Book Review: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books; Unabridged edition (28 Aug 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1447260821
• ISBN-13: 978-1447260820
• Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.
  This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.
  Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.
  Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.
  But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

For as long as she can remember, the world has been trying to kill Lily Proctor. She is allergic to just about everything and it stops her from living her life the way she wants to…the way her friends take for granted. But the one positive thing in her life has always been Tristan. He is her best friend and has never given up on her when most other friends fall away when Lily can’t do all the same things they can. Of course, Lily is head over heels in love with Tristan. She is overjoyed when Tristan seems to return her feelings. But a devastatingly embarrassing night in front of her entire class destroys Lily. And when she hears a voice whispering to follow it, she has no reason not to.

Lily finds herself in her town of Salem, but it is not her town. It is a terrifying new world that is ruled by dark witches - the strongest of which is Lily’s other self, Lilian. Lily is thrown headfirst into a war she can’t begin to understand and if she discover her true potential, Lily might the only thing that can stop it. She is armed only by a few friends, one of which being the alternate Tristan…who I much preferred! And the distrustful Rowan, who used to be the closest person to Lilian.

I loved, loved, LOVED this book. I’m not usually one for witches and alternate realities, but I totally fell down the rabbit hole with this one. Lily is such a sympathetic and strong character. I loved that she effortlessly led us through the story and I cheered for her every step of the way. 

Trial by Fire is action packed and pulse-pounding and I sat on the edge of my seat for most of it. I cannot wait for the next in the series

Many thanks to Macmillan Children's Books for the review copy.

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Book Review: Time Storm by Julie Cross

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books (30 Jan 2014)
• Language: Unknown
• ISBN-10: 0230758487
• ISBN-13: 978-0230758483
• Tempest Agent Jackson Meyer’s back. Just . . . he barely survived the time jump forward to the year 3200 and another jump will probably kill him. Imprisoned by Eyewall, an opposition organization determined to shape the future according to their will, regardless of the human cost, Jackson needs to decide once and for all what really matters to him. Trying to save the people he loves – including Holly, one-time love of his life and in this timeline at least an Eyewall recruit – or risking everything to try to prevent this horrific future from ever taking place. But things are not always as they seem. And as the truth unravels, Jackson is forced to realise just how much love costs.

Timestorm picks up right as Vortex leaves off, with Jackson and his friends in the year 3200. It is there that Jackson learns the most about his genes and how if he time jumps again it will most likely kill him. He learns more about Eyewall and their cruel experiments and he knows he has to stop them, whatever the price may be. Jackson is surrounded by the people he loves. Including his one time love, Holly who turned Eyewall agent. Even his sister, who died many years previously is with him. 

Timestorm, and the entire trilogy, is a masterpiece. It is easy to get lost in the science with books like this, but when the main character is constantly learning so is the reader. There are a few information dumps, but nothing too overwhelming. 

There isn’t a single thing I didn't like about this series. The characters leapt off the page and were so well developed. The plot moved like a current, ebbing and flowing as it needed. This is the kind of series you curl up with one weekend and devour all three books. 

Timestorm was a perfect conclusion to what is a fantastic series. It broke my heart and pieced me together again and I can’t to read it all over again. 

Many thanks to Macmillan Children's Books for the review copy.

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Book Review: Gloss: Summer Scandal by Marilyn Kaye

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books (8 May 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1447223993
• ISBN-13: 978-1447223993

It's the summer of 1964 and the four Gloss interns are back in New York. Sherry is working at Gloss when she gets involved in the civil rights movement and finds herself falling in love with someone she never expected to, Donna is caught up in the world of high fashion and Upper East Side rich kids, Pamela is desperate to become an actress, no matter what it takes, and Allison is finding out that going steady with a teen heart-throb isn't all it's cracked up to be. The girls are discovering that following your heart sometimes means that you can't follow your dreams . . .

It’s the summer of 1964 and the four summer interns are back in New York. Sherry, Donna, Allison and Pamela are reunited and things couldn’t be more different for all of them. The four are all set with new challenges as they embark on new jobs and relationships. 

Allison is learning that dating a teen heartthrob isn’t all its cracked up to be…and you’re never really dating just him, but everything that comes with being famous. Pamela is desperate to break into fame and will do anything to get it, no matter who she stomps on to do it. Donna is living her dream job and has to put up with a nightmare boss to do, and possibly ignore some of her morals along the way. And Sherry is trying to make a name for herself in the magazine, but someone is determined to ruin the magazine itself. 

