England postcards 2015 -- Cornwall

We are back in Oxford for another summer law program at Brasenose College, and I intend to carry on last year's tradition of "postcards." This edition focuses on Cornwall, where Steve and I recently spent time with friends. Above you see a photo of the beach somewhere between Rock and Polzeath, which was taken early in our walk along the SW Coastal path toward Port Isaac. (We didn't quite make it to Port Isaac that day, but we did cover 14 miles!)


Here we are -- Dom, me, Bede, and Steve (Ben is taking the photo) -- in Boscastle, a pretty little town on an estuary.


A high point of the trip was our visit to Tintagel. How glorious was the sun!

[The above photos were enhanced with the "HDR" filter from Snapseed.]

See more photos and details in my Cornwall Flickr album. And stay tuned for more!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Friday Favorites: Prince Edward Island

At long last here are a few photos from our trip to Canada. I've wanted to visit PEI since I was a child, and many (many!) years later the dream finally came true. We enjoyed one day in Halifax before driving up to the island. Everywhere we went the locals were unfailingly friendly and helpful. Best of all, we were a little ahead of the tourist season, so we didn't have to fight crowds at all.

Here's a smattering of things we enjoyed:


Beach walks! This is Cavendish beach -- L.M. Montgomery herself must have walked here, right? I took this photo on a cool, windy day, but even later on a hot day, the water was ice-cold. (I could only manage up to my ankles -- how do people throw their whole bodies into that?) We enjoyed watching the Cormorants (I think) swoop down from the red cliffs. When they fly overhead they seem quite intimidating, almost like small dragons.


Wooded walks! Oh how I loved the trees on PEI -- particularly the pine and birch trees. In this photo Steve and I are posing for a selfie along "Lover's Lane" near Green Gables. Here's the quote from the book:

Lover's Lane opened out below the orchard at Green Gables and stretched far up into the woods to the end of the Cuthbert farm. It was the way by which the cows were taken to the back pasture and the wood hauled home in winter. Anne had named it Lover's Lane before she had been a month at Green Gables.

"Not that lovers ever really walk there," she explained to Marilla, "but Diana and I are reading a perfectly magnificent book and there's a Lover's Lane in it. So we want to have one, too. And it's a very pretty name, don't you think? So romantic! We can't imagine the lovers into it, you know. I like that lane because you can think out loud there without people calling you crazy."

By the way, I bought that hat in Halifax, and it is NOT an Anne hat! She wore a boater. Just saying. ;)


Green Gables! We were so lucky to get here before the swarm of tourists descended. Here's a little info from the brochure:

Green Gables has become famous around the world as the inspiration for the setting in Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. In real life, this farm was the home of David Jr. and his sister Margaret, cousin's of Montgomery's grandfather. Although Montgomery never lived at Green Gables, she came to know her cousin's farm through her explorations of the surrounding woodlands.

My favorite part of the L.M. Montgomery experience was visiting the Cavendish (or Macneill) Homestead and crossing through the "Haunted Wood" to Green Gables. I particularly enjoyed the short lecture from Jennie Macneill, whose father-in-law was LMM's first cousin. Here's a little blurb from the website:

Uncle John's grandson, John, still lives on the family property with his wife Jennie Moore Macneill, a retired teacher. John's father, Ernest, was LMM's 1st cousin, "A letter from Myrtle came today, saying Ern Macneill's wife had a son. So perhaps the old place may remain in the Macneill name yet. I hope so anyway" (Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Vol 4. p. 63).


Lighthouses! This is Pt. Prim lighthouse, the oldest on PEI and the only one we were able to climb to the top. We saw many pretty lighthouses along the way, but this was my favorite.


Delicious seafood! I'm pretty sure Steve ate lobster for every evening meal while we were on PEI. I've never been a fan of this particular crustacean, but I have to admit that the bits he shared with me were fresh and tasty (almost like sweet corn?). We also enjoyed fresh salmon, mussels, crab, and haddock.

I have many more pictures from the trip. If you'd like to see them, please check out my Flickr album. I winnowed the collection down to 33 photos so as not to bore you with endless shots of birch trees!

Happy Friday everyone!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Favorite Reads of May

Oh, the covers for this month are delightful! I chose my favorite L.M. Montgomery cover art as a gift for you, dear reader.

