If We Were Having Coffee...

Over the past few weeks, I've seen posts with this title popping up all over the blogosphere. Then I decided, "Hey, maybe I should write one for anyone who is curious what I would say." So, without any further stalling, here is what I might tell you if we were having coffee...

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE...

You would likely notice, right away, that I decided to get a cup of tea. I've just always preferred it. I find it soothing. According to my family, my grandfather use to put (cold) black tea in my baby bottle. No wonder I'm so damn hyper!

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE...

I'd tell you I'm having a heck of a time editing my novel, and that I know I'll need to push the release back again and I HATE that.

I'd also tell you that I can't tell whether it's that I honestly keep thinking up ways to improve the novel, or whether I'm just stalling. People I've spoken to tell me the ideas are solid, and that they will strengthen the book, but deep down inside I know there is a part of me that doesn't want to let go of this book and these characters just as much as there is part of me who is dying to find out what people will think of them.

I think my biggest concern, though, is that I know getting people to read this will be a challenge. I'm not an aggressive person, as you likely know from how much I promote what goes on here. I do need to remember that I'm writing first and foremost for me, and to prove to myself that I can do this. But it would be nice to have other people connect with this world and these characters that have eaten up three years of my life, y'know?

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE...

I'd probably poke fun at the fact that my organizational skills leave MUCH to be desired. I have tons of ideas for my blog, what books I want to read, and what I'm writing. But keeping track of them? Not my forte. This leads to a funky juggling act where if I'm blogging I feel like I should be reading, if I'm reading I feel like I should be writing, and when I'm writing I feel like I'm getting "behind" on my blog. And that leads to a paralyzing melt down where I get absolutely nothing done.

I'm working at this, and I think (hope?) I'm getting better at it. I think that the biggest breakthrough for me has been acknowledging the fact that I came here to be an author. I do love books, and I do love this community, but by owning up to the fact that my writing is my top priority, I don't have the problems I stated above nearly as much as I use to.

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE... 

I'd tell you that I Write, I Read, I Review is going through some really big changes. I've been thinking about what I want to have on my blog and I am working toward making sure that the content that ends up here is what I'd want to see if I was reading it. I also want to try and get my blog to be a bit more social--I want to take part in events. I want to have more discussion posts. I want to be talking about books I really love and about topics that really matter. I don't feel I did enough of that in 2013 and I want that to change.

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE... 

GoodReads

GoodReads

GoodReads

These are the three books I would totally be fangirling over. The ones I would be trying to devise schemes worthy of Wile E. Coyote to get you to read too.

Shadow and Bone has fantastic world building and the Darkling.

If You Stay has one of the most honest male POVs I've ever read, a bad boy who is truly, believably bad, and allows the reader actually see him redeem himself.

And The Collector has Dante Walker, who is one of the funniest, most enjoyable narrators I've ever followed through a story. It also has some pretty awesome world building which kept my interest from start to finish.

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE...

I'd tell you the three things I'm most excited about in 2014 are...

1) Releasing Sealer's Promise. Big surprise there. I've been working on the book for years. It's going to feel good getting it out there.

2) Jay coming to visit in April. Jay's visits are like vacations for me, even though he comes to my house. A visit from Jay is more important to me than most holidays.

3) Attending the next Ontario Blogger Meet Up. My parents have already said they'll take Marie and I again if there is one next year.

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE...

I'd talk about the books I'm most excited for next year:

Sequels:

GoodReads

GoodReads

GoodReads

Ignite Me: "I am 100% team Warner. This will probably bite me on the butt. Yet I really don't care." ;)

The One: "I really hope America and Maxon end up together, because I think Aspen is a jerk."

Into The Still Blue: "I really like Perry and Aria and I hope they get a satisfying ending."

New (To Me) Authors: 

GoodReads

GoodReads

GoodReads

Cruel Beauty: "A retelling of Beauty and the Beast where the 'beauty' has trained her whole life, plotting to assassinate him? This should be interesting."

Alienated: "Between the gorgeous cover and the alien / human love premise--complete with a potential threat that these aliens didn't come to Earth to pal around, Alienated is way up there on my must read list for 2014."

The Break Up Artist: "This looks like it could be massively funny, and I'm pretty sure our "artist" will learn something along the way. In today's world, with the internet giving us moral invisibility and the divorce rate through the ceiling, a premise like this is something I could actually buy into."

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE...

I'd tell you that I am so glad that there are people who take the time to come here and check out my blog, even though I'm not the most organized, and don't post the most often. I've made some great friends, both readers and writers, since I started I Write, I Read, I Review. And I wouldn't trade that for anything.

So, now that I've said all that, it's your turn. What would you want to say if we were having coffee? I'd love to know, so feel free to leave a comment!

Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

The moment I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I actually went out of my way to try and get an ARC (very unusual for me) for this one, but as sometimes happens, that didn't pan out. However, when I was doing a recent splurge shopping trip for my Kindle, I noticed that this was under $6 and didn't spare a second thought picking it up.

There are many things which drew my attention to this story. I'm always a sucker for characters working for the devil, especially if there is a shot for redemption or love--and we get opportunities for both here. I'm also a paranormal addict, though I don't read quite as much now as I did years ago. Last is the elusive, and hopefully interesting, use of a male main character in YA. That's not generally a selling point for me, but when it ties into things that are, I tend to consider it a nice bonus.

So, did The Collector convince me that I'll need to collect the rest of this series? Read on and find out.

(Summary from GoodReads)

He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Let me save those of you who plan to skim this for a verdict some trouble. If you love paranormal books, witty characters, great world building and a fascinating, unforgettable male lead, get this book now! 

The Collector is everything that I love about a good paranormal romance and then some. The world building that Victoria did for her Collectors and Liberators is both fresh and fascinating. There always seemed to be something new to discover and ponder, yet at the same time I never found myself overwhelmed, buried by an info dump, or bored. 

The idea of bad boy Collector Dante trying to corrupt the sweetly endearing Charlie started in one direction and then took off like someone on a cross country road trip. I didn't feel that I would be able to predict everything in this one, and any time I got close to thinking that, this story spun me for a total loop. 

The cast, overall, was great. I liked Charlie, although I must confess that I was kinda annoyed that she did get to change her whole appearance by the end and that while there are things that happen in the end which are sad, none are actually a consequence to the fact that she clearly did not value herself. I get it: teens don't want to be preached to, and this is a personal quirk. I'm actually not even saying it 'should' have been that way--rather, I'm saying my respect for her plummeted a little more with each new perfection she got. 

As for Dante, I mad loved this guy. And let's be real here: there are many moments in this book when, if he were a real guy, I wouldn't want to be in the same room with him. But as a book character, heck yeah he works. Here's the thing: for a character to have growth they need to start somewhere very different then where the end up. I appreciate the fact that Dante wasn't half-assed. I like the fact that I wasn't sure where he would end up in the end, or what he would do. (Nor will you get that from me.) I also thought his voice was well done. So often I feel like characters I read blend together, but Dante was wonderfully unique and a true breath of fresh air. 

i liked the way that things shifted gradually with him and Charlie and that, while the romance was great, there was so much awesome in this story all around that the romance wasn't under pressure to provide that all by its lonesome. 

If you've gotten this far, I'm pretty sure you know my verdict already. Buy it now! The Collector is a great paranormal romance. More importantly, though, I'm pretty sure it's one of the best books I've read not just this year, but during my entire time writing this blog. This is a run, don't walk, recommendation! 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository 

The Collector Is A Recipient Of...