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Thursday 31 December 2009

THE SPY WHO HAUNTED ME


For most of the last century, he was the greatest spy in the world, but now The Independent Agent is retiring, he has decided on one last great game - the six greatest spies in the world must work together - and compete against each other - to solve the six greatest mysteries in the world. Whoever wins the game will also win The Agent's priceless treasure-trove of information. Eddie Drood, aka Shaman Bond, has been invited to join the great game and of course he can't say no, especially when he learns what the mysteries are - everything from the Tunguska Incident to the Philadelphia Experiment, to whatever the hell it was really happened at Roswell. But that means he needs to survive working alongside old friends and old enemies...especially when the spies start dying, one by one. And one of them is going to haunt him...for the rest of his life.

This is the third book in Simon R. Green's Secret Histories series, and there seems to be a traitor in the Drood family.

Of course, Eddie's determined to find out who it is but in order to do that he has to deal with something else first. He needs to be Shaman Bond, the spy, in order to take part in a quest for the dying legendary Independent Agent. IA happens to be the best spy in the world and is willing to pass on all his knowledge to whoever solves/survives his little contest.

The six best secret agents in the world, including Eddie -- and the Nightside's own Walker -- have to endure several tests in some of the most well-known places in the world. Such as Loch Ness, Roswell, and even the Nightside. This little contest will result in one winner. And that lucky person will be the owner of the mysteries and secrets that the Indepedent Agent has learned along the way. But there's always a catch. Things aren't what they seem and when agents start dying, it's obvious that someone really wants to win.

The Spy Who Haunted Me is another great addition to this series. I really enjoyed leaving Eddie's world (mainly his family troubles) behind for a bit and getting to know a handful of new characters. It was also very cool to see them drop in and out of places that we all know to be filled with mystery, and happen to be paranormal activity hotspots. Not to mention that I got a real kick out of seeing Walker in a different light.

This installment is another quirky mix of adventure, mystery, and dark fun.

The Spy Who Haunted Me, May 2009, ISBN 978-057-507946-5, Gollancz Paperback

Wednesday 30 December 2009

DAEMONS ARE FOREVER


The Drood family is all that stands between Humanity and all the forces of darkness. They were supposed to protect the world, but ended up ruling it. Eddie Drood discovered the lies at the heart of his family and brought them down. For his sins, they put him in charge: to run the family and to redeem it. Eddie feels the need to prove to the world that the Drood family is as strong as it ever was. So he decides to wipe out one of Humanity's greatest enemies, the soul eaters known as the Loathly Ones. But once started on this venture, he discovers that the Loathly Ones are just the forerunners of something far worse; the Many-Angled Ones, the Hungry Gods, descending from a higher dimension to consume every living thing in this world. Eddie Drood has got his work cut out for him...

This is the second book in the Secret Histories series by Simon R. Green, which is the story of Shaman Bond -- real name, Eddie Drood. A member of one of the oldest and most powerful families in England.

After realising the truth about his family, and the golden armour that protected them, in the first book, he practically destroyed their strongest defense and secret. But Eddie returns home and tries to salvage what's left of the family. To ensure they continue to secretly protect the world from the forces of supernatural evil and can fight off those willing to go up against them now that they're weakened.

This time he's up against the Loathly Ones, also known as the Hungry Gods, who are building gateways from another dimension and are ready to conquer Earth. You see, the Droods once dealed with them and now they've decided they want to invade this world. But Eddie won't stand for it, and with the help of several of his old allies (and sometimes enemies) as well as new ones, they go to war.

Many casualties result, most are members of the Drood family because they no longer have their torcs to protect them. Not even Eddie's girlfriend, Molly Metcalf the wild witch of the woods, is immune to what's going on and ends up carrying an awful burden within her.

Daemons Are Forever is another fast-paced, insanely clever, and fun book by Simon R. Green. He has a knack for creating some very fantastical, yet vivid characters, creatures, places, gadgets, and dangerous situations that make his books totally addictive.

Luckily for me, I've already got the third book on my bookshelf.

Daemons Are Forever, August 2009, ISBN 978-057-508483-4, Gollancz Paperback

Tuesday 29 December 2009

A welcome break

I know it's Tuesday today, so that means it's supposed to be Tuesday Tunes, but this week's going to be super wonky. So far, none of the days feel right. It almost feels like the weekend will last all the way until next Monday. lol.

That's okay. It gives me an excuse not to throw myself into anything too intense. Which is great for my review TBR pile. I've been looking at it for days and mentally sorting what to read next. If I keep at it, I should be able to clear it by the end of January. Of course, I'll pepper it with some of my own UF or YA, but I have so many that I'm looking forward to.

So, how was your Christmas break? Ours was great. I really feel like we got a chance to recharge our batteries. Like we did a whole bunch of stuff, and did nothing at all at the same time. Oh, the only shitty thing was that it rained the whole time. And today -- when hubby's back at work -- the sun decided to return. That totally sucks, but as long as you don't let it dampen your spirits, that's fine.

Usually, around this time of the year, I sit down with a notebook and make a list of goals. I don't like to call them resolutions. But what I think I'll do this year is sit down and try to put together a 3-month writing plan. The best way to do that is to list everything that I'd like to get accomplished next year and then break it up into a month-by-month plan. Otherwise, it'll seem too overwhelming. *sigh*
Anyway. Have a great day!
PS. I got a great review for my zombie short story, BETTER OFF ALONE. You can check it out here. I got so excited when I read it. Thanks BookWenches.

Monday 28 December 2009

MAGIC IN THE BLOOD


Allison Beckstrom knows better than most that when magic's involved, nothing is free. She's had to pay its price of migraines and forgetfulness while working as a Hound, tracing illegal spells back to their casters. And even though magic has stolen her recent memory--including her history with the man she supposedly fell in love with--Allie isn't about to give up on Hounding or the city she cares about.

Then the police's magic enforcement division asks her to consult on what seems to be a straightforward missing-persons case. What begins as a way to make rent leads Allie into grave danger when the trail she's following draws her into the dark underworld of criminals, ghosts, and blood magic. There, Allie discovers it will take more than just magic to survive....

I had a pretty busy reading weekend during the four-day break, and actually finished this book just before the end of it. As you can tell from the posting date. :)

Anyway, I loved the first book in this series and couldn't wait to see where else Allie was going to go. And I wasn't disappointed. The poor girl goes from one bad situation to another in just a few days. I felt sorry for her, but absolutely loved riding along with her. And don't you just love Zay? I know I do. ;)

Oh, and her father gives me the creeps. Yeah, I know he's dead, but gee... he's still a jerk. If you've read this book, you'll know exactly what I mean. Looking forward to the next one.

CHASING THE DRAGON


For ten years now mankind has lived in Otopia - our world, but our world changed. Ever since the Quantum Bomb our dimension and realms of faerie, demonia, of the elementals and of death have been intermingled. We live alongside creatures from our myths, dreams and nightmares.

Lila Black, half-robot, all attitude works for Otopia's secret service. In love with a half-elf, half demon and carrying the spirit of another elf inside her, her life is quite complicated enough already. But other complications, other loves, other fears, other deaths wait just around the next dimensional corner.

