A Bit of Show & Tell

Today is going to be a bit of show and tell.

Every writer has inspiration for their story. This inspiration can break off into clothing styles of characters, homes, towns, schools, etc.

For myself, my MC in Legacy has a very specific fashion sense: badass. And of course every badass girl has a sense of darkness abour her: leather, lace, dark colors. All those seemingly offputtig things that people pretend to dislike but are secretly drawn to.

I present to you, my fashion boards:

Just so’s we all know...this is actually my own fashion sense. I get a lady boner when I find a really cute lace shirt and pair it with black leggings and ankle boots. I actually used to dress this way back in high school. There’s just something classic about this kind of look, don’t you think?

Next is a collage I threw together (In procrastination, because how else do these things get done?)

The images are my inspiration for Legacy.

I gave my characters, mainly my female MC, the life I wanted. The clothes, the cars, the tattoos. I am living vicariously through my fictional characters. She has everything I want, while I have the life she craves. In a round about sense, I am her and she is me, and I get the best of both worlds. 

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The Forgotten Heiress Book Review partnered w/ Xpresso Book Tours

*I received a free e-book copy in return for a fair and honest review*

The Forgotten Heiress
Susie Warren
(The Bolles Dynasty, #1)
Publication date: June 28th 2014
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

A BARGAIN IS ARRANGED…

Fionn Lynch is a self-made Irish billionaire, sought after for his striking appearance, razor sharp intellect and ability to thrive in volatile markets. When his mentor dies unexpectedly in a tragic accident, leaving his business and family in turmoil, Fionn steps in and takes charge. He seeks out estranged heiress Olivia Grey to help squash the unpleasant rumors. When the details of her secret past are leaked to the media, she must decide if she is willing to trust Fionn and allow herself to be drawn into her estranged family. Sparks fly between the two when he persuades her to accompany him to New York to salvage her family’s crumbling financial empire.

A shy clothing designer who was raised by a guardian in an attempt to save the Bolles family from shame, Olivia proves that she has the strength and determination to survive. She has to fight her way through relentless media scrutiny, memories of her father, and the expectations of the elite New York social world–all while trying to keep Fionn at arm’s length, for she refuses to settle for an emotionally distant relationship ever again.

It proves impossible to deny her attraction to Fionn. Is their growing bond enough to overcome all the obstacles thrown into their path?

***The Forgotten Heiress is the first book in a six book series. Each book is a stand-alone category romance and tells the story of one of the Bolles family members.

Goodreads / Amazon

My Review 

The bad; I really feel like this book needs another edit. The grammar was bad, misspellings and forgotten words were abundant. Also, repetition and detail that didn’t match-up, such as near the end where one moment the man is standing outside and the next he’s suddenly in the kitchen. I was thrown multiple times by inconsistencies like this.

The good: I’m just going to say it, this felt like a much better frorm of Fifty Shades of Grey, without the controlling love interest and bdsm (If you can even call it at).

The Forgoten Heiress is a breath of fresh air when it comes to romances. We have the billionaire: hot, stong, independent, and the female MC: strong, icy, and a love of fashion. One had a harsh background, the other a mentally abusive background (Although it is never stated that way in the book). These two characters have been molded into who they are based on their past and this guides them through all of their choices.

To the heart of it, fear is the guiding principle in every character. The background charcters, the Bolles family mostly, have a more spiritual influence, as in their presence makes the MC afraid and judgemental, even though she does not know much of what really happened and can only go off of what people tell her. The stepmother exists as the conflict, spreading poison wherever she goes because she hates not being the center of attention.

The romance felt real, the clashing of the two independent characters was a train wreck I wanted to see crash. The impending explosion was rushed, and of course cliched (What love story isn’t?) and I loved it.

It is a short read, a very good book to read while languising in a lavender bubble bath.

Huzzah! 4 stars
Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway, link below!!!!

Author Bio:
Amazon bestselling author Susie Warren writes heartfelt and passionate contemporary romance with tempting, larger than life heroes and smart, sassy heroines. The stories are set in elite and glamorous worlds and appeal to readers looking for an escape from everyday life by offering jet-set lifestyles and sophisticated plots. Her category length series, The Rosa Legacy and the Bolles Dynasty, feature remarkable, stylish women and the sinfully tempting heroes that challenge them to reveal their secrets, their strengths and their deepest emotions. Susie lives in New York with her inventor husband and their three lively teenagers.
Connect with her online at susiewarren.com and sign-up for her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/bGYl_5.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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A 50/50 Chance

I want to show you guys something. Here is my first ever self-designed cover for Legacy.

