Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands) - Sarah Fine

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2012 | Age Level: 14 and up | Grade Level: 9th and up

"My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple."
A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance – hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone – she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.
As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t – the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As a modern-day 'Orpheus and Eurydice,' Sanctum will be a hit with urban fantasy readers, who will love its top-notch world-building, page-turning action, and slow-developing romance." ~School Library Journal

"Many original, interesting ideas create this complex world and creatures lurking through the afterlife. [Readers] will be excited to find this is first of a trilogy." ~VOYA

"This is one of my favorite books of this year! Smart and sexy." ~Reading Teen blog

"This is an unexpected read full of hope, despair and something that's a bit dark and a little beautiful all at the same time. Sarah Fine's well crafted story and incredible world building really set the tone for this book." ~Mundie Moms blog

"I would have to say that the Guards of the Shadowlands series, if it capitalizes on its first novel's promise, will be quite gripping indeed." ~Teenreads.com

Review

"Dark, gripping, and impossible to put down. SANCTUM is smart, original, and pulls no punches -- just like Lela, one of the strongest heroines I've ever met." ~Erica O'Rourke, author of TORN“Theology be damned, though: Lela and Malachi are both likable protagonists, and readers will be happy… this trilogy opener has a lot going for it. " - Kirkus

I love the feeling of going into a novel, not knowing what to expect, and realizing right away that I'm going to like it. And that as I get further in the story keeps getting better and better, and that once I'm done I just want more people to know about the book and to read it too! Sanctum was that type of read for me. The characters were multilayered and extremely likeable, the world was fascinating, and the story made it hard to stop reading. I can easily say that it is one of my top five favorite books this year! I'm so excited to read the next book in this series.

"Welcome to Suicide Gates!"

Those words and the frightening, otherworldly city where she first heard them have haunted Lela ever since she tried to end her life two years ago. Lela knows that place is where she could have ended up if she had died, but she doesn't realize how true that is until her best friend Nadia commits suicide. Lela starts having nightmares, visions, about Suicide Gates through her friend's eyes, and she becomes determined to save Nadia from that dark place even if she has to sacrifice herself in the process. The journey is nowhere near easy though. Suicide Gates is a harsh and bleak world. Everyone who ends up there must work hard to come to terms with what happened to them and to find strength within themselves so that they can finally move on. And not everyone is able to do that.

Lela's feelings towards Nadia were powerful and the driving force behind most of her decisions in Sanctum. She did everything she could to save Nadia, even if she later regretted the choices she made. This is one of the few books where I truly felt the strong bond a character has with a friend. I remember thinking that I wanted Lela to succeed, I wanted Nadia to be saved, and I wanted happiness for them both. It really was heartbreaking, and it made me just admire and adore Lela even more. She felt so real to me. She's been through so much in her life, yet she stays strong and focused for the friend who believed in her and made her a better person.

Not only is Sanctum about friendship and sacrifice, it's about love and overcoming gripping fears bit by bit. After Lela arrives at Suicide Gates, she's captured by the Guards of the city. They know she's different from the humans who are suppose to be there, and she's interrogated by their brave and intimidating Captain, Malachi. Lela and Malachi don't trust each other at first, but once they open up, Lela begins to feel safe around Malachi and he begins to feel protective of her. There's a gut-wrenching reason why Lela wanted to die two years ago, and when Malachi finds out he helps her overcome some of her fears of allowing anyone, especially a man, to touch her. He's so respectful and let's her be in control. I absolutely loved their relationship. It was sweet and beautiful and touching. They are amazing people and brought out every single bit of goodness in each other. They are also kickass and helped each other survive along the way to finding Nadia. They're the main reason why I cannot wait to read the next book.

Sanctum brings up many heavy, emotional subjects and there are plenty of terrifying moments, but it still manages to be filled with hope and love. And when a story is awesome and has wonderful characters and relationships, it makes me really happy. The ending freaked me out so much though. (I was scared and praying it wouldn't end at a cliffhanger!) It also made me pumped for book two. I wish I could talk more about the unique world in Sanctum, but it's complex and something you need to discover and experience yourself. I highly recommend Sanctum, especially to those looking for a dark, yet hopeful read. It's easily one of the best YA urban fantasy novels I've ever read!

