Winner of the New Author Blog Hop Giveaway!!

Wow, that's a mouthful!

Moving on, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for stopping by on the hop! It means a lot to me that you stopped by and commented.

I'm also very grateful to Kendare Blake for taking time out of her busy schedule to do the interview with me. She's such an exciting new author and I am in love with her latest release, Anna Dressed in Blood.

So, I have picked a winner at random from my infamous ice cream bucket (Okay, I don't know why my ice cream bucket is infamous...).

Congratulations, K.M. Walton! 

You have won a $25 e-gift card to spend at the Barnes & Nobles website!

I will email you shortly to confirm your prize. If I don't hear from K.M. Walton in 48 hours then I will randomly draw another winner.

To those who missed out this time, don't worry! I will be having another giveaway shortly, so stay tuned!

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy


Errand requiring immediate attention. Come. The note was on vellum, pierced by the talon of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please,' she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came.


In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to a family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

My Review *Spoilers*

"Once upon a time, an angel and a demon fell in love. It did not end well."

I absolutely loved The Daughter of Smoke and Bone! It’s such an amazing story and Laini Taylor does her best to keep everything from the reader until the very last minute. The story is set in beautiful, beautiful, Prague, where Karou lives. Karou is not your average 17 year old; she has her quirks such as unusual eye tattoos on her palms, blue hair, a narcissistic ex (Stupid ex), an awesome best friend and an odd job where she collects teeth for Brimstone, her otherworldly guardian.

Oh, did I mention that Brimstone is some sort of demon thing called a Chimaera, and his workshop is in a place called Elsewhere which has a door that can open anywhere in the world? Very Howl’s Moving Castle - loved it. There is also another door in Brimstone’s workshop and Karou, with her healthy curiosity, is determined to find out about the secret of the door. For her unusual occupation, Karou gets paid in wishes, each holding a different level of power.

The problem with Karou is that she’s lonely and has this emptiness inside her that can’t be filled. I thought it was pretty deep for a 17 year old, but it all makes sense in the end. There is also this super-hot seraph angel guy, Akiva, who is Karou’s love interest, but there is so much more to it than that. Much, much more. When I found out why the book was called Daughter of Smoke and Bone, it gave me shivers.

What Worked: The fantasy world that Laini Taylor created is amazing, and the bits of jargon that go with it are so interesting, especially with the wishes - I loved that. I loved Karou, just loved her. She’s mysterious, but not in a brooding way. More like, you can’t stop turning the pages to find out more about her way. I loved the way the plot unravels. I loved the flashback from Madrigal’s POV and my last thought, as I shut the book, was how amazing Brimstone was.

What Didn’t Work: Towards the end of the book you start finding out a lot about Akiva and Madrigal. Maybe too much. You’re suddenly thrown into not one, but two completely different worlds, trying to figure out what on Eretz an Evorrain was. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the fantastical worlds, but maybe the sudden rush of information could have been toned down a bit.

Recommended: If you enjoy fantasy novels like Philip Pullman's, His Dark Materials trilogy. It also has a Howl's Moving Castle vibe to it.

ROW80 Update!

Oh. My. Gosh. Guys, I did it! *jumps up and down ecstatically* I managed to write 2000 words today!

But, you know what's even better?

I didn't stop at 2000. I kept going and I got to 3145. I wrote over THREE THOUSAND words today!

You know what else?

I actually enjoyed it! I didn't feel like it was a chore. I was loving my plot and my characters, and I had fun! I kept writing because I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't want to stop.

I think it's moments like these that are really important. Writing because you love to. No other reason.

Sorry for the lack of coherent post. I was actually going to post something interesting along with my ROW post but I was too darn excited.

So, here's a breakdown of my goals. You can see that I didn't have a great start to the week but Saturday and Sunday I really stepped it up.

Monday - 834
Tuesday - 198
Wednesday - 748
Thursday - 283
Friday - 0
Saturday - 1602
Sunday - 3145

Total - 6810
Catch up - 6731

My goal for the week is to write 4000 words and to catch up on the words that I'm behind on.

I hope everyone had a great week! Happy writing!

