Saturday, June 30, 2012

First Half of the Year Wrap Up AND Follower Survey!

~HALF YEAR WRAP UP 2012~

I figured this would be a good thing for me to do, lay it all out there and see what is accomplished thus far, and see what else is yet to be done. ^_^

~*~

On The Blog

  • Posted 114 posts total (not including this one)
  • Written 27 reviews
  • Purchased/Borrowed/Won 61 books
  • Reached 1131 followers
  • Hosted 8 giveaways

~*~

Reading Challenges

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge:

Finished 11 of the 21 I challenged myself to (right on track!)

2012 EBook Challenge:

Finished 7 of the 10 I challenged myself to (ahead of schedule!)

The Classics Reading Challenge:

Finished 3 of the 8 I challenged myself to (a little behind!)

Goodreads:

Finished 32 of the 52 I challenged myself to (making me 7 books ahead on the year!)

E.E. Cummings

499 of 1026 poems finished (about 48.6% of the way through!)

~*~

Writing Challenges

If Only We:

NaNoWriMo final word count was 50,163
Current revision word count is at 28,230

Before We Knew:

Current word count is at 11,449

Whatever This Is:

No word count, currently outlining and plotting

Otherwise:

I have 4 other ideas I am mulling over at the moment.

~*~

Plans for the rest of the year

  • Finish all my reading challenges
  • Host a few more giveaways
  • Have more posts/reviews
  • Have more guest posts
  • Finish writing my novel
  • Publish my novel
  • Have a blog tour for my novel

That's the gist of it anyway. I'm still pushing myself on the publishing my novel thing. I am determined to see this through! Of all the goals I have set, that's the one I want to reach the most.

~*~
 
~FOLLOWER SURVEY 2012~

As promised, here's the follower survey for you all to take. I just want to get some honest feedback from my followers. See how my blog is now, what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, how I can improve, etc. Just to let you know, it is anonymous, I don't have a spot for you to put your name or email... So PLEASE be completely honest and tell me what you think. I want to know. ^_^


~*~

So... how was your first half of the year?
Have you set any goals for the rest of the year?


~Jessica

Review: Determinant by A.M. Hargrove

Title: Determinant
Author: A.M. Hargrove
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble ~*~ Smashwords
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

.
January St. Davis, on her own since the age of sixteen and struggling to stay in college, thinks she’s scored in a major way when she lands a paid summer internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. One evening, after working an especially long shift, a chance encounter with a group of mysterious men alters the course of her life.

Rykerian Yarrister, a Guardian of Vesturon with unearthly powers and impossibly gorgeous looks, finds himself at odds over the human female he recently saved from certain death. When it seems he is on the verge of winning her over, she is ripped from his hands by a strange and powerful being, threatening to destroy her if his demands are not met.

Do Rykerian and the Guardians have the ability to meet this fierce barbarian’s ultimatums, or will January suffer a horrid demise?

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The third book in this series is a little different that the first two. This book doesn’t follow Rayn and Maddie, although they do appear throughout. Determinant is told from January’s perspective as well as Rykerian’s. We met January while Maddie was in college, and we’ve known of Rykerian since Maddie was saved from her abduction. January’s story starts before Maddie’s did--on the day of her high school graduation.

When I started reading about what January went through, my heart went out to her. It was completely unexpected, the tale of her life. Then we see her through college and her internship. This part goes by quickly, which is nice to me since I’m most anxious to get to where book two left off. Once we get to that point, it starts to get interesting. Rykerian was at one point smitten with Maddie, even though she was meant to be with his brother, Rayn. I thought it was wonderful to see him fall for somebody, especially after his heartbreak. And that somebody, January, was definitely a wonderful person. I adored their relationship throughout.

Of course, it can't just end here with the two of them falling for each other... Enter Jurek. He’s not like anyone on Vesturon, his people are completely different. With these differences, he has a certain advantage over them. Because of this, he uses his powers to get them to help him rescue his family from the Xanthians, a people who are not kind in the least. At first, you want to hate the guy for what he is putting the Yarrister’s and January through, but then you see that he really isn’t that bad. At least, I grew to like him a lot. The bond he and January formed was pretty amazing. He helped teach her about things she wanted to know, and also needed to know.

