Why are we yelling?!

Do you remember when you were in elementary/middle/high school, and you used to pass notes? Do you remember what those notes said? Please, allow me.

Hey! Oh my gosh, today has been the worst day EVER! Guess who totally walked by me and didn't even say hello?! It was like he didn't even see me!! I was so mad!

So...maybe not everyone had something as trivial as that to say. Perhaps it was just me who felt my tiny, teenage heart being squeezed by the un-affections of the male species.

Moving on.

When looking at the "note" above, I see nothing wrong with it. It's not meant to be literature, it's supposed to be venting.

Emails, blogging, texting, etc, are all similar. Do you have to be grammatically correct all the time? No way. That's exhausting. (Though when dealing with business communications, one should endeavor to be as close to perfection as possible.)

Novels, on the other hand, well, let me say I learned things the hard way.

Here is an unedited line from the very first book I wrote. (Someday I'm going to go back and rewrite the entire book.)

“Gilbert what’s going on?”
“Nothing! But it’s got to be the red ones. I don’t like the green ones!” Gilbert shook his head vigorously and furrowed his brow in disgust.

There are many things wrong with this scene (not just this little passage). In the interest of time, I'll refrain from dissecting it and get to the point.

The characters are talking about apples. Gilbert is a pudgy little boy with a big heart. He's got dirty cheeks and holds his hands behind his back as he talks. Can you imagine someone asking him suspiciously, "What's going on?"

Gilbert, who is innocent, shakes his head, his eyes as big as saucers. "Nothing," he insists.

Does he really shout the answer? Probably only if he's being defensive, which, in this case he isn't. When he also insists that he can't stand green apples, does he really have to yell?

If he were strapped to a table and men covered in lab coats and masks were forcing his mouth open to shove in a sliver of green apple, it would probably warrant him shouting, "I don't like the green ones!" Other than that? No raising of the voice is necessary.

But the real question is, how do I know he's shouting? Because of this nifty little invention: !

When my sister announces to everyone she's pregnant (hypothetically speaking, of course), I will say, "Congrats!!!" and put as many exclamation points on there as I please. In literature, however, the exclamation point should be used as sparingly as possible and only when appropriate.

For instance, if your character wakes in the middle of the night to a smoke filled room and heat licking at the door, he will probably sit up and shout, "Fire!"

If, as the author, you were to write something like: "Fire," he shouted. - The meaning would be totally lost. Your reader would lose confidence in you and probably write horrible things about you on their blog. Just kidding. I hope.

If your character is really, honest-to-goodness shouting, give him an exclamation point! (But only one.) If he is insisting, scolding, excited, nervous, issuing a warning, and a bushel of other adjectives and verbs, well, then, some discretion is advised.

I just started reading a book that is not exactly published by a major publishing house. I put it down after the first page and rubbed my temples. 

"Are you alright?"
"Fine!"
"Well, I'll leave you to it!"
"Yes. I'll be home in time for supper!"

(Not a direct quote.)

The dialogue consisted of so many exclamation points, I finally had to ask myself, "Why is everyone screaming at each other?" With the exclamation point, I read it in my head as yelling, and that's enough to give a person a headache.

What you really have to remember is, yes, there are times when your character will shout. And when those times come, you must make sure enough emotion is otherwise portrayed in the scene so that the reader knows the exclamation point is warranted.

Punctuation is not used to show an emotion. You are the author, that's your job. You are the lead detective, punctuation is just the back-up. Pin It

Review: Nobody's Prize by Esther Friesner

Princess Helen of Sparta manages to make her way aboard The Argo, with the help of her best friend Milo, disguised as a boy and hiding from her older brothers - who are also aboard the legendary ship. She forges new friendships, falls in love, discov...more*Sequel to Nobody's Princess*

Princess Helen of Sparta manages to make her way aboard The Argo, with the help of her best friend Milo, disguised as a boy and hiding from her older brothers - who are also aboard the legendary ship. She forges new friendships, falls in love, discovers Hercules has fallen in love with her (as a boy), and suffers heart-wrenching tragedies. Along the way she discovers one painful truth: people aren't always what they seem.

Nobody's Prize is not a particularly long book, but there is so much action packed into it that I felt like I'd traveled so far, only to discover I was merely 20 pages into the book.

Helen seemed a little to unobservant at times for my taste, but at others she was quick witted and cunning. She nearly managed to think her way out of every problem she got herself into (and there were a lot), and the ones she couldn't think her way out of, she just used her sword.
 
