it’s that hard at all. I tell lots of stories.

Okay. We’ll have to talk about that a little later. Before I let you go, is there anything you’d like to tell those who will be reading The Ream of the Lost?

Yes. Tell them that I tell stories too! But not now. Darkness is on its way. I have to go!

Bye, Mikey. And thanks for chatting.

Goodbye. Don’t forget to tell them. I’ll see you all soon.

Yes, you sure will.

Emma Eden Ramos

Excerpt:

It was warm when I came to, and I felt no pain. Standing with ease, I bent over and inspected my pant-legs, searching for some remnant of dirt or ice. Nothing. Could this be a dream?

Then I noticed a bright orange ray reflecting off my necklace. The glare almost blinded me. I surveyed my surroundings.

Positioned atop solid dirt ground, I gasped in awe. Pine trees stood skyscraper high, haloed by dusty golden light. The sound of chirping birds echoed all around, and I spotted, to my left, what looked like a duck, but with a sharper and more pronounced beak. Bending down to inspect the creature as it waddled past, I heard a small voice from behind me.

“If you’re a poacher, you belong in the under realm.”

“What?” I asked, turning to face a boy who couldn’t be more than eight. He wore navy blue shorts that folded at the tips of his scrawny knees. His white-collared shirt, grey vest and checkered cap reminded me of something out of an old movie. I couldn’t help smiling as he stood, arms crossed, with an air of authority.

“If you’re a poacher, you are in the wrong realm,” the boy said.

“I’m not a poacher. I’ve been in an accident and–wrong realm?”

The boy sighed, twiddling his thumbs in a way that made me think of my brother.

“Okay,” he continued, after an awkward pause. “Well, first, do you know where you are?”

“Like I said, I was in an accident. I guess I passed out. I don’t–I’m not sure if my mother knows–”

“Oh. No. She wouldn’t know a thing like this.”

“A thing like what?” I demanded, stomping my foot.

“That you’ve come to the Realm of the Lost.”

Chapter two: First Journey

I opened my mouth to respond, to tell the odd boy I wasn’t in the mood for fantasy and games but I was cut off by a more grown-up sounding female voice. “Mikey! Mikey, how many times has Miss A told you? You’re not to explain anything to the newcomers!”

“She asked,” Mikey protested, fidgeting with his hands. “I can’t help if people ask me. And you can’t blame me this time because I was the first one here.”

“Shush!” the voice snapped, its owner walking out from behind one of the tall trees. She was in her mid-teens and had beautiful olive skin. Her thick black hair fell past her waist, and I immediately felt captivated by her deep-set brown eyes. “You can be such a pest.” She glared at Mikey. “And she didn’t ask. I know that be–”

“Excuse me,” I interrupted. “My mother is home with my brother. I should be with my sister Ellie. We were supposed to walk to school together, but we had a fight and Ellie–“

I have 2 e-copies of the novella up for grabs. For those interested, leave a comment here asking Mikey a question. Deadline to enter is Feb. 10, 2013, at 12 PM EST.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: ,

New Year’s Winners

January 16, 2013 by

These commenters won Ruby Urlocker’s collection:

Beth Hoffman

Anna of Diary of an Eccentric

Rebecca of Lost in Books

 

 

The winner of Erica Bauermeister’s book:

Janel Gradowski

 

 

 

 

The winner of The Jane Austen Handbook:

Tina from Novel Meals

 

 

 

The winner of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies:

KarenK

Filed Under: giveaway, winners Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Giveaway: Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice Turns 200

January 8, 2013 by

Jane Austen is best know for her novels and her close-knit family, particularly her relationship with Cassandra, who painted a famous portrait of her sister and for burning a number of her sister’s letters following her death.  Following her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, Austen turned to her second novel, Pride & Prejudice, originally titled First Impressions.  Her second novel has been one of my favorites for many years, and I think I’ve read it at least five times or at least parts of it at any given moment.  Each time I read it, I learn or discover something new, and I think that is the mark of a successful author.

January 28, 2013 is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, Pride & Prejudice.  Austen’s novel examines the differences between social classes, elements of marriage and morality, and comments on the societal expectations regarding the manners and education of women in different circles.  It is often considered a great love story even as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy spar with one another and must overcome great adversity and societal impediments to find their way back to one another. 

The novel and the author have become so popular in modern society that a number of spinoffs, continuations, and re-tellings have cropped up in recent years, and there are a number of blogs dedicated to her novels and those other novels and books.  Facebook even has a page dedicated to the 200th birthday of Pride & Prejudice.  Check it out.

As part of my Jane Austen celebration, check out the giveaway below.