As expected, Determinant was a wild ride, just like the others in the series. A lot of twists and turns and love and sadness. A.M. Hargrove delivers again! I can say that this one is my favorite of the three so far. I liked January a little more than Maddie, she was less, childish, in her manner of speaking and thinking. Seeing Rykerian finally find his happiness was great. And the introduction to Jurek, awesome. I cannot wait to see where the series leads to next!


My Rating:

Very Good: Stay up late

Friday, June 29, 2012

I Love Poetry! (my very late mini Poetry Month post)

taken by me, edited on Photobucket

This is something I promised I'd be doing and yet I never got myself around to getting it together early on in the month. As I say in the title, I love poetry. I started writing poetry when I was 14 and haven't stopped since. To date, I have about 300 poems written. One of the very first ones I wrote was put in one of those poetry anthologies that you have to pay to read your poem in. Looking back on it, I seemed to be a really disturbed teenager. But, we all go through angst and moments of depression in adolescence. Here it is:

~*~

"Past In Mind"

Nothing comes out, not in words
Those are things I know, I've heard
I know it's inside but it won't come out
For fear of spreading throughout
I feel pathetic, weak, and frail
Yet I must, I need, to prevail
The shock of life smacks me in the face
I know that I'm a disgrace
It's not easy to tell you know
About things in the past
Just won't even pass
They stay with you day and night
The things I know, they are a fright
To cease and desist, that's what I wish
But I can't hide from feelings inside
Of my passions and destiny for life
It thrills me at once, and then I dull
There's when I remember it all

~*~

I haven't read too much in the way of poetry, as a fan of poetry should anyway. When I was reading through one of my friends poetry compilations, The Random House Treasury Of Favorite Love Poems, I discovered E.E. Cummings.

His poetry is known for its variations in capitalization and punctuation to create the message. It's what drew me to his poems, I thought it was so inspirational and different. It's not the same conventional style or ABAB-like patterns, it stood on its own. They're... surreal. The first poem of his that I read was "If Everything Happens That Can't Be Done" and you can read it HERE (since I'm not sure if I can quote it in my blog or not).

I started to read the compilation of all his poems, Complete Poems, 1904-1962, and still adore his work. I have periodically posted certain lines on Twitter that I've enjoyed as I go. Here's some of my favorites:

~*~

much i cannot)
tear up the world & toss
it away; or
cause one causeless cloud to purely grow

but, never
doubt my weakness
makes more than most
strength
~*~

(his autumn's winter being summer's spring
who moved by standing in november's may)

 ~*~

(aiming for hugely the
ignorant most precise essential flame
never which waked)& perfectingly We

dive

      out of tinying time
                                (into supreme

Now:

~*~

How about you? Do you love poetry?
What poets do you enjoy?

~Jessica

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Update Thursday #65

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading, with writing, and beyond. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.


~*~

On the Blog this week:

  • The indie author panel tackles Cover Art in the fourth installment of my blog post series, The Journey of Self Publishing
  • My review of A.M. Hargrove's Resurrection, the sequel to Survival.
  • What I've learned during my writing and revising: I am insane.
  • I also review Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally.

~*~

Reading...

Books I finished this week:

Books I'm reading now (and some still):


499 of 1026 E.E. Cummings poems finished (12 this week)

~*~
 
Writing...

~ If Only We ~ 27,921 ~
~ Before We Knew ~ 11, 449 ~
~ Whatever This Is ~ outlining ~

I was hoping to reach the 30,000 word mark, but no such luck. 1,000 words in one week is good enough for now! I had a new idea come up out of nowhere this week, which has me giddy with excitement. And a couple of my other WIP stories have been popping into my head lately. I think it's my brain telling me I need to figure out titles for them ALL so that I can keep track of those like I am the three I have listed above.

~*~

Otherwise...

