Laurisa White Reyes's Blog, page 111

COVER REVEAL: THIS IS SARAH by Ally Malinenko

Cover design by Anita B. Carroll at Race-Point.comAlly Malinenko is here today, revealing the cover for her YA novel, THIS IS SARAH, and sharing some writing advice.
Writing Advice
Here are my top five bits of writing advice from some really great writers all of whom know a heck of a lot more than I do about this writing game. Read and be wiser!

5. Garret Freyman-Weir – Author of My Heartbeat, Stay With Me, When I was Older and The Kings are Already Here.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Read. Really, I cannot begin to describe all the times I’ve met people who tell me that they would love to write, if only they could find the time (as if writing were a hobby, although given the quality of much of what is published, I sometimes think it is!), but if I talk to them at length it quickly becomes clear they do not read. That’s like wanting to run a marathon, but not wanting to run. Reading is the only way to learn how to write. It can’t be taught, exactly. It has to be absorbed.

4. Rebecca Stead – Author of When You Reach Me and Liar and Spy

What tips or advice can you share with young students who hope to start writing?

First: Read. It’s been said over and over, but reading is the most important thing an aspiring writer can do. Read what you love. Read something you think you won’t like at all. Experiment with your reading, but don’t stop reading.

Second: Don’t be discouraged by your first draft. For many writers, the first draft is a pretty terrible translation of what might be a terrific idea. Don’t stop and think, “this is awful.” It doesn’t help. Revision is just as much a part of the job as the first draft. If you aren’t willing to revise, you can’t be a writer.

3. Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) – Author of The Series of Unfortunate Events, When We Broke Up and All The Wrong Questions Series.

What’s the greatest or most memorable piece of advice on writing that you have ever received?
“Read everything out loud.”

2. Laini Taylor – Author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Days of Blood and Starlight

“Be an unstoppable force. Write with an imaginary machete strapped to your thigh. This is not wishy-washy, polite, drinking-tea-with-your-pinkie-sticking-out stuff. It’s who you want to be, your most powerful self. Write your books. Finish them, then make them better. Find the way. No one will make this dream come true for you but you.”

1.Neil Gaiman – Author of (tons of other stuff but also) Coraline, The Sandman Series, The Graveyard Book

Be wise

Make amazing mistakes

Break rules

Leave the world a more interesting place, and

Make good art
And he said it all quite well here in a now pretty famous commencement speech.
So there you guy. Easy right? Read. Write. Believe. Don’t give up. Read more. Write more. Believe more. Don’t give up more.

I don’t think there’s much that I could add to this. I mean, let’s be honest – these are all big fish writers and I’m a bottom feeder – happily and joyfully – but still a bottom feeder. But I will say this:

When you do start writing don’t give up. Just write. Keep writing. When it’s good keep writing. When it’s bad keep writing. When someone tells you it’s terrible and you should stop, keep writing. When someone tells you it’s perfect don’t change it, keep writing. You know in your heart what you are striving for. One day you’ll wake up and you’ll have found your voice. But it takes work. Be ready to do the work.

About the author:Ally Malinenko is the author of the poetry collection, The Wanting Bone (Six Gallery Press), and the children’s novel Lizzy Speare and the Cursed Tomb (Antenna Books). This Is Sarah is her first YA book. Ally lives in Brooklyn with her husband and a very ridiculous tabby cat. She blogs at allymalinenko.com and you can follow her on twitter at @allymalinenko.

About the book:When Colin Leventhal leaned out his bedroom window on the night of May 12th and said goodbye to his girlfriend, he never expected it would be forever. But when Sarah Evans goes missing that night, Colin's world unravels as he is transformed from the boyfriend next door to the main police suspect. Then one year later, at her memorial service, Colin makes a phone call that could change everything. Is it possible that Sarah is still alive? And if so, what is Colin willing to do to bring her back?
And as Colin struggles with this possibility, across the street, Sarah’s little sister Claire learns how to navigate the strange new landscape that is life without her sister. Even as her parent’s fall apart, Claire is determined to keep on going. Even if it kills her.

