In My Mailbox #8

This is "In my mailbox" a meme run by The Siren Story (http://www.thestorysiren.com/) Every week I will post the books I checked out from the Library. Here is what I got this week....

The Healing Wars: The Shifter by Janice Hardy
Nya is an orphan struggling for survival in a city crippled by war. She is also a Taker—with her touch, she can heal injuries, pulling pain from another person into her own body. But unlike her sister, Tali, and the other Takers who become Healers' League apprentices, Nya's skill is flawed: She can't push that pain into pynvium, the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it into another person, a dangerous skill that she must keep hidden from forces occupying her city. If discovered, she'd be used as a human weapon against her own people. Rumors of another war make Nya's life harder, forcing her to take desperate risks just to find work and food. She pushes her luck too far and exposes her secret to a pain merchant eager to use her shifting ability for his own sinister purposes. At first Nya refuses, but when Tali and other League Healers mysteriously disappear, she's faced with some difficult choices. As her father used to say, principles are a bargain at any price; but how many will Nya have to sell to get Tali back alive?

Has anyone read this? I have no idea what to expect with it.

Wannabe Writers #5

Wannabe Writers is a group for all of you out there who are un-published like me. A place where future young-adult authors can ask questions, share our stories, and get feedback. Here's how it works: (click here)

Where I am in the writing process: Working on my 2nd ever manuscript and nearly finished. I just want to wrap it up so I can start this new idea I've got.

My Current Problem(s): I've been playing around with this scene towards the end of my novel. Things are getting a little--well, I guess you could say hot--between my MC and the guy in my story. Up until this point things have been pretty clean but then I have this scene.

My Question This Week: When it comes to Young Adult, how far is too far? (I'm talking about sex here--but this same question can also be applied to cursing.) ***I'm going to add a 2nd question: I'm close to finishing my current WIP and dying to work on this new project. When I finish should I jump right into editing my WIP or hold off for a bit and work on Shiny New Idea. Thoughts?***

Weekly Word Count

3,140

I recently started a new novel. I'm not quite finished with my current WIP. What are your thoughts on starting a new project before the old is finished?

In My Mailbox #7

This is "In my mailbox" a meme run by The Siren Story (http://www.thestorysiren.com/) Every week I will post the books I checked out from the Library. Here is what I got this week....

Captivate by Carrie Jones
Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town. A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

I just finished Need by Carrie Jones last week. Here is my (REVIEW). It was so good that I've already started Captivate, the sequel to Need. ***Also, whenever I read a book I just LOVE. If I can, I try to find a way to tell the author. So on Carrie's website, I sent her a quick little message saying I loved her book. And she got right back to me which I thought was cool that she even responded back. :) Here is what she said: Oh, Sarah. You are so nice. Thank you so much. I am really glad you liked it. How are you doing? Well, I hope. xo C

Wannabe Writers #4

Wannabe Writers is a group for all of you out there who are un-published like me. I often find myself searching the web for information during my struggles as a new writer. So I wanted to start a place where us future young-adult authors can come together to ask those questions, share our stories, and get feedback. Here's how it works: (click here)

Where I am in the writing process: Working on my 2nd ever manuscript (but it's really just a complete re-write of the first, same characters, different setting and plot) And now I want to start a third with the same characters and setting but a slightly new plot. I'll never finish this!

My Current Problem(s): I am constantly editing and re-editing. It slows me down. I've been working on the same story for an average of 2 hours per day for the last 6 months. I just want to finish and I know I could if I could just stop editing. And now I'm antsy to start over.

My Question This Week: Is editing as you go a bad thing? The day ends and many times I have less words than when I started. How do I stay focused on the end of my story?

Random Question

I'm thinking about starting a new book and I'm thinking about writing it in present tense, first person. I've only ever written in past tense. Any tips for writing in present?

Book Review: NEED

Title: NEED

Author: Carrie Jones
Release Date: 12/2008

Rating: 5/5--I loved it!
One Word Plot: Pixes

Good if...you want something with Pixes and mystery and a strong leading lady

Zara collects phobias the way other girls collect Facebook friends. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal.
Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.

OMG, my thoughts!...

One word. A-MA-ZING! I'm so in love with this book. Best book I've read since Wings. It was about pixies and were's (as in werewolves and other shape shifters)--and I have no idea how those 2 things together even make sense--but whatever. The romance was hot, the mystery mysterious, the plot paced perfectly, and the whole fear thing unique. Did it have a Twilight-isk vibe? Yes (the pixes were really just vampires in disguise) but again whatever. I loved it. 5/5.

Weekly Word Count

This is a meme by Alex from Tales of a Teenage Book Lover.
Click here to find out how it works.

59,942

I'm so fed up with my book right now! Does anyone ever feel like that? I feel like I have tons of words but are any of them actually good. Ugh!

Contest Alert!!!!

Hi all. I just found out about a few contests that you NEED to know about. The first is at (Market My Words). They're giving away daily prizes and a grand prize of a 3 chapter critique! Check it out. Then the 2nd contest is by Elana Johnson (her blog) where you can win a query critique.

The last is a contest for writers who have finished writing either a YA or MG novel. Check out the fabulous (Guide to Literary Agents) for a chance to win a 10-25 page critique by Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown Literary Agency) and some other fantastic prizes. To enter, you need a logline and the first 150-200 words of your completed manuscript. There’re some other requirements, so please check out the blog. Good luck! And hurry this contest ends Febuary 21st (next Sunday!)

