Fictional Friends

You know those characters you can't get enough of? I'm talking about fictional characters. People in movies and books that you get into so much, you feel like you actually know them. I blogged about Harry Potter earlier this week, and I would definitely include Hermione, Ron and Harry in my list of "fictional friends". These are people I wish I could know in real life. They are so well written, you feel that they must actually exist somewhere.

My favorite TV show of all time is Sex & The City. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda became my friends over the course of the six years they were on TV. Carrie and Charlotte especially for me. I signed up for HBO and scrimped and saved just to afford it through the hard times simply because I wanted to see my friends on Sunday night. And every week w

hen I would sit down to a new episode, I would just sigh and relish the joy of spending more time with them and catching up on what they were up to these days. When the series ended, it was like losing a friendship. It was like suddenly being cut off from people I had come to consider a part of my life.

Of course, I still had a life outside of the show. I didn't sit around and obsess over it during the week when it wasn't on, but even to this day, when I'm flipping channels and I see an episode, I have to stop and watch it. These women are fictional, but they resonated with me. Harry Potter was the same. Katniss Everdeen, too. I rooted for her in the Hunger Games. Cried for her. Wanted desperately to help her find a way out. Dagny Taggert in Atlas Shrugged was my friend for months as I read that book during a very dark time in my life. Stu Redman and Frances Goldsmith from The Stand are another two characters I rooted for so hard, I loved them. I felt what they felt and experienced the loss and hope of the end of the world through their eyes.

The sad thing about fictional friends is that once their story is over, it's over. Once the author or creator has said what they wanted to say, that character's story has been told. We don't get to see their life past a certain point. We miss them. We saw the world through them for a while and possibly had a piece of their perspective rub off on us. I know Dagny's perspective rubbed off on me big time. It changed my entire world view. I wish I had more of her story. I wish I could sit and talk to her from time to time. But she's already said all she can ever say.

Of course, the flip side to that is that those fictional characters are, in a way, immortal. Ayn Rand wrote Atlas Shrugged more than fifty years ago, but Dagny herself is timeless. She'll be changing people's views and affecting the world until the end of time. She'll never grow old. And anytime I want to be inspired by her again, she'll be there on the pages of that book, exactly the same as she always was. Our fictional friends are forever. We can always count on them. It's part of the magic of fiction and imagination and creation. It's part of the amazing miracle of stories.

What characters in fiction do you consider your friends? Have there been people in books or movies or TV that have shaped your world view? I would love to hear your stories and know that I am not alone!

Book 3: BITTER DEMONS - The New Cover!

Day 3 of the big cover redesign brings us to Book 3 in the Peachville High Demons series - BITTER DEMONS. There were so many great symbols to use here, it was hard to choose just one. I considered the image of a crow, but then decided against it. Finally, I picked the black rose. In the interest of making it look a bit more like the other covers, we went with a silvery rose instead of a straight out black one, but I'm happy with how it turned out.


So, any thoughts? Are you loving the theme? All five of the covers will have this same theme with the black line and the blue stones with a silvery item, but there are also some differences that set each cover apart.

Oh, and some people were asking when you can expect to see these beautiful covers appear in the stores. Hopefully I will have them out into the Amazon and BN stores by the weekend. The delay is that I am currently fixing a few formatting and spelling errors in the original manuscripts. There weren't a ton to fix, but my husband is also going through reformatting everything with a new system he's developed, so we're really working to come up with a standard for our formatting process. I don't think it will take more than another day or two to get them up, but I wanted to upload the new covers along with the newly edited versions of the books.

Thanks for all the great, positive feedback so far! Only one cover left to reveal this week and that's for book 4! Yes, there will be a fifth cover - for the final book in the PHD series (DEMONS FOREVER), but you'll just have to wait until August to see that one!

New Covers!!!

I am so excited to announce that my new covers for the Peachville High Demons series are ready! I got the final approved files today, and I couldn't wait to show them to everyone. I have decided to show one cover per day since it's Tuesday and I have four covers and four days left in the week.

Today's cover is BEAUTIFUL DEMONS, Book 1 of the Peachville High Demons series. This one is my favorite of all four! I absolutely love the photo and the contrast. To me, the cover portrays the mystery/paranormal element of the book really well. I love the color scheme so much. Book 1 features the sapphire necklace Harper wears throughout the series. For those of you who have read the books, you know the significance of this necklace, so I thought it would be great to have it right on the first cover. Here's the cover!


