Latest Reads Jan/Feb 2014, Team Ava Urrea, and Breaking Bad

It seems unfathomable that it has been a month and half since I’ve posted a blog. Goodness! We all know the drill (excuse/reason/explanation): BUSY. The days just fly by and I swear every day goes faster! While things are been super busy and productive as of late, I have had limited reading time. I wish I had more peace and quiet to kick back and read. However these days I feel guilty, because there is something else I COULD be doing: grading, planning, writing, cleaning, marketing, planning, revising, reflecting, working out, doing something. As of late when I afford myself a bit of mindless relaxation time, I have two words: Breaking Bad. Halfway through the season, I am utterly and hopelessly addicted! I don’t know how people waited weeks or months to watch it, when it was televised. I can barely stand it a day goes by and I don’t get my fix. The writing is absolutely phenomenal; most episodes I’m on the edge of my seat! (In all honestly, it would be an enormous help if the world would pause long enough for me to sit down, uninterrupted, and just finish the series, BITCH! It wasn’t meant to offend. I have an affection for Jessie.)

Lately, the writing has been going well. I’m currently working on the next in the Precious Gems Series. I am so pleased to be working with Jennifer Paquette (my 2Muses east coast counterpart, business partner and co-author) on the next book. For Sapphires, we are weaving in a touch of King Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot (okay, she is weaving it in…my story takes place in a school in Vegas)! It’s already proving to be another interesting and exciting 2Muses project. This time the stories will be told in alternate chapters between the two inter-woven tales. 

We also started dabbling in fundraising. As the west coast half of 2Muses, I am thrilled to announce we are currently donating all of the proceeds from our first novella in the Precious Gems Series, If the Silver Slippers Fit… to Team Ava Urrea in the 11^th annual ‘Walk with the Heart of a Child’ in Las Vegas, NV. Ava is a darling spunky three year born and her heart needs some help. Let’s show her some love! 

****Fundraising Promo FOR A GREAT CAUSE: TEAM  AVA URREA***

Read for the HEART of a Child

"If the Silver Slippers Fit..."

A 2Muses Project

HAVE A HEART!  Starting on Valentine's Day and through Friday, February 21st, all proceeds for “If the Silver Slippers Fitt…” will go to The Children's Heart Foundation.  The west coast half of 2Muses, Stephanie Greenhalgh, will be walking in the 11th Annual Walk With The Heart of A Child, to benefit children with heart "aches".  ALL proceeds will go to Team Ava Urrea: http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1074625&lis=1&kntae1074625=711895EE36ED47798E86E5F10F56C17B&supId=0&team=5804693&cj=Y

Click for links: KINDLE or PAPERBACK

~Thank you from the bottom of our HEARTS, Stephanie Greenhalgh and Jennifer Paquette (a.k.a. 2Muses)!

****End promo and resume Latest Reads Jan/Feb****

Regardless of what I’ve got going on, nothing will ever get in the way of my love of books. The entire reason I purchased a kindle was to read in the dark. Many a night, I stay up way too late, but some nights, I can barely make it through a paragraph until sheer exhaustion takes hold. Truth be told, I love being busy everyday and having a purpose. But when it’s all done for the day, it’s a MUST to shut the brain off with a book. Here’s a glimpse into my ‘Latest Reads’…

Little Red Riding Hood: The Ultimate Collection (Collection prepared and published by Damian Stevenson)

It’s no secret I have an affection for fairy tales, specifically ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, so when I stumbled across this amazing collection for $.99, it seemed like a no-brainer. I LOVED this compellation of stories. In fact, I enjoyed it some much, I purchased the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty versions.

Final thought: Thirteen ‘Little Red Riding Hoods’ for $.99…a total bargain!

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

It’s fantastic! As a writer, I loved it! As a reader, I still have some reservations, because I became very attached to certain characters. The relationship between Tris and Four is so eloquently written and it keeps the reader captivated from the first page to the last page. Veronica Roth does an incredible job of creating a realistic civilization in this futuristic dystopian series.

