Picture Book Review: Quincy and Buck

 When I was a kid I lived next to an empty field where my neighbors kept their horses. My favorite times were feeding, petting, and riding Applesauce and Apricot. Yes, I grew up where we had orchards.
I have always loved the beauty, intelligence, and grace of horses. I rode as a teenager with a friend of mine up and down The Virgin River, and with my foster kids on a ranch. It is a love I have wished my kids had, but hasn't been of much interest to them.
In Quincy and Buck, a picture book for 5-7 year old's, I was reminded of my love for the animals and the influence books can have on kids' interest in things.
A good friend of mine described the pictures in this book. The life-like animations of the horses, the colorful scenery, and the expressions of the horses. Yes animals have expressions and these horses conveyed the lessons the author was telling her readers about. The link between the horses and the real life trials of kids was well-done while teaching kids a little more about horses. Quincy's fears as well as his triumphs were clear through the telling of the story.
If you have a love of animals and want your kids to share it with you, "Quincy and Buck" is a great story.
Author Camille Matthews and Illustrator Michelle Black, Creators of the Quincy The children’s books,  follow Quincy as he navigates challenges that kids will find familiar.  Quincy often has self-doubts but his willingness to get out in the world and learn new things makes each of his adventures an exciting journey.

Camille Matthews and Michelle Black are equestrians and have done just about everything with horses; but they agree that the creation of the Quincy the Horse Books for kids is their favorite project.

The real Quincy who inspired the stories is an American quarter horse. He lives with Camille and does equine therapy at Pathfinder Farm near Reading PA. In Quincy’s third adventure, Quincy and Buck, Quincy tries to overcome his fears about “surprises waiting for horses out on the trail” by going on his first
trail ride. Quincy’s main concern is the wild animals he might meet but the real challenge turns out to be another horse.
Buck, the horse he hopes will be his trail buddy and guide him, turns out to be a bully who is dangerous!Quincy learns some important things about dealing with a bully.


Important details about this book are-
Age Range: 5 - 7 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten - 2
Series: Quincy the Horse Books
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Pathfinder Equine Publications (March 15, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0981924042
ISBN-13: 978-09819240455
And as an added bonus...Here is the book trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqCWapSlSKo

Writing Blind - The Writing Mama Show with Host Virginia S Grenier

The Writing Mama show is on every Monday and is hosted by Mom's Choice and Award-winning Author Virginia S Grenier, who is joined weekly by guest authors
to talk about the publishing and writing industry. Grenier, with her guests, hope to not only share their love of the written word, but also tips on writing,
what makes a good book and much more.

This week Grenier has invited Romance Author and Writing Blind Blogger Traci McDonald to join her as co-host, along with some amazing authors who are not
only talented but also blind. McDonald, a blind author herself has been an inspriation to many, including host Virginia S Grenier. Learn more about Traci
McDonald and Writing Blind on
her blog
!

One of their guests today is Abbie Johnson Taylor, president of Behind Our Eyes and author of a romance novel, "We Shall Overcome" and a poetry collection,
"How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver." Her work has appeared in Serendipity Poets Journal, Emerging Voices,
and Magnets and Ladders. Her Poetry chapbook, "That’s Life: New and Selected Poems" will be published by Finishing Line Press. Please visit her Website
at
http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com.

Other guest authors include Bruce Atchison, Bobbi La Chance and Donna Grommen.

Bruce Atchison is a legally-blind Canadian freelance writer with articles published in a variety of magazines. He has also authored three paperbacks. "When
a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living with Bunnies" is a memoir of the surprising facts he discovered about house rabbits. "Deliverance from Jericho:
Six Years in a Blind School" is his recollection of being sent five hundred miles from home for months at a stretch. "How I was Razed: A Journey from Cultism
to Christianity" shows how God led Atchison out of a legalistic house church. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. He also posts regularly on
www.bruceatchison.blogspot.com

Bobbi LaChance was raised on the West Coast, moving to Portland, Maine in 1975. Her dreams were to become a Maine Author, setting high goals for herself
and journey in writing. She came full circle when she published her first contemporary romance, "Wishes" which was published in 2009 and followed by "Cobwebs"
in 2011, along with "The Journey" in 2013. She is presently working on a new book and is a member of the romance Writers of America and past President
of Behind Our Eyes.

