Review of What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Goodreads Synopsis:

Who is the real McLean? 

Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

Combining Sarah Dessen's trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible reading.

My Take:

I'd never read a Sarah Dessen book, but a friend from a creative writing class recommended her highly. When I asked what book to read she said "any!"and so I downloaded the ebook sampler, which included the first three chapters of four different Dessen books and I was hooked. I really enjoyed What Happened to Goodbye because it was something familiar and yet different. This was a coming of age story where for once the romance didn't seem to be an integral part to the story, instead it was subtly weaved in. Granted, I love a good romance, but sometimes it's nice to read a contemporary story that has the main character going through a bit more than just the usual boy crisis. The dynamic between McLean and her dad is great. They have their methods. Only use one cupboard in the kitchen--why bother with more since their leaving? Always wait for the new name and persona to come to you. Considering they include Dave more in the synopsis I thought he'd be much more prominent in the story earlier on. It seems to take Dave forever to really become ingrained in McLean's life. Again, I liked that the romance was subtle but sometimes it may have been too subtle. Still we get great insight into McLean's thoughts and feelings and she comes to life on the page. It was a fun summer read.

Rating:

4/5 Stars

~Liz

Quicksand

World building is a bitch. No, that’s not quite right. It’s more like quicksand and at it’s center is the biggest diamond we’ve ever seen. Of course we know it’s a dangerous game to try and cross over to the where the gem laying for us, but we can’t help it. The prize is just too overwhelming to let go.

            Everyone crosses over differently. Some do a quick sprint around the area, getting a good lay of the land and hoping to find the best way to make their trek. Some won’t even give the death trap a second thought and walk right on top, taking every sinking step in stride as a job hazard that just can’t be helped. Others will be hesitant, testing the sand by prodding it with their feet.

            The most interesting thing about quick sand is that everyone is in danger. We can take in too much of every detail, regardless of how fast or slow we move, and get sucked into the hot earth.

            How do we avoid getting buried alive with the hot sandy grains? It’s probably different for everyone. But for me, it was talking it out with anyone who would listen. The more they got me talking, the easier it was to see just what was wrong and how to fix it. Now I can see my diamond. I still have some distance to go before I can hold it, but I’m almost there.

            So tell me, how do you guys avoid death by quicksand?

            Auzy

Blog Tour: Time Spell

Today we're letting T.A. Foster tell us a bit about her new book, Time Spell--which has TIME TRAVEL. A favorite thing of mine! It's on sale tomorrow--check out this exclusive excerpt!

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

Ivy Grace is learning that magic--and love--are all about the right timing.

Follow the adventures of this spirited young Southern woman as she embarks upon a successful new career writing novels and movies that explore romantic mysteries of the past.

Ivy, a witch who spends her days practicing her brand of good magic in a sleepy little city, often travels back in time to observe events of yesteryear and turn them into compelling stories for her modern-day fans. But as her uncanny ability to weave enthralling historic tales lands her in the limelight, she quickly finds that fame sometimes comes with a price.

Evil forces now know who she is and threaten to reveal her family’s most sacred magical secrets.

With the help of her ruggedly handsome editor and a sexy supernatural ex-boyfriend, Ivy must unravel history while fighting to keep these ominous forces at bay.

Will Ivy be able to make the ultimate sacrifice for the people she loves the most?

 

Exclusive Excerpt:

 

 Finn propped himself with one shoulder on the hardy oak, half his body cloaked by the shadows, hands in his jeans pockets. It only took me a second to find him.

 

“Emergency, huh? What’s going on, Ivy?” He reached for me and pulled me into a tight embrace, his lean arms wrapped securely around me. My ears echoed with the sound of my racing heart, and I tried to steady the beats so Finn wouldn’t hear it too.

 

I stepped back to create some distance between us. “Thanks for meeting me so fast. I know you might have plans that don’t involve helping me in the middle of the night.” His lack of response suggested maybe I had interrupted his plans, but I rambled on and tried to ignore the jealous surges worming their way into my imagination. “I do really need your help. I need a Guardian Spell.” My voice was strong and urgent. I didn’t want Finn to start charming me with his charismatic smile, crystal eyes, and fiery hands.

 

“Hmmm….Who needs protecting? I need a little something to go on.” His hands were back in his pockets and he leaned into the sturdy trunk.

 

I didn’t have the kind of time Finn was going to soak up. “It’s a ridiculously long story, but can you just fly to Atlanta tonight and take care of this girl for me?” I shoved the crumpled piece of paper with Emily’s address on it into his warm hands. “It would really mean a lot to me, Finn. Can you help her?”

