NaNoWriMo Pep Talk #1

Hello Darlings!

Happy Halloween to all! Can  you believe it's October 31st? Insane right? Anyway, National Novel Writing Month officially starts tomorrow so I decided to ramble, I mean talk, a little about some of the things I'll be doing this month. Be warned, I love to talk about writing so this video, yes, lots of talking. If you're participating, don't forget to add me!




Well, are you ready for NaNoWriMo? *Throws Confetti* (Ya, I'm not picking that up).

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Valia

Book Spotlight: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question. 

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.
From Goodreads.com

You guys know I haven’t been reading a lot of contemporaries. I love them to pieces, I do, but recently I’ve been drawn to more paranormal/science fiction/steampunk adventures. Well, Meant to Be kind of restarted my whole love for contemporary. I read it months ago and I’m excited to finally share my thoughts with you! 

For Julia, this trip is perfection beyond perfection. She get’s to go to London and work on winning the heart of childhood crush Mark Bixford, her MTB. However, Julia’s whole trip is ruined when she’s partnered up with Jack. Jack makes her life miserable and this is no exception. She thinks this is the worst thing that ever happened to her, especially after he drags her to a party against the rules. The next day, she begins receiving romantic texts and so the adventure begins. Together Julia and Jack must break a few rules in order to find Julia’s secret admirer. Will she who for it or will she stick to her ever guarded rules?

Julia is crazy character to love. She’s klutzy, back straight, follow all the rules kind of a girl. She can be quite annoying if I do say so myself. Here’s the funny part though, I loved her for it. She’s so real in all of her quirks I kind of wanted to hug her for it. Her MTB (meant to be) search is hilarious and something every girl can relate to. 

Now, there’s the other side of the story, Jack. He’s the class clown, let’s make Julia’s life miserable kind of a guy and super adorable while he’s at it. His personality was so much fun and games I loved when he showed up on the pages. Their relationship is fresh and exciting because it’s not all a bed of roses. Both are quite big on the thorns part, arguing more than talking. I want to hug both of them crazy kids. 

Seriously guys, I’m a huge fan of this book. Have you seen the cover? It’s amazing right? Well, the words inside, just as awesome. Lauren does a wonderful job writing a story that’s not only fun, but sweet and exciting, all wrapped into one perfect package. If I wasn’t laughing, I was rooting for Julia and Jack. If I wasn’t rooting, I was yelling at them to get their heads screwed on straight. Now that’s the kind of response that makes for a great book! Meant to Be comes out November 13th, 2012!

Get it, read it, love it! Let me know what you think! 

Happy reading, 

Valia 

Book Spotlight: Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . .
Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:

She must fight for Will.
The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.

She must fight for humanity.
As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.

And Ellie must save herself.
Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.

In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.
From goodreads.com

This is book three, so there might be tiny spoilers, but I'll do my best.

I can’t believe I’m writing a review for the last book in the Angelfire series. I have the most bittersweet feelings about this. If you’ve been following me for a while you know my love for Courtney’s writing and these particular characters. 

Shadows in the Silence picks up where Wings of the Wicked left off. If you’ve read my review of Wings of the Wicked you know how many feels I had for that book. There was SO MUCH going on. It broke my heart, it really did. Ellie is on a mission to find a cure for Will and she goes to one person she knows will be able to help, Cadan. Ellie will stop at nothing to save the one she loves, even dealing with forces of the evil. But is Cadan really evil? In order to save the world, Ellie will have to push herself beyond anything she could’ve imagined. Is she strong enough? 

Guys, I don’t even know where to start. I’m so conflicted about this review because I want to say so much but at the same time I can’t. 

I loved this book to pieces. Ellie stands as one of my favorite heroines in young adult literature right now. She’s strong and fierce. Real and emotional. She’s every girl and yet she’s not. I think Courtney created a persona that inspires and really pushes you beyond the norm. 

Will. *le sigh* I can’t even talk about this boy without swooning. He’s everything a girl needs. Strong, capable, a hopeless romantic. I just want to hug him to pieces. I loved watching Ellie and Will together, their relationship so sweet and real. They are so not your typical YA couple. You should’ve heard Courtney and I discuss this particular topic *snickers*

I have the utmost love for this series and these characters. I adored Cadan, Katie, Marcus and every other character Courtney penned on that paper. Seriously, it’s hard to pick just one thing that I enjoyed about this series. I can’t wait to see what Courtney will come up with next. I recommend these books to anyone who loves good writing coupled with a strong breathtaking romance and action that keeps you on the corner of your seat. You did well Courtney, you did well! 

Shadows in the Silence comes out January 29th, 2013. 

Happy reading, 

Valia 

Book Spotlight: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….
From Goodreads.com

This is a story of Alice Bell, a girl who’s life changed in a span of a moment. Alice grew up in your average home with a bratty sister she adored and parent’s who were a bit eccentric. Maybe not your average family, because Alice’s dad could see monsters no one else could, and that did not sit well anyone. On Alice’s birthday, she talks her parents to venture out at night for her sister’s recital and that’s the night her life changes. Her family gone, and Alice is now seeing the same monsters that plagued her father. Is she going crazy or is this real? When she starts a new school and meets Cole, she’ll have to rethink everything she believes in order to survive. 

