Kate Hinderer Writes

I'm Editing by Hand

2012-01-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

As I dig into the first-round edits of my latest ebook, I'm doing it all by hand. I know a lot of authors go through this differently. I do all my writing on the computer. I outline, character build and take notes on the computer too - all using different documents and the sticky notes application.

But when it comes to first-round edits - I always print out the whole document (this time all 321 pages) and go at it with a good old fashioned blue pen. I double space the book and print it on only one side of the paper.

Maybe it is my journalistic background but reading the printed version and being able to flip back and forth between pages makes edits a lot easier. I add flags to certain pages I want to reference later and to the pages I want to revisit when I get further into the book. I add whole scenes or paragraphs to the back of each page.

By the time I'm done with each page it looks like a war zone - sentences added, words scratched out, paragraphs moved around. But to see the pages looking like this gives me such a sense of accomplishment and relief. Each page edited is one step closer to completing the project and publishing the book.

Plus reading it in print, gives me another perspective, which hopefully helps me catch grammatical errors and any inconsistencies that can be missed with reading on the computer. The second-round edits I do entirely on the computer, switching back to the original version and looking at it in the perspective of what readers will get.

Book Review: After Adam

2012-01-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

After Adam by Katie Aleo

Rating by 2 of 5

If you couldn't tell from Aurora Undefined, I have a thing for stories that involve death. I know, that's morbid and weird, but the whole thing just enthralls me. So when books try to deal with the subject matter I'm always interested in how it's presented. After Adam is a book about how one girl deals with life after her boyfriend dies.

Anna still feels grief over the death of Adam. Even though a year has passed, she can't seem to move on. She still kisses his picture daily, she still thinks about him constantly. This inability to move on has alienated Anna from most of her friends, made her uninterested in her own appearance and especially uninterested in boys. When she takes a job at the local fast food restaurant in order to help her mother out, Anna's world is tipped on its axis. Camp, Adam's older brother, also works at the Shack and there may be feelings brimming up between the two of them. The story boils down to one simple question, can Anna move on with Adam's brother or will she remain faithful to someone who passed away more than a year ago?

What I Thought:

The story was super short - only 27,000 words. I loved the story line, but felt the characters and scenes could have been better developed. Due to its length, the book leaves you wishing for more.
I love the scenes in which Anna spends time with Adam's family. That first dinner is exactly how I could see such a scene panning out in real life.
Love the name Camp. (if you haven't noticed yet, I have a thing for funky boy names.)
I like the idea of Anna falling for the older brother who is the exact opposite of Adam and what she thought she wanted. My only problem with the relationship was how fast it happened. Nothing, nothing, nothing and suddenly Camp is declaring himself and Anna has fallen.
I liked the best friend and how she remained faithful when all the other friends fell away with Anna's depressed mode.

Book Review: The Dig

2012-01-03T04:43:00.001-08:00

The Dig: Zoe and Zeus by Audrey Hart

Rating 4 out of 5

Zoe spends the school year in a private boarding school and her summer's going on archaeological digs with her aunt and uncle. When she heads off to Greece to help them excavate an ancient temple she thinks her summer will be filled with dust and artifacts. When her curious nature lands her in a portion of the temple that had yet to be examined by the rest of the team, Zoe finds herself pulled back in time to when the temple was new.

Suddenly, in a strange and foreign land, where people actually speak the dead language and mythical creatures exist, Zoe struggles to figure out what happened and how to get home. In her escapades she runs into a cute boy, who shows up at the most random times; and a nymph, who believes Zoe to be a god. But when things start happening that Zoe can't explain and it looks like she is causing them; she is forced to seek out the oracle to find a way home.

But the oracle tells her instead of returning to modern day life, her path leads up to Mount Olympus and it's a trek she must take alone.

What I thought:

I've always been a sucker for mythology, so this was an exciting book to delve into.
I love the way the gods and goddesses are portrayed in this book - they are like normal everyday people, filled with anger, passion, resentment, jealousy. And yet they appear young and vulnerable too.
The descriptions of the mythological characters was so interesting. The author has a knack for describing exactly how she sees the creatures and helping the reader see them that way too.
The Zeus character was my favorite - predictable but he was so sweet and endearing. I found myself rooting for Zoe and Zeus even if that isn't the way mythology would have depicted them.
The end left me hanging, which I suppose leaves room for a sequel. But it also left me with so many questions - I wish there was one more chapter.
I can't wait to continue following the adventure of Zoe.

Goals for 2012

2012-01-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

I love the end of each year... that moment when everyone makes resolutions for the year ahead, and everything seems possible. It's such a great moment - full of possibility and hope. I don't like to make resolutions. To me, they are too vague and general. They set us up for failure. But, what I do love is setting goals for the year ahead. Goals give us obtainable ideals to reach for. They give us a time frame, a context for what we want to accomplish in the 12 months ahead of us.

So, I sat down and penned my goals for 2012. They are lofty goals and yet practical. I hope that by this time next year I will be able to say I accomplished what I set out to do in 2012 and maybe even more.

Publish the first novel in the Fascination Island series, by March preferably.
Get more involved with the online indie author and book blogger communities. There are so many amazing bloggers and authors out there!!
Publish a second novel in 2012 - perhaps one I have sitting on my computer that needs a good edit, but is already written.
Write and at least complete first round edits of the second novel in the Fascination Island series.
Outline the third Fascination Island book.
Read and review at least 100 young adult e-books.
Help support my fellow indie authors with reviews and blog tours that help to prove indie authors are a force to be reckoned with.
Redesign Kate Hinderer Writes.

Farsighted - an excerpt

2011-12-30T04:27:00.000-08:00

I already reviewed the debut novel by Emlyn Chand, but felt I should further re-iterate how much I loved this first book by a new e-book author. Check out the except from her book, Farsighted, below:

“Did Dad tell you? A new tenant moved into the old pharmacy next door.”

“Really?” I ask, not letting on I already know. If I feign ignorance, Mom’ll divulge all the details. “What is it?”

“It’s a psychic shop,” Her voice crackles with excitement like a fire that’s just beginning to burn. “The All-Seeing Miss Teak. Isn’t that cute? Miss Teak, Mystic. Ha, I wonder if that’s her real name.”

I laugh. “That is funny. Never had a psychic in town before. What’s she like?”

“Oh, she’s very friendly. Why don’t you go over and say ‘hi.’ I’m sure she’d like to meet you.”

“Okay, I think I will.” I’m incredibly intrigued, because first off, it’s a psychic shop—how weird is that?—and second, its presence made Dad super uncomfortable—also very cool. I waste no time heading next door to check out the scene.

As I step cautiously into the new shop, a recording of soft, instrumental music greets me. I can make out chimes and a string instrument I don’t recognize but for some reason reminds me of snake charmers. The smell of incense fills my nostrils, which explains the burning I detected earlier.

“Hello?” I call out into the otherwise quiet room.

Nobody answers. I walk in deeper, sweeping my cane out in front of me in a metronome fashion. This place is new to me, so I need to be especially careful while moving around.

Thump! Despite my precautions, I stub my toe on something hard, big, and made of wood. Just my luck to stub the same toe twice in one day. I reach down to press my fingers into my throbbing foot to alleviate some of the pain. Something teeters before rolling off of the chest and across the floor; the sound it makes indicates a curved path. Suddenly, the object stops. Somebody’s stopped it.

“Hello?” I call again.

“Hello,” a deep, feminine voice responds, placing more emphasis on the first syllable than the second.

“I- I’m sorry I knocked that thing over. I didn’t mean to…” I hope she’s not angry. Probably not a good idea to get on a psychic’s bad side.

“That wasn’t just a thing, it’s a crystal ball,” she says as she walks over, sending my blood pulsing through my veins. I sense her looking at me for a moment before she places the ball back on top of the chest.

“Can it see the future?” I ask, allowing my curiosity to outweigh my uneasiness.

“No.” After a pause lasting several beats, she continues. “But I can see the future sometimes when I look into it.”

“Oh, okay.” I tighten my hand around my cane and turn to leave. It may not be the most polite thing to do, but all of this hocus-pocus stuff is freaking me out more than I would’ve guessed.

The psychic lady speaks again, stopping me cold. “Don’t run away, Alex Kosmitoras.” She must’ve spoken to Mom earlier today. That must be how she knows my name.

“I’m not running away,” I say meekly. “I’m just going back over to Sweet Blossoms.”

“Don’t run away,” she repeats—this time she speaks louder and with more energy. “Don’t run away from your abilities. They are gifts.”

“What?” I ask in confusion. What abilities is she talking about?

“You already know. Watch. Listen. Be open to your gifts.”

I turn to face Miss Teak, but find she’s already gone, returning to wherever she was before I got there.

Is it safe to leave? I trail my fingers across the wooden box I ran into earlier; a thick coat of dust clings to the tips as I pull away. If this shop just opened, why is it already so dirty? I wipe my hands over my shirt to get the gritty substance off. Shivers rock my whole body. Something about this place is wrong, and I’m not sticking around to figure out what. Tapping my cane along the floor, I’m able to find the exit without knocking into anything else.

The End

2011-12-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

Guess what?! I finished the first draft of my new young adult novel! I can't believe I am even typing this. But it's true. I have completed the first draft. It is 321 pages (double spaced) and almost 98,000 words. I started working on this book in May, after the idea had been swimming around in my head for almost three years now. After an intense vacation month that allowed me to pen nearly 40,000 words I spent the next couple months trying to find the time and letting the whole story sit while I worked on other things. But the approach of November and the national novel writing month gave me just the shove I needed to finish it. I set the lofty goal of completing the novel before the end of 2011 and I actually managed.

Better still - the next book is already formulating in my head. It will be a sequel to the current work, and hopefully the second of several in the series. I'm in love with these characters and the setting. I can see so many additional story lines beginning and developing. It's really pretty exciting. The best part about this sequel is the fact that it will focus on a character that I didn't even realize existed until she suddenly cropped up mid-way through the current WIP. Suddenly she was on the page and my mind was reeling as to where she would go and what would become of her. I love when that happens.

So what do the next few weeks hold in store for me?? Well, I'll be doing my first round edits. This is the period in which I rip apart everything I've done previously. I move scenes, add content, delete unnecessary dialogue, develop characters, add description and otherwise mold the book into something I am happy to present to others. The last time, this process took almost a year, but it was also completed when I didn't know what would happen after I finished edits. Now those questions are gone, because of course I will post it as an ebook on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I'm setting a pretty progressive and challenging goal of completing the edits, first and second edits, by the end of February, so the book can go live to readers in March.

Oh and in case you were wondering, the book is still title-less. But the series will be named "The Fascination Island Chronicles,' or something along those lines.

Book Review: Rock and a Hard Place

2011-12-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton

Rating 3.5 of 5

I'm a fan of teen celeb-inspired books and movies. Not sure why, but I am. Sorry. So this book caught my attention pretty easily. I mean, who doesn't dream of the good-looking famous guy falling for little-miss-nobody?!

Libby has been dealt a raw deal. Her mother and sister died in a car accident. That accident left her scarred and her father a disaster, so she's sent to live with her crazy aunt while her dad tries to piece his life back together. Libby's whole world goes from one of near perfection to one of disaster. She has no friends, except a school guidance counselor who is trying her best to protect Libby.

Then one day Libby is sitting under a tree when a tour bus pulls up and a family with three boys piles out. Peter, the middle child, notices her and strikes up a conversation that has both of them hoping for more. But he's a celebrity with a boy band that plays to sold-out theaters in every major city in the world. So run-ins are few and far between, still love blossoms, despite the odds.

But happiness isn't to be for Libby. The authorities descend on her house, her aunt is arrested and she is sent away, severing all contact with Peter.

What I Thought:

I couldn't help but envision the Jonas Brothers the whole time I was reading this. I mean, three brothers, one looking to be a serious musician. Not that seeing the Jonas Brothers as these characters is necessarily a bad thing. It just struck me.
What's up with the major use of 'recreational' drugs in YA books these days? It's everywhere - either the kids are doing it, the adult are growing it... Whoa
Loved the way Peter and Libby finally reconnected. (I won't give away how that happens.)
I kept waiting for Libby's father to resurface. I don't comprehend grief so deep that you don't want to be around your only surviving family member.

Book Review: Sophie & Carter

2011-12-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine

Rating 2 of 5

I like dark books. But I think books that tell of horrible situations need to be beautifully written and still need to have something attractive for the reader to glean on to. I was hoping this book would be of that ilk. But I just found it unbelievable and depressing - and not in a good way.

Sophie and Carter live two different lives. The one at school where they are normal teenagers who have friends and joke around at lunch time. The one at home where they are much more adults than should be possible for teenagers. Sophie basically acts like a mother to her younger siblings since their father is MIA and their mother works as a call girl. Carter is the man of the house after his abusive father left and his mother went crazy. (I know, talk about intense.)

The book is about the love between the two - they lean on each other for support, encouragement and life.

What I Thought:

This book was harsh in ways that were unneeded. We don't need to read about the clubs Sophie's mother 'dances' in or the phone calls from her pimp.
There isn't much of a plot. I kept waiting for there to be a storyline. But the horrible life that they live is the only real plot and I don't think that is enough to carry the book.
I also find it unbelievable. I know kids everywhere suffer as both Carter and Sophie did - but the fact that their life was so secret that no one at school knew. I dunno. And Sophie is not old enough to be caring for her children DCFS would have stepped in at some point.
Overall a gritty read that does little to lift up or enlighten.

Book Review: Fantasy Football

2011-12-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

Fantasy Football by Jennifer LaGalbo

Rating 3 of 5

Parker Collins is a whiz with a camera. She's able to capture the moment perfectly, especially when it comes to her high school's football games. While a bit of a loner, Parker has constant run-ins with Casey; the same girl who stole QB Trent from Parker's older sister. Animosity runs deep between the two, so when Trent and the other football players begin to pay attention to Parker, Casey and her followers work to make Parker's life a living hell. Soon Parker has to pick between a number of vying boys and fight off Casey's antics.

