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Top Ten Tuesday | Books

So everyone's been making their TBR lists and I figured I'd join in this week! Since it's the beginning of summer, it's time to make your list of books to read. I don't really have time to read right now but in a perfect world, I would. Here's my I need to read these books right now list.

10. Matched by Allie Condie. 
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

9. Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover. 
Sometimes two people have to fall apart to realize just how much they belong together.

Colleen Hoover entranced readers everywhere with her bestselling novel Slammed, the book that introduced Layken and Will, a young couple whose love overcame devastating hardships to emerge stronger and more resilient than before. Now, as Layken and Will’s emotion-packed story continues, a stunning and unforeseen revelation about Will’s past leaves them questioning everything that they thought they knew about each other. With the foundation of their relationship at risk, they must decide whether they are willing to fight for a future together, or to retreat back into solitude and heartache.

How far does Will have to go to prove to Layken his love for her will last forever? It will require something truly extraordinary to keep this couple together, and the decisions they make and the answers they find will change not only their lives, but the lives of everyone around them.

8. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. 

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers. When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created "perfect" life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for-her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

7. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. 

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

6. A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford. 

Eden saved Az.

She fought and sacrificed and won him back from the most evil of evils. Now is the time for happily-ever-afters, right?

Not so fast.

A boy—even an angel—is hardly the solution to Eden’s problems. She’s still caught between life and death, still cursed to spread poison with her touch. She’s lost one best friend and another is quickly unraveling. And now something is happening to the mortals. Something very, very bad.

What happens in the dark spaces? The ones between life and death, love and hate, betrayal and redemption, sanity and delusion.

Or good and evil.

Eden is about to find out.

5. Bared to You by Sylvia Day. 

Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness... 

He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily... 

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private worlds...and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart...

4. Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan. 

"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?"

In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection—pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises, not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth―at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide. 

One girl’s story of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and her precarious grasp of hope: Reason to Breathe is the first installment of the acclaimed Breathing Series.

3. The Impact of You by Kendall Ryan. 

Needing an escape from her past, Avery chooses a college where no one knows her. Keeping a low profile was the plan, falling for the intense frat boy, Jase wasn’t. Yet she can’t deny how alive she feels when he’s near. Even as common sense implores her to stay away, her body begs her to get closer.

Jase, numb from his own family drama, has grown bored with weekends fueled by nameless girls and countless bottles when he meets Avery. Helping her cope with her past is better than dealing with the bullshit his own life’s served up. Determined to drive away the painful secret she’s guarding, he appoints himself her life coach, and challenges her to new experiences. Getting close to her and being the one to make her smile are simply perks of the job.

But when Avery’s past boldly saunters in, refusing to be forgotten, can Jase live with the truth about the girl he’s fallen for?

2. Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines. 

To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter.

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother.

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.

I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.

I want to get it over with.

It’s hard to be patient.

It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet.

Still, I worry.

They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.

The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

There you have it! My list of my top ten books I want to read this summer. It's unfortunate that I'm so busy because of my own writing because I want to read again! I've missed falling into a new world. Instead I've been stuck in Ryder's (my main character). Once I'm done editing, it's back to reading for me! 

Post your own Top Ten Tuesday list and I'll check it out. Does any one have any suggestions for me? From my list you can definitely tell what kind of books I like. Really though, I'll read anything! Let me know the best books you've read lately and why. 

Final Draft Editing

Hey guys! Guess what- I got my edits back and I'm so excited. I'm getting closer and closer to publishing and I can't take it. So now what...

I have this five page sheet of all the things I need to fix and edit. What do I do with them? And how do I move forward? I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated. I don't know what to do with all this amazing advice I've been given. So here's how to get started on that final product.

The best thing I find about editors is that they look at your book from a new eye. Mine didn't know a thing about the book minus the genre. She found a bunch of little holes and loose strings that I never would have found. Now that I know, I can easily run back and fix them, tie up the loose ends and my book reads better.

• Check your grammar. Make sure all punctuation, quotation and everything else follows code and is done correctly.
• Usage. This is a big one for me. Make sure that your verbs and nouns agree with their tenses and in number. Since I use first person, it's easy to mix up and slip into past tense. So keep track and make sure everything agrees with each other.
• READ IT OUTLOUD. AGAIN. This one is really huge and has helped me tremendously. I can't explain how much I catch when I read outloud. You can figure out if things sound awkward or unrealistic. It really does help. I promise. 
• Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut. I can't say this enough. One of my critiques was that there's too much thoughts. So with my scissors I'm going to have to go through it with a fine toothed comb and cut out whatever is insignificant or unnecessary. 
• Find a dictionary or a thesaurus and a grammar book and figure out if you're doing it right. There's no shame in consulting the experts. They know what they're doing for a reason. I had issues with my dashes versus hyphens or whatever. I looked in the book and saw I was doing it wrong. Easy fix but without the book, I might look a little silly. 
• Format! Make sure you format your book the way you want. If there's a change in scene make a double space with something in the middle. Make sure your chapters line up.

