Hiya peeps! I have an audiobook review for a book I read and reviewed last week. Check it out, because this book, in any format, rocks!
Be sure to enter the giveaway below for the chance to win a beautiful treasure box!
Showing posts with label YA Bound Book Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA Bound Book Tours. Show all posts
Friday, November 17, 2017
Thursday, October 12, 2017
"Premonition" by Leigh Walker!
Hiya peeps! Check out this young adult paranormal adventure! I had quite a bit of fun with it - check out my review, the author's playlist, and be sure to enter the giveaway below!
Monday, September 11, 2017
"Anticipation" by S.D. Thomas!
Hiya peeps! I'm super excited to share a brand new release with you today. Anticipation is a young adult christian contemporary romance - how awesome is that!? I'm so excited to see more of this genre hitting the shelves, and am so happy to help share and promote this one! It sounds super sweet, so be sure to check it out, see the author's playlist and dream cast, and enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
Anticipation
~Released: July 2017
~Publisher: Bookerfly Press
~Length: 245 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Christian, Contemporary, Romance
Cassie Smith wasn't expecting to fall in love with her best friend, Mark Santos, or the emotional turmoil she encounters in the relationship. But, this newfound love has her questioning the only commitments she's ever made: to God and to leaving her hometown. Will she change her mind and stay with Mark? Or will she risk everything she's ever known and loved to continue with her original plan?
Friday, August 18, 2017
"Dream Frequency" by S.J. Lomas!
Hiya peeps! I've got a sequel to share with you today.
I shared the first book in the series (Dream Girl), including a Top Ten post of too listened to songs by the author, a couple years ago. Now, the sequel is finally released, and I'm excited to share it with you today!
Dream Frequency
~Released: June 30th, 2017
~Length: 413 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Christine would never have considered herself new recruit material for a secret U.S. agency. Until recently, she's just been an ordinary girl graduating from high school and wondering if a friendship with Gabriel, a mysterious coworker, would grow into something romantic. When Christine's fascination with Gabriel leads to her discovery of dreamworlds, she learns that she's anything but ordinary. In this thrilling conclusion to Dream Girl, Christine and Gabriel must choose their allegiances and face corruption, conspiracy, and the complexities of love in order to save themselves and everyone who matters to them - or die trying.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
"Rowan Wood Legends" by Olivia Wildenstein!
Hiya peeps! Check out this paranormal novel, featuring faeries!
Rowan Wood Legends
(The Lost Clan #2)
~Released: August 14th 2017
~Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Faeries
SOME LEGENDS ARE BETTER LEFT UNTOLD.
I wasn’t the sort of girl who believed in fairytales, let alone tales about faeries. But that changed the day Faeries came to my small town and Hunters rose from their graves.
On that fateful day, I received a book, a peculiar collection of myths and legends. Turns out it was so much more than stories. And just as I was on the verge of unlocking its secrets, it was stolen from me by someone I called a friend.
Now, I don’t know whom I can turn to, whom I can trust. All I know is that there are two sides, and I am straddling the great divide because I am both Faerie and Hunter. And although I swore I would never choose, I am slowly falling for one of those sides…
Friday, July 14, 2017
Audiobook Review of "Gold Rush" by Jennifer Comeaux!
Hiya guys! I'm super stoked to share a new audiobook with you today! I've featured this author on my blog a few times already, but I hadn't yet had the opportunity to read on of her books. I'm a huge fan of ice skating though, so her book topics always appeal to me.
When the chance to review this one came up, I jumped on it! Check out my review, and be sure to let me know what you think of this book in the comments below!
Gold Rush
~Released: January 9th 2017
~Length: 11 Hours, 39 Mins
~Narrator: Emily Stokes
~Parent's Rating: PG-14
~Genres: Young Adult, New Adult, Romance
Liza Petrov’s entire life has been about skating and winning her sport’s top prize – Olympic gold. She’s stayed sheltered inside her bubble, not daring to stray from her destined path. Until she meets Braden Patrick. He makes her heart flutter with possibility, and for the first time she gets a taste of a normal teenage life. She longs to have both the boy and the gold, but stepping outside her bubble comes with a price. As Liza begins to question both her future and her past, can she stay focused on the present and realize her ultimate dream?
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
New Dystopian/Steampunk Release! "Amber Sky" by Claire Warner!
