1. For today’s prize of a paperback copy of Misfit McCabe along with Mayan December by Brenda Cooper AND an ARC of Tattered, simply comment on this post.
2. To get a free ebook copy of Misfit McCabe:
• Put together the puzzle and write down the code. Each day will give another part of the coupon code. Please note at the top whether it is for eBook or Print.
• Once you have collected the entire code, go to Smashwords and purchase Misfit McCabe input the code and download whichever ebook version you need for free.
3. To get 50% off the print version of Misfit McCabe:
• Put together the puzzle and write down the code. Each day will give another part of the coupon code. Please note at the top whether it is for eBook or Print.
• Once you have collected the entire code, go to Griffie World Store and purchase Misfit McCabe input the code and receive 50% off the purchase price.
4. To win the KINDLE FIRE
• Support this tour by commenting on each of the daily stops — It’s only 11 days, not even as long as the 12 days of Christmas.
• And either Tweet the following exactly: YA ALERT! Check out @lkgg’s new release #TATTERED at @LLBR’s site http://bit.ly/uQLiIN and your chance to win a #KINDLE!
• OR on Facebook post exactly: YA Alert! Win a Kindle! Check out LK Gardner-Griffie’s new release Tattered! Today’s clue is on the LL Book Review http://bit.ly/uQLiIN
• And if you’re under 18 and would like to enter, but don’t have Facebook or Twitter, etc. if you have a friend comment on the posts saying that you sent them, we’ll consider that your entry for the Grand Prize. One friend for each stop (and they can enter too and bring all of their friends to the party).

Tattered is the third novel in the heartwarming young adult series, Misfit McCabe. A little about the book:

What do Sunday afternoon court proceedings, cheerleader tryouts, and a book burning have in common? Katie McCabe is back in action.

After her nemesis Harvey is found guilty and sentenced to community service, Katie wants to believe her troubles are over, but Harvey won’t rest until he gets revenge. When blackmail rears its ugly head, she’s caught between friends and enemies putting her growing relationship with Tom at stake. Books go up in flames and Katie’s world rains down in tatters.

I know what you’re thinking… you’re thinking that I’m going to say that I got involved with LLBR through Twitter. Wrong. In August of 2008, Shannon Yarbrough, the founder of LLBR, reviewed Misfit McCabe, then by October I had come onboard as the second reviewer. I don’t get to review as many these days as I’d like to, but LLBR has grown and now has several people to help get the reviews out there. And it was LLBR who introduced me to Twitter (you knew I had to bring Twitter into it somehow). Now I’ll turn things over to Katie McCabe, the fourteen-year-old main character of Tattered.

Katie: Hi LLBR peeps! Thanks for having me today. Today I get to talk about two of my cousins, Uncle Charley’s sons, Matt and Mark. Matt is the oldest, then Mark, then Sarah, then Tim and me. Before I moved to town, I’d never met my cousins, or at least I didn’t think I had. When Matt picked me up at the bus stop I was floored. When he stepped on the bus and called my name it was like looking at an old picture of Daddy come to life. Tall, Blonde, and those clear blue eyes. In some ways it makes me feel better just to look at Matt, but then sometimes looking at him makes me miss Daddy more. Matt’s kinda quiet and he works hard. In fact, lately I hardly ever see him because he’s been working on building a house so when his girlfriend (who I haven’t met) comes back from her trip, he can propose to her.

Mark on the other hand, is noisy. He bursts through the door, his boots clomping on the floor. He has dark hair and eyes like Uncle Charley and a wickedly mischievous grin. Sarah warned me about how overprotective he can be, but I didn’t listen very well. She said that he won’t think any guy is good enough for me, so that’s one of the reasons I don’t talk about Tom being my boyfriend at home. Well, that and Uncle Charley won’t let me date. And Mark calls me Kit-Kat instead of Katie and has since the very first day after I arrived. It had something to do with the fit I threw during supper the first night…Mark thought it was funny. It was embarrassing.

LK: Put the puzzle below together for part of the code to receive a free Misfit McCabe ebook. And make sure you visit Carolina Valdez Miller on tomorrow’s stop on the tour. And for all details on the tour, the prizes, and the stops, please visit Griffie World.

If the puzzle does not load correctly, please refresh your browser and it should display correctly. And if for some reason it still does not display correctly, click this link to open the puzzle in a new browser window.

provided by flash-gear.com

I was given the privilege of reading LK Gardner-Griffie’s new book, Nowhere Feels Like Home,  while it was still in its infant stages before publication.  I was first introduced to LK’s writing when reading her first book, Misfit McCabe, the first in a series of three books following the teenage days of Katie McCabe.

Katie becomes displaced from her routine after her father gets sick and passes away, and she has to go live with Uncle Charley and her cousins.  The book came to a climax when Katie was kidnapped by her school bully, Harvey Denton Jr., and left in the hills all alone.  After almost drowning, then getting bit by a rattlesnake and breaking an ankle, Katie finally made it home alive.

Nowhere Feels Like Home picks up right where the first book left off, where we quickly discover that while Katie is okay and recovering, things don’t really feel like “home” to her. She still feels displaced, and if it wasn’t for the broken ankle forcing her to stay in bed most of the day, she’d probably be back out there into trouble or searching to find her own self once again.

As I emailed back and forth with LK during the writing and editing process, I can remember in the very beginning how she had no idea how she was going to write a book with her main character stuck in bed with a broken ankle throughout most of the book. I was anxious to see how she was going to pull it off as well.

As an author myself, I know the challenges of coming up with a plot and then finding out how you are going to move your characters through it.  What scenes will you create and how will you connect them?  What conversations will your characters have and how will they be relevant to the plot?  How will you breathe life into your characters without making them seem like stiff pawns just moving around on a chessboard?

After getting to know “Kit-Kat” so well in the first book, it was obvious the second book would have to focus more on Katie’s new family: Uncle Charley and Katie’s three cousins.  And that is exactly the focus that LK took.  There are indeed some very heartfelt conversations that take place from the edge of Katie’s bed between her and Cousin Sarah and Uncle Charley, shedding a bit of light on who her relatives are and why Katie should have no problems in calling their place her home now. Then there’s Cousin Matt and Mark, two rebellious boys, who respect Katie and make her laugh, and take up for her. LK embraces the emotional and physical discomfort that Katie is experiencing and uses it to further mature her lead character even more so than she did in the first book.

This is also a book of secrets beginning with Katie being instructed to keep quiet about how she broke her ankle in the first place. Katie also discovers that her personal vendetta with Harvey Jr. runs deeper with a family feud between hers and the Dentons. Katie and Sarah share moments as Sarah helps Katie cope with her pain, and sheds light on Sarah’s personal love life while Katie gains a boyfriend of her own. Timmy, Katie’s best friend whom she got into trouble with in the beginning of the first book, also makes an appearance and further solidifies Katie’s premonitions that things are changing, whether she likes it or not.

In the end, this is a book about family and not the traditional family we know as a mother, a father, a brother, and a sister. Sure, Katie is with blood relatives now who love her just as much as her immediate family did, but such a transition during your teen years can be hard when what you need the most is a place and a family to call home. LK balances this theme with Katie also adjusting to fit in with her peers, while avoiding the trouble that made her the “misfit” in the first book. It’s been nice seeing Katie mature and develop so nicely.

I’d also like to point out the beautiful cover of this book. And while I loved the bright colors of the cartoon cover that Misfit McCabe had when I first read it, LK has since given  it a makeover to match the new “teen” feel that she presents with Nowhere Feels Like Home. LK definitely knows how to appeal to her target audience and knows how important that book cover is in making your book marketable to your readers.  Well done!

You can read an excerpt of the book and learn more about LK at her blog, Griffie World!

I immediately fell in love with Katie when I reviewed the first Misfit McCabe book last year. I was honored to later have LK join the LLBR team, and she’s been a vital asset to our team ever since by covering a lot of kids/teen literature that we might have otherwise overlooked.  LK was also responsible for the overall organization and visual appeal of the “new blog” when we changed our name to the LL Book Review earlier this year. Here’s a bit about LK from the interview:

Author of the award-winning young adult novel Misfit McCabe and soon to be released Nowhere Feels Like Home, Ms. Gardner-Griffie somehow manages to write and keep a separate day job. By day, she works as a system analyst and process efficiency expert, but she spends her nights shaping her career as a young adult novelist. She is currently working on the third book in the Misfit McCabe series (yet untitled). In her own words: “I think my characters were getting a little miffed because I was the only one who didn’t realize that I was writing a series. I figured it out as I started thinking about the third book.”

