Writer Wednesday - Hans My Hedgehog

Kicking off Writer Wednesdays, we have a special treat today. I have the opportunity to review Kate Coomb's fun retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale, Hans My Hedgehog, and you all have a chance to win a copy of the book!

This week's tip for writers fits in well with the review. Writers need to be readers first, and to read from the best books. Hans My Hedgehog would certainly fall into that category.

I've long admired Kate's writing. She has a beautiful way with words and a quick wit that makes her books fun to read. Her clever MG adventure tales Runaway Princess and Runaway Dragon are some of my favorites for just that reason. (How can you not love a dragon named Laddy?) Kate's also an accomplished poet, with a book of ocean poetry, Water Sings Blue, making its debut next month. We'll see if we can't get her to come back and visit for that release.

Now for a true story... the other morning, as I was trying to rush my 7th grader to get ready for school, he kept telling me, "Just a minute! I'm almost done reading!" When he finally came out of my office, he said, "That was a good book." He had just started James Dashner's The Maze Runner earlier in the week, and I was impressed he had finished already. "No," he said. "I it was that Hans My Hedgehog book."

Keeping a thirteen-year-old boy engaged in a fairytale retelling is an accomplishment. Which is an apt lead-in to this review. In Hans My Hedgehog, Kate has managed to make what could be a rather grim story charming and magical. In Kate's signature lyrical prose, Hans comes alive, a lonely boy/creature who turns to solitude and music when he feels like an outcast. Fun touches such as Hans's loyal pigs and their mischievous revenge on the first king, and the humorous details in the illustrations (including the clever silhouettes) make the book rereadable, again and again. I give Hans My Hedgehog five stars.

The official book blurb:

A classic tale of love and acceptance from the Brothers Grimm is beautifully rendered in this magical retelling.

Hans is an unusual boy. Born a hedgehog from the waist up, he knows what it’s like to truly be an outcast. Even his amazing fiddle playing can’t help him fit in. So Hans flees to the forest with his herd of loyal pigs and only his music to keep him company. But then a most unusual thing happens: When Hans crosses paths with two kings with two lovely daughters, his luck starts to change. Will this lonely soul find true love after all?

This lively and lyrical retelling of the classic Grimm's tale, paired with lush, detailed illustrations, reminds us of the power of music, the importance of belonging, and the transformative effect of love.

Hans My Hedgehog earned starred reviews from both Kirkus Reviews and Publisher's Weekly. The New York Times review praises the "welcome changes", and Booklist calls Kate's adaptation "eloquent and intricate."

You can find more about Kate and her books on her (very clever) website, on her Book Aunt review blog, and by following her on twitter.

To enter to win a copy of Hans My Hedgehog leave a message below, telling one thing you know about hedgehogs (or have learned by quickly googling so that you can enter this contest!) This contest will remain open until Monday, January 30th.

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This week's Links:

Getting enough sleep? (Ginger Calem) This week's Writers Butt post and challenges. Bring it!

How to publish an e-format picture book (jujubeeillustrations) Tutorial c/o Julie Olson. Gold!

25 Things Writers Should Start Doing (Terrible Minds) Do them.

10 Commandments for a Happy Writer (Nathan Bransford) Excellent.

6 Signs of Description Misuse (W.I.P It) Are you doing it wrong?

3 Questions to Ask to see if your scene is dramatic enough (Story Fix) C/O Scheherazade.

Writing a Lot... And then some. (Beyond the Margins) Push yourself one degree higher...

How To Build a Writer's Support Network (Rock Your Writing)

Tell Me First, Then Show Me (Writer Musings) Excellent examples

Tell it to the Mountain (Beyond the Margins) The problem with problem novels.

On Quirky Character Names (Writer Unboxed) Love them or hate them?

Placing Too Much Importance on Passions (Jane Friedman) Do they make you happy?

The New Author Pitch: Show, Don't Sell (The Book Deal) Good points.

Now go. Read a good book. And Write.

For Writers - Writing Fresh with Kate Coombs

I love having clever writing friends. Especially when they are willing to take the time to share their expertise with us. This week's tipper is my dear friend Kate Coombs, the acclaimed author of SECRET KEEPER, THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS, and THE RUNAWAY DRAGON. Kate is a talented and witty author, a poet, and an artist. (You can see some of her artwork on her clever website.) She knows more about children's literature than about anyone I know. (Check out her fabulous blog, Book Aunt.) Finally, Kate's writing is fun to read and uniquely Kate, so she's the perfect author to offer advice on fresh writing. Enjoy!

