Kate Willis's Blog, page 105
March 24, 2017
Liebster Award Blog Tag
I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award Blog Tag by Victoria Lynn! Thank you, Victoria! I love your blog, and I love your book. 
Giveaway WINNERS!
We have giveaway WINNERS!!!!
Do you want to know who they are? Do you, do you? 
March 22, 2017
Book Review: Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White
[image error]““SOME PIG,” Charlotte the spider’s praise for Wilbur, is just one fondly remembered snippet from E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. In Some Writer!, the two-time Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet mixes White’s personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell his story, from his birth in 1899 to his death in 1985. Budding young writers will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorker contributor, and children’s book author who loved words his whole life. This authorized tribute is the first fully illustrated biography of E. B. White and includes an afterword by Martha White, E. B. White’s granddaughter.” (from Goodreads)
When I’m dead and famous, please write my biography exactly like this one by Melissa Sweet. It felt like reading a scrapbook with all the photographs, newspaper clippings, and letters scattered throughout. The scrapbooked decorations were adorable, and the illustration style was very fun. ❤ Quite the aesthetically pleasing book! My favorite part was when it showed the six different drafts of the first line for Charlotte’s Web. I quite identified with his author-ly struggle.
March 20, 2017
Childhood
As I look through the books I’ve read so far this year on my Goodreads challenge, I’ve noticed I read a good bit of fiction geared toward younger readers. There are two main reasons for this. One, they are just generally happier and cleaner stories.
March 17, 2017
A Celebration of Y’all (& Giveaway!)
Hello, everyone! Welcome to a celebration. What are we celebrating? Eeyore’s birthday. Many happy returns, everyone!
No, actually we are celebrating 50+ followers on this blog. I wrote a status update on Goodreads last week asking for celebration ideas when I hit fifty followers. At that point it was “time to start thinking about it”. Give Jesseca and Elaina a round of applause for following my blog soon after to make this happen.
March 15, 2017
Book Review: It Happened on a Train
[image error]“Retired private detective and current seventh grader Steve Brixton has a new career: taking out the garbage on Wednesdays for five bucks a week. But it’s hard to leave the old game behind, and on a train trip down the California coast, Steve finds himself pulled back into sleuthing. Soon he’s in over his head in four feet and eleven inches of mystery involving a fleet of priceless automobiles, a deadly assassin (or maybe just a faulty lock on a sauna door), and a secret train car filled with intrigue. Plus there’s a girl involved, which complicates everything. I mean she’s just Steve’s friend. And really, they barely even know each other. It’s not like they’re boyfriend or girlfriend or anything, okay?” (from Goodreads)
This is the third book in the Brixton Brothers series, a.k.a. the acest “kid’s” detective series you’ll ever read by Mac Barnett. I was excited to revisit the humor and cleverness of this series! The case Steve tried to avoid while he was taking out the trash really blew me away (even though it’s only partly solved!). I also loved his trick to SPOILER ALERT! get the one guy to prove he owns the car. Nice foreshadowing for later! And Rick SPOILER ALERT! knits!Train travel actually sounds pretty cool; though I never want to be on top of one, and it could use being a little fancier. This mystery was so complicated, I suspected everyone–except the real villains of course. The solution was actually oddly hilarious but slightly disappointing because Steve barely got to solve anything. (Although the Wooden Hound With Two Tails trick was awesome.) My siblings tell me that this case is closely connected to the next one, so maybe that will be good.
March 13, 2017
Book Report
First the good news then the bad news.
The good news is that after holding several library books hostage for months, I finally worked through all of them but one. Some were too boring (or inappropriate) to bother with and promptly got sent back. Another ran out of renewals. *sticks out lip* But the majority got loved and reviewed.
March 11, 2017
Book Review: London in the Dark!
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Eeek! Now I finally get to share my review of this!
March 10, 2017
The Director
There’s this thing that authors aren’t supposed to do. A deadly thing. So deadly they put it in a foreign language.
It’s called deus ex machina. It literally means “god from the machine” a term used for the part in Greek and Roman plays when a “god” would descend into the middle of the play and fix everything to make happily ever after happen. The dictionary definition is “an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel”.
It’s basically Tip Number One to Cheat Your Way Out of Creating an Actual Plot. (Read this excellent post by K.M. Weiland talking about this further.)
