"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's pre-publication can't-wait-to-read selections is:
Josie Griffin Is Not A Vampire
by Heather Swain
A hilarious take on the paranormal trend--Twilight meets The Breakfast Club!
When former good girl turned rebel Josie Griffin gets busted for what was in her mind perfectly acceptable revenge on her cheating dog of a boyfriend, she lands herself in anger management therapy. It could be worse: it could be juvvie, or she could be a zombie cheerleader like the rest of her former friends. But there's something strange about therapy--these are not normal kids. There's the wannabe ladies man with a weird accent, Johann; the blindingly gorgeous Helios; Avis with his wild dreads; and Tarren, the sprite of a girl with a wicked temper. And all of them keep talking about "powers." Josie knows that has to be impossible, but strange things start happening, and nothing weird ever happens in Indiana. After all, there're no such things as vampires, werewolves, Greek gods, or fairies . . . right?
As an author who is soon releasing a Paranormal Romance, one of the things I've learnt in life is not to take myself too seriously. So with it's quirky cover and light hearted blurb, Josie Griffin Is Not A Vampire immediately grabbed my attention. This looks like it should be a fun read and depending on how tongue in cheek Ms. Swain decides to go, it could have a shot at making me laugh. I read a lot of passionate dramatic stuff, so the occasional fun book can serve as a welcome reprieve. Plus, I love books where different myths and legends combine since it opens a lot of interpretation if an author wants to 'go there'.
So, what are you looking forward to this week? Leave a link and I'll drop by and check it out. :)
Many of you who have followed my blog for a while know that I have a background in gaming--primarily with RPGs and MMOs. What most of you likely don't know, is that for five years or so I was a Dungeons and Dragons DM (dungeon master) for a local gaming group called The Gamer Gathering. (I've also doing Vampire: The Masquerade live action role playing, but that's enough about me.)
With this background in mind, I knew I absolutely had to read Critical Failures when I heard about it over at Absolute Write. The idea of people being sucked into a game world sounded totally awesome to me. And the fact that the book promised to be funny (and even better--it was) only sweetened the deal.
Up front and honest: this may very well not be the right cup of tea for some of my readers. But this is one of the best books I've read all summer and I want to make certain it gets its moment here at I Write, I Read, I Review.
The Plot: (Summary from Amazon.com)
Tim and his friends find out the hard way that you shouldn't question the game master, and you shouldn't make fun of his cape.
One minute, they're drinking away the dreariness of their lives, escaping into a fantasy game and laughing their asses off. The next minute, they're in a horse-drawn cart surrounded by soldiers pointing crossbows at them.
Tim now has the voice and physique of a prepubescent girl. Dave finds that while he lost a foot or two in height, he somehow acquired a suit of armor and a badass beard. Julian's ears have grown ridiculously long and pointy. And Cooper... well Cooper has gotten himself a set of tusks, a pair of clawed hands, and a bad case of the shits. He also finds that he's carrying a bag with a human head in it - a head that he had chopped off when they were still just playing a game.
Shit just got real, and if they want to survive, these four friends are going to have to tap into some baser instincts they didn't even know existed in their fast-food and pizza delivery world.
It's fight, flight, or try to convince the people who are trying to kill them that they don't really exist.
Meanwhile, a sadistic game master sits back in the real world eating their fried chicken.
This is not going to be a normally structured review. Why? Because when I initially read this and wrote a review to go up on Amazon, I wasn't sure if I would post it here since it's not really meant for my blog's main audience. I do occasionally review an adult romance, but this is comic fantasy and it's another animal all together. But hey, it does share one thing with the rest of my reviews: it's honest. :) If you like humor and fantasy it may well be worth a shot.
(Originally posted on Amazon.com):
Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons? Vampire: The Masquerade? Heck, even a Final Fantasy game would do in a pinch. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to step away from the table or sofa and inhabit the world you are playing in?
Be careful what you wish for.
In Critical Failures, Robert Bevan introduces us to Tim and his motley crew of friends. We join them on an epic quest of adventure and hilarity when they tick off their Cavern Master, who sends them into the game world to experience life in the "game" first hand.
As someone who DM'd D&D and played live action Vampire: The Masquerade, I found a lot of joyous nostalgia and a ton of humor in this novel. I loved each of the characters -- Cooper with his ability to say the wrong thing until you least expect it; clever Tim who makes a terrific halfling; curious and 'innocent' Julian whose choices make him so great at diplomacy, and snarky Kat. (Just to name a few)
The pace was quick, the dialog witty and the ending threw me for a loop in the best way possible.
For anyone who has ever gamed, wished they could be part of a game, or who loves comedic fantasy Critical Failures is a novel I would highly recommend. This was the sort of book I still wanted to be reading even when I reached the end.
If you are uncertain whether Critical Failures would be for you, I strongly suggest downloading Cave of the Kobolds, a short story set in the Caverns and Creatures universe. It is free on Smashwords and you can find it here.
