Tag Archives: author life

My 2 Cents… Molly’s Game

Posted on by
Reply

Molly's GameMolly’s Game – The true story of Molly Bloom, on Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.

I picked this movie simply because the “movie poster” looked interesting! If it were a book (as I’ve recently discovered it is) I would have picked it for the cover. Not knowing anything about it, and without watching the preview, I jumped right in.

Jessica Chastain (see her IMDB page here) was wonderful as Molly Bloom! I can’t imagine they could have cast it any better. When I looked up pictures of the real Molly Bloom, I was pleasantly surprised to see Chastain actually does somewhat resemble her.

I’m not going to lie, I have since read reviews that say the book is so much better than the movie. Yes, I plan to buy the book and read it promptly.

Have you seen Molly’s Game? If so, what did you think? 

See the official movie trailer here:

 

Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

Posted on by
1

button

TITLE: Gwendy’s Button Box
AUTHOR: Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (4)

 

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Stephen King teams up with long-time friend and award-winning author Richard Chizmar for the first time in this original, chilling novella that revisits the mysterious town of Castle Rock.

There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974, twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong—if time-rusted—iron bolts and zig-zag up the precarious cliffside.

Then one day when Gwendy gets to the top of Castle View, after catching her breath and hearing the shouts of kids on the playground below, a stranger calls to her. There on a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small, neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat…

The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told—until now.

Buy it HERE on Amazon! 

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: I’ve never read anything by Richard Chizmar, but I’ve always loved Stephen King. This book, although it doesn’t have the creepy factor of a typical Stephen King book it does still have the mystical… magical elements that are all to familiar with reading Stephen King. One of the things I love most about reading Stephen King’s writing is that he doesn’t treat his readers like they’re stupid. He assumes you’re just going to be able to suspend your disbelief and fall into this world he has created as if it is the most natural thing in the world. The funny thing is, you do. I crack the spine and instantly I’m transported to a whole new world where everything-anything is possible.

STORY: The story was simple. It asks the question, if you had a magic button box that could destroy lives and essentially grant your every desire, what would you do? OK, that is dumbing it down a bit, but you get the point. Simple story, but then you ask that question of a twelve year old girl and lay on her the responsibility of protecting the box and essentially the world and it becomes much more complex.

CHARACTERS: The story follows Gwendy, from the time she is twelve until after her college graduation. Although it’s a fast read, I still feel like the reader really gets to know Gwendy. We understand her decisions and we can even anticipate what she is going to do next. I love that in such a short novella, Stephen King and Richard Chizmar are still able to satisfy my craving for detail and in depth character development.

APPEARANCE: Beautiful cover. It doesn’t give anything away and yet, when you read the book the cover fits perfectly.

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video!

https://youtu.be/41pgu7-ynzA

Watch the Gwendy’s Button Box Signing and Live Question & Answer with Richard Chizmar:

https://youtu.be/dinOukMBUVA

Tidal by Amanda Hocking

Posted on by
1

Tidal

TITLE: Tidal
AUTHOR: Amanda Hocking

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★ (4.5)

 

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Don’t miss Tidal, the spellbinding third book in the Watersong series by New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking!

Gemma and Harper Fisher are facing the fight of their lives. Gemma has been cursed with extraordinary powers that have a terrifying dark side, but she’s finally found what she needs―a way to break the curse and become human again. But finding the means to do it will be her greatest challenge yet. And now Penn, Lexi and Thea―the gorgeous but deadly creatures who cursed her―are determined to kill her before she has a chance. Making matters worse, Penn has her sights set on Daniel―the guy Harper loves―and Penn always gets what she wants.

As Gemma and Harper race to break the curse before it’s too late, they’re thrust deeper into a mythical world of immortal secrets. They must delve into their enemies’ past to find the answers they need, even if it means being drawn deeper into their savagely beautiful world. But one of the girls is not what she seems…and Gemma finds an unlikely ally as she struggles to save herself. But will it be enough to break an ancient curse that no one has ever escaped alive?

