First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Not a Drop to Drink

by Mindy McGinnis

dave20 51S9Am-7QNLThis past Friday, January 3, 2014, Marcy and I posted our answers to Mindy’s fantastic debut novel, Not a Drop to Drink. Today, you get to read Mindy’s favorite’s. She’s obviously given a lot of thought to her answers, which isn’t surprising since the novel addresses so manythought-provoking topics. We hope you enjoy reading Mindy’s answers as much we enjoyed reading the novel.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth?

This might be too obvious but my favorite line is the first one — Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond. If you’ve already read the book, I recommend comparing the first and last lines to get a complete picture of how much Lynn changes over the course of the novel.

 

2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?

Chapter endings are always tough. You want them to close out the chapter solidly, lead into the next one, and resonate enough to keep the reader plowing on to the next one. With that in mind, I think my favorite ending line would be from Chapter 11, with Lucy speaking to the wandering homeless man: “Good luck, Mister,” she said, her words filled with the hope of a child. I think it’s interesting to consider the sacrifices Lynn makes so that Lucy can continue to have a childhood, something Lynn herself was stripped of.

3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?

 Stebbs. Easily. He took over the second he showed up in any scene. I didn’t write Stebbs. He just happened.

4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?

That’s tough because in general I don’t like a lot of description. I want my reader to see things their own way. However, it was important to me to set up Lucy as a child in desperate need of help, and so I think the scene when she’s first on the page is a good place to break my own rules and allow description: She was filthy, her face streaked with grime except for two clean rivulets streaking from her mouth where she’d drank from the stream. Her tattered shoes sucked at the mud as she tried to lure the squirrel closer. The sharp corner of her elbow poked through the worn crease of her sleeve.

 5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?

Easily when Lynn, who has no sense of humor, is accidentally hilarious when telling Eli she’s not taking a chance on walking across the country in the hopes of finding a working desal plant. I’d rather shoot people in Ohio than walk to California.

Congratulations to Mindy on her first YA novel, Not a Drop to Drink. Mindy has recently signed a two-book contract with Katherine Tegen Books of Harper Collins for untitled YA novels to be published in 2015 and 2016. We can’t wait to read them!

To read more about Mindy McGinnis’ debut YA novel Not a Drop to Drink please go to:

Website:  http://www.mindymcginnis.com/

Blog:  http://writerwriterpantsonfire.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindyMcGinnisAuthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MindyMcGinnis

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Not-Drop-Drink-Mindy-McGinnis/dp/0062198505

Good Reads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13112869-not-a-drop-to-drink

First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day

by Dave Amaditz and
Marcy Collier

51S9Am-7QNL

One year of First Friday reviews is now in the books. A great big thank you to all of the fabulous debut authors who have agreed to participate. Marcy and I are looking for many more reviews to follow.

Welcome to January’s version of – First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask five simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone reading this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves, and/or give them at a glance some insight into the author’s writing style and voice as well as how some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first, answers to our Five Favorite Things, followed by the author’s answers in a follow-up post.
This month we’re pleased to highlight debut YA novelist, Mindy McGinnis and her novel, Not a Drop to Drink.  I couldn’t put this one down, and when I was called away, the story stayed with me until I was able to once again stick my nose back in the book. We hope you enjoy our answers and encourage you to buy the book.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth?

 Dave

– In order to be able to better grasp of the feelings and emotions of Lynn, the main character, who lives in a time when water is scarce and humans must take extreme measures to protect what is theirs, I chose to highlight two particular sections of the novel, one in the beginning and one in the end.

Lynn pulled her own rifle into her lap, the cold metal bringing more comfort to her than Mother’s touch ever could. Her finger curled around the trigger, hugging it tight in the life-taking embrace that she’d learned so long ago. She slipped onto her belly beside Mother, watching the sunlight bounce off the twin barrels of their rifles. Waiting was always the worst part, the crack of the rifle a relief.

(This next section came from later on in the novel and shows a contrast in Lynn’s thinking… The fact that she would even remotely consider assisting a stranger.)

Self-reliance had been Mother’s mantra. Nothing was more important than themselves and their belongings. Allowing Lucy into their home had gone against everything she’d learned, but leaving the little girl to die beside the stream went against something that was simply known and had never been taught. She’d shared the thought with Stebbs after they worked on Lucy’s feet. He told her it was her conscience, guiding her to the right decision.

Marcy – Lynn has been taught by her Mother that survival is the most important part of their life. Survival skills have been a part of Lynn’s life for as long as she can remember. If someone comes on her and Mother’s property to take their water, they would shoot to kill. Now Lynn is rethinking how she reacts to trespassers. In this paragraph, Lynn reflects on a boy that she killed because he walked on her property and compares this to another man who came on the property, but she decides to spare his life. This demonstrates how her character is growing and evolving.

She could see what Mother had meant about the dead boy whose boots she’d taken. Even starving, Eli had a sparkle of youth about him, though he lacked the paunchy cheeks of the boy she’d shot. Lynn balanced the two faces in her mind, trying to tack down what exactly made them so different. In the end, she decided Eli was just easier to look at. For the first time since her death, Lynn dreamt of a face other than Mothers.

2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?

Dave – For me, this was easy. Lynn had resisted for so long getting close to someone. She’d resisted dropping her guard for fear someone would take over what was rightly hers. And now, when she finally allows that to happen, one of her worst fears results.

Her heart was beating so hard, she almost didn’t hear the footsteps on the roof. Lynn instinctively dropped down, hand clutched protectively around the thermometer. For a moment there was nothing, only the sound of her own blood pumping through her veins. Then she heard it again.