One time, I was hopelessly stuck in a castle, so I pulled out a random ally to help them and voila! They were out. Well, deus ex machina. I’ll be fixing that with some foreshadowing and a little more effort on the part of the protagonist.
I have a problem though. I do want God in my story. I don’t want the protagonist to humanistic-ly solve his own problems. I want Him to do something only He can do to create that happily ever after. I want miracles, surprises, healing, and changed hearts.
But if the hero doesn’t save the day, aren’t I committing the aforementioned, scary Latin thingy?
Nope. Because my God doesn’t come from a machine. He’s in the story the whole time. Sometimes He’s very visible. Sometimes He’s working so far in the background, the characters might wonder where He is. But when they call on Him, He answers. He’s there with healing, hope, protection, forgiveness, justice, and mercy.
He’s no random character that comes in just to fix everything at the last second. He’s in the main cast. The Director, actually.
March 8, 2017
Victoria Lynn Interview
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I am so excited to be interviewing author Victoria Lynn about life and her debut release London in the Dark. (Seriously, y’all–THIS BOOK! I’ll be reviewing it later this week, so stay tuned for some Dudley fangirling.)
About the Book
[image error]London, 1910
Budding Private Detective Cyril Arlington Hartwell has a conundrum. London is being ravaged by the largest run of thefts in recent history. His hunch that it is all tied together may put him and those he loves in more danger than he could have reckoned.
Olivia Larken Hartwell is just home from boarding school for the summer anticipating time with her adoring parents. She misses her absent brother, Cyril, hoping for the day he will finally come home. But tragedy strikes, causing upheaval for all concerned and changes her life in a way she never could have imagined.
Olivia, Cyril, and their friends must bring the hidden to light, seek to execute justice, and dispel the darkness that hovers over London… and their hearts.
About the Author[image error]
Victoria Lynn is in her 20s and if she’s not writing, she is probably sewing, singing, playing the piano, washing dishes, creating something with her hands, or learning something new. She has a passion for serving her Creator, encouraging others and being creative. She blogs at www.rufflesandgrace.com about writing, fashion, modesty, her walk with God and life. She lives in Michigan with her parents and 8 siblings.
Author Interview
Join me in welcoming author Victoria Lynn to Once Upon an Ordinary! The game is on!
Thanks Kate! I am excited! Thank you so much for hosting me and I look forward to answering your questions!
Victoria, tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a Christian, Homeschool Graduate who loves my family and my Savior. I live at home with my family and enjoy working and playing with them. Washing dishes is my favorite chore, I am a bit of a neat freak, a HUGE music aficionado and a musician. I love to read (of course) and you can keep up with my favorite books on Goodreads. Blogging is my other love and you can keep up with me at Ruffles and Grace. I am also a seamstress, which is another of my passions. You can see the things I sell on my Etsy shop. I also am a bit of a graphic designer, mostly specializing in book covers and promotional material. And here is my author site.
What first made you decide you wanted to be an author?
I have always loved to write, but in the spring and summer of 2015, I really got inspired by my friend Julia Erickson. Seeing her publish her books made me think that maybe I could do that too! So after a little bit of work on other projects, I got the big main idea for London in the Dark and started writing right away!
Congratulations on your debut London in the Dark! May we have an introduction?
Certainly! London in the Dark has a little bit of mystery, a little bit of suspense, and is a Christian Fiction book. It takes place in 1910 London England and is about Private Detective Cyril Hartwell and his sister Olivia. A lot of things change in their lives in the first few chapters and the rest of the book is about them grappling with the issues of themselves and their relationships with others, all while trying to solve the largest run of thefts in recent history!
What is your favorite aspect of the ordinary life God has blessed you with?
My favorite aspect of my “ordinary” life is that I get to be with my family. I live at home, work at home, and find my best friends at home. I feel so blessed to be able to serve God and others as a family and to work together. We have our moments, just like every family, but we really love each other and I feel so blessed to be doing life with these people!
Any plans for further projects?
Oh my, yes! London has several sequels in the works, and a Modern Christian Fiction book should be hitting publication towards the end of the summer, Lord willing! I also have some other stories up my sleeve. *wink*
Thank you so much for coming!
