One of my favorite authors, the wonderful Meg Cabot, recently posted this on her twitter feed: twitter movie reviews. They were short and they were sweet and yes they did peak my interest. Some of them were pretty funny. This sparked an idea in my head.
Of course, that doesn't stop me from trying. Hence, my new idea: twitter book reviews. Twitter already limits the characters for each post you make. Add a hash tag and you are limited even more. This means you have to be creative.
So crack open those pages and get to reading. Let those twitter book reviews come flying in (yes, pun intended).
The only problem is what hashtag to use. Hmmmm.....
Every year I have the same goal, to finish my novel. But I let other things get in the way and I find excuses. I move on to other projects, leaving others behind. So to spark my creativity once again, I am posting the prologue to my work in progress The Moon at Dusk. I hope you enjoy it.
Prologue 1879 Hungary
"Jozsef, you need me in your life, but to be honest I don't need you," she had told him after one of his friends had made a remark about her unknown father.
His friends had chided him on marrying so far beneath him. He had tried to fight the attraction believing that they were right, that she was only interested in him for his money. But like a moth to the flame, he was drawn ever nearer.
The petite blond had proved to be anything but a fortune hunter. She was a child born out of wedlock, but was openly unashamed of it. She had told him that she would live in a hovel with dirty bare feet as long as she had music and laughter in her life.
Katrina had been the joy of his life. They had been married for ten years. It hadn't been easy, they learned who were true friends. The decision to retire to the country was only partly due to Katrina's pregnancy. It was her thirteenth. She had miscarried three times before this, the last being stillborn twins. None of the others had survived beyond mere days. Katrina had dreamed that this one was special; this one would be their little angel. Their miracle. She had been so excited. Her laughter even more musical. The dream had quickly turned into a nightmare.
"It was too soon, Jozsef. Katarina lost too much blood," his mother-in-law chided as she rocked the newborn baby girl in her arms. Ilka was wise in many things, but even she had been unable to save the life of her daughter. "You must choose a name. It is bad luck for the child to go too long without a name."
"I can not think." Jozsef cast an anguished look at his dead wife's body. He gently placed her hand on her chest and quickly stood up, knocking over the chair in which he had sat his vigil. The noise startled both he and Ilka. The child looked at him with her clear, ice blue eyes. Not crying, only staring.Not sure where he should go, Jozsef quickly left the room.
He ran past the servants who awaited news of their mistress. The maids held kerchiefs to their eyes.Katarina's maid, Lici, sat on the hall floor oblivious to all decorum as she muttered the Lord's Prayer under her breath.Straight out the door he ran, past the men who tended the stables. He could hear the uneasy knickers of the horses as the lads tried to calm the jittery beasts. They had been uneasy ever since the mistress had been found.
The coachmen shook their heads as they watched their young master go. One man looked toward the mistress's window and crossed himself.
Jozsef ran till he came to the main road that led away from his estate and toward town. He paused to catch his breath. He looked around and realized he had come to a fork. One road would take him into town and the other would take him deep into the woods. Turning around he glanced back the way he had come.
How could he go home? She would be waiting for him. The little nameless one that had taken the life of his beloved wife. At that moment he wished Death to come for him. To end the pain and let him rest with his beloved.
He fell to his knees in anguish and cursed the God who would give one life at the cost of another. He raged and he ranted as he sat in the middle of the road. The skies, as if in answer to his pain, were rent apart as a bolt of lighting struck a withered tree just a few feet from where Jozsef grieved.
Soon the rain came down in torrents of cold wetness that seeped through his jacket, yet still he did not move. Muddy water began to pool around his knees and into his boots.
Dimly he heard a coachman try to avoid the crazed man kneeling in the road. He vaguely heard the cursing and the horses as they came to a stop. Too absorbed in his grief, he allowed himself to be lead into the carriage that would have surely tilted if the ground had been just slightly more muddied.
"Now is not your time," said a cultured voice from the confines of the carriage.
