Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I've been reading like a fiend lately (I have four more books to go until I reach my challenge, and I've also been so lazy with reading in the last few months), so I really had to choose which book I wanted to review today. I wish I could say that it was a very scientific process on how I picked the winner, but, really, I just closed my eyes, scrolled down my Kindle, and stabbed my finger at it.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda!

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.



This is yet another book that's been sitting on my Kindle for months. I finally started it last week (at work!), and I finished it that same day. I had about a billion things to do, I was dead tired, and I had to wake up early the next day, but I didn't care. I wanted to finish this book because it was that good.

Poor Simon. All he wants to do is email his secret gay boyfriend, hang out with his best friends, and have life stay exactly the same, all the time. But when Martin (Martin) finds Simon's email, he blackmails him, saying that as long as Simon hooks him up with the prettiest cheerleader in school, Simon's sexual orientation will stay a secret. Add on top heaps of friend drama and Simon trying to come out to his family, he life quickly dissolves into a mess.

I can't put a finger on what made me love this book so much. It was one of those where I would finish one chapter and tell myself that was it, but then I had to read the next chapter because I had to know what happened. That went on until my Kindle informed me that I had reached the end of the book. Guessing who Blue was had to be the most fun. Simon would throw out names and characters, and I immediately, of course, thought they were Blue. I did guess who it was pretty early on, but the author does such a great job at misdirection. I was convinced it was *this person* and then she would give you more information on someone, and suddenly, everything I knew was a lie. 

I also enjoyed the reality of it all. Simon does eventually come out, and not everyone is okay with it. It's pretty tame compared to some stories, but it's the fact that the author remembers that there are small-minded people out there. It made everything have more depth, because you were right there while Simon goes through it all. Also, his friends (even though they were okay with it) added a drama to his coming out that I felt was true of teenagers, not even today. Just teenagers. Especially those that have been friends for as long as Simon has with his friends. Remembering the dynamic of having multiple best friends was not fun, but it was sure interesting. Looking at it from an outsider's point of view made me so uncomfortable and made me realize that sometimes, we can be really, REALLY dumb when we're kids.

And I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll say this: I FREAKING LOVE WHO BLUE TURNS OUT TO BE.

Anyway, pick this book up. That isn't even a recommendation; that's an order. Pick it up. Now. Tomorrow. Yesterday. Just grab it. 

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was kind of nuts, seeing as we went full Christmas and we're not even done with the other house stuff we need to do. More on that later in the week, though, because today I have a review for This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp.

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

I've had this book on my Kindle for about two months now. I wanted to wait until it got closer to it's actual release date (January 5, 2016) before reading and reviewing it. Honestly, I'd actually forgotten the plot of this book, and to say that I was surprised would be an understatement. I finally got to it last week and it took me a few days before I could process what I felt for this book.

Since this is America, where apparently my cat could walk into a gun store and purchase whatever she wants, we've had about 335 mass shootings this year. 52 of those were school shootings. Working with kids, I'm constantly worried about what's going to happen to them when they leave our center. Sure, they live in a relatively safe suburb, but I'm sure that's what everyone thinks of their smallish city. I wish I could say that this book was one of those where I can't imagine what those people were feeling, but, again, as this is America, I understand it all too well.

This Is Where It Ends is told from several different perspectives: Claire, the runner; Tomás, the "bad" kid; Autumn, the sensitive dancer; and Sylv, her brave but damaged girlfriend. Three of these students are stuck in the school auditorium when a shooter begins his senseless, methodical murders, and one is on the outside, wanting in because family and friends are in there. Sprinkled throughout are shots from Twitter and a teacher's daughter's blog, giving us the experience of understanding all angles of this tragedy. We soon come to find that everyone in this narrative is connected in some way, and they all have a rather dark past with the shooter. That's what makes this whole mess so much worse: everyone is blaming themselves and not the shooter, because they think they've done something so harmful to him that he would turn a gun on his fellow students.

I liked a lot about this book, and it far outweighed the stuff I didn't like. I guess let's start with the disliking. Sometimes the characters were really one-dimensional. Having never been in a school shooting, I don't know exactly how I would react, but some of these kids were incredibly stone-faced and snarky when come face-to-face with the shooter. The secondary characters - those that we didn't really get a chance to know - were far more believable. For example, one girl watches her sister die in front of her, and she screams bloody murder (sorry), crumples to the ground, and then is in absolute shock for most of the novel. But the main characters stand up to the shooter, being sarcastic and don't seem to worry in the least about being shot.

What I liked most was the fast-pace of the novel. Sometimes when a novel is set within a certain time limit (this one was 52 minutes), it seems to drag on, leaving the reader wondering, okay, this scene has taken about an hour, but it's only been two minutes? This one really felt like everyone was moving at break-neck speed. I also really liked how real it all felt, because sometimes an author asks us to suspend reality for a few pages, but this one didn't. The cops didn't offer any special insight to the main characters, which left us in the dark, too. No one called from the auditorium and explained the plot to some other character. The reader is left wondering and waiting along with the other characters, hoping that so-and-so isn't really dead, that a sibling made it out before the shooter could see him or her. The stress and suspense is so real - and so all the time - that I had to take a few breaks, just to get my heart rate back to normal.

But now I get to the fun part! Sourcebooks Fire, the awesome publisher behind this book, is having a pre-order promotion for This Is Where It Ends. I'm going to let their super cute chalkboard picture tell the details, because it does it better than I could.

There are two ways to enter the giveaway:

1. If you pre-order a copy of This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp, submit your name, mailing address, email address, and order confirmation number via this Rafflecopter link.
2. If you have not pre-ordered a copy of This Is Where It Endsby Marieke Nijkamp, you may enter the giveaway by printing your name, mailing address, email address and the phrase "This Is Where It Ends" on a standard-size postcard and send to: Publicity, c/o Sourcebooks, Inc., 1935 Brookdale Rd., #139, Naperville, IL 60563.

So that's it! Easy peasy, right? But come on back the rest of this week, because I did some major reading over the weekend, and I still have two more reviews on hand. See you then!

The End of NaNo and The Beginning of a Bigger Mess

NaNo is over! And I won!

Trust me, no one is more surprised than I am. I went on a marathon writing jag last weekend and just barely made it. I'm not entirely sure I want to go back and read over what I wrote, because I'm sure it makes no sense and probably has nothing to do with the plot. But, I guess, whatever? I won? I don't know. I'm just glad that November is done with and we're on to December.

So how did I celebrate this momentous win? I turned off my computer for five days and didn't step foot in my office for the same amount of time. I couldn't stand to look at my computer anymore, and I'm sure it felt the same way about me. But now I've decided to be an adult and get things in order.

