Thanks to all who commented and shared my posts about The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair, the fabulous new middle grade novel by Amy Makechnie that released this week.
The winner of the giveaway is Linda Moon. Linda, would you please email me at julia dot tomiak at gmail dot com so we can figure out the best way to get Guinevere to you?
Thanks everyone, and look for Amy’s book!
Husband celebrated a birthday this weekend, and per his request, I baked a Devil’s Food Cake for him. As we enjoyed the delicious chocolate cake, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, of course, my 11-year-old asked, “Why is it called ‘Devil’s Food’?”
Why indeed? The Word Nerd investigated the origin of the Devil’s Food cake, and here’s what I found:
No one really knows.
Some think it was named the opposite of “Angel Food Cake”, as it is opposite in flavor and texture. Some think it’s called Devil’s Food because it is full of sinful chocolate. Some suggest that the more indulgent a dessert sounds, the more we like it, so that’s why it’s got the Devil in its name. (See this Huffington Post article)
Devil’s Food Cake is a dark, dense cake that was originally mild, but people made it more “sinful” by adding more chocolate. It’s richer than regular chocolate cake. It usually has a reddish color caused by a chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and baking soda used in traditional recipes. (If you really want to be nerdy, you should know that cocoa in an acid environment looks brown, but cocoa in an alkaline environment has a mahogany color; Dutch cocoa is highly alkaline, and when used makes the cake look even more red.)
It’s similar to red velvet cake, except red velvet uses a white frosting, while Devil’s Food has a chocolate frosting. (I used chocolate fudge on husband’s).
According to Cooksinfo.com, Devil’s Food Cake originated in the southern United States. The first printed recipe appeared in 1902, in Sarah Tyson Rorer’s book, Mrs. Rorer’s New Cook Book. This original recipe used melted chocolate and baking powder, unlike the modern version, which calls for cocoa and baking soda.
I used this recipe, found via Pinterest, and the family loved the result: Issac’s Fabulous Devil’s Food Cake.
Do you have a chocolate cake recipe you love? Or, do you know anything about the origin of Devil’s Food Cake?
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
It’s finally summer, and you need something great to read. I have the perfect book: The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair, a fabulous novel about a curious young girl investigating the disappearance of her neighbor in the tiny town of Crow, Idaho.
My friend Amy Makechnie wrote this wonderful book, but I promise I wouldn’t gush unless I truly love it. And I do! It has fascinating characters and wonderful themes of loss and acceptance. See my full review of Guinevere St. Clair here. It’s a middle grade novel, meant for readers aged 8-12, but I think any teen or adult would enjoy it too.
To celebrate the release of The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair on June 12, 2018, I’m giving away a copy to someone who posts a comment. Just leave your thoughts by June 14, 2018, and I’ll announce the winner on June 15. Good luck!
I “met” Amy years ago when we were young bloggers trying to figure out the best way to format our posts and share them to social media. She, like me, is a mom of four who likes to run and write. We are accountability partners, checking in each Monday on our writing progress, and I am so grateful for her support. I also think she’s a fabulous writer. You can catch her thoughts on motherhood, reading, technology, and funny things her kids say at her blog, MaisyMak. Amy has stopped by Diary of a Word Nerd today to discuss her book with us. Welcome Amy!
WN: Vienna is the main character’s mother in Guinevere, and she suffers from memory loss and other issues. Can you explain Vienna’s health condition and why you chose to use it in your story?
Amy: The character of Vienna was inspired by a young mother I knew when I was growing up. She lost consciousness and her heart stopped, shutting off oxygen for a dangerously long time. She came out of a coma four months later, but she did not remember anything after the age of 13 – not even her husband or two small children. It rattled me, broke my heart, stayed with me. I knew I wanted to write about it, but because it was so sad, I made it more of a back story, rather than the central plot. As a side note: a couple of kids have read advance copies of this novel, and interestingly, the first thing they’ve asked me is: Does Vienna get better? It bothers all of us to think of being forgotten.
WN: Where did you get inspiration for all the distinct characters in your story?
Amy: Quirky, interesting people are EVERYWHERE. Sometimes I don’t think I have a very good imagination – I just take the writing mantra, “everything is copy” and go with it. Having said that, real people inspired all of my book characters, but then they took on a life of their own.
