4/10/2018 0 Comments Review: 5 Stars for Freedom For Me![]() Litpick, a site for student book reviews, recently reviewed Freedom for Me by Stacie Haas! A portion of the five-star review is below. Opinion: The characters were wonderfully developed, and the story itself is written with exceptional realism, making it seem as if the tale could be happening right alongside you as you read. Thomas, who is the main character, is Chinese. At first, I was confused on how he ended up in America with his new family, but the author explained it eventually as it being something of the likeness of an unofficial adoption. This story is based on one of the very few Chinese Yankees who served during the Civil War. There is obvious racism throughout the story, but none of it is overly harsh, and most of it is thoroughly explained and makes sense with the story. This book took a well-known historical event and spun it into an epic tale told from the perspective of a Chinese boy. The author did a wonderful job enlightening me as well as teaching me more about the types of people who fought in the Civil War. For the full review, click HERE Or visit litpick.com/review/freedom-me-chinese-yankee-review-moseso
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Erin Fry, author of Undercover Chefs held a book launch and fundraiser party at Goddard School and raised over $300 for the school's library!
![]() Stacie Haas, author of Freedom for Me: A Chinese Yankee, has earned rave reviews from Reader's Favorite Reviews! Reviewer Jack Magnus writes: Freedom for Me: A Chinese Yankee is a meticulously researched and beautifully presented military fiction novel which recreates the life and experiences of a Chinese Yankee volunteer during the Civil War. Her battle scenes are stark and moving, and the prejudicial attitudes Beck is subjected to ring true, sadly enough, even in today’s world. Reading Freedom for Me was a fascinating and illuminating experience for me as each skirmish became real and the bravery of those who endured is revealed. I was especially interested in seeing how Thomas interacted with the soldiers he was attached to, particularly Henry, whose initial viciousness and physical attacks were alarming. The young men, all from very different walks of life, formed a team that was memorable. What was perhaps most moving of all was Beck’s conviction that freeing the slaves was worth sacrificing his own life for; that his own freedom was intricately tied up in the civil rights of others. To read all three reviews, click HERE Or visit: readersfavorite.com/book-review/freedom-for-me In a recent blog entry, Heather Wyatt, author of the upcoming My Life Without Ranch described her publishing process and how a "Revise and Resubmit" email inspired her writing process.
Heather writes: I was in Nashville with Ian as we were wrapping up our holiday visit with his family. We were set to drive to Chattanooga that morning after church. Of course, I woke up early and was going through my morning routine with my phone. I always start by checking my email. When you're a writer, rejection is just part of the gig. I have gotten countless rejections over the years. Over the summer, I submitted a draft of My Life Without Ranch (the book) to 50/50 press. The response I got was so heartfelt, but it was, in fact a rejection. After the rejection, I found myself inspired. I dove in to re-write the manuscript for a third time (at least). Once I finished, I sent it to 50/50 press again. I thought it was a long shot. I knew she appreciated my voice but truth be told, I was worried I would annoy her and I was so used to rejection I honestly didn't put much stock in it. Having said that, I knew this was the best draft I had turned out. So, back to Christmas Eve. I'm going through my emails, mostly junk, and see her email address pop up. My immediate thought was, "Really?! Who sends a rejection on Christmas Eve?!" I didn't even open it right away. I went through and deleted all the Christmas Eve ad emails and then finally got back to the email from 50/50 press. The first word I read was "Congratulations." I threw the phone down in shock. To read the entire entry, click HERE Or visit: http://www.mylifewithoutranch.com/2018/02/when-work-you-put-in-is-realized.html The Willamette Writers' Group featured a recent presentation by Kim Kasch, author of Irma the Inventor and the Vampire Spiders. An excerpt of their article is below:
February may be the month of love, but it may also be the month to cut ties with your character – permanently. Kim Kasch will join the Young Willamette Writers to discuss the why’s, do’s and don’ts, and how-to’s of bringing about the demise of a character, maybe even one you’ve come to care about. Kim said this about saying goodbye to those well-loved people you’ve created: “Goodbye,” is the hardest word in the English language, at least it is when you love someone. We hate losing a family member or friend and—yes—even our favorite characters in our books leave an empty void when they are lost forever. For avid readers, it can be depressing to reach the end of a story, and it is way worse to actually close the cover and walk away. But, when our leading ladies and good-guy protagonists breathe their last breath, it can truly feel like losing a loved one. Read the full article HERE Or Visit: https://willamettewriters.org/event/portland-young-willamette-writers-2/ ![]() Kim Kasch, author of Irma the Inventor and the Vampire Spiders, The Cats of Cullaby Creek, Demons Ink, and Morgaine LeFay and the Vikings recently held a presentation about killing off characters. In this blog entry, Kim shares more details and writing tips about when it's right to murder your beloved character. An excerpt from Kim's blog is below: There Are Good Reasons to Kill…Off Characters. 1) Remember the Alamo or at least the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. There would have been no story or plot without killing off a lot of wonderful main characters in this trilogy. 2) No Guilt Over the Bad Guy No one cares if we kill off the bad guys but remember good guys die too and for our stories to ring true to our readers we have to have authenticity and sometimes our loved ones have to die. 3) The Disney Delusion. We can’t always have a prince (or princess) ride to the rescue. Not every story has to have a happy ending. To read all 5 reasons and get a free writing prompt from Kim, click HERE Or visit http://kimkasch.blogspot.com/2018/02/have-you-ever-wanted-to-kill-someone.html |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategoriesAll 50/50 Press Aaron Davis Annemarie DeClark Article Baggage Claim Blog Blog Post Book Launch Brian McCann Christmas Letter Coming Soon Conference Cover Reveal Daniel Ford Debut Author Detroit Dreamfield Erin Fry Ethan Bryan First Case Scenario Freedom For Me Heather Wyatt Hidden Thorns Interview Irma The Inventor Jamie Blake Joanna Volavka Kim Kasch Last Ghost Latium Library Matthew Franks MC Hall Melissa Bennett MG Music Theory My Life Without Ranch New Books News Orion Medallion Podcast Presentation Publishing Query Tips Review Samantha Martin Smothered Speech Stacie Haas Steven Berman Sutherland Threadwalkers Undercover Chefs Updates Video Writing Tips YA |