Jozsef looked in the direction of the voice. Across from him sat a man of about thirty. He had long, glossy black hair. Though his dress would have been appropriate during another time, it seemed appropriate for him. That too was black. He was clearly a gentleman. His lashes looked to be rimmed in soot. The eyes were completely dark. Jozsef found himself becoming lost in the inky depths. He came to himself with a jar as he was handed a flask that revealed a very fine brandy.
"My time for what?" Jozsef asked as he took a swig from the flask. It burned as it hit the back of his throat. He took another and another as he waited for the man to answer.
"You said you wished to die," answered a calm knowing voice. The flask halted midair. The hair on the back of Jozsef's neck stood up on end. He rubbed his arms to work off the sudden chill that had nothing to do with the rain. "Who are you?"
“I don't think I need to tell you," a flash of lighting illuminated the interior once again, throwing ghoulish shadows across the chiseled features,"You already know."
Jozsef tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat, "If I'm not going to die, then what do you want with me?"
"Your wife was found collapsed in her garden, am I correct?"
"Yes, she said she wanted to take a stroll in the moonlight." Katarina had been complaining about small pains in her back. Ilka said it was because the birth was drawing near. His poor wife had thought a short walk in the garden might help. Discovering the air chiller than she had first thought, she had sent Lici in for her wrap. When the maid returned, it was to find her mistress prostrate on the ground. "How did you know this?"
"My dear Jozsef, I know everything. I also know that her neck was bleeding as if an animal had torn the skin."
"Yes, but it was a minor wound," Jozsef defended. "If not for--"
"If not for the babe," was interjected into the silence. "Isn't that what you were about to say? She may even have survived it, if not for the babe." A cold hand was placed on Jozsef's knee as the gentleman leaned forward, "I am sorry, but she was already gone. Once one is bitten, even if one survives, one is never the same."
"You lie!"
"Temper Jozsef, remember you don't want to anger me," a hint of a smile played at those plush lips. Jozsef felt his skin grow cold and clammy.
"I have a proposition for you," the silky voice purred. "Soon you will receive word that a position has opened for you as an emissary for the British Foreign Office. I advise you to take it."
"What do you want me to do once I have secured the position?"
"You? All I want from you is to move your household to London. Raise your daughter in the traditions of the old and the new."
"What has my daughter to do with anything?" A fierce protectiveness came over Jozsef at that moment.
"More than you know."
The carriage pulled to a stop and Jozsef saw that they were in the familiar drive to his home. He could see Ilka watching from a window. She was still holding the baby in her arms. "My angel," he whispered.
"I can make your life very easy or very hard. The choice is up to you which road you want to take. Remember, Jozsef, no one cheats me."
Jozsef left the carriage and made haste into the house. He went straight to his mother-in-law and took his little girl in his arms.
He turned towards Ilka, "Angylika. We will name her after the angels, so they may watch over her."
Ilka laid her hand on Jozsef's arm, "It is a good name."
He could hear Death's carriage in the drive. There was no choice. He knew that. Death would find a way to get what he wanted in the end. He would take the position.What kind of place would this London be?, he wondered.
I recently read a journal article that left me a little agitated. It was about the power of words and how they influence how others see us. Now, I won't get into the details of the article and why it agitated me, but let me just say that calling a daisy a rose just can't happen. Sure they are both flowers, but the two are unique from each other. Rather than call the daisy by another name, why not campaign to show the value of the daisy as a flower?
Now, this all had me also thinking about the word expert. There is no such thing as an expert and anyone who says there is or that they are one... well, they are either lying or just really full of themselves. You never truly know everything; you should always be learning and striving to gain more knowledge. The information doesn't just stop at a certain point, so why should the learning?
So our Not Quite Superhuman lesson of the day is that it is okay to be who you are and words can't change how you value yourself and if you are good at what you do and always strive to be better at it then others will see it too.
Okay, class, homework for the day is to think of ways you can be better at what you do. How can you be a continuous learner?
I am sitting here wondering what to write about. I kinda wish that I had a new book review to post or something, but no such luck. To be honest, I have kinda been slacking when it comes to writing or reading anything. I did however bake a wonderful cake for my husband the other day.
