BOOK REVIEW: Unknown by Melissa Pearl

SYNOPSIS: Darkness is covering the land. As the city of Mezrah grows with power and greed, the rest of the world can only stand by and wait for their inevitable destruction. The only hope against this growing power is an ancient prophecy that people have stopped believing in.

Then a star begins to fall.

Princess Kyla of Taramon stopped believing in the power of light the day her father died. Trapped in a city she does not care for, under the watchful glare of her mother, the queen, she struggles to accept her fate.

Then a star begins to fall.

Jethro has loved Kyla for as long as he can remember. Learning that she was to marry his cousin drove a wedge between him and the feisty princess. Watching her from a distance is a torture he is unable to free himself from.

Then a star begins to fall, sparking an ember of hope and sending two seekers on a treacherous journey into the unknown.

MY THOUGHTS: Epic fantasy is a tough genre to write in, and Melissa Pearl launches into it with a flying leap with this series. When I was send an advanced reading copy of this book, I was interested in the fact that Melissa had leapt out of the Urban Fantasy / Paranormal, and into the Epic realm, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I’m a total sucker for ass-kicking heroines, and Kyla meets my expectations in every possible way. Kyla is stubborn, lovable, and has a few flaws to boot. She’s engaged to be married to Athra, but is thrown into a life-threatening quest in order to save the world from imminent darkness – with a gorgeous man who is in love with her.

Wow. If that’s not a recipe for disaster, I don’t know what is.

The first book of this trilogy focuses on the first part of the quest to find the Elements in order to help Jethro and Kyla defeat the darkness. No one knows how this prophecy is going to play out, or even what Jethro and Kyla are supposed to be doing. So while they have a little guidance, most of their journey is about themselves discovering more and more about who they are, each other, and the path that they have been thrown on.

It’s a great fast read, and even if you’re not an avid fantasy reader – pick it up. There is so many parallels in this book that we all face in humanity. You won’t be disappointed.

I’m going to rate the first book of this series as 4 stars… because I can’t wait to get my nose into book two and three to find out what happens in the rest of the story. I have no doubt that on balance, this trilogy is probably going to be a five star read.

If you want to purchase a copy of this book – you can find it on Amazon or Smashwords.

***I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review***

 

Book Review: Skin Deep – TG. Ayer

Synopsis:

Panther Shape-shifter Kailin Odel just wants to be normal. Leaving her clan, and her Alpha responsibilities, to live with her grandmother in Chicago had been the best thing for her. Only then did she discover her ability to track and kill the soul sucking undead creatures called Wraiths. Now she protected the humans, and had something to be proud of.

But, when she discovers the body of a murdered shape shifter, Kailin has to come to terms with the reality that her own kind are just as vulnerable as the humans.

The closer Kailin gets to the killer the more she has to face the intricacies of her people. When the time comes can she accept who and what her real purpose is?

My thoughts:

Wow. This book is mesmerizing, spine-chilling, and riveting. T G. Ayer did an unbelievable job at melding all these different aspects together into a well-rounded novel. The main character, Kailin Odel, has a bit of an issue with Wraiths, and so she has taken it upon herself to hunt them down, and protect the humans.

I absolutely loved Kailin’s character. She knows right from wrong, she trusts her instincts, and she knows her limits – sometimes, and she has an attitude to boot. I could really relate to this character, because she is so passionate about what she does.

When she discovers that people of her own ilk are dying and being abducted, it cuts pretty close to home.

Kailin develops a connection to Logan, the cop investigating the murders that Kailin is inadvertently involved in. The majority of women can definitely relate to how it feels when you meet someone new, and wanting to know everything about them. The fact that Logan is involved in the investigation and obviously has his own secrets, should slap a big ‘Do NOT get involved’ sticker across his forehead, but as Kailin becomes even more involved in the investigation, with him things get nice and heated. (I secretly nicknamed his Mr. Sexypants, whenever he walked into the room. Shhh.)

Each character in this book has their secrets and stories to tell, and I loved the way that T G. Ayer interrelated and weaved everything seamlessly together. The romantic notions could have been seriously banked on throughout this book, but I was more than impressed that the author didn’t do that. She stuck to the script, and fulfilled my expectations of a wonderful story. But now that I have read the book, I know there is much more to this story, and to be honest – I did not want this to end.

I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

I highly recommend this book, whether you like thrillers, paranormal, or even romance. This is a 5 star read, and personally, I can’t wait to buy a hard copy, and place it proudly on my bookshelf.

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If you would like to purchase this book – then please visit Skin Deep on Amazon

 

Location, Location, Location!

Today I have the pleasure of having Brenda Howson and Melissa Pearl blog touring at Parchment Place! These two amazing women have co-authored a new adventuresome YA book set in the stunning and idyllic south of New Zealand.  

This is a big welcome to both Melissa and Brenda. If you would like to follow the tour – please visit here.

As we all know how important locations are in the setting the scenes in books – here is what Brenda and Melissa have to say about it:

Why did we choose Te Anau as the setting for our book?

Wow, that’s stretching the brain cells. Before kids, Melissa and I (plus our hubbies) went on a series of trips in campervans (SOOOO MUCH FUN!!) We travelled almost the entire South Island of New Zealand over three different trips.

Anyway it was on one of these trips that the Mica and Lexy series was born. We needed to pick a town that was small, surrounded in bush and interesting. We stayed in Te Anau on our first trip and fell in love with it. The town is cute and right on the edge of the lake. It’s only a stone’s throw away from several hiking tracks and most importantly the densest forest and bush in New Zealand. Somewhere that Mica and Lexy were bound to get in trouble.

Originally we wrote the books for fun. I’m not sure we intended on publishing them (do you remember Melissa?) but they just kept evolving and developing into something really great, which made us rethink.

In 2005, after we had finished book 1 and 2, Melissa and I decided we’d better take a trip back to Te Anau to make sure we had got all our facts right. We flew and drove down (7-8 hours driving from Christchurch) and stayed in a cute little Holiday Park right in the centre of town and explored everywhere.

The road we had imagined the girls lived on was so similar to our imagination it was spooky. We wandered around the school, around the lakefront and spent some time walking on some of the forest tracks to get a feel for the bush and the terrain. We even took a GPS and did some geo-caches!

The trip was awesome fun and we’ve even started talking about going again (shussssh don’t tell our husbands). Here are a few pics from our adventures. We were feeling a bit silly and girly, hence the funny faces!

You can purchase this awesome book from Smashwords and Amazon. 

Here is a little more information about Melissa and Brenda. Follow them, Tweet them, and visit their blogs. I’m sure they will welcome you all with open arms! 

Melissa Pearl and Brenda Howson have been best friends for about 12 years. Both mothers of two young children, both married to school teachers and both lovers of writing, they have a lot in common. Having spent many vacations away together, they have become as close to sisters as two girls can get. It was on one of these holidays away that the Mica and Lexy Series was born.

Melissa is the author of the Time Spirit Trilogy, which was published at the end of 2011. She is a fully trained elementary teacher, but is lucky enough to stay home and watch her kids grow. She is also spending every spare moment trying to turn writng into a full time career – and loving the process.

Brenda was the one who encouraged Melissa to start writing in the first place. Once Melissa got started, Brenda caught the bug and she has been writing for ten years, in between motherhood and working at a local high school in the computer department. She has won two short story competitions and been runner up in another. Forbidden Territory will be her first published novel.

Twitter – Melissa

Twitter – Brenda

Facebook Fan Page – Melissa

Melissa Pearl Blog

Melissa & Brenda Blog – YAlicious

Goodreads – Melissa

 

Judging a book by its cover…

For the past half an hour I have been sitting here browsing through the Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) And I suddenly noticed something that I was doing without even realising it. I was refusing to look at books whose covers didn’t catch my eye.

Now, I don’t think I am necessarily judging a book by its cover… no – it more that I refuse to even read into the book unless the cover stimulates my mind. So for the past few minutes I have been pondering the notion of why that is. Why is it that I am not interested unless it catches my eye?

Because I am a visual person.

My mind needs visual stimulation to engage. (Go figure that one!) But the fact of the matter is – about a third of the world’s population are ‘visual’ people. And if a third of the world’s population are visual, and if they are anything like me and refuse to look at a book unless it engages my visual mind – then the authors who wrote those books are missing out on a massive readership. The books could be bloody fantastic for all I know. But since they aren’t capturing my attention, then I’m not looking at them. No… I’m off looking at some other book with a pretty cover – maybe even a book that could possibly be the crappiest read I have ever picked up.

I wrote a post back in January on Sexy Designer Covers. And I still stand by my thoughts and opinions in that post. But in that post – I showed everyone gorgeous covers that all had ‘cover girls’. (Possibly because the majority market the authors are aiming at are female.) But there are many more covers out there that are different and unusual that will capture my eye.

I don’t care what market you are aiming for, as long as you show me something I like. Give me something smart… something different… something that tells me a little about the book without me even having to make the effort of picking it up. If you can do that, then you have halfway sold me the book before I even read the back cover blurb.

Be ‘cover-smart’.

So – I’m going to show you some more covers of books I have read that have most definitely caught my attention. These books are a few series that come as highly recommended reads from me as well. If they ‘look’ like your cup of tea – then pick them up for a read.

THE GRAVEYARD QUEEN series: Not only are the covers unusual and engaging – these books are thrilling and compelling reads from an extremely talented writer – Amanda Stevens. If you like ghost stories, anything paranormal, or just a damn good read that you seriously can’t put down – then pick these books up. They will keep you up through the night reading, and you won’t regret the experience.

THE MATCHED TRILOGY: I know that YA dystopian fiction is a really hot topic at the moment, but this is a fantastic series. (I must admit – I haven’t read the third book yet – but I can’t wait to get my hands on it.) I would never ever have bothered to pick these books up if it weren’t for the covers. There was just something that drew me to the girl who was trapped in a glass bubble.

THE BLACK MAGICIAN TRILOGY: How amazing are these covers? They are so different from anything else in the fantasy genre at the moment, yet they are also very balanced.  If you enjoy fantasy books – then definitely pick up this series as a nice introduction to how Trudi Canavan writes.

 

Introducing – Melissa Pearl, author of the Time Spirit Trilogy!

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing to you all – the lovely and very talented author of the Time Spirit Trilogy – Melissa Pearl.

I met Melissa last year through mutual friends, and after a while, discovered that she had written an urban fantasy young adult trilogy. Obviously this piqued my interest in her writing, as I was in the middle of writing a trilogy in the same genre. (Although – we all know that project is currently on hold…)

When Melissa first told me that she was going to self publish her trilogy, I was surprised. I had heard of people self publishing, but I didn’t actually personally know anyone who had done it successfully. However, since November, Melissa’s trilogy has definitely stamped it’s mark on the world of young adult fiction – already! The Time Spirit books are already sitting in the Top 100 of the Very Best Time-Travel Romance books to read as well as the Top 100 of Best YA Romance lists on Goodreads. People all over the place are reading and reviewing these books… and there seems to be quite a bit of chatter about Melissa and her books on the big wide interweb through word of mouth and various interviews.  Now, I think that’s a pretty damn spectacular result for someone who has just released her debut trilogy.

When I picked up my copy of Golden Blood to read, I too was captured into the world of this story. Naturally, I just couldn’t help myself but to start chattering about these books to people. Melissa once blogged that she was inspired to write this trilogy after she had read the Twilight books. But to be honest – I personally think that these books are even better.

Needless to say – Melissa is influenced by many, but defined by none. A fabulous writer, and a fabulous woman. So, without further ado, here is what she had to say to me and my multitude of questions about her and the books of the Time Spirit Trilogy.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I’m a mom to a four year old and a nine month old. My gorgeous boys keep me very busy. I only write in the evenings and during nap times. I try to take at least three evenings off a week to hang out with my hubby and we usually watch movies or TV together. I’m a bit of a movie junkie

When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I started writing a book when I was ten, but never finished it. I tried again at 16, but my brother’s computer ate it. At 23 I tried one more time and I actually finished the manuscript. I was full-time teaching at the time, so it took me about eight months.

Where is your favourite place to write? 

I have a massive writing desk. It used to be an old post office desk, which my parents bought years ago, sanded down and re-varnished. It is all kinds of beautiful. I am in a very sunny, large room. My desk faces a wall which I’ve covered with photos of friends and family. I also have my goals and a few favourite poems up there. The shelves next to me are jam-packed with writing books and drafts. It’s a little chaotic, but it works for me. I use my laptop for everything, but I always have a notebook and pen next to me as well. It’s amazing how often it comes in handy.

I need quiet when I write too. I can’t listen to music, it pulls me out of the zone

How did you choose the genre you write in?