Sooo... I went to the zoo yesterday!!! And saw the lemurs! I took literally 80 pictures of them. EIGHTY. If I could have sat there watching them all day, I would have. I will be putting together a little zoo post early next month, but in the meantime, here's a picture to hold you over ----->

Can you say SQUEEEEE?!?! Because I almost did while I was there. I actually almost teared up. It's just so amazing for me to finally see them after all these years of loving them. I also got myself a couple lemur plushies... and next time I go there's one more I need to buy. Teeheehee! I am such a child at heart!


Until next time!

~Jessica

PS: I'll be working on getting that survey for my followers together as soon as I can. I started to work on it and my mind just wasn't focusing at the time as to what I wanted to ask. So, I'm writing out a list. I'm hoping to have it out around the time I put together a "halfway through the year" post. ^_^

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Winner of the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway is...

.....(drumroll please).....
 
CONGRATULATIONS
 
ValeriaAndreaBS
 
 
You will be receiving an email from me shortly for more info.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway! *many hugs*

~Jessica

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Source: Purchased
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.
 ~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

First time I saw this book, I knew I would love it. Tough football chick plus football guys? Yes, please. When it comes to sports, in general I’m not that into any of them. One of them I do enjoy on occasion is football. I will watch some games, sometimes toss a football around with my brother and his friends. That’s about the extent of it. My familiarity with it helped out quite a bit when it came to understanding most of the football references.

Jordan Woods is a pretty amazing girl, as female protagonists go. She’s strong and she can stand up for herself. When it came to guys, however, she was oblivious to them, until she sees Ty. Then she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Not to the point where she can’t function, just that she’s lost and confused. Once she gets a little kick from her teammates, she dives in.

Not so fast… then she discovers something about one of her teammates, Sam Henry. He’s in love with her. He’s been in love with her forever. Funny thing is, FROM THE BEGINNING I was rooting for him, even BEFORE Ty came along. I would read all these memories of him, the way they interact, and I was flipping swooning like madness over Henry. And then she falls for Ty. And I’m confused. Because Ty seems really nice and sweet and special. Then I’m irritated momentarily.

The guys she’s around all the time are surprisingly pretty great guys. You’d think they’d be complete jerks, and while some may not have characteristics that are appealing (I mean, they are still guys), they’re still pretty nice. Especially when it comes to protecting Jordan. She may not be the type of girl who needs protecting, but they still make sure she’s taken care of. Which is completely awesome. I just wanted to hug them all.

The whole love triangle aspect of the book isn’t half bad. For the first half, you find yourself a bit flustered at the events that come about. You feel for both Ty and Henry. During the second half, true colors come through and there is no doubt in your mind who is the one.

Catching Jordan was a great book. Really great. I fell in love with Henry. The sleepover thing was the most adorable aspect of this book. Completely not stalker-y like some people think with Edward Cullen. And even though Jordan is stubborn and confused, she pulls through in her own powerful way by the end. Miranda Kenneally has debuted with a brilliant young adult novel. I cannot wait for her next book, which is coming out later this year.


My Rating:

Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM

Monday, June 25, 2012

The Journey of Self Publishing #4: Cover Art


Thoughts At One In The Morning is proud to present a blog post series for unpublished writers on the self-publishing world. I have asked four indie authors to share with you the different steps they have taken on their journey. They will discuss the writing process itself, the steps in between, and publishing itself. Please join us every week for a new topic on the journey to becoming an indie author!

Our Indie Author panel:

Marie Landry, author of Blue Sky Days
You can find her on her blog Ramblings Of A Daydreamer.

A.M. Hargrove, author of The Guardians Of The Vesteron series
You can find her on her blog A.M. Hargrove.

Avery Sawyer, author of Notes To Self
You can find her on her website The Teashop Girls.

Michelle Flick, author of The Owens Legacy: Revelations
You can find her on her blog Oh! For the LOVE of BOOKS!.

~*~

This week on The Journey of Self-Publishing:

~Cover Art~

How do I go about getting a cover for my novel?

Avery Sawyer: I recommend buying a stock image online. There are tons of awesome images for sale for like ten dollars.

Michelle Flick: I lucked out on this one. One of my students is an awesome photographer and studies digital graphics. I paid her 120 bucks and got my cover. She is going to do my next two covers this summer.