My intention was not to bake a cake. I was going to make brownies. Now making brownies may sound simple to you, but not to me. I have a self imposed restriction against baking them. Don't get me wrong, I love brownies. I love eating them. But the brownies don't like me making them. True to past history, I mixed all my ingredients together and reached into the jumbo warehouse sized box of brownie mix for a pouch (see we really like brownies!) when chocolate powder went flying. The bag had been split open. I reached for the last bag only to find that one too had been split open. Now my parents taught me well that if a package is open, not to use it.
Here I was with my eggs and oil mixed together and my oven pre-heated. I really wanted something chocolate. I did have the ingredients to make something from scratch, but in the back of my pantry I found a box of Devil's Food Cake mix. All I needed to do was add another egg and some more water.
Now this is probably why baking brownies and I don't get along. Of course, I couldn't leave the mix un-tweaked. I added a box of Jello instant chocolate pudding to the mix. The batter instantly took on the airy consistency of pudding. Now I couldn't leave it just like that. I took a bottle of caramel syrup and drizzled it over the top of the cake batter.
Because I added so much to the mix, I did have to leave it in the oven slightly longer than the cake box recommended. It was worth it. The cake was so moist and the caramel had baked into the batter giving it an interesting flavor. No icing needed for this rich decadent treat.
Sometimes being superhuman means knowing when something big is happening. That is why I am excited to tell you about a brand new website coming for the book and publishing community. Check out below the press release for The Gatekeepers Post coming February 1st!
Author and media personality, Jeff Rivera launches The Gatekeepers Post, a new social media community intended to make a significant impact on the conversation of book publishing.
With the decline in print book sales, the increase of eBooks, the rapid closing of independent bookstores and the boom in young adult fiction, the world of book publishing is experiencing a flux few could have anticipated even five years ago.
Industry outlets have struggled to keep pace with the new developments in publishing but the changes are happening too fast for anyone to cover it all. The industry and public's insatiable appetite for fresh news on the rapid changes has only increased.
The Gatekeepers Post hopes to satisfy that appetite. A cross between Huffington Post and Publishers Weekly, the outlet features some of the most important and respected voices in book publishing.
Joined by an editorial advisory board that includes the likes of print and online magazine editor, Neal Boulton, Planned TV Arts’ Rick Frishman, Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives, Ed Nawotka, Smashwords’ Mark Coker, St. Martin Press’ Brendan Deneen, eReads.com publisher and veteran literary agent, Richard Curtis, former Writers Digest Book Editor at Large, Jane Friedman, Authorpreneur Joe Konrath and Hachette’s Director of Multicultural Publicity Linda Duggins. The new outlet also features Gatekeeper bloggers, site founder and Editor-in-chief Jeff Riverahandpicked himself.
"The support from the industry has been overwhelming," says Rivera, "I'm proud of the high caliber ofGatekeepers and guest bloggers who'll be joining us." Veteran agents, major editors, librarians, publishers, publicists and authors such as New York Times bestsellers Zane and Alisa Valdes Rodriguez will be lending their voice to the community as well.
A steady stream of book-centric reviews, headlining news, articles, and op-ed pieces, will be incorporated within the outlet along with forthcoming special events such as virtual panel discussions and online conferences.
Gatekeepers Post officially launches on February 1, 2011 at midnight.
Comic books have a long history of opposition, but they have managed to survive through the years because they allow readers to feel a sense of escapism. They allow readers to feel powerful and in control. They root for the little guy and the pursuit of justice.
Comic book history has shown that stories about superheroes rise in popularity during war, during strife, during times of need...
When times are tough, people need something to believe in. They need to know that there is hope. That there is something out there watching over them. They want to believe in heroes.
While we can't all don a cape and mask to track down the evils in society, we can be super in little ways.
Donate non-perishables to a food drive.
Drop your spare change in the red kettle.
Pay that extra dollar at the pharmacy/supermarket counter for the add-on donation.
Go through your closets and donate your gently used items to a shelter.
Visit an elderly neighbor or a nursing home.
Bring pet food or blankets to an animal shelter.
Pay for the car behind you in the Toll Lane.
Hold the door open for the mother loaded down with bags and children.
