2014 New Years Resolution

I hope everyone had a great Holiday season. With 2014 just hours away I'm going to do my New Years Resolution.


1. Try querying agents again.

2. Finish my New Adult book series for publication.

3. Get at least one of my books published. Even if I don't get an agent I just want to be able to call myself a published author.

4. Learn how to self edit my work better

5. Try getting into the academic program I need for my career.

13 Things for Writers from Kami Garcia

Got this from Kami Garcia the co-author of the Castor Chronicles, and I wanted to put some of my thoughts into her main points.

http://www.kamigarcia.com/13-5-things-that-will-change-your-writing/#more-4411


1. Writing is not a gift from the gods. It’s hard work.

2. Write whenever you can.

3. Don’t chase trends.

4. Know what you’re going to write about.

5. Read as much as you can.

6. Finish the first draft—no matter how bad it is.

7. Create a dump folder & file.

8. Carry a notebook.

9. Read everything you write out loud.

10. Find a critique partner.

11. Don’t compare your draft to the books in bookstores and libraries

12. Learn how to take criticism.

13. Do not “save” things for your next book.

13.5. Don’t get hung up on what you can’t do (don’t have time for, etc.). Start thinking about what you can do


My Input to her statements.

1. Writing is hard work. If you are willing to put forth the effort into writing you can have a successful career.

2. I hear this a lot from writers saying how they don't have the time to write, but to be a writer you have to make the time to write. One writer I know turned her hallway closet into a writing room so she could have time to write. I am a full time college student and I manage to participate in NaNoWriMo every year and still write about two books a year. You do need to write as much as you can. If you can set yourself a daily goal, it can be by the word count or something as simple as finishing a chapter.

3. Well this is a tricky subject. When some writers refer to trends they speak of traditional publishing, but an author has many options in this new era to publish their works. Every writer has their reason for choosing a path for publication, which I support no matter which method they choose to publish.

4. Yes. This is a big thing. Know what the story is you want to put on paper. The story I wanted to read that I queried out to many many agents got rejected, I don't know what to do with the story, but anyway you have to write the story that you want to tell.

5. You have to read a lot to become a writer. Every book has something to teach you. Use the amount of time reading to study the craft of other writers and how their writing style; dual POV, first person, third limited etc. Reading as much as you can will tell you about the types of stories that are out there and what people are looking for in a book.

6. Yes you have to continue working hard at finishing that story. It may be hard at first but you need to push yourself. Even if you think the story is horrible just finish it you can always go back and edit the heck out of it later.

7. This is a very useful tool. When I am writing the first draft I have a document open and type in the scenes I wanted to add into the story. I finish the draft first then as I am revising through the document I can see where the scenes will fit in.

8. You want to carry the notebook to write down ideas and inspiration. You never know when an interesting idea is going to hit you.

9. When you are in the middle of revisions read the story out loud. Everything sounds different when you are reading it out loud. This is part of the reason most English teachers tell you to do this the words will sound weird and it will make you fix it until it sounds perfect.

10. Find someone who will give you an honest opinion about your stories. I normally print mine out and show them to my English professors, or show them to a friend who gives me the opinion of a reader. You want someone who's honest, and reads with a critical eye.

11. Don't focus on all of of the other books out there, or comparing your work to them. Write what you want to write.

12. If someone tells you something doesn't feel right about a certain part in the story take it as a complement to improve.

13. Please don't copy and paste things from your other stories. I have seen this with other self published works, and it never works out. Just write a whole brand new story.

13.5 Don't get filled with so much self doubt. Fill yourself with positive thoughts and the will to write will come. 

The Best Version of the Nutcracker

Merry Christmas Everyone!

One of my favorite things about the holidays is watching the Nutcracker on stage, I used to be a dancer. My favorite version of the Nutcracker will always be the one of Gelsey Kirland and Mikhail Baryshikov

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! Wishing everyone and their families a safe holiday season.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.



