Yanting Gueh's Blog

There's More I Want to Give

My dearest all,

You've heard this before: I'm taking a break from blogging.

You haven't heard this before, though: This time, I don't know for how long. Not years, of course. But I can't pin a specific period either. Also, things will change a little when I return.

I used to be extremely averse to changes. When I was young, the family wanted to get a new sofa set and I was bizarrely against it. Could we please not change it? This old thing? You can still sit on it, no problem. Even though...

For Once, There Would Be a Letter for Him (Picture Book Feature: The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles)

Hey my Lovelies,

Wherever you are right now,
However you're feeling right now,
I hope this message brings you a cloud of warm, soapy sweetness,
Like morning sunbeams in a secret garden,
Like smiling waves of a clear blue sea.

...

If you happen to find a bottle in the ocean, the above would be my letter to you. It's what I most want to tell you. Right this minute.

The idea sprouted from a special picture book which I first heard about from my friend, Marcia Strykowski .

There was once an Uncorker of Oce...

3 Books & 1 Anticipation (2016 Review Part II)

Thank you all for sharing your high-five moments and mistakes to learn from in last week's post.Every accomplishment is splendid and every lesson growth. I hope we all keep doing better and healthier!

As promised last week, we'll do a post on favourite adult books read this year (no problem if you don't wish to point any books out) and 1 thing to look forward to in 2017.
3 Favourite Adult Books Read this Year
Monstress is a collection of short stories by a Filipino-American author whom I hadn't...

3 Books, 1 High-Five & 1 Mistake (2016 Review Part I)

Hey guys,

I like setting goals but for a crisp change, I’m not going to blog about a list of them like I used to do.
What I hope instead is do a simple and honest review of 2016.

With you.

On things that mattered.

To us.

Because if we don’t learn to recognise the good and bad, we’re inclined to take the good for granted and repeat the bad. (Goodness, I really don't want to repeat the bad!)

So this week’s post contains three parts, which I sincerely hope you’ll jump in because I love our mini-convers...

Gather Your Breath for this Mystery & Its . . .

. . . birthday!

Ready?
Whoo-hoo! *Whistle *Cheers *Applause
Happy 1st book birthday to THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW! It's been a year since the mystery of the Begonia House was revealed to the world, and now the paperback will be available January 3rd, 2017. The new cover stays true to Fairday's snazzy style, sprinkling in a few added charms. Can you find the differences from hardcover? ;)



Here's a bit about the story...
The Begonia House keeps its secrets. Everyone knows that. Everyone, tha...

I Pay Money to Do More Work ~ Happily

(This post is especially for those writing or blogging full-time or as a side-hustle, which basically refers to your passionate part-time pursuit.)

Remember the time when writing or blogging was just a hobby?

Mornings were sweet and the breeze messed up your hair, but you were okay, and you laughed because you remembered something silly about your siblings, cousins, or friends, and there was that smell of toast in the air.

Then, remember the moment you decided to turn your hobby into a career? O...

Finding the Right Word & Clicking into Place

Meet Peter Mark Roget (pronounced "Roh-Zhay"), without whom many writers today would be:

at a loss,
pulling our hair out,
in utter despair,
wracked with misery!

Peter was a collector. He collected words, made lists, and categorised them accordingly. Peter scribbled words and built his list. He'd been building it since he was eight.

Words,
Peter
learned,
were
powerful
things .
And
when
he
put
them
in
long,
neat
rows,
he
felt
as if
the
world
itself
clicked
into
order.

We follow Peter as he grew into a teen who liked soli...

How to Vanquish A Hungry Chinese Zombie

Before I get to this week's feature, I just want to squeal about Bob Dylan being awarded the Nobel Prize. I don't care if there are folks who think he doesn't deserve it. I don't care if Mr. Dylan himself is or isn't that thrilled about it. I'm just happy. He is a poet, a cowboy, a true story-observer. Whee!

Okay, breathe. Back to business.

This week, I'm going to tell you about Chinese zombies. And about a particular twelve-year-old who had to vanquish one.

Chinese zombies, or jiang shi, are dr...

Many Cool Things to Do {MG Feature: Soar}

Hey Lovelies,

First, I'm sorry for not being more active in the blogosphere. Have been working on different children's projects (stars are thanked every day) and didn't want to pop up a post for you guys that's rushed through.

So now that I'm more ready, I'd like to introduce you to Jeremiah Lopper, superstar protagonist of the latest Joan Bauer novel. (*Joan Bauer is the author of Almost Home , Tell Me , and more.)

Jeremiah is the world's biggest baseball fan.

His specific age is unknown, probably...

Leaping Out of the Well (PB Feature: The Peasant Prince)

This is the true story of Li Cunxin, the sixth of seven sons from a rural family in north-east China.

It was the 1960s. China was under Chairman Mao’s rule.

The Li family, like many, was very poor.

There was never enough food. Every night, Cunxin’s mother would pray that none of her sons would starve to death.

The boys squeezed in a tiny room. Cunxin hated his brothers’ feet in his face.They also had to walk for hours to get to school, even in winter.

Were there happy days? Yes. When Cunxin’s fath...