I have written that so many times in the last few posts that I'm almost beginning to think that "of" should really be spelled "o". Oh, the things we do for the stuff we love. So! In this first post, I figured it would be smart to start off with the three main characters, Amory, Drystan, and Fintan. (Also, if you read this and are confused by some of the terms or whatnot, don't fret. That's what happening on Friday.)
Amory Ambrose, born in 1862, is the only daughter of an English businessman and his German housewife. Barely three years old when her father washes up on the Atlantic, Amory is raised by her mother, Gertrude, and older brother, Oskar. She's stubborn, independent, and adventurous, she spurns marriage proposals and instead turns to the wool business her father left behind. When she dies at the young age of eighteen, she ascends to Heaven where she meets Drystan, a friend who wants more from her than she's willing to give. With all her ideas of what Heaven would be like, Amory has become disenchanted with her angel life, wondering if there's better out there, if the Heaven that's been written about isn't a fake.
Drystan Wycliffe, born in 1445, is the only child of poor farmers. He joins the military in order to get more food and money for his family, as well as to travel. It is during one of these jaunts to London that he meets the love of his life, a rich girl named Rose. They plan to get married after the war ends, but he is killed in combat. He brings with him the ability to empathize with others, but it turns into a "special power" (as Amory puts it) that he hates, the ability to hear both humans and angels, an unheard of feat for the Psychologists. He often acts irrationally and listens more to his emotions that his brain, but it's difficult when he can barely hear his own voice over the yells of others.
Fintan Cooney, a contemporary of Drystan, is the eldest son of an Earl. Instead of accepting this life, he joins the fight in the War of the Roses for the King's side. He kills many men, but only one causes him, and his family, pain. Soft-spoken, calm, and clever, Fintan plans ahead a thousand steps before enacting a plan. He dies in a surprise skirmish, descending to Hell to answer for sins that he has not committed. Still, he works for Gloriana Wales, a queen of Hell, and does whatever he can to make himself feel better for the one crime he committed, the one crime that he believes he is in Hell for.
Do you realize how hard it is to explain characters and not give a ton of information away? This post took nearly an hour, and not because I'm also watching TV. I had to delete and move around and ask myself, do you really want to give that away right now? So that's the basic idea of these three. Two angels and a demon, all working for the greater good of their respective homes and selves. Even though they're all dead (?) in the story, I think the background is pretty important because it pops up along their ways.
Anyway, if you hate them, you hate them. If you're interested, then yay! On Friday, I'll explain more about the hierarchy in Heaven and why it's a bit different than the one that we've heard about in certain other books. Then, next Monday, I'll get to Rick, Stephen, and, my personal favorite, Gunnar.
Look at that. A plan.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
My Secret Time Lord Feature!
That's the only way I can explain writing on a Saturday. I'm a true Time Lord and the days got all wibbly-wobbly on me. Seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Not that there's going to be much in this post. In preparation for the month o' fun (yeah, we're still calling it that), I was looking over my last post and realized that I didn't explain things. YET AGAIN, right? This time, however, I guess I figured my readers were smart enough to figure it out on their own. But it just hit me a few days ago, so how can I expect anyone else to understand what I was driving at?
Okay.
I said that after my last post, I would have four more blogs to go before the release of my book. While that may be true in my head, it's not technically correct. Yes, I forgot a bit about Friday's. So, amending my original statement: I have four more MONDAY blog posts before my book's release, and those are the days o' fun. What are Friday's, then, Bree? Aren't those the universally acknowledged days o' fun? Well, sure they are, but I get busy during the week. Sometimes I even manage to push all my responsibilities to the side and have to deal with them at the end of the week. I do this so I have my weekends open for all the fun stuff and free time. Monday's seemed better to me because I can spend my Sunday getting the post ready and adding anything I need to before posting it. If I decided to have my fun posts on Friday's, it would be one line of description and maybe half a quote. During the week, I'm a mess. The weekends are the time for me to mentally prepare myself for the mess that's ahead.
Ah, the circle of life, right, Rafiki?