My office is an absolute mess. I debated whether or not to share a picture because, seriously, it makes me cringe each time I walk in, but in the interest of being honest, here it is.

It's so embarrassing. My office has become the Island of Misfit Toys, with whatever we can't find a place for finding a home in my office. It's not a permanent home, mind you, but it's still a home. All those boxes piled on top of the bookshelf? Those are nerd boxes that my boyfriend subscribes to. ALL OF THEM. He went a little crazy one day - and I love him for it - but now we have to find space for those things. Until then, they live here. My cat also lives in this room, because we have the dog and my boyfriend is allergic, so her most of the time home is in here. She pretty much makes any mess she can, and those two beds? Yeah, those are both hers, but she doesn't use them. BECAUSE SHE HATES ME. She uses her crate, the place that she hates so much she usually throws up in there.

I don't know. Our household is strange.

Anyway, why am I showing these disgusting, hideous pictures? Because I'm hoping that by next week, this will all be cleaned up. Not exactly cleared out, but at least in a state of organization that I can handle. We're going Christmas decoration shopping on Saturday morning and then setting up the house for the merriest of holidays that day.

Really, I'm in it for the cookies, the music, and the movies, but I'll take some presents, too.

Sunday, however, I'll be able to dedicated most of my day to cleaning the office. Looking around, it seems like a rather daunting task, but I can do it. Because I have to, or else I'll slowly go insane in here.

But what about writing, Bree? What about that?? Well, let me tell you, I think I've already found a story that I want to concentrate on. I'd been looking at it since October, and it was almost my NaNo story, but then I changed my mind. But now, I've been reading it on my phone and miss it. It's fun and it has substance, and I think it could really be something if I just give it a little love. I haven't made my final decision yet, but I'm leaning toward this story. I'll keep you all updated on that, and the office, because I know you want to see it all pretty and sparkling.

Also, next week I'll have a review up of This Is Where It Ends. I was going to do it today, but I just finished it last night and I'm still processing some feelings. It's a difficult book.

That's it for now! I'll see you next week for reviews and gorgeous office makeovers! (Don't hold your breaths.)

Onward and Upward

I feel like the last few weeks have gone by in a blur.

So, after the Oval Nationals, I figured I would buckle down and get to work on NaNo, right? Well, that was the plan, but it didn't quite work out that way. We decided to go to Arizona the next weekend for the last bit of races, and I ended up feeling kind of run down that whole weekend. Between flying and driving and sitting outside in the cold while dust flew up my nose and in my mouth, it all took its toll on me. I started trying to get serious this week, but it's been difficult. It's getting colder around here and all I want to do is clean the house, curl up in bed, and read.

I never thought I'd be so happy to see the end of November.

What does that mean for NaNo? Well, I'm going to work my butt off for the next four days and see what I can get done. I'm not so far behind that winning is impossible, but one could call it a long shot. Luckily, this story is not something that I was too terribly excited about, but just something I grabbed out of my folders. I knew this month would be insane, so I picked something that I could "mindlessly" write and know that it would never see the light of day. Looking over some of the things I've written, it's ridiculous and trite, but it's been helping me write everyday (more or less) and getting my brain working again.

My brain has really been getting at the future. December is going to be another slightly crazy month, but I'm going to utilize it the best I can. I've already started compiling a list of all the stories that I have in my folders that are...well, I guess you could say, worth something. Those are the stories that could be more, that could turn into novels with just a little love and patience. The plan (oh, the plan) is to take December to really look at them, to figure out if I could flesh them out into something that I would be excited about. Then, starting near the end of December or in January, I'm going to start writing (I'll still be writing everyday, and I'll talk about that in a second). Sprint cars don't get going until the beginning of March, and we have been planning on working on the house most weekends, but I can make it work. I'm determined to make it work, actually. I want something done before my birthday, something that I can hold in my hands and say, dang, that's mine.

As for writing everyday, I'm planning on doing what I make my students do: get into some prompts. I want to get into the habit of writing something each day, whether it's a hundred words or a thousand. It's like physical exercise: once I get into the swing of it, I'll crave it. There's thousands of websites out there with daily prompts, and I'd be an idiot not to use them. I hate New Years resolutions because I feel like you're just setting yourself up to fail (maybe it's just me), but I'm trying to be more organized in the coming year. That includes writing. Keep your fingers crossed for me, because I'm going to need it.

Besides all that, I'm betting that this blog is going to turn into me complaining that this house is too damn big and that I hate having to turn it into something I want to live in. Typical white people problems, basically. And no, I don't live in a mansion or anything close, but sometimes I look around our house and wonder what the hell we're going to do with some of the space. Then, within the space of two seconds, I wonder why we don't have more space for all of our junk. Then I wonder if anyone wants to buy a slightly used, mostly broken cat.

Cat hair rug included!

But that might just be me,

Oval Nationals and Then...Weirdness

This weekend was a trip.

Before leaving on Thursday, I made certain to pack my laptop and extra books, since I figured I'd be alone in the hotel room most of the time. I'd be able to catch up on my writing and finish one book so I could get started on another that I've had my eye on for weeks now. So, how did I do? Let's put it this way: I'm about 5,000 words behind and didn't finish one book. 

But I didn't care. 

Perris Auto Speedway during a quiet moment

Sprint cars are amazing. I knew this before, but this weekend only reinforced and strengthened my love for this sport. Watching the boy work alongside people I've been cheering for was surreal. I met drivers and others involved in this sport that I've treated like celebrities for the last few years. The best part of it all was seeing him so happy. He was having the time of his life (even though his team didn't do so hot).

The boy (in the blue hat) checking out Hubcap Mike's car

Watching what goes into making these cars run is terrifying. I felt like they should fall apart in a matter of seconds (side note: the smell of Methanol and cigarettes is an intoxicating perfume). Everyone involved is absolutely insane, I swear. The mechanics, the drivers, the photographers. One photographer I met takes amazing shots, but it's horrifying to watch him perch precariously on the wall and lean out toward the track while the cars whiz by, all to get the perfect picture. The mechanics work faster and harder than anyone I've ever seen, and they have the harrowing task of making sure this car doesn't self-destruct on the track and the driver doesn't die. There are no words for the drivers themselves: their huge balls speak for them. 

Now I'm back home (for awhile...) and trying to catch up on everything I missed while being so wrapped up in sprint cars. 