Reflected in You - Sylvia Day

NUMBER 1 IN AMAZON KINDLE

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

THE SENSUAL SAGA OF EVA AND GIDEON CONTINUES in the hotly anticipated follow-up to BARED TO YOU...the New York Times bestselling novel of "EROTIC ROMANCE THAT SHOULD NOT BE MISSED."-- Romance Novel News

Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction... my every desire... mine.

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We'd never work. It was too hard, too painful... except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity.

We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession...

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT TO GIDEON AND EVA.”
—The Book Reading Gals

 

“Eva and Gideon…make Bared to You richer and more real to me than many of the contemporary books I've read in a while.”—Romance Junkies

 

“I became so attached to Eva and Gideon that I actually hurt for them. I shared their pain and their joy as they fought to keep each other.”—Joyfully Reviewed

 

“When it comes to brewing up scorchingly hot sexual chemistry, Day has few literary rivals.”—Booklist

 

“[Bared to You] is full of emotional angst, scorching love scenes, and a compelling storyline.”—Dear Author

 

From the Author

"Is it possible for two abuse survivors to have a functional romantic relationship?" -- Eva Tramell

Eva's question is the core of the Crossfire series. The answer she receives ("Absolutely."), gives her hope that she can find her way there with Gideon. I hope their continuing journey touches you the way it has me. We all deserve a happily ever after.

Customer Review

Yes I read the whole book in less than half a day - I will not give away any secrets of the book in this review.
I couldn't put it down. It was so intense and made you want to turn the page to see what was going to happen to both Gideon and Eva next. At times my heart ached for both of them. I love how the author brought everything together in the end. And yes we get more of a glimpse into Gideon's problems. But more important we get a good feeling of the intensity of their relationship. I am very happy that the author wasn't replicating anything that resembled Fifty in this book. This was her own work and was very well written. Her attention to detail is much better than EL James. I have to say at the end of this book I think Gideon is hotter than Christian Grey....
Now this has me waiting for the third book until December.....

Robert Gupta - Music, The Mind and Medicine

Music, the mind, and medicine: A Q&A with Robert Gupta

Can music be a medical instrument? In a moving talk from TEDMed, Robert Gupta reveals that it certainly can be. He gives as an example the work of neuroscientist Gottfried Schlaug, one of the pioneers of melodic intonation therapy. Schlaug noticed that, while stroke victims with aphasia could not utter a sentence, they could still sing the lyrics to songs. In these patients, studying music essentially rewired their brains.

This issue is important to Gupta because, after college, he found himself caught between his two loves—neuroscience and the violin. While he chose the violin, he didn’t end up playing only in concert halls. Thanks to a violinist friend who suffered from schizophrenia and ended up living on the street, Gupta found himself founding the organization Street Symphony, playing for the homeless, mentally ill and incarcerated.

“The musicians become the conduit for delivering the tremendous therapeutic benefits of music on the brain to people who would never have access,” says Gupta. “The beauty of music offers them a chance to transcend the world around them.”

The TED Blog wanted to know more than Gupta was able to share in 18 minutes. So we’ve asked him some questions that came to mind while watching his talk.

There’s some fascinating neuroscience behind the blend of medicine and healing. Why has it taken time to bring this into medicine?

There’s this holistic, sort of new age-y, aspect of music being healing and that sort of thing, and that has slowly been filtering away, because of Oliver Sack’s “Musicophilia,” “This is Your Brain on Music.” Also because so many scientists are amazing musicians. They understand the power of music. They understand the power of art. And it’s something that I’ve been so thrilled that it’s been part of the consciousness here at TEDMED. That the E in TED stands a lot more for entertainment, and that what the arts are able to do sometimes transcends what science and technology alone can do. I think that it’s been a long time coming.