I absolutely adored this book. I have to admit I haven’t read the first in the series, but it didn’t ruin the second for me. The characters are introduced in a vivid way with just enough backstory to stop things from being confusing. The four girls could not be more different who, although they come together with this great bond, have four very different stories to tell. 

There is a very serious heartbeat to this book. Set in the middle of the sixties, there are many class and race issues that are raised. Sherry befriends William, a black man who is a student at Columbia University. Sherry is a southern girl and back home things aren't quite as liberal and forward thinking as the people in New York. She is a sympathiser and quite simply just wants equality for everyone, regardless of their sex, skin colour or social standing. Sherry is met with quite a bit of distrust when she tries to join a few groups who want equality and it is at one of these meetings that she is introduced to William. 

Donna mets Jack and there is instant attraction. It is later that she finds out his surname is Vanderwill and comes from one of the most wealthy families in the city. Neither of them care, but his mother isn’t pleased Donna doesn’t come from better stock.

Gloss: Summer Scandal is awash with interesting characters and I loved the gritty story lines. Despite these hard-hitting topics, it is, for the most part, a light-hearted read. Best read outside on the grass wearing large vintage sunglasses with the sunshine beating down on you and a frosted glass of lemonade.

Many thanks to Macmillan Children's Books for the review copy.

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Book Review: Summer's Shadow by Anna Wilson

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books; Unabridged edition (3 July 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1447241819
• ISBN-13: 978-1447241812
• 
  

When Summer's mom died, her life is turned upside down

Summer's mother's will states that Summer's legal guardian is her uncle Tristan: a man Summer has never even heard of before. Forced to leave her life in London, Summer moves to Tristan's creepy, ancient house in Cornwall. There she is met with indifference from him, open hostility from her cousin, and an aunt who has chosen to leave rather than to tolerate her presence. Soon Summer comes to believe that the house may be haunted. But is it haunted by ghosts, or by the shadows of her family's past? Scared and lonely, Summer begins to spend more and more time in the beautiful sheltered cove she discovers nearby. But she's not alone. A local boy frequents it too. Can Summer find first love and the answers to the mysteries of her new home with this good-looking boy who appears to be too perfect to be true?

When Summer’s mother dies, her will states that Summer would live with family she has never met before in Cornwall. Her Uncle Tristan seems anxious and doesn’t know how to deal with Summer. Her cousin Kenan goes out of his way to be mean and her aunt has moved out of the house. 

As if losing her mother wasn’t bad enough, now Summer has to leave behind her home, friends and normal life. Nothing is the same in Cornwall. Her family behave so strangely and she can’t even get a signal on her mobile phone. But that’s not all. Summer is haunted by strange occurrences that started with a phone call at the exact minute her mother died. Now there is a white cat that appears to Summer alone. 

Summer begins exploring the nearby beach she has discovered, and stumbles upon a secret cove. It is in the cove she meets local boy Zach, who seems to be the only person capable of pulling Summer out of her grief.

Summer’s Shadow was a good read, but perhaps at the younger end of the YA spectrum. 

Many thanks to Macmillan Children's Books for the review copy.

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Book Review: Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 693 KB
• Print Length: 322 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1476715920
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (10 Aug 2012)

Layken and Will have managed to overcome the obstacles that threatened to destroy their love, proving that they are destined for one another. What they are about to learn, however, is that the things that have brought them together may be the very things that ruin their connection forever…

Layken is left second-guessing the relationship whilst Will is jumping over hurdles to prove his love for her. What the young lovers discover about themselves along this journey may change their entire world and the lives of those who depend upon them the most...

Layken and Will have been through a lot. Way more than any other couple their ages. The events of Slammed were intense and emotional and I absolutely loved that book. And for that reason, Point of Retreat had a lot to live up to.

Lake and her brother are still coming to terms with the death of their mother, but always there for them is Will and his brother. Together the four of them make up a happy, if somewhat dysfunctional, little family unit.

Until someone from Will’s past shows up and threatens to ruin everything. Now Will has to work to regain Lake’s trust, and rebuild what has been broken. Because Will cannot, will not, live without her.

Point of Retreat is told this time from Will’s perspective, which I just loved. His head is an interesting place to be and he carries the reader through the story with ease.

This story is not for the faint hearted. It is raw and often brutal, but also tender and poignant. This is a book to read cuddled up in bed with the duvet for comfort, a million calorie box of chocolates and an unlimited supply for tissues. I really love a book that can make me feel anything, and this one made me feel just about everything. Read it. Love it. I know I did.  

