Buccaneer Blogfest: July 30 SOCIAL MEDIA

My thoughts on social media, ye lilly-livered scallewags!

...

Well, it’s taken me a long time to even figure it out, actually.

Here’s the first thing anyone should know about it... It takes WORK. Indeed, it’s not just something you set up and let it do as it will. It doesn’t work that way, sadly! You don’t just build up a blog and all of a sudden people flood to it. Hehe, as amazing as that would be.

Social media takes a lot of time and a lot of work. But, in the end, it can be worth it. When I first started blogging, I had a hell of a time with it. I was boring, I thought the whole thing was boring... But then I met a bunch of people, including several from this exact bloghop, who have made it SO worthwhile. It’s so much fun to post things and see people’s feedback, as well as to go around the blogging seas and see what they think of the same topic.

People share their thoughts and true selves on the internet because they don’t have to worry about being embarrassed by people they know. Some people do feel apprehensive about telling who they are, but that’s okay. It depends on the person.

One of my hardest quirks about social media is that I have a hard time forcing myself to go sailing around and looking at everyone else’s posts. One, because my laptop is SO OH-MY-GOD SLOW at loading other people’s blogs. Two, because I’m a naturally selfish person... I like things to pertain to me. Yes, the dirtiest truth you’ll ever know about me, but I just pride myself on being able to admit it. I struggle with it, but social networking might help remedy that!

... *Goes to the corner of shame* Please forget you know that dirty truth. ):

Okay... Onward!

Social media is a place where you can connect with people all over the world who have the same interests as you, who want to help you, and who will be willing to hang with you throughout the hardest part of the storm. They may not be there in real life, but they are still friends. As I do with my friends on my writing website, we pretty much have tea parties together. (:

If you’re willing to put in the effort, social media can be an amazing and fun thing. If you get into it expecting it to be easy-peasy, think again. I’m learning this truth, and seeking out how to understand it fully and take advantage of it. I’m doing so successfully so far, and I sincerely hope others who have been in the same situation as I find out the truth as well. (:

Buccaneer Blogfest: July 27 BOOK RECOMMENDATION

This seemed like an obvious choice to me with how much I’ve ranted about it on here, so I’ll give a little more in depth detail as to why I love the book so much...mateys... Arrrgh I’m losing me piratey accent. I’m gonna have to walk the plank!! D:

Here’s a little summary of The Book Thief from MY perspective:

A young girl named Liesel Meminger’s life is changed forever the day her brother dies. Her mother drops her off at a couple’s home on a street called Himmel (also “Heaven”). This girl, trapped in the rising and falling world of Nazi Germany, must question who and what she values the most when a Jew comes into her family’s household seeking shelter. The Book Thief follows her story as well as those of others, all who will fight for a place in your heart.

Liesel is only nine when The Book Thief begins, but she’s fourteen by the book’s end. It’s sort of like a coming-of-age story, but in a way it’s also not. It just follows how she matures and how she deals with everything thrown her way, and how she escapes the horrors of everyday Nazi Germany life with words.

Here’s a basic list of why I love the book:

1.       Her escape through words is really inspirational.

2.       The friendship she forms with such a big variety of people is also inspirational.

3.       The symbolisms of several different things in the book are breathtaking.

4.       Markus Zusak’s writing style is different, using a lot of metaphors and choppy sentencing, and the book has a voice unlike that of I’ve ever read. It’s fantastic, but I’ll understand that some people have trouble not liking it as much. I just think it’s fantastic though, very enthralling.

There is an enormous cast of characters and the author keeps you interested in all of their stories, keeps them all balanced. It’s hard to get confused at any point in this book, as everything is explained bluntly.

The book does have a lot of historical references that you DON’T HAVE TO KNOW, as they’re only a small part of the book. I think they’re just little phrasing structures so that people who like to know where they are, well, know where they are. It was interesting knowing what was going on when I learned about World War II in my US History class last year, but it’s not required. (Another awesome point!)

Hm... I think those are some clear enough reasons, so I’ll halt there. I’m so sorry this post is late! I had my birthday last weekend, so I lost track of time and completely forgot to do any blog posting. Catching up now! Thanks for checking in and staying with me, mateys. Off to check out your own ports soon enough and what wares you have on display!

Me Fave'rit Authors!

This is my definition of favorite authors: Authors who, when I finish the books, I think about the books for days on end. When I see a book by them at the bookstore, I grab it and plan to buy it without hesitation, hardback or paperback. They are authors that I admire and aspire to match, authors who I would give a limb to meet. I own every one of their books that I see on the shelves, and I never pass up a chance to reread them.

