Category: books

Minutes Before Sunset, by Shannon A Thompson

(Shannon A Thompson, AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc)

Shannon A. Thompson is an Indie author who has published poetry, short fiction, and young adult novels. She is currently working on her A Timely Death trilogy. The first book, Minutes Before Sunset, won a Goodreads award for Book of the Month. Ms Thompson also pens a popular blog giving tips and advice to fellow writers.

Eric Welborn is a typical teenager in some ways—angst, family drama, wanting to do his own thing—but that’s where he and “typical” end. He lives as a human during the day, but he has another, secret, life as well. For Eric is also a shade, the first descendant of the Dark, destined to do battle for his people when he turns eighteen. But Eric isn’t sure just how true everything he’s been told about the Prophecy is, and his frustration makes him do things he really shouldn’t.

Like ditch his guard and wander off on his own, where the Light, ancient enemies of his people, could sense him and destroy him before the Prophecy could be fulfilled. Eric meets a nameless shade who knows nothing about their people—or their world. As he teaches her, he realizes she’s far more powerful than she should be. Which means everything he’s thought was true for his entire life is a lie. Now Eric doesn’t know what to believe, or who to turn to. He just knows the nameless shade is the only one he feels he can trust.

Minutes Before Sunset is a fast-paced, well-written read that will appeal to fans of fantasy, as well as young adult readers. Ms Thompson has created an intriguing setting that is not your typical fantasy fare, with two separate worlds—the “real” world of high school and prom, and the world of Prophecy and Light and Dark. She brings both of these worlds to life, and her characters struggle with their lives in both worlds. Not only is the setting riveting and unique, but the characters are compelling, a combination sure to transport the reader to this magical world. The second novel in the A Timely Death trilogy, Seconds Before Sunrise, releases March 27^th.

Prince of Shadows: not your mom’s Romeo and Juliet!

Rachel Caine has written several popular urban fantasy series (the Weather Warden, Outcast Season, Red Letter Days, Revivalist), as well as young adult (the Morganville Vampires). Ms Caine lives in Fort Worth, TX, and will be attending the DFW Writer’s Conference on May 3^rd and 4^th. Her newest novel is Prince of Shadows: A Novel of Romeo and Juliet.

The Capulets and Montagues live for one reason: power. They don’t care how they get it or who they have to kill. Their children aren’t people, they’re pawns in a game of chess to be used to cement alliances and show prestige. What they want doesn’t matter. Only the family matters.

Benvolio Montague knows how little value his family—especially his domineering grandmother—places on him. His job is to protect the family’s honor, do as he’s told, and keep his cousin Romeo safe. During the day, Benvolio follows the rules. But at night, he roams Verona as the Prince of Shadows, stealing from his enemies and doing as he pleases, sometimes with his friend Mercutio at his side. But one night, the Prince of Shadows encounters Rosaline Capulet, destined for a convent, and everything changes. Rosaline isn’t like anyone Benvolio has ever met, and he and the girl who wants more than her family has given her forge a connection.

Mercutio hides a dark secret as well, a secret that will forever haunt both families. Benvolio’s job is to keep Romeo—the family heir—safe, and prevent him from doing anything foolish. Safety is one thing. But when Romeo’s rash actions embroil the Montagues in a bitter clash with the Capulets, only the Prince of Shadows can keep tragedy from destroying both families.

Prince of Shadows follows Shakespeare’s storyline, but focuses on Benvolio, Mercutio, and Rosaline. The ill-fated Romeo and Juliet are minor characters at best. Ms Caine brings fair Verona to life, and the lives of the Montagues and Capulets as well. She uses Shakespeare’s famous lines, interspersed with more natural dialogue, to incorporate the play into her storyline. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, but Prince of Shadows explores the behind-the-scenes action, delving into the secrets in the shadows, and exploring the darkness there. This is not your mother’s Romeo and Juliet!

The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, by Jenny Han

With the flurry of madness surrounding the holidays over, the next big thing to look forward to is summer. Summer: warm weather, lazy days, sunshine, summer love. Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy includes The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You, and We’ll Always Have Summer.

For Belly, summer means Cousins Beach. Every summer for her whole life, her family has spent summers there with the Fisher family, Conrad and Jeremiah.. But this year will be different. Belly just knows it. She’s finally grown up now, and Conrad will finally notice her. She’s been in love with Conrad her whole life, but he has always treated her as a little sister. This year, everything will change.

And things do change. Now Belly has what she always wanted: a relationship with Conrad. At first, it’s everything she always dreamt it would be. But Conrad starts pulling away, and the pain is more than Belly could have ever imagined. Now all she wants is to put Conrad behind her. When Jeremiah calls to tell her that Conrad has disappeared, Belly has to decide if she’ll let him go forever, or help Jeremiah find his brother.

Belly has put Conrad behind her. She’s been with Jeremiah for two years now, and everything is great. When they decide to get married, Belly’s happiness is complete. Or almost. Because as the fateful day draws nearer, she realizes things are still unresolved between her and Conrad, and she realizes that no matter which one of the Fisher boys she chooses, she’ll have to break one of their hearts.

The Dream Thief, by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is the best-selling author of the Shiver trilogy—about werewolves—the Books of Faerie—about homicidal faeries—the Scorpio Races—about an aquatic death race. Her new series, The Raven Boys, is about a group of teenagers on a quest to find a lost legend. The second book in the series, The Dream Thief, hits shelves this month.

Although the magical forest of Cabeswater and its ley lines have been woken, the group’s quest to find legendary Welsh king Glendower has not ended. Gansey’s obsession with the vanished king has not abated; it has only grown more intense. But the search has faltered with the disappearance of Cabeswater. The forest’s disappearance is not the only stumbling block the group faces. Noah, whose appearance depends on the very ley lines themselves, fades in and out of the group without his control. Ronan’s dreams have their claws firmly enmeshed in his reality. Dreaming objects into reality is one thing, but bringing monsters with him is something else. And Blue, daughter of the town psychic, is caught between her feelings, and the prophecy that says if she ever kisses her true love, he will die.

There is a Grey Man in town, on the hunt for the Greywaren; an object that allows its user to take objects from their dreams. The Grey Man, taking orders from his mysterious employer, isn’t the only one looking for the Greywaren. There are other strangers in town, even more dangerous than the Grey Man.

With a dark, atmospheric tone, The Dream Thief takes the mystery of Cabeswater and The Raven Boys down an even darker, more twisted path. Secrets are revealed, mysteries deepen, and hearts are broken in this second book in the series.

(Galley provided by scholastic via NetGalley)

Julie Kagawa’s “The Eternity Cure”

Julie Kagawa, best-selling author of The Iron Fey series, has a new book out in her The Blood of Eden series, The Eternity Cure. Set in a dystopian future where a deadly virus has destroyed most of the population, human beings are now reduced to scavengers…and to nothing more than food for vampires.

Allison Sekemoto has lost everything she cared about. Her friends. Her humanity. Her love. But she still has a chance to get one thing back: her creator, Kanin, kidnapped by the Psycho Vamp who almost destroyed her once. Following the call of blood, Allie follows Kanin’s trail and finds more than she ever bargained for.

Forced to work with an old enemy—and someone she never thought she’d see again—she races to rescue Kanin in an effort to find a cure for the disease that will wipe out all life on earth if they can’t stop it. A psychotic vampire, a vindictive Prince, and heat-wrenching betrayal aren’t enough to deter Allie, but will a more devastating loss finally destroy her?

The dystopian world of New Covington is darker and more dangerous this time around. Allie is stronger, but she’s struggling to hang on to her humanity—and her hope. The Eternity Cure takes the reader from the pinnacles of hope to the very depths of despair, on the roller-coaster ride to save earth from complete destruction.
(Galley provided by Harlequin Teen via NetGalley)

The (Changing) Habits of Readers

Okay, I admit it. I love to read fiction. Especially fantasy. Bonus enjoyability points if it’s YA fantasy. I’ve read predominantly fantasy for years now, with a few forays out into mysteries, forensic thrillers, and humor (Stephanie Plum, anyone?). I normally read several books at a time, with one “main” book that I pick up whenever I have a spare moment. Normally, these are all fiction.

