It's Never What You Expect

Indie Book Reviews

2012-01-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

Last week I spoke about my fresh perspective on Raging against the dying of the light after reading Crossed by Ally Condie. One of the things I said I was going to do to help stave off the dying of the light was encourage the good in those around me, and for this post, more specifically, supporting Indie authors.

One of the ways I intend to support them is the obvious; buying their books. But I also want to take that a step further, because as an Indie author I can tell you having your book purchased is awesome, but there is nothing that compares to hearing from a reader who loved your book and thought enough of it to tell the rest of the reading world their opinion in a review.

A review is a two-fold gift, it provides us as authors that warm fuzzy, day making feeling, but, and this is incredibly important and helpful for an author, it gives other readers who might be considering reading/purchasing the book a vote of confidence, or in the case of a bad review, a cautionary warning.

I look at reviews if I’m on the fence and not sure I want to pay the cost for the book, but more importantly do I want to invest the very little extra time I have to read in an untested author that I know nothing about other than the blurb on the description page. So, for Indie’s, it very literally helps sell books. Reviews can make or break them.

So, in my long winded way, and hopefully informative way, what I’m trying to say is that I plan to invest a minimum each month of $6 to buying and reviewing Indie authors books. ($6 because most self pub’d books are priced at $2.99 give or take. That affords me two books at the typical Indie price per month.)

I already have two titles which I’ve purchased or picked up for free during a promotion.

I was going to start with these two titles, because I have them and I have a secret love for werewolf/shifter stories, but I’m a two-thirds the way through my own shifter novel. To avoid influencing my own works in any way I don’t read books that are in the same theme as the one I’m writing at the time. So these two will have to wait.

Here are the two I’ve chosen for this month.

Winter by C.B. Cole, was found by searching through Amazon ( A tedious process that leaves much to be desired. ) and the other, Belle Notte by Jesse Kimmel-Freeman, was a recommendation from another writer friend. She hasn’t read it but said the author is a real sweetheart, and it fit my parameters. I read the first page or so and the writing style works for me, even though I’m not big into vampire novels. But the point of this is to give authors I wouldn’t normally try, a chance.

You can find my reviews on my writing blog. www.kickingyourselfintheface.blogspot.com

I’ll post my reviews there, GoodReads and Amazon and if the author is on Barnes and Noble, there also.

Rage

2012-01-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

This week I’ve finally gotten a few minutes to start reading Crossed by Ally Condie and in the first pages I was reminded of one of the reasons I loved Matched so much. Printed in the front of the book are two poems, one by Dylan Thomas and the other by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

There is a line in the first one that most people know, or at least they should: Rage, rage against the dying of the light. It was this line that had me thinking about my own situation when I read Matched. Both the book and the poem seemed to be speaking directly to my situation at the time. I was working a job that, for me, was doing the opposite of what the poem said. It was doing what Society was doing; draining the light from me slowly.

Upon finishing Matched I had to really examine my life and how I have the freedom to make my own choices. A question I found myself asking was: Was the freedom I have being wasted on me? It was a question that nagged at me mostly because I believed the answer to be yes. But what was I to do about it?

Well nearly a year later, I haven’t done anything dramatic like Cassia did, but small shifts have brought my life more in line with my goals. But as with all resolutions, with time the fire has faded, I’ve forgotten the feelings that motivated me.

Having read the poem again a year later, I’m seeing it with different eyes, ones that have a new perspective. Because I’ve changed, I’m different now. It’s one of the many reasons I love books. The message they deliver always speak to me, but the same book can convey a different message depending on where I am in my life when I read it.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light. I thought deeply about this and what does it mean to me now, as I made the long trek from work to home. And I find that now, with my new eyes, rather than it being about me, I find that I’m looking outward.

I’m seeing the good things that with time and the wear of life are ground down till they fit the mold that society has set of them. (funny – I wasn’t aiming to parallel it with the book at all.) And those words replay in my head, thinking Rage against the dimming of a love of writing by those who would tear down, rather than build up. Rage against the turning away from a dream because lack of support led to a sense of failure. Rage against the decay of kindness because of disillusionment and lack of appreciation.

I don't usually make New Years resolutions, but this year, though it isn't New Years day. I have a resolution. I intend to rage against the dying of the light in the form of the loss of, or the dimming of the good things that I see in the people around me.

