YA Wednesday: The Keys to the Kingdom Series

(Amazon link: Garth Nix books)

     The seven book series, The Keys to the Kingdom, by Australian, YA author Garth Nix (Seventh Tower series, Abhorsen series. See previous post here) is pretty darn fantastic. The title is taken from Matthew 16:19 from the New Testament (or if it isn't, it fits perfectly): "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven". Also, the story takes place within one week and features the "Morrow Days" as antagonists, seven beings that are representative of the seven days of the week. Each of these beings is associated with one of the Catholic seven deadly or cardinal sins. It was intriguing throughout the series to guess which Morrow Day exhibited which issue. Oh, and these books aren't religious fiction per say, they just have cool connections like this that you can pick up on (or read about in Wikipedia). Aside from religious tidbits, there are also various cultural bits snuck in as well like Seven Dials (a road junction in London) and characters such as The Piper (Pied Piper of Hamelin) as well as the children he lead away, and The Mariner ("The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"). This series is very cleverly written and will have you laughing at parts and gripping the cover at others.

Children's Tuesday: Chronicle Books Happy Haul-idays Giveaway

     Chronicle Books is a great company (I remember selling many of their books when I worked at Shenanigans Toys in Virginia years ago) and they are having a HUMUNGOUS giveaway! If I win, not only do I get the books listed below, but one of YOU will get the same books if you comment on this post with your email! (Open to US residents only, giveaway ends at 11:59 PM ET on 12/02/11.)
     And guess what else --a charity/library/non-profit of my choice will also get the same set of books! Guess who I choose? PROVO CITY LIBRARY because they do a TON for our community in so many ways from encouraging not only reading but also writing and creativity and in supporting our youth through tons of fun activities year round. And I just love how close knit the library is with the local schools. Thumbs up, Provo City Library, and if I had more than two (which would look really weird) I'd totally put them up too.
     Now on with the list of books I chose from Chronicle. I'm posting this for Children's Tuesday because they are all children's books!

Yummy Monday: Armadilly Chili & Will Terry Highlight

(Amazon link)

     Written by Helen Ketteman (Not Yet, Yvette, Moma's Way) and illustrated by LDS, freelance artist and BYU & UVU illustration teacher Will Terry (The Frog With the Big Mouth, Little Rooster's Diamond Button), Armadilly Chili is a great book for a chilly day (or any day! Especially when you're hungry). This vibrant and rhyming picture book is based on the story of The Little Red Hen -with a Texas twist. Ketteman and Terry also colaborated on the book The Three Little Gators based on, you guessed it, The Three Little Pigs. AND stay tuned next Fall for another collaboration called Señorita Gordita (you can be sure I'll be featuring that on a "Yummy Monday" -I've already got the post in draft)

(From Goodreads)

(Ages 5-8) A blue norther's a-blowing', and Miss Billie Armadilly is hankering to make a pot of chili! Only she needs to fix it all by herself because Tex the tarantula, Mackie the bluebird, and Taffy the horned toad are too busy to lend a hand. Well, she'll eat it all by herself, too! But then the smell of chili cooking in the cold night brings her friends one by one back to Miss Billie's door. What's a lady armadillo to do?

Here'a  PDF file of activities to go along with the book!

The Week in Review & A Look Ahead

The Week in Review:

     Science fiction & fantasy author Anne McCaffrey passed away on Monday, November 21st at the age of 85 (please see Friday's post).

     Friday, Nov. 25th was the world premier of the musical, "The Christmas Miracle of Johnathan Toomey", based on the book of the same name written by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P. J. Lynch. Performances will be every Wed., Thurs., Fri., & Sat. at 7:30 PM until Dec. 19th. Tickets are required. Please see the Scera Theater website for more information.

Acquired:

Darkspell by Elizabeth Mueller (LDS, signed)
Nook 1st Generation Wi-fi (won from Terron James [LDS] on his website! Check out his book Insight [Book 1 of the Beholders series])

Releases:

Applespell (The Fairy Godmother Dilemma, Book 3) by Danyelle Leafty (LDS)

Writerly Saturday: Wordplay Podcast

      The Wordplay Podcast began at the end of August as a resource for both writers and readers. There are now 11 episodes! The show is hosted by three YA/MG authors; Jeff Scott Savage (Farworld series), Nathan Bransford (Jacob Wonderbar & the Cosmic Space Kapow), and James Dashner (The Maze Runner trilogy, 13th Reality series). The show has featured several author guests including Ally Condie, Aprilynne Pike, Rick Walton, Anne Bowen, Chris Grabenstein, Kiersten White, and Andrea Cremer. There's even been a literary agent or two!

