Laura Johnston Writing

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Books That Make You Cry Can Actually Increase Happiness

Huh? Could this be true? A June 2013 Health Magazine article highlighted a study from Ohio State University that found that, for instance, "the more sadness people experienced during a movie, the greater their reported feelings of happiness were after the flick."

I agree.

The same applies to books, doesn't it? Think of the last book that made you cry. The article goes on to say that the sadness we feel at other's misfortunes (death, unfulfilled love, cancer, natural disasters, heartache...) can make us appreciate what we have.

Do you love a good book that elicits a tear? Please share any titles of books that made you cry in the comments! Here are a few stories that made me cry (or at least feel like it!):

THE HELP (so good!)

THE SECRET JOURNAL OF BRETT COLTON (bawled!)

JUST ONE WISH (I cried and laughed)

WINTER GARDEN (couldn't stop crying, seriously)

DEAR JOHN (swoon, smile, cry...I loved this story)

THE FAULT IN OUR STARTS

THE LAST SONG

SING ME TO SLEEP

LES MISERABLES (how could I not cry?)

THE BOOK OF MORMON

CHARLOTTE'S WEB (me cry over a spider? Seriously, tell me I'm not the only one who teared up.)

LOVE YOU FOREVER (I remember my mom crying while reading this to me too)

THE GIVING TREE

And here are a few other great tearjerkers recommended by my Facebook friends (thanks to everyone for replying to my question and sharing your favorite cry-worthy or otherwise touching books!):

More about these books can be found on goodreads.com or amazon.com

Am I missing any? Please share your favorites in the comments.

Article mentioned: "9 Way to Go on a Bliss Trip" in Health Magazine

Monday, June 10, 2013

Query Letters: What to Put in the Author Bio Paragraph

If query letters have ever given you nightmares, please raise your hand. A short intro to your book, a pitch and a brief bio about yourself. Easy peasy, right? Or perhaps not.

What to Put in the Bio Section of Your Query Letter:
How do you cram so much into such little space? And, an author bio? Eek. What should you say and what should you avoid so you don't sound like a goon? Well, I happened upon a great article by Chuck Sambuchino on writerunboxed.com that outlines what you should and should not mention in the "author bio" section of a query letter (that I want to save for later reference!).

Should I mention awards won?
Should I mention published short stories?
Should I mention series potential?

These and so many more questions answered here:
Link to What to Write in the "Bio" Section of Your Query Letter from Writer Unboxed

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Books My Kiddos Are Reading

Ah, story time. If you have kids, interact with kids around you, or were once a kid...yeah, basically, this post is for you. All of us! I love to read to my kids, and since I am currently working on a children's picture book, I thought I'd take a minute to share some of my daughters' favorite book. Please share any picture book and easy reader book suggestions you might have for us in the comments! Thanks.

My almost-four-year-old daughter is obsessed with horses, unicorns, princesses, art and anything with humor. She is currently loving:

We just finished Charlotte's Web together. SO fun.

My almost-two-year-old daughter is crazy about The Lion King, books that rhyme, dogs, horses and is learning to use the potty. As such, she is currently loving: