Birthday: Hardie Gramatky (1907), Beverly Cleary (1916), Carol Emshwiller (1921), Alan Ayckbourn (1939), Tom Clancy (1947), Scott Turow (1949), Gary Soto (1952), Jon Krakauer (1954), Elliot Ackerman (1980)

Quote: “The truth of the matter is that the people who succeed in the arts most often are the people who get up again after getting knocked down. Persistence is critical.” – Scott Turow

Tip: Like redundancies, may writers pad their work with wordiness. Check out wordy phrases you tend to overuse. Some to look for: for the reason that (because); both of them are (both are); until such time as (until); the true fact is (the fact is)

Jumpstart: Go to the engagement/wedding section of your newspaper and pick out several couples. Write brief character sketches for the people. What are they really like? Why are they together? Mix and match couples and give them different mates. Why those?

REKINDLING HER HEART by Virginia Marlow

Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Novella

5*****

Blurb: Single mother, Mara Miller works two jobs to provide for her teenage daughter, Angelica Disillusioned and abandoned at eighteen, Mara’s given up on finding a man interested in more than a one-night stand. Until firefighter Bruce Moretti moves in down the hall. When Mara’s very ex-boyfriend appears demanding custody, she discovers Angie has been left a fortune. Money her ex plans to take any way he can. Bruce Moretti has his own demons to chase, and getting romantically involved with Mara isn’t on the agenda. But when Angie is in danger, he rushes in and finds his feelings for Mara are an inferno he never wants to end.

THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this story, especially Bruce. Not only is he the stereotypical hero (fire/rescue man, tall, handsome, etc.), but he takes rebellious teen Angelica under his wing an helps her without being awful about it. Mara is just trying to do what she needs to do to keep her and her daughter safe from her ex. My favorite part, I think, was when Mara shows up at the school dressed like Angie, proving her point that not everyone dresses like that. There’s some heat with this book, but it works with the story.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

ASCENDANT: SONGS OF CHAOS by Michael R. Miller

Fiction, Fantasy

5*****

Blurb: Holt Cook was never meant to be a dragon rider. He has always served the Order Hall of the Crag dutifully, keeping their kitchen pots clean. Until he discovers a dark secret: dragons do not tolerate weakness among their kin, killing the young they deem flawed. Moved by pity, Holt defies the Order, rescues a doomed egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within. But the Scourge is rising. Undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake. The dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows. Holt has one chance to survive. He must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon’s magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come, and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.

THOUGHTS: This was an amazing story and, obviously, the beginning of a series. I loved Holt and Ash and their bond of love and acceptance. They definitely have challenges to face because of who and what they are. Holt should not have become a dragon rider and Ash should never have been born, but it’s a good thing they both did what they weren’t supposed to. I definitely look forward to the other books in this series.

Highly recommended for those looking for a good fantasy.

Birthdays: Charles Baudelaire (1821), Jacques Futrelle (1875), Joseph Krumgold (1908), Lev Kopelev (1912), Leonard Levy (1923), Paule Marshall (1929), Fern Michaels (1933), Robert Clark (1952), Ken Kalfus (1954), Kate Heyhoe (1955), Margaret Peterson Haddix (1964), Sam Harris (1967)

Jacques Futrelle was an American journalist and Titanic victim.

Joseph Krumgold was the first person to win two Newbery Medals.

Leonard Levy won the 1969 Pulitzer in History for “Origins of the Fifth Amendment”

Robert Clark won the Edgar Award for his 1999 novel “Mr. White’s Confession”

Quote: “Inspiration comes of working every day.” – Charles Baudelaire

Tip: Tell your reader how a character feels, and you’ve given your readers a fact. Show how s/he feels and you’ve given them an emotion. Of the two, emotions are much better than fact. Go through your story and find where you’ve given facts vs. shown us their emotions.

Jumpstart: Your heroine is sitting in a park and a woman in a dark coat dashes by and drops a note in her lap. It says, “meet me here at midnight or he dies.” What does your heroine do? Does she get help? Who will die? Why? Will she show up?

Birthdays: Harvey Cushing (1869), Margaret Ayer Barnes (1886), John Fante (1909), Glendon Swarthout (1918), Seymour Hersh (1937), Trina Schart Hyman (1939), James Herbert (1943), Robert Kiyosaki (1947), Barbara Kingsolver (1955), Nnedi Okorafor (1974), Sara Shepard (1977)

Harvey Cushing won a Pulizer for his biography of Sir William Osler.

Margaret Barnes won the 1931 Pulitzer for her first novel “Years of Grace”

Tina Hyman won the 1985 Caldecott for her work on “Saint George and the Dragon”

“In a world as wrong as this one, all we can do is make things as right as we can.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees

Quote: “The only way to become a writer is to sit still and write. Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.” – Barbara Kingsolver

Tip: All writing counts. If you can’t come up with a story to write, write a grocery list, a letter to your best friend or a relative, a to-do list – anything. Just let the words come. They may lead to something better.

