2011 Canadian Children's Literature Awards

The winners of the annual TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, Prix TD de litterature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse and the John Spray Mystery Award were announced in October and unfortunately, I never got a chance to mention these award winners on my blog until now.  I always like to promote Canadian literature on my blog and support Canadian authors, and having read a couple of these award winners as well as some of the honourable mentions, I'm sure readers will be as enthralled with the stories as I was. 

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award ($25,000)

Plain Kate
by Erin Bow
2010 Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 9780545166645

2010 Cybils Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
2011 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
Book of the Year for Teens: Canadian Library Association short list

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden talismans are so fine that some even call her “witch-blade”: a dangerous nickname in a country where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate’s father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.

Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he’ll give Kate the means to escape the angry town, and what’s more, he’ll grant her heart’s wish. It’s a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes she can't live shadowless forever -- and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed.

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000)


I Know Here
By Laurel Croza (Author); Matt James (Illustrator)
2010 Groundwood Books
ISBN: 9780888999238

2011 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for New Writer

The little girl in this story lives in a trailer near a forest where her father is building a dam. Everything in her world is familiar and precious to her. But the dam is nearly finished and the family is moving to the city, which the little girl knows only as a place marked by a big red star on the map at school. Have the city people seen what I have seen, she wonders? The teacher suggests that she draw something that she wants to remember to take away with her when she leaves, and the little girl decides to draw what she knows — her road and everything her world contains — so that she can keep it with her always.

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction ($10,000)


Case Closed: Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science
by Susan Hughes (Author); Michael Wandelmaier (Illustrator)
2010 Kids Can Press
ISBN: 9781554533626

Egypt's first female pharaoh disappears around 1457 BCE — was she murdered? Find out how DNA closes the case. The ancient Arabian Peninsula city of Ubar vanishes, seemingly without trace. Find out how old maps and modern space shuttles help solve the mystery. Sir John Franklin's 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage is never heard from again. Find out how spectroscopy points to some probable explanations. Case Closed? examines these and six other mysteries from ancient and modern times. Accompanied by photos, maps, diagrams and illustrations, this book reveals how modern science sheds new light on people, vessels and entire civilizations throughout history that simply vanished. In some cases, the mystery has been solved. In other cases, readers can examine the latest evidence and decide for themselves.

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000)


The Glory Wind
by Valerie Sherrard
2010 Fitzhenry & Whiteside
ISBN: 9781554551705

A young boy must come to terms with the moral prejudices of his small town in rural 1950s Ontario when he befriends the daughter of a young widow who moves in next door. Gracie is unlike anyone Luke has ever met – fun, charming, imaginative and full of life. But when the townsfolk discover that her mother’s past is less than completely honourable, they set out to isolate both mother and daughter. This striking new novel from Valerie Sherrard explores themes of friendship, loyalty, hypocrisy, and forgiveness.

John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000)


A Spy in the House (The Agency, Book #1)
by Y.S. Lee
2010 Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763640675

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

Prix TD de litterature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse ($25,000)

La fille d'en face
by Linda Amyot
2010 Lemeac
ISBN: 9782760942127

Élaine se rend quotidiennement à l'hôpital auprès de son amie Lena qui se trouve dans le coma. Elle lui parle, sachant qu'elle ne l'entend pas. Elle se révèle, se met à nue.


Cette absence de pudeur qui s'installe dépeint avec justesse la douleur que peut parfois prendre l'amitié, surtout lors de cette période de questionnements qu'est l'adolescence. La vérité sort-elle mieux quand on ne peut être entendu?

For more information about the awards and the jury members, please visit The Canadian Children's Book Centre.  You can also find the complete list of finalists here.

Saturday 9: Melancholy Man - Saturday Fun!!

I was browsing some blog sites today and I found this weekly meme, Saturday 9, which looked interesting so I thought I would join in this week.  I like to do these occasionally as they're fun and they're different from doing the usual book reviews, posts, etc...  It's also a way to share some fun and interesting things about me that doesn't often come out in book reviews.  There are 9 questions to answer; some weeks the questions are focused around themes and others are just random questions. 


