Ekta R. Garg's Blog, page 5

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Hello, Write Edge readers! For those of you who know of the holiday, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May this day be full of evergreen joy and good memories. :>

As promised, I’m here today at the start of the week with a writing recommendation. Today I’m talking about Writing Battle, this fun contest that assigns you a genre, a character, and a setting, and then gives you anywhere from two days to a full week (depending on the contest) to test your writing chops. The best part is that once you submit your story, you have the opportunity to submit feedback on other stories and the feedback is structured in a way that gives you both positive and constructive advice. When the contest is over, you get to see all the feedback and it’s almost always a big boost to the ego to see how much other writers have enjoyed your story and the thoughtful, insightful things they have to say to help you improve it.

I’ve entered Writing Battle a couple of times now, and although I’ve never gotten close to winning it’s a lot of fun. I highly recommend you give it a try. Having such a short time limit can be a little scary, but it’s also exhilarating when you hit “Submit” before that deadline. I’m doing the Wonder Battle in April and encourage all of you to check it out.

Last week in my #bookreviewpreview, I shared that I #amreading Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. This Reese’s Book Club pick is a historical fiction, nonlinear women’s fiction novel about a love triangle and heartbreak. Want to know what I thought of it? Check out my review this Wednesday on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

Finally, on Friday, I’m back on Instagram, and this weekend I just might share some extra Instagram posts from the Chicago Writers Association’s Let’s Just Write annual conference. This is my fourth time going to this event and the third year in a row — I can’t wait! If you love writing in any capacity, I highly recommend it.

That’s all from my corner of the web. Have a great week, readers!

E.R.G.

Instagram posts now up!

Good evening, Write Edge readers! Just a quick note to say my latest Instagram posts are now up. Check what I #amreading in my #bookreviewpreview, where I’ll be traveling in the next week, and more. Find me on the app with my handle, @EktaRGarg, or on my Facebook author page.

Have a great night, readers!

E.R.G.

Book review now up!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I’m back today with my latest book review. Today I share my thoughts on the narrative nonfiction book Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement by journalist and author Elaine Weiss. Here’s the opening to my post:

When an opportunity arises to fight the Jim Crow era head on, South Carolina native Septima Clark doesn’t hesitate. Instead, she teams up with other activists and starts hundreds of schools to teach Black people how to read, write, and vote. Without her crucial contributions, the Civil Rights Movement most likely would never have moved forward. Elaine Weiss shares the little-known story of Clark and others in her dynamic new nonfiction release, Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement.

Read the whole review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

Have a great day, readers!

E.R.G.

How to keep your balance by upsetting it

Hello, Write Edge readers! It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I’m happy to report that the reason why I haven’t posted in the last week or two is because I was finishing revisions on my manuscript to send to my editor at Atmosphere Press. This year, I hope, will bring the publication of The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories — that is, if my editor says my revisions have brought the book up to the speed she wants me traveling at.

It was an exhilarating and occasionally frustrating process to work on these edits. Writing, like all other arts, is most definitely a nonlinear process, so some days you feel like you’re moving in circles instead of forward. I was also worried I wouldn’t make my deadline, because somehow February brought me several different commitments all at once. Most of them were writing-related; a couple of them weren’t. All of them converged in a single month. It was crazy busy but fun.

Of course, that meant that if I wanted to stay sane I had to give something up; hence the title of today’s post. I had to upset the balance of my regular routine by giving up blogging for a couple of weeks so I could address more time-sensitive obligations. I was happy to do all of them and sad that I had to pause the blog, but it was, ultimately, the right thing to do.

As I mentioned before, I’ve also given a lot of thought as to what I want the blog to look like for the rest of this year and going forward. While I’ve had a lot of fun writing short stories for my Monday posts, I think the time has come to pause those for a while. I’ll still be posting original book reviews on Wednesdays and the goal is to get back to Instagram on Fridays. The beginning of the week for me, though, brings many matters to address, and I don’t want to dump writing mush onto a page and post it for everyone.

Having said that, I do want to continue posting on Mondays. For now, I’ll be sharing writing-related opportunities and encouragement for your own writing/artistic journeys. I hope you enjoy them!

The first is about an organization that is fairly new to me but has, in less than a year, become an important one. It’s called Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp, and it’s an in-person, weeklong event that happens in Racine, Wisconsin, at the lovely Siena Retreat Center. I went for the first time last summer and had such an amazing experience that when the current Bookcamp director put out a call for new members of the board of directors, I immediately (virtually) raised my hand.

Bookcamp is a retreat, writing workshops, and fellowship with other writers all rolled into one. I think it’s a hidden gem of the writing community, so today I want to give you the opportunity to learn more about it. Assistant Bookcamp director and celebrated author Deborah King will be holding 30-minute info sessions on Facebook in March, April, and May to share more about this incredible week. If you want to start your summer with a chance to meet seasoned instructors and have the opportunity to meet literary agents one on one in both mentoring positions as well as formal pitches, you definitely want to come to Bookcamp. Attending an info session is a great (free) way to learn more about the organization, the week, and what it can offer you.