Friday's Highlight: Anne McCaffrey (Apr. 1, 1926 - Mon. Nov. 21, 2011)

(portrait by Linda Eicher)

     Prolific sci-fi & fantasy author Anne Inez McCaffrey passed away Monday, Nov. 21st. She has written too many books for me to list, but someone did make a list which you can find HERE, including the young adult series Acorna: The Unicorn Girl.
     Though I've never read her books (bad on me!), I am very familiar with them from my sister who read Anne's books voraciously when she was younger. She (my sister) is a great artist and drew a ton of incredibly detailed dragon pictures based on McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books (sadly, I don't have a drawing to show you!). I even remember her writing stories reminiscent of Pern; Anne McCaffrey was that inspiring.

In honor of Anne McCaffrey and her great writing, please visit the links within this post.

Thursday's Quotables: Peach & Blue

YA Wednesday: The Year Money Grew on Trees

(Amazon link)

     Although the apples have fallen off the trees by now, it's still Autumn and apples make me think of this season (you know, harvest and all). Because of this, I'd like to feature a special YA book filled with apple-y goodness by LDS, BYU professor Aaron Hawkins, called The Year Money Grew on Trees.
     A while ago I had the opportunity to visit Aaron in his office on campus and we had a great talk about this book and his writing (please view the post here). Aaron is an Electrical Engineering professor and has published two books on that subject (you can see them here or go to his website below).
     The Year Money Grew on Trees began as a memoir of Aaron's early years in New Mexico and expanded to become a great story about hard work, family, and common sense (well, I'm sure the original was full of that too). AND Aaron Hawkins did the internal, more technical illustrations.
     The paperback edition (shown below) was just released on Nov. 15th! Just in time for Christmas. (The hardcover is shown on the left and was released last year.)

Please visit Aaron Hawkin's page about The Year Money Grew on Trees.

Children's Tuesday: The Secret of Saying Thanks

(Amazon link)

     The Secret of Saying Thanks, written by author and musician Douglas Wood (Old Turtle, No One But You) and illustrated by Greg Shed (Squanto's Journey, I Loved You Before You Were Born) is truly a beautiful book in both picture and word. Share it at bedtime, nap time, story time, around the Thanksgiving dinner table, or during a church meeting. The Secret of Saying Thanks is a great teaching tool for all ages because it serves as a reminder of what is important and wonderful about life and the world around us.
     Though the book takes place in a country setting which many children have sadly never experienced, the principle of finding things around you to wonder at is universal. But perhaps a child and grown-up could go to a park or other place that may have some of these nature-y scenes. Again though, the book is simply about being grateful, and you can do that in any setting.

(From Goodreads)
Perhaps you'd like to know a secret, one of the happiest ones of all.
You will surely find it for yourself one day.
You'll discover it all on your own, maybe when you least expect it. If you've not yet discovered the secret of saying thanks, it's waiting for you. The secret can be found in the sunrise that offers promises full for the day ahead, or in the gentle shade of a tree sheltering you from the hot rays of the sun, or on the rock that offers rest from a long walk.
In the inspirational text that made him a bestselling, internationally acclaimed author, Douglas Wood offers a spiritual homage to nature and the world. Greg Shed's stunning portraits of the natural world tenderly portray all of the many ways in which we can say thanks for the wonders we sometimes take granted in life.

Check out this short article about The Secret of Saying Thanks from "Positive Psychology at Work".

Yummy Monday: Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater Soup

     Another cozy recipe for the season (I'll try to find ones like this for the cold weather), this one using canned pumpkin (because it's easy to find in the grocery store this time of year).
     "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater Soup" comes from Blue Moon Soup: A Family Cookbook by chef Gary Goss, illustrated by the famous children's artist Jane Dyer (I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, Sophie's Masterpiece). The recipe is inspired by the English nursery rhyme "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater".

(From Goodreads)

Blue Moon Soup: A Family Collection is a sweetly illustrated cookbook that will lure the whole family into the soup-making routine. It's small and user-friendly -- even a beginning cook will feel comfortable at the soup pot.

The Week in Review & A Look Ahead

Week in Review:

Andrea Pearson, Jenni James, & Trist Pinkston @ Pioneer Book, Nov. 19, 2011

      The Princess and the Goblin play was performed at the Orem Library this past Tuesday. The play is based on the classic story by George MacDonald. There will be another free performance on Thursday, December 1st in the library's storytelling wing.

     Saturday, several book things happened. First, the Provo library gave out the free tickets for the upcoming, Dec. 2nd, Christopher Paolini lecture. THEY ARE ALL GONE NOW! But there will be a standby line the day of the lecture. And perhaps the library will have a contest or two to win tickets, who knows?

Writerly Saturday: "Hints About Writing A Story" From Diana Wynne Jones

Diana Wynne Jones with friend & fellow author Neil Gaiman. September 2010

One of the most amazing fantasy & science fiction authors ever is Diana Wynne Jones. She passed away near the beginning of this year (see post here) and I'm not sure what tense to put her in, but saying "is" feels just about right. Because her writing still "IS" so in a way, she is too.      Today I'd like to share an article that she wrote to help aspiring authors. It's simply called "Hints About Writing A Story" and is laid out very concisely and clearly. She begins with this:

Friday's Highlight: Obert Skye (With Some Ben Sowards Thrown in!)

(Amazon link)

      Wanna learn about somebody super cool? It's LDS, best-selling, YA/MG author Obert Skye. He's a totally nice guy and an awesome writer who currently lives in Idaho with his wife and children.    
     And what is his real name? Every body is curious, but Obert is what he signs his books with, so that's good enough for me (people do speculate that he is the author Robert Farrell Smith --"Obert" is "Robert" without the "R". And some even think he might be Brandon Mull --which is totally untrue because I know them both --and they're both great-- but anyway, just call him Obert. It's magical).

(Amazon link)

      Obert's first series was Leven Thumps (5 books) which now has a new sequel trilogy called Beyond Foo (book 1, Geth and the Return of the Lithens came out May 9th of this year). There is also a side book to Foo called Professor Winsnicker’s Book of Proper Etiquette for Well-Mannered Sycophants. --And how fliptastic is this?! The Leven Thumps movie rights were bought a few years ago by Celtic Rose Entertainment! See the little sliver of a picture on the left? That's from their site. It's Clover, a character from the series (Geth is also in the green poster up above). Check out the CRE site and Leven movie info here.
     Aside from the Foo books, Obert's other works include the Pillage trilogy of which Pillage and Choke are out now, with the final book, Ambush, coming out in February of next year. Obert has been touring for his most recent book Wonkenstein: The Creature From My Closet (Willy Wonka + Frankenstein, say whaaat?), first in a TWELVE book series, featuring illustrations by Obert himself! Cool, huh? The series is along the lines of Diary of a Wimpy Kid --except with creatures (see trailer below). Obert even has a short story in the anthology Swashbuckling Fantasy: 10 Thrilling Tales of Magical Adventure. And in the near future, get ready for a new awesomesauce (gosh, I love that word), intense fantasy, five book series titled Deepest Dark.

Thursday's Quotable: Percy Jackson: The Last Olympian

* * * Spoiler Warning! * * *

I picked up Pandora's jar. The spirit of Hope fluttered inside, trying to warm the cold container.
"Hestia," I said, "I give this to you as an offering."
The goddess tilted her head. "I am the least of the gods. Why would you trust me with this?"
You're the last Olympian," I said. "And the most important."
"And why is that, Percy Jackson?"
"Because Hope survives best at the hearth," I said. "Guard it for me, and I won't be tempted to give up again."
The goddess smiled. She took the jar in her hands and it began to glow. The hearth fire burned a little brighter.

-The Last Olympian, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 5, pg. 307-308, by Rick Riordan

YA Wednesday: The Kilenya Series by Andrea Pearson + Interview!

(Amazon link)

     Today's post features LDS, YA author Andrea Pearson and her awesome Kilenya series. Right now there are three books in the series available, The Key of Kilenya (Book 1), The Ember Gods (Book 2), and a companion story, Samara: A Kilenya Romance. All books are available in eBook format, with the first two also available in paperback.

(From Goodreads)

    When two vicious wolves chase fourteen-year-old Jacob Clark down a path from our world into another, his life is forever changed. He has no idea they have been sent by the Lorkon—evil, immortal beings who are jealous of powers he doesn’t know he possesses—powers they desire to control.
     The inhabitants of the new world desperately need Jacob's help in recovering a magical key that was stolen by the Lorkon and is somehow linked to him. If he helps them, his life will be at risk. But if he chooses not to help them, both our world and theirs will be in danger. The Lorkon will stop at nothing to unleash the power of the key—and Jacob's special abilities.

