2014 Reading Resolutions

It's the end of 2013, and yeah, I  know, I haven't really been review that many books. Mostly because I got all tuckered out by all the books I had reviewed in 2012. There are so many stories that stuck in my mind and that I was experiencing all at once everyday that I thought it would be best if I didn't add more to my hallucinating state. 

My plans for the New Year is to only read books that I am genuinely interested in, and give the most honest and out truth reviews I possibly can, because I miss this connection and habit that I built up to write down my thoughts on a book I just finished. Some books I'm planning to read are:

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Book 3 of Divergent Series)

My review for the Divergent and Insurgent are hyperlinked. So go ahead and feel free to read my thoughts on the series. 

Summary:

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.

from goodreads

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Summary:

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

from goodreads

I've heard really good things about this book, and I have been wanting to read a really cute and girly love story lately. 

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Summary:

There's a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London.

Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

from goodreads

I have had this book on my shelf for what seems to be close to a year, and have not been in the mood to read a ghostly story. Hopefully I will get to this book in 2014. 

There are many more indie books of series I want to finish of course, and much more to come. 

Happy reading

Clara

Post-NaNoWriMo

I use Grammarly plagiarize check because I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.

November 1st, 2013 was the second year that I tried to complete nanowrimo. Last year I was new and extremely excited to be writing 50,000 words in the course of a month. I spent hours inside wearing my bright florescent sweater and drinking tea, writing word after word like my life depended on it. This year was quite different. I did not plan out and set up a plan for what I was going to write this year, and that is why I failed and was not able to complete those 50,000 words I wanted so badly to be put down.

I congratulate those of you who have been bathing in the glory and success you got on the last day. So not letting this be a pity party of me not accomplishing my goals, I have some tips for you guys that will be helpful for editing and getting a published copy of your book.

1. check out the nanowrimo website and use all of their resources-there are so many opportunities that are in the sponsor tab of the website. All of which you should take advantage of like Amazon's CreateSpace which gives you two free copies of your novel. 
2. get a writing partner-if you didn't already have one, there's no better time than right now, right? I mean you've got a loose rough draft ready to be teared apart and then put back into the beauty it is. Tumblr's writing tag can be helpful to find others that are looking for writing partners like you. Also goodreads, for example the Beta Reader Group, which I am a part of. Plus, I'd love to read anything you've written during nanowrimo. Just send me an email at clarareads@gmail.com
3. use Grammarly.com-this website is like your own personal editor that you can use anytime of day you want. Basically someone who won't get annoyed or be too busy to help you when you most need it. :)

If you guys have anymore ideas or suggestions that I can add to the list feel free to leave a comment below. 

Have fun writing/editing 

Clara

Know Me Better (#1)

Hi guys! I found out about this meme from Forever YA. The meme is actually from I am a Reader, Not a Writer  So, basically it is a meme of five questions for you guys to know me better.
Here are the Qs&As




•What was the last thing that made you cry?

Growing up I learned that a known is a person, place or thing, so I won't say who or where. The last thing that made me cry was The Perks of Being a Wallflower movie.

•What chore do you absolutely hate doing?

I hate cleaning the bathroom. Also making my bed.

•What is your favorite form of exercise?

Dancin' with my earbuds in and just rocking out.

•What is your current desktop picture?

•You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

London, England and then I'm heading to France.

In My Mailbox (#19)

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city's secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

In this follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated The Name of the Star, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

from goodreads


I was so excited to find this book in my local bookstore, and have it signed!! I knew Maureen Johnson stopped by the area I live in during her book tour, but I didn't know she went to my bookstore! It was the most wonderful surprise. The novel seems shorter than the first novel, but I am hoping to read it sometime during spring break. :D

This or That Book Tag

I found this on tumblr, by manelreads. Thought I'd like to do it. I will be tagging the people below:

Delaney from http://theawkward-ness.blogspot.com/
Grace from http://www.thehumblewatermelon.blogspot.ca/

Though anyone can do this tag if you'd like!!
audio or book in hand?

In all honesty, audio books are more handy for me, but I can't afford audiobooks as often as an actual book.

soft cover or hardback?

Hardback cover, I think I actually wrote a post about this, here.

fiction or nonfiction?

