Rhiannon Paille

Review, The Water Wars Cameron Stracher

2016-03-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

This book very amazing, the water wars,. Welcome to a future where water is more precious than oil or gold...

Hundreds of millions of people have already died, and millions more will soon fall-victims of disease, hunger, and dehydration. It is a time of drought and war. The rivers have dried up, the polar caps have melted, and drinkable water is now in the hands of the powerful few. There are fines for wasting it and prison sentences for exceeding the quotas.

But Kai didn't seem to care about any of this. He stood in the open road drinking water from a plastic cup, then spilled the remaining drops into the dirt. He didn't go to school, and he traveled with armed guards. Kai claimed he knew a secret-something the government is keeping from us...

And then he was gone. Vanished in the middle of the night. Was he kidnapped? Did he flee? Is he alive or dead? There are no clues, only questions. And no one can guess the lengths to which they will go to keep him silent. We have to find him-and the truth-before it is too late for all of us.

"Let us pray that the world which Cameron Stracher has invented in The Water Wars is testament solely to his pure, wild, and brilliant imagination, and not his ability to see the future. I was parched just reading it." -Laurie David, Academy Award–winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth and author of The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming

"A gripping environmental thriller with a too-real message." - Howard Gordon, executive producer of 24 and author of Gideon's War

MentionMonday "I wrote a book! Now what?"

2016-02-20T07:35:00.000-08:00

This weekend I spent some time over at Flipped Pages Book Exchange in Winnipeg. It's a quaint little bookstore in the north end of the city. While hanging out for the afternoon I got to meet a few people including a young 13 year old and her mom.

They came in asking me a slew of questions about publishing. You see, this 13 year old girl has written a YA book that's 110,000 words! I thought that was awesome, and so naturally her mom wanted to know, how does one get published?

I tried to do the run down in person, but when I mentioned a literary agent the mom's eyes went wide. She'd never heard of them before and the more I went on, the more the mom's eyes resembled moon pies. I left them a bit overwhelmed with a lot of research to do but I thought, because it's such a common question that young people want to know, I thought I'd take today to write down the steps it takes to get published.

Here's my 12 Step Program to Getting Published.

1. Write a GREAT book.

Not just any book that you think is mildly good, but a really great book. Write a book you can't stop thinking about, write a book you can't put down, write a book that makes you laugh, cry, and shake with terror. Basically, write a book that you like more than anything else.

2. Get Beta Readers

These are the most important people on your journey. They take your unedited work, read it through and they tell you what works and what doesn't. This has nothing to do with editing, this is all plot structure, character development, world building, beginning hook, satisfying ending and overall flow. This is what will make or break the book. If you don't have one of these things right, you're looking at rewriting whole chapters, adding chapters, deleting scenes or adding description, emotions, or information.

3. Edit the Book

You can find anyone to edit the book but it's better if you do it yourself, then send it to a competent Beta Reader. Have them go over the grammar, spelling and other writing errors. You want the book to be as perfect as it can be before you take it on any of the other steps.

4. Write a Query Letter

So you've written 100,000 word novel. You need to sum it up in 100 words and make it sound salable. That means you need a slogan, a hook, plus a short synopsis. This of this like the back of the book blurb, but you give away all the details including the ending. This query letter won't end up as your book blurb, but it'll be the building blocks of it.

5. Research Literary Agents

Stalk them on twitter, go to their websites, go to publisher's marketplace, friend them on facebook, etc. etc. See what kind of person they are, read their preferences, read their blogs. Get to know what they don't like to see in query letters. Enter the contests they post, bid on the items they put up for auction. Stay in the loop, you never know when you'll get somewhere with them the non traditional way.

6. Send Query Letters

I recommend sending to your top 5 agents, then your next top 5 and so and so forth until you're through your list. You want to give that first top 5 about 6 weeks to get back to you before sending to the next 5, so on and so forth. What you're hoping for is a response. They'll request either a partial or a full and bam you're on your way. You'll get "the call" and they'll talk about your book. They'll offer representation. You think this is game over and you're home free but you're not, not quite yet.

Now, the path splits off into two!