After the Quantum Bomb, the world changed forever. Even the name changed, Earth is now known as Otopia. But more importantly, the fabric between the dimensions was torn, opening up the way to five other realities. Humans can live alongside creatures from other realms. Demons, elves, elementals, and all types of faery live amongst us in a world now deep in magic and technology.

Lila Black is a woman, but she's also a machine with an AI.

It wasn't until I was already into the thick of things that I realised this was actually the fourth book in the series, not the third. But after finishing Selling Out, I wanted to find out what was going to happen next and since I received this one before the Christmas break... Anyway, Justina Robson does a great job at sneaking in the events of the previous book/s, so I didn't feel lost. I just kept reading. :)

In this installment, Lila returns to a very different Otopia. Fifty years have passed and she's now married to Teazle, the heir to Demonia. Zal's dead, but she doesn't want to let him go and believes she can bring him back. Oh, and she has to find her missing husband and kill him because he's responsible for some mass killings in Demonia.

Chasing the Dragon has the now familiar level of action and interesting plot that the other two books I've read in this series had, but there was something different about this book. It didn't have the same sense of intensity that the others had, and I don't know why. And even though it was well written, I found myself skimming forward in a few areas. Once again, it was mainly in the POV of others.

Having said that, I still can't help but wonder where else Lila's headed.

Chasing the Dragon, January 2010, ISBN 978-057-508562-6, Gollancz Paperback

Saturday 26 December 2009

SELLING OUT


Lila Black is going to Hell.

Ever since the Quantum Bomb of 2015 things have been different; the dimensions have fused and suddenly our world is accessible to elves, demons, ghosts and elementals...and their worlds are open to us. Special Agent Lila Black has been different too: tortured and magic-scarred by elves, re-built by humans into a half-robot, part-AI, nuclear-fuelled walking arsenal and carrying the essence of a dead elven necromancer in her chest, sometimes she has trouble figuring out who she really is. And that's without mentioning that her boyfriend's a half-elf, half-demon international rock-star.

So a mission to Hell isn't exactly what she needs. The heart of art, of pleasure, sensuality and politics, Demonia is glorious and terrible. And, an assassination attempt, three marriage proposals and one ruined dress after her arrival, it seems Demonia might be more complicated than Lila thought...

After the Quantum Bomb, the world changed forever. Even the name changed, Earth is now known as Otopia. But more importantly, the fabric between the dimensions was torn, opening up the way to five other realities. Humans can live alongside creatures from other realms. Demons, elves, elementals, and all types of faery live amongst us in a world now deep in magic and technology.

Lila Black is a woman, but she's also a machine with an AI.

This book follows on from where the first one ended. Actually, only a few days have passed at the beginning. So, Lila is getting checked out by her psychologist and is pretty much sent on a new mission right away. This time she has to go to Demonia and pose as a scholar where she will pretend to be studying demon culture and lore, but is really sent to find out about Zal's time there.

Sounds like a mission she can handle, especially with the demon Sorcha by her side. But things don't start well. As soon as she gets there someone attempts to kill her, forcing her hand and putting her into a situation that calls too much attention to herself -- in the way of offers she doesn't want or need.

Duting her time in Hell, Lila realises that although Demonia appears to be beautiful, there's a lot more going on beneath the surface.

Selling Out is another action-packed, interesting book that expands on Lila's life, as we get a taste of her human side and the family she left behind, and she starts to understand a few truths about why she was really made/saved from death. The spirit of the elf she carries inside (Tath) becomes like an inner voice that both helps and frustrates her, and she even gets herself an imp companion.

I enjoyed venturing into another of the dimensions but have to admit that I didn't enjoy the multiple POVs as much as I thought I would. I kept hoping we'd go back to Lila.

Selling Out, November 2009, ISBN 978-057-508203-8, Gollancz Paperback

Thursday 24 December 2009

THE ELECTRIC CHURCH


In the near future, the only thing growing faster than the criminal population is the Electric Church, a new religion founded by a mysterious man named Dennis Squalor. The Church preaches that life is too brief to contemplate the mysteries of the universe: eternity is required. In order to achieve this, the converted become Monks -- cyborgs with human brains, enhanced robotic bodies, and virtually unlimited life spans.

Enter Avery Cates, a dangerous criminal known as the best killer-for-hire around. The authorities have a special mission in mind for Cates: assassinate Dennis Squalor. But for Cates, the assignment will be the most dangerous job he's ever undertaken -- and it may well be his last.

Just reading the blurb and the title for this book was enough to grab my attention. And that very creepy cover sure deepened my interest.

When I started to read this book, I found myself a little lost in the narrator's set up of this world because there was so much going on, and so much to be explained. However, as the story moved into the second chapter and I settled into Avery's tale, I understood exactly why it was vital to drop all of that info on the reader at the very start. Getting the who's who out of the way helped me get my bearings and understand exactly what Avery was and what he'd gotten himself into. It helped me slip into this very dark and brutal dystopian society very smoothly.

Avery Cates is a criminal. For the right price he'll kill whoever he's hired to eliminate. He doesn't care who it is.

But when he gets himself caught up in some big trouble with the System Cops and attracts the attention of the very freaky Monks from the Electric Church, everything becomes a lot more complicated. When he's given an opportunity he can't pass up, he takes it. All he has to do is kill the founder of this mysterious religion. And to do that he'll have to head into the middle of their operation, with a group of misfits that include his only friend, Gatz, female twins who come in very handy, and a Techie who refers to himself in the third person. Along the way, he even manages to pick up a scary Gunner who might not be who he says he is. For the right amount of money, they're all willing to risk their lives.

This story is an action-packed thrill ride that had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to turn the page, to see what was going to happen next. Trying to keep up with Avery's very dangerous life was exhausting and exhilarating, because every time he thinks he can take a deep breath, more trouble finds him.

The Electric Church is a fascinating and totally engrossing book with everything that makes the noir-futuristic-cyberpunk genre so appealing. It's well written, gets under your skin, and throws you into the middle of the action. Avery Cates is the ultimate anti-hero. A killer who drinks too much and doesn't bathe near enough. Yet, he's trying to make his way in an insane, horrible and very violent world the only way he knows how. And I really liked him for that.

I also loved that what starts out as a way to get a huge payout turns into an ambitious attempt at changing a corrupt system that ignores and destroys the majority of the population.

This is a series that I really want to lose myself in. I thought this one was fantastic, so I can't wait to read the next book.

The Electric Church, November 2009, ISBN 9781841496160, Orbit Paperback

Christmas Eve...

... is here. And I'm in a great mood today. Maybe it's because after today the hubby gets four days off. Yay. Or maybe I just get into the Christmas spirit a little late. lol. Whatever it is, that's cool.

Today I don't plan to get much done. And you know what? That's fine. I put so much pressure on myself to get things crossed off my to-do list every single day of the year that by the end of it, I'm totally exhausted. I know it's true because when it gets to about ten at night, I'm just about ready to collapse into bed. And as soon as my head hits the pillow, I drift off to sleep. So tired.