Fiction

fantasy world or real life issues?

Fantasy World

harry potter or twilight?

Harry Potter

kindle, ipad, or other?

Nook, and ipod

borrow or buy?

Buy, I feel more at ease than borrowing.

bookstore or online?

Definitely bookstore

tell me one time or total trilogy?

Paranormal Romance: one time because there's just too many triologies out there for that genre.

Action Adventure: Total Trilogy, or series

monster read or short and sweet?

short and sweet, to get the review up faster

starry eyed romance or full of action?

Full of action, and sometimes starry eyed romance thrown in there once in a while

curl up in your snuggie or bathe in the sun?

Snuggie

hot chocolate or latte?

Hot chocolate

read the review or decide for yourself?

Decide for myself, but find books from other people's reviews, if that makes any sense.

Don't Quote Me (#27)

Review:Busgirl Blues by BR Myers

Sixteen year old, magazine quiz junkie, Kelsey Sinclair wants to make this summer unforgettable by (hopefully) seducing her secret crush, Blaine Mulder. Armed with romance advice articles, Kelsey tackles true love with scientific precision, including getting a job at the seaside restaurant that overlooks the yacht club where Blaine teaches sailing.

However, visions of rendezvous on the beach are clouded when the new kitchen guy's laid back attitude and smouldering stare quickly get under her skin. With his renegade demeanour and unpredictable stunts, Luke is the opposite to Blaine's golden boy reputation. 

Determined to follow through with her original goal, Kelsey ignores her growing attraction to Luke, certain he's not the guy for her. But when she finally manages to get Blaine's attention, Kelsey worries the magazines are all wrong, and that sometimes the best matches are the ones you least expect.

from BR Myers' Blog

BR Myers is one of the few authors I actually follow on twitter, and blog. So, when I found out about Busgirl Blues going to be on wattpad for free, I had to check it out. This short novel made me sad in a good way. It made me feel embarrass for the main character, delightedly giggle, and was just a feel good book. 

It took me about five or six hours to read the novel. That might sound long for some people, but for me that's a quick read. BTW I read it while it was being published each chapter every few days. There were edge of the seat cliffhangers. Something to be aware of when reading a novel online, whether its on wattpad, or fanfiction.net, or what else, there are going to be grammatical errors. Not the entire novel, but there will be some, and you have to deal with it. I, personally, don't mind it, unless it's in every sentence or so. Anyways, I think Busgirl Blues was well paced, and I just loved how everything kind of weaved itself together. 

I felt like the main character, Kelsey, was a stereotypical teenager. I'm not sure if it's an accurate interpretation completely, but there were some parts of Kelsey that I could see some of my good friends in her. It was difficult to get into Kelsey's mind though, because her doing a plan to kiss a guy she's had a crush on forever is just way too out there, and I guess I've never met anyone that'd actually do that. But, it is fiction after all. Kelsey repeatedly makes mistakes, after mistakes, and it got really annoying after a while, because I know characters are suppose to have mistakes, but Kelsey seems like she makes more mistakes than not, and that's just...wow. I feel very vague, so just go read the book, and you'll know what I mean. Her mistakes aren't things that I'd pass by and forget, and I don't fully understand why Luke does. 

Falling in love, or thinking that you are, is a weird thing. I can't see why Luke is attracted to Kelsey. I do want them to be together through out the book, but that's because there are no other guys that are better than Luke for Kelsey. Though Luke has problems of his own, I wouldn't see how'd he and Kelsey get along, past a summer of fun. But the novel is, just a summer of fun. 

Busgirl Blues is that book you want to bring on the beach during spring break, or just to read during spring break, you don't have to go to the beach. It's that book that I bet most of you can finish in about two hours. It reminds me of a Sarah Dessen and Stephanie Perkins book, but I haven't read any of their books, though I know what they write, and this goes under that category. I say go read it for yourself, it's free, and if you like free things go check it out. I give Busgirl Blues by BR Myers a head nods, thumbs up. (4 out of 5)

Go read BR Myers' new novel Butterflies Don't Lie

Don't Quote Me (#26)

5 Authors I'd Autobuy Tag

I saw this somewhere either on Booktube(Youtube's book community) or tumblr. I'm not sure, but I wasn't tagged either way, so who's going to stop me? I'm pretty sure it's originally 10 authors, but I don't have such a long list, so here is my 5. 

