Get to Know Your Character's Sinister Side A truly memorable antagonist is not a one-dimensional super villain bent on world domination for no particular reason. Realistic, credible bad guys create essential story complications, personalize conflict, add immediacy to a story line, and force the protagonist to evolve. From mischief-makers to villains to arch nemeses, Bullies, Bastards & Bitches shows you how to create nuanced bad guys who are indispensable to the stories in which they appear. Through detailed instruction and examples from contemporary bestsellers and classic page-turners, author Jessica Page Morrell also shows you how to: • Understand the subtle but key differences between unlikeable protagonists, anti-heroes, dark heroes, and bad boys • Supply even your darkest sociopath with a sympathetic attribute that will engage readers • Set the stage for an unforgettable standoff between your hero and your villain • Choose the right type of female villain—femme fatale, mommy dearest, avenger, etc.—for your story Bullies, Bastards & Bitches is your all-encompassing bad-guy compendium to tapping into any character's dark side.
Effective storytelling stems from many elements, the most crucial of which are unseen or blended in so unobtrusively that they are difficult to spot and analyze. Still, they are necessary to the wholeness and coherence of a story–to create a work that lingers and resonates in the reader's imagination.In Between the Lines, author and writing instructor Jessica Page Morrell shows you how to craft a unified and layered novel or short story by mastering subtle storytelling techniques, such as: • Using emotional bombshells, surprises, and interruptions to intensify cliffhangers • Enlarging your story world through the use of layered subplots • Building suspense one scene at a time to maximize the emotional payoff • Anchoring your premise to your protagonist's character arc • Transitioning into and out of flashbacks without interrupting the mood of your story Detailed instruction combined with examples from well-known authors turn seemingly complex topics like subtext, revelations, misdirection, and balance into comprehensible techniques that will elevate your writing to the next level.
The writing life is solitary and challenging, and it takes far more than creativity to become a commercial success. The Writer's I Ching uses the ancient Chinese divination system to provide writers with help mastering the business of writing and choosing the most propitious times to take action. Because writing educators created the book, it also teaches the storyteller and non-fiction craft with lessons suitable for both beginners and seasoned professionals. This unique presentation of the I Ching features a complete deck of 64 cards bound into the book itself. The writer poses a question about how to proceed on a specific fiction or non-fiction project, negotiation, or business matter. He draws an I Ching card and turns to the proper page for the interpretation of that card. Many cases of writer's block have been cured and flashes of insight gained through this simple technique. The I Ching dates back to before Christ and counts among its devotees Confucius, Albert Einstein, and Bob Dylan.
A fun, practical guide that reveals the essentials of good fiction and memoir writing by exposing the most common mistakes literary writers make. All great works of fiction and memoir are unique-but most bad novels, stories, and memoirs have a lot in common. From clunky dialogue to poorly sketchedout characters, sagging pacing to exaggerated prose, these beginners' mistakes drive any agent or editor to their stock rejection letter, telling the aspiring writer "Thanks, but this isn't for us," and leaving many to wonder what exactly it is that they're doing wrong. Veteran writing coach, developmental editor, and writing instructor Jessica Page Morrell will fill in the gaps in every rejection letter you've ever received. In Thanks, But This Isn't for Us, Morrell uses her years of experience to isolate the specific errors beginners make, including the pitfalls of unrealistic dialogue, failing to "show, not tell," and over-the-top plot twists. These are just a few of the problems that keep writers from breaking through with their work. Sympathetic and humane, but pulling no punches, Thanks, But This Isn't for Us shows writers precisely where they've gone wrong and how to get on the right track. In sixteen to-the-point chapters, with checklists, exercises, takeaway tips, and a glossary, Morrell helps readers transcend these mistakes so that they don't have to learn the hard way: with another rejection letter.
A candid, guided exploration of homelessness--poignant and powerful. The book aspires beyond mere literary voyeurism. Taken from over 500 interviews with those experiencing homelessness, Voices from the Street is an exploration of their narratives with photographs and family maps.
This book is a powerful tool for journal writing and creative expression. Within each of us lies a swirling storm of creativity and a restless sea of emotion. "Writing Out The Storm" channels these expressions into coherent forms giving clearer meaning to our purpose. Once we make inner contact through writing, we find a vast source of undiscovered ideas, internal wisdom, and writing ability.