Have your children go through their old toys to donate to the children's floor at a hospital.
Give the hassled restaurant server a little extra in the tip.
What are some more ways that you can be super? As the holidays approach even closer, I challenge everyone to be someone's hero.
Welcome to the new age of booktalks where Web 2.0 technologies are being utilized to make the booktalk experience a new and exciting one for librarians, teachers, and students. Lights! Cameras! Read! It’s time for booktalks to go digital.
Clark (2009) states that “Unlike many other reading incentive programs in public and school libraries, booktalking does not cost a penny” (p. 504). Digital Booktalks are another great free programming concept that can be utilized by many libraries. Some possibilities on how to extend the use of Digital Booktalks beyond the Librarian using them as promotion would be to allow young patrons to create their own videos. This can be done either as a library workshop or faced with a library with limited hours, it can also be incorporated as a contest-type program where patrons produce the videos on their own and hand them in to the librarian for posting.
Libraries can also use the idea of the Digital Booktalk as an additional source of a volunteer credit opportunity. Teen Advisory Groups can create these videos for volunteer credit and have the videos place on either the library website or the TAG Facebook Fan Page.
Belben (2007) gives a link to what looks to be a now extinct website that used to review book trailers using a “trailer park” theme. This hilarious take on website reviews can be incorporated in the library setting as well. Have teens create their own themed reviews. See how many trailers or booktalks can be found on the same book and then rate the best ones. Use some form of rating system like Sherlock Holmes’s pipe for mysteries or vampire fangs for supernatural genres.
There are many different websites out there that can explain how to make a Digital Booktalk. Valenza (2007) sums it up perfectly by saying “These videos are not all that hard to produce. Simply show some of the following examples to student readers who also know how to use such free or inexpensive production tools as: iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, GarageBand, VoiceThread, or Final Cut. Remind those students to use copyright-friendly images, sound, and video” (par. 5). Many digital cameras and cell phones now have features that allow them to take short video clips that can be uploaded to the computer. Also, while maybe not a preferred method of creating a Digital Booktalk, still photos may be used to introduce the concept to a beginner.
Digital Booktalks can be a great resource for inspiring reluctant readers to branch out and try new books. It bridges the gap for student’s understanding of the differences between a book and its movie counterpart. Production of a Digital Booktalk is simple enough that it can serve as a standalone program done outside of the library. It is also an enjoyable enterprise that gets students motivated to read as well as building upon their comprehension of the story by helping them make inferences and interpretations of what they read. It can also be a valuable programming tool in the face of declining budgets and the trend towards incorporating Web 2.0 technologies to best serve new learning styles.
Belben, C. (2007 October). There are no booktalking police: alternatives to stand-and-deliver presentations. ''Library Media Connection, 26(2)'', 28-9. Clark, R.C. (2009 February). Listening to teens talk back. ''Voice of Youth Advocates, 31(6)'', 501-04. Valenza, J. (2007 August). Booktalking 2.0 (2.0). ''School Library Journal''. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/.
No one can deny that the beach has soothing qualities; the sound of the waves crashing, smell of the salt air, the warm sand under foot. You can add that same feeling at home with a few simple decor touches. Beach Bling can bring to mind Serene Cape Cod Summers or Wild Key West Weekends depending at the style that you choose. I have to admit that I am a little bit of both.
Completely-Coastal.com has some gorgeous stuff on their website that you can buy and even inspire to do-it-yourself. Everything is so pretty. I have always loved the look of blue and green sea glass. Check out their website this week for a special contest to win a $50 Gift Card. Click on the button on the right for a direct link.
Nothing is as satisfying as fresh baked cookies from the oven and the infamous Million Dollar Chocolate Chip Cookies are probably some of the best. You are probably all familiar with the story...
A woman and her daughter are having lunch at <insert department store name> and decide to have cookies for dessert. The woman is so impressed by the cookie that she asks for the recipe. After being told no, she offers to buy the recipe. The waitress tells the woman that the recipe will cost two-fifty. Thinking this is a bargain, the woman tells the waitress to add it to her bill. One month later, she discovers while looking at her credit card statement that the cookie recipe cost her $250. Not able to convince the department store to take back the recipe and credit her money back, the woman proceeds to email the recipe to all of her friends and so on.