John Green

I say a lot of good and bad things about John Green. Though, in the end, I'd still buy every book he writes. 

Here are some of the books I've read of his and reviewed:

The Fault in Our Stars

Looking For Alaska

Paper Towns

Maureen Johnson

I loved her Jack the Ripper series, well the first installment, The Name of the Star. I need to get my hands on her other novels, but would like to read the Madness Underneath, which has recently been released. 

BR Myers

I've only read a couple of her short stories, and novels on wattpad, but they are all great. I will have a review on her full novel on wattpad tomorrow. 

E.A. Riggs

I just have to mention E.A. Riggs for writing Casey Barnes Eponymous. She's a debut author, and I can't wait for whatever she comes out next. Also go check out her kickstarter, please @ dft.ba/-4K-X

Kiersten White

I love Mind Games so much, that when Kiersten White does come out with a new book, I will automatically buy it if I could. I should get reading on her series, Paranormalcy. 

In My Mailbox (#18)

Mind Games by Kiersten White
Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

from goodreads
my review


Perverse by Larry Rodness

19 year old Emylene Stipe is a 2nd generation Goth who, like every teenage girl, is trying to find her place in the world. One night she comes upon an old painting in an antique store and is compelled to purchase it. When she brings it home an image of a young woman appears in the sketch and then magically materializes in her apartment. Emylene nick-names her 'Poinsettia' and they soon become fast friends. But Poinsettia has an ulterior motive for her sudden and strange intrusion into her host's life which causes Emylene to question her whole belief system.

from goodreads
review to come on Thursday






Agent Colt Shore: Domino 29

When an ordinary kid learns he’s the heir to a secret agent dynasty, F.A.L.C.O.N puts him on a case to protect a famous rock group and find a missing journalist. Before he knows it, Colt Shore has gone from body guard to rock star to full-fledged agent when he learns that a human trafficking ring plans to kidnap a group of teenage girls. It will take more than his ingenuity and skills and a couple of cool gadgets to protect his new friends and rescue the captured girls before it’s too late.

from goodreads
review to come in May






I want to remind you guys again, that one of my favorite authors, E.A. Riggs, author of Casey Barnes Eponymous, started a kickstarter, and it's going to end soon. She's trying to get the word of her book out there more, and the money will help her get a publicist. I know you guys love helping authors, and her debut novel is really one of my favorites. I've been quoted on her kickstarter, saying that Casey is my favorite main character ever. Please help out, if you can. If you can't please help spread the word.

Love and Hugs
Clara

March Wish List To Read

Mind Games by Keirsten White
Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

from goodreads



Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Sophronia Temminnick at 14 is a great trial more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners -- and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Her poor mother, desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady, enrolls the lively tomboy in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage -- in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

from goodreads

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city's secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

In this follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated The Name of the Star, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

from goodreads




Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

from goodreads

Review: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

from goodreads


I was really excited when I found out about this book. I ended up getting it through my nook ASAP, and finished it in a couple of hours. This novel has made me feel extremely fluffy and good, even though it's not so much of a fluffy sort of young adult novel. This is the kind of book that I want to buy a hardback cover for.

Kiersten White also wrote the Paranormalcy series, which I've heard about, but never really wanted to read because it was in the whole craze of paranormal romance, and I just couldn't handle anymore than I already read, previously. As I started reading the novel, I noticed that the writing was really simple, but the action in it was written wonderfully. I haven't read a really action packed novel is forever, not really, but still, I liked it. Something to take note of is that the novel is written between the two main character's points of views. Also, when you read Mind Games you jump write into the madness, and then you get pulled back to the past-which is as much action packed as the present. At first, that really got on my nerves, but I ended up liking the buffering motion it gave, while still giving you something to chew on.

Fia and Anna are two very different main characters, but they work well with each other. I, personally, favor Fia so much more than Anna. Probably because we see in side her brain first, and I'm just more used to her throughout the series. The idea of the novel to me, doesn't seem very light and girly, but Mind Games makes me feel like Kiersten White took a page out of my very close group of friends' party, and added a bunch of these crazy aspects.