As a side, Parker is dealing with issues after her father's death, a despondent mother and two distant sisters.

What I Thought:

There was potential here but I felt it was poorly executed. For instance, in the beginning Parker makes a point of saying she and her sister's don't get along at all. But they seem pretty chummy and agreeable through most of the book. Or Parker talks about hating the football players but she still spends pretty much all her free time with them, not acting like she hates them at all.
The other characters really aren't developed at all. I wanted to know more about them personally, instead of just the superflous basics.
Parker's personality is supposed to be caustic and aggressive. People mention it several times in the book, but her actions (for the most part) aren't really proof to that. I like books that both show and tell what a character is like.
The dead father and grieving daughter could have been played up more. It was just an excuse for Parker to be a jerk - blame it on the absent parent.
The title has nothing to do with the book, other than the fact that she photographs the football games.

Book Review: The Boyfriend Thief

2011-12-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris

Rating 3 of 5

Avery has a plan - one that she has plotted out down to the last detail. Graduate at the top of her class, spend a summer working with a humanitarian program in Costa Rica, get into a top college and attend medical school. The only thing that is standing between her and her goals is money. She's had enough of working at the local hot dog joint. So when Hannah offers her all the money she needs to make the Costa Rica trip a reality, Avery jumps at the chance even though it means successfully stealing Hannah's boyfriend, Zac.

The trouble with being a boyfriend thief is that you begin to fall for the boy your supposed to be tricking out of a relationship and Avery doesn't have time for that. Plus, she's constantly worried about her best friend's crush and his apparent cheating ways, and her father's new girlfriend, and the reason her mother left them... life is a little much for Avery.

What I Thought:

The plot was interesting. The idea that a girl would pay off someone else to steal her boyfriend so she doesn't have to be the one breaking up is pretty weird and interesting.
The side drama of a missing mom, a dating dad, a crushing best friend... it didn't gel as well with the book as I wanted it to.
Loved Zac's character and his crazy antics. I know several guys like this and it was refreshing to see a main guy character not have everything so put together.
Interesting short read.

NaNoWriMo - the end

2011-12-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

I was out of town when National Novel Writing Month ended so I didn't get a chance to blog about ending the month. Now, six days into December, I figure I might as well give a little recap.

This being the first time I've participated in NaNoWriMo, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew I wouldn't be writing a whole book this month - as I was planning two huge social events for work and doing all the other every day tasks that can't be avoided. But I knew I wanted to spend more time focusing on my current work in progress to really put a dent in getting a finished first draft.

Some days were great - I added 6,000 words on my best day. Other days were horrible - I didn't even open the document at least 10 days during the month. By November 15th I had added 13,000 words to the 46,000 words I scribbled down in the summer when I started this book. And by the end of November?? Drum roll, please.... I have 83,000 words! Whoa.

This is already longer than Aurora Undefined and I'm not done writing. At this point I'm at the climax scenes so they should keep me engaged enough to finish by the end of December, which is my ultimate goal. I expect the first draft will come in somewhere around 100,000 words - although since I am a heavy-handed with the cropping and deleting, it will likely be fewer words by the time everything is all said and done.

In Leah's Wake - book excerpt

2011-12-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from In Leah's Wake. I'm taking part in this week's book blog tour to promote the author, Terri, and her book.

Leah’s head felt like a beach ball. She’d stay in bed all day if she could, cocooned in the blankets and sheets, but she had to pee. She dragged herself up, shivering as she threw off the covers. She’d never been this sick in her life. She probably had cancer. Oh God, she was going to barf. She dropped her head between her knees, staying put until her stomach had settled, and dragged herself to the bathroom.

She could hear her father in the kitchen, fixing breakfast. The odor of maple bacon drifted upstairs, making her gag. In a minute, he would be up here, ordering her downstairs to eat. Her team had a game this morning, at ten, which meant she had to be on the field—she checked her alarm clock—in an hour. She flopped back onto her bed, and pulled the covers defiantly over her head. No way was she playing soccer today. Not after last night, after her father freaked out.

She turned onto her side, burying her face in her pillow. Around midnight last night, Todd had retrieved a blanket from his truck, and spread it over a pillow of pine needles and leaves. She pictured him on his elbows, staring down at her, the planes of his face accentuated by the shadows. He pushed her hair away from her face.

His hand slid from her shoulder to her hips.

Todd, she whispered. Todd.

Her shades snapped up, startling her. In the harsh light, Todd’s face vanished. Hearing her name—Todd?—she rolled onto her back.

When she looked up, her father was standing over her bed.

“Time to get up, Leah. The Harvard coach is coming today.”

The nerve of that man.

She curled into a ball, pulling the covers over her head. Her father’s hand slid under the covers, and he wiggled her big toe, the way he used to when she was little. She yanked her foot back.

“Come on, kiddo,” he coaxed. “You have to get up.” He’d made blueberry pancakes. As if his stupid pancakes made up for last night.

“Go away,” she spat, her words garbled by the mountain of blankets and sheets.

“Leah, your team is—”

Who cares if you’re tired? She heard in her head. The competition is practicing, even when you’re not . . . “depending on you, Leah.” . . . dedication is what counts . . . “talk to you, honey.” . . . suck it up . . . get up, get up . . . do it . . . time to get up . . . time for soccer . . . time . . . practice . . . do it . . . just do it . . . Just do it.

Leah clapped her hands over her ears. “Go away,” she cried. “Get out. Get away from me.”

Why did her father do this to her? Why couldn’t he let her be?

“I’d like to talk to you, Leah. Please.”

“I’m not playing.” She threw off the covers. “And you can’t make me.”

The toilet flushed in the bathroom between her room and Justine’s. The faucet sputtered, and water splashed into the sink. Leah’s sister was washing her hands. Now she was brushing her teeth. Perfect little angel, never in trouble. Perfect little dork. Leah hated her sister. She hated them all—her mother, her father, Justine. Her parents didn’t care about her. They cared about controlling her. They expected perfection, wanted perfect robots for kids. Well, guess what? She wasn’t a robot. They’d have to be satisfied with just one.

“Fine.” Her father, sighing, sat on her bed. “Stay home, if that’s what you want.” He leaned forward, dropping his hands between his knees. “I blew it, baby,” he said, staring at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Good. She had him right where she wanted him. Leah pulled the covers over her head, and raised her elbows, creating an air tunnel so she could breathe. She’d forgive her father. Eventually. First, she planned to make him suffer.

Her father’s weight shifted. She felt the spring of the mattress.

No. This wasn’t the way it went. Her father wasn’t supposed to give up. He never gave up. They talked until they’d worked things out. “Dad?” Leah shot of bed and darted out to the landing.

“Dad,” she called, leaning over the railing. “Daddy?”

By the time Zoe reached the office park, she’d worked herself into a funk. She parked her Volvo by the service entrance behind the building, in a spot reserved for tenants. Normally, she walked to her second floor office, a penitent’s offering to the exercise god she’d forsaken. This morning, anxiety fueling her fatigue, she waited for the elevator.

She’d worked for Cortland Child Services for eight years. She used to love this job. Physicians trusted her, and rewarded her with a constant flow of referrals. Too popular for a while, she’d been temporarily forced to close her practice to new patients. Now she dreaded coming to work.

Five years ago, patients treated her with respect; they’d listened eagerly and followed her advice. Today, everybody knew everything. Parents, armed with information from the Web, came to her seeking validation, letters attributing their child’s misbehavior to brilliance, drugs to give their child an edge. Zoe’s education and experience meant nothing. She was a service provider. She was tired of that game.

If she and Will could afford it, she’d leave the counseling center, build her seminars and branch out, write a book, go on the lecture circuit, where she could help thousands of people. But that was a pipedream.

She accidentally pressed “Down,” forcing her to ride to the basement and back up.

The stress at home had ratcheted her anxiety, adding to her unease. The small things she used to let slide had begun to get her: a missed appointment, a defiant gesture, an insolent remark. Doing a half-assed job made her feel crappy; these days, she felt like crap most of the time.

Zoe’s mood lifted as she opened her office door. This office, with its soft coral walls, was her sanctuary. Sunlight filtered through the blinds on the picture window, the flecks of sand in the carpet around the turtle-shaped sandbox glittering. Zoe’s grad school books lined the top shelf of a wall-to-wall bookcase. On the lower shelves were toys for the kids: cars and trucks, picture books, puzzles, stuffed animals, dolls.

From her iPod, she selected a soothing Thai instrumental piece, and logged onto her antiquated desktop computer. Her refusal to upgrade to a laptop was a running joke in the office. Zoe still handwrote her notes and transcribed them at the end of each day, the inconvenience a small price to pay for the ability to give her patients her undivided attention.

In no time, she’d printed and scanned her notes.

With ten minutes to spare before her first appointment, she decided to run check on the Corbett boy. (Last night, in her drunken stupor, Leah had blurted his name.) Zoe typed Corbett’s name in the Google dialogue box; feeling guilty, she immediately back-spaced. A Google search felt invasive, like reading her child’s diary or listening to a phone conversation. Yet how else was she to obtain information? She could hardly rely on Leah to fill her in. Other parents Googled their kids’ friends. “I do all the time,” Sheila Li, a colleague, had confided one day. “Can’t be too careful these days.” Corbett had gotten her daughter drunk and driven her home at three a.m. That revoked any right to privacy.

She tapped her desk, impatient for the page to populate.

On the first page she spotted an entry, dated July 10, 1998, the keywords Corbett and Massachusetts emboldened. Something about a drug arrest. The URL linked to an article on the Dallas Star website. Dallas? Drugs? Had to be a mistake, a misnamed file, an erroneous entry.

She hit the link, her pulse racing as she scrolled down the page.

MASSACHUSETTS MAN ARRESTED IN TEXAS DRUG BUST

EL PASO, Texas – A Massachusetts man was arrested early this morning outside the Roadhouse restaurant in downtown El Paso on suspicion of drug possession and trafficking. Todd Corbett, 21, from Massachusetts, works as a sound technician for the alternative rock band, Cobra. Jeff Jones, the band’s manager, was arrested on similar charges in November.

Insufficient evidence in the Jones case forced the district attorney’s office in El Paso to drop the charges. “We expect to hand down an indictment later today,” said Assistant District Attorney Len Ahearn. Ahearn declined further comment regarding the details of Corbett’s arrest, citing a judge’s gag order. If prosecuted, Corbett faces a sentence of up to twenty years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

A later article reported that the charges had been dismissed.

Zoe had expected to find something—a DUI, a petty theft, a drunk and disorderly—nothing like this. Leah pushed boundaries. She’d been drinking last night; she’d come in at three a.m. No way was she was mixed up with a drug dealer. She was a good kid, a talented athlete, with a bright future in front of her. She was too smart to throw it all away.

Zoe clicked back to the first article, reread it, and logged on to boston.com, the website for the Globe. In the “Metro” section of the July 11 edition, she found a single paragraph that began:

“Todd Corbett of Cortland, Massachusetts, was arrested. . .”

Reeling, she logged off. This was impossible. Zoe was a therapist. She worked with teenagers. If her daughter were involved with drugs, she would know. She’d recognize the signs. Moods? What sixteen-year-old girl wasn’t moody? Slipping grades? In high school, Zoe and Will had both flunked biology; maybe Leah had inherited the gene. Leah had missed her curfew a few times, until last night never by more than ten minutes. Granted, Leah had lied about being with Cissy. Yes, Cissy’s being MIA this last month was certainly strange. But girls fight. Junior year, Zoe’s best friend had dumped her cold, all because the girl’s crush had called Zoe “pretty.” Normal teenage behavior—all of this.

Zoe’s stomach went hollow.

Book Review: Cross My Heart

2011-12-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

Cross My Heart by Katie Klein

Rating 3.5 of 5

From the first day in school when Jaden McEntyre is forced to partner with Parker Whalen she knows this is going to be a bad semester. Parker and Jaden couldn't be more opposite. She's a good girl - dedicated to her school work, running every socially conscience club imaginable. Parker, on the other hand, seems less than dedicated to school work or even making friends.

When they begin working together on an English paper about Ethan Frome they start bonding in a way that neither of them ever expected. But Jaden thinks Parker is hiding something and when she begins to see the physical evidence she worries. When she calls him out on it, their relationship goes sour and Jaden is forced to try and move on without him.

What I Thought:

I'm not easily surprised by the climax of a book but this one really shocked me. I had no idea what was in store - Whoa!
This is the classic good girl/bad boy scenario, but with a twist.
When the truth of this whole book is revealed it is so overall great - too bad I can't say more because it will give everything away.
The writing is not amazing, but the plot is truly original.
I love Jaden's brothers and how sweet they are when dealing with her, even when they are chiding her.

Author interview: Lauren Clark, Stay Tuned

2011-12-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of reading Lauren Clark's book Stay Tuned! Until I can put together a proper review here is an interview with the author to see what she has to say about the craft of writing, her next project and Stay Tuned.

Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes. For as long as I can remember. Of course, my parents always remind that I also wanted to be an Indian princess named Tiger Lily, but that dream was more short-lived. On a serious note, I do have fond memories of spending my summer days toting stacks of books back and forth from my house to our town’s library. It always seemed like a magical place, with endless stories to get lost in.

You worked as both an anchor and producer after graduate school. How did that influence the writing of Stay Tuned?
So much! It was an accident, really, getting into broadcast journalism. I always thought of myself as a behind the scenes kind of girl, but after my first day on the job, I loved it and stuck with it for the next 6 years. Working in television is never boring. There’s always a story, always the next show. The camaraderie in the newsroom is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. It’s like living in a big, loud, mostly happy, very dysfunctional family every day.

What gave you the idea for Stay Tuned?
True story: A few months before I took my first television job as a part-time health reporter, the two main anchors at one of the local television stations (who were romantically involved) got into a fistfight. They were outside the building, in the station parking lot. Shortly thereafter, they were both fired. In the months that followed, the two of them bantered back and forth in newspaper editorials, threatened lawsuits, and fueled all sorts of crazy retaliation stories. I never forgot about that incident and always thought about what might happen if such a fistfight happened on air, during a newscast. What would happen? How would it be handled? Who would fix this kind of mess?