Hiya guys! I'm super excited to share a new release - it's the start to a dystopian steampunk series! It looks like a fantastic adventure! Check out the excerpt below, and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
Amber Sky
C.O.I.L.S of Copper and Brass #1
~Released: June 2nd, 2017
~Length: 409 Pages
~Genres: Dystopian, Steampunk
"You thought I did this out of the goodness of my heart?" He gave a short mirthless laugh. "Not a bit of it, this is going to be dangerous for me. What are you offering for my help?"
Beneath the Amber Sky, the nobility control the food, education, and the mysterious C.O.I.L.S of Copper and Brass. To Tay, struggling to keep her siblings alive, the ideas of rebellion and freedom are distant and unreachable.
But when her father is arrested, she begs Darius James, the son of the Overseer, to save his life. Darius agrees, but his help costs her a favour, one he can call in at any time.
Darius' favour will bring her to the Palace, and the perfect position to help the growing rebellion. But the court has games beyond anything she has seen before, and Darius' secrets will add to the danger.
Tay is now able to make a difference, to join the rebellion, find the C.O.I.L.S and discover the secrets of the Amber Sky. All she has to do is survive.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Trailer Reveal for "The Prophetess" by Desy Smith!
Hiya guys! I'm sharing a trailer reveal for a new fantasy romance coming this Autumn! The cover reveal is currently set for August 2nd, but the trailer looks epic! Check it out, and be sure to let me know what you think of it in the comments below!
The Prophetess
~Publisher: Floebe Publishing
~Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
High up in the heavens, righteousness faces off against the greatest dissenter of all time, and in the crossfire, an angel loses his wings…
Fallen from Heaven and forced to live amongst the humans in exile, angel Ezekiel bares the tragic fate of a disgraced angel. Having overheard the rebellious Lucifer’s plans to rise up against the sanctuary of Heaven, Ezekiel remains silent, and for his inaction, he is cast from the pearly gates and onto the unforgiving lands of the mortals. Two thousand years pass with a cold and hollow wind at his back, and for a moment, Ezekiel resigns to his fate.
However, in the year 2016, the winds of fate begin to change, and redemption comes in the form of his brother, Gabriel, who bares great news. Ezekiel is given a chance to return to Heaven, but only once he has taken down Molach, an evil demon on the rise. If Ezekiel can stop Molach from helping Lucifer return, he will be welcomed back into Heaven. However, there is more than just a demon in his path, Ezekiel must uncover what else fate has in store for him, including a lovely solitary Prophetess named Isabelle and the endless possibility for joy and whimsy she offers. Can Ezekiel rise once more to the great destiny that awaits him? Or has he been amongst the fickle mortals for far too long?
Saturday, June 17, 2017
New YA Paranormal Romance by Cortney Pearson!
Hiya peeps! I'm excited to share this book with you today, partially cuz it sounds awesome, and partially because the cover is epic! Isn't it gorgeous! Comment below and tell me what you think of it?
Be sure to also enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
Intrinsic
The Forbidden Doors, #2
~Released: June 12th, 2017
~Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Some boys are better left unkissed. Some books shouldn’t be read. And some doors should remain closed.
The bookstore where I work harkens back to another time—one of flapper dresses and cloche hats, of walking canes and tailored suits, and of boys with impeccable manners and ice-blue eyes. Boys like my coworker, Nikolay.
But the store also holds secrets—a formidable door missing its knob, a mystery bound in magic books, and the haunted look in Nikolay’s eyes. And there are crows that follow me home. Crows only I can see.
I can’t tell whether the crows are a threat or a warning. But one thing is certain, I’m in too deep to walk away. There is something behind that door in the bookstore. And it’s the key to getting the crows to stop, before they turn into something far more sinister.
Intrinsic is a mystical venture through ink and time, deliciously eerie, with enough angst, enigmas, and romantic charge to make your nails bite into your palms. Don't miss this captivating, standalone companion to Cortney Pearson's Phobic.
Friday, May 5, 2017
"The Bad Boy's Girl" by Blair Holden!
*See my review post for this book here!*
Hiya guys! Hope your week has gone well so far. =)
DRR has a newly published book to share with you today. This is a story that has actually been read 160 million times on the site Wattpad! Wowza!
Check out the book and author's playlist below, and be sure to let us know what you think about it!