I'm plunking away at NaNo. I think this one might come down to the wire. I'm into the story and finding inspiration everywhere I turn, but something is stopping me. It's not writer's block or even that cat (surprise!), but, as weird as this sounds, I think the feeling are getting to me. Some of the scenes are terribly sad and it gets me really down for awhile, so much so that I don't want to do anything more than stare at the cat and contemplate my own life. I'm going to try my best, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a quiet Thanksgiving break, although I was just told that I would be working that Wednesday, so siiiiigh. 

Now, for a Mr. Roger's moment. Now that things are looking to slow down, I notice an aspect of my personality that I thought had gone forever: obsession. 

This sounds like the prelude to a Saturday Morning Special. 

We have a lot of stuff to do around the house, and I tend to zone in on one thing and obsess over it until it's perfect. Seriously. It's scary. I used to (sadly) do this with boys in high school: I'd get a crush and then have to refrain from driving by his house every two seconds (I lived in a small enough town where this sort of behavior would have been noticed pretty quickly). Luckily, I'm not insane anymore. But that same level of obsession seems to be creeping over me. It's come for little things, but they've all consumed my every waking moment. It stresses me out to no end. I want things to get going and to be done, and sometimes I can't see over the rainbow to the next project. It takes a lot of deep breaths to keep me going through the day and lovely bedtime stories to keep my dreams obsession free.It feels dangerous and heady, but I enjoy it.

What I'm getting at here is that obsession is okay. Obviously, there are different levels to this, but I think constantly looking up pictures for your office (me right now) or writing a boy's name a thousand times in your notebook (me at 15) is okay. Just, you know, don't get all Single White Female on whatever you're obsessing over. 

I just dated myself. Whatever, I'm old. 

Now, back to writing. Hopefully my next post will be full of happiness and self-praise for almost being done. 

As always, fingers crossed. 

Not That Easy by Radhika Sanghani

Hello! I hope everyone had a very fun - and very safe - Halloween! I did, but my allergies got to decide all of my activities for me, which wasn't too bad, considering I ate popcorn and candy and watched scary movies most of my trip. So, no complaints here.

Today, I'm back to tell you all about one of my favorite new series (fingers crossed!) by Radhika Sanghani. The first book, Virgin, was hilarious and sweet (my review for it is right here). Now her second book comes out this Tuesday, and of course I had to write a proper review for Not That Easy because it was even better than the first (if that's possible).

Ellie used to be a virgin, but now she’s a woman with sexual experience. Well, some sexual experience. She also has debt, an unpaid magazine internship, and three flatmates who left her with the single room to match her single status.

That’s okay. She doesn’t want a boyfriend anyway—she wants several. And if the sex is exciting enough, her ruthless magazine editor boss can exploit her dating life for a column.

After countless hook-ups, a disastrously fiery encounter with some heat lube, and one orgasm class, Ellie is faced with the sad reality of her sexual ineptitude. But when she starts to witness the emotional wreckage she’s leaving in her wake, Ellie realizes that sex can be hard, and there’s a down side to giving it up too easy.

Ellie is...the best. Nothing gets this girl down, and she takes on every adventure head first. Sometimes, her enthusiasm can cause some problems (especially with her flatmates), but she works her butt off to fix everything to the best of her ability. She's strong and absolutely believable, mainly because she seems like your best friend. Ellie is the type of girl you want to hang out with, hold her hand over her mistakes, and laugh at her cringe-worthy stories. Not only is she totally real, she's also one of the best when it comes to confidence. That was one of the things that really drew me in with her. Ellie might be a twenty-two year old intern with a murky future and less than stellar decision-making skills, but she makes up for it with her confidence. Like I said before, she goes for what she wants, even if she doesn't quite know how to get it. When trying to figure out how to have an orgasm, Ellie pumps herself up by reminding herself that "they do it all the time in movies and porn, and those girls haven't even been to uni. You have a degree, Ellie - you can master this."

One of the main themes of this book was slut shaming, and Sanghani attacks it with perfection. At one point, Ellie and her friends decide to take the word back, to show the world that yes, they are women who love sex, and yes, they are not ashamed of that. I loved that they didn't immediately run around town and act shameless about their exploits, but they did have sex with whomever they wanted and didn't care what others said. On the flip side, Sanghani made sure to include those people that do slut shame, and did it in such a way that I had to read the passage a few times to make sure that the guy was really saying what I thought he was saying. When Ellie has sex with someone she probably shouldn't have (to say more would be spoilers), her flatmate Will tells her, "I hold your directly responsible for this whole mess...it's just you on your crazy slut quest who seduced him and made this happen." While Ellie did take responsibility for her part of the mistake, it was the other person in this party that initiated sex. He told Ellie exactly what she wanted to hear in order to get what he wanted...but none of the flatmates saw it that way. It was frustrating and annoying, but that's how it goes.

Overall, I'd have to recommend this to everyone. Well, at the very least, every young woman (and man) that goes through that awkward phase of "everyone is having sex but me and I'm such a loser for that." You're not. Don't ever think that. Sex doesn't make you more of an adult or cooler or anything like that. It just means you've had sex. High five! But, if you haven't, high five! Everyone wins!

How To Properly Conquer NaNo

Ah, the end of October. With it brings my favorite holiday, the faint promise of stuffing and candied yams, and chilly temperatures (well, not in the  high 90s here, I guess). It also ushers in the beginning of NaNo, and I'm glad to say that I'll be on time this year!

Every Halloween, my boyfriend and I are usually at Knott's Scary Farm or somewhere else along the same ilk. It's silly fun, and most of the time, the mazes are amazing. But we finished all this this year earlier than expected. I don't know, I'm going to sound like a disillusioned teenager here, but everything was so...commercialized. We went to Universal and it was insane, with people waiting in lines for up to two hours. Two hours! We walked away from that with my favorite thing of the entire night being the Transformers ride. Then Knott's was...interesting. First of all, it was disgustingly warm that night, and the indoor mazes didn't really help. Second, there are some strange people out there. Not working in the mazes, just...in the world, in general. It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of crowds, but people are getting weirder. They also took out the best maze and kept the prices the same, and it was a mess. In both parks (Universal and Knott's) I found my smiling politely more than jumping. It all made me feel so old, and I've never been happier of that.

But this year! This year, we're not going to be a theme park for Halloween. Nope, we're going to be in Arizona, marveling at our good luck at being able to see three of our favorite bands: Tool, Primus, and Coheed and Cambria. Okay, only one of those bands is really for me, but I love watching the crowd for the other two bands. Have you ever seen Primus fans? They're wonderful and so high and don't care. Same with Tool. Those people made me so happy, not because they're acting weird, but because they're so into the music and everything around them is so wonderful and they want to share that experience with everyone. Some music crowds make me happy to be in this world.