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Book Review: Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1494 KB
• Print Length: 670 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1451533969
• Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (8 Sep 2012)

An A-List Movie Star . . .

Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine a life where fans would chase him, paparazzi would stalk him, and Hollywood studios would want to own him. While filming in Seaport, Rhode Island, Ryan ducks into a neighborhood bar for a quick escape from legions of screaming fans . . . and finds much more than he expected.

A Small-Town Girl. . .

Nursing a recent heartbreak, Taryn Mitchell believes men are best kept at a safe distance. But when Ryan Christensen unexpectedly bursts through the front door of her pub, she can’t help but be drawn in by his humor, charm, and undeniable good looks. At six foot two, with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and an incredible body, Ryan has every girl in Seaport swooning. But Taryn isn’t every other girl.

A Relationship That Doesn’t Follow the Script . . .

Despite her better judgment, Taryn soon finds herself falling hard for Ryan. But is their bond strong enough to survive the tabloid headlines, the relentless paparazzi, and the jealous fans who seem determined to tear them apart.

Ryan Christensen is a household name. He gets chased down the streets, is the subject of every woman’s fantasy, and just longs to be left alone. Taryn Mitchell owns a local pub and feigns her contentment. Things are steady and unpredictable, until a movie shooting in Taryn’s town brings Ryan crashing into her life.

Taryn is one of the few locals who doesn’t obsess over the every move of the film and its stars, and when she aides Ryan after he is hunted down like an animal and physically injured, she is the breath of fresh air he has been craving. But Taryn is nursing a heartache, and doesn’t want to get burned again.

Within Taryn, Ryan sees what he has always wanted  - a good, down to earth beautiful woman, a place he could settle down and call home and someone to share his life with. And lowly but surely, Taryn lowers her defences and lets Ryan in – to her life, and her heart.

But just because there is obvious chemistry and affection involved, doesn’t mean the road will be easy for the new lovers. Jealousy, Ryan’s lifestyle and Taryn’s insecurity threatens to rip the couple apart.

Love Unscripted is one of those books I really can’t make my mind up about. In a lot of ways, it was a great read. There was good plot turns, interesting characters and a believable romance. But on the other hand, it was vastly over written and the book as a whole could have been a lot shorter. There was a great deal of repetition involved, with Taryn stressing over the same old things, Ryan pacifying her, Taryn getting wound up again. There was no clear resolve for the end of the book, which irked me.

But on the whole, Love Unscripted will appeal to a broad audience. This is the perfect book for when the rain is lashing down outside and you want to curl up on the sofa and disappear for a few hours.

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Book Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Ltd (5 Oct 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848451725
• ISBN-13: 978-1848451728

Ive left some clues for you.

If you want them, turn the page.

If you dont, put the book back on the shelf, please. 

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Dash is perusing the bookshelves of an out-of-the-way bookstore when he comes across something that doesn’t belong. The red notebook has a serious of challenges to make sure he is the correct recipient for its purposes. Dash has found Lily’s book of dares.

But Dash doesn’t play by Lily’s rules, and he dares her back with his own concoctions. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares has the pair racing all over New York, making puppets and building snowmen and slowly but surely falling for each other – even though they have never met. They push each others boundaries and get them to open up in ways they never thought they would.

I absolutely loved this book. Not much can be said about this book without giving away it’s magic. And magic it has. Plenty of it.

Dash and Lily were two completely opposite characters that intrigued and drew sympathies from the reader. I couldn’t put this book down and the suspense nearly killed me. The whole thing was serendipity and I dare anyone who reads this not to fall for its charm.

There is, quite simply, no other book like Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. 

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Book Release: Escaping Normal

I am so excited to say today is the day my book, Escaping Normal is released. It is available from Total-E-Boud Publishing here:

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1428 

Escaping Normal is a paranormal romance with a steamy side, so if you like the sound of that, read on...

Sammi is an intern for a TV talent show, hating life and desperate to escape the monotony, when her wake-up call finds her. A member of a band involved with the show, the dark and mysterious Blaine, shows an intense and sudden interest in Sammi. For the first time, she wonders if maybe she shouldn’t have been so eager for things to change.

With Blaine permanently fixed in her mind, she dreams of him—violent, bloody and intensely sexual dreams that only pull her towards him more. Sammi knows there is something uniquely different about Blaine—something she doesn’t know or understand…but something she wants.

Every second spent with Blaine is one spent with danger. But every second spent without him feels worse.

Sammi wanted to take a bite out of the big apple, but will she escape with her life before it bites back? More importantly...will she want to?