The Bad Boy's Girl
~Released: February 21st 2017
~Length: 395 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Romance
Tessa O’Connell is a girl as ordinary as they come-or so she thinks. Her aim for senior year is to keep her head down yet somehow manage to convince her childhood love Jay Stone to love her back. What she isn’t prepared for is for Jay’s brother, Cole to return to town and change the life she’s always been seemingly content to live. Tall, gorgeous as all hell and a bad boy with ocean blue eyes and the perfect edge of adorability, he was her greatest tormentor, her number one enemy.But the guy that’s come back is like no one Tessa’s ever come across. He challenges her, he tests her limits, he forces her to bring out the girl she’s long ago buried under a veil of mediocrity and most of all he compels her to consider that perhaps the boy that infuriates her to the point of no return might just her guardian angel. This new edition contains never before seen, exclusive content!
Thursday, April 27, 2017
"A School for Dragons" by Amy Wolf
Hiya guys! DRR has a fun new young adult fantasy novel to share with you today! Check it out, and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
~Released: April 11th, 2017
~Publisher: Red Empress Publishing
~Length: 350 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Mattie Sharpe—seventeen and bored in L.A. —is getting into trouble. She gets into even more when she's whisked to Cavernis, a world teeming with dragons. But these are dragons as you've never seen them: they are fussy gourmets; work as lawyers & CPA's; and attend their school ASH, where they take classes like TNS ("Tails, Nails & Scales").
Reuniting with her childhood friend, Mattie learns why she’s been brought there, and even heads ASH’s rowing team, Skull & Bones. She learns how to be a knight from the mysterious Eli, a small mute dragon…or is he?
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Comic Book Review!
"Finding Molly: Adventures in Catsitting" by Justine Prado!
Hiya peeps! DRR is super excited to share a new release with you today!
We've never reviewed a graphic novel before today, and are super excited to have had the opportunity! Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours & the author for the fun read!
Check it out, and be sure to pick up a copy - you won't regret it! =D
Finding Molly
Adventures in Catsitting
(Volume 1)
~Released: January 15th, 2017
~Length: 128 Pages
~Parent's Guide: G
~Genres: New Adult, Graphic Novel, Comic Book, Contemporary
Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting is a graphic novel about Molly Sanchez-Talebi, an unemployed art school grad who hesitantly starts catsitting to pay the bills. She dreams of breaking out of suburbia and her artistic rut, but she has a lot of self-discovery to do before that happens. The comic follows her funny misadventures as she learns that maybe these (sometimes) friendly felines are just what she needs to get her life on track.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
*Review*
"Agoraphobic: Inside Out" by Sara Secora!
Hiya guys! DRR has an interesting short story to share with you guys. This one will appeal to those of you who enjoy studying psychology, or learning about people in general. This story gives an in-depth look at the mind of a man who suffers from an interesting mental wall of fears.
Check it out, and be sure to let us know what you think, in the comments below!
~Released: January 30th 2017
A short story - 11 pages
~Parent's Guide: PG-13
~Genres: Adult Fiction
28-year-old Kade hasn't been able to make it past his sidewalk in eight years. In this chilling short story, you will be given a glimpse into the inner workings of his mind as he goes through the process of trying to face his irrational, but very real fears. Experience firsthand what goes on in an Agoraphobic's mind and begin to understand the silent disorder that millions of people across the world struggle with.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
"The Shadow Gate" Tour with Review!
Hiya guys! DRR has an exciting adventure to share with you today!
This young adult paranormal adventure features a brother and sister dealing with a fantastic situation, and keeps you on your toes! Check out our review, and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
The Shadow Gate
The Shadow Gate Chronicles, Book 1
~Release Date: March 3rd, 2017
~Length: 264 Pages
~Parent's Guide: PG-13
~Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Summer vacation was never supposed to be like this.
It was bad enough Naomi had to be shipped off to her dad's home for the summer and deal with her half-brother Gavin, but when the siblings are forced to spend their break with their great-grandmother in upstate New York, everything changes. An investigation into the strange disappearance of their great-grandfather forces them to retrace his footsteps. They discover a gateway between worlds and encounter extraordinary creatures in a land where the people are desperate to escape the coming of a shade lord. To survive their adventure, Naomi and Gavin must settle their differences and find the elusive shadow gate that will take them home again.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
"The Secret Billionaire" by Teymour Shahabi!
Hiya guys! DRR has an interesting novel to share with you today!
Set in the '60s, this Young Adult Mystery explores a young billionaire in London. Doesn't that sound interesting?
