Monday Reads: ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES

It's past the middle of May and I've only read TWO books this month. WHAT IS THE DEAL? I have no clue. But the book I read this past week was EXCELLENT, so don't think my being slow means it was anything but.

I read ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven. The voice! The characters! The quotes! The tears! The feels! This book had it all. I really can't put my finger on one thing I didn't like about it. It was the kind of book where the characters really come alive, the kind of book I haven't stopped thinking about since I finished reading. Put it on your TBR's if you haven't already.

What have you read lately? Any feels books?

Friday Loves: AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON and George Ezra

There's been some criticism around MARVEL lately, and of the newest Avengers movie, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.

I think MARVEL should listen to their audience when it comes to Black Widow. Maybe they're not sure about a movie YET, but at least get us some Black Widow merch. I can tell you, I'd be buying my daughters Black Widow t-shirts if there was some (and not the damsel-in-distress kind). And it's just ridiculous that the toy line has basically erased Black Widow from one of her scenes in the movie, changing the toy to a male character. (Don't know what I'm talking about? You can check out the article at The Daily Dot.)

I understand the risk involved in making a comic-book movie based on a female character, and one without superpowers at that (basically, a Black Widow movie would be similar to Agents of SHIELD, and we all know how not-great that's doing. FYI- I like that show). In the past, comic book fans have been predominately male. But LOOK HOW THAT'S CHANGING! This is coming from a girl who only read Archie and Garfield comics growing up and now I wouldn't miss a comic book based movie or TV show. 

Also, this is MARVEL we're talking about. Aside from how huge they are right now, don't tell me that someone over there in their genius-writers-think-tank can't come up with an awesome story revolving around Black Widow alone. Don't tell me that they can't make a movie that would generate millions of fans. Because I would scoff at you if you did.

Anyway, despite the controversy (oh, and let's not forget Jeremy Renner's and Chris Evans' awful remarks about Black Widow *cue disappointment*), DESPITE all this, I still loved AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. The movie delivered, just like I thought it would. I'm no movie critic, but I was entertained from start to finish, and that's enough for me.

Annnnnd, on to something completely unrelated. I've found a new music love and his name is George Ezra. If you haven't heard his song Budapest, check it out below and have a great weekend!

INTRODUCING FABLED

I'm taking a break from my Wednesday Writes post this week (I haven't been writing anyway, I've been researching) to take part in the FABLED blog tour.

What is FABLED, you ask? Keep your panties on, I'll tell you...

Ever dreamed of a life that reads more like a book? Rowena did until she stumbled into a fairy tale that wasn't so friendly.

Rowena thinks the Grimm’s infamous podcasts are simply another teen fad until she finds herself trapped in a land of nightmarish storybook characters. She tries desperately to flee Mezzanine and return home, but Dresdem, Mezzanine’s wicked monarch, plans to use Rowena’s access to her world to bring dark magic and absolute rule into Georgia and beyond.

But when Rowena’s dear friend Madeline falls into Dresdem’s grasp, her battle with him becomes war, and all hopes of home are temporarily thwarted. With the help of an invisible hero, a beast, and an owl, she sets out to free Madeline from a deadening sleep. But Rowena must become her own hero when she finds herself bound by the kingdom’s darkest family. She must make the ultimate choice – align herself with her enemies or live on the run forever. 

I interviewed Vanessa about her book and here is what she had to say:

1. What is Fabled about in one or two lines?

Trapped in a world of dark magic, Rowena must learn how to become her own hero. Easier said than done.

2. Who is your MC? Why did you want to write her story?

I always say that I write whoever is the loudest, which was true with Rowena, but the idea of a typical southern girl stepping into an enchanted forest truly fascinated me. In the end though, I suppose we all write the stories we want to read.

3. Where does Fabled take place? What is your favorite specific setting in the book?

Mezzanine is the primary setting for Fabled. It’s bound by neither time nor death. My favorite specific setting is the maze in the royal garden. The endless depth, threat of being caught, and time running out only adds to its intrigue.

