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Thursday 30 April 2009

Tweet away!

OMG! It's so cold.

I swear, the winter chill just came out of nowhere and now it's here to stay. For at least another three months. Ugh! I don't like the cold weather. It makes me a little cranky... especially if the sun's not out. But today, it's finally breaking through, so yay!

Well, I've finally done it! I created an account over at Twitter. You can find me at:

http://twitter.com/yolandasfetsos

I have to say that I'm still a little fuzzy on how it all works, but I have been posting little messages about what I'm doing. There are also 8 wonderful people who have found me and decided to follow (friend) me, so I've been following back. I tried to search for people to follow but couldn't get the ones I was looking for. I'll try again later. It's probably going to be hit and miss for a while. I've been posting messages back, but I'm not sure if they're going through. Lol.

Still, it's a nifty tool. Don't you think?

Well, the to-do list is going quite well. I only have one thing left on it - my May/June newsletter. I'm hoping to get started on it after lunch. That way I can send it first thing tomorrow morning. I'm also going to update my website because I'll be offering two FREE READS as of tomorrow. Something that I'd love to add to later this year, too. Exciting!

I think these three days off from daughter/writing/revising are doing me some good. I'm feelin' relaxed, catching up on things, and I might even have to cast two new characters for a story idea that came to me on Monday night. :D

Have a great day!

Monday 27 April 2009

What a lovely day!

Okay. How was everyone's weekend? We had an awesome one. Hubby had a long weekend, so we popped into the city today and went to a few places. It was really nice... and I got to go to my fave bookstore too. That's always a treat.

Oh, and I finished the third/final draft for UH on Friday night. I had a bit of time to myself, so I used it wisely. The final word count ended up being 86,921. That's 430 double-spaced pages. Just gotta open up the doc one last time to make sure that everything's totally done. :)

It's my daughter's last day of school holidays tomorrow. She goes back on Wednesday, and I've decided that from Wed-Fri, I'm going to take it easy. And by taking it easy I mean, planning ahead, of course.

Tomorrow, the hubby goes back to work and I've got to do the second round of edits for my little zombie tale, which will be published in the Weirdly 3 anthology. Looking forward to it! And I'd like to read some more of the latest book I've started reading.

I also read The Sandman Vol. 10: The Wake yesterday. Wow. It was awesome! Except, for some reason, the library doesn't have volume 9, so now I have no idea what really happened to Morpheus. And I totally need to know. I especially loved Sunday Mourning.

Well, we're going to watch the Australian The Biggest Loser finale tonight...

Sunday 26 April 2009

THE DEVOURING


When Reggie finds an old journal and reads about the Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, she assumes they are just the musings of some lunatic author. But soon, they become a terrifying reality when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims.

Risking her life and her sanity, Reggie enters a living nightmare to save the people she loves. Can she devour own her fears before they devour her?

Don't you just love the cover? I find it captures the story perfectly!

This little book was an intoxicating, creepy, chilling read. Wow! I started reading it yesterday afternoon and by bedtime, I'd almost finished it. It was that good. So, I decided to put it down and grabbed it first thing this morning.

Of course, you also have to be into really spooky-type horror stories because there was plenty of it in The Devouring. The nightmarish situations that Reggie faces captivated me a little more with every page I read. Until I was on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out how the poor girl was going to make it out of this alive. It was also very cool that she was a bit of a horror freak - I can totally relate. During my teens, I was exactly like that. Horror was everything I watched, read, and wrote. ;)

I also love the way this book ended, because now I know there's gotta be more from Reggie and the horrid Vours... can't wait!

PS. Check out the UK cover. Talk about freaky!

Saturday 25 April 2009

The Good Neighbors Book One: KIN


Rue Silver's mother has disappeared . . . and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn't kill her mother -- instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her -- and must also defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

This graphic novel is amazing! The story's interesting and throws you into the uncertain life of Rue Silver after her mother disappears. It's filled with great characters, many secrets, twists and turns, as well as an amazing array of faerie hiding from the average human eye. And my gosh! The art is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Every frame, every page is filled with beautiful, realistic-looking art. The fact that it's printed in black and white makes it so much more mysterious.

I absolutely LOVED this and can't wait to read the next one.

The funny thing about this book is that when I first read this blurb, it (unfortunately) reminded me of a story idea that I had for a YA novel. You know how it is when you think you read the story you pictured already published by someone else. Lol. The great news, though, is that it's nothing like my idea. How cool is that?