Congrats, LK on the fabulous interview!  We look forward to the release of and to reviewing the 2nd book in the series, Nowhere Feels Like Home, very soon!

The way it works is this: If you have a book you’d like to share with the troops and your book is available via Smashwords, you create a 100% off coupon and contact Ed. He sends a list of the troop contacts which have opted to participate in the program and you send emails off to the contacts with a description of your offerings and the coupon code. It couldn’t be simpler. For full details, visit the Smashwords blog.

Being the wife of a former military member, as soon as I learned about Operation eBook Drop I immediately wanted to participate, but wasn’t sure whether my young adult books would be of interest to the troops. I had this vision of a soldier sitting at his post, complete with war sounds of mortars and bullets flying, reading Misfit McCabe and couldn’t quite fathom it. Then I started thinking about the men and women who are overseas and serving our nation. Perhaps Misfit McCabe could give them an opportunity to escape their grim reality and take a mental trip back home. The soldiers might have a child at home, much like Katie McCabe, or they may be reminded in some way of themselves at a younger age. I’ve said for many years that young adult novels are not just for teens, so it was time to step up to the plate and put Misfit McCabe out there. Another reason I thought my young adult offering might spark some interest is it would be a good way for the troops to connect with those left behind. Maybe they do have a teen at home who is missing mom or dad, and they could email them the link and coupon to download the book. I really hope it will be used in this way as well.

When I mentioned my participation in Operation eBook Drop to my husband, Denny, he was skeptical at first, which irritated me until I realized I had the same skepticism initially. Imagine my delight when less than 24 hours after having sent the coupon code out in email to the troops I had my first download from a soldier. Thanks to Wayne Dunlap for making my weekend. Whether you believe we are involved in the war for the right reasons or not, the soldiers who are overseas serving our country are there because they are doing their job. Involvement in this project is a great way to say Thank You to all of the men and women who are daily putting their lives on the line for our freedom. If you don’t have your book available in ebook format through Smashwords, it is a relatively easy process and once available you can participate in Operation eBook Drop. In addition to reviewer LK Gardner-Griffie, guest reviewer Linda Welch also participates in the program. Well, what are you waiting for?

Dan’s book, Briefs for the Reading Room, made the list of top books with the most views in Full Screen Mode with 228 hits in the month of August.

LK’s book, Misfit McCabe, made the list of top books with the most views in Widget Mode with 4693 hits.

While I myself have not taken advantage of using the BookBuzzr marketing feature, we here at LLBR are big supporters of it and often use the widget in our reviews when posting book previews.

Click here to get started with fReado and BookBuzzr today!

LKG-G: How did the idea come about to turn Minnie into a stage play?

AL: I’ve always been a fan of Steel Magnolias and had on hand the script I bought from Amazon, which I read from time to time. Then it hit me a couple months back that Minnie could be translated to a play like Steel Magnolias. They’re both about real life situations and real reactions, and people always like to be entertained by things they can relate to. I sometimes read the script aloud to myself and edit it that way, to make it as real-sounding as possible. It’s very exciting to see Minnie evolve the way it has been.

LKG-G: What were some of the challenges you faced with writing the play versus the manuscript?

AL: Since plays are mostly dialogue, I had to change a lot of the intrapersonal segments into outward dialogue and remove some of the characters. For example, in the book, Minnie has an angry, paranoid daughter named Marcia and she is softened by Sadey, but in the play, to keep it simple, Marcia is only talked of. Sadey’s toddler sister, Cora, is one of Sadey’s reasons for living in the book, but in the play, she is also only talked of. It was hard to eliminate the positions for actors, but I didn’t want a complicated script. I’m very tidy and linear in everything I do, so I wanted the play to be something I could look at and not wince. I was able to keep a lot of the back story, which the characters discuss (Minnie’s abusive marriage, Sadey’s unfit mother, Gabe’s hand in an abortion).