WN: Tell us about Willowdale Princess Deon Dawn
Amy: Willowdale is Guinevere’s pet cow. Willowdale Princess Deon Dawn isn’t something I had to make up either. She was the real name of my father’s cow in Bear Lake, Idaho, where he grew up on a farm. My dad says, “I never considered a cow a pet – it was a farm animal!” My dad thinks it’s hilarious Willowdale is in the book.
WN: I love the quote at the front of the book by Montaigne. How did you find that? Why did you choose it?
Amy: I can’t remember where I first read it – it was many many years ago. But as soon as I did, I knew it was perfect for Guinevere. Children play games that adults often think are silly and/or inconsequential, when in actuality, they are everything – shaping us into the people we will become. Guinevere is a very imaginative child, and the games she plays with her friends are anything but childish or insignificant.
Aren’t these great thoughts? Makes you want to read the book, doesn’t it? I can help. Leave your comment below to win a copy of The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair, and please spread the word about this wonderful piece of kid lit!
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
Summer is almost here, which means more time for reading! If you like kid lit with a bit of mystery and a plucky protagonist, then I’ve got a great suggestion for you. The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair, by Amy Makechnie, is To Kill a Mockingbird, middle school style, and an excellent read for your upcoming summer vacation.
Guinevere St. Clair has a knack for digging up information, which is good, since she is an aspiring lawyer. She also knows a lot about the human brain because, well, her mother’s brain doesn’t work so well anymore. Vienna, Gwyn’s mother, is mentally stuck at age 13, and she doesn’t remember that Gwyn is her daughter. Gwyn and her family have returned to Crow, Idaho, the small town of Vienna’s childhood, with hopes that familiar places will revive old connections between neurons and bring Vienna back to them.
Guinevere St. Clair is full of quirky, authentic characters. There’s Gaysie Cutter, huge in body and personality, who lives in a giant farmhouse painted the color of a clementine and who has a rep for burying things in her backyard and speaking her mind. And Gwyn’s Nana, who reminds Gwyn of “a perfectly tied bow… a woman who always buttoned her top button.” You can’t help but love Gwyn’s friend Micah, who likes to wear sparkly shoe laces and purple capes, and who, as a result, earns the unwanted attention of mean kids from school. And then there’s Jed, Gwyn’s father, who is devoted to his wife and determined to help her. Says Gwyn of her father, “He was not a quitter; he was a man who fixed things.”
Guinevere leads this entertaining cast, searching for clues of a farmer’s mysterious disappearance, as well as for any sign that her mother knows and loves her. I related to Gwyn immediately, as my mother suffered from a neurological disease, and I have spent much of my life gathering clues about what she was like when she was healthy. Gwyn evokes empathy with her candid and poignant descriptions of what it’s like to live with a mother who doesn’t remember her daughter. When speaking about her Nana, Gwyn says,
“I once overheard my father say that Vienna’s condition was the great tragedy of Nana’s life. But from where I sat, Nana should be happiest of all of us; she had at least had the best of Vienna.”
Wow.
And when Gwyn runs into people in the small town of Crow who ask about her mom, “Everyone was curious about Vienna, but few were comfortable talking about her.” As a current resident of a small town, I say this is spot on!
And this line brought tears to my eyes, I could relate to it so well:
“I held the handmade book tightly, suddenly feeling a great wave of homesickness for a person I hardly knew.”
I knew my mother much better than Gwyn knows hers, however, I understand the need to cling to physical representations of people we have lost in a desperate attempt to bring them closer.
Amy Makechnie explores several themes in The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair, including loss, being true to oneself, and acceptance. By the end of the book, Gwyn learns to accept her mother’s condition, but she isn’t without hope. And into all of this, the characters and the themes, Makechnie weaves a mystery, with suspense that kept me turning pages long after I should have turned off my bedside light.
Some of the pieces of the mystery didn’t play out well for me, but I loved the characters and the themes so much that I didn’t care.
If you enjoy middle grade books with lots of character and some mystery, you will enjoy The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair. I highly recommend it for lovers of kid lit! It will release in hardback June 12, 2018. You can read more about it at Goodreads and Amazon.
Word Nerd Note: The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair is the debut novel by Amy Makechnie, and although she is my friend and writing buddy, I wouldn’t recommend her book if I didn’t truly believe it was good.
