Karen Rivers - Blog - where the elephants are waiting to fly.

There are posts on the writing craft, on writing books, writing novels. And then there are _posts_. The ones that are so magical and right you are left wow-ing. I'm wow-ing.

Karen Rivers - Blog - where the elephants are waiting to fly.:

Just Deb...: Oh(MG-YA)Canada

Oh(MG-YA)Canada is gearing up for fall with an interviews and give aways! Stay tuned and watch for Judith Graves, Terry Lynn Johnson and Jo Treggiari to name just a few!

If you are a Canadian author of YA or MG and you would like to be featured, please do contact me!

Three Writing Reads and a book I can't wait to read!

A timely post after my most recent rejection. I think what struck me is how Andrea does what I do. Start the cleaning, the laundry, the anything, but then realizes what she’s up to and moves it along! And of course once you get moving it back along you are into the pure _joy_ of writing and story creation!

That's Another Story: Four Ways to Keep Motivated for Writing


I am currently reading ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick…now there is someone who _really_ knows how to make it worse for her character who is _already_ going through some crazy hard things. Bick also manages to keep the book about characters driving the plot, which I love. As it happens, thanks to an Adventures in Children’s Publishing (@4kidlit) tweet this morning, I came up the following article. Way. Cool.


Cheryl's Musings: Tuesday Ten: Ways to Increase Story Tension


Rounding the writing reads out with some good, good advice on being sure to fill up your writing well. We do need that water and inspiration and won’t get it spending all our time in front of the computer.


Shannon Whitney Messenger: Filling the Well

And that book? HOUND DOG TRUE by Linda Urban author of A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT.



Abby the Librarian: Hound Dog True


Happy Wednesday, all! Now…off to read and write and write and read.

Skype Tour Bus Is Raring To Go– Win and Welcome Uma Krishnaswami and um me Tami Lewis Brown | From the Mixed-Up Files...

Two must read middle grade novels, THE MAP OF ME and THE GRAND PLAN TO FIX EVERYTHING are being featured on the Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors. Check them out! It includes a chance to win something uber special...

Skype Tour Bus Is Raring To Go– Win and Welcome Uma Krishnaswami and um me Tami Lewis Brown | From the Mixed-Up Files...:

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday-PETER NIMBLE AND HIS FANTASTIC EYES by Jonathan Auxier

Yay for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and Shannon Whitney Messenger for coming up with the idea. It is a wonderful, or should I say marvelous (!), way to start off the week of celebrating reading and writing for children and teens. There are many of us now and I love blog hopping from one to the next.

Those of you who read book reviews and blogs regularly have already seen, I am sure, PETER NIMBLE AND HIS FANTASTIC EYES by Jonathan Auxier. If this is one you have been meaning to check out or buy or borrow...do it now (please). You won't be disappointed. The author takes you on a journey of imagination and fearless writing with a character you cannot wait to realize he is a true hero. Peter's beginnings are sad and scary-but they make you cheer him on because you just know he is a hero. The worlds and characters Peter meets are amazing. The kind that will grab your young readers and pull them in because they know they are reading the words of a writer who is not afraid to imagine big, just like they do. This Thursday I am skyping in to my old kids book club (we moved) and needless to say I will be telling them about Peter and recommending my old library purchase a copy for the collection. The Cybils are coming up, won't be surprised to see this on there.

From Good Reads:

"Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware that they make the very best thieves. As you can well imagine, blind children have incredible senses of smell, and they can tell what lies behind a locked door- be it fine cloth, gold, or peanut brittle- at fifty paces. Moreover, their fingers are so small and nimble that they can slip right through keyholes, and their ears so keen that they can hear the faint clicks and clacks of every moving part inside even the most complicated lock. Of course, the age of great thievery has long since passed;today there are few child-thieves left, blind or otherwise. At one time, however, the world was simply thick with them. This is the story of the greatest thief who ever lived. His name, as you've probably guessed, is Peter Nimble."

You can check out more about Peter here and more about the author here.

And--go here to to check out some more regular MMGM posters.

