M.L. LeGette's Blog, page 42
June 13, 2013
Spotlight on the Review #2
Happy readers make happy writers.
Abigail’s full review:
Where do I even start to tell you how amazing this book was? I’m fourteen years old, and this is a fairy tale, yet I enjoyed every second! Each page filled me with the feeling that I was truly there, watching this all go down with my very own eyes. Leah’s smiles were my smiles, and her tears I shared too. And the characters!
Leah was such a relatable character, and I felt like she and I were sisters!
Her father was sweet and kind and I loved him.
Miss Perish… Well I sorta hated her, and giggled with glee as she left.
Phillip, loved him at first, but kinda saw the jerk coming out, before Leah did. Hate him.
Ian… Ahh, Ian. I think I liked him more, each page I read. He was so sweet, and kind, and his family was amazing. I think.. No I KNOW that this bakers son, is even more charming and sweet than Peeta could dream of! (:
And I loved Lavena! I was pretty suspicious of her to begin with, but as the book went on she became a dear friend.
And Mora? Well she’s Mora… >_>
I see myself reading this again, and still having the same shock as I turn the pages, as if I was reading it for the first time. I also can’t wait until my niece is old enough to understand it, so I can read it to her! An awesome book!
Bottom line: Little kids need this, big kids need this, teens need this, and old folks need this. You will fall in love with the characters, and hate some of them. You will feel as if your standing right there seeing all of this, and not curled up in your bed at three in the morning, reading it.
Wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful!
The Unicorn Girl is available on Amazon, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble.
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June 12, 2013
Fan Video ~ The Unicorn Girl
Ty Zeiter, a sixteen year old from California who has also written her first novel and is a very talented artist (I’ve posted some of her work here), made a video of my book The Unicorn Girl. I’ve fantasized of people doing fun, wonderful things like this but I never thought it would actually happen. I keep expecting to blink my eyes and find that it’s just a dream. Happily, I don’t think this will be the case. Here is Ty’s video. It is spot on: the images, the music, the wording. Thank you so much, Ty for a fabulous video. I am honored.
June 9, 2013
Simply Wonderful Features Sherlock
The feature where I share my obsessions, my interests, and the little things that make me giggle — welcome to Simply Wonderful! I pin all my Simply Wonderful entries on Pinterest. Feel free to browse my collections.
Simply Wonderful Presents: Sherlock // Reichenbach Remix) Moriarty + Sherlock // Sail
SPOILER WARNING! If you have not seen the last episode of series 2 (The Reichenbach Fall), watch this video at your own risk. If you have not seen BBC’s Sherlock and don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, stop reading this right now and watch the first episode, A Study in Pink. Seriously. Do it.
I shall make it public. I am obsessed with BBC’s Sherlock. It is treading frightfully close to my obsession of Harry Potter and THAT is really saying something. Each show is utterly brilliant. The writing, the casting, the acting, the filming, the editing, the score — fabulously brilliant. This show is the best television program I have ever seen. I have yet to grow tired of viewing the episodes over and over again.
The fan video above is the greatest fan video I have come across. Amy Kinley out did herself.
June 6, 2013
Magic Mirror Features Sam
The feature where I share a glimpse into my fiction — welcome to Magic Mirror! I pin all my Magic Mirror entries on Pinterest. Feel free to browse my collections. They are sorted by book title.
Magic Mirror Presents: Sam // The Tale of Mally Biddle
I’m a big fan of heroines having awesome horses. My favorite part of BRAVE was the horse.
I had very particular traits in mind for Mally’s horse. Mally comes from a farming town, so her horse needed to be a worker and less for travel. I wanted him to be powerful, strong, imposing, intimidating, and regal. These are all the traits that come to mind when I think of draft horses. It also was a positive for him to be so different from Leah’s horse Iris from The Unicorn Girl. Iris was very delicate and dance-like (think Arabian). I wanted Sam to be masculine and very war-like.
I did some research (as in Google search) to find out how tall draft horses typically are. This led me to the Shire horse, pictured above. They can grow to become enormous sizes (17 to 19 hands!). The tallest recorded so far was 21 hands! They are incredible work horses that can pull staggering weights.