Final Thought: It was a fitting end to an incredibly trilogy.

Persephone’s Orchard by Molly Ringle

I liked this story. I am a huge mythology fan and enjoy new twists on old classics. The story of Hades and Persephone has always been a favorite of mine, so when it was on sale, it seemed like a no brainer. I wasn’t disappointed. Sophia and Adrian (aka Persephone and Hades) souls continue to find each other year after year, life after life and here they are again in the modern world as two young adults. We also see many of our favorite gods and goddesses. My only complaint: the ending felt rushed and anticlimactic. Will I read the next one? Yes, I need to know what happens to these two!

Final Thought: I enjoyed the modern twist on some ancient myths and characters!

Thank you for stopping by! Be sure to stop by and support TEAM AVA URREA!

On the current reading list for the next edition of ‘Latest Reads’:

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

Something Random from the ‘To Be Read’ list by ???????

LAST LATE Latest Reads of 2013 Sprinkled with a Little Reflection

First, let me start by wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful and prosperous NEW YEAR!

This is my 12^th and final ‘Latest Reads’ for 2013 (yeah, I know my first post of 2014 is a LATE 2013 post...). Keeping this blog over the past year has be a lot of fun and it is my intention to continue in the New Year (LATE or otherwise)!

And as one year ends and another begins, there is always that time for reflection. I love the reflection part of any situation…it always means one thing is being brought to a close and another is just starting. So the questions arise…how do I best approach this new task to be successful? Should I do things differently or did I like the previous outcome? Or how can I do it better? I reflect constantly…after each lesson, at the end of each day, in the car, on a run, in the grocery store, during yoga (even though I’m technically NOT supposed to be doing that during yoga time). I’m always looking for ways to improve as a teacher, as a writer, as a human being, which sometimes simply means owning my failures (I fail A LOT) and working hard NOT to make the any mistake more than once.

This year, reflection time brought a flood of emotions, as I thought back about everything that happened in a seemingly short amount of time. It was a poignant and insightful year of personal, profession and physical growth. Professionally, I accomplished quite a few goals in both teaching and writing. Personally, I lost my last living grandparent, but I take comfort in the fact I was so incredibly lucky to have had 38 years with her. She was a caring, kind, wonderful, selfless human being and always had a special twinkle in her eye when she smiled. I aspire to be more like her every day. It also seemed to be a year of amazing epiphanies and several humbling experiences, but overall, I feel blessed beyond belief to have the truly amazing support team I have. And physically, I ran a quarter marathon, which felt amazing to complete from start (the moment I committed to doing it) to finish (literally crossing the finish line).  I could continue to relish in the greatness of last year or tell you about my next book release…”IF THE SILVER SLIPPERS FIT…” AVAILABLE ON AMAZON SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2014, but I’d rather talk books J, so on with the very LAST LATE Latest Reads of 2013: December…

The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett:

OK, this was so far out of my wheelhouse, it took me five months to finish it. In this story, a woman in her early forties has been completely comfortable being a companion to a gay man for over 20 years. They have traveled together, lived together, leaned on each other, and performed magic together…they were insanely important in each other’s lives. And then, just like that, he’s gone. This 'magician’s assistant' must find a way to cope and live her life again. I gave it four stars because it is a well written piece of literature. The characters are realistic and believable, and with Patchett’s talent, she is able to paint pictures in the mind of the reader with her words. So why did it take me so long to read it? I didn’t like the main character. I found her to be weak and somewhat oblivious. I found myself rolling my eyes over and over that this woman had given up everything to be nothing more than a side kick to a man she could never have. I will admit; it was nice to see her character grow and develop over time, but I still didn’t care for her at the end.

Final thought: It wasn't my cup of storyline tea, but the writing is superb.