Anyway, this is a fantastic graphic novel. Holly Black and do no wrong. :)

EXTRAS


It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity...and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for.


As you already know, I absolutely LOVED the UGLIES trilogy. So, I was excited about reading a book in the POV of a different character in the same world.

Aya Fuse lives in a different city, one where the currency is fame. Hovercams are everywhere, following those with the best face ranks. She's an extra - pretty much a nobody - and she wants to change that. The best way to do it is to 'kick' a story that the rest of the city will be fascinated with. She attempts to do that by infiltratring a group known as the Sly Girls. Except, when she does, Aya stumbles into something huge.

Something big enough to get Tally Youngblood's attention.

I really enjoyed this book. The concepts were once again, amazing! The mystery kept me guessing until the very end. I really wanted to know what the deal was with those... ooops, can't say anymore without giving too much away. Lol. But it's fascinating.

Aya is an interesting narrator and the people in her life were cool too. She's very brave, though she doesn't always realise it. Her ultimate goal of reaching celebrity status can get a little frustrating at times because as you're reading, you just know she's so much better than that. Still, this is the only world she knows. The way she matures is great. Oh, and Moggle is totally cute. He was more like a pet than a camera.

Of course, having said all this... she's no Tally Youngblood. ;)

Friday 24 April 2009

Friday ramblings...

Well, today I've got a doctor's appointment, so I dropped hubby off at work this morning. He starts at 6am, so while we were driving there, it was still dark. Actually, it wasn't until my daughter and I were about halfway back that the sun hit the sky. It was a little freaky. But we need the car to get to the appointment.

So, my revision progress isn't that great today. I stopped @ page 382/430. Better than nothing, I suppose. Still, it would have been awesome to pass the 400-page mark. :) Maybe on Monday I'll aim to have the whole thing finished. We'll see what happens.

Oh, going to the doctor means that my daughter and I will probably pop into the shopping centre nearby, and then head out to pick hubby up again. Of course, that means eating lunch there. I don't like eating at shopping centres. The food always seems even worse than usual. Not sure why. Fast food is just something I don't enjoy much anymore - unless it's our fave Chinese place - so, I've decided to take a sandwich with me. Lol. How mum-like is that? Hubby and I were laughing about it this morning. It'll be the best option, though. My daughter can get some McDonald's and I'll eat my sandwich. She hardly eats it that much anymore, either... so it'll be a bit of a treat.

Sorry about the rant, it just made me laugh at myself. :D

Last night I read the first 150 pages of EXTRAS. It's interesting and I like Aya. But she's no Tally. :( Anyway, I'll have more on that once I finish it and post a little review. Heee. Heee.

Okay, I gotta get going now. Need to start getting ready to leave. After all, I've got a sandwich to make. ;) Have a great weekend!

Thursday 23 April 2009

I've been interviewed...

... by the lovely and very talented author, Cynthia Eden. I love her books!

If you'd like to read a little more about me and my latest eBook release, you can over HERE.

MARKED by P.C & Kristin Cast


When sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird gets Marked as a fledgling vampire she must join the House of Night school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change. But Zoe is no ordinary fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the Goddess Nyx and discovers her amazing new power to conjure the elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit.

When Zoey discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look within herself to embrace her destiny - with a little help from her new vampire friends.


The first book in P.C. & Kristin Cast's House of Night series is a refreshing addition to both the YA and vampire genre.

Zoey starts out as an average teenager with a self-involved best friend and a loser boyfriend with an annoying habit of getting drunk. She doesn't seem to fit in, not even with her family. The day she's Marked at school, her friends' and family's true colours shine through and she realises that she has to leave. So, she goes to the only person she feels she can trust - her grandmother.

Except, she hadn't counted on catching the attention of a goddess, and wakes up in the House of Night.

I loved the concept of this story. Not just that kids who were going through the Change - fledgings - had to move into the House of Night and leave their human lives behind, but the way the vampire myth has been altered into something exciting and unique. I also loved the use of the goddess Nyx, how cats interact and fit into the story, and the detailed world building.

Zoey is a great narrator. Her voice was honest and simple, even though she's constantly physically changing as much as her new life.

In the House of Night she finally starts to feel like she fits in. She meets a bunch of what turn out to be real friends, an alluring, mysterious hottie who everyone wants but seems to be interested in her, and has to come to terms with just how different the powers she's been blessed with are to others her age.

