Trista Herring Baughman's Blog, page 4

Homeschool Shenanigans

Every year around mid-February to early March my kids start planning their leprechaun traps. Our leprechaun, Lucky, is very clever and has always escaped thus far, but the boys’ traps are getting better each year.

Jurassic Leprechaun trap #1

I’m always impressed with their ideas. They remember what sort of worked and what didn’t. They use that and make guesses about what they could do differently.

Jurassic Leprechaun trap #2

What can I say? They make a ma proud. (This definitely falls under STEM activities!)

This year they got some pretty cool treasure–coins from the Emerald Isle and a few chocolate coins, too. He also left a note.

Tis St. Patrick’s Day

And ye’ve set out your trap

But ye’ll never be

Catching this leprechaun chap!

But don’t worry lads,

Still I’ve left ye some sweets

And a couple of other

wee leprechaun treats!

They’ll catch him next time for sure!

We’ve also done a bit of traveling. We got to tag along on Daddy’s work trip to Nebraska, where we lived for a time. It was nice to visit most of our favorite hangouts.

I had hoped to talk to the Vala’s Pumpkin Patch folks about selling Halloween Night and Other Poems in their gift shop this year, but despite my best attempts, I was unable to. Sigh. I’ll keep trying.

We took our school work with us and worked in-between outings. It’s interesting to homeschool and travel. We went on field trips to the Henry Doorly Zoo, Fontenelle Forest, and the Sarpy County Museum. Along the way, I gave them mini-tours of places we’d been and recounted stories of our time there. In the evenings we had supper with Daddy and picked something fun to do like go see a movie or shop.

On the way back home we stopped at a few flea markets and antique stores, including one of my favorites, the Jesse James Antique Mall. (Wish we could have taken my mama with us!) You’d be surprised at how much you can teach your kids in a store like that. So many great conversation pieces.

We also listened to audiobooks while we rode. We finished The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier and started Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Now we’re back at our house and to our regularly scheduled subjects and chores.

I think I mentioned that I read A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille recently-ish. Since then, I’ve been more focused on reading classics on my own and with my kids. I found a great program called Teaching the Classics that is helpful. This isn’t an affiliate link. I just like it and wanted to share.

For April (National Poetry Month) we will continue our Poetry Memorization course (I truly can’t recommend this enough! None of these links are affiliate), read some of our favorite poetry collections, and write some poems of our own.

Tomorrow, I think we’ll take time for catching up with family and friends. It’s always a priority to let them know they’re appreciated and loved. We’ve actually been working on typing up letters to send out, too. #snailmail

Other than homeschooling, I’ve been writing and editing for Writing from the Peak and Mississippi Folklore, decluttering, and reading. You can see what I’m reading on GoodReads (and while you’re there, friend and follow if you like)!

I haven’t watched the news much lately but I did see the sad news of the storm that hit Rolling Forks, Mississippi and about the school shooting in Tennessee. Sending prayers their way. God bless America.

Y’all stay tuned for updates and author interviews to come.

God bless, ~T

“May you have love that never ends,
Lots of money, and lots of friends.
Health be yours, whatever you do,
And may God send many blessings to you!”

— An Irish Blessing

Interview with Author Wolff McNamara

Hello dear readers,

I’ve been making an effort to become a part of the #writersoftwitter community and have since encountered quite a few compelling books and authors–including the mysterious pulp writer Wolff McNamara.

Wolff’s office sits on an undisclosed street in an undisclosed town on the Colorado Front Range. It’s here, that he decided to sit down to do an interview with yours truly (via email, of course).

Trista: Thank so much for joining me on this blog interview! I truly appreciate your time. Let’s get started. How many books have you written? Want to tell us a little about them? 

Wolff: As myself, so far, only the two Adventures of Hideous Lee books. But I’ve also written under a couple pen names. Under one pen name, I wrote a sci-fi webcomic that ran for five years. Under another, I published a rather pretentious novel and a beer review blog that ran for maybe three years. Something like that. I do still get the occasional box of free beer from some loyal readers of the blog though, so I guess I can’t complain.

Trista: How long does it take you to write a book?

Wolff: About six months from actual start to finish for a novella. That’s a rough outline, a first, second, and third draft. And a proofread of course. Sometimes it takes me a bit to get rolling though. So overall it can take me a year.