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Escaping Normal Cover Art

I am so, so, so, SO excited to reveal the cover art for my first book to be published!

Total-E-Bound Publishing picked up my paranormal romance, Escaping Normal, for their Lust Bites category and is due to be published in November.

So here it is folks, a cover with my name on it. I hope it is the first of many!

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Withdrawals

Finding the time to do everything you want to do can be hard. Actually accomplishing all the things you want…I don’t know about anyone else, but this is pretty much impossible for me.

Recently I went back to work. It’s been three years since I’ve been in a working environment, choosing to stay at home with my little boy than hand him over to someone else to raise him. But there comes a point in everyone’s life when a change is needed. That time came for me. While I adore every second I spend with my son, I got a shock when I realised I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been away from him, or my husband, at the same time.

The decision to return to work wasn’t hard, and neither was the initial change in my life. But when I noticed how long I’d had a particular book on the go, or how long it had been since I opened my WIP document, it became clear I was letting a lot of things fall to the wayside. And anyone who knows me, knows how unusual that is.

Not writing feels like drug withdrawal. My skin crawls and all I can think about is my keyboard beckoning me…whispering to me in my dreams about what I’m neglecting. So while I was prepared for the physical side of returning to work, I wasn’t prepared for the mental change. My brain was exhausted from remembering new facts and people, struggling to compete with someone who seems determined to see me fall, the guilt I ache with every time I leave my boy. Even though I work part time, I am exhausted and spent and finding zero time to do something that I used to make time for.

It’s all about finding the balance. But right now my scales must be wonky. It will take awhile for me to get the setting right, learn when to push through and when to relax and just be for a while. The one thing I am certain of is I cannot rush the return to my writing, especially when I feel like this. There are times when emotion turmoil in our personal lives can aid our writing, but this isn’t one of them. I need to save and reboot, and just hope and pray and everything else that it doesn’t take too long for my batteries to recharge. Like I said, my keyboard is beckoning me. 

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Don't Say The Word Contest

My fabulous fellow Wench, Rain, did something very cool on her blog the other day.

She posted a challenge that she took part of - write a 500-700 word story about a werewolf without ever saying 'werewolf' in any way.

Sounds easy? Try it! You must tell your readers what you are talking about without saying the obvious - and yes, that includes shifter, any latin or other language.

I loved the challenge and tried to post my take on it in her comments box, but it was obviously too long!

We decided to link blogs. So, if you fancy doing the challenge, keep the link going! Post it on your blog and let us know!

Read the original post here.
Here is my take:

Never Say Werewolf

She stared at me; eyes challenging with a hint of superiority – the kind popular girls seem to perfect by the tender age of seventeen. I squirmed under her gaze; ironic given the fear I have long been accustomed to.

            Try as I might, tonight had been unavoidable. Stupid photography professor insisting on night shots. Usually I loved the class. It suited my personality to remain on the periphery of society without being under the damaging stare of those who could learn too much. Yeah, I loved the class. Until we were assigned partners on this assignment.

            Cara Walker, so hot she makes steam look frosty and all around badass, had the stellar idea of capturing tonight’s full moon…a night I preferred to spend as far away from civilisation as possible.

            I told her to stay away from me – warned her I wasn’t safe to be around. Something in her glare even made the beast inside me terrified to defy her.

            We drove in her car to the lookout where she said we’d get the best shot. My fists clutched the edge of my seat as I forced down the animal rising in my throat, clawing at my insides to be set free.

            There had never been reason to keep it inside before – never reason to try. Maybe I could do it. Maybe I could stop the inevitable from happening.

            It feels worse outside as though the frame of the car kept the moon from penetrating my skin and awaking the beast. Oh, it was awake now alright, and it wanted to run.

            Things always feel different when I give in to the urge, simplistic; eat, hunt, run. I couldn’t hunt here, not with Cara around. What if I didn’t remember who she was? What she was?

            My stomach plummeted as I met her gaze. My warning hung in the air around us, mixing with the stench of animal seeping from my skin. Her eyes laughed at me, looked at me like the freak that I was.

            For a heartbeat her gaze softened and I dared to believe she not only saw the skin that often felt easier to wear than the one with the face of a boy.

            In that heartbeat my tender grasp on my rigidly held control slipped. I felt it dart away from me and no matter how hard I tried to get to get it back, it was gone.

It was coming.

It was here.

My bones cracked, the sound distant in my ears as the pain ripped my body apart. I buckled, collapsing on all fours as my spine arched into a new shape. My groans turned guttural, finally no longer even sounding human. With human hands I tried to hide my snout before the paws fell from my face and whine rolled past my muzzle.