Someone was on her roof.

Marcy – You know I usually go for the chapter ending that is the cliffhanger – like Dave’s above, but this time, I’m picking a chapter ending that captures the innocence of a child. Young Lucy, a child Lynn has taken in, talks Lynn out of shooting a man because he has come on to the property. Lynn has a conversation with the man and ends up helping him. This last line fosters hope.

Lucy tilted her head against the window to watch the stranger go, her breath making a fog against the cold glass, until they could see him no more.

“Good luck, mister,” she said, her words filled with the hope of a child.”

3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?

Dave – Stebbs is my favorite secondary character. He possesses the knowledge of what life was like before hard times hit. Because of that, I believe he’s able to convey to Lynn a sense of humanity that was needed, is needed, to survive.

Stebbs gave Lynn a hard look. “I know you’re just saying what you think your mother would’ve wanted. Seems to me you’re starting to grow a heart on your own, but every now and then you think of her and it kills it dead like the frost to a seedling. You weren’t taught any different, but it used to be that people helped each other.”

“Used to be a lot of things different.”

“But people are still the same,” Stebbs said, and edge on his voice that usually wasn’t there. “And all everyone is trying to do is survive.”

Marcy –  Stebbs is my favorite character. His quiet, gentle soul helps guide Lynn with choices. Besides helping her survive, he teaches her a great deal about life and people.

Dave and I think so much alike. I had also picked the paragraph above, but will choose two different ones instead.

“So I guess I’ll go ahead and tell you – don’t be making the same mistakes she did. Or hell, the ones I did either. Don’t be afraid to care for that little one, and don’t be too proud to let that boy know what you feel. Otherwise you might end up with neither of ‘em.”

“I’m asking you to be more than she was. Be strong, and be good. Be loved, and be thankful for it. No regrets.”

4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description? 

Dave – I chose this particular section from early on in the novel. I think it gives such insight into how Lynn thought, how she was taught to think by her mother, how she felt she needed to think in order to survive.

Twilight had fallen by the time Lynn had made a binding for her ankle out of Mother’s shirt. She felt like a vulture as she stripped Mother’s body of anything useful – knife, matches, even the hair tie she been using. Nothing should be wasted. Scavenging from bodies was nothing new to Lynn, but taking Mother’s shirt from her as a cold sleet began brought her to her knees. She cried in long, gasping breaths that ripped through her body. Her knees slipped in the blood-soaked mud, and she fell face forward into the muck, where she saw her rifle. 

She crawled toward it, wiping it as clean as she could on her shirt…

Marcy – This paragraph gives the reader a deep look inside the main character’s head in the beginning of the story. And for me this line really shows the stark contrast of Lynn’s mindset in the beginning of the novel and then how her character grows and develops as we get deeper into the novel. And now as I’m reading through the post, I see Dave picked this same paragraph for his answer above.

Lynn pulled her own rifle into her lap, the cold metal bringing more comfort to her than Mother’s touch ever could. Her finger curled around the trigger, hugging it tight in the life-taking embrace that she’d learned so long ago. She slipped onto her belly beside Mother, watching the sunlight bounce off the twin barrels of their rifles. Waiting was always the worst part, the crack of the rifle a relief.

5) What is your favorite line of dialogue? 

Dave –  I picked this line because it comes at a time when Lynn, who is just learning how to trust people, tries to teach a basic lesson of how to survive living in the country to someone she has just met.

“It’s not like the city out here,” Lynn said. “You’re better off to distrust everyone at first and make them earn it.”

“Then it’s exactly like the city.”

Marcy–  I thought this line was so sweet. Eli is so patient with Lynn. She hasn’t been around people and doesn’t really quite understand how human nature works. Eli asks permission for a kiss. Lynn leans forward and pecks him on the cheek, which was her Mother’s ultimate show of affection. Here is Eli’s response.

“I’m not going to kiss you like your mother. C’mere.”

To read more about Mindy McGinnis’ debut YA novel Not a Drop to Drink please go to:

First Friday-Five Favorite Things: Escape Theory

by Margaux Froley

This past Friday, December 6, Marcy and I posted our answers to Margaux’s debut novel, Escape Theory. Today, you get to read Margaux’s favorite’s. It’s always so much fun to read the author’s answers compared to ours.

Thanks for giving our readers such in depth answers, Margaux. We hope our readers enjoy your characters as much as we did.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth?


There’s a few moments where I love Devon in her most Devonish ways. One of the moments that surprised me, that I didn’t plan out, but rather, Devon led the way on was in the last few paragraphs of Chapter 2. Devon is trying to be her helpful self and help Isla out by grabbing some clothes from her dorm room. Instead, she gets a little snoopy in Isla’s room, and even tries on a necklace Hutch gave Isla. 


“Even though it was wrong, even though this wasn’t hers, Devon unwrapped the necklace. She stood in front of Isla’s mirror and hung it around her neck. ….’Love, H,’ Devon said to herself. ” 

It’s kind of a creepy side to Devon, but it made me see the darker side of her that gave her another dimension for me. I mean, deep down even though Devon is doing the right thing, she’s a girl who’s kind of obsessed with a guy. And not everyone can be perfect all the time.

2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?


Probably the end of Chapter 5:

“The Oxy must have been crushed up before he took it. The only reason someone does that is if they plan on never waking up.”
Raven sniffed and stopped crying. She glanced up at her brother.

“Or, if they don’t know they were taking it,” Devon said.

For me this is where the real mystery begins. It’s now no longer a pondering idea of what was Hutch thinking when he died, but this moment really sets Devon, along with Bodhi and Raven, into solving WHO did this to Hutch.

3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?