So when I considered putting J.K. Rowling on this list, she didn’t meet the criteria. She has so many other books aside from the Harry Potter books out, but I am not interested in any of them.

I considered putting Suzanne Collins on the list, but really, I didn’t care for Mockingjay. I’m waiting for the books to come out in paperback, no matter how long it takes. If I loved her more, I wouldn’t wait.

So that leaves me with Julie Kagawa and Markus Zusak.

I read The Book Thief when I turned fifteen, and I was just...in...LOVE. I cried, I laughed, I rejoiced, I did everything Zusak tried to induce in the book.

I read The Iron Fey saga back in February of last year and I’ve read all of the books four times since. The characters, the fantastical settings, the magical world, the flawless plot. Everything!

The worlds that these two authors create are exceptional, flowing, and magical. The skill these two possess is phenomenal, and that is all I have to say about it. I love them, and that’s what this post is about. Zusak and Kagawa to write foreverrr!

The Booker Award!!

Okay, first off: THANK YOU, MINA!! Please go check out her curiously dark and entrancing blog, called SOME DARK ROMANTIC. She's a super nice and funny person! (:

"The Booker Award goes to "...those who refuse to live in the real world." (*Raises hand*) To receive this award, the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing is OK). Along with receiving this award, you must also share your top five favorite books. (More than five is OK.) You must give this award to 5-10 other lucky book blogs you adore."

Oh my gosh, I have so many people to give these awards to now. <3 But first, let's get the books out of the way, shall we? (:

THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak. The plot, the characters, the setting, just everything about this book makes my jaw drop down to China. The first time I read this book I was just overwhelmed by the beauty the protagonist makes out of her life in Nazi Germany, and the horrors from which she emerges so succeedingly. This book is one that made me rethink everything I knew about Nazi Germany, and it is one that I will keep forever and read time and time again.

WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS by Wilson Rawls. I first read this book when I was eight, and I have loved it ever since. For the first few years when I never really understood everything in it up to today, I have loved this book. I bought it at a bookstore and read it so much that pages were falling out. I finally got a new copy, which I am pretty much in the process of wearing down as well. The characters and the plot of this are just as inspiring as The Book Thief, just in a different way.

REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly. This is a much more wry read than the first two, but still just as heartfelt. This book deals with more loss than you could imagine, but succeeds in a shooting star of glory. The protagonist is a bit angsty, but you grow to love her as the story continues, and even if you do grow a bit agitated, trust me. The climax of the book is so. Worth. It. Also, the French Revolution. XD

A VOICE IN THE WIND by Francine Rivers. See, I'm not usually a religious reader (Even though I am religious). But someone I knew recommended this to me when I was talking about reading books from Roman/Greek days, and when I read this, the profound feelings of the book and the scenery, as well as the spiral into corruption that a majority of the characters face... Ahh, my heart. You love everyone in this book, no matter what.

THE IRON FEY by Julie Kagawa. (Okay, I cheated and put four in one. So sue me!) Julie Kagawa is, as I said in my previous post, one of my favorite authors. These books face the light, the dark, the gray, and the unseen and unacknowledged of our world. It makes us realize how our everday decisions affect the lives of those who we consider unreal. But you know what? They are real. I actually do believe that. And Julie Kagawa puts those beliefs into a series of books—you know what? I. Am. SOLD!

Now for the bloggers who get to have this awesome award as well. (:

SC WRITER
KELA McCLELLAND
UTSAV AND BRIGHTON
CATERINA TORRES
KRYSTEN HILL
JUHI FRAGRANT
DANIELLE EVERONWORD
CONNIE MICHAEL (aka Loco for Libros)
DL HAMMONS

I think I'm gonna call it there. (: CONGRATULATIONS!!

Buccanneer Blogfest Week 3: What the Captain's Reading!

Last three books I’ve read? Arrrgh, if you wish, mateys!

INHERITANCE BY CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI

ZOMBIE WHISPERER BY CATERINA TORRES

INSURGENT BY VERONICA ROTH

INHERITANCE was a great, delectable book you should savor while you read. Yesss, it’s incredibly long... That’s about the only downside though. That’s IT. (Aside from the 100 page resolution.) The story is written wonderfully and the characters are all as fun as ever. There are NO loose ends left after the book is complete, and though a lot of people I’ve spoken to about it hated the ending, I found it satisfactory. It accomplished what needed to be accomplished. What I like most about it is that it’s the end of a series that DOESN’T go back on something that was said in an earlier book. Nothing changes, and everything is explained. It’s fantastic.