Review: Uglies

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Tally can't wait to turn sixteen and become Pretty. Sixteen is the magic number that brings a transformation from a repellent Ugly into a stunningly attractive Pretty, and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks, Tally will be there.


But Tally's new friend, Shay, isn't sure she wants to be Pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the Pretty world - and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn Pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

My Review *Spoilers*

Uglies is one of the best books I've read in recent times. What immediately grabbed me was the protagonist, Tally Youngblood. The great thing about Tally is that she's not necessarily the heroine that you might expect in a dystopian novel because Tally spends most of the book believing in the procedures put in place by the government. Sure, she's rebellious and breaks the rules, but her ideals follow the government's - she wants nothing more than to turn sixteen and have her operation to become a Pretty.

The real driving force behind the story is the customary best friend, Shay, who is the instigator of a series of events which changes Tally's perception of the operation. When Shay runs away to the Smoke, a group of people living in the wilderness, the government recruits Tally to go after Shay and find the location, and Tally goes because she wants to become Pretty. Quite selfish for a heroine, I would say.

Actually, a lot of things that Tally does are selfish but that's why I love her. Her behaviour is realistic because if you have been taught to live a certain way your entire life, you can't just change yourself because someone says so. Tally only changes when she arrives at the Smoke. There she meets David, whose ugliness she manages to get past, and there is a love triangle which I found refreshing. She begins to see the Smoke differently and has a change of heart, and that's why her transformation is believable.

What Worked: I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded. Tally wasn't the one trying to figure out a mystery, she was the one keeping the secret. I really liked the characters in this book such as Shay and David. who were both very strong and independent. The best part was Tally's realisation that being ugly wasn't as bad as she had always believed.

What Didn't Work: The book was great overall. Towards the end when Tally was trying to rescue her friends, I got a bit muddled with what was going on because there was so much action.

Recommended: If you enjoy YA Dystopians like The Hunger Games or Divergent.

Review: Anna Dressed in Blood & Giveaway

Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake
Genre - Young Adult Horror/Paranormal

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead - keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town and in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything out of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangles in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

My Review *Spoilers*

Nowadays, many Young Adult novels are dominated by female voices, so it was refreshing to have a male as the protagonist this time around. Cas Lowood is a 17-year-old ghost hunter who travels around the country banishing ghosts with a magical athame. This is a profession which he inherits from his deceased father, and it leads him to a new town where a ghost, known as Anna Dressed in Blood, has haunted the town for many years.

Enter Anna. Holy smokes, is she fantastic! I loved Cas from the beginning, but Anna just fascinated me. She was so cruel and full of rage and she ripped people apart; it was awesome! I kept wondering what made her that way and I found out, and I wished I hadn’t found out. As vengeful and scary as she is, you can’t help but feel sorry for her. The visual which Kendare Blake puts into your head of Anna in her white, bleeding dress is hard to get rid of.

The other amazing part of this novel is the imagery. For example: “Dark, purplish veins cut through her pale white skin. Her hair is shadow-less black, and it moves through the air as though suspended in water, snaking out behind and drifting like reeds. It’s the only thing about her that looks alive.” You just don’t forget descriptions like that. Kendare Blake’s writing has this way of getting into your head…and, ok, I admit it. I was a little spooked out by this whole novel.

What Worked: Many things. Cas Lowood was a great protagonist. He was strong, confident without being arrogant, and he was humorous at times which really worked amidst the horror. Anna was a great antagonist for the first half of the book, but after that she becomes someone who you pity, very much like Cas begins to. Imagery was great and the spooky bits really did freak you out. Also, the minor characters didn’t have stereotypic roles and actually added to the story, so that was great.

What Didn’t Work: I have very little to say here, but I will mention something about the ending. There seems to be this expectation that YA books need to have a romance in them, which I disagree with. I think ANNA would have been just as enjoyable without romance. Anyway, it does make things interesting for the sequel.

Recommended: If you enjoy the TV show, Supernatural, or even if you’re a Ghostbusters fan.
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This review is part of the New Author Blog Hop and giveaway, so leave a comment here for your chance to win a $25 e-gift card for Barnes & Noble.


Giveaway Requirements:


- This is an international giveaway
- You must be over 13 to enter
- You must be a follower of this blog
- You need to leave a comment with your email on this post or on the Kendare Blake interview


This giveaway is now closed.

New Author Blog Hop: Interview with Kendare Blake

I'm so excited to participate in the New Author Blog Hop co-hosted by Michelle and Saba. Go and check out their blogs to find links to other amazing giveaways!

As for me, I'll be hosting a giveaway where you can win a $25 e-gift card for Barnes & Nobles. You might even want to use it to purchase Kendare Blake's debut novel, Sleepwalk Society.You can find my review of Kendare's new release, Anna Dressed in Blood tomorrow.

Requirements for the giveaway are at the bottom of this post. Check out the interview, check out the review tomorrow, and leave a comment for Kendare!

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Please give a warm welcome to Kendare Blake!

Could you briefly tell us what ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD is about?

ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD is about a ghost-killing guy and a dead murderous girl. They meet. Blood flies. And in the midst of all the flying, dismembered limbs, the guy manages to make some real friends, and the girl manages to not tear his head off. Right away.

What inspired you to write ANNA?

I wanted to do something gory. Something ripping and gritty. I wanted to play SILENT HILL but I was too scared. It wasn't until after the book was written that I started to think of it as 'horror'.

What made you want to write a novel with a male POV, and how did you get into a teenage boy’s head so well?

The fact that people seem to think it was done well, is such a relief! I've written in men's heads before. I've got a pretty butch brain, myself. And I'd double check a lot, with dudes. As for why I wanted to write a male POV, I didn't. It's just a matter of who should tell the story. And Cas was the one to tell the story. If Anna had told it, we wouldn't have seen half as much. She's trapped in her house, after all.

In your book, Anna is something of an urban legend. Is there an urban legend you’ve heard that makes you shake in your boots (or preferred footwear)?

Always the one about the corpse stuffed into the box spring of a hotel mattress. Every time I stay in a hotel, I wonder what's dead inside the bed. And then I figure, "well, it's dead, and I'm tired. It won't care if I sleep on it."

ANNA is definitely in my Top 5 best book covers of the year. What was your first thought when you saw it?

Mmm....I can't exactly remember, but it was probably something like, "Oh, holy crap. Holy crap crap. Holy, holy crap." The art department, the artist, and my editor did a great job coming up with that. I'm glad you like it! I think it's pretty darned pretty. (And if I'm honest, the real words out of my mouth when I first saw it were probably lots and lots of swear words. Happy, happy swear words.)

What was your publishing journey like?

Long. I've been writing now for over a decade, studying in a master's program, churning out short stories. My first novel, SLEEPWALK SOCIETY was a small, indie press book. I sold it right before I started writing ANNA. But since then, everything's been fantastic. I lucked out with a great bunch of people, from my small press publisher to my editor, Mel Frain, at Tor, and my agent, Adriann Ranta at Wolf Literary. Of course, the publishing journey can never really be talked about in the past tense. Unless you just give up and quit. So who knows what lies ahead?

Personally, I am a huge fan of horror movies. Do you enjoy them too, and what are your favourites?

I do enjoy them! But I enjoy them best when I'm watching them with someone who is a huge chicken. I really liked INSIDIOUS this past year. I love the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, even though they're not scary. Hopefully they come out with something else soon that's wicked creepy. I still haven't seen the Paranormal Activity movies. I don't know. They don't seem like my cup of tea.

I procrastinate a lot during the writing process. Do you also procrastinate or are you very motivated when you write?

I procrastinate right at the start. Before I start a book, I'll do just about anything else that could possibly need doing. But once I start, it's on. I'll write straight through (with only minimal procrastinating) until the end.

What are your three favourite books of all time?

Oh, that's a hard question. I mean, there are books that are my favorite to read over and over, and then there are books I've read once that still resonate. There are guilty pleasures, and books I admire. And you want me to name the three favorites of ALL TIME? Impossible. So I'll just name a bunch.

HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy by Philip Pullman. THE MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley. THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES by Anne Rice. STEPHEN KING stuff, by Stephen King. 20th CENTURY GHOSTS by Joe Hill. JANE EYRE, by you know who. AMERICAN PSYCHO by Bret Easton Ellis. THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING by Milan Kundera. Holly Black.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Read! Read the writers that you love and find new ones. Think about the stories you enjoy and why you enjoy them. Notice how writers you love handle certain things, like the passage of time, or revealing back story. Read, read, read. And then, write, write, write.

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Thanks so much for having me on the blog! Cheers, Kendare.

To find out more about Kendare, visit her on the links below:

http://kendareblake.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4086715.Kendare_Blake

http://twitter.com/#!/KendareBlake

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000419817410

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Requirements for the giveaway:

- This is an international giveaway

- You must be over 13 to participate

- You must be a follower of this blog

- You need to leave a comment and your email address so I can get in touch with you.

The winner will be picked at random and will be announced on December 1. Don't forget to check out all the other blogs in the hop!

What Kind of Journey Are Your Characters On?

Yesterday, I cleaned up my spare room because I didn't have enough space for all my books. I bought two new bookshelves and basically had to reorganise the entire room. While I was digging away in a box, as I do, I found some notes from a few years ago when I went to a university lecture on Shakespeare's, The Tempest. As I read over them, I thought that it had some great advice regarding plot and character.

For your benefit, here are a few things that stood out to me:

1. There are different "journeys" that your character can take in your story.
- Physical Displacement - Going somewhere strange and destabilising
- Personal or Moral Growth - People benefiting and understanding how their life could be better, and improving themselves as a result.
- Circular Journey - The sense that all one does in life is about understanding oneself.

2. Characters
- It is important to know who the central character is and what is important to them.
- The central character must have their world disturbed.
- The antagonist should be pulling against the central idea and the struggle strengthens the main idea.

3. Audience
 - The reader must suspend their belief in order to go on a journey. The premise must be believable and engaging. The reader should have gained something as a result.
- Universal themes are appealing (love, relationships, friendship, etc).
- Using contemporary themes makes your story more relatable.

My story falls into the personal growth category. My MC, not to mention several other characters, goes through experiences which make a change in her life. She grows as a person, and this affects a lot of people around her.

Do you know what kind of journey your characters are on?

New ROW80 Goals and Spring Cleaning!

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a productive week! I managed to get a lot done this week not only in my writing world, but also in the real world too. There was a lot of spring cleaning and I finally managed to organise my books better. I'm so happy with my new bookshelves! I go into my study just to sit and stare at them, which is a little creepy, but you will understand why I'm so obsessed with them in a second.

Aren't they amazing! I put all my books in alphabetical order, because I'm weird like that. My books didn't all fit, so I have to get another shelf but...I'm in love!

Now, onto ROW80. I changed my goals mid-week because I'm nearing the end of my story - I'm so close, I can taste it! I'm aiming to write about 4000 words a week now, and the reason for this is because I want to spend more time working out the end of my story, and I want to spend more time reading. I'm an avid reader and I've been reading less and less as I write more and more.

Another new goal I have is to write 2000 words in one day. Those of you who follow my blog, know that I've been trying to do this for the last two weeks. Will this be my week...? We'll just have to wait and see.

Also, well done to fellow ROWer, Marji Laine for finishing her WIP! She wrote an insane amount this week and really worked hard to finish her first draft. Great job!

This week, I achieved my 4000 words, so I'm really happy about that. Here are a breakdown of my words, for those interested:

Monday - 1257

Tuesday - 617

Wednesday - 0

Thursday - 393

Friday - 0

Saturday - 305

Sunday - 1564

Total - 4136

Catch up - 9541

I also did a post on character journeys and the such. You can find it here.

Hope everyone had a productive week! How are all the NaNo participants going?

Review: Divergent

Divergent - Veronica Roth
Review - Young Adult Dystopian

When sixteen-year-old Tris makes her choice, she cannot forsee how drastically her life will change, or that the perfect society in which she lives is about to unfold into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected romance.

My Review *Spoilers*

I love dystopian novels but I've read a lot more Adult ones than I have YA so I was very excited about picking this one up. I really did enjoy the book and it was very easy to dive into as we are introduced to Beatrice's world. We find that she lives in a society where, at the age of sixteen, you are able to choose which Faction you want to spend the rest of your life in. The five factions each value a particular trait; Dauntless (bravery), Erudite (knowledge), Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness) and Amity (kindness).

With Beatrice's choice comes the dangerous knowledge that she is divergent. She is not sure what it means; only that she must keep it a secret from everyone, including those close to her. After Beatrice makes her choice, her life changes drastically in her new faction, and she discovers that if she is not one of the top initiates after a series of trials, she will become factionless - something she fears. Then she meets Four, a mysterious member of the faction, who becomes her mentor and someone she can't help but fall for. But Four knows something about her and she is determined to find out what that is.

What Worked: I really enjoyed reading about the trials that Beatrice endured, and how she becomes stronger because of it. She goes through an incredible transformation in the book and is very different to how she started out. I loved Four! He was so kind, yet strong, and it was impossible not to like him. The mystery behind being divergent was intriguing. I was reading so quickly because I wanted to get to the end and find out what it all meant.

What Didn't Work: The idea for Beatrice's world is interesting but you don't find out a lot about it in the book. You don't learn much about what being divergent means either, so they were two things that needed more developing. I wanted to know more about how and why the world was like this, and how the people became this way. Upon the introduction of Four, I immediately knew who he really was. I spent the remainder of the book hoping I was wrong, just so there would be an element of surprise. The climax was too short and happened too quickly. There needed to be more of a build up to it.

Recommended: If you enjoy YA Dystopian, like Uglies or The Hunger Games.


What are your thoughts on Divergent?

New Blog Schedule and a New Author Blog Hop!

I have decided to shake up my blogging schedule a bit. Apart from my routine Sunday ROW posts (because ROW is awesome) I will now be catching up on all the books that I have read but failed to review. My plan is to post at least one book review a week, either on Wednesdays or Thursdays.

Upcoming reviews:

DIVERGENT - Veronica Roth

UGLIES - Scott Westerfeld

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE - Laini Taylor

ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD - Kendare Blake

I will also try and do more author interviews because authors are awesome!

My equally awesome friend, Michelle, over at Oh! For the LOVE of BOOKS! is co-hosting a New Author Blog Hop. If you are an author who would like to promote your book, or if you are a reader who has recently read a great book that you would like to feature on your blog, then what are you waiting for? Head on over there and sign up!

Michelle, a few other bloggers, and I are in the middle of something exciting. Stay tuned!

Live Blog! Read about me doing exciting things like waking up, sitting and blinking

Hey everyone! I borrowed the idea from Amber who did this over on her blog last week. Apart from being very entertaining, I thought it would also help me figure out why I don't write more during the day. Like almost everything I do, I didn't think this through very well, so this isn't really an average day for me...(or maybe it is since I have so many days like this now?)

Amber wrote an amazing 7200 words when she did this but I'm not so  ambitious. I want to get 2000 done at the least. I need to hit my goals for ROW80 this week!

6:50 am: Woke up before the alarm went off (which is a huge feat considering I only had 5 hours sleep). Groan about going to work, then realise I don't work anymore. Roll over to continue sleeping, then suddenly remember I have an early doctor's appointment.

7:20 am: Still putting off getting out of bed. Finally head to the bathroom to have a shower, barely registering what is going on.

7:50 am: Pour myself a bowl of cereal, then remember I have to get a blood test done after the seeing the doctor which requires me to fast. I'm so hungry!

7:57 am: Attend to my three dogs and three cats. They're all so cute!

8:48 am: Left home. On my way to the doctor now. Guess I'll have to start writing when I get back.

0/2000 words


11:07 am: Spent an hour and a half talking with the doctor. Minus $300. Went and got my blood test done.

12:20 pm: Stopped for lunch. Subway = yum! Now it's shopping time!

1:07 pm: The copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone which I ordered finally came in at the bookstore so I picked that up. So excited to read it, but disappointed that it's not the awesome US cover.

