Writing Wednesday: Celebrating Pride Month with Books

As you might know, I write both young adult and contemporary romance of the M/F variety. One of my first manuscripts had a subplot where two of the characters needed to get married for healthcare reasons, but they were lesbians so they had to come to Massachusetts to get married (since we were the first state to legalize gay marriage.) The editor told me they wanted the book, but only if I changed the F/F subplot to M/F. I wanted a contract. I changed the characters.

Oh how times have changed.

LGTBQ fiction is a hot and growing market. I don't write or generally read this genre, but my son does and has opened my eyes to several wonderful books that happen to fall into this category. So to celebrate Pride month, I planned to read and review a bunch of what he considers the "better ones" - and by better, he means the books that have actual plots and 3-dimensional characters, where the conflict is about more than "omigod I'm gay."

Apparently that's a thing in this genre. Like, a negative thing, obviously.

And when he says "3-dimensional" in reference to characters on a page, he means that they have other interesting characteristics and foibles IN ADDITION TO being gay. Or thinking they might be gay.

Conflict. Plot. Characters.

You know, just like any other good book.

I've also heard that most LGBTQ books are written by straight, white women who heard there was a need for more stories in this genre and saw an opportunity to get published because the editors and publishers were desperate to fill the perceived void. And yes, my son has purchased a fair amount of these "filler" books too - some he's read all the way through and then viciously dissected in conversation (not on Amazon, he's not a troll) and some he's loved and stuck on my TBR pile.

Here's a rundown of the favorites.

I recently read and reviewed the newly released RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE by Casey McQuiston, and honestly couldn't put it down. Fast paced, fresh, and irreverently funny - if you want to dip your toe in the genre, try it out. It's contemporary romance/New Adult/chic lit type writing that breaks a bunch of rules and totally works anyway. (color me jealous!)

However, there are examples of LGBTQ characters within other genres - books that weren't published to exploit a certain segment of the reading public, but rather probably got published DESPITE having gay, lesbian or bisexual characters as main characters.

If you like more historical fiction, and/or mythology, SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller is so well written it made me cry. An achingly beautiful retelling of the love story between Achilles and Patroclus which I read and reviewed last year (read my review HERE)

If you're more into steampunk / fantasy, I also read and loved (but haven't reviewed yet, shame on me) TIMEKEEPER by Tara Sim. It tells a fantastical steampunk tale of an alternate Victorian world where time is run by clock towers, and there are keepers to the clocks to keep them running - if the clock stops running, time in the surrounding villages stop as well, everyone frozen in time and unable to escape. There are characters who are the "spirits" of the clocks, and the title character, the time keeper for one of the villages, falls in love with the spirit of his clock  - okay, it sounds strange and fantastical and it is, but it's also lyrical and wonderful, a great escape and another book I just couldn't put down.

For Young Adult/Coming of Age stories, my son highly recommends ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, by Benjamin Alire Saenz, and it's at the top of my TBR pile right now. Published in 2012, it won a bunch of awards including the Pen/Faulker award. It's a coming of age story, with two Mexican-American boys as the main characters - which my son says is significant because most literature in the genre have white characters or at most an interracial couple. It's got more than 800 reviews and a 4.6 rating on Amazon, so my son isn't the only one finding it a well-written, worthy book. I'm looking forward to reading it.

If you prefer paranormal fiction, particularly shifters, my son recommends TJ Klune's WOLFSONG, which is the first book of a series (and book 3 comes out in September.) This book is significant in that the author himself is gay (and not a straight white female) Another coming of age tale told in first person, where the main character grows and changes over time, and his voice changes with him. I haven't read it yet but it's on the pile.

So tell me. What are you doing to celebrate Pride month? Have you read any of these books? If you're an author, have you ever written a gay or lesbian character into your storyline? Do you write LGBTQ fiction? Share your thoughts and get this conversation started...

And totally try one of the above books. I think I listed something there for everyone, so dip a toe into the genre with some early summer reading. Links are provided to Amazon for each of them...

Happy Writing - and Reading - to All!

