Monday, February 7, 2011

A Writer On a Crusade (as Part of a Quest)

In most of my posts thus far, I have focused on reviewing books for kids. That is what this blog is all about, and I hope that I can share my findings with the kids, parents, librarians and teachers who all share a common goal - finding a good book to curl up with on your comfy chair (or bed or beach or tree house or magic carpet).

But when I am not busy reading and reviewing great books, I have another passion. I won't talk about it as often, but I want to write my own books. I've published lots of stories and poetry, but I am actively working on a middle grade fantasy with trolls and giants and dragons.

Just as lots of cool books send the hero on a quest, I am on a quest to write and publish books for kids to enjoy. When I heard that Rachael Harrie was starting a Writer's Crusade, I decided that a crusade sounded like a great adventure on my quest, so I am joining today. If you want to know about the Second Writer's Platform-Building Crusade, you can read about it here. If you'd rather read about ghosts and magic, skip to my next post about the magical Eva Ibbotson for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.
Posted by Ben Langhinrichs

23 comments:

  1. Zan MarieFebruary 7, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    Hi, Ben. I met you over on my blog. I'm thrilled to meet you.

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  2. Heather HellmannFebruary 7, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    Nice to meet you, fellow Crusader!

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  3. Will BurkeFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:29 PM

    Nice to meet you! As a fairly new parent (16 months), I'll be interested to see what you have to say.

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  4. Ben LanghinrichsFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:20 PM

    Zan and Heather - Nice to meet you.
    Will - And you of course. If you look at the left, I have reviewed some picture books which might be of interest. I love a good picture book, and try to highlight some special ones. Enjoy your little one. Mine are 15, 20 and 24, but I still remember the joys (and fears and struggles) of having a toddler.

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  5. Michelle MerrillFebruary 8, 2011 at 1:58 AM

    Hey Ben. Thanks for stopping by my blog. This should be a fun Crusade! Nice to meet you :)

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  6. Angela ScottFebruary 8, 2011 at 2:07 AM

    Nice to meet you fellow crusader with a comfy chair :)

    So sorry, but my profile had my wrong/old blog on display. Totally made me look like a loser
    :(

    My real blog (I really do have one) is at www.whimsywritingandreading.weebly.com
    I hope you'll check that out instead.

    Thanks. Sorry 'bout that.

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  7. Adina WestFebruary 8, 2011 at 3:16 AM

    Nice to meet you Ben, and thanks for visiting my blog while on your Crusade travels. I write adult and YA fantasy/paranormal by the way. Good luck with your own writing!

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  8. Dominic de MattosFebruary 8, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    Hi fellow crusader Ben!
    *is envious of comfy chair* Oh we have chairs that are comfortable, but not a comfy chair!
    Thanks for dropping by and following

    Have a great crusade!

    :Dom

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  9. Tony BensonFebruary 8, 2011 at 6:09 AM

    Hi Ben. It's great to meet you. Thanks for dropping by my blog. I've answered your question there, but in case you don't see it there I'll answer it here too.

    I'd say most of my writing is aimed at all ages from teen up, but some will be less attractive to the 'younger than adult' audience. I've yet to get a measure of whether the appeal is that wide.

    I'm looking forward to getting to know you during the crusade.

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  10. Margo BensonFebruary 8, 2011 at 6:25 AM

    Hi Ben, great to meet you - thanks for popping into mine and following. I think this crusade is going to be wonderful.
    You asked about my NaNo experience - I loved it! Here in South West England we had an enthusiastic group of writers that managed to meet up (still do)which was so inspiring. Even though this was my first creative writing project since school, I was pleased with the work I produced.
    Looking forward to learning more about you and your work during the crusade.

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  11. Ben LanghinrichsFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:26 AM

    Welcome all. It is great having you all stop by. While visiting, feel free to pull up a comfy chair (I have extras for guests) and read about some great books for kids, tweens and early teens.

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  12. Susan Kaye QuinnFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    I'm off to check out the quest! Thanks for the tip. :)

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  13. Rachael HarrieFebruary 9, 2011 at 2:25 PM

    Hey Ben, welcome to the Crusade! Lovely to see you popping round and visiting the other Crusaders :)

    Hugs,

    Rach

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  14. CathyFebruary 9, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    Hello fellow crusader, I've read a ton of picture books over the years, love them, am now reading a new crop as they become available to me. (Spring 2011 releases.) The Princess Boy is a reasonably unique one.

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  15. Chantele SedgwickFebruary 9, 2011 at 8:50 PM

    Nice to meet you Ben! Thanks for stopping by my blog! :D I love meeting other writers!

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  16. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2011 at 9:15 PM

    Nice to meet you, Ben. I'm glad you stopped by. This crusade will be a grand adventure for all of us.

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  17. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2011 at 10:52 AM

    Good luck with your dream to become a writer of children's books. Great to meet you :O)

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  18. Lindz PagelFebruary 10, 2011 at 11:43 AM

    Hey there, fellow crusader. Nice to meet you!

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  19. UnknownFebruary 10, 2011 at 2:10 PM

    Hi Ben! It's great to connect with you out here in another corner of cyber-space. The Crusade's going to be a wonderful experience -- looking forward to it.

    And I love the premise for your blog. I'm reading a couple MG/YA books right now. Just finished The Maze Runner by James Dashner, which my daughter will be happy to hear when she gets off the bus today (she's 10, read the book and its sequel, and has been "dying" to discuss them with me). And my son (12) just finished The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and said I HAD to read it. Starting it today :)

    Hope all's well with you!

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  20. Charity BradfordFebruary 11, 2011 at 2:43 PM

    Nice to meet you Ben! Thanks for the comment on my blog. I can't wait to see how the Crusade works out.

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  21. UnknownFebruary 18, 2011 at 6:23 AM

    Hey there!

    I'm a fellow crusader stopping by to say hi and follow you :-)

    xx Rachel

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  22. UnknownFebruary 21, 2011 at 6:16 PM

    Hi! Fellow Crusader dropping in to follow...

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  23. UnknownFebruary 23, 2011 at 8:24 AM

    It's really cool. Glad to meet you.

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