Running Wide Open (Full Throttle)
By Lisa Nowak
Copyright © 2011
Webfoot Publishing
ISBN: 978-1937167004
330 pages
$9.99 at Amazon.com; 2.99 Kindle

When Cody Everett and his graffiti artist friends get caught by the Portland police, it’s the last straw for the boy’s father who puts two choices to his son: military school or live with his mother’s brother, Race Morgan, in a trailer park in Eugene. Cody’s uncle is a race car driver so the choice seems obvious. Running Wide Open by Lisa Nowak is Cody’s story about that episode in his life, which takes place  in 1989.

Cody arrives at his uncle’s ungrateful. He begins pulling endless, childish pranks that test Race’s patience. But Race’s skin is thick and his passive tolerance proves frustrating to Cody. The two take a long time adapting to each other but gradually the frequency and intensity of Cody’s pranks diminish as his interest in the racing world grows. It helps when Race’s sponsor, the attractive Kasey, comes into the picture. Her sisterly / motherly influence on Cody is positive for everyone. Through her he learns lessons in teamwork and sportsmanship as his life begins to stabilize.

Then a serious injury at the track puts Race in the hospital, threatening to undo all the progress Cody’s made. He’s too young to live on his own in the trailer. His desire to live with Kasey goes against the wishes of his maternal grandparents, who live nearby, and those of his mother, who lives in California. All the Morgan family dysfunction—extending across three generations and simmering to this point—boils over when Cody’s mother pressures him to come live with her. No one, least of all Cody, wishes for that. Amidst this adult cesspool of acrimony, Cody must choose his own paths, and stick to them.

It’s a complex drama for a YA book, let alone for real life, and I liked how the story focused on these emotional aspects, rather than rely on the easy subjects of sex and drugs. I suspect all teens can identify with one or two of Cody’s troubles, albeit not all of them. From my adult perspective, though, the intensity of the situations seemed to overwhelm the characters with whom I had difficulty associating.

The problem may be in the voice. Cody’s first person voice is strong but the age and maturity is not consistent. I couldn’t be sure whether this was Cody’s fifteen-year-old reactive voice weeks or months after those events of 1989, or his adult reflective voice years later (at one point, he uses the expression, “the dating scene,” which struck me as out of place and out of character). Furthermore, I had no idea whether to view Cody as a reliable narrator or not. It affected my ability to relate to the characters, and primarily the protagonist.

Indeed, I didn’t care much for Cody, in my opinion a self-pitying, spoiled brat desperately needing some tough love. I cared even less for the adults around him who nurtured this behaviour by kowtowing to his mood swings. Yet his troubles, while at times overly dramatized, are not uncommon today, and probably weren’t in 1989 either; as such, I can appreciate this novel for its plausible portrayal of a societal situation. But if we are to cheer for Cody then we are kind of compelled also to champion the entitlement trap teenagers and parents fall into and even encourage. I wasn’t willing to do that and that bias on my part certainly affected my reading experience.

I do wish more had been done with other younger characters such as Tim from the amusing opening scene, the bully from a tense scene by the river, and Kasey’s younger sister, Brooke, who appears only for a single scene of exposition and never again. Otherwise, Cody is only with adults. While his evolution in relating to adults and authority figures is central to the novel, a reunion with Tim, a re-encounter with the bully, or an awkwardly romantic situation with Brooke, would have given a broader and probably more positive perspective on our protagonist.

I also wish more had been revealed about Cody’s private passion for writing and what he wrote about, as this is such an important aspect of his character. We only see him writing stories but, with one exception, have no idea what they’re about:

There was only one person I’d talked to about my writing—my English teacher last fall. After he’d shoveled on the praise about the first couple essays I’d turned in, I mustered up my courage and showed him one of my stories. It took him most of fall term to get it back to me. Even then, he didn’t give me any real feedback. He just corrected the spelling and grammar in hateful red pen, taking all the art out of it. And he put the dialog in proper English, not getting that I wanted to write it the way my characters would really say it. When I tried to explain that to him, he said, “You have to learn the rules before you can break them, Cody.” The memory of it made me feel like I’d been caught walking buck-naked through the school auditorium.

The writing itself is fine. There could be more showing of emotions through action than description, a lighter touch on the similes, and just some plain old pruning of text. The middle dragged a bit with too many pranks and scenes that only restated character, rather than enhancing it or moving the plot forward. Still, it’s a polished product, as one might expect from an author with Nowak’s experience.

