Word count for the day: 4,714
Total word count: 33,487
Total Words to Write to be on track: 13,333
Nano ’14: Day 7 Update
Word count for the day: 3,766
Total word count: 28,773
Total Words to Write to be on track: 11,667
Total words on Day 6: 25,0007
It’s time to come clean. I’ve been writing my socks off, just not on the novel I meant to. I got scared. Afraid I wasn’t ready and that I hadn’t planned adequately I was getting stressed as the days disappeared before Hallonanoween. I had joint pain and headaches. Then I had an idea and I got excited about NaNoWriMo again. Yes, it’s a young adult novel. Yes, it’s in familiar territory. Yes, it’s something I know and love. Yes, I started planning just days before November 1st. Yes I’m a pantser this year. And yes, it’s been going quite wonderfully. Check out my word counts if you don’t agree. I’ve been getting really into the idea and yesterday I had an epiphany on how to make the novel into the best ever! I know I need to work on oonphing up the plot and creating better character development. Hello editing in December! Now I know exactly how to do that, though and I’m very, very excited!
Here is the novel I’ve already written over 25k words of (too late to back out now and pretend I’m still writing the Geocache Killer):
Mark on the World by Rachel Barnard is a novel that lies somewhere between John Green and Suzy Vitello.
Vanessa was a shy, introverted girl before she found out she wouldn’t live to graduation. It had always been her best friend Nichole who dragged her out of her shell, but now it’s Vanessa with her list of Challenges who is learning to pull Nichole along. From sneaking into strip clubs, construction areas, and into trouble Vanessa learns to cope with death and dying. When everything falls apart in a school shooting showdown Vanessa will have to give up herself completely to save those she loves. Will this be the mark Vanessa is hoping to leave on the world or will she be forgotten in the aftermath of the tragedy?
Book Review: Roll the Bones by Rob May
Roll the Bones by Rob May
A Fantasy Novel published on amazon.com (01/01/2014)
Summary:
Roll the Bones, the second book in the Kal Moonheart series, begins right where Dragon Killer leaves off, with action and adventure and Kal dropping right into the fighter woman character that she is. The opening scene involves Kal caught up in the robbery of the local gambling house by the King of Thieves. In order to pin down the thief and find out his identity Kal gets caught up in further trouble, involving murder and an ancient ghost of ancestors past.
Keywords:
Young heroine, adventure, dragons, Dragonites cult, gambling, fighting, strong females
My Review:
The Kal Moonheart series focuses much on the main character Kal Moonheart and her adventures in the fantasy world Amaranthium (and beyond). Rob May does the unpredictable and accomplishes a difficult feat in literature by not forcing the gender-neutrality, as if the world just naturally exists as it does without walls and glass ceilings and labeling people into corners. His main characters and, in fact, all females in his books overcome the fighting female trope. Kal is the what-would-happen-if-a-girl-played-this-role character that one normally sees a guy play. She isn’t just a female in a male’s role. She IS the characteristics of a macho, strong, take none of your crap character that doesn’t flaunt gender stereotypes as the norm. Rob May creates a new norm in Kal that every reader, male and female, will enjoy reading. Kal is a role model for girls in that she doesn’t have to overcome the prejudices of being female or a woman, she just is herself. I love her for this and you will too (or you might not even notice and just enjoy her story and how she kicks butt).
She is more than just a role model for girls, she is a role model for any reader because she is confident and collected. She doesn’t get carried away by emotions or let herself get weakened by pain or failure. On the other hand, she isn’t too fictional because she doesn’t always win. She isn’t invincible, just impervious to pain. She can get hurt. She can get caught. It is the way she evades death and despair and the way she gets out of the more rough situations that makes her a true hero.
If Kal wasn’t enough woman for you, one of the more aggressive characters is also female, which is unusual for most novels. Those in power and those who are more war-oriented are generally male, but Rob May breaks these stereotypes by giving us General Cassava, another strong woman and character.
Roll the Bones continues the intermingling of one of Kal’s past adventures with her exciting present predicament so the reader once again gets two stories in one. Rob May also continues to interweave the characters from book one into book two, giving us more background information on Kal’s benefactor Ben.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the adventures and strengthof Tarzan, the fun cockiness of Crocodile Dundee, or a novel with a young kick-butt female hero.
This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 01/01/2014 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 4.50
Links for more information:
Nano ’14: Day 5 Update
Word count for the day: 3008
Total word count: 23,032
Total Words to Write to be on track: 8,333
Words written yesterday: 8,935
Me and my Geocache Killer duck took a vacation day yesterday to take care of some business. We went to the Geocaching Headquarters in Seattle and boy what a trip! For anyone who has done Geocaching or wants to and is anywhere near Seattle I highly recommend going. For this one you have to make an appointment, so be prepared.
What fun! Here’s some of what I learned. GC HQ employees 81 people, but four work in the warehouse near the Needle. They have their own Café that serves breakfast and lunch called the Signal Café after their mascot. They are quite a visual company and their office building is stunning! There is a large TV that continuously displays the most recent caches that are logged all over the world. They have a wall of cache goodies, where you can buy the specialized “found it” shirt only available at GC HQ. My tour guide was wonderfully informative and very excited about getting to see me. She succeeded in making me want to work for them! It sounds like such a cool and fun place to work at.