How will I Rage? By telling those I love how much they mean to me. Thanking them for their contributions to my life and my happiness. By supporting those who share my dreams of writing, whether that be through a purchase of their book, a review, or for those closest, being there for them when they need me. By giving words or encouragement as often as I can to those who surround me.

Will you Rage with me?

2012 Reading List

2012-01-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

I've been a member of GoodReads.com for a while now. And this year I set up a reading challenge, which I failed at because many of the books I've read I can't claim since I read a lot of unpublished books. This year was also the year Chosen and Children of the Gods were published.

This year, I adjusted my goal to allow for these circumstances, but in 2012 there will be no such allowances. My original goal was 60 books. That is only 5 books a month. Easily doable.

So for my first post of the year, I thought I'd take the goal setting one step further and share some of the books I hope to read in 2012.

Books I already have:

This is just a small sampling of my TBR (to be read) stack.

Here are a few that I want and will be purchasing in 2012:

Again, these are just a small sampling of what I am looking forward to. If you want a more in depth look, you can check out my books read/tbr on GoodReads. ---> Click on the widget on the right hand side of the page.

(Yes those are all YA because that is what I mostly read, but not all of my TBR pile is YA)

What books can't you wait to get your hands on in 2012??

*I had these books all listed with just pretty cover art but for some reason even though in preview they looked beautiful, when I published they were huge and blurry. So, had to go this route. :(

My Very First Guest Blogger - Jolyn Palliata on her Twist of Fates Novella Connected.

2011-12-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

My good friend Jolyn Palliata gives a view into her Twisted head, and the inspiration behind Connected - Twist of Fates #1 (A Novella)

So without further ado. Take it away, Jolyn!

Did you ever get a song stuck in your head? Or part of one? How did you get it out? Did you avoid the song at all costs in the blind hope it would stop hammering you into submission? Or did you listen to the song over, and over, and over, until you were so obsessed that all you could think about was that delicious, devilish little laugh….er, what was I saying? (Right. Song stuck in my head. Ahh...I mean, your head.) Now, I know this has happened to every person reading this post, so I’m hoping you’ll relate to my little story here.

Let me give you some background. In October, I released Connected (Twists of Fate #1), and here’s a brief description of the story: A rock group’s rhythm guitarist, Rhys Alexander, dies and finds himself bound inside the body of a woman he’s never met. Can she help him move on to the other side, or will he end up finding the love of his life…after his has already ended?

For a time, I had this for free on Wattpad (where I posted as I wrote it). And several readers asked me how in the world I came up with the concept. The short answer was ‘By taking the longest route possible.’ The more involved answer is this…

It all started with a song—Imagine that, huh?—which began with a synthesized-sounding guitar and a sinful, maniacal laugh that made my gut quiver. (Yes, I do realize this may be an issue I need to fully address later.) It was Disturbed’s “Inside The Fire”. Add a little Framing Hanley (with that oh-so-sexy voice), and Tavion, lead singer of the band Persevere, was born. And what kind of woman would knock a strapping rock star to his knees? Why, a best-selling author, of course.

So here I had two people who worked in the entertainment industry, but were worlds apart. What could possibly bring them together? The answer seemed so simple, really: Fate. Then my next though was “What if Fate was a living, sometimes-breathing, entity? What an interesting point-of-view that would be!” And it spiraled from there. I dug deep into the protag, Devan (the name of the girl in Disturbed’s song), and put pieces of me and my personality into the mix. Naturally, then I had to mock myself and my works along the way. (i.e., Suddenly Impending Reprisals became Devan’s masterpiece, and guess what…it made it all the way to the NYT Bestsellers list! Way to go, Devan!!)

Now, the question was ‘What inspired me to write Connected’, and so far, I’m telling you how I started writing Twisted (Book 2). Yeah, well, I’m getting there. (Remember how I said it was the longest route possible?)

So there I was, writing Twisted and having a hell of a time. And then the unthinkable happened (insert suspenseful music here)…I got writer’s block. I’m talking a stint of writer’s block that could only have originated from the deepest, most vile and sulfuric, bowels of Hell. And, man, was it stubborn! Over a year went by before I picked it up again, and even then it wasn’t because I came up with a grand master plan, or that my head was swimming with ideas. No. It was simply because I missed my characters. So I started to reread/revise/edit the 30K words I had written, hoping it would shake something loose. Enter: two new inspirations.

The first was the Demonica series by Larissa Ione. In the series, paired up mates can sense each other’s emotions and I got to wondering “What would that be like?”