Trista: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

Wolff: Three to five nights a week, a couple few hours a night. I do a lot of first drafting in the morning before sunup. But when it’s time to really work, cutting and polishing and all that, it’s pretty much always at night. Sleep deprivation is wonderful to trigger creativity. Gets those synapses firing on overdrive.

Trista: Did you self-publish or go the traditional publishing route, and why? 

Wolff: Self-published. I like to be able to write when I feel like it and at whatever pace I want to. I’m not trying to have a career here—not that I would necessarily turn down that opportunity were it to arise—but my main goal is to have fun writing and find an audience, however big or small, for my quirky little books.

Trista: Your protagonist, Hideous Lee, has a unique character name. Quite punny. What’s the story there? 

Wolff: Well, there’s a couple parts to that. The first is how I came up with it, which was a happy accident. I sent a text to a friend telling him that something was hideously overrated and my phone autocorrected to hideous lee overrated. I thought: “Hideous Lee, what a great character name.” It took me a couple years of letting that gestate to figure out who Hideous Lee was.

Now, the second part is, what does the name mean? Well, that’s just it.
Nothing. It’s purely incidental. It’s just his name. That’s not to say I don’t
use it humorously (pun intended.) But always in a way that the reader
might not catch if he or she isn’t paying attention.

Trista: Do you develop your characters as you write, or do you already know them before you start?

Wolff: I have a pretty good idea of who my characters are before I start the first draft. But I leave them ample room to breathe. To surprise me and come to life organically.

Trista: Have you ever traveled to gather more research for your book?

Wolff: For Foul Play in Fairplay, I took a day trip to Fairplay, Colorado. It’s only a couple hours from me. I had been there before but wanted to get a feel for the town by walking around a bit. Even though the Fairplay in my book is fictionalized, I still wanted to have the real town in mind as I developed it.

Trista: What is the most trying part of your artistic process? The easiest?

Wolff: The first draft always feels like I’m trudging along. The real fun begins in the second draft. I love cutting words and sentences and even paragraphs. Hell, I’ll remove entire scenes. If it doesn’t move the story along, it goes. There are many dead darlings on my cutting room floor. My final draft is usually a good twenty to twenty-five percent shorter than the first draft. But to me, if I’m cutting, I’m improving. Getting rid of all the parts that detract from the story. You know, the whole Elmore Leonard thing: get rid of the parts readers might skip. And dictionary words too. When I find a word in my first draft that might cause an average reader to pull out a dictionary, that word goes. But that’s all fun to me. So, the easy part is rewriting.

Trista: Which elements of writing are the most important to you?

Wolff: The storytelling. I try to describe people, places, and things in one sentence with only a detail or two. Sometimes I need more, but I try to spread it out and keep it as lean as possible. If done right, the reader gets what you mean, fills in the rest, and gets on with the story. I like to use the example of a dive bar to illustrate this. We’ve all been in one. Show me the old jukebox, the pool table, and a couple scruffy fellas sipping gin, I’ll get the gist and you can get back to keeping me interested in the story.

Another thing is concise dialogue with no exposition. I try not to lead the reader. Show and never tell. Maybe I drop that ball sometimes. But I don’t know. I think you’d be hard pressed to find exposition in one of my stories. And for the record, some readers like that sort of thing and wouldn’t like my books. So, I’m not saying my way is the only way. Just the way I prefer it.

Trista: Are there any hidden secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Wolff: Oh yes. I’ve hidden easter eggs throughout both Hideous Lee books and they will be in the next one too. They are related to the story only in the most esoteric way. So far, I don’t think anyone has found any of them. But I’ll tell you this, once you figure out the theme to the easter eggs in each book, they will all jump out at you.

Trista: Any hints as to your current WIP?

Wolff: I have three projects going right now. The next Hideous Lee book, of course. And a couple standalone short stories—a dystopian and a classic sci-fi—although one of those is pushing novelette length. My current plan is to release short stories between each Hideous Lee book and compile them when I have enough for a collection.

Trista: Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Wolff: Just that I appreciate you taking the time to show interest in my writing. It was fun sitting down to answer these questions. I could’ve done this all day. Cheers!

Well, friends, that wraps up our interview. I hope y’all have enjoyed it. Let us know in the comments!