Helen seems a very capable and human heroine. She manages to wear many faces during the book and slips into each mask perfectly. Helen is truly a wonder.

There was one detail about the ending that I was disappointed with, but I see why it had to be that way.

Good read. A little bit of language, some suggestive references, as well as homosexuality.

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Giveaway: The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

I recently read and reviewed The Oracle of Stamboul, and I loved it. I'm spreading the love by hosting a giveaway for my advanced reading copy.

Yay! This really is a beautiful book.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment with your name and email address. (you can write out the dot and com so you don't get hit by spammers: janedoe(at)yahoo(dot)com)

For additional entries, you can do the following:
+1 Follow my blog
+1 Follow The Gifted on Facebook
+1 Leave a comment with an interview question for me
              Limit 2 questions, and they can be anything appropriate for an author interview.

Leave a separate comment for EACH entry. A winner will be chosen using random.org. Invalid entries are subject to deletion.

Contest closes Monday, February 28th at midnight MST. Winner will be announced Tuesday, March 1st.

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Review: The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

Young Eleonora Cohen, a Jewess born in 1877, is a girl of many talents. She can read and write in 7 languages, she learned to read and memorized entire books by the age of eight. Eleonora is a quiet, reserved girl who loves to read and is constantly thinking.

When her doting father, Yakob, plans a business trip to Stamboul, Eleonora does not plan to stay behind in the care of her resentful aunt and stepmother, Ruxandra. She stows away in one of Yakob's trunks. It is there, on the shores of Bosporus, Eleonora meets her father's business partner and friend, Moncef Bey, and realizes a new life awaits her.

This new life includes tragedy, an American Tutor who could be a spy, and meetings with the Sultan Abdulhamid II.

Let me first start by saying I don't love historical fiction. I don't know why, I just usually don't necessarily enjoy it.

I had heard that the beginning of The Oracle of Stamboul was a little slow, and I found this to be the case. Luckily I pushed through and found the jewel within.

The writing is simply fantastic! The descriptions were natural and flowing. I felt like, for a time, I was tucked into this world or warm sunshine where everything smelled like lilacs with a hint of orange. I was a little hesitant to enjoy a book where the main character is 8-years-old, but as you will find, she is no ordinary girl. And truly, this is no ordinary book.

The jury is still out on whether or not I appreciated the ending, but I suppose it's the only way Eleonora would have wanted her story to end.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through the Goodreads Firstreads program.

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Review: Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Princess Poppy and her eleven sisters were cursed to dance every night for over ten years in an underground palace with half-mortal princes. But Princess Poppy's brother-in-law broke the curse, and now they're free. Poppy has vowed never to dance again!

Poppy, now 16, is sent to a foreign country in a royalty exchange program. She meets Prince Christian, who is also on the exchange program. He is so easy to like, they immediately become good friends.

From here, the story is very Cinderella. Enter a ball, a mysterious beautiful princess who wears slippers made of glass and disappears at midnight.

Princess Poppy can see the mystery princess for who she is, and she knows what a curse is when she sees once. She rolls up her sleeves to tackle the challenge, but she must hurry. The mystery princess has her sights on Christian.

This is the sequel to The Princess at the Midnight Ball.

I adored this story. I love fairytale retellings, and this was no exception. Poppy was sassy but lovable. The descriptions were natural and beautiful. I really enjoyed escaping to the "princess" life while reading this book.

The only thing I did not like was the ending. I felt it was a little abrupt and forced. Maybe that's because I wanted the story to keep going? I don't know. Either way, this was a fabulous read.

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Things I am learning about myself through my writing.

Yesterday my sister-in-law handed back the proof copy of The Gifted. You should see this thing! I looks like it's 40 years old and it's covered in red. It looks like we broke the top off a red pen and smeared it on every page! Fine, it's only half that bad.

Going through the edits, though, is actually kind of fun. And trust me, you'll thank us for working so hard. At least, I hope you will. Ok, I'll thank us and call it good.

So here are some things that I've learned about myself as a writer.

I'm a pretty funny person (in my humble opinion). I appreciate humor. I laugh loud and often. I've even been described as giggly. (Don't ask.) But I guess it's just not in my stars to write a funny book. I have no talent for it. Apparently I'm more suited to write about teenage angst. (Insert shrug here.) Who knew?