A.M. Hargrove: Smashwords has a list of people that do formatting, cover art, etc. That's how I found my graphic artist, Matthew Riggenbach. He asked me some in-depth questions about my books and then started feeding me images. I knew what color range I wanted to use so it all evolved from his creativity. He charges $75 and he is well worth it. Shaed Studios is the name of his business.

Marie Landry: There are several ways: if you have a background in/knowledge of graphic design, you can create the cover yourself, either from a photograph of your own, or a photo/piece of artwork you buy the rights to. There are also artists who sell their work for covers (for example, Claudia McKinney aka Phatpuppy Art, is very popular and her artwork is out of this world amazing; I’d love to have her design a cover for me someday), and there are companies you can hire to design the cover for you.

Did you do it yourself or hire somebody?

Marie Landry: I did it myself for two reasons: I have a background in graphic design, and I wanted to have complete control over how it looked.

What sites do you use to find pictures?

Avery Sawyer: I used Dreamstime, and then manipulated the image using several Photoshop-like programs.

Marie Landry: I used Dreamstime - they have an amazing selection of pictures, and the prices are good. I also looked at Shutterstock and iStockPhoto. There are hundreds of sites out there, just Google ‘Stock Images’ or ‘Royalty Free Photos’, and make sure to read the usage terms and other fine print.

How much did it cost?

Avery Sawyer: $10.

Marie Landry: For $25, I got the cover image, plus photos for the book trailer.

What size picture do you need to purchase?

Avery Sawyer: Get the biggest one you can afford. 

Marie Landry: The bigger the better. You want quality high resolution pictures, so that when you resize them the image doesn’t get distorted.

What about fonts?

Avery Sawyer: Try lots of different ones, and ask everyone you know what they think. I put the cover image I was working on right on my iPhone and put it under people’s noses at parties. I tried about half a dozen fonts before I got one that everyone thought looked right.

Marie Landry: That one’s tricky. I played around with dozens of fonts before I decided on the two for my cover - one for the title, and one for my name. My best advice would be to study book covers in the genre you’re writing, and see what you like and what you don’t like. Do you want cursive for the title and block letters for your name, or vice versa? Something chunky or thin? You really just have to play around until you find what you think looks good.

What kind of tips do you have for professional cover art?

Avery Sawyer: Take your time. If you don’t have a good eye, pay someone to do a cover for you. A good cover is important. Look at other covers in your genre and make sure the one you have in mind reflects the prevailing style in the genre now.

Marie Landry: If you’ve never done graphic design, creating your own book cover is not the place to start. There are so many amateur and unprofessional- looking indie covers out there by people who just slap together an image and some text. It’s not that simple. Find a friend who’s an artist or graphic designer, hire someone, or if you really want to do it yourself, take the time to learn how to use a design program before creating your cover. Also, ask for opinions - I did a mock-up of several versions of the cover, posted them on Facebook and my blog, and asked what people thought.

Is there anything you would do differently?

Avery Sawyer: No, I love my cover!

Michelle Flick: Advice: Have an idea what you want - don't be closed minded to new ideas - but it will make it easier to get going if you want characters, or scenery, or both. You need to decide on expression in the face(s). You need to know if you want simplistic or fancy writing. Also - something that took me forever to decide on - how do you want your name to appear.

~*~

Thank you for the great advice on cover art!

Join us next week when our Indie Author panel will discuss in more detail Formatting and how to do it properly.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Review: Resurrection by A.M. Hargrove

Title: Resurrection
Author: A.M. Hargrove
Source: Won
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: Will contain spoilers from first book in series!

"Maddie knew she was dying. Her life started to flash before her. She had visions of running down the soccer field, scoring a goal, eating her mother’s yummy, homemade, sticky cinnamon rolls, standing in her foyer listening to the police tell her father that her mother had been killed in a car accident. Each vision was disturbingly clear—as if it was happening again."

Rayn Yarrister, the first-born son and Leader of The Guardians, has been imprisoned on Vesturon for breaking their most sacred of covenants. He is suddenly jolted by Maddie's telepathic pleas for help, as her life hangs in the balance. Can he alert The Guardians in time to save his soulmate? Or will he face his trial alone and broken without his one true love?