ZOMBIE WHISPERER BY CATERINA TORRES

GET. THIS. BOOK! You can look at a review I posted here earlier if you want more details. Basically, this woman named Jane Smith gets wrapped up in the zombie apocalypse, much more than she’d care to—especially since she can talk to, understand, and control them. Caterina is a new author, but the book is fantastic. I highly recommend it. The story has a wonderful pace, awe-inspiring descriptions, and gasp-inducing plot twists!

INSURGENT BY VERONICA ROTH

...Eh... I’m going to review this book on Thursday. INSURGENT is the sequel to the book DIVERGENT. I don’t like the main character Tris in this book as much as I did in the first. She seems a lot... Well, not weaker, but...delusional, almost. There were parts of the book in which I could not put the damn thing down, and then there were parts in which it took me forever to pick it up. I actually went an entire week one time before I forced myself to get through the part I was on, mainly because of Tris’ attitude. She turns from an ‘I must be strong!’ person into a “my life is terrible” person, and I didn’t like it. You’ll get a review on Thursday and I’m probably going to quote all this, lmao.

WHAT I'M READING NOW: THE IMMORTAL RULES BY JULIA KAGAWA

Have you read The Iron Fey saga by this lady? SHE. IS. AMAZING. READ. IT!! Oh my gawh. Julie Kagawa is one of the most amazing authors of the YA genre, I swear by it. Since I’ve not even started this book yet, it just has a bookmark sitting in it, I can’t tell you anything about it yet. But I can FEEL IT IN MY BONES. It’s going to be good.

By the way, to all of my followers:


Just a quick thank you for giving my blog a chance and following me, and just in general being the totally awesome people that you are. (: You have no idea how much I appreciate you guys!

BUCCANEER BLOGFEST: WIP "Huzzah!" Moment

***LIGHTBULB MOMENT: FLAME DANCER***

I will never tire of telling this story.

Ever.

I will remember it for the rest of my life. X3

Okay, so basically, this is how it started. When I was twelve, in sixth grade, I HATED history. I love it now, actually, but back in grade school I despised it. It was for that reason I leaned over to my classmate and asked for a piece of paper. There had been something in the back of my mind that had been begging for my attention.

He handed me that paper. I labeled the top, to this day I’m not sure why, Flame Dancer. I wrote of a girl who could control the element of fire, how she was alone in the world, how it was her only companion. I fell in love with this girl named Ashley instantaneously.

Why fire? I knew exactly why that was. At the time, I was playing a video game in which one of the characters was able to control fire. It was the first fantasy game I’d played, and I was entranced with this character, watching how they used it in battles or control the battlefield. Such power. Such destruction. Such beauty.

That was why Ashley was given the power of fire. ...And that’s all I’m saying! That is the general inspiration for Flame Dancer. It went through a long road to get where it is now, and I still love it just the same. <3

 Wow, I seriously slacked for the past couple of days guys. ): I promise on Monday I'll get back to checking everyone's blogs regularly! You guys are awesome. (;

Interview with ASHLEY VAANDERE, mateys!

This is a long'un, lads and lasses... 'pologies for that! I hope you stick through, because I would love to see what you guys think of my character!

Well, I dragged Ashley away from the journey to find her brother and brought her to the Flame Writer blog for a quick hello!

ASHLEY: *Waves and turns to leave*

Stop it. Your brother will be fine for like five minutes. Alright...here we go!

FLAME WRITER: Alright, if you could change something about yourself, what would you change?

ASHLEY: My neediness. I rely on so many people for opinions, for help, for advice... I’d like to be able to rely on myself. When I can’t, it makes me feel useless.

FLAME WRITER: We can all relate to that. What’s your biggest fear?

ASHLEY: Losing anyone or anything close to me... *Glances off to the side* And I’m afraid it will be my fault, that I’m the catalyst that would cause me to lose them.

FLAME WRITER: I love this one. If you found a genie in a magic lamp, what would your three wishes be?

ASHLEY: *Grins* I’d like to end the war that me and my friends are in for wish one, ten million dollars for wish 2, and more wishes for wish 3.

FLAME WRITER: Niiice. What is your happiest memory and most frightening memory?

ASHLEY: My happiest would probably be... *Raises eyebrow* I’m going to say it’s my seventh birthday when pretty much everyone played a game of Hide-and-Seek. As for my most frightening, isn’t that a spoiler? Am I allowed to say...? (Keep it vague.) Uh... Well, basically, I try to kill my brother and I can’t stop myself. That’s my most frightening.