Kate's Tips for Writing Fresh:

Let's say you're brainstorming, getting ready to start a new book and trying to come up with a great premise. You really should know that on average, the first idea that pops into your head has an 85% probability of being a cliché. (Note: All statistics were specially invented for this post.)

Please, try for idea #2.

Oops. IT has a 50% probability of being a cliché.

After that, the process isn't quite as predictable. But my point is, a brainstorm list with 12 items on it is much richer than one with 3, no matter how much you think you like #2. 'Cause baby, wait till you see #8!

Then there's the Tweak Phase. Let's say you've made a list of 10 ideas and NONE of them cause your computer screen to light up and ring like a Vegas slot machine because they are Astonishingly Good. So what do you do?

You take each idea and brainstorm about it! The key phrase for brainstorming book ideas as well as for tweaking them is, of course, "What if?" Here's an example, starting with a so-so idea before moving into tweak mode.

1. A girl goes to prom with this boy she really likes after feeling like a loser, and now she feels confident and beautiful. [NO, TOO TYPICAL.]

2. A girl goes to prom with a guy she hardly knows because he owes her brother a big favor. He's surprised to discover he likes her. [STILL PRETTY BLAH.]

3. The guy thinks he's doing the girl such a favor, but she isn't that thrilled, and HE winds up falling for her. [I'M BORED. TIME FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT.]

4. What if a girl at the prom with a guy she hardly knows is secretly pregnant and has her baby in the bathroom? [MORE MATERIAL THERE! WHAT ELSE?]

5. What if the girl convinces another girl—a quiet loner/loser—to say it's hers? [MUCH BETTER.]

6. What if the second girl decides she really likes having a baby and wants to keep it? [OKAY, BUT...]

7. What if the first girl changes her mind, so the second girl goes on the run with the baby? [NICE! HOW DOES SHE PULL THIS OFF?]

8. Why does the first girl want the baby back, anyway? Is it maternal instinct, or because her rich grandmother wants to leave all her money to her first grandchild? [SOAP OPERA-ISH, BUT FUN!]

9. Does the boy find out and want his paternal rights? Who is he? What's he like? [NOW WE'RE COOKING!]

10. What if the father of the child falls for the second girl? [HMM. THAT'S WAAAY TOO CONVENIENT. HOLLYWOOD WOULD LOVE IT.]

11. What if the father of the child falls for the second girl, but she doesn't like him back? [NICE TWIST.]

12. What if the grandmother sues for custody? [MORE SOAP OPERA, BUT I'M REALLY ENJOYING ALL THIS!]

You may have noticed that my premise tweaking turned into plot development, but that's good, too. Oh, the incredible power of "What if"! You can use it to move a story along, especially when you're stuck, and even to revise after you've finished the first draft or so. I sometimes assign writing students to pick plot points or scenes from their WIPs that are bugging them vaguely and brainstorm the wildest twists they can think of for those sections. They often come up with really good stuff and end up incorporating it in the next draft.

Another consideration when trying to "write fresh" is: How do you know if your ideas are stale and predictable? I bring this up because I've had people say the equivalent of, "I have the most amazing idea for a book! There's a girl, and she's in love with a vampire, but her other friend is a werewolf, and it's this whole love triangle!" They tend to get upset when I say, "Um. Sounds like Twilight."

No, really, assuming you aren't THAT bad, how do you know?

One suggestion is to read extensively in the field. You can also do some googling and other Internet research—for example, look up certain books on Amazon and check out the section that says, "People who bought this book also bought...." Or try asking librarians and knowledgeable bookstore clerks for good books about your general topic, then read the flap copy of selected books and decide which ones you feel you should read in their entirety.

Of course, there will always be some basic overlap regardless of what you choose to write about. But do your homework. And if you really, really must write about vampires, tweak your premise very deliberately to make sure it's not a Twilight clone. Instead, YOURS will be a wild new take on that currently overdone subgenre.

What else can you do to ensure freshness? Put the brainstorm list away and let it incubate. In a week or two, come back and make a brand-new list. Then and only then, you can take another look at your previous list. Compare the two lists. Combine items. And maybe even repeat the whole process all over again.

Assuming you've made your list—or two or three lists—and are now sitting there staring at them, which idea should you pick to work on?