There’s been a lot of quackery in music — building chairs out of speakers and having you immerse your body in it — stupid things like that. But there’s been a lot of progress in neuroscience — ways that we can see the brain with fMRI, also with the way that we can track certain concentrations of neurotransmitters like dopamine very, very closely. I think, the next step in neuroscience and music is to be able to actually track which neurons are being activated from the auditory cortex, the ones that are right next to the ear, to the actual emotional triggers that can get us to secrete neurotransmitters. We cannot see that pathway yet because it’s something outside MRI. So in a way, neuroscience is still catching up to it. But in the clinical sense, we can clearly see where stroke victims, victims of brain trauma, with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, with autism — we can see there’s a clear effect that music is having. And I see it happen with mental illness in my daily work with Street Symphony.

You’re talking about using this medicine in regard to neurological disorders where it sort of makes sense that the brain processing is really a part of the healing?

Very much so.

Does it feed into other areas, or is that strictly the realm of quackery? I mean, clearly you’re not curing cancer with this.

No, I’m not. But at the same time, there are also a lot of pathways we don’t yet understand that go deeper than the brain, or below the brain. There is evidence that it affects our endocrine system, because music lowers our stress hormones, like cortisol. At the same time it boosts human growth hormone. And these things are transient, they’re difficult to study. So no, I’m not going to say yet that music can cure cancer, but music has been shown to lower anxiety in chemotherapy wards, which can lead to the process and sort of progression of healing itself. It can also lower heart rate, it can lower blood pressure. And if it’s lowering stress then we’re removing a barrier to fundamental healing itself.

Street Symphony is a project that you just launched to bring music to homeless.

It was specifically to under-served communities. And we’ve honed that into serving specifically mentally ill individuals living within homeless and incarcerated and veteran communities. I started this with Adrian Hong, another TED Senior Fellow last year in 2011. He works with Human Rights activism in North Korea. We just started with events, out of my relationship with Nathaniel Ayers who I spoke about at my first TED Conference. And it’s really been a TED story for me, because the inspiration at TED and seeing the other TED fellows and their support and the support from the TED community, has launched this thing in a way that I didn’t think would be possible, and so quickly. We’re still trying to figure out what exactly it is. But it’s become something where we’re actively bringing music outside the concert hall alone.

Where do you play?

We play on skid row mainly, for clinics and shelters. We’ve also gone into a number of prisons in downtown L.A. And I’ve driven up to play at a couple of asylums as well. Just before I came out here, I was playing for a group of nine combat vets from Vietnam in a group therapy session, and on Monday I’m going to be playing for a group of injured veterans that are having plastic surgery done to rehabilitate any number of organs. It’s a complete pilot, it’s very flexible. The next step for us is to start a program to work with a psychiatrist or a social worker and gauge what exactly is happening in the course of therapy accompanied by the music, so that we can track that.

What’s the short-term response been like?

It’s been kind of overwhelming. When we play, there’s this dynamic that breaks, especially if it’s in a prison. The dynamic of the entire care is punitive, of course, whereas the music is an offering. You can feel it in the room. And then you see people, whether they are criminals or they are veterans, they start weeping when we play. Of course, the ones who are weeping are already in the right emotional state. But we hear, “That’s just what I needed to hear.” And especially those that have a higher sensitivity to it. It goes beyond what we do in the concert hall alone. It goes beyond beauty for the sake of beauty. And in that sense, music becomes the perfect conduit for human service.

What do you play?

We play serious programs. We’re doing Beethoven and Haydn and Mozart, even stuff up to Schubert and Schumann. And at first we thought maybe we should keep it a little bit accessible, do some tangos or show tunes. But a part of this is to humanize classical music, to make it accessible. If we could make it accessible to that public, we can make it accessible to anybody. And it’s on us now, as musicians and human beings, to humanize the process of making music — to humanize the composers themselves, to tell the stories of these composers and why we love that music. And the second that you do that, the audience comes 10 feet closer to you. If we can do it with that audience, we can do it with anyone.

What’s the response from the music community been?

