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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

BBReview: "Dark Beauty" By Taryn Browning

From Goodreads.com
Genre: Young Adult -Paranormal
Publishing Date: August 6th, 2011
Page Count: 54
Source: Sent to me by the author
Format: Paperback

Description from Goodreads.com:
For fifteen-year-old Seeker, Isabelle Crowe, ridding the Houston streets of the undead is an inherited duty, passed down from her Cherokee ancestors. During her first night without her mentor, she encounters Abram, a more experienced Seeker from Chicago looking to avenge his cousin's death. Isabelle quickly learns she must work with Abram to protect her city. With one Seeker already dead, Isabelle's love of the hunt becomes a fight to survive.

Review:
There are too many good things to say about this short story. I was completely surprised by just how good it was. I thought it was going to be another vampire story that interested me and that i liked, but was nothing new. That it would be the same old, same old that i like and read on a normal basis. Dark Beauty is anything but same old, same old to me. This short story is fun, beautifully written, and just plain amazing. When i reached the end i literally said out loud, "That's it? But i really like this story!". That is the only problem with reading prequels, you get too into them and then they are over.

Isabelle Crowe is a pretty normal teenager, besides the fact that she is a seeker, which means she is a vampire hunter. What i really like about her is that she seems very independent and very confident in her abilities, she doesn't take crap from anyone and shes not afraid to dish it out. As soon as she met Abram i was in love. I really like his character and love that he is arrogant, but also really sweet at the same time. The story so far seems amazing. It is packed with action and seems like it may have a little darker side than the typical YA vampire novel, which i really like. Add that action with a little steam from Abram and you've got yourself an amazingly great read.

Overall:
I really, really loved this prequel. I read it in one sitting in about thirty minutes tops, and was SO upset when it was over. Isabelle's character seems super independent and tough, and not afraid to pick a fight, adding that type of character with a steamy, arrogant guy who purposely pushes her buttons and you've got me hooked. I couldn't get enough of this story and i absolutely cannot wait to read Dark Seeker, which is the official first book in the seeker series. I recommend this prequel to anyone interested in the seeker series, anyone into YA, and anyone who loves vampire slayers.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5/5

Monday, October 24, 2011

Question of the Moment 48

Prequels? How do you feel about them? Do you hate them or love them? Are they worth it or pointless?

I, personally, love prequels. I love getting a sneak peak of a story to see if i am going to like it or not, and i think it is much better to read something that is its own story than to read a couple pages from the actual novel, like they do on amazon. I think they are the perfect thing to get your blood pumping and get you excited for the book to come out. There have been plenty of books that i was if-y on and so i decided to read their prequels and fell in LOVE with the story, which is kind of how i was for the prequel i will review tomorrow. So to recap, i think they are awesome and are definitely worth it, especially when they're free.

So how do you feel about them? Let me know in the comments below.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

BBReview: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" By J.K. Rowling

From Goodreads.com
Genre: Young Adult -Fantasy
Publishing Date: November 1st, 2003
Page Count: 310
Source: Borrowed from my local library
Format: Hardcover

Description from Goodreads.com:
Harry hates living with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their spoiled-rotten son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny closet beneath the stairs, and the entire family treats him with disdain. What's more, Harry keeps getting into trouble for making strange things happen -- things he seems to have no control over. But then Harry discovers the truth about himself when a determined messenger delivers an enlightening message. It turns out that Harry's mother was a witch, his father a wizard. And not only is Harry also a wizard, he's a famous one! His survival of the attack by the evil wizard who killed his parents has marked him as a legendary hero -- as has the lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.
Soon Harry finds himself attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he receives training in some magic basics, masters riding a broomstick, and discovers his incredible talent for a game called Quidditch, which is played in the air on flying brooms. And for the first time in his life, Harry has friends who care about him: his fellow students Hermione and Ron and a giant named Hagrid. But all is not rosy when Harry discovers his true destiny and finds he must once again face the evil one who killed his parents. His survival will depend upon the help of his new found friends, as well as his own wit and powers.

Review:
 Like stated in my Question of the Moment yesterday i was the same way with Harry Potter as people are with Twilight, where they swear they will never read the books. I did see the movies and liked them and i did hear how amazing the books are, but i just wouldn't read them. After having so many people in my life who loved the books and kept pushing me to read them, i finally gave in, and i am so happy i did.

Just like in the movies where you can just see that magical place called Hogwarts, and are dying to be able to go there, you get the same exact feeling and can picture it so vividly in the books. I think the part that i liked the most about the book was that it was exactly like the movie, with some expected differences here and there, but you never got bored or tired of hearing the same story. That was something i actually expected, because i saw the movie. I thought that i would get bored with the book, because it would be the same information re-said on paper, but it was actually as if hearing the story for the first time while reading it.

