What is nanowrimo? Nanowrimo is National Novel Writing Month. It is also the time of the year where many people from different countries and ethics gather online under the same purpose, writing their novels. In 2013, there were 310,095 participants .Everyone, from english teachers to middle school students, was able to participate.The only things needed include the internet, an email, a burning idea that he/she is dying to write ! 30 days to write 50K words, that is not a big of a deal ! Many people people participate every year, and many people win. One of the great things about nanowrimo is that there is a lot of pep talk throughout the month from authors who have already published their books and have become successful. This year, Veronica Roth , the author of the Divergent Series, gave a pep talk! Now all of that may sound perfect and amazing, but then, can this really happen in just 30 days? People may wonder, how can a person possibly write an entire novel in 30 days? Well,in nanowrimo it is not about writing perfectly every single line, or even completely developing your characters. It is all about having a first draft finished by the end of November. After that, edits and multiple reviews can take place. Since it is such a big event , a lot of writing and publishing related companies pitch in with huge discounts on writing programs, or even open the gates to self publishing , and other stuff that will make the participants even more anticipated to finish their novels and actually proceed to the next step, which is publishing. I was lucky enough to interview Pauline.C.Harris, the author of Puppet, which is a retelling of pinocchio. The Book is filled with androids,action, and a great journey of self discovery that I loved reading and reviewing .Since she have participated in Nanowrimo and got her book published , I believe that she can fill in many gaps considering nanowrimo and publishing. 1) How did you know about NanoWrimo? I found out about NaNoWriMo back in 2012. I had just gotten a Twitter and everyone was talking about it and I decided on November 2nd, on a whim, that I was going to do it. :) And it was great! 2) You have written Puppet, your latest novel during Nanowrimo, would you like to share your experience and talk a little bit about your book. Puppet was the first novel I write for NaNoWriMo and I had the most fun I've ever had writing a book. I started NaNoWriMo a little late that year because I found out about it a few days into November, but I ended up finishing the book in three weeks. It was totally wonderful and really made me fall in love with NaNoWriMo. 3) Where there times where you doubted what you were writing during that month and what kept you going? Oh definitely. This happens every time I write a book, but I've learned to just push through that phase and get to the end. Usually about half way through I begin to doubt everything and think the book is terrible and by the time I'm done I start to recognize the good parts again. 4) Did you have any buddy writers ? If yes, how did that affect you? I've never actually had any buddy writers. None of the friends I've had were into writing (or reading, for that matter!) so I was always doing my writing alone. Although lately, now that I've signed with some publishers, I've been meeting some of the other authors and we've been swapping feedback and encouragement so that's been really wonderful. 5) How did NanoWrimo affect your daily life during November? It's funny, because you'd think it would be stressful but it was really invigorating. I made sure to not let NaNoWriMo effect my schoolwork, but by doing NaNoWriMo in my free time I felt so productive and excited about my book throughout the whole month. I have to admit though, I usually don't get a lot of sleep in November thanks to NaNoWriMo. :P 6) After winning Nano wrimo, how long did it take you to edit and decide that the book was ready for publishing? Puppet went through quite a bit of edits but I knew right away that I wanted to eventually publish it. I suppose I thought it was ready for publication earlier than it actually was. I'm definitely glad it went through all the revision rounds that it did before it went out into the world, even though it was about a two year process. 7) Nano wrimo usually offers great offers for pushing writers forward in the publication field, did you benefit from that? They do! They have wonderful pep talks and encouragement, and as far as the actual prizes for winners, my favorite is the free copies of your book from Createspace. Createspace is what I've used when I've self-published so it's great to get some free copies of your book. :) 8) I did a little of research and found out that you are a self published author, can you talk a little bit about that? Yeah! I was about thirteen when I wrote and self-published my first book. That book wasn't great, but it really taught me a lot about the whole publishing process and cemented my dream to work in the publishing industry. I signed with a traditional publisher after that and that's gone well, but now I'm back into the self-publishing field by teaming up with Patchwork Press. 