First Kisses and a Book Giveaway from Melissa Kantor

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Yesterday, I reviewed Melissa Kantor’s book, The Darlings in Love. Today, I’m thrilled to feature Melissa’s great essay on first kisses, both experiencing them and writing about them. Plus, Melissa is giving away two copies of The Darlings in Love to readers at Mother Daughter Book Club. com. Just leave a comment here with a memory of your first kiss or thoughts of first kisses in general and you’ll be entered to win. Comment before midnight (Pacific Standard Time) on Wednesday, January 25 to be eligible. Addresses in the U.S. and Canada only please. (Please note: the giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Caryn and Kimberly on winning.)

Why I Love to Write A first Kiss

Melissa Kantor photo

Melissa Kantor

My first kiss was such a debacle that when I blogged about it (http://melissakantorauthor.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-first-kiss-and-most-embarrassing.html), complete strangers wrote in to express their sympathy.

Luckily, though my first kiss was a train wreck, later first kisses (that is, the first kisses I had with the boys who followed that first boy) were not. In fact, when I think back on the Greatest Moments of my life, there are definitely a couple of first kisses that make the Top Ten. Unlike most other memorable experiences—including college graduation (terrifying) a wedding (expensive, stressful) and childbirth (painful/messy)—first kisses have absolutely no down side. After days, weeks, months or even years of back and forth, maybes and maybe nots, suddenly…you know. First kisses are question and answer, taking off and coming home. Time stops during a first kiss even as it races forward. You step back and (if it’s a good first kiss), you find you are grinning in spite of yourself. They are the ultimate Yes!

Sadly, if all your dreams come true and you find yourself happily married to a wonderful man, first kisses are no longer a part of your life. But given that they’re one of life’s greatest pleasures (not to mention free of charge and calories), what’s a girl to do?

It’s a conundrum I’ve resolved by living vicariously through my characters. My books are all about teenage girls, and each of these girls is someone I like and relate to. Sadly, despite my very real affection for these girls, I have to beat them up. Constantly. No sooner do I create them than I give them a crush who doesn’t like them back, parents who are getting divorced or a best friend they’re not speaking to. What we call plot is really sadism—your character wants something and you won’t let her have it.

Which is where first kisses come in. After humiliating, disappointing and generally destroying my characters, I feel I owe them something. And what could be a better reward for all she’s suffered than a perfect, spine-tingling, heart-stopping first kiss. She sees him across a stage, a dance floor, a rec room a…well, you get the idea. Their eyes lock. They cross the space that separates them. And then…sparks fly.

For them and for me, it’s a perfect moment. If you’re a mother, maybe all your first kisses are behind you. If you’re a daughter, maybe all your first kisses are ahead of you. Regardless, isn’t it nice that you can both enjoy reading first kisses as much as we writers enjoy writing them?

To read the first chapter of The Breakup Bible (it’s got a yummy first kiss in it), go to: http://www.melissakantor.com/breakupbible.html .

To tell me about your first kiss (or to read about mine), go to http://www.melissakantor.com and click on my blog.

To read the first chapter of The Darlings in Love (there’s no kiss in the first chapter, but the book’s got two), go to http://www.melissakantor.com/darlingsinlove.html.

 

 

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Book Review: The Darlings in Love by Melissa Kantor

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The Darlngs in Love cover imageIn The Darlings Are Forever, Jane, Victoria and Natalya, who have been friends for years, were separated  for the first time in years when they left the school they attended until 8th grade and each went to different high schools.

The Darlings in Love by Melissa Kantor continues the saga of their freshman year, this time looking at how each girl approaches being in a relationship with a boy. Jane is headstrong and confident, and she pursues Simon even though he gives off mixed signals about what he really wants. Natalya is a bit more reserved, and she’s a little unsure of how to approach the wealthy people she’s surrounded by since she got her scholarship to a prestigious private school. Colin is one of those. While they seem so at ease when they are with each other, she’s not sure she can ever fit into his upscale lifestyle. Victoria is not afraid to let Jack know she loves him, but she wonders if they really have enough in common to hold them together.

Together the girls help each other navigate the often-confusing waters of first-time love. How do you interpret the signals you’re getting from a guy about your relationship? Do you give up after the first sign of trouble, or do you try to fix the problem? What happens is a guy tells you he likes you, but he’s dating someone else? What if you find out he likes someone else more than you?

These and other issues are sure to be on the minds of girls who read The Darlings in Love, and Kantor keeps each personality true to itself as she helps her characters figure out the answers to their own questions. Through it all, Jane, Natalya and Victoria have each other to lean on during the rough times and to celebrate with during the good times. I recommend The Darlings in Love for girls aged 11 and up.

The author provided me with a copy of this book to review.