It was written in dual POV and I like multiple POV, but the voices sounded to similar. It does make sense why the author wrote the book this way. It also contains some Christian aspects to the book dealing with sacrifice and forgiveness. What I liked about this one was getting to read about things from Tobias point. The whole series was mostly about Tris but I would have liked if all of the books were dual POV. I would love to read Divergent from Tobias' point. I felt really bad for Tobias in this book though he was a little weak. I think out of the whole trilogy I think Insurgent was the best. In this book the plot dropped a lot. 

I stayed up half of Saturday night and started reading this book from the crack of dawn until Sunday afternoon. I was too anxious to see what was going to happen in the end. My reaction to the ending was this: NOOOOOOOOOO! I remember shortly after the book was released the readers and fans were getting crazy, and now I see why, but they didn't have the right to attack the author all over twitter. I didn't like the ending of this book. I'm not going to write about the ending for people who haven't read the book, but I won't express my feelings. Hopefully those of you who really liked the series enjoy it.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Now that the whole series has been published I finally got the chance to read the books. My cousin had already bought the complete trilogy box set from Target and after he finished the series he was going to just toss the books in the garbage. I, mind you, freaked out when he told me this and I told him to give the books to me, (seriously what was wrong with him for wanting to toss out books). Now that I finally have them I wanted to read the whole series straight through. 

First off let me just say that every time I would go into the Barnes and Noble there would be at least two tables filled with the books (snubbing all the new authors) without this book getting the royalty treatment. People on social media have been talking about it forever, movie rights, etc so I wanted to see what the fuss was about that people were constantly talking about the book.

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

In Beatrice's dystopian Chicago everyone is divided into five factions based on their virtues: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Tris was born into Abnegation, so she's expected to pledge Abnegation... but deep down she has always had an affinity for the Dauntless and so must make a choice between family loyalty and personal identity.

The author wrote the book when she was in college, and judging by the publication date of 2011 I'm guessing she wrote the book just after reading The Hunger Games. It felt pretty similar to Harry Potter with the dividing of houses based on personality, and The Hunger Games with the dividing of the districts. I liked the idea, but the book being over 500 pages was a bit too much. Some parts tended to be pretty bland. I liked how Tris was fearless very much like Katniss.The Hunger Games and Delirium will always be my favorite dystopian books. 

If you're a hardcore dystopian fan you'll enjoy this book, but personally I think the story is really good but not worth all the hype. 

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

I really enjoy being on Christmas break and that's because it gives me the chance to catch up on some reading. As I'm working through my story preparing it to send to agents in January I decided to take a break from editing and do some reading this weekend. I had bought the whole series a long time ago and finally took the time to read it.



Every girl who had taken the test has died. Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom - and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld - and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy - until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.

If she fails..




I've been a big fan of the Greek mythology trend. I really liked the one by Josephine Angelini. I had bought all the books when the last one in the series was released and now that I am on break from school I finally had time to read it. Kate's mother was diagnosed with cancer and her final request was for her and Kate to return to the town where she grew up. When she has to save her enemy from drowning she makes a deal with Henry who's agreed to spare her friend in exchange for Kate spending six months out of the year with him. Kate agrees. In order for Kate to be with Henry and help him rule the Underworld she has to pass tests.

From most of the young adult books dealing with Greek mythology I thought this one was a fresh take from most of them. I really liked Henry who was actually Hades, I thought he was really hot sounding with his silver grey eyes. I really enjoyed this book, and even though I read the last two books in the series I thought the series just took a downfall. The first book in the series was the best.

Blog Tour: Holding Onto Forever by Cecilia Robert

Liese is finally moving on with Frey by her side. But sometimes letting go is the hardest part, and trusting is a risk one has to take. In between her practicum and spending time with Frey whenever he is town, she fights her insecurities, and wins. Then something happens and Frey's priorities momentarily shift, making her second guess their relationship. Suddenly, going back to their former best friends status has never looked so appealing.