And it’s great!
Can you share other kid lit titles that have plucky protagonists or a great mystery? Stay tuned to Diary of a Word Nerd. Soon I will feature an interview with Amy and a giveaway of Guinevere. I want to help readers get their hands on this wonderful novel.
Happy reading!
About 13 years ago, I pulled my Honda Odyssey up to the back door of a red brick school building. My oldest child hopped out of the van and walked toward the doorway, his back pack bouncing on his shoulders. I waited, maybe hoped, for one last look from him, a wave, a “bye Mom”. It never came. Without hesitation, he disappeared into the shadows of the kindergarten hall.
For a few seconds, this lack of acknowledgment stung. He’d already forgotten about me, the woman who had created him, carried him, nursed him. But then I realized I didn’t want him to look back and see the swell of emotions spilling onto my cheeks. And, more importantly, I understood that he didn’t look back because he was excited about the day ahead, and wondering if he’d get a spot in the reading bathtub his kindergarten teacher had parked in the corner of her classroom. And that’s exactly what he needed to be thinking about, not his overwhelmed mother, sniffing her way out of the elementary school parking lot.
Thirteen years later, I’m preparing to watch this same son take another important walk, across a stage to receive his high school diploma. It’s a tumultuous time for my heart, with excitement and joy and worry all competing for first place in the pageant of my emotions. I’ve succumbed to a few tearful moments, and there will be more, and the Word Nerd is struggling to find the right adjective to describe this swelling of pride and nostalgia that brings tears to my eyes. It’s not sadness. How can I be sad that my son is successfully launching off to a school that he desperately wants and needs to attend? Perhaps it’s trepidation about the future. I’ve never been good with change, or the unknown. Perhaps it’s because this is the child who rubs my back when he knows I’m tense.
The verb “to graduate” comes from the Latin gradus, meaning step or degree. One definition of graduate is “to pass from one stage of experience, proficiency, or prestige to a usually higher one.” (Merriam-Webster). Passing to a higher one. My son is going on to better experiences and higher proficiency. He is taking steps toward becoming an independent adult, one who is thoughtful and curious and able to help the world with his talents. The goal of parenthood is to launch, and my son is ready to fly. That’s what I must focus on and celebrate when the tears rise to my eyes, and I tremble at the thought of my boy moving hours away from home. He’s going on to something better.
I’ve received various snippets of advice from wiser mothers who have been through this dance already. One told me to start praying years ago, so that when the time came, I’d be ready. My prayer, often the words of Jeremiah 29:11, has, and will continue to, soothe my soul. One friend told me that things are different when your child goes off to college, but different doesn’t mean bad. I’ve internalized that mantra: different doesn’t mean bad. Another has watched her son thrive in a college setting, and although she misses him, her sadness is outweighed by gratitude for his happiness.
I’ve also learned from wiser friends that the mothering doesn’t stop just because we send them off to school. This is a lifelong job, and every stage has its joys and challenges. Babies are adorable, but require so much physical care. Toddlers are fun, but tantrums and sippy cups get old. Teenagers are thoughtful and hilarious, but they suck the emotional energy right out of you. I can’t wait to figure out what I will love and what I must endure about being the mother of a college student.
With this knowledge tucked inside my heart, and a tissue pack tucked inside my purse, I prepare myself for the ceremony tonight, as well as for the months ahead when I will help my child pack up his essentials and move to a place where he can pass to a new, and hopefully better, stage of experience.
And I hope he won’t look back.
Do you have any tips for surviving big life events like graduation? What’s a good word to describe the emotions?
Thanks for getting sentimental with me,
Please welcome my guest, Carol Cooney. She’s got some great advice on finding affordable books!
Hello to Followers of the Word Nerd!
Julia was kind and asked me to let you know some of the ways I save on buying books. I have a blog at www.cecooney.com where I review books.
Because I read a lot, I am always looking for ways to buy books at a reduced rate. I have gotten much better about going to the library. (My husband thanks me…) But sometimes when I come across a deal on a book, I take advantage of it.
I am not talking about the regular discounts on books that you can get from buying from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Usually the books I find are $5 or less.
There is one important thing to note about most of my discount book ideas. Most of the deals that I find are for eBooks. Also, if you are searching for a particular book, you may not be satisfied with the discount book sites. If you are a true bargain shopper and are patient, you will eventually find the book that you desire. I use these sites more to see what is available than look for a certain book.