In Resurrection (Book 2), The Guardians of Vesturon are facing their biggest challenges as Earth is threatened by an invading species from a distant planet intent on destroying it for its resources. The Guardians, as protectors of the universe, have been assembled to defend not only Earth, but other vulnerable worlds as well. The Yarrister family is threatened by an unknown entity intent on discrediting them. Will they uncover this plot in time to save themselves from ruin? Will The Guardians succeed in stopping the Xanthians, or will Earth be invaded and ravaged by this marauding species?

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The sequel to Survival starts off exactly where it left off, with Maddie kidnapped again, injured and fighting for her life. The Guardians at the compound she was staying find her and save her. Once that ordeal is over, it’s time to find out how it happened. Weren’t they safe? Didn’t they have a shield up for protection to keep Maddie from going out too far? Soon they discover that somebody tapped into their security system. Now to find out who and why they would do such a thing.

The conflict of Rayn and his love for Maddie versus the life of a Guardian continues. A lot of people are against him falling for a human, but the people who spend time with Maddie think otherwise. They see how the two of them are with each other and know there is something deeper. By the time the trial arrives, everything comes together in a delicious twist that nobody expected.

Maddie grows up a lot more in this book than the first. She learns a lot about herself--maturing into a woman, one who knows what she wants and can fight on her own. Rayn is as loveable and wonderful as ever. All of his family are fantastic, especially in the way they respect and love Maddie as their own, even before she becomes part of the family. And the love between her and Rayn is just as great as ever. Even though they hit a rough patch, their love conquers all.

My only complaint (if it even IS one) is that there was so much contained in this one book. It was almost overwhelming at times, and once in awhile it went too fast through scenes. There were certain parts, like when Maddie goes to the Guardian Academy, that I would have liked to see expanded on a teeny bit. It could have been split into two books, but it’s kind of good in a way, not dragging on and on (like some series). So, even though I would like to have seen a little bit of expanding in certain spots, I’m glad it didn’t go on forever and get tedious or boring.

This continuation of The Guardians Of Vesturon series was as good as I hoped. The characters were enjoyable and sweet, the love story grew to amazing heights, and even though one story may have ended, a new one is beginning. Resurrection is a worthwhile sequel. A.M. Hargrove continues to keep me interested in the Guardians and their stories. The next book in the series is Determinant. Keep your eye out for that one, it is coming out very soon!


My Rating:

Very Good: Stay up late

Friday, June 22, 2012

I Learned… Writing Makes Me Crazy.


In the wonderful process that is revisions, you learn a lot about yourself. The way your mind works and the way your words flow in certain directions. I’m approximately halfway through my revisions and my conclusion about myself is the following:

I am insane.

Not kidding either. When I take note of myself, the way I react to things, the things I write, it really makes me seem like I am insane. Do all writers go crazy while they write and revise?

I am going to share with you some of these thoughts and let you be the judge.

~*~

1.  There was one moment in a scene where I kept using the word 'today' in what seemed like every sentence. So I yelled to myself, “There are too many today’s in this scene!

2.
  After writing that, I had to go back to my draft and search to see whether I left that scene in there to fix or if I already fixed it. I clicked through each and discovered I must have taken care of it. Then I felt there were too many today’s in the draft. A quick count of 10 out of 25,000 made me feel better.

3.
  While revising my NaNoWriMo draft, I discovered a spot where I added in some extra adjectives for a certain sentence. I wasn’t sure which to replace it with, so I left them all (like 5 or 6 of them). Then after the list I wrote the sentence, “Just keep on adding up those adjectives they are golden.” Yes. That’s right. I wrote in some encouraging words to myself in my NaNo draft. That’s what staring at the screen too long every day for four weeks does to you.

4.
  I decided that the thesaurus is my best friend forever. The dictionary is a close second. And that my brain needs to learn a thing or two from them.

5.
  I found out that music that makes you want to head bang and/or dance is distracting. Dancing around the room is counterproductive. So is pretending to be in a music video.

