Si, Se Puede--Yes, you can!

There's been a number of posts lately discussing diversity or more like lack of it in YA/MG novels. Here's some: Kate Messner has an ongoing discussion going on about it. The We Need Diverse Kids Books Campaign. Stacy Whitman's own comments regarding diversity in children's literature I thought I needed to add my own take on this discussion. If anything? I think my own background helps as I was a bilingual teacher for fifteen years in two different inner school districts. Plus, I'm also diverse. My own grandfather was half Mexican and his family dealt with racism to the point of refusing to acknowledge their heritage. Professor Ortega of Chicano Studies at CSUFullerton in the early 90s(when I took a class with him) said this was very common. My great-grandmother Cipriana Acuna when she was 15 years old: When I first started teaching in 1988, there was hardly any novels that reflected the Latino community. I remember how hard it was to find books...

1. First off, had a teen tell me she really enjoyed reading NO MORE GODDESSES but what she really liked wasn't so much the Audrey Hepburn reference but rather the fact that I used Egyptian gods instead of the usual Greek ones. I should see her total review soon and will share! 2. My sun conure Sunni wasn't acting his usually self and total freaked me out. Took him to the vet who mentioned, "Oh, he's developing cataracts, did you noticed this? Cataracts? OMG, doesn't that mean he's going blind? I was really sad thinking of Sunni not being able to see as he loves to look outside and scream at all the wildlife. He's almost 23 years old and I've had him since he was a baby. I thought they lived to be around 40 years old but vet told me no, that he expected Sunni to live to maybe 30. So I ended up decluttering his cage and taking off a huge top part that he hasn't used for a while. Trying to make him more comfortable. 3. Finished rea...

This week is Spring Break so I've been hitting the rough draft of the second book in the goddesses series and going over the revision of a critique buddy. ***And there's a great deal going on over at Amazon for my ebook EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA for $1.99! For those of you who are asking for fantasies with PoC, well my book has one! What a deal! http://www.amazon.com/Earrings-Ixtumea-Kim-Baccellia-ebook/dp/B007OUHYH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397858512&sr=8-1&keywords=earrings+of+ixtumea+MuseItUp+Publishing 1. Saw two movies with similar themes of struggle with faith. God Is Not Dead Intriguing argument for and against God in the classroom. That was the strength of this movie. Some of the other parts bordered predictability. 2. I thought this one though handled the subject better and was nothing like I thought. I went in as a skeptic and came out moved. Heaven Is For Real 3. Really loving the voice in this memoir: 4. Can't wait to read this...

Today, Stacey O'Neale and Phoenix Reign Publishing are revealing the cover for MORTAL ENCHANTMENT , releasing on May 20, 2014! Check out the awesome cover and enter to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card !!! On to the reveal! “Mortal Enchantment spins a unique twist on elemental mythology. This series is not to be missed.” Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author In Kalin Matthew's world, elementals control the forces of nature. They are divided into four courts: air, woodland, fire, and water. At sixteen she will leave the life she's built with her mortal mother. Kalin will move to Avalon to rule with her father—the elemental king of the air court. Along the way, she's attacked by a fire court assassin and saved by Rowan, a swoon-worthy elemental with a questionable past. Worst of all, she learns her father is missing. To rescue him, Kalin will have to work with a judgmental council and a system of courts too busy acc...

First I'm going to start off with some links to two of my small press publishers. 1. I'll be over here until April 17th.https://www.facebook.com/events/224006297795748/225148914348153/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity I'll be sharing tidbits on my first novel EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA and maybe some of my other stories! 2. I was hosting here yesterday on my take on inspiration: http://lachesispublishing.com/?p=3338 ***And shameless self-promo plug: The ebook Crossed Out is on special for .99cents! http://ereadernewstoday.com/more-ent-deals-for-4-10-14/6742784/ 3. Yes, I admit it. I've never read John Green's YA novel FAULT IN OUR STARS. All my friends are shocked with this confession as they've read and LOVED. I have a thing on books with cancer. I don't usually like to read them. Maybe this is because of my own cancer scares and this protagonist is based on a girl who died of thyroid cancer. I had a very real scare with that back in 1989. My ow...

**To start off, last weekend ended with a rattle and jolt. Friday night around 9ish I felt a huge jolt and rumble in my house. Yes, earthquake! The only damage so far had to be our cockatiel Jenny breaking her feathers. Blood was everywhere. One fact most don't know: if a bird's blood feather is broken? It can bleed out and die. She's okay but it always freaks me out big time when this happens! 1. Fun to talk to Mary Hering, son's theater and yearbook teacher. She's reading NO MORE GODDESSES and says it's fun. I'm being interviewed for the school's paper. Fun to hear teens asking to read my book! 2. Heard that there is a big chance that Star Crossed on CW might be canceled. I have one word for that: NO! Seriously this show is so much better than The Vampire Diaries this season. I have one word for that show: REPEAT This season's TVD is just one repeat storyline after another. You know it's bad when you laugh during a ...