New Year, New Planner

I'm a saver, not a spender, and as such, I hardly ever buy things for myself. Sure, sometimes I splurge with this "I really need this," but I have to justify it to myself, much like a child would a parent. I have to explain to myself how vitally important this item is.

One recent purchase was The Simple Elephant Planner. I tried doing the bullet journal thing last year, but I found the page set up to be tedious. I wanted my planner to look cool with awesome spreads, and I spent so much time making each calendar month look great, that I spent less time actually doing the items on my list.

This year, I decided to try The Simple Elephant, and so far so good. It's simple and goal-oriented. It has to list the five most important goals for you to do this year, and it comes with a few easy instruction guides to give you advice on how to set up your goals.

Mine are:

1. Shop Dissimulate to 50 Agents
2. Publish two additional works
3. Better Overall Health: Mental breaks, meditation, and lowering waist size
4. Read 50 books
5. Take a Vacation

Ideally, I won't reach 50 agents with Dissimulate, but since "get an agent" isn't a quantifiable goal, because it depends on the agents I shop to. So, I've decided on something more straightforward and gave myself a number to shop by the end of the year. Dissimulate has a lot in it though: a futuristic sci-fi theme, existential discussions, and a GLBT main character. This one will find a home.

I wrote most of it for NaNoWriMo, took December off to get Overwatch loot boxes (I'm a bit obsessed with opening shiny treasure boxes in that game), and I'm finishing up the book now. I'm at 64,000 words and approaching the end. My rough drafts always skimp on description, so the rewrite usually adds 10k in story and descriptions.

While it is only January 4, I feel really great about the simplicity of setting up this notebook. It breaks down overall goals into monthly goals, breaks down monthly goals into weekly ones. Then, it helps recap your week with successes as well as what can be done better.

Now, I know I have to have Dissimulate done by March for shopping. Now, I know once that's finished I can pursue the other two titles I wish to publish this year. I expect big things from myself in 2018, and you should expect big things from yourself, too.

What are your plans for the new year? Any big goals? What are you using to track your progress?

Book Reading: Hipstopia

I have a feeling that reading out loud is something that you get better at with practice. For the first time ever, I can be seen reading Hipstopia, my YA dystopian satire about hipsters taking over Los Angeles.

I was definitely a bit nervous, as this hasn't been something I've even attempted in the past. But I'm fairly happy with my first attempt. Enjoy! And happy reading!

Excerpt: Girl Nevermore

Purchase your copy on Amazon

Girl Nevermore is my dark contemporary young adult novel based on real life events. When I was much younger, my best friend at the time tried to take her own life while sitting next to me in class. She went to the bathroom with the pass that hung by the door, was gone for a while, and came back a completely different person.

She slowly started fading away as she sat next to me.

The image of her eyes haunted me for almost a decade, and I still remember the look she gave me to this day, but I've grown up a lot since then. While the helplessness I felt in that moment used to cause me anxiety, I've realized I'm much stronger now and much more sympathetic because of it.

Thankfully, my friend is still alive, but some people do not get second chances like she did. I've lost a lot of people - a lot of good people - along the way, and I cannot imagine how it would have been to lose her in that moment.

Girl Nevermore's story grew from that single moment, and the thoughts and feelings that I had after. I never truly grasped how much it affected me until later on in life. But events like that change you.

If you are in the mood for a dark story, Cooper's journey is full of life lessons, things that took me a lot longer than her to realize. Today, I am sharing a small piece of Girl Nevermore with you. Cooper finds the journal that her twin sister, Kayla, had been keeping. Over the course of the book, she reads her sister's writing. Kayla never seemed so alive, and then ... Well, I'll let you read to find out the rest. Enjoy the excerpt from Kayla's found journal below:

We pulled into the park, stealing drinks from the flask he keeps in his glove compartment. We leaned against the side of his car, passing it back and forth, him taking bigger gulps than me.

