One of my writer friends works for the Department of Education in California and has started her own business to encourage kids to read.

I don’t try to sell things on my blog unless I actually love/ believe in the product. I’ve looked over the materials she’s developed and it seems like something I would have loved to receive as a kid!

Here’s a blurb from the website about what she’s offering at Pick Your Path Books:

At Pick Your Path Books we customize original novels to feature a child’s name, family, and interests. All you do is fill out a form telling us about the child and his/her family, and you receive a book that is personalized for a specific person! In addition to the extensive customization, our books are written in a “pick your path style”, meaning that it is the child’s decisions throughout the story that determine the ending.

Each book is printed and bound just like the paperbacks you find in the store, with a glossy cover. You won’t be able to tell the difference. Books have been written with children 8-12 years of age in mind.

I’ve taken a look at the first title offering, The Mayan Ruins. The writing is solid, the illustrations are great, and the physical quality of the book is equivalent to anything you could find at Borders or Barnes & Noble. On top of that, the kid will experience an adventure while learning about Mayan culture and architecture. Here’s what The Mayan Ruins is about:

One moment you’re on a plane to a theme park, the next you’re being kidnapped by two distinctly disreputable men. They want you to help them pillage some ancient Mayan ruins. Do you decide to help them? Or do you try to take the treasure for yourself?

This title is set mostly in the tropical locale of Belize. Cursed ruins, a tunnel into the past, and ghosts abound!

So it’s time to ask yourself; do you know a child interested in having a personalized adventure set in the Mayan ruins?

Check out the website for more information: www.PYPBooks.com

In case I don’t get a chance to blog again in the next month, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Not if you’re this kid:

Check out more horror photography by Joshua Hoffine. His work is inspiring. Some of the scenes he’s shot, like the one above, make me want to write all the story that must have happened before and after the photos.

If you visit his site, be aware that some of his portfolio is very graphic.  It’s not called horror photography for nothing.

Happy Halloween!

I love oranges. 

I wrote an entire guest post about my love for oranges. Actually, I wrote two. In those posts, I mention how I’ve purchased books based purely on the title containing the word “orange”.  For Instance, I purchased Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit before realizing it was by one of my favorite authors, Jeannette Winterson. It turned out to be an excellent read.

My luck held out again this week. 

I picked up Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris. I couldn’t put it down. This is one of the best books I’ve read all year. It is sensual and dark historical fiction, full of betrayals and secrets, where oranges are used as weapons instead of food.  I didn’t recognize the author’s name when I picked up the book.  Joanne Harris is the same author who wrote Chocolat. Chocolat was turned into a movie starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp and happens to be one my all-time favorites (my husband’s too). Just one of those weird connections that reaffirms my faith in the power of a ripe, sweet orange.

Some people have lucky numbers. I have a lucky fruit.