((click the Goodreads link to enter to win a copy! A copy of The Ember Gods is also up for giveaway on Goodreads!))

     If you're local and you'd like to meet Andrea and/or get a book signed, stop by Pioneer Book in Orem THIS SATURDAY FROM 1 - 3 PM! Andrea will be there along with authors Jenni James (YA, see post here) and Tristi Pinkston (mystery). And thanks goes to Tristi Pinkston for connecting Andrea and me for this interview!

Now on to the interview with author Andrea Pearson! :

Children's Tuesday: Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott & Exhibit

(Amazon link)

     Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott is a beautiful book written by award-winning author Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by BYU illustration professor Bethanne Anderson (see previous post about Bethanne here).

     In September, the Springville Museum of Art held an exhibition of Bethanne's original illustrations from the book.
    One evening, just before the exhibit ended, I took Little A with me and met my friend Rachel at the museum (hi, Rachel!). There were copies of Louisa as part of the exhibit for patrons to look through while they enjoyed the artwork. Little A (15 mos at that time) happily carried a copy of the book around with her the whole time we were there. She even screamed in delight several times as she clutched the book in her tiny hands.
(See below for pictures of the exhibit -and of us!)

(From Yona's website)

     This picture-book look at Louisa May Alcott gently traces her life from a happy, humble childhood to nursing soldiers in the Civil War to her later writing successes. Louisa mostly grew up in Massachusetts, in the company of her three sisters. The young Alcott girls spent Saturday nights in riotous pillow fights, acted out plays in homemade costumes and kept journals to record their thoughts—a pastime that would prove quite fruitful for Louisa. McDonough, appropriately for the audience, places the development of Louisa’s character over literary exegesis, and her words are harmoniously both accessible and expressive. Andersen’s swashes of gouache and pastels color the lush green fields and warm orange background that glows behind the text. Most intriguing, however, are the end notes, which include two early poems by Alcott and a traditional dessert recipe for New England Apple Slump. While too dense for the littlest of women (and men), middle-graders will be charmed by this first look at one of America’s most beloved authors.
(Picture book/biography. 8-12)

Yummy Monday: Scones & Sensibility

(Amazon link)

     In light of the encroaching cold weather, heat up a nice cup of herbal tea and drink it with some yummy, warm, home-made scones (mm, scones). And read this book: Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland!

(From Goodreads)

     Seek tirelessly and you shall not find a contemporary heroine of middle-grade literature as refined and romantic as Miss Polly Madassa. Still swooning over the romantic conclusions of Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, twelve-year-old Polly decides her purpose in life: helping along lonely hearts in search of love. Polly's only task this summer is to make deliveries for her parents' bakery, leaving ample time for this young cupid to find hearts to mend--beginning with the kite-store owner, Mr. Nightquist, who will pair perfectly with Miss Wiskerton (the unfairly labeled town curmudgeon). Polly's best friend Fran Fisk is in desperate need of a mother ever since hers ran off with a man she met on the Internet; Polly must find a match for Mr. Fisk. And while she's at it, it wouldn't hurt to find Clementine, Polly's teenaged sister, a beau worthy of her (so she can shed that brute, Clint). Polly's plans are in full swing, so she definitely cannot be bothered by the advances of classmate Brad Barker.
     But maybe Polly should have turned her attention to Miss Austen's Emma next, because she quickly learns the pitfalls of playing matchmaker. How will Polly patch up her own relationships, while ensuring that destined love can take its course?

The Week in Review & A Look Ahead

The Week in Review:

Monday was Brandon Sanderson's midnight release party for The Alloy of Law, his newest Mistborn book. I didn't go! I had my little copy of Alcatraz all ready, but the bookstore said that Brandon couldn't do any signings before the midnight release of AOL. I forgot to mention here that the party started at 9 PM. Anyway, I didn't think it wise to take my wee one onto campus with me that late. SO I'll just wait for another, more tame Brandon Sanderson signing. If such a one exists.

The BYU Bookstore had their Holiday Book Talk on Tuesday (see Friday's detailed post). It was great! I got some sweet swag and learned about a lot of new books.