What did you learn from being on air?
It’s very humbling, really. As a producer, especially, you are in charge of what’s being put out there—the news stories people watch and talk about each day. It’s a big responsibility to get it right. Not just sometimes, but all of the time. There were many sobering days—car accidents, house fires, school shootings—and those stories should be told with sensitivity and care. It’s someone’s son or daughter or parent. Everyone matters.

What was your most memorable experience as an anchor or reporter?
I was on set during 9-11. I remember sitting there with our weatherman and waiting to be cued to go back on air after the commercial. CBS cut in and showed footage from a plane crashing into the Twin Towers. It was surreal and awful. We were all in shock. It didn’t seem possible. All I wanted to do was go home and hug my son.

Was it a difficult decision to leave television?
Yes and no. I loved so many parts of broadcasting. I was able to meet fascinating people – Vice Presidential Candidate Geraldine Ferraro, then-New York Attorney General Eliott Spitzer among many others. I adored the people I worked with, especially the folks behind the scenes. I was also fortunate enough to win several AP awards for anchoring and reporting.
On the flip side, I worked crazy hours (2 am – 10 am) and, as is typical in the industry, I received very little vacation time. I anchored every holiday (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, you name it) and wasn’t able to spend much time with my young son. After more than six years, I “retired” from TV news. It was then that I really started to get serious about writing fiction.

How long did it take to write Stay Tuned?
About five years, all said and done. I wrote several other novels before that—and those manuscripts will never see the light of day! When I began Stay Tuned, I had just given birth to my second son, so my writing time was very limited. After putting it away for several years, I picked it back up about 12 months ago, brushed it off, and had an editor-friend look it over. We made some changes, tweaked the story, and fine-tuned the plot. A few months back, I was offered a contract with a small publishing company. Another friend introduced me to the talented and fabulous Emlyn Chand at Novel Publicity, who helped guide me through the entire publishing process. It’s been a wonderful journey!

What’s next? A sequel or a stand-alone novel?
Dancing Naked in Dixie is next (stand alone title) and I’m so excited to share that it’s been selected as a finalist for the 2011 Chick Lit Writers “Get Your Stiletto in the Door” Contest (Winner will be announced December 20, 2011).
Dancing Naked follows the story of a talented but scattered travel magazine writer who returns from overseas only to find out she’s on the verge of getting fired. To save her job, she reluctantly accepts an assignment in the Deep South. She’ll be writing an article about Eufaula, Alabama’s annual Pilgrimage event, which is a long-standing spring tour of antebellum mansions (the location is featured in the Reese Witherspoon’s movie, Sweet Home Alabama). Upon arriving in Eufaula, Julia falls in love with the area, its cast of charming characters, and her handsome tour guide. When she discovers that a developer has big plans to buy up many of the historic homes and turn the area into a tourist site, it’s up to Julia to save the day.

What is your writing schedule like?
With two growing, active boys and a busy husband, finding time to write is like looking for a missing Lego piece in a houseful of toys (Moms should appreciate that!) I often get up very early and write while everyone else is asleep or go to the lovely campus of our local university and shut myself in a study room. I love it there because I have to shut off my phone and I don’t have the password for an internet connection! No distractions! Of course, I do frequent two or three local coffee shops and draw inspiration from my daily dose of caffeine and good friends!

Who are your favorite writers? Favorite books?
Gosh, there are so many! My all-time favorites include Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella, Jodi Picoult, Alice Hoffman, Jennifer Weiner, Chris Bohjalian, John Grisham, Amanda Eyre Ward, and Lisa See. I also love Lisa Scottoline, Janet Evanovich, and James Patterson. Favorite books include: Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, and Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (this is a children’s book that I’ve read over and over to my two boys).

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Read. A lot. Write. A lot. Revise. A lot. I’m not joking.
Anyone can write. Writing well is different. It takes focus and tenacity and determination. I’ve heard Stephen King quoted as saying, “The first million words are practice. Malcolm Gladwell, in Outliers, says, “It takes 10,000 hours of purposeful practice to become expert at anything.” Just to be clear, at 4 hours a day (28 hours a week), that’s 7 years. I’m not quoting the experts to scare anyone or be a harbinger of doom. It’s the truth.
Pick up a copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s brilliant and so true and funny in so many sections. If you’re serious about becoming an author, learn as much as you can. Read blogs and books about the craft, network with other writers, or go to a writer’s conference. Above all, write!

Excerpt from my new WIP

2011-12-02T05:21:00.000-08:00

I've been working furiously on my next young adult book. I'm pretty excited about it and the way it is all coming together. The hope is that it will be completely edited and polished by the end of the year. With the plan to publish online in the new year. YAY!

In the meantime, I figured I'd feature a few excepts in the weeks ahead. This first one is the beginning part of the prologue. I wrote these first few paragraphs nearly a year ago. The idea has been percolating in my head for years now and I needed to get the beginning idea out on paper to force me to start the process. Perfecting this took a while because it needed to really set the scene for the rest of the novel.

The sensation of drowning is like nothing else in the world. One moment you breath as normal, head above water, oxygen entering through your nose, filling your lungs; and then the next moment your head dips underwater and stays there. After the first several seconds of struggle, fear sets in as your body uses the last of its stored oxygen. Your vision goes blurry and you feel as though you may explode. Take a breath, just one tiny one, your body pleads. At some point you do; taking a breath of pure water and that is when you know life ends today. At some point, not too long after that, the water wins. You black out. The end.

I have felt that despair for life three times.

The first instance happened when I turned 15 and began training to be a lifeguard. The near drowning took place on my last day of instructions – a kind of rite of initiation. Unknown to me the company I trained with had hired an eighteen year old want-to-be Marine to fake distress in the water. I charged into the New York waves determined no one would die on my watch and swam out to him with the floating device dragging along behind me. He put up a fight as I tried to save him; wrapping his arms around me twice, pulling me underwater with him, negating all my attempts to calmly get him ashore. At one point he pushed me under trying to stand on my shoulders to get a breath of air. I saw my life end there as I swallowed a mouthful of water. But finally my training kicked in, I dragged the guy to shore, ever so grateful to feel the gritty sand beneath my feet and to take in deep gulping breaths of fresh hot air. I got my lifeguard certification that day...

Book Review: Cinderella in Cleats

2011-11-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

Cinderella in Cleats by Carly Syms

Rating 2 of 5

What better than a football story just in time for Thanksgiving??

Whitney is a classic tomboy. She and her father would play football together with her neighborhood friend Jason and his father. But when Whitney's father passes away, Jason keeps his distance and she's crushed.

Now two years later, Whitney tries to play with the big boys and tries out for the football team. When she's cut, even though she's better than some of the guys, Whitney moves to a cross-town rival and gets to actually play on the team.

What I Thought:

The story is short and the plot is interesting but I thought the delivery was off.
The sudden relationship with Jason that happens at a party is so randomly placed and unrealistic that I didn't want them to be together.
Whitney's character is supposed to be strong and fierce, but I find her a little superficial and relationship obsessed.

Book Review: In Harm's Way

2011-11-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

In Harm’s Way by Irene Hannon

Rating 4 of 5

I am a huge fan of Dee Henderson and all her novels (especially the O’Malley series), so when I saw she endorsed author Irene Hannon, I knew the Heroes of Quantico series was one I needed to read. But the third book in the series is the first I could get a hold of. So, these reviews may be a little out of order.

Rachel Sutton can’t explain the feeling of dread she experiences every time she touches a doll she found in a restaurant parking lot – but it’s real and it’s intense. Knowing she’ll be seen as crazy Rachel still feels the urge to take the doll and her feelings to the FBI.

When agent Nick Bradley listens to Rachel’s story he’s torn between thinking she is crazy and acknowledging her fear is real. Something makes him keep the doll, even though the rest of the agency thinks it’s all a crock. But the little discovery and a conniving newspaper journalist out to further her career, begins a chain of events that can’t be undone and puts Rachel in harms way.

What I Thought:

Love, Love, LOVE! – enough said.
The story is believable, despite the fact that Rachel has this odd feeling when touching a doll I found it totally realistic.
The suspense that is built up as the reader follows the main characters as well as the criminal keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Of course, the love story is great and wholesome too.

Book Review: Out of Control

2011-11-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

Out of Control by Mary Connealy

Rating 2.5 of 5

For years, Rafe Kincaid has lived with what he did to his brother when they were children. The memory of the cave and surrounding rock formations is still strong now that he operates the family ranch. He watched his two brothers turn tail and run as soon as they have the opportunity; while Rafe tries to conquer the fear by occasionally returning their childhood playground.

But when he returns one night and finds Julia Gilliland trapped and alone in the cave, things begin to change. Rafe feels the need to protect this young curious newcomer, despite the disapproval of his suddenly reappearing brother, Ethan.

The man who trapped Julia in the cave is out to finish the job; and Rafe is ready to step in and play the knight.

This is the first book in The Kincaid Brides series.

What I Thought:

I wanted to like this book, especially since it was about cowboys and the wild west. But the whole time I was reading it I kept waiting for 'something' to happen that would really capture me - but that never came.
The inevitable romance between Julia and Rafe didn't feel like love at all. It just felt like the whole thing was written in because that was 'expected.'
Julia goes on and on about caves and her desires to be scholastic. Rafe is completely and utterly lost about what she says. The incompatibility of the two surprised me at times.

NaNoWriMo - the half-way point

2011-11-16T06:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we reached the half-way point of November, which means it also happens to be the half-way point for National Novel Writing Month. As I've mentioned before I have no delusions about being able to write an entire novel this month, especially with the current work-load I have. (WHOA!) But I am working to finish my current work in progress, which was started in June.

So here's the status...

When the month started I was at 46,000 words. I'm now at 59,000! While 13,000 words is nothing amazing - it is proof that things can get done when you set the time aside, even when you're busy.

This was really only possible be scaling back on my fashion blog. I feel bad that I haven't been publishing there daily - it had become such an easy routine, but decisions need to be made.

At this point, my MC is about to be tested and found to be totally kick-ass! Oh and she's head-over-heels for the boy (of course)!

I've also begun to think about the next book... I think this one will be a series. Aurora Undefined wasn't meant to be a series, so dragging it out beyond the one book would have been silly. But this book is totally a series in the making. I can't wait to begin developing the next plot. But I'm trying to stay focused on the current book so I don't get overly distracted with what's to come.

Book Review: Fools Rush In

2011-11-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

Rating 3.5 of 5

Bella is just one member of a crazy Italian family that some how landed in the very unlikely Texas. While her uncle runs a local pizza and coffee joint, Bella has taken the reigns of the wedding planning business her family has had for years. A country-western themed wedding has her in a DJ bind.

She makes a call out of desperation asking a man with a deep southern accent to help her with the impending wedding. A slight misunderstanding has the cowboy, who is in construction work, not the music industry, promising to try and fill in as best as he can. But can Bella keep her head and heart while working with him, dealing with her family and trying to get the business off the ground?

This book is part of the Weddings by Bella series.

What I Thought:

I'm a sucker for a cowboy book so I was all over this one. Plus you mix in a strongly knit Italian family and it's sure to be a clash of cultures.
The references to Dean Martin songs that I know and love were so fun. They had be humming along as I read.
There was a little too much emphasis on the Christian aspect of the book, some odd scenes of praying over people and miraculous cures that turned me off.
I could see this series being a fun few reads. There are so many directions the books could take that I'm interested in know what is next in store for the characters.

Book Review: The Mermaid Princess

2011-11-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

The Mermaid Princess by Kris Rivers

Rating 2 of 5

I wanted to like this book. I really did. It was about mermaids - a new interest of mine. But I just couldn't fall in love with it as I wanted to. I put the book down after reading the first several pages and then picked it up again a few weeks later to force myself to finish it. The thing is... I think the idea is great but the execution could have been better.

Celia and Iliana have lived together as sisters, even thought they are cousins. As summer approaches and they make a trip to visit family in Hawaii it turns out these cousins are really Mermaids and part of the royal family. Celia is next in line for the royal throne and Poor Iliana has been passed over because of her parent's earlier choices. Iliana is not ready to give up the kingdom without a fight and soon a civil war breaks out pitting families against each other.

What I thought:

I loved the plot! An underwater rivalry between near sisters was a perfect non-traditional mermaid story.
Iliana is evil to the core. She basically epitomizes everything a stereotypical 'bad girl' does, thinks and says. Celia is the exact opposite. The contrast was too drastic.
Iliana's character is pretty boy obsessed and she is often, thinking, talking and acting on this impulse. It seemed a little unnecessary.
The Mermaid Kingdom was exactly like a land kingdom, nothing seemed to be different since it was underwater. I was expecting more description and creativity when it came to life in the water.

Book Review: Farsighted

2011-11-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

Rating 4 out of 5

You know I love ebooks and indie authors. Being an independent author myself I love reading the creativity they pen and seeing their imagination come to life.

This month I was lucky enough to read an ARC copy of Farsighted by Emlyn Chand – the consummate social media maven and book publicist has become an indie author; trying her hand at a young adult paranormal novel. Farsighted in the first book in what will turn into a series; the second book Open Heart is due out in 2012.

Alex, a young man born blind, is starting his sophomore year in high school, hoping for a chance to start anew and actually make friends. Then strange things begin to happen. He begins hearing things others don’t hear. He begins smelling things that aren’t there. His dad is distant and hard on him, his mother is struggling to support the family with her floral shop.

When Alex starts to have futuristic visions of Simmi, a classmate he’s crushing on, he turns to the local psychic and her daughter for help in reigning in his ‘sight’ and utilizing his talents to change the fate he keeps envisioning.

What I Thought:

The descriptions of each person as Alex ‘sees’ them is so great – he recognizes people based on smell, like Simmi being his Almond Joy since she is a mixture of coconut and almond flavors.
Love the character of Simmi, with her exotic essence and sweet personality.
There is a touch-and-go period between Alex and his relationship with his father. I was glad to see it straighten out in the end.
Chand’s book is a great first novel from an indie author. (Check out her website and blog.)