Can I say Hutch for this answer? I know the book is about solving his murder, but he’s only alive in such short bursts throughout the book. Hutch is the ultimate charmer, but Devon gets a glimpse of some of his awkwardness as well. I find that so endearing.

But my second favorite secondary character is definitely Cleo, or Raven. I can’t decide! Both of them remind me of my girlfriends from boarding school. Not afraid to go against the grain, super smart, but also very aware of what was expected of them from their parents, the school. I feel like they’re both pretty tough chicks that do things their way, which I’m always a fan of. Plus, I love Cleo’s unabashed bitchiness, and Raven’s tech prowess.

4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?


There’s a line in Chapter 1 that made me feel like I was a real writer. One of those moments where you re-read what you wrote and go, “hey, that doesn’t suck!” Early on in writing the book, small moments like that meant a lot and helped me find my footing in terms of my fiction voice and style. 

It’s how I describe the time jump from when we first meet Devon during her freshman year, to present tense Devon, in her junior year.

“It was as if someone had thrown her chipper freshman RA, June, the month, into a washing machine – and Devon was what came out, her smile left behind long ago in the spin cycle.”

And to me, it perfectly sets up how two years at boarding school would wear a person down. Not in a horrible way, just in a, ‘I live above my classrooms and could care less about putting on make-up’ kind of way.

5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?


That’s a tough one. I love writing dialogue. That’s why I also write TV scripts. So, I had a lot of fun writing the therapy sessions in the book, that are just two people talking, yet through the course of that conversation, an emotional shift happens. Or, at least it should if I did it right.
But, my favorite conversation might have been the last one between Devon and Hutch. 


She says, “Did you grow up in a juke box or something?”

Hutch ; “Love songs sound better on vinyl.”

Devon: “Is that a thing?”

H: “Yeah, it’s a thing.”
For me that moment is when they’re really cementing the bond between them.

And then of course, I always cry, seriously, tears well up every time I read it when they finish their night together and Devon says, “Good night, Hutch.” 


My eyes are watering right now, and I wrote the damn line! It’s just so sad because from her POV, that was the end of their magical moment. And in present tense, she has to finally say goodbye to him as well. It’s very bittersweet since we know Hutch dies two years later, but Freshman Devon and Freshman Hutch in that moment have no idea what their future holds. 


Congratulations to Margaux on Escape Theory. We can’t wait to read more Keaton School Novels!

To find out more about Margaux, check out the following links:

First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day

by Dave Amaditz and

Marcy Collier

Welcome to December’s version of – First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask five simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone reading this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves, and/or give them at a glance some insight into the author’s writing style and voice as well as how some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first, answers to our Five Favorite Things, followed by the author’s answers in a follow-up post.


This month we’re pleased to highlight debut YA novelist, Margaux Froley and her novel, Escape Theory.  This page turner will keep you up at night. We hope you enjoy our answers and encourage you to buy the book.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth?


Dave – In this particular section, we’re at the point of the story where Devon, the main character, begins to feel comfortable with what she is doing as a student-counselor. In turn, some of the students begin to respect her, which ultimately leads to her beginning to respect herself.


I think he respects me.


Could that be right? The thought was unfamiliar, like trying a new language. Devon was used to being out of the loop, on the fringe of everything. It was almost comforting to know that her place would always be as an observer, not be observed. But now something had shifted. Matt wasn’t looking for her to simply reflect his personality back to him. He cared what she thought. For the first time, she mattered.


Marcy – For me, this is the point where Devon has finally admitted to herself what she needs to do. Her roommate finds some stuff in her drawer and turns her in out of concern. Devon finally admits to herself that she will prove the truth to everyone at Keaton and responds this way to her friend:  


Devon shifted her weight on her plastic cleats. “Yeah, well, I care, too. Still do.” She ran off toward the field. Maybe she was a nightmare to deal with right now. But she had her reasons. And she would prove them to Keaton.

2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?


Dave – I cannot say that Marcy’s pick didn’t have me turning the page quickly to see what happened next, but I chose this cliffhanger from earlier in the story.


“He confirmed it was Oxy in Hutch’s system. A lot of it. But he said the weird thing was, usually with overdoses you find a few pills undigested in the stomach. Not with Hutch. The Oxy must have been crushed up before he took it. The only reason someone does that is if they plan on never waking up.”


Raven sniffed and stopped crying. She glanced up at her brother.


“Or, if they don’t know they were taking it,” Devon said.


Marcy – I can’t say why this is an awesome cliffhanger without giving away the story. All I’ll say is that an unexpected girl is getting out of Hutch’s brother’s car and Devon witnesses it.


She locked eyes with Eric Hutchins.


3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?


Dave – Hutch, is definitely my favorite secondary character. His relationship with Devon is open and honest. I believe this quote will give some insight into that attitude.


“… Would have liked a choice in the matter,” he finished for her. “I get it. The freaky thing is that our parents were easier than this place. Every minute here is accounted for, regimented. It’s like the creepy ooze that just gets in everywhere, and eventually takes over your life. I hate it. I’d take public school, or even just being a day student any day. When you live here you can’t escape it.”


Marcy –  Even though Devon’s the main character, the story revolves around Hutch. I enjoyed the depth of many of the secondary characters, but his wit and humor outshined the others. In this paragraph, we get deep inside Hutch’s head as he talks about his older brother, Eric.


Hutch chuckled. “That’s my brother, Eric. Everything fazes him. He got the burden of being older and worried about what everyone thinks of him, especially our dad. That’s just not me. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I refuse to bend over backward for everyone else until I’m broken like he is. I’m broken in my own way, I guess.”