If none of the ideas on your list are working, try rewriting every single idea with a twist. Or rewrite the better ones with multiple twists. But if you already have some stuff you really like, put a star by your three favorite ideas, the ones that appeal to you on a gut level. (If you've made additional lists, mark four or five.) The next step, which is very important, is to do a one- or two-page freewrite about each of your top ideas.

THEN you can see which one is really taking flight. That is, do this for three or four of your top ideas because the one that shines will not always be the one you might have predicted.

At this point, make yet another "what if" list, this time oriented toward further plot development, as I did in the second half of my example above. As you can see, I tend to write these notes as a series of questions and answers about the plot. While you're doing that, see if the idea continues to soar, filling you with hope and energy. Does it intrigue you? Are you eager to read this book you haven't even written yet?

If not, you can always start over, pursuing the elusive fresh factor with yet another "What if?" Because if you're going to spend a year of your life writing one particular story, you really want something that makes you smile every morning when you wake up. Happily, that will almost always be the same story that makes readers smile, too.

This week's link roundup:

Ode to the Shiny New Idea (Frenzy of Noise)

Easy Outlining for Whiners (Misadventures in Candyland)

What to Know Before You Start (Annastan)

What's it About? (Loglines) (Katie Ganshert)

Finding Clarity (W.I.P. It)

Zen and the Art of 1st Draft Writing (Claire King)

Seven Tips to Writing Success (TheArtist'sRoad)

Six Things to Consider Before Adding Flashbacks (Character Therapist)

Three Places to Tell, Not Show (Wordplay)

Gender Writing (The Other Side of the Story)

Character Habits (Mystery Writing is Murder)

Confused Characters (Unedited)

Character Development Tool (Paperback Writer)

Staying Sexy in Fiction (YA Fantasy Guide)

Victims Aren't Sexy (Don't Pet Me, I'm Writing)

Dialog Basics (Part One) (Part Two)

Creating Settings (Kill Zone)

Micro Tension (Sisters in Scribe)

Conflict, Tension, Stakes (Dawn's Rise)

Avoiding Melodrama (Fiction Groupie)

Time Transition (The Sharp Angle)

Stuck in the Middle? How to get unstuck. (Time to Write)

Nailing the Climax (Publetariat)

Getting to The End (Plot Whisperer)

Finding Your Way Through Revision (JoKnowles)

Phrase Frequency Counter (GalleyCat)

Presubmission Checklist (Adventures in Children's Publishing)

Query Troubleshooting (Babbles from Scott)

Agent Perspective - Love vs Sell (KidLit)

The Pressure to Jump Too Soon (Jody Hedlund)

Tips to Keep Writing (KatrinaKittle)

Ten Tips to Ensure a Productive Writing Day (BloodRedPencil)

For Mac Users: Writing & Publishing Tools (The Creative Penn)

Now go! Write!

Winner and Party with Kate Coombs

First, here is the winner of SELFISH ELF WISH by Heather Swain, and the CINDERELLA SOCIETY bookmark and glass slipper, c/o Kay Cassidy:

VickyVac

Please send your mailing instructions to gerb (@) lindagerber (.) com and we'll get those sent out to you!

Meanwhile...

It's time to party with Kate Coombs!

Kate has been a friend and crit partner for years. I'm constantly in awe of her wit, imagination, and clever writing. Her books include THE SECRET KEEPER, RUNAWAY PRINCESS, and her latest, THE RUNAWAY DRAGON. She also keeps a fantastic blog called Book Aunt. Her poetry makes me smile. Kate lives and writes and is generally fabulous in L.A.


Here's the blurb on The Runaway Dragon:

When Meg's dragon, Laddy, flies away from home, she knows she must go on a quest to find him. But she hasn't counted on her parents, the king and queen of Greeve, sending ten guardsmen along. Fortunately, she is also accompanied by her best friends: Dilly, a lady-in-waiting and a cool head in any crisis not involving heights; Cam, a gardener's assistant who knows the exact value of a brick shed filled with sausages; Nort, a skinny guardsman who has never given much thought to crows; and Lex, a young wizard with bad taste in horses, magic carpets, and sorceresses. Of course, Meg's quest goes topsy-turvy once she enters the enchanted forest—and her adventure is just beginning. What's more, meeting up with the dashing bandit Bain again isn't at all what she expected. Will this princess be able to rescue herself, let alone anybody else?

In The Runaway Princess, Meg and her friends defeated a pack of princes. Now they're going to need swordplay, magic, and a whole lot of courage to find Laddy and get back home!