Book Review: Disaster Status

2011-11-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

Disaster Status by Candace Calvert

Rating 3.5 of 5

There is something about firefighters and nurses that seem to go together - like peanut butter and grape jelly, only better. Fire captain Scott McKenna is in charge of securing Pacific Mercy hospital after a disaster makes the hospital a media target and possible contamination scene. Charge nurse, Erin Quinn is on her day off when the tragedy strikes and she is called in to help control the situation. The trouble is, Scott is a by-the-book man and doesn't want to let this feisty by ID-less woman past his security perimeter. The two spar, which ends up being the first of many such confrontations that bring them together over and over again.

When they are forced to work together to help the hospital staff and solve a mystery the two realize there might be something there - something worth pursuing, if they can both let their guard down enough to let the other in.

This book is the second in the series. I reviewed the first book, Critical Care, earlier in the month.

What I Thought:

Scott is perfectly described and realistic. I can so see the man Candace was trying to paint with her descriptions.
Erin's grandmother and her adorable ancient goldfish - plus the meaning behind the pet - are such a great side story that still helps further the plot and draw the reader in.
I'm a sucker for beach plots - so this one, with so many water scenes was especially great.

Book Review: Critical Care

2011-11-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Critical Care by Candace Calvert

Rating 4 of 5

My younger sister is a nurse so I’m always on the look-out for great books that feature people in the medical field. I picked up a free ebook called Disaster Status by Candace Calvert, but when I saw it was the second book in the series I held off reading it in search of the first book. And that’s how I found Critical Care and the Disaster Relief medical series.

Claire Avery watched her brother die in the very Emergency Room where she worked as a nurse. She can no longer face the ER and all that goes with it. Instead, she is in search of a new career in nursing education. But an emergency, has her back in the ER trying to help the hospital staff cope with the situation.

Logan Cadwell is the head of the ER and a doctor who pushes himself and his entire staff to excel in everything they do. He doesn’t believe in hand-holding or coddling anyone and is immediately annoyed by Claire’s presence and her trauma relief tactics. But something about the woman has him intrigued and suddenly her presence isn’t so annoying any more.

What I Thought:

This is a great modern-day medical drama/romance. I could see my sister and nursing friends within the pages of this book.
The trauma the hospital staff is forced to endure feels real, as does the pain Claire experiences everytime she steps through the door of the ER.
The side stories that happen outside the ER work perfectly with the plot and add perfectly to the story.
The added feature of the stump Logan is constantly trying to remove from his yard is such a great metaphor for the inner turmoil he is facing.

Book Review: Between the Lines

2011-11-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

Between the Lines by Tammara Webber

Rating 3.5 of 5

For several years I worked as a web editor for a teen magazine, which mean I watched a lot of teen movies and read a lot of teen books – that must be where my love for the young adult genre comes from… but for some reason I’m especially a sucker for a book/movie that is full of teen angst and stereotypes – stuff like Camp Rock.

I picked up Between the Lines by Tammara Webber for my Kindle at a discounted rate and was intrigued by the plot of a normal girl turned movie star and the life she finds herself in.

Emma is your typical high school girl, whispering with her best friend and interested in boys – only she isn’t normal, she’s trying to be an actress. Emma wants to be famous – although her parents seem to want it more – and when she finally lands the lead role in School Pride, a teen movie, her life is about to change.

She lives on location in Texas with the rest of the crew and finds herself starstruck. Emma finds herself falling for her leading man, Reid, and becoming close friends with Graham, a fellow cast mate. As the situation begins to spiral out of control, Emma is caught in a web of media coverage, celebrity gossip, drinking and drugs. It takes a serious wake-up call to help Emma see what she really wants in life.

What I Thought:

Loved the plot of this story – exactly as I would have written it.
He blatant use of alcohol by the entire cast with no real side effects was over-done and unnecessary. I wish it showed some of the actual effects of alcohol abuse especially when minors are concerned.
The assumed sexual activity of the characters and the flippancy of it’s coverage in the book also caught me off guard. Although in this area there are real side effects seen, which was refreshing.
The ending is golden – certainly a re-read for me.

NaNoWriMo Begins... What I'm doing

2011-11-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

While the idea of cranking out an entire novel in a month's time is appealing for so many reasons - I also fully admit that for me it is completely impossible. I hold down a full-time job that is SO much more than a typical 9-5. I also use a large chunk of my time to keep up a fashion blog and freelance for a young professional lifestyle blog, which takes way more time than one would expect. Additionally I give classes and occasionally lecture on various current topics; such as social media, the internet and fashion. Plus take into account all the normal every day tasks I do - eat, sleep, workout - and that leaves about 0 hours left in my day for novel writing.

But at the same time, if it's important we make time for it. For me, finishing off this current work in progress is of utmost importance. I need to be realistic but determined in how I will spend this NaNoWriMo. So, here's my plan:

Finish the entire first draft of the WIP by the end of the month.

I'm currently 46,000 words into the story - the plot is laid out, the characters developed, the climax anticipated in a vague sort of way. Now I need to punch it out, getting down all the ideas, scenes and struggles I've seen in my head. I'm not setting a word count because to me it's hard to know how many words it will take to tell a story. Since I am not one to add fluff to fill spaces, I want to keep the copy tight but poignant.

To keep me on track I need to do a couple things...

I'm going to set a goal of writing at least 20 minutes every day. It doesn't matter how I get these 20 minutes in but they need to happen.
I will scale back, a little on my other writing - blogs and freelance work - in order to re-align my focus for awhile. I'll not stop writing for these other outlets but they won't suck up as much time.
This blog will keep me on track as I'll try to give weekly status reports.
Less movie watching. My friends and I are apt to watch a movie, or two, perhaps three, every weekend. But it's dawned on me that equates to nearly 6 hours of 'wasted' time every week. I'm going to pair down not cut it all out - I'm not that insane. We need balance afterall.
The fellow indie authors and aspiring writers on Twitter will keep me inspired and motivated. Just following their #amwriting and #NaNoWriMo feeds on Twitter gives me a little extra push to get on with what I'm doing.

Book Review: The Anonymous Bride

2011-10-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Anonymous Bride by Vickie McDonough

Rating 3.5 of 5

Luke and Rachel have a past - they were in love before Rachel went and married James Hamilton instead. But now, Rachel's husband is dead, her daughter is a little rebel and she's trying to make ends meet by running the town's only inn; and Luke is returning after years away to be the town marshal. Luke wants nothing to do with Rachel, but he's forced to see her daily since her inn job also entails cooking and cleaning for the town marshal.

When Luke's cousin's get it in their heads to find Luke a bride and send money for a train ticket to three mail order brides, thinks begin to get confusing in Lookout. The only place for Luke's brides-to-be is the inn Rachel runs. When the mayor forces a competition between the choices making Luke choose a bride - things begin to get really interesting. Rachel wants her fair chance at Luke's heart but can't get over his disdain. Can she stand by and watch him fall for someone else or does she need to step-up and make her feelings known?

What I Thought:

Oh, another cowboy book - you know I love that.
The plot was ingenious. Three women arriving as a mail order bride for one man and the hilarity that ensues is excellent.
Rachel's tomboy, little rebel of a daughter Jaqueline is an endearing character - one you love from the first moment she arrives. Her role in the whole book is priceless.
This is the first in the series of the Texas Boardinghouse Brides - with two potential brides remaining and Luke's two cousins still single, I can see where this series is going.

Book Review: The Silent Governess

2011-10-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

Rating 4 of 5

One day, Olivia Keene makes a terrible mistake and is forced to flee her hometown in search of work and safety. As she runs away, Olivia stumbles upon a rough crowd in the woods, disrupts a nobleman’s hunt and then accidentally overhears a secret that can ruin Lord Bradley’s life.

To keep his secret, Lord Bradley forces Olivia to work as the governess for his neice and nephew and forbids her to speak – ever. While the rest of the staff believes her mute from an attack in the town’s prison, the future Count keeps a close eye on her to make sure Olivia never reveals what she knows.

But as his watch on her continues, Lord Bradley finds more reasons to spend time with her and talk to her when alone. But when someone starts threatening him with the knowledge of his secret the nobleman has some hard decisions to make about his future, his family and Olivia.

What I Thought:

I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories. Regency England, noblemen, secrets, love affairs. I’m loving it all.
Lord Bradley’s father is a character that I adore.
Olivia’s love for the two children she cares for, and there returned affection for her, is adorable.
The book was a little on the long side, 438, I think it could have been written in a slightly shorter form.
This is technically a Christian book, but it reads more like a classic fictional piece than a conversion story.
I'm looking forward to reading more by Julie Klassen.

New WIP Status

2011-10-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

This summer I started working on my next young adult book. But with so little time, it's been a little difficult to find time to write daily. I'm lucky to get in a little writing time each week. But still, I managed to get a fair amount of writing done. I'm now 41,000 words into the book and completely in love with the characters and the story line. Can't wait to finish this one off and get it into edits. Perhaps I'll take advantage of the month of November to really focus on finishing off the book.

For those of you that have read Aurora Undefined - this new book is going to be a departure from the realistic fiction of my first. This time we're verging on the paranormal in an exotic location. Still, it has a strong female character and a love interest to swoon for.

Aurora Undefined Blog Tour Begins!

2011-06-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today marks the start of the Aurora Undefined blog book tour. I'm so excited about this. I've been grinning all day and my friends are beginning to think I'm strange. Oh well.

The lovely gals behind The Teen Book Scene were sweet enough to arrange the blog tour for me and did they ever out-do themselves. The blogs lined up to host some of my guest posts and review the book are all first-class, stellar, amazing book bloggers. I'm in awe that they were willing to give Aurora Undefined a chance!

Today That's Swell posted the first leg of the tour. I wrote a guest post on what I do when I'm not writing... something that is hard for me to define since it seems like I'm always writing in some context or another.

Check out the rest of the blog tour info here. (And of course I'll be blogging and posting along the way as well.)

Oh AND to mark the start of this blog tour, I'm discounting Aurora Undefined for the month of June to only $0.99!! You can purchase the ebook on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

I'm guest posting at ReaderGirls

2011-06-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

Guess what.... I'm the guest blogger today over at ReaderGirls today!! This is the beginning of a month's worth of great posts, reviews, etc... all dedicated to Aurora Undefined. What am I talking about? Here's the sneak peek:

Kate had been watching the casting news excitement for a certain popular dystopian series and thought it would be interesting to write her guest post about having her own novel, Aurora Undefined, made into a movie. Which actors could she envision in the roles of her characters?

Book Review: Insight

2011-06-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

Insight by Jamie Magee

Rating 3.5 out of 5

Oddly enough, this book was the second book I read this week in which the main character became ill and nearly useless when separated from her loved one. And once the loved one returned he was the only one who had the power to revive her. Not sure what that theme is all about, but Insight certainly did a better job of making it 'work' with the story line.

Willow has a secret gift. She can sense emotions and sometimes she can help change bad emotions to positive ones. Alone she struggles with this strange gift and the dreams that fill her sleeping hours. One set of dreams centers around a mysterious boy she is in love with. The other is more a nightmare focusing on a mysterious boy in a color-less world.

When the nightmare appears in her real life Willow can't feel any emotion emanating from him. It's then that her life changes. Her father reveals truth about her that she never knew and she meets her dream boy, Landen. Together the two of them need to face a battle that has been raging for centuries and that they have some how always been a part of. The question remains... is their love strong enough to face the mysteries that await them?

What I thought:

The explanation of the different worlds that all co-existed was captivating.
I loved that I could visualize the way they travel through the strings.
I loved the family dynamic that existed in Landen's family as well as in Willows. They were full family units full of love, trust and mutual support. That combination is not often seen in YA books today.
The drama at the end wasn't as well developed as I would have liked. It seemed to happen too quickly.
The end leaves it open for another book in the series, which I would definitely be interested in reading if only to see how all the characters continue to interact.

Book Review: Portal

2011-05-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Portal (Portal Chronicles) by Imogen Rose

Rating 3 of 5

This book's premise is intriguing but the book honestly had me utterly confused from the beginning to the end. I read the second book in the series (Equilibrium) in order to see if some of my questions were answered, but was still left questioning. Might need to pick up the third book to get the answers I need.

Arizona Darley wakes up in her mother's car on a rainy night. But when the car stops Arizona doesn't know where she is, nor does she know who the strange man is that comes to carry her little sister into the house. Then she glances in the mirror and doesn't recognize the blonde Barbie that stares back at her. What happened to the brown-haired, rough tomboy that played hockey and took no nonsense? Who was the man her sister referred to as dad? And how did she suddenly have an older brother named Harry? Arizona tries to quietly sort through waking up in a life she doesn't remember. But nothing checks out. She's a cheerleader, not on the hockey team. And why is she embarrassed in front of Kellan, her brother's best friend who seems to look upon her as his sister?

Thoughts:

I love the relationship Arizona has with Harry and Kellan. The way they protect her and are always looking out for her, embodies the way you'd want an older brother to be.
The little sister is hilarious with all her high-handed ways.
The author does a good job of making you feel the confusion you'd feel if you were a tomboy and woke up looking like a Barbie doll.
I like that the main character is not a meek and timid girl letting the boys handle everything while she cowers in the corner. She stands up for herself and is full of character.
As the summary would lead you to believe, I'm only left with a million more questions. It felt like the author was also not completely sure of how everything worked out in the story, which could explain why everything is a little jumbled and a story-line twist is introduced in the epilogue of the first book. Although by the end of the second book things began to make a little more sense.

Book Review: Melody's Knight

2011-05-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

Melody's Knight by Bonnie Blythe

Rating 3 of 5

I admit that I am a sucker for Christian romance novels. I blame my high school friend Evelyn who introduced me to Lori Wick. I read her four-book Kennsington Chronicles series in exactly four days and still re-read them from time to time. So when I stumbled across Melody's Knight on Amazon for $0.99, I figured I'd give the novella a chance. Of course it was predictable like so many of them are. But predictable in a good way.

