As a writer, there are some books that when I start reading them, I think, I wish I would have written this. Not because it’s on the bestseller list, although that would be nice!, but because it’s an original idea and well executed, and you know that people are going to love it. This is the case with Hammer of Witches by Shana Mlawski, a YA historical fantasy novel, taking place during 1492 and the voyage of Christopher Columbus.

But this book is not about Christopher Columbus. It’s actually about the smooth-talking, witty, and often humorous young hero, Baltsar Infante, who discovers toward the beginning of the novel that he is a Storyteller, a person who can conjure creatures from stories and bring them into the real world. He also discovers that the Malleus Maleficarium (MM) is after him (think SCARY and TORTURE in the name of Christianity. . .) because of his connection to an infamous man named, Amir al-Katib (“a sorcerer traveling west to prevent the destruction of the world as they know it”). Because Baltsar is being chased by the MM, he gets a job on Christopher Columbus’s ship as a translator. A half-genie he happens upon, Jinniyah, joins him, disguising herself as a boy, and off they set with a crew full of characters on the Pinta, Nina, and Santa Maria, trying to stay away from the MM and to find Amir al-Katib before he destroys the world.

Readers set off on an adventure with Baltsar and Jinniyah, one that will keep them turning the pages to find out where magic will take them on a voyage that everyone knows how it ends–Christopher Columbus doesn’t quite make it to India after all. . .You will love this fantastical adventure set in the 15th century, full of history and fantasy, but most of all a loveable, new hero that all readers can cheer on to the very end. I wanted to mention that Shana has an elaborate and wonderful website about her book, the research, plot, extra resources, and more at http://hammerofwitches.com . And here she answers a few questions for us about her idea, combining history and fantasy, and how to use this book with teenagers!

Margo: Welcome, Shana, to Read These Books and Use Them! I am so excited to be a part of the blog tour for Hammer of Witches. What a delightful, complicated, and original YA novel. What gave you the idea for Hammer of Witches?

Shana: Thanks, Margo! It’s great to be on the blog. The idea for Hammer of Witches popped into my head after I traveled to Portugal and Spain and started reading up on their histories. Unsurprisingly, 1492 was one of those “powder-keg years” when a fuse was lit, and everything went kablooey. In 1492, Spain ended a long war with a Muslim country, continued expanding its police powers and “enhanced interrogation” techniques, and tried to deal with being a multicultural society (mainly by repeating “Spain is a Christian nation” over and over). I thought, Hmm, sounds familiar. Might be fun to set a book there.

So I did. I wrote a book. A book with wizards in.

Margo: Yes, that’s what I love about it. It’s like a Christopher Columbus historical fiction novel meets magical realism. Were you at all worried that readers would “complain” about the fantasy you put into the middle of history? I loved it, btw!

Shana: It’s funny you should say that, because it was actually the other way around. I was worried the fantasy fans would complain about the history! We fantasy readers have no problem memorizing the names of every last king in Middle Earth or Westeros, but mention real history and we often revolt. For many of us, names like Galadriel of Lothlorien and Daenerys Targaryen roll trippingly off the tongue, while names like Antonio de Cuellar and Anacaona give us the shivers. It’s like what Junot Díaz said: “For many fantasy readers, elvish is A-OK, but Spanish? Ay, dios, no.”

To fantasy fans, let me assure you, the history in Hammer of Witches isn’t scary. The monsters might be scary, but the history is not.

Margo: See, my first book was historical fiction, so that’s why I thought about it in the opposite way. But you make a GREAT POINT! For my teacher and librarian friends out there, can you tell us a couple of the real characters you put into your book and how you chose to develop them as characters? (i.e., did you do research to get their dialogue right, etc?)

Shana: Yeah, when you write about historical figures, you need to do some research. It’s hard to write about Christopher Columbus without reading up on the guy, for instance. Lucky for me, there are lots of gaps in the historical record, and lots of contradictions, so I could fill in the blanks however I wanted. My research suggested that Columbus was driven, religious, had ridiculously high self-regard for someone of his background, and became more unstable as the voyages went on. Other people can read the same documents and see a different character entirely. Hammer of Witches is about the various ways we interpret history, so I tried to make Columbus an ambiguous figure, neither hero nor villain, so readers could make their own call.