Anyway, I suspect that there will be much reading, going for a walk/s, picking up a few last-minute groceries, and browsing of the Internet. Other than that, I don't have much more planned. I want to take it easy.

Well, I might add some things to my to-do list, but not to deal with now. :)

Have a great day!

Wednesday 23 December 2009

Hey!

We're in mid-week territory already. That means that Christmas is only a few days away. I always find it strange how the build up for this starts at the beginning of the month and then it's over in one day. Gone, forgotten. Very strange when you actually stop to think about it.

Anyway. If you're interested, I've got a new blog post over at the Fang-tastic Books Blog. Roxanne was lovely enough to have me over there again. This time I'm chatting a little about Alyce Kerr. You can read it here. I'm also at The Romance Studio. So if you'd like to read a little more about Wither, you can here. :)

This week's turning out to be a little strange. I don't know why, but it just feels kinda... odd. Maybe it's just me. But I can say that I feel a little restless. Like I'm kinda floating past the days instead of really living them. Does that even make any sense? lol.

Last night I picked up THE ELECTRIC CHURCH by Jeff Somers and got stuck into it. I have to admit that when I first started it, I felt a little overwhelmed and even lost because there seemed to be so much information shared in like twenty pages, while a lot of action was also going on. But I stuck with it, and I'm glad that I did. Wow. This book is fantastic. The concept's dark, gritty and very dystopian. Did I mention that it's a futuristic? I love futuristics. The freaky monks are really, really creepy. Seriously. And the hero's not exactly heroic, but I love that.

I can't wait to get back to it. I'm 100 pages in already because it's such a fast-moving story.

Although I haven't been doing any new writing stuff, the last few days I've been very busy answering interview questions and emailing them in. I'm slowly, slowly working my way through the list. I've got quite a few spots planned for Feb. So I'm using this quiet period to decide what I'm going to be focusing on with each interview/post. It's actually quite fun. I love that I've worked on about four different interviews so far and the questions are all so different. That's very cool.

Okay. I think that's enough chatter for today... don't you? ;)

Have a good one!

Tuesday 22 December 2009

DEMON MISTRESS


Menolly, Camille, and Delilah are the D'Artigo Sisters-half-human, half-Faerie operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Their latest assignment is to root out the secret society responsible for unleashing chaos magic against the city-and to stop a demon from devouring Delilah's soul.

This series is one of my favourites. You know the ones that feel like you're catching up with old friends every time you open the latest book in the series? The type that although you're absolutely itching to read, you try to put it off as long as you can because you don't want it to be over? Yeah, this series is like that for me. :)

I also love that the books are told in the POV of each sister. This one's the sixth book and happens to be narrated by Menolly. She's a vampire, and a very complex character. When you read the books from the POV of her sisters, you always get the sense of mystery and even a little detachment from her because she's so hard to read. But she's nothing like that. Menolly's one tough cookie - just like her awesome sisters - but she's also as devoted and vulnerable as them too. I just love getting into her head. She's ultra cool.

Each book adds to the cast and the story, and builds up into a world where darkness seems to be trying damn hard to engulf them. They find themselves in one bad situation after another, and have very complicated relationships with those around them. I love the supporting cast, too. They're all so very tough and cool.

The next one comes out next month. Can't wait! But the bottom line is... you should be reading this series. It's amazing, and only gets better. And what about those covers? Like I said, awesome. ;)

Thursday 17 December 2009

LOVE BITES


Etienne Argeneau can turn one human into a vampire in his lifetime - an honour his kind usually reserved for their life mates, to let their love live forever.

But it's all a bit more complicated than that. Rachel Garrett, a beautiful coroner, has just saved his life and now she's about to lose hers. Etienne has a choice: he can save her life in turn and thus doom himself to an eternity alone, unable to create his own life mate. Or he can watch his saviour die and live in the name of a love he has yet to meet.

Her life and his love weigh in the balance and whatever Etienne does he may live to regret for eternity...

The first book in the Argeneau series introduces the Argeneau family and features a chaotic romance you can really sink your teeth into.

This is the first book in the Lynsay Sands Argeneau series, which introduces the Argeneau family, who all happen to be vampires. They're also intelligent, successful individuals who happen to be several centuries old and need blood to survive.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to read an ARC of this book, which will be released in Australia next March. And boy am I glad I got it.

Rachel Garrett is a coroner who works the night shift. When she steps between an axe and a corpse lying in the morgue, she ends up getting struck by the weapon. What she doesn't know is that she's saved Etienne Argeneau's life. And, because he can't let her die after such a selfless act, Etienne decides to save her life by turning her into a vampire. Of course, the fact that he can only turn one human into a vampire during his lifetime complicates things. Especially since most vamps turn their life mate.

I had a great time reading this multiple POV book, and was hooked from the very beginning. I found Rachel and Etienne to be great and interesting characters who start out as been forcibly connected by a sheer act of fate, but wind up wanting to be together. Their passion for each other sizzled off the page, but their path towards each other is filled with danger, uncertainty, and a lot of lessons about being a vampire.

Love Bites is a fun book that made me laugh. It's also a terrific introduction to this series. Although it's a lot of fun with a little bit of everything -- danger, chaos, confusion, romance, family -- the story also deals with serious issues. Either way, it's addictive. I loved the explanation of where vampires originated from, too. Oh, and the supporting cast is amazing, adding depths to this wonderful world.

I loved it, and can't wait to read about some of the other family members.

Love Bites, March 2010, ISBN 978-057-509381-2, Gollancz Paperback

The heat of summer is here

OMG. How can a picture be super spooky and so darn cute at the same time? Well, that's exactly what this one is. It kinda reminds me of Alyce. She seems to hide from herself a lot. Of course, she's got plenty to want to run from. lol.

Anyway. I missed yesterday. The day just slipped away before I got the change to pop in for a post. Why are there so many things to do every single day? Well, dropping and picking my daughter up from school can be scrubbed off the daily to-do list for the next six weeks. Yikes! That's a while, isn't it? It's summer here in Oz, so kids get a break for summer holidays.

Having my daughter home kinda shifts everything around. It also means that I hardly get any alone time. Actually, the only time I'll be alone is when I put her to bed at night and wait for hubby to get home. It means shuffling the day around, but she's old enough to know that I need writing time every day and finds things to do until I've added a chunk o' words. Which is actually what I should be doing right now. lol.

*stepping away from blog for a little while in order to continue with yet-to-be-titled story*

Okay, I'm back. Wow. Haven't done that kind of thing before, have I?

Anyway. I managed to hit 10,597 words and decided to stop for now. Maybe I'll be able to add a little more to the story tonight. That would be awesome. I've got the last bit of this chapter left, and then another one after that. So, getting this chapter done tonight will leave me with the last chapter tomorrow. Excellent. <--- say this like Mr. Burns. ;)

Okay. I think I might go down to check the mailbox now. Posties were on strike yesterday, but I'm not sure if they are today. I'll find out soon enough, I guess. See ya!