Book Review: Say You’ll Be Mine by Julia Amante

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Say You'll Be Mine cover imageIsabel has always done what she was expected to do. She helped her parents run their winery in California, and she took care of them both before they died. She let her ex-husband Nick stay on at the winery even after their divorce, because she knew he needed stability in his life. Now she’s on the cusp of selling the winery and free to do whatever she wants for the first time in her life.

Then news reaches Isabel of her cousin’s death in Argentina, and she learns Brenda has named her guardian of her three children. She sets out to handle the situation like any other business transaction she has encountered. Only this time, she’s not familiar with the rules and the children don’t respond the way business associates would. Isabel must decide if accepting her cousin’s wishes is the right thing to do, or if it would be better for everyone involved if she finds a more suitable guardian. Complicating matters is that Nick decides he wants to be part of her future.

Say You’ll Be Mine by Julia Amante takes a look at what happens to a woman in her 40s when life throws her a curve ball. Julia herself grew up in Argentina, and part of her heart still belongs there. She’s always been strong, which means that while she’s good at negotiating, she doesn’t often let down her guard even to herself. Consequently, she’s lost the ability to even know what she truly wants. She loves her cousin’s children, but she’s not sure she knows how to be a mother to them. She must sort out all of her conflicting emotions and make decisions that will affect the rest of her life. The question is, can she do that before she takes steps that will limit her options.

Say You’ll Be Mine is full of complicated, flawed characters who are trying to do the right thing for themselves and the people around them. They don’t always know the right path to take, which means they make decisions that may make them unlikeable for some time. In the end, it’s their ability to concede past mistakes that helps them move into the future.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review.

Book Review: The Traitor’s Wife by Kathleen Kent

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The Traitor's Wife cover imageMartha Allen is 22 and well past the age when her family started to think of marriage for her. But her hard disposition has attracted no man who would marry her, and so she is sent to live with her cousin Patience and help with the household while Patience goes through a difficult pregnancy.

Lie is hard in rural Massachusetts during the late 1600s, and Martha is a big help. She finds herself attracted to Thomas, an indentured man who helps to run the farm. There are whisperings that Thomas has a secret to hide, that he was somehow involved in Cromwell’s execution of England’s king years before. Whatever happened in his past, it now threatens to shatter the peaceful existence that has settled over the household.

The Traitor’s Wife by Kathleen Kent tells the beginning of the story of Martha Allen and Thomas Carrier, the parents of Sarah Carrier in The Heretic’s Daughter. In this prequel, Kent once again brings this time in the early years of the Massachusetts colony alive. There were fears of violent natives on the prowl, the plague, and mischief-makers from England. This new frontier was a hard place to live, and despite the separation of colonists they depended on each other to stay alive.

In The Heretic’s Daughter, Sarah struggles to understand her mother and the hard exterior she shows to the world. Here, Martha is revealed as someone who has a backbone of steel, but it’s a rigidness born of necessity as much as personality. The same goes for Thomas, who is reluctant to involve anyone else in protecting him from his past, but is eager to begin anew in this raw country.

Through Kent’s research and masterful storytelling, she has created another fascinating tale that draws on family stories of her very real ancestors. I recommend The Traitor’s Wife for anyone who loves historical fiction.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review.

Book Review: Everybody Sees the Ants by A. S. King

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Everybody Sees the Ants cover imageLucky Linderman has had to face a lot of challenges in his 14 years. His grandfather has been missing in action since being captured in Laos during the Vietnam War. His father doesn’t really talk to him about anything important, and his mother escapes the home life tension by swimming laps every day. Then there’s Nader McMillan, the bully who has abused Lucky repeatedly since they were seven. When Nader goes too far one day, Lucky’s mom takes him from their home in Pennsylvania to stay with family in Arizona for a few weeks.

Outside of his regular environment, Lucky has a chance to gain a new perspective on everything in his life and decide what he’s going to do going forward.

Everybody Sees the Ants by A. S. King is a powerful and gripping story about an uncomfortable subject. Lucky’s parents know he’s being bullied, but their initial efforts to do something about it prove fruitless. Eventually, they give up. Most of the people in Lucky’s life turn a blind eye to Nader’s abuse because they don’t know what to do about it. With no one to guide him on resisting, Lucky avoids Nader when possible and takes whatever Nader gives out when he can’t.

Over the years Lucky has learned to escape into a world where he is rescuing his grandfather from his captors. In his dreams he is more powerful than in real life, and he finds a way to work through the issues that bother him. The question is, will Lucky be able to figure out how to rescue himself without doing something drastic?

Everybody Sees the Ants doesn’t flinch at the brutal reality of war zones, whether they are on the playground or in the jungle. It refuses to turn that blind eye to the consequences of those brutal actions: children who grow up without fathers, parents who blame each other for their ineffectiveness and grow apart, and a society that doesn’t protect the vulnerable. It’s not an easy book to read, but it is an important one. I highly recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review.