When I landed upon the photo above, I thought, yes! That’s Sam! I love how the horse looks like he’s on his off day, exactly how Sam spends most of his time.
Excerpt from the book:
“Remember our bargain?” Bayard shot at Mally, his fist clenched on Sam’s reigns.
Mally nodded and Bayard lifted himself and swung his leg up and over. The moment he had settled, Sam let out an almighty neigh and reared. Bayard yelled in surprise and clutched the reigns as the knights quickly stumbled backward, shouting encouragement. But Sam wouldn’t listen to Bayard or the knights’ orders. He flattened his ears against his skull, snorted like a bull and dived forward into a wild gallop. Mally, Bob, the stable hands, and the knights stood transfixed as Bayard tried to control Sam. Then quite suddenly, Sam came to an abrupt, jerking stop. Bayard flew over Sam’s head to land with a loud thud in a large mud puddle.
Sam trotted around Bayard to stand, wriggling his ears in a disgruntled way, beside Mally.
“I’m so sorry, Sir Adrian!” Mally yelled over the howling laughter from the other knights, her voice full of false concern. “Are you all right?”
Cursing under his breath, Bayard stood back up, shaking mud off his hands.
“Blasted beast!” he snarled.
“The miss did warn you, sir,” Bob piped up, grinning from ear to ear.
“I can ride any horse!” Bayard shouted and Sam’s ears flattened again against his head.
“But, sir, Sam isn’t any horse,” Mally replied, her voice as sweet and innocent as a child’s.
June 5, 2013
Garden Windows Features Sea Foam
The feature where I share my own photography — welcome to Garden Windows! I’ve been playing with a camera since I was a young teen and I find it to be a very peaceful, very satisfying hobby. Feel free to browse my collection.
Garden Windows Presents: Sea Foam
June 2, 2013
Interview with Fantasy Books
The following interview was done during the Biddle Blog Tour, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.
1. Hello, Melissa! Can you tell us something about you and your books?
Happily! I’m twenty-five and I live in a very small southern town. My big brother started a sustainable vegetable farm a few years ago and I’m one of the workers there, so farm life, farm animals, and eating what you grow is very important to me and it shows in my writing. I’m an introvert, I love chocolate, I hate to clean, and though traveling is nice and brings oodles of inspiration, I’m a serious homebody.
I love writing fantasy. I love to create new kingdoms with sprawling, ancient forests and towering castles made of stone. But I also love the common struggles that we all face: overcoming our fears, making choices, finding love, losing love, learning to cope and live with hope. When you boil it down, that’s what my stories are really all about.
2. When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer?
I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was fifteen/sixteen and promptly told all my teachers. I think they were a little concerned.
3. Where do you find your inspiration for your novels? (If it’s not a secret) Have you ever found it in your real life?
So many things inspire me! Art, music, travel, movies, books. There have been so many times when an idea comes out of the blue with no warning. That’s inspiration at its purest.
4. Do any of your fictional character resemble you?
In the book I’m currently working on I see myself in both the main characters. In The Tale of Mally Biddle, I think I’m quite similar to Mally in temperament, but we’re still very different. Maybe Mally is who I would love to be. And if I could write myself, I would TOTALLY give myself curly hair.
5. What book is the first one that you remember reading?
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
6. Do you have a favorite book?
Oh, yes. Harry Potter.
7. If you were about to leave on a trip which book would you take with you?
Easy. Harry Potter. Though there would be a struggle over which in the series. They never get old.
8. Tell us one thing you’d like to change about people from nowadays.
I think people spend too much time fretting. I certainly do! I’d love for people to relax a little and see life as full of fun instead of chores. Instead of packing our day with ‘ought tos’ and ‘shoulds’, why don’t we take a breather and do something utterly pointless and wonderful? And lets not feel guilty when it’s over.
9. Is there a moment in your life you’d like to live again?
When I was a teenager, I got to see The Phantom of the Opera on stage. We had miraculous seats, dead center, right under the chandelier that later crashes onto the stage. It was a magical night and the first time I had seen a professional performance. I’d love to do that again.
