That Book Freak

Writing Scraps | Circa 2009

2014-07-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

I've forgotten, Sarah is dead to me.

I can see the veins and the twitching nerve

a painful reflex

I've come to deserve.

My breathing hurts with each

vocal stretch and

strain, loss of sound

or are you deaf.

The same words on repeat

sound better

in her speech.

Or am I mute.

I found this in one of my many notebooks. I remember writing this whilst working at an indoor mini golf. I was sat in that booth for hours with nothing to do. I got a lot of great reading and writing done in that time though.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Fifteen For Free | Summer Reads

2014-07-14T09:23:00.002-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!

Now we're well into july I've found myself craving some Summer reads. Being short of space (and cash) I decided to raid the Kindle Freebies. And I was quite surprised at what I found, lots of good stories.

I decided to share some of best picks. Originally I was aiming for five titles, but I couldn't narrow it down which is why I have fifteen listed below. (I have several more I could recommend too)

These are a mix of short stories, novellas and full novels. They are all contemporaries ranging from YA to NA. And they're all free right now!

The Summer I Gave Up Boys

by Kassandra Kush

Kaliyah Simon just broke up with her cheating boyfriend, and now that summer break is here, all she wants is a quiet, boy-free summer. To focus on work, reading, and her tan. But then she meets up with her old high school nemesis, Isaiah Winters, on the way home, and he seems more interested in being friends than enemies. Can Kaliyah lower her walls and get over seven years of pushing Isaiah away and find out what it would be like to actually be with him?

With her best friend going boy-crazy, a twenty-first birthday looming on the horizon, Isaiah continually showing up on her doorstep, and an ex that seems to want her back, Kaliyah’s summer promises to be anything but

quiet.

Love, Lex

by Avery Aster

This summer, I’d planned to celebrate my eighteenth birthday in Europe with my fellow Manhattanites—Taddy Brill, Blake Morgan, and Vive Farnworth—until I caught my boyfriend screwing my mother. According to the police report, this vomit-inducing incident happened around the same time I’d supposedly blown-up my mother’s penthouse. Like I’m walking around Soho with a stick of dynamite in my Louis Vuitton purse—not! Now, my besties and I are in jail.

Officer Ford Gotti, the Harley-wheelin’ biker cop who arrested us, keeps sticking his perfectly-sculpted nose into my case. His inked body is jacked like a superhero, and he says I can trust him. He wants me to fess up. I won’t. Not again. Why should I? My friends and I had a previous stint in juvie that nearly destroyed us. I gotta protect them and keep my mouth shut. Right? —Lex Easton, women’s studies major, motorcycle enthusiast, and virgin.

Breaking Rules

by Tracie Puckett

Sometimes, the lessons of childhood are damaging enough that, by eighteen, you’ve figured out some rules so you don’t repeat your parents’ mistakes. For Mandy, that meant finishing her last year of high school, going to college, and then returning to small-town Sugar Creek to live a solitary life as a writer.

That was the plan, and her main rule for avoiding complications and staying on track was to never, ever, EVER let someone get too close.

That was before she met Gabe.

And when Gabe starts to awaken emotions she’s never experienced, Mandy suddenly begins to question every belief she’s ever had.

She can’t be falling in love, can she? That would be the biggest mistake of her life, wouldn’t it? Could she break one of her most important rules—for Gabe?

All My Life

by Rucy Ban

Seventeen-year-old Kari meets Neil Mars. “Neil as in Armstrong and Mars…as in Bruno.” A boy who beats every vampire, werewolf, highlander fantasy Kari has ever had. But she knows she can’t get close to him. That would mean telling him everything. And Kari can’t bear the idea of changing the way Neil looks at her. His reverence is something too precious to lose. Even at the cost of losing him.

Stalk Me

by Jillian Dodd

Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She's popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most-coveted lunch table.

She's just not sure she wants it anymore.

Because, really, things aren't all that perfect.

Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam.

Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to.

It's exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.

And, deep down, she isn't sure if she has any true friends.

To add to the drama, her movie star mom has a creepy stalker.

A hot, older man flirts with her and tells her they should make a movie together.

And she's crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating him would mean committing social suicide.

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony.

But little does she know, there's someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn't happen.

The Hazards of Skinny Dipping

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

This isn't a deep book about first loves or self-discovery. If you want a book like that, I'd be happy to recommend one, but I don't have that kind of story to tell. Instead my story is about rash decisions and finding out that your dream guy is bad in bed. It's the story of when I finally went skinny dipping, and how my life was never the same again. Oh, and it's also the story of my freshman year of college and realizing Mr. Right might have been there all along.

Before

by Nicola Marsh

Good girls finish last? Screw that.

Being a small town girl isn’t so bad. Unless Mom’s the town joke and I’ve spent my entire life shying away from her flamboyance. College in Las Vegas should be so much cooler. But it’s not. Bad things happen. Real bad.

So when my brother Reid offers me an all-expenses paid vacation to Australia for a month, I am so there. Discounting the deadly snakes on the outback cattle station, I should be safe.