What do you think? I love it! While I really did love my first covers, it was great to work with a professional cover artist and get a face on the cover of the books. They really pop and I think they will draw the eye in so well. I'm so nervous to find out what everyone thinks! These new covers were designed by Robin Ludwig Designs, and I think she did a brilliant job. I definitely hope to work with her again for future covers. Thanks Robin!

Please leave a comment and chime in on what you think of the new cover for book one (but only if you like it, haha!)

Book 15: NAKED IN DEATH

I know I've lost count at this point. I've definitely read more than fifteen books this year, but I have failed to write reviews on my site about them. /sigh. It was a good idea, but I've definitely fallen short on getting every book up here. This one, however, I wanted to mention for a variety of reasons.

'Naked in Death' by J.D. Robb was an awesome book. I read it over the course of four or five nights, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eve Dallas, the main protagonist of the series, is a cop in the 2050's. She's tough-as-nails, sexy, and very smart. She doesn't take shit from anybody, which I love. But what I love most about her is that she doesn't feel... manufactured. She feels real, like someone who could really exist. She's flawed. She's capable of being vulnerable. As I read this book, I worried for her and cheered for her. No wonder there are now something like 30 books in the 'in death' series. I'm definitely a new fan.

Roarke, the love interest, is also quite sexy. He's a billionaire, for one. And has an Irish accent. What's not to love? He's definitely an Alpha male who doesn't take no for an answer, which for me can often be a turn-off. But with Roarke it works simply because he's so head-over-heels for Eve. He truly cares for her and is protective of her, but at the same time, he's impressed by her and respects her skills and intelligence. Very sexy.

This first installment of the 'in death' series follows Lieutenant Eve Dallas as she investigates a series of murders involving certified "companions", which basically means prostitutes. I'm guessing that each book hereafter will explore some other police mystery that will have her questioning witnesses, lining up suspects, finding clues, and eventually capturing the criminal. I can't speak to how well the series formula holds up after fifteen or so books, but the first book was certainly riveting, and I already have the second, "Glory in Death" here to read next. If you haven't read any of Nora Roberts' 'In Death' series, I highly recommend it.

Digital Titles at the Library

Yay! My local library has finally started carrying ebooks! I went on their website to peruse the selection, and it's actually not too bad. In fact, I have already checked out 2 ebooks for my Sony reader. 'The Carrie Diaries' by Candace Bushnell, which is the teen life of Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. I haven't started reading it yet, but I have loved almost all of Bushnell's books, and we all know how much I love the series her book spawned. I've been dying to read this newest book, but haven't wanted to shell out the $15 bucks or so to buy it. Another book in that same category (the category of not wanting to pay fifteen dollars, I mean) is Nora Roberts' 'Vision in White', the first of her Bride Quartet. I have to say, I actually love the actual trade paperback copy of this book in the bookstores. It's beautiful. Tattered edges, silky cover, gorgeous dress on the front. I love all things bridal, so this book appeals to me without even having to know what's it's about. Still, every time I pick it up, I see that huge pricetag and put it right back down.

Being a book lover is expensive. I support the industry and purchase several hundred dollars worth of books a year. But when the price of a book gets over $10, I often have to put it down and look for something else I wanted to read. Or I have to look for alternate ways to read that book. Does a friend of mine have a copy I could borrow? Is there a copy at the used bookstore for only $4? Do they have a copy at the library? I was extremely happy to find out that the Wake County Library system here in the Raleigh area is now offering digital audio and ebooks for check-out. The audio books are 7 day or 14 day check-outs and the ebooks are 21 days. You can download them to your computer, then transfer them to your ipod or your ereader. After the time has expired, they simply disappear. It's brilliant.

I will continue to support the publishing industry by buying books, don't get me wrong. In ebook format, audio, and paperback. I even buy the occasional hardcover (Mockingjay anyone?) if it's a book I have been waiting for or an author I can't resist. But it's nice to know that for those other books that I want to read, but can't really afford, there's now a digital option. I hope this spreads to all library systems and that more and more selections become available for temporary download. If you live in Wake County and would like to check out their selection, go to the library's digital media page to read more.

Six More Days!! Plus THE ENEMY by Charlie Higson

Only six more days until I leave for fabulous Orlando and the RWA National Conference!!! I'm so excited! Of course, I've been working so hard on my pitch, my synopsis, and last-minute revisions on my novel that I sort of feel like my brain is fried. Hopefully, I will be able to UN-fry it by the time I leave so that I can actually get something useful out of the PRO retreat and all the amazing workshops throughout the week. Last year I learned so much, and I hope to make it to as many events this year as I can.

Last night, in order to relax and stop working on my own writing, I decided to finish a book I started a couple days ago called THE ENEMY by Charlie Higson. It's a YA zombie-apocalypse book set in London after a disease wipes out everyone over the age of sixteen. Well, almost everyone. The grown-ups that didn't die have become decomposing creatures who eat anything they can get their hands on - including kids. *shudder* The book focuses on a group of kids who have set up a life for themselves in an old supermarket. They are running out of food, though, and the grown-ups are getting smarter and more organized in their attacks. When a young man comes to the gates, claiming there is safety and food at Buckingham Palace, the kids decide to take a chance, leave everything behind, and follow him back to a new life. But their fight to stay alive is from from over - the threat from within the palace is as real as the one outside it. (The little blurb there is a combination of my own words and the back cover copy.)

This book was excellent! Told in multiple third-person POV (like mine), the reader gets to know a lot of different kids and teens in the book. The battle scenes are intense, the author isn't afraid to kill anyone off, and after the first few chapters, you'll find yourself turning pages faster and faster. I love it when books grip me so hard that I can't even force myself to turn off the light and go to sleep because I just have to know what's going to happen next. It's a rare kind of high, but it's so awesome when you find it. THE ENEMY certainly delivers, and I'm so glad I picked it up. If you like zombie stories and want to see it from the perspective of a group of kids trying to survive in a world where the adults are the enemy, it's a definitely recommended read from me.

Book 14: The Castaways

My 14th book of the year. And it made me cry. This is also the first thing I've ever read by Elin Hildebrand. I really enjoyed this novel. The reason I picked it up was because a reader on a random forum recommended it for seeing how an author uses multiple points of view. I am so happy that I discovered this author!

Here's the basic story: A group of 4 couples are best friends on the island of Nantucket. They name themselves the Castaways and do everything together - vacations, celebrations, etc. But then one day, while celebrating their twelfth wedding anniversary, one of the couples, Greg and Tess MacAvoy drown when their sailboat capsizes. The novel is about how each of the remaining six friends (told from each of their points of view) deal with this tragic loss. Weaved throughout the novel is also the mystery of what really happened. Everyone has their own secrets. Affairs, pills, fears, etc. And everyone blames themselves for Tess and Greg's deaths. What makes this novel particularly heartbreaking is that the couple also left behind their seven year old twins - with no will stating who should take them in case of their death.

I definitely enjoyed this novel. Hildebrand's use of multiple viewpoints was captivating. It let me feel as if I really got to know each of the six main characters inside and out. Like I was seeing all of their secrets. I sympathized with each of them, as each character was flawed, yet beautiful. I think you'll like this book if you're looking for a more introspective, narrative book that explores people's thoughts and grief after a tragedy. However, don't expect an action-packed thriller or mystery here. While there are hints of mystery and questions about what happened, the main story focuses on the people and how they handle the death of their two best friends.

My "Series Bible"

Saturday at the monthly Heart of Carolina Romance Writers' meeting, some of our published authors talked about tips for writing a series. Since my current work in progress is being written with the intention of making it into a trilogy (at the very least), I was extremely interested in what they had to say. One of the things they mentioned that stuck with me was that every writer needs to make a 'series bible'.

What exactly is that? Well, it's a notebook or a file or a folder where you keep all the important information on the series. Stuff you'll need to remember in order to write the subsequent books. Character biographies and descriptions. Photo inspiration. Floor plans of the houses. A timeline of events, birthdays, etc. Secondary characters and their role in the book. If something is true in book one, it still has to be true in book two. That means that if a minor character's wife died in book one, you can't suddenly have her alive and well in book two - unless you explain it somehow!

The same is true for eye color, past events, locations, descriptions, etc. Even down to the color of the couch in the living room of a certain character. For my books, the magic system is going to be important. It's not something I'm likely to forget, but I want to make sure that I stay consistent. A quick reference sheet on the magic system will make remembering a lot easier. I'd rather flip through a notebook than have to read the entire book again when I'm on a deadline (God willing).

Maybe it's wishful thinking to start a series bible, but I did exactly that yesterday. I printed out pictures of actors who will serve as inspiration for my characters. Here are some of the things I believe will be important to include in my series bible:

• Character descriptions, biographies, and photo inspiration. How each character's magic works and what their character arc is going to be both in each book and in the entire series
  
• Timeline
• Plot outline for each book
• Zombie information (such as what they look like, how they sound, how they move, whether their bite is going to turn you into a zombie, etc.)
• Magic system rules (how does their magic work? Who has what abilities? Good vs. Evil)
• Details on the guns and other weapons used. If Crash is using an AK-47, I want to have a picture of one and understand the ammo. I want to know how heavy it is and whether you could attach a strap and sling it over your back.
  
• Rules and descriptions of the Otherworld.
  

I'm sure as time goes on, I'll think of lots more to include. G keeps bugging me about putting everything important like lists and other information I want to keep online rather than a physical copy. But for some reason, I just like the physical copies. I like writing on them with my colored pens and running my hands over the pages. I will most definitely be keeping my series bible in hard copy format. I even have an extra three-ring binder that I hadn't found a use for yet. My series bible has officially been created, and I can't wait to start adding more and more information to it!

Book 13: Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

James Patterson is the type of author that pretty much has everything he writes go NYT Bestseller. And so far, the few things I've read by him have honestly not lived up to my expectations. He also seems to do a lot of joint projects. Take this book for example. It's got someone else's name there in small print. Gabrielle Charbonnet. Who the heck is that? How much of the book did she write? The book is told from two different first person points of view. First, there's Whit, the seventeen year old football player who is also a wizard. Then, there's his sister Wisty (Wisteria) who is younger and seems to be more powerful. Oh and she's a witch. Now, if Patterson wrote the boy parts and Gabrielle wrote the girl parts, then let me just say that Gabrielle wrote far more of this book than old James did. And yet her name is teeny tiny in comparison. I guess everyone is free to make their own choices when it comes to what and how to write. But let me just say this: I'll be damned if I'm going to co-write a book with someone famous, do most of the work, and then have my name be in tiny print on the cover. Screw that.

Okay, so now that my little tantrum is over, I guess I should actually talk about this book. Did I love it? No. Was it okay? Sure. A young witch and wizard, who have no idea that they even have any powers, get arrested in the middle of the night by the New Order, a newly elected government. They are taken from their family and thrown into a jail with a bunch of other kids and have to figure out why they have been taken and what's up with these new crazy powers they have. Wisty can make flames shoot out of her body and Whit seems to be able to freeze time. As the book goes on, they must find a way to escape and reunite with their parents, and they must also learn to control their new powers.

It was a deceptively short book. It looks longer than it really is, because each chapter is only made up of 2 or 3 pages. That leaves a whole lot of white space at the beginning and end of each chapter. The short chapters certainly make it easy to keep saying, "Okay, just one more chapter, then I'll go to sleep." I wouldn't say this is a brilliant story, and I'm definitely not left eagerly awaiting the second installment, but it was alright. I don't know that I'll read the next book when it comes out. The characters didn't really hook me in to be honest. But, I won't be surprised if they decide to make a movie out of it. It's James Patterson after all.

Kelley Armstrong Book Signing

Last night, I went to the Barnes and Noble at Brier Creek here in Raleigh to hear New York Times Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong read from her latest YA book. As a treat, she actually read the first chapter of a fourth Dark Powers book that hasn't even been published! It was, by the way, fantastic. She pulled me in right from the start with a scene about two girls swimming in a lake - and something mysterious deep in the lake that pulls them under. Spooky!

Kelley was extremely nice and very well-spoken. She answered a ton of questions (there was a good crowd), and signed books afterward. I bought a copy of "The Reckoning", her third book in the Dark Powers series. I dream of a day when people line up to get my autograph on a copy of a book I wrote that is actually published and sitting on shelves of bookstores around the country. It's definitely an exciting thought.

