Update! I’m back!

Sorry I’ve been MIA for the past few weeks, with school starting and moving places it’s been a pretty busy couple of months. As you know, I’m a college student and that has played a major factor in my absence. Between meetings, classes and homework it seems as though the time has just disappeared. However, I’m back in action now and I can’t wait to tell you all what I’ve been up to.

I moved back to my college town a week before school started and it took that time to get everything unpacked and put in place. I honestly never want to move again. After that it was just trying to get back into the groove of college life. I’ve settled into the groove of classes and I like it. There’s this one class that I’m not really feeling and it had to be the only English class I’m taking.

This is a class that helps you learn all about the fiction. However, I don’t feel like I’m actually learning. I feel like I’ve been downgraded to a middle school reading class. I know reading is a part of learning, but when you spend the first 8 weeks of class in silent reading time then you just feel like you need your money back. Also, we are confined to only writing proper literary fiction. No sci-fi, no fantasy, no nothin’. She tells us that there’s a way to do it, but isn’t really teach us how for the students (like myself) who haven’t really written literary fiction. Am I just a ranting student? Are my rants misplaced?

Anyway, all of my class problems aside, during my impromptu hiatus, I got to write a guest post for Writers Helping Writers. It was a really cool experience and I’m glad I took the chance to do it. It gave me the confidence to believe in myself and my ability to write. If you want to check out my article just click here.

If you want to guest post I highly recommend it.

Other than that I haven’t had too much going on. I’ve been on the job search and that’s pretty much it. How have you been?

Let me know how your summer went, or just whatever you want to share. Finished your novel? Entered a contest? Went to the beach? Let me know.

Book Review: The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

Rating: 3.8/5 Stars

Synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it’s just the risk she’s been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions.

A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

First off I’d like to applaud Trish Doller for her ending. The was one specific detail about the ending that I really liked, but I won’t spoil it for you. She did a really great job dragging the reader into the story and make them go on the adventure with Cadie. Also, Arcadia is a great name choice.

This story reminded me of a short story that I read in high school. It was called Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been. Definitely look it up, because it’s worth the read. Anyway, it reminds me of that story in the aspect of her getting into a car with two strange guys.

Now, for the Pros. I loved the language in this story and the places that she gets to go see even though my inner good girl is screaming “What the actual f****!” I loved how Doller kept the reader hanging on. Something was always happening whether it was action or Cadie’s growing relationship with one of the boys. That brings me to our cons.

There were two major Cons that put me off slightly. The whodunit aspect wasn’t believable. Once you read the book and you realize how she is with each of the boys and how they are with her, it’s pretty easy to guess who she ends up with. Maybe it was just me. The other Con is that the bad guy’s motive for doing what he did wasn’t as fulfilling as I wanted it to be. It seemed like he did what he did for simple reasons and maybe that was supposed to be the point, but I don’t know.

This book was written from Cadie’s point of view and honestly  I wouldn’t have it any other way. Honestly, if I didn’t know her reasons for running off with not one, but two complete strangers, I wouldn’t have thought she was a reliable character (she’s still completely reliable, but hey who is?). I think Doller nailed down Cadie’s motives well.

If I had to have a favorite character, it would have to be between Matt and Noah. When you read the book, you’ll probably think I’m crazy. I like both characters because of how they are with each other throughout the book. They seem to have tension, but they also seem to be like brothers (they’re cousins).

That’s honestly all I’ve got right now, but I’d recommend this book. It definitely makes you want to go on an adventure…with people you know…that won’t try to kill you.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken: First Impressions

First impressions are everything and The Darkest Minds made a wonderful first impressions. I am in the middle of reading this book and I just thought I’d share some of my first thoughts since I loved the prologue. It had this grim and sinister feel that I find it hard to capture in the first lines of a novel.

When I started the book this morning, I wasn’t sure what to think. Once I started, I was hooked. So far I think that the book is interesting. That word doesn’t really do it justice, but I can’t think of the right word at the moment. It seemed to have a  bit of a familiar story with the disease and special gifts and whatnot, but it still seemed like a different story altogether.

Opening paragraph:

” When the white noise went off, we were in the garden, pulling weeds.I always reacted badly to it. It didn’t matter if I was outside, eating in the Mess Hall, or locked in my cabin. When it came, the shrieking tones blew up like a pipe bomb between my ears. Other girls at Thurmond could pick themselves up after a few minutes, shaking off the nausea and disorientation like the loose grass clinging to their camp uniforms. But me? Hours would pass before I was able to piece myself back together.

This time should have been no different.

But it was”

Here’s the Goodreads summary of the book.

The Darkest Minds-Alexandra Bracken 

I have high hopes for this story and will post more about the book after I finish. Also, I’m always open to suggestions for books to read so let me know some books that you love.