As always i loved the characters. My favorite character is still the same as it is in the movies, which is Ron, and the two characters that i just can't stand didn't change either which is Neville and Dudley. I don't think i will ever like those two characters. Malfloy i always want to just deck a couple times, but he is the enemy so of course i feel that way. I also really liked how imaginative it all is. I don't think i could have ever envisioned a place like that. The entire book was just very, very nicely created and i don't think it ever went overboard. It all stayed pretty believable and never too much. I also love that most of the book was description text telling you what everything looked like, because no one has ever seen this place, or anything like it for that matter. To me, i feel that every kid has dreamed of being a witch or wizard and has wanted to find out its true and be taken to some magical place, or maybe that's just me, and i feel that Rowling has accurately described and made come true every kids dream.

Overall:
I loved this story. I was hesitant at first to read Harry Potter, because i thought it was just for kids and would be really intolerably childish and immature, but it wasn't at all. I really enjoyed the story and i loved the characters. The best part i loved was how descriptive it all was. I feel like Rowling did an amazing job at describing everything and making you really feel like it was all real. I recommend this book to everyone. I usually get more specific than that, but i think everyone will enjoy this.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5/5

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Question of the Moment 47

Have you ever wished your life was like Harry Potters in the Sorcerer's Stone? What do you think your initial reaction would be if you found out you were a witch or wizard and were invited to Hogwarts? Would you bring a pet Owl, Toad, Rat, or Cat? Also, just because i love hearing personal stories, if you have a fun story to tell that related to Harry Potter, or a fun fact, or WHATEVER, feel free to include that as well =D

I have wished my life was like Harry's after he gets his invitation to Hogwarts. When i saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the first time i WISHED that would happen to me. I was just waiting for the day to come when i would get that invite in the mail. If i did find out i was a witch i would be so giddy and excited and would tell EVERYONE!! haha. I think the animal i would bring to hogwarts would be a cat. I love cats and so i think that would be the magical pet i bring. I would say an Owl, because they are so pretty and they have the whole mail thing on lock, but you can't snuggle with an Owl. As far as a personal story, i dont really have one except that i have started the harry potter series for, dont kill me, the first time ever. I always said i would NEVER read Harry Potter, like people always say about the books i love, Twilight, BUT you HP fans hooked me in and i finally gave in and read it AND.... the review will be up tomorrow =D

What are your answers to all these questions? Let me know in the comments below =]

Monday, October 17, 2011

"Death Speaks" By Tamara Rose Blodgett GIVEAWAY & GUEST POST!!



So You Want to Self-Publish?


Hi, my name's Tamara and I decided to publish my debut novel, Death Whispers on March 31. I did do the query,-merry-go-round, but not extensively. When an agent finally liked my sample well enough to ask for the full manuscript after revisions...I went ahead and revised it. On the teetering chasm of re-submitting it, my husband read an article about the incredible Indie success of Amanda Hocking. Her success was so inspiring to me that I changed direction entirely and took the metaphoric leap into the “middle of the lake,” to see if I could swim.


As it turns out, I could...and so can you!


There is nothing I would like more than to save other Indie authors whatever time I can by offering a few suggestions that were helpful to me.
*
Formatting(!): Wow, in a word: learning curve! ( I know, I know...that's more than one word!) Ha!
This was the single, greatest challenge for self-pubbing that I faced. Now that I've done it, I would offer just a few steps to get other authors in the right direction. First, the following link provided me with the skills I needed to bring my manuscript to print via CreateSpace, then ultimately e-format with Kindle/NOOK & Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/3z3lcej 


The above link will direct you to part one, of a two-part tutorial created by the WONDERFUL, Bryce Beattie (http://www.storyhack.com/), who shared his knowledge of formatting in an easy-to-learn method. Don't worry about this being a print tutorial. With very little “tweaking,” you can have format for both types; print and e-format. Another super-important point, and just “trust” me on this: download openoffice.org for FREE and use that for your manuscript. It transfers cleaner “code” than Word (and I heard that from another author; it's true). In lay terms, your book won't look “wonky” in different formats.  Secondly, when you go to finally publish to Amazon.com (and for the sake of space constraints, let's use them as an example), save a copy of your org.doc in HTML format. Once that uploads, you can look at the entire manuscript on their sample. Now, that's not a perfect representation but it's darn close. Of course, every author downloads their own book to peruse it closely once it's “live,” to catch anything screwy. I used this method on my latest YA PNR, Death Speaks, and was extremely pleased with the clean transfer from Org to HTML to my Kindle.


Formatting isn't editing! Formatting is just the book looking good; clean paragraph and line breaks and spacings. Editing is totally important and super-difficult! I won't lie: next to formatting it's a big challenge too! If an author has a few, key people to read their work ( called Betas) that is very helpful. Unfortunately, as self-pubbed authors, we generally do not have the “fleet” of editors at our collective backs; helping with flow, typos, spelling and grammatical structure. A person's Betas are usually just there to say, “...yeah that works...”, or, my personal favorite, “what were you thinking?!” I cut ten thousand words (about forty pages) from Death Whispers. I have edited it ten times if I have once. And still...there will be a mistake! There are mistakes in traditionally published works as well. I had one Beta on DW and will have a different one on the sequel, Death Speaks. I am extremely grateful for the help on book #2 because this Beta is only looking for typos/spelling errors and the like. I am a self-professed Run-on Queen and Homophone Princess. The first is acceptable insomuch as it is often times  used by me as style as opposed to lack of understanding structure. My book scenes play out like “a movie in my head,” and I write them with that sense of fluidity, breaking only when absolutely necessary. It's purposeful. The homophone thing...well, reference editing above! Spell-check won't help fix the difference between say, whole and hole. You have to see it and correct it. That is what I'm working on. This is what my Beta will help me with (for some inexplicable reason, some mistakes are very difficult for the author to see, wonderful phenomena, that). Every author has their Achilles heel. Identify yours and look for the mistakes you may repetitively make. We're all just storytellers in the end. Everything after that is perfecting what we've already told; it's work.


