Category Archives: Blog Posts

Blog Series: Writing a New Novel

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DEAR BLOGGER FRIENDS,

I’m writing a new book!

I would tell you what it’s about, but I’m in the very early stages, and to be quite honest, I’m not entirely sure yet myself.

But I’d love to share the journey with you. I’ve read several blogs which have done something similar, so this isn’t an original idea or anything, but I’m not necessarily trying to be original with this new blog series. My goal, actually, is to solicit your help.

I haven’t finished a writing project in a long time. Fear has held me back – I’m a perfectionist, and I’m not a huge fan of failure.

But I’m ready to break some barriers. And I think, with a little accountability, I can finish the first draft. At this point, it’s really just about spewing the words on the page so I actually have something to work with. I think you know what I mean.

And my secondary purpose in blogging about the step-by-step process of drafting this book is to keep a record of what’s working and what isn’t. I am going to be completely honest about every success and every setback. I’ll reference all the resources I’m using to tackle this project.

Hopefully, when it’s done, I’ll have something to come back to when I take on a new project. Because even the best of us know that the fear can creep back in even after a completed third, fourth, fifth, or even sixth novel.

I’m excited, and I hope you are, too. I’m not entirely sure where this is going to take us, but I’ve decided to embrace the unpredictability of it all.

If you have ideas or suggestions, I’d really love to hear them. Leave a comment, shoot me an email, or reach out to me via social media! Also, if you have questions you’d like me to tackle, I say bring it on. I’m totally willing to try new things and let you know how it goes – anything to reach ‘the end’ of this first draft.

So it’s a little ambitious, as I’m not quite as fast as some of my other writer friends, but my goal is to finish the first draft by May 1. Let’s do this!

Top 10 Tuesday: My Spring TBR List

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

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1. The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall – This book has all my favorite things – secret societies, conspiracy, romance 🙂

2. All Fall Down by Ally Carter – So excited for this new series by Ally Carter! I’m a huge Gallagher Girls fan, so I’m hoping I’ll fall in love with Grace’s story just as I did Cammie’s.

3. Fairest by Marissa Meyer – The surprise twist to the futuristic fairy-tale-retelling series? The villain’s story? Sign me up.

4. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

5. The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski – Currently reading! The Winner’s Curse was my first read of 2015, and it’s a new favorite.

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6. Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins – April 7

7. Wrong About the Guy by Claire LaZebnik – April 21

8. Rogue by Julie Kagawa – April 28 – Just finished reading Talon, so I’m glad the wait for book 2 is short!

9. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – April 28

10. Wild Hearts by Jessica Burkhart – May 5 – Looking forward to reading this ARC! I’ve really enjoyed the other books in the If Only series.

 

Have you read these books? Thoughts?? Reading recommendations to add to my ever-growing TBR pile?

Top 10 Tuesday: Favorite Heroines

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 

As I could go ON and ON about my favorite heroines, I’ve chosen instead to keep it short and sweet. I will describe each of these impressive young ladies with just ONE WORD – GO!

 

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1. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) – INTELLIGENT.

2. Luxa (Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins) – BRAVE.

3. Tessa (Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare) – THOUGHTFUL.

4. Katsa (Graceling by Kristin Cashore) – SELFLESS.

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5. Liesel (The Book Thief by Markus Zusak) – CLEVER.

6. Sydney Sage (Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead) – RESILIENT.

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7. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer) – RESOURCEFUL.

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8. Cress (Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer) – SWEET.

9. Blue Sargent (The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater) – LOYAL.

10. Celaena Sardothien (Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas) – FIERCE.

 

What words would you use to describe these heroines? Who are your favorite female characters? 

Top 10 Tuesday: What I Like/Dislike About Bookish Romance

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

LIKES

1. Slow build / friends first

Realistically, you have to get to know someone before you fall in love with them. It’s just unrealistic when two characters fall head-over-heels in love over the course of a day. I want to see the attraction build! I want to see the friendship grow into something more!

Ex.) Graceling by Kristin Cashore – Katsa & Po

2. Honesty / communication

I really appreciate it when characters communicate with one another, especially when they’re honest about their feelings. This is not to say they don’t have misunderstandings and get frustrated with one another, it’s just that their obstacles are not a result of miscommunication.