TBR List

I wasn’t planning on this, but I am posting my “To-Be Read” list. This is mostly because I write them on random sheets of paper and here I can just keep it all in one place. This is mostly YA  fiction and fantasy so be prepared. So here are the books on my list and the links to their Amazon pages. Enjoy!

Jordan’s TBR List:

Ruby Red- Kerstin Gier

Deadfall- Anna Carey

Proof of Forever- Lexa Hillyer

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids- Sarah Ochler

Every Last Word-Tamara Ireland Stone

The Witch Hunter- Virginia Boecker

Anatomy of Evil- Will Thomas

Fatal Enquiry- Will Thomas

The Death Code- Lindsay Cummings

Daughter of Deep Silence- Carrie Ryan 

Crimson Bound- Rosamund Hodge

Angelfall- Susan Ee

Beautiful Sacrifice- Jamie McGuire

The Distance Between Lost and Found- Kathryn Holmes

Queen of Hearts- Colleen Oakes

Black Chalk- Christopher J. Yates

I Am Her Revenge- Meredith Moore

Court of Fives- Kate Elliot

Red Queen- Victoria Aveyard

The Devil You Know- Trish Doller

The Stars Never Rise- Rachel Vincent

Snow Like Ashes- Sarah Raasch

Garden of Lies- Amanda Quick

Dorothy Must Die- Danielle Page

The Darkest Minds- Alexandria Bracken

Becoming Jinn- Lori Goldstein

Magonia- Maria Dahvana Headley

Dream a Little Dream- Kerstin Gier

A Court of Thorns- Sarah J. Maas

Shatter Me- Tahereh Mafi

City of Fae- Pippa DaCosta

That’s it for now. I haven’t gone on a Barnes and Noble run since I’ve  been home, but here is the link to my book board on Pinterest. That’s all for now!

Keep on reading!

7 Potential Conflicts for Your Story

We all know that there are the big four conflicts in storytelling:

Man vs Man

Man vs Self

Man vs Nature

Man vs Society

These conflicts are woven into the each layer of storytelling. I mean, what would a story be without conflict? Storytelling now uses these devices to find the right problems for their stories. There are also 3 other types that have become somewhat popular:

Man vs Fate/God

Man vs Supernatural

Man vs Technology

These seven conflicts fall under one of two major categories. internal and external. These two can help you portray your character’s wants and needs. They can also help you figure out if one of your character’s needs conflict with another’s. The other’s are just    My question to you is: how do you figure out what conflict is best for your story? Let’s say you have two options. Your character can either fight a societal battle or natural battle. How to do you choose the method in which you throw your character in a hole?

We all know that using this device isn’t as cut and dry as Man vs Man or Man vs Nature. We partner it up with other devices to create wonderful stories. I thought about ways to use these conflicts for my own story and started writing out different scenarios. They worked and now I can move on to actually writing different scenes for this story.

When you begin to add conflict to your story, ask yourself a couple of questions:

• What does your character want most?
• Does this conflict with what someone else wants? Does it conflict with what they want?

That’s honestly all I’ve got at the moment. So, I’ll post again soon, until then keep writing!

P.S. Here are some websites that talk a bit more about conflict. check them out!

How & Why to Use Conflict Types

The Secret to Creating Conflict

Conflict in Literary Fiction

Conflict and Suspense

Books Books Everywhere!

Welcome back! Sorry I’ve been a bit in and out lately, but I’ll try to post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Today’s topic is…BOOKS!

I’m a huge fan of fantasy and YA books (Happy “I Read YA” Week, by the way). Anyway, in honor of me getting a job working with books,   thought that it would be fun to talk about books and for me to give a couple of recommendations.

1. Graceling- Kristin Cahsore

If you haven’t read this book yet, then read it! I love how Cashore develops her main character, Katsa. I also love the amount of creativity that went into this story. I remember seeing a map at the beginning of the of the book. It showed every where they’d be going and it helped give me a good visual throughout the book. Cashore also did really well with imagery. What Cashore calls a “Grace” just screams The Young Elites, but that book didn’t come out until 2014 while Graceling has been around since 2009. I’d definitely recommend this book.

Amazon synopsis: Kristin Cashore’s best-selling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable yet strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace . . . and how to put it to good use. A thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure (and steamy romance!) that will resonate deeply with adolescents trying to find their way in the world.

2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone- Laini Taylor

This book spun me for a loop at the end. I liked the book, but there was something off about it that I couldn’t really put my finger on. I think I was just a bit confused on one (or two) of the characters. You’ll understand what I mean when you read it. I have the second book, but I’m waiting to read it since I’m reading Cinder right now. I’d still recommend the book since it’ll probably take you on the feels train.

Amazon 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?

These are just a couple of books that I like. There’s this Sci-Fi book that I’ll probably recommend next time since I still haven’t gotten over that book and I read it back in December. I’m a sucker for anything creative. If it’s original and it works, then I’m on board. However, I still look at dialogue, character development and other things like that to figure out if it’s a good book to me. If you check out these books, I hope you like them.