Melody is one of those girls that only has one real aspiration - to be a wife and mother. She's perfected her home-making skills but hadn't managed to find her better half. One evening as she is walking through the park she witnesses a proposal gone wrong and the engagement ring is flung in her direction. She follows the jilted man to return the ring and is surprised to find that he lives in her apartment building on her floor. After a horrible first impression and an equally bad second impression, Melody is sure the good-looking firefighter, Avery Knight, won't be interested in her at all. But those encounters begin solidifying a friendship between the neighbors. The only problem is that friendship is exactly where they remain, until a run-in with the almost fiance and a near accident causes Avery to rethink his life and his priorities.

Thoughts:

Melody is like so many of my friends who only want to be wives and mothers, so for me she was totally believable. However, I'm not a big fan of those women.
The best friend character has a strong British accent and uses colloquial phrases making it nearly impossible to understand her when she speaks.
Love the name Avery Knight and his character's career as a firefighter fits very perfectly with who he is.
I like the role Avery's dog plays in the whole romance. Count on the animals to sense a connection before the people do.

Book Review: So Over You

2011-05-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

So Over You by Gwen Hayes

Rating: 4 of 5

Let me just start by saying... as a journalist who ran her high school newspaper I loved the whole premise of this book!

Layney Logan and her arch-enemy Jimmy Foster are co-editors of their high school students newspaper. But the newspaper is feeling the squeeze of the dying industry. With its funding being cut and the inability to publish a print copy the staff is forced to move the paper online and come up with their own fund-raising scheme. The solution... a 12-month calendar featuring a guy from all the clubs in the school. The only catch... Layney, who has sworn off high school boys, has to go out on a date with each calendar boy. While she navigates the dating scene and clashes heads with Foster at every turn, secrets are laid bare and revelations become public. Will Layney survived unscathed or will she lose her head and her heart in the process?

What I loved:

It was an easy breezy read - the kind of book you'd want to take to the beach with you. Yet it still touched on some pretty heavy topics.
The premise was great. It hooked me from the first couple pages.
While I predicted the end and the big revelation, the journey to get there was entertaining all the way through.
I completely related to the high school journalism theme - the desire to put out an excellent paper full of journalistic integrity.
Loved each of the 12 guys she had to date. They each were so perfectly different that I looked forward to each one.

Sidenote: I also downloaded Hayes' Butterface - but was less impressed with this short story. The whole thing seemed less developed, edited and thought-through.

Been There, Read That: May Book Club

2011-04-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a wonderful follower at my other blog, I decided to launch an online book club. We will see how it all goes... but I think this could be something that becomes a monthly thing. One new book a month. Since I'm an indie ebook author I am going to try to keep it to either an indie author or an ebook.

The book of the month will be announced here on the blog. My general thoughts and posts on the book will also be posted here, so feel free to leave comments sharing your opinions on the book. But the real discussion will take place in a google group dedicated to the book discussion.

Never joined a google group before? It's super easy - I swear. Just submit your email address, wait to be approved by me and you are in. You can opt to receive an email every time someone writes on the discussion boards, or a daily digest, a weekly digest, or none at all. It's all up to you. Obviously this book club will only work if we all are active participants in the discussions. There may be some months that you don't feel like reading the book and participating - no big deal. You can opt in and out as you have the time and energy to participate.

I can't wait to get started! Join Been There, Read That.

For this first book (I'm tempted to pick my own - LOL I won't)... let's read Camille by Tess Oliver.

Excerpt: Heathcliff

2011-04-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

When I first started writing short stories about friends and relatives I focused almost entirely on Victorian England pieces. I researched the era, taking books out of the library on manners and customs of the times. It became an obsession and I had notebooks filled with definitions and notes on cultural norms. Now, I've moved more into contemporary stories, but every now and again I enjoy writing a short in the time of Jane Austen novels. Here's one that I've had sitting in my email drafts for several years.

Heathcliff helped Elizabeth step into the carriage before following close behind her. Uncharacteristic of her perfect manners in all situations, she did not even nod a thank you. He could ring her neck, Heathcliff thought taking the seat next to her and tapping on the roof of the carriage to signal the driver to begin.

“You needn’t take that attitude with me,” he commented, looking over her silhouetted form as she stared out the window completely ignoring his presence. “You family was worried sick about you. It took all your mother’s and my pleading to not have Maxwell out here looking for you in his condition.”

Elizabeth felt a pain deep in her heart at that comment. Maxwell’s health had been the one thing that worried her when she had connived the plan to sneak away to her country cousins for more excitement. He’d been fairing poorly ever since plunging into the freezing river to save a drowning little girl. The girl had bounced back in no time, but Maxwell had been fighting off colds and pneumonia for months now, his immunity weakened. Still the way Heathcliff had barged into her cousin’s home and dragged her to the waiting carriage was almost barbaric. And barbarians did not deserve respect, even if they did look decidedly handsome today after riding hard to find her.

“He was mounting a horse before I convinced him I would go instead. And thank God I’ve found you so soon. Two more days and he would have been on that horse clinging to the main for dear life looking for your ungrateful being.”

“Thank you you’ve made your point,” Elizabeth said without bothering to turn away from the window.

If truth be told, Heathcliff had found himself almost more concerned about her well-being than the brother. He had received a note from Maxwell while at his club – a place where most people knew not to disturb him unless it was an emergency. Having read the note heavily annoyed, Heathcliff was bounding out of his chair, cigar flying to the floor, brandy glass toppling off the table and onto the carpeted floor, with just the first lines… Elizabeth has gone missing…

The ride to Maxwell’s city flat had never been so long, as that afternoon. He’d had his horse unharnessed from the carriage that usually took him about, mounted it bareback and rushed to Maxwell with thoughts of the blonde beauty spurring him through the city like a maniac.

Thirty minutes later he had remounted, this time with a saddle, and set-out in the search for Elizabeth . The country cousins had been his only guess and he was thankful to learn from the butler as he arrived on the doorstep that “Miss Elizabeth is taking her tea alone in the parlor.” The relief lasted only until he saw her beautiful face, then he was overcome with anger at all she had done to her family – to him – as she just sat there sipping lemon tea looking as divine as usual.

Even now in all his anger he was attracted to her, even that stubborn chin that was jutting out was cute.

The silence loomed between them. The scenery changed from countryside to thick forestry. The sky began to pour down around them, mirroring the anger boiling in both hearts.

“Why,” Heathcliff asked, his tone icy, the word demanding.

“I’m just so sick of London ,” Elizabeth sighed.

“I don’t believe you.”

She blinked away the tears that were beginning to gather at the horribleness of the entire situation. Heathcliff of course picked up on her lie, of course knew her well enough to see there was another reason, too bad he was just too blind to see the real reason.

Elizabeth had loved him for years. She’d watched her brother with envy when they were little because Heathcliff would come over to play and later study with Maxwell. Girls were never a consideration in those days. Then they grew up and women became a topic they often spoke of and in front of her. From the first time she heard Heathcliff say he would never marry unless the woman had both beauty, intelligence and impeccable manners, Elizabeth had dedicated to filling those qualifications.

As the years went on, the boys began to become interested in Elizabeth and she soon became known as one of the toasts of London society. Heathcliff had been her first dance party at the first ball she attended and after that Elizabeth knew she’d never marry unless it was Heathcliff.

Two seasons had passed, the third quickly approaching and Elizabeth knew she could not put herself through that torture again. Dance after dance, party after party Maxwell, Heathcliff and Elizabeth attended together but despite that Heathcliff never made a single comment about her carefully sculpted manners and poise. A girl could only take so much rejection. And now with Maxwell sick, the duty to escort her to the parties and chaperon her would fall on Heathcliff.

“You’ve never been dishonest with me in the past. Is this a new page in the independence of Miss Elizabeth?”

“No, but your lordship I am not obliged to tell you everything. Should my brother demand to know what this trip was about I shall sincerely tell him.”

“We are practically related,” Heathcliff spit out annoyed that she would call him lordship and treat him with a disdain that was completely abnormal to their usual relationship.

“And yet, Lord Sterling, we are not,” Elizabeth replied very quietly.

Annoyed, Heathcliff tapped on the roof signaling the driver to move faster. The quicker they were back in London the quicker this whole situation would be behind them The carriage picked up speed, with the contents beginning to sway back and forth due to the mixture of rain and rough terrain.

“Do we have to go so quickly,” Elizabeth asked after she had righted herself from a particularly violent turn that had knocked her almost entirely off the bench. Heathcliff had begun to help her from falling then pulled back to teach her a lesson – although the action only managed to shame him for acting so ungentlemanly.

“Yes,” he snapped. “Because the quicker I get you home the quicker I can back to the club.”

“I hope you never step foot in that club again,” Elizabeth said, grasping the underside of the bench to steady herself and clenching her teeth to stop them from chattering.

“I’ll certainly never leave it again for you, no matter what kind of emergency it is, you can count on that. And I aim to tell that brother of yours the same.”

The carriage seemed to pick up speed with each word spoken in anger.

“Well, your lordship, I’d like to remind you that I did not beckon you – would never dream of doing such a thing. In fact I don’t even care if I never see you again.”

“Seems inevitable as you live in the same residence as your brother.”

“As soon as I am home, I aim to ask my brother to return to our cousins. London is no longer a place I can be happy. It is a place I no longer desire to be.”

“He’ll tell you know.”
“I can be pretty convincing if I want to.”

“And Maxwell still takes my advice over yours. You’ll petition him, I’ll advise him otherwise and you’ll be stuck in London until you are old and gray.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Elizabeth snapped back glaring at him with all the lover-like hate she felt for him.

“Try me,” Heathcliff retorted and resisted the inexplicable urge to pull her into his arms right there. He was angry with her, had never been more upset and yet he still wanted her.

“I hate you,” Elizabeth whispered turning back to the window, leaning her elbow on the door and trying her best to calm the boiling anger and ignore the man next to her.

Three simple words were able to fell Heathcliff right where he sat. He leaned further back into the corner of the carriage and tried to tell himself it didn’t matter what she said, that she didn’t mean it, but a voice whispered the phrase over and over inside his head.

The gentleman in him said to apologize but his pride was stronger at the moment and he ignored the urge, glancing over at Elizabeth from time to time to see her biting her lower lip a sure sign she was trying not to cry. Well good he had made her think, he had hurt her, hopefully as much as she had him. And yet it didn’t feel good to see her fighting tears because of him.

The carriage shifted abruptly again and they rocked back and forth brushing shoulders in silence.

“Elizabeth, I…” was all Heathcliff got out before the carriage rocked one more treacherous time around a curve and then rolled out of control down an embankment into the woods below. The sound of the groomsman jumping ship, the horse crying as they rolled with the carriage and the awful sound of Elizabeth crying out was all Heathcliff heard before the world went dark around him.

He came to again laying on the floor of the carriage that was now lopsided. His first thought was to Elizabeth , his love. She was no where to be seen. Fighting the dizziness that tried to overtake him, Heathcliff stepped out of the carriage looking around frantically for Elizabeth . The two horses lay mangled still attached to the carriage reins. One was barely breathing, the other already dead. And Elizabeth was no where to be seen.

The rain was pouring down on him and Heathcliff couldn’t help the sob that escaped him lips. If she was gone he’d not be able to go on living. Maxwell would surely call him out if his own grief didn’t kill him before that time. He circled the entire carriage, wiping rain and tears from his face, praying she was caught under a mangled wheel or under the horses’ dead weight.

Glancing up the hill they had just careened down, Heathcliff could barely make out a small white form laying perfectly still on the incline. He ran in that direction, throwing himself down next to her, tears coming as heavily now as the rain.

“ Elizabeth , love, talk to me. Open your beautiful eyes and look at me. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” he mumbled as his hands ran over her to make sure hadn’t broken a bone or was bleeding. He couldn’t even see a bump, but her eyes were still closed, her breathing shallow. The rain was plastering her hair to her face, Heathcliff reached out to sweep it away from her face.

“Please Elizabeth , please,” he implored placing his face along side hers, the grass receiving his tears. “I take it all back, every hateful thing I said. I love you, I do.”

Pulling himself up to a sitting position, Heathcliff tried to think. He pulled Elizabeth into his arms and while still saying endearing things to her, carried her all the way down the hill and toward the carriage. Even if it didn’t work and was lopsided after all but one wheel had fallen off, it would still offer shelter. His valet came up them, scratches on his face from jumping off the carriage before it rolled, but no worse. Heathcliff sent him off to find help as he made the slow descent with Elizabeth in his arms.

“I hurt all over,” Elizabeth whispered as she tried to orient herself to where she was and what was going on.

Heathcliff, wanted to hold her closer to him, and tell her then all the glorious things his heart was singing at the sound of her voice, but he refrained, offering only, “I know, my dove, it’s going to hurt for a while.”

“You’ll take care of me though,” Elizabeth said putting her arms around his neck and laying her head on his chest as they continued the descent.

“Always.”

Maneuvering through the small opening of the carriage with Elizabeth in his arms was difficult but he managed and minutes later they were at least sheltered from the elements.

“I’m so cold,” Elizabeth said hugging herself as her eyes slid shut.

“You’ve got to stay awake for me,” Heathcliff urged. He was seated on the floor of the carriage, she was propped upright stretched out on the bench.

“But I’m so cold. Can I have the shall in my case? There might be a blanket in there too. I can’t remember now.”

Heathcliff retrieved the shall and a blanket from one of the cases that had fallen near the carriage in the tumble. He wrapped Elizabeth in it, taking her hand under the blanket and holding on as if she was the one keeping him alive instead of the other way around.

Warming up, Elizabeth ’s eyes began to close again. Her head pounded and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and try to forget the pain.

“Open those eyes. Come on,” he urged.

“But my head hurts.”

“I know. But if you close your eyes I’m likely to lose you again.”

“Well then talk to me, tell me nice things to keep me awake, and please don’t lecture anymore, I’m too shaken to listen to that now.”

“I shan’t lecture you anymore, ever if you want.”

Elizabeth smiled, knowing that would not be the case.

“You must not lie either,” she told him trying hard to stay awake for him.

“Ok, I’ll tell you what is going to happen when we are rescued from this mess, shall I?” Heathcliff saw her nod and he smiled back. “After we are rescued, which should happen at any moment, we will return directly to London . You will see a doctor and I will no doubt receive a solid beating up from your brother for being so careless with one so precious. He’ll want to call me out to revenge what I put you through, but you’ll kindly stop him from throwing down the gauntlet as you couldn’t watch your brother face your future husband in a duel.”

“Well that is bold,” Elizabeth said, but smiled in spite of herself. Heathcliff signaled for her to be quiet and he continued.

“Once you’ve fully recovered from this harrowing ordeal, which I hope will not take long as I am not likely to see you much during that process, the season will begin and you will enjoy your very last London season as a jewel of London . Because soon after the season ends, you’ll make me the happiest man in the world when we wed.”

Elizabeth raised her eyebrow as if to question the assumption, but Heathcliff ignored it and continued, “Our wedding will be the talk of all of London and anyone who is anyone will be there. Then after that we’ll go away for a month or more, see all the places you’ve wanted to see. And if you want we can live at my country house, if you truly are tired with London society, or in my city flat. And I’ll never step in my club again as I won’t have time to spend there as all my time will be spent with my wife.”

“And you think my brother will approve of your suit?”

“I had hoped he would. I’ve not asked him about it as of yet, but I’m sure he can’t be blind to my affections.”

Elizabeth smiled through the overwhelming pain she was experiencing. The carriage spun all around her, and Heathcliff's face came in and out of focus as she tried to focus on what he was saying. The words were beautiful even if their full meaning was not being understood.

"Please," Elizabeth whispered, and Heathcliff realized that she was not talking about their future goals. She was imploring him for something totally different.

"What is it my love," he implored half standing in the carriage to look her in the face better.

"It just hurts so much, I just hurt," she whispered turning her head away from him ashamed to be so weak even as he had a cut on his forehead and blue lips from the wet-cold he was ignoring for her sake.

"What can I do for you?"

"Nothing."

"Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere."

"Shall I hold you? Will that hurt," and without waiting for her approval, because he knew her pride would never allow her to say yes even if that would help the situation. So he held her in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, his left arm around her back, his right one laying over her own in her lap. Every now and again he would lower his head to kiss her forehead and Elizabeth allowed herself to be cared for in this manner as she had never been the recipient of this kind of affection before and when you are feeling poorly it is so much nicer to be cared for and easier to give in than when one is well and at their best.

Over an hour later that's how they were found by the groomsman and the help he had found in a passing carriage further up the road. It was slightly scandalous and Elizabeth realized that when both men were peering into the carriage asking if they were ok. She tried to move out of Heathcliff's embrace but found it impossible to do so since when she moved even slightly her head began to spin again.

Heathcliff helped her into the waiting carriage and sat her very close to himself his hand around her shoulder allowing her to continue to rest on his shoulder. Thankfully the gentleman who picked them up had enough tact not to say anything, even as he dropped them off at Maxwell's city house and Heathcliff carried the young woman to the front door.

"Look we are home, my love. In ten minutes you will be in your room, tucked warmly under the covers and with a doctor and a nurse looking after your every need," Heathcliff whispered as he managed to turn the front door handle with her still in his arms, kick the door open and enter the house in such a brash way he sent two maids running in the opposite direction and the butler hurrying to relieve him of his burden. But Heathcliff would have none of it and ignoring the expected propriety he carried her all the way to her room and deposited her in a chair by the cold fireplace before yelling for her maid and the servant to light a large fire.

"You're going to be fine now," Heathcliff said as he squatted by her chair and waited for the maid to come.

"Thank you," was all Elizabeth could whisper as the headache had become almost unbearable.

Heathcliff had received the sound verbal beating he was expecting from Maxwell as soon as he heard the story and despite his vows of caring for Elizabeth more than life itself, Maxwell was visibly upset. he was tempted to turn away his best friend from his household for ever. But the way Heathcliff looked when the doctor came in to report on Elizabeth's precarious condition confirmed that at least the duke was truly concerned for her well being.

Returning to his own London home that night, Heathcliff could barely sit still. The pain was beginning to come more clearly to mind now that Elizabeth was out of the initial danger, but he still couldn't sit still. The doctor who came to attend to his wounds and do an examination in case of anything gave him a pill to help him relax and despite not feeling it fair, Heathcliff was soon dozing by the fire in his room.

Thoughts of Elizabeth had him flying to her house early the next morning. But waiting around there all morning, only served to further agitate him, as Elizabeth had yet to awake after having a very fitful night from the pain she was in. The doctor had discovered a couple broken ribs beyond the bruises that covered her body from head to toe. All of which was going to make it painful to do anything for weeks to come.

When she finally did awake, a maid was sent to inform Heathcliff. he requested to see her and received a prompt no through the servants. Of course as Elizabeth reminded him via the maid it was completely improper for him to be in her room and as she could not leave her room yet he would have to wait.

He returned the next day to receive basically the same answer. In truth Elizabeth was avoiding him as well as possible. She had dreamed in her fitful state that he had declared himself to her and she didn't know if she would be able to see him and act normally with thoughts of his beautiful words running through her brain every couple minutes. Instead she locked herself up in her room to recuperate and only ventured out to see her brother in his sitting room for tea.

Three days, four days, then five passed and Heathcliff was in an agitated state. No one would tell him how Elizabeth was fairing, no one would share any information other than Elizabeth's polite refusal to see him. Even Maxwell was tight-lipped about the affair - unsure still if he should be mad at Heathcliff for the pain Elizabeth was still in and unsure too if he even liked the idea that his best friend was interested romantically in his sister.

"I've got to see her," Heathcliff told Maxwell, caging the library like a caged lion, a week after the event. "Please Max. Tell her to see me."

"I'm not in the habit of forcing my sister's mind. She has a good head on her shoulders and not once, well besides this little running away stunt, has she disappointed me with the decision she has made."

"But, but, I'm dying here. I just need to see her, convince myself she is ok, alive, breathing, and hopefully hurting less than the day of the accident."

"She is improving," Maxwell told him, barely looking up from his book.

"I'll go crazy if I can't see her soon," Heathcliff confided. "You laugh at me friend but I am in earnest here. She's become my life lately. I don't think I have gone a whole week without laying eyes on her since we were 10 and she had the chicken pox."

"What about that time she went to Paris for part of April," Maxwell asked as if thinking he had struck on a genius idea.

"I went to Paris on business in the middle of her stay away and spent three days escorting her to parties."

Max looked up from his book in silence taking in his childhood friend. It dawned on him that Heathcliff must have loved Elizabeth for years. It was true he was always around, even when Max was out on business he would come home to find Heathcliff and Elizabeth in the parlor taking tea.

"How long has this been going on?"

Heathcliff dropped into a chair shrugging his shoulders in the fall. "i didn't recognize it officially until last year at the beginning of the season, but I think I knew when we first started attending parties because Elizabeth couldn't come along and they were all boring to me."

Max laughed. "I'll see if I can get her to come down tomorrow."

Heathcliff arrived the next day in the middle of the morning, when he knew Elizabeth usually took her tea. Max was out on business and the butler informed Heathcliff that Elizabeth was in the sun room although she was no taking visitors. Ignoring the comment, Heathcliff marched straight to the room, paused a second to gather his thoughts and stepped in quietly.

Elizabeth was sitting near the window, looking paler and thinner but healthy and he found himself smiling just at the sight of her. He cleared his throat and watched as Elizabeth turned around looking shocked at first.

Ever polite she quickly righted the surprised look and smiled weakly.

"Lord Sterling, I was unaware you were there. In truth I'm still not up for visitors."

"You don't need to entertain me," he told her simply. "May I sit here?" Heathcliff motioned to the other end of the bench in which Elizabeth was seated and waited only for her slight nod before sitting near her.

"Shall I ring for hot tea for you," she asked, reaching for the bell.

"No thank you. I've already taken mine."

"OK," she whispered, feeling very flustered and embarrassed in front of him.

"Oh, Elizabeth I'm so sorry about the accident and all the pain I've caused you."

"It's my fault. I made my company unbearable."

"Your presence could never really be unbearable to me."

"You needn't flatter," Elizabeth told him, looking out the window to the garden below.

"That's not flattery, that's the truth, and I plan to flatter you every day from now on."

Elizabeth was momentarily caught off guard, maybe she hadn't dreamed his declarations, maybe they had been real. But then she remembered his guilt for the accident and smiled sadly at him.

"i don't blame you for the carriage running off the road. You needn't try to make up for it."

"I blame myself."

"You mustn't."

"I'll blame myself till the day I die. I put the one person in the world I value most in peril - and that is inexcusable."

Elizabeth looked in his face to access the meaning behind his words. Heathclif smiled back taking her hands in his.

"Did you think I would take back the things I told you as we waited to be rescued?"

"I thought I dreamed it."

"Hopefully you dreamed of me afterwards, but that dreadful event and the declaration I made afterwards was no dream. You are the most precious thing in the world to me and I want the freedom to tell you that for the rest of my days." Heathcliff leaned forward and kissed her forehead as he had several times in the carriage.

First book blogger review of Aurora Undefined

2011-04-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an epic day for me. It was Marathon Monday here in Boston, which is practically a city-wide holiday. And since I am such a running fan it was amazing to stand near the finish line and watch the elite runners cross with every last ounce of strength and gusto they had in them. Beautiful.

And if watching these athletes and being inspired by them to step-up my marathon training wasn't enough, I also got some amazing book news! Aurora Undefined was reviewed by Tiger of All-Consuming Books and she gave the book a B+!!! I can barely contain my excitement about this fact! This is the first of hopefully a dozen more reviews over the next couple months, but it is the first, so it will be a favorite of mine.

I'm so grateful to Tiger for giving the book a chance, especially since I am an indie author and not many book bloggers are willing to read books published independently and only available as an ebook.

My favorite part of her review: 'Speaking of Hudson, he's amazing. He's not needy and he's got his own consuming hobby, slaving away for the basketball team, but he's also there every time Aurora needs a helping hand. ... Hudson's awesome enough to be one of my favorite male YA characters this year.'

Book Review: Breathless (The Cordelia Chronicles)

2011-04-14T04:40:00.000-07:00

Breathless (The Cordelia Chronicles) by Heather C. Hudak

Rating: 2 of 5

I am a fan of Twilight - not a die hard crazy fan, but I think the plot is interesting and it certainly captures your attention. As a result, I tend to read Twilight-style books often - you know the ones with modern Vampires who fall in love with adorable humans. My only problem with this genre is the fact that so many of the books read more like fan fiction than an original idea.

Breathless (The Cordelia Chronicles) is one such fan fiction book. It rehashes the story of the adorable, totally amazing-looking vampire boy who falls for the completely normal, sometimes grungy looking human girl. The connection between them is immediate and life altering. Cordelia, Lia to friends and family, falls for Chaseyn the very first moment their eyes meet. But Chaseyn isn't just an ordinary boy, and he isn't just an ordinary vampire. He's fallen in love with her but also has to protect her from a multi-generation vendetta that includes other vampires wishing her dead or turned vamp. (Sound familiar?) Well, there is of course the good looking, normal boy, Eli, who Cordelia finds attractive even though she wants to be faithful to Chaseyn. And of course he's ready to put up a fight for her, even though they barely know each other. It ends with a cliffhanger and apparent distance between Chaseyn and Cordelia, (sounds like the beginning of New Moon, right?!)

Thoughts:

I love the name Chaseyn - I have a thing for funky guy names and this surprisingly works so well for this character I couldn't imagine him with another name.
The eccentric grandmother character is refreshing in a funky sort of way. I can see her playing a larger and larger role as the series continues.
Cordelia and Chaseyn don't have much dialogue between each other. Their relationship just happens.
The book could have used some scene edits, I think there were some superfluous parts that could have been cut to create a more compact read.
It is on sale on Amazon for $0.99 - so for the dollar it is a fun fluffy read to kick back with.

Excerpt: Shooting for Pride

2011-04-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

Again... another short piece that I submitted for a creative writing class I attended. I liked writing this piece and was surprised to find most of the students who peer reviewed it found it interesting too. The professor suggested I use the main character and turn it into a book or novella - I just never got around to it... yet.

I jumped out of the red truck immediately feeling the frigid November air envelop my body. Dad had gotten out from behind the driver’s seat and was stretching. We’d been up since 3:30 and in the car over an hour so Dad needed to work out the kinks. He touched his toes a few times, twisted his torso, reached for the sky then clapped his hands together ready to go.

Across the truck bed he grinned at me before we both began to wrestle into layers of clothing. After 15 such expeditions I had the outfitting down to a science. Each layer should add extra material for added warmth. With 5 layers on my legs and 7 on top it was hard to walk and nearly impossible to go to the bathroom, but without the layers I would be frozen within a couple hours.

“Sam catch,” Dad called my nickname then threw me a package of pocket warmers. I ripped open the package and began rolling the small bags around in my hands. When heat was emanating from each pack, I stuffed packets between my second and third layer of socks on each foot and two more into my gloves. A Jeep pulled up next to our truck and I quickly shoved my orange stocking cap on my head, furiously tucking in the blond strands. A girl at the Kankakee State Park this time of the year was unheard of and I did everything I could to hide that fact.

“Morning,” Dad called as two men got out of the vehicle. They both called a greeting and began the dressing ritual. Dad was the kind of guy who loved the silent camaraderie of the sport. He got something out of knowing dozens of guys were out in the field, perched in trees or hiding in the brush, waiting for their moment of glory – the kill.

Dad pulled out his bow case and unlocked it. Following his lead I opened my case and began attaching the broadheads to my arrows then carefully placing them in the quiver. I held one of the four sharp edges between my right pointer and thumb carefully screwing the tip into the arrow in my other hand. A year ago when I attached the broadheads for the first time, I had little cuts all over my fingers from the razor edges.