Solstice by Damian Stevens:

I received this book free from the author in exchange for a review. In this horror story, we follow Dana on a twisted and terrifying journey. Right away, Stevenson leads with mental illness which grips the reader and catches one’s interest. The more I read, the more I liked Dana and leaned toward believing her, but there was that shadow of doubt where I questioned her sanity. Then the occult was introduced and I could hardly keep up with the path of twists and turns the author took me on. This novella could rival any of the horror flicks in the theaters.

Final thought: A page turner for the horror lover!

The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories Series) by Chris Colfer:

I started reading this because a few of the girls in my writing class brought some copies back from the book fair. With my affection for fairy tales and my incessant need to know what other people (adults and kids) are reading, it seemed like a no-brainer for me to download this one, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s cute and I’m sure tweens all over the place would enjoy this book! All of our favorite fairy tales creature and critters make an appearance and interact in the Land of Stories. The main characters, fraternal twins Conner and Alex, fall unexpectedly into the book, “The Land of Stories” and find themselves with an almost unattainable method to return home: The Wishing Spell. Again, it’s really cute. Think “Once Upon a Time” for elementary kids.

Final thought: I’ll read the next one. Popular elementary books are great research for me!

Thanks so much for tuning in! Wishing you all the best in 2014!

Coming up in the January edition of Latest Reads 2014

(which probably won’t be out until Feb…haha)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

Persephone’s Orchard by Molly Ringle

"If the Silver Slippers Fit..." coming soon to Amazon!

If The Silver Slipper Fits…

Two feisty witches. 

Two wickedly impossible dilemmas. 

Two modern day realms infused with a little mischievous magic. 

One pair of totally awesome and very sassy shoes.

 

If The Silver Slipper Fits begins with a story about Glinda, a teenage witch, who, like any other teenager in the modern world, is envious of another woman’s pair of shoes.  However, these shoes belong to her sister.  After stealing the shoes for her hot date, she trips on a crack in the Yellow Brick Road, falls through a portal and lands smack in the middle of New York City.  Of course, she lost her grip on the shoes when she fell and now Glinda not only has to find her sister’s Silver Slippers in a city of 8 million people, but she has to find another portal to get herself back home in time for her date.  Unfortunately, a subway train full of degenerates, a Naked Cowboy and herd of anorexic fashion models stand in her way.  And to top it all off, the shoes change their look as the owner’s personality changes.

The second story takes place many years later, and centers around Glinda’s youngest daughter Giselle, who already has way too much baggage for a normal teenager.  She has been banished to Las Vegas because she set her high school on fire, and to make matters worse, she supposedly is the recipient of a Goblin Curse.  To top off her really crummy year in exile, a Blood Moon shows up at the wrong time, making her powers go out of control.  She steals her Aunt’s Silver Slippers (sound familiar?) and suddenly her luck, and the shoes, begins to change…for the worse.  Can Giselle’s Lightning Power save the ones she loves most?  Or is it really all just about the shoes?

About the Authors

Thirteen years and nine states apart, Stephanie Greenhalgh and Jennifer Paquette met at a mutual family party over a bag of tortilla scoopers and homemade bean dip. Besides a spooky amount of things in common, they also realized their overflowing creativity complemented each other and within mere months their vault of stories began to grow.   If The Silver Slipper Fits is the first sneak peak into the 2Muses vault, and is the first in The Precious Gems series, where a pair of shoes can be either very naughty or very nice. 

 

"If the Silver Slippers Fit..." will be available on Amazon January 5, 2014!

 

 

 

Tagged for a Blog Hop by Tianna Holley!

I am thrilled to be on a very short sabbatical from work, known to teachers around the world as WINTER BREAK! It is so nice having some down time even amidst a wicked winter cold and a hectic holiday season! But thankfully, I found a bit of time to participate in a Blog Hop (my first by the way). I was very happy to be tagged by the talented Tainna Holley!

Here’s how a blog hop works. She tagged me, so I answer the four blog hop questions in my blog, which I will link to Tianna’s answers to the same questions on her blog. Then I will reach out to five random authors to continue the hop! (Be sure to check out Tianna on Twitter as @holley_tianna  or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authortiannaholley.)  

