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Monday, November 29, 2010

Character Interview: Ira from Everlasting by Angie Frazier


Today, I have with me Ira, a character from the novel Everlasting by Angie Frazier. Ira was one of the characters that helped Camille and Oscar on their journey. He was such an interesting character that I was happy to have him answer a few questions for me.

Here's a little bit about the novel via Goodreads before we start the interview:

Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty.

On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous—and alluring—magic.

The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who—and what—matters most.
Character Interview with Ira

What were you doing before you met Camille and Oscar? I’ve got more than one profession under my belt, so to speak. Right before I ended up with the lovebirds I’d been coming off a stint in the gold mines round Bendigo. Loved the gold. Hated the work.


Why did you agree to help them when you met them? Well, I’d like to say I’m just a sucker for damsels in distress. But if we’re going the honesty route, I’ll come clean: I’m really just a sucker for mysterious treasure. That and I owed on a trade and needed an excuse to leave Melbourne quick.


How was your childhood growing up? It was all roses, love. All roses. Nah, that part of my life’s better left buried, if you know what I’m saying.


Is there a special lady out there for you? How did you meet? There is a special lady out there for me…many special ladies, I’d wager. I’ve met a few of them already, but the problem seems to be the pickings. Most of the ladies a fellow wants to keep around and bring home to mama don’t frequent the sorts of places I do. If only Camille had a sister…


What one event changed your life forever? Well obviously meeting Camille and Oscar changed a lot for me. It’s rare when I meet people who are in bigger jams than I am. For once I got to actually help someone. Oddly, it wasn’t as painful as I figured it would be.


Thanks Ira for the interview!

Check out my review of Everlasting - it was one of my favorites this past year.

Check out the rest of the Teen Book Scene tours for Everlasting.
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It's Monday, What are you Reading?


This fantastic meme is now hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.


Read this past week:
Where I Live by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Currently Reading:
The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green

Upcoming:
The Healing Spell by Kimberly Griffiths Little
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

I ended up spending a ton of time with family and not so much reading. Hopefully I'll get some more reading time in this week.
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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Winner of Alien Invasion!

The winner of the contest for Alien Invasion and other Inconveniences is:

Charlotte from Charlotte's Library!

Congrats Charlotte I just emailed you. :)
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In My Mailbox - November 27th

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

For Review:



Matched by Ally Condie

Bought:



A ton of books for Xmas gifts. But I cannot reveal... hehe.

What did you guys get?

I didn't hit the Black Friday sales but Borders had a great 50% off coupon the Wednesday before Thanksgiving so I went and picked up a book for one of my sis-in-laws.



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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Link a Contest Thursday (on Friday)



Yeah... um it's almost Friday.. Thanksgiving break kind of confused my brain on what day it was - sorry!

Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.


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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Black Friday - yes or no?


It's that time of year again, where shoppers around the world wake up bleary-eyed after a long day of family fun, eating and hopefully some sleeping. I have a few things on my shopping list that I'm considering going out on Black Friday for, like flat screen TV stands, but I'm not sure I can brave it.

What do you guys do? Do you go out and find deals. Are they for xmas gifts or just for items you need for yourself? Do you make a plan.. map out the stores you want, when their sales start, etc?

Most likely I won't hit up a lot of stores, but may see if there are some awesome online deals at stores like Best Buy, CSN Stores, and Amazon. Let me know what your plans are too.
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Monday, November 22, 2010

It's Monday, What are you Reading?


This fantastic meme is now hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.


Read this past week:
Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Currently Reading:
Where I Live by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Upcoming:
The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green
and I'm not sure what else.

Things have been really hectic.. and tiring. I should have a few reviews up this week, so no worries. Make sure to fill out the Poll (which is the post below this one) which will help me figure out some good giveaways for next month. :)

And yes, I totally saw HP 7 this weekend and loved it. What did you guys think?
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Sunday, November 21, 2010

Giveaway Poll Time!

Alright, so those of you that haven't been around my blog for a year... wouldn't know that I usually celebrate December with awesome giveaways. Why is that? It's my birthday next month and Christmas! Two of my favorite days on earth. I need your help though, I have a few ideas of what I could do.. and it probably won't be crazy every day giveaways like last year... but I want to do at least a weekly giveaway or two.. so, fill out the form below to help me figure out what type of giveaways you guys want! Thanks :)




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In My Mailbox - November 21st

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

For Review:



Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese
Dark Moon: A Wereling Novel by Steve Feasey
Between a Roc and a Hard Place by Danny Birt




Firespell by Chloe Neill
Hexbound by Chloe Neill


Bought:



Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (saw her and got it signed! :) )


For Free!