FLAME WRITER: What sort of activities did you participate in when in school?

ASHLEY: Basketball and volleyball. They’re fun and fast games and don’t have too much authority involved because you share the leadership. Football is too messy. Cheerleading feels like there’s a leader involved. I hate authority.

FLAME WRITER: What’s your greatest talent (aside from controlling fire)?

ASHLEY: I would say being able to relate to people. I can understand a lot of people and the situations they’re in, so I can sympathize with them and make them feel like they have a friend.

FLAME WRITER: What’s your relationship with your parents like?

ASHLEY: I love them so much. I’m more of a mommy’s girl—Alex is daddy’s boy. My family was like the freakin’ Brady Bunch. Mom’s usually home more, which was why I related to her more. Alex went to work with Dad a lot when we were younger. That doesn’t mean I love him any less though.

FLAME WRITER: Do you say what’s on your mind?

ASHLEY: God, I’d hope so. Then I’d feel like crap about having so many people who hate me. *Grins* It’s not hard to get the tyrant of the world to put you on his Red List if you piss him off a few times.

FLAME WRITER: Do you have a pet?

ASHLEY: I have a white Chihuahua named Snow. She is SO CUTE. The neighbors hate her though. I don’t get it...

FLAME WRITER: What character trait do you think is most important? Why?

ASHLEY: Bravery, that way I’m not afraid to protect those I care about.

FLAME WRITER: What is your biggest fault?

ASHLEY: My arrogance, and I pay for it later.

FLAME WRITER: What would be your advice to anyone with a goal in mind?

ASHLEY: Persevere. Never give up. There will always be friends who are there to help you, so never let yourself give up, or you’ll be letting them down. Don’t let yourself doubt.

And that’s all the time we have! Ashley’s going to get back to searching for her brother, and I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for learning more about my protagonist, and soon I’ll head off to check the interview with your cap’n in chiefs! Thanks for your time, and I’ll see ya next time on the big blue sea, lads and lasses!

The Blog Hop list expired!? D:

July 16 & 18 Bloghop: HANGERS

Hello, everyone! Back again for the second day of the HOOKERS and HANGERS blog hop! I'll keep this short and let you have the hangers riiiiight about now. Still using LINKED, my YA Paranormal, which now has a progress bar down at the bottom right of the apps on the page. (: Here ya go!

Personally, I love my hangers much more than my hookers. (That sounds so wrong.)

CHAPTER 1: Cantora can’t touch me; not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

CHAPTER 2: The whole world goes black into an illusion of dream.

CHAPTER 3: They’re going to kill one of them, or maybe both...guess I’ve got a reason to wake up now.

CHAPTER 4: It would be a cruel irony for him to have the daughter of the woman he killed fall in love with him—he has another thing coming.

CHAPTER 5: But before I have the chance to say anything else, he leaves through the door and runs down the stairs.

CHAPTER 6: I’ve witnessed my first display of the madness of Rosaria.

CHAPTER 7: Into My Ruin, set me free.

CHAPTER 8: “You too,” I murmur, butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.

CHAPTER 9: Good God, I’m so confused.

CHAPTER 10: I have forty-eight hours to save Christian’s life.

CHAPTER 11:  You won’t crush me.

CHAPTER 12: I tell Bale goodbye and hurry out of the room.

CHAPTER 13: “It ends here.” He opens the door, blinding me with light, and yanks me out.

CHAPTER 14: “You’re going to kill Christian Rogue.”

And there you have it! I feel like my hooks/hangers have a LOT of character naming, but that’s okay. ...I think.

Yep, I love my hangers so much more. LOL. What a fun bloghop! I enjoyed this immensely, and I thank all of you for your generous feedback. (: You have no idea how much it means!

Buccaneer Blogfest: My WIP, Flame Dancer

WEEK 2: WIP WEEK

Arrrgh, mateys; this be one of my favorite weeks! If there's anything I know about a writer, I know we love to talk about our works. *Drinks from a bottle* What? You're saying this is rum? Oh, come now. I'm not old enough for that. 'Sides, I'm a pirate! *Places cat on shoulder* Don't chastise me, or you're walkin' the plank! Tickin' crocodile will be waiting.

Ahh, okay. Here's a blurb about my dearest WIP titled FLAME DANCER.

"The last thing Ashley Vaandere expects to do on her thirteenth birthday is look for her runaway brother. Then again, accidentally setting houses on fire wasn’t part of the plan either.

