Roll Out the Red Carpet - It's Awards Day!

I have to admit, I have the greatest friends in the blogosphere. It’s true. I have recently started a new job and the office has literally exploded with work. The upside is overtime is automatically approved (sweet!) The downside is these hours are killing me, lol – work 10-11 hours at the office, come home to (*sigh* try to) blog and visit blogs and work on my freelance writing!! I need to escape to my world in the Netherscape – to go off on adventures with the Destineers. Soon. Very soon.

Anyway, I digress. These wonderful blog friends have still been visiting my blog, commenting and even bestowing awards. It is, indeed, an honor to receive Blog Awards.

Beverly Jean McClure, for example, has presented the One Lovely Blog Award to me. Here are the rules:

Accept the award, and don't forget to post a link back to the awarding person. (I am only too happy to link back to Beverly. She is an extremely talented writer for middle grade – young adult readers. She has a couple of new releases coming out this year too – stay tuned for updates!)
Pass the award on.
Notify the award winners.

Now for my nominations from some of my favorite and, most definitely, lovely blogs:

* Karen Walker for her very inspiring blog Following the Whispers
* Rebecca Camarena for the latest in books, author interviews and all about writing on Paperback Writer
* Vivian Zabel keeping us in touch with new writers and news within the writing world Brain Cells and Bubble Wrap
* Jane Kennedy Sutton for Jane’s adventures in writing through the ins and outs, ups and downs of writing, publishing and marketing through Jane’s Ride
* J. Kaye’s Book Blog where reading takes priority
* Cindy’s Love of Books gives us great insights and glimpses into the books she has read
* The Magic of Ink because as they say, “books can take you wherever you want to go”

Next, Elizabeth Spann Craig, mystery writer extraordinaire, and Helen Ginger my go-to gal for anything going on in the world of writing, have awarded me the Kreativ Blogger Award!

The rules for this award are simple: when passing the award to others, we list 7 favorites, so, naturally, here are seven of my favorite blogs that feature teens and young adult reading!

Kelly’s Young Adult Book Central for the latest reviews, interviews and giveaways of YA books
The Hip Librarian’s Book Blog keep in the know of the books teens love and loathe
Sheila Ruth’s Wands and Worlds fantasy and sci-fi for the discriminating teen
Kelly Parra & Tina Ferraro’s YA Fresh for what’s new in the world for teens
Teen Seen a hotspot of conversation about children and young adult books
Sarah Dessen one of the hottest YA writers out there today…
And, a real fun site: A community for Writers and Readers of Middle Grade and YA Fantasy: The Enchanted Inkpot

Click away my blogging friends - these are some fantastic blogs to enjoy!

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Ask the Cybrarian: Book Reviews

Book Reviews are a great way to spread the word about a new book. Readers are more apt to buy a book from an author they are not familiar with if they see endorsements from other readers and professionals from the writing community.

I have recently started a separate book reviewing blog called Ask the Cybrarian: Book Reviews. It for a review site featuring books intended for the children through young adult age range and is hosted by a character from my current work in progress, a young adult fantasy, The Destineers and the Legend of the Netherscape.

Millicent Prendergild, is the nearly departed Cybrarian at Greenbrier Academy who hosts the blog. Why nearly departed? Well, Ms. Prendergild began working at the Academy when it first opened its doors over 100 years ago. When her time had passed in our world, she could not bear to leave her beloved school behind so she remains overseeing the mortal library as well as the Inter-Realm Cybrarie. The Cybrarie is an Inter-Realm library, a place where the stories from the other Realms are transmitted through cyberspace to our ghost writers for weaving into the appropriate archive. Einstein, HG Wells, and many others from our world have offered theories and suggested stories from the other Realms. Ms. Prendergild oversees a staff of very loyal ghost writers that sort it all out – separating fact from fiction and archiving them appropriately (well, where did you think the term "ghost writers" came from?).

The Cybrarie website is an interactive forum all about exchanging and sharing information. This is a fun place for friends to meet, converse, share and discuss books and ideas in the Fantasy Realm or whatever else happens to come up. Think of it as a virtual coffee house. If you have a book appropriate for children through young adult age that you would like to promote, there is a room called the Cybrarie Exchange that would welcome your contribution (book blurb, copy of the book cover, and of course a link to where the book can be purchased), just send me an email through NetherscapeRealm@aol.com.

The most recent review of a fantasy entitled The Lost Lake Digs by PW Corss (geared towards children aged 9-12) has just been posted by our loyal Cybrarian. Stop over if you get a chance, the Cybrarian would love to meet you.