In My Mailbox #6

This is my 6th week participating in "In my mailbox" by The Siren Story (http://www.thestorysiren.com/) Here is what I got this week....

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce brings readers another Tortall adventure! Alianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying. When she is captured and sold as a slave to an exiled royal family in the faraway Copper Islands, it is this skill that makes a difference in a world filled with political intrigue, murderous conspiracy, and warring gods. This is the first of two books featuring Alianne.

So my sister recommended this as one of her all-time-favorites. It's so not something I would normally read. Has anyone read this before?

Wannabe Writers #3

Wannabe Writers is a group for all of you out there who are un-published like me. I wanted to start a place where us future young-adult authors can come together to ask those writing questions, share our stories, and get feedback. Here's how it works: (click here)

Where I am in the writing process: Chugging through my 2nd ever manuscript. (The first sits on my shelf messy and forgotten--I look at it as practice.) Also, toying around with a weird new idea.

My current problem(s): This is an on-going issue of mine... I'm working through the process of find this mythical creature they call voice. Example. A while back my mom read my blog and some of my book. She kept going on and on about how much she liked my blog. (Meanwhile, I’m like NO! You’re supposed to like my book better!) She said she liked my blog so much because there was so much of me in it. Meaning, when she read it she knew without a doubt I wrote it. She didn’t get that same feeling from my book. So now when I write I try to write as freely in my manuscript as I do in my blog. But that's not as easy as it sounds. A critique partner once told me sometimes I write and it sound like I'm trying to be a writer and other times I write and I sound real. I think those "real" parts in my writing is what voice is.

My question(s) this week: Voice? Also, how do I make my other characters sound different? I write in 1st person and that voice belongs to my main character. But the problem is that all the other characters are starting to sound just like her. Obviously, I try to make each secondary character have a different personality, likes, dislikes, special phrases they often use, etc. But I still feel like I'm writting a story with 20 different me's here. What do I do to seperate them?

Book Review: BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Rating: N/A
Good if...you...(I honestly don't know what to put here)

Summary (Amazon):
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

What I think you ought to know...
Okay. Here comes the confession I've been holding in for weeks now. I couldn't finish Beautiful Creatures! And I got to page 335 out of 563. Sheesh. And I keep thinking, "what's wrong with me?" But in all honesty this book was WAY too long and impossible for me to finish. It felt like someone said, "Okay guys. Here. These are the ingredients needed for a huge-hit seller YA book. Come on people, this will be cake to write and sell." And they threw all those ingredients together in a pot, substituting Witches for Vampires, and out popped this sensational sounding book. But it turned out to be disappointment in disguise.

Feel free to comment and disagree. I'm sure there must be something wrong with me because everyone else has just raved about this book. But thanks Suzette of Shooting Stars for writing your post. It inspired me to have the courage to say all that.

Cover Revealed: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Scholastic just revealed the cover and title for Hunger Games Book #3. You can check out all the details on their blog site (Scholastic's Blog)

I am very excited! This is my most anticipated book for 2010. It comes out August 24th. If you haven't read the first two yet I would strongly advise doing so. It truly is an unforgettable series. I will be getting and reading this the day it comes out.
Questions:
1. I'm Team Peeta all the way, but what are you? Team Peeta or Team Gale?
2. Does anyone know details about the movie? Is there even a movie?
3. Speculation? Do you think this series is destined to be the next Harry Potter/Twilight? Why/why not?

Link to my Hunger Games review

Weekly Word Count

This is a meme by Alex from Tales of a Teenage Book Lover.

Click here to find out how it works.
56,086
panic-attack ocean sleeper fear mohawk

In My Mailbox #5

This is my 5th week participating in "In my mailbox" by The Siren Story (http://www.thestorysiren.com/) Here is what I got this week....

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

This book isn't typically what I look for when I read YA. But something about it appealed to me so much that I bought it on Amazon. I hope it turns out to be a good one.

Wannabe Writers #2

Hi again! This is my second week running (or attempting to run) my Wannabe Writer's group. Here's how it works: (click here) Thanks to everyone who participated last week. All the advice was very helpful.

I'm posting earlier this week because (a) it's snowing outside and I'm bored and (b) when you have a question sometimes it can't wait.

Where I am in the writing process: Still un-published and working on finishing my 2nd manuscript.

My question(s) this week: Finishing this thing? How do you tie up all those loose ends and write the perfect ending? I've never struggled this much in my writing. Usually it just flows out. Any suggestions?

Book Review: MARK

Title: The Mark

Author: Jen Nadol

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Good if...you want something refreshingly unique, thought provoking, and beautiful.

Summary (Amazon):

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today. Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

My thoughts....

Wow. Where do I even start? First let me say, this has to be the most amazing cover ever! Before I even knew what this book was about I had to have it--for the cover alone. But (for once) the book matches the cover; meaning that it wasn't just a mediocre story with a piece of good marketing slapped on the front. It was an amazing story--thought provoking with a touch of darkness to it. There was no definded bad-guy in this story. It was all about Cassie. Her dealing with her parents' death, her Nan's death, her first real boyfriend--all of it while facing the mark. She grows and learns through the story. There never was any impeding danger--at least not to Cassie, but still I couldn't put it down!

4.5/5 Stars