4. About your antagonist- what should we know? What about him/her/them would we run away from?

There’s more than one antagonist in the story, but the most loathed character, according to my readers is Dekel. He has an insatiable appetite for collecting beautiful things, including women. That’s not so unusual, but when he’s seemingly only fifteen, things start to get a little interesting.

5. Last, can you share a favorite line or moment from the story?

One of my favorite moments takes place early in the story when Rowena is thinking about her love for Dashielle, her boyfriend. “I was his moon, and I planned to orbit his planet forever.”

FABLED sounds awesome! You can find it on Amazon and on Goodreads.

Now, a little about the author:

 

Vanessa K. Eccles graduated Troy University with a degree in English. She currently serves as executive editor of Belle Rêve Literary Journal and is founder of the book blog YA-NASisterhood. When she’s not writing or devouring books, she enjoys the lake life with her Prince Charming and their four dogs.

You can find her at her website and on Twitter.

Monday Reads: INVADED

Clearly it's been a slow reading week since I started INVADED by Melissa Landers a week ago and I'm still reading. I'm hoping to finish today because I have a pile of books from the library to read. It's not that I'm disliking the book- I get sucked in every time I pick it up. I've just been super busy this past week and reading has kinda fallen by the wayside.

So far, INVADED has been a good sequel, though like most *cough* all *cough* sequels for me, they never live up to the first. It could be because Aelyx and Cara aren't together this entire book (maybe they are by the end... we'll see) which takes some of the fun out of it. Also, I've seen certain things coming and I've been waiting for the characters to get there faster. But the storyline has hooked me, and Melissa Landers knows how to keep the reader interested.

Have you read ALIENATED and INVADED by Melissa Landers? What are your thoughts?

Friday Loves

First, I have to give a big lovey shout-out to my CPs who are awesome! My books wouldn't get anywhere without them, not to mention all the other things like taglines and queries and the little things you never realize you'll need an extra set of smart brains for.

*HUGS*

My second love is for Writer's Digest magazine and my local library that carries it. I have to get a marketing plan together for my publisher and the latest issue has a list of the best websites for writers and an issue from a couple of months ago is all about marketing. Hallelujah for that!

This would be me without WD

Love number three is completely off the writer path. MARVEL. I love you Marvel and all your amazing superheroes (but get on that Black Widow movie and merch, pretty pretty please!). We've been marathoning some Marvel movies lately to get ready for the new Avengers this weekend and it's been awe-some!

What do you love this week?

Wednesday Writes

It's month two of the YA Buccaneers Spring Writing Bootcamp and despite my slow start, I'm making good progress. I finished my on-paper revision last week and my goal is to have the notes transferred onto the computer (plus an extra couple of scenes I have to write) done by the end of this week. Then this manuscript is off to a CP! I'm already halfway through this second step so I think I'll nail my goal!

The SWB challenge this week is to share our best piece of writing advice. Mine is obvious, but still a gooder. Personally, I think it's the best piece of advice out there:

BUTT IN CHAIR.

That's all there is to it. You sit down, you will write. You commit to it, you will do it. If you sit, words will come. (That is if you manage not to get distracted by Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube...) But I fully believe that if you put your butt in that chair, you'll get something done.

What's your best piece of writing advice?

Monday Reads

I only read one book this past week and that was POINTE by Brandy Colbert. This book wasn't what I thought it would be. Probably because I got it based on the title/cover alone. I assumed it would be all about the ballet world, but it really has nothing to do with ballet at all.

Here's the blurb:

Theo is better now.

She's eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.

Donovan isn't talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn't do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she's been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.

For the first hundred pages or so, I debated continuing on, not because the book wasn't good, but because I just wasn't in the mood for the subject matter. But I got sucked in eventually and I'm glad I finished. Just don't make my mistake and pick it up because you think it's a ballet story, because it so isn't.

Anyway, after reading a book about kidnapping and abuse, I decided to go for something different. I'm reading INVADED by Melissa Landers, the sequel to ALIENATED. So far so good!