This intriguing book kept me interested from start to finish. I'm fascinated by the seeds that have been sown and will no doubt continue into the other books. I'm really looking forward to finding out more about Zoey, the other very interesting fledgings, and the dark mystery that starts in Marked.

There are a lot of great things about this book, and once you've read this one, you'll be as anxious as I am to get the next installments...

Marked, May 2009, ISBN 1905654316, Orbit Paperback

Sunday 19 April 2009

BLACKLISTED


High school senior Camille Robins and her best friend are determined to snag the attention of their crushes before graduation next month. Armed with red-hot outfits and killer hair, they sneak into the hottest nightclub in town -- which caters to the rich and famous, both human and alien. They end up following Erik (who is human) and Silver (who isn't) through a guarded door and are soon separated and under attack...and not the good kind.

Bad boy Erik spares Camille's life, but the two are soon being chased by gun-toting Alien Investigation and Removal agents. Camille's more confused than ever because Erik's finally showing real interest in her, but the agents are accusing him of dealing Onadyn -- a drug that ruins human lives. Suddenly, with the heat of his kiss lingering on her lips, Camille has to decide whose side she's on...and whether she's willing to put her life on the line to save Erik's.

Firstly, I have to say: Wow! I think I've been saying that a lot lately, when it comes to my reading. I can't believe what an incredible roll I'm on with the awesome YA books I've been borrowing from the library. And I've still got four more waiting, another one ready to be picked up, several still on reserve, and of course, my own personal stash! I can't wait to read all of 'em.

It looks like I'm addicted, huh?

Anyway, this book was fantastic. I read the first 80 pages yesterday and sat down to finish it this morning. It was fantastic! This book is narrated by Camille, a civilian who happens to have a huge crush on bad boy Erik. Erik's a former A.I.R. agent who's on the run. So the night Camille and her friend go to a club in hopes of catching a glimpse of their crushes, her life becomes one big mess after another.

This is an action-packed, intriguing, romantic ride. And you even get to see some of the new agents featured in the first book. It's just so weird to see them in action, though. They appear so heartless and mechanical. Very interesting.

I don't know if Gena intends to write more books in this YA series, but I'll be looking out just in case. :)

Saturday 18 April 2009

RED HANDED


Phoenix Germaine has been trying to earn back her mother's trust after going into rehab and kicking Onadyn -- the drug of choice for New Chicago teens. But when a party in the woods turns into an all-out battle with the most ferocious aliens Phoenix has never seen, she's brought home in what appears to be an Onadyn-induced state. Hello, reform school.

Except, what her mother doesn't know is that Phoenix has just been recruited to join the elite Alien Investigation and Removal agency, where she'll learn to fight dirty, track hard, and destroy the enemy. Her professional training will be rigorous and dangerous, and the fact that one of her instructors is Ryan Stone -- the drop-dead gorgeous, nineteen-year-old agent she met in the woods that night -- doesn't make things any easier. Especially when dating him is totally against the rules....

Oh man, this book was awesome! Of course, I knew I would enjoy it because I love Gena's adult Alien Huntress series (although I do have the third one on my TBR pile).

Phoenix - what a cool name, btw - starts out as a rebel with an attitude. A girl with many problems, the main one being her addiction to the drug Onadyn. The addiction has affected every aspect of her life, especially her relationship with her mother. Two stints of rehab appears to have done nothing to curb her addiction, but when her mother doesn't believe she's remained sober after sneaking out to a party, her life changes forever.

All of a sudden, she's shipped off to a special school where they train A.I.R agents. It's here that she finally finds a purpose and also develops a huge crush on one of the intructors. Ryan is a hot guy she's not supposed to get emotionally involved with, but you know what they say about forbidden fruit. Lol. But she doesn't lose her attitude. ;)

I loved this book! There's a bit of everything in it - romance, action, aliens, friendship...I can't wait to read the next one!

Friday 17 April 2009

Still excited!

Yep, I'm still very excited about what I announced yesterday! I can't help thinking about it, and I start to get giddy all over again. :) It's an awesome feeling.

Okay. I just finished my chunk of revision for the day. It's working out to be quite good this week. I get stuck into it as soon as hubby leaves for work (@ 5am) and then keep going until my daughter wakes up. Some mornings, she's decided to have breakfast and then watch a movie before getting on with the day. That's fine with me. ;) The movie she's been hooked on watching the last few days has been Ella Enchanted. I think she's seen that movie a hundred times!

