Road Trip Wednesday/Debut Author Challenge

Today I'm hitting two posts with one stone:

YA Highway's Road Trip's topic, My Best Read/Listen of August, is also my number four Debut Author Challenge read/listen.

Don't get put off by the predominant nostrils on the cover...GILT is an amazing book.

Okay, I love historical, so I might be a bit biased.

It's the story of, Kitty, the best childhood friend of Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII's fifth wife.

From men in the maiden's chamber to royal court intrigue, betrayal and the bounds of friendship, this book has it all...with some love thrown in there too.

The content may be PG13 in detail, but it does deal with a lot of adult issues like marriage and such that are usually out of the YA realm.


Well done, Katherine Longshore. I look forward to reading more!


What about You? Read this yet? Any other debuts to recommend? What was your favorite August read?

Non-Fiction- History of Mysteries

Audio college courses? It is possible with The Modern Scholar series.

I'm in the middle of this one right now...good research for my mystery writing...but I've also listened to a few others like Evolutionary Psychology and The Dead Sea Scrolls.

They're done lecture style, so they have a different feel than non-fiction written book style. More casual, maybe. More segmented. Less narrative in feel.

But they're still worth looking into for writing research or just for fun.


HERE is a Goodreads search, if you want to check out the possibilities, or just do a keyword search at your library site.

What about you? Read/heard any good non-fiction lately? 

A Love List- In Retrospect

This Week's Topic is: Inspired by Stephanie Perkins' post on Natalie Whipple's blog, what is your novel's "Love List"?

I love this idea of using a a Love List for brainstorming a new book.

I'm going to attempt a retrospective inspirational love list for my CHEATER BEATERS, even though I wrote the original version many years ago.

For me, love started with the characters. And, like most stories, real and imagined, it started with a guy:


A playboy, honest but unwilling to commit


Who is the perfect girl for him (or, the one who will give me the best story)?


A girl who's been cheated on by all her boyfriends


Driver's Ed
Troubled past
Move from mom to dad
City boy/New country life
Cornhole
Half brothers 
Swimmer
Solid, book smart best friend
School? Who cares
Hiatus from guys
Country music fan
Younger brothers
Parents in love
Bruised Banana
Gross-out Dairy Queen Blizzards
Covered bridge
Wigs
Spy Gear
Revenge
Break from the usual


That's it. Easy to do after the book is written. More useful to do beforehand:)


What about you? Have you tried this before?

Want to win an ARC? Check below. Contest still open.

How Many Have You Read/Heard Contest (My July Listens)

Like last month, I have a lot of great ARCs to give away but not so many YA books that I listened to in July...So, the same rules apply:

-ANYONE can enter this contest. Just comment below.
-You will get BONUS ENTRIES for every one of my June listens you've already read/heard.

Here are all the ARCs I'm giving away:

Here are my July listens:

Bullying, the lighter, young YA, philisophical version.

Bullying, the heavier, older YA, more intense version.

I thought the last book in this series was the last one...I'm glad it wasn't.

More Sarah...about a girl moving aroud, creating fake identities to avoid her real, new life.

My surprise favorite last month...about a girl who who forgets her past and remembers her future. Cool premise, even better story.









What about you?

Want one of those ARCs? Just Comment below.

And get bonus entries by telling me which of my July listens you've read or heard. 

Road Trip Return

I'm back after a month off...rejuvenated from visiting family in Indiana:) but still not completely done revising my book:( 

There are still a few weeks left of school-free summer for us...unlike my nieces and nephews in Indiana who are back, back soon, or have switched to year-round school:(

Hope everyone is still enjoying the summer too, and I look forward to catching up.

This Week's Topic is: In honor of the end of the Olympics, share your favorite sports book!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not a huge sports fan...content to catch half a volleyball game and hear the highlights of the Olympics on the news.

 

 

 

 

But even I can appreciate a good underdog story...one with a hodge-podge group of teammates who learn to work as a team and understand each other better in the end.

That's why my pick is: Whale Talk, by Cris Crutcher

What about you? Read this one? Enjoy the Olympics? What are your favorite sports books or movies?