Mindy Hardwick's Blog, page 18
June 28, 2015
New Poems Posted on Teen Poems Behind Bars
We have some new poems on the Denney Juvenile Justice Center blog, Teen Poems Behind Bars.
These are from the workshop I did at the beginning of June with the kids. One of the things I noticed when posting the poems is how well they capture the writers’ voices. When I publish the poetry, whether on the blog or in the poetry books, I print them as the kids wrote them. In some cases, I do have to edit a word or two if I can’t read their handwriting or if it simply does not make sense and it seems a word is out of place. But the goal of the poetry is to stay true to the teen’s voices and experiences.
A big shout-out to the teens who worked so hard in the workshop and were willing to write honestly about their lives.
We hope you enjoy these poems:
June 19, 2015
Doorway Moments
Last week, I taught a poetry workshop at Denney Juvenile Justice Center. I’ll be posting some of the poems on the teen’s blog over the next few weeks as the release forms roll in.
One of the things we talk about in the poetry workshop are doorway moments. There is an exercise I do with both the kids in detention and kids in school visits where I hand out pictures of doors and we write about doorway moments in our lives or the lives of our characters. The doorway pictures are taken from the book, Doors of the World.
Some of the things we include in our writing include:
How the character feels when approaching the door. Are they nervous? Excited? Scared? Happy?
The physical appearance of the door including aspects of the setting around the door–weather, sounds, sights, textures,
The biggest thing I ask the teens to answer is: Does your character open that door and walk through or do they turn away? Both options can lead to a bigger story.
In my own young adult romance, WEAVING MAGIC, I included a doorway moment here:
“You left this,” Christopher held up my silver watch bracelet, “in the truck.”
Automatically, my hand flew to my bare wrist. My watch bracelet. How could I not have noticed it was gone? Something inside me felt terrible. My chest contracted and everything around me got a little fuzzy before I swallowed hard and reached out to take the bracelet. My fingers brushed over Christopher’s long, slender ones.
“Let me get that.” Christopher gently took my left arm. When his fingers touched my wrist, my insides tingled and the warmth spread through me.
Above us, a wind chime tinkled in a small gust of wind. I caught my breath as the musical notes floated across the porch.
A memory played in the corners of my mind. It was another good day and Mom stood on a small step stool. She hung the chime on the small white eye-hook. The chime caught the wind, and Mom pulled me close to her. “It’s beautiful,” she said. “Just like you.” I snuggled closer to her. I wanted to believe her words. But it was hard at age twelve; with my long, spindly legs, and flat chest, I didn’t feel beautiful. Not like Mom, with her round face, dark sparkling eyes, and her wonderful laugh. When she laughed it always sounded like her own musical chimes.
Christopher placed the bracelet on my arm, and a small breeze whispered through the porch and across my face. Christopher’s eyes met mine, and his fingers lightly caressed my hand. The world seemed to stand still for just a minute. A minute that held the two of us captured in a small bubble which seemed like it might be one of those quantum shifts of time—until a large flock of Canada geese, flying overhead, honked loudly.
“Would you like to come inside?” I leaned against the door for balance. It was funny how just those simple words made me feel so out of balance.
You can read more of WEAVING MAGIC here
May 24, 2015
STAINED GLASS SUMMER Free this Weekend
STAINED GLASS SUMMER is a free ebook this weekend. It’s a great summer story for kids ages 8-12! If you know of a child who is looking for something to read on this long holiday weekend, now is a great time to pick up a copy
You can get the free ebook on Amazon here.
May 15, 2015
WEAVING MAGIC FREE This Weekend
If you haven’t picked up a copy of WEAVING MAGIC, the ebook is free on Amazon this weekend. You can find WEAVING MAGIC here.
May 9, 2015
Weaving Magic Goodreads Giveaway
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Weaving Magic
by Mindy Hardwick
Giveaway ends May 20, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
May 6, 2015
Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day
It’s Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day and I’m participating with this great artist tool belt. (It can also be used as a light gardening tool belt).
To enter please leave me a comment below telling me something you like to do in the garden. (U.S. addresses only.)
You can find all the handmade goods here.
And you can find all the sewing and craft supplies here.
May 1, 2015
WEAVING MAGIC NOW AVAILABLE
WEAVING MAGIC, a YA romance, is now available as both an ebook and print book. You can find them both here.
April 19, 2015
WEAVING MAGIC COVER ART
I’m very happy to reveal the new cover art for my YA romance, WEAVING MAGIC. The cover was designed by Serious Take Productions. The book will be reissued in print and ebook in a few weeks.
April 18, 2015
Goodreads Giveaway for STAINED GLASS SUMMER
There is a Goodreads Giveaway to win a signed copy of STAINED GLASS SUMMER. This is the newly released version which contains the bonus story, ELF SHOES.�� The giveaway runs until April 30, 2015.
You can click below and it will take you to the giveaway.
Good luck!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Stained Glass Summer
by Mindy Hardwick
Giveaway ends April 30, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Winner of Authors in Bloom Blog Hop
The winner of the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop is Rhianona!
Congratulations! I will be contacting you to find out your mailing address to send a signed copy of ROMANCE FOR ALL THE SEASONS.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by!