7A: With an Agent: You work on the MS some more, make it the best thing it can be.

7B: Without an Agent: You work on the MS some more, make it the best thing it can be.

8A: With an Agent: You go on submission to editors at the big publishing houses.

8b: Without an Agent: You submit to mid sized publishing houses and small press that are accepting submissions. You will likely have to prepare a synopsis, cover letter and any other particulars their submission process asks for.

9A: With an Agent: Editors like you, either one picks you up and you get an advance for your book or many editors want your book and you end up going to auction and getting a big advance for your book. Alternatively, nobody wants your book and so you wait, do another round of edits, try another round of editors and wait, wait, wait.

9B: Without an Agent: You slog through being told no a few more times, by now you're really used to hearing it. You hope for that one chance out there, someone will say yes eventually, they will.

10A: With an Agent: Your agent works out all the contract details, possibly signs you for a 2 o 3 book deal. You begin working with the editor and go through the MS again, polishing it up, changing it so they like it, etc. etc. You lose all say because they do cover art, formatting, marketing, promotions, etc. for you. You pray you don't get mid listed, that they care enough about your book to give it a big push. You hope you're not a tax write off. You hope you don't flop in the market.

10B: Without an Agent: You get picked up by a small house! You work with their editors, cover artist, and make your book the best it can be with their team. You work side by side with the marketing and advertising, hoping for the best when your book hits the shelves. Some of these publishers will help get your books in stores, some will do a marketing push, others will do online only. It really depends on the publishing house you end up with and how they do business at this point.

11A: With an Agent: Your book comes out, and it's in bookstores, it's online, and it might even hit a bestseller list. You're known in the book community, and you write more books.

11B: Your book comes out, it's online, it might hit a bestseller list, but it's less likely. You sell books to friends and family and hope it takes off. You're known in the Indie communities, but not in widespread.

12A: With an Agent: You pitch another book to them and hope they like you. You hope your editor takes it. You hope that after the first 3 book deal that you get more deals. You hope to stay in the game. You hope for a lot of things because there's still a lot of pressure.

12B: Without an Agent: You send your second book to your editor at your small publishing house. You hope they like it, you hope it's a mild success. You hope it sells more than your last book. You hope for a lot of things, mostly because the pressure is still on, even more so because you're the underdog and making it is a lot harder for you.

13: If nobody picked you up, if your agent dropped you, you go to Kindle or Createspace and self publish your book, and hope to be an overnight Indie Success. Of course this means you do the editing, formatting, cover design, marketing, advertising, and writing all by yourself. Tough road, but it can work!

And that my friends is basically it. Someone once made a flow chart. I loved it, but I can't find it.

Anyway, if you're an aspiring writer, this is your basic path to publishing.

I'm really proud of that 13 year old girl who wrote a book. I know she'll be published one day, though I don't know which road she'll go down.

10 things I don't hate about Justin Bieber

2016-02-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

I think I'm a true belieber.

And so here are 10 things I don't hate about Justin Bieber.

#10 - His Dad is from Winnipeg. Like any true Winnipegger, anyone that has any connection to my hometown is good in my books.

#9 - He's a kid with a ton of attention.That could go wrong, but from what I've heard on the radio, he keeps in regular contact with his friends and stays grounded.

#8 - Usher. I really don't need to say more, I'm a huge Usher fan.

#7 - How he deals with the media. I've seen both good articles, bad articles and even some smut articles on him. Thing is, he doesn't play to the media circus. He stands for the truth and generally the media focuses on the good things he's done.

#6 - His message. He's always telling people to go for their dreams, and to ahem, "never say never."

#5 - His humility. Justin doesn't try to steal the spotlight, it finds him. Most of the time he's working, or doing nice stuff for people, like buying cars for best friends, or playing sports.

#4 - Stage Presence. You can't deny that when he's on stage, it's kind of amazing. He really owns the stage like he belongs there.

#3 - Fan Nicknames. The first time I heard the term "Belieber" was on the radio and my first thought was "wow cool play on words." I always love a good clever nickname. (I also like J. Lo for instance)

#2 - The Loyal Fans. You have to be the coolest person in the world if you have the biggest fan base in the world. It's no secret that the fans got Justin to where he is. Usher did the grunt work, but it was all about the fans. If everyone was as passionate as Beiber fans about anything, what a great world this would be. Honestly, it's hard to find enthusiasm like that anymore.

#1 - The Music. I had no idea who he was back in 2009 when everyone was squeeing over him, but I liked his music. I have a few of his songs on my ipod because I like the upbeat tempo and the smooth vocals. My favorite Bieber song is Somebody to Love.

Thanks for stopping by today, and um, hope you're a true belieber too. I need to dedicate this post to Shelly, another true Belieber down south! (Haha, mostly because she told me this was a good idea.)

Review, Cinderella Movies by Charles Perault

2016-02-20T07:10:00.003-08:00

Hollywood to bring back the romantic fantasy film, hollywood movie story this time inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella by Charles Perault. The fans cinderella story certainly can not wait for impressions that will be played in theaters, the film is officially in rillis on 13 March 2015 and used the name - the name of a character from the Walt Disney movie in 1950.

Cinderella (2015) tells the story of a girl named Ella (Lily James) who must live together with her stepmother and her two children Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera). After his father died, Ella who initially had life happy now must suffer because treated as a maid by her stepmother and her two children, Ella patient in order to fulfill his promise to his biological mother before she died, that ella should remain patient and do good. Ella life changed after meeting a handsome stranger in the woods, he did not realize that the person is a prince. When the castle send an open invitation to all the girls, Cinderella was hoping to meet with a dream prince named kit (Richard Madden). How where the whole story? watch and download the movie in www.downloadmaniak.com.

Review, The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

2015-12-25T17:17:00.000-08:00

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa, The Blurb: Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My Thoughts: I loved this one! I gave up on Iron King for a bit (went back to it) and read this book instead. This one had my heart racing. It was definitely unputdownable.

The plot was again a simple plot. The Iron Fey have stolen the Scepter of the Seasons, Meghan, Ash and Puck end up getting it back. Mayhem and romance ensues. A cat is snarky, Ash is sexy, and that's it.

What always strikes me about these books though isn't the plot so much as the characters and the setting. Julie paints vivid pictures of the Nevernever, the Wyldwood and the other Fey places. Her characters jump off the page with their personalities, especially Puck, and the book moves fast through twists and turns.

If you haven't pick up this series yet, what are you waiting for, it's one of the best books you'll read!

Mention Monday The Story v.s. The Writing

2015-12-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

Let the debate begin.
The Story v.s. The Writing

When I was traipsing through the uncharted territory of publishing, I came to understand that there are two things that make a book amazing.

Type #1 - People who can write beautifully, but don't have a story to tell.

Type #2 - People who can't write beautifully, but have a story to tell.

Arguably there is a third type, people who have a story to tell and can write beautiful, but those people are rare and it doesn't mean they'll be more or less successful than the other types.

I class myself more in the Type #2 category. I'm not the best writer out there, I'm always learning, always attempting to get ahead of the curve. I write decently, but my first drafts have always needed a lot of work. I might be being hard on myself, but the writing is what makes the story come alive.

I've had the same story in my head for more than a decade. It took six years to get the first part of that story right. The second and third were easier but I'm always searching for new words to explain things. I'm in a perpetual state of improving my writing and I don't think I'll ever stop being a forever student.

So there you have it, I have a story to tell you, but sometimes I might not choose the best words to tell it. I might stumble, I might repeat myself, I might miss typos in the text. All the same, I hope you enjoy the story, and what's at the core of that story.

Thinking about the next three and a half books in this series I'm really looking forward to breathing life into it. I can't wait for you to get a chance to read it.

Mythology Explained, Manawydan Son of Llyr

2015-12-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a third week of Mythology Explained! If you're new to this, basically I take Celtic, Welsh, and Norse myths and explain the stories to you.

I've been looking at the Mabinogian the past two weeks and so I'm continuing where I left off with the story of Manawyden Son of Llyr.

