Category Archives: Rachel Barnard

2015 Reading Challenge

by in Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged ,

2015 reading challenge popsugar

The Challenge 2014
1 A book with more than 500 pages Shift (Silo #2) by Hugh Howey (608)
2 A classic romance Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles
3 A book that became a movie The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
4 A book published this year Unseen by Stephanie Erickson
5 A book with a number in the title 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
6 A book written by someone under 30 Deny the Moon by Melissa Graham
7 A book with nonhuman characters Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce
8 A funny book This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
9 A book by a female author The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede
10 A mystery or thriller Cache a Predator by M. Weidenbenner
11 A book with a one-word title Room by Emma Donoghue
12 A book of short stories Free-Flowing Stories by FVP authors
13 A book set in a different country The 100-Foot Journey by Richard Morais
14 A nonfiction book Rock Your Plot: A Simple System for Plotting Your Novel by Cathy Yardley
15 A popular author’s first book Looking for Alaska by John Green
16 A book from an author you love that you hadn’t read yet Silo by Hugh Howy
17 A book a friend recommended Heart of Africa by Loren Lockner
18 A Pulitzer Prize-winning book X
19 A book based on a true story Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean
20 A book at the bottom of your to-read list I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
21 A book your mom loves Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
22 A book that scares you Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
23 A book more than 100 years old X
24 A book based entirely on its cover The Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce
25 A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t NA
26 A memoir X
27 A book you can finish in a day If I stay by Gayle Foreman
28 A book with antonyms in the title Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
29 A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit X
30 A book that came out the year you were born X
31 A book with bad reviews Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
32 A trilogy Maze Runner by James Dashner
33 A book from your childhood The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede
34 A book with a love triangle The Thousand Year Curse (Curse Books, #1) by Taylor Lavati
35 A book set in the future The Maze Runner by James Dashner
36 A book set in high school The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello
37 A book with a color in the title Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
38 A book that made you cry Ghostwriter by Tyan Wyss
39 A book with magic Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
40 A graphic novel X
41 A book by an author you’ve never read before Unseen by Stephanie Erickson
42 A book you own but hadn’t read before X
43 A book that takes place in your hometown The Siren Suicides by Ksenia Anske
44 A book that was originally written in a different language X
45 A book set during Christmas The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy
46 A book written by an author with your same initials The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
47 A play X
48 A banned book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
49 A book based on or turned into a TV show X
50 A book you started but never finished A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Book Reviews: Time for Books 2015 Review Team

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged ,

Badge It’s a new year and a new me. I’ve been reading more and more Indie books. Why? Why would I risk my lovely reading time with books that might not be my cup of tea? Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. They ARE my cup of tea. I’ve found some fabulous writers through my Indie readings – just look at my Indie Stars page. I want to support my fellow Indie authors by reading and reviewing their works, to find the gems and support and promote them any way I can. The first step is to read them and then tell everyone about how much I liked their book and why it’s so fabulous(i.e. review). You can see my review policy here. I think Jo Michaels is a great and successful supporter of Indie authors and I want to be a part of her 2015 review team. If you’re interested, have a look at Jo Michaels’ review team page on her blog.

My commitment to the cause is a Hungry 21-40 books for 2015 but I really want to reach 50 (half my reading goal list of 100 books this year).

Author Goals and Accomplishments from 2014 and Future Goals for 2015

by in author platform, Rachel Barnard and tagged | 3 Comments

2013 Writing Goals:

2014 Writing Goals:

  1. Publish At One’s Beast
  2. FreeValley Publishing anthology published with Ataxia promo short story Ataxia and the Girl of Lost Dreams
  3. Review all current FreeValley Publishing author’s books

*I have accomplished all my author goals for 2014!

2014 Accomplishments:

2015 Writing Goals:

  1. Create audiobook version of poetry book, Wandering Imagination
  2. Write manuscript for book 1 of Fantasy trilogy
  3. Send Children’s Book to Publishers
  4. Write manuscript of The Geocache Killer
  5. Get At One’s Beast 15 reviews (Currently have: Goodreads -13, Amazon -11)
  6. Get Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams 20 reviews (Currently have: Goodreads -9, Amazon -9)
  7. Finished and Published audiobook copy of At One’s Beast
  8. Submit some short stories to contests/publications
  9. Finish YA manuscript Donuts in an Empty Field

Merry Christmas Readers!

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , | 1 Comment

 

Here is my 2014 Christmas Letter:

Christmas letter 2014

The books I’ve read in 2014 with my star ratings for each. An asterisk indicates a recommended read:

The Kill Order by James Dashner 3/5

A Woman Lost by T.B. Markinson 4/5: to-be-reviewed

The Death Cure by James Dashner 3/5

If I Stay by Gayle Forman 3/5

*Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan 4/5

Caching In by Tracy Krimmer 3/5: to-be-reviewed

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper 4/5

*Scattered Links by M. Weidenbenner 5/5: to-be-reviewed

*Claudia Must Die by T.B. Markinson 5/5: to-be-reviewed

*Ghostwriter by Tyan Wyss 5/5: to-be-reviewed

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner 4/5

Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles 3/5

Neuromancer by William Gibson 1/5

Deny the Moon by Melissa A. Graham 3/5

*Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 5/5

Zero Anaphora by Luke Brimblecombe 4/5

The Maze Runner by James Dashner 4/5

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais 4/5

The Genesis Code: Lambda by Robert E. Parkin 3/5

The French for Christmas by Fiano Valpy 2/5

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters 3/5

Deadly Accounts by C.R. Wiley 4/5

Of Mice and Money by Winifred Morris 4/5

Shift by Bill Castengera 4/5: to-be-reviewed

*Confessions from a Coffee Shop 5/5: to-be-reviewed

*The Solitaire Prince by Tyan Wyss 5/5

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James 1/5

The Thousand Year Curse by Taylor Lavati 4/5

*Little Bee by Chris Cleave 5/5

*Irkadura by Ksenia Anske 5/5

Moonlight by David Rose 5/5

*Marionette by T.B. Markinson 5/5

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 3/5

First to Find by Mark Gessner 5/5: to-be-reviewed

Rock Your Plot by Cathy Yardley 5/5

Landline by Rainbow Rowell 3/5

The Heist by Shaun Jeffrey 4/5: to-be-reviewed

The Cleansing by Danielle Tara Evans 3/5

Coordinates for Murder by Darren Kirby 2/5

*Cache a Predator by M. Weidenbenner 5/5

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean 3/5

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty 4/5

The Time Sphere by A.E. Albert 4/5

Haylee Awakened Seed 4/5

Call off the Search by Natasja Hellenthal 2/5

Roll the Bones by Rob May 5/5

*Return to Mt. Snagra by Tyan Wyss 5/5

*Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion 5/5

Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller 4/5

Intrigue in the House of Wong by Amy Kwei 4/5

Dragon Killer by Rob May 4/5

*Mind Space Book 3 by David Moore 5/5

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell 3/5

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner 3/5

Click Date Repeat by K.J. Farnham 4/5

Siren Suicides #3 by Ksenia Anske 4/5

Siren Suicides #2 by Ksenia Anske 4/5

Siren Suicides #1 by Ksenia Anske 5/5

The Boy Who Fell into the Sky by Chad Spencer 3/5

Defending Jacob by William Landay 2/5

A Concubine for the Family by Amy Kwei 5/5: to-be-reviewed

Silo #2 by Hugh Howey 5/5

*I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai 5/5

High Born by Natalia Leigh 4/5

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 2/5

The Empress Chronicles by Suzy Vitello 4/5

*Mind Space Book #2 by David Moore 5/5

We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey 3/5

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov 3/5

*The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 5/5

Stars in the Texas Sky by Stephen J. Matlock 4/5

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 2/5

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 5/5

*The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello 5/5

Roots Entwine by Victoria Bastedo 5/5

Wonderkid: A Novel by Wesley Stace 4/5

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin 1/5

Highland Lord by Colleen Faulkner 3/5

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier 5/5

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke 4/5

*Mind Space Book #1 by David Moore 5/5

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 4/5

A clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 1/5

*Rosehead by Ksenia Anske 5/5

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain 4/5

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 4/5

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 4/5

Dawn of Steam: First Light by Jeffrey Cook 4/5

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green 5/5

Paper Towns by John Green 4/5

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory 4/5

Unicorn Battle Squad by Kirsten Alene 3/5

Sunrise Meets the Star by Victoria Bastedo 4/5

*Room by Emma Donogue 4/5

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick 4/5

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede 4/5

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 3/5

*The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 5/5

Allegiant by Veronica Roth 4/5

The Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce 3/5

*Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 5/5

Book Reading and Release Such Fun!

by in Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays | 1 Comment

 

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All eight of the authors featured in Free-Flowing Stories came out to the Black Dog in Snoqualmie on Thursday to read from their selections, eat cake, and have fun! The Black Dog is wonderful and has the best fritata around.

 

 

 

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I read from my story, Ataxia and the Girl of Lost Dreams which is a prequel to Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams and follows MC’s decision to leave her home town and sneak into the elite Academy where she hopes to take down the corrupt government from within.

 

 

 

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I love to dress up! This is my latest mashup costume.

Gifts for Geeks and Rachel Barnard’s FREE ebook downloads TODAY

by in At One's Beast, Local Events, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays and tagged | 3 Comments

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Today only At One’s Beast and Wandering Imagination by Rachel Barnard are free for download on Amazon.

At One’s Beast link to free download: Click here

Wandering Imagination link to free download: Click here

RB - WIN_20141213_143905 RB - WIN_20141213_143852 RB - WIN_20141213_143834 10675519_10153433487869418_5233050565150547004_n                                                                                                  (Photo by Sheri J. Kennedy)

 

At One’s Beast… atonesbeast

Every girl and boy in the village of Frey fears the beast who lives in the forest. Ten years ago, the beast was formed from the town’s rage — and the evil that lurks inside all people in moments of weakness. Every year since, the townspeople have sacrificed one of their own to appease his anger. This year the sacrifice does not go as planned. A young man saves the chosen girl from fate. She is torn between doing her duty and untangling the identity of her savior and captor. The young man grew up with thoughts of revenge on the town that turned their backs on him, but when he is close to the girl, he is reminded of who he used to be. From once upon a time to happily ever after, the people of Frey will have to rally together to rid the town of evil once and for all, but in the process will they destroy everything that is good in their world?

 

Wandering Imagination… WanderingImagination

Book of poetry