Until I meet Jack.

Jack defines bad boy and then some. He’s big, buffed, bronzed, and hotter than any guy I’ve ever met. His sexy Aussie accent makes me melt. And the guy can cook.

But he’s my brother’s new bestie and he lives on the other side of the world. There’s no future for us.

Is there?

Lost and Found

by Nicole Williams

There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling.

After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing.

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded.

Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls.

When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself.

You Make Me

by Erin McCarthy

The guy she wants…

Growing up on the coast of Maine with a revolving door of foster siblings, Caitlyn Michaud spent one intense and passionate year falling in love with her foster brother, Heath. Then he left without a word. The betrayal devastated Caitlyn and made her vow to forget the compelling bad boy. But forgetting his sensual touch and their deep all-consuming friendship is easier said than done.

Isn’t the guy she needs…

Determined to move on, in college Caitlyn has risen above her small town impoverished roots and has joined a sorority, reinvented her appearance, and landed the right boyfriend. Pre-law major and frat president, Ethan, is thoughtful and always laughing, and he makes her feel happy, calm. He also gives her the social acceptance she craves.

But the perfect world she tried so hard to attain is ripped apart when Heath appears one night out of nowhere. Caitlyn remembers all the reasons why she loves him, even if they don’t make sense to anyone but her. Out of the military, Heath is as brooding and intense as ever, and he is determined not only to win her back, but to exact revenge on everyone who kept him from her…

And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them?

The Perfect Distraction

by Melissa Rolka

When Katherine “Kate” leaves for her freshmen year at college, a grounded and stable piece of her is missing. She pushes away the ghosts of her past, determined to start her college life single, carefree and distracted.

Throughout high school Kate was reserved and shy, with little experience. Now, on her own, with little holding her back, Kate is ready to branch out. She bonds with a tight knit group of friends and even starts casually dating. What starts out as innocent flirting on the tennis courts slowly turns into a friendship and eventually something more complex. Reed comes into her life giving her the distraction she craves more than anything; but is she ready to give her heart away so easily?

Things get complicated when Kate’s ex-boyfriend and first love continues to pursue her. Kyle deeply regrets breaking her heart when he left for college the year before and is now on a mission to reclaim her. Kyle’s persistence and relentlessness is nothing short of obsessive. He will stop at nothing to win her back and prove his love.

Kate finds herself torn between her past and the unknown of the future. Her determination to stay distracted may just be her downfall or the beginning of something new and wonderful.

First Ink

by Laura Wright

Rush

Women in his bed, celebs and rockers in his chair and a killer bank account at his disposal, life is pretty freaking swell. Then she walks back into it again. With her mismatched eyes, perfect pink mouth and a laugh that still haunts him, she gave him nothing but marvelous misery. Now she wants his hands on her again. Not for pleasure, but for pain. For Ink. A bleeding heart to match the one she left him with five years ago.

Addison

She can’t forget him. No matter how hard she’s tried. The pain she caused him in the past eats at her daily, and she can’t move on with her life. But she has a plan, a hope for redemption – a way for him to take his revenge out on her flesh. But it’ll only work if he lets her inside his exclusive world, under his famous artist’s needle and into his bed—and heart-once again.

Crazy Love

by Emma Keene

Amy has a fairy tale life planned out for herself. The only problem is life has an entirely different plan for her.

Amy, just shy of her eighteenth birthday, is about to graduate high school. She's ready to get out of small town Greenville and move to Salem with her boyfriend, Mitch who has a football scholarship. Amy plans to get a degree in education from State, just like her mom, and move back to Greenville to teach once she marries Mitch.

Dexter Baldwin, award-winning Hollywood director, is shooting a movie in Greenville that has the town all excited, including Amy's mom. Amy doesn't get all the hype, but by the time the movie wraps and Dexter leaves town it ends up changing her life forever.

Any Red-Blooded Girl

by Maggie Bloom

The last thing fifteen-year-old Flora Fontain wants to do is spend her summer vacation stuck in a tent with her overprotective parents and angst-ridden brother, especially when she should be in Europe with her best friend Jessie-sipping espresso, posing for cutesy tourist pics, and hunting for hot Italian (or French, or maybe even English) stud-muffins.

But since her parents trust her about as much as they trust a cat burglar at the moment, Flora has no choice but to suffer through the boyfriend-less summer of her discontent from the back of a rented SUV, until Fate tosses a sexy, sophisticated gypsy boy into her path, making Flora wonder if destiny might know best after all.

That is until destiny screws up, big time. Because just as Flora falls head over heels, an unexpected turn of events threatens to land her in the slammer - or worse, separate her from the man of her dreams.

Summer Unplugged

by Amy Sparling

Bayleigh is addicted to her cell phone and her mom has had enough. After catching her sending a less than lady-like photo to a boy who barely knows her, Bayleigh's mom sends her away to her grandparent's house for the summer--sans cell phone, laptop and Ipod. Bayleigh thinks the summer will be torture without social media...that is until she meets the boy next door.