I was so proud of this when I first made it. I was on my way out of the “I’m going to hit it big!” way of thinking when I made this. Really, I just wanted a cover to see a finished product...book + cover = pretty pretty dreams in my hand.

And then reality slapped me in the face. Of course it usually does when I get a high happy point when I’m daydreaming about my future. That’s not to say I’m going to fail or never get to that publishing point.

I will get there. Motivation is a little lacking sometimes, but I’ll get there.

After weeks and weeks of research I knew the cover up there wasn’t gonna cut it. It might be enough to get people to look at it, but it is a huge risk. The quality is poor, the silhouette is blurry. The three colors all pop and it is clearly read (Haha, I made a pun), but what exacly draws the reader in to take a look at the description?

It doesn’t fit in the genre, there is very little you can gain about the story from this cover. Then again....it really is a toss up. I’ve got a 50/50 chance of winning or failing with this cover. But I got to say, this will be on my wall one day.

It’s a testament to how much I’ve changed in the past two years. 

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Saven Deception Book Review

I recieved a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Saven: Deception (The Saven Series #1)

By Siobhan Davis

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Age category: Young Adult

Release Date: December 15, 2015

Blurb:

I’ve fallen hard for an alien, but he’s harboring secrets.

Massive secrets that threaten the very essence of humanity.

How can I give him my heart when his race plans on taking my future?

Sadie Owens has been slowly dying inside. Bit by bit, piece by piece, day by day. Trapped in a life she hates, she relies on only one person—herself.

Despised by her family and betrayed by an unscrupulous government, Sadie dreams of a different life. When she is chosen to participate in the government’s new social experiment, she is ecstatic at the prospect of spending six months in Thalassic City, the shiny new city under the sea.

Immediately drawn to Logan Chandler, Sadie is captivated by the beautiful boy with the ocean-blue eyes. Logan seems to embody everything that has been forbidden, but he isn’t all he appears to be.

Confused over Logan’s true intentions and concerned when best friend Jenna starts transforming in front of her eyes, Sadie partners with newcomer Jarod in a bid to uncover the government’s real agenda. The truth is more shocking than anything she could ever have imagined.

When Sadie finally understands why the Saven walk among us, will it be too late to save her heart and the human race?

My Review

I’m just going to start off with this: I do not like alien books. Jennifer Armentrout’s Lux series is the only exception to this.

With that, I went into this ignoring my bias. I knew there would be romance and I knew there would be aliens. I was hoping there would be a change in opinion and a need to get to book two in the series as fast as possible as with the Lux series. But there wasn’t.

The writing was good, the plot cliched, and the romance was typical. But, because I am a sucker for YA paranormal I will be picking up book two because I want to know what happens next.

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty shall we?

What I did NOT like: the cliches. The book was abound with them. The romance aspect was pretty much “oooo hot guy, I’m in love’ and that was that. There was no relaitonship building, no sweet moments, nothing to lead me to believe this guy was soooo amazing as the MC made him out to be. He fell in my esteem as we saw him with girl, after girl, after girl. He was controlling, narcissistic, and egotistical. What exactly is there to love with this guy? There is a bond, which makes me wonder are they in love simply because this bond exists? Near the end, they finally get together because he just cant stand to be apart from her any longer. I still hate the romance portion of the book, but I still called the MC a total bitch when she betrays him. (Spoiler alert!)

I keep getting hinged on the love at first sight thing. That crap is not gonna fly. Nope, nada. Ain’t happening, honey. Where is the depth, the emotional connection? What is she attracted to/annoyed with? What exactly about her is so appealing to him that he can want her and be with other girls at the same time?

The MC spent most of the book self-deprecating herself all from her height to how she developed due to circumstances. Talk about pathetic. This girl was not strong, she was pathetic and I hated her. Oh woe is me, I’m so short. Oh boo-hoo I’m poor. Half the world is short and poor and don't constantly badger themselves and put themselves down for it. One is genentics and the other is an oppurtinity to do better and make your life better, hence the underwater city you now live in. Jesus Christ.

Also, I wanted more worldbuilding. We saw the envious view of th MC and the judgement and prejudice of the MC against anyone who had a better life than she, but nothing else. We know her life was dirty and rungy, and the rich live in gold and marble but what else? Is that all exists? Is this in the future, a different world? What happened to ead the world to this point in time, are the aliens really just looking for a new home and ended up really evil? What?