I actually want to write in a few genres. My first book was a YA drama/romance. My next book was an adult drama/romance then I went back to another YA drama/romance. I love writing about teens. I decided to write the Time Spirit Trilogy after spending hours in the book stores and seeing what was popular. Paranormal was really taking off, so I decided to give it a go. It’s been fun.

I am looking forward to writing other genres over the years, but I’ll stick with YA for a while. My adult stories can wait.

Do you ever experience writer’s block?

I don’t get it very often to be honest. I think it’s because I spend so long mulling the story over in my head before actually starting to write it. I’m sure it will hit me at some point, but the few mini blocks I’ve had have been easily remedied with a shower or a long walk.

 Do you work with an outline, or just write? 

I used to just write, but I find I actually work much better with an outline. I can’t hold that much information in my head. I have to write it down. I now do very thorough outlines. I don’t always stick to them, but I think my stories have been stronger since outlining. It also cuts my number of drafts down substantially.

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

Francine Rivers and Dee Henderson were two authors I read in my late teens that I loved. I devoured their books and still re-read them every few years. I wanted to write stuff with the emotion of Francine Rivers and the tense action of Dee Henderson. I like a story that gives me both elements.

I have read a plethora of other amazing authors, but those were the first two that jumped to mind.

Is anything in your trilogy based on real life experiences or is it purely all imagination?

I have visited St Augustine, Florida. I loved that little town, which is one of the reasons I chose it for my setting. The storyline is all imagination, but some of the emotion is not. I really drew on personal experience when I was trying to capture some of Gemma’s heartache in Black Blood.

What was your favourite chapter or part to write and why?

There are so many scenes I loved writing. I really enjoyed all the kissing scenes – especially Gemma and Harrison’s first kiss. I could picture the scene so clearly and I felt everything Gemma went through. The way Gemma thinks and feels is similar to me, so it was really easy to fall in love with Harrison.

I also loved writing all the action scenes and for some reason, I adore writing arguments. Maybe it’s because I am useless with arguing in real life. I really enjoyed coming up with the argument between Gemma and her mother in Black Blood and there are a few little spats between Harrison and Gemma in Pure Blood that were quite fun to write too.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to in the future, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with? 

I have actually come up with three more stories for Gemma and Harrison. I can’t decide if I’ll write them or not. If people are really keen for more, then maybe. The stories take quite a different turn and I would really love to venture down that road and see where they end up, but we’ll see.

I really love writing time travel and I actually have a couple of time travel stories that I would like to do, so I might revisit that theme again… but not for a while. I have some other things I’d like to write first.

What project are you working on now?

I have two projects on the go at the moment.

The first one is a new YA series that I am co-writing with my friend, Brenda Howson. We are hoping to produce one book a year and these stories will each stand on their own. It’s called the Mica & Lexy series and is about two kiwi girls who have grown up together. These best friends have an uncanny ability to get themselves in the worst situations. The first book, Forbidden Territory, will be coming out later this year and follows them into the bush where they stumble across some unwanted treasure and then have to race blindly through the forest, eluding the treasure owners and rescuing the guys they are with. It is going to be a fun series with lots of humour, action and of course, kissing

My other project is a YA paranormal entitled Betwixt. It is about a young girl who is hit by a car. Lost and alone in the woods, she is stuck between life and death. In her ghostly form the only person who can hear her is a guy at school that happens to despise her. With the clock ticking she must convince him to help her then do whatever she can to find out where she is, so he can save her life. 

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Write because you love it. Study the craft, learn from all the amazing literature out there and refine your skills so that the work you are producing is really good stuff. Find really honest critique partners and beta readers. Never be offended by their feedback, but use it to make your work awesome.

You need a thick skin in this industry. I always remind myself that writing is subjective. Everyone likes different stuff, so target your work to a specific audience and write what they love.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

A great big thank you. So far, I have only had awesome feedback about this trilogy and it has been such a joy to hear that you guys are loving the books. You pour so much of your heart and soul into your characters, so to have other people feel the same way about them is a treat.

Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you think, rate my books and leave reviews. Word of mouth is the best way to introduce someone to a book, so everyone who’s mentioned the Time Spirit Trilogy to their friends – THANK YOU

Click on image to buy from Smashwords

Golden Blood – Book One

Gemma Hart never knows when her father is going to whisk her back in time. Her toes start tingling and she has a few minutes to find a secret haven where she can disintegrate and appear in another time and place. While “across the line,” her training and skills are put to the test as she completes a mission that will change history for the lucky few her father has selected. 