THIS IS SARAH is a meditation on loss, love, and what it means to say goodbye.

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Published on May 08, 2014 09:11

BOOK REVIEW: THE DEBT COLLECTOR by Susan Kaye Quinn

* CONTACT COUNTDOWN #9: Sneak Preview
* CONTACT COUNTDOWN #10: Mira's Playlist
* BOOK REVIEW: Wind Dancer by Chris Platt

THE DEBT COLLECTOR, Series One
Susan Kaye Quinn
Indie Published
Adult Noir

MY REVIEW:

I already reviewed the first half this brilliant series, and I just want to tell you that the second half is just as riveting. The action never lets up. The romance is hot (a little too hot in some places). The science fiction elements are very cool. I never saw myself getting into an adult book this much, but I'm hooked and looking forward to Series Two.
A serialized novel, The Debt Collector, Season 1 has nine episodes. The first episode is always free, which is how I got hooked. I figured, what have I got to lose? I downloaded the first episode and was hooked by page one. The cool thing is, the entire series is very affordable, so it wasn't a big hit on my budget to enjoy. I am looking forward to reading more from Susan Kaye Quinn.
If you'd like more info on the story itself or would like to read my earlier review, go HERE .

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Published on May 07, 2014 00:00

MIDDLE SHELF MAGAZINE - MAY/JUNE ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE

Drumroll, please! I am pleased to announce that the MAY/JUNE issue of MIDDLE SHELF MAGAZINE is now available!!! Ta Da!!!

Inside you will find an interview with Tyler Whitesides, author of the fantastical series JANITORS; amazing artwork by Brandon Dorman (Goosebumps & The 13th Reality); excerpts from six brand spankin' new books; reviews, spotlights, poetry and more! Check it out, and please spread the word!

http://issuu.com/middleshelf/docs/middle_shelf_may_june_2014

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Published on May 05, 2014 11:21

BOOK REVIEW: THE SECRET HUM OF A DAISY by Tracy Holtzer

THE SECRET HUM OF A DAISY
Tracy Holczer
Penguin Young Readers
320 pp.
Ages 10 - 13

Available on May 1, 2014

Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace wants to finally have a home all their own. Just when she thinks she's found it her mother says it's time to move again. Grace summons the courage to tell her mother how she really feels and will always regret that her last words to her were angry ones.
After her mother's sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met. She can't imagine her mother would want her to stay with this stranger. Then Grace finds clues in a mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on. Maybe it is her mother, showing her the way to her true home.
MY REVIEW:

Tracy Holczer's story begins with a heartwrenching loss for young Grace. After her mother drowns in a river, she moves in with her estranged grandmother who she's come to believe must be a bad person. Grace has to discover the truth about her mother and grandmother's history for herself before finally settling into where she truly belongs.
The Secret Hum of a Daisy has a sort of lullaby quality to it, reminiscent of Kathryn Erksine's Mockingbird, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech and Cynthia Rylant's Missing May. While the book did feel just a little long for middle grade, I never bored with Grace's story. Rather by the time it ended, I Grace and Grandma and Jo and the other characters felt like old friends. A very strong debut.

CONTENT RATING:

Profanity: None
Violence: None
Sexuality: Mild (protagonist's parents were unmarried teens)

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Published on May 04, 2014 13:42

CONTACT COUNTDOWN - #8: WIN A COPY OF CONTACT

* CONTACT COUNTDOWN #10: MIRA'S PLAYLIST
* CONTACT COUNTDOWN #9: SNEAK PREVIEW
* BOOK REVIEW: WIND DANCER by Chris Platt

I am giving away 5 paperback copies of CONTACT via Goodreads as part of the CONTACT COUNTDOWN. Winners will be selected on June 23rd!!!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway

Contact by Laurisa White Reyes Giveaway ends June 23, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win In the meantime, here are some really cool bits of CONTACT trivia for you:

1. Mira in Spanish means "to see"

2. Gaudium means "joy" or "happiness" in Latin

3. Bergie's is a real sandwich shop in La Cañada-Flintridge, the town where I spent my teen and young adult years.

4. A friend of my mother used to wear Jungle Gardenia perfume. I loved it as a kid, and still love the smell of Gardenias today.