There was a Variant "Book Bomb" (see Wednesday's special post) on Thursday to support local, LDS, YA author Robison Wells. It went very awesomely and felt really good to be a part of it. Even though the day of the book bomb (massive buying of Variant) has passed, I DEFINITELY recommend the book. If you don't have a copy, please get one ASAP. I just finished it this evening and it did not disappoint. Total thriller and suspense and "what the heck is going on here?" type stuff. And paintablling. This is what Rob had to say Thursday evening, "Variant is #56 on Amazon and I'm going to bed. You're all amazing people. A million thanks to Larry Correia for getting things rolling, and then everyone who worked so hard to spread the word on blogs and twitter and email and newsletters. You're all fantastic. I feel a little bit like George Bailey." Because of the bombing, Variant went up like a kajillion percent. Like from 7,643 place. And it was listed as #1 on "movers & shakers" and under the tens on the teen sci-fi list. How great things are done when people come together!

Pride & Popularity Winner!

(Lucky number 60 out of 64 total entries)

Charlotte @ Charissa Books has won the personalized copy of Pride & Popularity from Jenni James!

Congratulations! And thank you to EVERYONE who entered! Stay tuned for another giveaway next month!

(If I don't hear back from Charlotte by Sunday night, I'll choose another winner.)

Writerly Saturday: What Maps Can Teach You About Writing

(copyright 2003)

Woah.

Friday's Highlight: BYU Bookstore's Holiday Book Talk

We are now on the downhill slope to the Holidays, so I thought I'd better post this before it's too late! ((Christmas ideas!))

     This past Tuesday, the BYU Bookstore hosted their annual Holiday Book Talk on campus (sponsored by the Farnsworth Juvenile Literature Library HBLL). Anita Charles, bookstore wonder woman, (she is responsible for buying the youth books, among other things, at the bookstore) accompanied by a cute assistant (sorry, I can't remember her name!) and a PowerPoint slideshow, presented almost 50 books along with descriptions and personal insights. She even read to us from a few of the books and held them up so we could see the pictures (story time!). It was great. I got a ton of promotional items and a lot of info on many great new books. Below, I have included all of the books presented. Many of these books are on sale right now at the BYU Bookstore!
     Before the presentation started, Anita began with these words, "More than ever we need to stand for books. I have fourteen grandchildren and see so many things with bells and whistles. It takes courage to turn away from those things and decide to give books. The toys my parents gave me when I was young have fallen by the wayside, but the books have remained with me."

Books, books the magical gift!

The more you give...

The more you...uplift?

(yes! well, depending on the book. But all of these books are for that purpose so don't worry!)
Now on with the show!

Thursday's Quotable: G. K. Chesterton on Fairy Tales

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

((except for maybe Trogdor))

-G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

(found in the beginning pages of Coraline by Neil Gaiman, 2002, 1st edition. [not the image, just the quote. Minus the Trogdor bit too, of course].)

(Special) YA Wednesday: Variant & Help-An-Author-Out "Book Bomb"

(Amazon link)

You need a great book and this author needs a great paycheck.

Purchase a copy of Robison Wells' YA thriller, Variant, tomorrow Nov. 10th on Amazon.

     Author Robison Wells (brother to author Dan Wells) is in some serious straights right now. He has been struggling with health problems and was recently let go from his much needed day job because of it.
     The point of this "book bomb" is to buy the heck out of Variant in a single day so that it's Amazon ranking will go up which will then cause it to receive more attention and then increase in sales even more. Then Rob and his family will receive a little more income for medical expenses etc.  
     READ author Larry Correia's blog post for more detailed information on Rob's condition and this "book bomb" (he's the one who came up with this idea to help Rob). ((And here's a link that explains book advances and royalties.))

(SWITCH) Children's Tuesday: Crow and Weasel & Barry Lopez Highlight

(Amazon link)

      Multi-award winning author Barry Lopez came to BYU campus to lecture (and also visited the Orem Library) on Wednesday, Oct. 12th and I had the chance to meet him!
      Mr. Lopez is not known for youth books, but for non-fiction, environmental, and social commentary. BUT.
     I happen to have a copy of his one and only book for youth entitled Crow and Weasel (don't mean for this to sound immodest -but I'm happy about it!).
     Crow and Weasel is an original American Indian-esque folk tale (not based on any particular tribe) illustrated by Tom Pohrt (Coyote Goes Walking, Finding Susie. See illustrations below).
     I've had the book for about 12+ years and nearly flipped out of my chair when I discovered that he was the author of it. I didn't make the connection at first. I saw that he was coming to the area, found his website, scrolled way down and there it was -an image and quote from Crow and Weasel. I raced to my bookshelf, fearing that the book was packed far away in Ole' Virginy, and squealed with delight when I found it tucked between The Crane Wife and The Gift of the Magi. Wow. It was so cool to meet him. A happy surprise.