Alice in Zombieland is the first book I’ve read by Gena Showalter and holy hotness why have I waited so long? Seriously, this book was just too much fun to read. Alice is a great character. She has a way about her that every person can relate to, but also something underneath that makes her the perfect heroine. Her emotions are right on the dot and her actions follow the craziness of her life. I loved seeing Alice develop as a character, coming to terms with the world outside of her comfort zone and taking that stand when needed. 

Enter Cole. Oh Cole, where have you been all my life? This boy, umm, I have no words really. Well, maybe a few. Gorgeous. Dangerous. Fierce. Considerate. Protective. Did I mention gorgeous? He’s really the perfect example of all the best qualities mixed in with all the real ones. I mean, a guy can be perfect on paper, but not so perfect in “real life.” For some reason, I could totally see Cole walking down the street and that’s saying a lot. 

Together Alice and Cole have to fight a lot more than just their growing feelings for each other. The whole book is action, friendship, and romance blended together for a great delivery. I absolutely adored this book, and laughed more than once at some of the craziness in it. I actually have a soft spot for a lot of the secondary characters which doesn’t happen often. At least not for me. 

Alice in Zombieland is out now and is the first in the White Rabbit Chronicles. I can’t wait to see what else Gena has in store for us. I’m going to have to go read all of her other books now! 

Have you read Alice in Zombieland? What did you think? 

Happy reading, 

Valia 

Shop Talk Thursday: NaNoWriMo Here I Come!

I know you've seen about a bazillion posts about NaNo by now. I mean, it seems that every writer who's a writer is doing it this year (which by the way, is awesome). No really, just think of the support! I know that NaNoWriMo is already all about support but when you have people like Beth Revis and Sarah J Maas willing to start a forum of "Ask a Published Author", you know it's going to be a good month. I'm not kidding, bookmark that forum. It will come in handy. 

The main reason why I was struggling on whether or not I was going to do NaNoWriMo is because I already have a project that I'm working on. This WIP is something I've wanted to write for a while and I feel like I can finally do it justice. Yes, you've heard it all before but guys, I'm super beyond excited! (and I hope you will be too when you read it) But I digress. 

A couple of weeks back, I wrote this completely random scene that didn't seem to fit anywhere in my current projects. So I saved it, leaving it on my desktop for another time. When my CP and I were talking about NaNo (and the agonizing choice I had to make) I kept coming back to that scene. I realized there is a story there that I wanted to tell and it's about time I tell it. CP and I brainstormed a little, and guys, GUYS, it's going to be amazing. 

Yes, I know it's 50K in a month. Yes, I know it's craziness of a mess on paper after the month of constant writing. But I'm excited! (also, just wait till you see what CP has in store for you, because hello awesome!) I'm really committing myself to this for November. Come rain or high water, I want to give it my best shot and see where I stand. This does mean walking away from my current WIP for a bit, but I honestly think it may even be good for me. 

So what do you see wonderful people, anyone up for NaNoWriMo with me? 

Here's a link to my profile: Valia Lind (let's be buddies). 

Have a great day!

Valia 

Cover Reveal: Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Hello lovelies,
So today I have a special treat for you! You know I really adore Leigh and her writing and today she's letting me be part of her special cover reveal. First, meet Leigh!

I started out life in South Africa. A year later

my parents moved home to Dublin, Ireland. When I was older and realized myparents had moved me from exotic Durban, to sedate Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, Iwas rightly ticked off.Giving up lions for sheep, I grew up in the foothills ofthe Dublin Mountains where I went to a convent school and had to contend withuniforms, gabardines, and nuns. When not dodging the beady glare of  the Sistersof Mercy, I was devouring every book I could get my hands on.I traveled all over Europe while working in banking andtreasury, but I gave up my calculator in favor of a keyboard and haven?tstopped writing since. My first book, Carrier of the Mark, was published byHarperTeen in 2011.Our home is in Cork in the south of Ireland, but we?re currently on loanto Massachusetts in the US where I continue to write books about  magic, ghosts,and romance, with a bit of Irish flavor.

About the coverI know, there's no mistaking it. This is definitely a Carrier Series  cover, but that was the intention. After the amazing reception to the  cover of Carrier of the Mark, HarperCollins wanted Shadow's cover to  be instantly recognizable. And it is, but the new darker color palette  reflects the darker tone that this installment brings, and the pink  and purple really make it pop. I love it and think HarperCollins have  done another amazing job. I hope you like it too.

Now take a look!!

Life for Megan Rosenberg just got a lot more complicated.

While she evoked the air element, and her feelings for Adam
intensified, a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal has been spun around  her.  With the Order tightening its hold, and the
reinstatement of the Mark Knights, Megan has more questions than  answers as the
Marked Ones grow in strength.

New people arouse suspicion, the DeRises start behaving
strangely, and Megan begins to unravel a destiny shrouded in mystery.   It?s a destiny the Order has struggled to hide,
and a destiny someone from the past?far in the past, has already laid claim to.

Alliances will be made, and friends will be lost, as the
Order?s dark secrets are revealed by the very thing they sought to destroy.

LinksPre-order on Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Mark-Leigh-Fallon/dp/0062128000/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350828346&sr=1-1&keywords=shadow+of+the+mark+by+leigh+fallonLeigh's websitehttp://www.leighfallon.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think?? I'm kind of liking this idea. 

Hugs, 

Valia 

Book Haul: 10-19-12

Hello darlings,
I know it's been a while, but look what I have for you today. A video! And I'm in it! Hope you enjoy, but I warn you. Proceed at your own caution. I'm a bit delirious.



What's in your mailbox?

Happy reading, 
Valia