Eat

Hunt

Run

The smell of fear hung in the air. It tasted different, not familiar. It tasted delicious. The hungry snarl amped the fear and I watched the girl stand before me – not moving, not running, not trying to hide.

She stretched out a hand and the hunger disappeared from my belly.

I crouched low to the ground, wanting to run from her and wanting to stay all at once. Her hand shook before it stilled and she touched my snout.

The girl smiled and sat and ran her fingers down my flank. Unease slipped from my blood, acceptance taking its place. 

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NicNac Published

My awesome fellow Wench over on the Wench Writers blog has been published! Go check out her incredibly moving memoir at The Cuckleburr Times.

Nic is an amazing writer and deserves a wealth of success. This is the first the publishing world has seen of her, and it will not be the last. Pay her a visit, leave a comment, and bask in the glory that is her debut!

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Dejection, Dejection, Dejection

When I first heard the phrase 'crisis of confidence', I associated it with Tom Cruise and his cookie cutter movies. Top Gun, he's a fighter pilot until he has a crisis of confidence and he can't be a fighter pilot anymore. Days of Thunder, he's a race car driver until he has a crisis of confidence and he can't be a race car driver any more. Cocktail, he's a bar tender until...you get the picture.

I never understood the phrase until I realised it applied to me.

Recently my confidence took a battering, and I'm not even all that sure why. One or two minor things happened yet it made me look at my work as though it was a fearful thing. I dreaded reading anything back, terrified it would be crap. As for actual writing? Forget about it.

My fellow Wenches over on the Wench Writers blog know of my knock of confidence, and awesome as they are, didn't entertain my dejection, told me not to be daft and get on with it. But this isn't the type of feeling that goes away by someone else's approval - it can only be cured by your own.

People can tell you till they're blue in the face that you have talent, but until you believe it for yourself, nothing will change. As of this post, I am still unpublished. When I started taking my writing seriously in 2009, I knew it would be a long hard battle. But this is the first time I entertained the notion of failing.

This isn't a pity post, more a curious post. Have any of you taken a battering? How did you get over it? DID you get over it?

Sigh. Until next time. Fingers crossed I find my mojo again!

Pxx

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The Dawn of Wench Writers

I am very excited to announce the launch of a very cool new blog. Me and a few friends got together to form a band of merry writers. We wanted to share our experiences, tips we have picked up along the way and most of all, talk about writing.

What I particularly love about the blog is the obviousness of our different personalities. Each of us are at different points in our writing, lead different lives and live in different countries. We feel there is something to offer everyone and couldn't be more happy to share it with you all. 

In the future there will be book reviews, industry interviews and much more.  Remember to keep checking in at the Lounge and the Bench for works by the Wenches.

We are hosting a launch party on Sunday 13th February at 2pm EST. Drop by and meet the Wenches, enter the giveaway and explore our blog. 

So spread the love if you feel like it (we'd love it if you did) and remember to stop by the launch party! 

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Deadline - Good Idea or Sudden Death?

Okay, it's official. I really must have gypsy blood in me. 

I'm preparing for my fifth move in three years. Sound a lot? It isn't to me.  I've lived on my own since I was sixteen. When I say alone, I mean out of my parent's house. (Room-in-a-house sucks FYI) Before I met my husband I moved house twelve times. In less than ten years I've lived in seventeen houses. That sounds excessive.

And here I am about to do it again. And I'm not going to say this is it - no more moving for years. My little boy is two and has lived in three different houses so far - shortly about to be in number four. Every move Hubs and I have made I've said this is it - no more moving for ages and ages and ages. And six months to a year down the line we move again. So this time I'm saying nothing.

I thought it would be fun to set myself a little challenge. If things go to plan, we will be moving in four to five weeks. I'm working on a manuscript I was determined to finish the first draft of when we moved the last time, seven months ago. It is only recently I've started working on it again. So this time, I'm determined to get it presentable and whole by the time we move again. And trust me, there is a lot of work involved with this one.

In a lot of ways, it is my most simplest of ideas...simplest of books. But as is easy reading, there is damn hard writing behind it. There is a lot of research involved - including planning a massive cross-country road trip. Never fear, Road Trip USA is here! Well, it will be once Amazon delivers it, anyway. 

So...anyone want to spur me on? Shout encouragement from the sidelines? Please? I could use it! Honest!

Tell you what - I will  do it. I will finish. I'm determined, after all. 

Plus it will give me something to do whilst putting off packing. 