Thursday 10 December 2009

I love it when a plan comes together

I can't believe I've actually got the time to write a post before picking my daughter up from school. Lol. But here I am.

Using some of my reading time yesterday afternoon to work on revisions worked out great. I managed to finish the 112 page ms just now. Yay. The word count is 48,432 and I'm pretty excited with how the story's turned out. As I mentioned yesterday, it's Recast#2. The hero in this one is Ace. If you've read WITHER, you'll already know who he is. :)

Anyway, it's great to meet my weekly goals.

Oh, gosh, you know what I found out yesterday? I was under the impression that the last day of school was next Friday. But I double checked, and it's actually Wednesday. WTH? Why? I have no idea why they're finishing up in the middle of the week. And get this, they go back on Jan 28. That's a Thursday. Once again, it doesn't make any sense. But that's how it is, I suppose. So, I'll have my daughter home for about 6 weeks, as of next Thursday.

I better start planning my projects for the rest of the year and January before holidays hit. :)

Anyway, I'm going to reward myself for getting the revision done by reading the rest of 'Falling to Ash' by Karen Mahoney, from The Eternal Kiss anthology.

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday 9 December 2009

LOVELY BONES


My name was Salmon, like the fish, first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. My murderer was a man from our neighborhood. My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once about fertilizer'

This is Susie Salmon, speaking to us from heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counsellors to help newcomers to adjust, and friends to room with. Everything she wants appears as soon as she thinks of it - except the thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved on earth.

From heaven, Susie watches. She sees her happy suburban family implode after her death, as each member tries to come to terms with the terrible loss. Over the years, her friends and siblings grow up, fall in love, do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But life is not quite finished with Susie yet.

The first time I watched the trailer for this movie, I was totally amazed. When I found out it was a book, I ordered it right away. But I didn't pick it up off my bookshelf until this week. And wow, I absolutely loved it.

Lovely Bones is a hauntingly beautiful and very moving story about a young girl who dies but can't let go of the people she left behind. The heaven she lives in is beautiful and peaceful, but all Susie wants to do is watch her family, neighbours, the man who killed her, and the boy she loved but didn't get a chance to pursue. She watches her family break -- as they each try to deal with her disappearance and death in their own way -- but is unable to do anything to help them get closure or even move on.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though the subject matter is heartbreaking and I felt really sad a lot of the time, it was still a lovely ghost story. I'm really glad that I've read it before watching the movie too. :)

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Exciting news...

It's out in the wild!


Betrayal. Lust. Secrets. It’s enough to send a space cowboy riding hell-bent for stardust.

Recast, Book 1

Wrangling is in Colt Marshall’s blood. He was known across the galaxy for his skill at roping horses and cattle, but found that the woman he loved wasn’t so easy to tie down. Now a mysterious client has him wrangling a man who may or may not be fully human. Colt doesn’t know and doesn’t care, as long as he gets paid. Until his pursuit of the escaped captive lands him on his former lover’s planet…and her request for help threatens to crack the armor around his heart.

With Colt’s unexpected arrival, Brynn Wight’s problems could be solved…or multiplied a thousandfold. She doesn’t expect him to understand why she left him, but she sure could use his help ridding her planet of the feral creatures terrorizing her town every night. It doesn’t help that he looks just as good as she remembers. Or that even after five years, their mutual lust is very much alive.

Their desire rivals the heat of the planet’s skin-peeling sun, stripping away layers of secrets to expose the truth. And a secret that could be their death sentence…

Warning: This book contains a space cowboy with an attitude, a female sheriff with a kick-ass past, an AI dressed like a deputy, feral creatures, and a planet scorched by its proximity to the sun—but still not as hot as the cowboy and sheriff are for each other.

Monday 7 December 2009

BEAUTIFUL DEAD: Arizona


Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead.

There's been no sign of the Beautiful Dead for weeks. Darina achingly misses Phoenix all over again. But surely he will return with the rest of the Beautiful Dead as so much still remains unresolved. It's been ten months since Arizona drowned in Hartmann Lake. Suicide, it would seem. But something doesn't add up. Drowning herself in a hidden-away lake does not sound like strong, confident, Arizona: Ellerton High School's high-maintenance drama queen. Darina needs to help Arizona the way she helped Jonas. But time is running out ...

This is the second book in the Beautiful Dead series, which features a teenager called Darina. After losing her boyfriend, she's so grief-stricken and lost that she starts to see people who are supposed to be dead. That's when she discovers that the 'deaths' of four fellow students at her high school over the last year might not necessarily mean that they're dead.

Just like the first book, Darina finds herself in the middle of the Beautiful Dead. This time she's on the path to help Arizona. The girl who drowned in Hartmann Lake almost a year ago. This leads her into a new mystery shrouded with secrets, and a whole lot of trouble, as Darina tries to piece it all together.

Although I think the concept of this series is intriguing and adds a new light on the zombie genre, I feel that the execution is weaker than I would've liked. While Darina is a cool character determined to help these teens caught in limbo, I didn't connect with her. I don't know what it is but I just feel as if her actions aren't balanced out with who she really is, and that creates a gap between the reader and the character.

Beautiful Dead: Arizona is an enjoyable mystery about a young girl who's so determined to keep her boyfriend in her life that she'll devote all of her time and energy to solving the mysteries of death.

Beautiful Dead: Arizona, December 2009, ISBN 9780340988626, Hodder Children’s

This Is War... is awesome!

On Friday, I found out that the official release date for the latest 30 Seconds to Mars album here in Australia was the 4th. So, we ducked out to the shops on Saturday and picked up our copy.

Okay, after hearing Kings and Queens, as well as This Is War, I knew that the album would be great. I love their music. But I didn't know it would be awesome, outstanding and totally addicitive. I can't stop listening to it. To all the tracks. It's not like I've got one fave that I keep repeating over and over, it's the whole thing.

I LOVE it with much love. ;)

This week my to-do list isn't too big. My main goal is to complete the final revision of Recast#2. So, that's 113 pages in 5 days. If I can do 23 pages/day, I'll have it done by the end of the week. Tonight I got to page 28. Not bad. Always good to be a few pages ahead. The goal page happened to be in the middle of a chapter, so it was best to keep moving forward until I got to the end.

Now that my goal's met, I think I'll keep reading. I picked up LOVELY BONES from my bookshelf yesterday afternoon. I want to read it before the movie comes out. I've already read the first 100 pages and I'm loving it so far. It's just so heart-wrenchingly sad, though. Beautiful, but sad. :( Can't wait to see where it goes.

Time for me to go now. Good night!

Sunday 6 December 2009

I AM SCROOGE: A Zombie Story For Christmas


Marley was dead. Again. The legendary Ebenezeer Scrooge sits in his house counting money. The boards that he has nailed up over the doors and the windows shudder and shake under the blows from the endless zombie hordes that crowd the streets hungering for his flesh and his miserly braaaaiiiiiinns!

Just how did the happiest day of the year slip into a welter of blood, innards and shambling, ravenous undead on the snowy streets of old London town?

