Margo Kelly's Blog, page 39

Appearances

 As a veteran public speaker, I’d be happy to present a topic at your conference, school, book club, youth group, or library. I'm in the process of scheduling a limited number of appearances for 2015.    If interested, please email me for more information: margokelly1 @ outlook . com (without the spaces). An honorarium would be appreciated to help cover travel and lodging expenses.
Speaking Topics:
1. Writing is like Telepathy
2. The Basics of Building a Story
3. The Path to Publication
4. Online Gaming - The Scariest Part
5. Making Safer Connections Online
6. Who R U Really? -- Behind the Scenes

Currently Scheduled Appearances:
12/10/14 - 7pm - Youth Group Discussion - Nampa, Idaho12/15/14 - 6pm - Online Safety Discussion - Nampa Public Library5/19/15 - 11:30-1:30 - IWG Luncheon: "Infusing Every Scene with Tension" - Boise, Idaho


 

Crescent Moon Press - BOOKS ON SALE!

There is a Huge Black Friday .99 Kindle SALE! Check out some of these great authors below and don't forget to enter the rafflecopter for your chance to win lots of fun stuff!

The sale runs from Black Friday to New Years, so lots of time to buy LOTS AND LOTS OF FABULOUS BOOKS published by Crescent Moon Press!





Caden’s Fate, by Kate McKeever

Fairyproof, by Constance Phillips

Resurrecting Harry, by Constance Phillips

Speak of the Devil, by Shawna Romkey

The Devil Made Me Do It, by Shawna Romkey

What Gifts She Carried, by Lindsey Loucks

The Grave Winner, by Lindsey Loucks

Violet Midnight, by Lynn Rush

Violet Dawn, by Lynn Rush

Violet Storm, by Lynn Rush

Wasteland, by Lynn Rush

Awaited, by Lynn Rush

Tainted, by Lynn Rush

Prelude to Darkness, by Lynn Rush

Son of a Mermaid, by Katie O’Sullivan

Blood of a Mermaid, by Katie O’Sullivan

Wanted: One Ghost, by Loni Lynne

Ruined, by Kinley Baker

Denied, by Kinley Baker

Endured, by Kinley Baker

Gemini Rising, by Louann Carroll

A Shadow of Time, by Louann Carroll

Dakota Capitve, by Alythia Brown

Sorrow’s Point, by Danielle DeVor

Sorrow’s Edge, by Danielle DeVor

Red, by Reese Reed

The Memory Witch, by Heather Topham Wood

Not Your Average Fairy Tale, by Chantele Sedgwick

Not Your Average Happy Ending, Chantele Sedgwick

A Stiff Kiss, by Avery Olive

Won’t Let Go, by Avery Olive

Idyllic Avenue, by Chad Ganske

Rift Healer, by Diane M Haynes

Still Hunt, by Diane M Haynes

First Contact, by Kat Green

Citizens of Logan Pond: Life, by Rebecca Belliston

Irons in the Fire, by Penelope Marzec

The Company You Keep, by Penelope Marzec

Kiss of Blarney, by Penelope Marzec
a Rafflecopter giveaway

What Are You Waiting For?

We all have dreams and goals ... and yet, we procrastinate ... why? What are we waiting for? Watch this video. It really moves me, and I'm simply in love with this song:

Oh, How I Miss You

It’s that time of year again!(Hosted by Andrew Leon, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and Matthew MacNish) Do you have favorite bloggers?Ones you would miss if they were gone, and ones you do miss because they are already gone? In the comments below - tell us who your favorite bloggers are - so that we can all go pay them a visit and let them know they're valued.   Bloggers I'd certainly miss if they were gone: Nathan BransfordMary Kole over at KidLit Chuck Sambuchino over at WD's GLA Blog  Bloggers that I do miss: Artemis GreyMelissa Dean  Who are your favorite bloggers?  

Book Review: TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book! It's the first one I've read by author Jenny Han, and now I'm a fan! The writing was excellent, the plotting was excellent, and the character development was excellent.

The story is about a teenage girl who writes love letters to the boys she really likes, but she never sends the letters. It's more of a process for herself. But then one day ... someone mails the letters to the boys. Ack! Watching how she handles the humiliating situation unfold was so entertaining and engaging. I wanted to read faster to find out what was going to happen!

Here are a couple of my favorite lines:

"At one point I try to let go of his hand, because mine is starting to feel sweaty, but he tightens his grip. ... I'm sure Genevieve's hands are never sweaty. She could probably hold hands for days without getting overheated." (page 112)

"When someone's been gone a long time, at first you save up all the things you want to tell them. You try to keep track of everything in your head. But it's like trying to hold on to a fistful of sand: all the little bits slip out of your hands, and then you're just clutching air and grit. That's why you can't save it all up like that." (page 294)

I loved reading this story. And it was the kind where I could hardly wait to find out how it ended, but then when it did end, I was sad because I wanted more.



View all my reviews

STOP. THINK. CONNECT.