I like the fact that I'm suspicious of pretty much everyone. You're always kept on your toes, and when I read it I felt like I was floating through this world, and just kept wanting to read more, constantly. I will definitely look into more of Kiersten White's novel. BTW this novel just came out last week, and I believe her next novel comes out in September of this year. Mind Games is the first of it's own series, which doesn't continue until the winter of 2014, which sounds far away, but that's just because I still can't believe it's the year 2013. To stop the rambles that keep spilling out, I'd tell my best friend to read this book and give it a head nods, thumbs up, and smiling like there's no tomorrow. (5 out of 5)

Don't Quote Me (#25)

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

I had the absolute delight to get a signed copy of the novel, through a goodreads giveaway. So, when I started reading the book I had somewhat high standards for it, as a lot of you guys told me how lucky I am to have it signed, and how just amazing the book is. I have to back all of you guys up and say that you are 100% correct. :D

I heard about Libba Bray when I first got into the entire YA books. She's very popular among the YA readers, and I'd like to imagine her, Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Scott Westerfield being the best English teachers and authors anyone could as for. Beauty Queens is not a quick read at all. It took me several sittings to get through the novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The novel is written in third-person with some epistolary documents sporadically spread about. I just enjoyed the humor of pretty much everything.

Having a bunch of beauty contestants is difficult to remember each and everyone of the characters, but I think because of how the novel is kind of written in pieces of the girl's personality, it showcases them one at a time. Because this novel is pretty much satire of the pageant world, it was like having an argument with my best friend about how stupid and brain-washed those girls are.

One of my favorite things about this novel is, as a teenage girl, you look and see Hollywood starlets looking 'beautiful' because they do this, and do that and look like a certain way, when they aren't nearly as awesome as you are. I guess what I'm trying to say is, not every teenage girl is going to look like a size zero, 5'8 model straight out of the runway, and we as teenage girls should take that in stride, because I don't want to be as skinny as a stick, and be hairless like mole rate, just because the tv says I should be. So this book is pretty much a f*** you, media, and your idea of what makes a girl beautiful.

Uhh...I hope this review made sense, and the weird part is the day I'm writing this review, is the day I got a letter by National American Miss asking me to go to their casting call. Somehow they got my name and address, even though I don't do pageants. If some of you guys have gotten a letter from them too, and you don't do pageants please let me know. I'm really freaked out that they even have me in their database. Oh well, I give Libba Bray's Beauty Queens a head nods, thumbs up. (4 out of 5)

E.A. Riggs Needs Your Help!!

I have probably raved about Casey Barnes Eponymous for months, but it's completely true. If you haven't read about it yet, here is my review. Recently, I found out that the author of that novel started a Kickstarter project, hoping to get a publicist to get the word of the novel out there. I have done my job already by telling you guys about it, and I hope that you guys can help contribute just a little bit of money to help this going.

I'll leave the link here.

What's a Kickstarter?
It's a way for small/independent people get a 'producer' by the people that love what they do. You can donate as little or as much as you want. I, personally, love this because it just gives everyone so much more chances, and because the internet is awesome like that, I hope you make this novel big. :D

Summary of Casey Barnes Eponymous:
It's three weeks into the school year when music junkie Casey Barnes gets a second chance with her mysterious, heartbreaking ex-boyfriend. She comes up with a plan to win him back, but it soon spins out of control as rivalries, revelations about him, and music itself all start to collide. For Casey the newfound attention means learning the difference between wanting center stage and actually being on it.

from goodreads

Book Tag: Playing With Emotions

Saw this tag on tumblr, and decided to do it.

1. Happy

To Kill a Mockingbird just made me happy. Not because the book is a light fun read, but because it was the first book that I liked to read on my own as a kid.

2. Sad

This one goes to The Fault in Our Stars, it's just over all sadness after you read it. I've been meaning to reread it, but I kind of like the idea that there a tear stains in it, and the book preserves them.

3. Angry

Clockwork Prince, I don't like it as much as I thought I would, and I don't think that I will be finishing the series.

4. Nostalgic

Again this is To Kill a Mockingbird, and I think it's because of the innocence of the book that just makes me nostalgic.

5. Scared

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. The book is about Jack the Ripper, as a ghost, so who wouldn't be scared.

