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
Book Review: The Cleansing by Danielle Tara Evans
The Cleansing by Danielle Tara Evans
A Dystopian Drama Novel published by Amazon Digital Services (09/04/2013)
Summary:
“But this is no longer America. The old laws no longer apply. And what are the new laws?” (The Cleansing, Kindle Locations 1336-1337).
What if America were no longer a place where freedoms prevailed and hard-working citizens fought for the second amendment’s right to bear arms? What if, in America, Americans were no longer the majority and were in fact the population bearing the brunt of prejudice and animosity? What if the president was no longer a US born citizen?
Keywords:
Cleansing, America, Immigration, Natural Disasters, Environment Protection, Genocide, Dystopian, Fighting Back, Bleak
My Review:
What if America were no longer a place where freedoms prevailed and hard-working citizens fought for the second amendment’s right to bear arms? What if, in America, Americans were no longer the majority and were in fact the population bearing the brunt of prejudice and animosity? What if the president was no longer a US born citizen?
The Cleansing is aptly named because it follows the cleansing of America by the overwhelming majority of immigrants. The Great Natural Disasters claimed many lives, leaving the world in chaos and allowing for an influx of people from other places that were hit harder than America. The new president Julian, a Lithuanian, blames Americans and their environmentally unfriendly ways, for those disasters. He forces them to attend a program he calls the “Earth Education Program,” but it is much more sinister than it sounds. When John and Annie Weber attend this program, they find out the real reason behind this re-education tool and their lives (as well as the lives of their fellow Americans) will never be the same again.
Because we meet our main characters in the throes of utter panic and chaos, we don’t have time to sympathize or understand them. John and Annie are only made real through their emotions and their own struggles to have a child. They are reactive characters to the dire situation they continuously find themselves in. Much of this dystopian novel is reserved for Annie’s desire to have children. Much of the other part of the novel I found to be quite unbelievable. Perhaps it is because I am American and I would never want an American genocide to occur. Perhaps it is because it’s such a new background for an end-of-world novel that it is difficult to wrap my head around. Perhaps it’s because it is an unbelievable concept taken far beyond the norm that makes it unbelievable. I just didn’t buy it, but maybe you will.
This novel was published by Amazon Digital Servies 09/04/2013 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 3.25
Links for more information:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18463371-the-cleansing
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DanielleTaraEvans
Website: danielletaraevans.com
Foodie Fridays: Next Food Challenge
Dear readers,
You may or may not have figured out by now that I am competitive by nature and enjoy challenges. My pride keeps me afloat sometimes and my self-determination is one of my greatest motivators. Two years ago I started a new self-determined project that I deemed “the Vegan Project.” I wanted to know what it was truly like to live like a vegan, to make choices as a vegan, to understand the mindset, and to thrive in an omnivore environment. You can see the results and some of my hard learned lessons at the temporary blog I posted on rachelbarnardvegan.blogspost.com. Last year I decided to make my project to Eliminate Sugar (you can see what happened at rachelbarnardwithoutsugar.blogspot.com . Typically I run the ‘diet’ from the first of January until my birthday on the 22nd. This year I’m not sure what I want to try, but I have some ideas. Help me pick out the best one, the one you want to see in action, the one you think I can learn the most while following, the one that will make the most unusual blog posts, etc:
Nano is Close!
National Novel Writing Month is just about a week away now… Are you ready? I’m in the process of clearing my schedule, researching for my book, working on an outline, and drafting up my goals. Go back, you say, what is NaNoWriMo??? Well, dear readers it is the month of November where you attempt to write a 50k word novel in just a month! Check out nanowrimo.org for more info or to sign up! Pictured above is my -ahem- initial research for my novel. You can’t quite tell from the covers, but both these movies involve geocaching. That’s right, something else you may be unfamiliar with… Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt in real life! Check out geocaching.com for less cryptic descriptions and to sign up!
My goals for Nano are to write my novel the Geocache Killer and lose 5 lbs because I plan to write and exercise more! I’m going to follow one of my favorite author’s advice on how to write your first draft in 20 days (check out that scintillating blog post by Ksenia Anske here).
To accomplish this feat of inhuman strength and motivation I have created my nano calendar… Where I have placed my write-ins! I’ve also begun shifting my internal clock so that I can wake up earlier, get to work 30-60 minutes earlier and use that time to write!
After thinking and thinking about how I can possibly write a suspense/thriller when I’ve never attempted, I thought up a better spin to the story, one with more depth, one with more geocaching, one that will be funny, and fun to read. Perhaps it will be best classified as a drama… Whatever the case I’m getting nitty gritty on my outline now and will be finalizing my organization on my nano novel at my Factoria and Newcastle write-ins and writing dates on the 29th and 30th.
All my ducks are lining up, do you have yours?
See you at Hallonanoween, sooner or later Wrimos!