9) I believe that you have teamed up with Patchwork Press to publish Puppet. Is that a traditional publication house, or does that make you a hybrid author? Patchwork Press is really cool in the way that it functions like a traditional publishing house, but still leaves their authors the freedom of self publishing. I have no contract signed with them, but instead all the authors pitch in and help each other with whatever they need. For instance, one of the authors there designed my book cover. I suppose this makes me a hybrid author, as I've done traditional and self-publishing. 10) If you are a hybrid author, could you elaborate a bit about what goes behind the scenes of publishing a book? It's definitely different for everybody, but it's a lot more work than I think most people realize. I don't want to sound like I know everything about publishing because I'm still learning new things every day, but there's a lot more than just writing the book that goes into publishing. As a self-published author especially, you need to set up the actual printing and formatting of your book, get a design for your cover, and do all the marketing on your own. It's tough and sometimes frustrating but I think it's totally worth it. 11) Finally but not least, describe your nanowrimo journey in a one word ? Rewarding! At last, I would like to thank you for answering my questions and I wish you the very best in your writing Career . Thanks!
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by Janeal Falor Release Date: 01/28/15 Summary from Goodreads: Perfection. Goodness. Elimination of evil. It's what seventeen-year-old Kaylyn has trained her entire life to achieve. But no one is prepared for the consequences of her actually defeating all evil people on the planet. Finally successful in her mission, Kaylyn faces an unfamiliar world, full of good people doing good things, in which she no longer has purpose. When the skies grow dark, and a stranger from another village pleads for her help, her instincts roar to life. It turns out their perfect world isn't exactly what it seems. Kaylyn's new quest, harder than any she's been on before, will rip apart her friendships, her life, and her soul more than any evil man ever managed to. About the Author Janeal Falor lives in Utah where sheâs finally managed to live in the same house for more than five years without moving. In her spare time she reads books like theyâre nuts covered in caramel and chocolate, cooks whatever strikes her fancy, and enjoys the outdoors. Her husband and three children try to keep up with her overactive imagination. Usually they settle for having dinner on the table, even if sheâs still going on about the voices in her head. Author Links: Book Blitz Organized by: Excerpt :
Being the one chosen to kill the entire evil population is a burden heavier than sin. Not that I know what itâs like to sin, but I imagine this is worse. Killing is never taken lightly, even when sanctioned by our leaders, the same leaders who chose me to carry it out. Iâve lost count of how many Malryx Iâve executed for that exact reason. And now there is only one left. Only one evil being. My purpose of being is almost complete. The sound of thunder forces my eyes wide open. I find myself half buried in this sea of sand . No creature seems to be crawling, just hollow bones are to be found. Could I be the last soul roaming this world, or did I just take an uncommon road? I walk aimlessly in this dessert, without even a mirage to give me a false hope. Nothing from my past could be remembered , so how am I supposed to overcome this. Without a past or even a future dream, how can I survive the present?
A cool breeze passes me by, accompanying me on this journey of why. Why am I here, I whisper to the wind passing me by. As if responding to me, the wind carries bits of sand and twirls around in a swift motion.Its movement blurs my vision. I welcome the pain caused by the sand in my eyes because I believe that feeling pain is feeling alive. The pain triggers fuzzy images from my past. About how I was on the rise , and lost sight of what I stand for. Guilt settles inside of me, although the reasons are still not clear. It seems that I have been climbing the tower of a Sand castle, and my legs tremble with every step. Pebbles arise from the ground, forming knights with armors and swords. I am an intruder , so mercy is not to be expected . What used to look like a perfect place is now a battlefield. The knights strike at me all at once. I am outnumbered and encircled by these creatures of stone, and the reason of why I am being attacked is still unknown. As if the circumstances were not bad enough, a sand storm emerges in. I am the only one who feels wobbly , cause the stone knights are still on the move. The ground begins to swallow me up, and the swords are only inches away from my body. I am entrapped , and there seems to be no way out. Now that I am about perish, I figured out why I am here. Answers to why these knights hate me are now clear. I am not just an intruder, but also a betrayer. I used to rule this masterpiece , used to be their queen, but gave it all up for selfish reasons. Only then, after tempting fate and running away with hate, I see the the weight of my mistakes. If only the clock could turn back, I promise to make every single crystal of Ignorance crack. A prayer escapes by breath, loud and clear. My past is regretted and a second chance is the only future wished for. As if responding to the purity within, which shines among this dark cave of moths, all of the sand is swallowed, along with all of the the armored knights. I feel a rotatory movement, and I find myself sitting on the solid porcelain ground. No more skeletons, no more sand, everything is gone ,just like that. People walk around , caught up in their own Dilemmas. I dust off my shoulders, but there is always traces of sand. I look up to the sky to uncover what many others do not see. Sand falling , gracefully and invisibly as a light pixie. My entrapment in the sandstorm makes absolute sense and my prayer of second chance is now my present. I watch with my mind wide open and observe what my eyes have failed to see. I am soul living inside an Hour Glass , and only amid the darkness I became consciously and wisely aware. How many times will I stand in the eye of the Sandstorm to wake up? How many times will I be given a second chance? Whatever the answers are, my latest entrapment has enlightened me. At least for now, I can walk a couple of right steps. Title: The Marriage Match Author: Tracy March Publisher: Bliss( Entangled imprint) Publication Date: January 19th,2015 Genre: Contemporary, Romance Format: e ARC My Rating: 3/5 stars (C-) Blurb: Hot bachelor seeks bride… Resort tycoon Trent Hawthorne is looking for a wife. His all-business, no-nonsense grandmother (and the matriarch of the small town of Maple Creek) has selected three potential brides―all beautiful and approved. Each “fantasy date” will take place in a lush Caribbean setting, filmed like a reality show to promote the Hawthorne family’s chain of resorts. All of Trent's hopes for love combined with a clever marketing gimmick…what could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, all it takes is a kiss. A sizzling, sweet-as-sin kiss. But Cynthia Sawyer isn't one of the bachelorettes, and she's definitely not supposed to be making out with her boss's sexy grandson. Not to mention it's strictly against company policy. But Cynthia has her own reasons for hooking Trent up with a bride who isn’t her as soon as possible. And losing her heart is a price that she's willing to pay… My Review: I received an eARC of The Marriage Match from the publisher in exchange with an honest review. This was a short, quick, and a kind of predictable read with a known ending from the start. I expected to enjoy this much more, but I think that Smitten novels are not my cup of tea. Although my favorite parts of the story were whenever Trent and Cyn were together;however,I found that their interest in each other was way too rushed. I might wrong about this, but I like how Cynthia's nickname is Cyn (sin), which could also be Cinderella. This would fit the story perfectly. I wish the author spared the novel a few more pages to describe more of the islands they visited because from what I have have read , it is just like heaven. I give this 3/5 stars and a C- according to my own rating scale. Title: Ignite Author: Erica Crouch Publisher: Patchwork Press Publication Date: June 11th 2013 Genre: YA, Paranormal,Romance,Angels and Demons Format: e-ARC My rating: 4/5 (B+) Blurb: Penemuel (Pen) fell from grace over a millennium ago, yet there are still times she questions her decision to follow her twin brother, Azael, to Hell. Now that the archangel Michael has returned, threatening Lucifer’s vie for the throne, she begins questioning everything she has always believed. As Hell prepares for war - spreading a demonic virus and pilfering innocent souls to build an army - the lines separating the worlds blur. Fates erase and the future is left unwritten. Azael is determined that he and his sister will continue to serve as demons together, but for the first time in her life, Pen is not ruled by destiny. She has the freedom of choice. With choice comes sacrifice, and Pen must decide which side she’s willing to risk everything fighting for: the light, or the dark. My Review: I received an e ARC of Ignite from Patchwork Press via Net Galley in exchange with an honest review. I went into this knowing nothing but that it revolved around Angels and Demons''Paranormal". I also heard nothing but good things about it, and watched the author's vlogs and decided that this book must be awesome. And I was right, I enjoyed reading Ignite and here is why! The writing is, and I am in no way exaggerating this,is magical ! It is just so beautiful, that I plan on getting back to it and rereading in a much slower pace to take in and enjoy the writing more! I am adding Erica Crouch to my list of Authors with Beautiful writing Style,which includes Lauren Oliver,Tahereh Mafi, and A.G Howard! However, there were times were the descriptions were a bit long and the story was a bit slow.During these descriptions, a concept was repeated a lot. Sometimes it slowed the story,and other times it was what made the story great. Each character had his/her own little flavor to add to this story. No one is the same, and every character affects and is effected by another one. What I really liked about it is that nothing was rushed. There was not a second where I thought a character's thought were all over the place. In other words, the character building was pretty much well done! Ignite is more about getting to know the background stories of everyone, and in my opinion, settling the accounts within each character to what they believe and how should they proceed in life. The Romance here is just spectacular and I can't wait to see what happens next. I would also love to add that by the end of this book, I was craving more than ever to go back to high school for that 1 hour of literature everyday! Erica's writing seems to be inspired by brilliant authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Frost, two of my favorite writers ever! I give Ignite 4/5 stars and a B+ according to my own rating scale ! Title: Hydro ( Aurelia #1) Author: A.C Waltower Publisher: Self Published Publication Date: December 2014 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi Format: e Arc Rating: 2 stars ( D-) Blurb: The year is 2091. 75 years ago, a nuclear war desolated Earth. The top 2% of the world fled to Hydro, a compound on the Moon. The rest of the population were left trying to survive on a barren Earth. Seventeen-year-old Blake lives on Earth with his dad and little brother. When Blake’s father is given the grave sentence of terminal cancer, Blake decides to save his dad by sneaking onto Hydro and making a deal with Hydro’s council. In exchange for them saving his dad, he will give them the answer to everyone’s problem; the location of a new habitable planet. The unexpected and unannounced arrival of Blake leaves many citizens with mixed feelings, none more confusing than those of sixteen-year-old Ziva. The more she learns about Blake and where he comes from, the more she learns that not everything she is being told about the situation on Earth in true, including those told by her beloved grandfather. Why has he been lying to her? And more importantly what is he hiding from her? My Review: I received an e ARC of Hydro in exchange with an honest review. I would like to praise the author for coming up with such fresh, post apocalyptic story. The plot itself has lots of potential, but the writing got in the way. I had huge problem with Blake's dialogues, he seems to only "order people around". It just makes the the character look a jerk and sound boring if after everything he says, the phrase he ordered follows. Not exactly everything, but a lot ! I found the element of conflicted feelings out of place because no one should convinced that easily over an important matter in only a few lines. If a person is conflicted, that person would stay in doubt for a very long time and would simply change allies that quickly. Not mention a couple of plot holes in novel. I think the book was published way too early. It definitely needed 3-4 more rounds of editing to serve the plot some justice. I am probably not going to stick around for the rest of the series, but I hope that the next book is well edited because it would be such a shame to have such a great idea left unread I give this book 2/5 stars and a D- according to my own rating scale. Title: The Circle Broken ( The Circle #2) Author: K.M. Montemayor Publisher: Smashwords Publication date: January 26th 2014 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance Format:e ARC My Rating: 5/5 ( A-) Blurb: Without Charlie, Lilly can find no reason to live. She throws herself into her studies and eventually becomes a doctor. But hiding behind her career doesn't work. Despite all her efforts to forget the past, she still finds herself haunted by her memories of him. Charlie's decision to be with Lilly has cost him his freedom, and perhaps his sanity. His doctor finds his aberrant attraction to an Earthan fascinating and begins to experiment on him. The unorthodox treatment methods take a toll and Charlie finds himself questioning everything he ever believed about her. A rebel group is gaining power on Sentria. The New Way promises the people more control over their own lives. Will the people finally be able to have freedom? Is that even possible for a planet that has been oppressed for centuries? My Review: I received an e ARC of The Circle Broken from NetGalley in exchange with an honest review. A book were my heart was broken with every turn of page narrated by Charlie and Lilly. I have already read the first book, The Circle, and when I saw this, I could not do anything but get it.From How the way ended in Book 1 , I knew that this was going to be a sad book. And it was. The only reason it took me so long to finish it is that I had started it during my finals and I could not handle reading something so sad during such nerving times. So as soon as I finished my exams, I continued reading. And I read it everywhere,in the airport, in the mall,in the shop,and in the car ( no worries I was not driving) And every time I had to fight the urge to hide my tears. I never cried in public over a book ! I read 10 years of torture, pain,and ghosts of memories. I do not which is worst. To think that someone you love is dead. Or to know that someone you love thinks that you are dead, and that you would never see her again because it is wrong by the rules By the end, there were only 20 pages left, and I was completely loosing my mind; How can everything be fixed in 20 pages? I started pacing back and forth, tossing my phone away because I am afraid of what coming next. The probabilities where infinite. Lilly could move on and fall in love with someone else, or charlie could remain a jerk for ever, or he would come to his senses to late, and all I can do is scream and shout! My sister even started laughing at me. And the ending well, let me just say that you would have enjoyed watching me reading it ! I love how Kathleen added more description in this book than the first one. It really showed up and made a great difference in reading ! There was still some things that were a bit fast paced,and that I wish we got more explanation how it happened. I really enjoyed getting tortured by The Circle Broken and I give it 5/5 stars ( A- according to my own rating scale ! ) Title: Hydro ( Aurelia #1) Author: A.C Waltower Publisher: Self Published Publication Date: December 2014 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi Blurb: The year is 2091. 75 years ago, a nuclear war desolated Earth. The top 2% of the world fled to Hydro, a compound on the Moon. The rest of the population were left trying to survive on a barren Earth. Seventeen-year-old Blake lives on Earth with his dad and little brother. When Blake’s father is given the grave sentence of terminal cancer, Blake decides to save his dad by sneaking onto Hydro and making a deal with Hydro’s council. In exchange for them saving his dad, he will give them the answer to everyone’s problem; the location of a new habitable planet. The unexpected and unannounced arrival of Blake leaves many citizens with mixed feelings, none more confusing than those of sixteen-year-old Ziva. The more she learns about Blake and where he comes from, the more she learns that not everything she is being told about the situation on Earth in true, including those told by her beloved grandfather. Why has he been lying to her? And more importantly what is he hiding from her? Character Profile : Name: Ziva Turner Age: 16 years old Gender: Female Birthplace: Hydro Compound Parents: Robert & Samantha “Sam” Turner Grandparent: Isom Turner Siblings: None Occupation: Student Hobbies: Spending time studying, listening to her grandfather recount story about Earth, and hanging with her best friend, Martin. Name: Blake Holland Age: 17 years old Gender: Male Birthplace: Unknown Parents: Asriel & Aurelia Holland Siblings: Ronny Turner Occupation: Survivor Hobbies: Taking care of his dad and little brother, hunting, and causing mischief. Name: Martin Cooper Age: 15 years old Gender: Third Gender Birthplace: Hydro Compound Parents: Henry & Stacy Cooper Siblings: None Occupation: Student Hobbies: Going to the Sky Zone, playing video games, meeting new friends, and hanging with his best friend, Ziva. Name: Greta Age: 23 years old Gender: Transgendered female Birthplace: Hydro Compound Parents: Lewis & Terry Miller Siblings: None Occupations: receptionists Hobbies: Shopping, IMing her friend, Eddie, and hanging with her best friend, Salleha. Name: Isom Turner Age: 100 years old Gender: Male Birthplace: Albuquerque, NM Parents: Daniel & Kelly Turner Spouse: Mary Turner (deceased) Occupations: Semi-retired Commander of Earth Hobbies: Unknown Author Interview: Tell us a bit about yourself. I am 28 years old. I was born and raised in San Diego, CA. I am the second oldest of six children. When did you decide you wanted to become a writer? I've always loved writing and reading. About 3 years ago, I got the strong urge to start writing the stories that were forming in my mind. But it took me about a year after that to get the courage to tell my friends and family I wanted to be a writer. What do you love about the genres you write in? I love YA! I like the innocence of the characters and the crazy and unexpected twists and turns in the plots and story lines. Who are the Authors that have inspired you? Every author that I have every read has inspired me to write my own stories. What can you tell us about Aurelia: Hydro. What kind of readers will it appeal to? Aurelia: Hydro is an action packed, science-fiction novel. It will appeal to readers who like fast paced young adult novels. Aurelia: Hydro has been compared to novels, such as The hunger Games and TV shows like The 100. Can you tell us a bit about the dynamics between Ziva and Blake? Ziva and Blake’s relationship is a very curious one. Ziva is very intrigued by Blake’s upfront personality. While, Blake is interested about Ziva and her upbringing. Any upcoming works we should know about? My next novel to be released is Awakened, which is the first novel in the Tsela series. It will be out February 13th. Right now, I am currently working on Isom’s Secret, the second novel in the Aurelia series. It has a tentative release date of March 27th. Title: Storm Fall ( Rebel Wing #2) Author: Tracy Banghart Publisher: Alloy Entertainment Publication Date: December 16th, 2014 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance Format: e ARC My Rating: 5/5 stars (A) Blurb: In the action-packed sequel to Rebel Wing, Aris battles for life and love . . . and not everyone will survive. Aris Haan gave up everything to join the Atalantan Military: her family, her boyfriend, even her identity. In the end, though, it didn’t matter that she was a war hero. When the all-male Military discovered that she was actually a woman, she was sent home and erased from history. Now she has a chance to go back to the battlefield—as herself. But as hard as it was to be a soldier in disguise, it’s even more difficult now. The men in her unit undermine her at every turn. The Safaran army has spies everywhere, perhaps even on Aris’s stationpoint. And she’s falling for her mysterious superior officer, Milek. But their relationship is forbidden, just stolen moments between training sessions and missions. There’s no room for love in war. Then Aris discovers that Safara’s leaders have set their sights on her, Atalanta’s hero. And she must find them before they find her My Review: I received Storm Fall from Alloy Entertainment via NetGalley in exchange with an honest review. So we all know how sometimes the second book in a series is a huge let down to the readers, well Storm Fall does not fall under this category ! I absolutely loved this as much as the first book, if not more. The Book begins with a new law being added, which is ( Women can volunteer to enter the Military). Of course, Aris volunteers , because the Military is now her life. Of course, there is also Milek ! However, he is not the reason why she is going back. She loves the fact that she can save people. Returning there as a women won't be easy. Almost everyone look down at her , or even worse, harass her. The Plot thickens as Sadara's leaders feel that they are threatened by Aris, and would stop at nothing to bring her and Atlanta down. As if the action was not enough, the interaction between characters develops , and adds new conflicts to the story. We also get more Ariek ( Romance) , which is awesome. I really enjoyed Storm Fall as much as I loved Rebel Wings. Perhaps even more; I mean it contains more action and more romance! I give it 5/5 stars and an A according to my own rating scale ! Title: Imitation ( Clone Chronicles #1) Author: Heather Hildenbrand Publisher: Alloy Entertainment Publication Date : July 29, 2014 Format: E ARC My Rating: 4/5 stars (B) Blurb: Everyone is exactly like me. There is no one like me. Ven wrestles with these contradicting truths every day. A clone of wealthy eighteen-year-old Raven Rogen, Ven knows everything about the girl she was created to serve: the clothes she wears, the boys she loves, the friends she loves to hate. Yet she’s never met the Authentic Raven face-to-face. Imitations like Ven only get to leave the lab when they’re needed—to replace a dead Authentic, donate an organ, or complete a specific mission. And Raven has never needed Ven . . . until now. When there is an attack on Raven’s life, Ven is thrust into the real world, posing as Raven to draw out the people who tried to harm her. But as Ven dives deeper into Raven’s world, she begins to question everything she was ever told. She exists for Raven, but is she prepared to sacrifice herself for a girl she’s never met? My Review: I received an e ARC of Imitation from Alloy Entertainment via NetGalley in exchange with an honest review . Imagine that for every important and wealthy person , there is probably an imitation made for him/her. As in a spare clone copy trained to be whoever they look like in case of any crisis. Sometimes there are used as Organ donors . They all live in Twig City, and it is Ven's turn to serve her duty. However she is not very sure that she wants to. I loved the plot of this story, it packs elements such as action, mystery, and romance all together. Facing the maker will be an unforgettable experience . I was and still am lost on if he is the bad or the good guy. When it comes to the romance ,I liked it. However , I felt like the guy of interest showed up way too much. It is like whenever I wished that he appears, he did. I know that this might be a good thing for some, but for me, I prefer being a bit tortured before seeing to specific characters together. Guess what, Imitation is being made into a T.V show, which is amazing ! Now I get to see Twig City and all of the awesome characters ,as well as the villains. I enjoyed Imitation , and will be continuing the series. I give it 4/5 stars and a B according to my own rating scale. |
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