Anyway, I've now reached page 209/428 on the UH revision. I'm almost halfway there. That's great because I'm about 40 pages ahead of my weekly goal. And I'm enjoying the story, too. Not changing much this time around. Mostly deleting words/sentences that don't make sense or I have to read more than once. I've fixed a few other bits and I'm just making sure that all the developing plot points make sense and are consistent. So far, so good.

I started reading this book the other night. It's really good, but with everything that's been going on, I haven't been able to devote as much time to just reading this week. Lol. I love Gena Showalter's Alien Huntress series, so when I found out they had the YA ones at the library, I reserved them. Now I've got both of them waiting to be read.

Well, that's it for today. I hope you're all having a great day and also have a great weekend!

Thursday 16 April 2009

Let me start the post with a big...

Why? Well, I just signed a contract with Samhain Publishing! OMG, yay!

Okay, can you tell I'm excited? Yes, I'm very excited. This is a publisher that I've had my eye on for a long while now. And it's finally happening. Woooohoooo!

It's for a Futuristic/Sci-Fi-type of story with a shape-shifter slant. It'll be category length, and did I mention that there's a space cowboy in the mix? Well, there is. :D

Today is a wonderful, wonderful day. 2009 is shaping up to be writing-awesome. First I signed a contract with ImaJinn, and now Samhain. Wow!

Somewhere between my excitement and forms, I managed to reach page 159/427 on my revision of UH. It's going well. I'm actually ahead of my scheduled daily goal, which is always a great thing. And I also managed to get another big thing off my to-do list yesterday, but I won't talk about that. Not yet, anyway.

Well, I'm going to sign out now... so I can jump up and down a few times. Awesome!

Wednesday 15 April 2009

GOLDEN


When Lissy James moves from California to Oklahoma, she finds herself in the middle of a teenage nightmare: a social scene to rival a Hollywood movie. And if understanding the hierarchy of the Goldens vs. the Nons isn't hard enough, Lissy's ever growing Aura Vision is getting harder and harder to hide, and if she's not careful, she’s going to become a Non faster than you can say "freak."

But it's becoming clear that Emory High has a few secrets of its own. Around the halls, the term "special powers" goes way beyond one's ability to attract the opposite sex, and there may be something more evil than the A-crowd lurking in the classrooms. Lissy can see a lot more than the average girl, but she's about to learn the hard way that things aren't always as they appear and you can't always judge a girl by her lip gloss.

You know, this book was a lot of fun! And the best thing was that when you start reading this story, even though Lissy is dealing with her Aura Vision pretty much right away, you get the sense that it's just a very simple tale with everyday-type characters. Yet, it's not. There's a mystery weaved into the story, depth, as well as a cast of teenagers and adults that inject this story with a wealth of intrigue.

Honestly, I love Jennifer Lynn Barnes character's voices. I enjoyed this one as much as TATTOO. Awesome! Normal girls with extra-ordinary powers rock. ;)

Hey, I'm back... in mid-week!

Well, last night we took Loki to the RSPCA vet for his annual check up. According to the very nice vet, he's very healthy and a big cat. Today, he's a little zonked out because of the vaccine. He didn't even wake me up once during the night. That's really rare for him, he loves to wake me up demanding food and/or company. :)

My daughter's officially on school holidays and she doesn't go back until the end of the month. Man, it's gonna be a long month. :/ The productivity just slumps so much when I lose all of those valuable at-school hours. Instead of 6+ hours, it goes down to about 2 hours. Still, I'm making the most of what I do have.

During the weekend, I managed to squeeze in some writing. Now, UC (UH = book 1, UL = book 2, UC = book 3) is sitting @ 15,173 words. Not a bad start to the book. I've set up a lot of the turmoil and really got a feel for the character, which is what I was hoping to do. For the next few weeks, however, I will be working on the final draft of UH.

That's my goal for the next two weeks. I'd like to have the final draft completed by the time my daughter goes back to school. So I can then (hopefully) get stuck into finishing the first draft of UC. :) Are you getting confused with all the U-initials yet? So far, I've reached page 113/425. Which is quite good since I started yesterday morning.

