![]() ![]() ![]() Lately, she's been feeling like pretty much the opposite of the superhero in her stories. Thank you! Etta Invincible is a story about a young aspiring comic book writer who's grappling with a recent diagnosis. ![]() Now I'm writing middle grade and chapter books, and I can't imagine myself doing anything different! I love the freedom in middle grade that allows authors to tackle emotional coming-of-age themes and difficult situations in the middle of a fun, rollicking adventure!Ĭongrats on your debut MG novel, Etta Invincible! Tell us about it and what inspired you. Neither was really working, and looking back, I'm so surprised I even tried to write for older audiences! I was working in elementary schools as a social worker at the time, and when I decided to try writing books my students could read, it just felt right. When I started writing, I wrote part of a YA novel first, then part of a novel for adults. Hi! My name is Reese Eschmann and I'm the author of the middle grade contemporary fantasy Etta Invincible and the chapter book series Home for Meow. Tell us about yourself and how you came to write for children. We are excited to feature author Reese Eschmann and her debut middle-grade novel, ETTA INVINCIBLE ( Aladdin July 2022 ). ![]()
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![]() ![]() Horror once was a growth industry, fueled by the nonstop literary outpourings of Stephen King and the gothic books of Anne Rice. That future, for the most part, is now the past. Barker still uses it on his books today: "I have seen the future of horror," King wrote, "his name is Clive Barker." Wherever we're opened, we're red." The first was released in 1984, featuring a cover quote by Stephen King. ![]() Originally, Barker made his mark with short story collections called "The Books of Blood," which bore an unforgettable epigraph: "Everybody is a book of blood. Martin's Press, 368 pages, in stores)Ĭlive Barker's name conjures up images of one of the most memorable movie villains of all time: the demonic Pinhead made famous in the movie "Hellraiser" (1987) and its many sequels. "The Scarlet Gospels" by Clive Barker (St. ![]() ![]() The twists and turns of the plot will keep readers guessing, but Kate's independent attitude and the interesting friends she gathers around her bring the story to vivid life."- Bookpage "Manda Collins smoothly blends romance and an English country-house whodunit. the protagonists and setting of this first in a promising new series are thoroughly enjoyable."- Library Journal "Collins blends historical romance and mystery with characters who embody a modern sensibility. ![]() ![]() "Both romance and mystery fans will find this a treat."- Publishers Weekly " Smartly plotted, superbly executed, and splendidly witty."- Booklist Witty, intelligent, and hard to put down, you'll love A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem."- Rachel Van Dyken, #1 New York Times bestselling author "With wicked smart dialogue and incredibly strong characters, Manda Collins reminds me why I love historical romance so much. "Mystery, romance and an indomitable heroine make for a brisk, compelling read."- Madeline Hunter, New York Times bestselling author Brava!"- Elizabeth Hoyt, New York Times bestselling author " Collins is a delight! I read A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem waaay past my bedtime, absorbed by its spot-on period detail, the well-crafted characters, and of course the intriguing mystery. ![]() With compelling characters and a rich Victorian setting, A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem weaves mystery and romance into one enthralling tale."- Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author "When I pick up a Manda Collins book, I know I'm in for a treat. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The plotting wasn't perfect, but it was good. It's a shame, because with a better audio production this could have been fantastic. I didn't understand some of the narration choices - particularly in which characters had accents and which didn't. I really enjoyed the story on this one, but the audio production is not at the same level. Listened to Scholastic audio edition narrated by Charlie McWade. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.Īs Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.Īn extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.Īnd don't miss the highly anticipated fourth book in the series, The Captive Kingdom, coming October 2020! Read more Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point - he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. ![]() ![]() To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. In a discontented kingdom, civil war is brewing. ![]() ![]() ![]() Last Train to Memphis, the first part of Guralnick's two-volume life of Elvis Presley, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "a triumph of biographical art." This concluding volume recounts the second half of Elvis' life in rich and previously unimagined detail, and confirms Guralnick's status as one of the great biographers of our time.īeginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unravelling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker. ![]() Hailed as "a masterwork" by the Wall Street Journal, Careless Love is the full, true, and mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's last two decades, in the long-awaited second volume of Peter Guralnick's masterful two-part biography. ![]() ![]() The title is an alternative spelling of 'didicoy', the Angloromani term for a person of mixed ancestry. ![]() Set in England, it features an orphan traveller or Romani girl,1 seven-year-old Kizzy Lovell, who faces persecution, grief, and loss3 in a hostile, close-knit, village community. Whether you read this book with children or just for yourself, it’s a worthwhile read, and was a nice introduction for me to the work of Rumer Godden. The Diddakoi is a 1972 childrens novel by Rumer Godden. Rumer Godden is a lovely writer, and also a very honest one. The book was written for children of 4-6th grade age, and I think it would make a powerful read aloud/read together and unit of study on bullying. This is a book that looks directly at that problem, and honestly describes and deals with that issue on a number of different levels. In our world today, there is so much talk about bullying, especially in our schools. ![]() The village girls are cruel to her, as are their parents, but there are a few good people in the village that take Kizzi into their hearts and help her deal with the cruelty of prejudice. But her life changes dramatically when Gran dies and she must live in the village where she is an unwelcomed outsider. She lives with her Gran in a gypsy caravan, always traveling. Kizzy is a “diddakoi,” a half-gypsy girl. It was a lovely little book and quite convinced me to continue reading all those Rumer Godden books on the library shelf. The first of her books I chose to read is one she wrote for children, The Diddakoi. ![]() ![]() I didn’t now much about her, but kept hearing her name in the blogging world and that piqued my interest. Rumer Godden has been an author on my radar since I found that my little library down the street has a good collection of her work. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The book lets lolita readers envision a world in which the heroine is someone who dresses like us. Magic Mutant Nightmare Girl is as fun as it looks: bright and colourful, with diverse characters, J-fashion, and exciting adventure. Except that she may have gotten herself involved in a much more complicated ordeal than she wished for… So when Special Agent Michael Brannon knocks on her door and offers a cure in exchange for her help, Holly is willing to ignore how annoying (or handsome) he can be. And ruins her rarest brand dress beyond repair – which is where things got truly personal. Unfortunately for her, she doesn’t have much choice after a chance encounter with monsters grants her superhuman strength. All she wants is to enjoy her poofy dresses, spend time with her best friend, and maybe get over the anxiety preventing her from getting to know her local lolita comm better. The protagonist, Holly Roads, doesn’t necessarily want an extraordinary life. Written by Erin Grammar, Magic Mutant Nightmare Girl is young adult fiction for the modern lolita by a modern lolita and about a modern lolita. ![]() ![]() I’ve been writing fiction for many years, and I find it to be a strong passion that can’t compare to any other interest I have. I'm an author of gay romance and erotica (college, kink, and age gaps). The Video Voyeur is a 4,500-word short story and part four in a five-part series. ![]() What if, one day, Sir dominates Adrian’s heart? Of course, whether in person or remote, Sir continues to dominate like Adrian expects him to. But what about becoming Master’s-er, Sir’s slave? For now, Adrian is content, but the thought of enslaving himself isn’t just a coincidence. Sure, he’s still a virgin and is in the process of being stretched to better fit Sir’s monster size, so he’ll get to see him regularly for at least another month. While it’s all mostly physical, Adrian starts wondering if life as just a sub is even good enough. Maybe there’s even a little crush forming somewhere? Not that Adrian even knows what that’s like since he’s never fallen in love before. Besides, it’s all part of Sir’s mysterious charm that continues to intrigue and captivate Adrian more than ever. He still wishes he could see Sir’s masked face, but he hasn’t earned that privilege yet. ![]() Adrian has only seen Sir on two different nights, but he’s already more taken by him than ever. ![]() ![]() This was how I came to write my first book, Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River. Those three words led to journeys through Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Tibet, and archival investigations into the history of the Indus valley, once the celebrated territory of the Rig-Veda, now the backbone of Pakistan. In my notebook, I wrote down ‘Indus’, ‘Aryans’ and ‘Alexander’. ![]() ![]() The river idea slipped into my mind while I was reading a translation of India’s most ancient and sacred Sanskrit text, the Rig-Veda. The first was about a chubby Hindu god the second, about a cool mountain river. Both of them were shaped by the heat of a Delhi summer. Ten years ago, when I was living in Delhi, I had the idea to write two books. ![]() She writes about what inspired her to write this unexpected story… Alice Albinia, the acclaimed author of Empires of the Indus, is back – this time with a playful novel about the battle between Ved Vyasa and Ganesha in modern-day Delhi. ![]() ![]() ![]() It's only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets. ![]() She has to confess why Carys disappeared… Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past… ![]() Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken.Ĭaught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances' dreams come crashing down. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Nothing will stand in her way not friends, not a guilty secret - not even the person she is on the inside.īut when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?įrances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. The second novel by the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire and graphic novel series Heartstopper - now a major Netflix series. ![]() |