I'm please to announce that The Department of Homeland Security has invited me to partner with the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. campaign, which is the global cyber security awareness campaign to help people stay safer and more secure online. The campaign’s three actionable steps: STOP. THINK. CONNECT. are easy to understand and apply.  STOP. THINK. CONNECT. also advises all Internet users to take security measures, understand the consequences of their behavior and actions and enjoy the benefits of the Internet.  
The inspiration for my debut novel, Who R U Really? , came when my daughter was nearly abducted by an online predator. There are countless—seemingly innocent—online games that our kids play. But as parents, do we really know what our children are doing within the framework of those games? Are they playing against the computer or against other people? And if they’re playing with people, is there some sort of chat box associated with the game? It doesn’t matter if it’s a role-playing game, a racing game, a building game, or a chess game … if there is a chat box, there is a danger. My daughter participated in an innocent online role-playing game where a chat box was necessary to facilitate the game. Because of that chat box, she met a guy. He seemed nice. He seemed to need a friend. He seemed safe. But in fact, he was none of these things.  A local police detective said to my daughter, “It is your job to tell others—your real everyday friends that you go to school with—tell them what happened to you, so nothing like this can happen to them.” My daughter agreed. Who R U Really? was born with the hopes of helping others spot and unmask internet predators. But reading a book alone won’t protect our kids from the dangers lurking on the Internet.
Here are a few tips to help our kids stay safer online:      1)       Be friends with them on social media and insist that they only accept friend requests from people they know in everyday life.
     2)       Occasionally play their online games with them, so that you can understand what it is they are interested in online.
     3)       Build trust with them, so that they will be more comfortable talking with you about what concerns them.
     4)       Teach them safe online practices like keeping their actual birthdate, phone number, email, street address, even city private. No one online needs to have that personal information about them.
     5)       Most importantly, remember that there is strength in numbers. Teach them to always use the buddy system and to never meet an online acquaintance alone. Not ever. Just don’t even play with the idea.

Who R U Really? is primarily a work of fiction, but the essence of the plot is what happened when my daughter was nearly abducted. There was a chat box in the online game she played, and that’s where the danger stemmed from. I'm thankful for the opportunity to partner with STOP. THINK. CONNECT. and as a result, I'll be able to share more cyber safety tips with you here on this blog.  PLUS ... my daughter and I will be speaking about online safety at the Nampa Public Library on Monday, December 15, 2014, from 6-7pm. We'd love to see there.    
 

Idaho Author Awards

The drive to the event was interesting with snow and rain and slick roads!  Margo Kelly (me) receiving the 1st place award for the young adult category.  The top three award recipients for the YA category!  WHO R U REALLY? by Margo Kelly received 1st place in the 2014 Idaho Author Awards (YA category).  Chris & Margo Kelly after the awards ceremony.

 

Cover Reveal: JANUARY BLACK by Wendy S. Russo

Sixteen-year-old genius Matty Ducayn is the son of The Hill’s commandant. As such, he’s expected to conform to a strict, unspoken code of conduct. Small acts of defiance over years—such as walking on the grass—have earned him a reputation for being unruly. When sarcastic test answers finally get Matty expelled from school, King Hadrian offers him a diploma if he can answer a deceptively simple question, and then dismisses the only answer.
To prove his worth to society, Matty wrestles with the king’s word games, the kingdom’s historical record, and laws that don’t make sense. He meets Iris Locke, a street smart gardener, along the way. After enchanting him at a glance, Iris helps his research, keeps him out of trouble, and finally breaks his heart.
Alone again, Matty finds himself on collision course with a deadly law, one he will have to break to answer the king’s question. Was Hadrian challenging him, or teaching him a lesson? Without Iris, it won’t matter, because Matty won’t stand down for anyone else.
January Black is the 2013 Readers' Favorite Silver Medal winner for YA-Coming of Age.January Black will be available for pre-order on Amazon 11/28/2014.
About the Illustrator
Liliana Sanches started studying Visual Arts at the age of 16 and soon felt attracted to the Romantic artwork from the 19th century. The Pre-Raphaelites and Friedrich were her biggest inspirations at the time, and she felt compelled to explore this graphic language of desolated landscapes that were the reflection of the painter's emotions.
After graduating college, specializing Graphic Design, she created her own business under the name of "Princess of Shadows." Her style had now evolved and had technical knowledge to support it. Intricate concepts with a much better grasp of image composition and visual balance, and also used color and shape psychology to imprint her work on the viewer.
Along the years she has been working with musicians, authors and even other designers who have allowed her to express her creativity, develop visual communication skills and explore different graphic styles to better suit each project.
Nowadays, here personal work has been exploring the human psyche, imbuing it with a dark surreal feeling. Her biggest inspirations are J-Horror movies, dreams/ nightmares and mental health pathologies.
Princess of Shadows on DeviantArt
About the Author
Wendy S. Russo got her start writing in the sixth grade. That story involved a talisman with crystals that had to be found and assembled before bad things happened, and dialog that read like classroom roll call. Since then, she’s majored in journalism (for one semester), published poetry, taken a course on short novels, and watched most everything ever filmed by Quentin Tarantino. A Wyoming native transplanted in Baton Rouge, Wendy works for Louisiana State University as an IT analyst. She’s a wife, a mom, a Tiger, a Who Dat, and she falls asleep on her couch at 8:30 on weeknights.
Amazon | Blog | Facebook | G+ | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter

Book Club Visit

I had a wonderful time last night discussing Who R U Really? with this book club in Nampa, Idaho. Thanks for inviting me, ladies! (Their eyes were aglow with excitement for the book!)

Some Fine Day by Kat Ross

What if everything you've been taught is a lie?

Sixteen-year-old Jansin Nordqvist knows that when the world flooded and civilization retreated deep underground, there was no one left on the surface.
She knows that the only species to thrive there is the toads, a primate/amphibian hybrid with a serious mean streak.
Most of all, she knows there's no place where you can hide from the hypercanes, continent-sized storms that have raged for decades.
Turns out Jansin was wrong. On all counts…
 Enter here to win a Kindle Paperwhite pre-loaded with Some Fine Day, plus other awesome YA audiobook giveaways!



Kat Ross lives in New York. She's a fan of mutants and terrible weather; Some Fine Day is her first book. It's available on Amazon in Kindle or paperback format (Feb 2015). You can also check out the book trailer here.
Twitter: @katrossauthorTumblr: http://katross.tumblr.com/Website: http://katrossbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kat.ross.338... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...