This book invites readers to consider ways in which their language and literacy teaching practices can better value and build upon the brilliance of every child. In doing so, it highlights the ways in which teachers and students build on diversities as strengths to create more inclusive and responsive classrooms. After inviting readers to consider and better understand the diverse language and literacy practices of diverse chidlren, it offers invitations for teachers to make these practices foundational in their own classrooms and to consider meaningful possibilities for learning authentically with young children in primary grades. It features chapters that focus on oral language, reading, and writing development, all while recognizing that these are not separate. In each of these chapters, readers are invited to consider diverse possibilities, perspectives, and points of view in practice within primary grades classrooms. Throughout, it offers ways to foster classroom learning communities where racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse chidlren are supported and valued.
One of the most important ways to scaffold a successful transition from high school to college is to teach real-world, gate-opening writing genres, such as college admission essays. This book describes a writing workshop for ethnically and linguistically diverse high school students, where students receive instruction on specific genre features of the college admission essay. The authors present both the theoretical grounding and the concrete strategies teachers crave, including an outline of specific workshop lessons, teaching calendars, and curricular suggestions. This text encourages secondary teachers to think of writing as a vital tool for all students to succeed academically and professionally. Appropriate for courses and teacher professional development, this accessible book: Reconceptualizes the ways in which writing can best serve marginalized students.Examines research-based curricular and teaching approaches for the secondary school classroom.Provides a writing workshop framework for creating a college admissions essay complete with lesson-planning materials, activities, handouts, bibliographic resources, and more.Includes student perspectives and work samples, offering insight into the lives and struggles of diverse adolescents. “In this important book, Jessica Early and Meredith DeCosta describe a readily replicable set of activities that provides motivated, meaningful opportunities for writing development and helps potential first-generation higher education students gain university admission.” —From the Foreword by Charles Bazerman, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, University of California Santa Barbara “This is a book about opening doors, about demystifying writing tasks that can keep many students on the outside. The authors take on a major writing challenge—the college application essay—and through careful instruction help students use their real life stories to master it. It is teaching at its best, and democracy at its best.” —Thomas Newkirk, University of New Hampshire “This groundbreaking book has the best qualities of an exemplary research study while also providing us with a handbook of practical wisdom and engaging lessons for teaching writing to a diverse population of secondary students. It is certain to inspire and instruct all English teachers and composition researchers who care about helping traditionally marginalized and underprepared students discover and demonstrate that they are qualified to enter college.” —Sheridan Blau, Teachers College, Columbia University
Love Inspired brings you four new titles for one great price, available now! Enjoy these uplifting contemporary romances of faith, forgiveness and hope. Look for the bundle 1 of 2 and enjoy more inspirational stories from Love Inspired! DADDY WANTED Renee Andrews When Claremont's wild child Savvy Bowers returns home to care for her friend's orphaned children, she finds a home in the town she once rejected—and the man who once betrayed her. THE FIREMAN'S SECRET Goose Harbor Jessica Keller Fireman Joel Palermo has put his rebellious youth behind him. But when his return to Goose Harbor reveals his mistakes left Shelby Beck scarred forever, can he ever gain her forgiveness and her love? FALLING FOR TEXAS Jill Lynn When teacher Olivia Grayson teams up with rancher Cash Maddox to keep his teenage sister on the right track, their promise to stay just friends is put to the ultimate test. THE ENGAGEMENT BARGAIN Prairie Courtships Sherri Shackelford Caleb McCoy can't deny the entrancing Anna Bishop the protection she requires. A pretend betrothal seems like the best option to hide her identity. Until they both wonder whether it could be a permanent solution…
‘Take this woman into custody,’ thunders the Reverend. ‘Arrest her. She has viciously attacked me, and in that bundle is wrapped a dead child!’ It is 1860: four lives intertwine. Chrissy Hogarth is arrested in St Dunstan's church while a blizzard blows outside. Lokim – a gentle herdsman – is attacked by a lion in the heat of central Africa. James Stewart – a medical student – tutors the children of the great David Livingstone, while in Dundee Mina Stephen – the daughter of a rich shipbuilder – nurses a growing social conscience. Before they meet, Chrissy must remember a traumatic event and Lokim will suffer the privations of a terrible journey. James must face the realities of life and death on the Zambezi and Mina will learn that a dark secret is concealed within her privileged family home. Based around events described in contemporary letters, journals and a 1908 biography, Dappled Lightcaptures the idealism of Stewart whose reputation was damaged by rumours of a relationship with Mary Livingstone, but who went on to dedicate his many talents to the ending of slavery, the advancement of education and the promotion of racial equality.
