Road Trip Wednesday

This week's YA Highway Road Trip topic:
                                 Who (from real life) have you written into a book?

All of my books have at least one character who is (more or less) based on a real live person. I say, "more or less" because they are still highly fictionalized and rarely have their real life appearance or plot things that really happened to them.

My first book has the most. They were a crutch to help
me with characterization. Now I do it more for
sentimental reasons...wanting to have people, and
sometimes settings, that/who've
meant a lot to me represented in my books.



Writing a real person sort of reminds me of an impressionist painting. You're not aiming for a replication of reality but a reflection of it based on feelings that is somehow even more real than a carbon copy would be. It's a way to capture that "magic" element of characterization by using your impression of and feelings for a real live person.

It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.
(Vincent Van Gogh)

What about you? Any people from your life in your books?

Debut Authors Challenge #2

I haven't read too many angel books, but so far this is my favorite. Clara is a part angel who has visions that reveal her purpose here on Earth. There are two love interests (of course), a dark angel, a mom who keeps secrets, and a new-found fellow angel friend. And the Wyoming setting is a character all its own. Good stuff. I found myself not wanting to stop listening.

This audiobook, being new and a debut, may not be in your library for a while, but it is available now through Audible.

If you like this, you might also like these series:

Favorite Picture Book Blogfest

 

Today, I'm going to rewind my book love a few years...In college, I read literature by night and picture books by day (I worked at a child care center), so when I saw this blogfest, hosted by The Write At Home Mom, I couldn't resist.

And, of course, I can't pick just one.

First, the best all-time classic to read to reluctant/fidgety little listeners:

(You pretend you can't turn the pages, and they have to "help.")

And almost anything by Audrey and/or Don Wood will also work:

     

This one I've read so many times I could recite it in my sleep:
 

The beautiful art of Denise Flemming

A teddy bear story has never been so clever: 

And Pigs have never been so funny:  

Finally, my favorite for parents to read to their kids:  

 Wow. That was fun. Thanks for that walk down memory lane.

What about you? Any picture books to recommend?

Road Trip Wednesday- I Just Gotta Be Me

This week's YA Highway Road Trip: In honor of the release of Kirsten Hubbard's Like Mandarin ~ 

Growing up, who did you want to be like?

At the risk of sounding like an unrealistically functional child/teen, I never wanted to be like anyone but me. A skinnier me, no doubt, but me.  Sure, I tried out (repeatedly) for cheerleading in middle school, but that was more about hoping to get a boyfriend than anything else. I didn't want to be like any of my friends who were cheerleaders and/or had boyfriends. I just wanted to cheer and have a boyfriend of my own. I suppose that's a very fine line there, but I don't remember crossing it.

In high school, I finally got those boyfriends of my own. I also sang and did theatre. And while I admired other singers and actors (famous ones and my peers), I didn't want to be like them. I wanted to improve my own voice and acting. A clearer line this time, and I still didn't cross it. 

I suppose I have my very accepting and supportive parents to thank for this solid sense of self. So, as a grown up, I would like to be like someone else...like them as a parent.

What about you? Who did you want to be like growing up?

My March Giveaway with Talli Roland's Launch Week

For my March giveaway, I'm Joining Talli Roland's launch party for her book, THE HATING GAME.


To celebrate, she's giving away tons of great books.

I'll be adding BRILLIANT, by Rachel Vail to that list.



So go check it out!

BTW, anyone interested in seeing more query crit giveaways from me, check back in April, around day Q, as I'm doing the A to Z blogging event next month.