After the book signing, a few local authors from my writing group went out to eat at an Indian Restaurant (very good food, btw). I didn't get home until about 9:30, and I was giggling when I went into the kitchen and saw this drawn on our chalkboard:
G and I write little messages to each other on the kitchen chalkboard from time to time. Never things like "Pick up some milk at the store." It's more like "I love you." Well, G has called me "Princess BunBun" ever since we were first dating, so this definitely made me smile and put a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. What a fun and happy evening!

Book 12: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Wow, it's already May and I am only up to 12 books so far this year. Not terribly impressive, I know, but at least I'm reading. Ender's Game is a book that my husband loved when he was young, and he has been telling me I need to read it for years now. At just over 300 pages, it's a relatively short book, and I pretty much devoured it. If you are one of the few people who aren't familiar with this book, it's one I definitely recommend.

The New York Times says, "Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses - and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, take the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games.... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?"

Little kids training to be war commanders. And I'm talking six years old leading a group in a war game and being expected to follow the rules and be excellent at every moment. Because of Ender, I had to know what happened next. He is a brilliantly drawn character. A clever mix of both killer instincts and compassion. This is one of the few books I've read in a long time that had no romantic story, but there is a love story here - between Ender and his sister and his friends. It's just not a kissy face type of love story. Who knew I could enjoy a book without a romance? But I did. Excellent book! Published first as a short story in 1977, then fleshed out into a novel in 1985, Ender's Game is one of those novels that will be on the shelves finding new readers for decades to come.

Book 11: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

This was a pretty good book. It was a little bit too simple for me at the beginning, but I'm guessing that the age group listed on this book is a little bit on the lower side. Like maybe 12 and up? Not sure. But once I started to get into it, the story was actually pretty good. A young girl, Chloe Saunders, gets her first period and suddenly starts seeing ghosts. And they start talking to her! Long story short, she gets put in a group home called Lyle House, where all the other kids are 'different'. But there's more to the kids at Lyle House than she ever dreamed. I won't go into much more so that I don't give away the story, but it follows a nice story line after that.

The only that pissed me off about the book was the ending. You get used to having this big climax at the end of a book, along with a nice happy resolution that leaves you satisfied enough to close the book and get some sleep. Well, this book gives you a huge revelation, puts the protagonist right into the belly of the beast, so to speak, and promptly ends right there. It wasn't exactly a cliffhanger ending, but darn near close to it, and I hate that. I realize this book is part of a series, but seriously? There weren't any real answers in this book, only questions. At least I'm coming to it late enough that the next two books are already out there and I can pick them up and finish the story. Or, at least I hope I can. Is the third book the end? I guess I'll find out.

Kelley Armstrong is coming to the area - she'll be signing books at Brier Creek Barnes and Noble at 6 next Wed., so I'm planning to go and buy the rest of the series that night. If you're looking for something a little bit spooky to read, this is a good YA book for that.

Book 10: The Stand

Last night I finished the epic Stephen King novel, The Stand. In a word? It was BRILLIANT.

I read the long version that was published something like 10 years after the original. Story goes that the publishers thought the book was too long when he first turned it in, so they made him cut about 100,000 words. Later, after the book was such an enormous success, he went back and published it in full. That is the version I read. 1138 pages.

I doubt there are many people who don't know the premise of The Stand, but I'll try to sum it up. Basically, an experimental government virus that was for some type of biological warfare gets loose and instead of locking down like they are supposed to, one worried guard grabs his child and his wife and drives out of the compound just as the doors are closing. Hours later, he crashes into a gas station, fully consumed by the 'superflu'. After contact, the flu spreads exponentially, killing billions across the world.

The story follows the point of views of many people who all become major players as the world begins to rebuild itself. The book is divided into three parts. The first part is mostly about the spread of the plague and the individual stories of death and loss. The second part is the journey - everyone who was immune and left alive begins to dream and move toward a common place. Good and Evil begin their battle to take over the world. And finally, part three is about the battle, regular people who become heroes after the plague and are willing to risk everything in order to make their stand against evil.

I LOVED this book. It once again proves to me that Stephen King is one of the finest storytellers of our time. If you haven't read it, but you are yearning to be pulled into a story that will grab you and not let go for possibly weeks, this is a good choice. Long, but oh so worth it.