(SWITCH) YA Wednesday: Pride & Popularity, Jenni James Highlight, & GIVEAWAY!

(Amazon link)

     Because today is the first day for the November Giveaway Hop, and because Jenni James offered to give the winner from my blog a personalized copy of her book Pride & Popularity -I decided to switch the YA Wednesday and Children's Tuesday features for this week (whew!).

     Pride & Popularity is the first in The Jane Austin Diaries, six, modern day, high school retellings of Jane Austin's most famous stories: Pride & Prejudice = Pride & Popularity, Northanger Abby = Northanger Alibi, Persuasion = Persuaded, Emma = Emmalee, Mansfield Park = Mansfield Ranch, Sense & Sensibility = Sensible & Sensational. Click here for more info. on each.
     Also, here is Jenni's official website and here is her blog.

Yummy Monday: PIE

     Released this past October, PIE by Sarah Weeks will definitely keep you busy, baking in the kitchen and eating at the table (and reading!). The book includes a different, character-favorite pie recipe at the beginning of each chapter. The 14 recipes total were contributed from all over the nation. Now that's my kind of book. And there's a cat. Double points.

     Sarah Weeks begins her book with this dedication:

(Amazon link)

"To my faithful readers, because a book is like a pie -- the only thing more satisfying than cooking up the story is knowing that somebody might be out there eating it up with a spoon."

(From Goodreads)   
     From the award-winning author of SO B. IT, a story about family, friendship, and...pie!
     When Alice's Aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily surly cat Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.
     Suddenly Alice is thrust into the center of a piestorm, with everyone in town trying to be the next pie-contest winner ... including Alice's mother and some of Alice's friends. The whole community is going pie-crazy . . . and it's up to Alice to discover the ingredients that really matter. Like family. And friendship. And enjoying what you do.

The Week in Review & A Look Ahead

Week in Review:

(Whew. I feel so writed-out. I've typed 25% of my NaNoWriMo work in progress so far.)

     LDS, author Dan Wells presented at the Orem Library, Tuesday afternoon. He explained that he is considered a psychological horror author -not just a plain old horror author. His publisher decided it sounds better (it actually does, right? Like it's smart. Which Dan's writing is). He talked about his John Cleaver trilogy (and future John Cleaver books and a potential movie), his upcoming post-apocalyptic, YA book, Partials (first in a series), and the Extreme Makeover book he's also currently working on.
It was a great lecture, I took notes (which I'll share eventually).

(Amazon link)

     Wednesday was a sneak attack book signing by LDS, best-selling, YA author Obert Skye. It took place at the Orem Barnes & Noble as part of the Dixon Middle School book fair. Igot a bunch of stuff signed including books, posters, bookmarks, and Pillage samplers. We had a great conversation. Obert's a real stand-up guy. He's been touring for his most recent book Wonkenstein: The Creature From My Closet, first in a TWELVE book series, featuring his own illustrations. The series is along the lines of Diary of a Wimpy Kid -except with creatures. Check out the book trailer here.

Storyteller and author Donald Davis came to the Orem Library Thursday evening, but sadly, I didn't go. Did any of you? I had a meet up with a friend concerning a Grimm's fairy tale book club. And I also got lost. But then I had cheesecake a cocoa with my Wee One at Denny's (and my friend and her friend) so it all turned out okay. I think that maybe Donald Davis will be back. He takes part in the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival each year, I believe. I shall get a copy of his Appalachian tales signed yet.

Writerly Saturday: Writing Excuses Podcast

(this image is a link. Click it!)

"Fantasy Novelist Brandon Sanderson, science-fiction cartoonist Howard Tayler, and horror writer Daniel Wells discuss writing techniques in a fast-paced, 15-minute format."

-iTunes description

(Click here for the iTunes link)

(or if you'd prefer .mp3s, click here)

Author Mary Robinette Kowal has since been added to the regular Writing Excuses gang, bringing a needed female voice into the midst of these three crazy men (well, perhaps).

Right now Writing Excuses is in its 6th season, but you can listen to past seasons via the links on the left sidebar of the homepage.

Please go check it out! If you are a writer, you won't regret it!

Friday's Highlight: Simon & Schuster YA Author Panel Discussion

Angels, Amnesia, Anarchy, Apocalypse

     We had a real treat here in Provo back on the evening of October 11th. The Provo Library hosted a panel discussion of FOUR Simon & Schuster YA authors! And all of them were women-folk! Three of the four were/are also debut authors and two of the four are LDS! Becca Fitzpatrick (LDS) was the seasoned veteran of the group, touring for her newly published third book in the Hush, Hush saga, Silence. The other authors were Moira Young (Blood Red Road, see previous post on this book here), Elana Johnson (LDS, Possession, see previous post on Elana here), and Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer). The event was great, especially since Courtney Lowe dressed up in angel's wings (she's the best! I love that she dresses up for these events!). Also, Courtney had a pretty awesome setup wherein the audience could simply text their questions to Courtney's computer, and then she'd display them on the screen behind the authors while asking the questions aloud (Courtney was the panel moderator). Very cool and efficient tech.

So for your viewing pleasure, I give you the recording of the Simon & Schuster author panel. (To view a few pictures from the event please see the slideshow below the video.)

Thursday's Quotables: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle

(Amazon link)

      Beth Revis, author of the YA book Across the Universe & its upcoming sequel A Million Suns, is hosting a Thanksgiving giveaway for -get this- 19 YA BOOKS! In order to participate you need to create a post featuring the ONE book you are most grateful for.
      For me, this "one book" is The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (which is apparently Beth's favorite too. And yes, I read all seven stories in one book -the one shown on the right). I read these stories for the first time as an adult, in my early twenties. I am so glad that I did. If I had read them as a child, I would have thought them to be nice, enjoyable fantasy stories, but to read them at the time I did, as the person I was then, was simply perfect. The impact they had on me was tremendous. The stories were richer and deeper to me than they ever could have been otherwise. I found myself applying the principles and refering to the doctrines of these stories in my daily life, at work, at church, at home. This is why I consider The chronicles of Narnia "the one book" I am most grateful for.
     Since this is Thursday's Quotables, I'm going to share two quotes from one of the stories, namely, The Last Battle.

     Now, each of the Narnia stories is amazing and beautiful and has many quote worthy lines, but the ones that come to my mind initially are found in The Last Battle, the final book in the series.
     Because The Last Battle is a summation and really the pinnacle of all the prior stories, if I had to choose my one favorite out of the seven, I would choose this one -though with the understanding that The Last Battle would not have the impact it does without the happenings and significance of the stories before it.
     With that said, below are two (rather long) quotes from The Last Battle (an a drawing by me!). If you have not read The Last Battle, you may want to avert your eyes now from ***potential spoilers***.

YA Wednesday: Crossed

(Amazon link)

     Hooray! Crossed, the second book in the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie, was released yesterday! And I received my copy yesterday in the mail! I recently finished reading an ARC of this book though so I'm able to write about it today.

     Crossed is gorgeous. The cover is nice too, but I'm talking about the writing. Ally sure knows how to do it. It's...simplistic/minimalistic/just fantastic. Ally's sparse, to-the-point style makes the book flow like poetry. Along with this, the lines are very meaningful and efficient. The book says exactly what is needful, and mostly shows; not tells. Ally often writes about the actions of the characters in order to let the reader know something significant as opposed to slapping the reader in the face with it. I love this. It's a true writing talent. There is a lot unsaid, but understood.
     Whereas Matched takes place within The Society, Crossed takes us to the Outer Provinces which are patterned after Southern Utah (please see my past Ally Condie lecture post for more about this). They're dusty and dry, dangerous, cold -and beautiful. In particular, most of the story takes place in a spot called The Carving, which is a huge, geological scrape in the ground made up of narrows and slot canyons. This terrain really brings out a tougher side of Cassia which is nice to see (but not too tough that she's not herself).
     Another major difference between Matched and Crossed is the fact that Crossed is told from the first-person, present perspectives of both Cassia and Ky (Matched is told only from Cassia's perspective) in alternating chapters (and don't worry about getting confused, each chapter heading tells us who's head we're in). This is pretty awesome, because we get to learn a lot more about Ky than we ever could.
     In this sequel we are also introduced to a few new, intriguing characters as well as given a tantalizing bit of information about a previously known one.