While I didn’t like everything about Running Wide Open, I did admire it. The racing environment is depicted wonderfully and its atmosphere of sportsmanship and camaraderie is inspiring. It’s a great backdrop for this admirably complex drama and ought to make this a YA favorite to be read multiple times.

It’s not often I have the pleasure of reviewing a book prior to release, so I’m especially honored to have the opportunity to review Born To Be A Dragon the day before it launches.

For someone who loves the children’s through young adult market, books written for a middle grade audience are some of the most fun to read. The target audience is always ready to suspend disbelief and allow their imaginations full reign and yet are looking for some more complex issues to encounter between the pages. As a child, I loved to lose myself in a book. To enter the world the author devised and play the words on the page like a movie in my head… and, I’ll admit it, I still do. For those moments, the characters are friends and foes, and their world becomes real.

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. ~ Anonymous Dragon

I love this quote — it makes me giggle every time I read it. Jacobs has the quote on the title page of the book, and it gives us the flavor for what is to come. Deglan is a ten-year-old hatchling, who has not yet taken part in the Rising Ceremony. The Rising Ceremony causes Deglan some concern because his mark, which every dragon receives at birth, has been changing…and it’s not supposed to. Deglan is afraid because Lord Edric has been searching for the dragon of legend for as long as Deglan can remember, and the dragon of legend has a mark in the shape of a dragon, instead of the more usual crescent or star. Which is exactly what Deglan’s mark has morphed into. Could he be the dragon Lord Edric has been seeking? And if Lord Edric discovers his mark at the Rising Ceremony, will his family be banished… or worse?

Meia, is a ten-year-old foster child who has been bounced from family to family, mainly because of her dreams and nightmares about dragons, until she has finally been placed with a family who take her obsession in stride. The Bensens encourage Meia to talk about her dreams, instead of thinking she is weird. Meia is a daydreamer, and has trouble focusing in class sometimes because her mind takes her on flights of fancy… on the back of a blue dragon.

Deglan and Meia both have their part to fulfill the legend centuries old. An unlikely alliance to say the least, but one that takes us on a roller-coaster ride — exciting from the morphing of the mark to the thrilling conclusion.

Born To Be A Dragon is a delightful read and has almost as many twists and turns as Meia has freckles on her nose. In her debut novel, Eisley Jacobs truly gets into the ten-year-old mindset and has written the book in alternating points of view. So you get the perspective of Deglan and Meia throughout and their different takes on the circumstances as they unfold. This makes it a great read for both boys and girls because they each have a main character to identify with. Each of the characters jump off the page, whether their part is large or small, even down to Philip the garden gnome. In addition, Jacobs has artwork starting each chapter, drawn by satisfied readers who are eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. Charming.

Born To Be A Dragon will be available for purchase July 20, 2011, or you can pre-order, by selecting the link here. A fun-filled story for dragon-lovers everywhere.

I happened to run across this book last year at the Orange County Kids Book Festival. As a girl, I loved ghost stories, and the premise for the book intrigued me, and I knew I had to give it a read. Somehow I missed the vampire reference on the back cover and while I love ghost stories, I’m much less happy about reading a vampire tale. But I still gave it a whirl and I’m glad I did.

Paige Parker is thirteen years old and striving to deal with major changes in her life; the death of her father, a move from her childhood home, and dealing with a mother who is coming apart at the seams. The home they move into is a wreck in Paige’s eyes, and there is no way it will become a home. And worst yet, she ends up having a ghost in her room. Not that she knows it’s a ghost from the start. She just knows there are some awfully strange happenings around Heather Hollows.

     Now, standing in vampire country, Paige shivered. She rubbed her arms and looked up at the house, its windows now glowing warmly in the early evening.
     It was the movement of the curtains in her bedroom that first caught her eye.
     There was a flutter of fabric, and then, when she looked up, a silhouette there in the window. Paige wondered what her mother was doing in her room.
     The hand that gripped her shoulder made her heart leap.
     Paige whirled around.
     “Mom!” she cried, confused as she faced her.

The next morning, after a particularly bad nightmare, Paige decides to put her room in order, but first wants to grab a bite to eat. She puts her iPod on shuffle and Sarah McLachlan fills the room. Next up is a song by Modest Mouse, but as Paige starts her breakfast, the song changes…back to the Sarah McLachlan song which just finished. Figuring the issue is with the iPod, Paige checks it upon return to her room, selects a Coldplay song and again, mid-song, the iPod changes back to Sarah McLachlan. Either her iPod is possessed or there is a ghost with a penchant for Sarah McLachlan — living in her room!!!

