"Who Done It?" Book Display + Giveaway Winner

A new month has rolled around, which means at work I put up a new book display, but not before I share some pictures with you. Never let it be said I don't share the fun and frivolity.

The theme I chose for October was "Who Done It?" While others focus on Halloween all through October, this has always been the month of murder mysteries and suspense for myself. Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, Arthur Conan Doyle -if it's murder, it's October.

My Top Three Murder Mystery Recommendations:

• Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by Lyndsay Faye (Adult Fiction)
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (Adult Fiction)
• The Horizontal Man by Michael Dahl (MG) 

My next book display will involve superheroes, so yay. ^_^

Now what you've all been waiting for. The GIVEAWAY WINNER.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats, Rachael M., and thanks for playing!

PlotNoWriMo: Fine Tune

In the final week, we examine your outline so far and fill in any gaps left to make it work as a whole. The most important thing to remember about the outline?

If your novel is causing you undue stress next month, don't worry about straying from your outline or abandoning it entirely, IF it keeps you writing. But the hope is that we've done a thorough enough job of outlining that we've anticipated and fixed plot-related problems that could arise.

One thing to realize is that the actual writing of your outline may not feel as inspired as all the brainstorming and outlining we've done this month. It's possible that when you actually start to write, some of the shine has dulled from your idea. This happens often when our brilliant creation feels bogged with the technicality of writing it or even if the story isn't coming out as we envisioned in the first draft.

Be careful that you don't abandon your outline prematurely. A good way to tell whether a problem lies with a flawed outline or a bored writer is to look at the reason why you're having trouble.

If the dots of your story aren't connecting -if the character isn't cooperating, if the plot points are beginning to unravel- this is a good indication that your outline isn't working and it's safe to try writing without it for a while. (As a cheerful anecdote, while writing The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien had no idea who Strider was when he met the hobbits in Bree, but Tolkien decided to go with it. Now can you imagine LotR without Aragorn?)

If the plot still works, but your inspiration and passion for putting the words together has waned, there's a good chance the problem is you and the answer is to sludge through. Assuming the idea felt inspired and brilliant during the outlining stage, you still believe in your story and want to write it, you've just hit a rough patch. As with any creative pursuit, there are going to be times that you want the finished project without going through the hard process of creating it. We've all been there. If you really want to be a writer -or a person of any creative pursuit- we need to take the technical and/or boring side of the project with the thrill of the ingenious craze. Don't give up on your outline just yet. If you keep writing, you should find that the boredom will vanish and the inspiration return, you just need to stick with it.


On a personal note, I've (almost certainly) decided that I'll be skipping NaNoWriMo myself this year. I have my work cut out for me completing my MG novel Rodney and the Gonjii, and most of this is fine-tuning and arc-mapping, so word count does not really apply.


For those of you participating, the best of luck! And hey, I'd love to hear about your progress during NaNo. A vicarious experience, if you will. Be sure to tell me whether or not this outlining process has helped you, as I hope it has. Just #PlotBender.

PlotNoWriMo Schedule: 

• Introduction 
• Week One -The Idea
• Week Two -Brainstorm
• Week Three -Major Plot Points
• Week Four -Organize
• Week Five -Fine Tune

COVER REVEAL: Endless by Jaclyn Weist

I've got a special treat for everyone today -a cover reveal! 

Jaclyn Weist is the author of The Princess and the Prom Queen, The Luck Series, and a contributing author of the Gates of Atlantis series.

Her latest book, Endless, is a modern Cinderella tale and I hope you're as excited for it as I am. First, let's see the synopsis:

Sydney lives her nightmares every night. While other teenagers are dreaming of boys or traveling to exotic places, she must run a staircase with no beginning or no end, or a terrible debt will never be paid.

Just before her seventeenth birthday, the dreams change. She is no longer alone.

But her nightmares don’t end when she wakes up. Her stepmother and stepsisters threaten to ruin everything she holds dear. She must protect the secret that both she and her father have magic or they will use it to their advantage.

As Sydney learns to control her magic, what seemed impossible before—escaping her stepmother and those ever-present stairs—is now at her fingertips. When she learns the ultimate plan of her evil captor, Sydney must stop her at all costs, or she will forever lose her soul.

  
Just keep scrolling, just keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling...

Absolutely gorgeous! The release date is November 28th, so don't forget to add it to your holiday wishlist.

 About the Author

 
Jaclyn is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school, when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve at BYU and they have six happy, crazy children that encourage her writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next.

 Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Gates of Atlantis

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Instinct (Werewolf Academy) by Cheree Alsop

Woohoo, another giveaway! Again, the wonderful Cheree Alsop is providing two ebook copies of her latest Werewolf Academy book, Instinct. If you'd like to check out my review of Strays, part of the same series, you can find it here and here.

I've mentioned before that Cheree Alsop is an amazingly prolific author. Instinct is her sixth book published this year. For those of us gearing up for NaNoWriMo, this is pretty inspiring. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll write that many books a year, too.

Hey, we can hope, right? ;)

Werewolf Academy: 

Instinct

 

Alex’s quest to stop the General’s army of extremists gets personal when someone he cares about is taken. Lives are put on the line and Alex is pushed far past his limits to bring her home. The General is ruthless in his attempt to get Drogan back, and he knows Alex is the key to finding his son. Through it all, Alex comes face to face with someone he thought he would never see again. The question is, can instinct and his heart agree on the path he should take?

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The giveaway ends November 3. Good luck, everybody!

 
About the Author
Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and adding depth to the stories. Cheree is currently working as an independent author and mother. She enjoys reading, riding her motorcycle on warm nights, and playing with her twins while planning her next book. She is also a bass player for her husband’s garage band, Alien Landslide.
Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop dreaming. 

You can find Cheree all over the web: Website | Facebook | Twitter |
You can also find her books at Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords |

PlotNoWriMo: Organize

That's right, it's time. To get organized!

Step four in the PlotNo process is dedicated to filing and organizing all of your notes and brainstorming, converting them into hard copies to have on hand (WORLDBUILDING BIBLE! *throws confetti*), and taking satisfaction in the fact that all relevant information is now at your finger tips. Mua ha ha.

Having trouble? #PlotBender

Finding success? #PlotBender
Scared of what's coming come November? #PlotBender

Want to share your own tips? I think you know where this is going. =) 

PlotNoWriMo Schedule: 

• Introduction 
• Week One -The Idea
• Week Two -Brainstorm
• Week Three -Major Plot Points
• Week Four -Organize
• Week Five -Fine Tune

Vlad the Impaler -Hero?

I was minding my own business, surfing the Internet, when I saw a banner ad for 'Dracula Untold'. Instantly I was intrigued and dashed to YouTube to view the trailer as quick as my mouse could take me. Disappointment quickly settled in as I watched Luke Evans leap from a castle wall and dissipate into a cloud of bats*.

Just another vampire flick. Le sigh. 

The intriguing promise of 'Dracula Untold' -a title just begging to be the true story behind a myth- sprang to mind the more unfamiliar history of Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler.

I was about 15 when I first heard about the controversy surrounding Vlad the Impaler. Being an avid reader, of course I had heard that Bram Stoker's original vampire was based on a historical figure who inherited morbid fame for being said to drink the blood of his enemies. I never thought much of it. Who was I to question the existence of such a horrid man in the 1400s?

In a conversation with some old family friends, we steered into the topic of Dracula and vampires, and much to my surprise they jumped to the defense of Vlad III. Jumped. 
These friends are well-traveled, and they quickly explained the Romanian opinion of Vlad III as one of their beloved folk heroes. In Romania, he is considered one of the greatest people of all time and they despair to think he has become such a horrible figure in the eyes of the world (never mind the vampiric aspect).

I hadn't thought much about this until I saw that ad. While I'm disappointed 'Dracula Untold' isn't going to feature a story more along the lines of Romania's folk hero, I'm glad it revived my interest in this quandary.

Myth, legend, and rumor have become mixed with history, thanks to the colorful exaggerations Germany and other parts of Eastern Europe added to the tale of Vlad's exploits. Bad press sells, and considering the original fairy tales of these regions, does that really surprise you?

Maybe it's just the writer in me, but what intrigues me most is the idea that one man's villain is another man's hero. Sure, Vlad impaled thousands of people, but don't forget the small fact that they were invading Turks trying to conquer his country for the Ottoman Empire.

I'd like to read up on this, dissect the truth from the hearsay. Which side is more accurate? How much from either side is fact, how much macabre or romantic myth? Was Vlad III a hero or a villain? 

This is my kind of mystery to solve.

*If you were wondering, yes, 'cloud' is the official group name for bats, along with 'colony'. See what fun things you learn on random blogs?

PlotNoWriMo: Major Plot Points

We've formulated The Idea. We've survived the Brainstorm. Now, at week 3, we're going to lay a course for our novel by charting out the necessary Major Plot Points.

The third week is focused on identifying the major plot points, scenes, emotional developments, and other necessary events you foresee for your novel and filing them into a preliminary outline.

Ask any questions in the comments below or with #PlotBender on Twitter. Heck, let's make this a party. Let me know how you're doing and whether you've discovered more effective ways to plot. What story are you working on? How's your progress been? I'm dying to know!

 

PlotNoWriMo Schedule:

• Introduction
• Week One -The Idea
• Week Two -Brainstorm
• Week Three -Major Plot Points
• Week Four -Organize
• Week Five -Fine Tune

Literary Laughs and Fun Tidbits

 

I've come across so many fun things around the Internet this week, I just wanted to share them all.

 

50 Common Things You Probably Didn't Know There Were Words For

NIBLING. You have no idea how long I've needed a word to collectively refer to my nieces and nephews. No. IDEA.

14 Amazing Bookish Halloween Costumes

Seriously, though, the hobbit toddler. ^_^

Fans rejoiced at the news there would be a Labyrinth sequel.

 

The next day, the fan hearts broke when they found out there really wasn't. 

 

 Now that's just cruel.

 

This amazing bookish pep-talk that needs to be read by everyone.

 

Last but not least, the return of my favorite sketch comedy show, Studio C, and they FINALLY DO A DOCTOR WHO SKETCH.

Let's be honest, guys. That's a pretty decent imitation.

All right, folks, that's it for now. The next PlotNo installment will be up Thursday, so look forward to that. Have an excellent week everybody!

PlotNoWriMo: Brainstorm

Arr, look at that horizon. A brainstorm's a-brewin, matey!

I apologize this is up so late this morning *coughcough* -afternoon. Things got a little crazy when I came down with a fever, but no fear! I'm doing much better, and Step Two in the plotting process is here.

Brainstorm 

This second week is aimed at fleshing out The Idea from week one, with the dual goals of providing you with enough material for a novel and filling in the inevitable gaps and holes of The Idea.

Brainstorm like the wind, my plotters!

Ask any questions in the comments below or with #PlotBender on Twitter. Heck, let's make this a party. Let me know how you're doing and whether you've discovered more effective ways to plot.

PlotNoWriMo Schedule:

• Introduction
• Week One -The Idea
• Week Two -Brainstorm
• Week Three -Major Plot Points
• Week Four -Organize
• Week Five -Fine Tune

PlotNoWriMo: The Idea

Confession: I've never been very good at plotting and planning and organizing. Especially organizing. *shudder*

 

O, the messiness!

These three things happen to be very important for (successful) writing. I realized it's the reason I've been having such a hard time finishing my book. I didn't know enough solid, sorted details about what was coming next. Without that, I felt like I was stumbling in the dark.

Having never been good at the plotting and organization thing, I turned to the Internet. No single suggested method worked quite to my taste, so I wound up cobbling my own process. It's been working wonders for me, and with NaNoWriMo just around the corner... Well, I couldn't resist sharing.

This is that process.

Introduction

The Idea

The first week is focused on getting that story idea from your head to paper. Write down your idea. All of it. Every thought you have about your future story and its characters.

PlotNoWriMo Schedule:

• Introduction
• Week One -The Idea
• Week Two -Brainstorm
• Week Three -Major Plot Points
• Week Four -Organize
• Week Five -Fine Tune

What I Want From Castle Season 7

Like me, you're probably gearing up for tonight's premiere of Castle, rewatching the last episodes, reliving the gasp-worthy finale, and maybe making some silent demands to ABC about how the show is evolving.

I love Castle. I'm not worried about where season 7 is headed or how it will affect the show itself. I'm excited to see what they have in store for us and I have confidence that it's going to be great, as always.

No, what I really need from Castle is to see Ryan as a first-time dad.

 

Confession: I have a soft spot for Kevin Ryan.

Rephrase, I adore this character. He cracks me up, I love the camaraderie between him and Javi, he's loyal, he's kind of a goofball but he's smart, he always gets suckered into Castle's stories about curses and zombies, he rocks the sweater vests and three-piece suits. He's not ashamed to do what he thinks is right. In all honesty, what I love most about Ryan is that he is a do-gooder, even if it's not a cool thing to be. (Though, face it, Seamus Deaver makes it cool.)



He's always adorable, and everything leading up to the birth of his daughter was outrageously adorable. His jitters and his doubts about being a good father, trying to prepare and fumbling, and being completely terrified by Cosmo in "The Good, the Bad, and the Baby."

ADORABLE. 

Added with the epically dramatic fact that he and Javier were trapped in a burning building with little chance of escape while Jenny was in labor, that picking the name for their child could have been the last conversation Ryan had with his wife, and Castle's good record of inserting bits of character story for flavor in a generic episode, it crushed me that I never got any hint of how Ryan was handling his new role as a father.

There wasn't a single mention. Zilch. Nada.

WHERE ARE MY DADDY RYAN FEELS?

It baffled and disappointed me. The show did an excellent job of showing Ryan's ever-evolving relationship with Jenny, from her first introduction to the birth of their child, skillfully dropping tidbits in non-Ryan-focused episodes to make it feel natural in the work environment of the show.

After "Under Fire," I was all set for a tidal wave of Daddy Ryan feels. Showing off baby pictures to everyone who will look at them, gushing about how Sarah Grace Ryan is so beautiful and smart, getting new photos texted from Jenny every twenty-minutes because Sarah smiled or waved her hand or fell asleep with her cheek squished funny. Coming into work exhausted because the baby was up all night. Having Ryan constantly startled awake would have been a good gag for an episode. Again, worrying about being a good dad. Realizing that there is nothing in the world he wouldn't do to keep her safe.

Granted, there is a scene after Ryan comes back from paternity leave where he shows off a picture. A scene. Singular. I wasn't looking for another Ryan-centric episode, I just wanted to see how this development would affect him. I anticipated more.

So, ABC, you have a lot to make up for. I expect a great many Daddy Ryan feels this season. You can't leave me hanging on this, because it's messing with my Castle groove. Ryan is the kind of dad who would gush. Like, the Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist kind of gushing.

You can resolve your cliffhanger and send us all on a chase to find Castle, but after that I need a decent look at Ryan as a first-time dad.

I need it.

 

BOOK REVIEW: Strays by Cheree Alsop + Giveaway Winners

This review originally appeared as a booktube review on my YouTube channel. The video is available at the bottom of the post, or you can read it starting NOW! =) 

Strays is the first book in indie author Cheree Alsop's newest YA series, Werewolf Academy. This story is about werewolves who live in secret in the modern world. They live in secret partly because your run-of-the-mill everyday human would be terrified of them, and partly because there's a group actively trying to exterminate them. So yeah. Secret is a good way to go.

This series centers around orphan siblings Alex and Cassie who live full-time in the first and only school specifically for werewolves. Wolves live in packs, so every school year the students are divided into packs to learn to watch out and take care of each other. This was my favorite element of the book. On the one hand, it's very realistic because the packs have become very cliquey. There are specific Alphas and they always pick out the same pack every year -one pack is usually full of brawn, the next brains, etc. This frustrates Alex because he understands the true nature of the pack. It isn't about being the strongest or the smartest, it's about having the best mix of all these characteristics. The qualities of the pack members shouldn't be similar, but dissimilar and balanced. I love the intricacies of the pack politics, if you will, and how Alsop combined them with the more common clique and bully problems of school life.

Another thing I found quite interesting is that Alex, our main character, is not an Alpha male. He is not the leader of any pack. In the natural order of werewolves, the highest rank he will ever hold is second-in-command. Of late, I have been very intrigued by the idea of a story where the main character is more of a sidekick or secondary hero in the grand scheme of things, and this is the closest I've ever read to that.

But things aren't all about cliques and school troubles. Very soon our werewolf boarding school endures more than they're usual amount of trouble when the man who murdered Alex and Cassie's parents sets his sights on the twins.

To Read or Not to Read?

Cheree Alsop is an independently self-published author. I am very picky about the quality of the books I read and so I'm overly cautious when it comes to self-published materials. If you're the same way, don't worry about Alsop. Hers are good quality novels and more people should definitely be reading them.

Strays gets four stars from me, and I'm very interested to learn more about this world of werewolves.

