'

Thursday 29 September 2011

Rainy weather = miserable mood

Yeah, it does.

Especially when for some reason, you start getting sharp, stabbing pains in your stomach shortly after dinner. Mind you, I ate the same thing as both hubby and daughter, but neither one of them was affected. Just lucky me. *insert sarcasm here*

I think it might've been a combination of things. For some reason, my stomach felt as if it was in knots and there was nothing I could do to relax. Strange, but it sometimes happens to me. It actually used to happen to me a lot, when I was a kid and teenager. I used to be a nervous kid, and it didn't take much to make me stress so much I'd get this kind of stomach prob. Not sure what's going on at the moment, though...

Most of the time it's just because I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to get things done. :/

I must relax again.

Anyway, about the writing. Today, I actually added another almost 4k words. The words came out a little slower than usual because I'm still feeling a little wonky, but they came. That's the important thing.

Now, the total word count has hit 31,031. I'm getting very close to the end, I think. Well, at least I'm at the downward spiral. Maybe another 10k will get me to the end. Not sure about exact words, but I do know I'm getting really close. It's exciting!

Well. That's it for today. I feel like I should lie down for a few minutes, but I'm getting hungry. lol.

Have a great day!

Wednesday 28 September 2011

MIA for a few days...

Yeah. Sometimes, time slips away before I get a chance to blog. :/

This week's going pretty fast. This is the third day of my daughter's first week of school holidays. So far, hubby's been coming home early, so we've been doing stuff together. Which is super cool. Today, however, I think he's going back to working the whole day. I think it might be that way for the rest of the week.

I've been squeezing in as much writing as I can every morning, which means getting stuck into it pretty early. Of course, some mornings I get started later than others (like today, because I do yoga every second day) but as long as I can squeeze out 3-4k words every single day... that's very good progress for having my daughter at home with me 24/7.

My WIP (Recast #3) is now up to 24,145 words. That's where I got to yesterday. After I add new words today, I'm hoping to have crossed the 27k mark. Fingers crossed.

I did sit down the other day and pretty much brainstormed--very loosely--how the story's going to go from here, until the end. So I've got my trusty notes in front of me every morning. A few paragraphs usually ends up being several chapters worth of story. :D Cool. I never capture the nitty-gritty, tension, or emotion in my notes, just a general overview. But that's okay, because that comes to me when I'm in the zone. ;)

Think it's also time I sit down with my calendar, and mark the rest of the year with my goals.

I have two main goals I want to get done by the end of December. I also have the final round of edits for Sinful waiting to be tackled (probably next week) and I'm sure some other edits will drop in before then. Oh, and let's not forget about NaNoWriMo... which I wasn't going to take part in this year because of all the revision I want to get done. But, well, after doing it every single year since 2006, I think I'd still (somehow) like to squeeze it in.

We'll see.

Okay, time to get on with the writing...

Monday 26 September 2011

THE RENFIELD SYNDROME by J.A. Saare

Vampires, and werewolves, and demons, oh my.

Rhiannon thought facing off against a deranged child vampire was the most dangerous task she would ever have to undertake, but she's about to discover making a deal with a demon is far, far worse. Sent forward into another reality, one in which vampires are now dominating nearly extinct humans, she realizes the sooner she returns to her vampire lover, Disco, the better.

Unfortunately, time changes a lot of things, including those most trusted around her. When she's faced with a loss and betrayal unlike any she has ever known, her focus shifts from severing the debt between the demon that wants to kill her, to exacting a revenge that will bring forth consequences she never could have fathomed. By reaching out to the darkness lingering within her, she'll find the strength to push forward despite the circumstances that would see her dead and buried.

After all, when it's all said and done, all that she has left to lose is her soul.

This is the second book in the Rhiannon's Law series, and after reading the first one, I couldn't wait to get stuck into it. And it didn't disappoint. It did, however, take an unexpected turn that changes everything and kept me guessing right until the end.

After making a deal with a demon that she thought would actually help Disco, Rhiannon is sent 101 years into the future. She finds herself in a very different reality, in a world that is nothing like the one she knows. The vampires are running the nights, and werewolves are forming a rebellion to rival them. And when Rhiannon captures the attention of a werewolf called Carter, she's taken to their compound and finds herself in a new world of trouble.