It’s no secret that I love author interviews. It’s my goal to lift up and encourage fellow writers and you can help me do that by liking, commenting, and sharing these interviews on social media. I’m not immensely tech-savvy (or social media-savvy for that matter) but I’m learning as I go.

You can check GoodReads for my review of The Adventures of Hideous Lee: The Art of Murder (click the link to order a copy!). I planned to read it in one sitting and I would’ve gotten away with it too if it weren’t for those meddling kids. I wouldn’t trade them for anything, though!

I’m looking forward to reading the next adventure of Hideous Lee! You can find Wolff’s books on his Amazon author page. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter (@wolffmcnamara) for updates!

A Chat with Lee Call

Hello, Dear Readers! I hope all is well.

You may recall in October 2022 that I asked my friends in The Book Hangout Spot for some ideas on authors to interview. I did an author spotlight on a few of the recommended authors with Fall/Zombie-themed children’s books (read that post here). Each of them kindly agreed to do follow-up interviews and this is the first of those. 

As you will recall, Lee Call is the author of Good Thing He’s Dead, a parody of the classic rhyme There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Here’s the blurb from Amazon: 

“When a new zombie accidentally swallows the head of a statue, he tries to solve the problem by eating an increasingly hilarious array of objects. This rhyming tale of ravenous reanimation will delight readers big and small — kids who love spooky books, and grown-ups who appreciate a bit of twisted satire. With silly and stylized illustrations falling more on the side of goofy than gory, Good Thing He’s Dead will have horror fans young and old giggling at the zombie’s efforts to improve his situation, with disastrous results.”

I caught up with Lee last month and below is the resulting interview. 

Trista: How many published books do you have? Unpublished?

I have two published books — my debut novel and my first picture book — and several stories published in anthologies and lit journals/mags. I have four unpublished books: a short story collection (forthcoming in 2023), a queer cyberpunk sci-fi, an illustrated book of apocalyptic nursery rhymes (think Mother Goose and Ray Bradbury have a love child that looks like Edward Gorey), and another queer project I don’t really know how to describe.

Trista: Which one is your favorite?

Lee: I think my favorite would have to be my YA novel, The Angel Room. It’s one of the most difficult projects I’ve ever embarked on, and one of the most rewarding. Getting to meet readers and hear their stories has meant a lot to me. Learning that my work has an emotional impact in people’s lives motivates me to keep going.

Trista: How did publishing your first book change your writing process? 

Lee: Unfortunately, writing my first book hasn’t really changed my writing process, even though I really want to change. I’m working on changing! I’m what’s called an intuitive pantser, and I want to become a plotter. But it’s really hard! I believe in change though, so I’m working on my outlining skills.

Trista: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? 

Lee: The best money I ever spent as a writer was joining intensive novel workshops at the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers conference. Sitting in a room with other serious writers for a week is a harrowing, but wonderful experience. I highly recommend WIFYR to anyone wanting to expand their skills and hone their craft.

Trista: What’s the most challenging part of your writing process?

Lee: The most challenging part of my writing process is contending with the neurodivergent aspects of my brain. Hyperfocus, depression, manic episodes, imposter syndrome, and burnout interfere a lot with developing a regular writing schedule for me, so having to maneuver around those things in order to stay productive is the hardest part of the whole process.

Trista: What would you say is your strength as a writer?

Lee: My greatest strength as a writer is dialogue. I love writing dialogue. I’ve also been told that I write very vivid prose, which I think is a lovely compliment.

Trista: Do you believe in writer’s block? 

Lee: I actually *don’t* believe in writer’s block. I think there are a myriad of reasons why I (or anyone) can’t write at any given time, and don’t believe that any of them are the fabled “writer’s block.” I’m an artist by profession, and I’ve learned that the quickest way to get past creative scarcity thinking is to sit down at the blank canvas and just start painting, whether or not it’s good or worthy. I really do think the same thing applies to writing. Sitting down with the blank page and writing anything, even the words, “I don’t know what to write,” can start the gears rolling. Sometimes I’ll just sit my characters down in a coffee shop and let them start talking, and that will inspire new ideas.