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The Truth of the Written Word

Earlier this week, I finally got around to reading On Writing by Stephen King. There were so many things about his writing that I adore, and this book was no exception. But this isn't a book review. 

I've read a lot of writing books -  books on grammar, books on publishing, whether on not you're qualified to write, whether you should even bother trying. The market has never been fiercer, making it all the much harder for new authors to get noticed. When I finished reading these other books, despite having an undertone of you-will-probably-fail-so-why-bother-trying attitude, I always finished feeling more determined than ever. I would show them wrong. I would, will, work hard and get my book published and make a name for myself. 

On Writing is the first book on the subject that has terrified me. 

Stephen King won't train you in grammar perfection. He does something even better. He tries to make you a better writer - not a perfectionist. He urges you to improve your craft, to sit and actually write as opposed to sitting in class after class on creative writing. Read a lot, write a lot. That's pretty much his message.

The other message, and this is the one that terrified me, was to write the truth. This doesn't necessarily translate to write what you know, which is the more popular saying, which can be useful too. It means be true to your writing, to speak honestly and most importantly - have your characters speak truthfully. The worst thing you can do as a writer is to censor yourself. 

It's inevitable that you can't please everyone. You can't come close. There are always going to be people who don't like a certain scene because it upsets them, or offends them or just plain ticks them off. Hell, as a writer there are some scenes I hate doing because it upsets me. But the point is, if you start censoring and writing perfectly with no cussing or offending people will never get to the heart of your story. Why? Because it won't have one. 

On Writing terrified me because as usual when finishing a writing book, I got a burst of determination. Only this time it wasn't to prove anyone wrong...it was to prove someone right. I am now determined to push myself and my writing further, to take the scary steps and jump without looking back. 

I like to think I'm pretty open minded with what I write. I swear a lot, I write dialogue that I think is realistic. But I hold back. There is that tiny part of me that doesn't push my characters to their very limits because I can't bear too. I don't hurt them because it hurts me too. Only another writer will know what I mean by this. Everyone else will just think I'm crazy. Which I kind of am sometimes, but that isn't the point here. 

Life isn't censored, so why, when writing, would anyone expect anything different? Life hands us all kinds of crap. Life isn't a Disney movie where everything always works out for the best. Sometimes life sucks. It's just the way it is.

But...sometimes life can be wonderful. And those are the moments that outweigh the scary ones, the ones I'm afraid to write. 

I'm taking the leap. Anyone care to join me?

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NaNo Never Again...?

This year I decided to give NaNo a shot. I heard about the National Novel Writing Month last year, but being in the middle of a project already and not wanting to lose focus on it, I figured there was always next year.

So this October I wasn't working on much, just tidying up a few old works I eventually want to rewrite, when I remembered it was almost NaNo time. There were a few ideas I'd had kicking around my head for a while, so decided there was no time like the present to get at least one of them out there.

I didn't do much in the way of planning. For a first draft, I find the more planning I do, the harder it is to write. I concentrate on the outline too much and don't give myself enough room for the story to develop. What I did do, was look really deep into my characters.I did a lot of profiling and background stories for them, really fleshed them out before the actual writing started. I'm a firm believer in characters and how they evolve all by themselves. Our characters carry the story, so I figured the more developed the better. If I got stuck, they could help me. I knew the general outline of my story and the direction it was headed, but other than that I was flying by the seat of my pants.

The morning of November 1st I woke with a knot of fear in my belly and a racing mind. I was terrified of starting my computer, to look at my notes and the very worst - getting that first sentence out there. But that last part always terrifies me. The first sentence of any new project is daunting, but once done is done. And if it sucks, hey, that's where rewrites come in. 

On November 1st I realised I'd made a mistake in signing up for NaNo. Not because I didn't think I could do it, because I did. If I sat down on any given day and said, right, you've got 30 days to write this bad boy, and you don't even have to finish it in that time limit, just get 50k done and we're golden, then I don't think it would be a problem.  What I did have a problem was the fact I had to write to someone else's deadline. Someone else decided it HAD to be November, it HAD to be 30 days started November 1st. And that seriously, seriously freaked me out. 

Once I got started I was fine. The ball was rolling, the words were flowing, the characters were making me fall in love with them and thought about them every spare second I got. 