3. Witty banter

*SWOON.* I love the witty banter between love interests. I will actually giggle aloud when the back-and-forth begins.

Ex.) The Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare (She is the master of witty banter)

4. Opposites attract

I think it’s adorable when characters balance each other out – their personalities are complementary. I’m not talking about characters that have nothing in common. I’m talking about characters who have something to learn from one another.

Ex.) Best example of this is Hermione & Ron (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling)!

5. Love triangles

LET ME EXPLAIN! (If you scroll down you’ll see that I also have this listed as a ‘dislike.’) I don’t mind love triangles when they’re done right. I always think it’s interesting when a character thinks he/she is in love with someone, but realizes later they’ve actually fallen for someone else. I think love triangles work when the characters actually make a decision in the end – none of that indecisive stuff.

Ex.) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – Celaena & Chaol & Dorian

DISLIKES

6. Insta-love

I don’t even think this needs an explanation. But if you really want one, I encourage you to take a look at ANY other TTT post, because I assure you it’s there. 😉

7. Assumptions / excuses

Miscommunication, GAH! When a character sees his/her love interest in the school library whispering with someone else and thinks they’re cheating but refuses to talk to him/her about it. And then avoids love interest for a week and gives some dumb excuse. (Turns out it was actually the love interest’s COUSIN, who randomly arrived in town only minutes before.)

8. Author gimmicks

The characters have fallen in love and have expressed their feelings for one another – but there are still 30 pages left! And there must be one last obstacle – a reason they absolutely CAN’T be together! No. Please, no. This is just a gimmick.

9. Jealousy

Jealousy is a very common human emotion. Sometimes we just can’t help it. But it’s not attractive.

10. Love triangles

It can be tacky when it isn’t done well. When a character can’t make up his/her mind, I want to bang my head against the wall.

You know you have a problem when…

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1.

You have 6 overdue books and owe the library $$.

 

2.

You trip over books on your way to turn off your alarm clock in the morning.

 

3.

Your parents express frustration over finding YA novels in every room of the house.

 

4.

You haven’t read for days because you have too many books to choose from and you’re paralyzed with indecision.

 

5.

Losing Misplacing a book doesn’t even bother you like it normally would because you have so many others to keep track of.

 

CAN YOU RELATE?? Do you also have a “problem”? (Which, let’s be honest, is not really a problem. I’m in paradise surrounded by all these books!) 

 

Top 10 Tuesday: Book Club Books

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I am a huge fan of book clubs. A group of people coming together to read and discuss a novel? Sign me up. None of my close friends share my love of reading (sigh) and so that’s why I’ve joined the online community of book-lovers, to share my bookish thoughts and all the bottled-up feels. 😉

Without further ado, these are the books I’d love to read with my imaginary/fictional book club.

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1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

2. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

3. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – WHODUNNIT?

5. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Books 1-5 feature powerful themes. These themes would make for really great discussions.

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6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

7. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

9. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

10. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Books 6-10 pull at the heart-strings. *Disclaimer: if you do not have a friend to discuss these books with, you might possibly be emotionally damaged for life.

(My mother is very familiar with these novels, though she’s never read them, because I gave her blow-by-blow accounts through my tears.)

 

Have you read these novels? Would you like to become a member of my imaginary book club? I’ll probably let you join. 

Top 10 Tuesday: 2014 Releases I Meant to Read

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

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1. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski – March 4, 2014 – Currently reading, and it is FABULOUS. *eek*

2. The Falconer by Elizabeth May – May 6, 2014

3. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson – May 6, 2014 – Love the premise of a best-friend-gone-missing who leaves behind a quirky to-do list.

4. Vivian Divine is Dead by Lauren Sabel – June 3, 2014

5. Don’t Touch by Rachel M. Wilson – Sep 2, 2014

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6. Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White – Sep 9, 2014

7. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch – Oct 14, 2014

8. Talon by Julie Kagawa – Oct 28, 2014

9. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray – Nov 4, 2014 – I’ve heard so many good things! Parallel universes! Romance!

10. Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas – Dec 9, 2014

 

Have your read these books? Share your thoughts! Any other 2014 releases you’d recommend? 

 

Why I love email subscription

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So I’m pretty excited to share that it is now possible to subscribe to my blog via email (sidebar!). I’m excited because it’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while now and I’ve finally figured it out.

When I first started discovering all my favorite book blogs, I subscribed to their RSS feeds to read their latest posts on my phone with an app called Feedly. Because I’d subscribed to so many blogs, this was the simplest way to be sure I wasn’t missing anything. Everything was all in one place. (This is quite similar to Bloglovin, but until very recently I didn’t even know that existed!)

But if I neglected to check my app, the posts would pile up and I’d forget to read them. That’s when I began subscribing via email. I check my email regularly, as it’s necessary for both school/work. So when I was notified of a new post, I was much more likely to read it (or at least skim it).

I believe email subscription is efficient. One of my 2015 resolutions is to continue building relationships with other book bloggers, and keeping up with their posts is one of the best ways to accomplish this.

You tell me – how do you keep up with your favorite blogs? RSS feed? Email subscription? Bloglovin? Is there something I’ve missed? I’d really appreciate your feedback!

*If you’ve subscribed to my blog, thank you thank you! And be sure to introduce yourself, if you haven’t already!*

 

Top 10 Tuesday: 2015 Debuts

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

So excited about the many debuts of 2015! Looks like there’s going to be great variety. And aren’t their covers GORGEOUS??

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1. Red Queen by Victoria AveyardFeb 10 – People with powers – I’m sold.

2. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa TahirApril 28 – Rome-like world, orphans, soldiers, possible romance, epic fantasy. Need I say more?

3. Magonia by Maria Dahvana HeadleyApril 28 – “A girl caught between two worlds” – I have high hopes for incredible world building!

4. Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly KaraliusMay 12 – This YA romance sounds hilariously quirky.

5. Ink and Ashes by Valynne E. MaetaniMay 15 – About a girl who’s father was a member of the Japanese mafia!

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6. Hello, I Love You by Katie M. StoutJune 9 – Her love interest is a Korean pop music superstar (!)

7. Last Year’s Mistake by Gina CioccaJune 9 – I’m a total sucker for reunions of soul mates. (Because it’s clear these characters are soul mates.)

8. Valiant by Sarah McGuireJune 9 – Fairy tale retelling! Eep!

9. Between the Notes by Sharon Huss RoatJune 16 – The protagonist’s name is Ivy and she plays the piano and there’s romance.

10. Bookishly Ever AfterIsabel BandeiraDec 2015 – This book shall give all us book-nerds hope for our romantic futures. <3

 

Are any of these 2015 debuts on your TBR list? Have any suggestions for me to add to mine? 

 

2014 End of Year Book Survey: Part 2

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Hosted by Perpetual Page Turner

*part 1 of my 2014 end of year book survey

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new favorite book blog you discovered in 2014?
As I can’t pick a favorite, I’ll share the first three book blogs I discovered that inspired/motivated me and gave my own blog more focus:
Shae Has Left the Room/Blue Sky Bookshelf/Awkwordly Emma

favorite review that you wrote in 2014?
Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
Introducing my sister, former book-hater

best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Tallahassee Writer’s Conference

best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?
My interview with Marissa Meyer – I thought at first it was a total long-shot!

most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
My sister’s letter! (Introducing my sister, former book-hater)

best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
Netgalley

did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I set a goal of 50 – read 61!

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one book you didn’t get to in 2014 but will be your number 1 priority in 2015?
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch/A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

book you are most anticipating for 2015 (non-debut)?
All Fall Down (Jan 27) by Ally Carter, The Heir (May 5) by Kiera Cass, Six of Crows (Oct 8) by Leigh Bardugo

2015 debut you are most anticipating?
Red Queen (Feb 1) by Victoria Aveyard

series ending/a sequel you are most anticipating in 2015?
The Ruby Circle (Feb 10) by Richelle Mead, Fairest (Jan 27)/Winter (Nov 24) by Marissa Meyer, Throne of Glass #4 (Sep 10) by Sarah J Maas

one thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2015?
*Comment more! Spread the love!