The dialogue question is interesting. I’ll admit the dialogue in Hammer of Witches doesn’t sound historically-accurate, mainly because if it were accurate it would be in Old Castilian. Everything in the book is a translation, and I saw no reason to make my translations sound like Victorian English, which is what we normally think of when we think “old-sounding.” I’m not a fan of unnecessary archaisms. If Don Quixote is any indication, neither were the early modern Spanish.

Margo: That’s a great point! A lot of home schoolers read my blog, and I would love for you to talk to them about how they can use your book with their teens and what themes you explored!

Shana: Hi, home schoolers! Thanks for reading. I’m a teacher by background, and, if I were teaching Hammer of Witches, here are some topics I might have my students discuss: mythology and folktales, the Age of Exploration, prejudice, identity, different ways of reading, gender, violence, multiculturalism, quest stories, family. Come to think of it, you could read the whole thing from a psychoanalytic angle. My poor characters. Most of them could use a good shrink!

Margo: I think that could be true for most literary characters–the things we authors do to them! Anything else you want to add?

Shana: Just one final note: even though I’ve been talking a lot about history in this interview, Hammer of Witches is meant to be fun! Things you will find in the book: genies, dragons, swordplay, a demon-bird, the hero’s goofy attempts at humor, a hopefully-emotional climax, and a smooch or two. It’s not all history all the time. Cross my heart.

Margo: I would completely agree with that. Your main character is so endearing, and Jinniyah, the half-genie: well, I just adored her. Thank you so much, Shana, for sharing your thoughts with us!

Thank you, Margo!

Did you ever have a weekend and think, WHERE DID IT GO? In my case, it was a great weekend–started off with my hubby’s b-day on Thursday, Zoo Friends’ Day on Friday, b-day special lunch on Saturday, and Mother’s Day BBQ on Sunday. But that doesn’t leave a lot of time for anything else, let alone blogging. So, to you today, I say: HAPPY BELATED MOTHER’S DAY & I’m sharing some pics from my weekend. (We are at Tucanos Brazilian Grill in St. Charles, MO–highly recommend this!) And the three links to my current giveaways. If you haven’t stopped by to visit these authors and enter to win their books, please do!

Current Giveaways on this blog:

• Regency romance, SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT, by Valerie Bowman: http://margodill.com/blog/2013/05/03/midwest-native-valerie-bowman-makes-it-big-in-romance-giveaway/
• YA contemporary novel, SHUCKED, by Megg Jensen: http://margodill.com/blog/2013/05/08/shucked-by-megg-jensen-book-blitz-with-prizes/
• YA fantasy novel, MOONLIT, by Jadie Jones: http://margodill.com/blog/2013/05/09/moonlit-by-jadie-jones-interview-review-and-giveaway/

Good luck!

I loved everything about Moonlit. Debut author Jadie Jones does an excellent job building a loveable and flawed heroine, Tanzy Hightower, while also creating a suspenseful plot, love-to-hate bad guys, and a jaw-dropping ending (as in–I e-mailed her to say: WHEN IS BOOK TWO COMING OUT??). I stayed up late into the night to finish this book once I got near the end, and then I had trouble sleeping once I finished. Moonlit is one of the best books I have read all year. I adore it. I’m so excited to be a part of this blog tour and introduce you to Jadie!

Here’s a quick summary of the book: Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses and has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods. When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t. But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?

Yes, I have a copy to GIVEAWAY!!!! (Thank you to Jadie, WOW! Women On Writing blog tours, and WiDo Publishing.) There’s a Rafflecopter form below. Tell your friends who love YA contemporary fantasy to check this book out. (Hint: there’s even a “past lives” theme. . .)(U.S. readers–print or e-copy available; international readers, an e-book is available for giveaway.) And I also got to interview Jadie about her book, so here we go!

