Books and Vultures

Summer!

The kids are home!
They're reading like vultures
(Do vultures read?)
and I want to join them.
Here's the hitch: I just devoured two great novels
and now I have nothing to read.
If I was a book vulture, I'd be in a dry riverbed
of bookless hurt.

I'm casting about for good fantasy,
clever magic, and delicious mysteries...
and I need your help!
 

What are your recommendations for my summer book binge?

And while you think about your favorite reads,
let me tell you about my latest:

"Devine Intervention" by Martha Brockenbrough.
"Devine Intervention" is hard to explain in a simple sentence. On the surface, it's a witty YA modern fantasy novel about an inept guardian angel and the girl he messes up on, but it's so much more than that. It's this incredibly surprising story of humor and earthiness, humility and teen hormones, acceptance and second chances. I finished it two weeks ago, but it's still echoing. 
I'm not at all surprised that it's earned rave reviews in Kirkus and the L.A. Times, or that the movie rights have already been snatched up.

I've already dished about your chance to win a free copy. That contest is up Sunday, so you still have time to enter. 


The second book I want to gush over is "Dragonswood"
by Janet Lee Carey.
I absolutely loved "Dragon's Keep," 
 the first book in the Wilde Island Chronicles.
The second book, "Dragonswood," is just as captivating.
It's about Tess, a blacksmith's fiery daughter who trespasses in the forbidden Dragonswood, is tried for witchcraft, and must escape and right her world.  Dragonswood is addicting and dark, with themes layered and deep. Kirkus called it "a fairy tale for those who have given up on believing them, but still yearn for happily ever after."
I highly recommend it!


Happy reads
to you
until we meet again....

Cardboard, a Contest, and a Second Chance Castle

Where would we be without second chances?

No do-overs.
No recycling.
No erasers, delete key.
No breathing room.

It makes my lips numb just thinking about it.

I live off second chances
- art, words, and everything else!
 
What if there was a colossal rule
that you could only write One Draft?
No revisions allowed?

Aside from those sainted few who write a flawless novel to publication in three weeks,
where would we be?

Mummified, probably.

For my writer friends, I'm curious:

How many drafts do you average before your manuscript's submission worthy?

And author friends:

How many drafts do you endure before you have a finished book?

I think I stopped counting after Draft Two.

Hooray for working drafts, for do-overs, for sorries and second chances!


Remember Wish baby?
A gift from my friend Margaret Bloom
of the lovely blog We Bloom Here,
Wish baby was lonely for a new house.
Oatmeal box needed a second life.
Hello, scraps and glitter!

So far, it's been castle, tower, tunnel,

car wash, observatory, teddy bear, hat... 
 
See?
Second chances!
or third, or fourth, or whatever it takes...





And speaking of second chances,
do you know about the DEVINE INTERVENTION Book Giveaway?

I just started Martha Brockenbrough's YA novel
DEVINE INTERVENTION.
Brilliant! I'm hooked!
As I mentioned here, I can't wait for you to read it!

Martha has graciously offered a free signed copy of DEVINE INTERVENTION to one lucky blog reader. Yippee!
Check out the contest here.

I'm extending the deadline to give as many of you as possible a chance to win an excellent book!
You have until noon (pst) on Sunday, June 17 to enter.
Please do, and good luck!

 

A DEVINE Giveaway

Great news!
Martha Brockenbrough's debut YA novel
DEVINE INTERVENTION is out!

And you have a chance to win your very own 

signed copy!

DEVINE INTERVENTION, in a nutshell, is about the world's most inept guardian angel and the girl whose life he accidentally ruins.


Martha Brockenbrough, author of
"Things That Make Us [Sic]" and "It Could Happen To You"
is a veritable pillar in the Western Washington writing community.
She is whip-smart, generous, and approachable.
Actually, the more I think about it,
Martha is practically perfect in every way,
much like Mary Poppins,
but with a wicked sense of humor
and better hair.

And did I mention that she's a phenom writer?
Well, she is.

So, all odes aside,
I can't wait to read this book, and I can't wait for you to read it!

Which is why I'm so excited to tell you about
my GIVEAWAY CONTEST!
Enter for a chance to win a signed hardback copy of
DEVINE INTERVENTION plus some extra swag !
Woohoo! Thank you, Martha Brockenbrough!

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:
1. Hop over to Martha's and have a look-see.
2. Then come on back here and say howdy in the comments.
3. To double your chances, link to this post on your blog,
or you can "like" Martha's page on facebook.

The contest closes at noon (PST) on Tuesday, June 12.
I'll pick via random hat trick and announce winner Wednesday, June 13.