The Kelpie

"The castle glittered as if it were made of crystal and shimmered solid parts as if they were made of moonstone or cat's eye.  It shouldn't have fit on the outcrop, but the outcrop seemed to have grown with it.  Behind the castle, the clouds that had darkened our trails had parted and stars glowed brightly."

The Faerie Castle is the most appropriate piece to put on Kate's blog, as Spencer Hill Press really is her castle of magic and wonders. Truly, being part of the SHP family is a magical experience that has changed my life for the better since Kate invited me to work on UnCONventional with her. :)  To be part of this professional family—and I repeat "family" on purpose—means that I have had this amazing privilege to nurture people's dreams, dreams they trust us with, and then be able to hand them that dream, actualized, as a real, physical thing. That's how SHP was created.
 

Thank you, Kate, for helping all of us get a chance to hug our dreams in person!

 

FINN FINNEGAN Review by an 11-year-old

Finn Finnegan Review

By Walnut Storm*

 

     Even though I’ve never been to Colorado, author Darby Karchut picks me up and puts me in High Springs, where I meet a young teen boy named Finn, NOT Finnegan, MacCullen. Finn is a halfer: half mortal, half Tuatha De Danaan, an ancient race of warriors from Ireland. Finn has just hitch-hiked over 60 miles (from Denver to High Springs, Colorado) to meet the man he will be apprenticed to.

     Gideon Lir, Finn’s new master, is thoroughly Irish, and thoroughly Tuatha De Danaan, with a quick temper and thick accent. Like all the De Danaan, Gideon believes that the pure-bloods of the race are superior to anyone else, so he is annoyed to find out that Finn is a halfer. This ancient Irish warrior has to teach the computer obsessed Finn in the ways of the Tuatha De Danaan. No sooner have they started, but the Amandan attack! The Amandan, a race of goblin-like creatures, have been battling the De Danaan for centuries over control of Ireland. The war has spread over the world as the two races have emigrated to other countries. The De Danaan believe their existence relies on keeping themselves and the Amandan secret from the mortals. The Amandan have no problem using mortals as pawns in their war.

     Darby Karchut uses an extraordinary mix of myth and imagination to create this exquisite book. I love how she uses detailed descriptions of the battles between Finn and the Amandan; I felt like I was right there watching. I also enjoyed the journal entries of Finn and Gideon, because it made me get a better sense for what the characters were really feeling about life and each other. The one thing I didn’t like was that there weren’t strong enough female characters. Her male characters are so well written, but I would have liked some more females. Darby Karchut writes strong descriptions like this one, “The woman smiled.  Her grin stretched wider and wider across her face, as if the corners of her mouth were trying to meet each other around the back of her head.” She uses these great descriptions to create visual imagery. 

  

     Time is running out as the Amandan gather their forces and the De Danaan search frantically for the one thing that will kill their enemies, The Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan. Will the De Danaan find the spear? Will someone die? If so who? WHAT WILL HAPPEN? To find out read Finn Finnegan by Darby Karchut.

     I loved this book, and can't wait to read the rest!

*Walnut Storm is the pen name of an 11-year-old avid reader. Her image and words are used with parental permission.  

Publishing Truths

You need to know: 

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/01/22/25-hard-truths-about-writing-and-publishing/

On Gun Control

(This is a serious post today. My thoughts, prayers, and tears go out to the families of Newtown.)

I'm a gun owner. And I favor expanding gun control legislation. But I don't think it's going to happen.

As a former POW of the culture wars (four years as a teenager in an evangelical household) I can tell you that the main obstacle in any gun control is that a large portion of conservative America *literally* believes that any law enacted will be horribly abused by those in power. If we have restrictions that keep people with mental illness from obtaining firearms, the government will then declare that anyone who wants to shoot their own dinner rather than buy it from the supermarket is "crazy," and therefore they can't have guns.

Back in the former Soviet Union, dissidents were often labeled with some form of mental illness; it allowed the government to simultaneously discredit them... and lock them up. Fear of this kind of abuse of power is what causes the resistance to gun control legislation. Do I believe it? Absolutely not. But *millions* of American think like this. If we find a way to overcome this fear, then we can move forward. But until we do, we need to understand *why* the other side tolerates events like Sandy Hook without seeing the need for changes in gun control laws--they literally believe that the alternative could be as bad or worse.

That's what we're up against when we try to put additional legislation in place--just thought I'd translate the rhetoric. Talk amongst yourselves.

Cover Reveal for CAMP BOYFRIEND

This is the first cover reveal for Spencer Hill Contemporary, our new YA contemporary imprint!

The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.
They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

Title: Camp Boyfriend (Camp Boyfriend #1)
Author: J.K. Rock
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-939392-50-3
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Formats: Paper, e-book
Goodreads TBR: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16409311-camp-boyfriend 

Winner!

And the winner is... Bookarooju!

TEAM AIDEN

We had some technical issues getting the paperback version of Elixir shipped, and it has delayed some people from receiving their pre-orders. We're sorry for any inconvenience this has caused, and we'd like to make it up to you... with Aiden. 

Yup, in honor of Aiden's POV novella, we have "Team Aiden" shirts, and we're going to give away three of them. To enter, just leave a comment below. It can be anything--your favorite Covenant book, your dog's name, a suggestion for a Covenant-themed Ben & Jerry's flavor ("Seth Ripple?")--whatever. 

I'll use random.org to pick the winner after midnight (EST) on Friday, December 7th. We'll ship internationally, too.