Like I said, I will be posting book reviews for you. In the middle of this week, check out my thoughts on the Civil Rights nonfiction book Spell Freedom by journalist Elaine Weiss. You’ll see that up on The Write Edge Bookshelf. Also, on Friday, it’s back to Instagram and more writing (and non-writing) shenanigans. :>

Thanks for your patience in waiting for me to come back, readers. I can’t wait for what the rest of this month and year hold!

E.R.G.

Book review now up!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I know, my silence on Mondays continues. I’ve been hard at work on my new book and am using all of my spare writing time for revisions. Hopefully I’ll only have one more Monday of being radio silent, and then I can go back to posting at the beginning of the week.

I definitely #amreading, however, and I have my review of the YA romantasy The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor that I teased in last week’s #bookreviewpreview. Check out the opening to my post:

A young woman living under the heavy weight of her late father’s crime discovers he may have been innocent. The woman lies to join the organization responsible for the accusations and finds herself in the middle of a much larger challenge. Author Emily J. Taylor follows up her successful debut with a worthy second offering in The Otherwhere Post.

Read the whole review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

I’ll be back tomorrow with the last Thursday R.E.A.D.s of this quarter, so I’ll see you then. Have a great evening, readers!

Instagram posts now up!

Happy Friday, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest pics on Instagram. Find out what I #amreading in my #bookreviewpreview, get a little peek into my revision process, and get an update on In the Heart of the Linden Wood. Find all that and more now on Instagram by using my handle, @EktaRGarg, or going to my Facebook author page.

Have a great weekend, readers!

E.R.G.

Latest Thursday R.E.A.D.s installments up!

Good evening, Write Edge readers! Just a note to let you know my latest installments of this quarter’s Thursday R.E.A.D.s are now up. Find out what I thought of the women’s romantic fiction novel What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange as both an Editor and an Author. You can find all of the installments published so far by clicking here.

Have a great night, readers!

E.R.G.

Book review posted for you!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I know, I know, I said I’d be pondering what to do with my Monday posts, and, believe it or not, I’m still pondering. In the meantime, I’ve got a brand new book review for you. Today I share my thoughts on the psychological thriller Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin. Here’s the opening to my post:

After the death of her child’s nanny, a woman notices pronounced differences in her daughter. She thinks her child is trying to process her babysitter’s death but becomes convinced the nanny’s spirit has returned to pass on a desperate message. Author Helena Echlin’s debut includes all the markers of a psychological thriller with a dash of the paranormal in a book that veers all over the place in Clever Little Thing.

Read the whole review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

I’ll be back tomorrow with two new Thursday R.E.A.D.s installments. Come back then, readers!

E.R.G.

Book review now posted and some thoughts…

Hello, Write Edge readers! First things first: last week I shared on Instagram what I #amreading in my #bookreviewpreview. Today I give you my thoughts on the YA dystopian novel All Better Now by Neal Shusterman. Check out the opening to my post:

When a new pandemic begins, the world is thrown into chaos. As scientists, conspiracy theorists, and talking heads converge on what to do next, three teens they have to follow through on the decisions everyone else is just considering. Veteran author Neal Shusterman returns with an interesting premise that begins to meander in his latest book All Better Now.

Read the whole review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

I’ve also been having some thoughts about my Monday posts, and I believe I want to try something different moving forward. I’m going to noodle on this for a few more days and let you all know at the beginning of the week what I’m pondering. In the meantime, stay safe (and warm, for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere!)

E.R.G.

Friday? Thursday? Wednesday? Every day!

Good evening, Write Edge readers! I’ve got almost a whole week’s worth of content for you here. First up, I’ve posted my latest posts on Instagram, including a special happy birthday wish to In the Heart of the Linden Wood. My book baby is two years old today — I can’t believe it! If you’d like to learn more about it, check out the book info on my author website now. You can even order an autographed copy from me!

Next, I’ve posted the first installment of this quarter’s Thursday R.E.A.D.s. This month I’m taking a closer look at What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange, a cozy women’s fiction novel. Find out what I thought of the book as a Reviewer by going now to The Write Edge Bookshelf.

Finally, back to the middle of the week and another post on The Bookshelf. This is for my review of the brand new middle grade paranormal book It’s Watching by cracker jack author Lindsay Currie. Here’s the opening to my review:

Three middle school friends with a plan to take their newspaper careers to the next level get caught up in an intense haunting by a ghost instead. When the ghost gives them a deadline, the trio must use all their skills and smarts to figure out how to beat it. Author Lindsay Currie returns showcasing strong friendships and age-appropriate thrills in her latest middle grade paranormal book, It’s Watching.

Read the whole thing now on The Write Edge Bookshelf.

Have a wonderful weekend, readers!

E.R.G.