Cocker Spaniel sittting
German Shepard sitting
Gray Pitbull sitting
Young Husky sitting
Husky laying down
Black and white spaniel sitting
Big, fuzzing brown puppy sitting
Golden Retriever sitting
Jack Russel sitting
Hound dog sitting

Stocking Stuffers for Book Lovers: MASSIVE Giveaway!

by Martina Boone
New First Five Pages Workshop

December’s First Five Pages Workshop with guest mentor J. Anderson Coats will open at noon today. To lurk, get the rules, enter your manuscript, or participate in the workshop by critiquing, head over to:

LITERARY STOCKING STUFFERS FOR YOUNG ADULT READERS


Thanks to the awesome folks at Random House, we have a wonderful bunch of book tie-in stocking stuffers. To enter the giveaway, please complete the form below on or before 6:00 PM 12/14.

Please note that ONLY the stocking stuffer is being given away.

If you like the HOUSE OF NIGHT series by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast:

Wisdom of the House of Night Oracle Cards: A 50-Card Deck and Guidebook

For the fans of the best-selling House of Night series, the Wisdom of the House of Night Oracle Cards provides a unique interactive experience with the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Packaged in a keepsake box with a guidebook, the deck contains fifty gorgeously illustrated cards, many of which are based on characters in the books.

To begin, simply ask Nyx a question: What should I do in this situation? What is going on with my relationship? What will result from my next action? Then select a card and consult the guidebook to discover the message that Nyx intends for you. Just like Zoey Redbird and the other fledglings of the House of Night, you will be encouraged to trust your intuition and make powerful decisions about your life!

The Wisdom of the House of Night Oracle Cards is an original divination system, created by P. C. Cast and oracle expert Colette Baron-Reid. It draws inspiration from the Tarot, Norse runes, and the I Ching, but no special expertise is required to use these cards. The illustrations are by digital artist Jena DellaGrottaglia.

View or Buy on Amazon

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If you like KATANA by Cole Gibsen

 THE NINJA WISDOM DECK

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If you like MISS FORTUNE COOKIE 

 by Lauren Bjorkman


DOUBLE HAPPINESS COOKIE 
NOTE CARDS

The best advice you’ll ever get may come from a cookie. Double Happiness note cards feature two cookies on each card, so you can send a double order of take-out wisdom and good fortune.

Slide the printed fortunes into the diecut cookies of these handsome note cards and send uncanny predictions and oddly apropos proverbs to a twice-blessed friend, family member, or loved one.

View or Buy on Amazon

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If you like THE INFECTS 

 by Sean Beaudoin

 THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL 
GUIDE JOURNAL

Watch out as a mob of ravenous, flesh-eating undead comes to life. This lenticular journal cover sets in motion images of slithering, shuffling zombies from the bestselling graphic novel The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks.

Filled with lined pages, this all-purpose journal is perfect for jotting down notes, making to-do lists, plotting your own survival strategy, and is just the creepy thing for zombie fans everywhere.

View or Buy on Amazon

OR THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE DECK
View or Buy on Amazon

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If you like PRADA AND PREJUDICE by Mandy Hubbard

For fashionistas, astrology-devotees, or anyone who is starry-eyed about shoes, this fabulous illustrated gift book reveals what your birthday shoe says about you.

Combining astrology with the chic art of shoe design, Shoestrology offers a trendy interpretation of your personality as defined by your birthday shoe. Astrologers Tali and Ophira Edut have identified 366 gorgeous shoes–from the Chanel ballet flat, to the Alexander McQueen Armadillo–and paired them with the personality type associated with each day of the year. Featuring original watercolors by noted fashion illustrator Samantha Hahn along with descriptions of the birthday shoes (and why they are fitting), this book provides insight and visual delight on very page.

View or Buy on Amazon




MORE GREAT LITERARY STOCKING STUFFERS!



Edgar Allan Poe Flexi Journal


Be inspired by the bewitching world of Edgar Allan Poe, master of mystery and macabre.

This hauntingly handsome journal features imaginative quotes from the iconic author as well as plenty of pages for you to record the spellbinding details of your own life.


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The Art of Modern Conjuring Deck

Make sure you always have a trick up your sleeve with the one, the only, The Art of Modern Conjuring Deck!

Featuring fifty mesmerizing magic tricks that will amaze, perplex, and impress your friends and audiences, this collection of capital illusions reveals the secrets behind classic coin, card, hat, and ring tricks — and more. Each card is illustrated with an enchanting engraving from the Victorian era to keep you inspired, and the portable format allows you to easily bring your magic wherever you go.

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Cat Yoga Mini Journal


Guide your feline down the path to spiritual enlightenment (or merely jot down notes for yourself) with this mini journal, featuring various and hilarious silhouettes of cats in paw-inspiring yoga positions as well as brief descriptions of the health benefits of each pose throughout its pages.

(No cats were harmed in the process of this endeavor)

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The Original Dog Tarot: Divine the Canine Mind

For the 77.5 million dog owners (or “parents”) in the United States, The Original Dog Tarot card set and booklet is an amusing tool that gives human beings essential insight into the canine psyche.
     
Want to know why your dog shreds your slippers but ignores his designer toys? Does your pooch really want a puppy for companionship, or are you delusional? The Original Dog Tarot is an entertaining, tongue-in-jowl deck of tarot cards and accompanying book affectionately written for dog lovers who want to divine their canine’s mind. The 30 cards are a takeoff on the traditional tarot; they’re divided into the Major Barkana and Minor Barkana. Each card offers advice for both canines and the humans in their lives. You don’t have to be familiar with traditional tarot to use this deck. It is a witty and wise stand-alone oracle for anyone who has given up mastering the techniques of The Dog Whisperer.



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Lit Wit Deck: 100 Trivia Cards to Boost Your Book Smarts


Or find more stocking stuffer books, notebooks, and cards at PotterStyle.com.
Happy shopping! 
Martina

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Dec 1, 2012
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags:

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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