1. Are you more melancholy on occasion?
Oh, definitely.  I can brood with the best of them, especially if I don't get enough sleep and particularly during the months of November and February, which I tend to find gloomy.  Lots of walks, and plenty of reading material, especially of the dark nature, help me get through those moments.  If I can find books where the heroes and heroines have it pretty rough, it makes my life look pretty good, you know??

2. What did you think you looked like when you were a teenager?
Let's just say that there are pictures of adolescence I definitely do not want to show anybody.  I was gangly, grew almost six inches in one year, was shy, and had low self-esteem outside of a pool, but in the water I was aggressive and strong. I often get asked by my students if I ever had the chance to go back to my teenage years if I would, and my answer is a definitive "NO".  I enjoyed them, but too many turbulent emotions, and too many changes happening for my emotional mind to handle. I prefer things now.

3. Whose advice are you least likely to listen to?
I don't know.  If I was asked this question twenty years ago, this would have been easy to answer, but now, I tend to listen when given advice.  Whether I follow it or not is another thing, but I always tend to listen.

4. Tell us about a job that you liked when you were younger.
I was a lifeguard / swim instructor and I loved it.  It taught me a lot about myself and about teaching and about young children. 

5. Would you lie to someone if you knew the truth would end your friendship or relationship?
It would depend on the situation.  I know lying isn't great, but I have been in the situation where I didn't so much as have to lie as have to withhold the truth about something, and although it bothered me to the umpteenth degree, the truth wasn't my truth to tell, so I didn't.  It all came out in the end and the person and I are still friends.

6. What do you have little or no patience for?
Where do I begin? Slow drivers who get in my way, people who don't listen and ask the same question multiple times, rude behaviour such as not holding doors open for other people and jumping into line, people who can't throw their trash in the garbage even if they're standing five feet from a garbage can, smokers who throw their butts all over the ground, my daughter when she gets her back up, and the list goes on.  I try not to let it get to me too much, but there are times I find some things really irritating.

7. What is there never enough hours in the day to do?
Sleep, enough said.

8. What is the most productive thing that you accomplished in October?
It's sad when you have to think of this one.  I'm in the midst of preparing new courses for work so I don't always feel very productive, but I guess it would be accomplishing my goal of having a balance in my life between work and home.  I think that's pretty productive as work can get pretty busy.

9. What have you always wanted to learn but haven't yet?
Another one of those where do I begin things - golfing, learning to speak several other languages other than the two I speak, flying an airplane, repelling (down a mountain), and a thousand and one other things that I would love to try.  It's time to revamp that bucket list.

Booking Through Thursday: Easy Versus Challenging??

http://btt2.wordpress.com/

Question: All other things being equal, would you rather read a book that’s hard/challenging/rewarding or light/enjoyable/easy?

First of all, I don't ever see anything as being equal when it comes to reading.  My perspective has definitely changed over the years, and probably has even changed from last week, partly from experiences I have had and partly from things I have learned.  I definitely have realized that my reading depends on my moods, my experiences, my thoughts, and what I am going through at the moment.  I know if I am going through something difficult at the moment, like I am currently dealing with my father's cancer and my husband getting posted (he's in the military), I am in no mood for something deep and haunting and sad.  I want light and happy and easy. 

One of the things I have always done is read many books at once.  I've noticed that when I read many books, they all vary in intensity from light to challenging.  I tend to flit from book to book so that when one gets too deep and intense, and I really need to sit and think about what's happening for a while, I will drift to another, lighter novel and read it for a while while I sort through what's happening in another novel.  What I can't do is go without reading.  When I first met my husband, he thought I was insane because I was always reading more than one book at a time.  He never could understand why I read the way I did as he always stuck to one series and one book at time.  I've tried to explain, but he doesn't get it.  Only my mom gets it because she does the same thing. 

After all of this meandering, and I do apologize for that, what it comes down to is that I will read anything, depending on my mood.  I love the challenging novels and look for them.  Having a French background, I also challenge myself to read many of the novels in French, so novels like Madame Bovary, Les Trois Mousquetaires, Notre-Dame de Paris, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours, Candide, Germinal, L'Etranger, A la recherche du temps perdu and so on, I bought in French, plus some I studied in university. 

