Second blog stop today for How David Met Sarah

Please visit Return To Disney to read the review of How David Met Sarah.

How David Met Sarah blog book tour!

Today is the first stop in the How David Met Sarah blog book tour! I’m so excited to get this started, because Anne Kelleher has written the sweetest book. Not only that, but the book was just endorsed by the National Down Syndrome Society and October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. AND 20% of All Proceeds will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society, a non-profit organization benefiting the lives of developmentally-delayed adults.

Please stop by the tour at Blog Stop Book Tours!

A few things of note (in which I talk about a blog tour, a book festival, a new book, and a mouse)

So it's been a very busy, and exciting few weeks here.

First off - I was asked to tour THE sweetest book EVER! How David Met Sarah by Anne Kelleher.

In Anne's own words -
"This story is completely different from any of my previous eleven novels, because I wrote How David Met Sarah for my youngest brother, David. David has Downs' Syndrome and like the main character in the story, lives at home with my parents. He works in a mail room and has a lot of friends. He's even been in love.

I wrote How David Met Sarah at my mother's suggestion when she explained that as much as David is interested in reading, it's hard to find stories he likes. He reads at approximately a third grade level but as an adult, David doesn't relate to third grade level stories. How David Met Sarah is a story for grownups that someone with my brother's reading skills can read and enjoy."

If you'd like to check out the blog tour, visit Blog Stop Book Tours for the schedule. It starts next week!

Secondly -
On Saturday October 15th, I attended the Twin Cities Book Festival put on by Rain Taxi . It was a fun event and I had the opportunity to talk with a couple of authors.

S.C. Cobb, author AND illustrator of Peripheral Conflict was kind and charming.








And Lance Zarimba signed a copy of Oh No, Our Best Friend Is A Zombie for my 9 year old son, Cameron. Lance's books are written primarily for boys, ages 9 - 12.







Thirdly -
My e-publishing company, Out of Bounds Press, has released its 3rd book, The Way It Is by Alice Shepler.

"Amy and Paul take a huge leap of faith to follow their dream of owning a lodge in Colorado. Though they miss their grown daughters back home in Kansas, Amy and Paul know they've made the right choice. With a lot of hard work and ingenuity, they turn the lodge into a destination vacation spot, but it comes at the expense of Paul's health. When faced with the choice to remain in Colorado, or return to Kansas, a new opportunity presents itself. Read on to see how faith and family can make dreams come true."

And, oh yeah, we have a new kitten. Her name is Mouse.

Children of Angels by Lynn Salisbury

Out of Bounds Press is proud to announce our first e-book release, Children of Angels by Lynn Salisbury!

Ann, one of the Sisterhood and Marc, one of the Brotherhood, fall in love before revealing to each other what they are. Ann and Marc know they can't be together, but their reason for existing pulls them back to each other when Marc and his Brothers raid the local town of humans – killing some of Ann's friends. With revenge on her mind Ann hunts for Marc and his Brothers.



She finds them but is faced with the most impossible of options – betray her Sisters or die.

Available at -

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Be Brave, Be Innovative, Be... FIERCE!

If you're a published author (or soon to be), you know that marketing is terribly important to the success of your book. You're fortunate to live in a time when everyone - well, almost - is at your fingertips. Use all of the virtual tools at your disposal, talk to people, ask for help, be an evangelist for your work! Read this guest post by Elle Newmark, author of The Unholy Book of Mischief at Don't Hang Up, and you'll see what I mean.

Happy Anniversary Penguin! (and a book giveaway)

Back in 1935, Allen Lane had the brilliant idea of making quality paperback books available, and more importantly, affordable. Skeptics thought he was crazy, but they were proven wrong.

"The Bodley Head found itself, at the beginning of the week, sold out of 'Penguins,' 150,000 having been sold out in four days. Mr. Allen Lane has asked us to say that he will supply the waiting orders as soon as his printers and binders allow him to do so."

— The Bookseller, August 8, 1935
 
Today is Penguin's 75th anniversary, and I was invited to give away one of their books.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

"On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this beautifully told story that unfolds over a quarter of a century in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by David Henry's fateful decision that long-ago winter night."

The Memory Keeper's Daughter is an exquisite study of human nature. It's lyrically written from the heart. If it had been a song I'd heard for the first time while driving, I would have had to pull over to fully experience it.

