Houston author J Elle pivots to younger readers with a new tale of magic HEAD TOPICS

Houston author J Elle pivots to younger readers with a new tale of magic

10/22/2022 1:00:00 AM

Houston author J Elle pivots to younger readers with a new tale of magic

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Houston Chronicle

Houston author J Elle pivots to younger readers with a new tale of magic After a Third Ward book series, Houston author J. Elle tells a story for younger readers about family, food and magic. Photo: Chris Spicks PhotographyThe series began with that novel in 2021 and concluded with"Ashes of Gold" earlier this year.Elle responded to a few questions about her latest book and writing for a different audience.I wanted to capture with language this essence … where the older I get the more I think about childhood. I think about the legacies and things that leave intangible marks on our hearts and lives. I think about memories of my grandmother. And they’re in this book. That legacy exists, not just in my home and heart. But in these pages, they’ll live on forever. Read more:
Houston Chronicle » Astros 3B coach Pettis out for ALCS Game 1 against Yankees Ken Paxton, Texas’ election denier-in-chief, closes in on third term Atlantic City Expressway will get a third lane to fix notorious bottleneck Petr Yan Yearns to Win Back Bantamweight Title a Third Time

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We're getting to know our very own Cindy Hsu a little better with a series of rapid-fire questions. Read more >> Astros 3B coach Pettis out for ALCS Game 1 against YankeesHouston Astros third base coach Gary Pettis was not at the ballpark for Game 1 of the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees because of an illness. Ken Paxton, Texas’ election denier-in-chief, closes in on third termIncumbent Ken Paxton remains the frontrunner, based on polls and fundraising, in the attorney general race against Democrat Rochelle Garza, a Brownsville attorney. Story by TexasTribune. TexasTribune Well...in the 2020 elections voter turnout in 36% of the Harris County precincts was over 70% which does seem a little fishy. (I know...I did the analysis using files from Harris County). You can deny it all you want...there is voter fraud in Texas and both parties are guilty. TexasTribune The five recessions we’ve experienced since 1980 have all been under Republican presidents: Reagan (1981-82), George H.W. Bush (1990-91), George W. Bush (2007-09; inherited by Obama in 2008) and the 2020 recession, which happened under Trump. TexasTribune You mean the man with 3 felonies pending and has a mistress everyone knows about & the one who committed treason Atlantic City Expressway will get a third lane to fix notorious bottleneckA plan to add a third lane to this section of the Atlantic City Expressway is headed for a 2024 ground breaking. Petr Yan Yearns to Win Back Bantamweight Title a Third TimePetr Yan enters Saturday’s bout at UFC280 against Sean O’Malley having lost two of his last three. But all hope is not lost for his championship pursuit, JustinBarrasso writes Tesla's chaotic third quarter saw profits climb but revenue falter EngadgetTesla CEO Elon Musk briefed investors on the state of the company in Q3, 2022 on Wednesday.. Jim Cramer gives his take on Netflix's third quarter resultsCramer on Wednesday explained his thoughts on Netflix's Q3 performance. Guidance was bad… don’t be fooled 🤡 October 21, 2022 Updated: October 21, 2022, 1:26 pm Wings of Ebony is the debut novel by Houston native J.Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr.and briefly represented Trump in a suit challenging the election results , stressed in an interview with Texas Monthly that Biden’s election was legitimate and “if he wins the next election, he’ll be president for the next four years.widen a two lane, 13-mile section of the Atlantic City Expressway by adding a third lane in both directions along the center median is entering the design phase, representatives of the South Jersey Transportation Authority said Wednesday. Elle, who grew up in Third Ward. Photo: Chris Spicks Photography Jess Elle made an immediate impression when she created a fantasy world that was linked to Houston's Third Ward. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) (Nick Wass, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. As , the author wanted to create a young-adult narrative that might find a readership she felt was under-served. “It’s not like it’s the middle of November 2020 anymore. She called her novel, “Wings of Ebony,” a “love letter to Black kids in Houston.) HOUSTON – Houston Astros third base coach Gary Pettis has been ruled out for Wednesday night’s Game 1 of the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees because of an illness.” The series began with that novel in 2021 and concluded with"Ashes of Gold" earlier this year. Rep. Elle last month offered"A Taste of Magic," a new novel for middle-grade readers. Lopez coached third base and Firova handled first base duties during the 2021 season when Pettis was away from the team after being diagnosed with blood cancer. Such moves started under Abbott, who was Paxton’s predecessor, but has picked up attention over the last decade. Some attributes are the same and some are different. Where Elle's"Wings" series was designed as a fantasy with contemporary social commentary set in Houston,"A Taste of Magic" has a lighter touch for younger readers. The team did not provide any details on the nature of Pettis' illness Wednesday. Her Kyana Turner isn't forced into situations as dire as those faced by Rue, her YA protagonist.1 million Texas votes cast in the 2020 presidential contest alone, and not even a rounding error’s worth of all votes cast in the state over the last 17 years. Nevertheless, there's a lot to consider about family, food and life in"A Taste of Magic.