Book 9: Think Twice

I "read" this book through audio books on my way to Georgia and back again. It was broken into two parts that I downloaded from Audible, each part about 4 or 5 hours. This book, which is currently on the NYT Bestseller lists for Hardcovers, is about a woman who is buried alive by her identical twin sister. The twin then makes an attempt to take over her sister's life and steal all of her money.

Was this the best book ever written? No. Was it decent? Yeah. There were a lot of basic, overused phrases like "She swallowed hard." "She swam hard." etc. The descriptions of emotions and feelings and even action was very sparse and cliche, but overall, the story was a good one. It wasn't life-altering or so interesting that it made me want to sit in my car to hear more, but it was entertaining.

It took a little while for me to really get into the story. Sure, the scene where one twin drugs the other and buries her alive happens pretty early in the story, but the writer didn't really make me love the character enough to really give a shit yet. I only start to care about Bennie later in the story, after she's already escaped her earthly prison and set herself on revenge. There is also a subplot with one of the lawyers who works at Bennie's lawfirm, Mary. I guess to be honest, I didn't really understand why Mary's story was so important until close to the end. And rather than coming off as one of those, wow, cool, moments where things get intertwined and you finally realize the divine purpose of everything, it sort of fell flat for me. I saw it coming for sure, and was tired of waiting for it.

This is the kind of book that is what my sister would call "Brain candy". It's not going to teach you anything about yourself, but it was fun while it lasted. It wasn't particularly well written in my opinion, because I like more description and variety and emotion that really draws you in, but it was good enough that I didn't STOP reading and put it down forever. Of course, that was solely because of the plot and wanting to know if one twin was finally going to get what she deserved. As far as recommendations, I guess I would just say pick this one up if you're looking for a decent, fast read with a little bit of thriller/suspense where you won't have to think too much. If you're looking for a book that will mean something to you or leave a truly lasting impression, pass on this one.

Book 8: The Help

At first, I was hesitant to read a book about the tensions between blacks and whites in Mississippi during the 1960's. I mean, haven't we seen enough of that through Mississippi Burning and other such movies? Don't they all end with some lead character getting beaten to death or something? No thanks.

But Kathryn Stockett's version of 1963 Mississippi is different. Beautiful in some ways. Heartbreaking in others. In "The Help", there are three main point of view characters. Skeeter, a 20-something girl who has just graduated from the University of Mississippi and moved back home to live with her parents. She wants nothing more than to get out of Miss. and be a real writer. She wants to live in New York. An editor at Harper and Rowe takes pity on her and tells her that if she can come up with a unique book idea, she'll take a look at it.

Aibileen, an older black woman who has raised 17 white babies, but whose son has recently died in an accident at his work. The woman she's currently working for is an old high school friend of Miss Skeeter's, but Aibileen sees a different side of the woman. She never pays any attention to her daughter. Never shows her love and affection, though the little girl desperately wants it. Aibileen is more of a mother to the child than her own white mother.

Then there's Minnie, a plump black woman who keeps losing her cleaning jobs with the white ladies because she can't keep her mouth closed. She backtalks and says what she's thinking, which gets her into some serious trouble. Just when she thinks she'll never find a job again, Aibileen helps her get in with Celia, a white-trash-girl who married into society and is too naive and stupid to know any better. She hired Minnie and their relationship is one like Minnie has never had with a white woman before.

All three of these main characters have their own individual stories, but they also begin to weave together as Skeeter begins to write a book about what it's like for the black help to work for the white women they serve. A book from the help's perspective. It's a dangerous project and if they are found out, they could lose everything they've worked for - and even their lives.

I loved this book in a way that I have loved very few books in my lifetime. It touched my heart, made me laugh, made me cry, and will be with me forever. Beautiful written, the characters are what make the story. I fell in love with these three women, and I feel like I know them. Kathryn Stockett shows us the truth about living in the south, and not just in the 1960's - it's complicated. There are beautiful relationships and there are some so ugly you can barely stand to see them. It's true. Those of us from the South both love it and hate it at the same time. This is a book everyone needs to read. Probably women will get more out of it than men, but if you are a woman who has not yet read it, you NEED to. One of the best books I've ever read, and that's saying something special.

Book 7: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Set in a fantasy world, Kristin Cashore's Graceling is definitely a fast and entertaining read. In this world, some children are born with special abilities called "Graces". Parents know their child has a Grace if their eyes settle as two different colors. Katsa, the heroine of the story, has one green eye and one blue eye. She is Graced with killing, a valuable Grace for the King of the Middluns, her Uncle Randa, and he uses her as his thug, sending her out to punish those that owe him money or have wronged him in some way. But everything changes when Katsa meets Po, the graceling Prince of Lienid. He has one silver eye and one gold, and Katsa is intrigued by him from the start. But there are more to their Graces than either of them wants to admit.

With the exception of the very first scene of the book, the beginning lags a little bit. I think most fantasy is this way, though. It's difficult to build a whole new world in a reader's eyes. It took a while to really get into the main part of the story, and the plot seems often to disappear and lose focus for a while throughout the book. Once it settles and you truly understand what the story is about, the book moves fast. I loved Katsa's stubborn personality and the juxtaposition of her rage and her caring heart. She was unique and beautiful to watch as the story unfolds. Po is a perfect companion for her, with his honesty and his open communication.

It was a sweeping tale of a journey through this strange land. It definitely had that epic tale kind of feel and I thought the author did an amazing job showing me this world and the characters in it. Definitely a good read, well recommended if you like YA fantasy.

Book 6: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

I might be cheating a little bit here. I actually picked up Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth last year at the NC Literary Festival where she was speaking. I really enjoyed her and hearing what she had to say, and I was very excited about reading her book. It is one of the only YA zombie books out there that isn't about zombies at prom or zombies in high school, etc. Instead, Ryan's unique idea of setting a book generations after the zombie apocalypse really caught my eye.

Sadly, even though I started it last year, I didn't actually finish it until this weekend. Here's the thing - Carrie Ryan is hopefully someone I'd like to be friends with someday. She writes in the same genre as I do, and she even writes about the same basic subject matter. She loved Christopher Pike books when she was young and so did I! She might have come late to the horror movie/zombie movie genre, but she did get there, and I have always been a huge fan of horror films. I think she's the kind of person I would really get along with. She always seems to be upbeat and happy on Twitter, and I have nothing but nice things to say about her. Except for this - I found the book rather difficult to get through.

It's not that the writing is bad. It's not. It's beautiful. It's very lyrical and almost reads like a kind of poetry. For me, it was just that the heroine is so down all the time. She's had such a rough life, I get that. But other than her constant hope that she'll someday see the ocean, she's pretty much depressed the entire book. Seeing how this book, which just came out in paperback, has now been on the NYT Bestseller list for two weeks, I think this is something that teen readers relate to. Their lives are full of that angst and sorrow and that feeling that they were meant for something more. Ryan really taps into that.

What worries me, though, is how different my zombie book is from hers. I mean, I guess different is a good thing, but then again, will teens be able to relate to my very ensemble cast novel that is maybe more external conflict than internal? I think I need to make sure as I'm writing to really connect to that teen spirit of doubt and confusion, yet always hope that things will be better. Overall, I would definitely recommend Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Her second book in the series, The Dead-Tossed Waves, just came out this month as well. If you read it, let me know what you thought of it. Did it feel fast-paced to you? Or too much angst and saddened tone?

Book 5: Shutter Island

I notoriously have several books going at once, but sometimes that is the mark of a so-so book. If I can read three other books while I'm also reading yours, maybe yours just isn't the best book I ever read. On the other hand, sometimes it means that I'm just not in the right mood for that particular book. Such seems to be the case with "The Gunslinger". My sister bought G and I the entire Dark Tower series, and I started to read the first book, but I just haven't really been in the mood. Maybe I just got my fill of King with "Under the Dome" and need a short break.

Either way, my official book 5 of the year turned out to be Dennis LeHane's "Shutter Island". Oh. My. God. What an amazing book! I really wanted to read it before I saw the movie because everyone keeps saying there are good twists. I wanted to experience the secrets of the story in the realm of words and my own imagination instead of on the theater screen, even though I'm sure Leo does a great job as Teddy Daniels.