Read on to find my answers to the blog hop questions.

What are You Writing?

I am trying to finish up my first self publishing venture, “If the Silver Slippers Fit…” co-authored with the talented Jennifer Paquette. This is a novella in the form of two short stories that intertwine. In the first story, Glinda, we follow a young Good Witch of the North after she stumbles through a portal and lands in NYC in the middle of fashion week. She has lost her sister’s ‘Silver Slippers’ and must navigate her way through the city to retrieve the shoes AND get back home. In the second story, Giselle, we follow Glinda’s youngest daughter and the ‘Silver Slippers’ into exile in Las Vegas. As her exile draws to a close, Giselle is tested with a Blood Moon, a Goblin Curse and the infamous Lightning Power. It has been a fun little project and I am excited to see how it all turns out!

 How Does This Differ From Your Last Work?

This is VERY different from my last piece, The Twistedly True Tale of Ruby Hood! Ruby Hood is my debut novel, which was released in October 2013. Ruby Hood is young high school senior living in Woodsville. After suffering extreme loss, Ruby learns her true calling and must find the strength to prevail and embrace her new role. This is very loosely based on the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. Yes, it has certain parallels: a grandmother, a red cloak, wolves, and huntsmen, but I like to think I’ve put my own original twist on it.

Why Do You Write?

Honestly, it’s my zen, my outlet, my release, my hobby. It keeps me sane. One day, I would love to make it a career, but until then, I will write because I love it. I write for the same reason I run, read and hang out with my pups…it makes me happy and brings me peace.

What is Your Process?

I have to develop my character first. They HAVE TO have names, faces, and personalities. After that, it’s sort of a free for all and I really don’t have a specific process as each story follows a different path. But in general, the characters play out their story and I write. Once a story is written I revise, edit and rewrite until it is the way I want it!

This all usually takes place in my writing room. It is the perfect little rabbit hole, complete with good lighting, a sound bar connected to Pandora, a scentsy wafting my favorite smells, and usually a cup of coffee or tea…sometimes wine (only when I’m writing, though). I ALWAYS edit sober! J

Thank you so much for being a part of my first Blog Hop! I intend (I hope) to have the December edition of ‘Latest Reads’ out on time this month!

It will feature:

Solstice by Damian Stevenson,

The Magicians’ Assistant by Ann Patchett (yes, finally finished this one!)

The Wishing Spell  by Chris Colfer

And maybe a few others, depending on whether or not I can get them finished!

 

 

Eclectic randomness with a review! (Late November Latest Reads)

 

 

               Alright…I have to start with: I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THE 4^TH GAME OF THRONES BOOK…and it only took me FIVE MONTHS!!!!

I know Latest Reads is late, but we’ve all heard this song and dance for the past several editions…I’m a busy slacker! And I checked my goals for November…epic fail! My self-publishing debut did NOT happen NOR did I finish a WIP. Now, failure is something I seek out from time to time…maybe I’m sadistic…maybe I’m just a realist and I know the road to success is littered with failures. So according to my warped way of thinking: the more failures, the greater the success! Plus, I like that failures build character…something the world is sorely lacking these days. And personally, I like being filled with character…it keeps things interesting;-)

OK, onto other things: This busy holiday weekend was loaded with tons of Ruby Hood promo! A feature on the Stephanie Meyer fanpage via Facebook, a Ruby Hood Blog Tour hosted by the up and coming BBTour Services, AND a $.99 black Friday sale on Ruby Hood on amazon. My lil vixen has been ALL over the place this weekend! And just to fluff my feathers a bit…she made it down to a sales rank of 23,000 at one point…it was fleeting, but she was there!

In between, promos, movies, and errands, I pushed my grading and report cards aside so I could finish “A Feast for Crows”…finally! Here is it goes…the only entry in the LATE Latest Reads for November!