Anyway! That means that on Sunday, November first, I'll wake up and be able to start typing away. Usually I'm so tired from the night before that I skip the first and wait for the second. Or third. Or maybe even the second week. By that time, I'm so over the story that I have prepared that I just start typing whatever and none of it makes any sense. But not this year. I have a story idea that I've loved forever (really - I'll get to that in a later post), I know where I'm going with it, and I'm so excited to start on Sunday. We're staying at my boyfriend's parents' house, which means I don't have to wake up and get ready for work the next day. I'm already prepared (or as prepared as I usually am), so all I have to worry about is making sure I don't wake anyone while cackling happily over my amazing word putting together skills.

Also, their community has a Starbucks and a doughnut (the little red lines informed me that donut was going to be a no-no in this situation) shop in the same center. Sometimes I love Arizona.

Now, however, I have to worry about packing and getting ready for work. I have to prepare for an interesting drive to Arizona, since we're taking both dogs in a car that is not very comfortable for my overly tall boyfriend. The cat gets free reign of the house while we're gone, so that's going to be fun to come home to. Oh! I'll also have a post on Monday about a new book I just finished. Get ready for some gushing.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.

Chickens and Puppies and Writing

We have new neighbors.

They're really nice. I've spoken to them twice. They have adorable children, super cute with their round cheeks and giggles over their swimming pool. They also have a German Shepherd puppy that is the cutest thing alive, but barks whenever they're not home, which is always since they're not really living in the house yet and they tend to leave the puppy alone in its CAGE in the backyard. There's also a plethora of workers coming in and out of the house, agitating the poor puppy that then barks uncontrollably, worrying our dogs and me, because I hate hearing that poor thing freak out when I can't calm it down (trust me, I've tried multiple times). Then, as we found out last night around midnight, these nice people also have CHICKENS that like to CROW whenever they damn well feel like it.

I'm not too keen on these people, if you can't tell.

Anyway, because of all that, I've been sleeping in a lot and then waking up all groggy because my natural schedule is all messed up. I haven't had much time to write on the computer, but I've been making up for it at work. That's a terrible thing, but I do my job and I do it well, and when I have a few seconds of downtime, I manage to jot down some notes or a scene, if I'm really lucky. Nothing is really very good, but then I get home and am able to expand and change things on my laptop. It's helping, because I just had an idea for one of my older stories. It might get done for NaNo, but I'm not sure if I want to rush this one.

Mostly, I'm just excited for November. I still have tutoring until well past my normal hours, but only two days a week. That means I should be home before 8 on most nights, and I won't be so exhausted that I just want to go to bed. Everything always seems to work out for November, and for that, I'm ever so thankful. Thank you, NaNo gods.

Then, I guess I went book buying crazy this month because I have three brand spanking new books waiting for me on my shelf. Right now, I'm staring at Career of Evil, and you have no idea how hard it is for me to not throw this computer out the window (or place it nicely back in the office, really, sorry, my love) and curl up with sneaky JK. As for the other books, I pass them every time I go to bed, and they cry out whenever I tell them that I can't read them tonight. I mean, I'm sure they cry. They have to, right? I also have two other books sitting on my nightstand, and it makes me so sad. I have one more book to read for NetGalley and then I'm taking a break. I've said that before, but this book was sent to me because I read the first one in the series, so I can't exactly say no. Also, the first book was awesome, so expect a review for this one next week or so.

All right, I guess I should go be an adult and wait for the repairman. And not smother my cat with kisses because she won't stop meowing. And not listen to the new Adele on repeat until my ears bleed. And not freak out over Panic! At The Disco tickets because I'm a 32 year old woman.

We all know I'm going to do all those things.

Scott Jenkins' Road to Wonderland by Charlie M. Matthews

Hello again everyone! If you can see the banner above, you know what day it is. It's Wonderland day! This time, we have Scott Jenkins' story, and what a story it is. 

Synopsis:

Scott Jenkins is charming, smooth, full of ambition and he has plans. Plans that don't involve being a 19-year-old builder, working long hours at his father's construction company, hauling wheelbarrows or stacking bricks in an underpaid job. But as with most things in Scott's world, the dreams and ambitions he has set himself never really go to plan.

When Scott's best mate, Ethan Walker, hits rock bottom, everything changes overnight. After years of trying to figure out his purpose in life, he now knows what he has to do, and more importantly, who he has to save. Tiptoeing on the outskirts of a world filled with drugs and violence, Scott ends up walking down roads he never even knew existed. What was once a simple life, suddenly seems incredibly complicated - especially with the arrival of a forbidden love who is determined to make things even more difficult for him.

Follow Scott on his journey to Wonderland, where friendships are tested, relationships are destroyed and a dangerous woman leaves the guy who once thought he knew exactly, what he wanted, in the pits of despair.

Road to Wonderland Series book 5 (all books are standalone reads)

This book was all kinds of wonderful. I love that I felt like I'd known Scott forever (since he's popped up in the other books), but now I got his part of the story. Scott Jenkins is the type of boy you love so much that you just might hate him. He's sweet and smart and sexy and knows that he's all those things, and that you're thinking all those things. Sometimes he seems absolutely clueless to the effect he has on women, but you're never quite sure if it's a game or just his adorable nature. 

What I truly loved about this book was the friendship between Scott and Ethan. Since I've been cheering for Ethan since day freaking one, I loved seeing him at his most vulnerable from his best friend's point of view. I loved watching Scott struggle next to Ethan and support his hero, because that's what you do with friends. The friendships in these books are ridiculously well written, and Scott and Ethan might be my favorite friends. They both went through some trouble and they came out the better for it, and they're still together. 

This book is very much like the others: it's so hard to sit by while Scott messes up his life. You want to reach through the pages and shake him awake, to tell him that there are other women out there, to tell him that he should probably get his life together. His story is so romantic and so uplifting, but so, so very sad at the same time. He wants to get all he wants, but at what cost? And does that cost even matter to him?

I know I say this every time, but this is definitely my favorite book of the series (until the next one, or until I reread all the others).

Goodreads Book Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26039001-scott-jenkins-road-to-wonderland?ac=1

Buy Links:

Amazon US - http://amzn.to/1GzRURM

Amazon UK - http://amzn.to/1Lle2Vn

Author Bio:

Charlie M Matthews is a hopeless romantic, lost in her own world of fairytales and adventures. A lover of art and painting, she'd happily hang up her everyday clothes in exchange for a paint smudged shirt. In the confines of her attic room, she is able to create a world that is unlike no other. Mixing fantasy and fiction to generate a piece of work that she could lose herself in.