Okay, here's the story behind these lovely free books. Kimberly Pauley lives in the town my parents do, she's the author of Sucks to Be Me and Still Sucks to Be Me. She also runs the website YA Books Central. Well, sadly... she is moving.. to London. So she had an estate sale last weekend, and then this weekend everything was free! So I raided her books that she was giving away and I got some great ones. I'm going to miss her though!

Here's what I grabbed:



Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (ARC)
Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter (ARC)
Bait by Alex Sanchez (ARC)



The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (HC)
The Cassini Code by Dom Testa (ARC)
Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman (HC)



Infinite Days
by Rebecca Maizel (ARC)
Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson (ARC)
Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft (ARC)



Nevermore by Kelly Creagh (HC)
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (HC)
Beastly by Alex Flinn (HC)



Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman (HC)
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (HC)
Crazy by Han Nolan (HC)


Awesome, isn't it? What did you guys get?
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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Link a Contest Thursday



Yeah... um it's almost Friday.. but here it is! (I really must've lost my mind somewhere, has anyone found it?)

Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.



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Monday, November 15, 2010

It's Monday, What are you reading?


This fantastic meme is now hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.


Read this past week:
Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner

Currently Reading:
Reckless by Cornelia Funke (Audiobook - completely fantastic...)

Upcoming:
The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green
and I'm not sure what else.

Reviews/Giveaways Posted:

It was kind of a busy.. or maybe not so busy week. I don't know.. I just didn't read a crazy amount - just 30 minutes before bed and most of my audiobook while driving around. What are you guys reading?


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Sunday, November 14, 2010

In My Mailbox - November 14th

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

For Review:



Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring by Stefan Petrucha and Rick Parker



The Healing Spell
by Kimberly Griffiths Little
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Won:



Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie (Won from Just Your Typical Book Blog)
Vampire Boy's Good Night Prize Pack
The Search for Wondla by Tony Diterlizzi (Won from YA Bliss)


I had a great week of books. I got some Christmas gifts in from CSN Stores as well, I love doing my shopping online.

Also, the hubby got his first paycheck so I bought some cute shoes and some clothes for once. :) I love being not-so-broke.

What did you guys get?
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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Link a Contest Thursday (on Friday)



Yeah... um it's almost Friday.. but here it is! (I really must've lost my mind somewhere, has anyone found it?)

Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.


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Christmas-time is coming!



So, it's November! Can you believe it? I can't. I've been hoping around different stores, buying off my lists for the year. I picked up a cute suitcase for my little sister who will soon be traveling more and more now that she is almost 16!

What do you guys think? (Don't worry, my lil sis doesn't read my blog...)


Are you guys shopping already? Do you hit the Black Friday sales? I may actual venture out just because my favorite used bookstore is giving out $5 gift cards to the first 100 customers. I will be camping out that store. They're also doing a random giveaway of a $100 gift card. If you have a Half Priced Bookstore near you, you should definitely see if they're doing the same promo as mine.

I'm a big online shopper, so even if I don't get all of it done right away, I will definitely be doing it lazily from my home computer.
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Interview with Brian Yansky + Giveaway

Today I have the wonderful Brian Yansky, author of Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences answering a few of my questions. Check out my review of his wonderful book as well. Also, there will be a giveaway at the end of the post for Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences. So please read on! :)

How did the idea for Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences come to you?


I’m not really sure where any of my ideas come from. I just know that I have more of them than I’ll ever be able to write. I will say that when I started thinking about writing about aliens I knew I wanted to write about what happened after the invasion. So many stories about aliens have been about the invasion. I thought that writing about what happened after the invasion might be fertile ground. Also, I thought it might give me a chance to write about colonization, which is something that is historically both interesting and troubling to me.

Approximately how long did it take you to write Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences?

The first draft only took a month. It just came flowing out of me. It was a volcanic eruption. Unfortunately the revisions ended up taking about a year.

What’s the hardest part of writing? What’s the easiest?

Hardest part is first drafts, always first drafts. Easiest part? Writing the following words: THE END.

What are some of your favorite books?

There are too many to list. Some books that come to mind right now are Philip Pullman’s HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy, WONDER BOYS, HARRY POTTER for sheer fun, CATCH-22, SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, CATCHER IN THE RYE, MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD, and ELSEWHERE. But these are just a few of many that are like old friends.

What’s next for you?

