C is for Chasers (by James Phelan)

the challenge

C is for Chasers (Alone #1) by James Phelan

on goodreads

This is my current quick read.

I read the first half in a few hours last night and had trouble sleeping. Yay for prayer! It was only after some hardcore praying that I was able to go to sleep. I think I'll try to read the rest of it during the day and then wash it down with some My Little Pony or something. It's just scary and way too realistic-feeling. There are slow parts, which I appreciate in a zombie-esque post-apocalyptic book, and those real survivor parts make it feel a little like Castaway. Castaway with zombies. So yeah. I gotta say, though, the writing is surprising in a good way. The beginning bit has normal dialogue just like any other book, but after the event happens, the quotation marks all disappear and you get this feeling like it's all happening in Jesse's head, almost. Very interesting mechanism there. I'd say it makes the dialogue feel more urgent, and like it's being processed through the fog of trauma. As a writer myself, I always love to see the ways authors pull off something like that. James Phelan has done a fantastic job on his first YA novel. I'll be reading the whole trilogy. The books are shortish, and take place over only a matter of weeks. I'll keep you updated.

Here's the blurb:

The trip of a lifetime just turned into the end of the world. 

When Jesse crawls out of the wreckage of a subway car and emerges into daylight, he’s greeted by a living nightmare. An unexplained force has destroyed New York City, turning skyscrapers into ash, cutting off all power and communication. Jesse and his new friends, Dave, Anna and Mini are dazed but unhurt. The other survivors are not so lucky. Every human being they encounter is infected, gripped by an unquenchable thirst that drives them to monstrous acts of violence. 

Somehow, Jesse has to escape. But first, he has to stay alive.

What are you reading?

Other current (taking my time) reads are:

The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu (fantastic!!)
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Pisher (adorable)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madaleine L'Engle

After the ALONE series by James Phelan, I'll be reading PAS DE DEATH by Amanda Brice (also through NetGalley)

A is for Afterglow, B is for Blog Blitz

I'm a little late to the A to Z blog challenge (and not officially linked or anything) but I liked the idea, so here goes two in one day:

The challenge

First up:



A is for Afterglow Book Reviews where today I reviewed A Bandit's Stolen Heart.

Blurb: 

Under the persona of the bandit Blood Blade, Cilla Richardson robs from the corrupt and gives to the poor. When an accidental kidnapping leaves her with a handsome captive named Leo Forrester, Cilla finds she has the perfect ally at her side to aid in the fight against the town’s corrupt sheriff. 

Leo reluctantly agrees to help by marrying Cilla’s older sister but the more time he spends with Cilla, the more determined Leo is to steal her stubborn bandit’s heart. However, Cilla is just as determined to keep her heart to herself. Then innocent people are murdered, and the sheriff blames Blood Blade. With their allies now their enemies, Leo and Cilla must convince the town of her innocence before she ends up on the wrong end of a hangman’s noose.

It was written by one of my favorite authors/writerly people, Michelle McLean. Get to know her at these places: 

follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | like on Facebook | follow on Goodreads | Email | 

Next up:

Today's blog blitz is here. Don't know what a blog blitz is? Read up on it before joining.

A word on my own writing:

I'm partway through a fresh pass on an old manuscript, surprising myself with how much better I can make it by a few calculated insertions of interior monologue, setting details, or clarification of a fuzzy plot hole. It's, dare I say it, fun! Breathing new life into something I thought was long dead has renewed my faith in myself a little bit, which is imperative if I'm going to keep writing. And I have to keep writing.

What are you working on today?

Vignette Writing Contest and Blog Blitz

I got this in my inbox from the illustrious Jessica Bell:

Vignette Writing Contest: 1,600 Euros in prizes!

Date: March 30, 2013 05:30PM
Venue: http://www.vineleavesliteraryjournal....
Location: Greece
Description:
Enter a vignette for a chance to win 1,600 Euro in prizes!

Visit the following link to enter: http://www.vineleavesliteraryjournal....

First Prize:
- A scholarship to the Homeric Writers’ Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca: http://www.hwrw.blogspot.gr/
- Publication in Vine Leaves Literary Journal Issue #07
- Publication in The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2013 anthology (print) 
- A detailed first chapter critique by co-publishing editor Dawn Ius.
- A copy of The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2012.

Second Prize:
- A detailed first chapter critique by co-publishing editor Dawn Ius.
- Publication in Vine Leaves Literary Journal Issue #07 (and the possibility of being chosen for the anthology).
- A copy of The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2012.

Third Prize:
- Publication in Vine Leaves Literary Journal Issue #07 (and the possibility of being chosen for the anthology).
- A copy of The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2012.

Winners announced on or before May 31.

See who else going and get more info. 



Also, THIS:

DL Hammons of Cruising Altitude 2.0 is at the head of a new movement to share some love around the blogosphere. The first blog blitz was a huge success! You can get involved, liven up the writerly blogosphere a bit! 

Add your blog to the blitzing fun here.

Are you #PitMad? (Pitch Madness is Here!)

#MG #PitMad A twisted twin rivalry, misfit super power, a failing grade in Wicked Presence 101. Worse, Rob can't seem to stop saving people.
— Katrina Lantz (@katrinalantznov) March 29, 2013

That's my pitch for the fast-paced frenzy of awesome pitches that is #PitMad!

Brenda Drake is our hostess. She posted details and rules here.

Will you be joining the fun?

Agents are lurking.

THE HOST (the movie) is finally here! #TheHostArt

I've been enjoying all the tumblr treasures at #TheHostArt:

According to The Soul Center, Stephenie Meyer will chose her favorite next week after this weekend's release of THE MOVIE!!! Squee!

I never win these things, naturally, because I am one of those people who LOVES art, has an eye for what she likes, but can't make it to save her life. Well, I can fake making it. So here it is, my Pixlr-aided creations!

My fan art for #TheHostArt contest.

It’s a revamp of the book cover image to reflect the story in its pages. Half in light, half in shadow, two parts in conflict.

~

This one’s my own eye, copying the concept from the book cover and using a quote from The Host:

“Perhaps there could be no joy on this planet without an equal weight of pain to balance it out on some unknown scale.” — Stephenie Meyer (The Host (The Host, #1))

P.S. Did you know Goodreads and Amazon are like, the same thing now? Yeah. Happy Easter.

More Love for STUNG by Bethany Wiggins

Follow the blog tour stops

IT'S HERE!~My interview with Bethany Wiggins on Operation Awesome.
And here's some fan art, original photo courtesy the author. I just tweaked it in Pixlr.

Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.

STUNG the book on facebook
Le Book Trailer:

IN other news, tomorrow is the day for PITCH MADNESS on TWITTER #PitMad

More details and rules here

Blog Tours, Book Reviews, and a Mystery Agent Contest!

The STUNG blog tour is now underway!

Follow the blog tour stops

Especially tune in for my interview with Bethany Wiggins on the 28th! That'll be at Operation Awesome.

The SIDEKICK tour is ongoing!

Follow the stops

Read my Afterglow Book Reviews of PITY ISN'T AN OPTION by Jessica Brooks and SPELLBINDING by Maya Gold.

 
Last but not least, be sure to prep your pitch for April's Mystery Agent contest! Deets here.

Currently reading:
LIVES OF TAO by Wesley Chu (with my husband)
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell (for book club)
A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle (with my sons)
UNDERSTOOD BETSY by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (with my sons)
An unpublished book by Jen McConnel (check out her other novels) (for Month9Books)

Currently writing:
COULD BE WORSE, a NA contemp romance, 41% done