Oh, it’s really a lot of fun. Suddenly we’re playing for a group that is incredibly receptive. Also, we’re not playing for the microphones hanging from the stage for direct-release to iTunes. At the same time, it’s the exact reversal of roles. Because when you come to see an opera at the Kennedy Center, you’ve subscribed and you’ve bought tickets, so you’re ready for the experience. Here it’s the exact opposite. We’ve got to prove ourselves within 10 minutes, because there’s nothing to say to them that they can’t just walk out. At one of our first performances in the asylum, this group of people that were very severely mentally ill started three or four of them walked off and left during our concert. I was just playing alone, and I thought, “Oh, it’s just not for them.” Their therapist told me later on that they left because they had tears streaming down their faces and they were sobbing and they didn’t know how to handle their emotions, and it was their emotions that landed them at the asylum in the first place.

So we’ve heard things like that — it’s overwhelming. Suddenly the purpose of why we’re making music has changed. It’s not about the ideal of perfection any longer, it’s about actually offering something.

Do you ever compose with medicine in mind? Is that something you think could be done? Or would it even be worth doing?

It’s interesting. I haven’t done it myself. There are a couple composers who have done it. There’s one composer who’s written music specifically for hospital spaces. Also, I ran into a pianist once that just plays in the lobby of a hospital. And he told me that one of the doctors came up to him some time and said, “You do more for healing here in the lobby — for the families, for the patients — than I can do in the operating room.” I would consider it, but it’s one of those sort of foreboding territories out there which I’d like to venture to at some point, but I want to find my anchor first.

The Casual Vacancy - JK Rowling

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2012

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for THE CASUAL VACANCY:

"I had come under the spell of a great novel....A big, ambitious, brilliant, profane, funny, deeply upsetting and magnificently eloquent novel of contemporary England, rich with literary intelligence....This is a deeply moving book by somebody who understands both human beings and novels very, very deeply." (Time Lev Grossman )

"A vivid read with great, memorable characters and a truly emotional payoff....Rowling captures the humanity in everyone, even if that humanity is not always a pretty sight." (People )

"This book represents a truckload of shrewdness.... There were sentences I underlined for the sheer purpose of figuring out how English words could be combined so delightfully....genuinely moving." (Washington Post )

"A positively propulsive read." (Wall Street Journal )

"An insanely compelling page-turner....The Casual Vacancy is a comedy, but a comedy of the blackest sort, etched with acid and drawn with pitch....Rowling proves ever dexterous at launching multiple plot lines that roar along simultaneously, never entangling them except when she means to. She did not become the world's bestselling author by accident. She knows down in her bones how to make you keep turning the pages." (The Daily Beast )

"There are plenty of pleasures to be had in The Casual Vacancy....Parts of the story would be tonally of a piece with any Richard Price or Dennis Lehane novel, or an episode of The Wire." (Parade )

"Rowling knows how to write a twisty, involving plot....She is clearly a skilled writer." (The Huffington Post )

"The Casual Vacancy is a complete joy to read....a stunning, brilliant, outrageously gripping and entertaining evocation of British society today." (The Mirror (UK) )

"Rowling has written a grand novel...a very brave book." (The Bookseller (UK) )

"A study of provincial life, with a large cast and multiple, interlocking plots, drawing inspiration from Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot...The Casual Vacancy immerses the reader in a richly peopled, densely imagined world...intelligent, workmanlike, and often funny." (The Guardian (UK) )

"The Casual Vacancy, JK Rowling's first adult novel, is sometimes funny, often startlingly well observed....Jane Austen herself would admire the way [Rowling] shows the news of Barry's death spreading like a virus round Pagford." (Telegraph (UK) )

About the Author

J.K. Rowling is the author of the bestselling Harry Potter series of seven books, published between 1997 and 2007, which have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide, are distributed in more than 200 territories, translated into 74 languages, and have been turned into eight blockbuster films. She has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry’s schoolbooks within the novels. Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages were published by Scholastic Bloomsbury Children’s Books in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. In December 2008, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in aid of the Children’s High Level Group, and quickly became the fastest selling book of the year.
As well as an OBE for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees including the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, France’s Légion d’honneur, and the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, and she has been a Commencement Speaker at Harvard University. She supports a wide number of charitable causes through her charitable trust Volant, and is the founder of Lumos, a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children.