 Frey's life has never shined so bright now that Liese is his. But there is a part of him that is shrouded by memories he'd rather have them buried where no one can touch them.  Not even him. But even buried memories and people can't stay hidden for forever. What Liese doesn't know is that Frey isn't about to let go so easily, and he will throw in everything he's got to stop her from leaving him. He has waited an eternity for her. Giving her up is not an option.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14760481-holding-on-forever?ac=1

No buy links yet…

Link to book one:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13358709-truly-madly-deeply-you

About the Author

Cecilia Robert  writes YA, NA and Adult. Her motto: Passion rules. She enjoys writing stories about people finding love in the most unexpected of places, and also about people finding their true purpose in life coupled with adventurous journeys, whether it's urban, fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary or paranormal romance. There's always a happy ever after, no matter how long it takes for the characters to get there. When she's not working in her full time job, she dons her supermom cape, or in most cases find herself trapped between the pages of a book in search for a hero who'll make her swoon with just a look or a word. Her favourite form of therapy is knitting. Best. Therapy. Ever.

Author Links:

http://cecereadandwrite.blogspot.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5263768.Cecilia_Robert

http://www.twitter.com/Cece_writes

https://www.facebook.com/CeciliaRobertBooks?ref=hl

http://pinterest.com/ceciliarobert/

Sneak Peek:

“What, Liese?”

“You’ve been on my case about seeing the therapist. Telling me that life goes on. And I listened to you, Frey. I listened.” 

God, her eyes! Why wasn’t he immune to them? She blinked the lush lashes fringing her chocolate browns and he felt the ribbon of anger he was holding on to loosen. 

“You gave me hope. You were there for me. Remember what you said to me?”

He’d said a lot of things to her, some of them very inappropriate for this conversation. He sighed and shook his head.

“When life hands you lemons, don’t squeeze them into your eyes. Make lemonade. Add sugar, honey. And better yet if you manage to make orangeade. Make life sweeter. Worth living.”

He turned away from her. Was she really throwing his own words back to him? God, this hurt so damn much. Her slender, warm fingers left his and touched his cheek, and he had no choice but to lean in. He shifted around to look at her. 

“I think it’s time, Frey. You’ve been avoiding this far too long.” 

He hadn’t been avoiding it. He just didn’t want to relive this in front of a stupid therapist, or anyone, for that matter. Funny how pretentious he felt, when he’d all but hauled Liese to the therapist’s office. But he could handle his own loss. He’d done well so far.

“I can’t talk about Kris. Please. Don’t make me do this.” 

“Frey…just because you don’t want to talk about your brother doesn’t mean those memories will just vanish. They will consume you, and eventually destroy you. Trust me. I know.” 

Desperate to keep himself from curling into a heap on the floor, he grabbed her by the waist and crushed her into him, seeking her warmth against his suddenly chilled body. Immediately she returned his hug with an equally strong one. Her heart beat fast where their chests touched, skin on skin. How had this gone from the best morning ever to the worst moment, so fast?

***GIVEAWAY*** 3 ebook copies of Holding On Forever (INT) a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reign Fated

NO MID SEASON FINALE! I CAN'T I JUST CAN'T!

Catching Fire

To celebrate being finished with finals I went to go see Catching Fire. I normally end to avoid seeing movies on opening weekend. 

I am really happy that the filmmakers kept the movie as close to the book as possible. I hate it when they make so many changes that the film shows no relation to the book whatsoever. I was hoping to see the scene where Katniss and Peeta are watching the previous tributes of the games and watch Haymitch become a victor. Maybe when the DVD is released it'll be one of the deleted scenes.

Another Semester Down

I finally finished this semester. Some of my classes were really hard so I glad this semester is over.

I submitted to PitchWars, and sadly I didn't get in. But one of the mentors gave me some really helpful feedback on my first five pages. So I will be taking that feedback I got from my mentor and working with my beta on getting the first three chapters into shape before I send off to agents in January.

Reign Left Behind

Will Francis finally tell Mary how he really feels about her?

Small Blog Absence

So with finals approaching, I won't be able to blog until I finish all of my exams.

So in the meantime I will look like this.