There's that out of the way. Oh, one more little thing, just in case. As of right now, my book is only going to be available as an eBook on Kindle. It's just for ninety days though (side note: when I read that on the Kindle Publishing, all I could think about was the ninety day no-compete clause that most WWE wrestlers get saddled with at the end of their careers. Fun fact of the day!), and then it should be available everywhere. That's just for right now, though. It's three weeks and some days away. I could pull a Moriarty (I'm soooo changeable) and decide that everyone should get my book at the same time. Or I may be a jerk and only dedicate myself to Kindle. That's what Friday's are for. Figuring the technical, not o' fun stuff out.
The important part is that it's happening. I'm making it happen. Come hell or high water, my words are going to be out there. You've been warned.
Not that there's going to be much in this post. In preparation for the month o' fun (yeah, we're still calling it that), I was looking over my last post and realized that I didn't explain things. YET AGAIN, right? This time, however, I guess I figured my readers were smart enough to figure it out on their own. But it just hit me a few days ago, so how can I expect anyone else to understand what I was driving at?
Okay.
I said that after my last post, I would have four more blogs to go before the release of my book. While that may be true in my head, it's not technically correct. Yes, I forgot a bit about Friday's. So, amending my original statement: I have four more MONDAY blog posts before my book's release, and those are the days o' fun. What are Friday's, then, Bree? Aren't those the universally acknowledged days o' fun? Well, sure they are, but I get busy during the week. Sometimes I even manage to push all my responsibilities to the side and have to deal with them at the end of the week. I do this so I have my weekends open for all the fun stuff and free time. Monday's seemed better to me because I can spend my Sunday getting the post ready and adding anything I need to before posting it. If I decided to have my fun posts on Friday's, it would be one line of description and maybe half a quote. During the week, I'm a mess. The weekends are the time for me to mentally prepare myself for the mess that's ahead.
Ah, the circle of life, right, Rafiki?
There's that out of the way. Oh, one more little thing, just in case. As of right now, my book is only going to be available as an eBook on Kindle. It's just for ninety days though (side note: when I read that on the Kindle Publishing, all I could think about was the ninety day no-compete clause that most WWE wrestlers get saddled with at the end of their careers. Fun fact of the day!), and then it should be available everywhere. That's just for right now, though. It's three weeks and some days away. I could pull a Moriarty (I'm soooo changeable) and decide that everyone should get my book at the same time. Or I may be a jerk and only dedicate myself to Kindle. That's what Friday's are for. Figuring the technical, not o' fun stuff out.
The important part is that it's happening. I'm making it happen. Come hell or high water, my words are going to be out there. You've been warned.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Week o' Fun...Kind Of
There's an incredibly popular saying floating around in the world out there, a quote that I've never really held much stock in because I tried not to think so negatively: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Why start off with such a wonderfully clichéd quote, you ask? Well, let me explain a little something to you...
I had planned this week beautifully. I had set out a week of fun, a week of discovery, a week of shameless self-promotion. What would it all lead up to, one may ask? Well, my dear friend, it was going to lead up to the release of my book, All You Left Behind. I finished the cover, almost finished the Kindle Publishing process, and tied up all the loose ends. So I thought. I discovered that I needed to pay for something, something so tiny and insignificant, really, but pretty important to the release of my book. Well, no problem, I thought, I'll just whip out my debit card and...
Oh, yeah. My debit card. The one I lost on Friday and won't get a replacement for until next week.
Sigh.
Then I thought, well, that's okay. I'll just postpone it a week. That's no big deal. Seven to ten business days, that's anywhere from the last day of September to October 4th (if we're being honest, it's Wells Fargo, so it most likely won't be until the 4th). How about we just make the release date October 8th?
Oh, what's that, Dad? You're suddenly moving weeks earlier than expected because the house you got closes on October 9th? And I need to move into my new apartment around that time? All righty then.
So how about October 15th?
Are you kidding me? Have you tried to do anything else not involved with moving while moving? It's a mess. Last time I moved, I was working and trying to hang out with my boyfriend and set up an apartment and not lose my mind and not kill everyone around me. So. Maybe not the 15th.
But this leads me to my super exciting news (well, the first part): The new, official release date for All You Left Behind is October 22nd. It's in bold, so I can't take it back. Besides, that gives me plenty of time to stress out and make sure that everything is wrong before I put it up on Kindle. Because that's just what I do. But that does give me a month for the previously mentioned shameless self-promotion.