Note by LKG-G: I’m very sorry to hear that Marcia will not be a part of the stage play. When I first heard you were working on the stage play for Minnie, my mind immediately visualized the off-beat Marcia, and it would be a great part for a character actor.

LKG-G: As a script what do you see as the potential for Minnie?

AL: I see Minnie becoming fairly popular as a play, simply because it’s based on something believable. I’m not trying to sound conceited, but history shows that audiences like things that can sweep them away: Steel Magnolias of course, Titanic, The Sound of Music, Pride & Prejudice, and countless other plays like them. Once Minnie is on stage, I feel that it will slowly but surely gain popularity like it did when it was first published.

LKG-G: When do you anticipate Minnie to be in production?

AL: That’s the funny part. Right now I’m in the middle of turning Minnie into a play for a scriptwriting contest that Loves Street Playhouse is having and I feel that it will be my turn to do something great and to see my characters that I’ve known for a few years to finally take tangible breaths and to live out what has been a vision for so long. As for a timeline, if my script wins the contest, Loves Street Playhouse will have the rights to my script for the 2009-2011 seasons and will be produced once or several times. Worst case scenario, if I do not win the contest, I want to put on my own production of Minnie with friends and community members and work my way up from there!

Thanks to author Ashley Lane for sharing her next steps with Minnie with us.

Frogs Boy Scout by Joshua Smith

Frog’s Boy Scout
and other books

Written and illustrated by Joshua Smith

Copyright 2008-2009

Paperback editions $9.95 and up
Artwork/Ebooks .99-$1.99

Here at the LL Book Review, we have reviewed a wide variety of books in a little over a year. Fiction, non-fiction, children’s and young adult, memoirs, and mysteries, to philosophical tomes that give us a new way of thinking. One thing all of the books reviewed have in common is they are all written by authors who believe in their work enough to pursue the hard road of self-publishing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying the path of traditional publishing is an easy one, because it is not, but it is different than the path of self-publishing. I’m not going to provide the battling viewpoints of the self-published vs. traditionally published debate at this time either. However, I am going to talk about one of the areas where self-publishing, using a POD service such as Lulu.com has traditional publishing houses beat. They publish anything. If you would like to publish a book, you can. There is an immediacy to the process that traditional publishing will never match, and there is a great deal of satisfaction that the authors feel from being able to hold a bound copy of their work in their hands.

I am sure this the case with author Joshua Smith. Joshua is an eight year old, who definitely works on his craft as a writer. He also illustrates all of his books. With the loving support of his parents, Joshua has written, illustrated, and published 24 children’s books via Lulu.com. That, in and of itself, is an amazing feat. It makes me feel like I may have started late in life because I only started writing my first, never to see the light of day, book at the age of nine. Some of the books are Joshua’s versions of existing tales such as Jack in the Beanstalk or Charlotte’s Web, and others are his own original work. In addition to the 24 books, Joshua has several art pieces which he has published as download files. He has a bold color sense and the happiness of the pieces leaps off the page.

Joshua, with the help of his father, requested a review of his books about Charlie Smart, the frog. Frogs just happen to be one of Joshua’s passions, so it is natural that one of his favorite characters to write about is a frog. I had the pleasure of sampling three of Joshua’s frog books, Frog Goes to the Circus, Frog Has a Super Hero, and Frog’s Boy Scout. In reading these books, it is clear that Joshua takes his muse from his own life experiences and then uses those experiences with the character of Charlie Smart. In Frog Has a Super Hero, the artwork is primarily pencil sketches, whereas, Frog Goes to the Circus and Frog’s Boy Scout are very colorful. Joshua’s work is improving as he gets older, and whether he stays with illustrated books or starts working on longer pieces, I think his dedication to writing is clear. My favorite piece of those I read was Frog’s Boy Scout, because I felt that Joshua’s artwork was becoming a little more detailed and complex and the story line had challenges that Charlie Smart had to overcome.