6. Surprised

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, I didn't think I'd like it as much as I do. I always say it's a good book to cuddle up with. :D

7. Disappointed

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, I think everyone had a shocked face when they read this book. It took me literally forever to dig my way through it.

8. Distressed

Divergent by Veronica Roth, my adrenaline was pumping on mad high throughout the book. I read it in like a day in a half. It's very action packed and suspenseful.

9. Confused

Cinder by Marissa Meyer, got this for my b-day last year, and just got confused and stopped. I should pick it up again, because it's a hardback copy and I feel like money was wasted. :(

10. All of the feels

It's a tie between The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. Both wonderful books, and the feels are really feely.

Interview with Missy Fleming Author of Happily Never After

Hi guys! I got a chance to interview a Missy Fleming, and even though I am not interested in her novel, I'm sure some of you are.





Happily Never After


There's no such thing as happy endings.

Savannah, Georgia is rumored to be the most haunted place in America. Quinn Roberts knows it is. She's felt the presence of spirits her entire life, investigating and photographing them with her best friend. Only none of those encounters ever turned violent, until now. The menacing darkness feeding off her stepmother has promised she won't live to see her eighteenth birthday.

After a chance meeting Quinn reluctantly allows actor Jason Preston into her life, which has complications of its own. She's not used to letting people get close. Falling for him while fighting for her life, and her family's legacy, only complicates things more. Jason shows her exactly what she stands to lose, especially when she's being attacked by the mysterious entity. Each attack is more violent and terrifying than the last.

With Jason's help, she dives into the Roberts' family history, searching for a link between a woman who went missing a hundred and fifty years ago and what's happening now. What they find is a brutal murder and that the ghost doesn't just want to hurt Quinn, it wants revenge.

It wants her life.

from goodreads


Did you always want to become an author?

Yes. I started with poetry pretty young, then it morphed into ideas for stories. I have to say it probably took me like five years to finish that first book. Happily Never After is the second novel I ever finished. I began writing thinking I’d do adult romance because it’s what I enjoyed reading. Once I ventured into YA and paranormal, then fantasy, things took off from there. For some reason, it’s easier making worlds up then setting something in reality. Don’t know why that is!

How did Happily Never After start as an idea?

I’m a huge fan of shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. I had in my head I wanted to do a ghost story, set in a great historic city like Savannah, and it grew from there. Quinn is an amateur ghost hunter who’s always sensed the presence of spirits, so when building her backstory it somehow picked up more and more aspects of Cinderella. So, I figured, why not? I imagined a southern, gothic Cinderella and I really think I’ve accomplished it. Happily Never After is a special story to me. I have the characters cast, a soundtrack fitting the mood and setting, and launching into the sequel I’m exploring a new frontier.

Advice for inspiring young authors?

That’s easy. Do not give up. And find a critique partner, a fellow writer who is similar to you and who understands your style. So much has changed in the publishing world, making it more important than ever to understand who you are as an author. Are you happy self-publishing? Is it the best you can offer? Don’t write for the market, for what you see selling. Write for yourself. I always said if no one sees my writing, I won’t feel like I’ve failed. I’ll have these stories which mean so much to me and finishing them is one of the greatest feelings in the world. I’d be completely happy with that.

What was the hardest part in writing Happily Never After? Easiest?

I’d say the hardest was capturing the essence of Savannah, Georgia because…wait for it…I’ve never been there. I studied maps and history, immersing myself in it. I’ve been to Georgia, was born there, but never to this fascinating city. It’s hard to bring a place to life when you’ve never walked its streets. I also struggled with mixing in the Cinderella elements. Was there too much similarity? Was there not enough?

The easiest part was Quinn, the main character. Her struggles and her abilities were the center of the story, the part I had in my head from the beginning. I knew where I wanted her to go, the girl I hoped she evolved into. And she’s still evolving. There are big tests coming up for her.



Favorites:

Color?   Black, purple. I also love earthy tones like browns and greens.

Sport?  Football, hands down. LOVE the NFL. Also having roots in the south, NASCAR has always been popular in my house.

