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A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers: A Review by Veronica Jorge

February 22, 2024 by in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as , , ,

A BIRD WILL SOAR

ALISON GREEN MYERS

Schneider Family Book Award

Dutton Children’s Books,  2021   

ISBN 978-0-593-32567-4

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Once in a while you come across a book, that after reading it, makes you pause and think, even marvel because you’ve encountered life from an entirely new perspective.

Alison Green Myers’, debut novel, A Bird Will Soar, is such a book. And a recipient of the prestigious Schneider Family Book Award given by the American Library Association for excellence in the portrayal of the disability experience in literature for youth.

Axel, an autistic boy, feels most at home in nature. It is his peaceful place to think and make sense of his parents, and the garden of people in his life that grow up around him and become family. Axel also discovers that he can learn about people by bird watching. His favorite is the eagle. When family calls, the eagle focuses on the nest and never abandons it. So, he wonders why his father left. The eagle also knows just how high it can fly. Something Axel wishes his mother would let him discover about himself: to trust him and give him room to navigate using his own intuition and instincts.

When a tornado hits, Axel’s predictable world is turned upside down. His home is damaged and uninhabitable, locking him out of the safe space of his own room. Fallen trees have made his beloved woods unsafe to visit. The eagle’s nest with its young that he has been observing has been blown out of the tree by the fierce winds. And his estranged father has returned home. All of Axel’s knowledge and hopes are put to the test. 

Can he care about his father as much as he does about the eagle? “To feel something so strongly for another living thing.” (page 93). Will his gut instincts lead him to make the right choices and decisions? Will he finally learn just how high he can fly?

A Bird Will Soar is insightful and captivating. Alison Green Myers masterfully takes us into Axel’s mind revealing this unique character’s thoughts, feelings, and coping mechanisms. The book is also a beautiful exploration of the symbiotic and beneficial relationship between humans and nature.

If you read and were intrigued and entertained by the novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, you will be enthralled and elevated by, A Bird Will Soar.

Buy the book and start soaring!

Veronica Jorge

See you next time on March 22nd!

Books Reviewed by Veronica Jorge

BLACK FOOD: STORIES, ART & RECIPES FROM ACROSS THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

INCIDENT AT SAN MIGUEL

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INCIDENT AT SAN MIGUEL

REFUGEE

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REFUGEE

THE WITCH WHISPERER

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THE WITCH WHISPERER
UPROOTED: THE JAPANESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE DURING WORLD WAR II

THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN

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THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN

DISTANT RELATIONS

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DISTANT RELATIONS

FIVE BELLES TOO MANY

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FIVE BELLES TOO MANY

THE ONLY ROAD

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THE ONLY ROAD

THE LAST GOODNIGHT

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THE LAST GOODNIGHT

MIGUEL’S BRAVE KNIGHT

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MIGUEL’S BRAVE KNIGHT

FOUR CUTS TOO MANY

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FORGIVING MARIELA CAMACHO

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FORGIVING MARIELA CAMACHO

FORGIVING STEPHEN REDMOND

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FORGIVING MAXIMO ROTHMAN

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MY FRIEND JACKSON

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MY FRIEND JACKSON

THREE TREATS TOO MANY

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SERIOUSLY, MOM, YOU DIDN’T KNOW?

SECRET RELATIONS

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SECRET RELATIONS

TWO BITES TOO MANY

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#PLEASE SAY YES (#HermosafortheHolidays Book 1)

FOREIGN RELATIONS

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ONE TASTE TOO MANY

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THE ALLIANCE

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THE ALLIANCE

A DRAKENFALL CHRISTMAS

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THE RELUCTANT GROOM AND OTHER HISTORICAL STORIES
THE DAY BAILEY DEVLIN PICKED UP A PENNY

THE SCRIBE OF SIENA

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THE SCRIBE OF SIENA
THE DAY BAILEY DEVLIN’S HOROSCOPE CAME TRUE

SEVERED RELATIONS

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WHEN PLANS GO AWRY

A BIRD WILL SOAR

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A BIRD WILL SOAR

NEMESIS AND THE SWAN

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FLORES AND MISS PAULA

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I AM FLAWSOME

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LA NOCHE BEFORE THREE KINGS DAY

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A SKY FULL OF SONG

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Belated Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 16, 2024 by in category It's Worth It by Kitty Bucholtz tagged as , , ,

Belated Happy Valentine’s Day! Or…not. It’s not for everyone, apparently only for those in love. And that leaves out a lot of people. But maybe today we can look at it as just a celebration of love. Familial love, brotherly love, these are as important as—arguably more important than—romantic love.

So, what can we do today to be more loving?

You might be thinking, well, all those people fighting can just stop. That would be a great step. (That’s what I’m thinking!) But unless you’re one of “those people,” that isn’t something you can participate in. So, what can you do today to add more love to the world?

