S.M. Stevens's Blog, page 11

The Best Novels for Tweens, Teens and Young Adults Who Love Theater

Earlier today, Shepherd.com published my list of “the best novels for tweens, teens and young adults who love theater”.

I introduced you to Shepherd a while back when they published my first Top 5 list. This new site offers book recommendations for readers with a new twist: book recommendations from authors, for readers. Their thinking is that if you like an author’s work, you might also like the top five books the author recommends that are similar to their work in theme, genre and audience.

I chose that particular list topic, with Shepherd’s blessing, because drama-lovers can have a hard time finding fiction that truly puts theater front and center. As I explain on Shepherd, that’s why I wrote my Bit Players novel for tweens, teens and young adults who love theater. The first book, Bit Players, Has-Been Actors and Other Posers, turned into a three-part series for people who love theater, musicals in particular, as well as the act of creating a show (script-writing, song-writing, production, etc.).

Read more about Bit Players here, or visit my dedicated Bit Players site.

The novels contain the lyrics written by the characters as they turn popular, modern songs into numbers for their shows. In the first Bit Players, that show is a musical adaptation of the Twilight movie and book. You can access videos of the original songs on the Bit Players site and see how the lyrics in the books fit with the music. Check out those videos here for a rockin’ good time.

Also, for thespians of all ages, my Bit Players Pinterest page is stuffed with ideas for costumes, stage make-up and set designs.

So enjoy Bit Players, and check out Shepherd.com!

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Poetry in the Pines

I have many personal connections to today’s post topic, so I’m pleased to talk about “Poetry in the Pines”, a collaboration of the Monadnock Writers’ Group and the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, NH. So much poetry is inspired by nature that “Poetry in the Pines” seems a natural mélange.

Cathedral of the Pines is best described by them: “Situated on a hilltop with a panoramic view of the Grand Monadnock, the Cathedral of the Pines is a breathtaking open-air cathedral and meeting space on 236 acres. Our historic monuments honor the service of American men and women—both military and civilian.”

Cathedral of the Pines first collaborated with the Monadnock Writers’ Group on a poetry contest in 2018. A 2019 contest followed, and this year the program resumed after a brief hiatus. This is not a typical poetry contest–the winning poems are enshrined on plaques and posted on the trails at the Cathedral for walkers and hikers to enjoy. A unique way to enhance one’s outdoor experience.

I bet some of those poems capture what visitors are feeling but didn’t know how to put into words.

The winners of this year’s contest were announced, and their poems installed on the trails, on May 14th. Blind judging was conducted by poet Susan Roney-O’Brien of Central Massachusetts. Susan is an award-winning poet with multiple collections to her credit. I am personally a huge fan.

Susan Roney-O’Brien announcing the 2022 contest winners.

Read some of her work, and more about her, here and here. Then swing on over to Amazon and purchase her newest collection, Thira.

So what are my connections to this topic? I’m a member of the Monadnock Writers’ Group. (They recently published my short story Two Kinds of People in their Smoky Quartz journal.) I live “up the street” from the Cathedral (that’s in loose terms–I’m a 45-minute drive away, which is considered “local” around here.) Susan Roney-O’Brien is a cherished mentor of mine. And I am in a writers’ group with one of this year’s winners, Devon Evans!

View the poems at the Cathedral yourself by walking the Grassy Pond spur trail that leaves from the parking area. You can view photos of some of the poems at the bottom of this MWG website page.

Click through for more information on Cathedral of the Pines, Monadnock Writers’ Group, and the Poetry in the Pines Contest. And enjoy Devon’s award-winning poem here:

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Fun Friday Photo: Tulip Explosion

While photos of frilly and fantastic flowers may be enjoyable to look at, what exactly makes today’s photo of a tulip explosion a Fun Friday Photo, you might ask? A number of things, IMHO:

These flowers are from my own garden, not some random online site.They’re the first tulips I’ve ever grown and they are doing great! When you plant bulbs in the fall, you never know what will transpire in the spring. It’s like waiting six months to open your Christmas presents.Tulips are practically the first flowers to bloom in the spring, along with daffodils and after crocus and chionodoxa. They are among the first colorful and proud harbingers of spring. And as any of you living in northern climates can attest, the annual arrival of spring is always something to be celebrated. Some years, it’s hard to believe winter will actually yield to spring until we see it for ourselves!