The Mabinogian
Manawyden Son of Llyr

Part One: The Mound Strikes Again

After Manawydan, Pryderi and the other seven men buried Ben's head in London, they all planned to go their separate ways. Manawyden realized that he had nowhere to go now that Caswallan Son of Beli sat on the throne of London. Even though Caswallan was his cousin, he refused to be part of his court.

Pryderi being hospitable, offers Manawydan his seven cantrefs in Dyfed and his mother Rhiannon to be Manawydan's wife. Manawyden says he won't take all of that from Pryderi but seeing no other option decides he will at least go to the court and look at the land and meet Rhiannon.

Manawydan hit it off with Rhiannon on the first night and they agree to be married. They slept together.

Later, they're feasting in Arberth and Manawydan, Rhiannon, Pryderi and Cigfa (Pryderi's wife) go to the mound where Pwyll first spotted Rhiannon. While standing on the mound there was a great commotion, and everything around them disappeared. The cattle and sheep in the fields, the people from their homes, the people at the court in Arberth, all of them were gone.

Part Two: Pissing off England

The four of them, Manawydan, Pryderi, Rhiannon and Cigfa stayed in Dyfed for a year feasting on what they could find and when they ran out, they hunted. Then it came to them that they should go to England.

The first town they settled in that took up saddle making. They turned the saddles blue and soon, nobody in the town would buy a saddle from any of the other saddle makers. It came to their attention that the other saddle makers intended to kill them. Pryderi wanted to make a stand against them but Manawydan said no, and they went to another town instead.

In the second town they took up shield making and soon nobody would get a shield from anyone unless it was from them. They worked fast and produced things in great quantities. Word came to them that the other shield makers wanted to kill them. Pryderi was willing to stand against them, but Manawydan said no and they traveled to another town.

In the third town they took up shoe making, thinking that other shoemakers wouldn't conspire to kill them. As it turns out, they became some of the best shoemakers, including gold buckled shoes. Soon, nobody in the town bought shoes unless it was from them. And the other shoemakers did conspire to kill them. Again Pryderi was okay with standing against them but Manawydan suggested they return to Dyfed to see what had become of their realm.

Part Three: Thickets, Forts and Crofts

When they arrived in Dyfed, Manawydan and Pryderi rounded up their hounds and sent them out. They came upon a thicket from which a white wild boar emerged. They chased the boar until it lead them to a large Fort. The hounds followed the board and didn't return. Pryderi told Manawydan that he wouldn't forsake his hounds so he followed them to the Fort.

While inside the Fort Pryderi found a beautiful fountain and above it was a golden bowl suspended by four large chains that twisted into the sky. He reached for the bowl and the moment he touched it he became stuck, his feet on the platform, and his hands on the bowl. He lost his ability to speak and therefore could do nothing but stand there.

Manawydan got tired of waiting for Pryderi so he went home. Rhiannon asked where Pryderi her son was and Manawyden told her the story. So Rhiannon went to the Fort to find her son, and she too became stuck to the bowl. Then they disappeared.

In the meantime Cigfa got so upset for being all alone with only Manawydan that she didn't care if she lived or died. Manawydan said he would be good to her, they would go to England again and take up shoe making. Manawydan tried it, but the other shoemakers soon conspired to kill him. So Cigfa and Manawydan went back to Dyfed where Manawyden grew crops.

The first crop grew and he said he would harvest it the next day. When the sun rose, Manawydan saw that the crop was reduced to nothing but stalks. He went to the next crop and it was ripe, so he said he would harvest it the next day. The next day came and again the crop was reduced to nothing but stalks. He went to the third crop, and it was ripe. He planned to watch the crop all night to see what was ruining him.

It was mice. An entire hoard of mice raced into the field when nightfall came, one mouse per stalk. Manawydan watched in horror, unable to fight all of them. When they were retreating, each with a stalk in hand, he caught a pudgy one and put it in his glove.

He went to Cigfa and explained how he caught the thief and how he would hang it in the morning. Cigfa told him it was dishonorable of him to deal with vermin in this way but told him to do as he wishes. Manawydan said he wished to destroy it and so Cigfa said to do it.

Part Four: The Collar and the Hammer

Manawydan took the rat to the mound at Arberth and began to set up two forks so he could hang the mouse. As he was sticking the forks in the ground a bard approached. He asked what Manawydan was doing. Manawydan was surprised, he hadn't seen anyone in Dyfed in seven years. He told him that he was hanging the mouse. The man offered him the money he had got from begging in order to free the mouse. The man didn't want to see a man as honorable as Manaqydan disgrace himself by executing such a lowly vermin.

Manawydan refused. He continued to rig the contraption by which he would hang the mouse when another man came by, this time an Ovate. He asked what Manawydan was doing and Manawydan explained. The Ovate offered him three times as much as the Bard for the mouse's freedom. Manawydan refused. The Ovate took his lead.

A Druid came then, with an entourage. The Druid offered seven times as much as the Bard for the mouse. Manawydan refused, so the Druid offered twenty four times as much as the Bard for the mouse. Manawyden said it was not enough. The Druid offered all of his horses and his possessions in return for the mouse. Manawydan again said it was not enough.

The Druid asked what Manawydan wanted. Manawyden asked for Pryderi and Rhiannon to be released. The Druid said it would be done. Manawydan said it was not enough, he wanted the enchantment over Dyfed removed. The Druid said it would be done. Manawydan said it was not enough, he wanted to know who the mouse was.

Turns out the mouse was the Druid's wife. The Druid had turned his entire legion of warriors into mice, and then turned the ladies of his court as well. He's also the one who took Rhiannon and Pryderi and the one to cast the enchantment over the land. He did this because of the Badger in the Bag game Pwyll had played on one of his relatives once.

Manawydan accepted that but he wanted to see Rhiannon and Pryderi before releasing the mouse. He also wanted to ensure that this would never be avenged on Pryderi, Rhiannon or himself. The Druid said that was a good idea otherwise the affliction would fall on him.

Manawydan then saw Rhiannon and Pryderi approaching and asked the Druid what they had been forced to do. Pryderi had been a gate-hammerer and Rhiannon had been hauling hay like a donkey. That was their prison.

Here ends this branch of Mabinogian.

And if you're still enjoying this series, please leave me a comment! Next week we explore Math Son of Mathonwy.

BEHIND THE SCENES, The Flame of Surrender Cover

2015-12-22T17:02:00.003-08:00

Good evening,

If you'll take a look on the left there you'll see the cover art for my first book. You might notice the pretty girl in the photo with the white hair and that awesome expression on her face. BEHIND THE SCENES, The Flame of Surrender Cover

And you might wonder if I found that stock photo somewhere.

But I didn't.

Being affiliated with comic con gives me access to anime fans and if you know anything about anime you know that they cosplay.

From Urban Dictionary:

1. cosplay
Literally "Costume Play." Dressing up and pretending to be a fictional character (usually a sci-fi, comic book, or anime character).
There are anime cosplay conventions around the world.

Yeah. I know a lot of girls who do this. One of them happens to be Samantha Wiebe, my sister in law's sister's daughter. So almost kind of related to me through marriage.

I asked Sam if she'd be willing to dress up as Kaliel and shoot a scene from FoS. I then asked the comic con's photography coordinator Ted Sali if he'd be interested in shooting it. He was totally on board.

On June 26th, 2010, me, Sam, Ted and Ted's wife Kim went out to King's Park in Winnipeg and we found a good secluded forest which was pretty and alive and bright. It was also muggy and hot and there were lots of mosquitoes.

I didn't know anything about directing, but when we met at the Tim Horton's, Ted had a storyboard, and Sam knew what she was doing and I was excited. I had given her a 2 page synopsis of the book, and the 5 pages of the Great Oak Scene.

That's all it took for this seasoned cosplayer to nail Kaliel, and I mean she NAILED the character.
(in a backhanded way, having someone identify and understand my main character so quick, is a sign that I did my job right as a writer. It was also an intensely good feeling.)

So I geeked out and stayed out of the way while Ted lined up shots and they talked about techniques and I got lost in the tech speak.