The Penderwicks in Spring, the fourth in a series from Jeannie Birdsall (with whom I share an editor!) features an enormous cast of characters, but sensitive young Batty is the central focus. As usual with these books, I enjoyed a very cathartic cry toward the end. There are many parallels to Little Women, and one fraught relationship in Penderwicks prompted me to rethink my attitude toward Jo and Laurie. (I suppose it really isn't romantic to watch a young man try to make someone love him.)

Anne of Green Gables (love this cover from the Nook edition) -- this re-read launched my pre-PEI celebration of Lucy Maud Montgomery. It goes without saying that I adore Anne, and during this reading I got so tickled with some of her melodramatic sayings ("The iron has entered into my soul" or "You harrow up my very soul" -- I really need to use these in conversation). After finishing the book I watched the TV adaptation, which was wonderful as ever, but I had to stop before the sad Matthew part because I didn't think my heart could take it.

Emily of New Moon (the Virago edition) -- What a delight! Perhaps even more delightful than Anne of Green Gables? The only shadow on my pleasure during this reading was the introduction of Dean Priest. He gets creepier every time I read this book. ("The happiest countries, like the happiest women, have no history." Ugh. Is that why you start wooing them when they're 11, Creepy Dean?)

Pat of Silver Bush (the link takes you to the Sourcebooks edition, but the cover featured above is from a French edition) -- I'm pretty sure the Pat books were my mom's favorites growing up, and I always think of her when I read them. They are probably the least dramatic of LMM's stories, but they are so warm and cozy to read.

In case you missed it, follow the link for my thoughts on Jane of Lantern Hill (in short, WONDERFUL).

Stay tuned for my Prince Edward Island recap -- coming soon!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Read or Write Anywhere!

Hey guys! I’ve teamed up with the YA Chicks and many participating authors on a global campaign to encourage readers, writers, students, and teachers to share pictures of the places -- both ordinary and extraordinary -- where they are reading and writing. This is open to all readers/writers of both middle grade and young adult books!

You can also take part in A MONSTER GIVEAWAY!

I’m giving away a signed hardcover copy of:

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.

[Learn more about The Dark Between HERE]




Every author participating in this campaign is giving away books, critiques, swag and/or Skype visits. I addition to my book giveaway, I will be offering a free Skype visit as part of the Classroom giveaway pack!

So are you ready?



Can you guess where I am? Here are some clues:

-- It was built for a World's Fair

-- For 41 years it was the tallest man-made structure in the world

-- It sparkles at night

-- You could have (a hideously expensive) dinner here

-- It was featured in the James Bond film A View to a Kill (and in the Duran Duran video for the theme song)

Easy, right? Don't write the answer in the comments. Instead, head over to the YA Chicks site and:

--Officially enter the giveaway by inputting each author’s name and your guesses about our locations. Every author location you guess correctly increases your chances to win.

--For even more chances, post a picture of yourself reading or writing on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ReadOrWriteAnywhere (must have the hashtag).

For writer prize packs:
--Post pictures of yourself writing in a fun location on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #ReadOrWriteAnywhere. Then follow the directions on the Rafflecopter giveaway to let us know you did it.
--For even more chances, gather your writer friends together and post a group shot with the hashtag #ReadOrWriteAnywhere (must have the hashtag). And hey, since you're already together, why not host a write-a-thon?

For teacher prize packs:
--Post pictures of your class reading or writing on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #ReadOrWriteAnywhere (must have the hashtag).
--Then let us know you did it when you enter the Rafflecopter. If you don't have a Twitter or Instagram, you can email your picture directly with the picture pasted directly into the email (no attachments--we won't open them) AND the subject, “Read or Write Anywhere.”

You can also check out the YA Chicks Read or Write Anywhere lesson plan, available on their site.

Now, what are you waiting for? Get out there and READ OR WRITE ANYWHERE!

#ReadOrWriteAnywhere

The GHOSTLIGHT jacket and a GIVEAWAY

GHOSTLIGHT releases in exactly three months, so this seems a fine time to share the final jacket design!

(click the image for a larger view)

If you are on Goodreads, you can enter for a chance to win an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Ghostlight. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Ghostlight

by Sonia Gensler

Giveaway ends May 14, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

Or feel free to pre-order the finished copy at these retailers. (Pre-orders are MAGICAL.)

I can't wait to share this book with you! Please stay tuned for more updates, book trailer reveals, and additional GIVEAWAYS.

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]