A Whole Year?!?

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Wow, I had no idea I'd been away for so long. I knew I was pulling back due to my health and depression over it, but I didn't know it was this bad. So, what have I been up to in the world of books and writing? Not much really. I've been reading more than I have in the past few years, but writing has been a bust since my last post. I tried doing Nanowrimo last year, but I was going through something in my no defunct relationship that caused me to not finish. But returning to my blog, catching up on some author blogs, and seeing how some of you have gotten published has motivated me to return.

So, what's next? Well, after a very hurtful and painful breakup, like seriously why has no one told how painful one of those can be, I've decided to use it to write a romance novel. I would still like to write young adult novels, but the story inside me right now is a seasonal romance novel. It's going to start around Christmas time, much like my story, and go over the course of a year. I'm working out the details now of what I want the story to be. It is going to be VERY loosely based on my experience but still the same feel of my actual story. I'm super excited to get started on it.

I'm also going to try to read more. I am a slow reader, which really irritates me, but I won't let that keep me from setting goals and reaching them. I wish I could be like those of you who can read 2-4 books a week. I literally have towers and stacks of books yet to be read. I've been reading them though and I've actually read some that I've had for years and never read. And I keep adding to the stack. The Dollar Tree, dollar stores in general, and Amazon bargain books are pure evil for me. LOL! You can find some interesting gems in there. I know most people prefer current books, but I like to read a good story, period, so if it's at a dollar store and I find it interesting, I will read it. Now granted, because of this I have ended up with some duds of books, but even those are beneficial because they show me how not to write a novel. Sounds cruel, I know, but it's true, it's how writers learn to better their work. So I would like to work up to reading at least 2-4 books a week, but even with all the free time I have, I just can't see to do that. I guess if I read a book a day I could, but I'd literally get nothing done...not that I am doing that now if I am truly honest. But I am changing things, so I hope to start getting a lot done.

Speaking of reading books, I also want to do some book reviews here. I figure since I am reading books that not many people are probably reading, some of you may find reviews on them interesting. I've already talked about some of them on Goodreads, some of which I will be posting about here. Right now I am currently reading a book by Martha Stewart. I wasn't sure how I'd like it, but I am actually enjoying it. I'll make a post about it when I am done.

So my sleep pattern has been all over the place. I find I am more productive in the morning, even though I swear I am a night person. But there is just something about being up early before anyone else, listening to the birds chirping, and having a moment of "ah" to just sit and collect your thoughts and reflect on the day ahead of you. I would like to start getting up early, writing for an hour or more, and then start working on other things like my online shops I am trying to open and return to freelance article writing. I really feel there is a good story inside me and I want to share with the world. I'm constantly daydreaming new stories, I just need to figure out how to get them out of my head and into the written word.

And I guess this is as good a place as any to end this post. I plan to tweak the layout here some, find some new blogs to blogroll, a majority of mine are dead now. I seem to find blogs about anything with a goal, like weight loss or writing a book, tend to die off after a while. It's hard to keep working toward goals that require a lot of work, dedication, and motivation. So I totally get it and understand. I hope some of the authors come back like I did, and in the mean time I will try to find some other active writer and review blogs. If you have any suggestions feel free to pop them into my comments section, even if it's your own link, I'd love to check it out. And on that note, I will talk to you all later. Take care. Bye for now. :-)

The Blue Mirror

The Blue Mirror by Kathe Koja

So my sister bought some discount books for a dollar each at Books-A-Million the other day, and one of them was The Blue Mirror.

Here is the book's synopsis: Some guys are more than bad news.  Sixteen-year-old Maggy's life consists of trying to be invisible at school, taking care of her alcoholic mother, and spending all the time she can at the Blue Mirror, a downtown cafe. She can lose herself there for hours with a cappuccino and her sketchbook, in which she creates a paper world she calls "The Blue Mirror." But everything changes when she meets Cole, a charismatic runaway. Maggy is intrigued by Cole's risky life on the streets and by the girls who follow him, childlike Jouly and strange Marianne. And when Cole says that he loves her, Maggy comes alive. But as Maggy becomes more entwined with Cole and looks at him with all her heart, she sees something far more dangerous than she may be capable of handling…

In poetic and evocative language, Kathe Koja draws us into the haunting, passionate world of The Blue Mirror.

Ok, so this book starts off kind of like every lonely girl's fantasy. She is having trouble at home, hates school except for art since she loves to draw, and just feels out of place everywhere she goes. So she goes to a cafe called The Blue Mirror, where she is friends with a guy on staff there and she feels like she belongs there. She has a booth by the front window she always sits in to look out the window and uses what she calls her z-ray to seeing the world outside the window. She draws what she sees in her sketchbook and calls her sketchbook “The Blue Mirror”. Now this right here is where I got a little thrown off. Why call the sketchbook the same names as the cafe? I think this story might have gone a better way if the cafe was called something else, and she called the sketchbook The Blue Mirror because the glass had a blue hue to it to keep out sun rays or what have you, and looking through the window the saw a world that mirrored our own. It's just how she made it in the book, it just kind of seems cliché to me.

Anyway, in the opening of this book, she sees a cute guy hanging out outside that was brought to her attention by a scene she saw when she first walked into the cafe. She thinks he is just amazing and rushes to draw him but he and his friends disappear before she can. This leads the story on to her coming back the next day to see him, sees him walking by with his friends, they come into the cafe and sit down with her. Here she learns they are homeless teens on the street, which in turn turns into a whole homeless community in the downtown area that this girl hangs out. She gets swept up by the attention her new guy friend is giving her and these leads her into a roller coaster of events she does and doesn't want to happen. In the end she is able to get away from Mr. Hunk by showing him who he really is and how everyone views him as.

Now this story is still very confusing to me because it is never really revealed who the guy is. He seems to be a normal guy who is homeless on the street just looking for the next girl he can use, but he also seems to have supernatural powers. But supernatural powers aren't really discussed in the book, she just kept focusing on how he held a sort of lusty power over her, but that made me think more of teen cravings than supernatural powers. So I'm not sure if the author meant for him to be supernatural or what. Another thing that made me wonder about the supernatural part is a lipstick he gives to all the girls he likes. It stains their lips blue, and it stays for a long time and has to wear off if you are with him and use it long enough. It just doesn't make sense.

I think this story has some good bones, but I feel like it was rushed and not thought out completely. The author is award winning for some young adult novels, so maybe I need to try reading some other ones before I decide completely if this author is not for me. Right now, it's standing at a no. But I'll try another book by her. Maybe this was just a one off.

So on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest I give this book a 4. It has some strong bones, but it just fizzled out in the middle and end of the book. Another reason for the 4 rating is I hated how the dialog was written. It just did not flow well and I had to sometimes pause to figure out who was speaking. That's not something I want in a book. I want smooth reading to keep me in the moment. So yeah, like I said, strong bones, not enough meat. I would say if you want to read this story, go to the library, or try to get it super cheap second hand or at Books-A-Million if they have it at yours for a dollar. I think you will feel cheated if you spend the 7 dollars it originally cost. Unless you are a fan of the author then you may feel differently. Both my sister and I felt that the plot was good but the story was seriously lacking. But I think I may try reading the author's novels Buddha Boy or straydog. I hear they both are good. So we'll see.

Writing away,
M.

Dead On Town Line

So I’ve been trying to decide if I want to do my own personal book reviews anymore since I do want to eventually start actively looking for an agent and trying to become a published author.  But right now since my life is at a point where I am focusing more on my health and still working on my manuscript, I feel I will go ahead and do my reviews.  I might delete them later if it’s suggested to me when I do start looking for an agent, but for now I just want to get my thoughts out there for my own personal use to reflect on what I like about stories I read and what I don’t like.

Also I plan to make a page soon with cover pictures of the books I’ve read so I can keep a tab.  I’d get one of those bookshelf widgets but some of my books are really old and a lot of those widget places don’t have cover pictures on file for them and I really want them all to have cover pictures because I will be getting rid of some of the books I don’t see myself ever reading again.  I’m thinking about holding on to some of them and offering them as a giveaway on my blog in the future.  Still deciding on that.  But for now, on with the review.  Enjoy.

Dead On Town Line by Leslie Connor

Here is another one of the novels my sister picked up for a dollar at Books-A-Million. So this story was written in a very interesting way. It's completely in prose, as in poem. Each poem is a new chapter of the story. This story reads super fast, like a hour tops for fast readers.

Here's it's synopsis: Of all the revelations her afterlife brings, perhaps the most startling thing Cassie Devlin discovers is that being dead isn't being done. Murdered by a classmate, Cassie finds herself stuck on the edges of the world she once knew and a realm whose tug she feels but can't quite find her way to. And . . . she is not alone.There's another like her, who arrived earlier and who, like Cassie, has some unfinished business.

Beautifully crafted in electrifying free verse, Dead on Town Line offers teens an emotionally provocative, can't-put-it-down reading experience that will linger long after the last page is turned.

So I like the plot of this story. It does become easy to figure out who killed the main character in the story pretty early on, but it's still worth sticking to the story to find out how the murder was pulled off. The main character starts off the story dead, retelling her story from a while back. She explains what happened to her and why she is currently dead. However, along the way in her story she jumps back to present time as she and her new friend, an also dead girl who's mystery is unsolved, try to find ways to get the living's attention so their bodies can be found and they can move on. They practice using ghost tricks to try to make this happen.