The Trouble with Goodbye

by Sarra Cannon

One night can change everything…

Two years ago, Leigh Anne Davis shocked everyone in tiny Fairhope, Georgia when she broke up with her wealthy boyfriend to attend an Ivy League university a thousand miles away. At school, she finds a happiness and independence she’s never known.

Until one terrifying night takes it all away from her.

With no place else to go, Leigh Anne heads home to reclaim her old life. A life she worked so hard to escape. On the outside, she seems like the same girl everyone has always known. But deep inside, she’s hiding a terrible secret.

That’s when she meets Knox Warner, a troubled newcomer to Fairhope. His eyes have the same haunted look she sees every day in the mirror, and when she’s near him, the rest of the world fades away. But being with Knox would mean disappointing everyone all over again. If she wants to save what’s left of her old life, she has no choice but to say goodbye to him forever.

Only, the trouble with goodbye is that sometimes it’s about courage and sometimes it’s about fear. And sometimes you’re too broken to know the difference until it’s too late.

Hopefully you have found one that takes you fancy, just click on the picture to dive in. I will be posting reviews on these books throughout the Summer. Maybe we can discover some new favourite authors together.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Thoughts On | Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles

2014-07-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

Only fools fall in love...

After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont is sure of this: She’s no stupid girl. She sets out for Winston College, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course.

A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona.

As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love.

Synopsis Taken From Goodreads

*EBook provided by NetGalley for an honest review*

Hello my Lovelies!
I just finished Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles and I have to talk about it. I have recently obtained a selection of books from the New Adult category. Stupid Girl is the first one I read.

To begin with I was a bit wary. I read the synopsis and I thought it was just going to be your average contemporary with some sex thrown in... until it opened with a post rape scene. This set Olivia's narrative tone and her beginning character. She is focused on starting a new and leaving her past behind her. Then Brax Jenkins happened. A bit of a bruiser with his own brand of sex appeal. After several warnings against him Olivia befriends Brax, and he renames her Gracie (her middle name is Grace).

Admittedly I would have prefered the dare to have been a surprise. As the reader you begin to trust Brax too, this would have added an extra jolt of emotional depth. But as it stands I cried a little when Brax broke things off. The snippets from Brax's point of view were great, it help his character more dimension. I would have liked more of these chapters to show him dealing with his own morality.

I did have a big problem with one aspect of the writing. Gracie liked to tease Brax about his accent and in the text it repeat phonetically.

"The way he said sweetheart came out like sweethaht. Pardon, pahdon."

This is cute and all, but when it was happening after everything Brax said it got really annoying. Thankfully it thinned out a the book went on.

I loved this book, it's a lovely story of trust and growth. It'll make a great summer read. As this is a New Adult book it is geared toward college age and older. There is mild swearing and violence, and the sex scene, while aren't graphic, and definitely more detailed than any YA I've ever read.

This is the first book in the Stupid in Love series. Stupid Boy is set to come out Feb 2015, it seems to be more of a companion than a direct sequel.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Classic Steal | The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

2014-07-13T05:59:00.001-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!

I was browsing Amazon I came across this great steal. With the release of Baz Luhrmann's adaptation last year, The Great Gatsby has had a lot of renewed interest and is currently free to download from Amazon. Perfect for those who haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Or if you prefer physical copies there are great range of cheap editions, I love the cover on the Wordsworth Classic Edition.

When I was a teenager buying books with my pocket money I would always keep an eye out for Wordsworth Classics. They were the cheapest editions that you could get unless you could find a Penguin Popular Classics copy. Ah... the days before the E Reader. I used to get tripped over a lot sitting on the floors of book stores. Good times.

The Great Gatsby is the most accessible of Fitzgerald's works. I studied it in English and it has since become one of my all time favourites. If you haven't read it yet, you simply must.

I hope to be re reading this soon and when I do a review will happen.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Show + Tell | Book Haul #11

2014-07-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!

So I've fallen victim to great book deals... again!

Although I don't feel too bad, as most of these were sequels or literary masterpieces. I hope to get to most of these soon.

Of course the Song of Fire and Ice series is going to be a long term commitment that needs to wait until my TBR flood has dried a little.

Have you picked up any good books lately?
Love and Bugs

xoxo

Camp Nanowrimo | July Edition

2014-07-06T04:43:00.000-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!

Maybe you'll remember back in April when I took part in Camp Nanowrimo. It's kind of like a baby Nanowrimo where you get to choose your work goal and it doesn't need to be prose either. You can use this time to work on a play, editing previous work, or even planning for the big November Event.

I'm taking this opportunity to do the latter. In April I had the idea for the Channelers series and I just went straight in to writing it. For the most part it went well, but the more I wrote the more plot holes started appearing.

I hadn't thought it through, I was work off of bare bones. This time I want focus more on build the world and the back story. I also want to work out the pacing and how my story will flow from one major point to another without becoming bland filler. Between these events I want the reader to see the characters grow and learn more about their history. And why these people do what they do and the conflict that faces them.