Will the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future be able to stop the world from drowning under a top-hatted and crinolined zombie horde? Was Tiny Tim's illness something infinitely more sinister than mere rickets and consumption? Can Scrooge be persuaded to go back to his evil ways, travel back to Christmas past and destroy the brain stem of the tiny, irritatingly cheery Patient Zero?

Firstly, I have to admit that I've never read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I know, it's shameful to admit, but for some reason I've skipped a lot of the classics. :( Still, that didn't stop me from being very interested in this book when I first heard about it. For one, it's about zombies. And I've said it before, nothing says 'Merry Christmas' like zombies tearing the world apart.

I also know enough about the tale of Scrooge to recognise the many similarities in this fun story.

Ebenezeer Scrooge isn't a very happy man. Actually, he's being an introvert since childhood, after he was attacked by a disfigured man in a graveyard. He deals with money and has plenty of it but doesn't like to share. He also doesn't treat others very nicely. To be honest, he doesn't care much for other humans -- even the ones that work with/for him. So when he heads home on Christmas Eve and someone stops him to call out a warning, he walks on and gets home.

That's when all hell breaks loose. Starting with Marley tearing into his apartment. Except, Marley's dead and he seems to have become a... zombie. Of course, Scrooge doesn't know anything about that yet. Not until the Spirit of Christmas Present pays him a visit and shows him what's happening all over London.

This sends him on a time-travelling adventure involving two more spirits. The experience shows him a devastated world suffering from a zombie apocalypse that only he can stop. It changes who he is and how he looks at both his life and Christmas. Not to mention that a lot of his life suddenly makes sense.

I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas is a fun story that also happens to be very funny. It's actually quite clever too. I enjoyed the cameo by Dickens and Wells. I have to admit that it got silly in a few bits, but that only adds to the charm of this lighthearted tale. Of course, because zombies are about, there was plenty of violence and interesting ways of taking them out. LOL.

This book made me laugh. A lot. Oh, and the illustrations were a great addition, too. I really enjoyed this book, and who would've guessed the true meaning of Christmas actually involved zombies? Did someone say Zomb-mass? ;)

I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas, December 2009, ISBN 0575091541, Gollancz Hardback

Friday 4 December 2009

Writing it out usually helps

I forgot to mention yesterday that I'm one of the Featured Authors over at The Romance Studio this month. So, if you'd like to find out a little more about my story WITHER, you can read the interview here. :)

I've been having a bunch of headaches this week. I'm not quite sure what the reason is, but they just linger in the background. Or blast through my brain. Funny thing is that I'm not the only one getting them. I was talking to hubby this morning, and he's been having headaches as well. WTH? All I know is that I'm going to not take any tablets for it. I think I've taken enough during this week. Strange.

Hopefully they'll clear up by next week because I've got revision work to do. lol.

So, what do you do when you've written a trilogy/series and you're pretty sure it's finished... then one day the characters hit you up with a new story. One that complicates their relationship a little more, throws them a new situation they might not be able to deal with, yet at the same time promises to tie up that loose end that refused to be neatly tied before. Yikes, was there supposed to be a question mark somewhere in there? I think it started as a question and turned into a rant. :D

Anyway. Since my muse was chatting last night, I picked up a notebook and before bed managed to write the first six pages of the idea I was just rambling about. I like where it's going, and I know that it won't be a long story. We're talking novella territory. So, why fight it? I think it's okay to give it a go, see where it takes me. Except, I've got revisions planned for next week. Then after that I have one more week before my daughter goes on holidays for *gulp* over five weeks! Now that I've written that, I think that sounds like a good plan: Recast #2 final revision next week, writing this story the week after that.

Sometimes, writing --or typing-- it all out really does help. Thanks Blogger. ;)

Well, I'm going to make good use of what's left of my alone (writing) time.

Catch'a next week. Have an awesome weekend!

Tuesday 1 December 2009

FADE OUT


Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again.

Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subjectis the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger - and way more dangerous - than anyone suspected.


Okay, I'm not even going to bother writing a review for this book because I love this series so much that sometimes I feel like words aren't enough to sum up just how much I love/enjoy it. Seriously. Rachel Caine's one of my favourite authors for a very good reason.

If you don't read this series, I strongly recommend that you do. It totally rocks. I thought that getting Bishop out of the way would give Claire, Shane, Eve, and Michael a chance at a normal life. Well, as normal as life can be when you live in a town built for vampires by vampires. lol. Anyway, I was wrong. Things get really bad in this book, but at least Claire's got Shane in her corner. :)

I loved the latest installment. Loved it!

Sunday 29 November 2009

KITTY RAISES HELL


Kitty and Ben thought they were done with Las Vegas, but it's beginning to looks like Vegas isn't done with them. A sadistic cult of lycanthropes and their vampire priestess have laid a curse on Kitty, revenge for her disrupting their rituals and now an invisible evil that smells like brimstone and plays with fire has followed them home.

The next full moon triggers danger and destruction in the form of fire and it's not just targeting Kitty, but the pack of werewolves she's sworn to protect. Kitty needs help if she's going to be able to extinguish the terror that's threatening to torch them all!

As I've mentioned before, I absolutely love this series, so it was awesome to read the latest Kitty book. It's always like catching up with old friends, very cool.

Kitty and Ben might be back in Denver, but what happened to them in Vegas has followed them home. Just when everything's going great with her life -- the pack, her radio show, the restaurant, and her marriage -- something strange and very evil is after Kitty. And if it can't get to her, then it's willing to burn the entire city in the process.

It looks like the Band of Tiamat haven't given up and are willing to go as far as to summon an elemental to get to Kitty. But in this book she not only has the help and support of her husband and fellow wolf, Ben, but she's still in contact with magician Odysseus Grant, as well as the Denver master vampire, Rick, and even picks up some new contacts in the form of the Paradox PI crew, which happens to be a TV show that investigates the paranormal.

I thought this book was fantastic. It seems like this series just gets better and better. The amount of growth in Kitty is always amazing. She's changed so much from the first book and continues to evolve into a very strong Alpha wolf that takes her responsibility seriously. If only new dangers didn't continue to pop up. In this book it's in the form of a vampire called Roman.

Kitty Raises Hell is another great addition to this wonderful and exciting series. Every time I finish the latest book, I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. It also reminds me why I love the urban fantasy genre so much.

Oh, and I particularly liked the subplot involving the appearance of T.J.'s brother. If you remember, T.J. was her best friend. A fellow wolf who helped Kitty at the beginning of the series at the expense of his own life.

Anyway, do yourself a favour and check out this series. You won't regret it!

Kitty Raises Hell, December 2009, ISBN 0575090065, Gollancz Paperback

Friday 27 November 2009

My 4th NaNoWriMo goal has been met!

<--- Check it out. That's right. Last night, seconds before hubby got home, I passed the 50k mark. I was so in the groove last night, I could've written until I got to the end of the novel. But I didn't, I stopped. I was so happy to have completed another NaNoWriMo that I didn't mind. :)

I've already popped into the NaNo website and scrambled my novel so that it could count my words. That's how I got the lovely icon to the left. Yay.