Which leads to the week o' fun!
I had planned (why do all of my sentences seem to begin this way?) on doing a whole series for my characters this week. I was going to introduce them, give you a little glimpse into their world, and then you'd all be adequately prepared to spend millions of my book! Not really, but you get the idea. I was going to actually use Twitter and not just put up links to my blog. I'd also toyed with the thought of putting my book up on Goodreads, but I'm going to have to get back to you on that one. Basically, I was going to become a real author, like a literary Pinocchio. And, as I said before, it was all going to lead up to the release of my book. What is one to do?
Good thing I'm an excellent planner, as you all very well know.
After I publish this blog, there's going to be four more until the release on October 22nd. Like the four days this week I was going to use to introduce my characters! Oh my. Instead of a week o' fun, I'll turn it into a month o' fun, which is way more o' fun, if you ask me. Over the next few days, I'm going to try and use Twitter more, but, you know. Social media and all that. So, no promises on that front, but I'll keep it in the back of my head.
So, to sum up, class: in the coming weeks, you'll be introduced to all of my characters, get to know them in a semi-personal way. I also explain a bit about the world surrounding them and what exactly is going on. You know, all those things that readers like to know about before blindly picking up a book.
Yay! Month o' fun!
Why start off with such a wonderfully clichéd quote, you ask? Well, let me explain a little something to you...
I had planned this week beautifully. I had set out a week of fun, a week of discovery, a week of shameless self-promotion. What would it all lead up to, one may ask? Well, my dear friend, it was going to lead up to the release of my book, All You Left Behind. I finished the cover, almost finished the Kindle Publishing process, and tied up all the loose ends. So I thought. I discovered that I needed to pay for something, something so tiny and insignificant, really, but pretty important to the release of my book. Well, no problem, I thought, I'll just whip out my debit card and...
Oh, yeah. My debit card. The one I lost on Friday and won't get a replacement for until next week.
Sigh.
Then I thought, well, that's okay. I'll just postpone it a week. That's no big deal. Seven to ten business days, that's anywhere from the last day of September to October 4th (if we're being honest, it's Wells Fargo, so it most likely won't be until the 4th). How about we just make the release date October 8th?
Oh, what's that, Dad? You're suddenly moving weeks earlier than expected because the house you got closes on October 9th? And I need to move into my new apartment around that time? All righty then.
So how about October 15th?
Are you kidding me? Have you tried to do anything else not involved with moving while moving? It's a mess. Last time I moved, I was working and trying to hang out with my boyfriend and set up an apartment and not lose my mind and not kill everyone around me. So. Maybe not the 15th.
But this leads me to my super exciting news (well, the first part): The new, official release date for All You Left Behind is October 22nd. It's in bold, so I can't take it back. Besides, that gives me plenty of time to stress out and make sure that everything is wrong before I put it up on Kindle. Because that's just what I do. But that does give me a month for the previously mentioned shameless self-promotion.
Which leads to the week o' fun!
I had planned (why do all of my sentences seem to begin this way?) on doing a whole series for my characters this week. I was going to introduce them, give you a little glimpse into their world, and then you'd all be adequately prepared to spend millions of my book! Not really, but you get the idea. I was going to actually use Twitter and not just put up links to my blog. I'd also toyed with the thought of putting my book up on Goodreads, but I'm going to have to get back to you on that one. Basically, I was going to become a real author, like a literary Pinocchio. And, as I said before, it was all going to lead up to the release of my book. What is one to do?
Good thing I'm an excellent planner, as you all very well know.
After I publish this blog, there's going to be four more until the release on October 22nd. Like the four days this week I was going to use to introduce my characters! Oh my. Instead of a week o' fun, I'll turn it into a month o' fun, which is way more o' fun, if you ask me. Over the next few days, I'm going to try and use Twitter more, but, you know. Social media and all that. So, no promises on that front, but I'll keep it in the back of my head.
So, to sum up, class: in the coming weeks, you'll be introduced to all of my characters, get to know them in a semi-personal way. I also explain a bit about the world surrounding them and what exactly is going on. You know, all those things that readers like to know about before blindly picking up a book.
Yay! Month o' fun!