As you can tell from my reviews below, I went a little nuts with the reading over the Easter weekend. Asides from finishing up the Ugilies Tally trilogy -- I've got EXTRAS on my TBR pile, btw -- I also read The Sandman Volume 4 SEASON OF MISTS and The Sandman Volume 6 FABLES & REFLECTIONS. For some reason, Volume 5 was MIA from the library, so both hubby and I missed out on reading that one. Anyway. I enjoyed them, but I still found that the stories were very hit or miss with me. I especially enjoyed the Orpheus tales, they were very interesting. Though I found August to be yeck! But really enjoyed The Hunt.

At the moment, I'm reading this book. I've already passed the halfway point and would love to finish it today. It's cool so far.

Well, it looks like my daughter's sleeping a little later than usual today. So I might try to get another chapter revised before she wakes up. See ya!

Saturday 11 April 2009

SPECIALS


"Special Circumstances":
The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor -- frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary.

And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.

Still, it's easy to tune that out -- until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.


OMG! Man, I got so hooked on Tally's world that I started reading this book first thing this morning and just finished it now. WOW! What an amazing story. What a fantastic trilogy. What a fascinating heroine. Loved it!

I totally didn't expect any of what happened in this book. After reading the first two books in the trilogy, I was pretty sure I knew where it was going... well, I was totally wrong. This was one unpredictable tale filled with a LOT more danger, more excitement, more frustration, and a wonderful conclusion to Tally Youngblood's story.

*sigh*

Now I'm going to miss her, the great cast of characters, and the wonderful world of the Uglies/Pretties/Specials... luckily, there's still another book to go in the series (so far). Of course, this one's not about Tally, but still. I want to see what's become of the world Tally helped change forever.

Okay, that's all I can say without totally spoiling this wonderful trilogy. If you enjoy YA books, futuristics, or just a great story filled with adventure - you've gotta read these books!

Friday 10 April 2009

PRETTIES


Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive.

This is the second book in the UGLIES trilogy/series. After reading the first one, I couldn't wait to get started on this one. And boy, once I got started, I just couldn't put it down. I actually started reading this book yesterday morning and just finished it because I was totally captivated by Tally's latest adventure.

After what happened to her in the first book, Tally's life has changed. She now gets to see life from the other side. The Pretty side. But it's still not enough. She's just not like other people in the city - no matter how she looks physically.

I absolutely love this concept, and in this book the world just gets bigger. There seems to be a lot more hidden than Tally originally expected. And her being the way she is, she can't help but stumble into trouble. It's one problem after another, one dangerous situation that slips into another. What an action-packed follow-up to the first book. The girl is fearless!

Man, I've been borrowing these books from the library... but I gotta say, I would love to get my hands on copies of my own. This series definitely deserves a permanent spot on my keeper bookshelf.

If you haven't read these books, I highly recommend them. I just wish I hadn't waited so long to get hooked on them.

Can't wait to read the next one...

Wednesday 8 April 2009

UGLIES


Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

Man... I'm totally on a YA roll at the moment. And this book has just been added to the awesome list! What a darn good adventure. I love the worldbuilding, I love the main character, I love the supporting cast, I love the concept. This is a very clever book. I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of Tally's trilogy.

Tally's one of the uglies, in a world where everyone looks forward to becoming one of the generic pretties. At sixteen, everyone has an operation that not only changes their physical appearance, but also seems to change their attitude to life. Parties and fun is what they all have to look forward to, and Tally's no different. She wants to a pretty too, but when her friend leaves the city, her life is changed forever.

What follows is a nonstop adventure filled with danger, excitement, and a lot of realisations along the way. Everything's not as it seems in the world of the pretties...

Writing, reading... repeat!

Well, here we are in mid-week again. Although, technically, because this week is one day short, we're almost at the weekend. Yay! A four-day weekend is always a great thing, right?

This morning, I could've used an extra hour or two of sleep. We get up at 4am every morning. It's usually not a prob to jump out of bed, but for some reason I wanted to sleep in today. Lol.

Remember how I mentioned I might start a new novel first draft the other day? I did it. I sat down on Monday and got started. So far, I've written 7,228 words. Not bad.

I wanted to get a feel for this new tale... let's call it UC for now, because I don't want to keep confusing everyone with the whole 'second trilogy' thing. :) So, UC is going to be written in two stages. This week, and then I'll pick it up again after my daughter goes back to school. She's got two weeks off, so it won't be too bad. I was hoping to get the first 20k written, but I'm not sure if I'll get there. That's roughly 13k in two days. What I'm really aiming for is to get the first four chapters written. If I can manage that, I'll be very happy. :) Since I haven't done my writing session yet for today, it's still doable.