Margo: Hi Jadie, welcome to Read These Books and Use Them. I am excited to host you and Moonlit, a YA fantasy, today. From reading your bio, I know you had a lot of experience with horses. How did you turn your real life experience into a fantasy novel for teens?

Jadie: I didn’t really “fit” at my high school. It wasn’t a horrible experience or anything, but I didn’t feel like I belonged. Spending time with horses literally transported me into a different world. It gave me somewhere to belong outside of high school. I’ve seen horses do this to anyone who lets them. Horses are a source of tangible magic in this world. I wanted to tap into their instincts and the relationships they have with people.

Margo: That’s awesome. I don’t have a lot of experience with horses, but I feel the same way about dogs. Why did you choose to tell your story for the YA market?

Jadie: There’s something very liberating about writing for young adults. That time of life – the curiosity and sense of adventure – sticks with us long after our teen years are behind us. It’s when the decisions we make have the possibility of affecting us in a very real, lasting way, and we’re learning what that feels like. It’s also a volatile, brutal, beautiful time of life. It’s a lot of fun to revisit through writing.

Margo: Did you find it difficult to create your fantasy world? What were some tricks you had for keeping everything straight? Advice to other fantasy novelists?

Jadie: For me, creating a fantasy world is like a board game: the game works best when the rules are clear, simple, and easy to communicate. That way, the characters and the setting stand out, and the idea of a whole new world is more easily accepted because its relationship with the existing world is organic instead of complicated. My fantastical characters are very talented, so their limits had to be crippling. It’s no fun to have an all-powerful something that can do what/when/however. Then defeating that all-powerful something often becomes too contrived.

Margo: I think that’s why I loved your book so much. I had to suspend my belief in “the way the world works” just enough to get carried away, but not so much that I had to go back and reread to figure out what was going on! Your characters, Tanzy and Lucas, are your hero and heroine. What qualities do they have that you so admire?

Jadie: I admire Tanzy’s loyalty. It’s her biggest strength and her most vulnerable weak spot. At the same time, I also admire her doubt. She does her best to analyze every situation. As for Lucas, I admire his abs. I mean his absolute devotion. I think every girl wants a guy who would search the earth for a thousand years to find her.

Margo: No doubt! Did you give them a tragic flaw? If so, what? I always find it hard to give my characters flaws! I want them to be perfect.

Jadie: They do have flaws! Tanzy is headstrong to a fault. She can also be rash, especially when it comes to defending someone she cares about. She makes some decisions in Moonlit that she will have to pay for in the sequel. Lucas is a law-abiding citizen to a fault. Where Tanzy would rush in, paying no mind to the consequences, Lucas respects the oaths he has made, even if he doesn’t agree with them. He wasn’t always a good guy, so he’s trying to win back the faith of other creatures like him.

Margo: What are some themes that today’s teens will really be able to relate to in Moonlit?

Jadie: Tanzy loses all of her blood in a horrible accident, and it’s replaced with something very old and definitely not human. The instincts in that blood are completely different from her own, and she has to learn how to balance the two. I remember feeling that way–sometimes overcome by these inner highs and lows that I didn’t understand and had a hard time controlling. Another aspect that I think will speak to teen readers is the Unseen world – a place where no one is ever born or dies, but simply is. In high school, it feels like everything is always changing but also stays exactly the same. It’s maddening.

Margo: So true–I love both those ideas. Anything else you want to add?

Jadie: I really like to explore the gray area – the darkness that good people are capable of and the glimpses of light within an “evil” character. I like to dive beneath the surface.

Margo: Thank you for your time and for sharing Moonlit with us!

Jadie: Thank you so much! I am honored to be here, and thank you for letting me talk about this dream of mine.