New Release AND Book Review: QUEEN OF JASTAIN by Kary Rader

HAPPY BOOK RELEASE DAY TO MY FRIEND KARY RADER!

*YEA*

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of this book, and have been waiting to post my review... I'll cut to the chase and tell you up front I LOVED this story. Time travel. Sarcastic, strong heroine. Really hot medieval dude. What's not to love?!

Big Congrats to Kary - she'll be visiting my blog next week on her grand tour, but in the meantime here's my review....

QUEEN OF JASTAIN

By Kary Rader

Published by Crescent Moon Press, April 2013

About the Book:

The Light brought her to him, but does he have the faith to make her his queen?

For twenty years, Avant plotted revenge against the dark king, but when a mysterious woman suddenly appears, everything changes. Although his prophetic Gift reveals she’s the Seed of Light chosen to restore the Crown, his overwhelming attraction to the women threatens his long-held plan for revenge and two decades of fidelity.

Abby Randall is inexplicably transported from Dallas to the medieval land of Jastain. There she meets Avant, who claims she’s the foretold champion of his people. While the hot guy has her hormones pumping, his crazy talk of defeating an evil king leaves questions to his sanity. Through his supernatural Gift, Avant transplants his memories into her, but neither are prepared for how their hearts intertwine.

Together they embark on their quest, but when Abby and Avant come face to face with destiny, will they sacrifice what matters most to provide a happily-ever-after for the people of Jastain?

MY TAKE:

With beautiful descriptions, sparkling dialogue, action-packed pages, and a strong heroine who grows into her power as the story progresses, QUEEN OF JASTAIN has everything a reader could ask for from a time travel romance. This well-written tale kept me reading well into the night, cheering for Abby and rooting for her happily-ever-after.

The novel starts with a bang in present-day Texas, where we meet spoiled little rich girl, Abby Randall, moments before her former best friend delivers a gut-wrenching blow with her engagement to Abby’s ex-fiance. In the ensuing maelstrom of emotions, Abby is somehow transported through time to a medieval kingdom, where her cute little car is sorely out of place and her designer mini skirt and high-heeled Dolce Gabanas are even more of a problem.

Enter the handsome knight, whom she rescues from pursuers on horseback. Avant has waited for so long to avenge his kingdom, but didn’t expect the champion of prophesy whom he was waiting for to be… a woman. Especially not a beautiful woman with whom he is so completely and utterly captivated.

The tension between Avant and Abby practically sizzles on the page, especially since Abby’s a thoroughly modern woman, and Avant a chivalrous medieval prince. Ms. Rader alternates the point of view between Abby and Avant, so the reader is privy to the sexual tensions mounting on both sides of the equation, and to the frustrating situational misunderstandings that arise and come between them.

When I was younger, I had a real thing for King Arthur and medieval-type stories. One of my all-time favorites is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain. Not that it’s a great Arthurian tale, but I love the time traveler aspects to it, and the juxtaposition of the modern guy thrust back in time to the Middle Ages. The narrator’s quirky humor provided a fresh perspective on all things medieval.

In QUEEN OF JASTAIN, Abby’s dry wit and self-deprecating humor reminded me of Twain’s narrator, and had me smiling along with her as she navigated the strange landscapes of Jastain.

Bottom line? I loved this book and totally look forward to reading more from this author.

About the Author:

Kary Rader is a stay-at-home mother of three, avid reader and slave to the characters and worlds inside her head.

Always creative, she’s drawn to stories with fantastical worlds and creatures. With a little bit of magic and divine guidance, there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished. And it’s the power of words that creates and destroys.

Vanquishing evil and injustice while finding eternal love in the process is all in a day’s work. And with the help of her critique partners and master cartographer imaginary places come to life. Join her for an adventure and maybe you too will be claimed by passion and changed by love.

Book Review: TIME TRAP by Micah Caida

 

TIME TRAP

By Micah Caida

Published by Silver Hawk Press, January 2013

BLURB:

Time Trap, book one in the Red Moon series

Her memory is blank.

Her future's in question.

Her power is dangerous.

Waking up in an unknown world, Rayen learns only that she's seventeen and is hunted by a sentient beast. Terrified that she may never learn who she really is or find her way back to her home, she's captured in a land that is at times familiar even if the people and the structures seem alien. When local law enforcement delivers her to a private school, she's labeled as a Native American runaway, and Rayen discovers a secret with deadly repercussions.

Forced into an unlikely alliance with a computer savvy street punk and a gifted oddball girl to save their world - and the future - Rayen finds the key to an identity that no person would want.

MY TAKE:

What a fun, fast-paced read!

Part time travel, part sci fi, part coming of age adventure, this book was well-written and well plotted, with richly drawn worlds and characters.

Okay, the blurb isn’t the greatest. If I had read that first, I’m not sure I would’ve tried this book, but I saw it recommended somewhere else and decided to take a chance. And the Kindle version was free for the day on Amazon. Who am I to pass up a free read? Right?

I’m so very glad I took the chance – this was a really fun book! I look forward to reading more in this series and can’t wait to see what happens next. And will totally pay for the next book in the series. And probably the one after that as well.

Most of the story is from Rayen’s point of view. As the main character she is perfect to introduce us to the new worlds, as she wakes up with her memory completely wiped. She experiences and describes everything as if it is new – which it is, both to her and to the reader. Only after the other characters have been thoroughly vetted by Rayen do we get a few chapters from their points of view, which adds to the richness of the story an the complexity of the plot. I enjoyed the insight into Tony’s and Gabby’s minds, as well as the confusion we hear from hunky Callan as he fights his attraction to Rayen.

Even with over 300 pages, the book was over far too quickly. As I said, I look forward to the next installment and can’t wait to see what happens next!

About the Author:

Micah Caida is the melding of two voices, two personalities and two minds - one NYT bestseller and one Award-winner - which often turns up the strangest ideas. Micah enjoys exploring how different characters react and deal with similar situations. Life is often filled with the unexpected - both good and bad. While creating the Red Moon series, Micah hit upon a very unusual "what if" that exploded into an epic story filled with teenagers who face impossible odds, but are the only ones who can save the world from itself.
For more information, visit http://www.MicahCaida.com or Micah Caida on Facebook

 

Not Your Average Fairy Tale

Just out this month from Crescent Moon Press, here's the next YA book on my TBR list...

 ISBN-13: 9781937254650

Armed with wings and a blue wand, being a fairy godmother should be easy ... unless your name is Ash, and you're a dude.

BLURB: 

Ash Summerland has it all–good looks, popularity, and the best grades at The Academy of Magical Beings. Ready to complete his last assignment in order to graduate, Ash is confident he will get the apprenticeship he wants. When he opens the letter from the Council, he is shocked to discover he has been assigned to apprentice Lady Shenelle, Keeper of Happy Endings. A.K.A. the head fairy godmother. Ash is forced to grant three wishes to a troubled human girl named Kendall, and ultimately give her a "happy ever after". But Kendall turns out to be more than he bargained for. Still grieving over her father's death, Kendall doesn't want anything to do with him. And worst of all, she doesn't believe in happy endings.

About the Author...

Chantele Sedgwick grew up playing the harp and singing. Little did anyone know, she always had stories floating around in her head. After she had her second baby, she finally realized she should probably write them down. Pursuing publication was something she only dreamed about, but now her dream is coming true.

The discovery of a first love, first kisses, and the many emotions teens go through, pushed Chantele to find her niche in writing teen fiction. Some of her stories share a few of her own experiences, but most of them are just fantasies she wished happened to her as a teen. She's a sucker for a great love story and always enjoys a happy ending. She tends to have a thing for the "bad boys" in books, unless they're total jerks. Then she'll root for the good guy.

When she's not writing, Chantele can be found spending time with her husband and three beautiful kids, or driving her sisters crazy with random story ideas. NOT YOUR AVERAGE FAIRY TALE is her first book.

To buy this book, visit the Crescent Moon Press website or go to Amazon

What do you have on your reading list?

Summer Reading

Looking for a good beach book?

CapeWomenOnline recommends THE BEST WORST YEAR, by Candace Hammond. It's currently available on Amazon for your Kindle for $3.99. The back-of-book blurb reads:

When we meet journalist Cassie Keaton, it’s the off-season on Cape Cod, when life is supposed to be quiet. But as “The Best Worst Year” begins, Cassie is attempting to not-so-gracefully navigate the gauntlet of losing her job, dealing with her newly remarried ex-husband, coping with bad boyfriends and waking up to a desolately empty nest as her children venture off into the world. Out of the wreckage of her life, Cassie learns to salvage meaning from every struggle. She discovers that, sometimes, our worst moments are just a prelude to our best.

Candace wrote and article about writing this book for the Summer Issue of CWO - read it online now at
http://www.capewomenonline.com/2012_Issues/Summer_2012/Summer2012Articles/NovelChange.html

What books are in your beach bag this summer?

Instant Songwriting For Everyone!

Have you ever seen Musical Improv on stage and wondered how in the world they do that? How do they come up with songs on the spot?

Here's the book to show you how!

In INSTANT SONGWRITING, Nancy Walker takes you on a fun, journey-at-your-own-pace trip through learning the basics of melody and music, and how to make up a song on the spot so that it sounds "real." Her breezy style is easy and fun to read, and makes you want to try out the exercises and sing right along.

Nancy has been performing improv comedy since the late 1980's when she took her first improv class with ImprovBoston and then later joined the troupe. She's traveled the world through comedy, teaching and performing in cities around the globe as well as on various cruise ships roaming the high seas! She's in Chicago now, as the director of Chicago Improv Associates.

After successfully creating the first completely improvised Broadway-style musical (to rave reviews, no less!), she started to teach others her methods. Now she's put her knowledge down on paper, in this book.

The book is a wonderful tool for those who perform improv comedy on stage, but also a good basic musical tool for anyone involved with musical theatre in any form. It's also a useful book for anyone interested in songwriting in general, as Nancy lays out the steps to creating a good song and the basic knowledge necessary to go from blah to beautiful.

Each section of the book gets progressively harder and more complex in the exercises and content of the lessons. Part I, or "Dunce Level," assumes you know nothing yet and just have the will to learn. By the last Part, or "Diva Level," Nancy explores and explains the phenomenom of Sondheim-style songs with her now-oh-so-advanced readers.

INSTANT SONGWRITING is appropriate for anyone, teen on up, who wants to learn more about creating their own songs, adn would even be great for those high school theatre programs or Destination Imagination teams who need new improv games to play to get their creative juices flowing.

Buy it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Songwriting-Musical-Improv-Dunce/dp/0985465247/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344856795&sr=1-1&keywords=instant+songwriting

And start singing!

Book Review: Summer Rental

http://marykayandrews.com/

I'm so busy right now that I have no business sitting down to read anything, (except maybe the manuscript I'm supposed to be editing for a writer who's paying me...) but when my mom handed me this book, I knew I was going to make time.

Summer Rental is a 2011 release with the tag line: Sometimes, when you need a change in your life, the tide just happens to pull you in the right direction...

The back cover blurb goes like this:

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she’s made over the past decade of her life. Julia—whose caustic wit covers up her wounds–has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can’t hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life.  And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina’s Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs.

Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he’s hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he’s ever cared about.

Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity.  Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs?

Five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness. Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them.

Okay, honestly? Reading that blurb made me not want to read the book. Especially that last paragraph. I think they should have worked a little harder at this, but then again, there are 5 different storylines going on here, and a bunch of back stories that need to be filled in for the readers, and a whole lot of heads to hop through... anyway, I bit the bullet and started reading it in between errands and projects.

I'm glad I did.

I love Mary Kay Andrews breezy style, and I hadn't read one of her books in years. She writes great beach books (even the Christmas-themed one!) Easy, breezy, engaging characters who make you root for their happiness...  If you haven't heard of her books, you should check out Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies, Savannah Blues, Savannah Breeze, Blue Christmas.... and she has 3 other books I haven't read yet.