 

“Sure, of course, babe, but first I want to know what this is all about. I haven’t heard from you in months. I see you’re in New York, Ian’s keeping his distance from me at work, and now in the middle of the night, you need my help and I’m supposed to start doling out spells. A spell that happens to be my gift, by the way.” He was irritated, but more on the edge of teasing me, and trying to see how far he could push me and if I’d push back to get the protection spell.

 

I reread the awful letter in my mind, recounting each scratchy, evil word before responding. The letter only dissuaded us from involving the authorities, but didn’t say anything else about adding allies. If I ever needed an ally, it was now.

 

“Finn, I do need your help, for more than just the spell, but there’s not enough time to get into the details now. Can you please go help this girl and then meet me back at my house? I’ll fill you in on everything there, I promise.”

 

“We’re going to talk, Ivy. But, yeah, I can take care of this for you. Miss me.” And with that he pulled me toward him, kissed me, shot up through the towering limbs of Oak Park, and was gone. Dammit! I ran my fingers along my bottom lip, still feeling the heat from that kiss. How could he be so hot and so infuriating?

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

 

T.A. Foster is a Southern girl whose heart and spirit are connected to the beach. She grew up catching rays and chasing waves along the North Carolina Outer Banks and now resides in the state with her adventurous pilot husband, two children and two canine kiddos. 

Her long love affair with books started at an early age and as soon as she was able, she transformed imaginative stories into words on paper. Time Spell is T.A.’s debut novel, and the first in a series about a very adventurous, clever, and magical girl named Ivy.

T.A. has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University.  When she’s not chasing her two-legged and four-legged children or trying to escape for date night, you can find her reading, writing or planning her next beach trip.

 

 

 

There is no Us vs Them. So cut that crap out.

So the past few days I've been seeing a lot of us vs them thoughts.
Self pub vs anyone else.
pantsers vs plotters
fast drafters vs anyone else.
 Can I just say something? (the answer is yes. I'm the blogger, so I get to say all the things.)
 CUT IT OUT. This isn't high school. It's not you and your clique against the world. There isn't a cool table and you aren't sitting at it. (And if it were high school, can we all admit that we didn't sit at the cool table? We're weird, peeps)
Look---there isn't a right way to write. There isn't a write way to publish. There is only the way that works for YOU and the decision you make that is best for your book.
If that means you write 10k a day and finish a book in a week? WOOHOO!!!
If that means you write a chapter a month and have no end in sight? YAY! (Works for GRRM)
If you plot before you write? YAY!
If you wait until it's literally time to decide which way to turn on the road? Good for you!
If you revise while you write? Dude, jealous.
If you do it all at the end? As long as it gets done.

One isn't worse than the other or better because you did it. We're all writers. We're all united by that. We love stories and words and being locked in our heads with a bunch of voices and you know what? That's all we need. We don't need to break it down and find things to divide us. There's enough of it everywhere else in the world.
Let's make this our happy place, k? :)
N~

When You've Been Around the Query Block

Some of us have been at this querying thing awhile now. We know the drill. Write what we deem is a great manuscript (though we will always look back and at least cringe a little), polish that sucker, and send it on out into the world. 

Since we know how the game works when a shiny new idea comes do you ever find yourself uncertain because now that you're more aware of the market you have many considerations? Here's an example: You shouldn't write that contemporary romance with an edgy air because contemporary romance is in right now and who is say that it will still be 8 months later when you're finally ready to query? Or how about that boy MG. You hear they're looking for that now, but you know never to write to trends, but you have an idea that you love and truly want to write. Should you just call it quits before you even begin?

I believe that after a certain point of querying and receiving rejections on one manuscript and doing the same for another you learn a thing or two. Which yes, can be helpful to avoid the pitfalls that most new query peeps endure, but we also begin to look at our work in a more sales oriented way, which isn't a bad thing per se.

Still, I think we need to keep the fun in our writing for as long as we can. Yes, it's great to consider why you should and shouldn't invest your time in an idea that may not amount to much. BUT the best work, is the story we have fun writing, the one infused with our happy thoughts and yes, the occasional curdling scream (only occasional). 

So next time that shiny idea comes to you--don't just knock it down. Give it a shot. Write down the first chapter or an outline, see if maybe there's more to it. See if it is exactly what you need to jump start those writing juices. Whether your goal is to publish it or not. Just go for it!

~Liz

NA: Will it last?

            There’s been a lot of talk about NA. Some say it the erotica equivalent of a 64-calorie beer, while other feel so strongly for the section that they’ll scream down your throat if you say anything even sort of negative about it. So, is it or isn’t it a fad?

Honestly, I don’t give a flying frak.

            NA, just like everything else, is a marketing scheme. It’s only there to sell to a certain audience. Right now, that audience is those ladies that want romance and the YA feel of a book, but don’t want to feel like they jumped into the teenie-bopper section to buy one.

            Will NA change and not become so romance centric? It’s possible considering that everything changes, but who really knows. NA is still a baby when it comes to an age section of a bookstore.

            But that’s enough about my thoughts. Let us know how you feel about the NA section? Romance only, or does it have multiple genre staying power? And if you’re a fan, why or why not? Inquiring minds of the Rejects want to know….

            Auzy

Review of Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Goodreads Synopsis:

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?


My Take:

I started this book while on a plane to London and then sporadically completed it while riding the London tube/underground system any chance I got. I really had to be careful not to miss my stops! I loved this book. The setting is beautiful and the way the author describes Karou's life and hangouts is lyrical. The love story behind this is strong, but the world created was so different from the usual stereotypical tales that have come to be on the shelves as of late. I highly recommend this. Just immerse yourself in the story and allow the setting to come alive around you. I just wanted to soak up every moment of the setting. 

Thanks for the recommendation N~

Rating:

4.8/5 Stars

~Liz

Welcome Back!!!

It's been a long and busy summer, you guys! But Writerly Rejects is back and we're excited about the upcoming events and what all we've got planned!!! It's been a minute since we caught up, so here's a bit about what I've been up to.

I spent most of the summer writing. In late June, I released This Love a New Adult contemporary romance. I've been really happy with how it's doing and I'm excited about it.
Aside from that, I spent the summer writing two new books, playing with my kids, revising. And I signed with an agent.
So. That happened. Funny story, you guys--remind me and I'll share it with you next week. In the meantime, what are you excited about from this summer or what's coming up?? Share with me the awesome happening in your life! :)
N~

Cover Reveal! Revenge in Rio

Revenge in Rio By: Samantha Darling
Beachwalk Press
Releasing October 21st, 2013


Calculated revenge, unexpected passion…

Business magnate Luca Venancio is returning to Rio to pay his respects to his late brother, and to seduce his once fiancée, Daniella, back into his bed. Five years ago she left him without so much as a word, shunning him and the rich life he could offer in exchange for his younger, reckless brother.

Now Luca wants revenge—seduce her and dump her, that's all he intends to do. Blackmailed into a violent farce of a marriage, Daniella had no choice but to comply to protect Luca's life, even though it meant never being able to see him again. Years later, a twist of fate reunites them, throwing her plans of fleeing Rio out of the window and the love of her life straight back in. Luca's flawless plan soon becomes complicated when he discovers Daniella is expecting his brother's child. It becomes even more complicated when old passions return. Can he actually go through with seducing her, bedding her, and then discarding her?

Author Info I live in Essex, not too far from London, with my very understanding husband, our identical twin boys, and two Bedlington Terriers. We're crammed into our rather cozy two-up two-down terrace and we can barely swing a cat, but hey, we love it. I work part-time as a nurse, but when I'm off duty, you will find me either chasing the toddlers around like a headless chicken, head buried in a book, or tapping away at my stories. I have always loved to read and romance is by far my favourite genre! You can easily escape into such promising worlds, where sexy Alpha males lead the way and strong heroine's often can't help but fall head over heels in love. I adore a Happy Ever After - as I'm sure we all do if we're honest, right?!
Reading and writing go hand in hand and from the day I could read, I enjoyed writing. To put pen to paper and conjure up weird and wonderful little stories was what I thrived on! English was my favourite class at school right throughout to secondary - and I will always be thankful for the teachers who gave me the opportunities to develop and be creative! If I remember rightly, one of my first stories was called 'The Turkey Who Could Talk'...but I'll tell you more about that some other day :-) Author Links
https://www.facebook.com/samantha.darling.9828
https://twitter.com/samanthav1986
http://www.samanthadarlingromance.com/index.html

Life + Being a Writer = Inspiration

Hello lovelies!

We are officially back in business. The writerly crew decided to take a bit of a summer break. **Stay tuned we just may have a contest in the works this fall** I don't know about you but I've had a blast this summer. Spent almost a month in the UK & Ireland. But did I get much writing done?

Here's the thing, I'm a strong proponent of the:

Butt + Chair = Words on the Page

BUT, I'm even more into:

Life + Being a Writer = Inspiration

Here's a post for all those writers out there who are feeling the "I'm just not being prolific/productive enough summer blues." Sometimes there will be moments when the Butt in Chair equation just isn't working.

Here's what you do. LIVE.

Think back to the first time you put pen to paper seriously. Those great moments in our characters' lives when they've lost someone or something. Those moments where they've surpassed the odds, or lost it all. Those are the moments of our lives that we draw from. That crappy break-up. Channel the ridiculous amounts of tears shed. Or that amazing bungee jumping experience--definitely workable for an adrenaline pumping scene.

My point is, even if you're not writing, you're experiencing, and if you're experiencing, you're creating writing fodder.

Use it. Own it. Do it.

Now, go get your butt in that chair.

~Liz