Friday, September 20, 2013
Just a Quickie
This week has been a total nightmare. Work seems to take forever. My story told me to stop messing with it because it doesn't want to do anything right now. Our dog scared the crap out of us and I've had to hang out at the vet's for awhile. My boyfriend is allergic to cats and he's coming over tonight, so I've been cleaning like a mad woman, while also chasing my cat off the bed, furniture, bedding, bathroom, anywhere that my boyfriend might go.
Not enough hours in the day.
So, it's five to noon and I still haven't taken a shower. I have to leave here in an hour and a half to get to work, and I also have to get everything ready because I'm being twelve years old tonight and going to a Fall Out Boy concert. Yes, I like them. Yes, I am immaturely excited. But after dealing with everything at work and at home, I'd enjoy any kind of night out.
That all being said, it's pretty obvious that I've had no time to work on any kind of cover, Kindle Publishing page, or anything else. I almost didn't turn on my computer and write this. But I had to prepare everyone for next week. I'm planning something big, and hopefully I'll have more time to spend on everything I should be spending it on. Even if something happens, the plan is so simple that it works around it.
So that's all for now. But keep your eyes open for the news next week. I'll be sure to put it up Monday morning. That's the plan at least. Maybe if I wake up before the rest of the world, I'll have a few minutes to myself.
Not enough hours in the day.
So, it's five to noon and I still haven't taken a shower. I have to leave here in an hour and a half to get to work, and I also have to get everything ready because I'm being twelve years old tonight and going to a Fall Out Boy concert. Yes, I like them. Yes, I am immaturely excited. But after dealing with everything at work and at home, I'd enjoy any kind of night out.
That all being said, it's pretty obvious that I've had no time to work on any kind of cover, Kindle Publishing page, or anything else. I almost didn't turn on my computer and write this. But I had to prepare everyone for next week. I'm planning something big, and hopefully I'll have more time to spend on everything I should be spending it on. Even if something happens, the plan is so simple that it works around it.
So that's all for now. But keep your eyes open for the news next week. I'll be sure to put it up Monday morning. That's the plan at least. Maybe if I wake up before the rest of the world, I'll have a few minutes to myself.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Profuse Apologies
I'm sorry. When I made the decision to write this book biweekly, I tried my best to stick to that promise. So, when I skip a day, the guilt piles up on me until I'm practically salivating for Monday or Friday to come. This weekend was kind of busy and crazy, so I didn't have a chance to sit down and collect my thoughts enough to write them down.
That's why I turned my computer on first thing this morning! (Okay, not first thing, but first thing when I finally rolled out of bed and decided that watching Copper shouldn't take precedence over starting my day) Last week had also been a bit busy, but that's because I went full writer mode and wrote 11,000 words of a story that has no ending, a wibbly wobbly plot, and characters I'm not entirely sure are 3D. But I love it. It's been in my head for years now, based on slightly true events, and I guess I've been so invested in being a "serious" writer that I forgot to write about stuff I liked. True, I love AYLB, but then I thought about writing these huge epics, where everyone was so damn serious and real that it was like real life. But aren't books supposed to be our escape from real life? That's how I see them. They take me away whenever life is getting too hard, whenever I need a break from being me. And that what I hope people will take away from my book, or books, if it comes to that. Now, I just have to make the decision about if this story is going to turn into something more, or if it's just a break in between real books.
I have to share. There's another reason I was distracted this weekend, and I think it's totally justifiable.
A phone case? What? Yes, I bought this absolutely adorable phone case from Etsy (from the YourLimitedEdition shop, which has other equally as cute cases) and it finally arrived on Thursday. I couldn't stop staring at it and playing with my phone in hopes that someone would be like, oh my god, that is adorable and not at all dorky! While that may have never happened, I fell in love with it, and that's the most important thing. It's a proper distraction, yeah?
Since fall is right around the corner, my life is about to get a million times busier. I don't know what happens during this time, but my boyfriend and I have concerts, haunt-like festivals, and other events crammed into two months. Oh, the haunts. It's one reason I love Los Angeles/Orange County. When Halloween time rolls around, everyone suddenly turns their place of business into something scary. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I adore the bad horror movies, the monsters jumping out at you, the screams of other people having the time of their lives. It's completely awesome. I get really wrapped up in it, but I do promise to keep the biweekly updates happening. If I skip another day, I give everyone permission to yell at me or tell the Blogger gods on me.
