#books to buy
You can find the link to my book and Etsy shop in my bio. ❤
It’s never too early to give the gift of reading! Here are our top recs for books to gift for the contemporary reader in your life this holiday season.
The Life I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
Turned out of the only home she has known, Char boards a bus to nowhere where she is lured into the dangerous web of human trafficking. While Char might be frightened, she remains strong and determined to bring herself and her fellow victims out of the dark and back into the light, reminding us why compassion is a powerful cure to the ills of the world. Start reading!
Muted by Tami Charles
The biggest R&B star in the world, Sean “Mercury” Ellis, gives Denver and her friends everything: parties, perks, wild nights, plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it…until they’re not. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken. Start reading!
Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan
While dealing with Islamophobia that she faces at school, Zara Hossain has to lay low, trying not to jeopardize their family’s dependent visa status while they await their green card approval, which has been in process for almost nine years. But one day her tormentor, star football player Tyler Benson, takes things too far and now she must choose between fighting to stay in the only place she’s ever called home or losing the life she loves and everyone in it. Start reading!
On the Hook by Francisco X. Stork
Hector has always minded his own business, working hard to make his way to a better life someday. Until Joey singles him out. Joey, whose older brother, Chavo, is head of the Discípulos gang, tells Hector that he’s going to kill him: maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday. It’s up to Hector to choose whether he’s going to lose himself to revenge or get back to the hard work of living. Start reading!
The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver
Everything happens for a reason.At least that’s what everyone keeps telling Liam Cooper after his older brother Ethan is killed suddenly in a hit-and-run. Soon, Liam finds themself spending time with Ethan’s best friend, Marcus, who might just be the only person that seems to know exactly what they’re going through-for better and for worse. Start reading!
Speak for Yourself by Lana Wood Johnson
Girl meets boy. Girl likes boy.Girl gets friend to help win boy.Friend ends up with crush on boy…Skylar’s got ambitious #goals. And if she wants them to come true, she has to get to work now. (At least she thinks so…) Can Skylar figure out her feelings, prove her app’s potential to the world, and win State without losing her friends–or is her path to greatness over before it begins? Start reading!
In the Same Boat by Holly Green
It’s the eve of the Texas River Odyssey, and Sadie Scofield is finally ready for the 265-mile canoe race. It’s three days of grueling, nonstop paddling, where every turn of the river reveals new challenges – downed trees, poisonous snakes, alligators – but the dangers are all worth it. Last year’s race was a catastrophe, but this year’s race just might change her life in ways she never imagined. Start reading!
Specific Traits
~Hair~
Hair color is fun to describe but it’s not very telling or unique. Two, three, or four characters in your book might have blonde hair. You could easily describe them as having different shades like yellow-blond, white-blonde, and dark blonde. But you can be far more effective if you describe hair characteristics.
Here’s what I mean:
Style- do they wear their hair in a bun, ponytail, or long and wild down their back? Do they straighten it or curl it?
Texture- is it thin and wispy or heavy strands that curl under at the ends? Is it glossy in the light or coarse and dull?
Smell- you can get away with this one as long as you don’t overuse it. For instance, does your character shower with coconut shampoo or wear hair mist from Bath and Body Works?
Use the examples above to broaden your description of hair.
Example:
Kandace’s glossy blonde hair smelled like honeysuckles, reminding me of summer.
Start your Book by Describing Detail
It can be anything. A cup of coffee with milky swirls. An emotion like fear or anger. The way a soft blanket feels in bed. Just begin describing something in detail and let it guide you into the next paragraph and see what you come up with. This can be helpful with writer’s block as well.
Watch as I describe a sweater:
I loved that red sweater. Not the balled-up fabric that felt scratchy against my skin. But the memories soaked into the material. The sleeves stained with mascara tears.
-from my upcoming book ❤️
Describe Vs Explain
You’ve probably heard “show don’t tell”. This is another way of phrasing that. And a lot of writers have found that it clicks better. ☺️
Describe don’t explain!
Writing Tip of the Day:
- Read what you want to produce.
When you read suspense, you’re teaching yourself how to write suspense. When you read romance, you’re teaching yourself how to write romance. And so on and so forth.
Here are some tips for learning while you read:
▪️Study the sentence structure.
▪️Study the paragraph.
▪️Study the dialogue.
▪️Ask yourself what makes you like to read this book? What keeps you hooked? Captivated?
▪️What words or positioning of words builds suspense.
▪️How does the author describe characters?
▪️How does the author describe scenery?
▪️How does the author describe emotions?
▪️Study the pacing of the story
Keep in mind, just by reading (without purposely studying) your brain is going to work learning how to write.
Read what you want to produce! It’s a great way to stay inspired and keep you in the writing mood ☺️
Inner Thought:
▪️gives reader a deeper insight into your characters’ personalityandmotivations
▪️reveals characters’ true feelings
▪️moves story forward
▪️increases plot conflict
Read this example:
“You know you’re basically just keeping the
kids out of the way, right?” The chief’s tone
was calm, but his eyes were wary.
Avery stiffened.
“Yeah,” she said through a mouthful of fried
egg. “I know.”
He chucked her shoulder. “Don’t be like
that. When you’re of age, you can show off
your detective skills. Until then, we do things
by the book.”
Avery looked away.
Vs.
“You know you’re basically just keeping the
kids out of the way, right?” The chief’s tone
was calm, but his eyes were wary.
Avery stiffened. She had been on more miss-
ing-person searches—unofficially, as she was
underage—than most of the officers on her
father’s staff. But being sixteen kept her on
“kid patrol,” basically babysitting while the
adult volunteers tromped through the forest,
potentially ruining scads of evidence while
pretending they were a bunch of television
CSIS, no doubt.
“Yeah,” she said through a mouthful of fried
egg. “I know.”
He chucked her shoulder. “Don’t be like
that. When you’re of age, you can show off
your detective skills. Until then, we do things
by the book.”
Avery looked away, thinking about her
mother, about how she would zing the chief in
the ribs and remind him not to be so serious.
“By the book,” she would mock in a terrible
baritone. “I’m the big, bad chief.”
Example excerpt taking from “The Escape” by Hannah Jayne. She started off on wattpad ☺️ you can check out her book here -
