What I'm Reading: The Mortal Instruments

Hi everyone! I'm taking a quick break from writing because I realized it's WEDNESDAY already. How did that happen? Even more importantly, where did August go? Is this really the last week of the month already?
I haven't finished any new books lately because I've been trying to finish up In the Shadows so that I can release it before the Oct 26th Indie Mashup that I'm attending along with authors like our very own Komal Kant (all the way from Australia folks!), Autumn Doughton (you know how much I adore her books!), Quinn Loftis, Pamela Ann, and a bunch more! Nearly 40 Indie Authors will be in attendance. How awesome is that?
My goal is to have the first ever paperbacks of In the Shadows with me and available for purchase, hence the not much reading lately.
I remember over a year ago it was nothing for me to read 2-3 books in a week. But then I started writing my own stories and I've hardly read at all in the last year and a half.
However, once I saw the preview for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones I knew it would be right up my alley (love me some paranormal romances). I've heard mixed things about the books but the movie looked soooo good that I thought I'd give it a try.
Plus my friend and fellow-paranormal-lover, Sarah, read the first 3 books in one week so I figured if she liked them, I would probably like them too!
So when I found the paperback for $7, I picked it up. That was about the same price as the Kindle version!
I read the first chapter and was definitely intrigued.
Sarah and I went to the movies and I seriously loved it. It was so good! Sarah said it was very close to the book which thrilled me!
(*begin rant* I love the Percy Jackson books, love them, but those movies? They are flat out TERRIBLE book-to-movie-adaptations! Way worse than Twilight. At least those movies tried to stay true to the books, it's like the people who produced The Lightening Thief and Sea of Monsters didn't even read the books. I HATE it when movies are so different from the book that it's like not even the same story. I understand that in movies you have to add more action and crap but seriously! At least maintain the storyline! *end of rant*)
Okay, so back to The Mortal Instruments, I've been reading one chapter a night ever since I watched the movie and so far, I'm really enjoying it. Jace is awesome and Clary seems like a really strong heroine so far. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of their story, one chapter at a time. It will probably take me the rest of the year but I'll finish it eventually.
Have you guys read this series yet?
I know the 6th and final book isn't out until May so maybe it's a good thing I haven't had time to really devour the series yet. I'm an impatient reader and don't like to wait to find out what happens next. You have no idea how much self-control I'm using to limit myself to one chapter a night!
What about the sister series Infernal Devices? I'll probably be checking this one out next so I'm definitely curious to hear your thoughts!

Email and editing

The importance of email... when editing.

I have been doing some editing for some awesome books. And in the past, I normally read the whole thing, and send it back. These last two times, the communication has been happening the entire time, whether it is on email or Facebook. I can easily contact the writers and get some clarification, give out some praise or just talk to them.

But the best part about email - is I can send chapters instantly. We can sit down and look at a piece together if we need to. They get quick feedback and start editing right away instead of waiting the time it takes to edit, and then get their entire manuscript back with edits. I have been there - and anyone else who has been - knows how overwhelming that is. It's an animal! Blah! (I hate editing.) This way breaks it down.

But really think about this - when you had an editor, if you didn't live close by, getting the edits to that person would take the mail (i know - a whole like five days) but then you as the editor, don't have a copy to remember and know what the writer is talking about. Email and the Internet, make that much easier.

Are you thankful for email?

Indie Author Event

On Oct 26th in Springdale, Arkansas there's going to be an Indie Author Book Signing Event complete with VIP dinner with the authors afterwards. :)
You know you want to go!
Especially since Komal and I will be there as well as one of our favorite authors and friend, Autumn Doughton!

For a complete list of authors that will be in attendance and to purchase advance tickets check out the website!

XOXO

Book Review: In this Moment by Autumn Doughton

Author: Autumn Doughton
Title: In this Moment
Genre: Contemporary Romance (NA)
Released: August 12th 2013

~Get it at Amazon~

Every moment possesses its own kind of magic...Aimee Spencer learned the hard way that for some moments, there are no take-backs, no rewinds, no do-overs. A year ago her world imploded and Aimee has been running ever since. She doesn't want to feel. She doesn't want to remember. To bury the ghosts that haunt her, she is living a life that has become unrecognizable.

Cole Everly is a golden boy with a cocky smile and an attitude to match. He's grown accustomed to girls throwing themselves at his feet, but when Aimee trips and literally lands in his lap one afternoon, she's not at all what he expects. Difficult, damaged, closed-off. If Cole needed to make a list of qualities to avoid in a girl, Aimee would probably match up with every single one of them. He knows that he should stay away but he's drawn to her in a way that he can't exactly explain.

In this honest and absorbing story, Aimee and Cole struggle to sort out the thin spaces between loss and love. Ultimately, they will need to learn how to navigate through the pieces of the past if they want to hold on to the future and each other.

~o~

I got to Beta Read this beautiful story and I've been dying for release day so you could read it to. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, Autumn's writing style is just so freakin poetic. Everything she writes is gold and I will forever read anything that has her name on it.
Her stories are so real. The circumstances, the relationship development, the characters, the story--everything just jumps right off of the page and makes itself right at home in your heart.

Let's start with my favorite part: Cole Everly.

Cole Everly (I mean, seriously, how hot is that name?) is 100% swoonworthy. I adored him completely.

“Aimee. I let the name roll around in my head, making room for the idea of her.”

You just swooned a little, amIright? I know. It's okay, I did too.

“…but my mind is still elsewhere—a few miles away with a girl that I know isn’t thinking of me."