Don’t forget to enter to win MOONLIT below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My writing friend, Megg Jensen, is one of the most ambitious and go-getter authors I know. I admire the way she has taken ahold of her career and NEVER looked back. I am always super excited to be a part of her promotional efforts and getting the word out about her YA books. Today, we are here to discuss SHUCKED by Megg Jensen. Of course, since this is a BOOK BLITZ, there are also prizes! First a little about SHUCKED.. .

Shucked by Megg Jensen
Publication date: April 14th 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary

Synopsis:
Suburgatory meets Indiana Jones…on a farm

Fifteen-year-old Tabitha has had the kind of life that would impress even the greatest adventurers. She’s escaped a croc attack in the Amazon, walked the length of the Great Wall of China, and earned a black belt in taekwando in Korea. She owes her worldly experience to her mother’s career in archaeology; but when her mother takes on a dangerous new assignment, Tabitha is devastated to learn she can’t tag along.

Instead, she’s forced to live on a Midwestern farm with her grandparents, where she’ll have to attend a full year of public school. It’s Tabitha’s greatest nightmare; because despite all her adventures, she has no practical experience with the one thing that frightens her the most – other teenagers.

Her math teacher is her mom’s old high school boyfriend; she can’t tell the friendly girls from the mean ones; and she develops a major crush on a boy she knows she can’t trust. And just when she thinks she’ll never get the hang of this normal teenager thing, an attack brings the danger of her previous life right up to her Midwestern porch. Who could have ever guessed getting totally shucked would bring her face-to-face with her most exciting adventure yet?

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17790481-shucked?ac=1

THE GIVEAWAY. . .
Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway for one (1) e-book copy of Shucked (Mobi or ePub only) and 3 bookmarks (1 winner per blog–the winner gets all). Open internationally. You must enter by May 23, 2013.

A few words from Megg Jensen:

The experts always say, “Write what you know.” That’s a tip I’ve largely ignored during my writing career. I mean, really, who wants to read about the things I know? My life is boring! That’s one of the big reasons I’ve always stuck with writing fantasy.

But Tabitha’s story in Shucked is really a reflection of what I know – because I grew up on a farm and went to school in a tiny farming community. I didn’t live with my grandparents or have a globetrotting archaeologist mom, but the flavor and lifestyle in Shucked is 100% authentic. It’s what I know and what I treasure most from my childhood.

In Shucked, I wanted to convey the hilarious realities of farm life, while mixing in the toughness that comes with growing up in a place where everyone knows everything about everyone else. There’s little privacy, but there is a whole lot of love.

And speaking of love…I wanted to give Tabitha an unusual, unexpected love interest. In the Midwest, you’ll occasionally find adoptees. They stick out because most people in small farming communities are whiter than bleached underwear. It’s not about prejudice; it’s usually just generations of the same families for hundreds of years. There isn’t much movement, or new blood, trickling into these communities.
Alex stands out to Tabitha. As a Korean adoptee, he looks completely different from every other boy in the school. Yet Tabitha, who grew up traveling around the world with her archaeologist mom, is used to guys who are exotic. Seeing him the first day of school turns her attitude on its ear. She has a lot of expectations for what school will be like, mainly because her only exposure to American teens has been through reality TV. She finds out fast that while some of her expectations are completely wrong, unfortunately a few are true.

Tabitha has a lot to learn about life, American teens, and especially, herself. Her layers are stripped away one by one as she learns to trust people. It’s not just because she’s new to attending school or hanging out with teens. Every kid goes through this process in one way or another while in high school. It’s part of the experience. Tabitha just happens to come from a totally different world of experience.

Sounds great, Megg! Okay, guys, enter to win below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you read my blog, you know that I am REALLY into helping and supporting women and children around the world after reading the book, Half the Sky. (Check out Half the Sky by clicking here.) My dear friend, Kelly Ellison, whom I have featured here before, has started her own foundation, The Relief Foundation, to help people living with a disease she also has, Scleroderma. They are having a benefit with St. Luke’s Hospital on June 3, and it sounds awesome! Here’s the press release below. I plan to attend. Let me know if you would like to also!

The Relief Foundation and St. Luke’s Hospital are hosting What a Relief, a fun and educational event to raise funds and promote awareness for patients living with Scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease. This third annual benefit will be held on Monday, June 3, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at St. Luke’s Hospital Institute for Health Education, 232 S. Woods Mill Rd, St. Louis, MO, 63017. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Tickets are $75 a person and include guest speaker Dr. Richard K. Burt, M. D., emcee Victoria Babu from KTRS, a silent and live auction, gourmet buffet and cocktails and live entertainment by Coco Soul.

Kelly J. Ellison, founder and CEO of The Relief Foundation, said, “What a Relief makes an impact by assisting people and their families cover the cost of vital medication, treatment and daily living expenses. In addition, The Relief Foundation uses the funds raised from the benefit to send patients to the Scleroderma Foundation’s National Patient Education Conference.”

Register online at http://www.relief-foundation.org by May 24, 2013. For more information, call 314-497-0040 or 314-610-5616.

Scleroderma (skleer-oh-Dur-muh) comes from the Greek words: sclera, hard, and derma, skin. In the simplest of terms, Scleroderma is an overproduction of collagen that can result in the thickening or tightening of skin and scarring of internal organs. It often affects mobility and can lead to death from lung, heart and gastrointestinal complications. This disease knows no age boundaries, as it affects children and adults and makes daily living difficult. Patients with Scleroderma may have trouble brushing their teeth, holding a pencil, tying their shoes and opening a door. The Relief Foundation uses funds to help patients with the high cost of medical bills and living expenses.

Guest speaker Dr. Richard Burt, MD, is chief of the Division of Immunotherapy and Autoimmune Disease, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Burt pioneered the use of hematopoietic stem cells to treat autoimmune diseases. He is the leader of randomized controlled trials currently ongoing in America for Lupus, Crohn’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Systemic Scleroderma.

As a Fellow working at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Dr. Richard Burt thought: If we could get bad, diseased cells to lose their memory, we could reprogram them with “good” memories and help patients with autoimmune diseases. According to http://www.stemcellresearchfacts.org: “This reprogramming would depend on adult stem cells—tiny building blocks found in the body—if it was going to work.” Fourteen years later, Dr. Burt and his research team at Northwestern University are using this technique to treat twenty-three different diseases, including Scleroderma.

Scleroderma is often misdiagnosed as other heart, lung, skin or kidney disorders. Oftentimes, it goes undiagnosed and is not accurately diagnosed until the disease has progressed beyond recovery, resulting in severe disability and even death. Today, there is no known cause or cure, but current research is yielding more effective treatments, such as Dr. Burt’s. About 300,000 women, men and children have Scleroderma in the United States.

Emcee Victoria Babu from KTRS 550 AM radio was diagnosed with Scleroderma four years ago, and is a big supporter of The Relief Foundation and their events.

Entertainer Coco Soul is a singer, songwriter, musician, actress and vocal coach in the St. Louis area. She was voted “Best R&B Singer” by “Riverfront Times” in 2005 and the Budweiser Superfest Winner in 2010.

“I was diagnosed with Scleroderma in 2007 and I know first-hand the devastation of having this disease,” Ellison said. “It has become my passion to help those who receive this diagnosis and are living with Scleroderma as I am, to access the information and resources necessary to improve their quality of life.”

June is Scleroderma Awareness Month. At What a Relief, two individuals living courageously with Scleroderma will be awarded the Heart of Relief award.

Over the last two years, The Relief Foundation has raised approximately $50,000 through events, such as What a Relief, Macy’s Shop for a Cause, Par for Relief annual golf tournament, and online donations.

I have a special treat for YOU (not the kiddos!)–parents, writers, home schoolers, teachers, and librarians–this first Friday in May–a romance novel giveaway! For my “other” role as a book reviewer for The News-Gazette, I was lucky enough to interview romance writer, Valerie Bowman, who is writing the “Secret Bride” series, which are regency romances. Valerie is delightful and will soon be appearing on TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress–Atlanta because she is going to be a bride herself in the fall.

As part of my interview, I received book one and two in the series, and I would love to giveaway book one to someone who loves romance novels set in 1800s England and introduce you to a new and up-and-coming author. (Wait until you read below how much she’s been writing!)

Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below the inspiring and informative article that originally appeared in The News-Gazette to be entered to win Secrets of a Wedding Night. ( United States mailing addresses only please.) Okay, here’s Valerie. . .

She loves her work
Sun, 04/21/2013 – 8:00am | Margo L. Dill
(This article originally appeared in The News-Gazette.)

Valerie Bowman, a 1992 graduate of Rantoul Township High School, had an interesting conversation with her sister in the spring of 2007.

“You should write a romance novel,” her sister said.

Bowman replied, “You don’t just write a romance novel. You don’t just become a romance novelist. Who does that?”

Good thing her sister didn’t give in. A few months later, Bowman’s mom asked her daughter about that book she was going to write one day, and that settled it. On June 3, 2007, Bowman sat down to write a romance novel.

Three novels and two novellas later, with a third on the way from St. Martin’s Press, Bowman is glad she listened to her sister — so glad that she dedicated her first book, “Secrets of a Wedding Night,” to her.

Bowman writes what she refers to as “racy Regency romps.” Her books are set in England in the Regency era (early 1800s). She considers herself an Anglophile and has a minor degree in English history. “I’ve also been a lifelong reader of English-set historical romance, so when I was deciding which subgenre of romance to write, it wasn’t much of a choice,” she states. “My books are fun and light; and while sexy, they are essentially stories about two people falling in love.”

How did the first plot in her first series come to her? She got the idea for “Secrets of a Wedding Night” when she woke up with that title in her head. She jotted it down and then later came up with the storyline that made sense with the title: “a young widow writes a scandalous pamphlet entitled ‘Secrets of a Wedding Night.’ Ostensibly, she’s writing it for the education of young, unmarried females, but it has the effect of scaring off her former love’s new fiancee. “When he discovers the identity of the author who broke up his engagement, he comes looking for the heroine to settle the score. Turns out, they have a lot of unfinished business.”

Bowman likes to point out that this first published novel was not the first manuscript she wrote, but it was the first one a publisher bought. It took her two years to find a literary agent; after that, it was two more years for her book to sell to a publisher. From the start of writing manuscripts to seeing a book on the shelf was five years.

She credits a lot of her success to hard work and a professional writers’ organization. “I concentrated on learning the craft of novel writing, and I credit Romance Writers of America for teaching me so much about the business of publishing as well as craft,” she said. “It’s an extraordinary organization.”

Bowman said she wrote the first “Secret Bride” novel to enter into the RWA’s Golden Heart contest, “which is the largest and most prestigious writing contest for unpublished romance manuscripts.” She was a Golden Heart finalist in 2011. An editor at St. Martin’s Press noticed and then eventually purchased the series.

To read the plots of the other two books in the series, “Secrets of a Runaway Bride,” which came out in late March, and “Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage,” which has an October release date, as well as the novellas that complement the series, you can go to http://www.valeriebowmanbooks.com. You also will find sample chapters, purchasing and contact information and a signup for an e-newsletter.

Raised in Rantoul with a father in the Air Force, Bowman is excited to return to East Central Illinois for a book signing at 2 p.m. June 8 at Barnes and Noble. She will be signing alongside local romance authors Elizabeth Hoyt and Jade Lee.

And if you miss her live, there’s a chance you could see her on the hit TV show, “Say Yes to the Dress (Atlanta).” She’s engaged to be married this fall and applied to the show, letting them know she was a soon-to-be bride who writes about brides. The episode has not aired yet, but she did say yes to a dress. She will be giving it away to one lucky reader after her wedding!

Bowman is working on her next series, so romance fans, get ready. She’s an author you definitely want to say yes to.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Picture book, contemporary, for preschoolers through second graders
*Young girl as main character
*Rating: I loved this book, Someday by Eileen Spinelli. It’s clever and cute and full of imagination. Illustrations by Rosie Winstead are also super cute, as you can tell by the cover!