2:53 pm: Shopping was exhausting. It's SO hot today! My house is so nice and cool *sigh of relief*

3:24 pm: Ok, ok, I'm going to write now! I still have so many words to do!

0/2000 words


3:43 pm: Became distracted by my fiance playing God of War (which I love!). Helped him kick some Minotaur butt.

4:26 pm: Went back to writing, feeling satisfied that I figured out the mystery of the Rings of Pandora while my fiance tried to deny my involvement in this achievement.

4:50 pm: Once again, my fiance requires my assistance in figuring out a puzzle in God of War. I happily oblige on the condition that I if I figure out the puzzle, I will be given credit for it. And a candy bar. I want a candy bar. He grudgingly accepts.

5:15 pm: Mystery solved and Aphrodite has her necklace. Oh, how I roll my eyes at the inaccurate interpretation of Greek mythology in this video game series, but I still love it! Back to writing!

178/2000 words


6:00 pm: It's six on the dot and time for my daily exercise and walkies for the dogs. Off to the park, be back in an hour or so!

7:18 pm: Home again! It's dinner time for all the animals!

7:49 pm: Back to writing I go. I'm a quarter of the way there! I want to have over 1000 words in an hour before dinner. Update then!

580/2000 words


9:07 pm: So, I've done 1200 words now! Yay! I actually can write a lot in an hour. I need to do this a lot more. I'm somewhat hungry now, so it's dinner time. 800 more and I'll hit my goal for the day, but I'm so tired, I just want to veg out in front of the TV. Stay tuned...

1200/2000 words


10:07 pm: ....And I am done for the day. I'm off to bed for an early night's sleep. Yes, I consider this early. I didn't get the 2000 words done, but I went over my 770 word goal for ROW so I'm happy about that. I don't think I can ever write 2000 words in one day, but I'm going to try again...maybe tomorrow?

Is it weird that I'm head banging to a Britney Spears song as I write this?

Er hem...*clears throat*

In somewhat keeping to the theme of this blog post, I have a question for all the writers. Does music help you write? Does it give you ideas, or inspire you? Do you listen to music as you write, or do you listen to music prior to writing scenes? Please share!

Personally, I tend to get distracted if there's music on while I'm writing but I do have a playlist of songs that I like to listen to while I'm outlining or plotting scenes. What I love the most about music is if I can find something in particular that really goes with the tone of my story...I get very excited and this is when I get great ideas.

(Song changes to E.T. by Katy Perry. Gosh, what's up with my shuffle today? Ok, so maybe I secretly have a crush on this song. Yes, I have crushes on songs)

This week I managed to write 2950 words which is alright, but I really need to step it up and focus on hitting my goals each week. My word debt is building up....eek!

How did everyone else go this week?

Story Teaser and Check In

The smell of rotting fish and eggs filled my nostrils. Something damp and sticky clung to my arms and legs as I pushed through the piles of mounted junk. After thirty minutes of enduring the stench of decaying sardines I was kind of starting to hope that some kind soul out there had thrown out a bottle of perfume. Or at least cheese. I liked cheese. But that wasn’t what I wanted - it wasn't what I had risked everything for. I was here for one thing, the one thing that could save my life.

*Blushes* That's the first paragraph of chapter one of my WIP, Runaway Mortal. This is my first draft guys so it's horrible, messy and needs lot of fixing up but I'm putting it out there to get some feedback. Last week, I used a quote by Tolstoy to illustrate the importance of placing your character in a position that makes your reader want to know more. Go check out the post here. Be brave, guys, post a teaser from the first chapter of your WIP to get some feedback. It can be one sentence or one paragraph and doesn't have to be polished.

Now, onto my accomplishments for this week. I wrote 1836 words this week and didn't reach my goals but it was a hectic week for me so I'm not going to give myself a hard time about it. This was my final week at work  as I have decided to focus on getting my health back on track. Work was sort of adding to all the stress and I decided this was the best decision for me in the long run. I still have school though, but that finishes up in a month so I will have the summer to focus on my writing.

I hope everyone else did well with their goals this week! Don't forget to post or link your teaser in the comments. :)