When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this her chance to prove to her dad, to the world, and to herself that she can compete with anyone, no matter her size. Unfortunately, Dax is auditioning, too.
Welcome to the September 9th stop on the blog tour for The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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Author Guest Post
Advice for Writers
My advice for writers is the stuff you hear all the time, but it’s solid gold. First off, read a lot. Think of it as soaking up storytelling skills through osmosis. When you read, you start recognizing patterns in plots, the ebb and flow of action, character development, and all those crucial beats that make a story work. It’s the most basic and probably the easiest step, so there’s really no excuse not to do it!
But don’t just stick to your favorite genre. Of course you must read the books that align with what you want to write, but also branch out. Read widely. Dive into genres you wouldn’t normally touch. It’s like the difference between staying in your hometown and traveling the world. When you explore different genres, you expose yourself to fresh ideas and perspectives that can spark your creativity and take your writing to new places.
And then there’s writing. Do it a lot—every day if you can. It doesn’t always have to be a chapter of your novel. It can be jotting down a conversation you overheard or describing what you had for lunch. Writing regularly is like exercising a muscle. The more you do it, the stronger and more flexible you become. Over time, you’ll find that the words flow more smoothly, and tackling longer pieces won’t feel so daunting.
Reading and writing every day might sound like old, overused advice, but it’s the foundation of being a writer. If you skip the basics, how will your writing ever take flight? So, in short: read broadly and write consistently. These habits will help you develop your voice, keep your ideas flowing, and make your writing more vibrant.
About the Book
The Legendary Mo Seto
by A.Y. Chan
Published 4 June 2024
Aladdin
Genre: MG Action/Adventure, Martial Arts
Page Count: 320
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
Mo Seto, martial arts movie star! Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Too bad there’s a height restriction to audition. But 12-year-old Modesty (Mo) Seto has never let her height get in the way before, not when she became a black belt, or when she fought the meanest boy in her class, and she’s not going to let it stop her this time! Now if only she can figure out a way to grow five inches and fool everyone at the auditions…and find time to search for her missing father (who just might be harboring a dangerous secret of his own). Join Mo on an adventure (and audition) of a lifetime and find out if powerful things really do come in small packages!
Publishers Weekly calls THE LEGENDARY MO SETO “Adrenaline pumping”, Kirkus Reviews says it “Packs a punch”, and Booklist calls it “Remarkably relatable.” Leap in and join the fun!
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | B&N | Bookshop
Excerpt
“You’re so gonna lose,” he says, low enough that only I can hear. “’Cause . . .”
He bends his knees so he’s several inches shorter—though even in this position, he towers over me.
I feel a tiny rip in my chest, like when a balloon is pinched but doesn’t pop, that slow leak of air—hisss.
Dax knows how to hit where it hurts. Junior-level sparring is based on age and belt level, not on size. Even after vitamins, and broccoli, and jumping jacks for a year, I’m still only four-foot-six-and-a-half. Mom says the women in her family are late bloomers, but she’s barely four-foot-nine, so I’m not holding my breath.
Why do I have to be so small? The familiar thought bursts through like a weed after a rainstorm. I used to destroy Dax all the time, but ever since his growth spurt at the end of last summer, he’s beat me in the fall, winter, and spring tournaments.
That’s three. Three tourneys.
Silver is great too. Variety is the spice of life, Dad would say, as if losing gold isn’t a big deal. But in the days and weeks after, he’d be more subdued and make me train twice as long every day. Kick harder, Mouse. You must beat him next time, Mouse. Because being the best really does matter to him. A lot.
It matters to me, too. Today’s tourney, the Dost Valley Cali-wide Mid-Year Tae Kwon Do Championship, takes place right at the start of summer, and it is the biggest one of the year. I’ll show Dax.
About the Author
A. Y. Chan grew up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area reading all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored other martial arts, such as Wing Chun, Hapkido, and Muay Thai. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.
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Giveaway Alert!
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
a Rafflecopter giveaway| Aug 26 | Read Your Writes Book Reviews | Aug 28 | Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read |
| Aug 30 | Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews | Sept 2 | What Is That Book About |
| Sept 4 | Kenyan Poet | Sept 6 | Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile |
| Sept 9 | Westveil Publishing | Sept 11 | Literary Gold |
| Sept 13 | FUONLYKNEW | Sept 16 | Sandra’s Book Club |
| Sept 18 | Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love | Sept 20 | The Avid Reader |
| Sept 23 | Of books and bookish things | Sept 25 | Beverley A Baird |
| Sept 27 | Straight From the Library | Sept 30 | A Wonderful World of Words |
| Oct 2 | Eye-Rolling Demigod’s Book Blog | Oct 4 | Welcome to My World of Dreams |
| Oct 7 | The Pen and Muse Book Reviews | Oct 9 | Fabulous and Brunette |
| Oct 11 | Sybrina’s Book Blog | Oct 14 | Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’ |
| Oct 16 | Sapphyria’s Books | Oct 18 | Hope. Dreams. Life… Love |
| Oct 21 | fundinmental | Oct 23 | It’s Raining Books |
| Oct 25 | Long and Short Reviews | Oct 28 | Author C.A.Milson |
| Oct 30 | Books in the Hall | Nov 1 | Our Town Book Reviews |
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Thank you so much for hosting and featuring today’s author.
Do you have a favorite piece of advice related to writing?
Great cover art. Sounds like a great book.
This is a good excerpt, thanks for sharing
This looks good.
This sounds like an interesting book.