Writing Magic

I’ve got a great example of writing magic for you today, and a way to do your own writing magic!

Today’s book recommendation is A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. This is a wonderful debut novel—and even before I read the book flap, I would have guessed Natalie is from Tennessee. There is a rollicking rhythm to the book’s language and imagery that’s a lot like listening to great blue-grass music.

My book, The Curse of the Neverland, features outsiders who find their power and light through believing in each other as one of its themes. A Snicker of Magic shares this theme, in its own special way. It also involves a word-collector, ice cream, magic, music, art, friendship, and the healing of a whole town’s history.

Here’s the summary:

The Pickles are new to Midnight Gulch, Tennessee, a town which legend says was once magic—but Felicity is convinced the magic is still there, and with the help of her new friend Jonah the Beedle, she hopes to bring the magic back.

There are two little quotes from this book that are so very sweet to my ears and heart that I want to share them with you.

“Home isn’t just a house or a city or a place; home is what happens when you’re brave enough to love people.”

“It’s so weird how life is so full of moving around—people coming and going, people passing by each other all day long. You never know which person’s going to steal your heart. You never know which place is going to settle your soul. All you can do is look. And hope. And believe.”

This is a book to savor—a great read aloud choice. (Mom and Dad, take note!)

Now: the opportunity for your own writing magic:

NaNoWriMo is coming in the month of November! That stands for National Novel Writing Month. I’m going to write about it at length next week, but suffice is to say, it can provide you with a structure to get a lot of writing done!

Save the date: if you live near Sequim, mark your calendars for Friday, November 20^th at 6:30 pm. Come to the Sequim Branch Library to hear me talk. I’ll share my writing journey, tips, tricks and traps of the writing trade, I’ll do a reading from my book of course, and books will be available for sale at the event. It’s part of the North Olympic Library System’s great NaNoWriMo Line-up!