Jumpstart: Pick two characters from a favorite book and describe their courtship but put a twist on it. For instance, make Rhett and Scarlett Yankees. How would their lives be different?

Birthdays: William Wordsworth (1770), Gabriela Mistral (1889), Gerald Brenan (1894), James White (1928), Donald Barthelme (1931), Iris Johansen (1938)

Gabriela Mistral won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Latin American to do so.

Quote: “The thing about books is, there are quite a number you don’t have to read.”
― Donald Barthelme, “The King”

Agents and editors do not like “wimpy housewives” or “Mary Jane” (also called Mary Sue) -a character who is too perfect with no flaws. Unrealistic characters—stereotypes with no thoughts other than what the main character in the story puts into their heads and no backbone until the last chapter. Make sure yours aren’t like this. Give them flaws and a backbone (when needed).

Jumpstart: You’ve been given a key that opens one of three chests. Inside one chest is a million dollars, tax free. A second one holds a powerful poison that will kill you instantly. The third is empty. How do you choose which one to open? What happens?

Birthdays: Nicholas Chamfort (1741), Lowell Thomas (1892), Charles Jackson (1903), Leonora Carrington (1917), Graeme Base (1958), Vince Flynn (1966), Darrel Bristow-Bovey (1971)

Quote: “[The writer] must essentially draw from life as he sees it, lives it, overhears it or steals it, and the truer the writer, perhaps the bigger the blackguard. He lives by biting the hand that feeds him.” – Charles Jackson

Tip: Waiting in line or at the doctor’s office is never a waste of time. Observe features, dress, grooming, stance, mannerisms, speech of others—use these for characters.

Jumpstart: You’ve been given the ability to go back in time and change one thing in history. Would you? If so, what? Why or why not?

Birthdays: Thomas Hobbes (1588), Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837), Booker T. Washington (1856), Richard Eberhart (1904), Robert Bloch (1917), Arthur Hailey (1920), Richard Peck (1934), Joseph Lelyveld (1937), Anthony Horowitz (1955), Anu Garg (1957), Deborah Harkness (1965)

Richard Eberhart was a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner.

Robert Bloch wrote horror and science fiction and was most famous for his book “Psycho” – adapted in the Hitchcock film.

Arthur Hailey wrote the books on which the movie “Airport” was based.

Joseph Lelyveld won the Pulitzer Prize. Most of his work centered on South Africa.

Quote: “If you are going to be a writer, you have to have self-belief. Every writer gets rejections. They say the difference between a successful and unsuccessful writer is an unsuccessful writer gives up.” – Anthony Horowitz

Tip: Do you have a website? You should. They are useful for promotions, fan contacts, and other information. If you don’t feel comfortable doing one yourself, hire someone to do it for you.

Jumpstart: You’ve just won the lottery. What will you do? How much did you get? What will change in your life?

Basket Case: A Gray Whale Inn Mystery by Karen MacInerney

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Novella

4****

Blurb: Innkeeper Natalie Barnes is hosting a Lithuanian egg-decorating workshop on quaint Cranberry Island when a killer decides to add a deadly twist to the festivities. With a peanut-laced drink claiming the life of unlikeable Justine Simonds, Natalie soon discovers that the workshop participants are cracking with motive. Was Justine’s daughter-in-law anxious to speed up her husband’s inheritance? Did the grudge of an egg-decorating neighbor turn deadly? Or is there another, deeper secret somebody was desperate to keep hidden? It’s up to Natalie to crack the case… before the Easter killer strikes again. This egg-citing cozy mystery is sure to leave readers hungry for more!

I liked this addition to the Gray Whale Inn series. The characters are great – especially Grandma! There were plenty of suspects even for a short novella and plenty of clues that kept me guessing. In this one, the characters are gathering at the inn for a workshop on Lithuanian egg decorating, so we have everyone in one place. And the challenges of living on a remote island where emergency people can’t get to you fast is shown nicely.

Oh, and at the end, after everything is tied up in a neat bow, we are treated to two delicious recipes and directions on how to do the egg decorating! I loved that!

Recommended. Note: Check out the first book in the series for insights into all the main characters and the setting.

Birthdays: George Herbert (1593), Washington Irving (1783), Jennifer Paterson (1928), Jane Goodall (1934), Harold Kushner (1935), Reginald Hill (1936), Vanna Bonda (1958)

Quote: “Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” – George Herbert

Tip: Show your characters no mercy. If your story has stalled, ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen to your character? Make it happen.

Jumpstart: You’ve gone to see a psychic who will answer your deepest question. What do you ask? Why? What will the psychic say?