Book Review: The Writer’s Workout by Christina Katz

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The Writer's Workout cover imageAs I’ve been creating my resolutions and goals for 2012 this week, I’ve also been reading Christina Katz’s new book for writers, The Writer’s Workout: 366 Tips, Tasks, & Techniques From Your Writing Career Coach. Over the years I’ve taken many online writing classes from Christina and read her other books for writers. Each one has boosted my writing career in just the way I needed it at the moment, and I expect it to be the same with The Writer’s Workout.

Just as the subtitle says, this book is chock full of short, easy to digest tips, suggestions and other ideas for writers at all levels, whether they are just getting started or have been writing for some time. Each page starts with an inspirational quote that sets the tone for the advice to come. For instance, tip number 166 is titled, “Consider Specializing.” It starts with a quote from Joyce Carol Oates about connecting with your true subject. Katz’s advice on what it means to specialize and how to do it follows.

The Writer’s Workout is organized into four sections according to the seasons starting with spring. In her intro, Katz says you can think of this as the seasons of the year or the seasons of your writing career. She also says it’s up to you whether you read one page a day, or “blaze through the whole book.” I’ve chosen to do both. I’ve been blazing through this week, and with the start of the new year I plan to read one new page every day. I expect I’ll skip around instead of reading one page after another. That way I can find a topic that may be especially relevant to me at the moment. But starting my writing day with a bit of inspiration and a nudge in the direction I want to go can only help me be more focused and productive at what I do.

I’ve also discovered in my “blazing through” that just because the advice comes in small bites doesn’t mean it’s something you can read quickly and move on. This is good stuff that you’ll want to mull over and think about for a while so you can determine what it means to you and your writing career at the moment.

Reading The Writer’s Workout daily is one of my new year’s resolutions. Consider making it one of yours.

Book Review: Home for the Holidays by Heather Vogel Frederick

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Home for the Holidays cover imageHome for the Holidays is the fifth book in Heather Vogel Frederick’s beloved series, The Mother-Daughter Book Club. By now, the girls of the Concord, Massachusetts book club are almost as well known to readers as the characters in the stories they are tackling this year: all 10 titles in the Betsy-Tacy series written by Maud Hart Lovelace. Even though Lovelace’s books take place in the early 1900s, the very modern girls of the book club are surprised to find that they have a lot in common with her characters, despite the fact that the times they live in have changed so dramatically.

As Becca, Megan, Cassidy, Emma and Jess all look forward to Christmas, they each have to deal with very different issues that center around family, friends and their community. Becca’s dad lost his job, threatening to derail her brother’s entry into college and her mother finishing up her studies in landscaping. Cassidy’s family is considering relocating for her stepfather’s job. Megan is struggling with a long-distance relationship. Emma and Jess work to overcome a misunderstanding that has them questioning their longtime friendship.

Frederick weaves a lot of fun into her story as well. It’s nearing Christmas, and there are scenes where different girls enjoy shopping, ice skating, sledding, cruising the Caribbean and more. Descriptions of Thanksgiving dishes and the New Year’s feast they all share will have you cracking open a cookbook to make your own special treats. Along with quotes from the Betsy-Tacy books and facts about Maud Hart Lovelace and her real friend Tibs, there are lots of other references to situations Betsy and Tacy face that are similar to the ones the Concord girls encounter.

Frederick also has the magic touch of knowing just how to have her characters resolve their conflict. As I have read each of her books in this series, I have found myself wishing I had her pen guiding me in real-life sticky situations. Moms and daughters who have come to love the mother-daughter book club books will surely find even more to love here. I recommend it for ages nine to 14.

Meeting Planner Guide for OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy Now Available

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OyMG cover imageOyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy tells the story of Ellie, who hopes her skills at debate will help her win a scholarship to a prestigious private high school. The trouble is, she finds that her religion may count against her in the selection process. When she decides to hide who she is to increase her chances of winning the award she sets off a whole new debate among her family and friends.

OyMG brings up great issues to discuss in mother-daughter book clubs, and my new meeting planner guide for this book helps you plan what to do, what to talk about, and what to cook when you schedule your book club meeting to discuss it.

As with all the meeting planner guides offered at Mother Daughter Book Club. com, the OyMG guide contains a book review, an interview with the author, a list of discussion questions, suggested activities and book-related recipes you can cook for your crowd.

To see the whole list of ten titles and learn more about my ebook offering six guides at a discount, visit the Meeting Planner Guides page at Mother Daughter Book Club. com.

Also, watch for more information about these two new guides that will be available in late December:

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

If you’d like to suggest a title for me to add, just send me an email at info@motherdaughterbookclub.com.

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