But lately, my TBR pile has moved into uncharted territory for me: non-fiction. Exclusively non-fiction. What? That’s what I thought, too. Now, instead of the latest fantasy gem to catch my eye, I’m reading–and eagerly awaiting reading–books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Pandora’s Seed, and The First Human. Granted, The First Human is reading for my anthropology class, but I’m really enjoying it and am finding it quite interesting. Pandora’s Seed also started off as reading for my evolution and ecology class–last semester–but it’s pretty interesting as well, and ties into my latest personal research into environmental issues. The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food are both about topics that I find very relevant of late, as I focus more on my health and eating healthier in general. Both gave me a lot of–excuse the pun–food for thought, and gave me more focus on how I spend my food dollars, and the statement I want to make with them.

I’ve also been doing more spirit-based reading, including The Blessed Life, by Pastor Robert Morris (pastor at my church, Gateway Church, and a phenomenally gifted speaker). Up next are the Divine Revelation books, and some more spirit-based reading.

Basically, I’ve found that my reading habits have changed lately, more closely tying in to the personal growth areas I’m working on. Instead of reading for sheer entertainment, now I seem to be drawn to books that will help me grow.

Does anyone else find that their reading habits change over time, or in certain situations?

The Habits of Readers

What makes you want to read a book? For me, there’s one sure way to guarantee I’ll read a book: if it’s by an author I’ve read and enjoyed before. That’s a safe bet. But for a new (or new-to-me) author, what’s a good way to get me to pick up the book–and then make an even bigger investment of time and money–and buy it?

The cover of the book is one way. It’s hard to place too much importance on the book cover. Honestly, I can’t even tell you the number of book covers that have intrigued me enough to actually buy the book. Here are three book covers that intrigued me enough to buy the book:

There aren’t really any common elements between. They are all just really well-done covers. If it catches my eye on a bookshelf, at the very least I’ll pick it up, flip it over, and read the back cover copy.

Cover copy is another way to attract readers. Last week, I saw the blurb for Coleen Patrick’s new book Come Back to Me:

Whitney Denison can’t wait to start over.

She thought she had everything under control, that her future would always include her best friend Katie… Until everything changed.

Now her life in Bloom is one big morning-after hangover, filled with regret, grief, and tiny pinpricks of reminders that she was once happy. A happy she ruined. A happy she can’t fix.

So, she is counting down the days until she leaves home for Colson University, cramming her summer with busywork she didn’t finish her senior year, and taking on new hobbies that involve glue and glitter, and dodging anyone who reminds her of her old life.

When she runs into the stranger who drove her home on graduation night, after she’d passed out next to a ditch, she feels herself sinking again. The key to surviving the summer in Bloom is unraveling whatever good memories she can from that night.

But in searching for answers, she’ll have to ask for help and that means turning to Evan, the stranger, and Kyle, Katie’s ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, life flips again, and Whitney finds herself on not only the precipice of happy but love, too, causing her to question whether she can trust her feelings, or if she is falling into her old patterns of extremes.

As she uncovers the truth about her memories, Whitney sees that life isn’t all or nothing, and that happy isn’t something to wait for, that instead, happy might just be a choice.

I was so intrigued by the description of the book, I clicked on the link and bought it immediately (Great read, btw!) Again, there’s no list of ingredients for how to write great cover copy, but using active descriptions instead of boring passive-voice is a must, as is giving the reader just enough details to whet their appetite (and have them chasing the carrot).

A great title is also a way to get me to commit to a book. Gena Showalter’s Alice in Zombieland is a fantastic example of this. I would have bought this for the title alone (even without the great cover and fantastic cover copy). As a writer, coming up with the perfect title is something I tend to obsess about, so I love to check out other authors’ titles, hoping to find something that will give my own Muse a nudge in the right direction.

What about you? What gets you reading?