I also tend to go in phases where I will read nothing but one type for months, then read another genre for a while.  In my early twenties, I set myself the task of reading 50 classic novels like Treasure Island, all of the Jane Austen novels, all the Bronte novels (again), D.H. Lawrence, Sir Walter Scott, Kingsley, Stevenson, James, Doyle, Wilde, Swift, etc... and I wouldn't read anything else until I finished my list.  I did it, but it was incredibly challenging, especially when I was sitting there with books 3 of certain trilogies I'd been dying to read.  Okay, okay, I did cheat, but only a little!!!!

The bottom line is, I like both challenging and easy.  And right now, I'm off to read my very nice, very easy, cozy mystery novel. 

Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed (Matched, Book #2)
by Ally Condie
Release Date: November 1st, 2011
2011 Dutton Books
Softcover ARC: 384 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-525-42365-2
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Source: Review Copy from Penguin

3 / 5 Stars

Summary
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

My Thoughts
Crossed is one of those books where I had a lot of trouble deciding what to do with this review.   There were a number of things I did like about this novel, but unfortunately, I did have an issue with the plot and the characterization and it was pure drive and adrenaline that made me read the book to the end.

One of the things I did enjoy was the growing romance between Cassia and Ky and the increasing complications implicated in that relationship.  The differences between the two were much more apparent in this novel, and this inevitably allowed some of the issues between them to come out and led to some interesting discussions about Ky's background and even more interestingly, about Xander's.   The little bit of romance that was there was sweet, but it dealt with more complex emotions and I really liked that.  I'm also not sure if I was reading into things too much, but I'm also starting to wonder about Ky and Indie and what role the two of them are going to play in this.  To be honest, I've always been a Cassia and Xander fan anyways, so if it plays out like I sort of see it playing out towards the end of this novel, things could get rather interesting for everyone.

I very much like the introduction of Indie, Eli, Hunter, and Vick, and although Indie kind of bothered me at the beginning as I was a big Cassia fan, I have slowly become a big Indie fan as well, although I am not sure of her motives.  Even though I enjoyed meeting the new characters and learning about them, I did find their character development to be somewhat lacking and I really wished that Ms. Condie had spent more time on the secondary characters and not so much on Cassie and Ky.  One of the things I wasn't a huge fan of in this novel was the pace of the novel and I'm talking about it here because the author spent so much time focused on what the characters were thinking that it wasted valuable plot time.  I can't tell you how often Cassia would look at something and think about creating a poem and it would go on for paragraphs, or how Ky would think about his mother's rain drawings, and it would go on forever.  Don't get me wrong, I liked the philosophical thinking as I enjoy that kind of thing, but too much is overkill and it takes away from the overall tone of the novel, especially when there is no point to them at all.

As always, Ms. Condie's writing style is descriptive and flowing, and has a way of using contrasting language very effectively.  The descriptions of the caverns, the settlement, the Carving, and the landscape were very clear in my mind, and I love the constrasts she uses so very well to show the good and the destructive.  Despite the writing style, there is very little in this novel that I felt really advanced the plot a whole lot.  I don't feel like I learned anything new about the Society, the Rising, the Enemy, or anything else and was extremely frustrated because of this.   I felt like the plot was bland, with very little action, a lot of thinking, and it just seemed to wander around without any point that I could really see except that Cassia and India really wanted to find the Rising.

Verdict
Crossed is an okay story, but if you are looking for answers to the many questions you may have had after reading Matched, you will not find them in this novel.  I found the elements in this story to be quite unclear, and while it was interesting to watch Ky and Cassia's relationship face new hardships as they learn about their intrinsic differences, the world around them seems to be falling apart at the seams and we have no clue what is going on or why.  While I will probably read the third novel in this series, I really hope that it contains a lot more action and suspense than this one as this one felt sort of bland, and I think it fell a bit short of the impact it intended to make.  I'm still rooting for Xander though!!!

First Chapter - The Unincorporated Woman

My life has been so crazy lately that I haven't had the time to post nearly as often as I would like, or to write those fun and interesting posts that I think about all the time, but I did find this at Bibliophile by the Sea as I was browsing today and I thought it would be fun to try.  As a reader who always skims the first few paragraphs of a book to see if I would be interested in reading it, I decided to participate and I will not be susprised if I add a few more books to my wish list as I browse other sites.  I have been known to read entire chapters in bookstores because of those enticing first paragraphs and then just have to buy the book.  Anyone else have this problem?