The next piece of inspiration came from Avenged Sevenfold (A7X). I was studying up on rock bands for Twisted (and can A7X ever ROCK!!), and checking out the band members (*drool*) and it inspired a new character—Rhys.

From Ione and A7X blossomed Connected (finally!) where Rhys’ spirit was stuck inside Addison (my protag), and they could sense each other’s emotions.

But I had one problem. I absolutely REFUSED to walk away from Twisted again. Soooo…how could I use this? Well, first of all, Rhys couldn’t be a lead singer since that’s what Tavion is. And secondly, I wanted this to be a fast-hitting novella used to compliment Twisted’s story. What I needed was a supporting member of the band... Hello, Rhys, my luscious rhythm guitarist!

But then I had another problem. (Because I needed more, right?) I couldn’t picture Rhys in Tavion’s band, Persevere, which is a more mature, established group. No, he belonged with some just-making-it-big band that wasn’t afraid to play with the formula, to take chances, and was just enjoying the ride and what life had to offer. He belonged with the guys of Black Codex.

Then problem #3: How did Black Codex and Persevere tie in to each other? I mean, if Connected leads into Twisted, they have to know each other somehow, right? Well, as luck would have it, they’re all friends. (Who knew?!) Eh, okay, so actually two members from Black Codex are brothers and they grew up with a guy from Persevere, so, by association, they became friends. (It’s all in the details, right?) ;)

All right. Now what? I didn’t want to introduce Fate (my sassy, capricious entity) in Connected even though he’s definitely hard at work behind the scenes. It would’ve been too distracting from the plot, and I had plenty to maneuver already! (Hello…dead rock star stuck in some chicks head!!) So what I did was plot Connected so it all occurs during the same timeframe as the first half of Twisted. Perfect! Then when people read Twisted, they’ll get all the behind-the-scenes-extras that were going on in Connected that either 1) I didn’t have time for, or 2) I couldn’t smoothly transition in.

At the end of my long-ass journey, not only did I have Connected, but I shook myself loose on Twisted…aaand came up with storylines for the other eight band members. (I’ll spare you the details on those. LOL) Thusly, the Twists of Fate series was born.

So, let me ask you again: Did you ever get a song stuck in your head…?

For more information on the Twists of Fate series: http://jolynpalliata.wordpress.com/romance/twists-of-fate-series/

Twists of Fate series Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Twists-of-Fate-Series/190217514383637

To purchase Connected (Twists of Fate #1):

Exciting News!

2011-12-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

First off. I’m not sure what I was thinking, trying to have a book giveaway at the same time as trying to get my first book out and with Christmas in the mix. I failed entirely on promoting it. So, when things have slowed down a bit and I have the time to devote to it, then I’ll hold it.

Second, and probably should have been first, really, but I had to get that last bit off my chest before I can get to the good stuff. MY BOOK IS OUT!! Yes, now that your ears have quit ringing from me yelling in them. You heard me right. Children of the Gods is available on both Amazon.com and Smashwords.com Both sites have sample chapters available to give you an idea of what you are getting into, before you take the plunge and plunk down the $2.99 investment required to indulge in the hours of entertainment it will provide.

If you If you haven’t read Chosen – A short story prequel. It is free on Smashwords.com and $.99 cents on Amazon.com. It gives you a quick sneak preview into the life of the main character, Reka Cushing, the night before she was Chosen, and everything changed.

Also, I’d really like to express my appreciation to two people who’ve helped to make this part of the process as painless as possible.

To my good friend and the best Critique partner in the world!!! Jolyn Palliata a HUGE Thank you. Without you, I’d be a drooling puddle on the floor, and Children of the Gods would still be locked away, trapped in it’s digital prison on my hard drive.

And thank you, S., not just for being so flippin cute, but for spoiling me entirely rotten!

YA Favorites book GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-18T21:03:00.000-08:00

Little known fact about me: I’m Mormon. **Stop** Don’t run away. This isn’t a religious post. It is exactly as the title says; a giveaway post. I only tell you that I’m Mormon because it was two sister missionaries who inspired this post. In my area there are these two really awesome sister missionaries who come to visit me at least once a week. They sometimes bring me cookies, but always bring me inspiration and leave with me feeling in better spirits than I was before they arrived.