My little patch of tulips, daffodils and phlox bloomed so prolifically that I now wonder if I went overboard. I’m lucky to have a lot of garden to work with, so methinks maybe I should have spread the bulbs out more. Still, I do love this condensed plot chock full of flowery goodness…

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Mother’s Day, Newly Sprung Lilacs and Dog Vomit

What, you might ask, does dog vomit have to do with Mother’s Day? Newly sprung lilacs–OK, that fits, flowers being a hallmark of the Mother’s Day holiday. But dog puke?

Just a memorable moment from my Mother’s Day in 2008, when my girls were quite young and one of the dogs apparently had an upset stomach.

I wrote about it in this article, which was published by Bay State Parent magazine back in the day. (Humorous side note: As I was adding the link to Bay State Parent, I saw that their home page today features a photos of lilacs!)

To all the mothers out there, I hope you appreciate the sentiment of the article, and that you have a great day!

Read more of my non-fiction articles here.

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Fun Friday Photo: Gray Sand

Today’s Fun Friday Photo showing gray sand may not work for all of you. I know what constitutes “fun” varies by individual.

But for me, traipsing along a beach and spying cool patterns and accents in the sand is most definitely an amusing pastime!

These photos were taken on North Carolina’s Outer Banks a few weeks ago, near the Oregon Inlet.

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Fun Friday Photo: Elefonts

I love elephants and fonts, so this fun Friday photo on Elefonts is right up my alley.

Why do I love elephants? For their wrinkly wisdom, their touching familial bonds, their controlled strength, their empathy for their own and even other species. I could go on and on.

Why do I love fonts? Because they express virtually any emotion you can name. There are angry fonts, happy fonts, silly fonts, and so on.

Elephants + Fonts = Elefonts. And happiness.

Do I sound giddy? Well, it is Friday afternoon!

Thanks to Rox Burkey, co-author of The Enigma Series, for this image. And if anyone knows the creator of this cartoon, let me know so I can give credit.

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Fun Friday Photo: Muggle & Wombat

Today’s fun Friday photo is actually a video provided courtesy of author Bianca Marais. I shamelessly asked to borrow this video of her dog Muggle and cat Wombat (great names) after seeing it on Instagram. Watch the short video and you’ll see why. Those two are precious, and the look on the dog’s face is priceless!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bianca (@biancamarais_author)

Bianca Marais, for those who don’t know, is a wonderful author of books including the highly acclaimed Hum If You Don’t Know the Words (another great name – clearly the woman has a way with titles). HIYDKTW is a unique (that word is anathema in the PR world in which I grew up, but feels appropriate here) take on apartheid, class and race, told through the eyes of a white girl and a Black woman.

But Marais is so much more, starting with podcaster: She leads a fantastic podcast for writers called The Shit No One Tells You About Writing (another great…you know). Her interviews with authors, agents and publishers are always informative and often eye-opening.

She offers classes and workshops on the craft of writing.

She is an award-winning creative writing instructor at the University of Toronto.

And so committed is she to helping authors, Marais recently took the time to connect people who wanted to join a Writers Group but didn’t know how to find kindred souls. Out of the goodness of her heart (she did this for free), she took submissions and matched people up based on genre and time zone.

I may be gushing, but it’s because I truly admire her talent, her sense of humor, and everything she does to help aspiring authors. I have personally benefitted from her podcasts, and am now in a new Writers Group she organized. Having the most adorable pets Muggle and Wombat only adds to my high opinion of her.

If you’re a writer looking for guidance, check out her site.

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Book Deal: Beautiful and Terrible Things

I have signed a book deal for Beautiful and Terrible Things, my next novel! TouchPoint Press, the same publisher that released my last novel (Horseshoes and Hand Grenades), has picked up my new work and I couldn’t be more excited!

A book publishing contract never feels official until it appears in the trade publication Publishers Marketplace. Signing and submitting the contract is, of course, a momentous occasion. And of course authors share their big news with friends and family and maybe social media followers.

But when Publishers Marketplace announces the book deal, the news is out there on the Internet for the world to see. That’s when it starts to feel real.

The Book Deal Listing

Here’s the full listing as it appeared on the PM website:

I know it’s impossible to read the text in the image, so here’s what it says:

“S.M. Stevens’s BEAUTIFUL AND TERRIBLE THINGS, a tale of betrayal, sacrifice, loyalty, and forgiveness; a reminder that friendship has the power to validate, destroy, transform, and save lives, to Sheri Williams at TouchPoint Press, for publication in 2023 (world).”