This story kind of read like a Lifetime or after school special movie for me. There's the drama of past events that leads up to the person wanting to kill the main character, to the assumed and expected ending. It really wasn't a bad story. I dare to say I might be tempted to read it again some day.

So on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being best I give this story an 8. It was a decent little story with an interesting plot and decent ending. It's not the best story out there, but I find a story being told in prose very interesting. It makes me want to experiment with my writing and perhaps try writing a novel in prose to see how it turns out. If you can find this book in your local library or used for super cheap or have a Books-A-Million close by, totally pick this one up. I think you will find it very interesting. I am curious to read more books by the author to see how I like them. The hunt is on.

Writing away,
M.

Monster High 2–The Ghoul Next Door

Ok, so from reading another blog I learned about the 2 chapter sneak peek at the new Monster High novel.  Granted I’ve yet to read the first one but I wanted to see how this one was.  The blog owner said there wasn’t much brand name dropping in this book, but I found that that simply wasn’t the case.  There are a lot of brand names in this sneak peek.  I’ve sense found this to be kind of cute since reading the last book’s sneak peek.  Not sure why really.  I guess because I realize this is what the story called for and although I haven’t read Lisi Harrison’s other novels I feel this is her style of writing, and who am I to say anything about her style?  It’s her vision and her way of telling the story, so more power to her.  This sneak peak makes me want to hunt down the first novel and read it.  I hope it’s at my library…which I still need to get a new card for.  Oops.   But yeah, it looks like it will be a cute novel.  It seems to pick up from a cliffhanger from the last novel, so seems like some questions will be answered.  If you are interested in reading the sneak peak for yourself, click here.  Enjoy.

Writing away,
M.

Please Don’t Eat The Daisies

Jean Kerr’s “Please Don’t Eat The Daisies” is an interesting and fun read.  It’s a collection of humorous articles about her life as a mother, wife, and playwright.  While the book is dated and may lose younger readers like myself on some of the people or events mentioned in the book, for the most part the book is very relevant to modern times.  Though I’m not a mother yet, I could still relate to Kerr from remembering my childhood and how I drove my mom crazy and how she dealt with me, my brother, and my sister. Kerr’s four boys clearly made life interesting for her and her husband, but mostly her.  LOL!  Tales about the house her and her family moved in are very interesting as well.

For the most part this book kept my attention, except for some essays that kind of went over my head.  There was one essay about a play she’d write after a play she had just seen.  I’m assuming her play was a parody of the play she’d just seen, and am kind of bummed I just didn’t get that part of the story.  Nor the part of the story about a woman running off with her boyfriend’s father.  I mean I “got” the story, but didn’t “get” the story.  I plan to go back and reread both parts to see if I can understand both better.  Sometimes when I read my mind will trail off in thought and then I will miss out on the context of a chapter of a story and have to reread, so I will be going back to reread and see how I come away from it.  I’ll update you on my findings.

So I suggest if you can get a copy from the library or get a cheap copy of this book it’s so worth the read.  It’s funny, it’s relatable no matter if you are a mom or former child, and it’s a quick read as well.  I took a couple of days with it because I only read it while exercising, but avid readers will get through this book in a couple of hours easily.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you read it.   

So what am I reading now, you may ask?  I’m reading this:

“How I Stole Her Husband” by Liz Ireland.  I’m going to be honest, I have NO idea what this book is about.  I bought it on discount at Books-A-Million one day after reading the cover of the book and thought it  sounded interesting.  I’m assuming it’s going to be a silly romance novel along the lines of this one:

“Switcheroo” by Olivia Goldsmith.  I read this novel and it was a pretty cute story about two women who look very similar and traded lives for a while.  I don’t think the two stories will be along the same plot but along the same kind of “cuteness” level.  I wish I could explain my version of “cuteness” level.  Just kind of like one of those funny romance movies that end happily.  That how I see the book being.  I’ll let you know if I was right or wrong.  Watch me be very wrong and it ends up being a murder mystery.  LOL!  Either way I’m excited to find out.  I read all kinds of books, so anything that catches my attention gets me drooling to read it.  So I’m off to start the first chapter and see how it starts out.  Talk to you all soon.  Bye for now. 

Writing away,
M.

What I’ve read and am reading.

So I have been trying to read a little each day.  The best way for me to do that is to do it while I am on my exercise bike doing my miles.  I haven’t been on my bike in forever since I’ve been sick, but now that I am feeling better I am slowly exercising with 5-6 miles a day.  So I decided to get back to reading while I exercise, it makes the time go by seriously.  So the first book I read on my return to the bike was Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones.

I know this is not the cover for newer copies of the book, but this is the copy that is on my copy.  I am not sure how I got this book.  I believe it may have been through way of my sister when she was a kid.  Not sure.  I know it came from the library at my old elementary school.  I am guessing they were giving away the old books and this was the one my sister chose.  Well anyway, I have wanted to read this book ever since I got it but just never did so it sat on my shelf for years.  Last year I started it then I got ill and just stopped reading.  Well I decided to start it over and finish it.