Going in, I must mention that Werewolf Academy is a companion series to Alsop's first werewolf books, called the Silver series. More like a spin-off, set many years later, which retains some of the original cast in supporting or minor roles. The two series seem to overlap quite a bit, but Strays does feed you enough background information that it isn't necessary to read the Silver series first. I didn't, and I enjoyed Strays very much.

Verdict: To Read

Giveaway Winners

Onward! Now that you're all dying to read this book, let's find out who our two winners are!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Congrats, winners! You should hear from me shortly.

Bummed you didn't win? Don't be. I'm giving away another set over on my YouTube channel. All it takes is a like and a comment to enter! This ends Wednesday, Oct 1, so don't miss out. Thanks for playing, everybody!

Did anybody else notice the total number of entries was 42? The answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything? Because that kind of made my day.

Original Review:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Break ALL THE CLICHES!

"I'm not falling for it," I said when Ward shot Victoria Hand and revealed himself in actuality a Hydra spy.

Right.

Sure he is.

I mean, the blood dripping down Hand's hand was convincing and all, but a few episodes down the road, I knew she'd pop back up alive and well and it will all have been an elaborate ruse to decimate Hydra.

Why? Because the whole oh-look-we've-been-infiltrated-by-the-enemy-and-one-of-our-own-is-actually-a-spy twist is totally cliche. I've lost count of the times I've seen it pop up in a TV show, and it's always a lie. It turns out they were originally planted as a spy but now they've grown to love their former enemy and couldn't possibly betray them, OR it's all a ruse from within to bring down the baddies.

I refused to fall for it this time. Episodes passed, and as Ward and Garrett plotted how to bring Coulson's team down from the inside, I kept waiting for the moment Ward would turn on him. "Nope. Any second Ward's going to secretly contact Coulson and say 'Okay, here's the deal...' "

Because the main-cast character is NEVER ACTUALLY A BAD GUY.

Over the years, I've come to terms with this fact. A good guy might be suspected, they might be planted, they might have been a bad guy who turns into a good guy, but they will never be a real-life, turn-on-Phil-Coulson kind of bad guy. 

Because this supposed traitor is usually my favorite character, I'm generally okay with it. I experience a panicked moment of 'Oh, don't you dare!' and they don't and I'm always glad.


But...but... the possibilities.

In the back of mind, I always wonder, 'But what would happen if they really WERE a bad guy?'  Because, ohmygumdrops, the new ground! The unpredictability.

When Ward killed Agent Eric Koenig and I realized he actually *was* Hydra...yeah, I was surprised. Perhaps slightly devastated. But unbelievably excited.

My mind is racing with all of the things they can do with this new storyline, with the incredible potential for character development. So. Much. DEVELOPMENT.


This was only one of several cliches they went on to shatter in last season's final episodes.

One of my pet peeves about 'cliffhanger' finales is when they leave the main character in a life-or-death predicament and want you to wonder whether they'll survive. Of course they're going to survive. You can't very well have a Rizzoli & Isles without Rizzoli or Isles, or Castle without Castle. So after FitzSimmons' stint on the bottom of the ocean, we're not left to wonder whether or not Fitz will live, because of course he's going to live, he's FITZ! What they make us question is what condition will he be in? Honestly, this is such a better way to leave me hanging. I've fretted the show's hiatus wondering whether Fitz is going to be partially paralyzed, or suffer some short- or long-term brain damage, or- or-

The possibilities are endless. After all, Ward really was Hydra, so I have no idea what kind of gall these writers have. They could do anything, and I am looking forward to the character-building ramifications of it all.

I've enjoyed this show from day one, because it's great fun. #CoulsonLives and then some. But I adore it now because I don't know what to expect. There are certain cliches in television storytelling that everyone falls into, and the writers at S.H.I.E.L.D. are throwing them out the window. Not only is it an awesome expansion of the Marvel universe, with great characters, but as a TV show it's covering new ground. Break the cliches, I say, BREAK THEM ALL.

With the last few minutes of the Season 1 finale, I must admit I thought they ruined the incredible potential for cliche-shattering the writers had begun to build for themselves. 

Really? REALLY?! The moment Garrett 'died', every single person sitting in my living room shouted at the television. "Cut off the head! Cut off THE HEAD!" 
And they were doing so well! They were chopping cliches down left and -

 

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

I don't know about you, but I'm totally ready for whatever cliche-busting they have in store for us this season!