Buy it HERE on Amazon! 

THE CRITICAL POINTS
Before I get into the book… lets first talk about the Author. Amanda Hocking WAS an indie-author, like me and so many others. But, somehow, she beat all the odds and managed to find a way to get her books seen – AND READ. In early 2011, she was averaging 9,000 book sales each day!!! Trust me, that is no easy task. It’s hard enough to sell 9 books a week much less 9,000 a day. In March of 2011, she signed her first conventional publishing contract with St. Martin’s Press, a 4-book deal, and joined the big leagues. In 2015, she announced that she had signed a new 3-book deal with St. Martin’s press and her success just continued to skyrocket.

As an indie-author, I’d love to pick her brain and find out what it was she was doing, in those early years, to spread the word about her books. I personally find marketing myself and my books to be the hardest part of being an indie-author. How you get hundreds, let alone thousands of sales, in a day I’d love to know. I’d love to get my hands on her “marketing pan.”

WRITING: Hocking writes young adult paranormal fiction/urban fantasy (like me)… I LOVE THIS STUFF! I’ve found some typos throughout the book, but I can’t remember the last book I read that didn’t have any typos. I honestly don’t fault the author for that. It’s her job to make the story interesting, the editor is the one who is supposed to ensure the grammatical issues and typos are dealt with.

STORY: I picked this book up at the Dollar Tree… I liked the cover and I had read a couple of books by Hocking in the past, so I was intrigued. I didn’t know, at the time, that Tidal was the third book in a series. With that said, the first 1/3 of the book seemed very odd… as if I was missing huge chunks of the story. Truth be told – I WAS! I’m sure that if I had read books one and two I would have been up to speed and loving it. In the end however, it didn’t really matter that I hadn’t read the first two books. I enjoyed the story enough to finish the book in just two days… It’s a quick beach-read! It’s not typical to read the third book first, but I do plan on going back and picking up books 1, 2, and 4… Now that I know what happens to Lexi, I have to know what happens to all the other characters and how they got themselves in the situation they’re in.

CHARACTERS: Hocking gives each character their own unique personality and purpose. The only thing that seemed off about the characters is that everyone is beautiful… I tend to like a bit more diversity when it comes to character development, but still easy, fun read.

APPEARANCE: The cover is beautiful. Considering the cover is what made me pick up the book, I’d say the cover artist did their job very well.

Watch the Tidal teaser trailer here:

https://youtu.be/AydpDWbxUF4

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

https://youtu.be/E7pJhhA3t_w

How do you find a good book?

Posted on by
1

book

As an indie-author, I’m interested in how my readers find my books and knowing which of my marketing efforts are effective. On the flip side, I’d like to know how readers, who haven’t yet found my books, find the books they gravitate toward.

I did a little research. Then, I did a little more. What I found was a list of different ways authors can promote their books. I’m not yet doing them all, but I just might need to add a few more to my list.

 

AUTHORS… MARKET YOUR BOOKS!

OFF-LINE

  • News paper and magazine press releases, advertisements, interviews, etc.
  • Media Appearances (TV or Radio interviews)
  • Promotional Items/Giveaways (pens, pads, coffee mugs, free books)
  • Social Networking
    • In person book signings
    • Store events
    • Trade shows
    • School speaking engagements

ON-LINE

  • Online press releases, advertisements, interviews, etc. 
  • Author website or blog
  • Blog tours
  • Social media direct marketing sales
  • Social networking
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pintrest 

I’m pretty sure this list isn’t complete, but it’s a start.  And no, I’m not yet doing all of these things just yet, but I have begun the plans to expand my marketing reach. 

It only makes sense that the more marketing you do, the more prospective readers you’re likely to reach. So, in theory, by using a variety of these methods an author would have a more effective marketing strategy. Which, if done correctly, should increase the overall number of sales in a given year.