Native Texans and long time Magnolia residents, Donna Grahmann and her husband, David, share their acreage with a small ark of assorted, four legged critters.
Even after Donna’s eye sight began to fail, she continued to be competitive on her bay Quarter Horse, Rebel, as well as in sheepdog trials with her Border
Collies, Scotti and Clyde.     Numerous competitions have lead them to winning the Texas State Championship in pole bending, to a Top Ten placement in
stake race at the Quarter Horse World Finals, and then, onto their Top Ten finish in barrels at the Quarter Horse Congress, which boosted the entire Texas
team to a sixth place finish. Donna, teamed with each of her dogs, also placed second in the Texas Sheepdog Finals. Never less than an arm’s reach away,
her faithful guide dog, Huey, has guided Donna through the crowds of spectators, as she cheers on David and his dogs at sheepdog trials.        2010 introduced
her to the national writing group, Behind Our Eyes Inc, in which Donna has served as Secretary since 2012. Her poems and short stories have appeared in
their online magazine,   Magnets and Ladders, as well as in the publication of the 2013 anthology, Behind Our Eyes: A Second Look. Her short story, Dependable
Pal, which was included in the 2013 anthology, was also selected as a Top Ten finalist in the Pen 2 Paper writing competition.   Contact Donna at the following
address:  dgrahmann@sbcglobal.net  Click the title,  Behind Our Eyes: A Second Look, to visit the book trailer.

Learn more about the host and our network at
http://worldofinknetwork.com

Read articles, discover books and much more on
our blog
!

Keep up to date with The World of Ink Network at our
Facebook fan page
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Listen to the show live or later as a podcast at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2014/04/07/writing-blind--the-writing-mama-show-with-host-virginia-s-grenier