I plan on putting all these ideas on paper so when November roll round I can immerse myself in this world and their lives, and finally write the story that's spinning in my head.

Are you taking part?

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Summer Reads | My Plans

2014-07-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!
As part of my Summer Edit series I want to share what I plan to read over the next few months. It's also coming up for Booktubeathon which is running from the 14th-20th of July so I'm preparing for that too.
I've recently reorganized my books (again) and during the process I pulled out all the books I wanted to read right then and placed them at the front. If I can get to them easily I'll be more likely to read them. Mixed in a few new purchases and this is what I came out with.

Firstly is the non-fiction. I want to read more non-fiction, learn more about the world and expand my mind a bit. Naill Ferguson is a historian who has written several books on how we've come to be the way we are. The Ascent of Money tells the financial history of the world and how the economy, and the people who control, it have shaped the world we live in.

Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell is a collection of essays about Books. I have already read the first, which shares its title with the book. It discusses the argument that books are too expensive and that reading is costly hobby. Orwell pretty much buries this argument. I'm really excited to read the rest and will definitely be reviewing this collection.
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf is very highly praised feminist essay. Discussing intellectual freedom and equality of female creativity. I have tried to read this before but I don't think I was mature enough to appreciate it.

You all know I love the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and with the recent release of City of Heavenly Fire (you knew it wouldn't take me long to get my hands on a copy) I have a renewed excitement to finish the series. I stopped reading this series at book four, but now the series is complete I'm looking forward to marathoning it.

Now on to the Classics. Those books you mean to get to but some how never do. I have stacks of classics I want to get to but here's the ones that stand out right now.

Firstly is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, everybody has this on their to-be-read list and I have attempted it many times without much success. I think I just had difficult understanding the language used and I know have a higher level of reading comprehension I think I can take this on.

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a beast of a book. Dostoevsky is one of the great Russian authors and I have been meaning to read his work for a long time. The Idiot is just the first one I happened to buy. It's about a Russian Prince who loses his memory... and that's about all I can really glean from the synopsis.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is one of those books I had wrongly passed over. I assumed by the title that it was some kind of ghost story. Really it's a detective story and as a bonus there is a character named Laura. I know that's not the best reason to pick up a book but it rare that I share names with a character.

Lastly for the section The Complete Novels of Jane Austen. Now, I don't plan on reading this all at once. I alternate Austen with other novels.

Lastly is just two random choices. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood is book I originally discovered through a quote in another book. I was mesmerized and have wanted read it ever since and now I'm gonna.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is one I started reading seven years ago and never quite got round to finishing. In fact it sat open on my bathroom window sill for about six months growing yellow before I put it away.

And if I happen to finish them all... well I'm pretty sure I've got plenty of other things to read. Like the entire Oz series by Frank L Baum or Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Or if all else fails there's alway Anna Karenina or Vanity Fair.

What are you Reading this Summer?
Love and Bugs
xoxo

Thoughts On | Succubus Blues By Richelle Mead

2014-04-13T23:23:00.000-07:00

Title: Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid #1)
Author: Richelle Mead
Date Published: 1st August 2007
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they can often pay with their souls, but why get technical?
But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid's life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusak movies, and she can't get a decent date without sucking away part of the guy's life. At least there's her day job at a local bookstore - free books: all the white chocolate mochas she can drink: and easy access to the bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can't.
But dreaming of Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle's demon underground. And for once, all her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won't help because Georgina's about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny...

Review:
After reading the Vampire Academy I decided I wanted to read more of Richelle Mead's work. This series is about Georgina Kincaid, and she is a succubus (a female sex demon). She survives by stealing the life force from humans through sexual acts.
But Georgina kind of sucks at being a succubus. She has a human job, wears human clothes rather than shape-shifting into them and she only preys on asshole. She doesn't date the nice guys, she doesn't want to hurt them. So she lives a quiet life working at a bookstore taking energy only when she needs it. But when other lower demons start being attacked by an unknown entity, that throws a spanner in the works.
For me Succubus Blues is an urban fantasy/chick lit/mystery. I did really enjoy the plot and all the possible love interests. The book has a steady pace and you really get to know Georgina and her history and why her existence is so ironic.
I find the supporting characters a bit shallow, but they didn't play a big role so we don't get to know them very well. One of my favourite characters is Carter. He is an angel who is friends with a bunch of demons.
He is very understanding and protective, and kind of badass for an angel.
Throughout the book I was kept guessing what was going to happen. The love stories were a bit predictable, but no less enjoyable. But on the mystery side of things, I didn't see that coming.
I would recommend this if you wanted a quick entertaining distraction. I kind of think of this as the Mills & Boon of the Urban Fantasy world. I have already order the next to books in the series and I can't wait for them to get here.

Have you read the Georgina Kincaid series?
Does it get better or will I be disappointed?

Love and Bugs
xoxo

Camp Nano | Day 13 + The Week Of No Writing

2014-04-13T03:39:00.001-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!