5. Mira's park is patterned after my neighborhood park where I've taken my kids to play for 20 years.

6. There is no Edgar Cayce Institute on the West Coast. Don't you love the power of fiction?

7. When my mom was a little girl, my grandma rewarded (bribed) her to participate in dance classes with Abba-Zaba bars.

8. I make Lemon Berry Bread for my kids every summer. I saw it on Mrs. Field's cooking show ages ago and wrote in to request the recipe.

9. David is actually pronounced "Daveed" (In Spanish, 'i' is pronounced like a long 'e'.)

10. Starbucks serves their Hot Chocolate at about 160 degrees Fahrenheit, but can be as hot as 200 degrees. (Secret: Kids Hot Chocolate is only 130 degrees.)

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Published on May 02, 2014 00:00

BOOK REVIEW: WIND DANCER by Chris Platt

Welcome to Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM), a weekly event hosted by author Shannon Messenger. For a list of other MMGM posts, click HERE .
________________________________________________

WIND DANCER
Chris Platt
Peachtree Publishing
126 pp.
Ages 8 - 12

Ali's parents force her to help care for an Appaloosa suffering from severe neglect and malnutrition. At first she's reluctant, having already lost her beloved pony in a traumatic accident, but working with Wind Dancer does distract her from life at home, where everyone is walking on eggshells trying to deal with her brother, recently returned from Iraq with a missing leg and PTSD.
"A sweet ending points to a more hopeful future. " - Kirkus Reviews
MY REVIEW:
Wind Dancer is not just another "horse story," and I think the title and picture of a horse on the cover might dissuade many non-horse lovers from reading this touching, well-written story. Ali's resistance to caring for two neglected horses in need of rehabilitation stems from having lost her own beloved horse in a tragic accident. But she takes them on and does her best to help them. But the horses are not the only one in need of care and rehabilitation. Her brother, Danny, suffers from PTSD after fighting in the war in Afghanistan. Both Ali's love for him and the presence of the horses help set Danny on the path toward healing.
This story is timely and poignant, and would be perfect to share with any child experiencing loss or trauma. It is full of hope and reconciliation. I thoroughly enjoyed Wind Dancer and am certain anyone who reads it will too.

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Published on April 27, 2014 17:00