Shut Your Mouth-Your Genre Is Showing

I was doing some research on Memoirs, just because I was curious how a nobody writes their personal story and people want to read it. If I had the clout or celebrity of Michael Crieghton, or John Grisham, maybe, but not plain old me. What I found actually had little to do with clout and everything to do with the genre where your author's voice has the most strength.<I know a lot of fiction writers, but I also know a historical writer whose been nominated for a Pulitzer prize. A woman writing a memoir to teach the world about mental disease and the role physical abuse plays, and a Super-Mom who writes and publishes her own children's books.<My curiosity became peaked with our differences as far as genre are concerned, and our similarities as far as our writing is concerned. Why do some author's speak to Young Adults? Middle Grade Readers? Adults? or Children?How do we find our "voice?
I asked a middle grade writer, a young adult writer, and a new adult writer the former question. How did you decide who to write for? Here's their answers-
Middle Grade: Cheryl Carpinello, author of The Young Knight's of The Round Table series.
"Growing up, I remember this as a time when I devoured books. I would go through a book a day. I borrowed from the public library all the time. It wasn't uncommon for me to read a book in a day! Frequently, I re-read the books if it wasn't time to go back to the library (I went once a week.). I asked for books at Christmas and on my birthday. Books were my souvenirs from a vacation.After I became a high school English teacher, I encountered many students who didn't like to read. Over the years, I realized that those students either />had problems reading in elementary school, or couldn't find a topic/subject that sparked their imagination. During this same time, I taught the Legend of King Arthur. The students loved this unit. Some who hadn't read anything I assigned became excited about Arthur and started reading. Some of my other non-readers still didn't read, but found the summaries of the works we were reading and read those so that they could participate in the discussions.
A couple of years before I retired from teaching, I decided to write Arthurian Tales for ages 8-13. My hope is to hook those reluctant readers, as I call them, and get them excited about reading."
  ccarpinello@mac.com<br />http://www.beyondtodayeducator.com<br />http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com<br />http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/cheryl-carpinello.html Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom - Read Now - http://bit.ly/16fwLPKGuinevere: On the Eve of Legend Read Now - http://bit.ly/16fwRqr
Young Adult:Alyssa Shrout, contributing Author to www.thewriteshelf.com
"When I was a teenager, I enjoyed reading, but found some of the required classics to be tedious to read (who doesn't?). However, when I discovered the YA genre (still a pretty new genre at the time), I was hooked on reading. I voraciously devoured every book I could get my hands on, from Harry Potter to Tuck Everlasting to anything Lois Lowry wrote. I'd finally felt that I'd found my niche, my connection to the world, through the YA voice. It wasn't until I was in my twenties, though, when I was STILL reading YA that I dared to consider writing in the same genre. There were too many YA books that had changed my perception of the world, and writing couldn't be so hard, could it?  I still remember my first attempted book. It was about a girl who kept eluding Death (who was a man). I mostly wrote random scenes in a semi-chronological order because I had no idea how to plot. When I realized how boring my story was, I got discouraged and stopped writing for a while. Then I heard the whispers of two characters...Devi and Silas. I spent some time getting to know them in my head until I couldn't stop myself from getting up early in the morning before my toddler woke up and writing their conversations and story down. It's a story that's evolved over the past six years into something better than I thought it could ever be when I started.
Even though I enjoy reading books written in the adult market, it's YA that I frequently return to reading. It could be that, at heart, I don't feel I've aged a day past 17 years old. Or maybe it's because, as a teenager, it feels as though the world is wide open and thrumming with infinite possibilities of what to do, who to be, where to go. Whatever the reason, time and again, the characters that call to me are most often in the YA age range, so I gravitate to this genre most."
www.thewriteshelf.com or look for her upcoming novels on goodreads.
New Adult: Traci McDonald, author of Killing Casanova
"Yes...this one is me. Partly because this genre is new and when I started writing I didn't know where my voice belonged. The truth is I still don't. I've been told I write for the 18-28 age range but not in the last part of college/first day of the rest of my life way that NA is known for. I've been categorized as Chick-lit. women's fiction, and adult romance/suspense. Maybe all of that means I don't have a genre. I write characters in their early to mid twenties because this was a powerful, life changing time for me. I went through college, Nannying in New York, severe health problems, and a spiritual awakening that included the loss of my eyesight and the discovery of my true self. Your twenties are a magical, miraculous time as well as being terrifying, terrible, and heartbreaking. Teen aged characters, for me, were too immature to "know" anything. Although I read a lot of YA and thouroughly enjoy it. Probably because I wish I'd been a wise, mature teenager, like the characters in the books. I don't write for people above thirty because I enjoy writing about the experience of falling in love. Since I did that when I was twenty five, I don't have the expertise to know about it from a mature perspective. The world is a teeming tide pool of love, laughter, and experience when you're in your twenties. Writing for this genre feels limitless in possability."
 www.tracimcdonaldauthor@gmail.com, twitter tracimcauthor, or on facebook.com/tracimcauthor
So if you're looking for the genre where you might find your voice, discovering the period of time in your life when you had the best experiences with life, with books, or with learning to love to read, you might just find your voice. Before you know it your genre will be showing.

Why Love A Man Who Loves An Ugly Car?

Jay fumbled with the last bolt before slamming the hood of the Cadillac.  The dull glow from his work light swung watery shadows across his features, the throb at his temple proof of the tension reflected back from the shiny windshield. Turning away from the cars surface, glittering like grains of sand along an afternoon beach, he caught sight of  a tall shadowed figure standing against the dim of the interior bulb. Jay’s long fingers tightened reflexively around the wrench still in his hand,  his pulse quickening as the shadow moved forward. A deep voice drifted across the open bay.

"Morning, Jay.”

Jay released his last breath, dropping his  shoulders to relax his stiff defenses. 

“Hey Jack What’s up?”

Jay dodged around the car and moved toward the tall lean form, relieved to find himself face to face with Alex’s father. He’d escaped to the garage to avoid his own internal arguments, but the pang in his chest urged him to  ask Jack about Alex,

Jackson McConnell strolled   into the garage pacing between the car and Jay’s scattered tools.

“It looks like your tool box exploded in here. “ One of Jack’s eyebrows arched. “Or you’ve been throwing wrenches?”

Jay tightened his mouth before closing his eyes. Maybe he shouldn’t ask her Dad about the trip? He’d just come to get some work done. His temper tantrum when he couldn’t find the 16 millimeter socket exploded like a caged animal inside him.  The release of tension felt good, but the tools were giving too much away.Jack’s watchful eyes made Jay clench his already taut jaw.   He sucked in a breath before collecting the various wrenches  , returning them to his toolbox in hopes of   avoiding the penetration of the other man’s icy blue stare.

