L.E. DeLano's Blog, page 12

A To Z Book Review: THE BONE SPINDLE

My Letter B Read was The Bone Spindle, a fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a delicious twist: the beauty is a sleeping prince named Briar Rose – and the “Rose” name identifies him as a member of a powerful family of witches blessed with light magic. Fi, historian and cultural anthropologist extraordinaire teams up with treasure hunter Shane (secretly a Princess of a war clan and able to swing an axe like a champ) to go after a hidden treasure in a fallen kingdom. Instead she gets roped into a curse that ties her to the sleeping Briar Rose, setting her up as his one and only savior.

Along the way there is plenty of adventure with booby traps, bloodthirsty witch hunters, calamitous curses, terrible ex-boyfriends, and the looming spectre of the Bone Witch who cursed Briar in the first place. We also meet a mysterious young woman named Red who catches Shane’s eye and pulls her into a mystery set-up for book two.

Overall, this was an enjoyable romp, with lavish world-building, humor and loads of twists and turns. Despite that, it read slow in some sections, and the insta-love Briar had for Fi fell short for me. Still a good read, and I look forward to book two.

Four Stars.

BLUE Is The 2021 SPARK Award Winner!

I am over-the-moon thrilled to announce that Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) has named BLUE as their 2021 SPARK Award Winner in YA!

This is an enormous honor, and I am beyond thrilled that they chose my my multi-layered, sad, happy, complicated, sappy, hard-to-explain book. BLUE was a real labor of love, and I couldn’t be more proud.

A to Z Book Review: ALIAS GRACE

My goal in 2022 is to read my way through the alphabet, at least one book per letter (more if I have time). My choice for the letter A was ALIAS GRACE by Margaret Atwood.

My rating:

Grace Marks has been incarcerated these many years for her part in the murders of her former employer, Mr. Kinnear, and his housekeeper.

A (willing?) accomplice to the bloodthirsty dealings of her former coworker (lover?) and convicted at the age of 15, there are enough details – and of course, Grace’s impressionable age – to cast doubt on the validity of the conviction. Grace herself has no clear memory of the murders, having blacked out at various times during that evening. A visiting psychologist has been brought in to see if he can help Grace uncover hidden memories.

From the very beginning, Atwood masterfully weaves bits of backstory through assorted newspaper article citations of the murders, witness statements, and Grace’s own retelling of her life story – interspersed with disturbing little offsides and observations from – and about – Grace.

I was captivated from the beginning, and constantly drawing conclusions about Grace’s innocence – then second-guessing every one of them. I had a sneaking suspicion about the state of Grace’s mental health that was confirmed – and then re-examined, leaving me unsure to the end if Grace was a poor girl with a hard life who had endured trauma and abuse at multiple hands and was taken advantage of by many people – or if Grace was all of that, and had developed a cunning, manipulative mind to cope with it all. And did that make her any less innocent or guilty?

I understand this has been adapted for Netflix and I plan on giving it a view. This book will have your mind in a whirl, determined to piece it all together. Atwood doesn’t tie things up neatly with a bow, but leaves you to draw your own conclusions, and you’re going to have a lot of them. In her afterword, Atwood tells us all about the true-life story of Grace Marks, and the insight into her research makes it all the more fascinating.

I absolutely recommend this book. Fascination factor: 1000.

What’s On Tap For 2022?

Now that the whirlwind of 2021 is behind us, it’s time to regroup and set the stage for next year. My writing plan is severely ambitious. That’s a nice way of saying I’m out of my freaking mind and I may well be updating this blog from a tiny, padded room this time next year. Here’s the rough outline:

Publish one YA novel – this one a holiday romance! Look for an announcement in early fall.Finish drafting and query one new manuscript (an extension of my NaNoWriMo project, a witchy Cinderella retelling).Extensively revise and query two completed manuscripts – one fantasy, one sci-fi thriller Begin drafting a new YA novel (Fantasy)Continue the submission process with BLUE for various book awardsAttend the PA School Librarians Association conference as a signing author for BLUE (April)Attend book festivals in PA and NJ (COVID restriction dependent)

Those are just the goals in YA. I also write romance under another pen name, and the plan there is two new novels, two novellas, and two short stories by year-end, as well as querying one project. All of this is done around my full-time day job and being a partially-disabled single parent of a special needs child. It’s madness, utter madness, but believe me when I say that creativity is what keeps me sane. I think. Who am I to judge my own sanity, really?