Her numbers:

Your compound number values are twelve, twenty-six, and eleven.

Eleven is a master number. It is associated with wisdom, intellect and spirituality. Elevens are altruistic, sensitive, artistic, visionary, idealistic, have a sense of community. Eleven can also be a warning of hidden dangers, treachery from others, or a person who has a great deal to contend with.

Twelve is a higher octave of the number three*. It is considered to be the ancient number of completion and is an indicator of great understanding and creative capacity. Twelve can also foreshadow one being sacrificed for the plans or intrigues of others.

(*The number three indicates someone who is artistic, social, friendly, creative, sensitive, ambitious and intuitive.)

Twenty-six indicates wisdom, but it is also a warning number. A person who is influenced by this number should carefully plan her path to ensure continued success.

Your name number vibration is two.

The number two indicates someone who is empathetic, cooperative, considerate, but in some cases, can be co-dependent. Twos make good partners or diplomats.

And her reaction:

Wow! Well, my family and friends would probably tell you that this is a pretty good description of me--most of those adjectives apply. (Except, who's really wise?) As a writer, I wish the numbers would add "funny," at least for my Runaway books! Plot-wise, in The Runaway Princess, Nort the apprentice guardsman is "sacrificed for the plans and intrigues of others" when Meg and her friends leave him guarding her tower while they gallivant about the countryside, which puts him in the 12 realm. Then in The Runaway Dragon, an evil teen sorceress named Malison TRIES to sacrifice Meg to advance her own plans and intrigues, but it backfires. I think they're both friendly books, too, no doubt influenced by the number 3. My picture book, The Secret-Keeper, would be the wise, almost spiritual tale, definitely dominated by 11. Its main character, Kalli, is in essence the village wisewoman, though that's not an easy task. Eventually community must come to the rescue, manifesting another aspect of 11. In general, I believe I write books that lift people's spirits, which kind of fits all these cool numbers.

Today's daily giveaway is WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Mid-Grade Monday with Kate Coombs

I'm excited to kick off Mid-Grade Mondays by sharing with you one of my favorite MG authors of all time, Kate Coombs. In the spirit of full disclosure, Kate is a friend and a crit group sistah, so I may be a little prejudiced, but seriously? Her writing speaks for itself. Her books are clever and witty and just plain fun to read.

Some of you may have already discovered Kate's blog, The Book Aunt. If you haven't, you should, if you are interested in intelligent book reviews and discussion. Kate knows more about Children's Literature than about anyone I can think of. You also should check out Kate's fabulous website. Go on. I'll wait. That website epitomizes Kate to me. Intelligent, creative and lots of fun. I love Vantor's Swoon Club. And - did you notice Kate did the artwork? She is multi-talented!

For today, we're going to talk about Kate's latest release, THE RUNAWAY DRAGON, the sequel to the award-winning THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS. Like the first book, THE RUNAWAY DRAGON is a delight to read with lovable characters and laugh-out-loud moments. But don't take my word for it - check out what others have to say about THE RUNAWAY DRAGON:

Coombs again takes a familiar setup—feisty princess, fractured-fairy-tale kingdom—and makes it fresh with droll humor, brisk plotting, and multidimensional characters. Even as the world they inhabit grows increasingly zany, the characters themselves are never satirized, which allows the narrative to function at two levels: the ironic send-up and the earnest hero tale. Combined, they make for a warm, witty story that will leave readers clamoring for the next installment. - Horn Book Magazine

In this funny, lighthearted follow-up to The Runaway Princess (2006), it's the dragon's turn to spread his wings and fly the coop... Enchanted forests, rampant transmogrification, evil sorceresses and giants are all fine fodder for Coombs's inventive twists on traditional fairy tales, as illuminated in the author's note. - Kirkus

Further, Booklist says THE RUNAWAY DRAGON "will resonate with princess fanatics" and School Library Journal observes that it "catches readers' attention from the start and doesn't let go."

And now for Kate's own words:

What inspired you to write The Runaway Dragon?
In the first book, The Runaway Princess, an adventurous princess named Meg avoids an arranged marriage while rescuing a witch, a dragon, and some bandits from the very same pack of princes who are trying to destroy them in order to win her hand. Meg is envious of the princes because she'd love to have her own adventure, specifically a quest. This idea is what prompted the second book: Meg's rescued dragon, who's grown up a bit, flies away from home in a huff, so she sets out on a quest to find him. Further adventures ensue as Meg and her friends encounter an enchanted forest, a giant, and a "mean girls"-type teen sorceress.