“It’s 3:30 in the morning son, Do you always come to work this early?”

a low chuckle, and  His footsteps echoed through the space as Jack began handing tools over to Jay’s shaking palms.  When he finished, Jack leaned against the Cadillac, His long arms crossed over his wide chest. Jay ground his teeth scuffing the toe of his shoe against the concrete.

“Only if there’s work to do and its useless for me to try to sleep.”

His half hearted attempt at a grin back toward Jack, was the best way to avoid the comprehension of the unspoken truth that lay between them.   Jack laughed again and Jay heard the strain in the sound.

“What’s your excuse?”

“Sleep’s not my trouble,” Jack muttered, “It’s getting Trish to let me do it. ”

He rubbed the shadow of whiskers on his chin, the strain now in his eyes as well.

“my wife is a bundle of nerves. If she would stop worrying for more than ten seconds we’d both be asleep.  As it is, she’s on the computer writing. I went for a drive so I don’t have to watch her go crazy worrying about Alex.”

“insomnia  must be in the air tonight,” Jay mumbled.

Jay leaned against the front bumper of the Cadillac, as Jack joined him.

With a scowl into the desert night, Jay folded his arms across his chest to stare out  into the dark morning sky. “You’re not worried?”

“Am I worried about my only daughter running off to New York to marry a guy who I think is…less than suitable?” he asked with a raise of his eyebrows. “A little.”

Jay frowned, not looking at the older man. As Jack cleared his throat, Jay lowered his eyes to let them bore into the concrete under his feet while  he unclenched  his teeth against the word ‘marry’. The single syllable  reverberated in his head like an echoing gun shot. When she had gone, in his heart he had known that this was not just a weekend trip through Manhattan for her. The truth of Jackson’s off handed statement was not a surprise, but the force of its sound would not leave its haunting tone silent. Jay shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate on Jack’s words. “Am I worried about her figuring this mess out? NO.”

“What’s there to figure out?”

Jackson’s mouth tilted up on one side. “You know Alex, she won’t marry this guy without picking apart what the right thing is first? “nobody wants to do the right thing as much as she does.”

 Jay shivered in the cold morning air. He could feel every raw nerve in his body tighten with Jack’s smooth, buttery tone. The reassurance should have made him feel better, but he flinched at the sound,  his face cracking into a scowl. 

“The problem is Alex is always so worried about doing the right thing for everybody else. She forgets to think about what’s right for her.”

Jack smiled,  the too knowing tilt to his head only making Jay fear Alex's  father could see the storm raging behind his Eyes.

“I’ve never seen you this…concerned before.” Jack teased.

“I’ve got a little more  invested this time.

“how’s that?”

“Besides the fact that she’s my best friend?” Jay said with an uncomfortable chuckle. “She’s not having the best of luck with the weather, or the airlines, and we both know she can’t count on…”

Jay’s voice broke off as his mouth twitched and a fire burned black in his eyes for a moment.

     “her boyfriend”.

He bit down on his bottom lip as he watched Jackson fight to hold back a laugh.     “None of her other boyfriends kept you up at night.”

Jay clenched his teeth to keep himself from correcting her father, all of Alex’s boyfriends bothered him.  Her tractor beam for wounded birds had always driven him crazy, but after the last time she’d gotten sucked in by one of them it hadn’t cost him $500.

“I want Alex to be happy,” jay said, “but she wants this guy pretty bad and her taste in men doesn’t give me much confidence.”

“She gets that from her mom.” Jack said with a gleam in his azure  eyes.

Jay shot a doubtful glance at him. The grin on Jack’s face was a welcome relief to this too serious conversation and Jay was eager for the reprieve.

     “What does that say about you?”

 Jackson stood from the bumper and pulled his car keys from his pocket. Walking toward the open door of the bay, he grinned again.

“That I am the man who saw the forest through the trees. You might want to try it.”

Jack didn’t wait for a response as he crossed the empty lot outside Galvez Autobody. jay rubbed his hand over his own unshaven jaw. Pale morning light hadn't yet begun to break across the horizon. The seduction of the night called him to his bed now. The day would be lost if he slept though. He couldn’t afford to pass up the income.

