Fall Into Books



Happy Fall Y'all! I'm participating in the Fall Into Books Blog Hop hosted Candlelight Reads. Enjoy hopping around to read about special books and enter to win super prizes. Let me tell you about my special book.....

My special place and time to read is at night in bed before I go to sleep. It's such habit that I can't sleep without reading first.  I get carried away into another world and my worries from the day evaporate.  It's hard to narrow my reading down to one special book, but I'll give it a go.

 I have to say the book I go back to reread most often is the Summer I Turned Pretty(series)by Jenny Han. I'm a sucker for YA fiction. Jenny Han writes so well that you're immediately drawn into the story. The description is so vivid that you feel like you're vacationing with Belly at the beach house in Cousins. The love Belly has for her real family and "summer " family is heartwarming. I feel connected with all of the characters in this story when I'm reading.  Yep, this is my special book. One I can read over and over, falling into it every time.

Before you go, enter to win a free signed copy of my e-book that was released in July. Also, check out all of the great books and prizes by clicking the link below to visit other awesome blogs.

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Life and Books-Questions to Ponder

 

 

 

Life Questions

 

 

What's the best way to handle making difficult decisions?  I'm talking about the decisions that can change another person's life.  I found myself facing this once again this week.  Like storm clouds that move in and swallow up the bright sky,  life snuck up on me without notice and forced me to make a painful decision.  One that left a person I love heartbroken.

 

 How do I know I'm making the right decisions?  I wish that I had the perfect solution or formula to follow with a one hundred percent guarantee. Maybe someone will design a decision making app to download, tap in the problem you are facing and out comes answer...clear as crystal.

 

Unfortunately, difficult decisions don't work that way. You have to pull deep inside your heart and search.  Pray for the right answer and make the decision.  Sometimes, you just have to decide and hope. Like the poem by Shel Silverstein says... the voice inside will guide you.









This poem comes from the book "Falling Up "by Shel Silverstein.

 

 

 



Three Questions for the Week

 

 I thought I'd try something different called Three Questions for the Week.  I often ask myself questions as I go through a week of interaction with others or simply observing as a bystander. I decided to give some of the questions a go with my blog post this week. Here it goes...



 

Why do people you know, act like they don't?

 



  Our eyes met, so I know he saw me. I continue to stroll toward him prepared to smile and say hi, after all we grew up in the same town. I've known him since we were kids. He brushes past without a word, nod of his head, roll of his eyes....nothing. Okaaay....Maybe he didn't recognize me. 

   I weave through bodies until I reach my destination, the concession stand. The hot pretzels with cheese call out to me. After claiming my prize, I hurry back to my seat. On the way back I pass a lady that goes to my church. My smile is not returned. I'm tempted to call back to her. "I'm fine. How are you?"

I don't know why people act the way they do, but I do know one thing.

• A person's  actions'  toward you says a lot more about them than it does you.

 

  

Why are we drawn to heartbreakers?

 

 

   Emotion bubbles in my throat. Tears threaten to form and spill down my face, but I can't stop reading.  I have to know....will Samantha live? Will she end up with Kent?

 

Why is that we love movies and books that break our hearts? Look at the popularity of  the movie "The Fault in Our Stars".  I don't claim to know the answer to this question, but I'll give it my best shot. 

 

   The answer is.......life. Life experiences are emotion filled. We can relate to these characters because we have an emotional connection to their circumstances. In one way or another, we've all experienced grief, heartbreak, hope, love.

 

Click here to vote on my YA Heartbreaker List on Goodreads.

 

 

 

Who have you encouraged?

 

 This is a question I ask myself frequently. I truly believe that God wants us to lift each other up. What a difference it makes when someone speaks words of praise to you in comparison to criticism.

So this is a question I will continue to ask myself and hope I make a difference to another.

I believe the power of praise.

 

 

I have many more questions, so I will see you next week with three more. Have a great weekend everybody!

 

 

 





YA Boyfriend List

  

  What makes the perfect boyfriend?  My teen girls often discuss this topic and end up referring to fictional characters from YA books they read.  With some input from my girls as well as my own additions, I've compiled a short list of YA  characters that may make the perfect boyfriend. I have to say,  this post was a lot of fun to write. Here it goes...

* Augustus Waters-The Fault in Our Stars character by John Green won the number one spot. His name has been mentioned as the perfect boyfriend a billion times in our house!

The rest are listed in no particular order....

Landon Carter-this character from A Walk to Remember  by Nicholas Sparks won our hearts over when he made the decision to marry Jamie in spite of her sickness.

Kent McFuller-from the story Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Kent is a good guy who stays faithful to his friend and first kiss, Sam.  He believes her to be a good person even when she doesn't believe it herself.

Tim Dorscher-Tim is a super nice guy from the story Will the Real Prince Charming Please Stand Up by Ella Martin.   He always has Bianca's back.

Dean Holder - the misunderstood bad boy from Collen Hoover's Hopeless is not only a hottie, he loves Sky with all of his heart.

