Official Sponsor of Rufflecon

I am proud to announce that I am an official sponsor of Rufflecon!

Rufflecon is an alternative fashion conference celebrating a variety of fashion sub-styles including, but not limited to, lolita, fairy kei, mori girl, gyaru, and steampunk. Since my upcoming book, ASHWOOD, features a protagonist that is a young J-fashion enthusiast, I thought that Rufflecon would be a perfect fit. Additionally, if you attend the High Tea event on Sunday, Oct. 4th, you will have a chance to win a free copy!

I am looking forward to attending and proud to sponsor such a great event. See you there!

Summer Pick 2015

So happy that the humid summer is done and we're slipping into the nice, cool autumn. I managed to read quite a few great reads this past season, but one stands out above the rest...

Summer Pick 2015

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

YA Fantasy

The Summary

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

– Blurb from Goodreads

The Characters

Our two main characters are Laia and Elias, though there are other notable characters that also play important roles and who are equally as compelling. Laia is driven by her loyalty and love for her family to jump head-first into danger. Though she constantly chastises herself for her cowardice, her actions prove that she is incredibly brave despite these insecurities. She comes off as a bit naive and sounds much younger than she is at times, but as a whole she was endearing.

Elias, likewise, is also likable and I enjoyed witnessing his internal struggles and emotional conflicts. His compassion and fortitude make him an easy favorite. The dynamic between his relationship with other characters are varied, complex and believable... and often heartbreaking. 

The Setting

This isn't quite dystopian and neither does it fully feel fantasy, but instead touches of both. The setting is very reminiscent of Roman-occupied Constantinople with classic mythological elements used to bring out the fantasy aspects. It's never heavy handed on it's use of magic which helps sell this world to the audience. Some have referred to this as a YA friendly version of A Song of Ice and Fire and I can certainly understand the comparison, though I think this book stands on it's own.  

Overall Opinion

This is one of those books that has me not want to put it down. I was fully engaged from start to finish. There are so many moments that had me on edge, with jaw dropped open. It's a great mix of action, intrigue and drama. It's rare when a book lives up to the hype surrounding it, but I am happy to say that An Ember in the Ashes truly does live up to it.

Be warned though - this is a very dark and gritty book, and the setting is an utterly bleak place. As a trigger warning, rape is a subject that is frequently discussed throughout the text, and while nothing occurs "on-screen", as it were, it may still be upsetting to some.

Author Spotlight: Jennifer Gadd

In this "Author Spotlight" I interviewed Jennifer Gadd, author of the recently published book, CAT MOON by Distinguished Press. It is a Middle Grade horror, perfect for kids who like a little touch of spookiness in their stories. 

CAT MOON by Jennifer Gadd

C.J.: Can you tell us about some of the inspiration for your newly released book, CAT MOON?

Jennifer: A few things come to mind on this. One is a long-time interest in the folklore around lycanthropy. Couple that with the character of Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter series and the burgeoning market for teen vampire stuff, and you have a pretty good medium for what I wound up writing.


C.J.: What was your biggest challenge that you faced during writing this book?

Jennifer: When I wrote the book ten years ago, my girls were 11 and 16. And the thing about kids is that they constantly need stuff. Finding blocks of time where I wouldn’t be interrupted was the thing I remember being very frustrating. 

C.J.: Who was your favorite character to write?

Jennifer: Oh, Emma, definitely. I love that girl so much. She sort of sprang out of my imagination fully-formed, as it were, so I always knew exactly how she would react, what she would want, and what she would say without having to think very hard about it.

C.J.:  If you could transform into any animal, what would you choose?

Jennifer: I would like to be a dog who lives in my house. Because that’s a pretty cushy proposition.

C.J.: Who are some of your favorite authors and favorite books?

Jennifer: In my opinion, the finest novel ever written is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is just so tightly written, with hardly even one word wasted. Just brilliant. I do love a lot of “canon” literature—Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and George Eliot, to name a few. For more popular authors, I would choose Agatha Christie, Douglas Adams,  Candace Robb, and Anne Perry.

C.J.:  How did you get started as a writer?

Jennifer: I don’t remember ever NOT being a writer, to tell the truth. I can remember writing short stories and poems in elementary school. Anytime there was a writing-based choice for school projects, that was my option.

C.J.: What advice do you have for young, aspiring writers? 

Jennifer: Read everything you can get your hands on. Read good stuff, read bad stuff, read easy stuff, read hard stuff. Read. And then write. Write every spare second you have available. And don’t forget to make time for writing. Make it a priority. If you don’t, life will always manage to take the time from you.