Paige’s best friend, Amelia, comes for a visit and the two girls start to uncover the secret of the ghost in the house, and discover the hounds of hell are loose and hunting Paige as well. Paige begins to wonder not only whether she will figure out what is going on, but whether she’ll survive long enough to do so.

Karen Chilton pens an exciting tale weaving the current world of Paige Parker with the past world of Patience Hazard, the ghost. The plot twists should keep the target middle grade audience turning the pages from start to finish. As an adult reading the tale, I did find a few minor inconsistencies which broke me out of my suspension of disbelief. For example, Mercy Brown, the historic vampire of the piece, was said to have been dug up and her heart cut out to stop her from taking more victims. At the time the coffin was opened, the rumors said her hair and nails had grown, and yet at the same time, there were marks on the coffin lid as evidence of her getting out. As a child reading the book, I may have missed the significance of that, as an adult, I did not.

Overall, The Haunting on Devil’s Den Road is an entrancing read, and perfect for its intended audience.

Travels of Misfit McCabe

I thought I’d take just a moment to let everyone know where each of the eight books are and current travel plans for the books.

Book 1
The Purple line started off in Garden Grove, CA and then traveled to Bayfield, CO, a trip of 801 miles, then on to Durango, CO, which brought the total mileage of the book up to 828 miles. It’s next stop was Montreal, QC where it is participating in the Pearson Prize Book Award contest, bringing the total mileage for the Purple line to 2,175 miles. Wow! I haven’t received any updates as yet from Montreal, but hope they start trickling in soon.

Book 2
The Yellow line started off in Snohomish, WA and has now traveled on to Woodinville, WA, a short jaunt of approximately 7 miles so far. No further updates on this line at this time. Has it been passed on, or is it sitting on the shelf?

Book 3
The Red line is currently in West Milton, OH. No updates to whether Brian has finished reading it yet or where it might be going next.

Book 4
The Green line started in Hesperia, CA and we were expecting it to go haring off to Oregon next, but in an unexpected update, the book traveled down the 15 to the 91 freeways and ended up with Ryan in Corona. A journey of 55 miles.

Books 5, 6, & 7
I don’t have any updated information from Books, 5, 6, & 7 with the exception of confirmation of arrival at the starting point. I have heard that some have moved on, but I don’t have any information to share. Just to give you a flavor for where they are starting:
Book 5 – the Blue line started in Las Vegas, NV
Book 6 – the Teal line started in Norfok, VA
Book 7 – the Pink line started in El Paso, TX

Book 8
The Brown line took a trip from MaryAnn in Butler, NJ to the Jersey shore and is now staying with Savannah in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. A jaunt of 67 miles. Savannah reports that school work is getting in the way of reading. So to Savannah’s teachers, could you lay off the homework for a bit to allow her to finish the book? Just kidding – as always school work needs to come first.

Sequel Update

It is a very proud moment for me to be able to say that I have finished the first draft of the sequel to Misfit McCabe. I still have all of the editing and rewrites to do, so that will take a little more time, but I am hoping to be able to launch the sequel before summer. The next step in the process is for me to re-read what I have written, and try to keep my fingers off the keyboard while doing it, so that I can get a good sense of what I have to start with. Hopefully by the time I’m done with the read through, I’ll have a title that comes to mind. Then after that, fingers back on the keyboard and I get to start ripping it apart and putting it back together again. Fun times ahead!

Book Trailer
I have posted my book trailer for Misfit McCabe on YouTube. So stop by and take a look and let me know what you think. Just type Misfit McCabe in the search box and you should find it.

That’s all the news for now. Keep on Reading!

LK Gardner-Griffie

Travels of Misfit McCabe

I thought I’d take just a moment to let everyone know where each of the eight books are and current travel plans for the books.

Book 1
The Purple line started off in Garden Grove, CA and then traveled to Bayfield, CO, a trip of 801 miles, so that it could go to school with Keely in Durango, CO and was shared with her class. That brought the total mileage of the book up to 828 miles. Miss Pam’s class decided to send the book to another class in Montreal, QC. And the book is currently traveling and trying to get through Customs to get to the classroom in Canada. Once it arrives, the total mileage for the Purple line will be 2,175 miles. Wow! It is also exciting to have one of the books travel to another country. So far Book 1 has been read by 5 people.