 

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin:

In this installment of the ‘The Song of Ice and Fire’, Martin leads the reader on a rather interesting path. First, we follow some of our favorites: Jamie, Cersei, Sansa, Arya, Sam, and Brienne. We see what has transpired in their worlds after the Red Wedding and the intense killing of many characters from the third book. However, what happens when you kill a bunch of characters??? Well, one must introduce some new ones to fill the void. And that is exactly what George R.R. Martin did! There are pages upon pages from the perspective of new characters in this book. Personally, I did not care for this aspect, especially since so many of my favorites were left out of this edition: John, Daenerys, Bran, Tyrion, and Ayra (yes, she was in the 4^th, but VERY briefly). And we don’t hear a lick about the Wall or the direwolves. Why you ask? Well, Martin told their story as well, but they are in the fifth book, which runs parallel with the fourth (of course, Martin waits until the last chapter to fill the reader in). This is brilliant from an author standpoint, but fairly brutal for the faithful reader, especially, after the book-gasim of the third book! I did quite enjoy the addition of Lady Stoneheart, she is one creepy character! And the book certainly moved forward. Jamie has grown and changed as a character now that he’s lost his sword hand. He happens to be one of my favorites now. Cersei’s scheming has finally begun to backfire on her. Sansa has transformed from highborn Sansa Stark into bastard born Alayne. Arya has taken a new and interesting path, which I hope we learn more about in the next one. And the honorable Brienne and Samwell have found themselves in some rather sticky situations even thought they are only trying to fulfill oaths to others. But it just wasn’t enough! I am a Stark fan through and through…I’m still pretty pissed Eddard Stark was killed in the first book. I thought for sure he would be the hero of the whole series, but now his family is split apart or dead. One can only hope, the remaining Starks can find each other again and seek vengeance for the fallen!

Final thought: I can’t wait to read ‘Dances with Dragons’! It’s the whole reason I pushed through the doorstop of four!

What’s next, aside from hoping to be on time???

·         The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett (Yes, I know this one has been on my list for months…it’s so far out of my wheelhouse, it’s taking longer than I thought).

·         The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (Apparently, the author is from Glee. I’m reading it along with several students of mine.)

·         Solstice by Damian Stevenson

Total Randomness

As I sit here in front of my computer, I must ask myself what on earth I am doing. I have a pile of essays to grade, progress reports to finish and a quarter marathon in five hours. I really didn’t have time for the Facebook nonsense I indulged in earlier, so I most definitely, don’t have time for a new blog post, yet what am I doing??? Writing a new blog post. To go with the randomness of the day, I decided to share 10 random thoughts. Read on, then go and have some randomness of your own!

 

 

10 Things about Me…

1.      I have no regrets…not one. I have made a plethora of poor choices and dumbass decisions throughout my life, but they have all been quite fun or come with valuable lessons that have shaped me as a person. I wouldn’t change a single one!

2.      I have tinnitus and can hear my heartbeat in my left ear. It’s from loud music when I was younger. I drowned out the rhythmic hum by chewing gum, listening to loud music or getting lost in a book.

3.      If I had it all to do over again, I would be an archeologist. Ancient civilizations and cultures fascinate me.

4.      I talk to myself as my characters rattle about in my head. I justify what may be insanity, as a writer’s overly creative and chaotic mind.

5.      I have an incessant innate need for things to make sense and when they don’t, I am VERY stressed out.

6.      Every night I sleep with a 90 pound Labrador snuggled up next to me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

7.      I quit smoking 973 days ago. I didn’t want to be a smoker anymore, so I stopped. Yes, it really is mind over matter and just that easy…if you want it bad enough.

8.      I’ve had the same best friend for 24 years and I love her more and more the longer we are friends.

9.      I overthink things to the nth degree.ALL.THE.TIME.

10.  Up until age 25, I thought I would become a rich and powerful attorney (then I failed the LSAT miserably).  I decided to become a teacher and have a positive impact on our future. I am neither rich nor powerful, but I change kids’ lives every day and I’m good with that.