All she wants to do is get back to her real time, to escape this shitty world where her rules don't exactly fit and Disco doesn't exist. However, before she can do that she needs to set a few things right and also finds herself in a very different relationship with the vampire Paine. Suddenly, trying to find a way back doesn't seem as impossible as what will happen when she returns and once again risks changing the path of destiny. Not just for herself, but for everyone around her...

Wow. This book was seriously awesome. It's very different from the first one and is a gritty mix of futuristic, with a good dose of urban fantasy. Not only is the story complex and kept me hanging until everything was revealed--because there are several layers, twists and turns, as well as a case of 'things aren't always what they seem'--but the emotional depth was incredible. Poor Rhiannon goes through some huge ups and downs. She also finds out a lot about herself, as she's forced to adjust to a reality nothing like her own.

This series is shaping up to be quite an interesting rollercoaster ride, and I can't wait to see where it's going to lead next for Rhiannon, Disco, Paine, and Goose. I know a lot of what happened in this installment will have huge repercussions for future books, and I can't wait...

H&UFRC books read: 45/24

Friday 23 September 2011

Plans & planning

We are officially all caught up with Burn Notice. Yay! I can't wait to see what happens next. This is such a great show! 

So, what else have I been doing? Well, I've been hard at work on Recast #3. Every chance I got, I added new words. I just crossed the 15k mark this morning, and am hoping to add a little more before hubby gets home. He leaves work early today, so I don't have as much writing time as I would if he worked the whole day... still, it's always awesome to start the weekend early with him. Love it. Especially since Sunday is our 12th year Anniversary. :) Awesome.  

As far as writing my current WIP, it's going to be bit of a challenge getting the first draft written with any real goal in mind. It's my daughter's last day of school before she goes on holidays for two weeks, and I intend to keep adding to the story while she's on holidays. Something I haven't tried to do in a while. I usually work on revision and/or edits while she's home because it's easier than writing something new, but I've set myself some goals that I want to meet before the end of this year and to achieve them, I need to be working on this story now.

So, the best way to tackle it is by just adding words whenever I can. As I've been doing this week. I missed out on Monday writing, but worked on it the rest of the week. Today, the closest I can get to 20k, the better. That'll take me to the (almost) halfway mark. Which is super cool!

Anyway. I'll see how I go.

Now, I'm going to sign out. Have an awesome weekend!

Wednesday 21 September 2011

SOMETHING SECRET THIS WAY COMES by Sierra Dean

Some secrets are dangerous. This Secret is deadly.

Secret McQueen, Book 1

For Secret McQueen, her life feels like the punch line for a terrible joke. Abandoned at birth by her werewolf mother, hired as a teen by the vampire council of New York City to kill rogues, Secret is a part of both worlds, but belongs to neither. At twenty-two, she has carved out as close to a normal life as a bounty hunter can.

When an enemy from her past returns with her death on his mind, she is forced to call on every ounce of her mixed heritage to save herself-and everyone else in the city she calls home. As if the fate of the world wasn't enough to deal with, there's Lucas Rain, King of the East Coast werewolves, who seems to believe he and Secret are fated to be together. Too bad Secret also feels a connection with Desmond, Lucas's second-in-command...

Warning: This book contains a sarcastic, kick-ass bounty hunter; a metaphysical love triangle with two sexy werewolves; a demanding vampire council; and a spicy seasoning of sex and violence.

I've had this book on my Kindle for a few months, and was really looking forward to checking it out. I wasn't disappointed.

Secret McQueen--what an awesome name, with an awesome explanation--is half-vampire and half-werewolf, but she's managed to keep her werewolf dormant and hidden from most. Actually, there are only a handful of 'people' who know what she really is. However, the day she senses a very sexy werewolf before she even sees him, she can no longer keep her werewolf side from affecting her life.

Now, she's caught up in the middle of a love triangle with a werewolf king and his second-in-charge. While having to track down the one vampire who almost got the best of her six years ago...

I had a great time reading this book! Loved it. I really liked Secret and got totally caught up in her story. I also really liked the wicked twist at the end, and after the way it finished... I can't wait to get started on the second book. I've already got it on my Kindle, btw. But before I can get stuck into the next installment, I want to read the prequel novella.

This is going to be a cool series.         

H&UFRC books read: 44/24

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Hey!

How was everyone's weekend?

Mine was great. There was a lot of walking, some lovely meals, excellent company, lotsa reading, and much Burn Notice watching.

That's right. We were really behind, so we decided to catch up on Season 4. We had heaps of eps to watch, but managed to get to the end. We even watched Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe.

Actually, we've now also watched the first 4 eps of Season 5. Awesome. I love this show!

Anyway. This week, I've decided to start writing the first draft of Recast #3. Yesterday, hubby came home early from work so I didn't actually get any words down, but I did get heaps of pages of notes done. Enough to get the story well on the way. This morning, however, I wrote 2,036 words. I'm happy with the start and can't wait to get totally stuck into it. I'm aiming for 40-50k words. I'd like it to be category length, just like the two previous Recast stories.

Well, that's it for today. I need to get ready to head out soon. So, see ya later! :)

Saturday 17 September 2011

MILE 81 by Stephen King

At Mile 81 on the Maine Turnpike is a boarded up rest stop, a place where high school kids drink and get into the kind of trouble high school kids have always gotten into. It's the place where Pete Simmons goes when his older brother heads off to the gravel pit to play 'paratroopers over the side'.

Pete, armed with only the magnifying glass he got for his tenth birthday, finds a discarded bottle of vodka in the boarded up burger shack and drinks enough to pass out. That's why he doesn't notice a freshly mud-spattered station wagon (which is strange because there hadn't been any rain in New England for over a week) which veers into the Mile 81 rest area, ignoring the sign that reads 'closed, no services'.

The driver's door opens but nobody gets out . . .

I picked this up a few weeks ago for my Kindle, and have been looking forward to checking it out ever since. Last night, I decided to start it... and almost read all of it in one sitting. But it was late and I decided to leave the rest for this morning.

This novella is told in a very unique way. A way that only King can pull off. Seriously. It's almost like six interconnected stories which all blend into one very impressive ending.

Pete is a ten-year-old boy who decides to go off to Mile 81 after his brother doesn't let him tag along with him and his friends. So Pete gets on his bike and decides to sneak into the abandoned area, which used to be a popular rest stop but is now empty. On his way in, he stumbles on a discarded bottle of vodka and decides to give it a try. Not long after, he gets a little drunk and passes out inside the boarded-up burger joint.

As Pete sleeps, a muddy station wagon arrives outside and waits with the driver's door open. What follows, will put off anyone who is keen to be a Good Samaritan. As a variety of people stop, willing to offer some assistance, they get themselves into frightening situations...

I really enjoyed this horror novella! I enjoyed the way it was told, written, and how--in usual King fashion--it hooked me in right away. I was holding my breath until the very end. Man, that station wagon was one super creepy car!

King, you've done it again.

PS. There's also an excerpt of his upcoming novel, but I didn't read it because I'll be buying it, regardless. :)
SKC Books Read: 3/6

Friday 16 September 2011

BLACK BLADE BLUES by JA Pitts

Sarah Beauhall has more on her plate than most twenty-somethings: day job as a blacksmith, night job as a props manager for low-budget movies, and her free time is spent fighting in a medieval re-enactment group.

The lead actor breaks Sarah’s favorite one-of-a-kind sword, and to avoid reshooting scenes, Sarah agrees to repair the blade. One of the extras, who claims to be a dwarf, offers to help. And that’s when things start to get weird. Could the sword really be magic, as the "dwarf" claims? Are dragons really living among us as shapeshifters?

And as if things weren’t surreal enough, Sarah’s girlfriend Katie breaks out the dreaded phrase… “I love you.” As her life begins to fall apart, first her relationship with Katie, then her job at the movie studio, and finally her blacksmithing career, Sarah hits rock bottom. It is at this moment, when she has lost everything she has prized, that one of the dragons makes their move.

And suddenly what was unthinkable becomes all too real…and Sarah will have to decide if she can reject what is safe and become the heroine who is needed to save her world.

