Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 89

Off the Bookshelf: THE FANTASY FICTION FORMULA, by Deborah Chester

MAJOR writing guide, well worth the time and effort to read through, mark pages for reference and keeping handy for quoting -- and to re-read, maybe between every project.

Yeah, THAT useful.

And guess what, even if you don't write fantasy, this is a great writing book, period, for any kind of fiction.

I wish she had been one of my creative writing teachers.

I heard about this book either from the Science Fiction Marketing Podcast, or the Writing Excuses Podcast. Can't remember now where I heard the name and title. I just know I made a note on my iPhone while I was getting some exercise and catching up on podcasts, found the book, bought it ... and then, like everything else in life, the book sat on my to-be-read bookshelf until a couple weeks ago, when I finally opened it up and started reading.

Don't waste your time trying to find this book at a used bookstore, to save some money -- because I can bet you no writer worth her salt is going to trade this book in. Ever.

Chester walks through the whole process, from planning to creating characters to understanding the whole scene-and-sequel pairing, and show-vs-tell conundrums  and on and on, to editing and all the "do I gotta?" steps we all hate -- all the totally useful stuff. And she teaches from a slightly different angle than I've heard these principles and extremely useful and helpful tips if I've heard them before, so they struck me as new and fresh and yeah, useful!

Get the book. Invest in a paper copy, so you can underline and highlight and put sticky notes in places where you'll go back again and again. You'll be glad you did!

Will I See YOU This Saturday at Skyview Lodge?

Hope to see YOU at the
Annual Christmas Craft Show At Skyview LodgeNovember 9, 11am to 4pm, 336 Pearl Road in Brunswick, Ohio.
CLICK HERE for information: https://www.facebook.com/events/687630521735703/?active_tab=about


Of course, I'll have lots of copies of CHRISTMAS FICTION OFF THE BEATEN PATH, the newest release from Mt. Zion Ridge Press.

Along with print copies of most of our other titles.

What are you looking for?
Historical adventure?
Young Adult?
Fantasy?
Romance?
Humor?
Hey, maybe even a book of writing advice?

We have a LOT of titles at Mt. Zion Ridge Press, and this is your chance to get a print copy.

Off the Bookshelf: WALLY ROUX, QUANTUM MECHANIC, by Nick Carr

Audible Original
Narrated by William Jackson Harper

Short and fun, at the end I wanted more stories about Wally and his adventures "fixing" what's wrong with the fabric of space and time.

Wally is an awkward genius teen who notices when reality doesn't work quite right, and finds a way to fix it, usually with gizmos of his own making. When he least expects it, he encounters people who understand what he's doing -- and in sweet, humorous and sad vignettes, one after another, he finds what he dreams of and tries too hard, and loses it. You gotta feel sorry for the poor guy, even as you laugh and shake your head, because even though he's a genius, there's something in him everyone can relate to.

Things just get more complicated when Wally steps through a rip in space-time and finds a world where another Wally is living the life he wants. Will he get to stay in this world? And what happened to the Wally who belongs to that world?

Listen and find out. And be prepared to say, "Hey, is that ALL?" when you get to the end.

More, please?

REMINDER: Christmas Craft Fair in Brunswick, Ohio

Hope to see YOU at the
Annual Christmas Craft Show At Skyview LodgeNovember 9, 11am to 4pm, 336 Pearl Road in Brunswick, Ohio.
CLICK HERE for information: https://www.facebook.com/events/687630521735703/?active_tab=about


Of course, I'll have lots of copies of CHRISTMAS FICTION OFF THE BEATEN PATH, the newest release from Mt. Zion Ridge Press.

Along with print copies of most of our other titles.

What are you looking for?
Historical adventure?
Young Adult?
Fantasy?
Romance?
Humor?
Hey, maybe even a book of writing advice?

We have a LOT of titles at Mt. Zion Ridge Press, and this is your chance to get a print copy.

Off the Bookshelf: THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS, by John Connolly

Audiobook
Narrated by Steven Crossley

Ever wish your books -- the really good ones, the faerie tales and adventures in other worlds and stories about magic and "otherness" -- would become real? Ever want to run away from reality and jump into your books, permanently?

David takes shelter from a cruel, cold, confusing world in his books, when he and his father move in with Rose. It's an odd, rundown sort of big old house, with bugs and spooky sounds and shadows. David loves his books, even when they whisper to him and say things he doesn't understand, and they sound kind of angry. He's an unhappy, hurting boy who has lost his mother to cancer, his world darkened by the advent of WWII. Then his life is invaded by Rose, and the baby she has with his father.

