conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is a description for a book titled Sweet Unrest about Lucy, Orleans, UpA with the genre: Teen & Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Gr 9 UpA romantic ghost story, voodoo spells, and the humid-drenched Southern locale all combine for a satisfying mix of contemporary and historical fiction in Sweet Unrest. When Lucy Aimes's family moves to an old plantation near New Orleans for her history professor father's work, she becomes plagued with vivid dreams featuring the handsome Alex and surprisingly familiar Armantine. Lucy soon learns, with the assistance of a local mystic, that the dreams are much more than they seem. Readers will be enthralled by the heady descriptions of New Orleans and mysticism. Intertwining a bit of voodoo lore with an enjoyable mystery, the author produces a well-written, spellbinding, and informative story that teen readers (and adults) are sure to snap up.Amanda C. Buschmann, Atascocita Middle School, Humble, TX
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delete the last sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Gr 9 UpA romantic ghost story, voodoo spells, and the humid-drenched Southern locale all combine for a satisfying mix of contemporary and historical fiction in Sweet Unrest. When Lucy Aimes's family moves to an old plantation near New Orleans for her history professor father's work, she becomes plagued with vivid dreams featuring the handsome Alex and surprisingly familiar Armantine. Lucy soon learns, with the assistance of a local mystic, that the dreams are much more than they seem. Readers will be enthralled by the heady descriptions of New Orleans and mysticism. Intertwining a bit of voodoo lore with an enjoyable mystery, the author produces a well-written, spellbinding, and informative story that teen readers (and adults) are sure to snap up.Amanda C.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is the first five paragraphs for this book?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Sweet Unrest
  Hair don't weigh no more than a soul, but taken all together, it's got the sort of gravity that anchors a person.
  Shh. The scissors whispered their sharp commands, and pieces of who I was fell around me. I wanted to scream, to tell them I'd changed my mind. But I couldn't seem to make my mouth form the words.
  Shh. Like each snip of those blades was telling me Hush, hush. There ain't no use in arguing, so hush now.
  Two more coils slid into my lap, but my hands were clasped too tightly to bother with catching them. Even though I could almost feel the bite of my fingernails through the bone-deep numbness that had wrapped me up tight, I couldn't make my hands let go. It felt like I was trying to hold myself together.
  Not that there was any reason to catch the pieces. As soon as they fell, the coils of hair were taken from my lap and tossed into the fire, where they crackled in fury.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Add another sentence about Shh.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Sweet Unrest
  Hair don't weigh no more than a soul, but taken all together, it's got the sort of gravity that anchors a person. 
  Shh. Shh. The scissors whispered their sharp commands, and pieces of who I was fell around me. I wanted to scream, to tell them I'd changed my mind. But I couldn't seem to make my mouth form the words. 
  Shh. Shh. Like each snip of those blades was telling me Hush, hush. There ain't no use in arguing, so hush now. 
  Two more coils slid into my lap, but my hands were clasped too tightly to bother with catching them. Even though I could almost feel the bite of my fingernails through the bone-deep numbness that had wrapped me up tight, I couldn't make my hands let go. It felt like I was trying to hold myself together. 
  Not that there was any reason to catch the pieces. As soon as they fell, the coils of hair were taken from my lap and tossed into the fire, where they crackled in fury.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is five more paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Seconds later, Mama Legba appeared in the doorway. "Odane?" Then she saw Lucy, limp and still mostly unconscious in Odane's arms, and her face flashed with confused worry. "What happened?"
  Odane looked at me as he set Lucy down onto the low couch and waited, like he was giving me a chance to explain. When Mama Legba realized he wasn't going to talk, she looked at me, too.
  Mama Legba pursed her lips at my sass and then gave a wave of her hand to indicate that I should continue.
  I took a second and tried to settle myself down. I didn't speak again until I was sure that no other wind was kicking up. I still wasn't sure what had happened out there at the house. I didn't think I'd called up those bugs, but I couldn't be certain.
  Taking a final, steadying breath, I went on. "I asked Lucy to go with me to the cabin, but she had this idea that where we really needed to look was my house, because it was the last place my mother had lived."
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is the last three paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Closing my eyes, I drew on that part of me, that deep down part of me that I knew wanted to be set free. The part I'd been feeling ever since they'd cut my hair. I'd been too afraid to look at it before, but I looked at it now. I pulled it up from the depths of who I was and let it uncurl and stretch itself out. It warmed in response and practically purred its satisfaction, but to my surprise, it didn't feel anything like my mother. I staggered back at the unexpected welcome of it.
  I couldn't stop the smile from curving at my mouth as I took a deep breath and raised my ash-filled hands to the sun, the stars, and the world wide. When my voice rang out, it chanted words I never realized I knew. Words that had always been deep, deep inside of me.
  Kathleen Rushall deserves my unending thanks. It's having an ally like her in my corner that makes this whole publishing thing work, and I count myself fortunate every day that I get to work with her.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is the first paragraph for this book?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Sweet Unrest
  My parents were delighted that our stuff had beaten us there and were admiring how well everything fit. T.J. was bouncing happily on his favorite club chair, and then suddenly, with one of his usual bursts of energy, he raced to the back hallway to look for his room.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is five more paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: When we reached the parking lot, Mama Legba withdrew her arm and rested her hands on my shoulders. "How's Chloe?"
  After Mama Legba's purple van turned out of the gate, I headed back toward the pond. I was tired of going in circles. I was sick of evasive answers.
  I waited in the stillness of the mid-morning heat. The trees rustled faintly in some undetectable breeze, and then, just when I thought he wouldn't appear, he emerged from the edge of the treeline beyond, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slumped against the day.
  I took a few steps toward him, trying to hide my fear by putting every ounce of frustration I felt into the fire in my eyes. But the fire couldn't hold. There you are, I thought, wanting to reach for him. To hold on to him this time. But I pushed my feelings—Armantine's feelings—away.
  Alex, at least, had the grace to look doubtful. That's when I realized he also looked tired. He seemed thinner, and dark smudges lay beneath his eyes. Something was wrong.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is the last four paragraphs? Start with the sentence 'Before the fine people at Flux, Nathaniel Jacks found my story in the slush pile and took a chance on it'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Before the fine people at Flux, Nathaniel Jacks found my story in the slush pile and took a chance on it. My amazing agent, Kathleen Rushall, has had my back for this whole wild ride, and for that I'm profoundly grateful. I'm so lucky to have her support and to be a member of TeamKrush.
  Many people read early drafts, but Karoliina Engstrom's comments were especially astute and her support inspiring.
  Mountains of thanks, bourbon, and donuts to my friends at www.OneFourKidLit.com and in the Fall Fourteeners blog group. You've all helped keep me sane for the last year. And to all my virtual friends on Twitter, who make long days of writing a little less lonely.
  Thanks also to my family—to my mom, who read an early version of this and didn't even seem all that surprised that I came up with it. And to my dad, who is the one that I owe my knowledge of photography to. Lucy's talent all started back in the hours I spent in his darkroom, watching him work and learning the magic of photography. Together they make one heck of a publicity team.