6.
  When I see myself type something incorrectly, it drives me nuts. So I have to keep fixing it. Every. Time. This begins to get old fast. I consider letting it go. To no avail. My mind just doesn’t work that way.

7.
  I get a chocolate craving. Then realize there is none in the house. I can’t focus. So I need to go to the store. I’m not sure whether I should just walk to the gas station or drive to Wal-Mart. I want to be lazy and just go to the closest place, but I want to get more for my money. Which causes me to spend 15 minutes debating on where I should go. I go through all the cupboards again and find nothing again. And this makes the chocolate craving worse. *

8.
  While I was trying to come up with details about what my character is going to wear, my mind kept blanking and I said to myself, “What do people wear?” There are some days I still have no answer to that question.

9.
  I have a momentary lapse in my creativity spark while sitting down in front of the laptop. Yet, two hours later, while in the car, away from the laptop, inspiration hits and doesn’t stop. So I spend the whole drive typing 8 notes into my phone. And instead of writing them down or writing out the scenes, I start writing this list.

10.
  I just gave myself a headache trying to think of another thought to add to this list. When I take something for it, I come up with one. Then decide to leave this one on here for the sake of continuity.

11.
  Before finishing any manuscript, I think too ahead into the future. I’m talking cover art, blog tours, and author photos. If a light bulb turns on in my mind, I dive in. Spend hours searching for ideas. Or taking pictures of myself. Then realizing I need to have someone else take it for me because the whole arm extended to take pictures of myself thing won’t go over too well as an author photo. Otherwise my author photo would look like this:


12.  Some days I wish I had an imaginary friend. Not to be my cheerleader. I want her to be able to physically yank me away from the internet kicking and screaming and force me to sit in my room, free from distractions in front of my laptop so that I would write, instead of reading about writing. Then I would argue with her and tell her that I was honing in on proper writing techniques and skills. So she would let me go back on the internet and then find me half an hour later on eBay looking for Veronica Mars memorabilia. And the whole process would start again. Never mind. An imaginary writing friend would be useless with my logic and my ability to defy my own logic.


~*~

Do you see? I’m really losing my mind. The funny thing is, I am truly enjoying my insanity. For without it, I would be pretty boring. And my stories would be too.

Are all writers and authors crazy?
Or, at least somewhat crazy?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

* There is chocolate in the house now, thank goodness. However, there are no chips or cracker packs. I miss my cracker packs.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Update Thursday #64

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading, with writing, and beyond. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.








~*~

On the Blog this week:


~*~

Reading...

Books I finished this week:


Books I'm reading now (and some still):




487 of 1026 E.E. Cummings poems finished (30 this week)

~*~
 
Writing...

~ If Only We ~ 26,912 ~
~ Before We Knew ~ 11, 449 ~
~ Whatever This Is ~ outlining ~

WOOT! Almost 3,000 words. Getting there. I set a higher goal for myself this week, but got preoccupied reading. I actually finished two books, but one of them isn't listed on Goodreads yet. It should be listed soon though.

Anyhow. I had some interesting thoughts while writing over the last week and decided to type up a post about writing. It will come up tomorrow (er, at 1:00 am, which is technically tomorrow, but will be here in a little over 12 hours).

There's one of my book ideas that I am constantly getting good ideas for. The only thing I haven't gotten an idea on is the TITLE. Once I brainstorm a good one, I'm gonna add it to the list above. I actually have a nice little beginning to the word count on it because I've written out a couple of the scenes. And now that I'm talking about it, I'm THINKING about and want to keep WRITING IT. Not good. FOCUS on ONE book, Jessica.

~*~

Otherwise...

Um, same as usual. Working, looking for work, selling online. I have several packages to put together and ship out. My mom just pointed out there are some new flowers on a bush in our yard, so I'm gonna head out there and take some pictures.

I am kind of wanting to do something more on my blog. I haven't had many guest posts, on my blog or me visiting other blogs. So, note to followers: You want to guest post on this blog or have me guest post on yours? CONTACT ME. Here's my email: impulsivities[at]gmail[dot]com.