I hit 50k earlier than the schedule predicted, 'finishing' NaNo on November 10th. This allowed me breathing time, time to relax and realise it wasn't the Hounds of Hell snapping at my heels, just a website encouraging people to write. The book I was writing wasn't finished, not by NaNo's standards. A part of me is glad I got so much done in so little time, as a dear member of my family took a turn for the worst and after a few weeks we lost her, obviously turning my thoughts to her rather than writing. When things got bad I used my book as a way to distract myself and disappear from the world, for as little time as I could.  Today I uploaded my work and got it validated, the final word count of the first draft coming in at 67,813k. There's still a long road until the book is even ready for other eyes to see it; a heck of a lot of editing needs to be done, loose ends tied up and fleshing out to be done.

When I first started, NaNo seemed to be everywhere. My blog feed was overrun of people sharing their past experiences or thoughts about NaNo; Twitter had the hashtag where NaNoers could meet and chat to each other. It almost made me wish I had avoided reading anything about it. Tweeters gave people hints and tips how to expand their novel, encouraged long winded sentences that really only needed a word or two. Bloggers either did the same and encouraged overuse of adverbs just to boost the word count. Others tarnished NaNoers with a hateful brush, calling them hacks and wannabes. Agents slammed NaNo since their query box is always full of half finished and unedited manuscripts come December. 

It got me thinking - why? If you're going to do NaNo, surely the win would feel all the sweeter if you actually wrote fifty thousand words you absolutely loved, rather than fifty thousand words of drivel that when you edit, will probably only be half that amount of words? 

But then there is the flip side - the people who take NaNo seriously, the people who have writing right down to their soul. The people who after having a good chunk of words start all over again because they know it will work better from another angle. 

That's the thing about writing. Whether it be for yourself and no one but you will ever, ever read it, or for future publication, whatever you write, you have to love it. You're going to be spending a long time with this project and you're more likely to keep pruning and polishing it to perfection if you care about it and want to see it at its very best. 

Now, I'm not saying my NaNo project is perfect. Far from it, in fact. But I do love it. I haven't added words just for the sake of it, I haven't had characters talking about their problems over and over just to bump the word count. When I'm done editing and rewriting I hope to have at least fifteen thousand more words on top of the 'finished' NaNo total.

Do I regret doing NaNo? Not really. But I'm sort of glad it's over. The best thing I got out of it wasn't being able to call myself a 'Winner', but for thirty days I got to write alongside some of the best and coolest people I've ever known. The road of writing is a long one, but thanks to NaNo it isn't a lonely one. Your friends are right there beside you, cheering you on. 

Would I do it again? Now there's a question.

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Gearing up for NaNoWriMo

So...I've decided to try NaNo this year. I know, shocking, given the title! But that sentence has rung in my mind over and over the last few weeks as it has dawned on me just what I've let myself in for.

For those who have been living under a rock, or are just not familiar with someone in the writing community, the month of November is set aside for those crazy people called writers who aim to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I know, sounds nuts, right? Well, this year I'm joining them, so that shows what it says about me!

When I'm writing, it's pretty much all I can think about. Like when you read an awesome book that lingers or a movie that strikes a chord with you, or a new person in your life, it invades my every waking thought. And my non-waking thoughts pretty often, too. And now that I have a goal, or deadline, whatever way you look at it, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be more scatter brained than normal!

As I've said in previous posts, I'm not a writer who does a lot of prep work before I begin a new project. But I've had to this time. I'm not confident enough starting something like NaNo without at least a hint of a game plan. It isn't much, and it's by no means detailed, but I have a vague plan and my job over the next few days is to do as much character profiling as is possible before NaNo starts this coming Monday. Because at the end of the day, stories can be altered and fixed and primed and pampered, but your characters carry it. If you don't do a good job with them, then forget it. Every writer will tell you the fabulous moments when the characters break free from their moulds and write the stories themselves.

I don't think of myself as a seasoned writer or a pro or whatever. I've finished four books, have three unfinished partials and a few drafts needing polished. That said, I don't think the skill of learning to write is ever finished. No matter how many books you write, or even if you get published or not. Because there is always research to do, and for those that say they don't are lying - no two characters are the same and each is individual and need their own prep and research.

I didn't sign up to NaNo to prove anything. I don't think that's the point. I don't think those lucky enough to 'win' can sneer at those who don't and say, well you didn't finish therefore you aren't a writer. NaNo, to me, is a fantastic chance to join a wonderful community of people. And like characters, no two writers are the same. Everyone has their own way of doing things and it's interesting to see how others work and progress.

Would I like to achieve the goal and reach 50k in 30 days? Of course I would, I'd be lying if I said no. But I don't think the word count is the be all and end all of NaNo. It might be cliched, but it's the taking part that counts.

And I can't wait to meet my fellow contestants.

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Playing It Safe?