I would like to see Joshua progress from hand writing his stories in pencil to having them typed, and to work with his parents and teachers, both of whom it is clear support him in his endeavors, to do some editing. As he hones his skills as both a writer and an illustrator, I’m sure he will continue to write stories to entertain and delight his siblings, as well as those around him.

All of the pumpkins in Pumpkins Ville are disappearing and the pumpkin farmers are worried about not being able to support their families because unless they find the pumpkin thieves, they will have no crops for sale. Lilly overhears her father and is determined to do something to help him capture the pumpkin thieves. So, Lilly waits until her family has fallen asleep and then sneaks out of the house and goes down to the pond where the largest pumpkins are to wait for the pumpkin thieves. Her plan is to wait until they show up and then scream for her father to come and catch them.

Lilly began to feel very sleepy. Snuggling up next to the pumpkin, she had almost fallen asleep when, suddenly, the huge pumpkin began moving and shaking back and forth. Lilly looked around. No one was there, just she and the pumpkin. Shaking faster and faster, it started sinking into the ground! Lilly quickly grabbed the pumpkin stem and, as she did, the pumpkin started to fall into the earth. She held tightly; she was not going to let it go. Down they both went. Deeper and deeper into the Earth they fell. Faster and faster they both fell. Then, all of a sudden, they were slowly falling through a bright blue sky. They landed on a mound of hay, surrounded by tall grass, in a field. The sun shined above and the sky was a deep blue. Lilly looked around and saw two pumpkins that appeared to be running away from her. These pumpkins had legs, arms and faces! They were trying to get away.

Lilly had just fallen into Pumpkin Bunch Land, where the residents are pumpkins, and they live in houses that look like pumpkins, and they are the ones who are stealing Lilly’s father’s pumpkins. One of the pumpkin people, JayJay, who was trying to run away after Lilly fell through the sky, stops when Lilly asks him to and becomes her guide to Pumpkin Bunch Land. Lilly and JayJay set off to find the King of Pumpkin Bunch Land, but JayJay tells her they must hide from the Jaspers or there will be pumpkins to pay. The Jaspers turn out to be giant rats who have taken over Pumpkin Bunch Land and have enslaved the pumpkin people. If the people do not provide fresh pumpkins for the Jaspers on a daily basis, the Jaspers will eat them. When Lilly meets the King, she is hailed as Princess Lilly Pad of whom it was foretold that she would fall from the sky to save their kingdom.

The King sat in an enormous chair made of pumpkin and began to tell Lilly about how it was written that a princess would fall from the sky and save Pumpkin Bunch Land. He said to Lilly, “You must find the four-leaf clover, pluck it from the ground, and save it in your pocket. When you do this, you will have the powers of the Wizard. It is also written that you will be able to restore the kingdom back to the throne, but you cannot look the Wizard in the eyes. If you do, he will know what you are doing and take the magic from you. Lilly, you must overtake the Wizard without him knowing.”

Lilly chooses JayJay as her consort, and they go off in search of the four-leaf clover and the wizard so they can take back the King’s wand. Lilly and JayJay have to overcome many obstacles, including being attacked by Jaspers, in order to free the kingdom of Pumpkin Bunch Land.

I enjoyed the underlying tale of Pumpkin Bunch, however, found some of the writing a little repetitive. While some repetition is good in a children’s book, it is usually better in the learn to read books, and less necessary in the read-to-me books. Peter Tucker used the illustrative talents of MikeMotz.com, who was featured previously on the LL Book Review, and the illustrations help to move the tale along in a marvelous way. I enjoyed the illustrations so much, that I went to the website and checked out the options that were available. MikeMotz.com has a wealth of information available for self-publishing children’s book authors as well as several illustrative styles to choose from. To give you an additional glimpse of the illustrations in Pumpkin Bunch, below is the illustration for the chapter, Lilly Meets the Jaspers.

Pumpkin Bunch is a fast moving read-to-me tale with lots of adventure to delight a young listener.

Tilbee Toadlet’s Trip to Town

We first encountered the delightful writing of P.J. Cowan in March with the review of Michael O’Brien and the Magic Hat. I was pleased to be able to request another book from Ms. Cowan and asked for her selection. Tilbee Toadlet’s Trip to Town was the book she sent stating it is one of her personal favorites. I always enjoy a chance to read an author’s favorite work, and I certainly was not disappointed.