So what is the book about? Without giving away any twists, I'll just tell you the basic premise. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, a war-torn widower who has never truly gotten over the death of his beautiful wife several years ago, is called out to investigate the escape of a violent inmate from Shutter Island's prison for the criminally insane. The patient, Rachel Solando, seems to have simply disappeared into thin air. It doesn't take long for Teddy and his partner, Chuck, to begin doubting the honesty of the people in charge at Ashecroft prison.

The book is both a mystery and horror. A psychological thriller that will leave you guessing until the end. The writing is exquisite. It drew me in straight from page one and had me hooked until the very last word. It even left chills on my skin with the last two pages. It's a short read (I just started the book Tuesday night and finished Wednesday afternoon), but oh so worth it.

How Many Books In a Year

I was thinking about this last night - I wonder how many books I read in a year? I'm not sure, really. If you look through my house, you'd think I read hundreds a year, if you were to base it solely on how many books I currently own. But there's no way it's truly hundreds. I would have to be reading a book a day for that to happen. Last year, I read a lot simply because I was reading a lot of Silhouette Desire books in order to better write them according to their "rules". Since I've moved on from that idea and on to other types of books that I want to write, I doubt I'll hardly pick up a Harlequin novel this year unless my critique partner is writing for them again this year. I think I just got burned out on them.

I was thinking that it would be fun to keep track of the books I read this year, both craft books and fiction books. I try to always have some book about writing going at all times, just so I can keep learning from other writers and keep thinking about the different aspects of writing a great novel. But I also always have a fiction book going, too. I suppose I will also count the audiobooks I listen to, since that's technically "reading" them. I certainly can't claim to be one of the most avid readers around, since I know there are people that devour books at a rate of more than one a week, but I'd still like to keep track for once in my life, just to see how many I read in a typical year.

So, this year, here are the books I've read so far:

1. Under The Dome - by Stephen King
2. The Wedding - by Nicholas Sparks (audiobook)
3. Dear John - also Nicholas Sparks (also audiobook)
4. Catching Fire - by Suzanne Collins

Currently, I am reading book #5, which is "The Zombie Survival Guide" by Max Brooks, as well as book #6, "The Gunslinger", book one of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Yes, I often read two books at once, don't ask me why. If I had to guess how many books I'll read over the course of the entire year, I guess I would say 35. That's just a guess though, so we'll see.

Have a good weekend all. If you're in the North East, stay safe with the blizzard heading your way. Looks like mostly rain here in NC.

"Uglies" by Scott Westerfield

Last night, I finished reading the book "Uglies" by Scott Westerfield. If you haven't heard of it, the book is technically teen fiction. It's about a future world where everyone gets an operation on their sixteenth birthday that makes them beautiful. Super-model beautiful. Sounds great, right? Well, it's not that simple.

I don't want to give away the book, but let's just say that there are some kids that don't want to change into a beautiful copy. Some people think that it's our differences that make us beautiful.

From baby to age 12, you are called a "Littlie". When you turn twelve you have to attend a sort of boarding school, and you are called an "Ugly" until you turn sixteen and change into a "Pretty". Simplistic names help keep the novel from getting too confusing, since we all already have associations with words like ugly and pretty. I thought the simplicity of it within this very complex world was clever.

Overall, I loved the book. It was a fast read, and I really grew to love the heroine, Tally. She is an almost sixteen year old who is looking forward to becoming "pretty" just like her best friend (whose birthday was three months before hers). Then she meets Shay, another girl her age who tells her about a secret town called The Smoke, where people have chosen to live rather than go to New Pretty Town to get the operation. At first, Tally doesn't even believe such a place could exist, and she thinks Shay is crazy to want to run away. I mean, who doesn't want to be beautiful? But when Shay leaves, a group of government officials tell Tally that she has to go find The Smoke and alert the government to its location. If she doesn't, they will never turn her pretty.

What Tally decides to do from that point on is what really makes the book great. Some of it is predictable, because you can sort of see where the story is going to go. However, the ending is unique for sure, and it left me wanting to read the second book. Besides, the book can be a little bit predictable simply because the premise of it is so original. It had a very "Fahrenheit 451" feel to it. In some ways, it also reminded me of Ayn Rand's "Anthem" where individualism is considered an evil. The next book in the series is called, as you can imagine, "Pretties."