Book Review: Dragon Killer by Rob May
Dragon Killer by Rob May
A Fantasy Novel published on amazon.com (05/01/2013)
Summary:
Kalina Moonheart and a man in pursuit of knighthood find themselves on the same quest to rid a gold-mining island of a terrible beast. Two stories unfold, one of Kalina the Dragon Killer and the other of her present day predicament trying to solve the mystery of the island’s dragon and eventually just to stay alive. This is an adventure for those true of purpose and who are ready to take on any enemy, no matter its form or shape.
Keywords:
Young heroine, adventure, dragons, Dragonites cult, gambling, fighting, strong females
My Review:
It is easy to fall in love with Kalina Moonheart. Her name alone would make any reader a fan. She presents herself as erring on the arrogant side of confidence. Anybody looking for a super hero will adore Kalina. She is a young heroine of no doubt and no hesitation. She is strong, witty, and clever. She can use all the tricks up her sleeve to accomplish her goals. She remains emotionally above her past’s tragedies and stands tall in the face of her current enemies. She is the renegade Indiana Jones and for her to grow and develop as a character throughout the series, my guess is that she will learn humility. At times it was difficult to connect with her as a real person because she is superhuman. She gets injured but doesn’t tell us of any pain and is not slowed down by these injuries.
In Dragon Killer dragons are clever and to defeat one Kal must be cleverer still. Rob May has one more trick up his sleeve where dragons are concerned.
I wasn’t sure which I wanted to read more, the backstory of how Kalina got the name Dragon Killer or her present adventure in the heart of a mountain on the island of the present dragon, but I was glad May gave me both and integrated them smoothly throughout the book.
The author has a knack for throwing out intriguing cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter to keep you moving through the rather short chapters.
The only part that seemed out of character for the balanced novel was the romance between Rafe and Kal. It was as if Rob May was told his story needed romance, and he threw it in after he had written the entirety of the novel.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the adventures and smart alecky-ness of Indiana Jones, the relentlessness of the Terminator, or a novel with a young kick-butt female hero.
This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 05/01/2013 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 4.25
Links for more information:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23021166-dragon-killer
Website: http://www.robertwilliammay.com/
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/list/120355025-rob-may-dragon-killer
Nano ’14: Day 3 Update
Word count for the day: 3498
Total word count: 11,041
Total Words to Write to be on track: 5,000
Nano ’14: Day 2 Update
Word count for the day: 1918
Total word count: 7543
Total Words to Write to be on track: 3,333
I’ve already broken one of my guidelines! I may be in the middle of reading another Indie book, which is a good and bad thing. Good because I read quite fast, it isn’t too long, and it’s fantastic! Bad because it’s so good I want to finish and it’s distracting. Gr. I just have been in a reading mood these past few weeks.
In other news I was doing some geocaching with someone when we came upon this little fellow (can you call a female deer a fellow?)
Nano ’14: Day 1 Update
Word count for the day: 5625
Total word count: 5625
Total Words to Write to be on track: 1667
Last night was quite exciting! I love the concept of Hallonanoween, beginning NaNoWriMo EXACTLY (Yes, Paul) at midnight on November 1st. I like timings that have special meanings. However… I didn’t go. It was a little bit too far and a little bit too late and I fell asleep. 😦 Next year!
To recap: My novel: Check back with me on this one in a few days… I may have changed my mind and novel entirely!
My goals: Win NaNoWriMo 2014 by writing 50k of the aforementioned novel, Lose 5 lbs
Means to Accomplish Said Goal:
My nano plan…
– No reading and reviewing Indie books until December (only reading for pleasure)!
– No working on other writing projects other than blog updates!
– November blogging to only be about NaNo and pre-written reviews!
– Exercise!
– Write every day!
– Clear my social calendar for more writing time!
– Get up earlier so I can write for an hour every day before work!
-Be excited and stay motivated!
Goodreads Giveaway Ending: Last Chance to Win a Review Copy of Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams by Rachel Barnard
Book Review: The Time Sphere (Volume 1) by A.E. Albert
The Time Sphere (Volume 1) by A.E. Albert
A YA Fantasy/Sci Fi/Adventure Novel published by A.E. Albert (09/17/2014)
Summary:
Billy never went out of his way to be noticed and not because he was shy or humble. Billy grew up an orphan, in and out of group homes. He was not accepted by other kids and so thought himself less. Then everything changed. Jeanie, a fiery red-haired girl took notice of him and together they stumbled into a man who would take them far away from the lives they knew and the time they were familiar with.
Keywords:
Fantasy, Adventure, Underdogs, History, Time Travel, Save the World, 13-year olds, Doing What is Right
My Review:
The Time Sphere introduces time travel as a means to tell more than just the main characters’ stories. It tells the story of Archimedes, Descarte, and several other historical figures. The Time Sphere is like a teen version of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, where Billy and Jeanie must figure out the secret of the Time Sphere through ancient philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians. They must travel through time and place to find out what controls the Time Sphere so they can get back to their own time and place.
The plot twist near the end was wonderfully surprising and I thoroughly appreciated it for its cleverness. Everything just made sense in an instant and all the questions I had were answered. Time made sense. Plot made sense. Characters made sense. It was one of the best ‘aha’ moments a reader can get.
Through Billy’s journey, he must learn to accept those who are different, and in doing so, accept himself. This book is full of take home messages and facts about historical places and figures. Billy learns that appearances are deceiving, to have faith that what is right will overcome all wrongs, love is not defined by duration, but by the person’s choice to endure, to defend the weak, etc. Most of all though, Billy learns that “A true knight is just a state of mind,” (Location 3011).
This novel was published by A.E. Albert 09/17/2014 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 3.50
Links for more information:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23280006-the-time-sphere
Website: www.aealbert.com
Rachel Author Barnard 