Blogdin. That sounds like a good Blogger god name.
That's why I turned my computer on first thing this morning! (Okay, not first thing, but first thing when I finally rolled out of bed and decided that watching Copper shouldn't take precedence over starting my day) Last week had also been a bit busy, but that's because I went full writer mode and wrote 11,000 words of a story that has no ending, a wibbly wobbly plot, and characters I'm not entirely sure are 3D. But I love it. It's been in my head for years now, based on slightly true events, and I guess I've been so invested in being a "serious" writer that I forgot to write about stuff I liked. True, I love AYLB, but then I thought about writing these huge epics, where everyone was so damn serious and real that it was like real life. But aren't books supposed to be our escape from real life? That's how I see them. They take me away whenever life is getting too hard, whenever I need a break from being me. And that what I hope people will take away from my book, or books, if it comes to that. Now, I just have to make the decision about if this story is going to turn into something more, or if it's just a break in between real books.
I have to share. There's another reason I was distracted this weekend, and I think it's totally justifiable.
Since fall is right around the corner, my life is about to get a million times busier. I don't know what happens during this time, but my boyfriend and I have concerts, haunt-like festivals, and other events crammed into two months. Oh, the haunts. It's one reason I love Los Angeles/Orange County. When Halloween time rolls around, everyone suddenly turns their place of business into something scary. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I adore the bad horror movies, the monsters jumping out at you, the screams of other people having the time of their lives. It's completely awesome. I get really wrapped up in it, but I do promise to keep the biweekly updates happening. If I skip another day, I give everyone permission to yell at me or tell the Blogger gods on me.
Blogdin. That sounds like a good Blogger god name.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Football and Writing
...Those two things should totally mix. Last year, whenever football was on, my boyfriend would be glued to the screen and I would be on his incredibly wonderful couch, writing away with my headphones in (boys still think the people inside the TV can hear them if they yell). Football "started" on Sunday (I count that day as the first day of football season because Thursday should never count), but was I writing? Nope. True, I did read most of the day, but I don't think I even thought about turning on my computer. No, I saved that for this morning, when I went on a little marathon and laid out a story that's been in my head for quite some time. It's young adult-ish, and I think that's what I need right now. I've been trying to be so serious for the sequel to AYLB and it's driving me insane. So I'm taking some time to do something fun, something non-threatening, something...not so serious. Thinking about this story makes me giggle inside, and I consider that a good time.
But, really, how's the cover hunt coming?
Pretty well, actually. I've found some pictures that won't cost me my first born and even some more than cost me nothing. I'm aiming for late September, and I know that I keep pushing it back, but more little things keep popping up. The book I'm reading for how to publish to Kindle continually reminds me of something that I didn't put in or something that I did that I shouldn't have. Then there's all this helpful advice on the internet that tells me what I really should put in that the Kindle publishing books don't tell me.
Even more reason why I need my non-threatening, giggly mess of a story.
I also started my regular work schedule, and one of the teachers recently quit, so I'm all alone with twenty confused children who apparently have forgotten everything they learned a few months ago. That could also go for their names, and that wouldn't surprise me in the least. I was going to write this earlier, but I had some errands to run and thought, oh, I have so much time after work, so it's no problem! Yeah. Now I'm super tired and cranky and all I want to do is watch Phillip Rivers fail so hard that he gets kicked out of the NFL (sorry - not a Rivers fan) and lay on the floor so my cat can groom me until I fall asleep.
A perfect night after the nightmare of a day I've had with those children.
But maybe I'll get a second (or third or fourth or hundredth) wind later on and do something worthwhile. Whether that be the cover or writing a bit more, I don't know. Let's be realistic here: it'll probably mean I'll read a book or play Lego Lord of the Rings. Or waste my life on Pinterest. I have to get away from this computer now.
But, really, how's the cover hunt coming?
Pretty well, actually. I've found some pictures that won't cost me my first born and even some more than cost me nothing. I'm aiming for late September, and I know that I keep pushing it back, but more little things keep popping up. The book I'm reading for how to publish to Kindle continually reminds me of something that I didn't put in or something that I did that I shouldn't have. Then there's all this helpful advice on the internet that tells me what I really should put in that the Kindle publishing books don't tell me.