The other day I read Volume 3 of the Sandman comics.

You know, so far, this is my least favourite. Actually, I only liked one story in it. It was called Calliope and featured one of the muses. It was a creepy and very demented story of a writer who's lost his spark and finds it again with Calliope. Well, he does some horrid stuff to get his writing groove back. Ugh! But it was a fantastic tale.

The others I didn't enjoy so much. I really wanted to like the cat story but just didn't.

I also started reading UGLIES the other night, and I've now got just over 100 pages to go. It's a fantastic book that grabbed me right away. I love the concept, the futuristic world, the characters - all of it. Can't wait to find out where Tally goes with everything she's finding out. I'm enjoying it so much that I also borrowed the other three books in the series. :) Lol. I've been going nuts with the YA books lately. But who can blame me? They're awesome!

Okay, that's it for today. I hope you all have a great day!

Sunday 5 April 2009

TATTOO


Bailey Morgan isn't the type of girl who shows a lot of skin, but somehow, she ends up in a dressing room at the mall with her friend Delia applying a temporary tattoo to her lower back. Never one to suffer fashion doubt, trendsetter Delia knows exactly where she wants her own tattoo: on her stomach, right where her shirt ends—can you say "midriff"? Annabelle, the quiet one, chooses the back of her neck, and tomboy Zo plasters hers on the top of her foot. The tattoos will last for three days, and Delia's sure that with them, the four friends will absolutely kill at the school dance.

Unfortunately, killing is just what someone has in mind, and Bailey, Delia, Annabelle, and Zo are in for the battle of their lives. Along with her tattoo, each girl receives a gift—a supernatural power to help them in their fight. As Bailey's increasingly frightening dreams reveal the nature of their enemy, it becomes clear to the girls that it's up to them to save the world. And if they can get Delia to stop using her newfound power to turn gum wrappers into Prada pumps, they might actually stand a chance.


You know, I started this book in the morning and just kept reading and reading... until I finished it just before going to bed. I expected it to be a fun and quirky read, but it ended up being so much more. I loved it!

The narrator - Bailey - was great. She seemed like an ordinary girl who ends up in a not-so-ordinary situation, but it's so much more involved. I didn't expect the end, but thought it was great. Now I can't wait to read the sequel, to find out what else Bailey and her faithful friends will have to face.

If you like mythology mixed in with your paranormal, and a clever storyline weaved in with a true story of friendship, as well as realising your Fate, then you'll love this book!

I'll definitely be reading more from this author! :)

CITY OF ASHES


Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil -- and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings -- and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

When the library told me this book was waiting for me, I practically ran there. And got started on it right away. Wow! This story gets better and better. So much is going on in Clary's life that you can't help but feel sorry for her and hope that evrything will work out okay for her soon. I also can't wait to finally meet her mother. She's been in a coma for so long that we didn't really get to know her. Oh, but I love the real reason why she's in that coma. ;)

I still think my Clary and Jace theory is right, but I'll just have to wait for the final installment in the trilogy to find out.

This is a dark, gritty, and very involved story that kept me captivated from the first page. I'll have to get my hands on the third book soon. I can't wait!

Saturday 4 April 2009

THE STEEL REMAINS


A dark lord will rise. Such is the prophecy that dogs the footsteps of Ringil Eskiath–Gil, for short–a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose world-weary cynicism is surpassed only by the quickness of his temper and the speed of his sword. That sword, forged by a vanished eldritch race known as the Kiriath, has brought him unlooked-for notoriety, as has his habit of poking his nose where it doesn’t belong.

Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but that doesn’t stop his mother from enlisting his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery. Grumbling all the way, Gil sets out to track her down. But it soon becomes apparent that more is at stake than the fate of one luckless young woman. Grim sorceries that have not been seen for centuries are awakening in the land. Some speak in whispers of the return of an all-but-legendary race known as the Aldrain, cruel yet beautiful demons feared even by the Kiriath.

Now Gil and two old comrades–Egar, a fierce warrior from the savage Majak tribes, and Archeth, a half-Kiriath fighter still mourning her departed brethren–are all that stand in the way of a prophecy whose fulfillment will drown an entire world in blood. But with heroes like these, the cure is likely to be worse than the disease.