Personally, I really enjoyed this freebie. It's funny, but we do also get a bit more about the characters, especially Cooper. (Who is by far my favorite.) This is definitely an excellent way to try Robert's writing and I think he did a fantastic job on it.
Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Ramblings of a Daydreamer where we get to share our favorite music: singers, bands, videos, concerts, or anything else that catches our attention.
Sarena is the heroine of my upcoming fantasy romance novel, Sealer's Promise. She is a seventeen year old girl living in a town called Sterling Falls which was given to the Kindred by the Canadian government after they arrived on earth during Y2K.
Sara has spent most of her life avoiding the Kindred. Her mother is a member of Godless, a group who wants to wipe them out. Her father is a member of the BAI (Board of Alien Investigations), the branch of the government that deals with them. Needless to say, growing up in this environment has not been easy.
Today I'm going to share some of the music that has helped with Sarena's development. I hope this is as interesting for you as it was enlightening for me. Music plays a huge role in my writing, so getting to share stuff about my book this way is pretty awesome.
Song #1: Fly by Nicki Minaj (featuring Rihanna)
Why?: "Fly" quickly became Sarena's theme as I worked on the book last year. It's not a typical piece of music for me. I only found out about it because my brother I bought a ton of stuff for iTunes and dumped all of it on my computer. I had heard about Nicki and decided I'd drop her CD onto my iPod. As with most rap / hip-hop / whatever that I listen to, she has a few songs I like and a larger majority that I don't care about either way.
The chorus is definitely what initially got my attention for Sarena. Considering all she has gone through, is going through, and will go through in my series she has to remain very kick-ass in spirit (and often has to kick ass physically as well.) But what really sold me on this as a theme for her was:
I hear the criticism loud and clear
That is how I know that the time is near
See we become alive in a time of fear
And I ain't got no mother **** time to spare.
Cried my eyes out for days upon days
Such a heavy burden placed upon me
But when you go hard your nays become yays.
For the most part (and I'm really watching for this as I edit) Sara is not a whiner. If something has to be done, she'll do it. She is willing to admit that she doesn't necessarily feel equipped for what people are asking of her, but she has the guts to step up and do what she feels is right.
As an added bonus, I hadn't seen the video until this morning when I went to set up this post. I freaking love it. Definitely worth a watch. :) Great costumes, awesome mood from the setting and a kick ass fight scene at the end. Good stuff.
Song #2: The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani
Why?: I first heard this song at a Karaoke where my friend Sally played it during an intermission. At the time it made me think of a current romantic situation I was in. But when I realized part way through writing Sealer's Promise that Kess and Sara were going to be dealing with a similar theme, I downloaded this from iTunes and added it to my playlist for the book.
What I love about the song is that it has this light, bouncy feel to it and yet the situation it's talking about is something that could be taken very seriously. It's broad enough that it can apply to a lot of problems, too. Did the girl cheat? Is she materialistic? Does she lose her temper a lot? For Sarena and Kess, this song is all about what happens at the theater. (Sorry people, that's all you're getting from me. *wink*)
The lyric that I think most applies to these two and my book is:
I can see that you're angry
By the way that you treat me
Hopefully you won't leave me
Wanna take you with me.
The video for this one is pretty kooky. Dresses that have stripes like prison uniforms, a contrast between a 'guilded cage / prison" and the outfits and then, of course, the contrast between the video and the song. I'm not as crazy about this as I am about the video for "Fly" but it's still pretty cool.
Song #3: American Soldier by Toby Keith
Why?: I've loved Toby Keith's music for ages. I sing and listen to a lot of country. It's what I grew up with and is something I still love today. But I usually wouldn't go for a song like this. I'm not a big fan of stuff that promotes war or violence. With that in mind, I steered very clear of any military related stuff up until last year.
I was having trouble understanding the way Sarena thought. Here was this girl who owns a Hello Kitty plush, a copy of My Villains' Collectors Edition monopoly and who practically squees over getting an iPhone ... and I was going to have her kick peoples' asses to protect some guy who technically has more powers then she does. Right. Developing and writing a female heroine who actually *does* stuff, while keeping her both relatable and believable, is *hard*.
I let my iPod just play one day and "American Soldier" came on and I didn't auto-skip it the way I normally would. And then I played it again. And again. Sarena doesn't *want* to be a hero. As I mentioned earlier in this post, she actually tries to avoid it. (Most memorable heroes do; it's part of the Hero's Journey). But as I sat listening to this, I also realized that Sarena doesn't choose to do what she does because she isn't any of the things I show her to be when she isn't facing a threat. She's doing it *because* she is, and wants to continue being, that person.
