Reading this Weekend in Burlington

This Saturday I’m going to be reading from my novel MOONHILL as part of the Vermont SF Writer’s Series: Cold Mountain Stories—A Night of the Fantastic! It’s at Quarterstaff Games of Burlington. For more information check out Geek Mountain State's website. It should be a blast. If you have a chance to stop by, please make sure you introduce yourself to me. I love meeting my online friends in person.

Review: THE BODY IN THE WOODS by April Henry. Don’t miss this one!

I just finished reading an ARC of the young adult thriller THE BODY IN THE WOODS by April Henry--and it was amazing.

It’s about three teenagers from very different backgrounds who have recently volunteered for the Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue. When they’re called to help search for a missing autistic man, they discover the body of a teenage girl instead. From there the story takes off at an exciting pace and never lets up until it reaches a climax that takes them from an eclectic group of teenage outsiders to friends with an understanding of each other’s quirks and needs.

One of the most wonderful things about THE BODY IN THE WOODS is that it isn’t created out of thin air. It’s based on a real-life search and rescue team that includes teenagers. The realistic SAR details in the book show the time the author put into research. At the same time, the details never get in the way of the action. Actually, that realism is what drew me in and made me so enthralled by this story. But it wasn’t just the SAR details. All aspects of this novel are expertly researched and crafted—from details about bird watching to others involving mental illness, homelessness and electronic gadgets.

This wonderful realism also made each of the novels four points of view unique and equally interesting. Nick is a swaggering teen with a fear of being not good enough, and a very real reason behind his struggles. Alexis is fighting against poverty and to hide her mother’s mental illness. Ruby’s brilliant, but her day-to-day ability to function ‘normally’ and to fly under her parents’ radar is a never-ending battle. The antagonist is also marvelous in a demented way, especially when his focus turn toward the three teens. Even the antagonist’s victims are fully realized people with backstories and their own difficulties.

I enjoyed THE BODY IN THE WOODS very much and highly recommend it. However, I do think it will probably be most appreciated by teens rather than adults—which is as it should be. It’s especially good for younger teens that like hiking, the woods and action packed novels. I strongly recommend it to teachers and librarians. Buy this one for sure.

To give you a hint how much I liked it—when I hit page 50, I stopped reading and took the time to order a different book by the same author.

BODY IN THE WOODS is the first book in the POINT LAST SEEN series and will be released on June 14^th.

To read more about THE BODY IN THE WOODS and other novels by author April Henry, check out her website here.  

Writing: Inspired by Eating Style

Just as I sat down at the computer to dream up a post on what inspires me, the TV in the other room blared: inspired by food.  Yeah, okay, I can take a message even when the universe delivers via the boob tube.

But as I started to think about how food inspires me, I realized it’s not only what people eat, but how.  Everyone has a style that reveals or hides his or her personality and backstory.  We change our style of eating with situations, who we are with and where.  Eating is so visible and unavoidable it makes hiding innate quirks almost impossible, even the act of trying to hide or eat in an accustomed style reveals discomfort . . .  Read the rest at my sister blog   Five Curiosities   

Syfy Face-Off: creativity techniques and inspired to outline

The other night, I got a bit obsessed with watching Face-off.  As I watched the show, it quickly became clear to me why the winning Face-off creations rose above the rest. 

The thoughts I had weren’t revolutionary. They took me back to the creative process I used when I competed in design contests as a professional florist. They also made it clear that I’d felt a bit stymied by my WIP because I’d moved away from these techniques in favor of focusing on word count and speed. 

Here are the ideas/techniques I was reminded of:

Of course, good technical execution is a must.  And the idea has to be something that will function and hold together. The building blocks need to be solid.

Don’t be satisfied with first, second or even third ideas—take the time needed to brainstorm and push the idea to a new level, make it fresh.  When I competed as a professional florist, I spent a lot of time thinking about what the competition might do, and then purposely took my brainstorming in the opposite direction. There is always a new way to look at anything, a fresh take—this is creative choice.

Stretch your abilities.  I am always more creative when I challenge myself to try something difficult or new.  Successfully doing something challenging brings a great feeling of satisfaction.

Give the audience a new sensory experience. This might seem impossible with Face-off being so visual, but the best designs also used the sense of touch and hints at smell to expand their creations.  Glistening slime, soft flowing lines, rough fabrics, traces of smelly sweat and rotting guts…

Up the creep factor. It’s easy to tone something down, but impossible to get the audiences attention once the moment has passed.  Go large. Drama.

So, hours of TV was just what I needed to make me realize I needed to step back, take time to brainstorm in more depth and outline in more detail before moving forward again.

Guess, I better get at it J

Book Giveaway Winner!

The winner of MIDDLE GRADE, THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE is Robin. Congratulations!!!