Whoseywhatsit Thursday: Crit Style

Hello you lovely Oasis Seekers!  I am soooo excited to be writing my first Oasis blogpost, and it's a super cool one.

First, how cool is WHOSEYWHATSIT THURSDAY?!  Right?  That was A.E.'s creation, and we all love it immensely.  Actually, just typing it makes me smile. :)  Thursdays will be a sort of whatever we come up with, whatever's going on kinda day, and I think Whoseywhatsit fits that perfectly.

In fact, on two Thursdays a month, it means an opportunity for you!  I have the privilege of announcing out new critique feature.  On the first Thursday of the month (technically that was last Thursday, but we were still on hiatus), we will post a call for volunteers.  We'll let you know what we're critting that month, and if you're interested, you can leave your name and email in the comments.  We will randomly choose a volunteer and email that person for their submission (whatever we've chosen to crit for the month).  Then we will post our critiques the following Thursday (the second Thursday of the month).

Okay, so, this month we are going to look at your first 250 words.  So, if you are interested in having all six of the Oasis Ladies critique your first 250 words, please let us know in the comments and be sure to leave your email.  We will choose one person at noon on Sunday, and you will have 24 hours to email us your submission.  We will post our crits next week (Please note, if the critiques get too lengthy, we reserve the right to condense them for posting purposes).

In addition, a bloggerly friend of ours, Ebyss, is having a contest to win a first chapter/ten-page crit from all of us, so head over there and check it out.

So, lots of opportunities for crits from us!  Yay! Oh, and I posted a little About Me on my blog Tuesday, in case you want to get to know me a little better.  Please stop by and say hi!

Okay, sign up for the 250-word crit in the comments, and tell us about a great crit experience you've had. :)

TBR Tuesday: A Long, Long Sleep

It's Tuesday again - time for another book we can't wait to read in our To Be Read pile. This week I'm doing A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan. I've already read the E-ARC (it is the best book I've read in MANY, MANY moons.  Stay tuned for book review) but I can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy.
Publisher: Candlewick
Release Date: August 2011(yes, I know, it's ENTIRELY too far away. 

Goodreads synopsis:

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for 62 years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically-induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose - hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire - is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes - or be left without any future at all.

Make sure to add this at goodreads and pick it up when it comes out. 

 Also, as a courtesy to friend and fellow blogger, Ebyss Writer, we'd like to pass around something she's doing to help students in her class to help them learn to love and enjoy books.



Here in her words:

I work with lower income and special students who want to expand their knowledge through a college education, but they are struggling with reading and/or mathematical concepts.

I would like to start a book drive. This way these students can improve their reading scores through practicing what we all love to do----read. As we know, the more you read, then the better you get. Plus, I hope to ignite in them a passion for exploring other worlds and other people through the written word.

I am asking for you to help me by donating books for this cause. Any MG or YA books would be greatly appreciated.

New or used--doesn’t matter. Fiction or non-fiction—doesn’t matter. The only thing I would like to do is keep the reading lvl at MG and YA.

What I plan to do when I get with these students is let them choose a book for them to keep. A lot of these students don’t read—at least by choice—and I’m hoping to expose them to great novels.

If you would like to help, please leave a comment, message me on twitter or leave me a message on facebook. Also, if you could plz retweet this or like on facebook with a link to spread the word would be appreciated.

Thanks so much.

Thanks everyone who can help or pass along the word.  If you leave a comment on here for her, I will pass it along.  I'm already going through my books to see what I can give her.