I've been having an awesome run with urban fantasy books, and now I can add this book to the list. It's awesome! Seriously awesome.

Sarah Beauhall is a blacksmith by day and props manager at night. The night one of her swords is damaged on the set and she reforges it, her life changes. All of a sudden a dwarf won't leave her alone about the sword, and she starts to feel different. She can't seem to control her moods, or her anger, and seems to be making one bad move after another.

She's also conflicted in her relationship. She likes being with her girlfriend, Katie, but can't seem to be comfortable with showing her true emotions in public. Many years of hiding her sexuality have made her full of shame and doubt. Something which threatens to ruin what could possibly be a great relationship.

However, when she realises that dragons and magic might actually be real and everyone seems to want to either buy or take the sword away from her, Sarah can't ignore her destiny.

OMG, what an amazing book! I was hooked from the beginning and found it hard to put down. This is an outstanding mix of urban fantasy, Norse mythology, and dragon lore. I loved how everything was mixed seamlessly, and left me wanting more.

There's a bit of everything in this book, and I particularly liked Sarah as a narrator. She was brutally honest in her confusion, as she slowly changes and can't seem to do much about the starring role she's been cast in by fate. Oh, and the dragon confrontation scene was absolutely brutal in its violence. I loved it!

Actually, I just  preordered the mmp of the second book in the series because I can't wait to follow Sarah and her friends on this amazing adventure of hers.

H&UFRC books read: 44/24

TGIF

Yeah.

This has been a weird week. Not a real busy one, because I didn't really give myself any deadlines to meet, but I did do a lot of cleaning, reshuffling, moving, recycling, and reorganising of my bookshelves and writing stuff.

Phew.

There was a lot to organise, but at least now... most of the clutter is gone. Everything has a designated spot to go to, at the end of my writing sessions. What I'd been doing before wasn't working. I just kept everything handy. And by 'handy', I mean all over the computer desk and/or living room. lol.

Not anymore.

Of course, when I'm writing and/or revising, I'll still have post-it notes all over my calendar and folders and notes everywhere... but at least they'll have a place to go daily. Not even sure if this makes any sense. But this is the life of a writer without an office or desk. Which is fine with me, I write at the main computer desk on the main computer, or on the couch with the lappy. Plus, I can brainstorm and take notes on the couch and kitchen bench.

See, I've got it all worked out! ;)

I've also been doing plenty of reading. I'm almost finished this excellent book, and hope to get to the end by tomorrow. It's just so cool, I can't wait to see how it all ends...

Today, I'd like to get stuck into some more brainstorming for Recast #3. I started yesterday, by grabbing all of the notes I already have and putting them together. The story's been inside my head for a while--a bit disjointed--so it's just a matter of actually sitting down and getting the events outta my head in a linear way. Looking forward to it. I'm hoping to get started on it next week, see how I go. It's probably not a great idea because my daughter goes on school holidays soon, but I don't want to put this idea on hold. Not when it's so ready to leave my brain. :D

Anyway.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Wednesday 14 September 2011

THE BROKEN ONES by Stephen M. Irwin

It's the near future and the world has descended into chaos. On the surface, everything looks the same yet the unthinkable has happened...the dead have risen.

Everyone is haunted by a dead relative, friend, spouse, or stranger, and these spirits are unshakable, silent and watching. No one is safe. Governments the world over fail to deal with the epidemic, they begin to lose control of their economies and their resources. Their people. Crime is rife, and murders commonplace. But who is responsible: the ghosts or the people?

Finding out is where Detective Oscar Mariani comes in, although it s nearly impossible to run a department when you can t even see half the suspects. His strike rate is embarrassingly low.

Then he stumbles into a case that cuts through his apathy and depression, a case that suggests a ritualistic, brutal serial killer attracted to innocent young women at work and one that, unfortunately for Mariani and his less jaded partner, implicates those in high places.

However, if he can solve it, and keep alive himself, he may be able to exorcise his own ghostly shadow, a dead young man who might just have something to say.

Mixing police procedural, suspense and horror, Stephen M Irwin's new book is a compelling, knuckle-whitening ride.

I have to admit, I enjoy a good ghost story (actually, I've even got an upcoming series featuring ghosts) so I was looking forward to getting stuck into this book...

When Grey Wednesday happened, the world changed forever. All of a sudden, every person in the world was haunted by a ghost from their past. Some, by ghosts they didn't even know. That's the case for detective, Oscar Mariani. He doesn't know the boy haunting him, but the appearance of this ghost changed the course of his life.

Now, three years later, the world is a horrible, bleak place. Oscar works for a unit--dubbed, the Barelies--specialising in crimes committed in regards to these ghosts, but it's under threat of being closed.

The night he becomes involved with investigating the death of a teenage girl with some sort of carvings on her flesh, Oscar gets caught up in an investigation that no one wants him to follow... because it leads to death, ritualistic magic, and the horrid misuse of young girls who can't protect themselves.

The Broken Ones is a dark and gritty thriller that doesn't shy away from the horrid side of the world, and even delves into some pretty heavy paranormal and mythical situations. I loved the fact that no matter how much he searches and tries to figure out what's going on, Oscar gets himself deeper into trouble. No matter how hard he tries, both his professional and personal life suffer to the point of breaking. Still, he's got the guts and determination to continue. He's one of the most flawed characters I've ever read, but I still enjoyed following him into the pits of hell.

This is a unique, fast-paced book with an awesome concept, that kept me guessing until the big mystery is revealed. And I wasn't disappointed. Stephen M. Irwin's written another intriguing book!

The Broken Ones, September 2011, ISBN 9780733627132,  Hachette Australia Paperback

Monday 12 September 2011

Spring Cleaning

Yeah.

Every year, around this time, I get the itch to start 'sorting' through... things. My bookshelves get reorganised, my writing stuff gets shuffled and filed in a different way, we go through the kitchen, living room, and anywhere else that might need attention. Then we decide what we no longer need--whether it be rubbish, recycling, or things to donate somewhere.

Over the weekend, we went through our bills, warranty paperwork, etc. After getting so many new appliances this year, some of the paperwork had become obsolete. While new stuff needed to be filed, and some of the other, older stuff archived. It's a cool system. And as a result, we got rid of a HEAP of recycling.

I think we just about filled one whole recycling bin downstairs, lol.

Oh, and we got our new fridge delivered nice and early on Saturday morning. It's really cool, and doesn't make the strange noises the other one did. The delivery guys even took the old one away. Awesome. Thanks Bing Lee! :)

Let's hope every other appliance behaves for a while longer, huh?

So. It looks like this week might turn out to be a bit of a mixed bag of things to do. I'd like to: continue adding things to Sierra Fox's notebook, sort out my other series & writing folders, sort through my bookshelves again, remove the clutter I have around the computer desk, and keep reading THE BROKEN ONES. I'm almost halfway through, and I'm really enjoying it. Also, if the last round of edits of SINFUL hits my Inbox, I'll probably get stuck into them.

We'll see what pops up.

Before I go, I just wanted to take a moment to say: Ten years later, and the sadness of what happened still affects me deeply. My heart goes out to all the victims & their families... I took several moments yesterday to think about the people who were affected by this horrible event. It might have happened ten years ago and I might not personally know anyone who died that day, but my heart still broke when it happened. It still breaks now, whenever I see/hear it mentioned. And for that reason, I didn't watch any of the documentaries on TV about it. I just couldn't. :(

See you tomorrow.

Friday 9 September 2011

I need an umbrella today

Well, the rain held out all of yesterday, but it's here today. :(

We had to buy a new fridge last night. Yeah, it seems like all of our appliances are dying this year. To be fair, though, we've had this fridge since we moved in here... and that was almost 13 years ago. So it did last for ages!

The last week it's been making funny noises, so we decided it was better to buy a new fridge now. Instead of waiting until it breaks down completely and we have to rush around looking for one and letting food spoil. It's best this way. It'll be delivered tomorrow.