Trista: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

Lee: When I was eight, I read a series of books when I was home sick with chicken pox. I’d read everything “age appropriate” in the house up ‘til then, many times over, and I stared into the abyss of a week off of school with horror. I asked my dad for books, and he gave me — I think as a personal joke — several books that I would personally never think to hand to an 8-year-old: Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, 1984, and Ray Bradbury’s R is for Rocket and S is for Space. This was the moment I fell in love with sci-fi, and in the case of Ray Bradbury’s story A Sound of Thunder, with the idea of writing itself. It was then I realized I wanted to be a writer too.

Trista: Are you a full-time author? 

Lee: I am a full-time artist/illustrator/author. That means I spend almost all my time making stuff. So… yes?

Trista: Who is your favorite author?

Lee: Oh…. My favorite author. That’s really hard. I’d have to say my all-time favorite is still Bradbury. I still find his work so enduring.. so inspiring. Runner-ups would have to be Karen Russell, Joshua Whitehead, Paul Tremblay, Alexis Hall, Adam Silvera, TJ Klune, Dean Atta, Joe Hill, David Levithan… sorry, this list could extend into infinity.

Trista: If you could go back to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would that be? 

Lee: I would tell my writer child or teen self to write every day, without fail. I would tell myself to keep working on those projects that I started and gave up on (that novel about time-traveling dragons I started in fifth grade, written all in cursive). I would tell myself to seek out queer literature, even though it was much harder to find back then. I would tell myself that someday I will have books on the shelf in Barnes & Noble, and that people will cry when they talk to me about how much my stories mean to them. I would tell myself not to give up.

Trista: Is there anything else you’d like to say to your readers?

Lee: Read queer books! Read books by BIPOC authors, by disabled and neurodivergent and trans authors. Lift up voices that have historically been marginalized or silenced. Tell people about the books you like, and leave reviews on the ones you love, everywhere you can! And if you want to be an author, read a lot of books, and write every day.

Trista: Thanks so much for joining me, Lee. I appreciate you taking the time for our interview!

Lee’s website and social media links: 

Website: http://www.callthewriter.com

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lee-Call/author/B09KZN5Q87?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Socials: @callthewriter (everywhere except Instagram)

Instagram: @callthewriterlee

God bless, 

~T  

Happy New Year & Rabbit, Rabbit Day!

I almost let January get away without a post. I’ve been busy homeschooling, reading (I’ve finished 3 books for my ‘23 GoodReads Challenge!), and learning more about editing.

I’ve also been applying what I’ve learned about editing. It’s kept me pleasantly busy, that and spending quality time with my family.

So, fear not, dear reader. I’ll be back very soon with author interviews and homeschool shenanigans. In the mean time, be sure to check out https://msfolklore.wordpress.com and https://pikespeakwriters.org/blog/ for more great articles!

I hope you’re off to an amazing start for the year! God bless,

~ T

P.S. Don’t forget to say “rabbit, rabbit” before bed tonight and “hare, hare” first thing in the morning when you wake up on the 1st for good luck!

Slow Down & Enjoy the Season

As I mentioned in my last post, changes are coming. I feel somewhat unprepared for these changes, but I’m working to remedy that.

Homeschool/Family Time

I’m making changes to our homeschool. I read A Thomas Jefferson Education and I’m in the first steps of implementing it. I haven’t decided how this will look entirely. We will continue our current curriculum for most subjects for now until I get our schedule worked out. I’m excited about this. Although the book recommends completing each step chronologically, I’ve already started on classics with the kids, too. We recently read and discussed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and now we’re on to A Christmas Carol.

I’ve been slowing down and enjoying the little moments with them. Earlier this week we woke up early, made brownies and watched a Christmas movie. Then we went to Bass Pro for Santa pics, walked around the boardwalk, played in the arcade, etc. We listened to the audible version of The Perfect Gift on the ride and made a Favorite Christmas music playlist on Spotify. We spent the rest of the day doing more fun, Christmasy things. It was nice.

I’m trying to be more intentional spending quality time with my husband and with our folks, even if it’s only FaceTime and phone calls for now. I’m spending less time on social media, which is so very nice.

Writing

I’ve been writing more, but not on the things I had planned. I’ll be making changes here as well. The first change was choosing to write this blog once a month, rather than weekly. It’s made things easier already. It wasn’t a huge task, but it still took time and effort that I’ve since been putting towards writing and editing for Mississippi Folklore. We have a great team.

I recently added and updated my books on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. There are different covers for the two editions and you can see them on my recently updated website here.

Earlier this month I was offered the opportunity to take over the Managing Editor position at Write From the Peak. K.J. Scrim has been the editor for the past five years and is now relinquishing the task to pursue other things. She is now the secretary of Pikes Peak Writers Guild. I’m really excited for this. I will definitely do my best to fill her shoes.

I have several books to work on (books I started months and even years ago…), but I hope to finish PiRats first. Other books to look for are The Magic Telescope series, books 2 and 3, and Zombiesaurs chapter books.

I’m going to work on a writing schedule. I think picking a day to write my blog posts all at once and having a set writing time for my current WIP each day will be the most productive. We shall see.

Budgeting

We started Dave Ramsey budgeting a few years ago and we are doing much better financially. By that I mean we aren’t over-drafting every month (or at all. Yay!) and we have enough money for bills and groceries. Such a change! And it’s happened over time and we’re still getting used to it. We haven’t completed all of the steps, but we’re off to a good start and that’s a blessing. I know we can do better and that is definitely a priority for me.

And I also want to teach my kids how to manage their money. My parents taught me to always pay my bills first, then to get basic needs, then wants/saving if there was any left over. But somehow there was always too much month at the end of the money. I didn’t learn much about finances at school, so it’s really important to me to teach this to my children.

Too many in our family have worked hard their whole lives with little to show for it. Having a lot of money isn’t important to me. But managing what we do have is. Giving is. Being able to support ourselves when we’re old is.

Homemaking/Time Management

I have been a packrat for far too long. I’ve mentioned I love Allie Casaza’s Declutter Like a Mother. It’s been exactly what I need. I got the book on audible a while ago. Decluttering is a process. It takes time and at times that’s frustrating, but I’m making progress. The biggest thing so far has been clothing. Having kids you tend to want to keep things for the next one. I also had issues with my own clothes. What if I lost weight? What if I gained it? What if I got rid of something and needed it later? Money doesn’t grow on trees. While it may be easy for some to just buy new when needed, that wasn’t usually the case for me. And these feelings don’t only apply to clothing, but most everything we own.

I was finally able to let go of the clothing we didn’t need. I sold some of it at our yard sale and donated the rest. For the first time in a very long time, I wasn’t drowning in piles of laundry to be washed and dried and folded. I didn’t have piles of friendless socks laying around. All of our clothing now fits in the closet and our dresser drawers. I don’t dread folding it and putting it away. That’s huge for me.

Allie’s book and challenges helped me emotionally let go by changing my mind set and helping me understand that we had gotten our use out of these items and that I shouldn’t feel guilty for rehoming them.I’m working on decluttering other areas and it makes me feel lighter.

This is helping my job as homemaker much easier. I can’t wait to finish the entire house. I’m really grateful to have found Allie’s programs. I plan to do more of them when I’m able.

Time Management is something I’ve been trying to work on for a while. I found a few good places to start, but I haven’t yet mastered it. I bought a copy of Take Back Your Time by Christy Wright on Black Friday and I’m hopeful that this will be what I’ve been needing.

My favorite quote so far is, “…watching TV and scrolling on my phone isn’t live-giving. Screens don’t bring us closer together, they don’t enrich our lives, and they don’t make us better people.”

Can I get an amen? I’ve been feeling a pull to make all of these changes and a few more (being more physically active, eating healthier, caring more for the environment, etc.) for a while now and taking the steps to implement all of these has been very rewarding.

I hope you’ll take the time to do these things if you haven’t already and if you have, I’d love to hear about your journey. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. I’ll be back next month with more on writing (likely another author interview, so stay tuned!). Until then, dear reader, may God bless and keep you and yours.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (and any/all other holidays you’re celebrating)! Remember to slow down and enjoy the season. ~T

“May the most you wish for be the least you get.”

Changes

I’m not sure if I mentioned I was taking the month of November off from blogging to work on a WIP. I took the month but did not work on that WIP. Instead, I got some other things done that I’d been meaning to do.

Sometimes it’s nice to step back from things.

I have a lot of changes coming up in the next year or so and I’ve made some decisions. Books by Trista will be a monthly blog, rather than a weekly one.

I’m writing and editing for Mississippi Folklore and WFTP. And I want to have a little more time to dedicate to a couple of priority works in progress.

I’ll also be updating my website to reflect the new cover editions of my books. Barnes & Noble now carries my books online and they can be ordered in store! The B&N edition covers will differ from the Amazon edition covers.

I’ve got to dive in deeper to get this declutter done and we’re shifting our homeschool to add in more classics. (I just read and loved A Thomas Jefferson Education. *not an affiliate link)

While my family and I refocus, it will be easier to write for my personal blog once a month. I’ll try to keep to the third Tuesday. Wish me luck.

Wishing each of you dear readers a happy and blessed holiday season.

God bless,

Trista

Halloweensie 2022 Entry!

Every year Susanna Leonard Hill hosts a Halloweensie Contest. I think it was 2020 the last time I entered, but my entry for it was the reason I decided to put my current WIPs on hold to put together and publish Halloween Night and Other Poems.

I’m excited to give it a try again this year. I LOVE reading through all the entries. If you haven’t submitted a story yet, there’s still time! The contest ends Monday October 31st at 11:59PM Eastern. Hop on over to the contest page (linked above) for the rules.

Below you will find my entry. I’ll put a link once it’s up on her page.

Enter If You Dare

by Trista Herring Baughman

100 words

Silent shadows slithered

On the sidewalk, ‘neath the trees

Limbs like writhing serpents 

Swayed in rhythm with the breeze.

The dimly-lit front porch light

Beckoned wayward trick-or-treaters 

Dressed as witches, ghosts, hobgoblins, 

Ketchup bottles, knights, and skeeters. 

A sign out by the mailbox 

Said, “Enter if you dare!”

I hesitated slightly 

My friends all teased, “You’re scared!”

The door creaked open slowly; 

we all let out an “Aaahhh!!”

A vampire handed out our candy

Before shouting, “Bleh bleh bleh!” 

We ran down squeaky doorsteps, 

Nearly tripping on a cat.

I glanced over my shoulder; 

He had turned into 

a bat!

Good luck, everyone! While you’re waiting for more entries to post, check out my website and Mississippi Folklore blog!

Thanks for reading. Happy Halloween!!! Have a blessed night!

~ T

P.S. Don’t forget it’s the last day for your kids to enter R.L. Stine’s writing contest!

The Bell Witch in Mississippi

Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the infamous Bell Witch—a disembodied voice that terrorized the Bell Family in Tennessee. It’s considered one of …

The Bell Witch in Mississippi

Last week of Zomtober already?

This month has flown by, but I feel confident I’ve been intentional with it. And that’s a good feeling.

It’s been a fun time: the SBC Zombie Walk (my youngest won third place in the costume contest!), a book signing at my hometown library, interviews with authors, a trip to the Washington Parish Free Fair and the local annual barn sale, and time well spent with family.

SBC Zombiewalk setup SBC Zombiewalk Kids’ Costume ContestBook signing! Washington Parish Free Fair Barn Sale (looks like some decent zombie-whacking tools there in the background )

I had a different plan for this post, but it didn’t work out. Hopefully, it will in the future. If it doesn’t, that’s ok, too. But enough about me, this is Zomtober, so let’s talk about some Zombies!

I recently read Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.

It’s set in a world where zombies have been around for 14 years, driving what’s left of the living into a small, walled community, safe from the rot and ruin of the outside world. When children reach the age of 15, they must choose a profession to keep their current rations. Benny Imura reluctantly chooses to learn the family business of Zombie hunting from his brother, Tom. He soon discovers that zombie hunting isn’t what he expected and that some of the most terrible monsters out there are human.

What I liked:

The characters felt real. I’m currently reading a book (that shall not be named) where the main characters seem a bit off. Not only do I have zero in common with them, but I can’t even find a teeny connection to make me really care for them. But that wasn’t the case with Rot & Ruin. Even aspects I couldn’t necessarily relate to, I could commiserate. If that makes sense.

My favorite character was Tom Imura, the older brother. I think you’ll see why once you read the book yourself.

It has a great character arc. Benny starts out not very likeable for me (he’s a bit on the whiny side) but progresses to be a good protagonist. It was nice to watch him mature.

I like that it has strong female characters.

The villains are abhorrent, as they should be. Villianous villains are a necessity.

I like his portrayal of zombies or rather the Imuras’ take on them.

The world in which the characters live is well-built. It’s a fascinating town and the rot and ruin is intriguing. I can’t wait to explore more of it in the next book. The moods are nicely done as well.

It kept me turning pages. It was suspenseful, insightful, humorous, sad on occasion, and the perfect October read.

What I didn’t like:

There was something, but it was minor and I’ve since forgotten it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it. If you like The Walking Dead, you will love this. I think you’ll love this even if you aren’t a zombie fan. You should give it a try.

This may be my last post until December. I plan to take November to focus on my WIP. Wish me luck.

I need to reread this tomorrow when I’m not so sleepy. Hopefully there are no major typos. Anyways, night y’all. Happy Spooky season!

Thanks for reading. God bless,

~ T

P.S. There’s still time to grab a copy of Halloween Night and Other Poems and Zombiesaurs before Halloween!

More Zombies on the Brain

I made a post back in August (I think) about the SBC Zombie Walk, along with some recommendations for Zombie books. 

I also mentioned this month, all posts on Books by Trista will be zombie-themed. I wrote all my posts in advance and had them scheduled for the month. This was meant to be a bonus post, but since one of my interviews has been delayed, it’s now a feature post.  And a good one, I think.

I’m part of a fantastic group on Facebook called The Book Hangout Spot. It’s an excellent place for readers and writers to talk about books. It’s my second favorite Facebook group. (Right after Mississippi Folklore  ) 

Earlier in the month, I asked for recommendations for authors to interview and books to review. I ended up with a great list that will keep me busy for a bit. Hence the bonus post.

I’ve chosen three authors with spooky/zombie/Fall related books to showcase here. You will be as excited as I am to check out their books! These are children’s books, but I think some will appeal to adults as well, and keep reading for more recommendations for young adult/adult book recommendations below.

First up on the list is Michelle Wang and her “It Must Be…” seasonal series. Great for homeschoolers, classrooms, and parents who love to read to their kids! These would be a great addition to the Exploring Nature with Children curriculum. Add them to your list!

Author Michelle Wang

Here’s a little about It Must Be Autumn:

“It must be autumn…and this book’s fun-loving family is out to discover all the wonderful signs of the beautiful fall season. Join in their antics as they shake and rhyme their way to a surprise ending that is sure to delight readers of all ages. There’s even a couple of wisecracking squirrels to keep the laughs coming as the pair frolic through the pages telling jokes that will leaf you fall-ing over into a great big pile of chuckles.”

Follow Michelle on Facebook for updates.

Next, we have Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch by Carli Valentine.

Author Carli Valentine

“This adorable Halloween book is perfect to teach kids about various emotions with pumpkin faces. It will open up conversations with your child about each emotion and its meaning. A great addition to pumpkin carving that will surely make you the coolest “pumpkin in the patch”.”

It’s so important to teach kids about their emotions. Naming their emotions is the first step to managing their emotions. I absolutely love the idea of this book. Y’all be sure to check it out and check out all of Carli’s sites here.

And last, (but not least) Lee Call’s Good Thing He’s Dead. 

Author Lee Call

“When a new zombie accidentally swallows the head of a statue, he tries to solve the problem by eating an increasingly hilarious array of objects. This rhyming tale of ravenous reanimation will delight readers big and small — kids who love spooky books, and grown-ups who appreciate a bit of twisted satire. With silly and stylized illustrations falling more on the side of goofy than gory, Good Thing He’s Dead will have horror fans young and old giggling at the zombie’s efforts to improve his situation, with disastrous results.”

Just look at the cover! I don’t know about y’all, but I can’t wait to read this with my kids! 

You can find out more about Lee here.

I’ll be reaching out to each of these authors for interviews in the future, so y’all be sure to keep an eye out.

Y’all can help these awesome authors out by (of course) purchasing a copy of their books, but also by sharing their sites and this post. We appreciate each and every one of y’all!

If you’re looking for a few other zombie books for you or your kids, here are some great reads/rereads: 

Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stine 

World War Z by Max Brooks

The Living Dead George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus

I’m currently reading Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry (more on that in a future post) and The Zombie Stone by K. G. Campbell. I highly recommend both!

As always, thanks for reading.

God bless,

T

P.S. Don’t forget Zombiesaurs! 

Stay tuned for more author interviews, writing tips, book reviews, homeschool shenanigans, and more!