Studying Fiction provides a clear rationale alongside ideas and methods for teaching literature in schools from a cognitive linguistic perspective. Written by experienced linguists, teachers and researchers, it offers an overview of recent studies on reading and the mind, providing a detailed guide to concepts such as attention, knowledge, empathy, immersion, authorial intention, characterisation and social justice. The book synthesises research from cognitive linguistics in an applied way so that teachers and those researching English in education can consider ways to approach literary reading in the classroom. Each chapter: draws on the latest research in cognitive stylistics and cognitive poetics; discusses a range of ideas related to the whole experience of conceptualising teaching fiction in the classroom and enacting it through practice; provides activities and reflection exercises for the practitioner; encourages engagement with important issues such as social justice, emotion and curriculum design. Together with detailed suggestions for further reading and a guide to available resources, this is an essential guide for all secondary English teachers as well as those teaching and researching in primary and undergraduate phases.
Welcome home…back to the place where everything is worth fighting for. Available for the first time in a box set, the first two books in the acclaimed Coming Home series from USA Today bestselling author Jessica Scott. Because of You Welcome Home - these are the words every soldier longs to hear after an endless deployment. But for Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison, there’s no one waiting when he arrives back at Fort Hood, unconscious and barely hanging on. The IED that nearly took his life took something more important - something he’s afraid he’ll never get back. Back to You Dying has a way of changing a man. Ever since the day Army captain Trent Davila lost his life, he’s been fighting the demons that haunt him from that terrible day. Time and again, he’s left his wife and their two children behind as he’s volunteered to put himself in harm’s way until his wife had enough. As the fight for his career and reputation threatens to destroy them both, their marriage will be tested like never before.
Moving beyond the expectations and processes of conventional teacher evaluation, this book provides a framework for teacher evaluation that better prepares educators to serve culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners. Covering theory, research, and practice, María del Carmen Salazar and Jessica Lerner showcase a model to aid prospective and practicing teachers who are concerned with issues of equity, excellence, and evaluation. Introducing a comprehensive, five-tenet model, the book demonstrates how to place the needs of CLD learners at the center and offers concrete approaches to assess and promote cultural responsiveness, thereby providing critical insight into the role of teacher evaluation in confronting inequity. This book is intended to serve as a resource for those who are committed to the reconceptualization of teacher evaluation in order to better support CLD learners and their communities, while promoting cultural competence and critical consciousness for all learners.
Because of You is a beautifully crafted, wonderfully emotional debut.”~ JoAnn Ross New York Times bestselling author Welcome Home - these are the words every soldier longs to hear after an endless deployment. But for Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison, there’s no one waiting when he arrives back at Fort Hood, unconscious and barely hanging on. The IED that nearly took his life took something more important - something he’s afraid he’ll never get back. Working as nurse at Fort Hood’s busy hospital, Jen St. James has seen her share of wounded warriors pass through her hallways. But there’s something about Shane that draws her close, even when she knows her own brush with death has left her scarred. As Shane struggles to recover, Jen is the only one who can see what’s happening to him. As the wounds of war drag him further away from healing and everyone around him who matters, Jen is there, pushing him, demanding that he continue to fight to get back to the only thing he believes he’s good at. Along the way, Shane learns the hard truth about life without the uniform and discovers that maybe, there’s someone for him to come home to after all. ★★Includes the bonus short story ANYTHING FOR YOU★★ “Jessica Scott is an exciting new voice in romantic fiction who bursts upon the scene with an unputdownable debut novel!"—New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr “Edgy and current—and a truly satisfying love story. Put this book, Jessica Scott's, Because of You, on your “must read” list.”—New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann “Jessica Scott writes with a soldier's heart. Because Of You is touching, authentic and a fantastic read.”