Then there’s another line when Hutch talks to Devon from his heart:


“I have a feeling you’re the only good thing about this whole place.”


Devon laughed off the compliment. “We just got here.”


“But what if I’m right? What if tonight is the best it will get around here for the next four years and everything is just downhill.”


“If getting locked in the kitchen together is the best it gets, that doesn’t bode well for the next four years.”


4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?


Dave – There were quite a few I wanted to choose, all of which gave great insight into a particular character or a great visual image, but this particular section let me in on the mindset of the characters, the whole town, the setting in which the novel was placed.


The Town of Monte Vista was full of secrets that only Keaton students found valuable. The Monte Vista Deli would sell cigarettes without carding for one. The grocery store always carded, but the gas station would sell liquor to the fakest of IDs. Presley had once used her gym membership card from home to buy vodka, and the clerk never questioned it. They knew that as long as the cameras caught them showing something to the clerk, no one would get in trouble. Devon figured it was because Keaton students lived by so many rules on campus, rules in real life were just another set of boundaries to be pushed and worked around. Working around rules was the true cornerstone of the Keaton education, the one no one ever discussed.


Marcy – Can you tell by now that my favorite secondary character really is Hutch? It seems like all of my top picks are his lines. He’s definitely stealing the show for me in this novel during this conversation with Devon.


“Do you ever have those moments where you feel like you’re in the middle of making a really good memory? One that you’re going to remember when you get old? I think we just lived one of those moments.”


You really think when you’re like fifty and have a wife and two kids and the house and fancy career, you’ll really remember this one little night?”


He didn’t so much as blink. “I’m going to remember this night until I die. Maybe even after that.”


5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?


Dave –  This novel contained so many great lines of dialogue. All of the conversations flow quite naturally. This particular line comes from Devon’s friend, Presley, who is always telling it like it is.


“Devon, I’m saying this because I love you, because you’re my best friend, and you don’t talk to a ton of other people. So someone has to say it. You have got to get over this Hutch thing. No, I never slept with Hutch. Never even kissed the guy. Thought about it, yes. Did anything about it, no. But you? You’re obsessing. It’s annoying. But more than that, it’s disturbing. Go find Grant. Go make out with that hot boy and forget about the dead one. You hear me? This is for your own good.”


Marcy–  Hutch doesn’t hold back his thoughts. Hutch and Devon are in the unlocked school kitchen after hours. He makes this astute comment to Devon.


“A place that bases everything on an honor system leaves a lot of room for stupidity,” Hutch said.


Dave Amaditz December 6, 2013 3 Comments Permalink

Ten For Tuesday—Historical Fiction

This is reblogged from Rt. 19 Writers…

In case you’ve been too busy with life, as most of us are, you may not have noticed that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Today is the anniversary of President Lincoln’s famed Gettysburg address, which is being celebrated along with many other events at the Gettysburg National Museum and historic site. Check out this site for a complete listing of all events. http://www.gettysburgfoundation.org/176
In order to call attention to this historical event, I picked 10 of my favorite historical novels. Because most of us write kid-lit at Route 19 Writers, I chose mainly young adult and middle grade novels, however, I picked a few adult novels because they are some of my all-time favorite books; ironic in a sense because I read the adult novels as a teen and the other novels as an adult.
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy – This story traces the life of Sylvia Perlmutter, one of the few children to survive the ghettos of World War II, Poland. She’s forced by the Germans to wear a yellow star on her clothes to signify her status and to endure the humiliation that comes with it. In the end, however, it’s the same yellow star that is her salvation.

Misha (Milkweed)

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli – Set in the streets of World War II war-torn Poland, this story is told through the eyes of an orphan boy, Misha Pilsudski. He’s called Gypsy. Jew. Stopthief – and admires
the Jackboots who have given him those names – until he realizes the Jackboots are not taking the Jews on the trains away to a better life.

The Kite Runner (10th Anniversary)

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – This gives a close-up look at life in war-torn Afghanistan. It explores friendship, class
struggle and betrayal. Written so beautifully, I had to often check to make sure it was a work of fiction.

 

Tamar-MalPeet.jpg
Tamar by Mal Peet – this tells the little-known story of the underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Holland when
a girl, Tamar, living in present-day England, inherits a box from her grandfather containing a series of clues and encoded messages. Her grandfather had never talked about the war, and it reminded me how many unsung heroes did their part to preserve life the way we know it, yet never asked for any credit.
A Single Shard
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park – set in 12th century Korea, the story is about 13-year-old orphan, Tree-ear, who desires to learn the craft of making celadon pottery from best potter in Korea. Along the way, he learns much more valuable lessons then began the craft itself.
The Master Puppeteer By Katherine Paterson Illustrated by Haru Wells

The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson -set in feudal Japan, Jiro becomes an apprentice at one of Japan’s most famous puppet theaters amidst riots by angry mobs of Japan’s starving citizens. He learns responsibilities greater than his craft and stumbles upon a secret that nearly gets him killed.

Between Shades of Gray Book
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – this tells the
story of a 15-year-old Lithuanian girl, Lina, who is forced by the Soviets into a Siberian work camp. She is separated from her father and forced to endure unimaginable hardships, using her love of art as a way to embed clues as to where she can be found.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak – what would you
do for a book. For a story? In 1939 Nazi Germany,
Liesel Meminger steals
books, but they become much more to her than simple stories. They become a lifeline, a way for her and her neighbors to survive the war’s bombings.

 

The First Hundred Years of Nino Cochise; The Untold Story of an Apache Indian Chief, by A Kinney Griffith – although there is some controversy surrounding the authenticity of the character interviewed for this story, this was one of my favorite books as a teen, which
I read at least twice. There was plenty of action to keep me, an energetic teen, riveted.