Quirk Books is offering one copy of The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret C. Sullivan to one winner in the United States, Canada, or United Kingdom.

I reviewed this in February of 2011, and said that it was “a great companion for the Jane Austen fanatic and fan because it offers guidance on how young men and women navigated a complex set of social rules and even broke them at times.  As each moment in life is addressed, Sullivan also offers moments in Austen’s work where traditions are bent.”

If you want to check out my interview with Sullivan, feel free.  She offers some great insights into her love of Austen and what books she recommends for fellow Austen lovers.

Quirk Books is offering one copy of Pride & Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith to one winner in the United States, Canada, or United Kingdom.

In my review from 2010, I called the novel “an exercise in revision and an examination of Austen’s characters in a new light.  Many readers will disagree with Grahame-Smith’s portrayal of Lizzy as a cutthroat assassin who is quickly turned by her own emotions or strict sense of duty and honor, particularly since she often talks of dispatching her peers for slighting her family, imagines beheading her own sister Lydia simply because she prattles on, and other unmentionable actions.”

To enter for one or both of these books, leave a comment about the first time you read Jane Austen and what you enjoyed about her work or the first time you read Pride & Prejudice and why you would reread it.  If you have never read Austen before, leave a comment about what book you’d be interested in reading and why.

Deadline to enter is Jan. 11, 2013, at 11:59 PM EST.

Filed Under: giveaway, Publishers/Publicists, Quirk Classics Tagged With: , , , , ,

183rd Virtual Poetry Circle

January 5, 2013 by

Welcome to the 183rd Virtual Poetry Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

Also, sign up for the 2013 Dive Into Poetry Challenge because its simple; you only need to read 1 book of poetry. Please visit the stops on the 2012 National Poetry Month Blog Tour.

Today’s poem is from Ruby Urlocker:

Hidden People

There’s a man between my bedroom floor
And the wooden kitchen ceiling.
I heard him once when I was younger,
Before the walls started peeling
And there I sat in the bedroom, reading
And I heard the sound of feet.
Loud echoing shoes from under me
In sync with my heart beat.

My mother told me it was nothing,
My father only scoffed
And as the rolling days went by
They eventually forgot.
One morning I combed my six year old hair
And my reflection made me cry
For instead of the freckled face I knew
With glimmering mischievous eyes
I saw a woman with skin like snow
And eyes, two empty sockets,
Grinning at me as I gasped in horror,
My little hands clutching my pockets.

Then she faded away and left me there,
Crying my eyes out in hopeless despair
And wondering why her long flowing hair
Was only strands of cobwebs.
When I was eight I became best friends
With a boy who I found in my closet.
He’d be there staring back at me
Each time I unhooked the locket
To my many clothes and things
Because I wanted to see him again.

We wrote down our hearts
In permanent pen
All across the closet wall
And laughed and whispered until the nightfall
When my mother would tuck me in.
His eyes were the twinkling midnight sky
As we talked of mystery
And I did not stop to wonder why
Nobody else could see him.

As I grew older I did not sense
As much of the secret world
The figures slowly disappeared
Along with the little girl.
But even now I’m afraid of the dark
And I wake up to somebody singing
So far away that it’s more like a whisper
That tingles and leaves my ears ringing.

I used to think I’d never see
My ghostly friends again
When the silence between us was so long
My conscience would pretend
They never existed and I’d only dreamed
Of the beautiful and horribleness
My family had never seen.
I put on makeup and watched more TV
And detached the shadowy part of me.
That playful and magical mystery
Was a figure that lost its way
In the sea of labels and one way traffic
And words we’re forbidden to say.

And I let my hair turn gray
And my face grew wrinkles across it.
The friendly spidery shadow of mine
Turned to mist and I thought I had lost it
Until last night when I turned on the light
Of my dingy old bedroom closet
And felt my questioning face turn white.
There was a boy with tear-stained cheeks
Who turned his head to me,
A sparkling fragment lost in the storm
And turned to a memory
And an ignorant woman, taken by surprise
Who met the gaze of his unforgiving eyes.

About the Poet:

Ruby Urlocker is a teenaged author, singer and songwriter. She has been writing and publishing stories since she was seven. Ruby lives with her family and dog, Rufus, a wheaten terrier. Monsters in my Closet is Ruby’s fourth book.

What do you think?

If you want to win a copy of Ruby’s book, please leave a comment below about the poem.  U.S./Canada residents only

Deadline to enter is Jan. 11, 2013, at 11:59 PM EST

Filed Under: giveaway, virtual poetry circle Tagged With: ,