I have to admit, I found this book a little hard to get into at first. It wasn't that the story didn't grab me, because it did. I enjoyed the first struggle that Ringil faces in the cemetery, but I felt overwhelmed by the introduction of the character/s. Still, when you're setting up a complex, dark new world such as this one, I suppose it's expected that you'd need to provide background commentary to explain how each character got to where they are now.

The Steel Remains is a gritty fantasy, very different to any of the fantasy novels I'm used to reading. There is nothing conventional about this story - the characters are harsh heroes, the setting is dark and unfamiliar, and even the language isn't what you'd expect in a standard fantasy tale. Also, Ringil is a little hard to like sometimes because he's not what one usually expects of a man who has been labelled a hero. Even then, you can't help but admire an author who creates such complex and seemingly unsympathetic characters but keeps you strapped in for the ride.

If you're a devout epic fantasy fan, you'll definitely enjoy the dark wit, action, violence, and concepts featured in this book. But if you enjoy your fantasy in small, safe bites then this book might not be for you.

The Steel Remains is now available, ISBN 0575079509, Gollancz Paperback

Friday 3 April 2009

Friday ramblings...

Well, I enjoyed a lovely day with the hubby yesterday. No work, so we got to hang out together and just had a great ol' time. It's so much fun having him around. He's back at work today, but it's Friday, so that's okay. The weekend's just around the corner.

I sure hope the rain stops sometime today. I need to catch up on some laundry and would just love to enjoy a nice walk in the sun. The thing is, that even though it's raining and it's dark, it's still pretty warm outside. The temp hasn't really dropped much. It still feels like summer around here. Strange, strange weather. But hey, I'm not complaining. The longer we can put off winter, the better. Lol.

So, what's new with everyone? Any happy stuff to share?

I'm still moving along with the trilogy planning. I plan to get the final draft of the first book completed by the end of the month. I've got the three synopsis done now. And the first draft of the second book is done. I just need to start the third book, and the way the ideas are coming hard and fast, I may just be writing it sooner than later. I've reached that exciting time when the ideas are coming hard and fast. When snippets of conversation or images are hitting my brain when I least expect it, and if I don't write it all down, it'll slip away forever. I love this stage!

The excitement is making my fingers tingle to get started. And I know it's because I've spent so much time in Trina's world lately. She may not be the narrator for any of the three books (although she is for the first trilogy) but she still makes an appearance in all of them. It's a lot of fun.

Well, not much more going on around here. Though I did get an idea for a new YA story last night. I wrote the few things down that came to mind, but I won't be looking at it yet. I've got a lot of other things to write before that one. Lol.

Have a terrific weekend!

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Enter Sandman

We're sitting on Wednesday again. :/ And it's a wet one outside. It pretty much rained all day yesterday too. It's so annoying when it rains for more than one day. The laundry basket - which I caught up on during the weekend - is now full again. Darn it!

Well, yesterday I revised the long synopsis I wrote the other day. I'm pretty happy with it. I also finished the first draft of the synopsis for book 2. And today, I need to buckle down and get started on the third one. This one's going to be a little harder/different because it's the only one out of the trilogy that isn't written yet. Still, it might end up being the one I have the most fun with because of that. :D

I also started putting together a World Handbook... or bible. Whatever you want to call it, it essentially does the same thing. I need one place to write down all of my little notes, facts, character traits, research, world stuff. I'm really excited about it. I've pasted in a whole bunch of pics already.

So, the hubby suggested that I read Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I mean, I love his stuff, but comics are just one of those things that I only read a little of. Still, he kept saying that it touched on a lot of the stuff I like to read, research, and even write about myself. How could I say no? We picked up the first four (again, hubby's already read them) and I read the first one yesterday.

I have to admit that after reading the first story, I was debating whether to stop reading. It just didn't grab me, for some reason. And then the Cain and Abel story was a total disappointment. The Fates one wasn't that great either, although it set Morpheus on the right path. And OMG, 24 HOURS was freaky and a lot gross. Lol.

There were two stories that stuck out the most for me - DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME and THE SOUND OF HER WINGS. Dream a Little Dream of Me featured John Constantine, who Morpheus needs to get his bag of sand from. It was fantastic! Actually, because of this story, I decided to keep reading. And I'm glad I did, because The Sound of Her Wings was another fantastic story. This one introduces his sister, Death. This tale was awesome, touching, sad, and happy all wrapped into one.

In the end, I'm going to stay on the journey of the Endless. Hubby reckons that the stories get better and better as you move along. :)

Okay, I need to get back to some work. Lol.

Have a nice day!
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