TV Show?  I am a huge, huge fan of Lost. Still watch the seasons over. Once Upon a Time has really got me hooked as well, obviously. Others include Big Bang Theory, Scandal, Game of Thrones. And of course Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures.

Movie?  It’s always impossible to pick one. I’m a proud geek so I love stuff like Avengers, Dark Knight, Star Trek, The Hobbit. To be honest, my favorite movie of the last couple years, the one I can watch over and over is the reboot of Star Trek. Gone With the Wind is up there as well. Basically anything J

Book?  Another impossible pick. I reread a lot of books, but the one I read the most is The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Which is strange because I’m not the biggest fan of Twilight. It just pulls an emotional response from me every time. Of course, Pride and Prejudice is another. I LOVED all the Game of Thrones books. The new Bloodlines series by Richelle Read. City of Ashes. There are just too many to list.

Author?  For YA: Richelle Read, Cassandra Clare, Suzanne Collins   For Adult: Nora Roberts, Kristin Higgins, Sherryl Woods, JRR Martin. There is never enough room for me to mention favorite books or authors. I read A LOT.

Where can we find you online?

Right now, only at fireandiceya.com.  I’m still working on getting a website and facebook page. I spent so much time getting the book ready and lost in my others that I’m way behind on the times. I’ll get there, but I can be reached through my publisher’s website for now.

Don't Quote Me (#24)

Dissolution Kickstarter

Hi guys, I was emailed about Dissolution by Indi Martin, and thought that I really wanted to help out a new author. Indi Martin is launching a kickstarter, which if you did not know already, it is a way for inspiring creators to get producers without having to ask multi-millionaires to fund their projects. You can donate to the project from anywhere to a dollar to +50,000. Of course, not everyone can donate that many, so every dollar counts. Indi wants to actually make her own comic book, so go please help her out.

I have some links that I hope you check out for more information:

http://thinksbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/dissolution-kickstarter-blast-sign-ups.html

You can read the first few chapters here:
http://dissolutionnovel.blogspot.com/

Seven Deadly Sins of Reading Tag

1. Greed: What are your most expensive and inexpensive books?


My most expensive book is probably a school textbook, but I have never bought a book over 20 dollars. Most inexpensive book is A Midsummer Night's Dream, I got it for a dollar and some cents at Barnes and Noble because I had a giftcard.

2. Wrath: What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?


John Green is my love/hate relationship, because I love his writing, but his stories are easy to see the solution of. That's probably is just me, but I love The Fault in Our Stars, but Looking for Alaska, and Paper Towns were a bad experience for me.

3. Gluttony: What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame whatsoever?

I wouldn't say there was no shame whatsoever, but I was one of those Twilight fans. I was hooked for a couple months or so, but now I look back and think,"What could I have possibly like about that series?" Don't judge me.

4. Sloth: What book have you neglected to read due to laziness?

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Cinder by Marrisa Meyer

5. Pride: What book do you most talk about in order to sound like a very intellectual reader?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, just because it's a classic and is also one of my all time favorite novels.

6. Lust: What attributes do you find most attractive in male or female characters?

Confident guys are never a bad thing in a male character. Someone like Gus from The Fault in Our Stars.

7. Envy: What books would you most like to receive as a gift?

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson and a new copy with a pretty cover of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Web Series You Should Be Watching on Youtube

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
I'm obsessed with this series. If you didn't know it's a modern day adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and it's just wonderful. You should check it out,and like and subscribe, because they are really amazing actors, and crew. :D

Hipsterhood
I found out about this series over the summer and was so sad to see the season to finish. The second series is full of the Lizzie Bennet cast and it really should get more attention on YouTube, but it has a low viewer count that I just wish will get high and higher. BTW the guy that plays William Darcy, will also be in season two, but they need to get more money on their kickstarter account. Help out if you can, but you don't have to. I forgot to say it's a love story about two hipsters in California. Wonderful in every way, go watch it.

Squaresville
This series just came back from a few months long inbetween season break. The show also has the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Lydia in it, Mary Kate Wiles. She is an amazing actor, and this series is the epitome of teenage life and is ridiculously hilarious.