Check out the author's inspiration for writing the novel, and be sure the enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
The Secret Billionaire
~Released: September 29th, 2016
~Genres: Young Adult, Mystery
1960s — March 24. Billionaire Lyndon Surway takes off in his private plane and never returns. His will leaves the entirety of his wealth—one of the largest fortunes in history—to his “ dear friend Lucian Baker.” Only there is no trace of anyone by that name. And the fortune itself is nowhere to be found. Andrew Day knows nothing of wealth and privilege, but he won a scholarship to study at the most exclusive school in the country, in the town where the mystery, decades later, remains unsolved. There he discovers friendship and danger with the aristocratic Cameron and the beautiful Olivia. But watchful eyes follow him everywhere... Until, one night, he comes across a secret that will change his life. As he begins to unravel what really happened to the Surway fortune, the question remains: who is Lucian Baker?
Sunday, February 26, 2017
*Review*
"Elemental Secrets" by Elle Middaugh!
Hiya! DRR has a new review to share with you guys today. We were intrigued by the cover and synopsis for this young adult fantasy novel, and hope you guys like it as well!
Elemental Secrets
(The Essential Elements #1)
~Released: Feb 27th, 2016
~Length: 368 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
With her mother long deceased and her father recently deployed, Valerie Moore is sent to live with her eccentric aunt in a tiny town nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Being a Navy brat has made her into a bit of a loner, and making friends isn’t high on her list.
Time with her aunt, however, soon convinces her that a life of loneliness really isn’t what she wants. So, she opens up and makes a few friends - friends with secrets.
Her love life quickly becomes a mess. Torn between the conflicted heartbreaker next door, the persistent jock at the top, and the rugged college bad boy, Valerie finds it almost impossible to choose just one guy.
Romance isn’t her only problem, though.
Secrets are revealed about her family, her friends and relationships, and her whole world…
But the biggest secret of all is unveiled when Valerie discovers she has Elemental powers, unleashing a rapid chain of irreversible events.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
"College Life 101: Freshman Orientation" by J.B. Vample!
Hiya guys! DRR has a fun book to share with you guys, full of character!
Check it out, and see the author's ideas on her dream cast for this book. Also, be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
College Life 101:
Freshman Orientation
~Released: December 19th, 2015
~Length: 334 Pages
~Genres: New Adult, Contemporary
Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Leaving home for the first time to attend college is stressful enough. But when the roommate lottery of Paradise Valley University strikes, it produces couples who have absolutely nothing in common; causing personality clashes which takes the stress to a whole new level. Dismay hits Sidra Howard, the prim and proper princess, when she contemplates spending an entire semester with Chasity Parker, the troubled beauty with a sharp tongue and even sharper claws. Malajia Simmons, a boy crazed, attention seeking diva, is no happier. Not only does she get stuck with the upper bunk bed, she has to share a triple room with Alexandra Chisolm, a nosey and overbearing, self proclaimed “know-it-all”. But even the meddling Alexandra isn’t as bad as Emily Harris, the shy, mommy’s girl with a non-existent backbone.
Coming to college to escape her home life, Chasity hopes to get through the semester without any problems. Her hopes are tainted once she begins to have to resist the advances of a determined football star, on top of dealing with family drama which seems to have followed her. Alexandra’s need to fix everyone’s problems not only rubs her roommates the wrong way, it also causes her to fall blind to the problems brewing with the boyfriend that she left behind. Eventually she’ll be forced to face the issues head on. Emily’s refusal to come out of her shell is too much to handle for party girl Malajia, whose main purpose is to have fun and be seen. The same doesn’t apply to Sidra, who’s more concerned with trying to keep her over-the-top stress level under control.
These five young women try to handle family drama, pressure, and conflicts; all while trying to maintain their grades. They quickly learn that college life isn’t what they expected and must adapt to their new environment if they ever hope to make it through their first semester.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
"Legacy of the Mind" by H.R. Moore!
Hiya guys! DRR has an awesome paranormal adventure to share with you today! This book is right up our alley, and will hopefully be a new favorite for you!
Check it out, and learn more about the author with her Top 10 favorites list! Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post, and let us know what you think of this novel!
~Released: January 26th, 2014
~Length: 262 Length
Anita has never been ordinary, she’s stuck out like a sore thumb her entire life; not only can she see the energy of others, a rare skill, but she’s won every Body challenge she’s ever entered. So when the powerful, good looking Descendants, Marcus and Alexander, mysteriously arrive in Empire, her difference attracts and keeps their attention.