Are any of your characters based on real people that you know?
No, but I suspect there's a tinge of Homer and Marge Simpson in the king and queen in my Runaway books. The queen is more sensible than the king, who tends to make pronouncements without thinking. (I have had friends tell me they see some of Meg in me!)

What excites you?
Beautiful-cool-weird things. For example, I recently posted on my book review blog about some guys who wove a tapestry entirely out of spider silk. (It came out golden, not gray, as you might imagine!) I bought a couple of steampunk pins this summer that made me smile because they were lovely in an off-the-wall way. Along those same lines, I love fresh ideas in books--such as Shaun Tan's The Arrival, which is a new and wonderful act of creativity. Such works enrich the universe, as do small moments of greatness, like the look of a certain leaf or the sky at one particular moment, also a perfect line in a poem.

If you could invite anyone you wanted - living or dead - to hang out with you at a weekend retreat, who would you invite and why?
I would have to pick author Terry Pratchett, who's one of the funniest people on the planet. And perhaps Neil Gaiman, though his cool factor is a bit terrifying these days. Holly Black--I heard her at the SCBWI Conference and really liked her. Dipping into the dead pool, I'll bet William Shakespeare and Jane Austen would be a kick. And of course, I'd love to invite some of my favorite literary characters, maybe Megan Whalen Turner's Gen and J.K. Rowling's crew of Harry and friends. It occurs to me that some people might be more fun to read about than hang out with, though. For instance, I'm crazy about Pratchett's Granny Weatherwax as a character, but in real life she'd put everyone in their place within seconds!

What do you do in your day job?
I drive around L.A. teaching students who are seriously ill in their homes for the school district. It's a unique and rewarding thing to do--I meet some really fantastic kids.

Do you have any special writing rituals or totems to connect with your muse?
Well, I inadvertently developed the habit of buying knickknacks for my desk that represent book projects. For example, there's a small paper mache hedgehog for an upcoming picture book called Hans-My-Hedgehog, a jeweled frog for the frog princes in The Runaway Princess, an excellent bronze dragon for The Runaway Dragon, and an alligator for my current manuscript, Curses.

What are you working on now?
My new book is a teen paranormal, but I promise it's not about vampires. There is a witch, hence the curses. My main character has a power of her own. At first she simply uses it to undo what the witch is doing, but eventually she and the witch have to face off. It's a very fun book to write!

If you could choose one magical power for your very own, what would it be?
I'm an avid reader of children's fantasy, so I've come across a lot of intriguing magical powers. But to use the sci-fi term, being able to teleport sounds wildly useful, especially since I deal with L.A. traffic on a daily basis. I could easily visit my mom in Utah and my friends in Chicago. And I could show up in places like London or Singapore without a nasty long flight! I do know I wouldn't want to read people's minds--as my sister would say, TMI (too much information).

Milk Chocolate or Dark?
Milk, preferably with entertaining additions such as toffee, strawberry filling, or nuts.

If you would like to be entered to win a signed copy of THE RUNAWAY DRAGON, leave a comment below, telling us what magical power you would choose for yourself if you had the choice.

This drawing will remain open until Friday, October 9th.

Reminder: Only two days left for the Marissa Doyle BETRAYING SEASON drawing!

Mid-week Catch Up

Happy hump day! Maybe it's the holiday, followed by the inauguration festivities, but it doesn't feel like a Wednesday to me!

This will be a mini-blog because I am smack in the middle of the deadline decent into hell for the next couple of weeks. I just needed to catch up on a few things since the Germany trip last week.

First of all, I apologize for Aphra's tweets disappearing after just a couple of weeks. Seems she was flagged or something and the twitter account wasn't active. It's all ironed out now and the story will move along. You should be able to see updates in the sidebar right here on the blog if you don't have a twitter account. I may also consider a different venue in case we run into any further problems with twitter.

Also, Diana Dang from Stop, Drop and Read awarded me the Butterfly Award this past weekend, which rules are as follows:
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Award up to ten other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.

In the interest of time, I'm going to limit my nominations to two... both brand new blogs that I already enjoy.

The first is a book review blog by author Kate Coombs. I've known Kate for a long time and not only do I love her books, but I admire the depth of her knowledge about children's and YA literature. Her reviews are intelligent and insightful and sometimes funny and I'm very excited that she's entered the realm of book blogging.

