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Sarah Leonard
- Dec 10, 2018
- 4 min
"The Wicked Deep" Book Review
Author: Shea Ernshaw Genre: YA Rating: 5/5 The Wicked Deep? More like Wicked GOOD. Don’t hate me too much for the pun…The Wicked Deep is a YA novel by Shea Ernshaw that earned its 5/5 easily. Why don’t we dive right into the plot? Another pun you’ll hate me for. Two centuries ago in the town of Sparrow, three sisters were accused of witchcraft and were killed by being drowned in the lake. But with that “death” came an evil curse. Now, every year on June 1st, they inhabit the
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Sarah Leonard
- Oct 25, 2018
- 3 min
10 Steps to Completing NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month: the time when writers decide it's time to die, aka. November. It sounds impossible, writing 50,000 words in one month. But, if you manage your time well and build a strong support group, it’s completely doable. NaNoWriMo officially starts November 1st and ends November 30th. This will be my second year, and I’ve learned a lot from the first round. So, here are ten things you should keep in mind when joining in on the NaNoWriMo fun. 1. Create your
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Sarah Leonard
- Oct 15, 2018
- 2 min
"Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" Book Review
Author: Becky Albertalli Genre: YA Rating: 5/5 Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Another edition to my LGBT reading list. The novel is a fun, quick, and packed to the binding with quotable, heartfelt moments. And, Albertalli, I appreciate the many Harry Potter references. You know how to reel a girl in. 10/10. The novel is about a gay teenager, Simon, who has been emailing anonymously emailing another gay teenager, Blue. Neither of them use their real name, because neither o
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Sarah Leonard
- Jul 30, 2018
- 7 min
"This Mortal Coil" Book Review
Author: Emily Suvada Genre: Young Adult Rating: 4.8/5 So, I’ve read This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada twice now. Each time, reader overtook editor and I lost myself in the pages of the book. It has everything I thirst for when I pick up a novel: an other-worldly setting, a love interest, twists, and beautiful, bloody violence. That makes me sounds like a sociopath….or like the WRATH has taken me over (You’ll understand that more later). With all the twists and factoring elemen
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Sarah Leonard
- Jul 23, 2018
- 6 min
"The Hate U Give" Book Review
Author: Angie Thomas Genre: Young Adult Rating: 5/5 The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is so good, I thought I’d have trouble finding enough words for this review. I guess I was wrong. I could have written more if it wouldn’t have turned into a fangirling/rambling session. This book definitely has a political standpoint. By the synopsis alone, that’s clear. But no matter what you believe—democrat, republican, liberal, etc.—read this novel. You can’t ignore the fact that it has m
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Sarah Leonard
- Jun 25, 2018
- 6 min
10 LGBT Books For Every Age
With Pride Month upon us and Pride Week in New York City having inspired me (shoutout to the amazing march and the rainbow-clothed dogs that joined the rainbow-clothed humans), I'd like to give you 10 LGBT books and books with LGBT characters to read. Some I've actually read myself, some are recommended by friends, and others I've been wanting to read but haven't yet (shoutout to my amazingly busy schedule). I've included picture, middle-grade, YA (young adult), and adult boo
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Sarah Leonard
- Jun 13, 2018
- 5 min
10 Steps to Conquering BookCon
BookCon: The time of year in New York City when bookworms flock to the birds’ nest in hopes of them taking a bite. And what are those birds, exactly? Authors and publishers. And what do we get? Many of them, and we get many books too. Whether you’re going to BookCon to get signatures or to binge collect all the novels your unwheeled backpack can carry (wheels weren’t allowed this year), here’s what you’ll need to remember when navigating the chaos. 1. Sign up for author signi
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Sarah Leonard
- Nov 12, 2017
- 9 min
Creating 3-Dimensional Characters
Plot is, perhaps, one of the most important parts of a novel. But, what drives that plot? What gives it substance, conflict, and the sweet breath of life that keeps readers addicted? Character. However, a novel can only make those characters addictive if they are believable, if they are 3-dimensional. You should be able to imagine your character sitting next to you or having a drink with you at a bar. When first starting a novel, I recommend creating characters using internal
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Sarah Leonard
- Aug 10, 2017
- 12 min
Beautiful Disaster" Book Review
Author: Jamie McGuire Genre: YA Romance Rating: 4/5 stars Dust cover: The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and c
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