More aliens. I can’t help myself. For some reason I’m going through an alien period now. I have a couple of ideas for alien novels. I like to claim that aliens are underrepresented in literature and I’m trying to make a place for them among the zombies and vampires and unicorns and wizards and dragons, but really I just find that aliens give me a great space to work in. It’s not that there isn’t plenty to write about here on Earth but why settle for one world when I can write about the whole universe?


I can't wait Brian! I think aliens may be the next big thing, don't you?

Now for the giveaway! As I am the last stop on The Teen Book Scene tour for Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences, I am lucky enough to be able to offer a copy for giveaway.

Rules:
1. Open to US residents only (no PO Boxes).
2. Please fill out the form below.
3. Contest ends Tuesday, November 23rd at 11:59 EST.



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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Alien Invasions and Other Inconveniences


Author: Brian Yansky
Publication Date: October 12, 2010
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Copy provided by: Publisher/Teen Book Scene
Summary (via Goodreads):

A polite race of telepathic killer aliens, a ten-second world conquest, and one teenage boy collide in this wry, gutsy adventure.

Jesse is in history class when a formidable, efficient race of aliens quietly takes over the earth in less time than it takes him to brush his teeth. Most humans simply fall asleep and never wake up. In moments, everyone Jesse knows and loves is gone, and he finds that he is now a slave to an inept alien leader. On the bright side, Jesse discovers he’s developing telepathic powers, and he’s not the only one. Soon he’s forging new friendships and feeling unexpectedly hopeful. When a mysterious girl appears in his dreams, talking about escaping, Jesse begins to think the aliens may not be invincible after all. But if Jesse and his friends succeed, is there anywhere left to go? Brian Yansky offers a funny, grim novel packed with everything boys and sci-fi fans love: aliens, humor, action, and a healthy dose of triumph.

Why I read this: When I first heard of the book, I laughed my butt off. I love the book description and was excited to do a tour with Teen Book Scene for this book.

Plot: I have to say, I didn't think this book would be as serious as it was. Yes, it had humorous moments, but definitely a serious plot line - so serious that lots of people and aliens did die. It was interesting seeing the progression of what happened after the quickest invasion of a world ever. You follow the character Jesse, who survives and ends up getting assigned work in the mansion of the alien in charge of the invasion. The aliens seem invisible, able to kill with what seems to be a look - but Jesse finds himself developing other skills that may save his planet and his new friends.

There was a great sense of danger, adventure and even blossoming romance in this book and I was taken in by the novel. I could barely put it down without wanting to know what would happen next.

Characters: Jesse is sort of your average teenage guy and I sort of cracked up at his reactions to the whole situation. He just takes it in and goes with it. Luckily, he's fairly smart and picks up on some strange things happening to him as he spends more and more time by these aliens.

The aliens themselves were quite interesting. I liked that they had not only military type aliens but others that were not for killing humans and ended up helping humans on and off in the book. I definitely want to find out more and hope that it will continue on into a series.

Relatability: Anyone who likes science fiction or just wants something a bit different will enjoy this book.

Cover Commentary: Simple and very enticing. Definitely something I'd pick up in the bookstore.

Rating: 5/5 Roses


Buy it on Amazon*
Find it on Goodreads



*If you buy this book on Amazon through the link above, I will receive a small portion of the sales.
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Monday, November 8, 2010

It's Monday, What are you Reading?


This fantastic meme is now hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.


Read this past week:
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (Absolutely fabulous and I want to know how that silver face-destroying stuff is made.. seriously!)
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell
Ottoline Goes to School by Chris Riddell

Currently Reading:
Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner

Upcoming:
The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green
and I'm not sure what else.

Okay, so I know that you've noticed a lack of reviews.. quite a bit. And so here's my big announcement, come January 1, 2011 - I am taking on a blog partner. April Nichole has offered to join up with my blog and we already have some great ideas and I'm really excited to have some help because I love this blog and the last thing I want to do is abandon it. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming year and having April to work with on this lovely blog. So, you have that to look forward.. and now I really need to go write at least one review. :)

What are you reading?
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Sunday, November 7, 2010

In My Mailbox - November 7th

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

For Review:



Blood Prophecy by Stefan Petrucha
Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey



The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green
Grounded by Kate Klise


What did you guys get?
Read more...

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Link a Contest Thursday




Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.


Read more...

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Middle Grade Must-Have


A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull

Jason Walker has often wished his life could be less predictable—until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank into a strange, imperiled world. Lyrian holds dangers and challenges unlike anyplace Jason has ever known. The people all live in fear of their malicious wizard emperor, Maldor. The brave resistors who once opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.


