Divination: The comic

I wanted to post a quick note and tell everyone that Divination has gone live at MTV Geek! You can read the comic I am co writing for free in increments of four pages per week. Or you can also buy issue 1 for $1.99 at Comixology

Summary:
Anastasia Kempka's teenage life is thrown into chaos after she discovers an eerie connection to the afterlife. What she first thinks is her imagination gone wild quickly turns into a shocking reality filled with spirits, demons and angels that ultimately alters her entire existence. Weary of who is friend or foe in this supernatural nightmare, Ana soon finds herself on a path towards an uncertain destiny that will have drastic consequences for both her and the entire world.

We have a Facebook page as well. Check us out at:

Divination's Facebook Page


Enjoy! :)
I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!

The End

After much reflection I have decided to end my blog.

When I started YA Bookmark two years ago I thought it would be a place for lively discussions among readers, however I have found that not to be true. I have seen other blogs with more "followers" and more interaction.

It isn't all bad. YA Bookmark has given me the opportunity to speak with many authors and read their books. It's given me a glimpse into the publishing world, a world I want to enter. The memories were great, but posting seems like a burden. It isn't fun anymore.

Instead, I will be working on my comic for MTV Geek entitled Divination. I will still review books because I love it so much. I'll be reviewing for Amazon Vine and also for the Historical Novel Society(focus on YA books, of course). I also plan on focusing on my own novel. Who knows, maybe I'll be doing blog tours one day.

Ciao for now!

Historical Fiction Civil War Style

Lizzie is fourteen years old in 1863. The battle between the states is raging on and her home of Vicksburg is under siege. In order to protect themselves from cannons Lizzie's family takes refuge inside caves.

Living inside a cave with creepy crawly bugs and snakes and other creatures doesn't sit well with Lizzie. In fact she wants to run away and fight for the South. Later Lizzie finds out that war isn't what she thought it would be and she is faced with some harsh realities.

I enjoyed this book. At first I thought the story was going to go down the same predictable road that many YA HF novels go, but Ms. McClure threw a curve ball in there which I really liked.

I think students who like historical fiction will enjoy this novel.

I want it Wednesday

I had no idea there was a sequel to Push by Sapphire. I loved that book, it was amazing and this one is the story of Precious' child.

It hasn't gotten very good reviews on Amazon. I think it has a 2 star review rating; but I thought it might be worth mentioning. Lets face it books that have received glowing reviews I have disliked. So you be the judge!

Summary:

In The Kid bestselling author Sapphire tells the electrifying story of Abdul Jones, the son of Push's unforgettable heroine, Precious.

A story of body and spirit, rooted in the hungers of flesh and of the soul, The Kid brings us deep into the interior life of Abdul Jones. We meet him at age nine, on the day of his mother's funeral. Left alone to navigate a world in which love and hate sometimes hideously masquerade, forced to confront unspeakable violence, his history, and the dark corners of his own heart, Abdul claws his way toward adulthood and toward an identity he can stand behind.

In a generational story that moves with the speed of thought from a Mississippi dirt farm to Harlem in its heyday; from a troubled Catholic orphanage to downtown artist's lofts, The Kid tells of a twenty- first-century young man's fight to find a way toward the future. A testament to the ferocity of the human spirit and the deep nourishing power of love and of art, The Kid chronicles a young man about to take flight. In the intimate, terrifying, and deeply alive story of Abdul's journey, we are witness to an artist's birth by fire.

MTV Geek welcomes a...librarian?

After months of sitting on this little piece of news I can finally share it.

Val Staples and I will be co writing Divination. It is a comic that will be on MTV Geek. Julia Laud is illustrating the book. It was announced today at San Diego Comic Con. I'm excited and a little nervous.

The comic is written for teens, my favorite audience.

Divination blurb, Stan Lee and much more!


MTV Geek!

Historical Fiction Friday: Review

This one was a very emotional read for me. It is set right before World War II and took me back to a time when my grandmother was young and faced the same problems as Ruby.

Ruby's father died and her mother isn't able to work anymore at the meat packing plant because her fingers are so gnarled with arthritis. Ruby's sister is to young to work so its up to Ruby to drop out of school(something she doesn't want to do, but must) and goes to the same place her mother worked.

The meat packing plant isn't glamorous and it doesn't pay well either. Ruby's family has a lot of debt and she wants to help them. Her need for quick cash lands her in a dance all where she can make money dancing the night away with men she doesn't know.

The money is quick, but the men are quicker, and Ruby finds herself in a lot of trouble. She tries to make the right choices, but things don't always work out. To add to her problems, Ruby is falling in love with an unsavory young man named Paulie. He's an up and coming gangster and has his own set or problems. Ruby's mother is beyond mad, but she doesn't understand that her daughter is in love.

Will Ruby be able to do the right thing, or will the gangster life that was so prevalent in 1940s Chicago claim another victim?

As I said earlier this story drew me in. I could hear my grandmother's stories through Ruby. Just like Ruby my grandmother had to drop out of school because her father died. My grandmother had to earn money to keep her family in a crappy apartment with little heat and little food. The same was for Ruby. This was a very emotional read for me because it connected me with my grandmother a person I miss dearly.