I'm giving away one copy of The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Please leave a comment (by midnight, August 5th, 2010)  if you'd like to be entered in the drawing.

Residents of the US and Canada only please.

Book Review - Killer Cows by D.M. Anderson

"Randy Meyer is the new kid in Satus Creek, a tiny farm town where nothing ever happens, and his days are filled with tedium. Then one summer afternoon, a meteor crashes nearby. It’s just the first in a series of events that will not only change his life, but threaten the entire planet. Soon after, vicious cows are on the rampage all over the country, and they’re not of this Earth!

Armed with a newly-discovered flying saucer he doesn’t know how to fly, and a misfit group of new friends he doesn’t entirely trust, Randy is forced to grow up fast if he’s going to make decisions that will not only help him fit-in with his new peers, but save the world from a fate worse than death!"


Never assume you know what shape an alien will take, it will probably be the last thing you expected. Killer Cows is a terrific sci-fi book for young adults - action packed, fun and entertaining! But, it's also an excellent interpretation of what happens when we don't take care of the things we need to sustain us.

If you're looking for a book to add to your child's Summer reading list, Killer Cows is a book they'll enjoy reading, and also learn from. Buy it at Amazon, or Echelon Press .


D.M. Anderson lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, two daughters, two cats and a neurotic dog. He teaches Language Arts at a local middle school, which is where he developed his interest in reading - and later writing - young adult fiction of various genres. When he isn’t teaching or writing, Anderson enjoys staying up late watching horror movies with his oldest daughter, and accompanying his youngest to her swimming lessons. Other interests include NASCAR, heavy metal music, zombies and Disneyland. Killer Cows, an homage to the old drive-in sci-fi movies he loved as a kid, is his first young adult novel. Since then, he has explored other YA genres, including action (a disaster novel titled Shaken) and horror (The Dark Ride). His future plans also include a sequel to Killer Cows.

You can keep up with Mr. Anderson at his blog http://dmanderson.blogspot.com/

Cheerios® is searching for the next great children's book author. It could be you!

Children will be finding a book, 1 Zany Zoo by Lori Degman, inside boxes of Cheerios this month. Lori was the grand prize winner of the 2008 Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Contest. The contest is open now for 2010. Just enter by July 15, 2010. For the rules, click here.

Interview with Lynda McDaniel, author of Words At Work

Lynda McDaniel, author of Words At Work: Powerful business writing delivers increased sales, improved results, and even a promotion or two. A veteran writing coach shows you how. was kind enough to answer a few questions for me. Read on, her answers are enlightening.


Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. There are lots of jokes about that city, but I had a good time growing up there. I received a great education and fell in love with baseball there. I’ve lived lots of places since—from the mountains of North Carolina to Washington, D.C. and the San Francisco Bay Area—but I’m proud to be from Cleveland.

I didn’t start writing professionally until I was 25 years old. A lot of people think they have to write when they’re kids or in high school, that it’s too late for them to start now. But that’s just not true. That’s one of the reasons I wrote Words at Work. My students and clients kept telling me that my story—from getting a late start to facing some hurdles along the way—inspired them that they can write too. And they do.

My writing career began in the most unlikely of places—just a speck on a map of the North Carolina mountains—but it was ripe with opportunity for me. That’s where I met a school director who asked if I’d like to learn public relations. To be honest, I should have answered, “What’s that?” Instead, I said, “Sure,” and took to it like ink to newsprint. Once I saw my first published article, I was hooked. I’ve never stopped writing. I’ve gone on to write five books and hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles for publications such as Southern Living, Country Living, Yoga Journal, and washingtonpost.com.


How/why did you decide to write a book about writing for work?

I heard a student tell another student as they left my writing class, “They sure don’t teach this in school!” That meant the world to me. I knew I had tapped into something special, and I wanted to share that with a wider audience. I love taking all the things I’ve learned during my writing and writing coaching career—sometimes the hard way—to make other people’s lives easier. I wrote Words at Work for everyone who wants to write well, and especially for those who thought they couldn’t. They can.


What do you like to read for pleasure?

I’m a voracious reader of novels. I just finished Michael Connelly’s Scarecrow and Henning Mankell’s Before the Frost. I recently read a non-fiction book entitled Blue Ocean Strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. It’s a fascinating book about thinking beyond what’s traditional and creating something new from the unfulfilled needs of the “old.” Another fantastic non-fiction book I’m currently reading is How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer. Not only is the information compelling, but his writing style is brilliant.