When the sprinklers came on, I was already a little light-headed, feeling freer than I had in a long time. I kicked off my shoes and ran into the grass barefoot, laughing as water soaked through my jeans, my shirt, everything. The grass squelched between my toes, and I watched him watching me. His dark eyes never left my body.

It felt blissful, perfect.

Trent and I don’t talk much. There’s not much to say. We just are. We’re two different people who are from separate parts of the universe. But when we collide, our worlds smash together with such fire I can barely breathe. I want to take the feeling he gives me and bottle it up, keep it for whenever I need it.

This kind of perfection never lasts a lifetime. I’m not stupid. But that’s why I’m soaking it all in. I take every chance I can get with him to make up for all the insignificant moments that will happen later. Because as long as I live, I will never meet anyone who makes me feel as alive as Trent does now.

I spun around in the middle of the field until the stars collapsed in on themselves, blending together into one blurring ball of light. I wanted to kiss that sky, get sucked up into it and dance forever.

When I stopped, the world kept moving around me. Trent marched right through the sprinklers, dropped the flask in the field, and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed me with such an intensity I thought I would melt right into his skin.

That’s how he makes me feel, like I could become something bigger than myself. I’ve never felt that kind of power before. I grinned the whole way home, wondering how I got so lucky, but also wondering how I was going to keep this a secret.

Because I want Trent to be mine and just mine. I don’t want to share any of these moments with anyone else. They are too beautiful, too enormous. And I’m afraid if I tell someone, they might become a little bit smaller, and that would ruin the magic we have now.

Books, Cats, and a Giant TBR Pile

A photo posted by R. A. Desilets (@radesilets) on Jan 7, 2016 at 1:01pm PST

While I was doing my daily chore*, I had this horrible thought: how many of my books have I actually read? Stricken, I stared at my shelves and realized, "Oh... oh no."

The idea for this photo blossomed. I must have it. I must have this ridiculous photo in my possession to prove I have an awful book buying habit. Sure, I donate a lot of the books once I read them, but this TBR pile has been growing year after year while I still go to the library.

Why?

I've always been a deadline-oriented person. I procrastinate, but once the end is looming over me, I have to finish what I've started. Library books have deadlines; mine don't.

This is why I made the chore box*. It's also why I made a very specific "Create" box with the same concept as the chore box. I have to do one task a day before the day is over. It's a concrete, deadline-oriented task. I have one day, that's it.

A photo posted by R. A. Desilets (@radesilets) on Jan 7, 2016 at 1:40pm PST

Today, I pulled out "Blog." Today, I decided that wasn't enough and also did the photo project. Today, I'm also committing to 2000 words of editing. Why? Because completing one task makes me feel accomplished. It makes me want to do more. Seeing a list makes me panic and do less. But one task? Just one? Sure. Let's do it! It will go in the "Accomplished" box once I'm finished.

So, what am I going to do with all these books?

Read them, one at a time. My create box also has items for downtime, like reading, coloring, and journaling. Things that are necessary to continue being creative.

My goal for the end of the year is to make my TBR pile a little less intense. Expect another photo in a few months with an update on how the reading is going!

Feel free to add me on goodreads! I only rank books 4 or 5 stars -- 5 for favorites, 4 for highly recommended. So you can easily see the books I love. I read mostly YA, all genres.

* You can find more information about my awesome chore box on my Patreon page on a free post.

Weekly Giveaway: Week Two

Congratulations goes to Nichole -- the winner of Week One's giveaway.  As promised, there's another giveaway opening up.  This ends midnight PT on 4/27.  If an international winner wins, they will only receive ebook copies of both my novelettes, My Summer Vacation by Terrance Wade and Hipstopia.  If a U.S. winner wins, they will get to choose from the list of physical books to have mailed to them AND receive a copy of the ebooks!

You can choose one of the following if you win:

Young Adult Books

• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
• Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
• The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
• Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Adult Books 

• The Blind Mirror by Christopher Pike (hardcover)
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
• Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
• The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
• Wormwood by G.P. Taylor (hardcover)

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Winners and February Update

I just emailed the three winners from February - congratulations to those who won - and thank you everyone else for following!