But today, I actually spent most of the day getting other writing related stuff done while my daughter was at school. I managed to proofread, format and even email in one interview and two blog posts. I'm so excited. I've been meaning to get them done all week, just had so much other stuff to do that I only managed bits & pieces of each. But today was the day. They're all done.

When I got home from picking my daughter up from school, instead of reading for a bit like I usually do, I went into the room, picked up lappy and got writing. The word count's gone up to 52,286 but it's still not done. I've got another chapter and the epilogue left. Not long to the end now. Will I make it tonight? In thirty minutes, my daughter will be tucked in for the night, so I'm hoping to get the chance then. Still, I can't wait for hubby to get home so we can start the weekend. And technically, there's still one more writing day left of November, so even if I have to finish this story on Monday, that's cool.

Well, my daughter's tucked in for the night and hubby's still at work, so I'm going to open up my Word doc and get writing...

Have a great weekend!


***Just wanted to remind you that FAITHLESS is still available from Damnation Books for under $1. But that'll change next week. On December 1st, it'll go up to $4.50.***

Thursday 26 November 2009

Garbage & other stuff

Do you ever wake up feeling more tired than when you went to sleep? Well, that's exactly how I felt this morning. Actually, I've felt like that every morning this week. Lol. I've just been packing in so much into every day -- physically and mentally. I find that I'm mentally exhaused at the end of the night when I'm working on a first draft.

But last night the hubby and I had to drag a whole bunch of crap out of the garage and place it outside on the street for the council to pick up. It's an easy process: call the local council, arrange for a day to have them pick up your crap, take it outside the night before, and they'll gladly remove your unwanted furniture, bikes, etc. But for some reason, people never bother. All the stuff we took out there belonged to other people. Have no idea who, but former tenants, or people who just move in and feel that it's their right to dump crap in the common garage below the apartment block. I've got news for them -- it's not. They should take care of it themselves. Grrr.

But anyway. We busted our chops getting it all out there, and most of the stuff was totally gross. But it's done, it's gone. We took charge and now the fire hazard and potential rat/bug home has been destroyed. It feels good to clear out the garbage.

Anyway.

In other news, I've just finished today's writing session and have hit 48,149 words. Yikes! I'm so darn close. I think I've got one more chapter and an epilogue left to write, so it looks like I might go over the 50k mark, but not by much. I think.

Well, see ya!

***Just wanted to remind you that FAITHLESS is still available from Damnation Books for under $1. But that'll change next week. On December 1st, it'll go up to $4.50.***

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Well, I'm back... even though I didn't go anywhere

Yikes! The last four days have been filled with stuff, and fun. Been doing a lot of writing things too, like adding words to my NaNoWriMo novel, completing several rounds of edits, and proofreading a few things before they're finalised.

Phew. Busy, busy. But it's been great. I absolutely love the editing process. The way it challenges me to strengthen everything. The way I can bounce things off my editor and vice versa. It's very cool stuff.

Hubby also helped me put a different colour in my hair. I was getting really tired of looking at my supposed-to-be-red-but-turned-into-copper streaks. They just didn't look nice. So, I darkened my hair again. Yay. It's now a lovely shade called red mahogany. Love it!

So, my NaNo word count is now sitting @41,534. And that's before I sit down and do today's writing session. I'm pretty happy with the progress, and even happier with the way the story's going. There are a few extra things happening that I didn't expect, as well as some things slotting into place much better than I imagined they would.

My goal for today is to reach 43,200 words, but I reckon that if I buckle down I can reach 45k. That would be so much better. I'd really like to reach the 50k NaNoWriMo target by Friday. Though I'm not sure if that'll get me to the end of the story. Maybe it will. Maybe it'll go longer, but as long as I reach the goal for November, it's fine. I can just continue with the story until I finish it, even if it carries me into next month.

Well, I better get to it. Got lots of words to add, and a bunch of other things to do as well. Have a good one!

***Just wanted to remind you that FAITHLESS is still available from Damnation Books for under $1. But that'll change next week. On December 1st, it'll go up to $4.50.***

Friday 20 November 2009

Hot-hot-hot

Yes, we've had some scorching hot days this week and today's another hot one. Seriously. Still, I'm not going to complain. Love summer. Looks like the sky's clouding over though. Might be getting another thunderstorm this evening. I just hope it holds out until I get my daughter home from school.

Remember how I mentioned yesterday that I'd love to secretly reach 40k by the end of this week? Well, it's not gonna happen. But I did get to 36,053 words, and that means that as of last night, I reached this week's goal. That means that I've got about 14k left until I meet my NaNo goal. Not bad when I wasn't sure if I was going to get anywhere near it. Yay. Of course, I don't want to celebrate prematurely.

Although, last night while hubby and I did our weights workout, I pulled out a notebook and started jotting down a list of things that need to happen in the novel to wrap it up. By the time the workout was done, I had four pages worth of notes with enough points to take me to the end of the story. So, I pretty much know what's going to happen from here onwards, just need to fill in the finer details. That's great news.

Today, I made a start on the second round of edits for Wither. I've done the first 16 pages and had to stop because my lappy ran out of juice. I might have to leave it plugged into the wall when I go back to them later. I need as much of the available battery life as I can get. I'd really (really) love to get halfway through by the end of today. That'll make it easier for me to tackle the rest over the weekend. I don't work as fast when hubby and daughter are home because I love to hang out with them, but I've been doing plenty of edits the last month and know that it still works out fine. :)

That's it for me today. We've got a few things planned for the weekend, so I'm looking forward to it. Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday 18 November 2009

HATER


Society is rocked by a sudden increase in the number of violent assaults on individuals. Christened 'Haters' by the media, the attackers strike without warning. The assaults are brutal, remorseless and extreme: within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people are becoming maddened, vicious killers.

There are no apparent links as a hundred random attacks become a thousand and then thousands, right across the country. Everyone, irrespective of gender, age, race, sexuality or any other difference, has the potential to become a victim - or a Hater. People are afraid to go to work, afraid to leave their homes and, increasingly, afraid that at any moment their friends, even their closest family, could turn on them with murderous intent.

By the end of today you could be dead. By the end of today you could be a killer. Attack first, ask questions later...but the answer might not be what you expect...

With cover quotes from Guillermo del Toro and JA Bayona, I was instantly interested in this book. Apparently, I found out about it a little later than most, and it looks like it's going to be made into a movie soon. But late or not, I'm really glad that I read HATER before watching it.

The story opens with a violent scene involving an umbrella. This sets the mood for the remainder of the book, before we meet the very average, Danny McCoyne. Danny is an everyday type of bloke who works for the council. At the moment he works in the Parking Fine Processing office and puts up with a horrible supervisor who doesn't like him. The monotonous job he performs isn't something he really enjoys, but it's his Monday-to-Friday grind. With a partner and three kids, he's got no choice but to keep working this deadend job and continue on with his boring life.

Then strange things keep happening around him. It's almost as if the world's going mad. As if people all over the place are turning on others and killing them with their bare hands. Danny and his family get caught up in the middle of it all, unable to escape the visual horrors, they try to get on with life while listening to the reports on the news that don't seem to offer any answers about what's going on. But when schools are closed and less people are turning up at work, they find themselves stuck inside their flat.