Enjoy the day all!

Winner of WILDWOOD is...

Commenter number 2 as picked by Random Org.

And commenter number two is...

Barbara Watson!

Congrats Barbara!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday-A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT by Linda Urban

Taking a look back with A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT by Linda Urban.

From Indie Bound:


Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience's applause. All she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and then she'll be well on her way to Carnegie Hall. But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe's dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn't the same as mastering Beethoven on the piano. And the organ isn't the only part of Zoe's life that's off-kilter, what with Mom constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day.           Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises--and that perfection may be even better when it's just a little off center.


I think I have said this before, but this was a pitch perfect contemporary middle grade novel. Zoe is the kind of character kids cheer for. They want what she wants because they are pulled into the story from the beginning. Needless to say it did my heart good when a new member of our book club joined us and she shared her favorite favorite book-yep-A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT. Next meeting I brought my personal copy to share and one girl loved it so much she borrowed it from me twice. Zoe will win your heart to, she is funny and loveable and your heart goes out with to her as she deals with a mom who seems not too interested in her. 

And of course I should mention that Linda's new book, HOUND DOG TRUE out Sept. 20 and I am getting it. Why? Because I loved A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT. 


Happy Marvelous Middle Grade Monday! And don't forget to check out the following blogs to see what they have cookin' today:


Our fearless leader and the brains behind MMGM-Shannon Whitney Messenger-Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe 


Joanne Fritz-My Brain on Books
Shannon O'Donnell-Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster-The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen- Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre-Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero-Somewhere in the Middle
Ally Beecher- Kid Lit Frenzy
Barbara Watson-Novel and Nouveau
Anita Laydon Miller-her middle grade blog
Michael G-G-Middle Grade Mafioso
Jessica Lei-her blog  
Pam Torres-So I'm Fifty

I'm Joining In-MonsterFest 2011 » Tell Great Stories

Fridays in October I'm hanging with some monsters, oh yeah. Banshee, Griffin, Kelpie and Sluagh will in the house, er, I mean on my blog. All thanks to Sommer Leigh over on Tell Great Stories. Why not check it out and join in some scary good fun?

MonsterFest 2011 » Tell Great Stories

BOO! Or ARRRRR OOOOO, depending on what the monster you choose to feature does. One of mine hunts down souls, not sure what kind of sound they make--maybe I don't really want to know?

Three Writing Reads and A Giveaway

This is a whole series well worth watching. Found the Guest Lesson from Elle Strauss especially helpful as I continue to work on my middle grade, HAPPY MEDIUM, adding bones, skin and eyeballs!

Writing Secrets with Jenni James: Lesson 12: A Song and Bonus Lesson w/Canadian Author Elle Strauss

This next post, I read last week. So, so important to keep believe in yourself. It’s hard to do sometimes, I know. But in the end it really does come down to that and your passion for what you do.

Shannon Whitney Messenger: Do you Believe?

And, depending on where you are in your writing you might be looking for a crit partner or beta reader. I know when the times comes I am doing a full manuscript exchange, It works better, for me, than doing it a few chapters at a time.

Rach Writes...: Beta Match - Are you looking for a critique partner or a beta reader?

And now the giveaway-it’s mine and your have until midnight tonight.

Just Deb...: Marvelous Middle Grade Monday & Giveaway of Wildwood by Colin Meloy & Carson Ellis

Illustrator Wednesday-Lincoln Agnew plus giveaway of HARRY AND HORSIE

Welcome to Illustrator Wednesday!

So many illustrators I admire it is hard to pick one. But, pick one I will. And that one is Lincoln Agnew, the illustrator off the ultra fabulous Harry and Horsie by Kate Van Camp.

I adore the retro illustrations of this book. The colors, the feel--perfect for the story told and a great add to your picture book collection. They draw you into space (literally) and an adventure you and your young listeners will want to return to again and again.

Here is an interview with him in preparation for an upcoming conference in Calgary. A conference I am attending. Will do my best to not go fan girl when I get my copy of Harry and Horsie signed.