There will be more giveaways this year - but probably not for a few months.  It's an exciting time in my head/house, but I've got a lot of work to do and not much time to do it (that's the norm for everyone, it's it?)

My husband received good news on his side of the creative career fence, so this year is shaping up to be great.

I wanted to take the time to go over what I've done so far this month - and what I'm still working on.

Edit Where We Collide again - working on it! I'm working with my two awesome critique partners and getting feedback, but I'm trying to do this as fast as humanly possible.  If I didn't have to work 8 hours a day, I would be working 8 hours a day on this.  Consequently this also covers my update on "Get Where We Collide to CPs"

Finish CPing - We're working on it.  I'm really loving the piece I'm critiquing (or maybe I'm just saying that because she reads my blog - Shout out, hello!).  But in all honesty, I adore her piece, though she can probably tell from the insane amount of commentary I put in the margins ;) It's like how I only yell at television shows when I'm invested in the characters (Walking Dead spoiler:  RICK, RICK, GO AFTER HIM, RICK!  ARE YOU SERIOUSLY LETTING HIM LEAVE?! AARRGGGG!!)

Plot No Sugar Coating - Done!  The 45k YA Magical Realism novella is plotted.  Though if it ends up turning into a novel, I wouldn't mind ;)

Write Part One of No Sugar Coating - This takes a backseat while I finish Where We Collide, but I did write 8k of it. 

In addition, I posted a new page for my 2013 goals, so you can keep track of where I'm at for each month.  Lots to do if I want to publish The Unanswerable this year - and No Sugar Coating the next!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!

First Month of a New Release and Goodreads Giveaway

As a new author, I thought it might be interesting to look at the first month release and talk about my experiences with self-publishing.  I think your first book should be the book that you make mistakes with - not in grammar or typos, mind you, but with the strategy behind the release.  This is something that I learned more by doing - with advice from some friends.

What I would have done differently:

1. Set a release date and get the paperback and kindle version released on the same day
2. Have a few proof copies to give away a month before the release date, instead of after the release date
3. Advertise better - share excerpts, create a blog hop or tour, get the word out there - submit to bloggers
4. Set up my Amazon Author page in advance - instead of after the release (which, I will never have to do again)
5. Set up the information on goodreads in advance so that the release can be put on new release lists - and do an early giveaway copy

So how did the book sell with little to no marketing beyond G+ and twitter?

I would say:  Decently.

It was released partway into December, so it didn't even have a full month.  The sales break down is below.

Total sales: 17
Sales I know were from family: 7
Promotional Copies: 2 (not included in total sales)

• Kindle: 8  
• Smashwords: 5
• Amazon Paperback: 4

This month I am doing a goodreads giveaway (widget on the bottom of this post) for one signed, paperback copy.

I wasn't expecting "My Summer Vacation by Terrance Wade" to blow up.  I am honestly pleased that 10 sales were not to family members (though I love my family's support). Must mean I'm doing something right.

More planning will go into publishing The Unanswerable, as my first novella.  It's funny how vastly different these two stories are.  Terrance Wade, the kidnapped 7-year-old who believes he's on an adventure to save the world, vs. Matthew, a man who struggles to keep his family alive at the end of the world.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Summer Vacation by Terrance Wade

by R. A. Desilets

Giveaway ends February 01, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Winter Giveaway!

Success!  We have four fantastic YA books to giveaway and one fantastic New Adult book to giveaway in two separate giveaways!  Sorry for making you guys fill out the form twice - but one is international, the other is not (and different entries for each).

Below is the rafflecopter for the hardcover book giveaway.  This is for United States only, the international giveaway with ebooks is further down.

The hardcover prizes:

Deadline by Chris Crutcher.  A story of a high school teenager who finds out he is terminally ill.  Instead of undergoing treatment to possibly give him a few more "sick" years, he chooses to forgo it.  With a one year deadline, he finds out what life is really about.

Saying It Out Loud by Joan Abelove.  Based on her own experience of losing her mother when she was coming of age, Mindy has to figure out life for herself.  Her father turned inward, and her life has turned to sorrow.  Very moving and powerful piece of work.

The Rafflecopter for these two hardcover books (US only)  but don't forget the second, international giveaway below!:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't forget to check out the other giveaway below!
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The ebook giveaway is open Internationally.  These authors have graciously donated one copy of their ebook to join the winter giveaway.

The ebook prizes:

The Between by LJ Cohen.  Lydia Hawthorne is on a good track in her life - that is until she is snatched by the Fae.  She is thrust between two warring sets of Fae, Bright and Shadow.  Lydia is supposed to choose a side, pick one side to win the war.  The fate of Fae lies in her hands, but worse, so does the fate of her family.

The Clockwork Giant by Brooke Johnson.  Petra Wade is a self-taught clockwork engineer who dreams of becoming a member of the Guild.  Emmerich, a Guild recruit, has been hired to make an automation.  Emmerich learns of Petra through a chance encounter and knows she can help him.  In secret, they build the clockwork giant, but a soon learn of a sinister conspiracy from within the Guild.

Balor Reborn by Paul Carroll - New Adult.  Fionn Murray, a university student, has to become the unwilling hero when spirit of tyrant Balor comes back with a vengeance. With his house mate Michael, Fionn must decide to run or face an evil that could consume the world. Based on the old Irish myth of Balor of the Evil Eye, this is the first in the series seeking to revive the magic of Ireland.

The Rafflecopter for these three ebooks (International):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What happened to October?

There's this month.  It's called October.  I don't know if any of you have seen it, but I certainly missed it.  What happened to all the goals I was going to accomplish?  The days flew by, and I'm wondering what the heck happened to October.

Just to clarify it to myself, here's the story of October:

Last weekend I joined the army of the undead.  That's right.  My husband and I did the Run for Your Lives race.  No, not as runners.  Never as runners - are you kidding me?  I couldn't run to save my life.  But I can stumble around and scare the living daylights out of people.  We signed up to be zombies during the race, and as you can see, our makeup was... delicious.  Highly recommended for any zombie fans.  It's a lot of fun being dressed up in goop with good people by your side.

This weekend, we got lost in a corn maze.  By lost, I mean I kept peeking at the map so we wouldn't get lost because I hate getting lost.  My accomplishment was peeking less this year than last year.  Next year's goal is to stick the map in my purse and forget it exists.

We carved our pumpkins for the holiday.  I almost thought it wasn't going to happen this year, because like I said, the month of October disappeared.  Mine's the one with the moon and the cat.  Last year it was an owl, this year it was a cat.  I'm going to attempt to carve Jack Skellington at work tomorrow - we'll see how that goes.

Other than that... I did some critique partnering.  I've been reading a lot of 2nd and 3rd books in a series for the "Let's Finish What We Started" Challenge by the MA-YA group on goodreads.  On the fifth book now, Promised by Caragh O'Brien, and I still love the series even though that amazon review ruined the ending for me.  (Thanks person who wrote a huge spoiler in the title of your review.  You rock.)

My beta readers got me back Terrance so now I have to sit down and actually edit his story.  It shouldn't be that hard, sitting at only 15k to edit, but editing is always taxing.  I have one more person to send it to, but I want it to be polished to receive some final, last-minute insight - just in case I missed something huge.

NaNoWriMo is creeping up around the corner.  I'm not ready for you yet, November!  Stay over there!

Though, I must say, I've been outlining Anthony's story this week, and I love his character again.  Everything that felt trite the first time around is getting knocked out.  The biggest conflict is better than ever (his own self-consciousness) and the people in the story now accentuate it, instead of derailing it into another plot line entirely.  Oh, and my husband likes the new developments.  These all bode well, and I'm excited to get my hands moving across the keys again...  But I still hope I can finish Terrance by the weekend, else I might not be able to finish him in time for Thanksgiving my absolute deadline.

How about you guys?  NaNoing?  Ready for it?  Was October just as busy for you, or did you manage to find a weekend to breathe?

Harry Potter: Books that made me love reading challenge

When I was younger...

Are you kidding me? When I was younger, Harry Potter was essentially a god. Okay, fine, he wasn't really, but I grew up with him. I'm the generation that was just young enough to grow up with him and fall in love with every single character. I thought it was fantastic. The idea that someone could knock down your door and say, "Hey, I'm coming to whisk you away to a world of magic and mayhem - and on one of the greatest adventure you will ever see."

Now...
Because I read the book so many years ago, and have seen the movie much more recently, I remembered the movie better than the book. And although the book is still fantastic, I noticed some things. First, there are a lot more summaries than I remember, of conversations, of small side plots that don't need a huge explanation. I remember the dragon hatching scene being much more epic than it was (because I imagine the movie, not how it's described in the book). But J.K.Rowling was writing for Children - and she does some things flawlessly. Spoilers! Be warned! For example, setting Hagrid up to love dragons in the first chapter, when it doesn't even matter -- then. Setting up Professor Quirrell at every single location throughout. It was, and still is, brilliant. Though I remember my heart beating out of my chest when I was younger.

It's fast-paced, it's fun, and I still enjoyed it even though I am much older now than I was then. Oh - and Dumbledore provides necessary insight throughout, he actually says some very poignant things, that I don't think I really understood when I was younger.

Monthly Book Recommendations

Goodness, guys and gals!  Where did the summer go?  Who knows, who cares, but it's time to get back in the swing of things and bring you more Monthly Book Recommendations!  Click on the photos to go to goodreads.com and read more about the books.

The Between by LJ Cohen
Fae, Faerie, and magic - honestly, it's not my usual cup of tea, but LJ Cohen did a great job with characters here.  Lydia doesn't like her stalker, in fact, she wishes he would just go away.  But he isn't the strangest thing to happen in her life.  Her fate has always been tied to the world of Fae, and she has to make hard choices in order to save her family.

You can purchase The Between from amazon.  You can read my full review on examiner here.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
This is such a great coming-of-age story with zombies.  I loved how even though the zombies are a big part of the piece, it was more about the humans and how they dealt with being in this world.  Benny is growing up in a town where the people are more scary than the undead, and it's done almost flawlessly.

You can purchase Rot & Ruin from amazon.  You can read my full review on examiner here.



Run by Patti Larsen
I've read this whole series - The Hunted - and it's quite good.  It's dark for YA, but done really well, and super action packed.  If you prefer slower-paced novels, this series is not for you.  They are always trying to get away from something, and things never quite seem to pane out for the best with Reid.  Highly recommended for a fun, fast, and action-packed read.

You can purchase Run from amazon.  You can read my full review on examiner here.




Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The re-telling of Cinderella... with steam punk and dystopian elements?  Okay, I bit hard.  I loved this book, absolutely adored it even though I was very well aware of how it was going to end.  It was a quick read, fun, and who doesn't love fairy tales?  Well, if you don't love fairy tales, this probably isn't the book for you - but I promise you, it's good.  Well written too!

You can purchase Cinder from amazon.  You can read my full review on examiner here.

Self-Publishing

I am working on a marvelously long short story.  So far, I haven't really finished a short story that I'm proud of, and technically, this one isn't finished either... but I'm proud of it - and that stands for something.

Over the next month, I hope to finish the short story, get beta readers, line edits, and critiques back from people.  By the end of the month, I hope to have the editing completely, with a perfectly polished (or to the best of my capability) piece in my hands.

Sometime in October, I want to publish it.

It's going to sit a little over 10k, or so I imagine with the number of words I have and how much of the plot I have yet to write.  And I'm going to publish it for a small fee of .99.  I figure I'll go by the standard of .99 for every 10k.  It seems reasonable.

Now, I'm still seeking the traditional publishing route for the rest of my novels, and I still have to get them polished and send them out there into the world.  This isn't a novel, and I feel like it will be a steal for .99, but we'll see how that goes.