10. Do you have a message for Romanian readers? Why would you recommend your book?
Well, first off let me say that both the artist and photographer who are credited with the cover of The Tale of Mally Biddle are Romanian! It’s a very small world, is it not? I’ve never visited Romania, but I’ve been experiencing a growing fondness for the country. I would recommend my book to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, as long as you’re game for castles, feasts, quirky characters, murder and full out entertainment.
May 29, 2013
Simply Wonderful Features Harry Potter
The feature where I share my obsessions, my interests, and the little things that make me giggle — welcome to Simply Wonderful! I pin all my Simply Wonderful entries on Pinterest. Feel free to browse my collections.
Simply Wonderful Presents: Harry Potter
So simple and yet so powerful — this image is beautiful. Every time I read the first chapter from Book 1 (and I’ve read it many times) I get chills. Every single time.
May 27, 2013
Word Clouds ~ Unicorn Girl ~ Intro
For the fun of it, I’ve begun putting in excerpts from my books into word cloud generators. I love how they turn out. This cloud is from the intro chapter of my debut novel.
Don’t forget! The Unicorn Girl is currently FREE on Kindle. Today is the last day the offer stands!
The Unicorn Girl ~ Intro: The Witch
the cloud:
The Excerpt
In a stone cottage, deep in a dark and entangled forest, sat a tall, thin woman in a high-backed chair. She drummed her bony fingers slowly on the chair’s thick arms, her black eyes roaming the room. She had inky black hair with a few streaks of gray and her high cheek bones were heavily pronounced under her sickly pale skin. Her name was Mora … and she was waiting.
She was a witch—a witch who had lost one battle that had cost her her powers, her life, and her freedom. Her skin grew paler as she thought about that horrible night, and she glowered at the room. She had been forced to live here. They had forced her. They were fools for ever challenging her! But she could wait. She had waited for nine years. She could wait a little longer. She knew she would get out of this tomb; she could feel it in her bones. All she had to do was wait.
May 24, 2013
Guest author Melissa LeGette
Please welcome Melissa to the blog today and join me in showing your appreciation by reading her replies to my guest author questions.
Hi Rosie! This is a brilliant idea.
Here are my answers.
1) Tell me your name
M.L. LeGette, but feel free to call me Melissa.
2) Where do you live?
Washington, GA, USA. It's a little town.
Thank you so much Rosie for the interview! Remember: The Unicorn Girl will be FREE this Memorial Day Weekend! Starting on Saturday and running all day Monday!
May 23, 2013
Free Books this Memorial Day Weekend!
Praise
This book is fun, imaginative, and hard-to-put-down. M.L. LeGette does a great job drawing you into the story more and more as the novel develops. The elements of magic and fantasy are wonderful and the story of a young girl growing into herself becomes a haunting journey of self-discovery as the protagonist is physically and emotionally transformed by her mysterious illness. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of fantasy and good coming-of-age stories! ~ J.J. Sorensen
I loved reading The Unicorn Girl! I was entertained, excited and charmed–my husband’s reading it now, and we can’t wait to give it as gifts to a few of our young adult friends. Not only am I certain they’ll enjoy the intricate plot and endearing characters, but I also feel good about giving a book that communicates such a positive message about the “growing pains” that many young women experience. It’s inspiring to read about how Leah deals with the magical events and strange adventures that challenge her sense of self throughout the novel: through it all, she’s a character to both identify with and admire. I’d recommend The Unicorn Girl to anyone–if you’re getting it for a young friend, you’d be missing out if you didn’t read it first! ~ Angela Berkley
I like a book with some combination of unicorns, horses, and a heroine with powers that set her apart. The Unicorn Girl has all three–it’s page-turning fantasy with the works, only better. What makes this book so different and so very, very good is the haunting story of how the heroine grows irreversibly into her powers. Leah’s illness and her transformation through it into a strange, adult beauty change everything, even her place in her own family. Deeply intelligent, moving–and I couldn’t put it down. ~ Emily Starr