Another thing I love about having an editor is that they can really get a feel for the story line. One part I got ahead of myself and talked about a subject that hadn't been introduced yet. She caught it and reminded me that the character shouldn't know. When we write we tend to know where the stories going and could forget a scene or conversation. 

Lastly! My editor gave me a big boost of self esteem. She listed off the things she liked and what really worked for my book. Now I'm more eager to get the project published because I know I have a good story. It's a nice lifter before publishing and it's getting me motivated to finish fast. 

My advice? Hire an editor!

It's Teaser Friday

Hey guys! It's been quite a busy week. I don't want to give you an excerpt from The Thousand Year Curse since it's still at the editor and I haven't received any edits yet. I think I will tease the concept I've been playing with for a couple months now.

I kind of stick with the same themes since I like to write them. This story is pretty cool though. It'll be interesting to see what you all have to say about it. Here it goes....

This is how the book starts. Originally I had it in third person but I like writing from the POV of the main character. I also switched it up and made it past tense which is new for me. Since the book won't have a back story, I'm curious as to what you guys think will happen and where the story is headed.

My house erupted in cheers as I made my way towards the kitchen. Upon entering, the room blackened signaling the crowd to quiet themselves down. 

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Annie, Happy birthday to you!” My friends and family sang to me for the eighteenth time in my life. I smiled out towards the familiar faces loving the attention and recognition I got. 

“Are you one, are you two…” They went on and on, laughing as they played around with each other waiting for me to yell stop once they get to the magic number. 

“Stop!” Eighteen. Sweet, adult aged eighteen. I swear I was in a state of bliss in that moment. 

My beautiful mother, Abby leaned away from my dad, planting a kiss on my cheek. “Make a wish, sweet girl.” She whispered into my ear, sending a set of chills up my spine from her warm breath. I smiled towards her nodding before bending towards the beautiful cake.

Happy 18^th Annie Girl!

That’s all my cake said, yet it meant so much to me- knowing that I was loved and being sent off to perform my angelic duties as an adult. I didn’t know what to wish for. I had a perfect life, perfect family, perfect boyfriend, perfect friends. The only thing I really, I mean really wanted was to become a fighter and embark on my new life.

I wish I was a fighter. I think to myself before leaning towards the candles and blowing out every last one of them in one single breath. One heated, slow breath that ended up changing my life. 

* * *

The next thing I knew I was woken up strapped to a lab table in a florescent lit room with tubes plugged into me-my ankles, wrists, stomach and neck bonded down to a cold, metallic table. I tried to remember what happened to me but my brain was in a constant fuzzy state.

Help! I yelled out trying to get someone’s attention but the words never made it past my lips. I’m fucking mute. Help! I tried again, thrashing my legs and arms around with no avail. 

I laid back my brain wracking with questions willing myself to remember how I got to such an awful, scary place. I don’t remember whether I passed out or not but images from the day before rushed to the forefront of my mind. 

“Where the fuck are my wings?” I yell out to the crowd surrounding me. My hand is wrapped around myself in awkward positions behind my back but I can’t stop searching. Where the fuck are they?

“Sweetie, relax.” My mother, who’s sweet demeanor is more than just irritating right now whispers towards me. Her frail hands are shaking yet remain held up towards me in defsense. My stupid father towering over her, giving me a stern look trying to get me to calm down.

How can I be calm?

My best friend Perry rushes to my side, pulling up my shirt searching me for any sign of wings or even tender skin. I don’t even have to see her to know, I don’t have any wings. 

How can an angel be wingless?

How can I be wingless?

I am top of my class. I am a fighter. It is my destiny. It is my fucking destiny!

I blinked my eyes wanting to get away from the memories. I turned eighteen knowing I would be given my powers and wings from Rem yet I was left with nothing. My whole life I’ve worked to be a fighter for the Veil. My whole life is a fucking joke now.

A silent tear trickled down my cheek escaping from the confines of my eye lids. I never let myself cry. I’m not weak but I guess this is my pathetic life now. 

So give it to me straight... What do you think? How do you like the idea? Where is the story going to go? Can you get an idea about the characters just from this excerpt? Was there anything that was confusing to you? I really want to know your opinions so message me or leave a comment below. I appreciate it! :) 

Writing Exercises | 7 X 7 X 7

Movies That Are Better Than The Book

This week I thought it would be fun to take some opinions and then post my findings. We always hear how much better the book is than the movie. I know for me, I much prefer to read a book than watch the movie.

HOWEVER. There are some exceptions...

I've compiled a list of TEN movies [based off books] that are better than the book. According to my followers across twitter, Facebook and google. Here it goes....

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Let me start by saying that they want to emphasize that it's just this particular volume of Harry Potter. They mentioned that the camping sections were a bit slow paced. They said the split into two movies worked out well.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest I've heard this title thrown around time and time as one of the best book to film adaptations. Both leads in the movie got Oscar nominations along with Best Picture in that year.

Lord of the Rings I completely agree with this statement which says a lot because typically I prefer fantasy to stay in a novel since it's hard to translate it to the screen. However, Tolkien's novels were packed with backstory and world building which tends to make them drag. The movies were done perfectly which wrapped it all up.

How To Train Your Dragon This was a nominee from a parent on twitter. I haven't read the children's book but I've seen the movie and loved it. The book was more towards just children and the movie was able to make it suitable for all ages bringing in all types of audiences.

V For Vendetta This was a graphic novel before turning into a movie. I haven't read or soon the movie which I'm sure I'll be scolded for later. The directing and cast are what make the movie so great.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Honestly, I wasn't a big fan of the movie BUT I never read the book either. People said that Emma Watson did a great job of portraying her storyline and emotions. They said with the cast, it fit perfectly with the book and surpassed it.

Jurassic Park I mean, duh. This movie turned into a classic thanks to Stephen Spielberg. However, the book did hit #1 as well. I think this one is more like a tie but since I've seen the movie probably a hundred and one times, we'll give it to the movie!

Jaws This is said to be such a great book to film adaptation because the author Peter Benchley played such a large role in it. Also it was another Stephen Spielberg. You just can't mess with this guy.

Clockwork Orange The concept from the book is hard to get your head around so when adapted into a movie it's a lot easier. People who recommended this as being better than the book have said simply, "seeing is easier than reading." A tad superficial but ultimately I agree.

The Exorcist 1973 version. Not going to lie, the book is scary as hell but let's be real, the visuals in that movie were out of control. Also a lot was cut out of the movie and more focus on the exorcism itself. The book went much more in depth which I prefer but the movie went all out on the scary factor.

P.S. I didn't want to use this in the ten since I knew someone was going to berate me but Lion King is a great adaptation of Hamlet. The animation plus the music and characters, made it that much better. I mean disney movies are classic's in their own right.

Movies that just missed the list...

• The Godfather
• The Shining
• Gone with the Wind
• Fight Club
• Silver Linings Playbook
• The Help
• Shutter Island
• Forrest Gump

So there's my list, plus some others from you guys! What do you think? Any of these that you disagree with? Any that you want to add? Next post will be books better than the movie... Give me some ideas for that post if you have any... Thanks for reading! :)

Friday Teaser :)

Hey guys, I haven't done a teaser in a little while. I don't have my book yet from the editor (obviously, she only got it Monday). I've been working on a New Adult book. It's not my forte but I'm really starting to fall in love with the characters and the words are just jumping on the page.

I started this book before my computer crashed and stupidly, I never backed this one up. Therefore I started over BUT it's better than the first copy, I think at least. So today's teaser is going to be from that book.

I believe the title will be, For The Love Of Ash. It's a pretty cool concept and even though I've read a ton of new adult, it's very original. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a typical boy meets girl and one has deep issues. It's relevant, mysterious with some love in there too. I hope you like it.

This is a fun scene between Maggie, the main female character and Luke, her eventual love interest. I haven't even gone through the writing and this is my first draft so ignore any issues. I'm sure it will be fixed up. General thoughts?! Here ya go!

“Okay class, we have about ten minutes left. What do you say we do some ice breakers?” Dr. Atwater says to the class, clapping his hands excitedly. People groan but we form a circle with our desks. 

“The name of the game is sausage. Who wants to volunteer to be first person it?” He asks and nobody responds. Atwater is about to pick someone at random, focusing on the other side of the room so I feel reassured it won’t be me. Before I know it, my hand is shooting up into the air as someone lifts my elbow, holding it into place. I struggle not wanting to be it first but Atwater catches me.

“Perfect. What’s your name miss?” He asks me. 

“Oh um- I.” I start to say but then I give in. I’ll look like an idiot if I don’t just suck it up. “Maggie.” I say finally. 

“Please stand in the middle.” He says so I get off my seat and head towards the center of the group, awkwardly fidgeting with my finger nails. “Okay so Maggie, people are going to ask you questions and you can only respond sausage. Their goal is to get you to laugh. Your goal is to keep a straight face.” He explains to myself and the class. 

“Sausage, really?” I ask wondering if I’m in high school all over again. 

“Who wants to start questioning first?” Atwater asks the class and they go in a clockwise circle.

“What do you brush your teeth with?” A particularly giddy boy asks. 

“Sausage.” I respond keeping my face serious.

“What do you eat?” 

“Sausage.” No smile.

“What do you love?”

“Sausage.” I have to admit, that one was at least decent.

“What do you sleep with?”

“Sausage.” I say, holding back my laughter.

“What do you like in your mouth?” Luke asks, astonishing half the class.

“Sausage.” I say unable to hold is back any longer. I start chuckling and Dr. Atwater tells me to claim Luke’s seat as he gets to be in the middle this time. The next word he can only say, is stapler which is freaking stupid. You can’t make any sexual innuendoes with stapler so I tune most of it out. 

Instead I focus on eyeing Luke without him noticing as much as possible. It sucks that he's so beautiful. It sucks that he knows it too. The way his grey eyes roam over every girl in the room makes me want to barf. At the same time, I'm insanely jealous wanting his eyes to only linger on me. 

By the time class ends, I grab my back and rush out not wanting another encounter with Luke. 

TADA! What do you think? I took this from when I was at freshman orientation in college. We used meatballs but still, I think it's hilarious and a great way to meet someone and pile on the sexual tension. 

Series Vs. Stand Alone

I find that more and more authors are creating series of books versus the stand alone book. But what do the readers like? Each has their pros and cons for the readers.

Pro's Series


-more connection to characters
-longer story line
-cult-like feel

Con's Series
-the story line may drag out over multiple books versus finishing in one
-many series end up following the same arc
-may loose readers during the wait period between books

Pro's Stand Alone
-you get the full story
-more originality to the plot
-twists and turns are less expected

Con's Stand Alone
-readers may want more
-characters tend to be under developed

So what do the readers actually prefer?

BKGURL on goodreads says...
I love series books...but not when it's a series about the same characters. Then I'd rather just read one long stand alone book with a HEA and epilogue. 

It seems the norm nowadays is a shorter book with a cliffhanger with 2 or 3 books about the same hero & heroine. It wasn't bad until every author seems to be doing it. The list of books I have that I'm waiting for a sequel to resolve a cliffhanger is becoming ridiculously long. And then it's even more frustrating when some authors/publishers don't release the next book for 6-12 months (or more).

When a series is about a family or group of friends with a different hero & heroine in each book with some catch up on previous leads, I'm all over that! 

It's funny that she says this because I disagree about the same characters thing. I hate series where each book follows a different person. I am more character oriented so I get attached to one couple and don't want to move on to the next yet! I love books with the same hero/heroine. 

LILYAN says....

Ahhh tough question. On one hand, with stand alones, you get instant closure and gratification. However, you can never really get to know the characters and feel this bond with a book with a stand alone that you can get with a series. Which is what I looove about series books, they get you so engaged with the characters that you start thinking you actually know them, which come to think about it, sucks after you finish the series and realize, your relationship with those fictional beings is over and you have to go back to real life :(. Sooo, stand alones when I dont want to get attached, and series when I want to escape life.

I agree mostly with what she says! I think she hits the nail on the head with this explanation. 

So which do you guys prefer?

Writing Wednesday | Ten People

The Best Adjectives Ever

Hello All! I'm back again and hoping to get back on my feet. The loss of my computer was a pain but I'm over it and moving on. *tear* Anyways, I figured today I would create a fun list of my favorite adjectives.

Personally, I think adjectives are what make a book either superb or just okay. The descriptions and the feelings can all be enhanced by use of adjectives. Also, how much do we all hate adverbs and adjectives ending in ly. Here's 50 of my favorites!

1. Adamant
2. Boorish
3. Fastidious
4. Execrable
5. Obtuse
6. Luminous
7. Querulous
8. Tenacious
9. Zealous
10. Serpentine

11. Voracious
12. Loquacious
13. Jocular
14. Insidious
15. Defamatory
16. Arcadian
17. Cheeky
18. Debonair
19. Hypnotic
20. Omnipotent


21. Conscientious
22. Awkward
23. Dank
24. Disgruntled
25. Melancholy
26. Naive
27. Witty
28. Hubristic
29. Minatory
30. Petulant

31. Rhadamanthine
32. Uxorious
33. Wheedling
34. Strident
35. Irksome
36. Egregious
37. Fulsome
38. Calamitous
39. Adroit
40. Noxious


41. Pervasive
42. Puckish

43. Literatim
44. Languid
45. Ensanguined
46. Rabbity
47. Rancid
48. Swank
49. Extraneous
50. Autarchic