If you have a feature, interview, special blog post, favorite illustrator you want to share, just leave a comment and throughout the day I will be sure to return and update this post.

Faith Hough stopped by to share her love of  Deborah Freedman, author/illustrator of Scribble, and the new book Blue Chicken!

Nichole shared a video interview with Rob Ryan.

Even In Australia recommended Elisa Kleven and her book The Lion and the Little Red Bird in particular.

Camille at A Curious Thing invites us to check out Helen Oxenbury's latest book.

Jeff Barger stopped by to share a review of Magic Trash which has fantastic illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Some of the best he's seen this year!

And finally, from The Book Chook, a review of her new favorite picture book this week. 

Happy Illustrator Wednesday! And...

GIVEAWAY! If you comment and share a favorite illustrator you will be entered to win Harry and Horsie. Canada and U.S. only and you have until Midnight (mst) tonight.

Three Writing Reads and A Video

I am plotting out my latest novel. It will be interesting (for me) to see if the energy for writing the story stays the same as when I “pants” a novel--one thing is for sure (er, I hope!) is there will not be as much to clean up as I work through the next drafts. When I take a break from the writing, writing I like to wonder about a look for articles, blogs, tips on writing. Things that resonated with me today, include this:

AdviceToWriters - Home - Use Everything (so true, you do have to include even your best character’s ugly bits. think 3D)

and this:

#Amwriting (dot org) - The Amwriting Community (I have no idea the #amwriting hashtag had a website. How cool! Just all around great to connect with other writers, I say)

and this because it is full of advice:

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? | Kathy Stinson, Canadian Author of Books for Young People

That’s three writing reads, hope you enjoyed. Up next “A Video”.

One of my favourite youtube series on writing comes from Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers. And, happily she has started posting her second series which will take you through studying novels and there plots. As you follow along on the series she will refer back to the first set of vids she posted, PLOT A NOVEL, MEMOIR, SCREENPLAY.

marthaalderson's Channel - YouTube

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday & Giveaway of Wildwood by Colin Meloy & Carson Ellis

Happy Marvelous Middle Grade Monday everyone! Finally back up and running in the land of internet and can’t think of a better day to start it off with. And can’t think of a better book. It was one I picked up from Chapters in Lethbridge and I devoured it. Well. Devoured it except when I was reading it really slow so I could savour the language and world and stopping the reading entirely so I could stay in the world a little longer…if that makes sense. Right then. The book? Here it be:

From Indie Bound:

Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary. At least until her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows. And then things get really weird.

You see, on every map of Portland, Oregon, there is a big splotch of green on the edge of the city labeled “I.W.” This stands for “Impassable Wilderness.” No one’s ever gone in—or at least returned to tell of it.

And this is where the crows take her brother.

So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend Curtis deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval, a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much bigger as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness.

A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.


This tale captivated me from the opening chapter. So rich in language and setting, characters, world building it begs to be read out loud. Now, I have no kids at home, so yes I chased down my husband with “you have to listen to this part.” I know a book is going to make it into my book talk pile when I start thinking of how I will share it. Still working out the book talks, but in the meantime, as a MMGM share, this is mine. ‘Course, love it so much I want to make it a giveaway. All you need to do is comment to enter. If you have a latest great read or are reading something you can’t put down, do let me know. Not required to be entered, I just like hearing what everyone else is loving. This contest is open internationally (as long as Book Depository delivers to your country) and you have until midnight (mst), Sunday Sept.18, 2011.

Oh. Do check out the site the authors have. It is…marvelous!

Wildwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis | Wildwood Chronicles

Speaking of marvelous, go here to find out more about Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and check out other bloggers taking part.

Happy reading!

Winner, Winner! MMGM + Oh MG & YA Canada-Interview and Giveaway with Leslie Carmichael

The winner of Lyranel's Song and The Amulet of Amon-Ra is

K. M. Weilland.

Congratulations to you and so sorry it took this long to realize I had missed this.

Just Deb...: MMGM + Oh MG & YA Canada-Interview and Giveaway with Leslie Carmichael: