NaNoWriMo is almost here...

 

Since I signed up the other day, I thought I'd write my annual National Novel Writing Month blog post. 😅

I've been taking part in NaNoWriMo for a long time. My first time was way back in 2006. 😯 This is something I make room for every year because I enjoy it so much. 

Actually, this year I made sure to leave November clear of any revision projects so I can write a new first draft.

Anyway, here's my history:

• 2006: UF (Angie)
• 2007: SFR (Shade of Grey)
• 2008: SFR (Shade of Blue)
• 2009: Horror (Sinful)
• 2010: Futuristic (Embracing Sunlight)
• 2011: N/A
• 2012: UF (Torn from the Shadows)
• 2013: SFR (Dash)
• 2014: UF (Willow)
• 2015: YA Historical (MixedTape)
• 2016: YA Horror (Haunted)
• 2017: YA SF Thriller (Cosmic Girl)
• 2018: YA Horror (Madness)
• 2019: SF Historical Horror (Neon)
• 2020: Horror UF (Destiny)

As you can see, I only missed one year since I started. That was in 2011 because I was working on edits for my first Samhain Publishing novella release, and couldn't do both.

Another thing you might notice is that I've written drafts in a variety of genres, which is something I love to do. Ideas come to me all the time and if they're strong and interesting, I never turn one away because of genre.

I also take this opportunity to write stories for myself. You know, those ideas that you purely write because you want to read them. Yep. Those.

This year, I'll be working on a haunted house ghost story that has been bubbling inside my head for a while, but has become two tales blended into one. Plus other odd bits and pieces, too. It's going to be a claustrophobic horror story about a beautiful big house full of dark secrets and plenty of creep.

Asides from letting my thoughts run wild until I officially start on Monday, the NaNoPrep is done. I'm excited about this story because the characters are getting louder and the spooky level is giving me goosebumps. 😅

Have a happy weekend!

PS. If you wanna be buddies, I'm YolandaS. 😁

I signed up!

 

Hey! 😃

It's that time of the year again... and you know what that means, right? I finally signed up for NaNoWriMo 2021. Yay!!

I planned to take part months ago, because it will be a nice break from all the revision I've been doing this year. But I realised yesterday that I hadn't actually set anything up on the website. 😅

This year, I had four possible ideas to choose from but it didn't take long to narrow it down. This WIP is actually two ideas blended into one. 

Here's the description I posted on the website:

It's time to tell a haunted house ghost story... 👻🏡

Not much there, but this single sentence pretty much nails exactly what I want to write. This is going to be a haunted house story. A ghost story. Another story featuring complicated, dysfunctional family relationships. It's also the first story I'm going to dare mention the dreaded pandemic. 😲

I'm excited about this new WIP because the characters are starting to speak and snippets keep swamping my brain. And when that happens, it means the excitement is bubbling.

So, it looks like I've got a week of NaNoPrep ahead of me... 😊

Are you taking part? If you are, this is me: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/yolandas

Have a great week!

THE TURNOUT by Megan Abbott

 

With their long necks and matching buns and pink tights, Dara and Marie Durant have been dancers since they can remember. Growing up, they were trained by their glamorous mother, founder of the Durant School of Dance. After their parents' death in a tragic accident nearly a dozen years ago, the sisters began running the school together, along with Charlie, Dara's husband and once their mother's prized student. The three have perfected a dance that keeps the studio thriving.

But when a suspicious accident occurs, just at the onset of the school's annual performance of The Nutcracker-a season of competition, anxiety, and exhilaration-an interloper arrives and threatens their delicate balance.

This is another book that sounded intriguing and kept popping up all over the place so much, I couldn't wait to check it out myself. 

Dara and Marie Durant are ballet dancers. Dara is married to Charlie, who was a fellow dancer until he got hurt. Their mother was also a dancer but she passed away years ago. Together, the sisters run the Durant School of Dance studio in a building that is falling apart. And now, during the very busy annual The Nutcracker performance season, a man enters their lives who quickly becomes much more and threatens everything...

Well, that turned out to be a totally messed-up story. And I couldn't look away. 👀

The writing style stood out from the beginning. Each chapter is short and sharp enough to slice right to the heart of everything. But not deep enough to reveal what hides beneath the surface. Oh no, that's slowly and painstakingly revealed. Yet, the sense of something disturbing is there instantly and when the truth is realised, it's shocking but definitely not surprising.

This is the story of a family with many secrets. About two sisters who grew up in a dysfunctional home and now, still work together. Their connection definitely tips into creepy territory, and is very destructive. Dara is outwardly in control and comes across like a cold, emotionless ice maiden although she's inwardly insecure and really good at burying memories. Marie appears to be the caring, softer teacher but is secretly spiralling out of control because she's a mess and can't forget. And Charlie, well, he's physically and emotionally broken.

There's a LOT more to the story. Like Derek the contractor and all the trouble he stirs. The production of The Nutcracker and all the drama that causes with the ballet students. And so many secrets, surprises and all the bad luck.

The Turnout is an intense and addictive tale about two sisters, how everything between them has corrupted and turned so sour they only get themselves deeper into darkness. It's about the sacrifice of ballet dancing and the toll it takes. And also the kind of book that digs its claws deep and doesn't let go until the rotten core emerges hard enough to horrify.

I enjoyed this surreal fever dream as much as the raw and ugly approach used to frame the surface beauty.

Thank you so much, Hachette Australia for sending me a copy.

The Turnout, August 2021, ISBN 9780349012483, Virago

CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN by Richard Chizmar

 

In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI are certain that the killer is a living, breathing madman-and he's playing games with them. For a once peaceful community trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end.

Recent college graduate Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted and a neighborhood watch is formed. In the midst of preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into the real-life horror story. Inspired by the terrifying events, Richard writes a personal account of the serial killer's reign of terror, unaware that these events will continue to haunt him for years to come. 

This book kept popping up on Twitter because everyone had great things to say about it. And I have to say, this unique experience really lived up to the hype.

When Richard Chizmar finished college and moved back to his hometown of Edgewood in 1988 to pursue his writing career and plan his wedding, young girls started disappearing and were later found dead. As the murders grow, so does his interest and involvement in trying to put all the pieces together to solve this grisly mystery...

Wow. What a fantastic book!

The execution, pace, descriptions and characters all come together in the most unexpected and captivating way. Also, everything about this story was so creepy. And addictive. I found it hard to put this down and spent long hours glued to the pages of this dark and intriguing mystery because I had to know more. 

The writing style was so intimate and revealed Richard's personal life and the awful events he witnessed in such depth that I often felt like I was actually staying in his town while a serial killer stalked the shadows. And his connection to his surroundings, as well as the poor victims, really made the emotional impact that much stronger.

The terrible murders of Natasha Gallagher, Kacey Robinson, Madeline Wilcox, Cassidy Burch were shocking and terrible, and so sad. The way these senseless murders shake the residents of this close-knit town really changed everything as deeply as the growing hysteria of suspicion.

I also have to mention how cool the added photos were. They really added to the overall ordeal.

Chasing the Boogeyman is an outstanding and engrossing fictional true crime story. The attention to detail is as strong as the creepy factor. The storytelling is excellent and casual, yet fills the pages with valuable information. The line between fact and fiction becomes so blurred, I sometimes forgot this wasn't a real case. Since the author actually blended parts of his own life with the fictional details, I was hooked from start to finish.

I loved this spooky and unique story.

Thank you so much, Hachette Australia for sending me a copy.

Chasing the Boogeyman, August 2021, ISBN 9781529372380, Hodder & Stoughton

CERTAIN DARK THINGS by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood-drinkers, is smart and beautiful - and very dangerous. Domingo is mesmerised.

Atl needs to escape the city quickly, to get far away from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn't include Domingo, but little by little, she finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in. 

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Atl and Domingo stand little chance at all of making it out alive before the city devours them all - but they are determined to try . . .

Well, this is the fifth Silvia Moreno-Garcia book I've read, and this time we're dealing with vampires. And a stunning cover.

Domingo is a street kid who trades in garbage, then one day he meets a pretty girl and her dog. Alt and Cualli are in Mexico City on vampire business. Rodrigo is babysitting an obnoxious vamp boy while trying to locate a vamp girl. Nick thinks he can do whatever he wants, including murder. Ana is a detective who wanted to get away from vampires and instead ends up investigating a murder that puts her in their path. When they all collide, things get really messy...

What a fantastic and dark story!

I really enjoy this author's storytelling. She always introduces the reader to a seemingly average bunch of people who quickly become very interesting characters and grow on you so much, you can't wait to find out what happens next. Of course, throw in her very unique approach to genre fiction, and it's another winning combination.

What she does with vampires is amazing. There's so much of what we already know about these creatures of the night, but with a unique twist. I loved how the Mexican vamps trace back to the Aztecs, and how there's an animalistic quality to the different kinds. I especially liked what she did with Alt's kind. Such cool mythology and imagery. 

The story is told in the alternating POVs of five different characters. Two vampires, two adult humans and a teenager. Every single one feels different and moves the story along, slowly revealing what happened before we reached the current trouble, and why they're all in Mexico City even though vampires aren't supposed to be there.

I also thought the way the vampire folklore was explained within the narrative actually added to the story. I found Alt's narration interesting and liked her even though she was often so distant, bordering on cruel. And Domingo was such a sweetheart. The villains and the other sketchy characters were well written too.

Oh, and I liked Bernardino because he was ultra creepy and cool. And I can't forget Cualli because Domingo was right, he's the coolest dog. 😃 

Certain Dark Things is a near-future neon-noir story featuring vampires in an alternate version of Mexico City. It's gritty and violent, dark and captivating. Full of great characters that I either warmed to instantly, or disliked very much. The vision of this city and their way of life coupled with the vampire lore turned out to be an awesome experience. And the worldbuilding is fantastic!

I have to admit that Silvia Moreno-Garcia is fast becoming one of my favourites. Her books always hook me in and keep me captivated until the end. And this bittersweet ending really packed an emotional punch. 😣

Thank you so much, Hachette Australia for sending me a copy. 

Certain Dark Things, September 2021, ISBN 9781529415612, Jo Fletcher Books