Here's today's book:

The Unincorporated Woman by Dani Kollin & Eytan Kollin

Fleet Admiral J.D. Black, commander of the Outer Alliance Navy, unofficial leader of the Astral Awakening and hated adversary of the United Human Federation, barged into Justin Cord's office, gave a perfunctory salute and let loose with a hail of pent-up fury.

"You son of a bitch." She seethed, lips curled back into a half-scarred face feared equally by enemy and ally alike.  "It isn't enough I've had to lead your damned excuse for a navy to more victories than anyone had a right to expect?" J.D. held up her hand, not bothering to wait for an answer.  "Or," she added as short, measured bursts of air escaped through her flared nostrils, "that I took a fleet of mine haulers and pleasure yachts and turned it into a feared and effective military force? Defeated enemies who outnumber us in every single battle not once but time and time again?"  J.D. shook her head in disgust at the lack of response.  The tempest she felt burning within leapt from her dark, penetrating eyes as if daggers flung from an assassin.  "Do you have any idea," she hissed, "how volatile the religious situation has become?  How easy it would be for me to let them all slip right back into their violent and monolithic past?"  She paused, waiting, but again there was nothing.  "I haven't let that happen, Justin...I won't let that happen.  But is that good enough for you, Mr. One Free Man?  Obviously not - otherwise you wouldn't have done this.  Why," she pleaded, " did you even have to?  Don't you see, Justin?  I was never meant to be here.  I'm just a corporate lawyer, for God's sake.  This supposed gift I have...leading spacers into battle.  Dumb luck...dumb..."  The words languished in her mouth like the last few drops of a stream succumbing to a winter's frost.  "But, guess what?" she rejoined. "Lightning doesn't strike twice.  I've found the things I'm good at," she scoffed, "but does that even matter to you?" She let out a deep breath, shook her head wearily, then let it drop between her shoulders.  "They need me to lead them, Justin. They need me to lead them all. What am I supposed to do now?" she pleaded, slumping backwards into the closest available seat.  A moment later, J.D. lifted her head and with eyes as deep and vacant as space, stared across at the untouched desk and empty chair of the assassinated President, waiting for an answer that would never come.

Scavenger Hunt for The Iron Knight

I know I am not the only one who is really excited about the release of Julie Kagawa's fourth novel in the bestselling Iron Fey series, The Iron Knight.  To celebrate the official release of her novel on October 25th, I am participating in a fun scavenger hunt that began on that date and runs into the month of November.  Before I give you the scavenger clue, here is a synopsis of her new novel.


Unable to survive in the kingdom of his beloved due to his supernatural nature, a warrior prince sets out to turn himself human. But first he must cross deadly lands and overcome nightmarish obstacles before reaching the fabled testing grounds, where he will endure a series of challenges. He is joined on his quest by a team of fantastical creatures, each with an agenda of their own—one, a faery prankster whom the prince has vowed to kill for past misdeeds; another, a wise-speaking cat who claims to be a truthful guide; the third, a legendary and villainous beast pulled right from the fairy tales; and finally, the last, a seer who appears to be the resurrection of the prince’s former love, long thought dead but now restored to life and as beautiful and tempting as ever. With these dubious allies by his side, the prince sets off to achieve his ultimate prize, but to do so will require overcoming the greatest challenge of all in his quest for a human soul—himself.


When exiled faery prince Ash swears an oath to his love, Meghan Chase—the half-human ruler of the Iron Fey realm—to return and be with her forever, he knows what that promise entails. Her Iron Kingdom is anathema to a fey creature such as himself, and in order to survive in it he must renounce his powerful supernatural nature and acquire a mortal soul. Only then will he be able to return and be with his love. But even as a prince of the fabled Winter Court, Ash knows only rumors of how an immortal can become human. Ash needs help, even if that help comes from the last set of creatures in the entire Nevernever realm that he would ever want to join him.

Excerpt:
“I thought you wanted an adventure,” I said, just to annoy him.

