Lucky Ducks and Princesses

Thought for the day:  Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.  [Earl Wilson]

Man, I'm really a lucky duck. Nope, not talking about my manuscript finally being in the hands of a publishing company. (Heck, I realize that could just as well lead to a suck-y outcome as a lucky one.) Haven't successfully drawn to any inside straights lately, either. Or won the lottery.

But WOW! The blogosphere sure has been good to me. You know, those little "contests" bloggers hold from time to time? I've lucked out on a bunch of 'em.

Started out on the lovely Delores' blog. All it took was writing a silly limerick to win several bags of candy. (Really GOOD candy.) I'd show it to you, but I, um, ate it.

On the talented Marcy's blog, I won a hand-made bookmark, and a free critique of one of my book chapters. Cool, huh? Didn't even have to DO anything for them, other than to show up and leave a comment. Ditto a win on super author Jennifer Shirk's blog, where I won a copy of Carolyn Brown's newest release, One Hot Cowboy Wedding. Won another book, too, but shame on me, I can't even remember which blog that one came from. It's a YA novel, entitled Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr.

See that spiffy towel hanging on the side of our fridge? Won that on the artsy-craftsy, oh-so-sweet Mare's blog by identifying a bunch of pictures. (Well, actually, another luck of the draw. Really easy pics to ID.) 

Isn't it pretty? She even made it to match our kitchen.




Linda Grimes is one of my favorite bloggers. She signed up as a follower right after I showed up on the scene. Didn't know me from Adam, (or Eve) but she immediately welcomed me to blogging, and has been a regular visitor and commenter ever since. She's also an awesome writer with a kick-butt sense of humor. Her first book will be released in a couple months. (YAY!) I'm really looking forward to getting her ARC in the mail so I can get a sneak preview. (YAY, again!) Every Friday, Linda also does a post for The Debutante Ball and since I'm such a fan of Linda's, I always follow her over there. Well, just because I filed a comment on that blog, I earned lucky duck status once again by winning a copy of another deb's book, which was just released last month.

And THAT'S what I want to tell you about. THAT book. That AMAZING book...

Molly Backes sent me a (hardback!) (signed!) copy of her book, which kinda impressed me from the get-go. But to tell the truth, I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to relate to her characters or to her story. I mean, high school students? C'mon, it's been a looooooong time since I was in high school. Besides, I sure wasn't a princess in high school. Far from it. I was a nerd. A goody-two-shoes. No smoking or drinking. No wild parties. No sex or drugs. Heck, I didn't even cuss. How could I possibly relate to a tale about a group of students who do all those things?

Boy, was I wrong.

You can close your eyes to the things you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel.  [author unknown]

And this book definitely makes you FEEL.


Molly does a phenomenal job of drawing readers into the angst-filled, insecure world of teenagers. Every word, every cringe-worthy worry and bout of silliness explode with a purity of truth. Out-of-control parental pressures... the terrible consequences of underage drinking (and driving)... racism... homophobic prejudices and injustices... and the age-old story of teenagers trying to find themselves and their true paths. Molly covers all of this and more, and in a masterful, sensitive way. It's no surprise that this lovely lady teaches teens. She obviously understands them, and is tuned into the troubling issues that unite them, and the different cliques that separate them.

Not since The Catcher in the Rye have I read a book that does such an outstanding job of baring the souls of teenagers. This is NOT just a book for teenagers. I'll certainly recommend it to my grandchildren, but this book, my friends, is for ALL ages.

I definitely rate this book FIVE STARS.

(Or... maybe FOUR LUCKY LEGS up?)

                                                                   Ducks are lucky,

                                                                   Don't you think?

                                                                   When they want to

                                                                   Take a drink,

                                                                   All they do is 

                                                                   Duck their bill.

                                                                  (Doesn't matter

                                                                   If they spill.)

                                                                   When they want to

                                                                   Take a swim,

                                                                  All they do is

                                                                   Dive right in;

                                                                  And they never

                                                                  Seem to sink.

                                                                  Ducks are lucky,

                                                                  Don't you think?

    

                                                             [ Mary Ann Huberman]

Behold the duck

It does not cluck.

A cluck it lacks.

It quacks.

It is specially fond

of a puddle or pond. 

When it dines or sups,

It bottoms up.[Ogden Nash]



Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other. Bottoms up! Hmmm, maybe this lucky duck oughta  go buy a lottery ticket...