Six Good Friends

I truly love the six friends who make up my “cast” in Beautiful and Terrible Things, and I can’t wait for others to meet them. Sadly, book publishing has never been a fast-turnaround business, so the book won’t be out until early 2023. But at least it’s coming!

For a preview of sorts, you can read my recently published short story Two Kinds of People, which introduces you to Sunny and Buwan, two of the six friends in Beautiful and Terrible Things.

And be sure to subscribe to my blog using the box at the right, so I can keep you posted on the novel’s progress.

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The Best, Ultimately Uplifting Stories About Sexual Abuse and Harassment

Does the world need a list of “the best, ultimately uplifting stories about sexual abuse and harassment“? I think so, and so does Shepherd, the newest kid on the bookworm’s block.

I was invited by the creators of Shepherd, a new reading resource for book-lovers, to submit a list of good reads related to my novel Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. That novel, for those who haven’t read it, is an ultimately uplifting story about two young women triumphing personally and professionally despite troubling experiences with incest in the case of one, and workplace sexual harassment for the other.

How Are Sexual Abuse and Harassment Uplifting

When promoting Horseshoes and Hand Grenades a few years ago, when it was first released, I remember several potential bloggers weren’t sure they wanted to review another book about sexual abuse. Who could blame them? I assured them HAHG wasn’t graphic or extreme, but instead purposely addressed “less severe” forms of abuse. Why? Because I wanted to show that even “mild” sexual abuse can damage the victims. My hope was to help validate the experiences of thousands of women around the globe. So I was pleased when those bloggers took a chance on the book and deemed it uplifting in the end.

(For more on why I chose to portray “mild abuse”, read this guest post I wrote for the Kraftireader book review blog.)

And that’s where my Shepherd book list title comes in: “the best, ultimately uplifting stories about sexual abuse and harassment”. The theme I chose isn’t trying to make light of the subject, trust me. Nor is it minimizing the pain – quite the opposite. By calling these stories “uplighting” I am not taking life’s lemons and proclaiming them lemonade. I am not perusing the world through rose-colored glasses.

Celebrating Survivors

What I am doing is celebrating the resiliency of the human spirit, specifically the strength and power of victims who are able to rise above the wrongs done to them and start to appreciate life again. Hopefully, that means trusting and loving first themselves, and then others.

So if a feel-good, ultimately uplifting novel, memoir or self-help book about women overcoming difficult, sometimes horrific, situations sounds like a good read to you, please check out my list of 5 recommendations on Shepherd.

More About Shepherd

Avid readers no longer have to rely solely on friends and librarians for suggestions of what to read next. Goodreads and Amazon are of course the big guys when it comes to searching for new best reads. But there are also now many smaller sites offering quality recommendations for your next book.

Shepherd is one of the newer sites – in fact, it’s still technically in beta. The site offers a new twist: book recommendations from authors, for readers. The concept is simple and elegant: If you like an author’s book(s), you might also like the 5 books the author recommends on topics related to their own work.

The site offers lists you might expect, like the best books about trains, and the best books about spies (fiction and non-fiction). But it also has many more creative lists on topics you might not even know you’re interested in until you see the title. For example: the best books for a cleansing sob break, the best books on historic accounts of plague outbreaks, the best books about haunted minds, etc.

Shepherd seems to have a bright future. MUO calls it “one of the most fuss-free sites to find what book to read next”. So hop on over to Shepherd if you want to check it out. You can start with my list if you like.

And speaking of my list, I’ve got more lists coming on Shepherd, for my Shannon’s Odyssey children’s book and my Bit Players YA series for theater-lovers.

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Fun Friday Photo: Korra Helps With Yardwork

Korra helps with the yardwork!

It’s been a while since I posted – been writing and working the day job helping get more solar energy into the world. But I’m back with a new Fun Friday Photo. And, I’ve got two big announcements coming up next week!

For today, let’s appreciate how my dog Korra helps with the yardwork. Here she is insisting that she ride in the back of the golf cart I use to carry pruned brush and pulled weeds around. She looks quite at home nestled in the back of the cart, don’t you think?

Now I just have to figure out where the weeds and brush go…

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