Yes, it has been well over a week since I last updated my Camp Nanowrimo journey. I had been writing quite steadily until last week. I hit a writing slump. It's the school holidays and I work as a waitress at a beach front cafe. I'm sure you can imagine how busy I've been and consequently how exhausted I've been. I'm sure if I'd managed to stay awake longer I would have gotten more done but it just wasn't happening last week.

But last night I was at it full force and I think I've passed the 5000 word mark. I just need to type it up and update my profile to make it official.

I'm really enjoying the writing process. I started with a skeleton of a story and the more I right the more the story grows. And to be honest it's going to have to grow if I ever want a finished book to publish (I found out that the average novel is around 100,000 words). Safe to say I'm confident of meeting if not surpassing that ultimate goal.

If I want meet my gaol for today I'll have to get on.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

CampNaNo | Day 2 + The 2000 Words

2014-04-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!
I've had another great Nano day. I've been expanding my original outline in to a more indepth structure. I'm using the the 3 Act 9 Block structure. It's kind of like get the corner pieces together in a puzzle, I can now clearly see where all my holes are (and there's a lot). I got a bid distracted by the romance storyline that I forgot to place the core plot. And I need to do so much more research on crystals, witchcraft and alchemy. The more I work on this novel the bigger the story is getting, and that can only be a good thing (as long as it doesn't run off without me).
I also hit 2000 words today! I'm incredibly excited. During the week I'm not really energized enough, but when the weekend hits I'm aiming for epic wordage.
Now I'm off to read and go to bed. I made an Amazon order at the weekend and some of it arrived. Specifically some Richelle Mead goodness that I'm finding t impossible to resist.
Love and Bugs
xoxo

CampNaNo | Day 1 + Music Discoveries

2014-04-01T14:27:00.001-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!
It's only Day 1 and I'm off to a great start. I've already hit 1500 words, well over my daily goal of 334 words. I'm seriously starting to rethink my word goal. I set a modest 10,000 words so as not to put myself off before I started, but I'm thinking of upping it to 25,000 words.
The story itself is coming along nicely. I like to get key scenes out of the way first and the link them up later. I started with an out line and a plot full of holes, but as I'm writing the holes are filing themselves. Yay that's one less stress!
I'm also branching out in my choices of writing music. I was originally listening to Charlotte Martin whilst doing my planning, but I realised I was going to need something a bit more epic to get my in the gothic mood I need to write most of this novel. I started with Nightwish and Within Temptation (long time faves of mine). But a few hours travelling through Youtube and I found some real gems. Tristania, After Forever, Serenity, Draconian, Dragonland and Sirenia. Lots of power and symphonic metal. I used to be really into metal but have slipped away from it in recent years. I'm glad to have it back. I forgot how emotionally driven the genre was, perfect for writing.
Wish me luck for tomorrow, hopefully I can keep my word count up.
Love and Bugs
xoxo

Book Haul | No 9

2014-03-30T04:03:00.000-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!

So I've been book shopping ( and I've been again since this too). I'm reading at a much faster pace so I feel I can justify these purchases. And to be honest I desperately wanted to find out how Vampire Academy finishes, everything else was just collateral damage.

Helpful Links

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead*

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead*

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead*

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead*

Cinder by Marissa Meyer*

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer*

Cress by Marissa Meyer*

The Princess and the Goblin by George Macdonald*

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken*

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi*

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh*

I'm looking forward to devouring these books, especially the Lunar Chronicles. I've heard nothing but good things about them, so I can't wait to see what I get out of them.

Have you bought any good books lately?

Love and Bugs

xoxo

On Writing | Camp Nanowrimo + Writing Goals

2014-03-29T01:55:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All!
As you can Guess from the title I'm going to be taking part in Camp Nanowrimo this April. There are less than 3 days to go and I'm super excited.
As most of you know I have recently started writing again. I've decided that this is the year I achieve my goals. One of which is to put my stories out into the world. I have a notebook full of my story ideas and I've collected all my writing scraps together, and now I feel ready to get down and write.
I know three of my ideas will end up as trilogies. This year I want to get first drafts for the first books to those trilogies on paper. I'm going to take full advantage of the opportunity Nanowrimo offers and participate in both Camps as well as the main event in November.
For the camp in April I have set myself a goal of 10,000 words just to get myself warmed up. The project I'm working on is about energy channelers. When I was a teenager I met a man on Valentines day 2005 and had one of the most influential conversations of my life. He talked to me about bands of energy that wrap the earth and where they cross they create points of great magical power, but also weaknesses in the border between our world and others. He also told me some areas are mostly positive energy and others are more negative, creative a 'Hell Mouth' of sorts. And basically I'm using this as the background for my story.
I'm having to restrain myself from writing right NOW! So I'm settling with plotting and character building. Everyday I spend on the planning I'm coming up with more back story and plot, I'm worried I won't be able to rein it in enough. I don't want to be one of those writers whose story stretches for 10 books, but I don't my reader to think "She could have done more with this bit". It'll be a fun challenge to find the balance.
Also I'm looking for beta readers. I know it's a bit early in the game, but I thought I should start asking. Anyone out there want to read my first draft and give me brutal honesty?