I name these series to spread the word of what I love. Please check them out and help them if you like them as much I as I do. :D

Love and Hugs,
Clara

Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed (At Somerton #1) Review

Rose Cliffe has never met a young lady like her new mistress. Clever, rich, and beautiful, Ada Averley treats Rose as an equal. And Rose could use a friend. Especially now that she, at barely sixteen, has risen to the position of ladies’ maid. Rose knows she should be grateful to have a place at a house like Somerton. Still, she can’t help but wonder what her life might have been had she been born a lady, like Ada.

For the first time in a decade, the Averleys have returned to Somerton, their majestic ancestral estate. But terrible scandal has followed Ada’s beloved father all the way from India. Now Ada finds herself torn between her own happiness and her family’s honor. Only she has the power to restore the Averley name—but it would mean giving up her one true love . . . someone she could never persuade her father to accept.

Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton.

from goodreads


I received an email a few weeks back from netgalley. They were promoting this new young adult novel from Disney-Hyperion. The main thing that made me want to read it was that it was in that costume drama category, that I was and still kind of am still interested in. The selling point was that it is for the younger readers of Upstairs, Downstairs or Downton Abbey.

I really loved this book, and I wish I can compare it to another costume drama novel, but all I have is watching a lot of costume drama television series from the BBC. I find that this novel is wonderful for learning about that Regency era and the people that are involved in an old English lord's manor. Leila Rasheed's writing is passable. I don't think it's anything beyond the normal, but I did love the flow that came with reading a novel that suppose to have that old English voice in it. That factor was spot on.

Cinders and Sapphires have gotten me into looking for costume drama novels(please tell me the correct genre of novels like these, I don't know what else to call them besides costume dramas). I think that point of view change was sufficient and used 'correctly' in the novel, though I'm not that big of a fan of point of view change. The characters were well written, and because of a huge family and servants that live in the manor, it took sometime to remember who was who, but you can manage just fine.

I loved this book, and I think it's a wonderful series to read inbetween those times when costume drama shows are off air, and you need something to wet your appetite. So Leila Rasheed's first installment of At Somerton gets a head nods, thumbs up. (4 out of 5)

Don't Quote Me (#23)

Paper Towns by John Green Review

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer Q gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.


Paper Towns is the third book I've read written by John Green. I loved the Fault in Our Stars, but was slightly disappointed in Looking for Alaska. I had high hopes, and it did meet those expectations and didn't at the same time.

from goodreads

I feel like I praise John Green a lot because he wrote my favorite book, The Fault in Our Stars, but Paper Towns was the book that made me really notice that he had some skill. The entire book was well written, but the only problem I had with it was that it didn't make me keep on reading. That sounds terrible, but it's true. I could not finish reading it, because the book was a constant of okay, fine, school life, doo-dads, that did not feel suspenseful or interesting enough to keep me reading.

John Green writes young adult books that have some what smart characters, while having so many pranks, and adolescent things that make me laugh. There wasn't one character that stood out to me as my favorite or anything, because like I said the entire book was like a roller coaster that was extremely high off the ground, but had no twists and turns. The speed could match one of a golf cart on high.

My favorite part was the humor. I love the fact that there are those little things that make it have its own identity. The Black Santas were my favorite story, among Q's stories.

I don't have much to say for Paper Towns, but I'd give it a head shakes, thumb down, shoulders shrug. (2 out of 5)

Love Affair with Your Favorite Book

This Thursday is Valentine's Day, love is in the air as they say. I however am and have been single since the little time I have been on this Earth. If you are like me, and find Valentine's Day seriously boring and stupid, and would rather read a book. Here are some books that will hopefully make you feel better on Valentine's Day.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
This book is quite the heart breaker, and if you aren't afraid to laugh and cry over a fictional guy, then read it


Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.



from goodreads



Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
A kind of cheesy love story wrapped up in this crazy fantasy world somehow works, and is one of my favorite novels of 2012.


Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

from goodreads

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 
Another crier, but it's one of few books that I can cuddle up on my bed and read the entire night.

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

from goodreads

Cursed by Bethany R. Myers
This author was someone I found online, and have been reading her short stories a lot. It's a short read, but a good one in my opinion.

Murderous witches. Cannibalistic dwarfs. Bloodthirsty dragons. Sixteen year old, skullery maid   Tess will have to battle them all because she has been cursed by true love's kiss. Read it for free.

from BR Myers Blog