These two ladies showed up this week to tell me they were leaving, heading home. Their missions were over and they stopped by to say goodbye. I, of course, couldn’t let them get on the plane without a YA book to read. So, I relinquished my personal copies of two of my favorite books: Matched by Allie Condie and 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.

This got me thinking. With the closure of Borders/Waldenbooks I find myself with an extra copy of a few of my favorite books. I thought, rather than have them sit on my shelf, why not put them to good use. Hence the giveaway!

So, if you would like to win either a copy of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare or Looking for Alaska by John Green or The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan what you have to do is either spread the word or follow the blog and leave a comment below. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win.

To spread the word you can either tweet about it, facebook it, or blog about it. Make sure to include the link showing how you spread the word in your comment. Three names will be chosen. The first name picked will have their choice of the three, second will get to choose between the remaining two and the third will get the final book.

Contest ends 8pm AST (Alaska Standard Time – which is four hours later than EST) on Monday December 26th.

(*Sorry, only available to US addresses.)

Release info for Children of the Gods

2011-12-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Some people have been looking for Children of the Gods after reading the short story prequel Chosen and I just wanted to post about it and let everyone know when to expect the full novel to be available.

It will be available on Smashwords.com and Amazon.com by Christmas 2011.

And since this is such a short post I'll leave you with something beautiful for the holiday season! A video that makes me swell with Christmas spirit! Lindsey Stirling's rendition of Silent Night.

Published!

2011-12-04T19:50:00.001-08:00

In preparation for the publication of my forthcoming novel; Children of the Gods. I've written a short story sequel called Chosen. It is available NOW on Smashwords.com for FREE and Amazon.com for $.99 cents because they don't offer the option to put up for free. Though once price match kicks in, it will adjust it to meet Smashwords price.

A quick synopsis:

For as long as Seventeen-year-old Reka Cushing can remember, she has watched her friends and her neighbors be stolen, their bodies used as hosts for the Halorans; an alien race that has come to earth posing as gods. For just as long, Reka has lived in fear of drawing the eye of a Haloran, keeping her head down hoping not to be caught in their sites.

The threat of losing Niko, the man she love causes her to act, to draw attention to herself. In doing so, she has drawn more interest than she intended.

This is a short story prequel to Children of the Gods, the first book in the Chosen series.

Object of Affection Or Unhealthy Obsession?

2011-11-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Last week my post was about bad boys in fiction and why we love them. I gave my two cents. Now I’d like to look at the flip side of the coin. Women fall over themselves for the bad boys in the fiction, often it’s a foregone conclusion that the women are a happy to be the object of their interest. We don’t stop and ask ourselves about the girls feelings.

A really important question to ponder, one that tends to get lost in wanting to see these men get what they want is; What does the girl they have their sites set on, want? Is their pursuit, their advances that at times can be pushy, overbearing even, appreciated? Are they simply winning her over or are they forcing their own will on her? Where is the line?

I have personally been on the receiving end of unwanted attention from a boy who would probably fall into the category of some of the men above. It wasn’t beautiful or pleasant even. It was frightening and still leaves me looking over my shoulder when I hear footsteps behind me in a parking lot.

Things did not end so well for the boy. For terrifying reasons, ones I’ll pray had nothing to do with me, he ended up behind bars. But if someone were to write our story, it would be easy to paint him in a sympathetic light. He had a terrible, frightening childhood filled with abuse. Enter me, one of the few people who was truly kind to him and you have a recipe for trouble.

His life was heartbreaking and I still feel a great measure of empathy for him. Maybe one day I’ll write a story in which his character gets the happy ending he deserves, but I deserve my happy ending also and though he never hurt me or forced himself on me or was even unkind, his tactic certainly left me uncomfortable and sometimes frightened. I’m not sure anything healthy could ever grow out of that.

My point in sharing this difficult part of my past is that I could write a story in which even I would probably root for this damaged, broken boy who only wanted to capture and hold onto the kindness he’d found in me. But though he never did hurt me physically, I am scarred be the experience, afraid my kindness will be taken wrong again and turned against me.

So, when I'm reading books packed with brooding, damaged men who are trying to ensnare the girl. For a moment, I’m going to try and put myself in her shoes and ask myself is this what she wants, even if his affections are true. Though I can’t promise not to fall for and root for the boy anyway. I guess that is the beauty of fiction, we can fall for the bad boy and no one ends up getting hurt.

What are your thoughts?

Bad boys of fiction.