This story has been around for decades; the only thing that changes is the name of the
department store. The recipe is pretty much the same, a delicious cookie containing oatmeal, nuts, and chocolate chips. Here is a simple way to recreate the recipe without all the fuss.
My brother recently asked this random question, "What mythical beast would you like to have with you in a fight?" Easy answer-Unicorn!
Some of you might be shaking your heads in puzzlement over why I would pick a creature adored by little girls in pig-tails. Those of you who read Peterfreund's Rampant are more in the know. Unicorns are not all rainbows and sunshine. They are killing murderous beasts once doomed to spend centuries hiding in the shadows, but no more. The beasts are back, they want revenge--they are hungry.
In the first book, Astrid learns that she is one of a group of girls descended from Alexander the Great, with the task of hunting down and killing a dangerous beast once believe to only exist in myth and legend. Oh, yeah, the girls have to be virgins too.
Now, the whole world knows that the unicorns really do exist. The Vatican has stepped in to help fund the Order, with a few modifications of course. Astrid's mom is trying to negotiate the rights to a televised expose, finding hunters is getting more difficult, her best friend is acting a little odd, and oh yeah, her relationship has just gone long distance. Frustrated, Astrid jumps on the chance to track down the guy who raped her cousin, a detour that leads her back to Gordian Pharmaceuticals, their new CEO, Unicorn medical testing, and the surprise appearance of her missing ex-boyfriend, Brandt.
Why I picked it up: I loved the first book and couldn’t wait to find out if they discovered the source of The Remedy.
Why I finished it: The whole book left me hooked. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there would be a new twist.
I’d give it to: Anyone sick of vampire romances, looking for a good book about girls with swords, crossbows, and alicorn knives.
Nimira is a “Trouser Girl”, which means she makes her living as a singer and dancer in a two-bit music hall. She is not a native to the land of Lorinar. When Hollin Parry, Sorcerer, offers her the chance to be his private singer, accompanying his newly acquired piano-playing automaton, she jumps at the chance to escape the music hall.
The automaton has already scared away many singers who believed his moans and groans proved the automaton to be haunted. Then, there are the rumors regarding the death of Parry’s wife. Soon Nimira learns the secret of the automaton and the war building between the humans and the fairies.
Why I picked it up: I was curious about the storyline. I love stories that take established tales and then twist them into new creations.
Why I finished it: Dolamore weaves a wonderful web of conspiracy, magic, romance, and mystery. Not surprising that the author’s favorite classic is Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Though this novel takes place in a fictional setting it has all the elements of a Victorian Gothic Novel. I loved the book and am eagerly awaiting the sequel.
I’d give it to: Teens on up with an interest in fantasy novels, particularly to readers of Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer.
Some of my favorite things are simple things that can make great holiday gifts. Reverse Tie-Dye is my go to summer craft, but it is so creative that it can really be used year round. Rather than adding color, this process is taking the color away. The steps below are for a t-shirt, but try it with other clothing like jeans, tote bags, socks, hats, etc.
Lay a brightly colored cotton shirt on a plastic covered flat surface; place a piece of cardboard inside the shirt between the layers.
Pour liquid bleach into a spray bottle. For different effects, you may add water to dilute the solution.
Place cardboard cutouts, chains, keys, buttons, really whatever on top of the shirt in whatever pattern you would like.
Use the spray bottle to spray the shirt. Those covered areas are protected from the spray so they will retain their color, the uncovered areas will begin to lose their color. (Spray gingerly, get it too wet and the cotton will absorb the bleach into the covered areas as well.)
Take objects off shirt and flip it, while still keeping the cardboard inside the shirt.
Repeat steps 3 &4.
Let sit overnight.
Wash alone so bleach will not affect other clothing.
*Wear old clothing that you don’t mind getting bleach on. Use rubber gloves to protect your hands.
. The lesson learned, it is hard to be creative when you are stuck to a word count parameter. 
978-0802786609
9780061490026
The beasts are back, they want revenge--they are hungry. 