Anyway, that’s the plan as of today. What it actually morphs into is TBD.

Happy New Year, everyone. Let’s hope we all get close to our goals, or have fun reinventing them as we go along!

Farewell To 2021

What a year it’s been!

I started out the year with a manuscript in hand, a posse of great Beta Readers, and a lot of high hopes. I found an outstanding cover and interior designer, and in April, it was Cover Reveal Day for BLUE.

From there, I took a breather and hammered away at another manuscript, and also managed to publish three novellas and two novels in another genre under my alter ego pen name.

Summer arrived, along with a return to in-person book festivals! I had a great time at The Festival of Books in the Alleghenies and the Collingswood Book Fest. I look forward to returning next year!

The fall brought an in-person book signing event with my fellow SCBWI authors at Aaron’s Books in Lititz, PA, followed by another terrific SCBWI author event at the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts 2021 Conference.

Finally, the ARC copies of BLUE went out, the reviews started rolling in, and I let out that breath I’d been holding since that manuscript left my sweaty, little hands. Whew! They liked it!

In November, I had a wonderful book launch party at the best Indie Bookstore in the Philadelphia area, Towne Book Center! That was followed by a book signing at Barnes and Noble Wyomissing, and then the announcement that BLUE was a 2021 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite in Young Adult Fiction. Wow! What a way to end the year!

What’s in store for 2022? That, my friends, is the subject of another blog post. For now, I’ll rest and ruminate and count myself fortunate to have had such a year. Thank you to everyone for your part in it!

A Book Review Roundup

I’m going to be tooting my own horn for a bit, so please indulge me. I’m very grateful to anyone who reads my book, but doubly grateful for those who take the time to review, as well.

Here are a few reviews of BLUE I’d love to share:

“Overall a spellbinding, breathtaking story.” – hecticreadinglife Instagram

“If you are looking for charming and emotionally impactful read then I think Blue is definitely the book for you.” – books4jessica Instagram

“Blue is a complex YA novel that challenges the reader to look at multiple perspectives of a difficult situation. ” – marsupialliterature Instagram

“Where do I start? There were so many turn of events that I couldn’t even fit in a short break from reading. It’s been a while since I’ve felt such an emotional connection to a book.” – Bookish Trisha Blog

“This may be my favorite read of 2021.” – Adventures in Writing Blog

“I highly recommend this enlightening young adult novel full of angst, forgiveness, and guilt by association. The characters are engaging and genuine and the plot is very realistic. I can’t wait to pick up a book by this author again.” – The Eclectic Review Blog

Goodreads Reviews

Amazon Reviews

Major thanks to all of you who’ve reviewed and reposted, retweeted and reblogged. You’re the best!

Where Did I Get The Inspiration For BLUE?

I’m always curious about story origins, and I thought I’d share a bit about this book. BLUE was a blend of two real-life things.

First, I had a friend who went through a horrible event. On Christmas Eve, she was driving home from her closing shift at her retail job, it was dark and she was on a rural road. A young man who was intent on ending his own life threw himself in front of her SUV. She couldn’t stop in time, and ended up striking and killing him.

She was physically unhurt but it really messed her up with PTSD. To make things worse, the young man’s family tried to sue her even though the guy had a history of mental illness, left a suicide note, and a security camera at a local business captured the whole thing on video (which she had to watch in court). They were unsuccessful with the lawsuit, but it took a huge toll.

She quit her job, moved back in with her parents, and got good, professional counseling. A year or so later, she decided to go to college and work on a degree, as a new direction for her life. Her first day, first class at a nearby university, she walked in the door, and there was the guy’s sister in her class. Long story short, they eventually ended up friends, despite the horrible thing that tied them together.

I always thought that might make a good story, but as I began writing it, it just never evolved well. I picked that idea up and worked on it a dozen times over the years, but it was just missing something.