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter. Dougherty, the authority’s executive director. " Elle responded to a few questions about her latest book and writing for a different audience. Q: There’s phrase, I think it’s in the acknowledgments: “canonized memory. All rights reserved. David Becker, the executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said having an attorney general casting doubt on the outcome of an election has a “disastrous effect” on the public’s trust in elections and government.” Which is interesting because we so rarely consider memory as faulty, when in actuality it can be pretty faulty. But I also like the idea of memory prioritizing what is canonized and what is not.. A: I wanted to capture with language this essence … where the older I get the more I think about childhood.” Becker, a former voting rights attorney for the Justice Department who co-wrote the book “The Big Truth” about how claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election evaporate under scrutiny, said he fears the effect that such repeated claims can have on the public and on elections administrators. That plan potentially answers environmental objections to the project that were raised in May 2020 when a $500 million capital plan that included the widening project was approved. I think about the legacies and things that leave intangible marks on our hearts and lives. I think about memories of my grandmother. And they’re in this book. That nonbinding legal opinion is at odds with state and federal law which requires ballots be kept secure for 22 months after an election to allow for recounts and challenges. That legacy exists, not just in my home and heart. But in these pages, they’ll live on forever. This section of the expressway also represents a safety problem when there is a crash or incident, especially one that involves a tractor-trailer, that can bring traffic to a halt, and result in people sitting for hours, Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. Q: Your grandmother clearly inspired this book. He said Paxton’s office made it difficult for him to try to increase access to the ballot for people of color and the elderly during a pandemic, and the attorney general’s office even tried to challenge the votes of more than 127,000 voters in Harris County who had cast their ballots through drive-thru voting, a pandemic measure by county officials which the state Legislature later banned. But it’s not exactly an ode. Family is huge in the story, but there’s more to it. A: Yes, ode isn’t it. “Four more years of Ken Paxton is going to do lasting damage to our state, to our communities and we should be fearful of what could happen in a contested 2024 election if he is at the helm in this critical position as chief legal officer of the state of Texas. It’s not quite a tribute. “Both new lanes will be on the median. It’s an expression of love in artistic form, that’s how I see it. It’s an outpouring of adoration. Overall, Marsden said, Paxton has already done damage to the public’s trust in elections by using his significant status in state government to question the 2020 presidential election despite the claims being roundly debunked. This book is an acknowledgement of the impact she had on me. Q: Memaw’s aloe vera plant resonated. Our house has my wife’s grandmother’s aloe plant in it. Twenty-two percent of Americans said there was major fraudulent voting that changed the result of the elections, with the number going up to 45% when the question was posed to Republicans. Once ground is broken, construction will last roughly two years, he said. A: Those things leave memories. People like that, they leave fingerprints all over your life. Or footprints. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. I have a lily on the table here, it’s from her funeral in January. It’s thriving and beautiful. Please subscribe today to. There are turns of phrase from when I was 8 years old that I picked up from my grandmother. She taught me how to catch the crumbs off the table. Little things like that, they meant a lot to her. I still bake with her recipes. I cook with her pots. I look through my closets and find things she’s left. Q: This is your third book that has been released during the pandemic. I know these things don’t happen overnight. Was there a long lead-up to getting them done? A: Not initially with this one. This poured out in nine days. I had no idea what was happening, I just knew I could not stop writing. That was my first draft. And then I hit a wall. In reality, as my grandmother’s illness got worse, I kept thinking of this symbolism and these metaphors that were metaphors for her. So I was finishing the book when I was most worried about her health. My brain put up this wall. The cool thing is, I found my stride then. I could fit in the good stuff — these positive memories — by writing them. It was emotionally taxing, but also really endearing. And I could write whatever I wanted. So I did. Memaw lives on forever in this book. Q: In your first two books, food was a big deal. It was a focal point of communion between characters. Here, it feels even more central. A: Food is very tied into this magic system. That tangible love that you pass down through teaching and recipes. Kyana is part of a generation that doesn’t always receive those things. But she has a role to play in keeping them around. She couldn’t just be passively receiving them. She had to be actively engaged. That’s part of her legacy. She gets to carry that on. Q: I assume you found the process of writing this one very different. Unlike your first two books, you have to get to the magic pretty early. There’s not time to set up a scene. A: Exactly. I put a lot of nuance and symbolism in my YA books. There are more plot threads and twists. That’s a process of figuring out how to go deeper, not wide. The thing about middle-grade books for me, you want it to be lighthearted and fun. I hope reading “A Taste of Magic” is like eating a warm chocolate chip cookie. I want readers to be engaged, I also want them to laugh out loud. I hope the book brings them joy. There’s not as much social commentary here, which leaves more room to explore the humor. To look at love in a different way. [email protected] .