In this post, I want to share the details on the very first All Write Now! one-day conference that Southeast Missouri Writers' Guild and Heartland Writers Guild are co-sponsoring this July 19, 2014 at the Cape Girardeau Library, 711 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
We are excited to offer a full day of panel discussions with a group of Missouri small press publishers, workshops, pitch sessions, one-page, written-critiques by several publishers, lunch and a keynote address by Dr. Robert Hamblin, Professor Emeritus, Southeast Missouri State University, lots of networking and camaraderie!
AND . . . (drumroll, please!) A BOOK CONTRACT TO ONE LUCKY ATTENDEE!
That's right!
Lou Turner of High Hill Press has offered a standard book contract to one lucky attendee. The one requirement is that each participant entering their name into the drawing must have either a complete--or an almost-complete novel to be entered into the drawing--oh, and you have to be registered for the conference and be present to win. That's it.
Vist the All Write Now! Facebook page to keep up with the latest news and information, or just to ask a question. This is an open FB forum, so you can post a question, add a comment, or make a suggestion. The All Write Now! conference information and registration form is available here for you to print out and send in. Join us!
We'd also love to have you join our Friends of SEMO Writers' Guild FB page as well. Check us out here.
Without further ado, here is the All Write Now! registration information and registration form. Register early. Spacing is limited. If you would like to receive the All Write Now! conference information and registration form sent to you directly, please email me at southeastmopres at gmail dot com.
Feel free to share with your writing friends!
Until next time. . . .
All Write Now! Conference Information & Registration
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
A Delightful Yet Quirky Tale of First Love, Family, Friendships--and, of course, Curses!
Recently, I had the pleasure to review Margo Dill's newest YA novel, Caught Between Two Curses, published by Rocking Horse Publishing. I'm posting my review here to share with everyone who loves YA. However, for any mom, dad, teacher, aunt, uncle, or anyone who has--or is--experiencing life with a teenager, Caught Between Two Curses will help see all the nuances as to what is important to teenagers, how they process and manage difficult situations on their own, and how they really struggle with doing what is right and making good decisions.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Caught
Between Two Curses
Margo Dill
Rocking Horse
Publishing
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13: 978-0991969569
Paperback: 248
pp.; $11.95
Review by
Donna J. Essner
Caught Between Two Curses by Margo Dill, is a
delightful yet quirky paranormal tale of a typical seventeen-year-old high
school student, Julie Nigelson. Typical, inasmuch as she has a boyfriend and like
many teenagers, is faced with a dilemma—to have or not to have sex.
But
when a mélange of twists and turns propel Julie into facing an unexpected
family crisis that is connected somehow to the famous “Billy Goat Curse” that
prevents the Cubs from winning and is tied to her uncle’s mysterious illness,
perhaps even her parents’ death, Julie is hurled into a world of confusion,
questions, and decisions that affect her and all those she loves. Not only
that, but Julie learns that her estranged grandmother she didn’t even know
existed, is tied to it all. All the while, Julie wrangles with her boyfriend’s
constant pressure to have sex, struggles with her change of heart surrounding
her best friend, Matt, and fights to decipher how to rid her family—and the
Cubs—of the curse. Before it’s too late.
In
Caught Between Two Curses, readers
are taken on a fast- and well-paced journey in the life of a contemporary teen
who faces many of the same struggles with which all teens learn to deal—love
vs. sex; the complexities surrounding friendships and relationships, both
personal and family; facing “uncomfortable situations” head-on, instead of
escaping or burying one’s head; mastering the art of forgiveness; and
regardless of one’s own feelings and desires, sacrificing one’s self to protect
those they love.
Dill
skillfully incorporates all these themes throughout the story. For example, as
Julie deals with her newly found-out family curse, she fights her body’s urges
to give in, while her brain shouts, “No! No! No!” as her boyfriend insists,
“Jules, this is it. Let’s just do it.” And then later, in building a new
relationship with her best friend, Matt, she must deal with her feelings from
their past and set her sights on beginning a new friendship between them. One
she never expected. Additionally, acceptance and forgiveness are dealt with in
the relationship with Julie’s grandmother. Not only must Julie accept her
grandmother’s eccentric lifestyle, she must learn to forgive her, even though
it was she who “brought nothing but pain and sorrow onto [their] family,” and
because, as Julie discovered, “She [her grandmother] was the connection to
[her] mom.”
Additionally,
Dill effortlessly and seamlessly intertwines the legendary Billy Goat Curse
that marks the Cubs with a continuous losing streak, with a spell targeted at
Julie’s family members, and threatens to wipe them out, one-by-one. Along with
chapter-ending cliffhangers and this well-played twist, this reader remained
riveted throughout the story.
If
there is one thing negative to be said for this story, it would be the many internal
questions Julie demands to know as she fights to understand all that is
happening in her life—knowing just what to do, what to feel, how to go about
making decisions, and how to handle it all. But that is what the teen years
entail, isn’t it? Questioning anything and everything they’ve been taught,
finding their own way, and figuring out—sometimes all on their own—the who, what,
where, when, and why in life. Caught
Between Two Curses fulfills these age-old questions. It suffices to say,
that even though many of the themes in this novel are directed at teens, any
reader—young and old—can relate to these same dilemmas and learn from them.
All
in all, Caught Between Two Curses is
a delightful read. The characters, their language, and the exceptional
paranormal twist interlaced with the legendary curse on the Cubs, gives this
book an edge not seen in many others. Added to this, the connection between
three generations of family members who struggle together and alone, to mend
the past, add to the subtly of the human condition—how to get along. All of
these details are spot on. I would highly recommend this captivating story to anyone looking for a refreshing
twist on life in the day of a teenager, her friends, and her family. And of
course, how to deal with a curse!
Caught Between Two Curses, published by Rocking
Horse Publishing can be purchased directly at www.rockinghorsepublishing.com
for $11.95. The paperback can also be purchased from Amazon.com, Barnes &
Noble, as well as Margo Dill at http://margodill.com/blog/books. ISBN-10:
0991069560. ISBN-13: 978-0991069569.
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