He shook the dreariness of the last few hours from his head, just dragging himself toward the door of the garage. Jackson turned from beside his car.      “You interested in breakfast?? Its better than being here, alone, in the dark.”

Jay looked away as Jackson scanned the empty parking lot around them.He  knew what Jack was looking for and his exhausted mind flailed for an explanation. Instead,  he  pulled his light off its hook, shutting it off to plunge the door down as he locked up, 

“sure, but, I’ll have to follow you in the tow truck or we’ll have to go in your car.”

Jay turned back to face Jack, knowing there was no avoiding his eyes, as  he looked around the lot again wrinkling his brow.

“Where’s your car?” he asked in deliberate syllables.

“She’s…not available right now.”

Jay felt the brief flush of his face burned scarlet beneath his  skin.  .

Jack met the response with a lift of his eyebrows, turning  his back. “Donuts or omelets?”

You Have The Voice Of A Rusty Rake

The Romance Writers of America  www.rwa.org/conference held their 2003 conference in New York City. Although this was before I started writing, some of my first classes were recordings from this conference. One of my favorites was Suzanne Brockmann www.suzannebrockmann.com, a best seller who spoke on the topic of The Holy Grail Of Voice.
As an ameteur writer I didn't even know what "voice" was. I thought it was dialogue until I listened to Suzanne.
I have since learned the difference between the distinct voice of each character, and the author's voice. In a recent YA post apocolyptic book I read. It was not the author's voice that captured me. I probably couldn't pick her voice out if I read more of her work in a different context. However, her lead male character was  a Bayou Cajun from Louisianna. His voice was so distinct, so true to his character and so unforgettable that I wish I could read a story all from his point of view.
Dialogue and Dialect aside, I have discovered how important it is for the author's voice to be equally as distinct and unique, but also relatable to  a variety of readers.
Let me offer some examples: "Divergent, by Veronica Roth. Roth's voice is very distinct. Her descriptions are like the blade of a knife. Sharp. Exact. Straight to the heart. Her simply elegant descriptors are unlike any other YA author I've ever read.
Irma Bombeck-Anything by Irma is like being told a story at the dinner table of Lucille Ball . Both of these references may be out dated for a number of authors, but you can't fight the classics.
Speaking of Classics...Read something by Louis La'mour and then Zane Gray. They both write fantastic western's with common storylines and characters but there is no mistaking La'mour for Gray.
Just as J.K. Rollins sounds nothing like J. R. Tolkien, though both write fantasy and are British. Your voice will be distinctly your own. Don't try to write like Hemingway or Dickens. Don't try to listen to someone else's dialogue, purple prose, or narrative to mimic it. Although learning from other authors is vital, trying to be the "Next" so-and-so means you're not the next "YOU."
There was a teasing little controversy between Nicholas Sparks and Jody Picolt over there books. Both write sweet, beautiful, tragic stories full of romance, human emotion, and trial. Both will tear your heart out.
Once again...What would the world have missed out on if picolt had wasted her talents trying to "Be" Sparks?
Do what only you can do. Write what is in your heart and mind, like you write. Your readers will know and recognize you as long as you are true to your voice.
And if you have THE VOICE OF A RUSTY RAKE? Well, no one will ever forget you.

Author Review: J. S. Jaeger

My dreams of becoming a writer have always been based on my love of books. I was captured by the thrill and romance of Louis L'mour as a young girl before I learned to love the classics in High School, and the mysteries of M. H. Clark and Koontz in college. The theme that has always been prevalent for me though is the concept of overcoming ridiculous odds to win the girl, the prize, or the dream.
Scrolls of Zndaria was just such a book for me. It is written for a cross over audience, kids from ages 9 to 18 but it touches all readers with its story. The fantastic images portrayed by the characters are vivid even in this blind lady's mind. I learned to care so much for the characters that their tragedies became personal. When the death of one character occurred, I kept reading just to find out if it was a mistake. If the magic of the wizards could bring the character back to life.
There are a few authors who have pulled off successful cross over novels in the Middle Grade and Young Adult genres, and I think Jaeger is a great example of having story lines and characters that can do that.
Scroll 1: The Golden Wizard,  mixes elements of Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, and a new twist on fantasy together to make an exciting tale of chasing dreams.

