Sunday Post: Book Haul

Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Last weekend I missed doing this post because I was really sick. I ended up missing Utopya too, which is a bummer. This weekend I spent today taking my son to meet Elsa and Anna at the local toy store and then going to see How to Train Your Dragon 2, which is such a good movie. I actually cried and I don't really cry. 

I really need to make a schedule for galleys. Some kind of spreadsheet because I always forget what new ones I get and what pub dates are. So I can make sure I'm reading them in order

Dark Days by Kate Ormand

Book Review and Dream Cast

Mind Static by Jen Naumann

Author Interview and Giveaway (15 days left)

More Than Music by Elizabeth Briggs

Author Interview, Playlist and Giveaway (1 day)

Bloomsbury Spark Six Month Sparkiversary

Interview

The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno

Book Review, Dream Cast and Giveaway (1 day)

Ex-Factor by Elisa Dane

Author Interview and Giveaway(30 days)

Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman

Guest Post and Giveaway (11 days)

The there was the cover redo of Victoria Scott's Four House, which I love. It's one of my favorite short stories. She's going to extend it so I can't wait to read it again with new content.

Four Houses by Victoria Scott

Giveaway (11 days)

 

This is from my shopping spress at my local bookshop. Some books I feel like I just need to read and the Dust Lands I needed because it's the final book.

Ebooks

Okay so I'm super excited about this one and look at that cover. I wish I had it in print version but I'll just have to wait until it comes out.

Reading this for a blog tour that will be coming up this week. I really liked the first one, it has a good MC and of course there is Cadan.

I love Katlyn Duncan's other series so I'm excited to dive into this.

   

Love Melissa West and witches? of course (Salt & Storm) and then Virigin just looked really intriguing.

You can check out the earcs I get by stopping by my Earc goodread shelf (it's me being sort of organized.)

Goodreads Earcs

Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman #BlogTour #GuestPost #Giveaway

Title: BONESEEKER
Author: Brynn Chapman
Publication date: June 17, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Arabella Holmes was born different and raised different. After it became apparent she wouldn’t fit the role of a proper 1900′s lady, her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella’s dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science. What her father called a BoneSeeker.

Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment–to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over and keep Arabella Holmes. An easy task, if he could only get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.

But this is no time for child’s play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal … or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls?

Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.

How to Make Your Characters Believable

So, how to make characters believeable?
There are so many aspects to this subject, and the answers as individual as the author’s themselves.
First, I think you have to go back to the Deb Dixon, Goal, Motivation, Conflict.
Who are they? What do they want? What do they need to feel complete?
Once you have that affixed in your mind—and this concept drives the entire story—then you tackle each major character.
After I have written the story, one of my editing layers is to examine facial expressions and mannerisms.
Let’s face it—we all have them, they make us unique. So do your characters.
Here is an exercise. Pick a scene from your favorite movie—it can be any emotion you are going for: comedy, romance, drama.
EVALUATE the actors every move. Every twitch of their eyes, the pull of their mouths, what are they doing with their hands? How does the other person in the scene respond to them?
There is your template. If that scene moves you, chances are you can recreate a scene of similar emotive quality.
Vocal tics, expressions, obsessions, the driving force of who they are. How they think in terms of analogies. Ie The thought process of a chef will be different of that of a scientist etc.
All of these facets should be considered once your bare bones story is on the page.
There are many layers to editing—but what I have covered here is a good beginning on how to make your characters believable.

Happy writing. And reading. Like BONESEEKER (lol shameless plug) Have a look at my characters Henry and Arabella and feel free to drop my an email about character development.

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.

   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Tour!

Ex-Factor by Elisa Dane #BlogTour #AuthorInterview #Giveaway

Nevaeh Evan’s life is uprooted after her father’s death, when she moves in with her aunt and cousin, Livvie. Her plan to lay low at her new high school isn’t working. Her friend’s jerky boyfriend keeps asking her out, the guy she likes treats her like garbage, and the thought of tumbling again makes her want to hurl.

So when her aunt pushes her into joining the elite X-FACTOR cheer leading squad, Navaeh goes along with it.

But Nev feels she doesn’t deserve to be happy. Not after what happened the night her father died.

Bodie Scott knows about grief all too well. Critically injured in an alcohol related accident the year before, Bodie struggles with the fact that he’ll never play football again, and he’s so far behind in credits he can’t see straight. That is, until he meets Nev. Haunted by their bloody pasts and wary of a shared future, Nev and Bodie turn to one another for comfort and support, and realize they’re not so alone after all. And when the party scene at school threatens the life of a loved one, the two stop at nothing to keep the past from repeating itself.

I know that you were inspired to write the books since you are the mother of 3 cheerleaders, were you ever a cheerleader yourself?
 Nope, lol! I wasn't a cheerleader when I was younger. I loved to dance, and took tap, jazz, and ballet classes from childhood all the way through high school. The friendships I made were special and I'm so glad my girls have found the same type of camaraderie with their teammates.

How do you outline? (paper, post-its, google docs)
I don't outline at all, lol. Not even a little. I'm a panster all the way. When I start a book I know just a handful of things, all of which fit on a single sheet of paper usually. I know my main character's names and features, the antagonist's name and features, the general theme of the story, and the black moment. Honestly, the only thing I usually write down in the beginning are names and descriptions. When the story unfolds, it's always as much of a surprise to me as it is to the reader.

How long does it take you to write a book?
If I write one thousand words a day, I can usually finish an 80k word book in a little over two months. This, of course, is barring any unforseen outside obstacles that may keep me from being able to write. With a family of five, sometimes I'm not able to sit down and write. That being said, the last two books I completed were finished in just over two months.

If you could have any talent/job in the world besides writing. What would it be? 
I've always thought it would be pretty awesome to be able to sing. I make an awful noise, lol!!!

How do you read? Audiobook, Ereader, Phsyical Book? 
Actually, I read with all three methods you mentioned. I'm not particular when it comes to books. I'll enjoy them any way I can!

What are you currently reading? 
 I just finished Inked Armor by Helena Hunting. It's the second in a duology about a pair of broken individuals who come together and experience healing. I've got a huge tbr list and am trying to decide what to pick up next. I'm thinking I may go with The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.

Describe your book in 5 words Lifetime Movie Channel meets ESPN :)

I'm a lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot!
I write Contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. I write what I know, and it's my hope that my stories will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but that you'll find a new respect and interest in the sport of Cheerleading you may not have had before.

   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno #BlogTour #BookReview #Dreamcast #Giveaway

The Half Life of Molly Pierce
by Katrina Leno
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: July, 8 2014

You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now—now I am remembering.

For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is one of those books that does a number on your brain. So much that you are scratching your head thinking, ahh what is going on here. I really like these kinds of books even though at times they can be exhausting. For me it always triggers an immediate fondness for the main character. I want her to figure out what’s going on, I want the blackouts to stop happening to her. I want to crawl inside the book and help her.

It’s a quick read and not just because it’s 256 pages, but I think the writing style had such a great flow to it that you are quickly swept away. I was rapidly turning the pages and trying to piece things together. I felt the story was very engaging and kept me interested. I liked the subject material. I’ve read some similar books with the kind of things going on but I think they have been adult. I liked having the YA take on it.

The book begins when Molly experiences a horrific accident. She has been having blackouts for a long time but when she realizes that this boy she has seen die is not actual random, then things begin to unravel. Molly finds herself caught up in the mystery of her own life. It’s not just the missing chunks of time that she is in the dark about but she finds that people know more than they are telling. As she uncovers each new piece, she has to face some of her own demons in order to find a way to be the best version of herself. One that takes the good and the bad.

I really liked Molly has a character because I thought she was very persistent in her quest for the truth. She didn’t back down even when it got hard and she forced herself to face certain truths. I was always in her corner even and I found myself feeling defensive of her. She was extremely easy for me to bond with.

Lots of great characters. I loved how close she is with her family and her best friends. How these are people who really support her and are there for her. For both the good and the bad. I wanted to high five them all for being cool. I could only imagine Erie’s reaction to that. Even though the book can be intense, it also has it’s light moments with everyone joking around with one another. There is also a strong adult presence so Molly is not on her own. She has her parents and Alex.

There is romance but it’s really not the main focus. I would consider Molly and her family more of the focus.

I’m not sure my feelings about the ending. It was not bad by any means but I just felt like something was missing. I can not explain it because I don’t want to give the plot away so you will have to read it and decide for yourself. Which I really do like the book so I would definitely say read it.

This is a good quick read and will make your brain tired, in a good way. So I would say definitely pick it up.

MOLLY

Emma Roberts

CLANCY

Jake T. Austin

HAZEL

Willow Shields

LYLE

Grant Gustin

SAYER

Mike C. Manning

I am a writer from the East Coast, currently living in Los Angeles.

My first book for young adults- The Half Life of Molly Pierce- will be published on July 8, 2014 by Harper Collins.

     

a Rafflecopter giveaway