Who is Skateboard Girl?
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Focus: Create a sympathetic, relatable character with a backstory, unique gifting, and mysterious goal.
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Finish this prompt in 200 words or less and post it in the comments!
#practiceyourcraft
#getyourbrainwriting
Nova & The Sp Team
Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash
Pen Friends, Welcome YA Author Lorie Langdon as she talks about her new book, Olivia Twist, an historical retelling of a loved classic!
SP: Congrats on your latest release, Olivia Twist!
Thanks so much!
SP: Can you tell us how you got the idea?
Like all the best stories, this one began when I was a child. After my Grandma took me to see a rerelease of the movie musical Oliver!, I became obsessed with the story and would sit in my room and listen to the double album soundtrack for hours, making up new stories about the characters. In my favorite daydream, Oliver had been born a girl and was disguising her true gender as a safety measure. This way, I could imagine myself as the heroine of the story and the Artful Dodger as the hero. In my childhood fantasies, the two would have endless adventures and eventually fall in love and escape from poverty. I blame this train of thought on the actor Jack Wild, who played Dodger in the film and became my first celebrity crush! Continue reading
Book Review: Love, Hate & Other Filters
Title: Love, Hate & Other Filters (standalone)
Author: Samira Ahmed
Blurb: A searing #OwnVoices coming-of-age debut in which an Indian-American Muslim teen confronts Islamophobia and a reality she can neither explain nor escape–perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Jacqueline Woodson, and Adam Silvera.
American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home, and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems “suitable.” And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and maybe (just maybe) pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school, a boy who’s finally falling into her orbit at school.
There’s also the real world, beyond Maya’s control. In the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community she’s known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates alike are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs. Continue reading
Pen Friends, welcome Jessica Jade, a fabulous addition to the Spinning Pen. She’ll be joining us for a few months, sharing her journey on becoming an author — tips on writing, querying, YA fantasy, rejection, success, book reviews, and more! You’ll want to connect with her on twitter (link below) and see her beautiful novel aesthetics on her YA fantasy that she’s querying at the moment!
~~Welcome Jessica~~
When I first started querying over two years ago, I thought I was ready—the manuscript, the query letter, everything.
Oh, I was wrong. Embarrassingly wrong.
No one knew what was under the tree except me…
Finish this prompt in 300 words or less. Post your prompt in the comments below or email it to us! We would love to read it!
#practiceyourcraft
#getyourbrainwriting
Nova, signing off.
Teen Participation:
Photo by Brandon Green on Unsplash
The bright lights blinded me as I walked into the tent…
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Focus of the prompt: Showing the five senses.
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Finish this prompt in 500 words of less. Post yours in the comments below!
#practiceyourcraft
#getyourbrainwriting
Nova & The SP Team
Photo by Becky Phan on Unsplash
Pen Friends ~ The Lovely Debut Author of American Panda is our guest today! Welcome, Gloria Chao! Her first book, American Panda will be out very very soon, and you can get the inside scoop!
SP: Hi Gloria! Thanks for joining us. First, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
GC: Thank you so much for having me! I’m so excited to be a part of your wonderful blog! I’m a young adult author based in Chicago, and I’ve been writing for the past five years. I write contemporary stories featuring Taiwanese-American teens struggling with identity, always with humor because life and books are so much more fun with some laughs. Continue reading
Pen Friends ~ Nova, here. In today’s post I wanted to share a) exciting news b) an international writing contest where you can make a difference c) a final note of encouragement…OK? Thanks!
This year, in May, I’ll host an International
Write A Novel Workshop
In Chengdu, China…
with BEST SELLING AUTHORS…
Lorie Langdon & Carey Corp
& Self-Published Amazon #1 Best Seller, Laura Frances, & Upcoming Debut author, Ellen McGinty!!
Check workshop details @ WRITE A NOVEL 2018
*This idea has been brewing in me for a couple years now, and wow, it feels good to see an idea become reality!
As for the amazing international opportunity, look down.
Free trip to Tibet by writing a 1-2 page story on the theme of transformation? Too good to be true?(It’s legit–I helped organize the contest.) The men who run Extravagant Yak Travel are my dear friends. I can’t express how awesome they are and how much they do for local Tibetans. The winner (s) get a pretty sweet deal and by just entering YOU get to help Tibetans too! So if you have a story to tell, get on it! They want to hear and spread it! You just might end up on the roof of the world!
Check it out @ Extravagant Yak
It was a small cave. Good thing I was small too. Now, if I could only get inside without anyone noticing…
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Finish this prompt in 500 words or less. Post your prompt in the comments or email it to us!
#practiceyourcraft
#getyourbrainwriting
Nova & the SP Team
Photo by Joshua Sortino on Unsplash
The Spinning Pen 