She wants to save her brother from the mess he gets himself into. She wants to save her mother from her blind hatred. She wants to save her father from the realization of what his wife has become. She wants to save her new friends from being hunted down and killed--by Godless or anything else that decides it wants to come after them. "American Soldier" became a huge driving force in developing Sarena because it took the huge 'concepts' I had for her personality, motivation, etc. and it actually made these something tangible that I could hear and understand.
The part that I like most, which will likely be Sarena's song quote when I make her page on my author blog:
You can bet that I stand ready
When the wolf growls at the door
Hey I'm solid, Hey I'm steady
Hey I'm true down to the core.
As with the other two videos, I watched the video for this for the first time this morning and I found it very moving. The way that any situation that requires people to fight to protect others--fictional or not--fences us away from those we love is one of the heaviest prices that anyone put in such a situation pays. There is always the risk of dying, but to counter that there is always the hope of remaining alive. The isolation from loved ones, on the other hand, is a price that no one in this situation can avoid.
So, what music is on your mind this week? If you're taking part in Music Monday feel free to link to your post and I'll drop by. Thanks for visiting my blog, learning a bit about some of the music that has inspired me and getting to know Sarena a little better.
Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read. The goal of this hop is to discover new blogs to follow and to visit other blogs that have answered this week's question. There is also a different blogger featured every week and you should check them out, too. :)
This week's question is:
Q: What are you reading now? How do you like it?
I just finished Savor by Megan Duncan and The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter.
I thought that Savor was a fun read. I liked the heroine and thought the love triangle was relatively unique. I did not love the too-obvious nods to The Princess Diaries. They went past being flattering and stepped into questionable territory.
The Goddess Legacy (and the Goddess Test series all together) is something I know people thought I would hate. I can be a bit of a snob about Greek mythology. But I knew I wasn't picking the book up to compete against Edith Hamilton's Mythology before I ever went in. I loved this in the exact same vein that I loved The Lightening Thief. I can completely appreciate a fresh take on classic myth, provided I don't have someone telling me it's suppose to be a re-enactment. That's when the gloves come off.
I'm actually trying to decide what I will read next. Right now, I think it's going to be between these:
Any suggestions? :)
So, what have you read? What are you reading now? I'd love to know so feel free to leave a link and I'll drop by.
I'm extremely excited to announce that I will be attending the second annual Ontario Blog Squad Blogger Meet-Up. :) I wanted to go last year but my parents were in North Carolina because my dad wanted to see some car races. However, they aren't doing that this year so they are taking me to this instead. (They'll likely go shopping while I'm there--they've been incredibly supportive of both my writing and book blogging, but it's not their hobby / passion.)
I got very lucky. I saw a post about this while I was scrolling through my Google Reader this morning. I had somehow missed (*cough* editing *cough*) the post in July. I bought one of the last two tickets available. Then I realized my PayPal was attached to my mother's OLD e-mail with the password missing. (D'oh!) Fortunately, things seem to be fixed now so I shouldn't have to worry.
This event means a lot of things for I Write, I Read, I Review. It also potentially means several things for Sealer's Promise. I'm going to quickly go over some of my goals for my book blog, preparing for this event and my book. This stuff will likely get more detail as we get closer to the actual date.
How Will This Effect I Write, I Read, I Review?
1. Things are going to get more busy around here. What the heck is the point of going to a book blogger meet-up if I'm not blogging? I've been knee deep in edits for Sealer's Promise this summer but I'm down to my last round of edits and I should be able to take a breather soon. That will up the amount of time I can spend here.
2. I'll be reading more and writing / editing (fiction) less. I need to have read a few of the books I've been itching to get to this year:
1. I will be posting a list of the books I own that are available for trade. If you are going to the meet-up and are interested in any of these, let me know. This may take a few days. I buy a *lot* more then I actually *read* and I'll need to go through my collection. I'm coming from Napanee, so I need to pay attention to how much stuff I'm bringing with me.
2. I might want to get a separate set of author business cards done for my author blog. This is more me rambling to myself, although I suppose it's not the end of the earth since I use the same e-mail for everything except gaming.
3. I'll have to put mom on the hunt for a cute new tote to carry stuff in.
Sealer's Promise:
1. I need to get my butt in gear and get this round of edits done. It will free me up for reading and it will get it to my betas quicker.
2. It is my hope that I will be able to give a few people copies of Sealer's Promise. I don't want to *promise* this, but I will if I can. If you want a physical copy of my book and are going to be there, let me know. I'm ONLY bringing these for people who want them unless I am asked otherwise. To do anything else seems like it would be discourteous.
3. Once I get all the major stuff done on Sealer's Promise, I will be freed up to really focus on I Write, I Read, I Review. My poor neglected blog needs it. *laughs*
So, here are my questions, guys:
1. Are you going?
2. Do you want a print copy of Sealer's Promise if I'm able to get them in time?
3. Are there any books you're looking for? I mainly read YA and (adult) contemporary and paranormal romance. I can't guarantee I'll have it or want to trade it, but I can check. :)
