On My Writing Playlist: Pearl Jam

"Alive" by Pearl Jam captures what could end up being the main theme of my current writing endeavor. I can never be sure where the story will take me until I've already arrived and take an investigative look around. However, I am certain the question asked in this song will be at the least one of several major themes.

Whether someone is deserving life or not is prevalent in my story, I am of the mind (and I believe Mr. Vedder is in agreement with me on this) that it's not the answer but the person answering who is more intriguing. Who decides if someone is or isn't worthy to be alive? A jury of peers? A dark figure in a littered alleyway? A doctor holding defibrillator paddles?

Furthermore, what happens when knowledge and circumstance deliver us beyond preserving or ending life but creating it? What responsibilities come with that power?

Book Report Monday: The Goddess Test

Title: The Goddess Test

Author: Aimee Carter

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Synopsis:  EVERY GIRL WHO HAS TAKEN THE TEST HAS DIED.

NOW IT'S KATE'S TURN.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.

IF SHE FAILS...

(from Goodreads)

Why did I pick it up?: I heard a lot of buzz about Goddess Interrupted the sequel to The Goddess Test and as a fan of re-workings of Greek myths I had to check it out.

My Review: The Goddess Test is not a retelling but a continuation of a myth. All the Gods and Goddesses have taken new names, something Carter says they do every so often. I guess after so many millennia they want to switch it up. It will make the story easier for younger teens who won't have to stumble over Greek pronunciations, but I found myself translating Henry to Hades when reading.

In the original myth Hades, god of the Underworld,  kidnapped Persephone and took her as his wife. The other gods intervened but she was forced to return to the Underworld for 6 months a year. The Goddess Test begins after Persephone escaped the Underworld for good and Hades, now called Henry, needs to find a replacement. Fast.

With the clock ticking down to Spring Kate is tested  during the 6 months of fall and winter she spends with Henry. Of course, someone in Henry's mansion wants to kill Kate, but overall she doesn't seem to consider that a serious threat and in turn I wasn't very concerned for her life. For me the best part of the story was the relationship that grows between Henry and Kate. It comes off as genuine and kind of adorable.

In the end, I was hoping for more about the other gods and goddesses. But the sequel, which I will definitely pick up soon, sounds like it will be more mythologically focused.

Recommendation: Quick summer read for anyone who loves Young Adult and is interested in Greek mythology.

Next Week: Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin

On My Writing Playlist: Silverchair

We're going to take it back to 1995 today with "Tomorrow" by Silverchair.  I'll admit to having the hots for the lead singer, but now I think he just looks like a member of Hanson with eyeliner. Still dig the music though.




Hope you all enjoy your Wednesday.

Book Report Monday: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever, The Chemical Garden Trilogy #2

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Why did I pick it up?: It's the sequel to Wither which I read and reviewed in June.

Synopsis: Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever. (from Goodreads)


My Review: Without fail I find myself predicting what will happen next in books, movies, TV series, etc. I think it comes with whatever writer goggles I use to view the world. I see plots in every story and suspect how they could twist and bend on the next page, scene or episode. Voicing these theories often annoys whoever I am watching a movie or show with. If I'm right it would ruin their "ah ha" moment.

Naturally after Wither, I was full to bursting with theories about what I thought was going to happen in the sequel. As it turns out I was pretty much wrong.

There is one thing that I think I may be right about but I'm stuck waiting until the next book to find out how right I am. Even while reading I had theories that were shortly blown to bits. I really enjoyed Wither and I was eager to get my hands on Fever. I loved Fever so much more. The first book was contained, like Rhine, within the walls of the mansion. The story told was, in my opinion, a small piece of something much larger that's happening in the dystopian society. With Fever the story bursts out from its micro focus. Rhine's tale is growing to encompass the world outside of the mansion, where the world is flailing without any hope of reprieve or a solution.

Gabriel, who has not left the mansion in years, is seeing the world for the first time. This leaves Rhine with a kind of double vision. She views the world she remembers from before, but she also imagines how it must look to Gabriel. The streets and buildings are crumbling, dirty, and unsafe.

She wonders if she mislead him with her stories about how wonderful the outside world could be. The point, of course,  is that it's outside. It's not a cage, or a locked ward. You don't need someone with a key card to escort you for a walk in the garden.

Naturally freedom, choice and hope are all on Rhine's mind while she struggles to get home and to her brother Rowan.


Recommendation: Anyone who read Wither or If you haven't read Wither yet, and you love YA Dystopia/Romance you should read Wither. Then read this.

Fun Friday with Friendly Felines

Yesterday I flew from Philadelphia to Albuquerque with three friends, so we could visit our friend Ashley. She's the Harry Potter friend who was recently married.

I woke up this morning before the sun and started reviewing pages for my critique group. While I tapped away on my Netbook and scratched the ears of Ashley's cats a wonderful feeling settled over me.


I am on vacation, but it's a writer's vacation. A vacation from my responsibilities at home, from work and writing doesn't feel like work. Even when it's hard it is something I look forward to doing. And there's nothing like waking up to the contentment of doing what you love.

Ashley's cat, Chloe, was intrigued by the story I was critiquing.

Book Report Monday: Beastly by Alex Finn

Title: Beastly

Author: Alex Finn

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Retelling

Why did I pick it up?: I love this story it's a tale as old as time...yeah I just said that.

Synopsis: I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.

Favorite Lines: "I wished I had an opera house. I wished I had a cathedral."

My Review: Beauty & the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies. That's pretty obvious. Belle's a brunette, bibliophile who is totally able to take care of herself. Yeah the Beast saves her, but she totally saves him too and who knows, she may have recalled some survival tactic and escaped those ferocious wolves without his help. So I was happy when I realized that this retelling stayed very close to the Disney version.

As per the synopsis, the story is told by the popular boy turned Beast. Kyle is a total jerk. You don't have any sympathy for him at least not for a while. He's Beastly before the story begins and only after he's forced by the witch to examine his behavior and inner flaws does he become likable. It's fun to follow his journey and to watch the relationship between him and Beauty develop.

Fairy tale retellings are tricky. I mean, you already are familiar with the story, you already know the ending. But Finn creates her own cast of characters that all help make the story feel new. I enjoyed the role the roses played.

Kyle joins an Internet group for people in situations like his. It's all these people stuck in fairy tale situations chatting about how to break the spells on them. In my opinion those were the funniest conversations to read.

There are quite a few discussions about books. Personally, I rejoiced to know that the handsome pampered high school prince turned hideous beast was reading The Picture of Dorian Gray and Frankenstein. But there was nothing given away about those stories. However certain parts of Jane Eyre and The Hunchback of Notre Dame may be ruined if you haven't read them yet.

One complaint is the movie tie-in cover and the movie which I haven't seen yet. They depict the Beast as a human but covered in scars and ancient tattoo like markings. In the book, he's a Beast. Furry with sharp teeth and claws. That's how I prefer my Beasts. Yeah, they shed more but they're so snuggly.

Recommendation: It's a fast, light read perfect for anyone who loves fairy tales or Young Adult Romance.

Next Week: The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Fun Friday with the Flu and (not) Failing

I spent last weekend watching Spongebob Squarepants with my nephew and prepping the last few pages of my book for my critique partners.

 Monday afternoon, however, I was walking around the office saying, "My voice sounds funny, doesn't it?" and "I think I'm getting sick." I went home and chugged some Airborne. Then I spoke to my sister and it turns out, my nephew was sick as well. "Awesome!"

Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday I was in bed. Fortunately, for a girl who loves to read, being sick ain't so bad.

I was finishing Beastly when I remembered the line from The Little White Horse that Jo Rowling loves,


"Humanity can be roughly divided into three sorts of people -- those who find comfort in literature, those who find comfort in personal adornment and those who find comfort in food."


If there was any doubt which sort I was before this bout of the flu, there shouldn't be any longer. Nothing really compares to getting lost in fiction. Especially when I'm feeling awful. I read and slept off my sickness. I still sound "kind of funny" but I feel pretty good.

Which is convenient since today I took a test for my job. I won't bore you with the mathematics or the ins and outs of retirement benefits administration. I was nervous because everyone in the office was saying how I could study while I was home sick...were they messing with me or are they crazy? Who puts on sweatpants and curls up in bed with a practice examination? I mean, I studied. I studied every day this week, but not all day.

I was worried my Nyquil clouded brain may have failed to absorb all the information. The drowsying effects of cold medicine notwithstanding, some studying must have stuck because I passed. Yay! Pop the bubbly!

You got me, this picture is not from today. It's from my last birthday. But I felt the same excitement and I may have pulled that tiara out of shoe box and done a happy dance...And do you see my dog? He's in every picture that gets taken in my apartment. How does he do that?

Now I can focus on concert ticket snagging, my upcoming trip to New Mexico, learning French and reviewing the notes from my critique partners. Then it'll be time for a round of beta readers to actually read my book and I feel much better about this draft...so far.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and take your vitamins, there's something going around.