There are several sources for discount books. There are stores and on-line locations. First, let’s look at the stores.
Public Library Book Sales – Most public libraries will accept donations and then hold sales to make money. I know that my local library has books for sale in the lobby all the time and they also will hold larger sale days.
Second Hand Book Stores – It seems to me that there are more used book stores than there used to be. One of the big chain stores for this is Half Price Books. Most of these stores will also let you sell your old books. Don’t expect to get much money for your books.
Garage/Thrift Sales – Always lots of books to be found. Goodwill stores or other charity gift stores always have a selection of books. The Goodwill store that I have been to sells hardbacks for $1.99.
Amazon – Amazon has expanded its discount book sections over the years. There are two sections- one for physical books and one for eBooks.
If you go to the site and look under the “Books” department, there is section under “Popular in Books” for Bargain books.
If you are interested in eBooks, in the Kindle eBook department, under the “Popular in Kindle” heading, there is ‘Kindle Book Deals”. When you are on the Kindle Book Deals” page, there is a list of the different kinds of deals. Under that listing, you can sign up to receive daily email notices of eBooks that are on sale.
Note: You can read Kindle books using a free Kindle reading app on any device.
Note: If you own a Kindle and are an Amazon Prime member, you will get an email at the beginning of every month. The email will have a list of 4 or 5 books and you can pick one book from the list and receive that book free. I know it sounds crazy but I bought one of the lower tech Kindles because I could then get the free books. Over time, you save money.
Barnes and Noble – They also have a discount section on their site. For physical books, if you look at the list of choices across the top of the site, you will see “Sale” in red. Click on that, and it will take you to their selection of sale items. Books have a section under the sale items. (The stores also have a discount section.)
If you are interested in Barnes and Nobel eBooks (for the Nook), if you go to the Nook Books section, they have a Special Values section on the site.
Booksamillion – This is an online and a “brick and mortar” bookseller. There are locations throughout the US. They have an online discount section and a discount section in the stores.
Alibris – This site sells used books. The advantage is that you can look for a particular book on this site. So, when I am not having much luck finding my book club selection for the month, I can go there and usually find it. This site is an aggregator. You are not buying from Albris, you are buying from some location that has the book for sale. When you put in the title you are looking for, you are given a list of the sellers that have the book for sale, the price, the condition of the book, and the seller’s rating. You will pay $3.99 to ship each book you buy. If you sign up to be on their email list, you will frequently get discount coupons. (I have never bought enough books from them to be able to use a coupon.)
There are a number of email subscriptions that you can sign up for and receive daily emails of sale books. These specials are usually one day specials so you need to pick them up when you see them. I think sometimes they may last longer than a day but not always.
Also, depending on the book, it may be available from several eBook sellers. You may be able to find it on Kindle, Nook, or Kobo depending upon the book.
Rebecca@Riffle – If you join Riffle, you will receive a daily email with eBook specials. Riffle is a site like GoodReads that lets you keep track of books you have read. There are also articles about books. I get the emails but do not regularly go to the site. (Okay, it looks like I never go there – according to the site, I have read 2 books.)
BookBub – This site sends out a daily email with different book specials. They only list eBook specials.
eBook Soda – Sign up at this site and you will receive an email with book specials (“tailored to your taste”) daily. I think I must have fallen off this list as I have not seen an email from them in ages.
The Fussy Librarian – I just heard about this site and I signed up. This site also emails you reduced price books based on your interest and content preferences. I have yet to buy a book that they suggest but you never know. They also have a daily email with free books. You can sign up for both on the site.
NOTE: With these daily emails, you will see LOTS of books that you are not interested in buying. BUT then sometimes you will find the jewel in with the colored stones. Be prepared to wade through many emails before you see a book you might like to buy.
There are a couple of sites that will send you recommendations based on your preferences.
Off The Shelf – This site was created by readers to give recommendations to each other. You can join and get weekly or daily book suggestions.
New in Books – This site sends out an email every Tuesday to alert you to new books coming out that day in genres that interest you. There are also articles with book recommendations.
Have fun bargain hunting!
Thanks to Julia for letting me invade her site and share these resources with you.
Carol