Love and Bugs
xoxo

Excerpt | Unknown Scrap

2014-02-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hello My Lovelies,
The writing process has begun again. I'm feeling very creative and full of ideas, words are flowing through my pen. I was digging out another pad of paper when a loose leaf fell out. I wanted to share it.

The bus pulled in with its doors already swishing open. Megan boarded and took her usually seat half way along the single level bus. She wasn’t cool enough to sit at the back, nor was she geeky enough to be forced to sit at the front. Even though Megan caught the bus early in its route that didn’t make her immune to the hierarchy. If you sat in the wrong place you would be made to move.
The first day of term was always tense. Not knowing if you were in on the right trend, or if your hair was out of style. Or, if you were a veteran of the back seat, is there someone hotter than you? Are you looking your best? How you look on the first day of term has an effect on your social standing for the entire year.Megan sat in her freshly pressed uniform of a grey pleated skirt and black blazer adorned with a new purple trim on the cuff, signifying her as a proud senior. Her Grandma had even bought her a new black canvas back pack to celebrate her final year, which was now reserving the seat next to her for Anne, her best friend.As the bus pulled into the most populated stop Megan watched everyone troop on. Every girl was tanned and most worn their skirts at barely legal length. They claim it gives the old bend and snap a bit more oomph.Anne was one of the last in the line. Catching sight of each other Megan beamed at her excitedly.“Hey! I’ve missed you so much” She squealed, locking Anne in a death grip of a hug. “I’m sorry I haven’t called. Gran’s house is like the back end of nowhere and then some. Sometimes I’m surprised she has electric and hot water.”“Well you might be glad you were cut off from the world” Anne gave her a sombre look, trying not look like she was delivering a death warrant.As the bus pulled off on to the motorway the usually noise and chatter resumed.“What do you mean?” Megan asked with a puzzled look.Anne took Megan’s hands in hers and took a deep breath. “Well, just promise you’ll stay calm and quiet, and for the love of god don’t cry.”“Why would I cry? Did someone die?”“No, but do you promise?” Anne checked no one was listening.“Fine” She sighed, “I suppose I’ll have to if I want to hear it from you and not from someone else” She faked a laugh to hide her bad feeling.Anne’s face drained a little. “Actually it would be better you heard it from me and not one of those oompa loompa bitches you run with.”“Hey, I get that you don’t like them but those ‘oompa loopa bitches’ are my friends”
“No. They’re back stabbing whores” She raged under her breath. Anne lost her calm, Megan always was too nice to people who didn’t deserve it. “When you were away Gemma Cairns moved her orange ass in on Jamie. They were at a party…”Megan tuned out, but she knew how the story would go. It had happened before on many occasions. They’d be at a party Jamie would get drunk and start getting off with whoever was in the shortest skirt. Usually Megan would be there to stop it. They’d have a fight but he’d come grovelling the next morning and Megan would forgive him. But the humiliation from this would be unbearable

I can't remember when I wrote this, or how I'd planned to continue it. Let me know what you think, we could turn it into a choose your own adventure of the teen drama genre.

Love and Bugs
xoxo

TBR | July 2012

2012-07-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hello my Loves!

At the start of the year I set myself the challenge of reading 75 books. So far I have completed less than 10 books. I have attempted many others. But I often get side tracked by something more exciting or I end up getting bored if I've been reading the same book for too long.

I won't delude myself by thinking I can complete my challenge, but I really want read more than I have been lately. I decided to start with a series I've been meaning to finish for ages and that is the Twilight Saga. I originally read these books back in 2008, I didn't finish Breaking Dawn because I lost it. Now I have them all on my Kindle. There are a few other books I want to fit in this month.

Here's the full list:

Twilight (Twilight Saga)

New Moon (Twilight Saga)

Eclipse (Twilight Saga)

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)

All by Stephanie Meyer

No Turning Back (Kathleen Turner Series)

Turn to Me (Kathleen Turner Series)

Both by Tiffany Snow

I found The Kathleen Turner series whilst looking for something to take the place of the 50 shades trilogy. These are similar sagas in the sense that they are both suspenseful with smutty and torrid aspects, and the male leads are pretty lush. If you liked 50 shades but want more than faux erotica, you need to check out the Kathleen Turner series. And yes I said 'Faux Erotica', Under Mr Nolan's Bed is better. I mean no disrespect to Mr Grey, but still.

What are you reading?

Love and Bugs
xoxo

Excerpt | Circa June 2011

2012-07-09T10:11:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I found another snippet of work that I wanted to share. This was a potential idea for Nanowrimo last year. I always start planning my ideas earlier and they often start when a scene pops into my head.

Much like this one:

‘I don’t want you mixing her up in all this.’ Gran hissed ‘She’s just a child’

‘I just want the connection. I’m lost in this age. She’s like an anchor.’

‘no. Not my grand daughter. You can find someother lost soul to meddle with’ Gran rose from the table and headed for the kitchen door.