With Twitter and texting becoming ever more popular, do you think there are times when it is appropriate to conform to the adopted "shorthand" that limited characters has required? Or do you think we just need to find the correct words and send as many texts or Tweets needed to convey our message? OR... do we need to write "tighter" - clear and concise?

There’s a time and place for everything. Even shorthand writing, which I call our “jeans” writing. More on that in a minute. Just be careful. With so much e-communication today, we rarely meet the people who write us, but that doesn't stop us from forming a picture of them using the only clues we have—their words. We need to pick the right look depending on the situation. Similar to Casual Fridays at work, you’ll choose your “jeans” words when writing friends or acquaintances (tweets and texts). Most of your writing will be your basic work attire, which leaves a good, solid impression. And for those sales proposals and articles, blogs and Web copy (or novels, memoirs, and essays)? That’s when you don your fanciest glad rags. Have fun. Be creative.


What books do you suggest to become a better communicator through writing?

Brenda Ueland, author of If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit. More than any other book, this book inspired me to both honor my own creativity and learn how to improve upon it. Brenda is amazing. She lived earlier in the 20th century, but I use present tense because she still seems so alive. Her words jump off the page. I could hear her voice in my head as I wrote Words at Work—and I hope I succeeded in sharing the same kind of inspiration and encouragement with my readers. Also check out Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and the classic, On Writing Well by William Zinsser. And, of course, Words at Work.

Thank you so much, Lynda!

Color me confused.

I finally got all the books gathered together to donate to the local High School and delivered them this morning. The reception was a little lackluster, I must say. Most of the books were hardcover first editions, by debut authors, and fairly popular titles.

The librarian looked through them and seemed concerned that a few of them might not be appropriate. This is where my confusion comes in. This is a Senior High School, grades 9 - 12. None of the books were of an adult nature. Some of them were Historical Fiction, which I assumed might make history a little more interesting.

When I was in school, we had a wide variety of books in our library. Not all of them were the "Mary Poppins" type. Seriously, I can understand being discerning, but this seemed a wee bit like "1984".

Is there a librarian in the house? If so, would you like to comment on how books are chosen for school libraries? I'm really interested.

So excited about new books!

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst went on sale today.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was sent an actual hardcover First Edition copy of the book, I assume from the publisher, which I promptly devoured like a triple scoop ice cream cone after spending a day exploring the Mojave Desert - and then handed it off to my 12 year old son. When he is finished with it, I'll be donating it to the Jordan Middle School library, because funding is limited and I'm sure they will appreciate it. The only profit I gained in reading this book was the joy of reading a new take on a Beauty and the Beast kind of tale.

Ice is a fun read, though I suspect girls will enjoy it more than boys.

Books I haven't read yet, but am REALLY looking forward to...




At Home on Ladybug Farm
Donna Ball

I read A Year On Ladybug Farm a little while ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the followup.














An Echo In The Bone
Diana Gabaldon

I've been reading this series off and on for years. I read the 6th book just before my son's birth, back in December of 2001. Needless to say, I can't wait to get into the new adventure.












No Time To Wave Goodbye
Jacquelyn Mitchard

I read Deep End of the Ocean years ago and wondered if there would be a sequel. Now I know, and No Time To Wave Goodbye is on my wishlist.

America's Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas

The Great American Taste Test

"Discover the recipes from America's most popular family restaurants and cook them at home for a fraction of the price!"

"Wouldn't it be nice if you could treat yourself to dishes from your favorite restaurants anytime? Now you can -- at home! In America's Most Wanted Recipes, Ron Douglas reveals copycat versions of carefully guarded secret restaurant recipes and shows family chefs how to prepare them at home, saving time and money. With these easy and mouth-watering recipes, families can enjoy a night out in their very own kitchens."

It's no secret I love to cook, so when the opportunity presented itself to be part of The Great American Taste Test, I jumped on it. The rules were as follows:

• Choose a recipe from the book
• Make the dish
• Purchase the "real" restaurant dish in order to conduct the taste test
• Taste test can be done with anyone - friends, family or strangers
• Blog about the experience on September 14, 2009

I chose Panera Bread's Broccoli-Cheese Soup. I've been looking for a recipe for a while, and this one is actually fairly simple. It took me about an hour from start to eating.