Short, short summary: The pages in this picture book alternate between what the main character imagines she’ll be doing SOMEDAY and what she’s doing today. For example, in the first pair, the main character is imagining that SOMEDAY she’ll be a great artist on the beach, but today she is helping her dad paint the shed green. Another example is that she’ll be a great gymnast SOMEDAY, but today she is practicing cartwheels in the mud in the backyard. The end breaks the pattern somewhat with a sweet nighttime scene–check out the book to see for yourself.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Your students can make their own SOMEDAY and TODAY pages. This would be a cute bulletin board display for the end of the year or an open house.

2. Read this book around a career day or career unit. It fits perfectly with the discussion: What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to do? I really like that this book does not list stereotypical jobs for women! The main character is a great role model for girls.

3. This book has terrific word choice and specifics for each career and when describing the TODAY scene. Eileen Spinelli is very good at using specific nouns and verbs. This is one of the lessons in the six plus one traits of writing and one of the skills we try to get our students to do when writing. This is a great example for children to model.

I’m really excited to announce that Finding My Place: One Girl’s Strength at Vicksburg won 2nd place in the “Show-Me” Book Awards category at the Missouri Writers’ Guild conference on Saturday night.

Any Missouri Writers’ Guild member can enter their adult or children’s book that was published the year before in this category, and they are all judged together. That’s why I’m so excited about winning 2nd place because it was ALL the books entered–not categorized by genre or age.

The photo above shows many of the winners that night–the Missouri Writers’ Guild holds several contests for published and unpublished work (articles, essays, books, poetry, humor, etc.) at their annual conference. Any member, chapter member, or attendee can enter some of these categories. I also won 2nd place in the President’s Contest Best Article of the Year for an article on beginning teachers that I wrote for Teachers of Vision magazine in 2012.

If you’ve never checked out the Missouri Writers’ Guild, then you can do that here: http://www.missouriwritersguild.org. ANYONE can join–you actually don’t have to live in Missouri, but you do have to have published at least one thing–this includes a book, an article, a poem, etc.

If you’ve never checked out FINDING MY PLACE, it’s now an award winner, so what are you waiting for? To find all the places it’s on sale (including Amazon and an indie bookstore), go to this link: http://margodill.com/blog/buy-finding-my-place/. FINDING MY PLACE takes place during the Civil War during the Siege of Vicksburg (Mississippi) in 1863 and focuses on one 13-year-old girl who lives with her brother and sister in a cave while bombs fly around them.

Thanks to everyone who has been offering their congratulations in person, through e-mail, and on social media.

This past weekend, I was at the Missouri Writers’ Guild conference in St. Louis, MO. (By the way, FINDING MY PLACE won an award–but more on that on Wednesday. . . ) One of the sessions I attended was Lela Davidson’s “Search Engine Optimization.” I’m lucky enough to know Lela from the year before, when I met her at the 2012 MWG conference with her hilarious parenting book, Blacklisted from the PTA. Since we (luckily!) live in a world where when you meet someone at a conference and then can connect with them on Facebook and Twitter afterwards, Lela and I became fast friends. I featured her on my blog when her second book came out, Who Peed On My Yoga Mat?, and then she also contacted me for her newest book, which is a way to HELP authors with SEO on their websites and blogs–Sexy, Smart, and Search Engine-Friendly: Get Found Online Without Losing Your Mind or Wasting Your Time .