Daughter of the Sword - Steve Bein

Daughter of the Sword by Steve Bein

Daughter of the Sword

Mariko Oshiro is not your average Tokyo cop. As the only female detective in the city’s most elite police unit, she has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new boss. While she wants to track down a rumored cocaine shipment, he gives her the least promising case possible. But the case—the attempted theft of an old samurai sword—proves more dangerous than anyone on the force could have imagined.

The owner of the sword, Professor Yasuo Yamada, says it was crafted by the legendary Master Inazuma, a sword smith whose blades are rumored to have magical qualities. The man trying to steal it already owns another Inazuma—one whose deadly power eventually comes to control all who wield it. Or so says Yamada, and though he has studied swords and swordsmanship all his life, Mariko isn’t convinced.

But Mariko’s skepticism hardly matters. Her investigation has put her on a collision course with a curse centuries old and as bloodthirsty as ever. She is only the latest in a long line of warriors and soldiers to confront this power, and even the sword she learns to wield could turn against her. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Steve Bein's Daughter of the Sword is a strikingly original saga blending contemporary thriller and historical fantasy. Enthralling ... A noir modern Tokyo overwhelmed by the shadows of Japanese history. The research is convincing, the touch light. A compelling multifaceted vision of a remarkable culture, and a great page-turner."--Stephen Baxter, author of Stone Spring
"A sharp and superb urban fantasy, Daughter of the Sword is the perfect melding of skillful prose, fascinating characters, and compelling story. Steve Bein effortlessly combines history and legend with a modern procedural in a book that will have you staying up late to finish it."--Diana Rowland, author of Sins of the Demon

"Steve Bein's Daughter of the Sword really captured my imagination. The interweaving of historical Japanese adventure and modern police procedural, Tokyo-style, caught me from two unexpected directions. A tight read, lots of great tension, and epic stakes."--Jay Lake, author of Green and Mainspring

About the Author

Steve Bein teaches Asian philosophy and Asian history at the State University of New York, Geneseo. He holds a PhD in philosophy and holds four degrees of black belt, having studied both philosophy and martial arts for about twenty years each. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov's, Interzone, and Writers of the Future. Daughter of the Sword is his first novel.

Fury of Fire - Coreene Callahan

Review: Fury of Fire by Coreene Callahan

A clandestine race of half-dragon, half-humans known as dragon-shifters lives among us. Bastian, leader of the Nightfury dragon clan, is sworn to protect humankind at all costs. For him, honor and duty always come first. When the clan dictates he take a human mate to sire a son, he falters, aware that for a human to birth a dragon-shifter she must die. Myst, the woman given into his care, is the most extraordinary he's ever met, and though he can't bear the thought of harming her, he is bound by duty. Myst loves her life in the human world, but Bastian has captured her heart in an instant of electric connection. But Bastian and his warriors are in the middle of a deadly battle with the Razorback dragon-shifters, intent on killing every Nightfury clan member ? and the humans they protect ? the fate of their world and ours hangs in the balance.

Series: Dragonfury Book 1

I have read a great number of PNR books, but this was my first book with dragons! Yep, you heard me dragons! But not some ugly monsters, with large teeth and red eyes that breathe fire, Fury of Fire had some very beautiful dragons, the kind you would want to be rescued by, if you were locked in some filthy tower! In other words they were hot and definitely worth the read. Fury of Fire was a non-stop roller coaster ride of action, suspense, mystery, humor and sizzling romance! It was different and fun and I found myself hooked to its every word! An overall enjoyable read. 

I adored the characters in this book! They were so funny that I found myself laughing at every little joke they said! Humor is always a plus in a PNR book, especially with all the action-y stuff going on. The heroine, Myst, is one tough chick! She looses a patient, saves an unborn baby, gets taken by a dragon, has a bullseye on her back - but despite all that she still has enough energy left to spout off witty remarks. I loved her sense of humor! And I was very happy when she finally took that leap of faith with Bastian - I maybe be biased here, cause I really wanted that HEA - but  it took courage nonetheless and I admired Myst for that. As for Bastian, he was just pure sexy alpha male! I loved his protective instincts when it came to Myst and his sweet side was an added bonus. But when he gets jealous, Oh boy, *fans self* you will get weak in the knees! That's not to say, he didn't have flaws. He did, but that's what made him an enjoyable and real character. 

