Skip to main content

Books, Writing, Reading, & Life

Happy Friday All,

It's the end of another week and my allergies have decided to act up. So, I'm waiting on a call back from my doc's office to see what they'll recommend I take (I had a question about an over-the-counter med). Hopefully it won't get any worse; I just got over having one thing or another not that long ago.

Yesterday I read most of the day. I finished up Joy Preble's YA novel, Haunted (book 2 in her series) and then I went ahead and worked on Katie McGarry's YA novel, Pushing The Limits.

Joy Preble's books use some of the Romanov story and Russian folklore. It's set in contemporary times, full of magic, mysteries, and a little bit of something for everyone. The first in the series is Dreaming Anastasia, which I really enjoyed. Haunted is book 2 and Anastasia Forever should be available, soon. (Joy told me it comes out, I think on August 7th). I'm hoping Anne stays with Ethan!

Katie McGarry's Pushing The Limits is one heck of a read. It's poignant, heart wrenching, and full of mystery. It's a contemporary YA, and I don't normally read things that aren't paranormal or fantasy too often, but because of what I said in my congratulatory post a couple of days ago, I went ahead and purchased and read it. This book is for OLDER teens (17 or 18) and adults. There's a lot that happens in it and things that are mentioned that I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers. Also, this is more than a love story. This is also about self-love, and family type love. It's a journey into the awareness that while you might be one thing, you can become something more--something better--than that one thing. It's about forgiveness and growth. It's about discovery of self and of what is the truth.  So many things are packed within those pages. I found myself laughing, crying, and having to know what was going to happen. It truly turned into an incredible story.

I'm now started a novel by an author I haven't read before (yet another YA) called Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs. I just barely started, so I have no idea what I'll think of it, but I think I'll like it.

I'm counting down the days until Shanna Swendson's novel, Much Ado About Magic is out. For Kindle users, it's available for preorder. For Nook users, you can purchase it on the release date, which is August 15th. And, here's a peek of the story.

Other than that, I hope to do some writing today. Conjure A Man is about half done (short blurb is in the margin of this blog), and I've got several other stories waiting in the wings.

Have A Fantastic Friday!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

It's Worth A Fortune

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Does anyone remember the song If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies ? I can't remember when or how I was first introduced to this song, but it's a fun song. So, how about if you had a million dollars? What would you do with it? Of course there's the responsible things to do with a million dollars--pay off debts, and such like that. Then there's the question of whether or not you give to charities, and how much. But, suppose you answered all those questions and you still had quite a lot left; what would you do with it? Maybe I'd go to Disney World. I've wanted to go, and I've never been able to. Or, perhaps I'd go to Germany and England, and Belgium (three of the countries my ancestors are from). Travel around seeing family and friends I don't see often. There's all kinds of possibilities. So, what about you? What would you do with a million dollars? Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Spotlight On Author: Loretta Wheeler

Happy Tuesday Everyone, There's a gem of an author I've had the privilege of coming across...I'm talking about my friend, Loretta Wheeler. She's a sweetheart and very talented author. I enjoyed her YA Paranormal novella, The Pan Man immensely. And, she also writes Romance. So without further ado, come into my parlor and meet Loretta Wheeler: Me:  In your YA novelette, The Pan Man , you mention Pan's looking for his long lost soul mate. What made you choose Pan out of all the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses? Loretta:  I chose the Greek god Pan, because of the connection with the music. I found later on in the story, (my stories take over and write themselves usually) it applied even more than I realized because of the band's name. I won't mention the name of the band in here, because it's part of the surprise ending. Me:  You're mostly known for your Romance stories. How would you describe your writing style? Hot, suspenseful, sensual, sw...

Myths About Writers

Afternoon Folks, I thought we'd do a post to dispel some of the myths people seem to have about writers. I'll put the ones that first come to mind then y'all can chime in. Myth: Writing is a great way to make a lot of money. I'm not sure exactly how this one matriculated. Probably in the wake of some of the big best sellers (i.e. Stephen King, Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, JK Rowling, and the like) but most of the time writers put in more money for their writing than they do get out of it. Generally a writer doesn't make a ton of money unless somehow his/her book is a blockbuster hit and blasts through what the author owes in the advance (which is paid back to publishers through royalties). Most writers I've met and talked to are not millionaires. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it's not one of those things that's automatic. Myth: Writing Is Easy Anybody Can Do It. Okay, granted this isn't entirely a myth, but it's not ent...