 

My adult
picks – read when I was a teen.

 

Shogun.jpgShogun, by James Clavell – An amazing look at feudal Japan through the eyes of a shipwrecked, English explorer. He comes to learn the Japanese culture, falls in love with a Japanese maiden, yet still dreams of returning home.

The Frontiersman, by Allan W Eckert – a great look
at the early history of the United States in what was then the Far West (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan) through the eyes of a frontiersman by the name of Simon Kenton. It explores his hardships, and his role in opening the Northwest Territory  to vast numbers of English settlers which ultimately led to a clash between two cultures; the white settlers and the native Americans whose lands were encroached upon.

 

I’d like to hear some of your favorites: picture book, middle grade, young adult or adult, and even an adult selection if you wish.

Ten for Tuesday – Historical Fiction

In case you’ve been too busy with life, as most of us are, you may not have noticed that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Today is the anniversary of President Lincoln’s famed Gettysburg address, which is being celebrated along with many other events at the Gettysburg National Museum and historic site. Check out this site for a complete listing of all events. http://www.gettysburgfoundation.org/176
In order to call attention to this historical event, I picked 10 of my favorite historical novels. Because most of us write kid-lit at Route 19 Writers, I chose mainly young adult and middle grade novels, however, I picked a few adult novels because they are some of my all-time favorite books; ironic in a sense because I read the adult novels as a teen and the other novels as an adult.


Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy – This story traces the life of Sylvia Perlmutter, one of the few children to survive the ghettos of World War II, Poland. She’s forced by the Germans to wear a yellow star on her clothes to signify her status and to endure the humiliation that comes with it. In the end, however, it’s the same yellow star that is her salvation.

Misha (Milkweed)
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli – Set in the streets of World War II war-torn Poland, this story is told through the eyes of an orphan boy, Misha Pilsudski. He’s called Gypsy. Jew. Stopthief – and admires the Jackboots who have given him those names – until he realizes the Jackboots are not taking the Jews on the trains away to a better life.

The Kite Runner (10th Anniversary)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – This gives a close-up look at life in war-torn Afghanistan. It explores friendship, class struggle and betrayal. Written so beautifully, I had to often check to make sure it was a work of fiction.

Tamar-MalPeet.jpg
Tamar by Mal Peet – this tells the little-known story of the underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Holland when a girl, Tamar, living in present-day England, inherits a box from her grandfather containing a series of clues and encoded messages. Her grandfather had never talked about the war, and it reminded me how many unsung heroes did their part to preserve life the way we know it, yet never asked for any credit.

A Single Shard
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park – set in 12th century Korea, the story is about 13-year-old orphan, Tree-ear, who desires to learn the craft of making celadon pottery from best potter in Korea. Along the way, he learns much more valuable lessons then began the craft itself.
The Master Puppeteer By Katherine Paterson Illustrated by Haru Wells
The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson -set in feudal Japan, Jiro becomes an apprentice at one of Japan’s most famous puppet theaters amidst riots by angry mobs of Japan’s starving citizens. He learns responsibilities greater than his craft and stumbles upon a secret that nearly gets him killed.
Between Shades of Gray Book
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – this tells the story of a 15-year-old Lithuanian girl, Lina, who is forced by the Soviets into a Siberian work camp. She is separated from her father and forced to endure unimaginable hardships, using her love of art as a way to embed clues as to where she can be found.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak – what would you do for a book. For a story? In 1939 Nazi Germany,
Liesel Meminger steals books, but they become much more to her than simple stories. They become a lifeline, a way for her and her neighbors to survive the war’s bombings.

The First Hundred Years of Nino Cochise; The Untold Story of an Apache Indian Chief, by A Kinney Griffith – although there is some controversy surrounding the authenticity of the character interviewed for this story, this was one of my favorite books as a teen, which I read at least twice. There was plenty of action to keep me, an energetic teen, riveted.
My adult picks – read when I was a teen.
Shogun.jpg
Shogun, by James Clavell – An amazing look at feudal Japan through the eyes of a shipwrecked, English explorer. He comes to learn the Japanese culture, falls in love with a Japanese maiden, yet still dreams of returning home.
The Frontiersman, by Allan W Eckert – a great look at the early history of the United States in what was then the Far West (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan) through the eyes of a frontiersman by the name of Simon Kenton. It explores his hardships, and his role in opening the Northwest Territory  to vast numbers of English settlers which ultimately led to a clash between two cultures; the white settlers and the native Americans whose lands were encroached upon.
I’d like to hear some of your favorites: picture book, middle grade, young adult or adult, and even an adult selection if you wish.

Dave Amaditz November 19, 2013 2 Comments Permalink

First Friday Five Favorite Things – Project Cain

by Geoffrey Girard
Geoffrey Girard


1] What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth? 


I didn’t want to know any of this. I didn’t want to know anything about what was really going on. I didn’t want to know how the world really worked. I wanted to be clueless like everybody else.


There are other lines later I like “better” but they’re major spoilers regarding Jeff’s growth/development. The first half of the book, Jeff is mostly confused and scared. A little more than halfway through, he’s here, at thisline. Now, he knows too much. Truths about money and our military, violence and science. Truths that most of us never have to think about. Jeff, at this point, thinks it’d be easier to be like everyone else again. Focused on things like Miley Cyrus and Peyton Manning.



2] What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger? 