Charlie is a mum of three, living on the outskirts of Oxfordshire. Born and raised in Reading, she switched the bright lights and traffic jams for a quiet life in the sticks a little over 5 years ago. Between school runs and generally just being a mum, you'll most likely find Charlie at the local hair spa. Flipping through magazines sporting the latest colour craze, or mixing colours and arranging up-do's, sparking her creative side.

With her wild imagination and passion for reading, Charlie stumbled upon a new love.

Writing...

What started as a distraction from the crazy thing that is 'life', soon became all too real. She no longer dreamt, about the day her words would be published for all to see because that day was finally happening. 

Social Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Charlie-M-Matthews/812462685463773?fref=ts

Twitter: @C_MMatthews

The Road to Wonderland Series:

    Izzy @ Amazon US    Paris @ Amazon US

     Izzy @ Amazon UK   Paris @ Amazon UK

 Ethan @ Amazon US    Max @ Amazon US

  Ethan @ Amazon UK   Max @ Amazon UK

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/95cb0282199/?

Hello October!

Okay, yeah, October has been around for about two weeks now, but it gets my general sentiment. It's the thought that counts.

This is a week later than I wanted, but, honestly, things were not syncing fast enough for my taste. While I thought about work when I last posted, I didn't think of all the things I would have to do for work. Reading books, making packets, trying to learn about a test that I didn't know existed until a month ago. It's been exhausting and frustrating, mainly because I'm spending so much of my home time worrying about things that I should just leave at work. But, nope. That's not my style. I have to brings those things home and freak out about them here.

It's not fun.

Not to mention that I see my boyfriend a total of an hour (if I'm lucky!) during the weekdays. And I don't get to Doctor Who until Friday or sometimes right before the new episode airs. Also, did you know that Cops is still on and we're currently obsessed with it and it plays a million times a day and I just want to sit around and watch all the episodes?

Yeah.

So. Things. What are those important things that I mentioned in my last post?

Well, one of those things I can't talk about right now. It's nothing related to writing or a book deal or anything like that. Wouldn't that be nice, though? Someone to call me and say, hey, Bree, we magically read that book you haven't finished yet and we'd love to publish it, okay? Here's a bajillion dollars so you don't have to work anymore.

At least my imagination is still intact.

No, that important thing will come later. But the one I can talk about is that my boyfriend has joined a sprint car team crew. If you have no idea what sprint cars are, join the club! Just kidding. That was me about two years ago. He tried explaining it to me and I just nodded, smiling, because I thought he was insane. Then he showed me videos and I thought he was even crazier. But now...now I love it. I thought about looking around the internet for a good example of sprint cars, but there's just too much out there. Google it.

Anyway, for the last year or so, we've been talking about what we can do to help some of these teams. This is an expensive sport, and not everyone that does it is a Rockefeller. We've given money and bought shirts and all that normal fan stuff, but that didn't seem like enough. So when my boyfriend was, effectively, handed a golden ticket a few weeks ago, he took it. A team needed help in the pit area with getting the car ready, keeping it going, and all that other crew-type stuff. My boyfriend, handy man that he is, volunteered and the team snatched him up.

Does it add another piece to the plate? Yes.

Does it stress me out that he's going to be working in a potentially dangerous environment? Yes.

Is he deliriously happy because this is something that he's wanted to do since he was a child, and so I'm so, so, so excited for him? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

All this means is that we're going to be busy on the weekends. And that we have to change our eating habits, which have been...less than stellar. That means I have to meal plan and cook, which I don't mind in the least, but it sucks that I can't cook it so it's hot when he gets home. It also sucks that it's about a thousand degrees in California (seriously, I'm going swimming after I finish this) still and cooking is ridiculous in a house with no air conditioning.

But I'm making it work. Because I have to.

One of the other things that I can talk about is changing my writing habits. I've been trying to write everyday, but schedules have other ideas. Still, I've committed myself to finishing one of my stories. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but it kind of is. I get so invested in a story and then...another idea pops up. And then another. And then I forget what my original story was even about.

This is not a book I wish to publish. This is just something fun that's been floating around in my Word files for about three or four years now. During my downtime at work (really, I make the kids do about an hour of TOEFL testing so I can let my brain catch up with the day), I fleshed it out into a for reals story and now it's going. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of this month so I can be ready for NaNo next month. There was a scary few days when I thought I wasn't going to do it this year, but I love it too much not to.

I think that covers all the important things. I'm going to keep this thing updated at least once a week, and I'm thinking that it might be on Thursdays, because those are my less busy days in the morning. I'l still post book reviews every now and again, but my reading has slowed considerably because of this whole schedule mess. But I won't give this up. This helps me, weirdly enough.

Just get ready for more sprint car talk.

Life

Remember that whole na-na-na-na boo boo, I'm better than you schedule and holier than thou attitude that came with it?

Oh man.

Last week was insanity. You know those weeks (or even days) when you find both hands full and more stuff waiting to be picked up? That was last week. I had two doctor's appointments and about a thousand things to do between them and work. Then, when I went to work, my boss pretty changed my entire schedule, so now I'm not even home until 9 most nights. It's kind of a mess, but I'm determined to make it work. There's some pretty important stuff happening in my life right now and I need to have a schedule in order for everything to fall into place. So now I have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what I'm going to do.

Does it suck that these things have been thrown at me with barely a warning? Yeah, sure, and I cried a lot last week. I was frustrated and angry and upset, and all I wanted to do was crawl under the deck and live there forever. With the lizards. Not the spiders, though. They would have to move.

I guess what this week has taught me is that life is chaotic. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a not so good way. I guess it's been okay since the good has definitely outweighed the bad, but still. I'm like my mom in that way: one bad thing happens and my entire life is over. Things have never gotten to me as bad as they did last week. I'm pretty emotional, but I can save my crying to once or twice a month, if I'm lucky. But last week...last week was a rollercoaster. I cried almost every day in the shower while getting ready for week. Not a great idea, by the way, because my make up didn't go on so hot.

This means that September is definitely canceled when it comes to this blog. I want to concentrate on getting my home life and work life in harmony, and then I can slowly reintroduce the idea of this blog. It'll only be about two weeks (at the least), but I'm hoping to have a rhythm going in that time. My mornings are still relatively free, but since I work later now, I'm going to have to utilize that free time for things I usually left for the night. Well, things other than catching up on Doctor Who and reading (both of which I did this morning).

I'll be back in October with more book reviews, updates on writing, and general babbling. I'm so sorry that this blog has been spotty, for those of you who have stuck with me on this up and down journey I'm on. I've made some decisions over the weekend that I think will have a positive influence on both this blog and my life, and I'll talk more about those when I come back. Mainly because I want to make sure I stick with them and they fit into my life.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Oh man. Today's review is going to be a bit on the rambling side.

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last - inexorably - into evil.

The best part about that summary is that it doesn't even begin to cover what happens in this book.

I had no idea what to expect when I picked this up. To be honest, one of my favorite authors, Maggie Stiefvater, mentioned this book on a Tumblr post when someone asked if she had read the book. Apparently, she had, and she mentions it alongside her books, The Raven Cycle (which are all so good, go buy the first three right now, seriously). So I picked this up, because Stiefvater told me it was good and because I have The Goldfinch on my Kindle right now, so I was interested in what Donna Tartt was all about.

Okay. Let me see if I can make that summary into something.

Richard Papen, a California kid that wants to do something with his life, decides to apply to a small college in Vermont. Once there, he wants to study Greek, but the only Greek teacher is very snobbish about his students and does not accept everyone. When Julian Morrow, the professor, finally accepts Richard, that's the beginning of the end for him. Richard meets the other students: quiet, studious Henry; man-about town Bunny; dramatic Francis; and the fraternal twins Charles and Camilla. While they accept him into the group nicely enough, it takes a few months before they realize they can truly trust Richard. But, by that time, Richard is in too deep to wonder if he can trust them.

This book. My god, this book. When I started reading it, I had a clear sense of who was good and who was bad, and, really, I didn't think my ideas could change. By the time *SPOILERY THING* occurs, I had no idea who I was rooting for and who I wanted to throw off a cliff (ba dum tsss). Richard appears to be a reliable narrator, but there were moments where I couldn't believe anything that was happening and wondered if he was just rambling because of everything he had gone through (this is written years after *SPOILERY THING* occurs). Maybe it was because so many fantastical things kept throwing themselves at me and I couldn't believe that one person had experienced all these events. It seems impossible, but Richard told his story with such emotion that it had to be true. It was too amazing not to be. Everyone else in this novel is a big mess and no one is as they seem. Honestly. By the end, I felt like I had gone through five hundred something pages with these people that were total strangers.

It's terrifying and romantic and dizzying all at once. Tartt does a superb job helping us traverse through this narrative, since we already know the who, but not the why. Usually I spend a big chunk of my time trying to figure out the mystery, but in this book, no way. I just read. I was so absorbed by everything that these characters were doing, by everything that was happening around them, that I was shocked when Tartt finally stepped aside for the big reveal. The whole world turned on its head, and I wanted to go back and read it all over again. Watching the characters deteriorate and spiral into whatever black hole they had found was like riding a rollercoaster: I wanted to shut my eyes, but I couldn't stop myself from soaking everything in.

I know I'm going to break down and eventually buy this book (I got my copy from the library), because it was so damn good. Now more than ever, I am so excited to read The Goldfinch, not because it's similar in material, but because Tartt's writing was so lush and picturesque. I wanted to be there with the characters, even when they were tripping down the path best left alone. She made everything seem to real and so relevant. I can honestly say that I've never read another book like this one. And that's such a good thing.

This is one of those that I'm saying go get it any means possible (but not stealing, because, obviously). It's over five hundred pages, but it's so worth it, trust me.

The Lost Girl by R.L. Stine

I know I must have talked about my love for R.L. Stine. Right? If I haven't, let me sum it up for you: I LOVE R.L. STINE.

When I was a kid, my dad would take me either horseback riding or to the bookstore on weekends, sometimes both (my dad is the best). Whenever we went to the bookstore, I would get one of two books: the next in the Baby-Sitters Club series or a new R.L. Stine. I think I had all the Fear Street books, and it was a big deal for me, when I grew up, to give them away to younger cousins and such. My friends and I even started a kind of Fear Club, where we would write scary stories and then meet once a week to read them to each other. They were all just rip offs of the newest Fear Street book, but we didn't care. We would have told them a million times and been just as riveted.

One day, tripping around NetGalley to see if there was something to read, I came across the relaunched Fear Street books. Lucky me, I was granted access to the second one, Don't Stay Up Late. It was good, but not as good as I remember the Fear Street book being. Slightly disappointed, I still signed up for the third book, The Lost Girl. And that's where I remembered my long-lost obsession for these books.

New student Lizzy Palmer is the talk of Shadyside High. Michael and his girlfriend Pepper befriend her, but the closer they get to her, the stranger she seems… and the more attractive she is to Michael. He invites her to join him on a snowmobile race that ends in a tragic accident. Soon, Michael's friends start being murdered, and Pepper becomes convinced that Lizzy is behind the killings. But to her total shock, she and Michael are drawn into a tragic story of an unthinkable betrayal committed over 60 years ago. 





If I'm being honest, I figured out the plot in about two seconds, but that doesn't matter. Even though you can figure out what's going on with Lizzy, you're still left wondering why. It's different, especially when I think back to the older Fear Street books, the ones where it was the second string quarterback or another student with some kind of vendetta. I think that's why I liked this one more than Don't Stay Up Late. That one felt more like a grown up Goosebumps (which, I guess, Fear Street is, really), but this one felt like one of the old Fear Street books that I love. My favorite in the older series were the Fear Street Saga novels, where Stine went into depth about the curse that hangs over Fear Street. This one reminded me a lot of those, maybe because (SPOILERS) this book deals with the past a bit.

Lizzy is...strange. She shows up randomly and then glues herself to Michael in the most obnoxious and weird ways. She pops up at his house and holds his hand in front of his girlfriend, and I kept wondering what was wrong with this girl. It felt like Michael was often dealing with an escaped mental patient, but that's what kept the characters interesting. No one could understand why Michael stuck up for this obviously deranged girl, but he did. He made sure to include her in everything he did, even when the reader is screaming at him to stop. Maybe he likes them crazy, because he was mad about her up until the end.

Writing books for teens is vastly different today than it was when I was a kid. Sometimes I go through the old books I still have and roll my eyes because I can't believe I made my parents spend money on some of it. Maybe the reason I like these new Fear Street books is because Stine doesn't seem to have updated his writing. That sounds terrible and horribly inaccurate for what I'm really trying to get at. Okay, he adds cell phones and things like that (you know, typical teen things, right?), but the kids in his stories deal with the supernatural and the strange, yet it's so tame compared to some teen books today. Relationships are already established and no one is trying to jump into bed with anyone else because they're trying to figure out why their friends are being murdered by this strange pulsing light, thank you very much. 

God, I sound old.

Anyway, yeah, these are fun reads, and I'm already excited for the whole line of them. The stories are chilling and they're books to curl up in bed at night and get lost in. That's really all I'm asking for sometimes. And some tea. And maybe a blanket. If the weather wasn't trying to kill me.

Another Quickie

Do you want to know the one variable I didn't count on when I wrote that last blog post?

The weather.

The stupid, stupid weather.

I was honestly so excited the last time I posted because everything was going to go back to "normal" and I wouldn't be working strange summer hours. I had a schedule and an organizational zeal that was bursting at the seams. But no. No no no no no. The weather suddenly jumped up to the high 90s (even hitting 100 on a few glorious days) and I about died. Our bedroom was hot and sticky, and even sitting outside in the shade did nothing to cool me down. I don't think I did my hair once all last week, and thank god my boss came in with the same messy ponytail I was sporting more than once. It was miserable and gross and something inside me died.

It's *supposedly* going to be cooler this week, so that's good, if it's true. But this is ridiculous. It's September. I'm not asking for lashing rain and blizzards every two seconds (but I'd take it at this point), but a little break from sweating my make up off would be lovely.

I've been writing, but mostly I've been reading. I have a few book reviews lined up for this week, so that should be fun. I'm going to post one every day, because it's been awhile since I've done one just for fun and my already-read list is backing up, thirsty for reviews. Unless I wake up tomorrow (Monday) and the thermometer outside tells me that Hell has once more risen on Earth, then I should be in here writing and screaming German into my computer (the microphone doesn't pick up my horrible accent so well).

Other than that, nothing new to report on this side. I just recently discovered that this office I call my own is actually my own, so now I'm looking around for office inspiration. Nothing crazy and I have to keep it on a strict budget (because I HATE MONEY), but I'm excited to change things around and get it all organized. Also, to get a few random dressers out of the room and to finally get rid of the queen size bed that's in here just for my cat. I mean, c'mon. I love her, but no. Anyway, that should make for a fun few posts, because you know that I'm going to take my time and go piece by piece because that's just who I am. Oh! And we might get a new bookcase in the bedroom, so I'm going to have to brag about that. Of course.

Anyway, come on back all this week for new reviews each day.I'm not guaranteeing that they're going to be anything special, but I do have the new R.L. Stine lined up and - surprise! - I didn't hate it.

School Has Sprung!

Good Monday, everyone! It's been awhile since I posted just an update on everything, so I figured the best way to start September right was to get on here.

Yes, I'm aware that it's September 8th.

Summer was kind of crazy this year, and not even always in the good ways. I never thought I'd say this, but, man, am I glad that summer is over. I mean, sure, I'll miss the better hours and the fatter paycheck and the constant swimming and naps whenever I want...Wait, why is it better that summer is over?

Well, first things first, fall is coming. Yeah, okay, it might be hitting 85° right now and only climbing higher, but it's the morning. I'm sitting in my office, basking in the cool from my fan and the sun hasn't even thought about touching this room yet. It's probably the coolest room in the house in the morning, but forget about it during the afternoon. That was the main reason for my writing slump this summer. The scorching temperatures combined with a hot office did nothing for my motivation. Not when there's a perfectly good pool calling me from the backyard and then I bought a hammock and...It all went downhill from there, trust me.

Second, which I really already said, my hours are back to afternoon and early evening. Sure, I enjoy summer hours because that means my work day is done between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, but I love having mornings open. I love being able to go grocery shopping when no one else is there or hitting the bookstore right when it opens. I can do laundry and prep for dinner before I even make my lunch. The traffic sucks coming home, but now I won't have my Mad Max steelbook sold from under my nose because I wasn't there to pick it up first thing in the morning.

Let's not get into that.

Third, and most important, I'm going to have a schedule again. Sure, there's going to be little surprises along the way, but it'll be nice to have that hour or two carved out for me to write. I've been planning this schedule in my head for nearly two weeks, so it's not a spur of the moment decision like most of them I make. I have writing, cleaning, German, animals, and anything else that pops up. It might not seem like it, but I do like to have schedules and I'm not a very good spontaneous person. Too many variables, too many choices. I blame my mom for having such good organizational skills while we were growing up.

That's it for today, really. I'm going to be making little changes around here this next week or two, depending on what happens this weekend, but I'll keep you all updated. Have a great rest of the week!

PS - I have been writing. Don't think that I've been super lazy and haven't been utilizing my laptop to it's fullest extent. I have. Just not as well as I should have.

Road to Wonderland Series Tour: Max Colton

Growing up with certain expectations and your entire life mapped out for you is never easy, but when the bar is set impossibly high, most would give up.

Not Max Colton.

Even as a child, his father is unrelenting. Discipline, rules and rigid control are all he knows. Nothing Max does is good enough, and no matter how hard he works, approval and recognition are always just out of reach.

From boarding school to university, Max gets a glimpse of the freedom he’s always been denied, and learns unexpected things about himself along the way. When he somehow finds himself thrust back under his father’s iron rod of control, that freedom proves harder to let go of than he anticipated and he finds himself caught in a balancing act between his lifelong battle for his father’s approval and living out his own hopes and dreams.

With loves found and lost and his friends at his side, Max has to navigate through the world one step at a time. People aren’t always as they seem, and every stone unturned reveals a new challenge, bringing him closer to a future that has always seemed elusive and uncertain.

A future that holds success, freedom and love he never expected to have.

A future that will offer loyal friends and a home that isn’t confined to a building.

A future that leads him to Wonderland.

Click here to check out the trailer for this book!

Buy Links:

Available in ebook & paperback:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1GZNLX6

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1HEWvFX

About the Author:

H. A. Robinson is a jet-setting billionaire with a home on each continent, who spends her free time saving kittens from trees and babies from burning buildings. A graduate of Hogwarts and a frequent visitor to Narnia, she drinks coffee in Central Perk and tames dragons in Westeros.

In her dreams…

In reality, she’s a support worker living in a small town in Cheshire, who would almost always choose fantasy over reality. She’s been an obsessive reader from the moment she picked up her first Enid Blyton book, more years ago than she cares to admit, and enjoys nothing more than getting lost in new worlds and adventures from the minds of all the amazing authors out there.

She’s had the voices of characters in her head for as long as she can remember, and puts them down on paper in order to convince herself and the men in white coats that she isn’t crazy.

Social Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HARobinsonAuthor?fref=ts

Twitter: @H_ARobinson

The Road to Wonderland Series Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RTWSeries?fref=ts

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES available in ebook & paperback

The Road to Wonderland Series

Available as ebooks and paperbacks

The Road to Wonderland Series:

        Izzy @ Amazon US

        Izzy @ Amazon UK

        Paris @ Amazon US

        Paris @ Amazon UK         

        Ethan @ Amazon US

        Ethan @ Amazon UK      

       Add to your TBR

        Releases 16th October

Charlie M. Matthews interviews H.A. Robinson

CMM: *sneaks into the headquarters of H.A Robinson and plants a whoopee cushion on her minion covered throne.

After gazing around in admiration, I pull out my pen and notebook and wait patiently for her arrival*

HA: *Slinks in and plonks down on the King Bob throne and groans at the farting noise* I shoulda seen that one coming, huh?

CMM: Yuuuuup. It has clearly been too long, my friend. You've lost your touch.

HA: *Pulls air in through teeth* I’ll have to come see you to sharpen my skills back up. *Grins*

CMM: That you will... So, I should probably start this interview off by saying thank you. When I heard that I would be given a chance to grill the ever enchanting H.A. Robinson, I almost peed my pants. I've been dying to get my hands on you since... well... since forever. And here you are *throws arms out*

HA: *Laughs and crosses legs on my throne* Here I am. And I’m not nervous about this interrogation at all. *Shakes head* Nope. Not in the slightest!

CMM: *eyes her curiously and smirks* Suuuuuure you're not *cackles like one of the Sanderson sisters*

Now, let's get down to business *chucks on my professional face, twirling pen in hand*

You have very recently published your first novel, Max Colton's Road to Wonderland *grins* Congratulations, by the way. How does that feel?

HA: *Grins* Thank you! In all honesty, the only word I’ve been able to come up with to describe it has been surreal. It seems crazy to think that that’s my book out there on people’s Kindles and soon to be on people’s bookshelves, too. You better get used to that crazy feeling soon, too. It’s surreal, wonderful and in a way, really humbling. It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever experienced and I really can’t thank all the people who have been so nice about my word baby enough!

CMM: I can only imagine how crazy that feeling must be. To have the whole world reading your words and judging you by them. It would appear that there isn't a soul out there who hasn't loved hearing Max's story, myself included, and the reviews have been mind blowing. Your novel touched so many people and in so many different ways. What does that feel like? To know that they didn't just buy your novel, but rated it so highly? I know I would be hiding behind my computer absolutely shitting myself as the reviews come in *laughs*

HA: *Laughs and nods* Oh yes, every review that came in, I held my breath while reading them, waiting for the one that would call me out as a fraud. I’m still waiting for that review that says, “What on earth is this woman thinking, trying to write? Go back to the day job!” It’s one thing to have your friends and family telling you you’ve done a good job, but it’s a whole different thing when somebody you’ve never spoken to before contacts you to tell you how much they’ve enjoyed your writing. It’s the most immensely amazing feeling. I can’t even begin to describe it!

CMM: Trust me when I tell you... *lifts eyes from notepad and grins* that day will never come. In fact, I can't wait see what's next. Which leads me to this question.

What is next for HA? Are you working on anything new at the moment?  

HA: *Laughs and smooches her cheek* Thank you. I’ll pay you that tenner later, gorgeous.

Actually, I am currently writing a romance novel that popped into my head in the bath of all places. Don’t judge me! *Laughs* I’ve also got a dystopian story swirling around in my head that I want to work on once this project is complete. There just aren’t enough hours in the day!

CMM:Hold up! *raises hand* Can I just put this out there? She did not pay me to say that *mumbles under breath, giving her the stink eye* And I really, reeeeeally did enjoy it.

We all love a good romance. What makes this novel different to the others out there? Can you give us a little insight on what's to come?

HA: Hmm, well I don’t want to give too much away, but the characters I’m writing are insanely loud in my head. In fact, with the amount of editing work I’ve been doing recently, writing time has been pretty short and the male lead, whose name is Elijah, has had a full on pout going in my head for weeks! Other than that, I can say that it’s very much a love story, but there’s a little mystery in there, too. At least I hope it’s mysterious! *Laughs nervously*

CMM: *squeals* I love a good mystery!

The voices can get pretty loud, huh? How do you juggle both writing and editing whilst these voices are screaming to be heard? Do you have a rota in place so you can manage both? I can imagine it must be tough.

HA: It mostly involves sleeping very little if I want to fit both in. The trouble is, I absolutely love doing both, so it’s just a question of fitting them both in around my full time job. So yeah, sleep loses its priority status. *Laughs*

CMM: Ergh... I can't function unless I've had at least eight hours sleep. I don't know how you do it but I take my Arsenal cap off to you *tips peak of invisible cap in a bow like motion*

You're like superman, with huge tits *giggles*

HA: You’re the only person I’ve ever met who’s described them as huge, but I’ll take it! *Snorts* Shame about that cap, though.

CMM: *flips her the bird*

On a more personal level, though. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

HA: I presume we’re looking for something more in depth than just sunning myself on a nice beach in the Caribbean, drinking piña coladas and spending my lottery winnings here? *Grins* I honestly don’t know. I’d like to think I’ll still be writing and editing. Those are the things that make me truly happy when I’m doing them. It would be nice to be editing full time by then. But I’m a take each day as it comes kind of girl so who knows what could be happening by then. Maybe I’ll be living on the moon or something. *Laughs* You never know!

CMM: *draws a moon on my notebook and a little yellow minion called Bob sitting on top. Lifting my head, I eye her over my lashes* You're very passionate about writing and reading. Is that something you have always loved?

HA: *Roars laughing* It’s called KING Bob. *Nods* I’m just saying. *Laughs* Oh, absolutely. Especially reading. I’ve loved books since I was a little girl. I was reading before I started school and I honestly can’t remember a time since I picked up my first book when I haven’t had at least one on the go. If it was the only thing available, I’d probably read the phone book. I’ve had a love affair with words my entire life and I don’t imagine that will ever change. Writing was something I did a bit of as a youngster and enjoyed. I even have a little book my school made up when I was in year one at primary school, called The Ant and the Bee Make Friends. I was allowed to choose two friends to help me illustrate it and everything. *Laughs* It wasn’t until I was older that I started up writing again, though, and rediscovered my love for it. Now, I get cranky if I go too long without putting words on a page.

CMM: N’aaaaaaw, that's so cute. You'll have to bring it along next time. The bin-lids would love to have a read.

Well, I for one am so extremely pleased that you have carried your love of writing with you. Your first novel has been a huge success. One I will remember forever.

Some people find it hard to write a story based on the opposite sex. Did you find this while writing Max's story, or did it come quite naturally to you?

HA: Yeah, writing from a male point of view is certainly different but I actually really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t say it all came naturally and there were certain points where I struggled and had to get one of my male friends drunk in order to pick his brains. But largely, once I got inside Max’s head and rummaged around, the story unfolded in my head and I just tapped it out. Max is so alive in my head now that writing from his point of view is almost easier than from my own. *laughs* I’m not sure what that says about me. I’m sure the men in white coats will be here any minute!