In fact, Ted read the scene too so he knew what he was doing too and then he scouted the area so we would know where to shoot the scene.

The only thing we didn't find was a giant oak tree .. . but then those aren't easy to come by.

The day went fast, we were done by like 1pm, having started at 9am. We shot the scenes plus a few still shots that could be used for promotional stuff later on.

I didn't know when the book would sell or if it would ever get published, I just thought this would be cool to do.

And it was cool, Sam went home and used her film school skills to create something amazing. We added music, and captions, which were lines from the actual scene and that was it.

So that picture of Sam comes from this shoot, it comes from the Journey to the Great Oak, from the cosplayer extraordinaire who has pretty much taken the role of Kaliel forever.

We've discussed what if this became a movie, and if there were ever auditions, you can bet Sam would be there, auditioning for the part. And you can bet that she'd be my favorite because she began cosplaying Kaliel long before the book was published.

I actually got a message from Ted the other day asking if that was the official cover and when I said yes, he said, "OMG. MUST. NOT. EXPLODE. ON. BRIDE." He's a wedding photographer and so awesome at what he does. He was pretty much tickled pink when I told him that was the picture. Sam was the same way, excited that she could be part of it and on the cover.

So you see? It's not just that I've written a book that I think is good, other people that I know in the community think it's good, and they support me 100%, and they help me with the skills they have.

In September we're shooting the official trailer for Flame of Surrender, and the thing is, Sam asked me if we could do that, she really wanted to reprise the Kaliel role, step into her shoes and be the Amethyst Flame all over again.

And so I wrote a script, we found someone non awkward to play Krishani, and I have another cosplay friend who popped up and offered to make all the costumes for us so we have original costuming being made and don't need to do what I did to find the costume for Kaliel and head to the Le Chateau outlet and happen upon this pretty white sundress. (That was a lucky find mind you) Jello (her nickname) came with me to pick up the fabric and everything we'd need and she ordered the wigs we'd need and she's coordinating the whole costuming fiasco.

Add to that a guy my husband used to work with who does CGI, composing, and other audio dubbing stuff. He's on board to help us with voice overs, music, CGI and special effects.

The only thing that didn't get done locally was the actual design. For that I went to Parajunkee, who's an expert in YA books, not to mention her designs are amazing. She took the picture and put the final touches to it to make it look like a real cover. I swear, I could stare at it for days. (It's so pretty!)

And so soon enough I'll have some professionally done book trailers for the book, and I have my army of cosplayers both Sam and Jello have said that if I go on tour, they're coming with me and cosplaying. So you might get to meet a couple of the characters from the book when you're buying your copy . . .

And this adds to my reasoning for no longer caring much about literary agents and big time editors and the big six. I have a lot of genuine friends who have gotten involved with this project and are turning it from just a book into so much more.

And I'm so grateful to them for being so into it that I'm just . . . I don't know, I don't have words to describe how it makes me feel. These people make my characters real, Sam brought Kaliel to life. I don't know what the cover would have looked like without her.

And this is why I'm the luckiest author in the world.

If you want to watch "A Journey to the Great Oak" click on Trailers, it's the first video. Ignore the credits.

REVIEW Discovery of Death by A.P. Fuchs

2015-12-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

The Blurb: Zach and Rose had fallen in love during their sophomore year, their worlds completely changed and utterly belonging to each other's. It was the first time either had fallen in love, deeply, purely. Aiming for a future together, plans were interrupted when Zach went missing for three long months, leaving Rose distraught, heartbroken and depressed.

Zach awakens in the dark of a coffin, his memory erased, his life and feelings for Rose forgotten. A strange group of people who identify themselves as his family reveal he has become a vampire, one of the undead, and is now a being with incredible power and a thirst for blood.

However, during Zach's absence, Rose learns of her own secret heritage: she comes from a long line of vampire slayers, hellbent on eradicating the unholy threat of the undead from the face of the Earth. Now, not only does she need to try and get over the young man she loves, she must also come to terms with her new life and what that means for her future.

It is only when her path accidentally crosses with Zach's does lost love begin to surface again.