Over the next two months, I hope to keep my blog updated with specifics about self-publishing.  I understand the concepts, but I have yet to put them into practice.

And the lovely cover is above - and probably isn't changing (unless someone has some super awesome amazing idea that I haven't thought of yet).

Stay tuned for more information on "My Summer Vacation by Terrance Wade" by RADesilets (I know, it's a total mouthful).

My TBR Pile is Growing

I started receiving request for reviews (woohoo!)  I love reading, beta reading, and being part of critique groups.  I think it only makes my own writing stronger, but I also love helping other people.  And when I like a book, I love to spread the word about it.

But I think I really outdid myself.  I swear, I have to make a syllabus for my life or something - with due dates and the whole messy lot.

I'm behind on examiner.com posts (I still have to post my review of The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness and Hunt by Patti Larsen - but at least I just got The Between review up!).  Which were all fun books, and recommended...  And to top it all off - September approaches!  Meaning that I have to read the next book in the "Books that made me love reading" challenge.

And I'm completely behind on my TBR Pile Challenge.  Okay, not behind really.  I set out to read 10 books on my TBR list.  I've definitely done that, but I haven't actually submitted any posts about them (I'm super lame, I know!)

You can see the picture for the list of books.  They were all sitting on the shelves.  Which, let me tell you something:  My library is awesome.  If they don't have a book, they can get it for me - they can order it on loan from another library in the Los Angeles county area, and poof!  Like magic, I get an e-mail saying it's in.  How's that for awesome?

Here's the thing I hate:  They never really have books that I want on their shelves.

Not today!  The library got a total YA revamping - and these four books that have been on my to-be-read list for entirely too long magically appeared on the shelves!  I couldn't believe it!

So, I'll be reading/reviewing for the next few weeks... and hopefully I'll find some time to finish my third draft of RUHE so that my beta readers can finish beta reading.

Also, I should mention how much I adore Patrick Ness's interview on YA books getting age ratings (he's against, for various reasons).  And I agree with him, but he's very articulate about it.  You should check it out!  I already loved his writing, but now I also like his style.

Poppy by Avi - Books that made me love reading challenge

For some reason, when I was younger, I adored the idea of mice doing battle so much so that I bought almost the entirety of Brian Jacques series without even reading a single one of them. I'm a book hoarder, sue me.

But I think that love all stemmed from Poppy.

When I was younger... I loved how a timid little field mouse could do such a grandiose task.  It made me feel empowered, and I think it made me respect animals a lot more.  She fought for her life and won, she kept on going even when it looked bleak, even when she thought she was going to die.  Poppy was a fighter, and I hugely respected her courage.

Now...  since I have grown to love and respect owls, it is a bit of a bitter sweet ending.  While the owl is completely manipulative, and is a good villain, he is also just trying to survive.  The easiest way for him to do that?  To insight fear into the field mice.  This was an interesting one to read over again.

It's funny, when I was younger, I used to record myself reading and play it back.  The purpose?  To understand how I sounded to other people.  I actually really hated my voice - and for the most part, still do.  I also had a lot of issues with reading out loud.  I would trip over my words in class, and I read Poppy to try to get better at that.

I don't think it was very successful, but hey, it was still fun.

P is for Peter Pan

I have read two versions of Peter Pan's story. It is interesting to me to see how much the same legends can be changed and twisted with a new set of hands writing them.

My favorite so far has been Brom's rendition of Peter Pan in The Child Thief, where Peter is a little bit of a menace and doesn't really consider the emotions of the children that he whisks away into Neverland. In fact, he takes them away from the real world and forces them into fighting the war with him. He has no emotional attachment to the people that he brings back, he only wants to win the war. Nick, the main character, goes through a lot of twists and turns during the length of the novel, which creates an interesting dynamic in its own way.

The other version was the classic children's tale. Most of us know how that goes. Peter does run away from responsibility, but it is his innocence that keeps him good. While he does encourage some kids to run away with them, it is always up to the kids whether or not they want to stay. There is nothing dark or sadistic with the classic tale.

