Quote of the Week

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."
Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Uncommon Criminals

I loved this book!  Loved the first one, and this one was every bit as good.  Once again, I'm completely in love with the characters.  W.W. Hale is my new and latest love.  This series is turning out to be my favorite "feel good" series.  Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter is clean, entertaining, smart, and completely enjoyable.  It amazes me how she has created characters that are righting wrongs through their thievery.  She's made the books ethical by doing so.  The dialogue feels natural, the plot feels complete, and the the story is well written.  Read them and let me know what you think!

Kat has been doing jobs on her own.  Not because she's addicted to the heist, or because she needs the paintings, but because she can.  She thought she was out of the family business, but as luck would have it, she may never leave.  She's too good at what she does.  When she comes home she's greeted with unhappy faces. Her cousin thinks she's addicted to the adrenaline and her very attractive best friend thinks she's being too risky.  Soon after coming home, Kat and Hale meet up with a mysterious old woman who has a job for her.  This woman wants her to steal something for her to win back her family's honor.  It's dangerous, even more so than robbing the Henley.  Worse than the danger, the item is supposedly cursed and her uncle has forbidden anyone in the family to ever go after it.  Will that hold Kat back from helping the old woman?  Read and find out!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Bad Chocolate

"I feel terrible so the chocolate's terrible."  -Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory


Yes, this is how I have felt about my writing lately.  100 pages of bad.  That's what I've got.  Granted I was sick and overburdened but, really... it's bad.  I'm in high spirits though!  How, you ask?  The only thing I can figure is that my choir was excellent yesterday.  They all worked so hard to get the Christmas program together and it was beautiful.  Prayers were definitely answered.

A week or so ago I realized I write better under pressure.

So I said to my friend, "Pressure me!  It's the only way I'm going to get the first draft of my book finished."

So, like a good friend does, she pressured me.  She said, "I want 170 pages by the 24th!"

I gasped and panicked for a moment.  70 pages by Christmas Eve?  No way.  December is the absolute busiest month of the year for me.  "I wouldn't want to ruin your Christmas Eve," I responded, coyly.  I really wished she would have said January.

"Fine, by the 26th then." Not what I wanted to hear.

I finally realized it might be a good challenge for me, so I consented.  Then, on top of everything else I had going on, I got sick.  Great, I thought.

I had written five pages that I didn't love, but I was just trying to get the story down on paper.  Guess how many pages I've written in total for this little challenge?  5.  On a roll, huh?

(Insert deep, exasperated sigh)  If I'm being honest, I do need input on the story because it's going nowhere, 100 pages of nowhere to be more exact.  I'm pretty sure she's not going to get the total 170 pages, heck! she's going to be lucky to get any at all at this point.  He he...  (Insert devious grin)  Nevertheless, I feel a change in the wind.  This story may still continue to sit on the shelf for a while until I find the most suitable direction for it.

Cheers to you, writing rule books!  I'm throwing you out the window (figuratively) and saying, "So long for now."  It's time to unleash my mind and let my stories go the direction they want to go!  You've said your words, it's time to say mine!