The Vaanderes are not average siblings: they are best friends. Before long, Ashley runs away from home to find her beloved brother, terrified something could happen to him. Soon she realizes she can command the flames that wreak havoc wherever she goes, and befriends her gift. Ashley discovers her ancestor, who also controlled fire, participated in a war that has transcended time, death, and publicity. This war does not use guns and bombs—it uses the primary elements of lore. The war’s spoils? The world."

And now that I have that, you guys are so priveleged as to see my first paragraph. (: Since the first is so short, I actually combined the first two. Don't hurt me.

            "Ashley made it into the alleyway unnoticed. That’s what she told herself. It was the missing poster’s fault. She wanted to compare how she and her brother looked a month ago. To look at their brown hair, her blue eyes, his green ones. For motivation."

Wheeee! I love this WIP. Now I sail out in search of the writing treasures you've left for me eyes to behold.

 I know we were supposed to tell some random things about our WIPs, but I want to leave that for Friday. I will say that my book contains things I've always admired in reality. My main character has a lot of nerve, something I didn't have when I was her age (13). I love the idea of violet eyes, and I obsess over Elizabeth Taylor for it. That's why another main character of mine has violet eyes. (: And one last thing, I don't remember how I came up with Ashley's surname. But I LOVE it. It's pronounced 'van-dare-uh'. :D

Happy sailing over the blogging seas!

***A Confession*** Does anyone else look up at the names they've come up with for their characters without help from the internet at all, and just suddenly think, "OMG, I'M THE BEST PERSON EVER. THIS NAME IS SOOO AWESOME!"? Yeah... I do that every now and then. ._.

July 16 & 18 Bloghop: HOOKERS

Get your mind out of the gutter! :D

We all know we love our hookers and hangers (Hookers being the first sentence of a chapter; hangers being the last). The wonderful bloggers of Falling for Fiction are hosting this epic bloghop that reveals the hookers of our chapters on the sixteenth and our hangers on the eighteenth. The bloggers judge your first three for ten winners of a Friday Spotlight and a ten-page critique. (:

For my hookers, I'm using a WIP called LINKED, which is a YA Paranormal. I wanted to stay under ten...but I love them all so much! So...I used fourteen. Don't hurt me. :3

CHAPTER 1: In a world where the government is as innocent as an eleven-year-old kid, what’s a teen to do?

CHAPTER 2: The repetitive slamming on the door wakes me up.

CHAPTER 3: It hurts; I don’t even know what hurts, but I’m in pain.

CHAPTER 4: It’s too suspicious to “wake up” ten minutes after the terrorists leave the room.

CHAPTER 5: Time to face the day.

CHAPTER 6: School ends and I meet Lens at his car.

CHAPTER 7: Lens doesn’t get home until late in the evening.

CHAPTER 8: There are only a few things left in my car trunk that I need to move into Melinda’s apartment, including the bag of glass valuables in the front seat.

CHAPTER 9: Zade meets me next to my locker.

CHAPTER 10: Once I’m away from him, all of my anger and resentment flushes back with a vengeance.

CHAPTER 11: “You’re in danger!” I cry, startling Christian as I slam out onto the roof.

CHAPTER 12: I enter the doors to the school just as someone else walks out.

CHAPTER 13: At home Melinda seems a bit baffled at my expression.

CHAPTER 14: “You played a good game, Marissa; but it’s checkmate.”

Bleh, some of these are kind of lame... But they could be worse (:



Thanks for stopping by! Happy Hooking Monday! :D

Interview with JUHI FRAGRANT! (Buccaneer Blogfest Day 3)

Before we begin, I want to apologize to anyone who's been on my blog and have been experiencing issues such as the page loading to the very bottom and an ad popping up, particularly when attempting to post comments. The wonderful RC Lewis discovered that the cause of the problem was a calendar I had at the bottom of the page. Thanks for not letting it drive you away, and I'm so glad it's fixed now! (:

BUCCANEER BLOGFEST DAY 3: INTERVIEW WITH

JUHI FRAGRANT

After Juhi and I got into contact with each other (our ships are on vastly different parts of the world, methinks) I realized just how intensely cool she was! This is my first ever interview so I kind of winged it. You should all sooo go check Juhi's stuff out!

Juhi: Wait yer questions, lass.

FlameWriter: Thanks, Juhi! Let me know if any questions are offensive—that's the last thing I want to do.

Juhi: Don't worry about offending. Most normal everyday people are not as sensitive as the newsmakers shouting and screaming from the rooftops make them out to be!

FlameWriter: On your blog, you explain that your teacher gave you the idea to start writing. How old were you?