Before I talk about the book, I’ll say this. If you are ever at a conference where Lela is speaking, go hear her talk. She’s energetic and spunky and has a knack for explaining this complicated subject of SEO to us right-brained, creative types. As she said many times in her talk, “Computers are stupid.” We can figure out how to drive traffic to our blogs, so people will buy our books or read what we have to say about teaching or comment on our home school lesson plans or whatever. We are smarter than those computers! Basically, it’s figuring out keywords that people type into Google (because as Lela says–NO OTHER SEARCH ENGINE MATTERS!) to find what you are selling. In her case, people type words, such as “funny books for moms” or “funny books for women.” So when she creates fresh content on her blog, she needs to make sure those word are used. When she tags her photos, she needs to make sure those words are used–and they need to be used organically. You don’t want a photo of a fireman rescuing a baby from a burning building and then label it “funny books for moms.” She also presented a few great tools that we can use to see how people are getting to our blogs.

I know, I know what you are thinking. This is great, Margo. You had this super weekend, got to hang out with cool writer people like Lela, and learned ways to drive traffic to your blog, but how does that help us? We are moms, teachers, writers, home-schoolers, writing coaches, librarians. . . and we are busy. So get on with it!

Lela has written a book, only about 70 pages long and only $9.99, available in both PDF format or for a Kindle. The book, Smart, Sexy, and Search Engine Friendly, goes over this material she presented in her talk, shows you how to use SEO to your advantage, and goes more in-depth than she was able to do in an hour presentation. In the book, she discusses DISCOVERABILITY (people need to find you online!), why you need to learn how to sell your products/services, thinking like your customer, how search engines work, and how to learn how to USE Google to your advantage.

The best thing about Lela’s book is that YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT; and at the same time, you will be smiling and laughing because she is funny. She suggests you use tools that are out there and FREE, such as Google Adwords Keyword Tool and Google Analytics. She also gives you “assignments” or “your turn” exercises, where you do for your site what she has done for hers!

So, in a nutshell, this is a book that all bloggers should definitely check out–no matter what you are selling or doing. I plan to implement these strategies this week–it won’t take me too long to use the tools I already have signed up for in a useful way and drive traffic to my blog. There has to be people out there looking for historical fiction for kids, fiction set in the south, six plus one traits of writing instruction, USING books with kids, or even–editing help for a book. Or what about WOW! and the teaching that I do. . .see, I must get busy. So, check out Lela’s book here: http://leladavidson.com/sexy-smart-search-engine-freindly/.

*Concept book on counting and the beach/ocean life
*Little boy as the main character
*Rating: 1, 2, 3, By the Sea (Kane Miller books) is a cute picture book with a lot going on–there’s counting, there’s the ocean/beach habitat, and there’s a rhyme/text pattern too. This will be a favorite with children AND parents/teachers. Cute dog in it, too–that’s what my daughter loves.

Short, short summary: The boy (narrator), his mom, and dog Max set out for a trip to the beach: “Mommy, me, and Max make three… biking, hiking by the sea.” Then they go on to rent ONE umbrella, put TWO towels down on the beach, see THREE jellyfish! in the ocean while swimming, and so on. Each page has it’s own pattern with -ing words and rhyme. Take five’s page for example, “Seagulls fly and seagulls dive, squawking, flocking. We spy five.” The book also is a full day at the beach, ending when it’s time to go home because the sun is setting, so there’s a conclusion of a whole day spent at the beach, instead of just a counting book. I really enjoyed this and can see multiple uses at home and in a preschool classroom!

To purchase 1, 2, 3 By the Sea or other Kane Miller books, please go here: http://new.myubam.com/p/2082

So, what do I do with this book?

1. If you are doing a unit on the beach/ocean, this is a must for your library. The illustrations alone will introduce students to a world they may have never been able to visit, depending on where you live. You can always do a KWL chart with students as part of your unit and/or before you read this book. (K–what do students Know before the study/reading? W–what do they wonder? L–what did they learn AFTER the book has been read?)

2. Because of the rhyme and text pattern and large numbers, students can read the numbers with you or do some echo reading. This helps our early readers READ! This is a great book for developing early reading skills.

3. Make a list of animals the boy, his mom, and Max meet on their journey at the beach. Then add to the list animals that children know live in this habitat. Then ask each student to choose an animal, write a sentence about it, and then draw a picture to go with it. You can hang these in the classroom as part of your ocean study.