Then my daughter became a teenager, and quite out of nowhere, life decided to rain misery on her in her junior year of high school. A confluence of outside forces hit her from a few different people and situations, and despite all the support I could throw at her, the support of her teachers, and the help of a really good therapist, she just seemed “stuck” in her bubble of misery.

I felt so helpless and frustrated – none of these things that were making her miserable were what you’d call permanent things, and I wanted her to realize that all of it would pass, and she just needed to push herself through it. Perspective is a lot easier when you have decades of life experience to draw from, and honestly, in her seventeen years of life these were the worst things to ever happen to her, impermanent as they were. She did push through, and I’m fiercely proud of her for it, but it was heartbreaking for a while there.

I finally realized I wanted to write a book about perspective, and the original story was never going to work for that—not without devoting a significant portion of the book to suicide prevention and discussions of mental illness. So I changed the circumstances of the accident, made Blue an unwilling bystander. I hit her with a few other miseries until she was deluged and wallowing, then connecting, understanding and redefining to a much better place, mentally and emotionally.

BLUE became a journey from hopeless to hopeful, from feeling like everyone was trying to rewrite your story to realizing nobody really knows anyone’s story, entirely. I love how it evolved, and these characters will always have a piece of my heart.

BLUE Excerpt: Blue & Jules

In this scene, Blue is returning to school after Holiday break, and unfortunately, so is Maya.

My stomach tightens so hard I feel like I’m going to puke. I glance at my phone again, and the texts from last night are still there.

Maya’s back at school
my mom saw her mom at Target

Maya is back
did u see her pic on IG

Did you hear about Maya?

I shove the phone back down in the pocket of my coat and I blow on my fingers to get them warm. I should have remembered my gloves but the whole morning is a blur and I had to get out of my house and now I’m sitting in my car in the cold and I can’t bring myself to turn the key in the ignition.
The phone comes out again. I have got to get a grip on myself. I know better, but I open up Instagram and find her picture. She looks good. Well, better than the last time I saw her, which wasn’t a great time for her. Or me.
Last night, I stayed up trying not to obsess about this and nursing a throbbing hand—which makes me tired and wishing more than anything I could go back to bed and forget the rest of this semester. I’m going to be late for school if I don’t get it together. The phone drops from my hand when a fist slams repeatedly into my window, scaring the hell out of me.
“Jules!” I shriek. “What the—”
“Got tired of waiting,” she says, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat. “You better get moving or we’ve got another unexcused tardy.”
I suppose it’s a good thing she lives four houses down, but right now I wish she lived in a neighboring town and took the bus.
“Let’s go.” I stuff my phone down into my coat pocket, trying to ignore the way it’s vibrating again. Jules’s eyes drop down, having heard it.
“So is everybody all up in your business?”
“Oh God,” I moan. “All day yesterday and still going this morning. This is such a non-event. It really is.”
“Did you see her pic?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think that was meant for me.”
Jules raises her brows. “You don’t?”
“Nah,” I say with what I hope is a careless shrug.
“Back at Audubon and nobody’s gonna keep me down,” Jules reads aloud while looking at her phone. Obviously, she had the picture open. Maya, in her bedroom, wearing a blue hoodie and smiling, both thumbs up. Her hair is longer now and she looks really pretty.
“I think she means more like, the world in general isn’t going to keep her down,” I tell her.
“I guess,” Jules agrees, only she doesn’t sound like she agrees even a little bit. “Lauren says Maya’s got Poly Sci third block with Jones.”
“Well then,” I force a smile as I start the car. “I guess we’ll find out if my theory is right.”
“She better not think she can start something.”
“Jules.” I give her a look. “Drop it, okay? I mean, she and I barely know each other.”
“I don’t think that’s true anymore.”
“No, it’s still true.” I reverse out of the driveway so fast, Jules rocks sideways in her seat.
“Whoa! Don’t go psycho on me! I’m just sayin’!”
“And I’m just saying; drop it. I’ve got enough of a feeding frenzy going on around me without you hopping on the boat, too.”
“You really don’t think that pic was meant for you?”
I stomp the brake just as we’re moving forward, and Jules rocks in the seat again.
“You honestly think I’m trying to keep Maya down? Like I don’t want her to succeed? In spite of—in spite of everything?”
Jules holds up her hands, finally realizing, I guess, that my nerves are a jangling, dangling mess.
“I’m not busting on you. I’m on your side, remember?”
“There aren’t any sides here,” I remind her with a sigh. “Not for Maya, or for me. Neither one of us had a thing to do with it.”
“Yeah, but dude—your brother killed her Dad.”
I put the car in gear and drive.