I am in love with the ellipsis, and I use it often. (An ellipsis is this: ...) Yeah, I may enjoy using it on my blog or in emails, but I've discovered it looks terrible on a printed page! Not only do I over-use it, but I use it incorrectly. In everyday use, I insert and ellipsis to indicate a dramatic pause. Sure. Fine. Whatever. In literature, a comma is used for a pause, and ellipses are used to denote intentionally leaving out a word or statement. Or one can use it in written dialogue to trail off the end of a sentence (because there should be words there, but I intentionally left them off. See?). It's been frustrating to see how often in insert those three little dots.

My SIL says she can see some of my personality in the main character, Pyper. I'm afraid that Pyper doesn't have a lot of redeeming qualities, so that makes me a little nervous. I plan on making her a little bit more likeable. She's pretty sassy, and I'll keep her that way. But I'll at least give the male hero in the story a reason to be attracted to her.

I am not really good at writing kissing scenes. If I've learned one thing about YA novels, there has to be some kissing, otherwise the romance is kind of a let down. Yesterday, I asked Kadie, "Do you think this needs  kissing in it?" That's not a question I ever thought I'd ask someone. :) I don't know why it's so hard for me to write a kissing scene. It's almost like I'm too shy to describe it.

Most of the time when I describe a feeling, it's visceral. A lot of fear, pain, fear, excitement is felt in my stomach. Apparently.

I've learned a lot of other things, but I think I'll stop there. I do have a lot more editing and formatting to do. Pin It

Review: The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison

He was a king, but 200 years ago a wild magic man turned him into a bear as punishment for his cruelties against animals and magic. He's had two centuries of loneliness to think about the pathetic ruler he was.

She was a hound who lived as a human for a year in the body of a princess. Now she's a hound again, and she's found companionship in the oddest of places: an enchanted bear.

The two live in peace until a strange death of unmagic plagues their forest home. The only person who can help them is the wild man who turned the king into a bear. When they find him, the answer is not what they thought it would be. He will return them to human form and send them back in time to the day Richon was turned into a bear. It is there that they must risk everything, even each other, to battle the evil magic that will destroy everything: animal, human and magic alike.


This is the sequel to The Princess and the Hound. The title is a little misleading because even though Chala inhabited the body of a princess, she never actually was a princess.

I enjoyed this installment better than the first. The chapters alternate between Richon and Chala's point of view. It was interesting to see the characters battle within themselves. Chala is a hound but finds she's also human. Richon is a human, but after being a bear for 200 years, he's bound to pick up on some of the mentalities.

The love story is simple and sweet and genuine.

There was a lot more gore than I expected. Richon and Chala find themselves in a battle between kingdoms as well as a battle between magic and unmagic, so there is a lot of killing and gory death.

Like I said, I enjoyed this book better than the first in the series.

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Want to know what your teens are reading?

I have a hip aunt who likes to read the same books as her teenagers. She does this so she knows what they're reading and she can chime in on conversations and know what they're talking about.

I think this approach is quite brilliant, actually. It's a great way to stay in tune with what your kids are up to as well as have a way to connect with them.

But what if you don't have time to read every book your kids are reading? Or what if you don't have teenagers, but you see a popular book and wonder if it has offensive material? Just because we're adults doesn't mean we want to read explicit material or be submerged in foul language.

Well, a few days ago I stumbled upon a book blog that is so ingenious, I had to share.






ReadingTeen.net. Here's how it works. Three teenagers read YA books and then post reviews. Then they hand them over to a parent or adult to read. The adult then posts a review on www.parentalbookreviews.com including ratings on violence, sexual content, language, and anything else they think you, as the parent or interested reader, might need to know. (A link to the parental review is at the bottom of every review on readingteen.net.) In some cases, they even break down by page where the sexual references are or list the number of each swear word.

There is a list of books for guys (because not every teenage boy loves to read Twilight) and a list of recommended clean reads. Still all popular YA novels.

This is fabulous! I feel like this is now my go-to website for wanting to know about a book. In fact, the other day I saw a book I thought looked interesting. I went to this website and found it had more swearing than I wanted to read. So I didn't check it out.  (I admit I can stomach a handful of "mild" swear words, but any more than that and I start to lose confidence in the author's lack to create an intriguing story. It starts to sound crass and cheap.)

Anyway, this is so cool.

Thanks to everyone who makes this service possible. It is really amazing. Do them a favor and check out their website. Follow them if you'd like. It seems like a worthy cause to me. That and they do giveaways at least once a week:)

Any other good book reviewing blogs or websites you would suggest? Pin It