The second is a character blog. Darby Christopher, the lead character in Canadian Author KC Dyer's upcoming book, A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW has just begun to post about life in smallsville Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, but knowing her, this will be a fun blog to watch.

Oh! And I just saw that Holly from Holly's Book Notes is running a contest to give away DEATH BY BIKINI and DEATH BY LATTE. Head on over to her blog for your chance to win.

And now back to work for me! Have a great one!

LATTE 3 - KATE COOMBS

I'm so happy to have with us today one of my good friends, Kate Coombs, author of RUNAWAY PRINCESS and THE SECRET KEEPER. Kate's also one of my critique partners without whom I would be a mess!

I used to work with someone who opened her mouth, and lies flowed out—streams and rivers and lakes of lies, all shining in the sun as if they were true.

I’ve never been like that. As a kid, I’d tell the truth even when it meant tattling on myself. (My brother let me know just how idiotic he thought that was!) I also told the truth when people asked me how they looked. Funny how most of them didn’t ask twice. I didn’t cheat on tests, either. I had a do or die mentality when it came to tests.

So, smarmy though it sounds, thinking of a time I told a lie actually took some doing. But the one I came up with, while simple, has stuck in my mind. I was thirteen and in the seventh grade. This was a bad thing. I had braces, a handful of zits, a blah figure, and a trendy haircut that utterly failed in its trendy duties when associated with my particular head. I was in the marching band, with an unrequited crush on a boy named Steven. I was arguably a nerd, complete with a bully in my P.E. class who decided to put me on her hit list. So yeah, not my favorite year.

Then one day I was sitting in science when I felt something new and unexpected flowing between my legs. Why couldn’t my very first period have started when I was safely at home? At least I wasn’t wearing white pants. Still, I’m sure I was a little agitated as I raised my hand and asked the teacher’s permission to go to the bathroom.

I didn’t have any supplies with me, not even money for the dispenser in the girls’ bathroom. Instead I used wads of paper towels to get through the day. Somehow, it worked. But I may have been blushing when I got back to class. The complete opposite of a poker face is what you’d expect from a person with my honesty habit, kind of like the perfect bracelet to match a pair of earrings.

I sat down, trying to concentrate on science. When class ended, a girl I knew slightly from grade school approached me. “What happened?” Laura asked.

“Nothing.” Standard teenage answer, right? Translated, it means Back off!

She didn’t back off, though. “You’re acting kind of funny,” Laura persisted. “Did you start your period?”

What, did she have some girl-based version of ESP? Was my face even more easily read than previously suspected? At any rate, I wasn’t stupid enough to think that Laura was being kind—I didn’t know her that well. This was pure curiosity. And it wasn’t hard for me to guess how a rumor about my budding womanhood might make my already-dismal life even worse. I tried looking realistically baffled as I said, “No.”

Laura finally gave up.

That was a red-letter day, or at least a red one—between the blushing and, well, the obvious. I had managed to cross two lines at the same time, both of them over the border into adulthood, a land where nothing would seem simple anymore.

So hey—truth still works for me. Truth matters to me. I’m into truth. But I’ve never once regretted the sheer shamefully adolescent necessity of telling that one-word lie to Miss Nosy back in the seventh grade.

Have you ever felt cornered and had to lie? Leave a comment and be entered to win a copy of RUNAWAY PRINCESS.

It's BIKINI Day!!! #6 KATE COOMBS

There are many mysteries associated with bikinis, the most common of which is how a person might possibly look good in one. Linda Gerber's tropical beach-based adventure, DEATH BY BIKINI addresses much more intriguing questions relating, not only to bikinis, but to secret resorts, inexplicable boys, and death threats. Still, maybe this little poem will whet your appetite... not for food, that is, but for cool new books with the word "bikini" in the title! (The words "by" and "death" might also appear, but not necessarily in that order.)

Ode to a Bikini

Oh Bikini, with your scraps

of bright color like popsicles dripping,

your small triangles and thin straps—

Bikini, why can’t you cover

just a little bit more of me

without losing your adorable cut?

As it is, you don’t even begin

to span my unbeachworthy butt.

Why weren’t you around, Bikini,

when I was getting round,

feasting on way too much pizza

and ice cream and chocolate and linguini?

To be entered in the drawing to win an autographed copy of RUNAWAY PRINCESS, reply to this post!