Tag: YA fantasy novel

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Kirkus Review

McHargue's Kirkus Review of Waterwight
"...reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. "

Having friends and family say they enjoy my writing makes me glow inside.

Having complete strangers (and professionals in the publishing industry) agree        makes me positively giddy!

Positive(ly wonderful) Kirkus Review
My Kirkus review says Waterwight “–is powerfully spooky, reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.”
I’ll take that!

Here’s what Kirkus says about Waterwight:

In this YA adventure, a girl orphaned by global cataclysm searches for a new home, encountering talking animals and discovering she possesses special powers. It’s been three or four years since The Event, a huge natural disaster with unnatural consequences that no one wants to talk about, including the adults at the orphanage where Celeste Araia Nolan, about 14, now lives. After a strange dream, Celeste decides to run away; in her journey, she meets helpful talking cats and dogs and the dangerous Shifter, an evil
being who can take different forms. She also discovers an amazing ability: she can defy gravity, first with leaps and
bounds, then by actually flying. From a stony-visaged mountain she calls Old Man Massive, Celeste learns she “must find the key to stopping the advance of the big water” lying southward. This is no normal ocean; it’s pink, gelatinous, reeking, destructive, and still spreading. Celeste flies across, getting a boost from Orville, a talking, winged,
French-speaking frog who spoke to her in dreams. On the other side lies a village of children, survivors who have also
developed strange powers, controlled by a mysterious Overleader, who punishes rule breakers. As Celeste works to find the key and save her new friends, she will face dangerous tests of her courage and resolve. McHargue (“Miss?”, 2013) taps into dreamscapes with their myth/dream logic very effectively in this entertaining novel. The section where Celeste gets trapped in a seductive fantasy castle—her parents alive, only her favorite foods on the table, every room full of toys and games—is powerfully spooky, reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. Post-apocalyptic YA fiction can be unrelentingly grim, but McHargue brings wit and warmth to this account as well as psychological insights, particularly in developing the Overleader’s character. There’s perhaps too much back and forth from the village to the mountain (Celeste begins to seem like a commuter flight), but the novel’s charms overcome this defect. Readers should want to know what happens next in the Waterwight world.
Striking dreamscapes make this tale about a heroine who can fly a fine first outing in a planned series.

Here’s the link to the review on their site: Kirkus Review of Waterwight

So what are you waiting for? Order your copies today!

Waterwight: Book I of the Waterwight Series

 

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“OFF THE PAGE”

authored books
Books I've written: "Miss?" and Waterwight, and books I've contributed to: The Not Your Mother's Book Series

I met Stacy McKenzie at a Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) meeting and she asked to interview me about Waterwight and my other writing for her “Off the Page” show! We shared many laughs, and her film crew was great.

Here’s a link to the interview. I just wish I had known the camera angle would highlight my chicken-neck-meat! HA! Laurel’s Interview

If you haven’t yet ordered a copy, please treat yourself to a fantasy adventure escape! I’m working on the follow-on book now and plan to have it out before the end of the year. And if you like what you read (whether it be my books or the work of others), please take a few minutes to write a review on Amazon. We struggling authors and artists appreciate your support and enthusiasm for our work.

YA fantasy adventure novel
Waterwight: There’s something in the water!
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For the Cost of a Sandwich…

Proceeds go to Honor Flight, and organization that honors American Veterans. Thank you, Tori.

Today’s the first day of SPRING! It’s the perfect time to do that cleaning and get those taxes prepped, and the perfect time to take a look at how you’re spending your pocket change.

Consider that most people spend far more money each day on dining out than they spend each week (or month, even) on purchasing books. As an author, I can assure you that we who publish spend far more time creating the stories, adventures, poems, dramas, and lusty tales you enjoy than your local cafe spends on “creating” your sandwich.

So swallow that last bite of mayo-drenched sammich and buy a book. Please.

I’d like to suggest this one: Journey Home

Proceeds go to Honor Flight, an organization that honors American Veterans. Thank you, Tori.
Proceeds go to Honor Flight, and organization that honors American Veterans. Thank you, Tori.

I met Tori Meyer this weekend at a CIPA conference and was blown away by the beauty of her creation, the proceeds of which will go to honor American Veterans. I just bought two. You should too.

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Tell Me I Can’t

Someone told me that with all the work required to launch a new book, there was no way I’d publish my new novel on Leap Day. I just love it when someone suggests I can’t do something (because here’s the link to Waterwight, my new novel, published on February 29th: Waterwight)

This past summer I had an opportunity to reflect on other “you can’ts” that contributed to making me the person I am today. I discovered that Smith College was having a Leadership Conference the first weekend in April 2016 and was looking for panelists. Although I’m not a Smith grad, I decided to complete their 200-word essay application just for the heck of it. Here’s what I submitted:

United States Military Academy
Senior West Point photo in “full dress” for parade uniform.

In 1976 my guidance counselor told me Smith was beyond my reach. In 1978 during my sophomore year at Smith, the college president said I was making a big mistake leaving to attend West Point. Many believed I’d never graduate from West Point, but after proving them wrong and serving my country as an Army officer for thirteen years, I now stand with classmates from Smith and West Point who applaud successful women who continue to shatter barriers.

I laugh at myself frequently when I look back on how I’ve redefining success over the past decades. My memoir will be called “Danger! Comfort Zone!” because as the black sheep in a family of five girls, I’ve lived my life believing that with comfort comes complacency, and complacency breeds boredom. My three semesters at Smith opened my eyes to countless opportunities available to intelligent women. I wanted them all.

My success as a Smith student opened doors to experiences far beyond any realm of comfort. At West Point I redefined my goals and challenged myself on every front: academic, physical, and emotional. Graduating with the fourth class of women in what had once been a “No Girls Allowed” institution launched me into a life of increasing responsibility, and I loved it.

With each major transition—Smith to West Point, Army to civilian life, mom to teacher, teacher to author and mentor—satisfaction in my accomplishments grows. My credo: Embrace change. Challenge the status quo wherever you find it. Challenge yourself always.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I’ll be heading to Smith College on March 31st and look forward to meeting three other women who will join me on the “No Girls Allowed: Game Changers” panel! I plan to have fun. Go ahead. Tell me I can’t.

My Smith College uniform. "Full Jammies with Tab Bottle Mic"
My Smith College uniform. “Full Jammies with Tab Bottle Mic”