Writer and Editor C.B. Calsing/ G.G. Royale

First, my review Look later in the post for the full synopsis of the story. As a teacher of middle-school students, I’m always looking for books I can enthusiastically recommend to my students. Particularly, I keep an eye out for books with positive female role models, characters who are quirky and confident and gifted. Kathleen Baldwin’s Refuge for Masterminds gives me not just one girl for my students to look up to, but several. In addition, Emma Stranje, the headmistress of the school for unusual girls, is a teacher who is brilliant and mysterious. Who doesn’t love that? This is the third book in the series, and I read it without reading the first two. I was not lost at all and felt as comfortable in Ms. Baldwin’s world as if I had all the background the other two books provided. And her world is a vibrant place of gowns and balls and pet wolves. She must have done a good bit of research, since I did not get pulled out of the reading by any anachronisms. I loved the ...

Make sure to read through to the end of the post for purchase information and contest entry! And now, here's an excerpt from this alternate history fantasy starring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and other historic characters! From Award Winning Author Elizabeth Crowens When timelines clash beyond the logic of science, and the key to the future lies in clues from the past... SILENT MERIDIAN Elizabeth Crowens Series: The Time Traveler Professor Book 1 Genre: Speculative Fiction, Gaslight Fantasy, Alternative History Publisher: MX Publishing Publication Date: May 15, 2016 Add to Goodreads A 19th century "X" Files meets H.G. Wells's "Time Machine" featuring Arthur Conan Doyle and partner Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is obsessed with a legendary red book. Its peculiar stories have come to life, and rumors claim that it has rewritten its own endings. Convinced that possessing this book will help him write his ever-popular Sherlock ...

 🎉🎉🎉 NEW BOOK RELEASE! 🎉🎉🎉 Rumors of a haunted house beckon teenage psychic Caryn and ghost whisperer Gary TEENAGE PSYCHIC ON CAMPUS Pamela Woods-Jackson Series: Teenage Psychic Book 2 Genre: New Adult, Young Adult, Paranormal Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Publication Date: April 28, 2017 Add to Goodreads Caryn Alderson may be a psychic medium, but she can't predict her own life. She’s totally blindsided when she discovers her boyfriend has cheated on her. Her best friend Annabeth attempts to jump-start Caryn’s stalled love life by introducing her to Gary Riddell, a fellow college freshman who can talk to ghosts. To paranormal groupie Annabeth, their abilities make them the perfect match. Unfortunately, Gary’s acting career and Caryn’s love of journalism clash when Caryn writes a hatchet piece about Gary's acting abilities, and then publishes it in the campus newspaper. Dating is definitely out! Then the two of them are asked to help the campus...

I love the message and meaning behind fairy tales, and of course kids love them because they are short and generally feature protagonists with whom they can identify. Unfortunately, the genre teaches very little about good writing, and as a result we teachers are often subjugated to students' stories which starts "Once upon a time..." regardless of genre. Mike Klaassen's adaptations of fairy tales take the meat of the original source material and actually turn it into something fuller and more satisfying. The kernel is still there, but the point of view is expanded and becomes deeper, the details are more lush, and the tale, as a result, reads more like a well-structured short story. Hansel and Gretel  is told from a third person limited point of view, in Hansel's head. We experience in greater depth his fear and determination. I agree with the author that comparing this novella to the original Grimm text could help writing students get a better grasp on deepe...