Tyger Tyger

by Kersten Hamilton

YA Fantasy

Release Date: October 2010

Synopsis (from Amazon.ca):

Teagan Wylltson’s best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures–goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty–are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn’t worried. Her life isn’t in danger. In fact, it’s perfect. She’s on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She’s focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn’s a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he’s crazy or he’s been haunting Abby’s dreams, because he’s talking about goblins, too…and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby’s right. The goblins are coming.

My Thoughts:

I wanted to love this book… I mean really love it. I thought a book about goblins sounded unique, and might present a fascinating, new spin on things…

Turns out that goblins are just fey by a different name. Turns out the author relies very heavily on exposition (let’s call it what it is: infodump) in the first section of the novel, which nearly caused me to walk away from it.

Now, it’s not all bad. In fact, once the second half of the book begins — three months after the first half — the action and characterization pick up in a significant way, and the story pulls you in because Things Are Happening. But by this point, we’ve lost the ability to make a meaningful connection to the main character. It doesn’t help that the tragedy at the end of part one is glossed over, with part two picking up months afterward, because that means we lose that connection with character and story that comes through a tragic event.

There are also little things that bothered me about the story: Why do we spend so much time with Teagan at the chimp enclosure where she works? She’s going to need sign language later, yes, so it’s important that we know that, but the time spent here is disproportionate to the information’s role in the rest of the book. I also wasn’t overly fond of Teagan’s best friend Abby, who seemed to be nothing more than a character of convenience. She’s never in any real danger, and all her scenes could have been filled with walk-on characters instead. Also, she spends far too much time in ‘disbelief’ of what’s happening, considering she was the one who had the prophetic dreams about Teagan being in danger in the first place!

The dialogue also becomes awkward at times, and the author seemed to overuse dialogue rather than allow much real characterization (or, as I’ve said, emotional connection to the story) to develop. Teagan, unfortunately, was the blandest of all, and she seems overshadowed by the other characters in the second half of the book — she’s just along for the ride, while everyone else has cool powers or abilities that actually solve their problems. Remind me why she’s the main character again?

All told, the story itself is decent, and the continuing action in the second half of the novel was what kept me reading. I liked Hamilton’s dedication to Irish mythology and, for the most part, her use of the correct types of Irish fey (uh, I mean goblins) since there are notable differences between the fey of England, Ireland, Scotland, and so on. For that reason, I’d recommend the book if you like books about fey or Irish mythology, but it’s not going to be a great read for someone who needs solid characterization to get into the story. That said, I did read it in one sitting (after getting through the first section), so it was entertaining enough to hold my interest all the way through!

I also really liked that the romance didn’t dominate the story, and — believe it or not — seemed more realistic than a lot of romance in YA. In this case, it started with a significant attraction and then cooled off a bit as they got to know each other… rather well done, I thought.

On the whole, I’d say I liked it. Not loved, as I’d hoped, but liked enough to read the next one if it happened to wander across my path someday.

Final Note: This review may come off as negative, but I hope it doesn’t discourage you from reading the book if you’re interested in it! I did enjoy it… it just had a few bumps and flaws along the way.

About the Author

Kersten Hamilton is the author of several picture books and many middle grade novels. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and this is her first novel for young adults. Visit her website at www.kerstenhamilton.com. <—Visit her website! She has a really cute bio.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley and Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ever been writing something and discovered that… well… your characters aren’t exactly doing what you want them to? In fact, they’ve stopped running around and solving their conflicts and falling in love and saving the world and are instead, perhaps, standing around discussing the weather, or the irrefutable health benefits of cinnamon, or even—perish the thought—are simply enjoying a bowl of their favorite sugary breakfast cereal?

You’re not the only one. (And not that there’s anything wrong with sugary breakfast cereal.)

In the WIP I worked on during November, I realized about halfway through that my characters were standing around in front of lockers, talking about homework. It occurred to me that this was incredibly boring—if I’m bored writing it, you’re definitely going to be bored reading it—so I had one character punch another character in the face for no particular reason (though I sorted that out later).

Voila, action! Problem solved, and the story got moving again! (Albeit illogically at first, but it all came together in the end.)

And isn’t it wonderful to know that this phenomenon isn’t limited to those of us without agents / book contracts / novels on the NY Times Bestseller list?

A quotation from ridiculously amazing author Neil Gaiman’s blog post on December 31st, 2010:

“And also, please wish me luck with this short story I’m writing. I’m up to page 19 and nothing’s happened yet. Right now, they’re eating porridge. In my head, by this point in the story everyone was going to be terrified, and strange oogly things would be happening to all the villagers. Porridge!”

Ahh… doesn’t that just make you feel so much better about getting stuck? You have years and years of plot holes, sluggish characters, and seemingly insurmountable writing blocks to look forward through, regardless of your publication status!

Seriously, though… it just goes to show that writers, at no matter what point of the journey they may be on, can commiserate together over things that those who don’t write would just shake their heads at and say “so make them do something, already!”

How little they know… (also, I now want a bowl of oatmeal/porridge. With honey. And almonds. And those oddly delicious golden raisins…).

When was the last time your characters participated in an equivalent activity to eating porridge? Or talking about homework? And how FRELLING EXCITED are you that you share writing woes with Neil Gaiman?!

(Kinda makes you want to force your characters to eat porridge. Just a little.)

(Or maybe Fruity Pebbles instead, just to change it up a bit.)

I think you’ve waited long enough for this, so without further ado, here are the WINNERS from the Christmas Giveaway/100 Followers contests!

First, the winner of a copy of Rosy Thornton’s Tapestry of Love is…

*drum roll*

Su

Congratulations, Su!

And second, the winner of the Writing Prize Pack is…

*second drum roll*

Jessica

Congratulations, Jessica!

For the curious, I gave each entry a number, and then used random.org to generate the winning numbers. Yay! Winners! Happy times!

I will send each of the winners an email to them know (in case they don’t see it here), and you’ll have 72 hours to reply… or else I’ll draw another name! *dun dun duuuuuun*

Congratulations again to the winners, and thank you all for entering!!! There will be more contests in the upcoming months (w00t) so stay tuned for those.

Also, I’m going to do my best to get back to posting regularly, starting this week. My goodness it’s hard to get going again after the holidays! For me, the hardest part has been finding the motivation to write, post, or research… I just want to sit on the couch and read! And I’m pretty sure I’ve gained the ability to completely tune out my alarm clock in the mornings.

What has been your biggest challenge in getting back to work? Or were you able to jump back in at full swing? (In which case, what are your secrets?!?)

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

by Linda Urban

Middle Grade Contemporary

Release Date: September 2007

Synopsis (from the Book Depository):

Ten-year-old Zoe Elias dreams of playing a baby grand piano at Carnegie Hall. But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe’s dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn’t the same as mastering Beethoven on the piano.

And the organ isn’t the only part of Zoe’s life that’s off-kilter, what with Mum constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day. Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises – and that perfection may be even better when it’s just a little off centre.

My Thoughts:

Zoe is a 10-year-old girl who dreams of one day playing the piano at Carnegie Hall… but when her father comes home with a strange organ instead of a baby grand, Zoe’s dreams fall flat.
But rather than indulge their daughter and take it back, they make a deal with her to pay for lessons. She may be learning organ versions of old TV hits, but it’s still something! Meanwhile, her mother is a workaholic and never at home, and her father has severe agoraphobia and is terrified to leave the house (and spends his time at home getting diplomas from all those strange study-at-home courses you see advertised in magazines and on TV).

So, things are far from perfect. But what I love, love, love about this novel is — even as strange as the characters seem — the parents are real, make logical choices, and their daughter is a good kid who has clearly been raised right. Instead of taking the organ back, or Zoe raising a tantrum about it, they find a solution as a family. Zoe’s parents also remind her that she wanted lessons and needs to practice because of it, and Zoe recognizes her parents’ authority, even when she doesn’t want to do what they say.

In other words, we have a real family here that clearly loves each other. The parents aren’t perfect, but they’re trying, and how often do we see that in children’s books these days? I also thought the idea of an agoraphobic parent was highly unique, as I’ve never seen that concept brought into a novel before. In fact, Zoe’s father was one of the best (ie. unique, funny, and real) characters I’ve ever met in a novel… he’s one of those characters that will pop into your head and make you smile long after you’ve finished the book.

And even better? The voice is perfect. I felt like I was reading something in a 10-year-old’s voice, and not once did it seem to venture into ‘older’ territory. Very well done.

I picked this book up on a whim at a Scholastic warehouse sale (I think it was $3), and didn’t know what to expect. After reading it, I think this may be one of my favorite children’s books, not just of 2010, but ever. I wrote an email to the author to thank her for such a unique and wonderful story, and I hope to buy more copies to give away to my friends’ children once they’re a bit older. I hope to see more from this author in the future!

