Carmela A. Martino

     Monday, Sept. 30, 2020 will mark the third anniversary of the original release of Playing by Heart! To celebrate, I'm giving away an autographed copy of that original edition. In Spring 2018, Vinspire Publishing, released a new edition with an updated back cover that includes images of some of the awards the novel has received. But the copy I'll be giving away has the original back cover. See below for instructions on entering the giveaway. Note: the giveaway begins Sept. 9 and ends Sept. 30, 2020.

 

    In case you're not familiar with Playing by Heart, here's a brief summary:

 

Emilia Salvini dreams of marrying a man who loves music as she does. But in 18th-century Milan, being the 'second sister' means she'll likely be sent to a convent instead. Emilia's only hope is to prove her musical talents crucial to her father's quest for nobility. First, though, she must win over her music tutor, who disdains her simply for being a girl. Too late, Emilia realizes that her success could threaten not only her dreams for her future but her sister's very life.

 

     Playing by Heart was inspired by two amazing 18th-century sisters who were far ahead of their time: composer Maria Teresa Agnesi and mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi. You can read more about the real sisters on this website I created.

 

     Playing by Heart has received numerous awards, including the Catholic Arts and Letters Award, the Independent Author Network Book of the Year Award for Outstanding Young Adult Fiction, and a Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Gold Medal for Young Adult Historical. The novel has also garnered over 55 reviews on Amazon, with an overall rating of 4.9 out 5 stars!  To read more about the novel, including review excerpts, see this page. 

 

Giveaway Instructions:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter 1, 2, or all 3 ways:

1. You MUST subscribe to my Creativity Newsletter to enter. (This option gives you 2 entries!)
   
   New subscribers: go to this page and subscribe to the newsletter BEFORE you enter your email address in the first option of the widget below. Then watch for an email to confirm your subscription. After you click the link in that email, you'll have the opportunity to download a free thank you gift. 
   
   Current subscribers: simply enter your subscription email address in the first option of the widget below.
   
   
2. Share a link to this blog post on your own blog or Facebook page and provide the URL of your post in the Rafflecopter widget below.
   
   
3. Tweet about the giveaway using #PlayingbyHeart and tag @carmelamartino (my Twitter handle). Please provide the URL of your tweet in the Rafflecopter widget below.

If you have any problems entering, email me via the Contact page. Contest is open Sept. 9 through Sept. 30, 2020. Winners will be notified via email.

 

Open to U.S. residents 18 years of age and over. Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

     Monday, Sept. 30, 2019 marks the two-year anniversary of the official release of Playing by Heart! And the publisher, Vinspire Publishing, recently revised the back cover to include images of some of the awards the novel has received. So, to celebrate, I'm giving away not only one but TWO autographed copies of the updated paperback edition. See below for instructions on entering the giveaway. 

 

    In case you're not familiar with the novel, Playing by Heart is the story of two teens struggling to follow their true calling, even when it conflicts with their father's selfish goals. The novel was inspired by two amazing 18th-century sisters who were far ahead of their time--one a composer and the other a mathematician.

 

     Playing by Heart has received numerous awards, including the Catholic Arts and Letters Award, the Independent Author Network Book of the Year Award for Outstanding Young Adult Fiction, and a Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Gold Medal for Young Adult Historical. To read more about the novel, including review excerpts, see this page. 

 

Giveaway Instructions:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter 1, 2, or all 3 ways:

1. You MUST subscribe to my Creativity Newsletter to enter. (This option gives you 2 entries!)
   
   New subscribers: go to this page and subscribe to the newsletter BEFORE you enter your email address in the first option of the widget below. Then watch for an email to confirm your subscription. After you click the link in that email, you'll have the opportunity to download a free thank you gift. 
   
   Current subscribers: simply enter your subscription email address in the first option of the widget below.
   
   
2. Share a link to this blog post on your own blog or Facebook page and provide the URL of your post in the Rafflecopter widget below.
   
   
3. Tweet about the giveaway using #PlayingbyHeart and tag @carmelamartino (my Twitter handle). Please provide the URL of your tweet in the Rafflecopter widget below.

If you have any problems entering, email me via the Contact page. Contest runs through Oct. 11, 2019. Winners will be notified via email.

 

Open to U.S. residents 18 years of age and over. Good luck!

P.S. If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, here's info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and here's a post on the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

     I'll be presenting a workshop on "Finding Your Writer's Voice" at next week's Karitos Christian Arts Conference. The presentation is based on a class I teach using the text Finding Your Writer's Voice:
A Guide to Creative Fiction by Thaisa Frank and Dorothy Wall.

 

I'll also be mentioning the following texts in the presentation:

• Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
• Writing Poetry from the Inside Out: Finding Your Voice through the Craft of Poetry by Sandford Lyne
• Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
• A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves

For a writiing exercise on "Distilling Voice" based on one in the Finding Your Writer's Voice, see this Wednesday Writing Workout I posted on the TeachingAuthors blog. 

 

These are the Freewriting Guidelines I'll share in the presentation:

1. Do date the page and write topic/prompt at top.
2. Do go with your first thought/image.
3. Do keep your pen moving.
4. Don't look at the timer.
5. Don't worry about grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.
6. Don't judge your writing.

And here are two online articles on voice that may also be of interest:

• Author Melissa Stewart's post "What is Voice" specifically on voice in nonfiction
• Amber Lee Starfire's "Ten Tips for Strengthening Your Unique Writing Voice"

If you have any questions about my presentation, feel free to post it as a comment below or email me through my contact page.

 

      I'll be presenting a workshop on "Turning Life into Fiction" at the Fremont public library in Mudelein, IL this month.
In addition to Robin Hemley's writing book of the same name, I'll be mentioning the following texts:

• The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
• Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
• Stein on Writing by Sol Stein, especially Chapter 17: "How to Use All Six of Your Senses."

Also, one of the exercises in my workshop is based on a Wednesday Writing Workout I posted on our TeachingAuthors blog in this post. 

 

If you have any questions about my presentation, feel free to post it as a comment below or email me through my contact page.