Rachael backed away from the growing crack of light when he spoke angain.

‘It’s not like that rosemary.’ He slumpeds back in to the chair. ‘Things are diffferent I’m not involved in that anymore.’

Gran stopped ‘What do you mean? that’s impos...

‘I’ve left it behind!’ He snapped. ‘i’m not going back. I want a new life’.

‘William.” The sympathy in her voice

‘William’ muttered rachael

They stared at each other in silent recognition.

’Rachael. You know it’s rude to eves drop.’

Rachael opened the door and walked in keeping her eyes to the floor. The embarassment of being caught brought out her childish reserve.

This was kind of inspired by Peter Pan. In the way that Peter had befriended a human girl and disappeared for period of time. Upon his return the girl was now a grandmother and from here he meets Wendy. Except my Peter Pan is a Vampire and my Wendy is not just any human girl.

I didn't work any more on this idea because it was become too complex a story to write in 30 days.

Does this sound like something you would read?

As always, I appreciate any feedback.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Short Story | Before the Dawn | Circa 2005

2012-07-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I was cleaning out some storages boxes the other day and came across a personal gold mine. A box full of note pads and school jotters that I hadn't seen for years. They contain my teenage creativity. Some of which is admittedly cringe worthy, but I wanted to share some of my favourite completed pieces and develop some idea a little further.

This short story was written whilst listening to Before the Dawn by Evanescence on repeat. I was 15 at the time and Evanescence was my obsession (and Kate Bush but that's another story). This piece actually rescued my Engilsh portfolio which is why I wanted to share it first. I copied it straight from my English jotter and I kept this as true to the original as possible. There are moments that don't flow well and pointless desciption, I may develop this further.

I left my group to walk in the glen, as long as I was back before dawn they wouldn't care. I walked away from the tents and out through the gate, I wouldn't go very far off.

There was a wide open glen. It was mostly downhill from the gate. The setting sun lit up the hill side, the grass almost yellow as it shook in the wind.

I ;ay on the ground and close my eyes. I could smell the heather down by the river and hear the water rushing over the rocks. The warmth of the sun began to fade from my skin as I opened my eyes.

I got up and walked down the hillside. I had never been this close to the river; I still thought I would get back before dawn. The grass was quite short here, by the river side.

I sat down on the rocky river back and looked behind me. The campsite could hardly be seen from here. I'd stay a while, and then I'd go back.

The last of the sun's glow began to disappear, leaving a ribbon of crimson light floating on the water's surface. Opposite the sun, the night mist began to roll in. I walked along the water's edge, foolishly in to the mist.

I felt beautiful, with the water droplets fresh on my face. I imagined I was cloaked in Victorian elegance, like Kathy lost on the moors.

The mist began fog, and soon became too thick to see through. I began to leave and head back to camp before I was beaten by the tide.

I slipped. I had one right in to weed covered rocks and hit my head. Soon I couldn't see, soon I couldn't breathe.

As the fog became mist and the mist began to lift, the last stars looked beautiful on the rising waters of my bed, giving way to the morning sun.

Before the dawn I lived, by the dawn I died.

I loved to know what you think and I'd appriciate any critique. Also let me know if you'd like to see more of this style of post.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Update!

2012-04-30T23:29:00.002-07:00

Hello Stranger!

It has definitely been a while since I've been here.

To be honest I've been in a creative rut the last few months. And I'm excited to say that I've finally climbed out, dusted myself off and I'm diving in head first.

I've been reading a lot lately. At the moment I have 4 books on the go. I've also started writing again, now that I've discovered what my creative subconscious needs.

Back in school I wrote a lot, and quite a bit of it was good stuff, but I could never understand why I couldn't get back in that mind set. Then I remembered I wrote most of my work with a shimmery pink pen. Yes! That was the cure, pink ink!

I'm currently working on a contemporary romance (it's something I need to get out of my system lol). My working title is Lucinda James. It's about a girl who didn't meet her parents' expectations and now has to find a new way in life. Of course I'm not going to give away too much just yet, but once I finish a few chapters I'll give you guys a sneak peek.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Book Haul

2012-03-05T11:55:00.001-08:00

Hello,

So I bought some books and I made a video about them:

Part 1

Part 2

Currently making my way through Fever by Lauren DeStefano and I'll share my thoughts when I'm finished.
Love and Bugs
xoxo

Thoughts On Delirium By Lauren Oliver

2012-03-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

Hello,
I would like to start by saying this is not a review and I am not a reviewer. I just like to read and talk a bout the books I've read. "Delirium" by Lauren Oliver was the first book I've able to focus on since reading The Hunger Games. This is what I thought of it.

Blurb:

They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I've always believed them. Until now. Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected with love fir the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years suffocated by a lie.

there was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it. Then, at last, they found a cure.

"Delirium" is set in a dystopian present in which the world has been decimated by the disease Amor Deliria Nervosa ( aka love). But fear not, a cure has been found. Oh yeah, and it's mandatory!