—New York Times bestselling author Cindy Gerard “Crackling with realism, sizzling with sexual tension, and pulsing with emotion, Jessica Scott has penned an unforgettable military romance that delivers heartache and hope on every page.”—New York Times bestselling author Roxanne St. Claire “An amazing debut novel. Jessica Scott writes military romance with an authenticity and emotional depth that's impossible to beat.”—New York Times bestselling author Pamela Clare “Because of You is a powerful debut - emotional, heartbreaking and uplifting all at once, it's a romance not to be missed!”—Stephanie Tyler, bestselling author of The I-Team Series “Authentic, emotional, and edgy, Jessica Scott’s sweeping military romance is a vivid snapshot of love, war, grief and–above all–hope.”—Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of If I Should Die “Jessica Scott has written a beautiful love story filled with heart, tender emotion, unflinching honesty and gritty realism. Because of You is a military romance you will never forget!”—New York Times bestselling author Christy Reece “Jessica Scott writes an intense story, packed with realism and emotion. BECAUSE OF YOU will tug at your heartstrings.”—New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin “In Because of You, Jessica Scott presents a realistic and emotionally gripping tale of life in and around the military. A wonderful debut, and I can't wait to read the next in this compelling series.”—USA Today bestselling author Julie Kenner “Watch out Navy SEALS, there's a new hero in town and he's wearing Army gray! Because of You is a beautifully crafted, wonderfully emotional debut.”—New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross “Because of You is a tough and tender romance that proves the one thing worth fighting for will always be true love. Jessica Scott is a vibrant new voice in contemporary romance!”—Teresa Medieros, New York Times bestselling author of GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART “Because of You is powerful, timely and wonderfully executed. Jessica Scott should be on every reader's list.”—New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Brenda Novak “Because of You is emotionally heart-wrenching and makes you smile as the characters triumph.”—Mandi Schreiner, USA Today's Happy Ever After blog
Effective storytelling stems from many elements, the most crucial of which are unseen or blended in so unobtrusively that they are difficult to spot and analyze. Still, they are necessary to the wholeness and coherence of a story–to create a work that lingers and resonates in the reader's imagination.In Between the Lines, author and writing instructor Jessica Page Morrell shows you how to craft a unified and layered novel or short story by mastering subtle storytelling techniques, such as: • Using emotional bombshells, surprises, and interruptions to intensify cliffhangers • Enlarging your story world through the use of layered subplots • Building suspense one scene at a time to maximize the emotional payoff • Anchoring your premise to your protagonist's character arc • Transitioning into and out of flashbacks without interrupting the mood of your story Detailed instruction combined with examples from well-known authors turn seemingly complex topics like subtext, revelations, misdirection, and balance into comprehensible techniques that will elevate your writing to the next level.
The writing life is solitary and challenging, and it takes far more than creativity to become a commercial success. The Writer's I Ching uses the ancient Chinese divination system to provide writers with help mastering the business of writing and choosing the most propitious times to take action. Because writing educators created the book, it also teaches the storyteller and non-fiction craft with lessons suitable for both beginners and seasoned professionals. This unique presentation of the I Ching features a complete deck of 64 cards bound into the book itself. The writer poses a question about how to proceed on a specific fiction or non-fiction project, negotiation, or business matter. He draws an I Ching card and turns to the proper page for the interpretation of that card. Many cases of writer's block have been cured and flashes of insight gained through this simple technique. The I Ching dates back to before Christ and counts among its devotees Confucius, Albert Einstein, and Bob Dylan.
James Patterson's BookShots. Short, fast-paced, high-impact entertainment. The Most Eligible Bachelor on Capitol Hill has met his match. Abbie Whitmore is good at her job. She knows how to protect people, and she's always right - until Congressman Jonathan Lassiter comes along. The presidential hopeful refuses to believe that his politics have put him in danger, yet Abbie's determined to keep him safe. But how can she protect him while she's guarding her heart?