Nathanial “Nate” McGray wants to be the first peasant in Zndaria to become a wizard. Because of his dream, he is ridiculed and bullied. In order to succeed, he must overcome socioeconomic boundaries and prove everyone, including his family, wrong. On his journey, Nate encounters vicious Dread Vikings, deadly bounty hunters, and a deranged beast. He also finds the inner strength and confidence to accomplish the impossible.

J. S. Jaeger is actually a husband wife team of writers.

Jerry and Stephanie Jaeger  have 4 children. Jerry overcame bullying to earn his black belt in Kempo Karate,  served as a special agent for the FBI and currently works as a prosecutor. Stephanie ran her own accounting practice for several years before turning her focus to writing Scrolls of Zndaria with Jerry.

Scroll 2 is scheduled for release in the summer of 2015 and Jerry is working on  a group of novellettes called "The mini-scrolls" which take us on extra adventures with Nate's brother, Ted, along with some of the other characters. 

The ebook and paperback
can be purchased on the following websites:

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Scrolls-Zndaria-Golden-Wizard-Scroll-ebook/dp/B00B2H37Y6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394146765&sr=8-1&keywords=zndaria

Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scrolls-of-zndaria-jerry-jaeger/1116112851?ean=2940148427940
Their website is:
www.zndaria.com They are also doing a giveaway on Goodreads. There is a link to enter on the website.

 Facebook:

www.facebook.com/zndaria

Amazon author page: URL amazon.com/author/jsjaeger

Go check out The Scrolls of Zndaria at a local library or on one of the links above and read a great story.

Can You Crossover?

My day has gotten away again. Between waking up at the crack of dawn to do 'MOM' stuff, keeping up on correspondence and social media, and spending time with my favorite Aunt. I have once again failed to cross over between my real life and my writing life. Hence the reason my blog is so late today..
The concept of crossing over has always interested me. How does an author like James Patterson cross over from his horror/thrillers to Young Adult? How did J.K. Rollins keep a Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult audience captivated for so long, but now struggles in the Adult Arena. How did Stephanie Meyer take an old idea like vampires and catch the attention of millions of all ages? What is the secret of "Crossing Over"?
Cross overs have occurred in the art, music and literature arena's for decades as people begin to embrace their own diversity as well as that of others.
When the music of the fifties sounds as cool as the eighties, or the music of the modern day actually includes some of the same songs, it becomes apparent that our children are much more open to diversity than my parents or grandparents were.
The same holds true for art and/or literature. Ansel Adams' photography, Michael Angelo's sculptures, Greek mythology and Shakespeare are all found in modern work.
The secret to the successful crossover is, for me, the ability to tell a compelling story as old as time, which has the thoughts, words and emotions that sound genuine to the human spirit.
Finding happiness, true love, a purpose beyond this world, and the desire to chase a dream.
a 13 yr. old feels similar longings to be accepted that the 33 yr. old mother of three does. To be wanted,loved, and  seen as beautiful, smart, and special in the world. To overcome fears, to forgive mistakes, and to feel like the center of someone's universe. For Meyer, Rollins, Patterson, and many more touching on the inner emotions of the writer is paramount to having access to the heart and soul of the reader.
When I hold back my pain as I develop a character, I hold back the core part of what links us as humans together. Our deep desires make us vulnerable but it's that vulnerability that makes a reader fall in love with a character or story. No matter what the reader's age.
Unfortunately, it is much harder said, than done. I'm still learning how to make a scene live and breathe while exposing the character's innermost thoughts and fears. I read these other authors in effort to understand better what I need to do, but in the end it takes practice.
Practice writing, plotting, character building, and yes...reading.
Give yourself permission to read, it is an author's bread and butter. Find great novels, short stories, poetry, and memoirs that bring out your emotion and then feast on every syllable.
In next week's blog I'm reviewing an author who has taken a story of a boy's dream, mixed it with betrayal, danger, death, and heartache to bring the story alive.This author has also been able to cross her Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult audiences, holding their interest.  Look for the review next Wednesday and watch during the month of March as we discuss voice, characters, and plots that work for authors who strive to reach an ageless audience. Until then, keep writing, smiling and reading.