The romance in the book, is a puzzle to me. I was a little confused by the end of the book, as to how Bastian and Myst "truly" love each other. With the way the story progressed, the "I love you." at the end seemed rushed. So, I didn't really get that special feeling between the two characters. But other than that, Bastian and Myst's relationship was sweet and very hot.

The one major thing I had an issue with was Myst and her freak out session over being pregnant with Bastian’s child. I just thought it was odd and childish, especially considering she’s been having sex with the man for how long?? - you'd think it was at the very least a possibility. I got she was upset but crying, telling Bastian to stay away and then fleeing as if your life is in danger, was a little too much. And the worst thing, after she drives off, she realizes that Bastian was being "reasonable" and had good reason not to tell her about how she got pregnant!?? For a character that has a strong, humorous personality, this did not fit her. Ms. Callahan could have handled that situation a bit better.

There were also the other Nightfury clan members. Rikar, Wick, Venom and Sloan. Without a doubt, I gave my heart away to Wick. He was the silent bad boy, that every girl falls for and my favourite. I can’t wait for his story! I also liked Forge, an ex-bad guy and am looking forward to his story too! All the secondary characters were very enjoyable and they were a nice aspect to the story, overall. 

Thanks to Literary Love Affair

http://loveaffairwithabookreviews.blogspot.jp/2012/09/review-fury-of-fire-by-coreene-callahan.html