Juhi: I was 9, I guess. 

Our English lessons in school were pretty awesome. We composed poetry, wrote essays, stories, advertisements, letters, debated about Shakespearean quotes...the whole bag of tricks. And most of our English teachers came up with excellently imaginative prompts.

For example, once we had to write a letter pretending we were misers! That was a fun afternoon. It was fun to read each other's miserly letters.

FlameWriter:  Many of the names you use in your stories and on the blog in general have Hindu origins. What, if anything (other than the storytelling when you were younger), made you so interested? (To the readers: This is one of the questions I feared might be offensive. (: )

Juhi: Like everybody I think and thus write according to my environment. I am an Indian Hindu. And so I am and always have been surrounded by lovely and mesmerising stories of Indian Gods, Goddesses, Heroes and Heroines. The lyrical Sanskrit words have always entranced me. And naturally they just bleed into my stories and poetry.

FlameWriter: Who is your favorite deity?

Juhi: All the Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu pantheon are equally interesting and have beautiful stories and tales attached to them. But I guess Krishn is the one who attracts me the most. He is a prankster with a heart of gold. He is the embodiment of love. He is a complete ladies' man, and reels you in with his wickedly bewitching smile and flute.

He is also a great thinker and philosopher. The Bhagavad Geeta, the most sacred and revered of Hindu scriptures, because it reveals the secret to a happy life are his words, literally.

(Juhi had a picture here she wanted to share, but my blog doesn't like it. Juhi, maybe post it in the comments? (: )

FlameWriter: All we writers suffer from procrastination. Do you have anything that you use to try and get over yours? Bribery, rewards?

Juhi: I scold myself! I say "Juhi! Get writing. NOW!!!"

FlameWriter: What is one of your WIPs about?

Juhi: Ooh, my favourite subject to talk about! The story that I am currently writing is about a handsome, but shy scientist who invents a time-machine and takes his history buff step-daughter back to a city in the Indus Valley Civilisation. While there, they meet really interesting characters like Dutta, who is a hoity-toity rhino-trainer......are you hooked yet? (Yes!)

FlameWriter: If there were any writing advice you could publicly decry, what would it be?

Juhi: All writing advise, except "WRITE".

FlameWriter: If there were any writing advice you could publicly promote, what would it be?

Juhi: Write! 

Scold, bribe, reward, hoodwink yourself into writing.

FlameWriter: This is your first blog hop. (Mine too!) How's it going so far?

Juhi: People around me have been advising/asking me to set up a blog for ages. Infact the moment I tell someone new, that I write, the next words out of their mouths is "Do you have a blog?" 

So I finally bit the bullet and I am so glad I did. And I thank each and everyone of the people who gave me such great advise. Because along with the expected discipline and critiques that I wanted for my writing, I now also know about exciting things like blog hops which I am thoroughly enjoying. Meeting new people, reading new stories! Its like Diwali and Christmas rolled into one!

FlameWriter: I'm the kind of person who just as to ask, so: Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind?

Juhi: No, I don't listen to music while writing. I like to give music my complete attention and am completely immersed when listening to songs, melodies or tunes that I enjoy.

FlameWriter: Last question! What are your ideals/views on writing?

Juhi: I enjoy writing. I love the process of thinking up characters, their names, and then observing their habits, their ticks, their pet peeves, how they'll talk to each other, how they roll their eyes at me, when I ask them to hurry along.

I like the sense of accomplishment, the satisfaction I experience when I write something down.

And I am absolutely crazy about those moments when I pick up my old diaries and look up something and wonder, did I really, REALLY write that!? 

Interviewing her was so much fun! She had such interesting characters and I thought it was so great to see where she gets the inspiration for her ideas! I hope you find her answers as fun as I did, and I hope you all go help her out in her blogateering ventures!

Sailin' out to seas of high lore 'til next time, mateys! Arrrgh!

Zombie Whisperer by Caterina Torres | Review

Title: Zombie Whisperer

Author: Caterina Torres

Number of Pages: eBook edition

Published: 2012

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary

She can speak to the dead. Only problem is, they’re still walking around.

After enduring a week-long flu, Jane Smith wakes to find out a terrorist organization has spread a deadly virus over the nation, changing anyone who’s infected into the walking dead. With no choice but to flee her home, Jane teams up with her boyfriend, Josh Williams, as they venture to find something better than the desolate land that was once called the home of the brave and the land of the free.