The book needs work, a lot of it in my opinion.

But now, my likes. The romance. Let’s face it...romance sells. Aliens, or rather the paranormal, sells. We are all sticklers for the love at first site, world-ending, you die I die, type of book. We want to know that a love stronger than the forces of the world can exist. Can you choose to live without someone or lose everything for that someone?

So here I declare a three stars book. I want to hate this book because the MC is just so badly developed, but I have to admit.

She is someone I love to hate and want more of.

You can find Saven: Deception on Goodreads  

You can buy Saven: Deception here:

- Amazon USA

- Amazon UK  

- Amazon Canada  

- Amazon Australia

- B&N

- Kobo  

- iTunes

About the Author:

Siobhan Davis writes young adult science fiction fantasy romance books, and she is the author of the Amazon bestselling True Calling series. The first book in her new Saven series was released in December 2015.

A self-professed teenager forever--at least when it comes to books, music, and films, Siobhan is totally addicted to teen fiction and superhero/blockbuster movies. She loves baking, shoes, bags, makeup, anti-wrinkle cream, anything pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Robert Pattinson (definitely Team Edward).

Before pursuing a full-time writing career, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in Human Resources over the last twenty years. She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.

You can find and contact Siobhan here:

- Website

- Blog

- Facebook  

- Twitter  

- Google +  

- Goodreads  

- Amazon   

- Newsletter    

Sample chapters, quotes, reviews and book excerpts are all available to download from the authors website

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Legacy is Born

I’ve gone on and on about what I’ve been doing lately, except for what really matters to you guys: my current projects.

For Camp Nanowrimo in April I was working on my mermaid adventure, Crystallised. I finished that with a win. But I felt burnt out over it. I couldn't write anymore. So I put it on the backburner for a little while.

Now I’m working on an oldy-but-goody, my first ever book, my literary baby Legacy. What can I say about Legacy? It’s fast paced, action packed, has a strong female MC, romance, deciet, and fast cars.

Legacy was inspred by a NA book, Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster. I loved that book, how beautiful and tragic it really was on different levels. So I set out to write my own NA book. Legacy started out as Leather Angel, the first in a set of three books. I wrote that whole book out by hand in a set of spiral bound notebooks I bought at Dollar Tree.

When I started typing it, the story changed, taking on a life of its own. I hear a lot of authors talk about how when they write, the story changes and surprises them. They don’t know where the story will go or how it will change. Sometimes I wonder how that can be. How can you write something and the characters do something you don’t expect? Aren’t you writing the blasted thing?

Well...my own project did just that. It changed, it surprised me. As I typed, I looked less and less at my hand-written novel. I stared at the computer screen and wrote for hours on end. The words flowed. I did no research, usually only looking online to spell a word if I wasn’t sure I had spelled it right. I made no notes as I was writing.

All I saw was the screen in front of me and the story acting as a movie inside my head. I could hear their voices, the yelling, the fear and love and sadness seeping out through my fingers.

I started typing April 2014 and wrote the final word July of the same year. Four months had gone by and I had a story. Start to finish and a whole lot of drama inbetween. It was time to start editing. I got through chapter one, then chapter two...At the end of July I was gearing up to do a major rehaul of Leather Angel.

Until my whole world came crashing down. For the first time in years, the first time ever, I was broken. Even the years of physical and mental abuse didn’t break me the way that one night late July did. The relationship I had mirrored the emotions for the book had been shattered into a million tiny pieces.

I coudn’t even look at LA again. I was done with it. Everything I wanted, that I was, I let it go. And hated it. LA became a symbol. One I didn’t want to deal with. So I deleted it. I had copies of it everywhere, in all my emails, my online storage, my computer...I deleted them all. Except for one.

I gazed at my computer screen, at this final symbol of all my hard work and emotion. I saw it in two parts: what I wanted it to be and what it had come to mean. If I was to delete it, I would lose that girl I wanted to be, no matter the consequences.

So I moved the email with LA attached to a folder I rarely used, and promptly pretended to forget it had ever existed.

For two years, I moved in a cloud of numbness. I refused to acknowledge what I was doing in the wake of that summer’s events. I had bowed under pressure, stuffing my independent will under a blanket of subservience. I held my tongue, I pretended, I was a shadow.

Until one day, I woke up. I opened that email and saw Leather Angel glaring back at me. I could feel the girl I was screaming at me to do something before it was too late. The dark thing inside my mind was growing again. The years of beating it back with a stick had ended long ago, but it was time to get that stick back out.

I opened Leather Angel and started to work. Legacy was born, and the old me right along with it.

In the past few months I have made changes, made decisions, and it has led me to this point: I am not the type to bow down and take what I get. I want so much more than what I have been given in life. I forgot who I was for a litte while, and stopped dreaming of what I could do to make the world a better place. But now I am better for it.

We all are, I think. My identity crisis saved me, saved me from a darkness I can only hope will go back to the sleeping giant it once was. I almost threw away something precious to me, but I reeled it back in before it was too late. 

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Today Is The Day

Guess what?

Today is my birhday!!!! So no, there will not be a review today. This morning I have a dentists appointment (awesome birthday present, right?) and I don’t know what I’m doing for the rest of the day. I know I want to be on the beach...playing in the surf, building sand castles with Lil Miss. I want a fish fry for dinner...I love me some fried freshly caught flounder.

But mostly, I just want to relax. No worrying about anything, not money, jobs, writing. Nothing.

If I can’t get out to the beach, or anywhere with a pool at least, I will just have to sit here and stare at this little beauty:

This is Virginia Beach in 2010. I took it years ago when I returned there for a day to retrieve my things from an old friends house I had lived with for a little while. I lived right down the road from this beach and never once visited it. I took advantage of it while I was there for a few hours.

There is nothing I love more than sand under my feet and the sound of waves crashing. Sea gulls stealing chips from picnics, the smell of coconut sunscreen in the air. Vinegar stealing the sting out of sunburns late at night.

Good memories, good times. It doesn’t matter where I go today, just as long as I have my lovelies with me.

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Time For Some Ketchup...I Mean Catch-Up

It’s been a few weeks since I last posted, but I have been writing and I have not forgotten you. Today I’m just going to post some of the notes and ‘letters’ I’ve written over time to you guys. They’re just notes, things that have resonated with me. Some are funny and ridiculous, others I have no idea how to classify them.

So read on for a look inside my mind.

5/31/2016

Everyone has little cheats they use when writing, abbreviations, symbols, etc. Thanks to Jim Carrey in the movie God Almighty, I always spell out ‘beautiful’ as b-e-a-utiful. In the voice Jim uses. Always.

That’s not the only trick the media, television and movies in particular, have taught me when spelling.

Remember that episode of Family Guy where Stewie pronounces the H in coolwhip? Yeah, whenever I hear the word coolwhip now, there is Stewie Griffin calling out coolWHip. And it’s not just that one word. It’s any word that carries a silent H. I realized this when I was editing Legacy and needed to write overwhelming. I couldn’t remember where exactly the H went. Then Family Guy came on the tv and I remembered Coolwhip...botta-bing, I knew just where that H went.

So it got me thinking, what other tricks, besides the obvious, can be used for writing tricks? The mind is wonderous thing, isn’t it? What tricks do you use?

6/06/2016

Indie Author. DIY...that means we do it all by ourselves. We write, edit, and create all on our own. The best books have aspects hired out, hard edits and covers. That is, if you have the budget.

Most career paths have classes you can take, sometimes even online, or schools you can attend to obtain a degree in what you want to do in life. Writers and authors don't have that. Sure we can take business classes, creative writing classes, graphic design classes...which all adds up to thousands of dollars spent and hundreds of hours devoted to learning. We have workshops and webinars to teach us. But as with music and art, you either have it or you don’t.

Anyone can be a writer...but not everyone can be a good writer. On top of that, indie authors have to wear many hats, not just that of writer. We have to do research, write our stories, edit those stories, design covers, edit some more, find beta readers, create author platforms, create an online profile through social media and author websites...on top of creating more than one book or project.

The world of publishing is ever-changing, and yo have to stay on top of every news article and change in the industry. It’s hard work and time consuming.

If you are like me, just etting out there, you probably are signed up for newsletters from other indie authors who figured this stuff out a long time ago. My inbox is filled with emails containing news, tips, and tricks to get out there and make the most of my chosen career.

But those emails...they have me in information overload. I see what to do, what not to do, try this complany, stay away from these kinds of publishers, use this software, use whats free, write what you know, go learn something new and write about that.

It is exhausting. Sometimes I just want to write and hit ‘publish.’ But I need to make a life out of this. To do that I have to have an income to support not just my career, but also my life. I need to produce a good product, which comes from hard work and diligence.

Diligence produces research I can use to make it in this fast moving world. I know I need the advice. I know what I need to do but sometimes….

*face meet desk*

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