The Short Stick: At least there was some kicking ass.

The Goods: The kicking ass and the location was awesome. I also have a thing about the name Cassie, but that has nothing to do with the vampire in the book. It was also a quick read, the story flowed and it was easy to get through. The end was probably the best part about the book, that and the ass kicking. Did I mention there's some awesome ass kicking? Because there is and it should be mentioned.

The Not So Goods: I'll admit I threw up a little in my mouth when Rose pulled out her decorated "Zach" box, done up in markers and had felt hearts glued to it. And I died a little when Rose mentioned that Zach had a "Rose" box, same style. Needless to say the romance is where the book needed work, Rose is a love sick puppy and even though Zach doesn't remember her, what she remembers of him makes him look whipped. Also, even though the writing was good, it sometimes veered off, mostly in the dialogue when people were saying things pertinent to the story but using more of a narrator voice rather than their own character voice.

I also would have appreciated a lot more up close moments not of the cheese variety to make this one a home run for me. It just fell short in a lot of places.

Rating: 3/5

Recommendation: If you've had enough of vampires, then you don't need to go here. On the other hand, if you just want to support Indie Authors, you should definitely pick this one up because it's decent and isn't going to make you invest too much in the vampire myth to get a good afternoon read.

My Passion Play: The Phantom of the Opera

2015-12-15T00:03:00.001-08:00

This week my pick is the Christine, Raoul, and Erik love triangle from Phantom of the Opera.

Yes, the Phantom of the Opera's name is Erik.

Christine Daae is a young soprano that's just become part of the Paris Opera House. There she hears Erik, The Phantom, whom she calls her Angel of Music. He teaches her how to sing. She keeps the Angel of Music a secret from everyone.

Raoul comes into the picture as a young Viscount that wants Christine's hand in marriage. Christine is flattered since he's her childhood friend.

Erik feels betrayed. He's never revealed himself to Christine but he's in love with her. He issued death threats to the new owners of the Paris Opera House if they didn't put Christine as the lead soprano, the star of the show, and get rid of Carlotta, their prima donna.

Erik actually kills one of the stage hands in the middle of a performance because they don't listen to him.

Christine is cautious, she wants to hide the relationship with Raoul, but then he proposes to her. Erik shows up at the masquerade ball where Raoul proposed and gives the owners his play, Don Juan, ordering them to have Christine as the main character.

During the last act of Don Juan, Erik himself comes onstage and sings "The Point of No Return" with Christine. He kidnaps her, breaks the chandelier and sets fire to the Opera House.

The hunt is on, people are coming to arrest Erik, and he has Christine. In the end Christine says she could have loved Erik despite his deformation, if he hadn't killed people and kidnapped her, and she leaves with Raoul. The Phantom turns himself in.

Another one of my favorites because it shows that love isn't what you look like, but it's who you are. Christine sings in one of the last songs, "The tears I might have shed for your dark face, grow cold, and turn to tears of hate!"

And now for one of my favorite songs from the movie with Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler!

Do you have a Passion Play this week? Add your link to the linky list!

My Passion Play: Lochan and Maya (Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma)

2015-12-14T23:58:00.001-08:00

Things going on in the bloggy world today involving me:

I'm being featured as the Blogger behind the Book at GReads! today. There's a very candid picture of me and my daughter and my current favorite book over there.

I'm telling the truth about ghosts over at Stephanie's blog, Curling Up By The Fire. You should check it out!

Okay and now for the meme!

Join the party! If you want to play along with this meme feel free to add the button and your post to the linky list at the bottom of this post! Anyone can join!

My couple of the week: Lochan and Maya from Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. (Also, my copy has a red cover, same design, but red!)

When I reviewed this book I didn't say much. If you're curious I need to update my Past Reviews page, my but my original review for this book is here.

Lochan and Maya have a complicated relationship. There are a lot of touchy subjects that the book goes into like sex, alcohol, social services, abandonment, domestic violence, and of course incest.