Gemma’s parents are adamant that secrecy is paramount to her family’s safety. If people knew what they were capable of, they could be “used and abused”, as her mother always says. Afraid she might accidentally utter the truth and break the ancient oath of her people, Gemma spends her school days as a loner. Only one thing can throw her sheltered life askew… Harrison Granger.

Harrison never expected to talk to the strange Hart girl, but after a brief encounter he can’t stop thinking about her. He begins a campaign to chisel away her icy veneer and is met with unexpected consequences. As he slowly wins this girl over, he enters a surreal world that has him fighting to keep his newfound love and his life.

Black Blood – Book Two

Click on image to buy from Smashwords

Gemma’s parents have put enough rules around her relationship with Harrison that she feels like she’s living on parole. But she wins one battle—a summer job working for Harrison’s step-father. It is the perfect chance to spend the steamy, hot Florida days with her boyfriend. It’s also a great distraction from the cellphone hiding in her underwear drawer—her only contact with Gabe, the mystery man who’s stalking her. 

When she confronts Gabe, he tells her that her parents are not who she thinks they are, and Harrison has the gall to believe him. Surrounded by conflict, Gemma doesn’t know what to believe, and it takes a trip back in time for her to glimpse the sickening truth. 

Thanks to her parents, she returns to the present to find the love of her life no longer exists. His family line was broken and now, so is she.

This betrayal forces her to seek out Gabe. Setting aside her fear of the truth, she must trust this man and learn what he can teach her… otherwise, she’ll never get her boyfriend back.

Pure Blood – Book Three

Click on image to buy from Smashwords

It is only a matter of time before Gemma’s parents find out she traveled through time to bring Harrison back into existence. The fear of being found out is a heavy weight on her shoulders, but she refuses to give up on everything she’s fought for. Harrison is worth the risk.

The couple draws closer together as they battle opposing forces from all sides. They stay strong until Gemma’s parents welcome an exchange student into their home. Simeon, a gorgeous Californian, is as smooth as coffee and, supposedly, a fellow time spirit. Gemma’s parents expect her to take him everywhere and, of course, fall in love with him. After all, he is the boy they have chosen for her. 

No longer able to sneak off alone, Gemma must watch every step as she waits for the inevitable nightmare to catch up to her. Her parents ultimate goal is to get that last necklace and open the box hidden in their safe. If they do, Gemma knows her entire world will unravel.

As the danger mounts, Gemma must decide if she has the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the ones she loves and stop to her parents’ destructive plans.

These books are also available at http://www.amazon.com/author/melissapearl

~~~

You can connect with Melissa at the following places:

Twitter: @MelissaPearlG

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melissa-Pearl-Author/230335437021600

And on her blogs - http://melissapearl.blogspot.co.nz/ and http://yalicious.blogspot.co.nz/ 

 

Parchment Place Celebrations!

I have been meaning to post this post for THREE WHOLE days… however, life just kept getting in the way. This is what happens when you are heavily pregnant and wrapping up your professional work life (EDJ)… and just trying to generally keep everything together. However… Today is my first day on Maternity leave, so I have a few spare minutes to think clearly.

First of all – I would like to say:

Yes – Parchment Place has officially turned 1.

It has been a hell of a year for Parchment Place. I have never run a blog before, so this has been a completely new experience. There have been times when it has been slow… and then even more times when it has been like driving a fast car. I have loved meeting people through this blog, and getting to know them. I have loved hearing everyone’s feedback. And it has spurred me into a different type of creativity… more of an entertaining ‘snippet’ type of writing, which uses a completely different set of writing skills. Some days I ramble on about writing (go figure…)… some days I ramble on about my work… some days I’m musing over Mondays… some days the posts are about me and my life or journey… but all in all – some form of it has to be entertaining.

Not only are we celebrating Parchment Place’s first birthday – but this celebration post is the 100^th post for this blog. So it’s a double celebration! And had I been a little more organised, I would have sorted something like a giveaway or presents for readers or something equally cool. But maybe that’s something to organise for another day.

And finally… there has been a lot of readership of this blog. Some days it has had larger than life hits on it.. other days it has been nice and quiet. But overall – this blog had more than 20,000 hits on it in its first year. I have absolutely no idea if that is good or bad – but it works for me. That’s 20,000 more clicks to a site related to me and my writing – so I’m quite chuffed with that result. Who knows what year two will be like!

So I guess this post is a triple celebration for this blog. 1^st Birthday, 100^th Post, and a 20k hit rate in the first year.

Cheers everyone …. I raise my Mocktail to you! *clink* I wouldn’t be encouraged to write this blog if it weren’t for the encouragement and love from all you readers and subscribers out there. You guys are the ones that keep Parchment Place alive.

 

2011 – Over and Out

Goodbye 2011!!

A friend of mine wrote a ‘wrap up’ blog for the year, and I thought it was a great idea – so here is my wee wrap up blog post for 2011.

This has been an awfully big year. I started the year forming a new team at my work, to take over all of the contract management and technical responsibility at my Evil Day Job. While it’s been full of huge challenges, it’s been great. Our team is humming along, and standing strong.

My husband and I at my 30th birthday

Then I turned the big three-oh. This meant having my enormous immediate family staying with us for a week, drinking a heck of a lot of booze in the hot summer sunshine, and generally having a blast. To top it off, we had a big garden party that raged throughout the night and into the late hours of the morning. It was a hell of a bash, and an awesome way to end my irresponsible 20s, and enter the 30s.

Straight after my 30^th birthday, I thought that I better get a little more serious about building my authors platform online. So I started my Parchment Place blog.

The big Christchurch quake rocked our entire world in February. Many dead, many grieving, and many homeless – including my friends, and members of my family. Some of whom are still suffering, due to another series of quakes that hit again on the 23^rd December.

When the February quake struck, two very special people had a big idea. Cassie Hart and Anna Caro put the word out on Twitter to compile a charitable anthology for all proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal. So while our friends and family were trying to sort out their issues in a quake stricken zone, I put my hand up to help them find authors, rally support, and generally be supportive to them throughout this enormous task. And so – Tales for Canterbury was born. Eventually Cassie said that she expected me to submit a story into the Anthology as well… so before I knew it I was dragging an old story out of my dusty and very musty literary drawer, cleaning it off, and sending it through to her. And to my greatest surprise… they accepted it. So then I was officially published along with some pretty incredible writers.

The last time I had a hangover was in May, when I drank a little too much gin and tonic with my father when he was staying with me. Then I found out that I was pregnant, and so I stopped all intake of alcohol and nicotine immediately. Pregnancy wasn’t an accident… but I didn’t expect it to happen so damn quick either. I thought that it would at least take a few months… but I guess our little Bump was in a hurry to get the show on the road.

In the meantime on the writing front, I was busy trying to finishing off a novel, and start the editing of another one. But during this time, I was also quite unwell with the pregnancy, and that seriously hindered all writing ability… and eventually I stopped trying. They say that every single pregnancy is different – and no two are ever the same. It was a bad time for me. Emotionally, I was wreck… physically, everything was changing, and in the middle of all this I felt enormous pressure from my family. Each of them trying to give me advice… ringing/emailing me constantly… and with each passing day, I was becoming more and more reclusive.

Bumpkin's Big Foot

In the end, I didn’t want to talk to any of them at all. I just wanted to hide in my little hole, and wish like hell they would all piss off and go away. I just wanted them to let me be pregnant for a moment and get used to the whole idea that my life was irrevocably changing, and that both my husband and I had to get mentally used to it. But that’s not what families do. Apparently.

So you know what we did? Under the best advice given from friends, and our medical professionals – we ignored them. And this is the same advice I will give to all pregnant women who face the same issues in the future. While family is important… we are growing our own now, and it’s entirely up to us to walk our own pathway when raising a family, not the paths of those before us. I have learnt throughout this time that my wider family are never going to listen to me, since they will always know better (older and wiser, perhaps?), so I will just do my own thing, and learn from my own mistakes. This is the only way I’m only ever going to be fully satisfied as a parent, so this is how I’m going to do it. (Bugger the rest of the world. I no longer give a shit about their grand opinions and ways of how to do things. This is our family, and we will do it our way.)

When I finally realised this, my creative mind started to kick back into gear. I now know that it was the stress and pressure that stopped me from writing… and until I had actually dealt with that, I couldn’t release my mind from its little box and back into the creative world. But I eventually got there, and devised a NaNoWriMo plan to get an old manuscript – The Mediterranean Source edited into a more publishable state. (Don’t get me wrong, this book still needs further work, and hopefully over the next few days while it’s forecasted to rain, I’ll be able to do some work on it.) The point is… I managed to get there, and send it out to three amazing friends in early December for their final opinions on potential changes. It was a big goal, and while I ripped and shredded out more than twenty odd thousand words from this manuscript, I also rewrote just as many in some incredibly major plot alterations.

So here I am now, nearly 33 weeks pregnant, with not far to go. I have just managed to get through Christmas, which we were completely unprepared for… however, we managed to sort it out. Both Mike and I were totally distracted by the fact that Bumpkin will be born very shortly. We are mostly organised now and pretty much have everything that we need (if Bump comes early!). Bump’s room isn’t finished yet, but it’s not far off. Mike and his dad are currently building the wardrobe. The ceiling went up yesterday. And before long, it will be plastered, painted, and ready to rock and roll. Then I will have somewhere to put all of Bump’s stuff, which is currently stored in boxes all over the place. It will be good. A great start to the New Year, and new beginnings in 2012.

Here are some things that I learnt in 2011 that I never knew before:

• Turning 30 wasn’t actually a major. It was more of a great milestone, and one that I have great memories of.
• I never thought that my 30^th year would be such a rollercoaster of a ride.
• Getting pregnant was easy. Being pregnant is hard. Older people forget what pregnancy is like.
• Being published is not a life changing event… but it’s a pretty good one.
• The world is no longer an enormous place. Two of my best mates have also moved to Australia this year as well… and despite them now being in another country – I’m not sad! Well… not really. I’m so damn chuffed that they are living their own lives and dreams, and I’m even more chuffed that by having the internet… it’s almost as if they are sitting in the next room.
• I can do anything as long as I block out the bullshit and focus.
• Stress and pressure are only good in small amounts.
• I no longer have any tolerance for bad or rude behaviour. This is not a tolerance that I ever want to rebuild either.
• My job has been really good this year. I’ve really enjoyed the challenges, and the new team we have. I no longer tolerate the rubbish behaviour from my colleagues either, and they quickly know when they have overstepped the line.
• The hormone – Relaxin – is a total bitch to deal with.
• Taking everybody’s advice so you don’t offend people is impossible. Picking and choosing what advice you take is much more effective.
• It’s lovely getting to know your child as it grows inside of you.
• Three of my unborn child’s godparents now live overseas, and I’m okay with that. I know that this will be a good thing in the future, as the child will have supportive people in its life who live their own life, according to what they want to do.
• Pregnant women are hilarious. They no longer hold back, or have any qualms about saying it like it is. I’ve met some pretty neat people though our parenting class, who I never would have met if it wasn’t for Bump.
• Owning a Kindle has revolutionised the way I read.
• I have met writers who have deeply impacted my life in ways that I never could have imagined. By being with these amazing and incredible people, it has seriously helped solidify the fact that I am on the right career pathway in my life.

So… I think that’s probably it for this year. December has been a slow blogging month for me. I have no doubt that with the continuing distractions of the final stage of this pregnancy, etc, it could get even more sporadic. But I’ll try and keep it up.

In the meantime… I’m really looking forward to starting a new book in the New Year, editing another… and writing on. On the other side of life, I’m really looking forward to meeting our child.

Remember to set goals, not resolutions. J

2011 – Over and Out.

 

Free Book? Go grab yourself a copy.

Golden Blood, by Melissa Pearl

Melissa Pearl is a YA Author from New Zealand. She has written this amazing series about these ethereal people who can travel through time to change history for the betterment of the future.

Since Melissa is about to release the next book in the series later this month – she is giving Golden Blood away for the next two weeks. I have just recently finished reading this fabulous little book, and I have to say – I recommend it to anyone who loves a bit of YA, mixed with urban fantasy, mixed with a little thrill. And if you like awesome characters who can ride a Ducati – then this is definitely the book for you!

Yes, I realise that I still need to formally review this book, but I’m getting there.

So – go an pick yourself up a copy. All the details and coupon code resides at Melissa Pearl’s blog – Giveaway Time!!

Grab one. You won’t regret it. And then, I want to know all your opinions on it as well.

 

 

Good fiction

Well, I wanted to have a really good rant about finding dirty rancid coffee cups, and I even wrote a lovely big blog post about it, but then felt that it probably wasn’t appropriate for the public eye. (Sorry people – if you want to read it, you’ll have to email me.)

In other news, I have been reading some pretty amazing literature lately. But what exactly classes these books as amazing? I am going to highlight the main things that I consider as key aspects of good fiction. I know that there is so many more aspects out there that no doubt I have missed, but this will have to do for now.

Character:

Believable characters are a key factor in this great writing endeavour. This helps create a believable world for the reader. But you don’t want them to be so believable they are boring. Writing good characters does not mean that you have to give them boring day to day lives. It just means that you need to be realistic with them, and their emotions or how they will react in certain scenarios.

Setting the Scene:

The books that I have just read are both incredibly different to one another. One is an epic fantasy, while the other is a romantic comedy. While one is set in fictitious milieu, and the other is city based in the world as we know it, they both set a good scene. In the fantasy novel, the scene is relatively realistic to what humans know. (In fact, it reminded me a little of New Zealand with its extreme scenery, e.g. Mountains/Sea/Plains all in the same immediate area.) The other book is set in a city where I have spent a lot of time in my life, so I know it intimately.

Theme:

Understanding what the writer is actually trying to say in the midst of all this fiction is a great way to bring readers right into the story. With one of the books that I have just read, the main character works for the Family Violence Unit of the Police department. Reading this, really helped me to understand what people actually go through when they are engaged in family violence. Previously, I have always thought the ‘Oh yes, that’s terrible’ sort of thoughts… but by reading this book – it gave me a greater understanding of the dark problem that walks among our everyday lives.

The other book’s theme was about the clear divide between good and evil, and their own belief systems. If you are raised to believe something your entire life, without knowing anything else, then you actually just don’t know any better. This book really brought to the forefront of my mind that people’s beliefs are their own, and while we may think that it is up to us to educate them, they are the only ones who can open their minds.

Of course there are many other things that make up good fiction, like voice, writing style, and all that jazz, but I think for the moment I have probably said enough. In summary, I would probably say it is the author’s seamless ability to draw you right into their world with their characters.

Hmm… perhaps I should start assessing my own work with these things. Food for thought.

If you want to read these books that I have talked about, I have reviewed them over at Parchment Leaves and Just One More Page. One is Son of Ereubus, by J.S. Chancellor, and the other is Barefoot, by Michelle Holman. I highly recommend both books.

Happy reading and writing.

 

Tales for Canterbury

Wow. I didn’t get the chance to put this up yesterday, so it’s better late than never!

As some of you know, over the past month,  there have been a couple of incredibly driven New Zealand writers pulling together an Anthology of Short Stories for Earthquake relief.

This is an amazing opportunity for you to donate to Red Cross Earthquake Appeal – and get something really special in return.

Tales for Canterbury is an opportunity for readers everywhere to give support to the people of Christchurch, who have shown resilience and bravery as they work to rebuild their lives and city. This charity anthology features tales by more than two dozen writers from New Zealand and beyond who have generously donated their works.

We are now taking pre-release orders for this volume of inspiring works. If you wish to pre-order a copy, you can do so directly with the publisher, RandomStatic.

This book will be released in hard copy ($24.95 incl. postage), as well as e-book ($12.00), and printing is expected to start in April. All profits will be donated to the NZ Red Cross Earthquake Appeal.  See Tales for Canterbury for more details.

Tales for Canterbury brings you a variety of stories set in both contemporary and future times, worlds touched by disaster, magic, and the otherworldly, where everyday truths are explored, and you never know what shape the future might hold. Explore the depths of what it means to be human, escape the real world, and find hope in these pages.

If you wish to send out to your networks, then please do so. We want to raise as much money as we can!

Whilst Cassie and Anna talk about resilience and bravery, I am truly amazed at the shear drive and passion that these two women have for this cause.  The incredible amount of coordination in getting something like this together (in just one month!) is amazing. This has been a big process for both of them, but the resilience and bravery that these two women have displayed throughout this journey is inspiring.

Even if you can’t help out financially, drop them an email or a message to show your support. I know that it would mean a lot to both of them.