I'm actually thinking about putting together a little survey for my followers to see what kind of things they like and don't like and would like to see on my blog. That way I can have a better idea of how to continue on with my blog. I would like to have more consistent posting. There are some weeks I'm missing three days in a row until the next new post comes. Also, I've got plenty of ideas, but I want to execute them well. What do you think? You wanna do a survey? If you do, I'll get it typed up and posted this weekend.


Until next time!

~Jessica

Winner of the Clear Your Shelf Giveaway is...


.....(drumroll please).....
 
CONGRATULATIONS
 
Twisty J
 
 
You will be receiving an email from me shortly for more info.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway! *many hugs*

~Jessica

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop!!! Enter to win bookish things...



Welcome to the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop! Brought to you by the wonderful I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and also hosted by Uniquely Moi Books. The dates for this hop run from today (June 19th) through June 26th. (It is technically a day early, but the giveaway host prefers this for linking purposes.)


You may choose ONE book among the following books (shipped from The Book Depository*):


*The Book Depository must ship to your country for you to enter. Please note that I will try to get that specific cover but I'm not going to guarantee that it will be in stock.

1. All These Lives by Sarah Wylie
2. For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund
3. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
4. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
5. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
6. Revived by Cat Patrick
7. Slide by Jill Hathaway
8. Life Is But A Dream by Brian James
9. The List by Siobhan Vivian

Sound good? Good! Here's the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower.
2. You must be over 15 years old.
3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository will ship to you; please check this link to see if you are eligible.)
4. This contest runs from June 20th to 26th.
5. You can gain extra entries by "liking" my Facebook page &/or following me on Twitter @Jess_Sankiewicz.
6. Winner will be selected at 12:01 a.m. on June 27th via Rafflecopter random selection.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to everyone following and entering!

Review: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Title: Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Author: Jenny Lawson
Source: Purchased
Genre: Memoir/Humor
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father (a professional taxidermist who created dead-animal hand puppets) and a childhood of wearing winter shoes made out of used bread sacks. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it.

Lawson's long-suffering husband and sweet daughter are the perfect comedic foils to her absurdities, and help her to uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments-the ones we want to pretend never happened-are the very same moments that make us the people we are today.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened is a poignantly disturbing, yet darkly hysterical tome for every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud. Like laughing at a funeral, this book is both irreverent and impossible to hold back once you get started.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Jenny Lawson is better known in the blogosphere as The Bloggess. I first discovered her blog upon reading this post after being linked to it from another site. I subscribed to her posts, not knowing much about her, and discovered that she was one of the most hilarious persons I’ve ever known. If her blog posts could have me laughing out loud, her book would have to be more funny. AND IT WAS. This book is, as she puts it, “a mostly true memoir” where she chronicles numerous events in her life. We’re taken through a maze of memories from her childhood with her parents and sister to adulthood with her husband and daughter.

You would think that reading a memoir could be boring… oh sweetie… not even. I picked this up right before I went to bed one night. MISTAKE. Not to read it in general, but to read it when everyone is in bed. Why? Because I almost laughed so hard that if I hadn’t shoved my face into a pillow I would have woken up everybody in the house who would then come to my door and demand why I’m laughing so hard. And to explain what was so funny would be not only hard to explain easily but also hard to speak without laughing and rolling around on the floor. I did end up reading the first paragraph of the first chapter to a friend and I could hardly get through the first half without doubling over.

What is so funny about what Jenny Lawson says? She is very straightforward about the things the majority would consider taboo to speak of so… frankly. Sometimes her thoughts fly off into left field, completely deviating from the original story to tell another story slightly irrelevant to the first. But the fact that she is so honest, direct, and outspoken makes these bizarre stories and thoughts so outrageously hilarious. She says everything you were thinking but would never admit, and everything you could be thinking if your train of thought ever went in that direction.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened is, BY FAR, the most hilarious thing I have ever, or will ever read (until she publishes another book). I’m usually fairly conservative when it comes to expressing myself. I don’t go overboard--I’m very shy, even on this blog. Reading this book has opened me up to new heights. I want to be more funny, like I am in my head and around the people I am close to. Jenny Lawson had me not just laughing but applauding her for turning a phrase so perfectly. I recommend anyone who is not easily offended to check her out, not just her book, but also her blog. I suggest starting with this post, as it is one of my favorites.