Lochan is a very troubled boy. He can't seem to speak to other people at all and he has a lot of nervous habits. Many of the girls at school find him attractive, including Maya's friend Francie, but Lochan isn't interested in any of them. He studies very hard and he's academically at the top of his class. If it wasn't for the need to participate in class discussions, he would be a model student. At home he's entirely different, stepping into the role of the man of the house and caring for Kit, 13, Tiffin, 8 and Willa, 5. Tiffin is a boy by the way.

The only other person Lochan has to help him with the cooking, the cleaning, bathing the kids, putting them to bed, etc. etc. is Maya. She's sixteen where as Lochan is eighteen. Maya is also the beautiful kind. She has boys after her, wanting her to break away from her family regime. Maya goes out on a date in an attempt to live like a normal teenager but it doesn't go well.

I found Maya naive compared to Lochan. Lochan was always fighting an uphill battle where as Maya could see the positives in the situation and she didn't have as many psychological issues as Lochan did. Lochan kept turning more and more inside himself, denying what he really wanted, attempting to find logic, attempting to push Maya away, fighting with Kit, yelling at his mom for the way she was behaving.

The mom in this book is atrocious. Is there but drunk all the time at the beginning and then begins to leave more and more throughout the book until she's not there at all. That doesn't help the situation at all.

Lochan and Maya find each other in the midst of Lochan's psychological problems. Maya knows what she's doing, she just doesn't understand what's wrong about it. Lochan knows what's wrong about it and doesn't want to let himself do it, but gives in when the stress becomes too much for him. Maya always tries to make light of the situation they're in while Lochan lets it plague him with never ending grief. Maya thinks about running away with Lochan and changing their names. Lochan thinks about social services, or the cops finding out and putting them in jail.

They keep the relationship as PG as possible, which is to say they don't have sex until closer to the end of the book, and then it's graphic sex. And then the book takes a complete twist and surprises everyone.

I won't spoil it for the people who haven't read it yet, but the end of the book was tough to fathom and proves Lochan's psychological illness. The author doesn't tell the readers whether or not incest is good or bad, but shows both sides of the coin equally, along with showing how a situation can get so out of control it isn't manageable anymore.

If you get a chance to read this book, it's incredible, gritty, heartbreaking and will have you thinking about it for months after reading it.

So there's mine, what's your passion play of the day?

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My Passion Play: Arwen and Aragorn, Lord of the Rings

2015-12-14T23:42:00.001-08:00

Things going on in the bloggy world involving me this week include: This giveaway on Goodreads. I've got 3 more ARCs left for Flame of Surrender so if you want a copy, you can win one!

And now for the Passion Play of the week!

I'm featuring Arwen and Aragorn from Lord of the Rings because it's obviously one of my favorites.

Arwen and Aragorn originally met in Rivendell after Aragorn's father was killed while fighting orcs. There's a story about Arwen and Aragorn that exists outside of the Lord of the Rings as their part within the story is sparse. During their time in Rivendell they fell in love and Arwen agreed to marry Aragorn.

Arwen's father Elrond, was against the marriage. Arwen was already 2700 years old and Aragorn was only a man. For her to be with him she would have to give up her immortality, something very dear to her and her people.

Aragorn reappears as Strider, a ranger that assists the hobbits in their quest. He becomes part of The Fellowship of the Ring. It is in Elrond's court that the Fellowship is formed and therefore, Aragorn sees Arwen again. His feelings for her haven't changed.

Throughout the quest to destroy the one ring Arwen and Aragorn both play their parts. Aragorn holds back in both the Fellowship and the Two Towers, not revealing that he is the King they have been looking for. In The Two Towers he helps to restore Rohan to its former glory and then in Gondor, Gandalf the White removes the man who is acting as King in order to give Aragorn his rightful place.

Arwen helps Aragorn awaken an undead army that was bound to his father by reforming the sword that wounded Sauron in the first war. They win, Aragorn takes over as King of Gondor and Arwen is brought to him, allowed to make her choice to give up her immortality to marry him.

It's a classic tale of love, adventure and triumph and therefore will always be one of my favorites.

Do you want to partake in My Passion Play? Each week pick a couple from literature that you absolutely love and explain why they're your favourite! Then come here and add yourself to the Linky List!