Oh. My. Goodness. I have to have this book! Alas, it comes out March 15, 2011!!

I absolutely LOVE Brandon's Fablehaven series and this new series looks just as good. I'm so excited, I may just have to request this arc from Simon & Schuster - I may even resort to begging.
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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

October in Review

Books Read and Reviewed (Click links):
1. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan
2. The Hole in the Wall by Lisa Rowe Fraustino


Read, but not reviewed:
3. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
4. Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows
5. The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick
6. Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli
7. Oggie Cooder by Sarah Weeks
8. Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building by Deborah Hopkinson
9. Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen
10. Dodger & Me by Jordan Sonnenblick
11. Being Teddy Roosevelt by Claudia Mills
12. Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman
13. Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
14. How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor
15. Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln by Judith St. George
16. The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin
17. Hachiko Waits by Leslea Newman
18. Frogs by Nic Bishop
19. The BFG by Roald Dahl
20. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell
21. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
22. The Nixie's Song by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
23. A Giant Problem by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
24. The Wyrm King by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
25. Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky
26. The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
27. Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink
28. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
29. Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney
30. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
31. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan


Number of pages read this month: 6,380


Books read so far this year: 254 See List Here
Pages read this year: 61,488

Some of my favorite reads this month were: Rampant, Guardian of the Gate, and The Lost Hero

Challenge updates:
Graphic Novels Challenge: Read 0 books (66 total)
CYBILS Award Challenge: Read 1 books (30 total for MG GNs, 9 total for YA GNs, and 30 total for YA Fantasy)
Debut Author Challenge: Read 3 books (60 total)
Reading From My Shelf Project: Read 2 books (42 total)
Books Won Reading Challenge: 1 books read (5 total)

Well.... 2 reviews out of 31 is pretty.... bad. Wow. I need to work on that! I'm so behind it's not funny, but real life has been pushing in the way here. Sorry!

How did you do this month?
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Monday, November 1, 2010

Interview with Lisa Rowe Fraustino

Today, I have the great pleasure to host a fantastic middle grade author who wrote a spectacular book called The Hole in the Wall. You can find my review of her book here.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I wrote my first story on the toilet seat lid in orange crayon when I was three years old. My mother was brushing her teeth at the time. I asked her what my scribbles said, and she told me, “Nothing, now clean that off.” Getting out the cleanser, I realized that writing was a secret code I’d have to learn if I wanted other people to read the words I spun from my imagination.

After I got to school and learned the code, I wrote, wrote, wrote—stories, poems, plays, comic strips, and letters to my faraway aunt. My first “publication” was a play produced in the fourth grade, in which I played the princess who saved the prince from the dragon. The next year’s class put on my play too, and that perhaps was the moment when I first considered myself a real writer, someone whose writing had a life beyond me.

What kind of research, if any, did you do for The Hole in the Wall?

Good question! I can’t even boil a potato without doing research at some level. Nowadays I’m addicted to Googling for information while I write, but before the Internet I used to make lists of things to look up in the library so I could get the details of my time, place, and people just right. What plants and animals live there? When does the grass start to green in the spring? How do the locals speak?

For The Hole in the Wall, I did a lot of research on rocks, from collecting them to building with them to grinding them into pigments for paints. I researched the habits of chickens. And I spent a lot of time studying something scientists call “chaos theory.”

You may have noticed that the book has a quote in the front by Edward Lorenz, “Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?” This is a famous idea in weather chaos theory, suggesting that a very small action in one place could cause a huge and unpredictable pattern in another place. Chaos theory also explains things like cuckoo clocks in the same area going off at the same time even if they were originally set for different times. I used lots of imagery from chaos theory in the book, but you don’t even have to know it exists to enjoy the adventure.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing The Hole in the Wall?

Oh, that would definitely be layering the science fantasy plot with the realistic family drama, especially making the outrageous fantastical happenings seem as real to the reader as they were to me and my characters Sebby and Barb. I worked hard at that.

What's the best thing about being an author?

It’s a heady moment to see your name on the cover of a published book, but the very best thing about being an author is getting absorbed in the imaginary world where your characters live and channeling their lives into words on a page. That feeling is better than double chocolate ice cream.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?

Yes! Definitely! That’s all I can say for now because I’ve learned it’s better to write now, talk later. But I’m excited to tell you about something new I’m doing at my web site during this blog tour. Each day at lisarowefraustino.com, I’ll be posting a new session of “Dr. Lisa’s Class” where visitors can drop in for lessons based on my years of teaching literature and creative writing for kids. Today’s class is a creativity workshop on finding ideas to write. Come on over!
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