Trouble finally comes to Danny's house, and he has no choice but to face the awful truth and deal with things the only way he now knows how to. The world is a different place and will never be the same again.

Hater is an intoxicating book that grabbed a hold of me from the first page and didn't let me go until I got to the end. The confusing, violent events gradually build up to a crescendo that echoes in Danny's life. The second half of the book constantly had me wondering where it was going. I really enjoyed the unpredictability of this story and honestly didn't know how it could possibly end.

By the time you do get to the end you'll be left with more questions, but satisfied by how Danny leaves things. And you'll certainly be left wondering who the Haters really are. Lucky for us, there's going to be another installment released next year.

Hater, April 2009, ISBN 0575084677, Gollancz Paperback

Monday 16 November 2009

Hello New Week! I'm kinda ready for ya...

Before I get started today, I just wanted to mention that I'll be over at The Pen and Muse this week. Denisse was lovely enough to interview me and will be posting it shortly. :)

Well, how was your weekend? Mine was great, but tiring. We continued our spring cleaning kick. Got rid of a lot of dust -- I don't think they were dust bunnies anymore, more like dust kitties -- and some garbage, as well as a lot of recycling. I always feel so much better about getting rid of stuff that'll be recycled into something else. I'm trying to think as green as I can. Too bad other people in our apartment block don't seem to care.

Today, I've had a shitty day in regards to the people around us. We live in an apartment block and a lot of the people who live here don't give a crap about keeping the place clean and tidy. Or even safe. This morning, when we got home from dropping my daughter off at school, we couldn't get the key into the lock downstairs because someone had stuck something into it. It's not the first time it's happened, and the locksmith pulled out bits of sticks that had been shoved into the barrel. Seriously, who would do that? And other people have been dumping their carpets and furniture into the garage area. Once again, WTF? Makes me so angry!

Anyway. I got back into my NaNoWriMo novel today. Yay! I've reached 25,025 words. So, I'm halfway now. Haven't gotten back on track with my own personal goal, but I'm getting there. Slowly, slowly.

Well. I'm all outta words for the night. See ya!

Sunday 15 November 2009

WITH RED HANDS


She can connect the living with the dead. She can help bring justice to the murdered. But now a killer is out to stop her...with his own red hands.

Natalie Lindstrom was once part of an elite group of investigators with the power to interview the dead victims of violent crime. But now Nathalie's had enough of the violence. Yet, as she tries to build a new life and protect her five-year-old daughter, Natalie still recognises injustice when she sees it. And she knows that in a high-profile California trial, a young man is getting away with murder.

The case against Prescott Hyland Jr is airtight - until a corrupt Violet delivers devastating testimony against another man. Now Natalie is being drawn back into her former career and a danger far worse than she can imagine. Because, in the world of the Violets, sometimes your past can literally come back to haunt you.


This is the second book in Stephen Woodworth's Violet series. In the first book, Through Violet Eyes, we met Natalie Lindstrom. Natalie is a Violet, born with violet eyes she's able to channel dead people and used to work for the NAACC's Crime Division. But she left several years ago to take care of her daughter. Callie is now five years old, and as much as she's tried to shield her from both the Corp's influence and what she is, everything catches up with Natalie in this installment.

After deciding to help her friend and deputy DA, Inez Mendoza, Natalie finds herself thrown back into the life she's tried so hard to escape. The trial of a young man charged with his parents' murder hooks her back into the dark and dangerous world of the Violets and into the path of a dangerous spirit. While also forcing her to face a few personal issues from the past. Things that shaped the way she is now.

Her father's reappearance in her life and all the resentment she felt towards him for dumping her in the Corps school, at the same time that she's dragged back into the life of her mentally ill mother, only add to the trouble brewing in her life.

With Red Hands was another intriguing and very interesting book that enhances this alternate world of the Violets, while also opening up Natalie a lot more than she was in the first book. With her daughter to care for, everything becomes riskier and harder to deal with. Yet, at the same time, Callie seems to become her connection to others, especially family. A connection that she needs in order to stay strong and capable.

Once again, this was a seriously great book that only hooked me further into the series.

With Red Hands, November 2009, ISBN 0749941324, Piatkus Fiction Paperback (A)

Sunday 8 November 2009

THE DROWNING CITY


The Drowning City: home to exiles and expatriates, pirates and smugglers. And violent revolutionaries who will stop at nothing to overthrow the corrupt Imperial government.

For Isyllt Iskaldur, necromancer and spy, the brewing revolution is a chance to prove herself to her crown. All she has to do is find and finance the revolutionaries, and help topple the palaces of Symir. But she is torn between her new friends and her duties, and the longer she stays in this monsoon-drenched city, the more intrigue she uncovers - even the dead are plotting.

As the waters rise and the dams crack, Isyllt must choose between her mission and the city she came to save.

This is the first book of The Necromancer Chronicles. When this cover first caught my eye, I decided to read a little more about the story. And once I found out the main character was a necromancer, I just had to read it.

The story is set in the city of Symir and features Isyllt Iskaldur, a necromancer and spy sent on a secret mission to find and finance the revolutionaries. But as soon as she gets to Symir things start to happen. Bad things. So much that the book is told in three different points of view -- Isyllt, Zhirin and Xinai -- to get the full scope of what's going on. Zhirin is a young apprentice caught up in the revolution. Xinai is a mercenary sent to help Isyllt, but she gets caught up on the wrong side because she's a native.

I really enjoyed the exotic and often dark locale and could literally see, taste, and feel every detail because of Amanda Downum's wonderful narrative. Her voice is crisp, different for each of the women, and so vivid that I felt like I was temporarily transported to this beautiful, yet dangerous and unstable location. It sounded so lovely, yet volatile, with a live river, angry but contained volcano, and sticky jungle. The attention to detail was amazing, and the separate stories weaved in and around each other so well that when I got to the end, everything fit in and was tied together perfectly.

Of course, the destiny of Isyllt, Zhirin, and Xinai take them to different and even sad places. The three of them suffer immense heartache, physical pain, and betrayal along the way, and aren't all on the same side either. But each woman's journey was honest, raw and true. I loved this book!

There are so many things that could've gone wrong in this book -- competing narrators, confusing loyalties, intricate politics, huge idea without substance, strange names jarring the story, too much mythology involving ghosts, spirits, and water creatures... but you know what? That didn't happen. Everything made sense. Everything clicked together to form a terrific, complex story that I enjoyed so much I know I'll be thinking about it for weeks to come. It's a fantasy that breaks into a new barrier.

The Drowning City is an amazing, interesting and very well written story that blends a variety of weird and wonderful creatures. It's what a fantasy book should be: riveting, ambitious, and succesful in it's delivery and execution. The main characters are deep, and so is the supporting cast. I can't wait to read the next one.

I've been seduced by this world, and I'm looking forward to visiting again. Only this time, it'll be in a different city.

The Drowning City, September 2009, ISBN 1841498149, Orbit Paperback

Friday 6 November 2009

It's the end of week 1...

