Archive for July, 2012
Author Interview with Braden Bell
Posted by A.L. Sowards in Author Interviews on July 24, 2012
Attention all fans of middle school magic, today’s blog guest is Braden Bell, author of The Kindling. Here’s the tag line from the book’s cover: Homework? Of course. Crushes? Sure. But who knew seventh grade included superpowers? Braden teaches theater and music at a private middle school in Tennessee, so he knows teenagers. He’s also the author of The Road Show and blogs frequently.
List five movies you LOVE:
It’s a Wonderful Life—it reminds me of what’s important. I’m a school teacher with a large family, so material things are not among my blessings. This movie reminds me of the blessings I do have. Plus, Jimmy Stewart is a hero of mine.
Candleford Technically not a movie—a BBC mini-series but the writing is brilliant and the acting perfect.
Casablanca The scene where they sing La Marseilles in defiance of the Nazis gives me chills. And Bogart and Bergman—can’t beat it. They had class then, style, panache!
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Not perhaps the greatest art in the world, but it’s a multi-generational family tradition. It’s a fun way to kill three hour and makes me laugh every time I watch it.
The Scarlet and the Black It’s a little known movie with Gregory Peck and Christopher Plummer about a fearless priest in the Vatican during the Nazi occupation of Rome and his incredible efforts to save Jews and escaping Allied soldiers. True story of incredible courage.
It’s a Wonderful Life was a Christmas tradition at my parent’s house, and I love Casablanca. I’ll have to add The Scarlet and the Black to my to-see list.
List four books you’re read recently that you liked:
Dispirted by Luisa Perkins
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
I’ve been so busy writing and critiquing that I fear I’ve not had much time to read!
Favorite book from when you were younger?
Anything with the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew.
Favorite Shakespeare play:
There is something so wonderfully creepy about Macbeth that captured my imagination in high school.
“Wonderfully creepy” is a great way to describe Macbeth. I really like that play.
List three people you admire and explain why.
Winston Churchill: His absolute, unflinching determination, unconquerable spirit pulled a country through impossible odds and quite literally saved Western Civilization as we know it. He drank too much, smoked incessantly, and slept in far too long. He conducted much of the business of the war from his bathtub. He had a wicked wit and quick tongue. And we have a similar physique.
George Washington: I really believe he’s one of the best people that’s ever lived. His decency, modesty, and self-control were unique. He could have been a dictator or king, but chose not to be. He gave up power in a way few people would have and served at tremendous sacrifice, during the war and again as president.
Margaret Thatcher: I haven’t read as much about her as the other two, but she is a fascinating person. One of the strongest leaders of the 20th century. She had an enormous impact on the outcome of the Cold War and stood consistently on principle. A very strong person.
Writing advice you’d give to others?
Just do it. Do it the way it works. Learn from other people, seek honest feedback, but just do what works for you.
When did you start writing?
When I was young—perhaps 9 or 10?
What are you working on now?
The sequel to The Kindling and also a YA novel.
What process do you go through as you get a book ready for submission?
I have wonderful critique partners. Then I have as many readers as I can. I do lots and lots of revisions and try to have as many honest critics read my work as I can. Since I’m a teacher, I am fortunate in that I can draw from my students to get a lot of readers who give me honest feedback and excellent suggestions.
Here’s the back-cover blurb from Bell’s latest book: All thirteen-year-old Conner Dell wants to do is pass pre-algebra, play lacrosse, and possibly kiss Melanie Stephens. He didn’t mean to set anyone’s gym shorts on fire or make school lunches explode. But now that the strange powers inside him have been ignited, Conner’s normal teenage life is about to go up in flames!
To learn more about Braden or purchase The Kindling, visit his website. Thanks for being part of my blog today, Braden! Keep scrolling down to see the book trailers:
Book Review: Carnival Girl
Posted by A.L. Sowards in Reading on July 12, 2012
Today I’m doing something I’ve never done before: I’m reviewing a book on my website. I often enjoy mid-twentieth century memoirs, so when this opportunity came up, I decided to try it. I received a copy of the book for free in exchange for my review. I value my readers enough that I’ll be completely honest with my opinion.
First, the book’s synopsis (from goodreads): The only life little Sonja Francesco has ever known is traveling the carnival circuit and living with her five siblings in a tiny caravan home. The family never stays anywhere long enough for Sonja to make friends or develop roots. The only one in her family, Sonja always believed in God and wants to belong to a church.
At fourteen, Sonja meets the Mormon missionaries and develops a strong testimony of the truth of the Gospel. But can she live the commandments while traveling with the carnival and running one of the attractions every Sunday? Will it be possible for her to leave her family’s life behind and live the life she has always dreamed of?
This story is told as a series of flashbacks to Sonja’s childhood. Each chapter begins in the present, with Sonja and her mother, Magot, then changes to the past and paints a picture of Sonja’s early life. Sonja’s family lives in a caravan and travels from town to town to put up a merry-go-round and other carnival attractions for local festivals. Like many people in post-war Germany, the family struggles with poverty.
Margot, the mother, joined the circus during WWII to hide from the Nazis. I would have liked to know more about her history (I guess I’ll have to readWalk on a Wirewhen it comes out). I was curious how Sonja’s parents met, and about what made Margot lose her faith. She seemed to have liked the circus, but I guess living through WWII as a half-Jewish woman would have been traumatic enough, even if no one ever questioned her hiding place. Knowing more details might have helped me like Margot more than I did. As it was, Margot was a bit of a Scarlet O’Hara type character: beautiful, hardworking, and determined to survive, but not very kind. Margot didn’t ruin her sister’s lives (like Scarlet did), but she did call her children derogatory nicknames and had some marriage difficulties.
Sonja’s character was much more likeable. We’re introduced to a child who just wants to be a good girl. She wants her family to like her, but her family is under a lot of stress. She had a pet dog that helps her feel less lonely, and eventually begins to learn about God. Readers that love conversion stories will enjoy Sonja’s dream, her introduction to the missionaries through English classes, and her determination to join the church despite her parent’s disapproval.
Sonja gradually beings to yearn for a more normal life. She’d like a home—or at least an apartment. She’d like to make friends and keep them for more than a week or two. And she’d like to be able to attend church on Sunday instead of working at her parent’s carnival. Eventually she gets that, but it comes at the cost of a broken family, and that made me sad.
I’d classify this as a coming of age story and a conversion story. It’s a book I’ll remember, and I think it will give me extra encouragement to make sure my children know they are loved. It’s a good reminder that people can overcome hardships and still find joy with life. Don’t pick Carnival Girl up expecting it to read like a fast-paced novel. And for you history buffs, this book does take place during some interesting times (from the end of WWII to the early 60s), but global events are far in the background. Sonja’s family wasn’t involved in the cold war. But if you want a poignant read about a girl growing up in a different time with a very different lifestyle, you should give this book a chance.
Carnival Girl: Searching for God in the Aftermath of War
Published by Cedar Fort Books, 2012, 216 pages, available for purchase on Amazon.
Visit Sonja online at her website, booksite, blog, or facebook page.
Author Interview with Sonja Herbert
Posted by A.L. Sowards in Author Interviews on July 11, 2012
Today and tomorrow I’m featuring author Sonja Herbert on my blog. She recently released a memoir, Carnival Girl: Searching for God in the Aftermath of War (I’ll be reviewing the book tomorrow, so come back and visit again). I’ll focus on the book tomorrow, but today, here’s an interview with this extraordinary woman.
List five movies you LOVE:
The new Star Trek, Galaxy Quest, Conspiracy Theory, Somewhere in Time, Independence Day
If you were stuck in an airport with nothing else to read, would you rather have a copy of Twilight or Hunger Games?
No question, Hunger Games, even though I found Twilight well written, too. Sparkling vampires are just not my cup of tea.
Item(s) you’re willing to splurge on:
Anything electronic. I’d love to have an iPad or a Fire Kindle.
Can you tell us a funny story from your childhood?
I remember how my mother learned to drive a car. It was funny, and it’s also a chapter in my memoir!
That chapter made me really, really grateful for my washing machine. Do you have any hidden talents?
I love to knit and crochet. Don’t tell anyone, but I even have a knitting machine!
OK, we’ll keep the knitting machine a secret. Best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Write every day, even if it’s only one sentence!
When did you start writing?
At 24. I had just immigrated to the U.S. and send a real life story to a women’s magazine. Naturally, it was rejected.
What are you working on now?
A middle grade fantasy about a German boy and a Navajo boy finding the silver mine on the reservation.
How do you come up with ideas for your books?
They’re almost always something I experienced, or read.
Pick a character from one of your books and tell us about him or her:
Margot Edel, my mother. She’s not only a big presence in my memoir, Carnival Girl, but she’s also the main character in my historical novel, Walk on a Wire. Margot is half-Jewish (she’s still alive at 91 and lives in Germany), and she survived the Nazis by hiding in a circus. I was born in a circus.
You can visit Sonja online at her website, booksite, blog, or facebook page.
-
You are currently browsing the archives for July, 2012
RSS Link
