YA – Where Genres Collide Traci Kenworth YA Author

Craft, Short stories, writers, Writing and Poetry, YA

Teen Topics To the Tune of Characters 5/31/2021 Unconditional Love by Traci Kenworth

Posted on May 31, 2021 by tracikenworth

Teen Topics: To the Tune of Characters 5/31/2021

Traci Kenworth

Unconditional Love

Jori glanced around the bedroom painted teal with flower bordering. She swallowed hard. How did she luck into this? A queen bed shoved alongside one wall with gold sheet sets matching the white and gold bedroom set.

“Do you-like it?” the woman said, a hand to her husband’s arm.

No, not woman. Her new mom and dad for that matter.

She’d never had either. Her twelve-year-old self attempted a half-smile. Her voice rose scratchy as she spoke. “Sure.”

Behind them, the lovely interior of one of the wealthiest residents in Backwater, Tennessee caused her to step back. What if she broke something? Would they toss her out? Send her back to the orphanage? Or another foster family? Her hand curled around the suitcase they’d brought for her to put her things in. Her things. One pair of pants. Two shirts. A pair of shorts.

The woman-mom waved her inside the room. “Make yourself welcome.”

“Check out everything,” her dad said.

Taking a deep breathe, she inched into the setting. This couldn’t be real. She didn’t deserve this luxury. As if to hit that message home, two shadows appeared behind the parents. One boy. One girl. The boy smiled. The girl frowned. What a joy it must be for them to get a new sister, almost grown.

Her mother opened the closet. “We got your sizes from the- We hope you like them.”

Inside, every color of dress shimmered.

“The dressers are filled too. If you need anything else. Let us know.”

Her dad nodded. “You’ll be given an allowance to manage. We expect some chores. Same as any family.”

And if she didn’t do it to their satisfaction?

Her mother patted her arm. “Don’t worry. We won’t throw everything at you all at once.” She glanced at the rest of her family. “Let’s give her some space. To sort through things.”

The girl lingered behind the others. She flashed her teeth at Jori. Go ahead. Just relax. She’d be there to set her straight, that look said.

Jori cringed. Well, she couldn’t expect it all to be pudding could she?

Muse, Reading, writers, YA

Teen Topics: to the tune of Characters 5/4/2021 Traci Kenworth

Posted on May 4, 2021 by tracikenworth

Teen Topics: to the Tune of Characters 5/4/2021

Traci Kenworth

Over the years, we can grow stagnant. In an effort to try a new spin on things for the future of the blog, I’m going to be trying to do something different. I want to focus less on being a blogger, more on being an author. This decision has come about from various happenings in my life and changes in the world around us. I’m a teen author and want to encourage young people to visit my blog as well as others from all walks of life. I hope this doesn’t disappoint some of you, but I realize it may. I’ve enjoyed the success of the blog up to this point. I simply want to reach out to those who may wish to read me when I get published.

So, without further ado: Teen Topics to the Tune of Characters

This week: bffs and how somehow the oddest friends make the best friends.

How did you two meet?

Lenore: “Class assignment.”

Jori: “Her group bullied me in the hallways.”

What was the deciding factor to bring about the friendship?

Lenore shrugs. “We needed each other.”

Jori: “She seemed so breakable. Like me at times. At first, I figured she was doing an act. Pretending to like me just so I’d do the homework for her. But—she really surprised me.”

How?

“She stood up for me. Knowing it could wreck her world.”

Lenore?

“Well, I couldn’t let them hurt her anymore. I’d been in her position. Not from the school clique but—others.” She wiped a tear away. “I just didn’t want to see her end up in a dark closet. Crying her guts out.”

What do you appreciate most about each other?

Jori: “Her kindness. She’s part of such a large group. Instead of being the queen bee I thought she was, she curbed the others desire to pummel me. At last, I’m making friends with those I didn’t think I ever would. I get to be around a guy I didn’t have a hope of doing so, months before. Even if he never acknowledges my existence, it’s been worth it.”

Lenore: “Give him time. Give them all time. They’ll see what I see. Someone to stand beside me when everything falls apart.

Reading, YA

Book Talk 10/23/2020 Traci Kenworth

Posted on October 23, 2020October 20, 2020 by tracikenworth

Nothing this week.

blogs, Reading, writers, Writing and Poetry, YA

Book Talk 10/16/2020 Traci Kenworth

Posted on October 16, 2020October 11, 2020 by tracikenworth

Nothing yet but soon!

Take care this weekend! Enjoy!

Set of reading glasses for women. Reading light for books in bed. Metal bookmark with butterflies.

blogs, Family life, MG & YA, Reading, YA

Book Talk 10/9/2020 Traci Kenworth

Posted on October 9, 2020October 4, 2020 by tracikenworth

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

I’m reading: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco, and The Nethergate by Robbie Cheadle. I’ve cut down in an effort to help while taking better care of my health and dealing with major house repairs.

blogs, dark fantasy, fantasy, MG & YA, Reading, YA

Book Talk Sarah J. Maas’s Heir to Fire (Book 3 Throne of Glass series) Traci Kenworth

Posted on September 4, 2020August 30, 2020 by tracikenworth

Book Talk 9/4/2020: Sarah J. Maas’s Heir of Fire (Book 3 Throne of Glass series)

Traci Kenworth

Heir to Fire by Sarah J. Maas. Bloomsbury 2015. YA.

