The Girdle of Melian

hoto day! I've got a few snapshots of our weekend trip to Bern, Switzerland's capital. The river Aare One of the many bears of Bern, the symbol of the city A lovely courtyard The founder of Bern, across from the Theatre A house Einstein lived in Mountains rising above the mist on Lake Leman View of the lake from the train, headed towards Lausanne Bern Old Town, a UNESCO heritage site The Zytglogge, a 12th century clock with moving parts, renovated in the 15th century This week I also learned about William Tell. Everyone knows that image of the father shooting an apple of the son's head with an arrow, but I had no idea it was a legend about the founding of Switzerland, 700 years ago! Here's the Wikipedia version: "The legend as told by Tschudi (ca. 1570) goes as follows: William Tell, who originally came from Bürglen, was known as a strong man, mountain climber, and an expert shot with the crossbow. In his...

over reveal! Very excited to be featuring Medeia Sharif today: VITAMINS AND DEATH by Medeia Sharif YA Contemporary, Prizm Books Release Date December 10, 2014 Deidra Battle wants nothing more than to be invisible. After her mother, a public school teacher, engages in an embarrassing teacher-student affair at Lincoln High, they relocate to a different neighborhood and school. Being her mother’s briefcase, Deidra joins her mother at her new workplace, Hodge High. Since her mother has reverted to her maiden name and changed her appearance, Deidra thinks no one will figure out they’re the Battles from recent news and that they’re safe. Neither of them is. Hodge brings a fresh set of bullies who discover details about the scandal that changed her life. Feeling trapped at home with an emotionally abusive, pill-addicted mother and at school with hostile classmates who attempt to assault and blackmail her, Deidra yearns for freedom, even if she has to act out...

ooks galore! I've got three reviews today, starting with Brenda Novak 's A Matter of Grave Concern (isn't that a great title? Read the blurb and you'll see why!) "When Maximillian Wilder hides his noble identity and joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He's worried about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang's conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but Max knows he must gain Jack's trust. He's determined to find out what happened to Madeline -- and to bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could earn. Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging, hard-bargaining Max almost as much as Jack. But she must procure the necessary ...

elcome, Jessica! GUESS THE TRUE STATEMENT and WIN JESSICA BELL'S THRILLER, WHITE LADY ! (Statement #64) To celebrate the release of Jessica Bell's latest novel, WHITE LADY , she is giving away an e-copy (mobi, ePub, or PDF) to the first person to correctly guess the one true statement in the three statements below. To clarify, two statements are lies, and one is true: Jessica Bell has ... a. two kids—a boy and a girl b. one kid—a girl c. no kids What do you think? Which one is true? Write your guess in the comments, along with your email address. Comments will close in 48 hours. If no-one guesses correctly within in 48 hours, comments will stay open until someone does. Want more chances to win? You have until October 31 to visit all the blogs where Jessica will share a different set of true and false statements on each one. Remember, each blog is open to comments for 48 hours only from the time of posting. If you win, you will be notified by email with ins...

appy anniversary to the Insecure Writer's Support Group ! The group was founded by Alex Cavanaugh , and the website now has a number of administrators. Each month there are different co-hosts; this month they are: Kristin Smith Elsie Suzanne Furness Fundy Blue To commemorate their anniversary, the IWSG is putting together an anthology of tips on writing and publishing. My favourite bit of advice, which I never tire of talking about, is as follows: It starts with a shiny new idea. The characters and situation grab you right away and you start drafting madly. Dialogue, action, intrigue all come together. Sooner or later, though, many of us get bogged down in the middle bits of a novel. Our drive and attention dwindle as fear and self-doubt creep in, especially if we compare our pace with that of others. Insecure writer's syndrome at its worst. Insecurity hit me hardest a few years ago, not just with one novel but with all of my in-progress stories at the time....