Slow and Steady

"Amazing friends; summer nights;

Chocolate ice cream; mud slide fights;

Half the summer is gone already

So let's spend the rest of it, slow and ready."

~ Unknown

It's summer, and that means no school, extra time with the kids, yardwork, vacations, laziness . . . So, can you guess what's missing? Writing. And blogging. And Facebooking. And Tweeting.

I'm still waiting to hear back on three fulls that are out there. While I wait (and wait and wait and wait) I should be more productive than I have been. I haven't written anything new all summer.  Soon . . .

Right after this road trip and a few more books in the backyard and another day or two at the pool!

How productive has your writing life been this summer?

Awesome ARC Giveaway!

Sara McClung at Babbling Flow is giving away a collection of ARCs from ALA. And they're SIGNED. And I want one. You will too, so hop over and enter!

Um... NOW!

Blog Tour: The Last Archangel

 

 The Last Archangel

by Michael Young

Expected publication: 

July 14th 2011 by Bonneville Books

 

Goodreads Blurb:

Xandir has been exiled to earth until the end of time. But when his cherub trainee disappears, Xandir makes a deal with rogue angels and giants that could restore life to the mortal woman he loves and end his assignment as a destroying angel in exchange for helping them bring about the end of the world and all of mankind.

I can't say I love the blurb. This book is so much MORE than that. When I first decided to read it, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, the two paralleling storylines work well together. Each time I was ripped from one and deposited in another, I had a moment of "No! I'm not ready!" followed by "Oh, I've missed you guys."

The action and surprising developments kept me reading and guessing. The end caught me totally off-guard--and I loved it! There was only one section of the book when I found myself wishing I could hurry things along, probably because the rest of the book flew.

Michael has assured me there WILL be a sequel. And I can assure you that I will be begging for an ARC

You can learn more about The Last Archangel from the following links:

• The Book Trailer:

• The Michael Young Fan Page
• The Last Archangel web page 
• Michael's Blog
• Michael on Twitter
• Michael on Goodreads

This is a very different read, folks, but I really enjoyed it.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday  

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born. 

 

Lost Voices

by Sarah Porter

 

Released July 4th, 2011

 

Goodreads Blurb:

What happens to the girls nobody sees—the ones who are ignored, mistreated, hidden away? The girls nobody hears when they cry for help? 

Fourteen-year-old Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in a storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. 

Luce’s own talent at singing captures the attention of the tribe’s queen, the fierce and elegant Catarina, and Luce soon finds herself pressured to join in committing mass murder. Luce’s struggle to retain her inner humanity puts her at odds with her friends; even worse, Catarina seems to regard Luce as a potential rival. But the appearance of a devious new mermaid brings a real threat to Catarina’s leadership and endangers the very existence of the tribe. Can Luce find the courage to challenge the newcomer, even at the risk of becoming rejected and alone once again? 

Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

 

I loved the original premise of this story and the world Sarah Porter created. The story flows like the water Luce swims in. There were a few spots I thought the descriptions were a bit confusing, but that did not take away from the overall powerful imagery. The "bad girl" is definitely not a likable character - a great villain. We see it coming, but I kept hoping Luce would find a way to best her. Though I really wish Luce's character had been a bit more social with the others (she's a bit of a loner/pouter), I understood why she wasn't.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and will read the sequel when it comes out.

 

*** Others who can be counted on for a great MMGM review each week: ***

• Joanne Fritz @ My Brain on Books 
• Ben Langhinrchs @ My Comfy Chair
• Sherrie Petersen @ Write About Now  
• Brooke Favero @ Somewhere in the Middle
• Myrna Foster @ Night Writer   
• Ally Beecher @ Kid Lit Frenzy
• Barbara Watson @ Novel and Nouveau
• Deb Marshall @ Just Deb!
• Anita Laydon Miller's Middle Grade Blog
• Michael G-G @ Middle Grade Mafioso 
• Natalie Aguirre @ Literary Rambles

 Happy Monday!

 

Faye's Contraption

 
THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF SECRETS by Eden Unger Bowditch was released in March, and I reviewed it as a Middle Grade Monday post HERE. 

Recently, as a creative way to promote the book, they invented a cool online game called Faye's Contraption. Not only can we hop over and try it out, but we can also win a free, SIGNED copy of the book. 

Bancroft Press is having a contest to see who can beat the high score by July 17th. Players should e-mail a screen shot of their score to Clara Roberts at "clrob002 at gmail dot goucher dot edu." The winner will receive a signed copy of the book.

"Faye's Contraption" can be found on 

www.younginventorsguild.com

or on 

Facebook's link http://apps.facebook.com/fayes_contraption/.

Give it a try!