Amazon’s blurb: Celaena Sardothien, heroine of the New York Times bestselling series, rises from the ashes to burn even brighter than before.

Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak-but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth…a truth about her heritage that could change her life-and her future-forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?

In this USA Today bestselling third book in the New York Times bestselling series, Sarah J. Maas again delivers the epic fantasy, heart-stopping pace, and heady romance that have won her readers the world over. Look for a teaser for the fourth book in the series, Queen of Shadows, out in this same season!

My Review: Caelena Sardothien has been sent to her homelands to kill the king and queen there. She finds herself unwilling to complete her orders. While she contemplates what to do, a fae by the name of Rowan, sworn to her aunt Maeve comes to retrieve her. Maeve wants to know what Caelena wants. Caelena asks about the Wyrdkeys. Maeve says she must serve her before she will answer. Rowan begins training her, showing no mercy for her weakness in her human form.

As Caelena begins to remember her former life as Aelin Galathynius, Princess of Terrasen. She remembers who the assassin was who killed her family. One sacrifice saved her. As she mourns the memories, enemies the King of Ardalan has sent to her homelands close in. They work to drain her but she finds forgiveness in her suffering and rises up against them.

Can she do the same with her Aunt? And old enemies who wish her dead? She finds unexpected allies.

The read was an absolute delight! I’ve already started the fourth book in the series, Queen of the Shadows. Three more to go!

blogs, Craft, MG & YA, Reading, writers, Writing and Poetry, YA

Book Talk 8/28/2020 Traci Kenworth

Posted on August 28, 2020August 23, 2020 by tracikenworth

Will have another review soon.

blogs, MG & YA, Reading, writers, Writing and Poetry, YA

Book Talk 8/14/2020 Traci Kenworth

Posted on August 14, 2020August 10, 2020 by tracikenworth

Nothing this week.

Bestselling in College Cleaning Essentials. Dark Circles Treatment. Bathroom Shelf Saver. Braun Wet & Dry Shaver for Men. Glamburg Six-piece Towel Set. Colgate Overnight Whitening Pen. Moen Aromatherapy Shower Capsule.

blogs, Craft, fantasy, MG & YA, Reading, writers, Writing and Poetry, YA

Writerly Things 8/10/2020 Traci Kenworth

Posted on August 10, 2020August 10, 2020 by tracikenworth

Writerly Things 8/10/2020: Do People Take Fantasy Writers Serious?

Traci Kenworth

There’s a saying that people don’t take fantasy writers seriously. Somehow, they think that all the creativity that goes into the writing makes it easy to write fantasy. After all, it’s all made up, right? So, it shouldn’t take a whole lot of talent to write? Just a whole lot of imagination.

Authors Shouldn’t Downgrade Other Author’s Work.

Just because you write literary, for example, doesn’t mean you trash your fellow author’s work. Every writer is called to a different pursuit. Some write genre and there’s nothing wrong with that. Frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I enjoy all types of books. There are others who do the same. It’s a part of our reading life.

Readers flock to all sorts of books. Why deny them the right to read what they want and enjoy? Just because fantasy is often set in other worlds and times doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its merits. Just think of the vast audience of fans GOT had/still has. Movies, books, each enjoys its own rewards. Fantasy has brought us some of the biggest fandoms: J.R. R. Tolkien, anyone? C.S. Lewis? Mary Stewart? Susan Cooper? Marion Zimmer Bradley? And so many, many more.

Just Because There are Funny Creatures.

That doesn’t mean the work isn’t intelligent. Didn’t Tolkien craft languages with his works? C.S. Lewis brought out sharp contrasts between good and evil. Mary Stewart wowed us with tales of Merlin, Arthur, and the Roundtable. Susan Cooper further the Arthur legend. Marion Zimmer Bradley was famed for the complex worlds she built.

Imaginary creatures come with their own Wikipedia page. Some are based on legends. Some history. Others are built after much thought and research. They are both a gift and a curse to their authors. After all, fandoms have a hard time moving on even years down the road. Look at Star Wars. Alien. The Terminator. Predator. Even Jaws.

Time.

When it comes to historical, present, or future, often we have to lay the groundwork for what may or may not be invented by that date. There’s an uncertainty and yet with that comes a great satisfaction for what we create. Maybe there was never spaceships in the time of the French Revolution but isn’t it exciting to see how the author pulls off this stretch?

What about Back to the Future? Its inventions have long been a perk of interest for moviegoers when certain dates arrive. We like anticipating new things. Just like we like to view fantasy elements in our reading or shows. I think it’s the little kid of us out there in the fields, playing with their friends, imagining that footprint, the echo of pterodactyls to drive them back to safety.

No, certainly fantasy writers like other writers should be taken seriously and not dismissed. Some of the stories written have gone on to define the ages. Dune. His Dark Materials. Harry Potter. The Bridge to Terabithia. Sandman. The Eyes of a Dragon. The Dark Tower. We could go on and on. Not bad for a genre that some authors don’t take seriously.

Bestselling in College Cleaning Essentials. Philips Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush. Men/Women Shower Sandals. Bic Soliel Disposable Razor Collection for Women. On the Go Men’s Duffel Grooming Bag. Bathroom Accessories Gift Set.