Seriously. Don't you just want to hug him?

”She could reach into my chest and rip my heart out of my body because it already belongs to her.”

Cole Everly, you could totally claim my heart as your own. For reals.

Now don't get this Cole-Love-Fest wrong, I really liked Aimee too.  Autumn writes such vivid, believable characters. 

Aimee is a broken girl--her pain is real and completely justified. In fact, though I won't tell you WHAT happened to her, I will tell you that what Aimee suffered through is one of my BIGGEST fears. As I was reading and starting to put the pieces together I even emailed Autumn to tell her so. She told me that it happened to some people when she was a kid and it just sort of stuck with her. TERRIFYING I tell you. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. I could completely relate to everything Aimee thought and felt and I feel like I would've reacted the same way.

“The world doesn’t want to be forced to look at my scars.”

Autumn writes her steamy scenes in an abstract sort of way that makes you feel all of the tension without the graphic-ness that's pretty popular right now. 

“All it takes is one second, one brush of a finger to feel that…possibility.”

You remember what that's like right? When the faintest touch makes your insides turn to to slush?

 “It’s a kiss so deep and hungry that it drenches me—soaking every pore of my body, weighing me down, making me go soft in the knees.”

But it's not all swooning and steam. There are some ridiculously funny parts mixed in there as well. For example, pretty much any scene that Jodi is in cracked me up. I also love the fake book title game and the whole discussion about if you don't want to attend Hogwarts you're a douchebag (True story).

I loved every single page of it and highly recommend it anyone who loves romance with just the right amount of every-single-kind-of-emotion humanly possibly to feel. It's there.  Every single bit of it.

Read it. Love it. Then shoot me a message so we can talk about how wonderful it is.
 

PS Autumn is doing something interesting with her pricing that is going to benefit early readers. For the first week it's going to be priced at .99 then the next week it will go up to $1.99 and after that will remain at $2.99. 

PPS And don't forget if you read it and love it leave her a review! Authors like those. :)

City of Bones - my current obsession.

You may have noticed from my facebook posts and my last post I did, that I AM SUPER EXCITED FOR THE MORTAL INSTRUMENT movie. I have my best friend reading the series so we can go see the movie and this way I don't have to explain anything.

Does anyone else do this?

You read a series. Love it. THEN when the movie comes out you have to re-read the whole series again, not just the first book? I do. Every time.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is a great book. But the thing I love the most about the whole series is the world that she created. As an author, a reader, and an English major the completeness that she created with the Shadowhunter world. There aren't any gaps or brush over details that go unexplained because it is too hard. It's just so thorough.

Clary is also one of my favorite characters and I had forgotten that. She is much like Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series. Strong, a little rash, powerful, and not weak. I don't like those damsels in distress. Clary isn't that way and it makes for her parts of the story much more interesting. She's a woman of action, not just waiting for Jace to come save her.

Jace. Sigh.

Stop over to my facebook page for a scene from the movie!

Book Review: Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino

Author: Renee Carlino

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Released: March 17th 2013

 

 

   

A USA TODAY bestseller, Sweet Thing tells the story of Mia Kelly, a twenty-five-year-old walking Gap ad who thinks she has life figured out when her father’s sudden death uproots her from slow-paced Ann Arbor to New York City’s bustling East Village. There she discovers her father’s spirit for life and the legacy he left behind with the help of an old café, a few eccentric friends, and one charming musician.

Will Ryan is good-looking, poetic, spontaneous, and on the brink of fame when he meets Mia, his new landlord, muse, and personal heartbreaker.

A story of self-discovery and friendship, Sweet Thing shines light on the power of loving and letting go.

I got Sweet Thing when I was at Book Bash. Elizabeth and Autumn both said they loved it so I picked it up (and a fun Sweet Thing Swag guitar pick which I totally use...you know, to play the 2 whole songs I know)

See? It's even signed and everything:

I've been slowly making progress through the stack of books I got from Book Bash. I think I only have 2 more of my own to read but I should probably read the one I borrowed from Elizabeth so I can give it back to her next (sorry Liz! I sorta forgot!)

PS Can you tell I had the BEST time at Book Bash since it's over a month later and I'm STILL talk about it?! Can't wait until next year!

Okay, anyway, on to my review:

Sweet Thing started off much different than I expected. The prologue (and epilogue for that matter) are not told from the MC's POV at all but rather a complete outsider. Which seems kind of weird at first but once I actually read the whole book, I thought it was a really nice addition to the story. I can't think of another book that does the same thing so it was cool that it was so unique.

I read the first few chapters and while they were kinda cute, it wasn't an "oh my gosh I'm going to love this book" kind of feeling which was disappointing since Liz and Autumn both recommended it. I sat the book down and went about my business. I wrote a lot of my own stuff (finishing a rough draft of one book and made good progress on another). Then last night, after spending all day writing, I knew I needed a mental break (plus my eyes hurt from staring at my laptop screen for so long) so I decided to pick it back up and I didn't put it down until I finished it after 1am. (which probably wasn't good for my eyes but it was totally worth it)
I think the turning point for me was when Will moved in to Mia's apartment. He was just so stinkin' sweet and thoughtful that it was easy to fall in love with him. Which of course made me increasingly frustrated with Mia because she was being just so darn stubborn about it.

But the ending was soooooooooo worth it.
*sigh*

Seriously folks, this is one sweet read. It will make you laugh, cry, want to throw your book (or Kindle) one minute and want to hug it close to your chest in a giant Will-inspired bear hug the next.
 It was sooooo good! Check it out!

<3 Will Ryan <3