By now two more cars had pulled up and about 10 men were gearing up. Dad and I needed to hurry if we were going to get into position ahead of the others and ahead of the sun. I strapped a treestand on my back then slung my bow over a shoulder for our trek through the woods. With a wave of his hand and a simple “ready” we were off. Dad wasn’t much of a talker; in fact sometimes I’m sure he didn’t know what to say to me as his oldest daughter. That’s why we went hunting. It was something for us to do together and it didn’t take much conversation. In fact the quieter you are, the more likely you’ll see a deer.

I kept my eyes glued to the forest floor, careful to step around every twig and branch. The first time dad took me out I stepped on every branch in the path as I pranced behind him. But one wrong step sent my foot through a rotting chunk, and noise reverberating through the quiet forest. Dad had turned around sending me a warning look then showed me how to walk around twigs. It took extra concentration to avoid the branches because Dad was a tall guy, over six feet, and while I was tall for my 13 years, I took two steps for his every one.

Coming to a clearing Dad pointed out a tree as we walked past. The bark had been rubbed off. A smile burst across my face. We were headed in the right direction. The spot meant some local buck had rubbed the velvet off his antlers. It was one of the signs we looked for when deciding where to hunt. We’d been seeing deer tracks since we got into the heart of the forest. I could easily discern the trademark two ‘toe’ print on the forest floor.

The far left corner of the clearing was my favorite position. There was an oak perfect for a treestand and positioned between a stream at the bottom of a small hill and the farm field turned clearing. I motioned to Dad that I was headed for the corner and he nodded then pointed to the right corner. He would setup there. In the beginning he used to take the tree next to mine, but I gradually convinced him I was capable of going it on my own.

After locating my favorite spot, I wrapped the treesteps, one at a time, around the oak adjusting the cords to make them tight and placing them sporadically up the trunk. Balancing my weight on the top two treesteps and leaning my body against the trunk, for stability, I positioned my treestand at an angle between creek and clearing. Once I tested the stand to make sure it wouldn’t tumble out of the oak, I hunkered down for the morning.

As the sun began to break over the forest, the woods came alive. Birds began to sing a hundred different melodies. Squirrels began jumping from tree branch to tree branch. This time, early in the morning as the world began to awake around me, was always my favorite. With each extra minute of sunlight, another creature began to stir adding to the atmosphere of magic and mystery.

For hunters this was often the most exciting part of the day. Dad was no different. It gave him a chance to experience a world so utterly different from home. With six children and a puppy, the house was never quiet, never subdued. This was Dad’s opportunity to watch the world come alive, instead of waking to shouting matches over the morning cartoon choice.

The first hour is always the easiest to get through because of the anticipation of the hunt ahead. After four hours in the tree, though, I was bored, my feet were numb, and my butt hurt. All I wanted to do was stretch my legs, shift positions. But hunters didn’t move and my dad never moved. Although he’d never know, I still felt compelled to stay put.

That’s how I got into this sport in the first place. Dad loved to hunt and wanted to share that love with his sons. But I was born first, a girl, so he decided he’d teach me about hunting. His enthusiasm was contagious so three years ago I felt compelled to first pick up a bow and aim at the cardboard target in out backyard. Two summers ago I took the Hunter’s Safety Course to get my hunting license. Dad walked me through the whole process, treating me like an older son, never allowing gender to hinder my progress. “Grow up be a man,” became his mantra for me, and I worked to live up to it in everything I did, especially in bow hunting.

It didn’t take long for hunting to become a mark of pride for me. I got the highest score on the final test for the safety course and dad took me out for ice-cream to celebrate. When I told some of the kids at school I was going hunting the girls complained I was a Bambi killer, I took that as a compliment. Bambi was dumb. I became a better shot than most of my older male cousins. A fact that drove them crazy, made me giddy, and caused my dad’s chest to swell with pride. But I was still waiting for the ultimate Dad approval – the day I bagged my first buck. Until that day, he’ll still be expecting something I’d yet to deliver.

I scrunched my toes within the snug boots trying to get the pocket warmers to reactivate. I was freezing and running out of things to occupy my mind. I’d run over the lyrics of every song I could think of. I’d mentally written the first two paragraphs of my book report on Huckleberry Finn. I’d even begun to make tentative plans for Christmas vacation, almost two months away.

From the creek I heard subtle movement in the leaves. Rabbits and squirrels had been tricking me all morning as they scurried along the forest floor, but I slowly turned my head to examine the area anyway. I almost jumped at the sight of antlers. The buck was hidden almost completely behind an evergreen but the antlers and part of the head were visible even from my vantage point. Shaking with excitement I slowly slipped my gloves off then soundlessly pulled an arrow from my quiver and positioned in on the string of the bow. My left hand on the frame, my right on the string, I watched and waited.

The buck slowly made his way out from behind the evergreen. He would take a few steps then drink from the creek and look around. Just a few more steps, just a few more steps, I kept thinking. I tried to slow my breathing – if I was shaking, I’d never hit on target. The deer moved forward a little more. Just a couple more steps. I counted the rack as I waited for the deer to move into position – an 18-point buck! He moved again, coming almost completely into sight. I raised my bow. He took another step. I pulled back the string, leveled it with the corner of my right eye, took aim and released the arrow. The pluck of the arrow leaving the bow sounded almost simultaneously with the thwack of the arrow hitting target. I was dead on!

The buck gave a low moan and started to stagger away, his head bobbing up and down trying to dislodge the arrow. Blood was pouring down the front shoulder where the arrow had penetrated. I had hit in exactly the perfect spot to fell a deer with one shot. My left hand was gripping the bow frame so hard my knuckles were completely white. An 18-point buck – that had to be some kind of record on the first day of the season! He stumbled across the creek and partly up the hill before dropping with a solid thud. I wanted to jump out of the tree and run to my kill, but instead I sat watching. It was always better to error on the side of safety and wait a little. After a couple minutes I climbed out of the tree as noiselessly as possible then reloaded my bow. If the buck wasn’t dead I’d need another shot.

Walking to where the buck lay motionless I could feel myself shaking. I’d finally done it! After two years of target practice in my backyard and at the state park’s archery range; after the previous season without a single decent shot, I had taken down an 18-point buck, on the first day of the season, with one shot! Heedless of the puddle of blood beginning to swell around the deer’s body, I immediately tagged him with my information around an antler.

The next step was to gut my kill. Last year Dad had gotten two deer and we field dressed both, together. I wanted to do this one on my own. Pulling out the knife, from a pocket on my pants, I began the gutting process. First I pulled my arrow out by placing both hands on the arrow and my foot next to it on the deer. Then I rolled the deer onto it’s back, pushing the legs as far apart as possible. It was difficult to penetrate the deer’s fur covered skin especially with my hands shaking with a mixture of fear and excitement but I refused to let that hold me back. With a clear incision up the torso, I pulled the two sides apart and plunged my hands into the warm and bloody innards. One by one I pulled out the organs piling them up next to the deer. After removing everything, leaving the rib cage completely exposed, I washed the knife and my hands in the creek.

I tried to drag the carcass back down the hill by the hind legs but it was too heavy. Giving in, I finally went to get Dad. I was grinning like mad; he was going to be so proud. Dad was dozing in his treestand but opened his eyes wide as I approached furiously waving. By the time I reached his tree he was on the ground.

“What happened, Sam,” he asked looking scared. I’d seen the same look last year when I fell off my treestand – instant panic.

“I got one, Dad! I got one!” Dad slapped me on the back. He was smiling too, the smile he reserved for the only really amazing occasions when he was proud of one of his kids. He had the same look on his face when Joe learned to ride a bike, and Marie won the school’s science fair.

“You gotta help me drag it out – it’s HUGE!”

“Let’s go take a look.”

I lead the way back to the deer, trying not to run out of excitement. When Dad saw the deer he went from happy to ecstatic.

“Sam, you shot an 18-pointer! My biggest, ever, was only a 12-pointer.”

“I know,” I replied grinning at him as we both stood staring at my accomplishment. The head of his 12-point buck sat above our fireplace back home.

“Amazing! He’s huge. An 18-pointer. I just can’t believe it!”

“With one shot,” I added to top it off.

“I’m proud of you, Sam. Really proud.” He slapped me on the back again. “Let’s get your deer and our gear back to the truck. I think we can call it a day.”

I ran to take down my treestand and steps. Dad took both stands and bows back to the truck while I sat next to my deer. I’d done it! I wanted to scream so the whole forest knew, but the other hunters wouldn’t appreciate that. When Dad got back he still had that proud look on his face. Together we dragged the carcass to the truck and loaded it onto the bed. My dad wanted a picture; he carried a disposable camera in the truck for just such an occasion. I jumped into the truck and held the head up, an antler in each hand with a huge smile on my face.

Some of the others were coming in for an early lunch. It was about the time most hunters came in to warm up and chow down.

“How’s it going,” Dad asked one hunter who was walking up with his teenage son.

“Quiet this morning.”

“You’d think there would be a lot of action, it being the first day of the season,” another commented.

“Didn’t see a dang thing,” someone muttered.

“How ‘bout you,” one guy asked Dad. I’m sure they could tell he was overly excited about something. Dad didn’t have a chance to answer as the hunter and his son came around our truck.

“Holy shit,” the boy said in disbelief as he looked at the deer. The other hunters began to gather around.

“That’s some luck,” his father said. “You must be pretty good with a bow and arrow.”

“It’s not mine,” Dad said still beaming and looking at me.

“You shot that,” the boy asked. Every gaze turned on me and suddenly I felt my face go red with embarrassment.

“Yeah,” was all I could manage.

“You’ve got one sharp shootin’ son,” someone commented. My dad laughed.

“Sam’s as sharp as they come,” he responded subtly motioning for me to take off my hat.

Smiling I pulled my hat off to expose a ponytail of blond hair.

“Holy shit,” the boy said again. “It’s a girl.”

This was my favorite part. After playing the boy all morning, I could show all the guys that I was really a girl. The reactions were priceless on any expedition but this time the triumph was so much sweeter because I had bettered every one of the hunters crowding around. I shot an 18-point buck with one arrow, on the first day of the season, as a 13-year-old girl!

That winter I was the feature piece in Outdoor Illinois. Dad was interviewed for the article and he had this to say, “I can’t remember a time I was more proud of Sam than I was on that day. She proved herself to be one sharp-shooting girl.”

Book Review: Camille

2011-04-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Camille by Tess Oliver

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Besides the Twilight series, this is the first book I've ever read about werewolves. I wasn't sure what to expect from it but was pleasantly surprised. It certainly worked spark my interest in werewolves and that niche in the fantasy genre. Not sure I could ever write a book on werewolves, but they certainly are interesting creatures.

The book follows Camille. After loosing her mother at a very young age and her father during her adolescence, Camille lives with her father's best friend, a Dr. Bennett. But Camille is not your typical orphan. She and Dr. Bennett hunt down werewolves and kill them before the beasts have a chance to harm people. Part of the doctor's fascination in the animals is to find a cure to the disease. The story begins with a young boy being bitten in the leg by a werewolf. Dr. Bennett sees that as his opportunity to study closely the transition process. What he didn't calculate was the attachment that would form between Strider, the boy about to be a werewolf, and Camille. The connection leads to a race against time and fate to find a cure.

Thoughts:

I loved the ending of this book. It wasn't exactly what I expected, although I had an inkling of what would happen. I could envision the whole last scene in such a vivid way in my mind - that's how well written it is.
Camille likes Strider despite the fact that he is a complete womanizer, even after he realizes he is in love with her. She doesn't seem too upset by that fact - it bothered me.
The first scene in a cemetery certainly catches your attention and begs you to keep flipping pages till you read the end.
I like the fact that this takes place in a time gone by, when women always wore dresses and men were expected to be gentlemen. For some reason, this book written as a period piece made it more believable than if it had a modern setting.

Music to Write By

2011-04-10T05:05:00.000-07:00

Do you use music to get in the mood to write? Some days it doesn't matter what I am listening to I can write and write with the music only serving as some background noise to keep me focused. But there are other times, when I am trying to harness a particular emotion that I need to carefully select music that will put me in the right frame of mind.

For example, for the sad, emotion-filled parts, I'll go with my 'mellow-yellow' playlist which includes:

3am (acoustic) - Matchbox20
Everybody Knows - Dixie Chicks
Better That We Break - Maroon 5
Breathe - David Gray
I Don't Trust Myself - John Mayer
The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert
Cry On Command - Gloriana
Closer To Love - Mat Kearney
Rainy Night in Georgia - Chris Young
Spies - Coldplay
Falling Apart - Matt Nathanson
Autumn in New York - Ella Fitzgerald
Cry on Demand - Ryan Adams
Talkin' Bout a Revolution - Tracy Chapman
Time and Time Again - Counting Crows
I'm About to Come Alive - David Nail or Train
Man to Man - Gary Allen
Simple Man - Shinedown
Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone - Al Green
Stupid Boy - Keith Urban
Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright
Blue Eyes Blue - Eric Clapton

Book Review: Beastly

2011-04-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn
Rating: 3 of 5

Without a doubt, the story of Beauty & the Beast is a mega favorite of mine. I love the Disney version. I used to catch old episodes of the TV show whenever I was at my grandparents house. And I pretty much have read every Beauty & the Beast adaption that has ever been written. So of course I had to read Alex Flinn's version as well.

Beastly tries to modernize the fairytale. Kyle (the Beast) is the son of a TV celebrity newsman. His mom is no where to be seen and since his dad is a work-aholic he is spoiled rotten. He's also the local heartthrob and is perfectly well aware of how great he looks. A goth chick in his class is actually a witch and turns him into a beast when he invites her to a dance as a prank. (Unlike the depictions in the current movie, he is actually hairy in this version) A druggie tries to break into Kyle's house and when he's caught he offers his daughter Lindy as payment. And yup, you guessed it Kyle and Lindy fall in love.

