MMGM: AUDITION AND SUBTRACTION by Amy Fellner Dominy

Ah, Middle Grade. That precarious time in life when friendships either fall away or blossom into something... different. AUDITION AND SUBTRACTION by Amy Fellner Dominy is all about the blossom, wonderful and terrible as it may be, during some of the most difficult years of growing up. And she does it with heaping dose of humor, too :D

From amydominy.com: Best friends Tatum and Lori are used to doing everything together—including a clarinet/flute duet for District Honor Band auditions. But all that changes when Michael transfers to their middle school, and into their band. Suddenly, not only is he competition for Tatum’s spot on stage, but he’s stealing Lori, too. Tatum is determined to stop him, and hold on to what she’s got.  She enlists the help of her good friend, Aaron, but now he seems to believe her fib that they’re boyfriend and girlfriend.  And her mom, to cope with a separation from her dad, is performing in community theater, of all things! Amy Fellner Dominy composes an equally heartwarming and hilarious story of how holding tight to what you have can keep you from reaching for your dreams—and how oftentimes the best way to move forward is by going solo.

AUDITION AND SUBTRACTION is like a favorite boyfriend on a cool afternoon; something you want to cozy up with and never let go. Her middle grade voice carried me back to the days of marching bands, first loves, and discovering the world isn't always the wonderful place you thought it should be. The sweet and honest story kept me up way past my bedtime because, like that first boyfriend I talked all hours on the phone with, I wasn't ready to say goodnight. It was a quick read that had me nodding my head in empathy, and laughing more times than I could count. A&S is one of the best reads I've had this year! 

My fav line: (From Tatum's mother) "'Can't' is what we tell ourselves when something is hard."

Amen, sister.

Pick this one up as soon as you can; just click on the pic and it'll take you where you need to go. Or better yet, visit your local indy bookstore. Either way, you'll be happy you did :)

Happy reading and ¡Buen Provecho! 

GUTGAA Pitch Polish. And Polish.

And polish! So goes the life of a pitch. Over at the most awesome Deana Barnhart's Gearing Up To Get An Agent, 111 of us have posted our pitches for just such an adventure. If you have a hankering to lend a hand to my word weary query and first 150 words, you can find them here. And if you have one posted, let me know, and I'll be happy to return the favor. 


Lastly, but most importantly on this day, let me take a moment to say that I shall never forget. 

 

Happy polishing and ¡Buen Provecho!  

HOLA! GUTGAA Meet and Greet

Hola, dear bloggers, and bienvenidos to the Gearing Up To Get An Agent Meet & Greet! I'm excited to meet & greet old and new friends, and want to wish the best of luck to everyone during this exciting and nerve-wracking event. Without further yada yada yada....

Questions for the Meet and Greet

-Where do you write?

Depends on the time of year. Summers are best suited for late night writings while mid-mornings~early afternoons work best during the quite school-year days.

HAHA! I just noticed this said WHERE not WHEN. Chalk it up to cold medicine. WHERE I like to write is either at our communal computer desk or my comfy, leather recliner. No one is allowed in mom's chair but mom :)

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

Kleenix. Lots of kleenix, new and used. I've been sick.

-Favorite time to write?

Any time that's quite, but if I could choose, a cloudy, thundering afternoon would be nice.

-Drink of choice while writing?

1 bag Trader Joe's jasmine green tea + 1 bag Trader Joe's decaf green tea with 1 packet sweet n low. Ahhhhh. 

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

I prefer the silence, but sometime a song with a strong beat keeps my energy up, just like if I were running. If I ran. Which I don't :)

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

I was inspired to write DAY OF THE NOT SO DEAD after reading about the Hero Twins in Mayan mythology (they rescued their father from the Underworld) and watching Machete with Danny Trejo. Weird combo, yes, but the best ideas are born through weirdness :) 

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

On a first draft, write without concentrating on the words so much as the idea. Bad words are better than no words.

Well, that's me :) Looking forward to hopping and meeting as many people as I can. Until the next event, may the agents be ever in you favor!

Happy meeting & greeting and ¡Buen Provecho!