The first book I ever wrote is a monster. Sitting currently at 500+ pages, it feels like a mountain to try and edit. It's a historical romance set during the second World War. I haven't made it easy for myself, having to do so much research for this time in history. But despite all the work it needs and all the other books I have written since this one, I'm still completely besotted with it. I love it above all my other books. Maybe because it is my first...who knows. 

A year and a half after finishing the book, I'm only now going back to it. It needs a major face lift and many plot developments tweaked, but it doesn't put me off. A lot more research needs to be done and more references to the time period. 

During a particularly long editing session earlier today, I fleetingly wished my story was easier. Wished it was something I knew absolutely everything about and therefore was an absolute dodle to write. It made me wonder how many other writers feel like this at some point? Wish they had taken an easier road with their manuscripts.

I have a few more other historical novel ideas and the idea to start the research needed is daunting, but not off-putting.

So let me ask you this - when you get a killer idea for a book, how many of you are put off by the scale of the project? 

A part of me, probably the masochistic part, likes the challenge. The more hard work you put in, the bigger the achievement when you finish. 

There is a huge difference between having a moan at how much work is involved and actually deserting an idea because it might be difficult. Does anyone actually take the easy way out? How many of us play it safe rather than accept the challenge?

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Inspiration Vs Perspiration

A thought occurred to me as I was writing late the other night, working on my new WIP. How much of what we write is inspired and how much is damn hard work? 

It took me a while, but I eventually got my answer. For me, anyway; every writer is different. Like zebras. I decided that whilst writing my first draft for anything, I pretty much rely on inspiration. 

When I first started taking my writing seriously I became greedy, and sought out writers everywhere. In blogs, on Twitter, Facebook, Verla Kay's...the list is endless. I was fascinated by how others work and I was amazed at all the different techniques writers have. Of course, in seeking out fellow writers, I got the crap scared out of me.  All I saw was people agonizing over detailed chapter outlines and blow by blow movements of every scene before they even put pen to paper. (Or, more likely, finger to keyboard!) 

I freaked out because I don't do anything like that - ever. Usually when I get an idea or I wake from a crazy dream and know my subconscious has served me up something delicious to write about, I let it stay in my head for awhile. That way, the story solidifies itself and I get a great feel for it. Then maybe I'll do a list of characters and that will be the start of my character bible for that project. But as for planning...the only planning I really do is maybe a paragraph or two of what the general gist of the story is.

Usually while writing the first draft, I'll note down a brief description of what goes on in each chapter on index cards after I've actually wrote it. See? No planning. Just a reminder. This is useful to me later on in a variety of ways: it helps with a time line; it can be saved later to help with a synopsis; it can even help me decide if I want to shuffle the course of events around, maybe have one event take place before another. It also keeps me straight and not stray around all over the place. 

I'm a firm believer of letting the story take control of you, not the other way around. I still remember the first time I was shocked by something my MC said or did, wondering how in the hell, as the creator, I could be shocked. So for the first draft at least, I just go with it, and have confidence my inspiration will get me to the end in one piece. 

The same goes for research. Depending on how much I need to do, I tend to do it as I go. One of my completed works features heavily around Greek mythology. But, I already knew a ton as it is a passion of mine, so it was only the odd thing I needed to research. For another, it was based during WW2 and my protag's love interest enlisted after the attack at Pearl Harbour, being sent to the Pacific. That took a lot of research. I wrote maybe two hundred pages before I stopped so I could seriously research the heck out of it. 

Having said all of this, and probably branding myself a lazy writer to anyone who may read this, when I get to the second draft and however many after that, I get down to business. I go through every chapter and think about what could be done to make it better. In some cases taking the whole thing out is the only option. 

The good thing about relying on inspiration for the first draft, is it leaves the road more open later on. More often than not, my final draft rarely resembles the first. If anything, the first draft is a skeleton for me to add muscle and tendons and eventually a smooth and clear skin to polish it all off. 

Without the inspiration of the first draft, there would be very little for me to work with later on. And without the hard work that goes into the later drafts, the finished product would resemble a cake half baked. You know it's supposed to be a cake, but you wouldn't really fancy having a taste. I rely on inspiration and perspiration in equal measures. You can't deny the glow you get from inspiration and knowing that when you write something great, it came from a part of you that you have no idea where it came from or how to explain it. And when you work hard on something, and there is nothing harder to work on than a manuscript, that satisfied breath at the finish line is so worth it because you know you worked your butt off and the end result is amazing. 

But this is all just me. What about you guys? How much is inspiration, and how much is perspiration? 

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