The title alone had me captured. Even the dedication at the beginning gives you a picture of the author as a warm and loving person.

For all parents and children who love small amphibians and protect the friendly creatures by making their yards and gardens a safe place for them to live and thrive.

Tilbee toadlet was captured as a tadpole by Finny Fain, and raised in an aquarium with his brothers and sisters in Finny’s room, until he grew legs. Every night Frances Fain, Finny Fain’s mother would come in and read bedtime stories to Finny. Tilbee loved hearing the stories and his greatest ambition was to be in a story himself. After hearing the story of the princess and the frog, Tilbee became determined that he would leave the Fain farm so that he could be in a story and maybe even turn into a prince one day. After all, he wasn’t much use as a toadlet.

Tilbee saw his chance when farmer Frank Fain was on his way into town and Tilbee hitched a ride on farmer Frank’s foot. Once in town, Tilbee is captured by Cameron Carter and given to his father, third grade teacher, Carl Carter and taken to school. Mr. Carter gave his class an assignment to write a story about a toad. Tilbee was thrilled. It was his dream come true. He was finally going to be in not only one story, but in many stories. He could hardly wait until school started the next day.

Things didn’t work out exactly as Tilbee had planned as none of the children knew his name and the stories weren’t even about him. And the stories didn’t change who he was. Tilbee realized that he had made a big mistake and wanted to go back home to the farm. Tilbee made it back to the farm and realized there were some lessons learned.

Maybe he did change. He learned that running away wasn’t very smart. He learned that toads can’t become princes. He learned the difference between a story and reality. He learned that the Fain family knew his name; and they really appreciated him. Tilbee Toadlet learned that being a toad isn’t such a bad thing and that he was useful after all.

I truly enjoy alliteration in children’s books which are meant to be read out loud. While I was reading, I could hear the voice of the author in my head reading it out loud. The illustrations come from MikeMotz.com and enhance this delightful story by bringing the words to life with colorful pictures depicting the action. I know that my soon-to-be three year old neice will be enchanted with the story of Tilbee (rumor has it that Grammy may be purchasing it for her soon), and it will be one of the night after night selections for the favored bedtime story.

About The Author

PJ Cowan writes children’s books during fall and winter and is an avid gardener during the spring and summer. She knows Tilbee well, he came to live in her pond three springs ago and stayed to raise a family. She can distinguish his voice from the other amphibians that visit her pond during mating season and hopes he will live a long life and stick around for awhile longer.

 I am actually quite impressed with the cover. On the original Kindle, I didn’t like the cover it came with. It was pretty much a leather jacket with elastic bands to attempt to keep the Kindle within. The cover wasn’t even as wide as the Kindle (1), so the edges stuck out making the propensity to hit the Next page button a likely occurrence. This cover is different. On the inside spine of the cover are two doo-hickeys which allow you to snap the K2 into place, and it doesn’t fall out, even if I just hold it by the edge.

Next, the moment I had been waiting for. I unzipped the box holding my K2. The way Amazon.com packages the Kindle, it appears to be thicker than what it actually is. I tried to prepare by looking at photos of the K2 all over the internet, but somehow, I still wasn’t prepared for the thinness in actuality. If they make it any thinner, it simply won’t be there. Once you put it into a cover, however, it feels just like a slim volume book. Once I had it in my hands, forget the quick start guide that comes with it, forget learning about how to use it, forget checking to see whether it needed to be charged first – I just had to turn it on.

As I think I may have mentioned, I pre-sent Misfit McCabe to my K2, so as soon as I turned it on there was my book, which was a very satisfying feeling. I also downloaded the Smashwords Kindle version of Misfit McCabe so I could compare the two versions. The top picture is the version which was formatted using the Amazon Digital Text Platform (DTP) service and the second picture is the Smashwords version. They both look very similar, except the DTP version has more left white space than the Smashwords version. This was entirely my fault being so new to the game when I did the DTP version. I have corrected several formatting errors with DTP, but have not purchased the book again so I can see the newer version in action.