CONTACT COUNTDOWN - #9: SNEAK PREVIEW

* Read CONTACT COUNTDOWN #10 here

CONTACT
CHAPTER ONE

I’m alive?Yes. Still alive.…Again.A tube runs from an IV bag into my arm, the plastic needle burrows under my skin like a tick. Thank God I was unconscious when they put that in. I cringe at the thought of being deluged with so many psyches at once—paramedics, nurses, doctors, all of them touching me. Where are my clothes? They must have taken them off when I was out. This flimsy gown can’t protect me. I want to tear off the tape securing the IV tube to my skin; rip it off like a band-aid. I want out of here, but then I see Mama sleeping beside me, her body sloped in a plastic chair. I shouldn’t have done this to her again. But I had to try.A plastic clamp pinches my finger, connecting me to a heart monitor. Three inches further up, my wrist is wrapped in gauze. Two months ago I would never have had the courage to do this—or any reason to. But now, feeling the staples beneath the bandage, I wonder how deep someone has to cut in order to die?The curtain jerks back, the metal rings dragging across the ceiling rail. Mama snaps to attention. I half expect her to stand and salute. “Miranda Ortiz?” says a woman in a beige linen suit and crisp white blouse. She is thin, stiff, and colorless. She reeks of Gardenias. “I’m Dr. Walsh from Mental Health,” she continues. The plastic laminated nametag hanging from her neck confirms this. Dr. Walsh extends her hand, but instead of taking it, I grasp the edge of my sheet and pull it up to my chin. Other than this stupid hospital gown, it’s the only barrier I’ve got right now.Mama stands up and reaches over the bed to shake the doctor’s hand. “I’m Mira’s mother, Ana,” she says wearily. She starts to sit back down, but Dr. Walsh interrupts. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Mrs. Ortiz. However, I’d like to speak to your daughter alone, if that’s all right.” Dr. Walsh is insistent, in a polite sort of way. Mama leans toward me, and for a split second I think she’s going to kiss me goodbye. Though deep down I almost wish she would, instead she offers me her gentle smile and tucks the sheet under my shoulder. “Please don’t go,” I whisper. “It’ll only be a few minutes,” she says. “I’ll be just outside, all right?” Mama brushes a strand of hair from my eyes with her manicured fingernails, careful to avoid contact with my skin. She smiles at me, but her eyes are wistful. As she walks out, my insides tighten up and I suddenly realize how much I’ve missed her touch. My instinct is to cling to her like when I was small, but instead I press my arms stiffly to my sides like a corpse. A security guard opens the door and accompanies Mama out into the hall. Dr. Walsh takes Mama’s empty chair, crosses one leg over the other and lays a clipboard on her knee. “So,” she begins, “you cut yourself last night. Is that right?” Her voice is casual and smooth, as if she’s just asked me what I ate for dinner. She waits for me to respond. When I don’t, she glances down at her clipboard. “I understand it’s not your first attempt. You were just here a couple of weeks ago, I see. Overdose, but no permanent damage done.” She glances up at me, pausing in case I have something to say.I don’t.“Miranda—” “It’s Mira.” “Mira, what happened that made you want to die?”Her perfume hangs heavy around her. I rub the sheet against my nose, trying to block out the overpowering smell. The silence between us feels awkward. It’s obvious she’s going to sit there for as long as it takes. I want her gone, so I might as well talk. “My boyfriend wants to dump me,” I tell her, and it’s true. Sort of. “I see,” she says. Her eyebrows lift a little. “Things aren’t going well between the two of you?” “Something like that.” Her eyes narrow as she looks at her clipboard again. She thinks she’s got me all figured out. She’s met a hundred kids like me, maybe more. In her eyes, I’m just like all the rest. Only I’m not. “Mira, do you mind if I ask you some questions?” She looks up at me, a trace of a smile on her lips. “Your answers will help me understand what’s happening with you, all right?” She begins with the same questions Dr. Jansen asked me the last time I was here: Do you have trouble sleeping? How’s your appetite? Do you feel anxious or sad more often than usual? She’s so pale with her white skin and bleached hair. Craig’s skin is light like hers. I used to relish his touch and let his lips linger on mine as long as he wanted. My skin tingles just thinking about him, but I shove the memories back, burying them down deep inside me where they belong. Dr. Walsh shifts in her chair, drawing my mind back to the present. “Mira,” she continues, “do you believe you have special powers?” Beneath the sheet my arm jerks, and the clip on my finger pops off. The monitor lets out a loud, piercing beep. I pat around the mattress, but I can’t find the clip. Then I see it dangling over the side of the bed. I reach for it, but Dr. Walsh gets to it before I