Donut Mystery #23, Raspberry Revenge, From New York Times Bestselling Author, Jessica Beck When Mayor George Morris's chief rival, Harley Boggess, is found murdered while sitting behind the mayor's desk in city hall, it looks as though George may have dispatched his competition permanently. When the mayor goes missing immediately afterwards, things appear to be even worse, and it's up to Suzanne, her mother, and Grace to work together to uncover who really killed the councilman before the mayor's future--and his freedom--are extinguished forever. For more information, go to jessicabeckmysteries.net
A fun, practical guide that reveals the essentials of good fiction and memoir writing by exposing the most common mistakes literary writers make. All great works of fiction and memoir are unique-but most bad novels, stories, and memoirs have a lot in common. From clunky dialogue to poorly sketchedout characters, sagging pacing to exaggerated prose, these beginners' mistakes drive any agent or editor to their stock rejection letter, telling the aspiring writer "Thanks, but this isn't for us," and leaving many to wonder what exactly it is that they're doing wrong. Veteran writing coach, developmental editor, and writing instructor Jessica Page Morrell will fill in the gaps in every rejection letter you've ever received. In Thanks, But This Isn't for Us, Morrell uses her years of experience to isolate the specific errors beginners make, including the pitfalls of unrealistic dialogue, failing to "show, not tell," and over-the-top plot twists. These are just a few of the problems that keep writers from breaking through with their work. Sympathetic and humane, but pulling no punches, Thanks, But This Isn't for Us shows writers precisely where they've gone wrong and how to get on the right track. In sixteen to-the-point chapters, with checklists, exercises, takeaway tips, and a glossary, Morrell helps readers transcend these mistakes so that they don't have to learn the hard way: with another rejection letter.
This timely book explores what is often overlooked in policy debates about the education of English language learners: how the day-to-day dynamics of the classroom are affected by high-stakes testing and the pressures students and teachers experience and internalize as a result. The author presents and analyzes classroom observations, student work, and test scores, as well as interviews with students and teachers. A disturbing picture of today’s overtested public school classroom emerges from the events and practices described in this book. While hard to believe, all the depictions presented took place in a real elementary school classroom and reflect the current culture of extreme accountability. Overtestednot only describes the flaws in our current accountability system, but it also provides real-world solutions that can have an immediate and positive effect at the classroom, state, and national level. Chapters address key debates such as how to measure proficiency, the validity of various language assessment tools, the overuse of assessment, and the risks and benefits of teaching language arts to English language learners via mandated, structured curricula. Jessica Zacher Pandyais an Associate Professor in the Departments of Teacher Education and Liberal Studies at California State University, Long Beach. “This book tells an important tale that cannot be conveyed by numbers and tables.... It is important information for teachers; for those who depend on, employ, and train teachers; and for those who create the policies under which teachers are required to operate.” —From the Foreword byRobert Rueda, University of Southern California, author ofThe 3 Dimensions of Improving Student Performance: Finding the Right Solutions to the Right Problems “How many more dire tales of ‘schooling for assessment’ must be told before we realize that teaching and testing are not the same and that scores on standardized, multiple choice achievement tests are a sorry substitute for an engaging learning environment? In this book, Jessica Zacher Pandya reaches across ideological and institutional borders to offer reasonable, pragmatic solutions for change.” —Linda Valli, Jeffrey & David Mullan Professor of Teacher Education & Professional Development, College of Education, University of Maryland “Zacher Pandya’s invaluable book exposes the injustices and absurdities of our high-stakes accountability era. Just as importantly, it limns a more academically robust and culturally relevant instructional vision for English language learners.” —Gerald Campano, University of Pennsylvania
“A step-by-step guide for writers struggling to create fiction from their life . . . delivers on its promise with such honesty, simplicity, and beauty.”—William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author According to common wisdom, we all have a book inside of us. But how do we select and then write our most significant story—the one that helps us to evolve and invites pure creativity into our lives? In Rewrite Your Life, creative writing professor, sociologist, and popular fiction author Jess Lourey guides you through the redemptive process of writing a healing novel that recycles and transforms your most precious resources—your own emotions and experiences. This fact-to-fiction process provides not only the essential building blocks of bestselling novels but is also personally transformative. Based on the process the author developed and field-tested in the wake of her husband’s suicide, Rewrite Your Life is devoted to the practice of discovering, healing, and evolving through fiction writing. It combines research, practical and engaging guidance, and personal experience to meet readers where they are and take their creativity and personal growth to the next level. Tender, raw, and laugh-out-loud funny, Rewrite Your Life offers both a map and a compass for those seeking to harvest their life experiences to heal, lead a more authentic life, and craft a rich, powerful work of fiction. “My favorite kind of self-help book: irreverent, personal, and superbly useful.”—Jen Mann, New York Times bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat “A lively exploration of writing’s therapeutic value and an encouraging invitation to apply it to your life.”—Kendra Levin, author of The Hero Is You
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