BLUE is out now! Click here to order.

Check Out My Guest Post On Two Ends Of The Pen

Interview with L.E. Delano, BLUE

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

BLUE is a stand-alone book. The story follows Blue Mancini, whose older brother was involved in a car accident that killed the father of her classmate, Maya Rodriguez. Now Maya has returned to school determined to make Blue’s life a living hell in the aftermath. Maya has more going on in the background than just this one awful thing that ties them together, and as secrets are revealed—not just from Maya but also from Blue’s new boyfriend, Devon—Blue begins to break out of her own bubble of personal misery and realize that everyone has a story, and we’re all struggling with things that we don’t always choose to advertise. Like ogres and onions, the book has a lot of layers, all of which weave together to carry these characters to a very different place from where they began.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Many thanks to Debra and David for hosting me!

The BLUE Playlist – An Odd Mix

If you’re reading BLUE (or getting ready to), here’s a list of songs that inspired me during the journey as I put BLUE together:

Another Way Out by Hollywood Undead – BLUE first chapter.

Blue begins her story feeling like she’s got nowhere to run from Maya, and from everyone who’s determined warn her about Maya’s return to school.

You Need to Calm Down – Taylor Swift. This one I picked for Jules.

Blue’s best friend isn’t doing much to help the situation, as she seems determined to stir up drama between Blue and Maya (along with the rest of the school), and cast suspicion on Devon and his secrets.

I Wanna Die But I Can’t (Cuz I Gotta Keep Living)– Pronoun. Blue’s storm of misery.

Maya’s personal attacks are only one of the elements converging on Blue – her parents, her brother’s incarceration, her own guilt over Maya’s situation, her worries about Devon – it’s just so overwhelming. This song has the perfect hopeless, suffocating feel to it.

Body and Mind – Girl in Red. After any scene with Blue’s mom.

I Wanna Get Better – Bleachers. Blue and Devon’s first date.

I love the feeling of something new and hopeful emerging in Blue’s life.

Therapy – All Time Low. This is for when Blue and Maya hit rock bottom.

Though Blue and Maya have several confrontations, there’s a big one that comes with a big reveal. The lyrics speak such truth. “A handful of moments I wish I could change.”

Extraordinary Machine – Fiona Apple. Blue & Maya finding their way.

I love the feel of this as both girls start to realize all they have and still have yet to overcome – and we see the absolute strength in their vulnerability.

Dreams– The Cranberries. Valentine’s Day

I know it’s an oldie, but God, I love the simple joy of this song, and it fits so beautifully with the sun peeking through Blue’s clouds as Devon shows her there’s a beautiful world waiting for her outside the misery bubble.

All My Heart – Sleeping With Sirens. Blue for Devon after Valentine’s Day. Not gonna spoil it, but it’s poignant and perfect.

I’ll Stand By You – The Pretenders. Blue and Jack.

Another oldie, but a great fit for the scene where Blue & her brother, Jack, to come face-to-face. It takes them some time to connect, and a lot of talk is needed to clear the air, but when all is said and done, she loves her brother, and it shows.

Always– Panic at the Disco. Devon reveals his secret.

I played this as I brainstormed the scene and sobbed all the way through.

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2. Devon’s life anthem.

You’ll know why when you get there.

Song For The Thankful – Avi Kaplan. Blue gives her book presentation.

Blue gets new perspective from all she’s learned with Maya and Devon, and sees things in a new way.

Hand in My Pocket – Alannis Morissette. Final Chapter.

I feel like half my list is retro! But this song is exactly the song to play the book out. Life isn’t all sunshine and unicorns. Everybody’s got a story, and we all keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving through. The trick is realizing “everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine.”