do. “Here,” she says, smiling. “Let me help you.” “No, don’t!” I say, grabbing for the clip. Too late. Oh God. Please God, not again. I squeeze my eyelids shut, bracing for impact as she grasps my wrist in one hand and replaces the clip with the other. It takes only half a second, like those commercials where a crash test dummy rockets forward at high speed and slams into a wall. In that instant every thought in Emma Lynn Walsh’s head collides with mine—every thought, memory, hope, disappointment and dream. They come at me like a hailstorm, assaulting me at random. I see her as a child falling off her bike and scraping her knee, and her father scolding her for forgetting to brake. I see the wedding ring slide onto her finger—her yanking it off and flushing it down the toilet. I feel despair at her mother’s funeral and relief at her father’s. She masks so much pain with poise and self-assurance, but beneath it all she’s a mess. “Mira? Mira.” I open my eyes to see Dr. Walsh peering at me, a puzzled expression on her face. “Let—go—of—me,” I order though clenched teeth.Dr. Walsh releases my wrist. I turn on my side, rolling up in the sheet, attempting to disappear into my cocoon. I hear the chair legs scrape against the floor as Dr. Walsh slides it closer to my bed. I stare at the bottom of my IV bag, watching clear drops form, preparing to fall into the tube. One by one they hang there for a moment suspended in time, and then plop! I glance over my shoulder and look at Dr. Walsh. Her smile is gone. Both feet are on the floor, and she’s holding the clipboard up now, like a shield. There’s a yellow Sponge Bob sticker on the back, staring at me with a goofy, wide-mouthed grin.“Okay, Mira. Why don’t we get back to your boyfriend? You said he wants to break up with you. Why?” Dr. Walsh’s tone has changed. It’s softer now, more sympathetic, but what can I tell her that won’t sound crazy? “I won’t let him touch me anymore.”“So he told you he wants to break up with you?” “No. He hasn’t said anything—yet.” “Hasn’t said anything.” Her voice holds a note of confusion. “Then, how do you know?” She dangles the question in front of me like the proverbial carrot, hoping to draw me out. I don’t want to talk anymore, but something inside me needs to. Maybe part of me believes there is a chance, no matter how slight, that this woman might be able to help. That’s how desperate I’ve become.I open my mouth to say something, but I can’t. Instead, I just lay there wrapped up like a mummy, someone who’s dead inside. Only I’m not dead. I’m alive. Too much alive. Just then a nurse comes into the room to check my IV. “Are you comfortable, Ms. Ortiz?” she asks. “Your father called a bit ago. I assured him that if you needed anything, anything at all, I’d see to it myself.” The nurse, a plump middle-aged woman wearing purple scrubs, glances at Dr. Walsh and reacts as if the good doctor had just magically appeared there. “Oh my, I’m sorry, Dr. Walsh. I didn’t mean to intrude.” “Not a problem. We’re finished here,” says Dr. Walsh offering a nod. I hear the snap of the clipboard’s metal clasp as she tucks her pen into it. Walking around the side of my bed, she gives me a conciliatory smile. “All right, Mira,” she says. “I’m going to have a word with your mother about getting you admitted. I need you to be somewhere safe, where we can keep an eye on you for a few days.” As Dr. Walsh turns to leave, I find my voice again. “If you hate them so much, why smell like them?” “Pardon?” She turns, pausing at the door. “Gardenias. You hate gardenias.” Her lips turn pale as she presses them together. I don’t want to do this, but I need her to believe me. My voice chokes when I say it. “It’s your mother’s perfume.” Dr. Walsh’s eyes glisten; hurt and confusion fills her face. Without a word, she turns and walks through the door, taking the invisible gardenia cloud with her.

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Published on April 25, 2014 00:00

AN EASTER MESSAGE FOR YOU

I love this inspiring video which reminds me why I celebrate Easter every year, and that it's not just about colored eggs and chocolate bunnies.

I faced the deaths of three friends and family members in the past few weeks. But though I have felt great sadness at losing them, I do believe that they are not gone forever. That I will see them again one day.

I wish you all...

A JOYOUS EASTER

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Published on April 20, 2014 00:00

PASADENA TEEN BOOK FESTIVAL

I will be signing copies of my book, The Last Enchanter , (and handing out bookmarks for Contact ) at the Pasadena Teen Book Festival on April 26th. Some of my favorite authors will be there too, like Lissa Price (Starters), Lisa Yee (Warp Speed), Andrew Smith (Grasshopper Jungle), and Gretchen McNeil (3:59)!

The first 150 attendees get a free totebag!!!

I hope you can make it, and please spread the word!!!

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Published on April 18, 2014 00:00