Here are some of my ideas based on my own life circumstances:

  • Text or email each of my siblings to tell them I love them.
  • Text each of my nephews and niece to tell them I love them.
  • Send a handwritten note to a couple of my closest friends.
  • Say thank you to the person who cleans our apartment building lobby.
  • Send a short email to my readers, not saying Happy Valentine’s Day but “Thanks for being part of my life.”
  • Rub my husband’s shoulders instead of asking him to rub mine.
  • Smile and tell the grocery store clerk to have a great day!

Funny, the first two were easy, then I had to sit here and think about what *I* can do today or this week. But once I got past the third or fourth bullet point, the ideas started flowing!

I hope you’re thinking of some things you’ll do. No matter how small it is, it will make a difference, so do it! At the very least, it will make you feel even a little bit happier to bring a little happiness to someone else.

And that’s worth it.

Have a wonderful day!

P.S. If you’d like to read a short Valentine’s Day story with superheroes on a date, a villain, and a happy ending, try My Bullheaded Superhero Valentine, a side novella in my Adventures of Lewis and Clarke superhero series. I hope it makes you smile!

My Bullheaded Superhero Valentine | Kitty Bucholtz | A Slice of Orange
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More of Kitty’s Novels

ROMANCING THE PAGES

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ROMANCING THE PAGES
ADVENTURES OF LEWIS AND CLARK BOXED SET

WELCOME TO LOON LAKE

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LOVE AT THE FLUFF AND FOLD

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LOVE AT THE FLUFF AND FOLD

LITTLE MISS LOVESICK

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LITTLE MISS LOVESICK

A VERY MERRY SUPERHERO WEDDING

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A VERY MERRY SUPERHERO WEDDING

UNEXPECTED SUPERHERO

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MY BULLHEADED SUPERHERO VALENTINE

SUPERHERO IN DISGUISE

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Tari Lynn Jewett: Featured Author

February 14, 2024 by in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett, Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , , , , ,

Tari Lynn Jewett lives in Southern California with her husband of nearly thirty years (also known as Hunky Hubby). They have three amazing sons, a board game designer, a sound engineer and a musician, all who live nearby. For over fifteen years she wrote freelance for magazines and newspapers, wrote television commercials, radio spots, numerous press releases, and many, MANY PTA newsletters. As much as she loved writing those things, she always wanted to write fiction . . . and now she is.

She also believes in happily ever after . . . because she’s living hers.

http://tarilynnjewett.com/

Tari’s newest title is Love and Mud Puddles, available now.

Hannah loves her accounting job, the condo that she purchased herself, and her best friend Melinda. What she doesn’t love is baking. To be fair, she’s never tried. But when her cousin shames her into bringing homemade cookies to the family Christmas Eve celebration, she begins a quest to make the perfect holiday cookie.


Paramedic Josh also occasionally teaches kids’ cookie baking classes at his family’s bakery. When a beautiful accountant mistakenly signs up for a children’s holiday baking class, he realizes immediately that she’s in the right place.


Can this local hero help to save Hannah’s Christmas? Or will it all go up in smoke?


Tari’s other Books

#HAUNTEDHERMOSA

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#HAUNTEDHERMOSA

#12DANCINGSANTAS

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#12DANCINGSANTAS

#FIREWORKS IN THE FOG

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#FIREWORKS IN THE FOG

#SILVER BRACELETS

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#SILVER BRACELETS
#PLEASE SAY YES (#HermosafortheHolidays Book 1)

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The 2024 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award

February 13, 2024 by in category Contests, From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group, Writing Contest tagged as , , ,

The 2024 Short Story Award is now open for submissions!

The theme: Season’s Readings

Bethlehem Writers Group is seeking never-published short stories of 2,000 words or fewer for a chance to win.

Winners will receive:

First Place:
$250 and publication in our upcoming anthology: Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales

Second Place:
$100 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable

Third Place:
$50 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable

Click here for submission rules

The Guest Judge is Marlo Berliner is the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of The Ghost Chronicles series. You can read an interview with Marlo here.

Other Books Published by BWG

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I GET To Say I Have Deadlines

February 12, 2024 by in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as , ,

I’m in a fun new season of my writing journey. One where I truly get to say I have deadlines. Those deadlines include turning back in my corrected edits that are due on the nineteenth of this month.

blog header by denise m. colby titled I get to say I have deadlines

Pulling together a blog post for this month completely skipped my mind because my focus has been on my edits as well as working on book two, which is due later this year.

I Get to do this

This is the phrase that I feel every day. I get to do this! And I’m so excited. I still feel as if I’m in a dream state that my first book will be published this year and that others will be reading my stories.

I’m also excited to be learning and GROWing (my focus word this year) on how to work full-time, manage family responsibilities, and build my writing career. And I know I’m not the only one. Every writer I know does this. Happy to be joining them.

I have attended many workshop sessions related to time management and scheduling. It’s now time to apply the lessons learned from them.

So this post will be super short because I need to get to the other things us writers do.

Happy February, everyone. And Happy Writing.

Denise chooses a focus word every year. GROW is her word for 2024. You can learn about focus words on her website, where she’s building separate pages on each word she chooses.

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