I think it is interesting that artists can take the same concept and idea and completely reinvent it. I have a massive respect for people that can do this, and do it well. Brom's story is definitely worth the read. His writing style was paced so well and the description was spot on without being heavy-handed.

G is for Giveaway Hop

A to Z Challenge:  I know, I'm early... but I wanted to submit this Giveaway into the Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop.

Giveaways are awesome, even if I'm cheating a little bit in the A to Z Challenge (though, can you blame me?  Those egg bunnies are adorable)  Starts April 6th at 12:00AM EST and ends April 12th.

I have tons of books (tons and tons of books) to giveaway.  So instead, here's my list of books that you can choose.  (U.S. participants only).

If you win, you can choose one title (click on the book title for more information from goodreads):

YA Books:
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Saying it Out Loud by Joan Abelove (hardcover)

Other Books:
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Mystic Warrior by Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman
Happiness Sold Separately by Libby Street
Wormwood by G.P.Taylor (hardcover)
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

Just enter the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to visit the other blogs in this awesome hop - and visit the hosts:  I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Once Upon a Twilight.

March Giveaway!

It's my birthday month - hooray!

As such, I'm celebrating by doing a massive giveaway.  All month long, you can sign up and be one of two winners.  If I manage on getting 200 followers by the end of this giveaway, I'll choose three winners!

I have a ton of books available for this giveaway (YA, Adult, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, etc!).

Winner #1:  Gets first pick - choose one of any of the following books.
Winner #2:  Gets second pick, after Winner #1 chooses.
Winner #3:  If I reach 200 followers by the end of March, #3 will have the final pick.

Additionally, I'm going to be self-publishing some short stories in the next month.  So I may choose a few additional winners to receive e-copies of those short stories (when they get published). 

So here they all are (clicking the cover will take you to the goodreads page):

YA Book Choices:

Adult Book Choices:

See?!  Tons of choices!  Fill out the rafflecopter below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I want to take the time to mention why I'm having a donate option for this giveaway.  I am not trying to profit (clearly $1 won't do that for me), but I am trying to make enough cash so I can keep doing giveaways for absolutely free in the future :)  I'm gearing up for a year of giveaways.  That's right - the giveaways won't stop until 2012 is over!  Shipping books is no easy cost, so I figured since this giveaway is a big one, I would give people the option of doubling their entries for $1 via paypal ^_^  Thanks for all your continued support - and good luck!

Giveaway Winner!

Last month, I ran a giveaway for a paperback copy of Water for Elephants!

Congratulations goes to:

Janina at Synchronized Reader

I'll be in touch shortly to get your mailing address!

Additionally, I am participating in the I Heart YA Giveaway Hop!  I will post on February 13th with details, but please note that rafflecopter will not open until midnight on the 14th (as per giveaway hop rules).  It looks like I'm going to have some fun library copies to give away.  The winner can choose one of the four books.  In March, I'll be doing another giveaway with the three remainder books - so on until they are gone!

In addition, it's been a really long time since I've posted any writing, so here's an excerpt of my short story "Yellow Eyes."  It is based on my DnD character!  *pushes up the nerd glasses*

Telleke bent over me and soothed my hair, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”  His voice was calm, collected, cool, everything that I wasn’t.  He offered his hand.  I took it.  When I was back on my feet, a few steps later, he shoved his leg between mine again, and I crashed into the ground.  The class roared with laughter.

I rolled back onto my feet, hunched my back and glared at him.  I launched myself and screamed at the top of my lungs.  I tackled Telleke into the ground and shoved my fist into his nose.  The crack of my knuckles against his skull sent a shooting pain up my arm, but it was no worst that what happened to his face.  His nose was skewed, off-center.  It was already turning purple.  Not to mention the blood.

I scampered backward off of him.  The whole class stopped breathing , the instructor rushed to Telleke’s side.  I stared down at my hands.  The blood, the blood, the blood.  A flash of my mother’s face, the twisted knots in her hair catching all the falling red that escaped her mouth.  All of the deep red that pooled around the back of her skull.