Thoughts:

This isn't just a retelling of Beauty and the Beast it also mixes in a couple other books, including a personal favorite Jane Eyre. And it felt a little like The Black Tulip as well.
I'm not sure the modern rendition worked as well as placing this fairytale in a time gone by. It was hard to believe some druggie father would break into a greenhouse and then offer his daughter for a bag of coke.
I liked the blind tutor. He was hard but realistic and he had the ability to judge Kyle by his interior rather than his looks before or after the transition.
The book definitely was a better read than the movie appears to make it.

Excerpt: Point of View

2011-04-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

In college I took a great creative writing class and one of the assignments was to write the same scene in three different points of view. I made up an event and wrote it in first person, third person and third person omniscient. Each one had its own challenges and each took on a different tone. It was a great exercise and I think it helped solidify me in my love for writing in the first person. In my opinion it is the voice that can be made the most emotional and real. So... here's the first-person piece I wrote for the class:

I was sitting in my intro to sociology class doodling when a campus police officer knocked on the door then let himself in. As soon as I saw the blue uniform, my hands went clammy, my throat went dry, and all the color drained from my face. I knew he was there for me.

Professor Smith rushed to the door at the back of the classroom. All eyes were on her and the officer. Despite the rushing in my ears I could hear my name whispered between the two.

“Schneider, Miss Schneider, where are you,” Professor Smith called in her overly loud voice that always gave me a headache by the end of class.

I timidly raised my hand then felt every eye turn to look at me. I was sure they could tell I was shaking, my hand quivering.

“Officer Steve needs to talk to you right away,” she announced then scurried back to the front of the classroom to continue the lecture.

Carefully I slid my chair back and excused myself as I made five people in my row scoot in so I could squeeze by. As he held the door open for me, I felt as though I had shrunk several feet. Officer Steve was a big guy, tall and wide. His head almost hit the doorframe and there was barely enough room for me to slide past him out into the empty hall. Hopefully he couldn’t tell how much I was shaken.

“You’re Victoria Schneider?”

I nodded because I had yet to find my voice. Something was wrong, horribly, horribly wrong.

“How much longer till this class ends?”

Confused I looked at my watch. What was he thinking pulling me out of class then asking how much time remained? “Twenty-five minutes.”

“We can probably wait that long. Go back in and finish class.” Then without another word he opened the door for me to return.

As if I wasn’t nervous enough before talking to him, now I was a wreck. Professor Smith could have been talking about Quantum Physics or Johnny Depp – I wouldn’t have known the difference. I kept wiping my clammy hands on my jeans to dry them off and staring at the clock. Officer Steve knocked on the door less than five minutes later. He only poked his head in this time to catch my attention.

“We need to go now!” The urgency in his voice made me jump up. My mind began to race through the hundreds of reasons an officer could pull someone out of class. I didn’t have any unpaid parking fines. I’d never done anything against the law, unless underage drinking counted, but that didn’t warrant a classroom visit. My family! Maybe one of them was sick, ill, dead. A deadly car crash, a robbery gone wrong – the possibilities were endless. I shoved my notebook and pen into my book bag, grabbed my coat and excused myself again as I walked down the aisle and out the door.

“Didn’t want to take you from class but this is more serious than we expected,” Officer Steve said as he began to huff down the stairs, taking one labored step after another. I looked like a criminal walking behind an officer, completely unaware of my fate. Students milling in the stairwell were staring but I kept my eyes fixed on my gym shoes. We walked out to his squad car and climbed in.

“I don’t want to say too much. Officer Duffey will fill you in. But we are having trouble with one of your roommates.”

One of my roommates? Who? They were all in class, we had left together hours ago. But Maria had a break at some point. I pictured her body rolled over by a bus – she was always crossing without looking. Or maybe she had been robbed by one of the people who had been targeting college women in the last weeks. Something like that would make her a nervous wreck. She just needed consolation.

Or maybe it was Becky. She hadn’t felt well last night and had gone to bed early. Maybe the bout of illness had resurfaced and she was taken to a hospital for treatment. Or maybe she was the one rolled over by the bus. I tried to swallow even though my throat had gone dry.

“Which roommate,” I asked my voice sounding foreign.

“A Regina Kelly.”

Gina? I breathed a sigh of relief. Maria and Becky had been spared. My roommates were alive and well.

“She’s not my roommate,” I told the officer. He looked confused.

“I was told specifically to get you. A Merrill Patel said you would be able to help locate her.”

I felt my hands go clammy again. Missing? A missing Gina could only mean one thing and I knew it deep within me, as if my whole being was involved in the knowledge. She was dead.

“I live down the hall. Tory and I lived together last year.”

“Officer Duffey is still going to want to talk to you.”

The car stopped in front of our apartment complex. I moved in a completely automatic way, out of the car, through the front door, into the elevator, up to the fourteenth floor, and down the left hall. There were at least 10 officers milling around. The moment my body appeared in the doorway Merrill threw her arms around me, sobbing. I attempted to console her with clumsy pats on the back. What could I say?

Officer Duffey took over. He sent Merrill away with another officer and began to question me.

“When did you last see Gina?”

“Yesterday, we had lunch at Burger King.”

“Around what time was that?”

“After my 12:30 class.”

“And did you hear from her again?”

“She called sometime last night.”

“What time?”

“I don’t remember,” I stuttered out. Gina was in trouble and I couldn’t even remember when we had last spoken.

“Can you estimate a time?”

“It was a little after dinner. Maybe 6 or 7 or possibly 8. I could check my phone.” I pulled out my cell phone and turned it on.

“And that was the last contact you had with her?”

“I was writing a paper till late last night. I left my phone in my room so I wouldn’t get distracted. When I came to bed at 4 there was a text message.”

“What did it say?”

“Something about not feeling well, she wanted to go to the hospital.”

“She didn’t check into a hospital. What time was that sent?”

“I don’t know,” I said looking at my phone. Scrolling through the call record Gina had called around 7:30 and she text me at 2:45.

Officer Duffey was taking notes in a little black book. He didn’t even look up as he continued to question me. My eyes began to wander as I answered his questions.

“And do you have any idea where she might have gone?”

“No.”

“We’ve checked all her classes and she hasn’t gone today. Her car isn’t in the garage. None of her friends know where she is and her parents haven’t heard from her in a couple days.”

“I have no idea.” My eyes fell on a pile of bloodied paper towels and an open box of razors on the coffee table. There was a pool of water from a melted bag of ice on the floor and band-aid wrappers everywhere.

“Has she ever talked about harming herself?”

“No,” I told him emphatically. But then again… “She has talked about wanting to die.”

“But she has never made good on that?”

“No. She would never,” but as I said that I knew that wasn’t true. Obviously last night she made good on the threat to end it all, or at least attempted to.

“Do you have any idea where she would go?”

“No. Usually when she’s upset she comes down to my room. We leave it open for her, she likes it better there.”

“What about other friends?”

“She doesn’t have any other friends. Merrill and I are pretty much the extent of her social life.”

“What about a boyfriend?”

“No, never.”

“How long have you known her?”

“8 years. We were in the same sixth grade class.”

Officer Duffey’s walkie-talkie buzzed in his ear and he quickly excused himself. Alone now and standing in the foyer my mind was beginning to take it all in. There were two bloodied razors on the coffee table lying next to a pack of flower stickers as though they were always placed together. The empty paper towel tub lay on the floor. Paper towels filled the garbage can, coffee table, and spilled onto the floor. Every piece was filled with blood. The couch even had spots on it.

By the time Officer Duffey returned I was shaking; my teeth were chattering. I could see the whole scene, every graphic detail.

“She’s been located. The Boston police found her in her car in a parking lot, just blocks from the hospital.”

A tear escaped despite my best efforts to keep it in check. Someone needed to be strong and that was always my role. Merrill came into the room crying and clinging to me.

“They’re rushing her to the hospital. She was unconscious but breathing. Lost a lot of blood. Don’t know the outcome yet.” Officer Duffey talked as though he were mentally taking notes to add to his little black book.

“What happened to her,” I asked ready to hear the worst.

“It’s all a guessing game now. But it looks like she cut her wrists, then tried to stop it herself. When that didn’t work she tried to drive herself to the hospital…”

“But gave up,” I added feeling rage I’d never felt before. How dare she do this to herself, and to me and to Merrill! Did she expect this not to affect us? What could she possibly have been thinking to put a razor to her wrist – and I was just down the hall.

Officer Duffey seemed uncomfortable with my assessment of the situation. He edged toward the apartment door. “I’ll send someone to cleanup this mess. We’ll keep you up-to-date.”

“What can we do,” Merrill asked between body-racking sobs as he was halfway out the door.

“Pray,” Officer Duffey said. “Just pray.”

A-Z about Kate

2011-04-04T02:03:00.000-07:00

A: Aurora Undefined - my first fully completed book, still hard to believe it is out there.
B: Buck - the name of my favorite dog while growing up. He got me through high school.
C: Coca-Cola - drink of choice. ALWAYS
D: Death - I have a slight obsession with talking, writing and reading about it.
E: Elvis - know every song he's ever sung, and he is WAY better than Tom Jones.
F: Family - 2 parents, 3 sisters, 5 brothers, 1 brother-in-law and 1 nephew

G: Gone with the Wind - The first book ever taken away from me because I read it instead of doing homework for nearly a week.
H: Heels - I'd walk about in 4-inch heels every day if it was practical.
I: International - I love traveling abroad. I've been to Mexico, Canada, Rome (3 times) and Spain.
J: Journalism - what I studied in college and occupy myself with professionally
K: Katherine - full name, although I go by Katie, Kate, and Katy.
L: Love - what every one of us should live for.
M: Madeleine L'Engle - the author I wish I could be most like
N: Names - I like weird names, maybe because all my siblings have very classic names.
O: Orchard: I have fond memories of my grandparents and my family at an apple orchard.
P: People - every book, action, thought should be person-focused, people-centered.
Q: Quit - a word not in my vocabulary.
R: Running - what I do to de-stress. I've run a half marathon and a full marathon.
S: Social Media - I'm obsessed with it. Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, FourSquare, you name it...
T: Twilight - I actually liked the book and re-read/skim it from time to time.
U: Urban - I am SO a city girl. Sure, I grew up in a tiny town but the big city is where I feel alive.
V: Voice - I love that you can know a person by just their voice and how it can bring emotions to the forefront with just a word.
W: Weep - I like to make readers cry, even if I don't get teary-eyed in most situations like others do.
X: Xerox - the only word I could think of at the moment.
Y: Young Adult - my favorite genre to read and write.
Z: Zoo - going there is one of my favorite things to do in any city I live in.

Book Review: Forgive My Fins

2011-04-02T01:45:00.000-07:00

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Rating: 3 of 5

I've got a recently discovered interest, bordering on obsession, with Mermaids. So when I saw Forgive My Fins available for Kindle purchase I snatched it up.

Plot: Lily is a mermaid and heir to her kingdom's throne. But instead of navigating the waters she is on land attempting to survive the drama that is high school. She lives with her aunt, finds her neighbor Quince highly annoying and is madly in love with Brody. But when a secret kiss in the library sets off a spell that will turn the boy into a mermaid... Lily is forced to go home and confront her feelings for Brody and Quince. In the end she has to decide if love is worth the ultimate sacrifice - giving up her title and her kingdom.

What I loved:

The descriptions of the ocean life were vivid, pulling you into the sea after Lily.
Even as a mermaid, Lily wasn't endowed with amazing looks. She had frizzy hair and freckles, aka she looks normal.
Lily is also not filled with magical powers. Sure, she can control little things about liquids, but she isn't making the sky turn black and rain down on humanity. It felt a little more realistic.
Instead of swearing, Lily uses funny fish phrases to voice her annoyance or anger. It was interesting to read and a creative way to illustrate these emotions.

How Aurora Undefined came to be

2011-03-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple days I've been answering some basic interview questions about Aurora Undefined and wanted to share how this particular novel came about. I'll save the 'how I got into writing' post for later.

During the summer of 2008 I was on a three-week vacation/educational workshop. Before arriving I knew, there would be a fair amount of downtime. I toyed with what I wanted to do with those hours. There were a number of books I wanted to read. And of course, as a freelance journalist there were always more pitches to be sent and articles to write. But I decided to treat the time away like the mini-vacation it was and focus on a hobby instead of work. The general plot of the book was already established in my mind. I knew the character's names and their appearance. The rest was a little sketchy.

I buckled down the moment I arrived to the small town in MA, and got to work on creating a viable YA novel. I pushed myself to write at least a little something every day. Sometimes it flowed easily. Other times it was a struggle to get a couple paragraphs. I made sure to take breaks from the writing to enjoy the rest too. But as the book got going, I was hooked; kinda like a drug that you just want more of.

By the time the three weeks were over I had about 75% of the first draft written. I went home, back to normal freelance work and struggled to find time to finish it off. But I plugged away at it and had a draft ready by the beginning of 2009.

I then sent the draft to a couple friends and family members to read through and share their thoughts. I then also, printed off a hard copy for me and went to work at heavy edits. Names changed, scenes deleted, chapters added... it was a long grueling process. It took me over 6 months to edit that first draft. I sent it out to a few family and friends again for thoughts on the revised version and then went through a second round of serious edits. By the time that ended it was the start of 2010. I did basic line edits to polish the piece, although I know doing this on your own makes it difficult to catch every error - but I tried.

It wasn't until I read an article about independent authors posting their work to Amazon and Barnes and Noble that I realized I could do that. Not only could I do that, this method spoke to me a little more directly than traditional publishing. Being a freelance writer and social media enthusiast I've been all about the modern forms of communication. I think ebooks are just another example of how everything is turning to the internet. That influence and importance is not going away, so why not work it?!

Aurora Undefined is Published

2011-03-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

I took the leap and have published Aurora Undefined on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Therefore it should be able to be read by all Kindle and Nook owners as well as anyone who has the Kindle or Nook apps, which allow for reading on all smartphones, Mac products and computers. So basically, unless you live in the stone age and don't own a computer with internet access, you should be able to download and read Aurora Undefined today!

This book is the process of a long journey for me and will hopefully be the beginning of an amazing new journey into the realm of ebook publishing. I'm more excited than I can say to begin this process and this blog will be accompanying me along the way.