2011-11-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

Do you ever find yourself asking: Who is the hero in this book? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

I recently finished reading The Iron King and it brought up a subject that I’ve spent much thought on. It comes up most often when I’m reading books about the Fey. I often find myself wondering who the actual hero is. And here’s confession time. More times than I should probably admit, I find myself rooting for the one who isn’t the hero.

Examples you ask? Paranormalcy for instance. I fell flat on my face for Reth! Don’t get me wrong, I do love Lend, and wouldn’t like to be in the position of having to actually choose between them. But Reth had me at hello, or whatever his first words were.

Then there are Melissa Marr's books. They throw my good and bad radar all asunder. I’m quite partial to Niall and Irial both, and they are not nice men by any stretch. But there is something about them that appeals to me, makes me ache for them. Maybe that is what it is. Their suffering, their loneliness and the near desperate devotion they show when someone comes along that lifts the loneliness, tugs at my sympathetic heart.

One book, Stolen, left me feeling so conflicted about what was right and wrong, and not sure I wanted the right thing to happen. Our captor was so human and beautiful and broken that I couldn’t help but want him to finally have everything he wanted, deserved even.

Is that the answer to the bad boy mystique? Women, young and old fall for the bad boys, because deep down we see their pain (or at least think we do) and want to ease it?

Many times, books where the hero and the villain are not always clear leave me asking myself questions with no easy answers. I find myself thinking about them for days after. In some cases, much, much longer.

What are your thoughts? Where does the appeal of the bad boy stem from?

(In future blog posts I’d like to explore some of the questions/thoughts/concerns this subject brings up. So share your thoughts and maybe they’ll prompt a post. Next week: What about what she wants?)

Tbe Deep End of the Pool

2011-11-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

This week I’ve stumbled across some amazing people who have inspired me by doing what they love, the thing that inspires them, pursuing their passion. It’s been such a boost to my inspiration level for a couple of reason that I wanted to share with you.

I want to be able to follow my passion but anyone who is a writer knows this is a long, rejection filled, hope and dream crushing industry. You have to have thick skin, be tenacious, resilient, and well, maybe you have to be a little crazy to have any success what-so-ever.

I’ve been watching Twitter friends and fellow writers either rise to the challenge or fall. Some taking the traditional route while others have gone the Indie route. Over the years I’ve formed close bonds with some of these writers and have rejoiced with them in their successes and commiserated with them when there are failures. I’ve also learned a lot and come to a decision in my own career based off their combined experiences.

I’ve made a choice that originally, in the beginning of my quest for publication was not the right choice for me. Over the two or three years since I’ve begun to see this writing and publication thing as a reality the landscape of publishing, the world of it really, has gone through a vast transformation. What was once considered almost a dirty word – Self publishing – previously thought of as something only considered by those “too lazy,” “untalented,” or just plain “unpublishable" is changing. Now it is something even traditionally published authors are looking at as a better, possibly more lucrative means to get their books in the hands of readers while retaining more rights and more of the royalties they richly deserve for their hard work.

So as times have changed, thinking has changed and I’ve changed along with it. I made the decision a few months back that I was going to dip my foot in the pool of Indie publishing. (What self published authors are calling themselves now. Sounds more professional and helps avoid the old stigma attached to the words self published.)

But I can’t say that I was 100% on board, I was still hemming and hawing, that is until a few things happened. My dog (my baby) had a stroke and in the time waiting for tests while he was at pet emergency I thought a lot about my financial situation. My computer got a virus that nearly rendered it a paperweight. I locked myself out of my house for the first time ever early in the morning and was late to work. And the blows just kept coming one after another and I felt like life was trying to bring me to my knees and it damn near succeeded.

On that first day, in a tearful mess, unsure how I’d driven to the pet hospital or back without killing us, I was given a small ray of light. It felt very much like a sign, in the form of an e-mail. A sign I didn’t heed. Maybe if I had accepted it that first day, things wouldn’t have gone so far downhill. But then sometimes I’m stubborn and I guess I needed to feel my knees scrape the ground before I could accept the hand being offered to help pull me up.

Sometimes, no matter our strength we can’t carry the burden alone. Those who know me or have read this blog know I believe in God. So, I prayed. I asked to know that what felt like signs were in fact that. That I was actually being given a message, not just seeing what I wanted. I didn’t have to wait long. The answer was loud and clear and sounded something like this: “Life is short and ‘waiting for the opportune time’ to follow your dreams is silly.”