My Rating:

Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM

Monday, June 18, 2012

The Journey of Self-Publishing #3: Professional Editors


Thoughts At One In The Morning is proud to present a blog post series for unpublished writers on the self-publishing world. I have asked four indie authors to share with you the different steps they have taken on their journey. They will discuss the writing process itself, the steps in between, and publishing itself. Please join us every week for a new topic on the journey to becoming an indie author!

Our Indie Author panel:

Marie Landry, author of Blue Sky Days
You can find her on her blog Ramblings Of A Daydreamer.

A.M. Hargrove, author of The Guardians Of The Vesteron series
You can find her on her blog A.M. Hargrove.

Avery Sawyer, author of Notes To Self
You can find her on her website The Teashop Girls.

Michelle Flick, author of The Owens Legacy: Revelations
You can find her on her blog Oh! For the LOVE of BOOKS!.

~*~

This week on The Journey of Self-Publishing:

~Professional Editors~

Where did you find a professional editor?

Marie Landry: For me it was really just luck. I was put in touch with a girl I went to high school with who had just graduated from college and was looking for work as an editor. She needed a recommendation and the experience for her resume, and I needed an editor. It was win-win for both us.

Avery Sawyer: A friend of my in a professional editor, so I got lucky, but for others looking around, I recommend spending some time at the Writers’ CafĂ© on Kindle Boards. If you ask for a reference for an editor, you’ll get lots of suggestions.

A.M. Hargrove: I found my first one through Elance. The others through Goodreads. Are you seeing some commonalities here? Can I say Goodreads enough??

How much did it cost you?

Marie Landry: Because we were doing each other a favour, it didn’t cost me anything. From what I’ve heard and the little bit of research I’ve done for my next book, editing services generally seem to start around $300-$400 and can run into the thousands, depending on the editor, how long the book is, and how extensive the edits are. I was incredibly lucky since my budget was next to nothing.

Avery Sawyer: I’d rather not say. There’s a big range of what it should cost based on the shape your manuscript is in when the editor starts. A good editor will charge between $20 to $50 per hour. It adds up.

A.M. Hargrove: I pay $500 for typos, grammar, sentence structure, etc.

Did you just use one professional editor or more than one?

Marie Landry: I had just one professional editor, but I also had a professional proofreader (also on a ‘favour’ basis - I needed a proofreader, she needed experience on her resume), and one of my beta readers was a teacher who’s fanatical about spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and she went above and beyond ‘beta’ reader, and read the book several times.

Avery Sawyer: One.

A.M. Hargrove: One for each work.

Is there anything you would do differently?

A.M. Hargrove: I would have used Goodreads--LOL--to find my first editor.
~*~

Thank you for the great advice on professional editors!

Join us next week when our Indie Author panel will discuss in more detail Cover Art and how important it is for your novel.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop!!! Enter to win A BOX OF 15 BOOKS... (US only!)


Welcome to the "Clear Your Shelf" Giveaway Hop! Brought to you by the wonderful I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. The dates for this hop run from June 15th through June 20th (technically it is a day early, BUT, the host prefers it to happen early).


What do you have the chance to win? Let me show you!


You will receive a box of 15 books (and a little hanging bat toy, lol). Here's a list of the books in this box:

1. The Probability Of Miracles by Wendy Wunder (ARC)
2. The Radleys by Matt Haig (ARC)
3. Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett (ARC)
4. Impossible by Nancy Werlin
6. The Upper Class by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne, and Caroline Says
7. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
9. The Secret Language Of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell
10. Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
11. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
12. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
13. Hold Still by Nina LaCour
14. Burned by Ellen Hopkins
15. The Center Of Everything by Laura Moriarty

Sound good? Good! Here's the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower.
2. You must be over 15 years old.
3. This contest is open US followers ONLY due to high shipping costs. (Don't despair! I hold other giveaways for international followers as well ^_^)
4. This contest runs from June 15th to 20th.
5. Winner will be selected at 12:01 a.m. on June 21st via Rafflecopter random selection.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to everyone following and entering!