Ginger Garrett's Blog, page 5

Here’s what the media is saying about THE LAST MONSTER

“The world around us is filled with monsters

and freaks and mysteries.

And me?

I am the Guardian, who will watch over them all.”

THE LAST MONSTER, by Ginger Garrett, Delacorte Press

“An appealing tale for readers dealing with their own insecurities.”

Booklist

“A perfect recommendation for introspective kids who feel like outsiders.”

School Library Journal

Preorder now for the best price at:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Monster-Ginger-Garrett/dp/0553535242

Or:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-monster-ginger-garrett/1122342054

Here

“The world around us is filled with monsters

and freaks and mysteries.

And me?

I am the Guardian, who will watch over them all.”

THE LAST MONSTER, by Ginger Garrett, Delacorte Press

“An appealing tale for readers dealing with their own insecurities.”

Booklist

“A perfect recommendation for introspective kids who feel like outsiders.”

School Library Journal

Know A Kid Who Needs Encouragement?

THE LAST MONSTER, a new novel for young adults, is available for preorder from any book seller. Published by Delacorte Press/Random House, the novel is getting some great reviews…most importantly, the reviews are helping booksellers and librarians get the book into the right hands. Here’s a sample of what the media is saying:

“ An appealing tale for readers dealing with their own insecurities.” Booklist

“A perfect recommendation for introspective kids who feel like outsiders.” School Library Journal



“poignant and sophisticated…punctuated with wry humor” Kirkus Reviews

I’m thrilled that the reviews will help the right readers find the book. Preorder now- the book releases in early April!

SCBWI SpringMingle

Just got home from the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators SpringMingle conference, hosted by my region (Southern Breeze).

If you want to write or illustrate for children or young adults, you really must join us at SCBWI:

http://www.scbwi.org/

It’s a wonderful organization and has been enormously helpful to me in my career.

That’s it for now: I have to get back to working on my synopsis for another book. Or two.

The Last Monster Is In The Can!

I’m so excited (and relieved) that the edits for THE LAST MONSTER (Delacort/Random House) are officially done. We’re moving on to copyediting now, and I am busy outlining new material.Meanwhile, check out the new book THE MIDDLE SCHOOL RULES OF BRIAN URLACHER (BroadStreet Publishing. This is a book I had a hand in shaping, and was thrilled to get to work with Sean Jensen from Thrive Sports.

It’s a great read for middle school kids who love sports stories.

The Last Monster

I’m so thrilled to announce that THE LAST MONSTER, my middle-grade novel, has been acquired by Delacorte/Random House. I’m deep in edits right now, which means drinking lots of tea and getting red ink all over my fingers every day. The novel is scheduled for release in Spring 2015, and I’ll be updating the site as we get closer.

The book is about a thirteen-year-old cancer survivor, Sofia, who discovers a Bestiary written by Aristotle’s last student. Sofia learns that the world is filled with monsters in hiding, and the ancient conspiracy that once threatened Aristotle’s student  is now threatening her. Sofia must save them all by becoming the Guardian. She learns that some things are worth fighting for…most especially, our right to be different.

There’s more to come but for now…go enjoy a beautiful fall season!

Why I Love Stingrays and Hate Goats

Summer is in full swing here at Casa Garrett, which means I am probably at the beach right now, getting sunburned. But the upside of that is seeing all the stingrays at my favorite beach, and they are such ethereal creepshows that I don’t even mind when they swim around me. (That’s actually a lie. I yelp.) My favorite beach has had a ton of them this year, and I’m not really sure why, but I love watching them in the water.

While I wait for news on the middle-grade series that my fabulous agent is pitching, I’m also hard at work on a new series. I’ll be editing a sports biography series for middle grade boys. Part of the work involves interviewing sports celebrities. I bought a lovely new sweater set for a recent interview, one carefully chosen to make me look both editorial and intelligent. (Sweater sets do that.)

One thing that no one bothered to tell me was that the celebrity lived on an estate with over 70 animals, including about twenty goats. I don’t trust goats. I never have. Plus, they are completely impervious to my charms. A witty anecdote has zero effect. On the estate, one goat seemed to sense my attachment to the sweater set and went on the offensive.

As I walked around the place, this goat followed me and ate a new section of the sweater each time he caught me standing still. Apparently, vanity is the new delicious in the farmyard world. Sigh. Leave it to a goat to quickly dismantle all my attempts to look important.

I’ll post more when there’s actual news. Until then, enjoy your summer!

The Bride Wore Red

Did you wear pastel colors over the Easter weekend? If you did, check out the story of my friend who celebrated the holiday while in another country…

http://bit.ly/1gWbQVF

How to Make Peace with Your Regrets

From this month’s issue of InTouch magazine, here’s a look at how I’ve learned to make peace with regret:

http://www.intouch.org/magazine/content.aspx?topic=Wounds_as_Windows#.UyrSboXDDMU

Green Tea As a Writer’s Secret Weapon

Every morning, before I write, I make a fresh pot of tea, and usually it’s green tea. Here’s why.

First, rituals are powerful. They condition us to expect a certain chain of events. In my case, when I make a pot of tea, I am preparing myself to focus on my work for the next few hours. The work becomes my priority. Since I have kids at home who leave laundry on the floor and dogs who shed and dishes in the sink and bills peeking out from underneath old magazines and smudges on the stainless steel appliances…well, you can see that distraction is my number one enemy. And I have a lot of noble distractions.

Ritual is how I tune out those distractions, and focus instead on my work.

Next, I choose green tea most often because of its well documents effects on the brain. For starters, green tea may boost dopamine in the brain, which helps create positive mood. Green tea also helps the keep the brain supplied with its primary source of fuel, glucose, because green tea helps our bodies use insulin more efficiently.

In addition, a study from Molecular Nutrition and Food Research found that components in green tea help the brain create new cells that are responsible for short and long term memory. This means we may be able to work smarter, not harder, since we are retaining information more easily.  Artists, in particular, must be able to hold a long-term vision in their minds as they work on daily, short-term tasks. Green tea might just help strengthen an artist’ ability to bounce back and forth between these tasks. Maybe. I’m hoping.

One other major benefit for artists is the ability of green tea to influence the brain’s production of theta waves. Those are the brain waves created when we’re in a relaxed and positive mood, such as during meditation. For many artists, this is an ideal starting place to create their best work.

So, every day, I rely on the power of ritual and the science of tea to get me ready to write. If it works for you, steal the idea!

Here are a few great articles that expand on the science of tea:

(http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200306/green-tea-the-brain)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120905083852.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fliving_well+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Living+Well+News%29

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/natasha-turner-nd/green-tea-benefits_b_3685456.html