My husband, and my ex-husband (who happened to be dropping our son off) couldn't tell by sight which soup was mine and which was Panera's. They both liked mine better, and my sons (ages 12 and 7) loved it! They asked if I would make it again.

This was a really fun experiment!

My soup is on the left.

So many books...

These are the books I'll be donating to the local high school. There are 11 of them.

In my room are over 30 Advance Reader Copies and I have no idea what to do with them. I've read them. I've reviewed some of them. I can't donate them to the library. I can't take them to Goodwill. I definitely can't sell them (not that I would anyway).

What I'll probably do is let my friends take what they'd like, but then what? Do I throw them away? Help! What do you do with your ARCs?

Book Review - The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

The Book of Unholy Mischief
Elle Newmark

Unlikely circumstances pull a homeless boy into a mystery he has no interest in. His focus lies in a safe place to sleep, a relatively full belly and a girl. But, this is the year 1498, Venice, Italy and Luciano does as his benefactor - chef to the doge - says. As apprentice to the chef, Luciano discovers there is more than delicious food cooking in the kitchen. The stories he overhears lead him to discover information about a secret book, a book that the doge wants for the magic it contains.

The Book of Unholy Mischief lushly describes Venice at the very beginning of the Renaissance period. The kitchen, the marketplace, the cut-throat politics at play, all are drawn with precise lines and vivid color. Luciano's life is not easy, but it's also never boring. The telling of his story is almost more interesting than the search for the book. Fans of cooking, historical fiction and love stories will enjoy Elle Newmark's The Book of Unholy Mischief.

A few words from Lev Grossman

I reviewed The Magicians by Lev Grossman a couple weeks ago. I was so impressed with the book that I fired off a few questions (via email) to Mr. Grossman. He was more than kind in taking the time to respond. Read below to find out a little more about Lev and The Magicians.






Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Lev Grossman. I’m 40. I live in Brooklyn. I have a daughter, Lily, who’s 5. By day I work as the book critic for Time magazine.

While reading The Magicians, I couldn't decide if you were paying homage to J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis or thumbing your nose while winking at them. Maybe a bit of both?
Both! Definitely both. That’s the great thing about novels, you don’t have to choose. I love Rowling and Lewis both, but it would be boring for everybody if I wrote just like them. (Which I couldn’t do anyway, if I tried.) So instead I wrote about some of the same things they did, but from a different place, with a different take.

How did The Magicians come to be?
Slowly. I’ve spent my whole life reading fantasy, which I suppose was a way of getting ready to write The Magicians. I took the first notes for it in 1996. I was inspired by Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea -- the chapters set at the magic school on Roke. Then I put it aside again. I wasn’t ready yet.

Then in 2004 a few different things happened. I read Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and my head pretty much exploded. Also I had a mid-life crisis (divorce, etc.) I had been planning to write a more conventional novel, but I threw it away. The fantasy part of me wouldn’t be quiet anymore. Fantasy was the only way I could think of to talk about what was going on with my real life.

Which authors have inspired you?
On the fantasy side: Lewis and Rowling, obviously, but also TH White, Fritz Leiber, and Larry Niven. And of course Susanna Clarke.

On the literary side: Evelyn Waugh (especially Brideshead Revisited), Donna Tartt (especially The Secret History), and Jonathan Franzen. While I was writing The Magicians I kept a copy of The Corrections on one side of my desk, and a copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on the other.

What are you reading right now?
I read for a living, so I’m always reading a bunch of different books at once. Right now I’m in the middle of Iain Banks’ Transition (which I’m loving), Nicholson Baker’s The Anthologist (which I wished I were loving but am not particularly yet) and E.L Doctorow’s Homer & Langley (too soon to tell). Also -- not for work, but when I can make time for it -- I’m reading I Remember the Future, a collection of stories by an old friend of mine, Michael Burstein (which I am loving).

Will you be traveling the country to talk about and sign copies of The Magicians?
Yes! New York, Boston, Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Maybe more places, if people want. Come see me! I am an enthusiastic but somewhat spazzy public speaker, and I wave my arms around too much. But I’m doing my best.