Out of My Mind - Sharon Draper

The wonderful Sharon Draper visited us today to share her wisdom and love of books. Below is her latest novel. Out of My Mind Summary: Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there’s no delete button. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school—but NO ONE knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don’t think she’s capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows. But she can’t. She can’t talk. She can’t walk. She can’t write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it. From multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you’ll never, ever forget. 1. Why did you choose to write a work about a disabled child? What if you were brilliant but could not communicate? I've often wondered about what's really going on in the mind of a person who cannot share their thoughts. I have a pretty good idea, because I have a daughter who is disabled. I'm pretty sure she's really smart, but I'm her mom-of course I'd want to believe that. So I created Melody-not as a portrait of my daughter, but as a character who is truly her own being. Melody has spunk and determination, and a great sense of humor. She has dreams and hopes like we all do. 2. Do you think readers will feel sorry for Melody? What did you do to avoid that? As I wrote the story, I was fiercely adamant that nobody feel sorry for Melody. So I tried very hard to make her unforgettable-someone you would never dare feel sorry for. Lots of people have worse difficulties in their lives. As readers embrace the story, I hope that they will cheer for her! 3. How do you think Melody's physical limitations affect her outlook on life? The way others see her? Kids with disabilities are just like their peers. They want to be accepted, to have friends, to be included in the social life of the school. Melody understands the pain of being ignored and overlooked, and I've given her a voice to show her humanity. She represents all those young people, who have feelings as well as dreams. I wanted to give those kids, who are often treated as if they are invisible, a chance to be heard, to be seen as the individuals they are, not the machines they ride in, or the disability that defines them. 4. In Out of my Mind, you address a number of issues such as social bias against disabled individuals, medical difficulties, as well as physical obstacles like stairs and bathrooms and eating. How is Melody a representative of the world of the "differently-abled?" I think Melody would not like being made the representative of any group. Melody yearns to be recognized and appreciated as an individual. I think that's the whole point of the novel. It's important to remember that each person who has to deal with the world differently is not a group, but a person--just one person, trying to do his or her best in a world that might be very difficult to navigate. 5. What kind of research did you do for this book? The story of Melody is fictional, of course, but is based on the reality of thousands of intelligent children and adults who are trapped inside uncooperative bodies. I've read dozens of books on disabilities, worked with handicapped children at a local summer camp, and spent untold hours trying to unlock the secrets hidden in my own daughter's mind. When a fictional character is created, the author has the power to allow any dreams to be achieved, and to allow triumphs as well as tragedies to occur. This novel has been carefully edited it for accuracy of fact as well as sincerity of spirit. 6. Why is the character of Mrs. V important to the novel? Everyone needs a mentor, a life coach, someone to champion them on to success. Mrs. V fills that role in the novel. Sometimes it's hard for parents to give their children everything that is needed in life. Mrs. V is that person who goes above and beyond what is required of her because she sees potential in Melody, and because she loves her. We all could use a Mrs. V in our lives. 7. What is the role of music in Out of my Mind and in Melody's life in particular?  Melody can "hear" colors, and "taste" music. The artistic side of her shows a deep understanding of the necessary mingling of art and music to create words and images and ideas. Melody's love for music helps her, even soothes her when her life gets too overwhelming. Music gives her expression in a world where she is unable to express almost everything. 8. No racial description is given to any character in the novel. Why did you choose not to mention Melody's racial or cultural heritage? Her race is not important. Melody's difficulties far supersede any racial or cultural problems she might encounter. She is purposely made generic because I wanted the reader to see her as a unique individual that could be anyone's child. Actually, when she first gets the Medi-Talker, and she discovers that it comes in many different languages, she realizes that children like her exist all over the world. 9. Melody's character in Out of my Mind is a survivor in spite of serious difficulties. What do you think readers can learn from Melody's life? What does the novel say about love? I think Melody's strength comes from love. Even though she is frustrated, silenced, and unable to do the things she longs to do, she has an unbelievably positive spirit. Love gives her the strength to make it though each day, and to look forward to the future. 10. What statements do you make through the actions of the children at Melody's school?  Melody simply wants a friend. She longs to be like the other kids at her school. She is overjoyed when it looks like Rose will be that friend. It hurts and angers her when kids like Claire and molly make fun of her. And it devastates her when she realizes she'd been left behind on purpose. I think the portrayal of the children, and the teachers in the story as well, give a realistic portrayal of the reality of how people treat the disabled in social situations. From the people in the mall, to the doctors who should know better, human beings are often unkind, sometimes rude, but occasionally just plain wonderful. 11. What would you like your young readers to get out of reading Out of my Mind? I want them to say, "Wow! That was great! That book made me think, and it made me realize that all human beings are more alike than different. I never knew what is was like to be handicapped-I learned to think differently." I want them to embrace this novel and pass it along to their friends and their parents and teachers 12. What do you want readers to remember about kids like Melody? Melody is a tribute to all the parents of disabled kids who struggle, to all those children who are misunderstood, to all those caregivers who help every step of the way. It's also written for people who look away, who pretend they don't see, or who don't know what to say when they encounter someone who faces life with obvious differences. Say hello! 13. What does this novel say about truth? I think all great stories emerge from deep truths that rest within us. But the real truth of a story often can be found in places that not even the author has dared to explore. And sometimes readers can discover some truths about themselves as well. This novel speaks for those who cannot speak. It should remind us of the humanity in us all. Out of My Mind Hardback   $16.99 Paperback   $6.99 Type:   Hardback  Paperback  Quantity:

Chapter 1:     Words.     I'm surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions.     Cathedral. Mayonnaise. Pomegranate.     Mississippi. Neapolitan. Hippopotamus.     Silky. Terrifying. Iridescent.     Tickle. Sneeze. Wish. Worry. Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes--each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands. Deep within me, words pile up in huge drifts. Mountains of phrases and sentences and connected ideas. Clever expressions. Jokes. Love songs. From the time I was really little-maybe just a few months old--words were like sweet, liquid gifts, and I drank them like lemonade. I could almost taste them. They made my jumbled thoughts and feelings have substance. My parents have always blanketed me with conversation. They chattered and babbled. They verbalized and vocalized. My father sang to me. My mother whispered her strength into my ear. Every word my parents spoke to me or about me I absorbed and kept and remembered. All of them. I have no idea how I untangled the complicated process of words and thought, but it happened quickly and naturally. By the time I was two, all my memories had words, and all my words had meanings. But only in my head. I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old.