breakout-novel.jpgI’m using WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK to help me flesh out some of my characters on a revision I’m working on right now. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this workbook (and the regular book) and credit it with much of the improvements in my writing in the last two years.

ally-carter.jpg  I also re-read I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter, even though I just read it about six months ago. I finally gave up waiting for the library to get the sequel and ordered a copy of my own, but I’d read this one so fast the first time, I’d forgotten most of it, so I wanted to read it before the sequel arrived. Interestingly enough, I think you could call it Carter’s “breakout novel” and it illustrates on every level what Maass is trying to teach in his book. An excellent choice on my part to read right now.

question-mark.jpg I also read a MG that I absolutely loved right up until the ending, which was pretty much legally impossible. It also rubbed me the wrong way culturally at the end, so it shall remain nameless. You can’t even write and ask me (Dori!) what it is because it’s a writer whose path I cross periodically and I just don’t want to get into it. The only reason I mention it at all is because I don’t want y’all to think I’m slacking on my reading.