Book Review: Haylee Awakened Seed: an illustrated, paranormal, adventure (Haylee and the Traveler’s Stone Book 1) by Lisa Redfern
Haylee Awakened Seed: an illustrated, paranormal, adventure (Haylee and the Traveler’s Stone Book 1) by Lisa Redfern
An Illustrated/Paranormal/Adventure published by Little Mountain Publishing (07/21/2014)
Summary:
On the eve of Haylee’s 18th birthday, something inside of her changes. She is plagued with an insatiable hunger, a sudden blossoming of womanly beauty, profuse bleeding and a migraine so powerfully painful that it causes her to pass out. She awakens in the hospital with worried nurse and father looking on. After convincing them she is alright, the beginnings of another migraine spur her to steal some clothes and run for isolation, where hunger overcomes her once again and she eventually passes out. The next day, she is home again, convincing her father yet again that she is alright. She begins her new life as a ugly duckling turned swan 18-year old beauty at her high school with a hidden secret.
Keywords:
Paranormal, Animal Kindred, High School, Teen Drama, Awakening
My Review:
Haylee is special, but we don’t know what she is turning into, what her secret is. We know that she is changing, but we don’t know much about her before the event, except for several short memories of brief moments in her life that were significant. The author does a very good job of setting up Haylee’s backstory in these briefest of moments even while keeping most of Haylee’s secrets to reveal later on. I don’t know what Haylee’s favorite color or tv show is, but I want to.
Haylee’s ability from early childhood and her newfound secret from the awakening are not described in much detail. Haylee herself seems mostly unaware that her abilities are not normal, only that she is different from the other children because they treat her that way. Even during the change Haylee doesn’t find it at all disturbing, either her voracious hunger or her unusual newfound strength. She has almost no reaction to her predicament or from passing out or bleeding profusely. Does Haylee know something the reader does not?
This was a short quick read that flowed easily up through the abrupt ending that acts as a subtle cliffhanger. There are many questions to answer in Haylee’s continued awakening and adventure.
This novel was published by Little Mountain Publishing 07/21/2014 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 3.50
Links for more information:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23155386-haylee-awakened-seed
Website: https://lisaredfern.wordpress.com/
Book Review: Return to Mt. Snagra (A Mattie & Pete Adventure) (Volume 1) by Tyan Wyss
Return to Mt. Snagra (A Mattie & Pete Adventure) (Volume 1) by Tyan Wyssi
A YA Fantasy Novel published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (08/18/2013)
Summary:
Mattie and Pete, two imaginative children living in Southern California, hold the key to this fantasy. Literally: they have keys. And a very important book. They are swept into an adventure where they must use their wits, creativity, and strength to save the fantastical land of Gisper from the evil Vulture King. Along the way they become friends with an impatient and rude princess, a half-human half-creature of the land, and the mysterious man in the orange grove next door. Who wrote the book and why Mattie and Pete are sucked into its outlandish adventure will only be revealed if they can save the day.
“The soothsayer predicted a young girl with a powerful book would come to rescue the twin Gisperians when the moon was half-waned. Her hair would have many tiny braids, and her feet would be enclosed in boots with dancing spurs. She was to be accompanied by a powerful, one-handed boy with a golden voice and quick mind who negotiates first instead of grabbing his sword.” (Page 146-147).
Keywords:
Fantasy, Adventure, Books, Heros and Heroines, Underdogs, Save the Kingdom
My Review:
This is exactly the type of novel I would have read in my voracious reading days in late elementary through the beginning of high school. It is a sophisticated read for any maturing teen who wants a little adventure, a little romance, and a little creativity. The plot becomes more and more complex as the book progresses, with the perfect touch of character development and self-discovery for the main character. This is a well-balanced fantasy where the world-building makes sense and all the elements are there for the reading.
Mattie and Pete are the main characters, but the story is mainly told from mattie’s perspective. Mattie is a likeable character. She is given the underdog story and readers will root for her, because she is a bit of all of us. At times she is plain, clumsy, impatient, belittled, bullied, and she can’t make up her mind what she wants to be. Then she falls into this magical story where she blossoms and grows. Again literally. She goes from an 11-year old girl to a robust teenager. She needed to know what the future held for her and if it would work out alright. Like “13 Going on 30” she is sixteen, flirty, and thriving. Mattie finds her self-purpose in helping the Gispers win their kingdom back and her conviction is solid. She becomes wise and verbose, giving the reader a taste of maturity and intelligence.
The author layers her plot and her motives like an expert, giving the book a higher degree of elegance than most that follow a more linear plotline. Wyss plays with the “Return to Mt. Snagra” novel, revealing the future so that the children have guidance during their quest while at times the pages are blank, waiting for their decisions and actions to fill in the words. The author has integrated the past and the future into this book that the children carry with them at all times.
The author also plays with time and space with more than just the way the words are revealed on the pages of the book within the book “Return to Mt. Snagra.” There is an element of time travel hidden within the layers of the novel. This gives the reader something to ponder over after finishing the book. There are quite a few ‘somethings’ that the reader puts together by the end of the book that are simply too cool.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoyed the Neverending Story by Michael Ende or the smooth and charming personable style of Roald Dahl
This novel was published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 08/18/2013 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 4.75
Links for more information:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18388212-return-to-mt-snagra
Website: http://www.authortyanwyss.com/
Rachel Author Barnard 