That's all you guys get for now ;)  Ideally, I want to publish this for .99 or something really cheap.  I really love the weird, random story that my DnD character managed to create.  Did I mention that she has massive compulsive disorders now?  Oh, yeah, and she eats chalk.  She's quite fun to play, though she can't contribute that much to the group.

Congratulations again Janina!  I look forward to next giveaway! 

Monthly Book Recommendations

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
YA Science Fiction - Dystopian

Highly recommended because of the main character, Gaia.  O'Brien creates an amazing character that works so fluidly in the dystopian world of the Enclave.  She accidentally falls into the hero role because of her good nature and naivety - and her blind determination to save her parents from jail.  O'Brien's writing is well composed, descriptive, and still has you hanging on the edge of your seat.  Though it is not as action packed as some other YA Dystopian novels, I feel like this one is a great change of pace for someone that wants a mellower, but still intriguing Sci-Fi read.  I have a longer review on examiner.com.
*TBR Pile Challenge book*

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion 
YA Zombies / Horror / Romance

Here’s the deal: People that expect this to be a gnarly, gut ripping out, zombie story will be in for disappointment (I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest, though, and I love brain gushing zombies as much as the next person). While Isaac Marion does give us several gory details, his story focuses on “R” a zombie that is way too intelligent. A zombie that feels trapped in a useless body and a useless life and wants to find a reason to live again. Enter Julie. He happens to fall in love with her because he ate part of her boyfriend’s brain (whoops). Marion does a great job with describing what it would be like to be an intellectual person stuck in a rotting, walking corpse. The descriptions are fantastic, and I overall really love the story.  I have a longer review on examiner.
*TBR Pile Challenge book*


Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
YA Urban Fantasy / Vampires
I know, I am so far behind the times.  I picked this up solely on a whim and because some people on goodreads really recommend it.  I wasn't disappointed, but I think the pacing could have been a bit strong in the beginning.  But once I got into it, I tell you... Richelle created an amazingly vicious and beautiful vampire world.  My hope for this series is that it gets a little bit darker, because I really want some deliciously dark YA vampire stuff.  But so far so good, it didn't disappoint, and thus it makes it onto my recommendations list.  For a longer review check my examiner. 
*TBR Pile Challenge book* 

Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard
YA Contemporary / Fiction

I had the pleasure of reading this as an Advanced Reader's Copy - and was I happy that I won it.  Jennifer Hubbard's writing was so enticing.  She did such a good job at portraying what life would be like after an attempted suicide.  Ryan's brain is muddled, confused, and he's just starting to figure himself out.  Hubbard's writing and pacing are quiet, but they sneak up to you.  Her words weasel their way into your brain and you are thinking about them for a long time afterward.  This is a great read if you want a change of pace from the action-packed dystopian literature.  I was very pleased.  My full review is on examiner.
*ARC Book*

2012 Goals Update

Successful Goals so Far:

• On average, I have been writing 500 words a day - I'm ahead of the goal, but I'm trying to make a habit of writing every day.  While this hasn't been successful, I am at least working on average 500 words a day. #WIP500
• I formatted my memoir for epub, but still need to edit the darn thing (formatting is a brat).
• Found and applied to a day job (as a Health Coach), now I just need to nail the interviews - but yay on booking an interview!
• Finally created several more light switch plates, which can be seen on my etsy.
• I still have my giveaway for January up.  I will be participating in the YA Giveaway blog hop for February, and we'll continue it from there - one book a month!
• So far, I've read three books this month and I'm moving onto the fourth.
• TBR Pile Challenge has been going - I am almost through my holds at the library, then it's onto books on my shelf.

And I added on a new one for Emlyn Chand's "Books that made me love reading" challenge.  The January post for that one will be up soon.

Additionally, my roommate and I made a video in support of our craft blog.  It's kind of hilarious, so I'll share it on here for anyone that needs a pick-me-up!