I’m also a feet dragger, so I got another nudge, a much less painful one. Here is where I tie in the inspirational people I spoke of in the first paragraph. You thought I’d forgotten didn’t you? Or at least stumbled way off track? Ha Ha. It may have been rambly but I knew where I was going.

Below are the three artists who have inspired me. They are doing what they love, following the dream and making it without the help of “the man” or “the establishment” so to speak. They are finding success and supporting each other and that is truly inspiring!

Now it’s time for me to take the plunge!

So I found this guy who does amazing videos and posts them on Youtube. His Youtube name is DevinSuperTramp – you can find him here: http://www.youtube.com/user/devinsupertramp On Twitter: @devinsupertramp On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/devinsupertrampyoutube and he has a blog: http://devingraham.blogspot.com/

The videos are amazing but wouldn’t have had quite the same affect on me without the incredible music that accompanied them. The music touched on something deep within me and helped to convey the feeling of the video making it an experience and not just something I was viewing. I’ve since downloaded all of Stephen J. Anderson’s music from Amazon because I am not fond of itunes. But there are links to the music in all of his videos. But you can find him here: http://www.stephenjanderson.com/ and here for his music on Amazon

And of course on itunes but you’ll have to do your own search for that or just click on the link on DevinSuperTramp’s videos. My favorite song is Every Hour which has helped me stay focused enough this week to crank out nearly 10k of new, and dare I say shiny new words that I’m feeling really good about. So, thank you, Stephen! You inspire me in more ways than one.

And finally, one of the videos was of a girl named Lindsey Stirling. Or LindseyStomp on YouTube. She plays the violin and dances. (Electric violin, how cool is that???) I love almost anything violin or cello related but her music is insanely beautiful and she’s seriously talented. She uses her talent in such a unique way that I was hooked with that first video. I’ve since downloaded all of her music from her website under the store. http://www.lindseystirlingviolin.com/category/music-downloads/ or you can find her on itunes also. Her Youtbue channel is here: http://www.youtube.com/user/lindseystomp She’s also on Twitter: @LindseyStirling and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lindsey-Stirling/132255980139931

Here are some of my favorites from these three:

This is so cool!

The music is amazing but with this video it says so much - and the video is just awesome!

He loved this collection of time lapsed video so he composed a song for it. How cool is that?

And well this video is so awesome and break dancing is insane and so cool. Put it together with an EPIC song by Stephen J Anderson and you get sheer amazingness! (this is only about half of my favorite song by him)

Book Review: Connected by Jolyn Palliata

2011-10-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is Jolyn Palliata's debut, a novella in The Twists of Fate series. It's not the first one she's written but it's kicking off her Indie publishing career.

Without further ado.

Connected.

Due to a complication during a schedule procedure Addison Calomino died. While in the afterlife she encountered a being, one she felt an immediate connection with. It wasn’t her time though, and she was pulled back from the warmth of his embrace.

He wasn’t ready to let her go. Afraid to be left alone, he latched on and followed her home. Now the sexy, conceited rocker Rhys Alexander has to convince her to help him with his unfinished business in order for him to move on.

I loved this book because it was a beautifully told story about the journey between two people as they get to know each other and find that, though they didn’t know anything was previously missing, they’ve found someone and something it would difficult to live without.

Jolyn weaves a tale that starts off with the perfect balance of fun mixed subtle emotions. I laughed out loud more than once at the situations Addison’s unique predicament gets her into. Addison is a wonderful character we can identify with and root for while Rhys’ intoxicating blend of sexy with a side of vulnerability make him irresistible.

I was rooting for them the whole way and couldn’t wait to read the next page to find out where Addison and Rhys story led.

Do you see yourself on the pages you read?

2011-10-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

The other day I was getting ready for bed late because I’d stayed up longer than I should have because I was watching Risoli and Isles, a cop show about two women who are strong, independent women who have careers and take care of themselves.

I bring this up because I was contemplating why I’d stayed up late watching this show that, while I like it, it isn’t my favorite show in the world. It’s not thought provoking and I never come away from it feeling empowered or inspired. I’m simply entertained. Which is good, important even, but what I realized is that I liked it because I could see myself in it, or at least someone like me, I could relate to the character. I’ve had a job since I was twelve and have been supporting myself, and even lending support to those I care for all my life, like these two ladies.