Puck snorted.“Oh sure, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for tromping to all five corners of the Nevernever, getting chased by angry Summer Queens, sneaking into an ogre’s basement, fighting giant spiders, playing hide-and-seek with a cranky dragon—good times.” He shook his head, and his eyes gleamed, reliving fond memories. “But this is like the sixth place we’ve come to look for that wretched cat, and if he isn’t here I’m almost afraid of where we’re going next.”

Look for the next excerpt tomorrow at Our Life Upstate.


1.  For you, what was the hardest part in writing this series or writing in general?
Lately, it’s been making myself turn off the Internet and not check Tweetdeck every time I get stuck, lol!  I get distracted very easily and “checking email” can turn into an hour of doing nothing but playing around online, very bad for the writing day.  Sometimes I’ll unplug the modem or disconnect myself from the internet or I’d never get anything done.

2.  Do you have a favorite line or two you could share with us from The Iron Knight?
Certainly!  Here is an exchange between Ash and Puck:

“Hey, ice-boy, you okay?  You’ve got your brooding face on again.”            

“I’m fine.”  

“You’re so full of crap.”  Puck lounged in the cradle of a tree, hands behind his head, one foot dangling in the air.  “Lighten up already.  We finally found the cat—which we should get a freaking medal for, the search for the Golden Fleece wasn’t this hard—and you look like you’re going to engage Mab in single combat first thing in the morning.”            

 “I’m thinking.  You should try it sometime.”

“Ooh, witty.” 

3.  Did you always know you’d be writing a spin off series and can we expect to hear more of Meghan, Ash and Puck’s story in the future?
Actually, I was approached by my publisher when The Iron Fey series was wrapping up and asked if I had any more Iron Fey stories floating around my head.  Which got me thinking of Ethan, Meghan’s little brother.  He was the one who started the whole adventure, in a way.  What would it be like growing up, able to see the fey?  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized Ethan had a story to tell, too.  As for Ash, Meghan, and Puck, I’m sure there will be a few cameos in the new series. 

For all of you who read this series, enjoy!!!!

Review: Out of Breath by Blair Richmond

Out of Breath
by Blair Richmond
Release Date: October 11, 2011
2011 Ashland Creek Press
Softcover Edition; 274 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-9796475-7-4
Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

3.5 / 5 Stars

Summary
Nineteen-year-old Kat Jones has been a competitive runner since she was a young girl, but after her mother's death, the path her life was supposed to take begins to crumble around her -- until one day, she finds herself on the run in a literal sense, this time in a race for her very life!

Kat's journey takes her to the Pacific Northwest town of Lithia, the place of her last good memories, of the days when her mother was still alive. But soon after her arrival, strange things begin to happen in Lithia -- and when one of her new friends disappears under mysterious circumstances, Kat begins to realize that Lithia's inhabitants are not all of this world. Worst of all, she is falling in love with one of these otherworldly locals, and the friend who hopes to save her has secrets of his own.

As Kat tries to rebuild her life, she is also training for a race that will turn out to be her biggest challenge yet, as she must outrun not only the demons of her past but the demons of the here and now, who threaten her very existence and that of the entire town.

My Thoughts
Out of Breath is the first novel in a planned trilogy, and features a host of intriguing characters who are mysterious, quirky, and interesting.  As a long-time runner myself, I found myself fascinated by the added running culture that was intertwined throughout the novel and how it was woven so seamlessly into the plot and into the characters' lives.  I understand that 'runner's high' and know how it feels to be connected to everything around you as you run.  Having such a wonderful environment in which to run would be amazing, as the runners and characters often ran on secluded trails and in secluded, peaceful areas.  It also gave the author the perfect setting in which to contrast the beauty with the horror that was simmering behind the beautiful town of Lithia.