A woman. Lying on the second bed facing the ceiling. She was wearing a long black dress. Her arms extended on either side like Christ, fingers hanging lifeless off the sides of the bed. There was something wrong with her face. It was too, too white. She was wearing a mask of some kind, I decided. Its cheeks and lips painted dark dark red. Redder than the sun. I could not see the eyes. Until she turned.


This is the nightmare woman who plagues Jeff Jacobson throughout much of the book. A personification of many fears he must face. She wasn’t in the book originally but while writing as Jeff one day, she came fully formed in my head. And I (like Jeff) couldn’t shake her.


3] Who is your favorite secondary character and why? 


Everyone likes Ox, and I do too. He’s based on a real person and I think that helps. BUT, for PROJECT CAIN, I kinda like Amanda Klosterman. She’s a girl Jeff met at science camp years before. Not a romantic interest, but someone who once loved Jeff unconditionally… if only for a week. She’s a bit of the “anti-scientist” in the mix. Not always controlling or trying to “figure things out.” Jeff’s whole life has always been the exact opposite. Amanda just embraces things for what they are. Jeff eventually admits to her about these “faces” he often sees: hallucinations/ghosts, and then reports of Amanda: “She smiled so big. And then told me I was lucky. Said I’d probably never know who these faces or people are and that meant they could be anything.”

  
4] What is your favorite line or paragraph of description? 

That shriveled corpse on the other side maybe prying himself free from the cold box. Maybe now pushing slowly off the table, dragging across the floor and up against the other side of the door. The skeletal hand moving against the inside wall. Long brown nails clawing at the door to lift himself up fully. The rotted skin and filthy burial shroud hanging off cold dry bones. The endless eye sockets glistening like imploding black stars in that dark room. Fingers now taking hold of the latch… 


I finished CAIN’S BLOOD (the adult version) first and wasn’t immediately sure if I’d have a whole different  story/version for Jeff to tell himself. This dead body is just mentioned once in CAIN’S BLOOD, but in PROJECT CAIN Jeff spends more time in the room (it’s in his house!) and starts imagining all sorts of terrible things. I got to this scene in my second day of writing and knew then that Jeff had a story to tell that is completely his.

5] What is your favorite line of dialogue? 


“I’m Castillo,” he said and held out his hand.

“Hi,” I shook his hand. “I’m Jeffrey Dahmer.”


This is the line when Jeff Jacobson and Shawn Castillo first meet. It’s one of the few lines that remains from a novella I wrote in 2007 that became the basis for the two CAIN books. There’s just something horrific and innocent and funny and god awful about Jeff’s line. Now, whether or not the line is true is the question at hand…


Congratulations to Geoffrey Girard for his debut YA novel Project Cain and his adult techno thriller, Cain’s Blood. To read more, please go to:


First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day




by Dave Amaditz and 

Marcy Collier

Welcome to November’s version of – First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask five simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone reading this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves, and/or give them at a glance some insight into the author’s writing style and voice as well as how some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first, answers to our Five Favorite Things, followed by the author’s answers in a follow-up post.



This month we’re pleased to highlight debut YA novelist, Geoffrey Girard and his novel, Project Cain.  This fantastic read will pull you in from beginning until end. We hope you enjoy our answers and encourage you to buy the book.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth?


Dave – There were quite a few passages to choose from, but in the end I chose this because it gave insight into how Jeff, the main character, was able to rationally process information so that he could cope with everything that had gone wrong in his life (since he was created).


One thing I’ve learned from all of this is that there aren’t answers for everything.



Science and logic and facts can’t cover all of it.


Sometimes stuff just can’t be explained.


Marcy – I really enjoyed this passage in the novel. It provoked thought and gave me great insight into the main character, Jeff. It ended up being his mantra throughout the remainder of the novel. 



EXTREME LIFE would have been simple enough for any skate park. Extreme sports and lifestyle and all that stuff. It meant “to stay radical and colorful and dangerous and loud and outrageous.” And I’m sure that’s how most of the skaters here took it. But the “FOR,” I think, added something else entirely. Something that whoever’d spray painted this message however many weeks, months, or years before had meant for the whole world to see. Or maybe just for himself or herself. It meant, I think, to fight FOR life. Not taking it for granted. Call it carpe diem or YOLO or whatever. This person embraced life, was made for it. It meant don’t take one minute of life for granted. It meant DON’T EVER BE AFRAID OF THE DARK. A challenge. And a promise, too.


2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?


Dave – To me, there were so many parts throughout the book where the tension was so high, so riveting, that I could’ve found a cliffhanger to write about on nearly every page.  As insight, the “dark men” were created by the government to seek out and find people like Jeff. Chilling.


All that whole day, Castillo and Ox and the other guys prepared.

A lot of it involved explosives. Mines and stuff.

Consequently I was asked to stay in my room.

A room surrounded by concrete that was a hundred feet below the ground.

They took turns guarding my door.

I tried to sleep. To heal.

All that whole day, I could feel the dark men in my head.

Listening for me. For my blood.

All that whole day, I could feel them getting even closer.

I closed my eyes.

Come and get me, I said to the dark.


Marcy – I won’t go into detail as not to spoil this scene, but Jeff is quite intuitive. The deeper I got into the book, the more dark secrets I learned about Jeff’s dad. This chapter ending kept me reading late into the night. And I have to say, I had some very bizarre dreams while reading this novel!



He’d wanted me to have it. Just another one of his little experiments for me. Left it precisely where I’d find it. Wanted me to see all that he’d been up to.


So I guess he got exactly what he wanted.


Because when I opened the door, the very first thing I saw was the dead guy.


3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?


Dave – Castillo. Not to be repetitive, but ditto Marcy’s comments found below.