If you’re an author and you’d like to share other ways you like promoting your books PLEASE COMMENT BELOW! 

If you’re a reader and you’d like to share how you discover new books, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW! 

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2)

Posted on by
1

Never Fade

TITLE: Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2)
AUTHOR: Alexandra Bracken

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Appearance: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (4.25)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
Book two in the hit series that’s soon to be a major motion picture starring Amandla Stenberg and Mandy Moore–now with a stunning new look and an exclusive bonus short story featuring Vida before she joined the League.

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby ‘Leader’, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

Buy it HERE on Amazon!

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: Just like with book 1, I cannot stress enough how good of a writer Alexandra Bracken is. Obviously, her English and History studies at William & Mary in Virginia suited her well. She is a well-deserved #1 New York Times best-selling author.

STORY: Bracken does not disappoint with book 2 of The Darkest Minds series. This one doesn’t start exactly where the first one ends, so your left with unanswered questions and an eagerness to find many of the characters who have seemingly been left behind. However, it isn’t long before Bracken pulls everything together and you feel like the story is back on track with a new mission and new character motivations pulling (or pushing) you forward to keep reading.

CHARACTERS: Book two introduces the reader to a whole new group of characters. Although as a reader I wasn’t sure if I trusted them, or even wanted to trust them, I quickly became invested in their lives and their survival. Bracken beautifully weaves Ruby’s old life with her new life showing us both the mental and physical struggles she has to deal with and eventually overcome if she wants to survive.

APPEARANCE: The cover is again, beautiful. However, unlike with the first book, after reading book two I’m not sure how the cover relates to the story. When you pull back the cover this time, you’re no longer surprised, but instead eager to find the second full-color cover, to read the character quote, “I don’t want to just see someone’s face; I want to know his shadow, too.”

Check out my NEW YouTube channel and the video review here… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

https://youtu.be/j9KdE83MbXw

PS.. I’m still new to the YouTube things, so be patient with me while I figure it all out. I promise my videos will get better. lol

 

I think my computer hates me!

Posted on by
1

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not very good with technology. I can turn on my computer and use the programs… most of them… ok, some of them, but much more than that and I’m lost.

My kids are the IT department of my house and will probably run their own technology firm some day, if they don’t secretly have one already. I’m not kidding, my kids know more about my computer and phone than I do!

Blue screen of death… “Kids, mommy needs you!”

Phone screen freezes… “Kids, mommy needs you!”

iPad tells me it hasn’t been backed up in 18 weeks… “Kids, mommy needs you!”

When I was their age, we didn’t have a home computer, much less portable tablets. Phones, well there was no such thing as a cell phone back then. Our phones were still tethered to the wall with a coiled cord. If you wanted privacy you pulled the phone as far from the kitchen as you could, stretching the cord till you could almost hear it cry. More often than not you found yourself sitting in a closet, your head on the floor next to the phone as you tried to whisper loud enough that your friends would still hear you. The day I got my own bedroom phone… a bright yellow Pac-man phone… WAS AMAZING!!! It was like my parents had handed me the golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. 

I never dreamed of carrying a pocket-sized phone around with me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my cell phone. Cell phones are cool. I am constantly connected… phone calls, emails, internet searches, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, blah blah blah, INSERT NEXT NEW APP HERE!!! WE ARE ALWAYS CONNECTED…

But seriously, cell phones are great for safety. I love that my kids have them and can reach me whenever they need to… but love it more when they want to. With all that said, I’m sure my next statement is of the unpopular brand… I think cell phones have killed childhood. OK… that’s a topic for another post. 