You can find CAT MOON here:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Dyscalculia and the Imaginative Mind

I’ve always hated math. It’s not that I’m “just bad at math” – I straight up don’t understand it! No matter how many times I go through calculations or study the formulas, nothing about it makes sense to me. Nothing clicks in place. But it’s not just math that I struggle with. There are other little issues I have too – I have difficulty reading analog clocks, I’m always highly anxious about being late, I have no concept of distance and measurement and I have to hold up my index and thumb on each hand to see which one forms the “L” so I know which is left and which is right. This is how it has always been with me. It’s just a part of my reality.

When I was a little girl it was chalked up to the age-old “she’s just bad at math” and “she just has to study harder”. But I did study hard. I even had tutoring sessions. Nothing worked. Then one day, when I was in 7^th grade, I went to up my math teacher’s desk to get help figuring out a problem. She looked it over and a scowl formed on her face. This was followed by her hastily correcting my work before shoving it back in my hands before loudly berating me in front of the class for being “stupid” and needing to “get my head out of the clouds.”

I went numb. My head lowered while my face burnt with humiliation. I managed to trudge back to my desk but I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head again. The damage had been done. If a teacher said I was stupid, then I assumed that is just what I was. There was no reason for me to try ever again. It didn’t matter – I was just stupid and nothing could change that. From that day forward I didn’t even bother to apply myself with math because it was clear to me at the time that I was a lost cause.

Later, well after I managed to graduate from college, I learned about dyscalculia and it changed my entire perspective. Much like how dyslexia is with letters and words, dyscalculia is a learning disability which effects a person’s ability to comprehend numbers. Every single bullet point of the symptoms matched me to the core. When faced with this revelation, I burst into tears and felt a wave of relief crash over me. I wasn’t stupid. I wasn’t a lost cause. My mind just worked differently.

It’s estimated that between 3-6% of the population is affected by dyscalculia and yet it is still under-diagnosed and not well understood even by educators, who are still only now just learning about this disability. The other fascinating thing I learned about it was that many dyscalculic people score high when tested on language and reading, and tend to be highly creative. So while dyscalculia may have hindered me in mathematics, it allowed me to fully embrace this other wonderful part of my brain. This thing, which I had always viewed as a weakness, had contributed to one of my greatest strengths – my imagination and love for literature. And it is those strengths that have helped me find success and happiness in my life. So if being bad at math is the price for that – I’ll take it!

The struggle to deal with feeling of inadequacies can be suffocating at time, but it’s vital to look beyond perceived shortcomings, be it in ourselves or others, and learn to focus on our talents. I’ve come to accept that I can’t be good at everything and that’s okay! All any of us can do is to try our best and love all the parts of ourselves that make us the people who we are.

Top 5 Favorite Early Childhood Books

Stories are such a huge part of childhood. Certain ones just connect with us and stay with us well into adulthood. These are the stories we hand down to the next generation. These are the stories that still light up our eyes when we think back on how they made us feel. So here is a list of my five favorites from my early childhood that have a special place in my heart.

Top 5 Favorite Early Childhood Books

Image courtesy of GoodReads.com

1.  The Serendipity Books by Stephen Cosgrove

The Serendipity Books were a series of whimsical stand-alone stories that carried a poignant message at the end of each little paperback book. They were morality lessons told to us by fantastical and adorable creatures, many of whom had several of their own books in the series. The beautiful illustrations by Robin James helped stir the imagination and complement the gentle tales. I was absolutely in love with them as a child, with Buttermilk (picture above) being my favorite. 

2. The Whisper the Winged Unicorn Series 

Written by a number of different authors, this series featured the title character of Whisper, a winged unicorn living in an enchanted land. Much like the Serendipity books, it was a stand-alone series that followed Whisper's adventures with her friends as they all learned lessons. They were charming and heart-warming little stories, and really... what little girl could resist a rainbow-maned unicorn? ...Okay, okay - I STILL can't resist rainbow-maned unicorns.

3.  The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

I'm sure this is a favorite on everyone's list, but what can I say? It's a classic for a reason. My mother used to read this to me and my brother when we were little. The stark and simple illustrations do such an effective job at evoking the book's core theme of friendship and loneliness. This is still a household favorite and one we all take turns reading to my two little nephews. 

4.  Jellybeans for Breakfast by Miriam Young

I remember being drawn to this one's bright yellow cover with two smiling girls. Jellybeans for breakfast? Sign me up! This early reader story was a prose about one nameless girl trying to convince her neighbor to come over by telling her about all the fantastical adventures they will have together. It was a great book that captured childhood whimsy and wishes. And a great gift to give a best friend.

5.  The Chick and the Duckling by Mirra Ginsburg

This was another book my mom used to read to me as a young child. It tells the story of a little chick who tries to do everything his bigger ducking friend does, with the line "Me too!" said the Chick echoing throughout the story. "Me too, said the Chick" became a common phrase my mom would use every time I wanted follow or imitate my older brother. She still teases me with it to this day.