Marcy –  First, Jeff is scared of Castillo. He feels like he’s being held captive against his will. But the more I get to know the strong, silent Castillo, the more I like him. His true personality is uncovered, and he becomes this gentle, protective giant.


It was a paperback. The Pillars of the Earth. Something about building a Gothic cathedral in England. What’s this for? I wondered out loud.


Castillo said: You said you were a reader. He positioned his new lawn chair at the back window. Unless you wanted a romantic thrill, he said. That’s all the store had.


I flipped through the book. It was, like, eighty thousand pages long and weighed fourteen pounds. I had the feeling Castillo had bought it only because it was the biggest one they’d had. Guess he thought we were gonna be in an empty house awhile.


Castillo watched me, looked like he wanted to say something, and then turned to look out the window again.


4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?


Dave – As Marcy has said below, there were so many interesting descriptions to choose from. I took the liberty of picking two.


First, can you imagine knowing your father thinks of you like this:



The night my father left, he’d told me I was part of the special 5%.



That when living conditions become too crowded in any environment, 5% of the population will resort to violence to achieve its goals.


They’ve done studies with rats. Perfectly calm and nonviolent animals until they’re introduced into an environment with limited resources. Limited food, mates, and space. Then 5% of the previously nonviolent rats get medieval. They murder other rats. Rape other rats. Eat other rats. Even though they’d never done any of these things when in small groups or appropriate space. It was just part of their nature to adapt. To survive and thrive in a more challenging environment.


These are the dominant ones, my father said. The ones meant to rule their world.


That’s, I guess, who I was with now.


Second, I think this explains a lot of what the main character has to deal with throughout the novel on a very personal level as to why he is always having visions of some sort.


Online I found all sorts of information about other people who claimed to see faces. Mostly right when they were falling asleep. But most of what I found talked about weird stuff like astral projection and passed lives and something called the Akashic Records, which is like a universal storeroom for all human knowledge that can be assessed during deep meditation. None of this was too helpful, so I basically just went around for years weirded out by it all.


The mystery was solved only when my father handed me that folder. Inside, remember, were pictures of all of Jeffrey Dahmer’s known victims. Pictures with names.


I’d looked only at the top sheet. Hadn’t known any of the names.


Their faces, however…


I’d recognized everyone.


Marcy This perceptive line rang so true to the book and everyday life. Totally relatable to most everyone. There were so many “ah ha” statements made by the main character that it was extremely hard to choose a favorite.


It was funny to think about the whole world just going on. I mean, when shitty things are going on in your life, everyone else just kinda carries on. Business as usual. All those people passing had no idea what was going on in the motel room below me.

5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?


Dave –  This line comes from Castillo. It made me wonder. Do we all become our parents? Also, Jeff’s thoughts following the response are worrisome, but I’ll let you read for yourself to find out what he’s thinking.

Castillo suddenly said his own dad had taken off when he was nine.

Yeah? I prompted.

Yeah, Castillo said. I hated the son of a bitch for close to twenty years. And the more I tried hating him, the more I became just like him. The way he moved, talked. Things he said. Christ… I don’t know. In a couple of years I’ll probably be him.


Marcy– Again – another way that the reader can identify with Jeff. Even though his circumstances are way over the top extreme of normal people, he tells it like it is and makes the reader think deeply about everyday life.

If everyone told the truth, even half the time, we’d probably all jump off a bridge.


To read more about Geoffrey Girard’s debut YA novel Project Cain or his adult techno thriller, Cain’s Blood, please go to:

First Friday-Five Favorite Things: Charm & Strange


by Stephanie Kuehn










This past Friday, October 4, Marcy and I posted our answers to Stephanie’s debut novel, Charm & Strange. Today, you get to read Stephanie’s favorite’s. She’s picked some great lines that bring to life some of the amazing characters she’s created which will allow you a better understanding of how they think and feel.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth?

The attraction part is a given, but maybe opposites really can coexist in peace.


2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?

Chapter 7

I am of the sea.

I am of instability.

I am of harsh, choppy waves roiling with all the up-ness, down-ness, top-ness, bottom-ness, contained within my being.

I am of charm and strange.

Annihilation.

Creation.

Annihilation.

3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?

Keith Winters, Win’s older brother. He is a sensitive, smart boy, burdened by the weight of terrible secrets and a grim sense of responsibility to his younger siblings. Even when he’s hurting, he cares about others. Also, he’s different from Win. He can’t look away.


4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?

I don’t rejoin them right away. I let them talk. Maybe it’s the cadence and timbre of their speech or the meaning of their words. Maybe it’s the way the morning sun cuts the swirling valley mist or the way dew beads across the laces of my shoes, but my heart burns like flames lick ice. I am bound between two worlds. I don’t want to die and I don’t think I can live. How can the same God that created all this beauty have created me?

5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?

“No way, Winters. I get to be miserable, too. You don’t get to be the best at everything.” 


Congratulations to Stephanie on Charm & Strangeand her second YA novel, Complicit, which will be published by St. Martin’s on June 24, 2014.


From Publishers Marketplace:

Author of the forthcoming CHARM & STRANGE, Stephanie Kuehn’s second YA novel, COMPLICIT, about a young man who is forced to deal with the murky memories of his childhood and confront his dark past when his sister comes back to town; memories that may or may not be real, again to Sara Goodman at St. Martin’s, by Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (NA).

To find out more about Stephanie, check out the following links:

First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day

by Dave Amaditz

and Marcy Collier



CScover


Welcome to October’s version of – First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask five simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone reading this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves, and/or give them at a glance some insight into the author’s writing style and voice as well as how some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first, answers to our Five Favorite Things, followed by the author’s answers in a follow-up post.