Social Networking: lastly, this is critical for self-promotion. I was pleasantly surprised once I got through the learning curve (again!), I was off and running at the following hang-outs: twitter, Facebook, goodreads and Kindleboards. Those four venues have been essential in developing rapport with readers and other authors. Indie authors, for the absolute most part, are completely thrilled to affirm and support each other. It's been a fantastic experience and I'm thrilled to be a part of this cool group. One caveat; don't “over-promote” and get, “spammy.” Keep people abreast of news about your book but have fun too. Establish a blog ( I TOTALLY love the free, user-friendly Blogger), and keep people up-to-date that way.


Finally, I am so thankful that I worked as a journalist for almost four years. Hands-down, I would not be as good of a writer without that starting point. It has forced me to be succinct when I would naturally have gone on ( who me?)...yeah, right! It was practice for what I'm doing now. Aspiring authors, start following blogs that have successful Indie authors that have great advice like the following: Bob Mayer, Amanda Hocking, J.A. Konrath and John Locke, to name a few.


Good luck, and if you happen to read, Death Whispers, send me a line and tell me what you think!

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Author Bio:


Tamara Rose Blodgett is a “thinking-out-of-the box” paranormal enthusiast who believes there's a 95% chance zombies do not exist; but loves to write as if they do. She's from Alaska and has worked as a journalist in the past. Death Whispers, is her debut young adult paranormal novel with book two, Death Speaks, also available now. Her paranormal romance, The Pearl Savage, published in June and book two, The Savage Blood, will release Thanksgiving 2011. In her spare time she's a reluctant serial-re-modeler, project-slave and big time, in-her-pants reader (surprise!). Tamara does a great deal of day-dreaming about impossible scenarios and events, writing books to capture them in stories for you~ Side note: Gnomes should be exterminated. 


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Books out now by Tamara Rose Blodgett:




Future Releases by Tamara Rose Blodgett:




Where to find Tamara's Books:
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Sunday, October 16, 2011

BBReview: "Bad Taste in Boys" By Carrie Harris

From Goodreads.com
Genre: Young Adult -Paranormal
Publishing Date: July 12th, 2011
Page Count: 201
Source: Borrowed from my local library
Format: Hardcover

Description from Goodreads.com:
Someone's been a very bad zombie.
Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steroids are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. No one is safe--not her cute crush Aaron, not her dorky brother, Jonah . . . not even Kate!
She's got to find an antidote--before her entire high school ends up eating each other. So Kate, her best girlfriend, Rocky, and Aaron stage a frantic battle to save their town. . . and stay hormonally human.


Review:
I have to say that i was very disappointed in this book. I thought i was really going to like it. It is very sad when you are completely in love with the cover of the book, but the story line makes you fall out of love, and that is exactly what happened to me with Bad Taste in Boys. After seeing this book cover i couldn't wait to get my hands on it to read it, because i was sure it was going to be just as amazing as the cover. When i borrowed it from the library it was one of the first books i read, because it was a much shorter one than the rest that i had, but i soon found out it wasn't what i expected.

I loved the whole idea of the book and i loved the characters, but the story line just fell kind of flat. I felt that it had really big potential to be a great book, but it felt a little rushed and little too cheesy. The suspense was there and the love interest was there, plus a girl who isn't scared to go against orders and find out whats going on, but then it ended up being just a little too juvenile. I feel like this book was made with the idea of a younger crowd. It would be good for 12-15 year old's, in my opinion. Unfortunately, this story just didn't do it for me. I really wanted to like it, but that ended up not being the outcome.

Overall:
This book wasn't at all what i expected. I think because i loved the cover so much that i built up my expectations a little too high. The characters were great and that idea of the story i loved, but the actual story line felt too cheesy and too rushed. It was almost too convenient. I think any younger followers would like this novel. Maybe 12-15 year old's. I wouldn't say this is a novel for the older lovers of YA. If you are looking for something light and cheesy funny, nothing too serious, then i think you might like this book, but i just had my expectations way too high.

Rating: ♥ ♥ 2/5

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Question of the Moment 46

What would you do if you found out that someone was doing something illegal? Would you go find help or not say anything?

I think it depends on what kind of thing we are talking about. If its something where people are in danger or its seriously illegal then i think i would definitely go to my mom, since shes in the police force, and ask her what i should do, but if its something small, just breaking a rule, then i would probably tell people, but not people in higher positions. I would tell my friends, not the police.

What would you do in this situation? Let me know in the comments below =]