Driving across the country, Jane encounters some of the newly turned and finds she can hear their thoughts inside her head. Before she can understand her link to the undead, Jane and Josh are captured by the terrorists responsible for the virus because of one special reason: they know she can communicate with the infected and they want her to be a part of their fight to take down the rest of the world.

Afraid for their lives, Jane must decide if she should join the terrorists or use her new found powers to stop them. (Goodreads)

Quote

"When one person spouts craziness, he is just crazy. But when a mob of people shout the same craziness, they are sane." — Karl; Chapter 24

Review (SPOILERS!)

I have never read books about zombies, I've never been sucked into the zombie apocalypse hype, and I’ve never even watched a zombie movie. But after I met Caterina Torres and got this book, I have to say, this was my very first exposition to the zombie hype.

I'm glad it was. I don't think any other work of art, literature, movie, or internet meme could have gotten me as sucked in as this did.

I’ll get the cons out of the way before I deal with the pros. This eBook did have errors, not enough that it ruined the book, but enough to distract me. Most of it was the fact I use/envision commas differently than how they were used, and there was the occasional formatting error. Those weren’t big issues, though.

Story-wise, here were my cons in a nutshell: Jane seemed to flip-flop a lot from calm to panicked. Cassidy’s demeanor was believable, but sometimes a little strange. Sociopaths think first and foremost about themselves, but Cassidy was portrayed as more selfless than selfish at times. A few parts of the book were stretched out and could have been cut, especially in terms of some description.

Some character development was left dry for the reader to try and interpret on their own, something I don’t like to do. The relationship between Jane and Darla/Casey was too short. At the end the connection between the two of them is what makes for Jane’s victory, but I was left behind. I’d only seen Jane and Casey interact a few times; otherwise I was told why they were close. I accept that they were so close Jane couldn’t allow anything to happen, but I didn’t know why. I didn’t know why Jane had taken Casey in as an adopted daughter.

That’s pretty much it for my cons. Now for the pros (the best part! :D).

I LOVED THE SUSPENSE. I was on the edge of my seat for just about this entire book. From the very first page to the last, I wanted to know what happened. I didn’t want to put this book down. I said there was description that could’ve been cut, but the way Torres wrote it sucked you in. If a description is written well to my point of view, I don’t even realize I’ve read it until I’m done. Torres accomplished this. The story had such a nice flow.

When I reached the chapters from Jim Ballenger’s point of view, I was a little less than thrilled. I thought, “Oh man. I’m going to be switching POVs? This will be boring...” NOPE. Jim’s story was, perhaps not as suspenseful and dangerous as Jane’s, but just as enthralling. His friendship with Karl was a weight off of the reader’s shoulders, a relief from all of the story’s gloom-and-doom (in a good way).

These zombies were definitely not what I expected them to be. I delved into the story expecting people digging up their graves and people gathering together to fight them off—typical zombie apocalypse expectation. I was happily proven wrong. The story’s premise is so BELIEVABLE. You can guarantee I’m going to be a bit sheepish in late October this year, expecting people stabbing each other with needles. It’s fantastic.

Time to tackle the main issue of the story: the telepathic abilities. I’m going to quote from a review by Krysten Hill here.

“This mix of science and the metaphysical with zombies. I actually envy her ability to do this without having the reader go 'Author! Will you just PICK one already?'.” — Krysten Hill's Review

YES. The moment I read that the disease was caused by a virus, I winced. I was afraid I would end up reading two genres at once, but once again, Torres proved that this was not the case. When I learned that Jane could communicate with the zombies, I was afraid it would feel too much like the mind-attacks in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Nothing like that at all!

I’m getting a little long-winded on this, so I’ll cut it off here. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I anxiously await the next book in this trilogy. I stated the cons and why I saw them as cons, but the pros outweigh the cons with the force of a bulldozer. I definitely recommend it.



The Flame Writer's Voyage O'er the Seas

Hellooooo again. Welcome back, and apologies for getting this post up so late! I have no excuse. ;_; Except perhaps a pirate-slash-writer's procrastination. ...Arrrgh. *Places cat upon shoulder*

I'll try not to ramble too much!

As the second day for this here bloghop, we've been charged by our great cap'ns to brandish an explanation of WHY we built up our ships of blogateering. My journey started on calm, deserted waters to rocky crags upon which I crashed. Then I chanced upon a few fellow writing blogateers, and they fixed my ship up and helped me out onto the high seas! (Kela, Utsav/Brighton, SC, Krysten, and several others whose links to the blogs I don't have on hand D: Stephanie, Caterina, etc.)

This is how it started.

