Category: Uncategorized
Middle Grade Ninja: Book Review: EDGE OF EXTINCTION – THE ARK PLAN by Laura Martin
First Paragraph(s): I needed two minutes. Just enough time to get to the maildrop and back, but I had to time it perfectly. Dying wasn’t an option today, just like it hadn’t been an option the last ten times I’d done this. I’d thought it would get easier after the first time. It hadn’t. I gritted […]
Middle Grade Ninja: Book Review: GONE by Michael Grant
WARNING: This week’s book is actually edgy YA and it is filled with adult content. It is absolutely not appropriate for younger readers and adults should view it as the equivalent of an ‘R’ rated movie, which makes it awesome. If the reader in question can handle Ashfall by Mike Mullin, they’ll be at home […]
Middle Grade Ninja: Book of the Week: THE MAGNIFICENT 12: THE CALL by Michael Grant
Today we’re chatting about The Magnificent 12: The Call by Michael Grant. I’d like to tell you he’ll be here on Thursday to do one of our writer interviews, but it’s looking like that’s not going to work out after all. Mr. Grant, if you’re reading this,we’d love to have you by anytime to face […]
Middle Grade Ninja: Book Review: NOOKS AND CRANNIES by Jessica Lawson
First Paragraph(s): 1. Just past three o’clock in the afternoon, when schools across London were releasing much-adored children by the bucketful, Tabitha Crum was ushered into the cold as well. She tarried at the edge of St. John’s gate, threading an arm through the bars and observing the world for a moment, ignoring the jostling […]
Middle Grade Ninja: Book Review: THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA by Tom Angleberger
First Paragraph(s): The big question: Is Origami Yoda real? Well, of course he’s real. I mean, he’s a real finger puppet made out of a real piece of paper. But I mean: Is he real? Does he really know things? Can he see the future? Does he use the Force? Tom Angleberger will be here […]
Middle Grade Ninja: Book Review: WISH YOU WEREN’T by Sherrie Petersen
First Paragraph(s): IT’S MIDNIGHT AND I’M FLAT ON MY BACK on a patch of grass in front of our hotel room, hoping that no one looks outside and wonders what the weirdos from California are doing. Tonight is the peak of the Perseids meteor shower. Every year my mom drags us out of bed just […]
Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “3 Easy Marketing Tips to Tell Your Story” by Christina Farley
Marketing yourself can be a hard thing to do and sometimes it even becomes a vortex that sucks you in and keeps you from doing what you really want to do: writing! So today I want to share with you some quick tips on how to market yourself and your books while allowing you to […]
Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “From Adult Thrillers to Kid Thrillers: 10 Steps to Writing Scary for Kids” by Donna Galanti
Do you love to be scared? I do, as long as I know it’s in a safe environment. Haunted houses. Hayrides. Rollercoasters. Adventure rides. I got so scared once in a haunted house that I whacked the “ghosts” with the teddy bear from my costume. The management turned on all the lights and asked me […]
Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Monster Mayhem” by Cynthia Reeg
Coming up with a new idea for a story can be intimidating. Usually my best ideas float into my brain when I least expect them. That’s what happened when I first started toying with the glimmer that would evolve into FROM THE GRAVE. I was on a long car ride, bored, tired and battling my […]
Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Screenwriting vs Prose Writing” by Dale Kutzera
Having written quite a few screenplays and teleplays, I looked forward to trying my hand at prose. I hadn’t written a short story or novel in years and thought it would be a snap compared to the minimalist haiku of screenwriting. Best of all, I’d have the final word (well words) on the story, without […]