Book 2
The Yellow line started off at Gail’s house in Snohomish, WA and has now traveled on to Lily’s house in Woodinville, WA, a short jaunt of approximately 7 miles so far. I hear that Lily is planning to pass the book around to her friends once she is done reading it.

Book 3
The Red line is currently in West Milton, OH where Diane has read it and now Brian is in the process of reading it. They are still trying to decide where it will go from there.

Book 4
The Green line started in Hesperia, CA with Justine, and has moved 12 feet down the hall to her brother Jacob. It will soon be starting its travels by going to Oregon, and then most likely to eastern Washington after that. From there? It could be Chicago, IL, but who knows??

Books 5, 6, 7 & 8
I don’t have any updated information from Books, 5, 6, 7, & 8 with the exception of confirmation of arrival at the starting point. I have heard that some have moved on, but I don’t have any information to share. Just to give you a flavor for where they are starting:
Book 5 – the Blue line started in Las Vegas, NV
Book 6 – the Teal line started in Norfok, VA
Book 7 – the Pink line started in El Paso, TX
Book 8 – the Brown line started in Butler, NJ

Sequel Update

As some of you know, I have started to work on the sequel to Misfit McCabe. Chapter 1 has been completed, and for me that was going to be the most difficult to write. Why was it the most difficult? Because I wanted to make sure that I covered what happened in Misfit McCabe enough so that someone who starts with the sequel won’t be lost, but didn’t want to bore those of you who have already read and enjoyed Misfit McCabe. Hopefully, I will have done a good job of this, but you will be the judge of that once the sequel has been completed.

Up until yesterday, Chapter 1 was as far as I had gotten due to the holidays and a few other reasons, but yesterday, I dusted off my keyboard, plugged my headphones in on my mp3 player and started typing. If I didn’t have something that I had to do last night, Chapter 2 would be complete by now, but I am only about 1,000 words off completion of Chapter 2, so should be done tonight. I will keep you posted on what is happening with the sequel as I am working on it.

Book Trailer
I finally have posted my book trailer for Misfit McCabe on YouTube. So stop by and take a look and let me know what you think. Just type Misfit McCabe in the search box and you should find it.

That’s all the news for now. Keep on Reading!

LK Gardner-Griffie

In today’s writing generation, it’s absolutely amazing that authors can now write a book, edit it, format it, publish it, sell it, print it, ship it, and market it all from their desk top computer. Let’s not forget readers! They can buy it and read it on their computers as well. That’s the tricky part for authors. How do we get readers to buy our books, read them, and spread the word so overall our sales increase along with our popularity?

It all comes down to marketing! Book marks. Press releases. Emails. Virtual book tours. YouTube Book Trailers. Chat sessions. Blogs. Again, the internet and our home computers are valuable tools for self-published authors when it comes to spreading the word. But it still all comes down to getting our book in the hands of a reader. What if there was a way to track just that? What if a book could go across the country and tell us where it is and where it’s been? That would be a POD authors dream come true! For LK Gardner-Griffie, it’s about to happen.

LK took full advantage of the self-publishing possibilities Lulu.com has to offer and published eight special hardcover editions of her book, Misfit McCabe, with the intention of linking the books to an online tracking system solely dependent upon her readers to pass the books on. She added special instructions to the books along with some blank pages at the end for her readers to sign and date. She then shipped the books to various friends and family across the country with instructions to pass the book on.

For LK and her readers, the fun comes by visiting the website, Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?, where recipients of each book can log their location and watch where the book goes next. It’s like a travel diary where the books can tell us all about their readers and the places they’ve been. There’s an FAQ on the website and even a place to sign up if you would like to get involved and receive one of the special copies, and a nifty Google map (shown above) showing the location of each book which has been assigned a special number and color.

For the next several months, LLBR will be watching and promoting this magnificent marketing plan which LK Gardener-Griffie has invested a ton of time and energy in. Join us in watching Misfit McCabe travel the world! Heck, pop on over to the website and sign up to receive a copy. If you receive one and pass it on, post comments below letting us know about it!

Congratulations to LK and good luck to Misfit McCabe on this marketing adventure! We wish you both much success on the journey!

Click on the map at the top of this page to go to the WITW is MMC website now!