Once in Empire, the sudden death of ruling Body Descendant, Christiana, sets in motion a number of events; a quest for the treacherous Austin to find the girl Christiana had been looking for; a challenge where Anita stands out more vibrantly than ever before; a perilous dip in the world’s energy; and a dangerous belief among the people that they will never truly be free. Powerful factions soon form within the ruling elite and when a trusted friend and mentor reaches out to ask for Anita’s help, she has to make a choice; help her friend and betray the one she loves, or do nothing and watch the people starve.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
New Anthology! "A Pizza My Heart" with Playlist & Giveaway!
Hiya guys! DRR is excited to bring you this new anthology, full of humor, danger, and pizza!
Check out the authors below, and a couple of their #playlists they were awesome enough to share with us! Also, be sure to enter the #giveaway at the end of the post as well! =D
A Pizza My Heart
An Anthology
~Released: February 9th, 2017
~Edited By: Jolene Haley
~Cover Designer: Haley Crosby
~Publisher: Hocus Pocus & Co.
~Genres: Contemporary, Humor
Join the book buzz using hashtag #PizzathologyBlog
Amazon
Gooey cheese and warm pepperoni, with a side of kissing and murder.
A Pizza My Heart is a quirky and fun anthology that crosses all genres. Fifteen extraordinary authors have united to tell stories of mystery, mayhem, romance, danger, deceit…and pizza.
Sometimes spicy, sometimes cheesy, but always delicious, A Pizza My Heart invites you to explore life, happiness, and the pursuit of pizza.
Stories Include:
A Slice of Adventure by Maria Carvalho
Between Slices by Andy Grieser
Fresh, Hot, and Deadly by Rena Olsen
KissingDancingPizzaMURDER by Darci Cole
Kneadful Things by Jenna Lehne
Love Pizza No. 9 by Vanessa Rodriguez
Madame Miraval’s Pizza Place by Kelly deVos
Password Is… by Jolene Haley
Pizza On the Brain by Emily Simon
Pizza Buddy by Brian LeTendre
Pizzamergency by Brett Jonas
Survival Pizza by Rebecca Waddell
The Last Stop at the End of the World by Jamie Adams
The Pizza Guy by Jessi Shakarian
Where There’s Pizza by Jasmine Brown
Friday, February 10, 2017
*Paranormal Fantasy & Giveaway*
"Third Chronicles of Illumination" by C.A. Pack!
Hiya guys! DRR has a Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy for you today! It was just released, and is part of an exciting story!
Check it out, and be sure to enter the #giveaway at the end of the blog!
Third Chroniclesof Illumination
~Released: February 7th, 2017
~Publisher: Artiqua Press
~Length: 249 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Oh, no! Johanna Charette and Jackson Roth have allowed a sneaky shapeshifter to slip right through their fingers. The good news is that he’s now trapped between the layers of time and space with their Terrorian nemesis, Nero 51. The bad news is the Terrorian wants to control all the Libraries of Illumination, while the shapeshifter wants to control everything else. Who knows how long the Illumini system will remain safe? It’s taking a toll on Johanna and Jackson, who are smack in the center of everything as they struggle to protect the libraries’ legacy. Can you spell s-t-r-e-s-s? The pressure is driving a stake between the teens, and their mercurial romance could be over before it has truly begun.
Second Chroniclesof Illumination
~Released: June 30th, 2015
~Length: 480 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
When an alien invasion threatens the existence of all the knowledge in the universe, eighteen-year-old Johanna Charette and seventeen-year-old Jackson Roth must rely on their wits, guts, and pluck to save the fantasy-come-to-life world of the Library of Illumination.
It wouldn’t be so bad—all right, it is bad but it would hurt less—if Johanna and Jackson weren’t the ones responsible for breaching the portals to a dozen distant worlds. Now, outside forces are causing shock waves in the space-time continuum, and if that isn’t awful enough, someone from another dimension is trying to steal a book of powerful spells created by a very famous wizard.
At first, traveling to other realms in a time machine seems like a fun perk. However, discovering some inhabitants want to obliterate the teens doesn’t leave them with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Instead, they find themselves forced to sacrifice their own welfare and the safety of their loved ones for the greater good.
**Chronicles: The Library of Illumination is the first book which is a compilation of short novellas and novelettes that aren't necessary to read before starting the rest of the series.