I was at the ripe age of ten and five, and unsure of how to get agents to know who the heck I was. So after some halfhearted research and an even less enthusiastic realization, I realized I had to build something called a 'platform'. Whatever that was. So I looked up some writing blogs and stumbled upon the oh-so-beautiful blog of Madeleine Rex, and asked her how I could start out. She gave me several pointers, shipped a few people to my new blog, and BOOM. I had my first followers.

But what was I supposed to post? For a while I just plucked whatever came to mind.

My blog went through a startling metamorphosis from April 2011 to July 2012. My blog was meant to be a blog of writing, where I could place my insecurities and my thoughts. About writing. Instead, I turned into more of a book blogger. I started to write more book reviews until I was completely consumed by it. I spent Fridays putting my thoughts on the entire week, clogging up my blog with issues of my personal life.

That was not what my blog was meant to be. I went on with this routine until February of 2012, when my interest for blogging just died. (This is that rocky crag where I crashed, by the way. :D) I let it sit there for ages, rotting and withering away in the ocean of the internet.

I found a website called AgentQueryConnect, and was startled by all of the feedback people gave to one another. Even more so that several people on there had success in their writing endeavors. Entranced, I signed up and joined the forum. I went into the chat and met up with the people I linked up to above, and over the course of several nights I learned more and more of what I could do with blogging.

I resurrected it with a post about one a friend's (Caterina) book giveaway of ZOMBIE WHISPERER. Which I am reading right now. And loving. I set up a small schedule to follow and kept up to it until I found this here bloghop to occupy me. When it's over, I'll slide back into that routine best as I can.

Aye, and that be my journey... A short one, but a one of lessons for me... And with that, lads and lasses, I shall set off to visit your ships and sight upon what you've put up for me to see! Happy bloggin', buccateers—I mean, blogateers!

Award Number Three: Stylish Blogger!!

RULES

1. Write about a time you dressed up.

2. Include a picture if you have one.

3. Nominate five people.

Another shoutout for Kela (http://teardropsonmybook.blogspot.com/) for this award!

Woohoo! Kela’s so awesome; two awards?! Yeah!

M’kay. It’s rare for me to dress up as it is, so this will be a good post.

Junior/Senior Prom 2012. Theme: All of the Lights. I wasn’t planning on going to prom; I didn’t see the point when I could be at home, I don’t know, writing. But my friend Whitney badgered me about it until I finally groaned, “Alright! I’m going to Indiana next weekend; I’ll look for a dress.” Much to her excitement, I found one. After going to about eight stores. Imagine my mom’s excitement—her little tomboy is actually letting her parents look for a DRESS? Had I been stolen by a changeling? Nope, I was just going for it. Might as well go all out, right?

The more I thought about it leading up to prom though, the more excited I got. So when the day of prom came, my mom pampered me. I was freaking Cinderella, people. I had makeup on. My hair was up. I had jewels in my hair. I was wearing high heels. I’d never done this before, and oddly, I felt amazing.

So driving to prom at 95 mph with my weird music pumping merely increased my good mood. Once there I sat down with my best friends. All of my teachers, those in the senior class, everyone was just stunned. Me, Kendra, the girl-crazy-about-wolves-and-writing was here, at prom, wearing a dress? My science teacher ran over to me, grabbed my shoulder as though to ensure I was real, and then started taking pictures of me. ‘Kay, I was seriously Cinderella, or something. After the hype was over, we settled down to read senior prophecy (a sore topic).

I started to feel a little dull then. It wasn’t like I was going to get up and dance. So after we ate and the music started, I prepared for a boring evening. Just what I brought my iPod for. However, no one was letting this happen. Once I walked up to the dancers and simply remained off to the side to watch, everyone else coaxed me in. A group dance song started, one I can’t resist, so I went in and danced.

After that, I was on the dance floor for the rest of the night. When it was time to change to post-prom clothes, for me to shed my skin and become Kendra again, I was a bit bitter about it—but not so much. It’s best to keep these things rare and keep people surprised, after all. (;

I'm really sorry, I don't have a good enough picture (with me in a dress) that I feel comfortable with posting. ): Maybe some other time.

I nominaaate~ *Drumroll*

TALYNN LYNN at Ink in the Book (http://inkinthebook.blogspot.com/)

MADELEINE REX at Wordbird (http://madeleinerex.com/)

AUDREY at holes In My brain (http://holes-in-my-brain.blogspot.com/)

MINA LOBO at Some Dark Romantic (http://minalobo.blogspot.com/)

LEIGH CARON at Em-Musing (http://em-musing.blogspot.com/)