Re-thinking this whole writing thing

…okay, not really re-thinking. Let’s just say I’m going to try something new (or, actually, old). Confused yet? Let me explain. Have you heard of Holly Lisle? If you haven’t, well, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. Holly is a rarity: a mid-list author who actually makes a living with her writing. She’s smart, she’s a great writer, she knows what she’s doing, and, more importantly, she’s really big on paying it forward (she did start Forward Motion, after all). She spends a lot of her time helping her fellow writers out. To that end, she has created lots of helpful things, from the smaller workshops like How to Create a Language, How to Create a Character, How to Write Page-Turning Scenes…and she has also created huge, incredibly detailed classes Like How To Revise Your Novel and How To Think Sideways.

I was in the original HTTS class, as well as the original HTRYN class, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much difference these two classes made in my writing. The way Holly thinks, the way she breaks things down using plain language, worksheets, examples…well, it got me thinking in ways I’d never thought before (which was the point, right?). Since I don’t have much done on The Fall–in reality, I have only a handful of pages written, basically no pre-work, and haven’t touched it in weeks–I’ve decided that I’m going to take it through HTTS. I know the end result will be much closer to the story I have in my head, much more true to the vision I can see for the story. It will just be better. Yeah, it’ll be a lot of work and it will take me a while, but in the end, it’ll be worth it.

I’m a huge fan of Holly’s writing in general, and I know her courses can really get results–if you’re willing to do the work. I am. I haven’t been published, but I’ve gotten some partial manuscript requests because of her courses, and I want to give everything I can to The Fall. I’ve also decided to become one of Holly’s affiliates. I do believe whole-heartedly in her methods, her teaching, and her results, and if you have any interest in checking it out for yourself, go here. If you aren’t a writer, but you’d like to read a great book, you can check those out as well.

All Our Foolish Schemes, by Raymond Esposito

“All Our Foolish Schemes,” the second book in Raymond Esposito’s The Creepers saga, is available now. Once again, Mr. Esposito’s writing evokes echoes of Stephen King and Richard Matheson, in this tale of a world gone mad.

A devastating virus has swept the world, changing most of humanity into mindless, ravening monsters in a matter of days, sometimes hours. Even the government’s “extreme measures” could not contain this horrific virus, and the world changed to a terror-filled nightmare overnight. Too bad the zombies aren’t the only horrors the survivors have to face.

Though the group made it out of Fort New Hope, they still aren’t safe. With some of them wounded—and changed more than they know—they are now in a desperate race to stay ahead of Connor, and his pack of undead monsters. There is no doubt the Creepers are changing, evolving into something even more horrific, and they face tough choices and insurmountable obstacles in their battle to reach a safe haven. But not all of them will make it out alive.

With more page-turning action and vibrant characters, “All Our Foolish Schemes” carries on the story of The Creepers saga. Amidst a dark and desperate world, the characters readers have come to know and love fight for their very existence while trying to stay true to each other.

‘You and Me, Against the World,’ by Raymond Esposito

You and Me, Against the World is the first volume in The Creepers saga, by Raymond Esposito. Mr. Esposito is a long-time fan of Stephen King and Richard Matheson, and has written many short horror stories. You and Me, Against the World is his first novel.

Dr. Russell Thorn is thrust into this new world without warning, and the Creepers ,as the zombie-like victims of the virus are called, lay siege to his home, as he searches desperately for escape amidst the chilling revelation that the Creepers are changing…growing more intelligent. Dr. Thorn’s rescue by a group of young survivors starts him on a desperate quest to find the last safe place on earth. But the evolving Creepers are not the only thing standing in the path of safety.

You and Me, Against the World is a chilling tale that zombie fans will love. The action starts on the first page and never lets up. The story is filled with non-stop twists as the group of survivors battles the Creepers and dangers they never imagined in a thrill-packed, blood-chilling adventure.

This book had me up half the night reading it. I literally could not put it down! I read a lot of zombie stories–I’ve even written a couple myself–but I loved the unique twist the author puts on his “zombies.” Not to mention how quickly the virus spreads. And the cats…(shudder)…the cats really creeped me out. I found myself watching my own cats a little more closely. You should DEFINITELY read this!

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