 About the Author

Linda Urban has a lovely (& lengthy!) bio on her website, which I encourage you to head over and read! The gist of it is: Linda wrote a lot, then kept writing, and wrote some more. Despite many rejections, eventually someone thought they’d like to publish one of her books. She said “yes, please do”, so they did!

Happy New Year, friends!

Ah, yes… the inaugural post of 2011… I feel I should provide you with some words of wisdom, or some deep insight gained from moments of reflection upon the past year, or perhaps some resolution drawn from a yearning for–

Aww, forget it. Technically, I’m still on vacation for one more day.

I hope you all had wonderful Christmases / holidays / New Year celebrations, full of food, friends, and great books (and maybe some relaxation? maybe?).

I’ll also admit that I didn’t get around to posting my final Christmas Giveaway, which I’d planned for December 24th (genius, I know). I neglected to consider that the majority of people in the writing & book blog circle don’t post for the two final weeks of the year… so I’m going to save that one for later this month.

That said, because I didn’t put the final contest up, I’m going to keep entries open for the other two until Jan. 5th, so head over and enter if you haven’t had a chance to yet!

Giveaway #1: Rosy Thornton’s ‘Tapestry of Love’

Giveaway #2: Writing Prize Pack

So… enjoy the first weekend of 2011.

Here’s to a great new year of writing & reading!

Joy to the wooooorld!!!!

The prizes are heeeere!!!!

…and despite the fact that I am achy, my throat is on fire, and I can’t talk (some people may find this an improvement), I’m not letting a little Cold from H-E-double hockey sticks keep away my Christmas Spirit!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Day 1 giveaway with Rosy Thornton! If you haven’t had a chance to enter yet, never fear! I’m keeping entries open until Dec.24th.

Today, I want to ask you something reflective: How did your writing year go? Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Did you make it through the first two weeks of January and then discover that staying on task was a little more difficult than you’d planned?

Well, my friends, I want to help one of you out in some small way. I want to help you stay organized in the writing year ahead, so that one of these days, I’ll click open your blog and go “Omigosh! Lookit that!” because of all the wonderful things you accomplished.

So today, I have a little prize pack for you! It’s made up of a few cute little things that I’ve collected over the past few months here and there, all Very Important Things for keeping a writer organized:

Botanica Sticky Notes

Click here for an inside view!

There are 3 normal-sized sticky note pads inside, one large-sized with lines to write on (perfect for jotting down ideas or quotations), and four lovely tab-sized sticky pads.

I don’t know about you, but I keep stickies with me at all times in my purse! You never know when you’ll get a moment of inspiration or need to write an important reminder to yourself.

Chocolate-Scented Calculator!

(Just one… I’d love to give you a whole box, but alas, that would be one hefty shipping fee!)

Ever need to calculate the amount of words you have to write per day to finish that novel by the end of the month? Or how about when you’re in the bookstore with a coupon and want to know what the price will be with discount? Or how about when you’re craving chocolate like a madwoman/man and there’s none to be found?

Ah-HAH! You’ll have a chocolate-scented calculator to help you out. Isn’t it just what you always wanted?

Two Helpful Notebooks for Different Moods!

Ah, yes… these poorly lit pocket notebooks say “Really Good Ideas” and “Ramblings”… so no matter what comes to mind, you’ll have a place to scribble it down!

I don’t know about you, but I always have a notebook in my purse, just in case. You never know when inspiration is going to strike!

And with that… who wants to win?! You’ll get the fancy stickies, the calculator, and two little notebooks. Admittedly I’d meant to break this up into two giveaways, but the sickness has dictated that one post is better than two, so one of you will get it all!

How to Enter:

• Leave a comment telling me how your writing year went, or how you plan to stay organized in the New Year
• Your Name
• Email address (don’t worry, it’s just for contacting the winner)
• If you feel like sharing the contest somewhere, mention it in your comment! I’m not giving extra entries for Twitter/Facebook/etc. this time, but if someone wins who shared the contest, well… I just might throw in some extra stickers or something

Contest is International and Entries are open until Dec. 27th.

Thanks for entering, and happy writing!

Whoo-hoo, it’s the Weekend Before Christmas IMM… what does that mean? That means I expect there will be LOTS of exciting new books on everyone’s posts next week!!! Or maybe you’ll all still be celebrating and the books won’t go up until the week following (which may be the case for me), but still… exciting!

And while you’re here, why don’t you pop down to the post below and enter to win another book for your shelves? I have a great interview with author Rosy Thornton and a giveaway that’s open internationally (until Dec.24th) along with plenty of other giveaways coming up in the week ahead… so stick around!!!