Even more reason why I need my non-threatening, giggly mess of a story.
I also started my regular work schedule, and one of the teachers recently quit, so I'm all alone with twenty confused children who apparently have forgotten everything they learned a few months ago. That could also go for their names, and that wouldn't surprise me in the least. I was going to write this earlier, but I had some errands to run and thought, oh, I have so much time after work, so it's no problem! Yeah. Now I'm super tired and cranky and all I want to do is watch Phillip Rivers fail so hard that he gets kicked out of the NFL (sorry - not a Rivers fan) and lay on the floor so my cat can groom me until I fall asleep.
A perfect night after the nightmare of a day I've had with those children.
But maybe I'll get a second (or third or fourth or hundredth) wind later on and do something worthwhile. Whether that be the cover or writing a bit more, I don't know. Let's be realistic here: it'll probably mean I'll read a book or play Lego Lord of the Rings. Or waste my life on Pinterest. I have to get away from this computer now.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Gushing...For Lack of an Update
No, my cover is not finished. Stop giving me that look. It's not for lack of trying. I just can't seem to find the perfect picture, and every time I do find a good one, it's $15 to buy a credit or whatever so I can purchase it. What happened to sharing? Or realizing that there are people out there with enough common sense not to spend $15 on a credit? Gone, out the window, along with other things that I won't get into.
So, for lack of cover updates, I decided to do a little gushing, because I have read some really awesome books lately and whenever I try to tell people in my life about them, I get those blank stares and polite nods. Pretty much the same expression I get when people talk to me about their children.
That's mean. Oh wells.
Left Drowning - Okay, I'll admit it. I read those New Adult romance books like they're going out of style. It started with Abbi Glines and then moved onto Katy Evans (read Real and try not to blush) and it's spiraling out of control. I got a Amazon Prime 30 day trial (because the last series of Doctor Who is free for Prime members) and borrowed this book because I heard good things about it. How good? I stayed up until two in the morning (an unheard of time for me during the week) to finish it. The characters are a mess, and that right there is why I kept reading. These people had to be okay. They had to get through their messes and fight for what they wanted. My favorite was Sabin, because there's no way that he can't be your favorite. He's loud and obnoxious and loving and sweet and funny. And he's not even the hot, mysterious main man. Listen to the good reviews, because this book is amazing.
Legend and Prodigy - Yeah, it's taken me awhile to get on these books. I bought Legend way back in April, and just never got around to reading it. I finally made some time last month and it was kind of...I don't know. I liked the idea of the stories (a messed up, divided United States; a rebel kid who fights against the system for what he believes in; a girl who's the sweetheart of the government finding out that maybe those higher ups aren't as good as she's been taught), something about the first one left me...unsatisfied, I suppose. But the second one was awesome. The action picked up and things started falling into place and moving along. I thought the third one was coming out this month, but it's not until November, so that kind of sucks now that I'm into the story.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman. Sigh. What can I say about this man? I had to put this book down several times because I was crying so much. And it wasn't even anything that was happening or the characters were going through tough times. The first line that made me cry was, "Books were safer than other people anyway." Okay, the protagonist is a child, but that's not why I was crying. I cried because he sounded like me. I related to this kid so much more than any other character ever. Besides my pathetic life, the story was wonderful. It's mystical and magical and surprising and so completely sweet that I just wanted to die by the end. It's exactly how I pictured a Neil Gaiman book. Even now, just writing about it, I'm smiling like an idiot and I feel that I have to tell so many more people than who read this.
Cassie Draws the Universe - I won this book on Goodreads and left it for such a long time. In a fit of depression the other week, I picked it up because the author said that it wasn't a typical young adult book. Wow. That is putting it mildly. This book was insane, and in such a good way. I'll admit, I was bored for the first half, but I understand the whole setting up of it all. It's crazy and disturbing and slightly disgusting, and I don't know what this says about me, but I was totally in awe of Cassie by the end. Oh, god, don't read the book with that line in mind, please. You're going to think I'm some kind of crazed serial killer.
There were other books I read, but they didn't really make any lasting impression on me. Right now I'm on The Brothers Karamazov and Sweet Tooth, so there most likely won't be any gushing on those books. My brain may implode from the alternating depression and boredom. If not, I'll be back Monday! Have a good weekend and go do something fun. Unless you're in southern California. If you're out here, stay inside and sit in front of your air conditioner or freezer. It's ridiculous out there.
So, for lack of cover updates, I decided to do a little gushing, because I have read some really awesome books lately and whenever I try to tell people in my life about them, I get those blank stares and polite nods. Pretty much the same expression I get when people talk to me about their children.
That's mean. Oh wells.
Left Drowning - Okay, I'll admit it. I read those New Adult romance books like they're going out of style. It started with Abbi Glines and then moved onto Katy Evans (read Real and try not to blush) and it's spiraling out of control. I got a Amazon Prime 30 day trial (because the last series of Doctor Who is free for Prime members) and borrowed this book because I heard good things about it. How good? I stayed up until two in the morning (an unheard of time for me during the week) to finish it. The characters are a mess, and that right there is why I kept reading. These people had to be okay. They had to get through their messes and fight for what they wanted. My favorite was Sabin, because there's no way that he can't be your favorite. He's loud and obnoxious and loving and sweet and funny. And he's not even the hot, mysterious main man. Listen to the good reviews, because this book is amazing.
Legend and Prodigy - Yeah, it's taken me awhile to get on these books. I bought Legend way back in April, and just never got around to reading it. I finally made some time last month and it was kind of...I don't know. I liked the idea of the stories (a messed up, divided United States; a rebel kid who fights against the system for what he believes in; a girl who's the sweetheart of the government finding out that maybe those higher ups aren't as good as she's been taught), something about the first one left me...unsatisfied, I suppose. But the second one was awesome. The action picked up and things started falling into place and moving along. I thought the third one was coming out this month, but it's not until November, so that kind of sucks now that I'm into the story.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman. Sigh. What can I say about this man? I had to put this book down several times because I was crying so much. And it wasn't even anything that was happening or the characters were going through tough times. The first line that made me cry was, "Books were safer than other people anyway." Okay, the protagonist is a child, but that's not why I was crying. I cried because he sounded like me. I related to this kid so much more than any other character ever. Besides my pathetic life, the story was wonderful. It's mystical and magical and surprising and so completely sweet that I just wanted to die by the end. It's exactly how I pictured a Neil Gaiman book. Even now, just writing about it, I'm smiling like an idiot and I feel that I have to tell so many more people than who read this.
Cassie Draws the Universe - I won this book on Goodreads and left it for such a long time. In a fit of depression the other week, I picked it up because the author said that it wasn't a typical young adult book. Wow. That is putting it mildly. This book was insane, and in such a good way. I'll admit, I was bored for the first half, but I understand the whole setting up of it all. It's crazy and disturbing and slightly disgusting, and I don't know what this says about me, but I was totally in awe of Cassie by the end. Oh, god, don't read the book with that line in mind, please. You're going to think I'm some kind of crazed serial killer.
There were other books I read, but they didn't really make any lasting impression on me. Right now I'm on The Brothers Karamazov and Sweet Tooth, so there most likely won't be any gushing on those books. My brain may implode from the alternating depression and boredom. If not, I'll be back Monday! Have a good weekend and go do something fun. Unless you're in southern California. If you're out here, stay inside and sit in front of your air conditioner or freezer. It's ridiculous out there.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Labor Day...Hooray?
I'm not supposed to be out of bed right. I'm not even supposed to be showered or out of pajamas right now. It's Labor Day. School starts tomorrow. I should be spending this day in bed, relishing the sticky drool coming from my cat and reading a totally non-depressing Russian book (sarcasm at its finest, folks). Instead, I woke up with a mission. Well, it's actually been a mission for the last couple of days, but I have successfully pushed it aside to finish the sixth series of Doctor Who. And start the seventh. Don't judge me. You know you'd be doing the same thing if I offered you the sugar doughnut muffins and chocolate chip cookie dough I made this weekend. I blame the sugar.
Anyway! I was looking through the Kindle publishing website and saw that I could make my own cover and upload it. Shock and awe, right? I know, I'm an idiot. I don't read the fine print. Never have, most likely never will. But I saw it the other day and thought to myself, well, gosh, there's a lot of fine stock photos on the internet. I should see if I can be creative and make my own cover! (This started after I made my own ticket display box, so now I think I'm Martha Stewart.) So I've been scouring the internet for the perfect picture, and I finally found one! Except it's on deviantART and I don't think that I can use their stuff without paying them or begging politely or clubbing them over the head and stealing it. Whatever way, it doesn't seem right. So I went to other websites and found beautiful pictures that they swore were free...for one low payment of $14.99! We need to take twerk and the wrong definition of literally out of the dictionary to make more room for free, because some people on the internet don't seem to understand what that means. Sigh.
Usually at this point, I would just give up. Move on. Use the stupid cover I have. But no. Not today. Not on Labor Day. (I really have no idea what Labor Day has to do with this, but I felt a little Billy Pullman from Independence Day creeping into my head.) So I'm sorting through more pictures on Google and have come to a conclusion: people on the internet are freaking weird. I typed in apocalypse and a bunch of half naked women with gas masks on popped up. Fallen angel? More half naked women with wings strapped on their backs.
What.
I have seen so many of these kinds of pictures that I'm getting to the point where I'm like, wow, I might be able to see this half naked woman with wings falling off her back pleading with the camera on my book cover. Is this how it starts, internet? You just break us down with ridiculous images and then we cave? Is this how we started to worship cats on the internet?
So, no, I have yet to find the perfect picture for my book. But, like I said, I'm not giving up. I wish, not for the last time, that I knew how to draw. Or how to work Photoshop. Whoa. Did you know that Photoshop is only $20? I thought it was, like, hundreds of dollars. Hm. Maybe that's something I'll invest in. But that still wouldn't solve the problem of me knowing how to work the stupid thing. Back to square one.
The moment I find the perfect picture and make the perfect cover, I'll announce it to the world. And then I'll probably die from excitement. If that happens, my cat is taking over the blog, so get ready for some cute pictures and nonsense because she's doesn't know how to type, people. She's a cat.
Anyway! I was looking through the Kindle publishing website and saw that I could make my own cover and upload it. Shock and awe, right? I know, I'm an idiot. I don't read the fine print. Never have, most likely never will. But I saw it the other day and thought to myself, well, gosh, there's a lot of fine stock photos on the internet. I should see if I can be creative and make my own cover! (This started after I made my own ticket display box, so now I think I'm Martha Stewart.) So I've been scouring the internet for the perfect picture, and I finally found one! Except it's on deviantART and I don't think that I can use their stuff without paying them or begging politely or clubbing them over the head and stealing it. Whatever way, it doesn't seem right. So I went to other websites and found beautiful pictures that they swore were free...for one low payment of $14.99! We need to take twerk and the wrong definition of literally out of the dictionary to make more room for free, because some people on the internet don't seem to understand what that means. Sigh.
Usually at this point, I would just give up. Move on. Use the stupid cover I have. But no. Not today. Not on Labor Day. (I really have no idea what Labor Day has to do with this, but I felt a little Billy Pullman from Independence Day creeping into my head.) So I'm sorting through more pictures on Google and have come to a conclusion: people on the internet are freaking weird. I typed in apocalypse and a bunch of half naked women with gas masks on popped up. Fallen angel? More half naked women with wings strapped on their backs.
What.
I have seen so many of these kinds of pictures that I'm getting to the point where I'm like, wow, I might be able to see this half naked woman with wings falling off her back pleading with the camera on my book cover. Is this how it starts, internet? You just break us down with ridiculous images and then we cave? Is this how we started to worship cats on the internet?
So, no, I have yet to find the perfect picture for my book. But, like I said, I'm not giving up. I wish, not for the last time, that I knew how to draw. Or how to work Photoshop. Whoa. Did you know that Photoshop is only $20? I thought it was, like, hundreds of dollars. Hm. Maybe that's something I'll invest in. But that still wouldn't solve the problem of me knowing how to work the stupid thing. Back to square one.
The moment I find the perfect picture and make the perfect cover, I'll announce it to the world. And then I'll probably die from excitement. If that happens, my cat is taking over the blog, so get ready for some cute pictures and nonsense because she's doesn't know how to type, people. She's a cat.
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