The book was an interesting read.  Diana is a British writer, so the story is told with a British theme to it.  It’s about a boarding school that takes all students as well as witch orphans.  But no one knows who is a witch and it’s to stay that way because witches were burned if found out.  Well some of the students start to figure out they are witches and start using their magic which causes some issues at school and starts people wondering about who was a witch in the school.  All the witches seem to be in room 6B at the school.

The story goes on about the students that know they are different and their discovery of their magic, what they can do, and how to hide it.  Eventually they are found out and they have to work together to protect themselves.  They call up help that takes an odd approach to helping them, but help them he does and things change for the witches in one way or another.

I thought the book was interesting.  I won’t say it’s my favorite book, but it got my attention and kept it.   The ending was kind of “meh” to me, but it was kind of interesting how it unfolded and how things ended up.  The story was really thought out and planned which I like when an author does that.  I’m keeping the book to share with my hopefully future children.  It’s a cute story that I think would be fine for any child.  I would say between 5-12 would like this story.  Depends on the reading level of your child, or their attention span and ability to understand what’s going on in the story.  The book has it own version of cursing.  They say “magick” as a way of cursing since that was feared in the story.  So you may want to consider that before getting the book.  I don’t think it would really register with a child that it’s considered a form of cursing in the story so I think the story would be fine.  So all in all it was a cute story and I liked that it was a British story to get a different theme or way of telling a story.  I think the new cover is kind of creepy for the story, but don’t let it cause you to judge the story before giving it a flip through.    I’d like to read more Diana Wynne Jones stories, so I will be doing that hopefully this year.

Now on to what I am reading now.  I’m reading “Please Don’t Eat The Daisies”.  Now I saw my mom had this book for years and I was always curious about it but never read it.  Then I saw the movie and thought that was what the book was about. I was wrong.

When I started the book I thought it would be more of a novel, but as I read it I noticed it didn’t follow a plot and it was kind of a jumble of something I wasn’t quite sure about.  So I googled to learn more about the story and found out the book is a collection of essays written by the author Jean Kerr who was a humorist and playwright.  This cover is not the cover on the one I have.  Mine is a really old copy.

From and Amazon listing, this is the book I actually have.  I love older books that don’t have fancy covers.  Just the book and the title on the bind.  It just makes me feel like I am in for a vintage treat.  I have several old books like that that I will be working through this year.  But back to the book I am reading, so far it’s an interesting read.  I’m not laughing like crazy, but I am smiling and chuckling every now and again.  And how Jean Kerr writes it’s like she is talking to you and telling you a story.  I loved the introduction to the book.  It made me laugh and smile and I knew I’d like her writing.  I like a good witty book and this one is giving me that so far.  I love her dedication as well.  She dedicated the book to her severest critic.  LOL!  Is it tacky to borrow another author’s dedication because I so LOVE hers and want to use it.  LOL!

Well that’s about all for now.  I have some other books I have read that I wanted to post about but that of course is for a later time.  I’m back to reading and working on understanding Script Frenzy.  So I will talk to you lovelies later.  Bye for now.

Writing away,
M.

On Writing by Stephen King

So I finished reading reading a book that I had started a good while back and then stopped reading and had to reread due to that. So I finally finished it today and let me just say this book is amazing. It is so inspiring to anyone who wants to be a writer and its an interesting read to those who are just readers in general or fans of his work.

Now I'm not going to go into deep detail about the book since its been out since 2000 and there are many reviews of it, you can click the picture above to be taking to Amazon and read the review there.

What I will say about the book is that he really breaks it down for those who doubt if they are or could be a writer. He doesn't hold back on what he thinks constitutes what a writer is. I know everyone has their own opinions on that, but his I respect highly and agree with. Also this book was written around the time he had his near death experience in 1999 and was finished while he was on the mend and writing this book helped bring him back from a bad moment in his life. Reading the part about his accident and how he did come back from it, writing helping a good bit, just inspired me more and put me in awe of his talent.

Now let me tell you straight off, I'm NOT a Stephen King fan. I have never read any of his books all the way through. But that doesn't mean I don't know of his talent to write. He's very talented and I'm awe-struck by it, hoping to be as talented as he is. But this book he wrote on the craft of writing has reminded me that one should not write for money or fame, and most writers do not get much money or fame. One should write because they love writing and they have a story to tell. Both of which I do have. So I'm going to write for me. I'm going to write for my IR...read the book and you will understand that one. And I'm going to write for my characters, to tell their story to the world. And because of this book I can now because Stephen King gave me something I long thought I didn't have. He gave me permission to do so with guilt or doubt. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. Every single day. 2500 minimum. Starting today.

Writing away,
M.