Before their 18th birthday teenagers are evaluated in preparation to be matched up with their future partners. Their entire future rest on the result of the evaluation a high score ensure a great future and the lower the score, the poorer your future will be. Even your favourite colour can affect the results. But if you behave yourself and say the right things, you should live happily ever after. Or if you try a make a run for the wilds you may die or be carted off to the crypts forever.

The story follows 17yr old Lena who is from a family previous tainted by the Deliria. She is excited for the procedure, even counting down the days. But her evaluation doesn't quite go to plan. And I can't really say more than that without spoiling it.

I loved this book. I'll just come right out and say it. I'm a big fan of dystopian fiction, and I especially like what the YA world has to offer the genre. The world of "Delirium" reminds me a lot of George Orwell's "1984" with its intense censorship and adopts the 'double think' aspect. The regulators and raids are also very reminiscent of 'Big Brother'.

Another series that sprung to mind was the "Uglies" quartet by Scott Westerfield, they both have worlds that believe aren't 'perfect' and you can't be 'happy' until you are 'fixed'.( This a theme I've seen used many times but it never gets old. )

Oliver's writing style is beautiful, insightful and distracting enough to make you lose yourself in the pages. The first person perspective helps to stop the plot becoming predictable, but being inside the mind of a love sick teenager girl might have something to do with it too. With such a climatic ending, I'm almost desperate to read "Pandemonium".

Have you read Delirium? Did expect such a heart stopping end?

Love and Bugs
xoxo

Because Amazon Kills Me Sometimes

2012-02-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hello all.

So I had planned to do a brief summary of the books I read this year, and so far that hasn't happened. (And I'm sure you can guess why) I've been lazy and honestly not mush up for reading lately. I was reading the Hunger Games trilogy and I was a quarter of the way through Mockingjay, then I just lost the desire to read any further. I'm the kind of person that really doesn't like to spend longer than a week reading the same book, unless it's over 500 pages then I'll give it 2-3 weeks. I had been reading Mockingjay for nearly 3 weeks and I need a change of pace.

I was scrolling through the Amazon's recommendations and noticed that Black Dawn, the latest instalment of The Morganville Vampires series, was up for pre-order. I remembered that I'd only gotten to book 5 in the series and I want to get up to date before Black Dawn is release.

So I dug them out of my library, I have the first 9 books. That should keep me happy for a while.

It also got me thinking about all the other 'series' books I have and have neglected. The Vampire Diaries, Sookie Stackhouse, The Mortal Instruments, House of Night and probably a few others. Maybe my goal this year should be to get up to date on 'series' books. And since I can't film anymore I have a lot of time on my hands :)

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Book Challenge 2012

2012-01-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hello! It's been a while.

So nanowrimo was a complete fail (go on and laugh and tell me you told me so), but that doesn't mean I'll abandon this blog forever.

This year I set myself a book challenge. I am aiming to read 75 books this year.

Queue me babbling about books.

Look forward to some beyond basic book reviews coming soon.....

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Nanowrimo: Day Two Quitting Before I Begin?

2011-11-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hello There!

Astray leading title, huh?

No, I'm not quitting nano (it's still early though lol), But I am quitting my plot. I've decide to go with the contemporary anorexia story. It's what I'm feeling at the moment. Plus it takes less research than 16th century Aberdonian witch hunts.

The other novel is being temporarily shelved and I'll come back to it. I've developed the beginnings of a complex plot that could span a few books, I'm not about to waste all that sheer luck.

"Aye, and luck is a cloaked trick of the Devil"

Shut up Mrs Forrester!

Does this baffle you? It should. How sad of me to have in-jokes with my writing projects :).

I must stop procrastinating and get back to work. I want get at least 500words of this new novel done before bed. Elspeth has school in the morning and I have work (there I go again).

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Nanowrimo: Day One Continued

2011-11-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Evening All!

I have just been to my first write-in. Safe to say it was very intimidating. The two people I was sitting across from were already reaching the 10K mark and it's only day one.

I, however, have just broke my first thousand and am thrilled. But I still don't know if I like the story I'm writing.

I know it's not too late to change my mind, but it'd have to be a story that would just flow out of my fingers before I can justify the change.

Anyways, I'm going to type up what I wrote before I go to bed.

Love and Bugs

xoxo

Nanowrimo: Day One

2011-11-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hello my Lovelies!

As you can maybe guess by the title, I have decided to take part in Nanowrimo this year. Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It happens every November. Thousands of crazy people set themselves the insane goal of writing 50,000 words in 30 days.

Although this is day one, I have yet to decide on which novel to write. I have four ideas.

1- A contemporary fiction about anorexia.

2 - A dystopian (what if Scotland really got independence?!)

3 - A paranormal about a ghost destroying a young girls existence.

4 - A dark romance about two souls cursed to walk through time alone.

I kinda have my hopes set on the fourth option, I've been toying with the idea for at least 5 years. I think it's time I got it out of my system.

I'm going to a write-in tonight at the Belmont Cinema. Hopefully I'll will have settled by then :).

Are any of you taking part in nanowrimo?

Love and Bugs

xoxo