Brody Patterson-I have to put in a plug for Brody. I know he is perfect boyfriend material because I created him. From my story Beyond Vica, Brody is Gabby's center during a time that threatens to break her and her first real kiss.

That's all for now. There are many more that I could add to the list and will again in the future. What are your perfect YA fiction boyfriends?

Voice of the Young

  

We are two weeks into the new school year and my students already love "read aloud" time. They are engrossed with the story "Ramona Quimby, Age 8" by Beverly Clearly. They hang on each word I read and let out a collective groan when it's time to stop for the day. 

  Beverly Cleary is a master at writing in the voice of an eight year old girl. One of my students even asked me if a child wrote the story. She captures the thoughts of a child so well, the students believe an eight year old is telling the story.

   I'm currently working on writing my first draft of a new young adult story. Although, this is my favorite genre to write in, I often catch myself writing in my grown up voice.  I'm fortunate that I live with three teenagers to fall back on for input. 

   The conversations between my teens and their friends are intriguing to me. There's little that I enjoy more than having a house full of young people in genuine conversation.  Of course there's much texting along with it and scrolling through social media on their phones. The social media aspect is still a little shaky for me.( I'm learning though.) It's their world and they celebrate it fully. I love it!

 So as I finish up my first draft, I will strive to write in my young voice with first hand knowledge from the experts.

Daily Writing Tips is a website loading with information for writers. Click here for a tip on writing in a unique voice.

World Wide Blog Hop

Hello writers! This week I'm joining  "The Writing Process World Blog Tour". I was invited by Katy Newton Naas.
She wears many hats: Christian; wife; mother to her young son, Aven, and her four-legged sons, Shakespeare and Poe; teacher of middle school reading and high school English; and now – her lifelong dream realized – author. Her debut novel, THE VISITORS, will be released September 16. She resides and teaches in a small town in southern Illinois. You can find her at katynewtonnaas.wordpress.com or http://www.facebook.com/katynewtonnaasauthor .

I'm happy to be included in this blog tour. Here is some information about me:

I live and teach in the small town in which I grew up. I'm married with four children. Three girls and one boy. Their ages range from 12-22.  Nothing makes me happier than my time spent with them. I treasure every minute of it. Besides teaching third grade, I LOVE to write! I'm an avid reader of  young adult books. Contemporary is my favorite. I enjoy writing in this genre as well.  My young adult novella, Beyond Vica, was released by Astraea Press on July 8. You can find me on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tcbooth1 and  Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoothTammi.


All authors are answering the same four questions for this blog tour. Here are my answers:

1) What are you working on?
     I'm working on a full length YA novel. It's a contemporary novel about a teenage girl who learns to cope with an alcoholic parent by withdrawing into her artwork. She' revisited by a young boy from her childhood that draws her out of hiding and into world of hope. She revels in the new light that shines on her life.  She finds out a family secret that's been kept from her until she turned eighteen, causing her light to dim once again.

2) How does your work differ from others in your genre?

  My just released novella, Beyond Vica, deals with teenage friendships, first love, grief, and acceptance of others.
   The story has a unique element with the made up constellation Vica. The tales of this constellation connects the three main characters, Gabby, Sam, and Brody, from childhood into teen years. The constellation is a source of imaginative play for the trio as children, then serves a deeper meaning as they learn of Sam's cancer. Sam uses the constellation to make up a new tale that reflects the close knit friendship of the three. Gabby uses the constellation as the theme of her writing to express how she feels about losing Sam.
Gabby took over the story as I wrote. I hope you enjoy her story as much as I did writing it for her.

3) Why do you write what you write?

  I love to write, so I use it to express things that are close to my heart. Living in a world of children and teens gives me a perspective into the struggles of growing up. It also allows me to celebrate the uniqueness of each one. 
 To be able to tell a story that young people can relate to and enjoy is what drives me.

4) How does your writing process work?

    I don't have an exact formula for writing. I usually decide the life struggle that my main character will deal with first. Then decide on the character, personality , unique characteristics, etc. I branch out from there to family and friends. After that, I sketch out a very rough outline of the plot. I find that once I'm started on the story, the heroine takes over and I allow her to drive the story.

Young Writers

 

 I received a message via Facebook this week from a seventeen year old girl asking me about how to get stories published. She loves to write and is considering her major in college based on that. Her message was music to my ears. I can't help it. It's the teacher/mom/ writer in me!

My heart leaps when young people are excited about reading and writing. My experience has allowed me to read the creative works of children. Their imaginations leave me in awe at times. Imagination is the building block needed to develop their writing. Nothing motivates my kids to write more than when I tell them their stories don't have to be real. Their little wheels turn. I like to eavesdrop on their conversations as they bounce ideas off one another.

My FB message this week gave me an idea for this blog. I'd like to post advice and information for young writers beginning today.  I think a good place to start for writers 13 and over is the Young Writers Society. It's an online community for young writers to interact and showcase their writing.

For children under 13, with parental permission, I like Poetry 4 Kids. Kenn Nesbitt is the author of many funny poems that kids love. He has a poetry contest for kids once a month. The winner's work is published on the website.

My advice for writers of all ages is to read and write as much as you can!