...and this is my word count: 15,720.

I'm very excited about the progress. If you remember the beginning of the week, I wasn't even sure that I was ready to get stuck into NaNoWriMo. Now, not only did I start the novel, but I'm totally hooked. There are so many things going on. If I don't write some of them down, I'm sure they'll slip away. So, that's probably what I'll do during the weekend.

Yep. I'll be taking the weekend off. Even during NaNo, I don't write over the weekend. That's my time with the family -- to catch up with TV shows and/or movies, and squeezing in a little bit of Rock Band, Scene It, or just some reading. :D Cool!

Only prob with all this writing is that I haven't been able to read as much as I would like, and I'm loving this book. It's so darn good.

Well, that's it for today. If you don't get my newsletter and would like to see my new Damnation Books covers, pop in tomorrow and Sunday because I'll be posting them right here.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday 5 November 2009

I ran out time this arvo...

...it's something that seems to happen a lot! Especially if I'm in the middle of a writing whirlwind. I might have started this novel a little slow, but now that my brain and muse have finally gotten together, they're planning up a storm! Lol.

When I stopped writing this afternoon - before heading out to pick my daughter up from school - I left the word count @ 11,392. My target for today was 9,600 words, which means that I'm only 608 words away from reaching tomorrow's goal. I might get the chance to write a little more tonight. Not sure how I'll go. But I'm very excited about how it's going so far. The direction of the main storyline was there when I thought up the idea, but now several subplots have weaved their way into the story.

I absolutely *love* it when that happens. It looks like I'll have to grab my notebook and take some notes, though. Things are already bubbling, scenes that probably won't happen until a little later in the book. I love getting this excited about a story, it's what makes first drafts so much fun.

Yesterday, I started reading THE DROWNING CITY by Amanda Downum, and it's awesome so far. I had a feeling this book would be super cool, and it totally is. I really like Isyllt. Check out the cover for the second book: THE BONE PALACE. Wow!

I also managed to put my November/December newsletter together and emailed it out. Things are slowly coming off my to-do list. Slowly. :)

Anyway, time to go. I need to read some more of TDC. Bye!

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Finding the groove

Wow! I finished reading an awesome book yesterday afternoon. FLASHFORWARD was amazing! You can read my review below. Now, I have no idea what the TV show's like, but this story was so intoxicating that I couldn't get it outta my head. Seriously, it was great!

Well, I might be a tad distracted at the moment by the fact that I've got so much to do every single day, but I've finally found my groove in the NaNoWriMo novel I'm writing.

It's turning out to be a lot of fun. And the more I write, the more strange things pop up. The heroine, who started to develop very slowly - is now revealing her motivations, quirks, and even a huge chunk of her complicated past to me. It's awesome! I knew she was a strange one with a lot of dark problems and responsibilities, but I didn't realise it went this deep. She's actually quite the match for Sebastian. :)

I just finished my first writing session and added another 2k. The word count is now sitting @ 7,252. Yay! That's my target for today, but if I can squeeze in a little more tonight, that would be awesome. Not sure if that'll happen but if it does, yay!

BTW, if you want to be my NaNo buddy, my username is *Y*. :D

Well, see ya!

Tuesday 3 November 2009

FLASHFORWARD


The Hadron Collider is turned on and everyone in the world goes to sleep for a few moments. In those few moments everyone's consciousness is catapulted forward more than twenty years into the future. When it awakes the world must live with the knowledge of what is to come. Some saw themselves in new relationships, some saw exciting new technologies, some saw the stuff of nightmares. Some, young and old alike, saw nothing at all and must live with the certainty that they have less than 20 years left.

This is another book that has recently been made into a TV show. While the concept sounded intriguing, when I found out it was based on a book, I decided to read the book instead. And wow, I wasn't wrong about the concept. It's amazing.

For two minutes, after the Hadron Collider is turned on during an experiment at CERN, the entire planet blacks out. And during that time, everyone has a vision of the future - 21 years into the future. Many are astounded by what they see in their futures, while some are totally confused because it shows people they don't even know yet. A few others don't see anything at all. But what every single person in the world shares is the devastation that follows.

At first it's on the huge scale of planes falling from the sky, people losing control of their cars, or falling down the stairs, but it ends in simple realisations and arguments about whether the future is set, or can be changed by free will. It's an awesome point to bring up. As well as how seeing a snippet of what's to come in your future can affect the present. How it can change and make you question what's going on in your life right now. How does it change your dreams and aspirations, or even the relationships you cherish, or knowing that you'll be dead? It's a fantastical concept that is explored perfectly in this book.

The story is told in several points of views, with some statistics thrown in. Mostly it's the POV of Lloyd Simcoe and Theo Procopides - the two physicists who got the world into this mess in the first place. Their vision - or lack of one - drives their present in a way that pretty much takes over their lives. Especially for Theo, who happens to find out that not only will he be dead in 21 years, but he'll be murdered. The story of chaos and the loss of so many lives, becomes the tale of one man's determination to prove that the future is already set, and another's to figure out how he can change the path of his life so that he'll be able to stop his own death.

Flashforward is an intoxicating book written in a very casual, yet informative narrative that'll keep you turning the page. The plot was weaved in a way that kept me interested from start to finish, and I wasn't disappointed when I got to the end and found all the separate threads tied together. The last part of the book takes place in 2030 and slowly reveals how everyone's life turned out, leaving the reader with a great sense of closure.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and keep finding myself thinking about it. There might be a lot of technical, scientific things mentioned, but I loved that it didn't take away from the human side of the story. This is a book that I highly recommend.

FlashForward, October 2009, ISBN 978-057-509101-6, Gollancz Paperback

Monday 2 November 2009

Ready, set... not ready yet!

Well, it's officially that NaNo time of the year. I've signed up for it, but I'm not prepared. I'm going to take part, but it looks like I won't be starting my story until tomorrow.

Let's get stuck into some numbers... I don't write on weekends, so if I skip today, I've got 20 days in which to write 50k. That means 2,500 words starting tomorrow. Y'know, that's definitely doable. And I'm not going to push myself to do 4k days like I usually do. It's just too late in the year, I'm a little distracted and am also expecting several edits to come my way. So, if I can manage to get the 50k done by the end of November, that would be great.

Part of the problem has been what story to work on. I was determined to write the first draft of M-YA#2 but there was another story wanting to be told first. It's a dark, sexy, paranormal, horrorish tale... and to be honest, at the moment, I'm more in the mood to write something of that genre than a futuristic. :)

That's the bottom line. So, this afternoon I'll just make sure that I take the appropriate notes and get into gear. I already have a bunch of scenes ready to be written and know the gist of the story, but I haven't come up with the beginning yet. I want the beginning to be on the scary side.

If I get really caught up in it and figure it out during my walk, I might even be able to get a start on it tonight. We'll see. But for now, I think I'm going to spend the afternoon reading... See ya!

Saturday 31 October 2009

It's that spooky time of the year...


Don't forget that the VampChix VampBash is going on right now. There are a LOT of awesome things up for grabs, but it ends today.
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