Summer Rental engages the reader from the start, despite the large cast of characters. Andrews draws them each distinctly, and deftly weaves in each backstory so that the reader gets to know and care about each of them. The women are well drawn, each unique in their problems and outlooks. The landlord Ty isn't as solid a character as I would like, with too many contradictions in his behavior, but he's engaging enough to keep the reader wanting more.

Besides, it's really a story about women. Who they are, who they want to be, the tough decisions they need to make in each of their lives.

I found myself thinking about the characters while driving, and while painting the bathroom ceiling the other day - I almost quit painting halfway through so I could finish one more chapter. (I decided instead to use it as my carrot to get the job done.) And in the end, I woke up at 5 a.m. Saturday for some quiet time to finish reading so it wouldn't distract me for the rest of the weekend.

Looking for a book to slip into your beach bag? Summer Rental fits the bill.

What have you read lately that would go well with this summer heat?

A Visit to the Bookstore

Cape Cod Weather Today: Overcast, with ominous dark clouds rolling in from the west... the weather channel is calling for rain today, even though yesterday they swore it would hold off until Monday...

I went shopping yesterday, with my arms firmly crossed against my stomach, determined just to window shop and not spend any money. I held out for the first two hours... and then ended up in the Barnes and Noble... and cha-ching! Of course I had to spend money.

To be fair, one of my missions was to buy the next boxed set of Junie B. Jones books, by Barbara Park, for my 8 year old. Always a reluctant reader, I finally hooked her this summer with Junie B.'s over the top antics and trouble-maker ways... and a Littlest Pet Shop figurine for each chapter book she finishes. I'm not above bribery when it comes to changing a habit or forming a new one.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of drivel being printed, even in hard cover. Tons of witches, wizards and dragons still trying to capitalize on the Harry Potter phenomenon, but books where the writing seems to be rushed and not as carefully crafted as it could have been... just because these are books aimed at kids doesn't mean you can skimp on the writing.

I consider myself an educated reader of middle grade/young adult fiction, and while I enjoy Carl Hiasson, Judy Blume, Louis Sachar, and Lois Lowrey, I really enjoy books with an element of fantasy mixed in. I love J.K. Rowling's style, and all of her books. I've really enjoyed Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series - and actually was sucked in by a huge display for his latest Artemis book in the series, just out in hard cover. I enjoyed Christopher Paolino's first book, Eragon, and dutifully read through the second book Eldest, although I didn't enjoy the second as much as my nine year old did. I was able to resist the huge display for Brisingr... we can wait until it comes out in soft cover, or until the spring book fair at school, where I'm sure it will be featured heavily.

I enjoyed the Magic Treehouse books with my first son when he was a reluctant reader in second grade - those and the Time Warp Trio series, by Jon Szeska, are the books that turned him around and made him into the fantastic reader he is today. The switch from able reader to eager reader comes with discovering the other worlds that books can offer.

I also bought a copy of the Dragon Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima, third in a series that began with the Wizard Heir, and continued with the Warrior Heir. My twelve year old devoured the first two, and made his younger brother read them. I read the first two when I had the flu last winter - engaging writing that makes you need to keep going.

And I shouldn't even have to mention how much I loved reading Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, although they are more YA or teen fiction than middle grade reading. I'm enjoying it for the third time since discovering the series over the summer. The first book was my favorite in terms of writing, even though I've read them all and enjoyed the storyline and plot twists. I didn't like much of the last book, and found myself grimacing my way through it, hoping for redemption or resolution. I also enjoyed The Host, Meyer's adult fiction, although my twelve year old couldn't get past the first "boring" chapter. He also devoured the Twilight series and has passed them along to the neighbor's reluctant reader boys, 13 and 16, who are now happily engaged with Meyer's world.

The book I am currently working on is middle grade fiction, set on Cape Cod. I like the ones with some basis in this world, something to grab onto and relate to, with the fantasy tightly woven into the reality. A book which makes the younger reader wonder if magic really does exist right alongside backpacks, homework, and soccer practice.

Because we could all use a little more magic in our lives.

My goal is to finish it in the next six weeks (in between editing my upcoming suspense novel) and start looking for an agent who specializes in middle grade fiction. Wish me luck... and a little magic!