Spring Pick 2015

Now that spring is officially over, it's time for me to share my favorite book I read through the spring season. So without further ado, my spring pick...

Spring Pick 2015

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

YA Thriller

 

The Summary

On the outside, there's Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement.

On the inside, within the walls of the Aurora Hills juvenile detention center, there's Amber, locked up for so long she can't imagine freedom.

Tying their two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls' darkest mysteries…

What really happened on the night Orianna stepped between Violet and her tormentors? What really happened on two strange nights at Aurora Hills? Will Amber and Violet and Orianna ever get the justice they deserve—in this life or in another one?

In prose that sings from line to line, Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and of innocence, and of what happens when one is mistaken for the other.

– Blurb from Goodreads

The Characters

While their is a diverse cast of characters, the main story focuses on three specific characters - Violet, Amber and Orianna. Each of these three girls is complex, interesting and so very realistic.

Having read a previous book by this author (Imaginary Girls), I will say that Ms. Suma has a gift at getting into her character's heads and making the most raw portraits of humanity. There is something so utterly visceral and sincere about how she crafts her characters that it's easy to get swept up into their heads and the story, in general.

Without giving too much away about these three girls with their intertwined lives, I will say this - they each feel unique unto themselves. You can easily find bits of people whom you know in real life in them. And the best part is they are so beautifully flawed. None of them is perfect by any means, not even seemingly pristine Orianna who is a character I could see as falling into the realm of saccharine with a less skilled author at the helm. Lucky for us, Suma has a strong grasp of character development and human understanding that allows her to not fall into overused tropes or stereotypes.

The Setting

This is a modern day story which primarily takes place at the fictional Aurora Hills juvenile detention center set in the northeast of the United States. The story shifts between the current time and flashbacks that may feel jarring at first, but once you settle into the tone and pace, you can easily follow the slips in and out of conscious.

Overall Opinion

The action of the story is diluted through a lot of info dumping, but it works. In fact this is one of the few stories that I have seen it succeed. There are a lot of shifts in narrative and time via flashbacks and flash-forwards. That's okay - it's supposed to be a bit confusing, a bit ethereal. All will be revealed at the end and what a brilliant reveal it is.

The tone is foreboding and almost dreamy with a lingering sense of dread weighing through the murk. Atmospheric and psychological, it had be hooked from start to end. This is masterful writing and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading something a little different.

Top 5 Favorite Authors

Like every writer, I am first and foremost a reader. There have been so many stories, characters and authors who have shaped my own writing. But there are just some authors who I find myself returning to time and time again. Here is a list of my five favorite authors and what it is about their works that keep me coming back for more. Enjoy!

Top 5 Favorite Authors

 

1.  Lloyd Alexander

It’s no great secret that I am an absolute fangirl when it comes to Lloyd Alexander. He is the first author that truly touched my heart and made me love the written word. There is a pure classic quality to his stories that make them feel timeless and familiar. His works are a perfect example of middle grade high fantasy and I’m not sure we’ll ever meet his like again. When I was a young woman struggling to become a writer myself, I would write to him and tell him how much of an inspiration he was to me. He, in turn, always replied without fail and encouraged me to keep following my dreams. His words both in stories and in letters continue to guide me.

2. Peter Beagle

Like most children of the 80’s, I discovered his famed story The Last Unicorn after watching the animated movie version. The movie stole my heart and the book sang to my soul. I was immediately enchanted by his words. Everything about them evoked such a sense of utter sincerity.  Having seen him several times now in person, he is also fascinating to listen to and very kind to his fans. There’s a spark of magic in that man, I swear.

3. Holly Black

I first was introduced to Holly Black’s writing with her Spiderwick Chronicles and have been following her career ever since. I think what I love most about her writing is that she does such an amazing job with integrating fey lore into modern settings. She clearly gets the fey. She has such an obvious appreciation of the lore and pays it full respect. Her characters are always complex and believable in spite of whatever bizarre circumstances they may find themselves in.

4. Jessica Day George

Princess stories have a close place in my heart, so it was only a matter of time before I discovered the works of Jessica Day George. There is no edgy guile to her stories that has started to saturate the market. She simply takes classic elements, tells straight forward stories and still manages to make them all her own. Her characters and their stories are effervescent, innocent and pure fun. She truly has a gift with capturing the joy and magic of childhood, for young and old readers alike.

5. Neil Gaiman

I’m not sure I can say much about Neil Gaiman that hasn’t already been said – the guy oozes imagination from his every pore. He does such a great job at world building and crafting beautiful stories. When I read his works, I really do feel transported to his worlds. He’s another one who really understands fey lore and how to utilize magic in his settings. A master wordsmith and an imagineer to the core, Neil Gaiman is an author’s author.