All Zara Hardy remembers is being on the planet Toldax. She was an Alliance prisoner being used by the enemy of the Confederation to capture its top agent, Kurt Stryder. Zara is perplexed how she could even be in this sterile hospital room. The Alliance agent, Pavel Norsky, had recently killed her on the planet’s…
When I was a high school student, I looked forward to June when the cold Long Island weather finally warmed up and freedom from school was just a few weeks away. My brothers and I spent our summer vacations at Monaco Surf Club on Lido Beach. We had amazing experiences swimming, diving, playing in the sand…
Miss Wickware is a history teacher at Langdon Middle School in Phoenix, Arizona, but the sweet old lady is not exactly what she appears to be. Students with attitude problems and a lack of historical perspective can suddenly find themselves sent back through time to face a famous historical figure they coincidentally need to report about…
Having a hard time finding a bookstore in your neighborhood? Interested in meeting the wordsmiths that put those books together? Look no further than the LA Times Festival of Books to be held on the campus of the University of Southern California on April 18-19. The Festival of Books begins Saturday morning at 10:00 AM-6:00…
“Divergent”, “The Maze Runner”, and “The Hunger Games” were all recent YA books turned into blockbuster movies. Major Hollywood studios have announced 5 YA books in different stages of development planned for release in 2015: Fallen by Lauren Kate Luce Price begins her senior year of high school at the Sword and Cross boarding school…
Jan Domagala, the author of Col Sec Series, offers writers a few tips on writing and marketing. Welcome to my blog, Jan. Thank you, Michael, it’s nice to be here. I often think what advice would I give to other writers should they ask, so here, in no particular order of preference are my top…
It’s understandable why teens read young adult (YA) novels. The books are geared toward them. Rarely do you find teenagers interested in middle age and old age issues found in mainstream literature. So why is it that middle-aged and older adults read YA books? In a June 5, 2014 Slate.com article, Ruth Graham wrote, “Read…
Ennara lives in Estlan, a land of magic and mystery. She was born a caul, a baby with a mask foreshadowing great magical ability. So her parents had to have her hand tattooed with a fire-breathing dragon to warn others of her great powers. One night, during her eleventh year, Ennara is attacked by a…
Have problems motivating your teen to read? Turn to the numerous book series published by many different publishers, big and small, that focus on middle school and high school students. The Harry Potter series or the more recent Hunger Games books quickly come to mind. Authors like to write series books around the adventures of…