But, on to the books for this week (er, and last week…)!

FYI: In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren to showcase books you’ve received for review, bought, borrowed, or swapped. Anyone can participate, and it’s a great way to showcase new books and encourage blogger/commenter interaction!

So many books to read… so little time!!!

…am I glad it’s the holidays tomorrow or what… how about you?

What came in your mailbox/shopping bag recently? Anything you’re particularly looking forward to reading this week? I think I might start with ‘Brand New Emily’, it looks absolutely adorable…

That’s right, lads and lassies… it’s one week until Christmas! And I have 100 followers! So that means:

Giveaway Tiiiiiiime!!!

I have a number of nifty little things lined up for you, so come back all week to see what’s up next on the List ‘o Goodies.

To start us off, I have an interview (and giveaway, yes) with UK author and law professor Rosy Thorton, who was kind enough to offer a copy of her latest book, The Tapestry of Love, for one of you, dear readers! Haven’t heard of Rosy’s work before? Well, never fear! Read on below…

My questions are in bold, and Rosy’s answers follow!

*

Hi, Rosy! Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions today, and allowing my readers to get to know a little bit more about you. I have a number of North American readers who, I suspect, may not be familiar with your work, so it’s wonderful to be able to learn a little more about an author ‘across the way’, if you will! Let’s start off with an easy one:

F: How long did it take you between realizing you wanted to write a novel, to actually sitting down and writing it?

R: No time at all. To quote Mr Darcy completely out of context, “I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun”. I started by writing fanfic, and I thought I’d just try a few experimental chapters, with no idea of carrying on further – and before I knew it I had written a complete novel.

F: So have you always wanted to be an author, or did the urge simply smack you upside the head one morning?

R: I never wanted to be a novelist, or to write fiction at all (although writing non-fiction is a large part of my day job as a legal academic). But then I watched the BBC’s adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic novel, ‘North and South’ on television at the end of 2004. I had loved the novel as a teenager, and now as a 40-something adult I fell head over heels in love with actor Richard Armitage who played the lead rôle of millowner John Thornton. I went online to chat about the series – and discovered the world of internet fanfiction.

Why not have a bash myself, I thought? And three months later I found I had completed a full-length pastiche sequel to Gaskell’s novel! It was utter tripe, of course – but by now I had caught the writing bug, and went straight on to write my own first independent novel, ‘More Than Love Letters’, which was published in 2006.

F: Speaking of previously published novels… the Tapestry of Love is your fourth published novel (congratulations on that, by the way), but where did your inspiration for this novel in particular come from?

R: The inspiration was a place I went on holiday – Mont Lozère in the Cévennes region of France. I only spent two weeks there, back in 1990, but the place was so beautiful that it somehow got under my skin, and twenty years later I found I had to write a book about it. Take a look for yourselves, and you’ll see why:

http://rosythornton.com/my/placeonearth.php

F: You’re not kidding about it being a beautiful place! It can’t be easy to draw on memory from so long ago – I’d be scouring travel books to try and remember what went where! But description has always been my weakness. What have you found to be the biggest challenge in writing?

R: Plotting. I find the process of writing comes easily and naturally, and characters seem to emerge and develop almost by themselves. But I am terrible at plots – simply terrible. That’s the part I really have to work at.

F: How about your greatest joy, or the thing that has made it all worthwhile?

R: The best thing is when people tell me that my books have given them pleasure. It can be friends and family, or complete strangers who get in touch via my website – but it is always a fillip. The urge to write, after all, is the urge to communicate – and it is wonderful when I can feel I’ve made a connection through my books.

A colleague of mine who has had a difficult time in her family life recently told me that reading ‘The Tapestry of Love’ had been an escape for her when things were tough. That was very special – feeling that my book had made a difference to her.

F: How wonderful! And do you have a writing schedule? Or a special location where you feel particularly inspired?

R: I have a full-time job and a family, so writing fiction has to be squeezed into borrowed time. My usual pattern is to work on my novels in the early mornings before I get the children up – say from 5.30 to 7am. When you’re trying to fit in so much, there’s no time for the luxury of waiting to feel ‘inspired’ – you have to seize the chance to write when you can!

F: 5:30am!!! Yikes! I know what I’d be drinking at that hour, but what is your writing food and/or beverage of choice?

R: Coffee – I invariably have a cup of coffee at my elbow. My brain wouldn’t function at 5.30am without a good dose of caffeine! Food, though, is generally a mistake – it usually ends in raspberry jam gumming up the keyboard.

F: Ahh… coffee… the writer’s lifeblood. What are you reading right now?

R: Lorrie Moore’s ‘A Gate at the Stairs’ – and I’m loving it. It’s the first one of hers I’ve read, and I’m entranced by the fresh, sharp, witty voice.

F: And finally, any advice for the writers reading this interview?

R: Keep writing. Write a little every day, and try not to listen to that voice in your head (which all writers have) telling you it’s self-indulgent rubbish. Write for yourself, for enjoyment – and meanwhile read and read and read a wide range of good quality fiction, because that’s the best way to learn how it’s done.

F: Great advice! Reading great fiction can make all the difference in a writer’s own work. What’s next for Rosy Thornton? Are you working on anything right now that you can give us a sneak hint about?

R: I have one more completed novel which is currently with my agent. I don’t want to say anything about it for fear of jinxing it! And I have some preliminary ideas for the one after… but I am not writing anything right now.

F: Fair enough! Thanks Rosy!

*

Isn’t she sweet? I’m so grateful that she contacted me, and I’m really happy to be able to share this interview and her work with you. I highly recommend that you check out her website and read her bio and take a look at the books she’s written. There are some excellent testimonials for each book if you’re interested, and links to places where you can purchase each book.

But, you might be able to receive a copy of her latest book right now! Okay, not this minute, exactly, but Rosy has offered a copy to one lucky reader of this interview… so what are you waiting for?

Leave a comment below with your thoughts or questions for Rosy (or let us know if you’ve read one of her books before!), and include your name and email address (use a format that spammers can’t grab!). Yes, I’m really making it that easy to enter!

Contest is open Internationally, and I’ll leave entries open until December 24th. Then I’ll draw a name and, once I have your address, Rosy will send you your book!

**Good luck, and Merry Christmas… and come back later this week for more

Christmas Week/100 Followers giveaways!**

So, I had a crazy thing happen this past week… it was rather unexpected, but at the same time, something I’d been hoping for…

This fall (and last winter), I’ve been TA-ing for two professors at the college where my father works (he’s the Dean of something-something, I honestly don’t know anymore because the title keeps changing as he makes administrative changes to the school). I do TA work because it’s a little extra cash on the side, and though it always takes longer than it should to do marking, I figure it’s good experience.

I’ve always harbored a secret hope that one day, possibly, doing a good job as a TA would turn into something else… I’ve taken classes at the college & seminary level there, so I know how things work, and I’m familiar with the faculty and staff because my father works there and I’ve been in and around the school for the past ten years for various reasons…

This week, I went in for a quick meeting with a prof that I’m doing TA work for next semester, and as I walked up to the school, I thought to myself: “Why am I doing this? It’s too much work, it takes too long… but maybe someday someone will let me teach something, so here I go again…”

Ahem. Well. Turns out that the woman who was supposed to teach the English Composition class next semester – who is very pregnant – will need to have a C-section, which is going to put her out of commission for the first six weeks of the winter semester (at minimum). And the first guy they asked to fill in for her wasn’t able to commit. And – here’s where it gets really weird – the class is to be held on Monday nights, the only night of my schedule I hadn’t filled up yet.

Soooo… as of yesterday, I’m officially an English Professor! For one semester, anyway. But whaddaya know, my random TA-ing has paid off!!!

Yes, it’s a mandatory class of first-year students who failed their English competency exam (there’s one for grammar and one for essay-writing, and they’re required to take it and pass in the first year) and who absolutely do not want to be there, let alone on a Monday night…

So, it’s going to be a tough class. And I don’t know yet if I’m teaching the full course or half, but either way, talk about an unexpected blessing and work paying off…!

And there’s a moral of the story here: Take the opportunities that come your way, and do your best… because you never know when that opportunity could turn into something else. I know, it seems like common sense, but that little critique you’re working on? Or that workshop piece you edited? Or that information you passed on to a journalist friend? That could be where an unexpected, great opportunity comes from in the future.

Treat every job, every task, no matter how big or small, with the attitude that doing your best is the only way to complete it. And as you do this, be willing to build relationships with the people around you, who will see that you’re working hard and that you care about what you’re doing, and then will be more likely to give you more responsibilities in the future.

As writers, we often think that it’s only what’s on the page in front of us that counts or makes the difference. In reality, it’s our work and our relationships with others that make the difference, and doing our best in both, even when the task seems tedious or difficult.

Now, share with me! I want to know: What wonderful and/or unexpected opportunities have come your way in the past, due to your good work or good relationships with others?