What can you do? Did I mention that our LCD TV broke about 4 weeks ago? Yeah. The technician guy came to take a look and said it was serious... fast-forward 4 weeks, and we got a replacement TV. Awesome. It's a Samsung 40" Smart 3DTV LCD/LED. It's very cool. Hubby loves it. And I was really starting to miss our TV. So this worked out way better. Thank you, Extended Warranty! ;)

Today's turning out to be a strange day. I don't have anything planned, not really. Well, except for patching up some jeans I've been meaning to fix for months, and making Loki a new cushion for his bed. I got these things done this morning, so I'm glad.

Next, I'm going to have some lunch. Then, I'll probably either read for a bit, or add more notes to Sierra Fox's notebook. Next week, I begin planning and getting into my next writing project...

Have a great weekend!

Thursday 8 September 2011

KINDLING THE MOON by Jenn Bennett

Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . .

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

OMG, this book is amazing! I seriously loved every minute of it...

Arcadia Bell lives a seemingly average life. She's a bartender in a bar she co-owns with a friend, and delves in magic. Well, her life isn't as average as it appears because she's actually been hiding for the last seven years. She's the daughter of the serial killers responsible for the Black Lodge slayings. Now that they've been spotted, she finds herself in a sticky situation.

She's got two weeks before the opposing magical organisation demands her parents are handed over to them. If not them, then Arcadia. Instead, she decides to clear her parents' name. But in order to do this, she has to find and summon the demon that was there that night... which leads her to Lon Butler and his son. Meeting Lon gives her an edge in finding her way out of this situation, but it might also be the one thing that helps save her life, in so many ways...

I can't summarise how brilliant this book is! The characters were so interesting that they came alive right off the pages. They dragged me into their problems, and into the middle of their mysterious world. Which leads me to the fantastic worldbuilding--magic and demons get a new and very unique twist. Arcadia's strong voice made her adventure intriguing and captivated me so much I couldn't put the book down. Oh, and I have to mention Lon. Yeah, he stood out too. A lot. ;) His son, Jupe, makes an excellent addition to this trio.

They sure make an interesting bunch, and I can't wait to spend more time with them!

If you're a fan of urban fantasy, you gotta read this! No, if you enjoy awesome books with memorable characters, awesome stories that grab a hold of you from the very beginning and won't let go, plus a twist ending that will absolutely shock you... this is a book you definitely should read.

I'm so looking forward to the next installment... I've already preordered it! :)

PS. You've got to check out the amazing character artwork the author made for these characters. Isn't it great?

H&UFRC books read: 43/24

Where's the week gone?

Really, I have been busy this week! ;)

I actually worked on the second round of edits for my upcoming Alyce Kerr spin-off book, SINFUL. It stars Sebastian Morrow, and a new heroine with too many secrets.

Yeah, I like reading and writing about secrets. lol.

Anyway, I managed to get it done yesterday afternoon. I actually spent every available moment I had--while hubby was at work, daughter at school--on it. And it paid off, because I got it done in three days. Very cool. I really enjoyed telling this story, and the more I read it, the more I can't wait to share it with the world. I have a soft spot for Sebastian. ;)

Only one more round to go...

Remember that problem I was having with my eye? Well, I ended up going to the doctor on Friday afternoon, and he prescribed some drops. I've been putting four drops each day since then. Today's actually the first day without them because he said to do this for 4/5 days. Now, I just hope that it's all fixed up. It looks and feels a lot better, so I hope the drops have treated the infection. Fingers crossed.

Today's going to be a bit of a weird day because I've got my daughter home again. This time, it's because teachers are on strike and there'll be no one at the school to teach. :/ Yeah, I know. But what can you do? I think it'll give her a nice break because she seems to be going through some of that crappy girls-being-catty stage at school. And she's only in primary! I didn't expect this kind of thing to start until she was in high school. Gee.

I hate it when kids want to grow up too fast. She's not like that, but from what she tells me there are plenty of those kids in her class already. Boo, I say!

Have a great day!

Monday 5 September 2011

A BRUSH OF DARKNESS by Allison Pang

The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares.

Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.

Last week, I picked a group of UF books from my bookshelf... and this is one of them!

Abby works in a bookstore. She's also the TouchStone to the Protectorate.

The day a mysterious incubus--Brystion--drops in asking to see the Protectorate--Moira--because he needs her help, Abby's world gets turned upside down. Not only does she agree to help Brystion find his missing sister, but soon realises that something really horrible is going on, and it also explains why Moira's been missing for months...

I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun, but there was also a dark tale at the core of it. There's a good dose of humour, an interesting world, a great storyline, some twists and turns, a sensual mutual attraction, a strong heroine with a heartbreaking past, a randy miniature unicorn (LOL), and plenty of dark secrets. Personally, I think there are more secrets to come in this series and I look forward to reading all about them.

This was an awesome book, and I can't wait to read the next one in the series. :)

H&UFRC books read: 42/24

Friday 2 September 2011

Ouch!

Last night, I was sitting on the end of my bed reading with the kitty sitting beside me, when it suddenly felt like something had gotten in my eye. I assumed it was an eyelash, because I often have one of my thick eyelashes falling into my eye and then struggle to get it out. This time, I couldn't find an eyelash, but had a hard time opening my eye.

In the end, the outer side of my right eye still hurts. It almost feels like something's stuck in it, but since I can't see anything I think I might've scratched my eyeball when I was trying to get whatever was stuck in there out. Now, it hurts when I blink, when my eye is open, and when it's closed. It's nowhere near as bad as it was last night, but very annoying. While I was sleeping, it kept watering and continuously woke me up when the tears tickled my other eyelid, nose, or face.

This is very annoying! I've put drops in there and am hoping that it heals on its own. I really don't want to go to the doctor about this, but if it doesn't fade away soon, I'll have no choice. Boo!

Anyway. I better stop rubbing it, that's for sure. O_o

Oh, remember the ordering issue I posted about yesterday. Well, I was pleasantly surprised when someone actually called me back to hear my story, apologise, and offer a solution in a way that customer service should. I was very happy to hear from them. All we wanted was some empathy, and not feel as if we were being ignored. That's now been done!

Well, what else? Not much, really. I've been taking it easy and started to fill out my Sierra Fox World Notebook. Today, I need to do some calculations for it. It's funny, but when you start doing something like this, you really get caught up in the world and seek to answer everything you can about it. I love that!

Okay. Have a great weekend!

Thursday 1 September 2011

Some Things are very Frustrating...

Haven't had a chance to blog the last few days. To be honest, hubby and I were going through a very frustrating time. I'll keep it brief, because I'm trying to forget about what happened, and how some companies don't give a crap about their customers. :/

/start rant

Last Thursday, we ordered this from here. This was done online. We were both excited about getting this. Monday, comes and goes. Tuesday, we're waiting for it and make sure not to leave the house. No one comes. I go downstairs in early afternoon and find a slip in there from the courier. WTF? The delivery person didn't even TRY to knock on our door. And the slip he left was blank. Had no idea what he'd done. After many calls, no one knew where it was or wanted to help. Seriously, this is really bad customer sercive. No, scrap that: no customer service whatsoever.

We went to bed that night not knowing what had happened, or where the package was. And in fact, didn't get an email from the courier until yesterday afternoon!! On top of everything else, the courier idiot took it to the wrong post office.

In the end, we picked it up and finally have it... but this was shockingly bad service. The fact no one wanted to help or even empathise with the problem really pissed me off. We continually hear Australian retailers crying about online overseas companies taking their business. It's no wonder! When there's no level of customer service in your own country and the prices aren't competitive, what other choice do we have?

Personally, we'll never buy anything from this company again--online, or otherwise. And if we find out this courier service is doing the delivery for another place, definitely will not order anything from them either.

Think I'll keep ordering from U.K. and U.S. sites, thank you very much.

Anyway. I just wanted to purge this from my system.

/end rant

Asides from this drama, nothing much has been going on. The week's flying by and I've started putting my Sierra Fox notes together in one notebook. Whenever I write a novel, I end up with a bunch of post-it notes and notepad papers with stuff on them. lol. Time to put everything into one place, so it's all ready when I start revision.

Oh, I've also caught up on some reviews, and am now trying to decide what book to read next--it's a toss up between three UF books. They're all the first in a series, and after reading the first chapter, all sound very interesting indeed!

Well. That's it for today. Have a good day!
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