Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Mary Ann Fraser - Illustration Tip of the Day

My good buddy, illustrator/author Mary Ann Fraser, is one busy and prolific girl, with over 60 books to her credit. I tracked down Mary Ann to give us an Illustration Tip of the Day.

June Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks

Here are my recently-read don't-miss-them favorites:

Novels:
Catherine Linka's debut YA novel A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS, is here--and, wow, it's a good one! What if women in the United States were suddenly denied the right to handle their own finances, drive without a male escort, or even go to college, all in the name of keeping them safe? Sixteen-year-old Avie Reveare learns she has been Signed to Jessop Hawkins, a businessman more than twice her age. Beginning with dress fittings and verification of virgin status, Avie is warned that marriage requirements will escalate to include satisfying her husband's needs at any time and having as many babies as he wants. Aided by longtime best friend and cute guy Yates, she plans her escape to Canada. But it's not long before Avie realizes her real responsibilities may lie in bringing down the entire system. Escalating suspense, added onto the already intense premise, make this novel unforgettable.

Another satisfying read is TIN STAR, by Cecil Castellucci, an enjoyable YA space adventure with a Casablanca-like feel to it. Tula Bane is on her way to help establish a colony on the planet Beta Granade, until her spaceship unexpectedly malfunctions. When the ship stops at a remote space station, she is beaten and left for dead. Stuck in a place that no one came to "unless they were lost or in trouble," Tula learns to wheel and deal with the resident aliens to survive. She also dreams of getting off the space station so she can take revenge on Brother Blue, the man who tried to kill her. However, Brother Blue also happens to be the powerful leader in charge of Earth's attempts to colonize the galaxy. When three more humans arrive on the station and find themselves stuck, too, things begin to heat up. This is fun, accessible science fiction that will keep readers guessing.

John Green - Blast from the Past Interview

(With the release of John's first movie,THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, I thought I'd rerun this interview.)

Printz Award Winner, John  Green. 

When and why did you start writing for children?

I didn't start writing for teens until I was about a year out of college and living in Chicago. I was working at the book review journal "Booklist," and I was reading a lot of YA novels.

Most Popular Post 09 - Lisa Yee - Writing Tip of the Day

I have known Lisa Yee for many years.  Kind, fun, and always smiling, my fellow blogger Lisa is also a great speaker who keeps her audiences rolling in the aisle.  It is great to have my buddy Lisa Yee give us a "Writing Tip of the Day."

Lisa says:

I meet a lot of writers who say, "I want to be a bestselling author." Um, that's a lot of pressure for anyone--published or unpublished.

 

Book Promotion: Show Genuine Interest in People - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tip # 13: Volunteer to read your book and talk about writing at your local library or writers' organization or a local non-profit that serves children and families. Your interest in writing, kids and families makes you more than a salesperson for your book—it makes you a salesperson for literacy, creativity and fun!

Picture: Sharing the platform at a local writers' organization with children's book authors Lois Harris, center, and Amber Keyser, right.

Going hand in hand with volunteering is my final promotional tip. Book Promotion Tip #15: Show genuine interest in people. Listen to their stories. Accept their invitations to lunch. Share your journey. Acknowledge theirs. Make new friends. Your friends will be your biggest promoters!

Doll Bones--Lynn Becker's Book Picks

June's Book Pick is the middle grade, Newbery Honor-winning DOLL BONES, by a master of the fantasy genre, Holly Black.

Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends for a long time. They play a complex, ongoing game with dolls and action figures, making up elaborate stories for their beloved characters. Among others, there are pirate William the Blade, adventurer Lady Jaye, mermaids, and the Great Queen, a bone china doll who sits alone in a glass display case at Poppy's house.

When Zach, Poppy, and Alice reach middle school, Zach's father, who thinks it's time for Zach to give up this baby stuff, throws out William the Blade and Zach's other characters. Zach is so upset, he shuts down the game without explaining why. But when Poppy says that the Queen is really the ghost of a young girl who wants a proper burial, all three are pulled into a very strange quest.

Grounded in a very realistic world, Doll Bones walks a fine line between the healthy skepticism that most middle grade readers will feel about the ghost stuff, and the growing creepiness of the plot. Zach muses about how he'd like the world to have magic in it, even if it's only the bad kind. And even Alice, who fights agains believing, thinks it's better to go ahead and get the doll buried, just in case, Like the main characters, readers will be won over, though no one can ever be entirely sure what to believe.

I love how the expressive and eerie illustrations by Eliza Wheeler add to the overall spooky atmosphere. I also love how these are real kids--they are not "perfect" characters who do what's expected of them. Rather, they rebel, run away, and that's just the beginning. But Black let's them show us why we should root for them, and how they are growing up with integrity.

I have said that no one can ever be entirely sure what to believe--would you rather Black had either let us (and probably her characters) be sure the ghost didn't exist, or encouraged us to believe more fully in it?

--Lynn

Book Promotion: Book a Partner - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tips #12 and #14. Partner with local businesses that sell products or offer services related to your book. If you are allowed to promote but not sell your book on their premises, create and sign bookplates to personalize and hand out as an incentive for future purchase.

Two of my most successful book events in the last few months didn't happen at a bookstore, though I did partner with local booksellers to make them happen. One took place at a movie theater and the other at a cupcake store, and in one of those places no money even exchanged hands--yet I count it as wildly successful.