C.A. Pack is the author of the Library of Illumination series of YA paranormal fantasy novelettes, along with Chronicles: The Library of Illumination (2014), The Second Chronicles of Illumination (2015) and The Third Chronicles of Illumination (2017). Pack also writes for a general audience. Her first novel, Code Name: Evangeline—is an historical spy thriller which takes place in the 1930's. The author followed it up with Evangeline's Ghost—a fantasy about the death of that same spy. She recently completed work on Evangeline's Ghost: Houdini, and is currently working on Evangeline's Ghost: The Bridge.
Pack is an award winning journalist from New York who worked as an anchor/reporter and educator (she considers herself the fairy-godmother of television news reporters)—and has written for WNBC, LI News Tonight and News 12 Long Island. She also worked on PBS documentaries, radio and television commercials and created and produced a pilot for a news show focusing solely on marriage and wedding trends. She's a past president of the Press Club of Long Island and a proud member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Pack has been a speaker or panelist for organizations such as Women in Communications, Fair Media Council, and the Society of Professional Journalists.
The author lives with her husband and two picky parrots “ on” Long Island, New York.
Why Fiction Is More Fun
By C.A. Pack
Before I wrote the Third Chronicles of Illumination, which is part of my Library of Illumination series, I wrote news for TV. Newswriting a very black and white form of writing. I had only from thirty to ninety-seconds to tell a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. There wasn’t a lot of wiggle room for embellishment. I had to learn to be concise and careful. One wrong word could give viewers the wrong idea about what had happened, and nearly everything I didn’t see with my own eyes or know beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt to be true, had to be attributed to its source.
While it’s true that twenty different reporters could tell the same story in twenty different ways, most of the content would be similar. The differences would depend on what individual writers choose to include, and what they leave out due to time constraints. But after a while, news stories all start to sound the same, at least to me.
Then I started fooling around with fiction in my spare time as a joke. A friend and I began writing a cozy mystery, with every subsequent line either utterly droll or completely outrageous. After a few pages, my friend stopped. It had been fun for a while, but not anymore—at least for him. I, on the other hand, loved it. I loved the freedom of writing whatever I felt like and not needing video to match my copy. I loved putting words in peoples’ mouths without having to double check the veracity of what they said. Goodbye left side of the brain; hello right side.
Writing fiction is emancipating. But that’s not to say it’s easy.
I learned that writing fiction has rules, and I was told I had to know what those rules are before I could break any of them. Writing fiction requires knowledge of spelling and grammar. I used to write for TV. Viewers never knew if the words were spelled correctly or if the punctuation was accurate. I used ellipses where I wanted pauses because they were easier to see than a comma on a teleprompter. I double spaced between sentences. There were no compound-complex sentences because viewers understood stories more easily if the sentences were short and simple. I used to edit other writers’ stories for TV. Now, I need an editor of my own to correct my fiction manuscripts.
I’m not complaining. I love what I do. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, and I enjoy using it to create stories. Even research is fun. I enjoy learning the basic facts about a location, or how a piece of equipment functions, before I twist those facts to suit my needs. It’s always nice to base fiction on fact to make it a little more believable.
Then there’s world-building. Originally, all the action in the Library of Illumination happened on one world: Earth. But when I started writing the fifth adventure in the series, I had my protagonists discover a portal in the library that connected to twelve other worlds. That’s a lot of different cultures, and character descriptions, and vocabulary to create. Each world needs its own voice and flavor. I’m not limited by the facts, but I do find it impossible to write about all twelve realms at once. I think right now, I’m juggling eight of them. I’ll save the other four for the next book. It’s like having friends. You may have dozens of friends, but there are a few who are really close and always around, some who you hang around with—even if they’re not besties, and acquaintances on the periphery that you don’t mind spending time with, but you may not see that often. When I run out of intrigue on one world, there’s always another one to take its place.
The beauty of fiction is the writer gets to call the shots. If I’ve invested in a character and I find I’ve lost interest in him, you’ll know it when he opens a door into a room that’s booby-trapped with a bomb. BOOM. You may think you hardly got the chance to know him, alas, I knew him all-to-well, and he became expendable. Besides controlling characters, I can make the weather dictate events. I can write famous people into scenes. My protagonists can do anything or go anywhere. The world is their oyster, so to speak (even though I hate oysters). Anyway, that’s why I love fiction more than fact.
I find it really rewarding. It’s not the same old newsy bank robbery, or fatal fire, or brutal murder, with all the facts dictated by the authorities in charge. It’s my story with all the details dictated by me, and maybe it’s a god complex, but being in control is a whole lot of fun.
Thanks for stopping by! =D
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