Katherine, or Kat, is running away from events that we know little about throughout the novel, and eventually ends up in her birthtown, Lithia, unknowingly looking for answers to her mother's death all those years ago.  What she finds is a perfect place, with friendly, outgoing people who always seem to know what she is doing and with whom, and she finds herself happy for the first time in a long time.  Before long, she is mesmerized by two handsome men, Roman and Alex, and the ensuing byplay between the three of them is quite interesting as naturally the two men dislike each other immensely.  As the secrets are revealed, and the danger becomes more real, Kat realizes that Lithia is not such a wonderful place and that many things have been covered up.  I enjoyed Kat's character quite a bit and often identified with her, even though I still have no clue why she is running away.  She is spunky and holds true to her beliefs, and walks away from those who try to change her.  The whole vegan thread running through the novel definitely brings this aspect of Kat's personality to light as she defends her diet choice to others, but I was surprised at how extensive the vegan thread actually ran.  There are many issues that are raised in this novel (health, exercise, diet, choices, safety while running) that can be discussed with your adolescent or teen, and I like the fact that Kat was fit and healthy. 

One of the things I did not really buy into however, is the romance aspect of the novel.  While I enjoyed the byplay between Roman and Alex and how they fought over her, I didn't understand why they were so interested and protective of her all of the time.  It seemed like they just met, and then all of a sudden, they were always there, wanting to protect her, and it just didn't seem that believable to me.   Don't get me wrong as I adored Alex, and he is one of my favourite characters, but I didn't buy into the love relationship as it didn't seem real or authentic to me.  Kat can certainly take care of herself, and we understand that she learned many of these skills by being on the road for so long, and being homeless, but so little information got frustrating and I wanted to know more about her in order to keep liking her. 
 
Ms. Richmond's writing style is definitely clear with some emotionally wrought scenes, yet not so overwhelming that younger readers for whom the novel is written would not understand the implied meanings. While I enjoyed learning about the vegan lifestyle and liked the fact that Kat stood up for her beliefs, I did feel at times like I was being lectured to and that I should be feeling guilty because I like to eat meat.  I don't know if this was intentional or not, but it is not a feeling that I enjoyed and I don't want it to turn me off the novel, or future novels, as it is not the reason why I am reading them. Even Stacy and David, Kat's helpers and 'saviours' in Lithia, often had arguments over their vegan diet, as Stacy often broke the diet and cheated.   On the other hand, the healing effects of running were also in force in this novel and this didn't bother me at all, so maybe I was just touchy? 

Verdict
Out of Breath was an enjoyable novel, and as it is also meant to cater to the 12+ age group, quite easy to read.  I found the interplay between the three main characters interesting, although I did find the character development in the secondary characters to be not quite up to par with the main characters, which is too bad as I would love to know more about Doug and David. I also felt that something was missing at times, although I couldn't really put my finger on it, just this sense that the tone changed.  Having an eco-friendly twist to the vampire tale was different, but I think a fine line needs to be drawn for the veganism discussions before the novels take on a lecturing tone and take away from the feel of the novel itself.  I did however, enjoy the descriptions of the mountains and the nature and could picture it quite clearly in my mind.  I am looking forward to reading the next book in this trilogy as the ending in Out of Breath certainly left a lot of questions unanswered and I would like to find out what happens next.  For those looking for a quick, entertaining vampire novel, then take a look at Out of Breath.

About the Author:
Blair Richmond is currently working the The Ghost Runner, the second novel the Lithia Trilogy. 

Ashland Creek Press is hosting an official Out of Breath Halloween virtual book launch party on Monday, October 31st, with author Q&A, book giveaways, and to share some Halloween recipes.  Don't forget to mark this date on your calendar!!!

Guest Post: John Everson

Curling Up by The Fire would like to welcome John Everson, author of The Pumpkin Man, released October 15th, who is here to discuss his fascination with Halloween and monsters.  Who roots for the monsters???   John's fifth novel is one of those novels I would never be able to resist if I saw the teaser in the bookstore, as I am totally drawn to the words Ouija boards, arcane secrets, mysteries long hidden, great power, bogeyman, whispers, and screams.  I doubt I will ever outgrow my obsession with the supernatural and am drawn to it over and over again, like a moth to a flame, although I am not sure I like that connotation very much.   Take a look at the teaser:

After her father’s gruesome murder, Jenn needed a place to get away from it all with some friends, to take her mind off her grief. The empty seaside cottage she inherited seemed perfect. Jenn didn’t know that the cottage held arcane secrets, mysteries long hidden and best left alone. She didn’t realize until it was too late that the old books and Ouija board she found there really do hold great power. And it was only after her friend’s headless body was discovered that she knew the legend of the local bogeyman was no mere legend at all. An evil has been unleashed, a terrifying figure previously only spoken of in whispers. But now the whispers will become screams. Beware…THE PUMPKIN MAN.



EDITOR'S NOTE: Curling Up by the Fire Readers can win an e-book copy of The Pumpkin Man and get entered into a contest to win autographed copies of either The Pumpkin Man trade paperback, or a GRAND PRIZE including ALL of John Everson's novels and an autographed copy of the CD The Mechanical Heart from the band New Years Day, who provide the soundtrack to The Pumpkin Man website. Just visit http://www.thepumpkinman-horror.com/ and fill out the Contest Form. Make sure you choose Curling Up by the Fire in the referral site dropdown list.

Looking for the strange... and rooting for the monster

By John Everson

There's something about Halloween that has always drawn me. I don't know why - as a kid, despite being scared to death to go in the basement crawlspace (my dad said there was a Lion there who would eat me!), I still loved to go to haunted houses to be scared by things jumping out at me! Most of the books I read at the time were science fiction-based (I loved escaping into a new world populated by strange aliens!) but on TV, I was tuning in whenever I could to the old black and white monster movies of the '40s and '50s. I loved the mix of horror and sci-fi of things like the Incredible Shrinking Man, or the drive-in movies with radiation-created giants.

And you know, part of me always rooted for those monsters. I think because no matter how scary they were, the reality is, the monster is always the outcast, and in most cases, doomed to die (hence, despite his/her strength, the monster is really the underdog). The Frankenstein movie is a case in point. The monster wasn't the monster at all -- he had empathy, and when he grew destructive, he was simply acting out of fear. The real monsters were the humans in the story. I've always loved that dichotomy about horror -- that the monster may actually be the most sympathetic character.

Maybe it's because of Halloween, or maybe it's because October is the first month as a kid that you really start getting stranded in the house a lot, but I have always identified October and November with "Creature Features" monster movies on TV on Saturday afternoons. The days were grey and moody outside, leaves blowing around like the dead skin of summer, and inside, I'd be sitting in front of the tube watching a Giant Gila Monster or something. Then at night, I'd curl up under the covers with an old science fiction novel about the future of galactic civilization.

As a kid, my mind was always elsewhere... always looking for the strange... and rooting for the monster.

I'm pretty excited as an adult to have been able to "contribute" to the "strange" that people are reading now, especially with my fifth novel, The Pumpkin Man freshly in stores this week -- my favorite week of the year. Here in the Midwest, the trees have all changed color and the parkways are filled with fallen leaves. There's a crispness to the air, and the scents of burning leaves and apple cider crop up without warning. If you drive a country road, you'll see signs for pumpkins, and fields of browned corn husks. It's a bittersweet time - the end of a season - but almost 40 years later from those days of "Creature Features," for me this is the beginning of the perfect time of year to hide inside with a good book, watch a good monster movie, or sit by a warm fire and tell stories of the past year. Or better yet, stories about ghosts and demons!

When I started writing The Pumpkin Man, I wanted to play with all of my favorite tropes of the season -- Ouija boards, witchery, possession, a strange killer (is he real or is he a spirit?) who lops off people's heads and replaces them with a jack-o-lantern. With all those pieces (and some creepy back history as well) it was really a fun story to write, and I hope it gives people the feeling of Halloween that I loved getting as a kid. That sense of creepy mystery. The sense that there is something beyond... but the beyond isn't really as far away as you might think (or hope).

The story of The Pumpkin Man doesn't actually take place at Halloween for the most part (the original short story I wrote a few years ago under the same title did, but the novel takes place with different characters in a different timeframe) -- but it feels like it is a Halloween novel, since our lead character Jennica inherits a cottage in a remote California town and finds herself holed up there amid a weird library of the occult as she faces fears of a strange killer who seems to be following her across the country. She reads about pumpkin rituals in her dead aunt's library, and the whole tone of that part of the book really reminds me of October.

I hope it gives people that delicious touch of the creeps this Halloween week.

Dark dreams...

...and...

Beware The Pumpkin Man!