The whole point of my post ‘I think my computer hates me’ was to say this:

I often feel like my computer deliberately deletes my files! There, I’ve said it. My computer deliverately deletes my files! What is that? What did I do to my computer to make it hate me so much? I backup everything… I have thumb-drives (do people still call them thumb-drives or is it flash-drives now?) for all my work and I keep a downloaded backup (multiple in fact) of everything I do. Yet, the other day, after discovering that 5 of my 7 eBooks had somehow mysteriously disappeared from Amazon, I tried to find the files on my computer and THEY WERE GONE!

Shock!

Fear!!

Terror!!!

To say that I was freaking out would be putting it nicely. Luckily I found a way to get the files… but my computer didn’t make it easy… the files weren’t formatted.

NO FORMATTING AT ALL!

Paragraphs and chapters ran into each other like one long run on. How does something like this happen? I tried everything, but in the end I ended up spending hours re-formatting one book… I have four more to do… FOUR MORE! 

I’ll look on the bright side… I haven’t read those books in a while, so at least I get to reconnect with some of my past characters. I have missed them.

Has something like this ever happened to you? If so, tell me your story and what you did to fix it. Misery loves company, right? 

 

The Darkest Minds (book 1)

Posted on by
Reply

The Darkest Minds

TITLE: The Darkest Minds
AUTHOR: Alexandra Bracken

RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★ 1/2
Appearance: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★ (4.625)

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
“Book one in the hit series that’s soon to be a major motion picture starring Amandla Stenberg and Mandy Moore—now with a stunning new paperback look and an exclusive bonus short story featuring Liam and his brother, Cole. When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. But when the truth about Ruby’s abilities—the truth she’s hidden from everyone, even the camp authorities—comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run, she joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp: Zu, a young girl haunted by her past; Chubs, a standoffish brainiac; and Liam, their fearless leader, who is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. While they journey to find the one safe haven left for kids like them—East River—they must evade their determined pursuers, including an organization that will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. But as they get closer to grasping the things they’ve dreamed of, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.”

Buy it HERE on Amazon!

THE CRITICAL POINTS

WRITING: Alexandra Bracken is a wonderful writer. She has a natural talent for describing things so perfectly that you can see, smell, hear, and feel everything as if you’re experiencing it firsthand. Her characters are fully developed, believable and relatable. Although there were a handful of typos throughout the book they weren’t distracting. Besides, as an indie author, I love seeing that even the big publishing houses have editing issues and types in the books they put out. We’re all just human and no one is perfect!

STORY: Bracken has taken an often-overused theme of ‘characters with powers’ and fashioned something completely new. The dystopian world she has created is terrifying and unthinkable. The story is gripping, leaving you eager to turn the page and find out what will happen next. With every twist and turn you become more and more invested in the characters and what their destiny’s hold.

As an author, I love a good cliffhanger, and Bracken does not disappoint. The heartbreaking cliffhanger at the end of book 1 will leave you wanting more! From page one to the end this book will keep you guessing and engaged.

CHARACTERS: In the beginning of the book we’re introduced to a number of characters and given just enough time to start feeling emotionally connected before they’re ripped away and out of the spotlight. Although irritated, and left with unanswered questions, the book’s fast pace and intense action doesn’t leave the reader disappointed for long. Ruby, one of the dangerous ones, and the primary character soon finds her tribe unlikely friends; Liam, Chubs, and Zu.

I’m a huge fan of back story, and for the most part The Darkest Minds delivers, but by the end of the book I was still left with unanswered questions and wanted to know more about each of the main characters. You’d think that was a bad thing but because I was able to go straight to the bookstore and buy the next three books in the series, I didn’t mind at all.

APPEARANCE: The cover is beautiful yet ominous. The mysterious glowing symbol on the front makes you wonder what to expect before you even break the spine. When you pull back the cover you’re surprised with a second full-color cover, and a quote from one of the main characters, “Time to carpe the hell out of this diem.” Very well done!

Check out my NEW YouTube CHANNEL and the video review here… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video. 

PS.. I’m new to the YouTube things, so be patient with me while I figure it all out. I promise my videos will get better. lol