When David climbs through a gap in a stone wall, he ends up in a world where faerie tales seem a little familiar, but frighteningly different.  He is chased through a darkening, sad landscape to a castle where the Crooked Man promises all his dreams will come true -- for a price.

Is David willing to pay it? Will he learn from the mistakes of those who went before him before it's too late?

A sad, shadowy kind of book that is fascinating -- and sharply humorous in a dark kind of way. There are books you wish you had written, and others that you know you never could have written, and yet admire all the same. This is one of the latter.

Christmas Craft Fair at Skyview Lodge, Brunswick, Ohio -- NOVEMBER 9

Hope to see YOU at the
Annual Christmas Craft Show At Skyview LodgeNovember 9, 11am to 4pm, 336 Pearl Road in Brunswick, Ohio.
CLICK HERE for information: https://www.facebook.com/events/687630521735703/?active_tab=about


Of course, I'll have lots of copies of CHRISTMAS FICTION OFF THE BEATEN PATH, the newest release from Mt. Zion Ridge Press.

Along with print copies of most of our other titles.

What are you looking for?
Historical adventure?
Young Adult?
Fantasy?
Romance?
Humor?
Hey, maybe even a book of writing advice?

We have a LOT of titles at Mt. Zion Ridge Press, and this is your chance to get a print copy.

New Release!

Actually, it's a re-release, but who's counting?
Raine and Kyle met while filming an episode of a TV show where he was the star and she was the protege of a screenwriter. He was a jerk and while she loved his character, she loathed him.Fast forward 12 years.Kyle left Hollywood and returned home to the values he was raised in, and the outdoor life. Raine became a vet.Then fandom pressure got the network to revive the TV show. They wanted a reunion of Kyle and Raine's characters.Or at least, MOST fans wanted it.While Kyle tries to earn Raine's forgiveness and win her heart, someone is out to stop the show from returning. Whatever it takes.
From Writers Exchange www.Writers-Exchange.com
#newrelease #romanticsuspense #writersexchange

Currently Reading

#writingresearch #currentlyreading #fantasyfictionformula #DeborahChester 

Off the Bookshelf: WUNDERSMITH: THE CALLING OF MORRIGAN CROW, by Jessica Townsend

Audio book
Narrated by Gemma Whelan
Sequel to NEVERMOOR. The Trials of Morrigan Crow

You thought YOU had it bad in school?

Morrigan has made it into the Wundrous Society, but of course, her troubles have only begun. The Elders put restrictions on her education and nobody trusts her because it's been revealed she's a Wundersmith, and the only class she's allowed to take is horrible and her professor hates her. And her unit, the people who are supposed to be her best friends and allies for life all distrust her.

Then there are the people who go missing, and threats against Morrigan's classmates that they blame on her. It wouldn't be so bad, but Jupiter North, her patron and guardian, isn't there when Morrigan needs him most. There's no one who can help her other than Jupiter, and by the time he returns, it might just be too late to do anything to fix the situation.

And of course, the evil Wundersmith, Ezra Squall, is back, interfering with Morrigan's life -- and what's worse, claiming he's helping her.

Lovely romp that was over far too soon. I enjoy returning to magical worlds with interesting characters. I seriously wish I could visit the Hotel Deucalian (sp?). When is the next book coming out? Whenever that is -- it's not soon enough!

Off the Bookshelf: THE MYSTWICK SCHOOL OF MUSICRAFT, by Jessica Khoury

An Audible Original
Narrated by Suzy Jackson

Lovely, fun, not-nearly-long-enough book about a girl who lives for music -- in a world where magic has its roots in music.

Amelia Jones inherited her mother's musical talent and her flute, and her goal is to get into Mystwick and earn the rank of maestro and make magic. She learns the hard way that just because she's the best musician in her town and at her school ... that doesn't necessarily mean she's anywhere near the top when she gets among real musicians.

Especially when her grandmother seems determined to do everything she can to discourage Amelia's musical dreams and get her to have another kind of life -- any kind of life -- because Amelia's mother's death seems to be wrapped up in music and magic gone terribly wrong.

From the day of her disaster audition, when she's running late and burns up her sheet music and makes a judge's hair grow, to getting her acceptance letter and finding out that there's another Amelia Jones who should have gotten that letter, to the trials and tribulations of the first few months at school -- when it sure looks like a  ghost is out to destroy her future -- Amelia learns a lot of hard lessons, and the value of a true friend.

More please? I'm serious -- just when it looks like things are finally looking up for Amelia, and she has some answers, more complications loom on the horizon. I gotta know what happens next!