Jen McConnel's Blog, page 42

Blog Tour: SIDEKICK: The Misadventures of the New Scarlet Knight by Pab Sungenis

I’m so excited to introduce you to… SIDEKICK: THE MISADVENTURES OF THE NEW SCARLET KNIGHT   by Pab Sungenis Publish date: March 12, 2013 by Month9Books, LLC   Bobby Baines is in high school, which is bad enough. But things go from bad to worse when his hero, Scarlet Knight, dies. Bobby is forced to [...]

A-Z Challenge: B is for Brimstone from DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE

Thanks for coming back for more of the 2013 A-Z Challenge!  I’m tracing my way through the alphabet this month highlighting some of my favorite characters from YA and MG literature. I’m pleased to present the letter B, brought to you by… Brimstone from Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Brimstone is a Chimaera.  [...]

A-Z Challenge: A is for Alexandria from HALF BLOOD

Welcome to the first day of the 2013 A-Z Challenge!  This year, I’ve decided to spend the month with a host of characters from some of my favorite YA/MG novels (with a couple of adult classics thrown in for good measure. Without further ado, I bring you… Alexandria (Alex) from Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. [...]

Verse Day: Teaching with Verse Novels

As some of you may know, I used to be a middle school Language Arts teacher. In that life, I quickly learned the value of teaching with novels in verse, and I want to share my top 3 reasons for teaching verse novels. These apply to parents as well as teachers, and hopefully everyone who wants to encourage kids to read will find something useful in this post!

Story Alert: Ruby: A Mystic Stones Jewel by Kayla Curry is now available!

Ruby: A Mystic Stones Jewel Attraction pulls Ava Tanner to her client Tom Walker, but her professionalism prevents her from making any moves. Tom wants Ava in more ways than one and his desires are almost too much to keep inside. He needs her, but he doesn’t want to scare her away for fear of [...]

Story Alert: Ruby: A Mystic Stones Jewel is now available!

Ruby: A Mystic Stones Jewel Attraction pulls Ava Tanner to her client Tom Walker, but her professionalism prevents her from making any moves. Tom wants Ava in more ways than one and his desires are almost too much to keep inside. He needs her, but he doesn’t want to scare her away for fear of [...]

Writers on Wednesday: Mimi Herman

Mimi Herman joins me today with a new definition of a writer: she’s a plantser! 1. When did you start writing?
 I started writing poetry in fourth grade.  I was a painfully shy kid, and my fourth grade language arts teacher, Miss Stevens, was the first person who really saw me.  She taught me to [...]

Blogging from A-Z: Literary Characters!

Woohoo!  It’s almost April, and I’ll bet you know what that means… …time for another A-Z challenge!  Last year, I blogged about writing, publishing, and other bookish things.  This year, I’ve decided to blog my way through some of my favorite literary characters, all the way from A-Z! I’m still brainstorming my list, so if [...]

Writers on Wednesday: Linze Brandon

Today, my guest is Linze Brandon.  I hope you enjoy getting to know a little bit about her and her writing process! 1. When did you start writing? I took up the pen in 2001. I had all these stories (voices?) in my head that refused to let me go until I wrote them down. [...]

Remembering Bridget Zinn, author of POISON

A few weeks ago, I stumbled onto the story of Bridget Zinn.  This YA author’s debut, POISON, is out now, but Bridget isn’t around to celebrate the release.  In May 2011 at the age of 33, she passed away from cancer.  Her book sounds amazing, and I definitely can’t wait to read the tale.  This [...]