It got me to thinking about writing and how there has been a lot of discussion about race or sexual orientation in the types of books that I write, Young Adult. And I’ve never really weighed in on either side. I have always put the faces and characteristics of the people I like on the characters I read about and I assumed most others did this also, but have learned not everyone has the same type of imagination I do.

So after my epiphany I think it is probably very important for people, especially in their formative years to see themselves in books, or more importantly people they can identify with doing and being the things they themselves would like to. Not just role models, but people in their same or similar situations doing well, making right or wrong choices and learning and growing from them.

A perfect example for me is Bones, one of my favorite shows. Over the years I’ve watched Brennan, a woman who could be considered an island grow into someone who formed incredible relationships with friends, co-workers and even men and estranged family. She has learned to allow them into her life and her heart. She has let them see her and share in her joys and her heartbreaks, all the while being a strong woman people can respect and look up to.

I struggle with a lot of the same things she has, and I’m always inspired and touched when I watch the show. Best of all, I always come away from it with hope. I’ll feel like a success if I can provide that same feeling to even one person with the books I’ve written or those I will write in the future.

What are your thoughts?

Every Eye Trained On A Different Star

2011-08-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

The theme of this week/month for me has been Stars - so in honor of that I'm posting just few words and letting a link, a picture, and a video all relating to stars, speak for me, all of which are a creative expression of one type or another.

My current WIP (that's a work in project for you non-writer readers) features a story line that revolves around Fate or Destiny. I'd like to believe it illustrates how even if our path seems written in the stars, how things turn out is up to us and the choices we make. You can check it out here: http://www.wattpad.com/1980299-a-tail-of-stars

I make hand made hula hoops as a hobby. This is one I'm particularly fond of:

And finally. The following video is a new song by one of my favorite bands Snow Patrol - the song is - Called Out to the Dark. The album hasn't been released here in the US yet. I believe it comes out 9/4/11 and I can't wait till I can get this song on my Zune. Until then I'll have to settle for watching this video which is totally awesome. The title of this post is a line of lyrics which I love from this song. This song totally inspires me!

Aliens in Alaska?

2011-08-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

I’m not sure if many of you know this, but I’m a complete science fiction and paranormal lover. Favorite movie of all times is The Abyss, second would have to be Serenity. The shows I HAVE to watch are usually found on Syfy or have sci-fi components, Eureka, Stargate in all it’s carnations, Star Trek (all but favorite being TNG), Heroes, TAPS Ghost Hunters (the original not so much the International), The Walking Dead, Firefly…. I could go on for hours.

Anyway, living in Alaska you’d think I wouldn’t get a lot of sci-fi experiences. Well unless you buy into that new movie with the aliens in Nome. I haven’t seen it. I have however had a few interesting experiences myself. Once, when I worked nights I was out walking my dog at 2:30am along with my mom. We had to walk the dogs in opposite directions otherwise they’d play and not do their business. About five minutes into the walk the sky, which in the winter was completely black, lit up like it was two in the afternoon.

The light only lasted a ten seconds, maybe fifteen but it was a bit alarming. I went running back around the curve of the street and confirmed that my mom also saw it. There was nothing on the news. I don’t usually watch the news but actually did for the next week. A year later there was a small article in the Anchorage Daily News about a space mirror that Russia was considering to reflect light onto Siberia. Maybe misaimed? I’ll never know if that was it but it’s certainly a good and legit explanation.

This brings me to the point of this blog. My brother and his friends had several experiences while out walking in the summer midnight sun. There was an invisible, unexplainable creature that used to buzz them as they walked.

It’s a mystery that has bothered him for years. Recently he came out to my house to visit. Both he and my roommate were outside in my yard. I have a few acres and a swamp which draws many different animals. While outside walking the dogs they both experienced the same invisible, unexplainable creature buzzing them.

After some research they discovered that there is a bird called the Snipe. It’s tail feathers make the “drumming” noise they heard. The birds can be difficult to see but are attracted to open, wet lands such as my swamp or my parent’s marshy stream. They found a sound file on the internet that matched what they were hearing exactly. Sure enough when they went back outside and looked in the swamp, there it was, in the swamp. Though the little thing was surely sneaky and was able to vanish right in plain sight.

So, while I still love nearly anything sci-fi or supernatural and believe there are many things that cannot be explained. My own and my brother’s personal unexplainable experiences have simple explanations.

Do you have any strange or unexplainable experiences of your own?