                                                                                                          

LATE Latest Reads: October 2013

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

Yes, this is October’s ‘Latest Reads’. I need to just accept ‘Latest Reads’ as a double meaning title and get over it. I thoroughly enjoy writing this blog and it is great writing practice, but I seem to be late more often than I’m on time these days.  And of course, my excuse never changes: I’m busy. But it’s so true…I always forget how hectic this time of year is as a teacher, so many holidays, special trainings, meetings, tasks, etc. Then of course, November is National Writing Month, so I have been inspired to set a goal that I would finish ONE (just one) Work In Progress AND get out my first attempt at self-publication (considering how busy this month is and how quickly it will fly by, I have set a rather lofty goal for myself).

Thankfully, I am closer than ever before to my first self-publication. For over a year, I have been working on a dual story publication with fellow author and friend, Jennifer Paquette. Of course, she is so insanely talented that her story is ready and fantastic. However, for my part of the collaboration, I’m still up in the air with the title. What started as a ‘good witch gone bad’ story has become a story about a magical pair of shoes with the land of Oz undertones.

In the beginning, I tried to develop a plot first and THEN develop the characters. Um, yeah…that so does NOT work for me! I am a character driven writer. Period. End of story.  My characters need to be fully formed with names, physical characteristics and personalities first. Then their tales play out like scenes in my head and I write what I see and hear (yes, I totally talk to myself when my characters are having conversations amongst themselves in my head). ANYWAY, many months later after multiple character/setting/storyline overhauls, I FINALLY like these characters and this story! Once it has a title and a few more tweaks, I should be able to check off self-publishing portion of my November goal. As for the other part, I’m still trying to decide which WIP to finish I intend to finish…

BACK TO THE TASK AT HAND...the October Latest Reads features two very cool characters: Aurora Teagarden and Mel Chaser. Read on to find out more about these two heroines!

JHappy ReadingJ

 

Last Scene Alive by Charlaine Harris: In this installment of the Aurora Teagarden series, Aurora has lost her husband as is trying to find a sense of peace. It’s much harder than she imagined when an ex boyfriend and a film crew show up in her town, filming the movie, which was based on the gruesome serial killings in her hometown many years ago. When her ex left shortly after the murders, things between the two were very unsettled. Once he left he wrote the ‘Real Murders’ book, which chronicled the murders. Now he’s back with his Hollywood girlfriend in tow, who just happens to be playing Aurora’s character in the movie. The very movie, Aurora wants nothing to do with and neither does her step-son, who coincidentally hates her and has a part in the movie. As with all of Mrs. Harris’ books, there is much more to this story, not to mention her well thought-out subplots!

Final thought: I enjoyed this one as much as the others and look forward to the next one!

The Reaper Within by Stephanie Jackson: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this story and the main character, Mel Chaser. She is a modern day ghost hunter (so to speak). Technically, she is a Reaper, and she must find lost souls to cross them over into the Light (or wherever they are going). I enjoyed the plot of the story, and most of the story was told through dialogue. Ms. Jackson intertwined two separate story lines together.  Not only was I surprised by the ending and the nice twists, I also found them quite entertaining. 

Final Thought: Personally, I would prefer a few more descriptions woven into the story, but that isn’t stopping me from reading the second one!

The Reaper Within by Stephanie Jackson: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This a continuation of The Reaper Within and this story picks up immediately after the first one. Again, we follow Reaper, Mel Chaser in her quest to cross-over souls. In this story, we meet ‘the Light’. Mel teams up with an angel to rid the world of seven dark souls that have come to bring about the reign of evil. We spend more time with Mel’s business partner, Betty, and her husband, Jack. We even meet a few Archangels! Again, Ms. Jackson wove an interesting tale, including more descriptions within the text. I enjoyed this book as much as the first. All in all, a great read.  

Final Thought: I hope there are more Reaper books coming!

 

COMING NEXT

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (I really am close to finishing this one!)

The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchet