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!