For more information about The Magicians and Lev Grossman, visit www.levgrossman.com

Book Incognito on Kindle

I came across this video showing how to keep people from seeing what unsavory titles might be lurking in your Kindle. Watch it, I'll wait.



Ok. Now, while that's a nifty trick, is it a necessity? I could maybe see being discreet if Hustler is one of your regular subscriptions, but feeling as if you must hide your beloved Harlequin romances... not such a big deal.

My biggest complaint about e-readers is not being able to hand off my newest favorite book to my friends. Well, I could, but then what am I going to read?

Are you ever embarrassed about the books you're reading?

Book Review - Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner and a giveaway!

Best Friends Forever
Jennifer Weiner
Atria
ISBN # 978-0743294294






Discover what happens when your best friend from high school shows up on your doorstep and says "You're my only hope. Help me."

Considering that Jennifer Weiner's book, Best Friends Forever just attained the coveted position of #1 on the NYT Bestseller list - Congratulations, Jennifer! - I'm sure she doesn't need more promotion... but, I wanted to talk about it anyway.

Best Friends Forever is about acceptance, forgiveness and love. High school can be like a haunted house for lots of kids. You never know if you're going to meet Casper the friendly ghost, or some entity that will suck your soul out through your nose. Teenagers are inherently insecure, always looking for a group to belong to, and always wary of betrayal. Jennifer's characters are no different.

What most of us come to realize as adults is we all do the best we can. Love (of self and others), acceptance and looking outside of ourselves brings perspective we don't possess as teenagers. I liked this book, and apparently many other people do, too.

Now, for the giveaway! I have 2 copies of Best Friends Forever to share. All you have to do is leave a comment, by midnight July 31st, and you will be entered. Giveaway only open to US locations. Was high school tough for you or the time of your life? Do you still know and talk to your BFF from back then? Have you come to understand why your friends were the way they were back then?

The drawing will be decidedly old fashioned. My 7 year old will draw two names from a hat - or a bucket, depending on how many entries there are. Good luck!

Book Review - The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

The Castaways
Elin Hilderbrand
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN # 978-0316043892

"Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed."

No matter how well you think you know your friends, never assume they've told you everything. Elin Hilderbrand might as well have written a case study of human psychology/sociology, although I must say, The Castaways held my attention far longer than a thesis would have.

The webs woven among the four couples (self named The Castaways) begin to unravel when Greg and Tess McAvoy die in a boating accident. The mess they leave behind changes the way their friends view each other and themselves. Hilderbrand is masterful in her approach, interspersing flashbacks and real time to show how the friendships begin, grow and are stretched to their limits.
(July 2009, pp 368, $24.99)




Enter to Win EXCLUSIVE ElinHilderbrand.net Tote Bag, plus a copy of THE CASTAWAYS, BAREFOOT, and A SUMMER AFFAIR

Book Review - Summertime by Lynn McMonigal

Summertime
Lynn McMonigal
CreateSpace
ISBN # 978-1442102538




“Entertainment journalist Laura Bell has been a single mother for her daughter's entire life. She has not even seen her daughter's father, Joey, a member of a once hugely popular boy band, in almost 10 years. When his band, Zero Gravity, plans a reunion tour, Laura is asked to cover the event. She is suddenly forced to confront her past. Can she build a life for her daughter, one that includes Joey, without compromising her new-found Christian faith? Or will she have to choose between God and Joey?”

Summertime is the first book I've read entirely in digital format. I've been dreading doing this because I usually read curled up in my comfy recliner, or in bed just before I go to sleep. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read Lynn's book this way.

Lynn has written a terrific feel good story. It touches on some difficult issues, but remains hopeful and highly entertaining. It's a smooth read, the pacing is good - the perfect book to slip into your beach bag!
(June 2009, pp 306, $15.00)

The Green Teen

Last week, I attended the online release party for The Green Teen by Jenn Savedge. It was held at The Green Teen's Facebook page. Just by contributing to the ongoing conversation there that day, I was entered to win some fabulous prizes. FANTASTIC marketing concept, not only for Jenn, but also for the companies donating the prizes.

The Green Teen website




I was lucky enough to win a t-shirt from revengeis.com. It's made from 50% cotton and 50% recycled bottles! I love how it fits and it's incredibly soft.

The release party was fun, and again, a brilliant way to promote a book.