This month we’re pleased to highlight debut YA novelist, Stephanie Kuehn, and her novel, Charm & Strange. We encourage you to read the excerpts and pick up a copy of the book. You won’t be disappointed!

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth?


Dave – Winston (Win) (Drew), the main character, knows something is wrong with him. He searches for answers to what is wrong through books, in dreams and memories. This scene is one such memory.


I shifted and whimpered, so confused. I tried remembering everything I could about the wolves, to hold on to them. The image of the beasts and the memory of their touch, with all their power and brute strength, flooded over me. I still felt it. That power. Inside of me. Like a great wolfish flame that sparked and burned, molten hot, at the very core of my being. It’s who I was. My nature. I knew it to be true.


I remembered their roughness, too, the nipping and the fear, but Anna’s words about my grandmother came back to me.


Love doesn’t always look nice.

So I sighed deeply.


And suddenly, I understood everything. Everything.


I knew what the moon had tried to tell me in the woods.


I was not broken.


I was savage.


Marcy The main character Winston always seems to comply and go along with his family as to not make waves. But not this time. This time he takes an important stand. The entire family is going to Crater Lake – a place where there family has gone for generations. Win’s response signifies his growth and ability to change rather than to conform.


Something snapped within me, some internal racket string that’d been wound far too tight, for far too long.


“I’m not going.”

“What?”


I said it louder. “I’m not going!”


2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?

Dave – I had three cliffhangers to choose from as my favorite. One, the same as Marcy had below, had my heart drop. Since Marcy picked that one, I chose one of the other two. Jordan and Lex are arguing about Winston (Win).


I do my best to tune them out. They’re arguing is irrelevant. It is white noise. I do not want or need them. My wolf is in me, so close, and what I need to do now is chase my own destiny. This much is clear.


I break into a run.


I am driven.


I no longer believe it is up to the moon to tell me what to do.



Marcy – Winston looks up to his brother, Keith. Keith is one of the few people he trusts. I won’t spoil this dramatic scene for you, but Winston never would have believed that his brother would have betrayed him this way in this compelling chapter ending.


Drugs hit me hard. Always. I started to drool and shake. Keith wrapped me in his arms again, very tight, and whispered, “I had to. I’m sorry. I told them it wouldn’t be as bad if I did it. Please forgive me.”


3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?

Dave – My favorite secondary character is Lex. In the beginning he is set up to be such an awful guy, and I expected to hate him. What I found out is that he is a guy like Winston, with problems, too. More importantly to me is the fact he actually cares about Winston. Though I won’t tell you what he does in the end, I also like the fact he does it with somewhat a sense of humor, which I hope the following lines will let you see to some degree. In fact, these lines were delivered during some of the most intense scenes in the novel. (Winston, the main character, has been running around naked).


“You’ve got one bony ass, you know.”


“Well, what the hell do you think? That he’s just up there naked on that rock for shits and giggles?”


“Do us a favor,” Lex calls. He throws something at me. “Put these on, okay? Sunrise means it’s time to cover your junk.”


Marcy –  Winston meets Jordan at his new school. He’s never met anyone like her. She beats to her own drum and doesn’t care what others think about her. As their friendship develops, Winston becomes more protective over her. The following line shows how Jordan is reacting to Winston’s commendable actions.


Jordan folds her arms and leans away from me. “You don’t get to judge me. My choices are mine, okay? I just wanted to say thank you. For what you did. You looked out for me. No one’s ever done that before.”


4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?


Dave – To me, this scene is so visual, while at the same time capturing the main character’s personality. I felt I was there with him.


My bare feet read the forest floor like Braille. I’m heading up the mountain, to the highest elevation possible. The sharp rocks gouging the soles of my feet and the sound of dripping water echoing across the barren talus slopes tell me I’m getting close. I wind higher as the footpath narrows, and as I come around the northern side of the summit trail, rising above the tree line, there’s moonlight bouncing off the nearby rock wall, illuminating great sheets of mineral deposits. Sparks of quartz and mica advance in the amber glow, but it’s a strain to see real shapes or the trails sudden drop-off. I grit my teeth and slow down. I can move only so quickly given the darkness and the fact that I’m completely naked.


Marcy – Love these thoughts from Winston! It shows so much about his character in the beginning of the story and foreshadows events to come.


From what I can tell, morality is a word. Nothing more. There’re the things people do when others are watching and the things we do when they aren’t. I’d like to believe Anthony Burgess knew that, but then that dumb last chapter of his book went and ruined the whole thing. That made me mad, and so I think the movie version got it right: people don’t change. Their nature, that is. There are other kinds of change, of course. Like physical change.


5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?


Dave – Wow! I had initially put the same line of dialogue as Marcy had picked for my favorite line of dialogue. So now that you know I like that line, too, for pretty much the same reasons as Marcy, I decided to pick two other lines, these both from Winston, lines that I nearly picked for favorite character growth. Winston (Win) is explaining to Jordan how his doctor explains some of his behaviors away.


“He calls it a system of meaning,” I explain.


“You’re saying something bad happened to you when you were a little kid?”


I’m saying that my system of meaning about life, about death, everything, is sort of messed up. But…”


Marcy– Again, Keith the older brother says this line to Winston. Instead of looking at his siblings as a burden, he takes on the role of caretaker for them. He is accepting of his role without hesitation or regret.


“A long time ago, when you were just a little kid, I promised myself I would always take care of you. Siobhan, too. It’s like, I was put here to protect you two, because Mom won’t. Or can’t. Or isn’t strong enough or whatever.”


To read more about Stephanie Kuehn’s debut novel Charm & Strange, please go to: