My Name I Cassie- Character Interview

Here it is! The first ever character interview for The Wonderful World of My Life!

Cassie is the main character to my Dystopian novel, that currently has no title. I'll spare you the boring "She's seventeen and blond" description, and hopefully let the questions give you a taste of what she's like.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

Cassie: I live in a small town in the Kingdom. No one can remember the name it used to be called, but it's about thirty miles from Angeles right on the coast...My mother says it used to be called California, but I'm not supposed to say that.

HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR DAY?

Cassie: Well, mostly I get up early and head out to go look for food. Most days I try and trade things. Usually things like work. Maybe sewing a fishing net, or baiting hooks. The other day I had some bread and I traded that and a kiss for a fresh fish. My mother was a little upset about the kiss, but it was worth it. Recently though, I teamed up with a boy...I can't tell you his name, because hunting outside of the fence without a license is against the law. But I help him sneak all the meat he hunts past the street police and then he splits it with me.

OKAY, SO THIS BOY. DO YOU LIKE HIM?

Cassie: Define like. As a human being I think he's pretty good. I mean, he did try to rob me the first time we met, but that's just part of life. But do I like him special? No. I don't. Liking people in that way leads to other things, and I'm not bringing any more kids into this town to scrounge for survival. Besides, he doesn't know about marriage, and I wouldn't want to compete with other girls.

OH. SO WHAT ABOUT HUNTING? WHAT KINDS OF WEAPONS DO YOU HAVE?

Cassie: Are you trying to get me in trouble here? Who are you anyway?...He uses a bow he made, and a bunch of arrows. He's making me build my own right now, but I don't know if its looking right. He says he has a gun, but he wont let me see it. He doesn't use that to hunt.

LETS MOVE ON TO FAMILY. WHO DO YOU LIVE WITH?

Cassie: I live with my mother. We have a house on the edge of town that my father fixed up for us...the police came and took him three years ago. We haven't seen him since.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK LIKE?

Cassie: ....That's an odd question, but okay. I've got blond hair, and my eyes are green like Father's. Um...I like to wear my hair in braids, but it falls out of the tie a lot. I wear a skirt over my jeans. And combat boots. I can't afford laces though, so they fall off a lot, and they're hard to run in. My partner says I'm pretty, but I don't really believe him cause its always something like "You're just a pretty waste of my time" or "Maybe you do have some brains behind that pretty face."

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

Cassie: Oh no. Definitely not. Pets eat too much. Mother say's lots of people at their pets during the war. And since we're just one step ahead of starvation most the time, I don't really enjoy the idea of getting attached to an animal, just to turn around and make it dinner. A guard dog might be nice though, if I had to have one.

WHAT DO YOU DO AT HOME?

Cassie: Well, me and my mother usually eat whatever we have together, and then sometimes she tells me the stories before we go to sleep. She has lots of stories, about the Hero, and all the people he knew. She says they're all true, but she won't tell me where she heard them....I'm not even supposed to talk about them. Give me another question.

OKAY THEN. WHAT SCARES YOU?

Cassie: Well...Something happening to my mother scares me a lot. She always tries to make me eat more than her, and she's so skinny. But she wont listen to me. So keeping food on her plate is priority number one. I'm scared I won't be able to do it.....I guess I'm afraid of getting caught out hunting too, but my partner says that's not likely to happen.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ARE DANGEROUSLY CURIOUS ABOUT?

Cassie: Hmmm, dangerously curious...about the travelers. They've always been fascinating to me. They wander from town to town. They peddle things, and bring games. You have to pay for the games, so I don't usually get to try any of them, but I've heard they can tell your future. I'd like to talk to one of them sometime, but since they come from outside the fence, the street police don't like them, and don't let them stay very long. They keep tabs on who talks to them too.

WHAT WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DIE FOR?

Cassie: My mother. That's it.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFES PHILOSOPHY?

Cassie: Are you trying to get me in trouble? I told you I'm not supposed to talk about this kind of stuff....If I tell you, you cannot tell, or I'll find you. I mean it, I will. I believe in honesty. The city doesn't really care about it. People lie and steal and cheat through life, to survive, but Mother says it shouldn't be. She tells me we should care about others, and not be so worried about ourselves. So I guess I believe in that. She says everything ties to the truth. So my philosophy is to seek the truth in everything.

DO YOU CRY EASILY?

Cassie: Why do you have to ask things like this? No, I don't cry easily. The last time anyone saw me cry, was the day they took Father. If I do cry, I don't let anyone see. Especially Mother. I can't let her worry.

HOW ARE YOU AT SCHOOL?

Cassie: Girls don't go to school. We're not worth nothing. Only boys go. And then only the boys who score well on their tests. Mother has taught me a lot though. I can read, and write. And barter for food. I know all the stories. I can learn fast.  

IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?

Cassie: Now I know you're trying to get me killed. I don't know. I've never been out of the city, let alone the Kingdom. Mother says there's lots of land out there away from the Kingdom, but no one has been out there in years, because the Queen (I should say her advisors who use her as a puppet) says its dangerous. But its dangerous in here too, so I guess I'd want to go out and see what's out there.

                                                 There you are! Hope you enjoyed it.

Icon For Hire- CD review

This is my first ever CD review, but I've got three other (fairly) new CD's so it shouldn't be the last. 

 

Today I am reviewing Icon For Hire's new self titled album. It came out just before Christmas and I love love love it.

They have come so far from their first album with the lyrics and the overall sound. This album has the typical rock and roll, head banging feel that everyone recognizes from them, but they also introduced new things, like rap.

          (My hopes of becoming a rapper are back man. If Ariel can do it I can!)

 

There are 12 tracks on the album and I loved almost all of them. (There were three that I wasn't crazy over, but they were still good)

My favorites are Rock and roll thugs, and Hope of morning.

                 You should totally pick up the CD or check it out on spotify.

 

Ariel has also started doing podcasts and you can find all the videos on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvWJ6ioJ2xsNHk0bZojLueg
She's also started a blog, that's fun to keep up on.
http://www.customcatastrophes.com/
Her clothes at her shop Custom Catastrophes (https://www.etsy.com/shop/CustomCatastrophes) are flat out amazing and I'm saving my money for some of those armwarmers.
                                              For when I'm a rapper too.
 

Allegiant- book review

                                                                 </3 </3 </3 </3 </3
                                                                  ^ That's my rating.
                                                    Five broken, bleeding, smashed hearts.

                                                          But boy did I LOVE  this book.

 

 

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
(goodreads)

I have to agree with the world of tumblr. That ocean wave there is a wave of my tears. But it was such a good read. According to my family, I'm pretty cold hearted and morbid, so when  a book makes me cry- twice- it really hit home with me. Despite 98% of the world, I liked the ending. I actually did. If it had to be sad, Veronica did it really well. The characters were true to themselves through the whole book. I always hate when I get to the end of a series and suddenly all the characters seem different. Like the author forgot who they were when they left off in the previous book. No such thing in Allegiant. The loose ends of plot were wrapped up nicely, and I felt everything that needed explained was. So grab a tissue box- or ten- and get to reading this thing.

What Did You Just Call Me??

                                         Today I decided to talk about nicknames.
           Not sure why but I thought it might be fun since I have so many of them. 

Now everyone has nicknames but it seems like we have an over abundance of them running
                                                              around in my family. 

 I don't know how many of you were in on the Lost craze a couple years back, but there  was
                                                     this guy names James Sawyer...

                                                and he had a nickname for everyone.
                    Ridiculous, insulting, profane nicknames, but nicknames none the less.

                                             That's kind of how things are in my family.
                      Around here we have names like Frog, Chicken, Catfish, and Stork.
(Those all came from my dad and his friends and I won't even try to name all the ones he's told me about, and no, no one has any idea why they call each other that)
 

I have nicknames for my sisters. Padawan, Minion, Parabatai, The Gang, (cause we're cool yo) and my littlest sister gets called Bellatrix.
Now I didn't  mean to name her after the psycho witch on Harry Potter, but her nickname from my mom is Bella. And Bellatrix fits. (She should be thanking me- at least she can't get associated with Twilight now.) But she can't seem to appreciate my kindness.

                         I also call her Darling, kid, and kiddo. She hates those too. 

My middle sister was called Bug, and Wheezy, and Wheezy Bug. Also Skinny Marie, and Loubug, and Lou La.

                          Then there's me. Oh boy me. I've got some fun ones believe me.

When I was little dad called me Big Cat. Not sure why. But I liked it. Well my uncle picked up on that but he called me Wild Cat. Guess I was a little crazy way back then.
                                                     (I'vE gRoWn oUt oF It NoW.)

My uncle has a son. My cousin. And golly do we have some fun. But he has also managed to tease me relentlessly my whole life. He called me pole cat.
                                                 Anyone not know what that is?
                                                                           Here.

                                                         Uh huh. Love right there. 

Moving on to happier times, I have two aunts on my moms side. On called me Bratty Maddie. Now that doesn't rhyme and I was never a brat so I don't know where that came from. The other one called me Brat and Rugrat. So kind.
 

Now going to camp in cowboy boots is not the thing to do. Don't know why, but in the gaga ball pit you automatically become target number one and people call you Boots and The Cowgirl all week. It's just a fact.

If you wear a Winchester ball cap, you're going to have maintenance guys calling you Winchester Chick. This is what happens when they like you enough to take note of your existence, but not enough to remember your real name.
 

Somewhere along the line your best friend starts calling you Maddie Katty (again, it doesn't rhyme- honestly people). Her boyfriend (the guy who's supposed to agree with her) will always call you Katty Maddie. He just will. 

                                                       Such is the life of me at camp.
 

                                            When I was younger I wanted to be a rapper.
                                                                    Uh huh. Shocking.
And my name was going to be EmJay (I have the coolest signature for that by the way) cause my initials are m and j. But no one would call me that nickname :( I had to sign all my tablets like that alone and have people laugh at me constantly.
Oddly enough the other day I was asked to help out with a melodrama and play the part of MJ. Bean. 

                                                                 Pronounced EmJay.
                                                                 Like my rapper self.
Unfortunately I won't be able to help out with the play, but it's rekindled my dreams to walk around all swag and ya.
                                                                               Uh. 

                                                      No one will call me that though.
                                                            I'm stuck with Madeline.

                                                                          And Loony.

                                                                           And Loon.

                                                       (thanks mom, for that last one) 

                                                But That's the wonderful world of my life.
 

Insurgent- Book Review

Book review time!!

I LOVED this book. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

It has been a long time since I stayed up super late reading a book, but this this book had me doing it for several days before I finished. Something that drives me nuts is how sequels never seem to measure up to the first book in a series, but Insurgent totally delivered. The characters were the same people from book one to book two. I still loved them all so much.

Veronica has definitely gained the ability to jerk on my heart strings. I love books that do that.

 

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.
Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.
(from goodreads)

I wont give away and spoilers here, cause I know some of my friends still haven't read this book ( -_- You guy, go read it. NOW) but it definitely kept the twists coming in the plot, and kept me glued to my seat wanting to keep turning pages. It never got boring. Maybe some people don't like the romance, but I loved it a lot. It was so refreshing to have a couple that was still totally romantic and sweet, but where I wasn't having to constantly worry about the bedroom scene bomb dropping in on my life. I just can't dig when that happens. So anyhoo, what I'm trying to say was that this book was a great read and you need to get your hands on it somehow and start reading.

DivergentFOURever.

Every Word He Spoke Was A Lie

I was able to get my critique back for my contest submission for GoTeenWriter's writing prompt I told you guys about earlier. The winners are posted on the blog this morning, so you should go check them out. There are some amazing ones. http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/

But I wanted to share my entry with you all! Here it is.

Every word he spoke was a lie.
I watched through the interrogation room window as my captain asked questions.
"You're Mason Jager?"
"Yes."
"You're twenty?"
"Yes."
"You played football last week?"
"We lost."
Lies.
I scowled. The only guy we could link to the trouble in the lower sectors, and we couldn't get one honest answer from him.
I called my man out and sighed. Somehow he'd managed to lie about everything.
The captain walked out. "I don't understand."
"I'll try." I headed for the door.
"There's no reason for it." He continued.
"There's always a reason." I turned the knob. "I just need to find it."

I had a lot of fun writing that. I'm still mulling over the idea of a character who never tells the truth. Ever. That would be fun to  me. And maddening. We'll see where that goes I guess. I still have to finish what I started last year. *sigh*

Jake Posts

 So I got some good feed back on the Jake snippets I posted a while ago, and I thought maybe you guys would like to see some more, since I still haven't typed up those book reviews I've been kicking around, and I'm strapped for time right now anyway. So here they are!


He was sitting on the table, his sneakers brushing the floor. He held a cigarette in his hand, the smoke wafting up lazily as he contemplated it.
“What are you doing?” She asked with a small frown.
He shrugged and glanced up, grinding the glowing end into the ashtray. “Take a guess.”

She folded her arms and stood in front of him. He looked up from his place on the couch, his face a blank page. “You said you wouldn’t go back there again.” She felt like a parent.
He nodded. “I know what I said.”
“But you went back there.” She continued.
“I did.” He said, as if there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
She unfolded her arms and opened her fingers. “Are you seeing a problem Jake?”
He shrugged. “A discrepancy maybe.”

"Jake, don’t. That could hurt you.”
He smiled and rolled his neck around to look at her. “We’re here to live and do big things Trish. Can't do that if you stop at everything that could hurt.”

 

He watched her as she stood on the board. There was no athleticism in the lines of her body at all. She stood on it and looked at the concrete like somehow it would move and she would be skating. “Good. You’re great at standing. Lets try and get you to look like you have control of your limbs.”

He smirked at him and folded his arms. “Go ahead Devin. Go ahead and make assumptions. I don’t care if you judge me.” He narrowed his eyes. “You just better make sure you never make a mistake again.”

 
He was so chaotic. Every decision he made was based on an impulse rather than an actual thought process. It was like a badly filmed movie. Jumping from one angle to the next so fast that it gave you a headache to watch. She only hoped one of those impulse driven leaps wouldn’t get him killed.

 

“He’s trapped.” She said softly, watching the boy across the room. “He has this idea of who he thinks he is, but he’s not quite it. And he knows what he wants to be, but doesn’t think he can get there.”

“Love sucks.” He said, but it lacked the venom she thought it should have. “You give it and give it and it always ends in some kind of heartbreak.”

“That’s not true.”

“Sure it is.” He nodded. “Give me one example that goes on forever with a happy ending. Not even fairy tales have that. They cut them off short before we get to the part of the story that’s real life. The part where people leave, or die.”

 

He knew she’d try to save him. Lots of people had done that. Told him what to do. How to be better. And then sat and watched. And when he started to wander off the path, she wouldn’t try to bring him back. She’d watch as he went. Just like the rest.

It wouldn’t be so bad if she just didn’t love him. It was that fact that she loved Devin. His best friend. The one who was supposed to stand beside him, not rise above him. She loved him, and that was the part that he couldn’t stand.

He leaned back on his elbows and looked up at her. “Go ahead, say one of those corny things like they say in books.”
She giggled and rested her forearms on her knees. “Okay….being with you is like the warm summer sun on my face.”
He smirked a little. “That is corny.”
She nodded. “That’s what you asked for.”
He nodded. “Yup.” He quirked the corner of his mouth up. “But that’s only one season. I was hoping I could be all of them.”

"Are you falling in love Jake?” He asked incredulous.
Jake shrugged a little. “I think collapsing describes it better.”

She backed away and watched the boy get up in the thugs face. She couldn’t hear what he said, but he got him to turn and leave. She studied him as he stood there, watching her assailant go. Standing there in ripped, baggy jeans, and a black tshirt, his Mohawk the only color in his getup, he looked more like the villain of a story than the shining knight. He did save her though.

“Do you have a motto Jake?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Like what?”
“Oh, you know. Like, If you cant say something nice, don’t say anything.”
A grin spread over his face. One of the genuine ones that she was sometimes able to see, and lived for. “Oh sure, I have one of those.”
“What is it?” She smiled.
His grin turned sly. “Say everything sarcastically.”

 

“Jake.” Trish’s tone held warning and he turned to her.
“Yes, I know. Smoking will kill me.” He found her eyes. “That’s not something that worries me.”

“There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel Jake.” Trish said softly.
He smiled painfully. “I know. But sometimes it’s a train.”

 

“He thinks he’s the hero.” Devin said, malice peeking through his voice.
“Is there something wrong with that?” She asked.
Devin shrugged. “Never seen a hero make so many mistakes.”
 Trish shrugged. “People forget that heroes are just people who are willing to try. When people try, they sometimes fail. Doesn’t mean they were wrong for trying.”

 

“What are you doing? You’re going to die before you’ve grown.”
“That’s the point isn’t it?” He asked. “No one wants to be old. We live as hard as we can as long as we can and hope we’re done before things get boring.”

“Who’s side are you on Jake?” Devin frowned.
“My side.” He said bluntly.
“And what about Trish?”
“I love her. That puts her on my side.”

She wished they could be that way. That someday they could be the old couple with the young love. But for people like Jake, some dreams just had to stay dreams.

She finally decided to accept the fact that part of her would always belong to the dark haired boy who liked sad songs.

 

"Hey, look at me. Look at me.” He tipped her chin. “You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna get out of here. You’ll keep having fun, and you’re gonna dance.”
“I only want to dance with you.” She said tearfully.
He smiled for her benefit. “What makes you think I’m not coming out with you?”

 

“Growing up is a scam.” He bit off the sucker. “Our bodies get bigger, but that’s it. We don’t get any great knowledge. We’re just as lost as before.” He shrugged. “People just think we shouldn’t be.”

 

There you have it. Some more of my tear jerker. *grabs tissue*

Plotting and Planning

My original thought was to post this a long- like a LOOOONG- time ago. But I got busy. But beings as it is still January, (and I am mentally exhausted from my morning with college tests and reading) I figured it's not too terribly late to post some of my writing goals for 2014. So here they are!

                                                    My Writing Goals for 2014
                                        (^ this color scheme is what me and my doppleganger best friend off the internet have started referring to as Mur. In honor of our favorite character Murtagh. So there. A Mur-heading)
                                      #1. Finish Blaze (He needs some attention. My sister says he's a wimpy dude- and we just can't have that)
                                      #2. Finish Purpose (My sister- AKA The Minion- told me this diabolical idea that should happen that would really spice up my story. But also make me cry)
                                      #3. Finish Raising Rebels (which should be an interesting experience since I still have years worth of time that needs to pass before I can wrap the thing up. Like my little rebel guys who are supposed to take over the world are still twelve!)
                                      #4. Finish Beautiful Things (I've got the very last scene planned out perfectly. It's the middle that I'm still taking issue with)
                                      #5. Finish The Assassin Story (It's just a short story about a guy who's just a step up from a stalker. But he's handsome, so we let it slide)
                                      #6. Draft The Dystopia Story (Minion 1 and Minion 2 are really enjoying this one so far)
                                      #7. Draft Jakes Story (I'm having to turn of my internal editor right now, cause so far the draft isn't turning out as magical as my snippets did, and I'm wanting to sit and try to beef them up and not do any writing)
                                      #8. Finish Editing Out of Darkness (But I've edited it three times and I can practically recite it by heart and I don't want to change anything else!!)
                                      #9. Draft Maybe I Will (and get it off the note saved to my ipod. I'm just paranoid that someone will come along and delete it all into oblivion)
                                      #10. Finish The Fairy Tale Mix-up (Hey, I've made it past Snow White's story. I'm about a fourth of the way done)
                                      # 11. Create the story world for my new fantasy idea (It's based loosely off a roleplay I was in once, but the story world is going to be epic...I sort of skipped ahead on my list and started this already)
                                      #12. Start plotting and outlining the worlds and such for Monsters, Guardians, Masked, and Brothers. (I've made story boards on pinterest for all of these except Brothers. And that's all I'm going to allow myself to do until the ones up there ^ are all finished, cause I absolutely don't have any more room in my purse for a fifth tablet. no. I can make as many notes in my ipod for them that I want however)
                                      #13. Finish Go Teen Writers' book. (cause I want to try to use the stuff in it for all these drafts I'll be finishing)

So there you have it. My list for 2014. Think I can do it? My hands are literally stained with ink and they cramp up every time I use a pen. I keep having to rotate through different pens to make my hands change how I grip, and that kind of helps. Speaking of writing, I'm done with college and blogging for the day. I think I'll go.            
                                                        

                                  
                         

This is Truly The Wonderful World of My Life

 

Hi guys! I'm a little tardy, I know, but I've got plenty of stories to make up for my lack of posts, okay?
                                                                 Story #1.
Go Teen Writers recently hosted a 107 word writing prompt competition. The submission had to be 107 words or less and had to start with the sentence, "Every word he spoke was a lie"
Well I didn't work on mine for days, even though I only had a week to turn it in. I kicked a couple ideas around, but didn't give it any real thought. Well, I had to tag along with my mom while she got a root canal. And so I had hours to spend in the waiting room. So I worked on it. It started out as being 240 some odd words. After much blood and tears I got it down to the proper limit (I checked and double checked) and I submitted it. Well guess what? I finalist! It's always so exciting for me, because I know there is so much talent on the GTW blog, so I love it when I actually get to climb the ranks so to speak and help my writing. I'm not going to post my entry yet, until the contest is over and the winners have been chosen, but here's the link to the finalists list. I'm so excited to see who wins, because I recognize a lot of the names on there and I love their writing.
Go check it out! http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/01/finalists-and-news-about-go-teen.html

                                                             Story #2.
I finally made it over to my grandmas house and got to watch the two episodes of revolution that she DVR'ed for me. Now, in season one, I was literally screaming for Sebastian Monroe's blood. Literally. But since season two....not to spoil it for anyone, cause I know there's got to be some other people out there like me who watch everything late, but I am now in love with the guy. I can't decide if I particularly like his looks, but my goodness. He is SO FUNNY! How the writers ever managed to make me love the man I hated is beyond me, but whatever they used, I want some because it seems like a very good skill to have in writing. I'd love to be able to torment a readers conscience by making them love someone that they still secretly suspect is still evil. *smiles shyly* But can you blame me? Come on, this guy is hilarious.

 

Now, enough guilty fangirling aside, on to my last story.

 

Story #3.

I had a guy come over today after church and we had so much fun. He showed up after dinner and we saddled up the horses and rode all over the place. That was fun. A little bit windy, and the horses were feeling a little bit antsy, but still fun. Thank heaven for growing up with boy cousins, cause I am more than capable of talking about pickups and football all day long.

Speaking of which, after the ride we came in the house and watched some football. I was very happy to see Mr. Payton Manning wreck Tom Brady's hopes and dreams (not a fan, can you tell?).

OMAHA OMAHA OMAHA!

And now (in between commercial breaks and typing blog posts) I'm getting to watch the 49'ers. And enjoying myself. So, enjoy your playoffs people, and I shall return.

Legend- Book Review

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets. (Goodreads)

I liked this book quite a bit, but I did have some issues with it. I loved the whole idea of how their society is set up, and Day *gasp* He is amazing. I did have a few issues with it. I felt like *SPOILER*  the romance started building kind of fast, especially for a couple fifteen year olds, but it wasn't too cheesy, so I was willing to enjoy it. The plot kept thickening as I read and kept me on the edge of my seat, though a couple times I was able to guess what happened long before Lu revealed it. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not.
Probably my biggest downer on it was that I started the book off thinking "I like this guy". By chapter two however I was having to add his name to my fictional character graveyard. And I had added several more to the headstones by the time I finished the book.
I had slight issue with the language- though it was 'mild' words, there were quite a few of them.
Those few issues aside though, I loved this book, and as soon as I get an ok on content, I'm going to read the sequel (that's a good sign people. I don't read sequels to books I don't like).
I'm gonna give this book three stars. But since I like Day so much, it's going to be three hearts instead.
                                                                              <3 <3 <3
                                                                                 Ta da!

A Boy Named Jake

I want to introduce my new baby to you all!

His name is Jake Timmons. He is seventeen years old, and lives in New York City.

He's the male main character in my newest story- currently called Jakes Story (a better description would probably be Pages and pages of stains made by Maddie's tears).

I have yet to find a picture that matches him exactly, so that's why all of those down there. The top one is quite a bit like his face, but he's not nearly as buff as that. His body size is more like the little dude clear down at the bottom. And he's got a blue mohawk. Yup.

So without further delay, here's some of my favorite tidbits from Jake.

 

She tipped her nose up at him and frowned but he looked completely unfazed by her displeasure. Standing with his hands in his pockets and a slouch in his frame, he looked like she was the last thing on earth he cared for. It was ironic.

He smiled at her and the worry in her face immediately vanished. Funny, he thought, how easily he could calm her, just by pretending he was happy. She could never tell the difference.

“Jake! What is with this pistanthrophobia?” He stopped suddenly. “Wait, what?” “It’s a fear of trusting someone.” She sighed. “Did I do something wrong?” Jake stroked his chin like those cheesy actors in old movies. “That’s a word huh? Where’d you hear it?” She frowned. ‘I found it on the internet. Are you going to answer me?” He grinned and spread his arms out like an artist revealing a painting. “Jake the pistanthrophobiac. I like it.” “You’re infuriating.” She shook her head. “Do you have a word for that too?”

Jakes hands hung loosely at his sides, his shoulder slumped in defeat. “I’m not useless.” “I never said…” “You thought it.” He accused. “But I’m not. I can help. I…”He looked over her shoulder, searching for a credible example. He swallowed and his eyes flickered to hers. “I can teach you what not to do.”

He smiled suddenly, as if their whole conversation had never take place. As if he hadn’t hurt and been hurt. It happened so fast she knew it had to be fake, and she wondered how many times it took before he learned to do it smile so convincingly.

 

 

 

Her hand slid into his and he twirled her through the dance and she thought that maybe for once he was wrong. She wasn’t the angel in this story. He was. Maybe he wings were stained black, and the feathers weren’t quite even, but he was still her angel.

 

He walked along and she noticed there was a bounce in his step. “Are you happy?” She raised an eyebrow. He nodded. “Yes, I think I am.”

“Why is that?” She smiled. He grinned and pulled his hand free from his jacket pocket, producing a small yellow flower. “For you.” She grinned. “Oh, it’s so pretty.” He nodded proudly and tucked it behind her ear. “It’ll match you.” She flushed and touched it carefully. “Where did you get your hands on a flower?” She squinted. He grinned and shrugged. “I stole it from my neighbors yard.”

 

“Trish don’t. Don’t put yourself in that position. I know him better than you do.” He gripped her shoulders carefully. “This will end with you crying. And he’ll still be flying through life like a stray bullet.”

“Skipping around with death isn’t a game Jake!”

“Then why is it so fun?”

 

 

 

Jake winced. “It just seems like everything I do you point out as a mistake.” She reached for him. “I’m only trying to help you Jake. You wouldn’t make so many mistakes if you’d stop and think just a little bit before you race off.” He shrugged and it looked painful. “Why stop and think? It’s not like there’s a test coming later.”

 

He laughed as she wobbled down the street, losing her balance and ending up crouching on the board, holding on to the back to keep from falling off. “There you go. We’ll have you winning medals in no time. When you’re famous I want a steak dinner.”

 

 

He knew loving her was a mistake. She loved Devin. It was obvious. But she was willing to let him hover in the background. It was a mistake. But it was one he loved making.

 

She could hear sirens as she let him in, the sound getting closer each second. She noted the flush in his cheeks and the slightly rapid pace of his breathing. “Are those for you?” He shrugged. “Jake what did you do?”

“Nothing.” He smiled shyly. “I think they’re just playing my song.”

“Jake you cant just sit and brood all the time. You need to get it out or you’ll explode.” He smiled, completely ignoring the seriousness of the situation. “I’ve always thought explosions were pretty cool.”

He was so chaotic. Every decision he made was based on an impulse rather than an actual thought process. It was like a badly filmed movie. Jumping from one angle to the next so fast that it gave you a headache to watch. She only hoped one of those impulse driven leaps wouldn’t get him killed.

 

 “Don’t you realize you’re playing with fire with him? You think you’re having a good time and can’t see the walls burning down around you.”

“He wont hurt me Devin. It’s not like that.”

“He’s not an angel Trisha. He’s closer to a devil. Angels and devils cant dance together. The angel always loses.”

“Maybe the devil can change.” She said softly.

He shook his head. “No. The angel was already compromised when they agreed to dance.”

 
So that's my boy. After my sister read the snippets (there's over four hundred of them, all out of order, and not in any body of the story yet), she told me it didn't sound like me at all....After about ten minutes of trying to get her to tell me what exactly that meant, she told me that it just seemed so deep, and almost sad, but happy too. Deep. Finally. I was pretty happy cause that's exactly what I was going for when I was writing them. I'm so excited to see it finished. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of this year (hopefully that wont be too hard since I have like 10,000 words of it wrote already).
My writing plan for the new year is to write at least 100 words in each of my story's I'm working on. They should all be finished by the end of the year or sooner, and I am so excited because I'm actually figuring out what the next step is after writing the story. I'm ready to tackle editing and querying and take my darlings somewhere. Have a good evening everyone! I'm off to youth group, ready to read Clockwork Angel to my mom on the way there (I've addicted her to William Herondale ;))
 

 

 

 

A Dash of This and a Sprinkle of That

Hello guys! I thought since it's a week into the new year it might be fun to....My sister just ran into the office screaming camera, dropped a CD on my head while grabbing the thing and then ran out...anyhoo. Back on track. I thought it would be fun to see how everyone is doing with their new year.

I'm doing pretty great. It's like so cold it should be illegal (wind-chill is -24), but I'm safe inside with the job of washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen (no, I absolutely should not be doing that right now).

As far as my resolutions go, they're also coming along pretty good. I'm not going to tell you all of them, but one of them is to read my Bible through in the year. I did that in 2012, and it was amazing. I tried to last year, but I fell off the wagon in Luke and new year came without me.
But I'm back on track! This morning I was reading about Abraham, and I'm completely on schedule.

Today was supposed to be the first day of school for everyone. My younger sisters are "hard" at work on that. The public school closed for the day (those illegal temperatures were giving the school buses fits). That makes me happy, happy, happy....Did I mention we got all three seasons of Duck Dynasty for Christmas? Yeah.

After much pressuring from my sister I have decided to read Maze Runner. I made it to chapter three before I had to stop and spent the rest of the night puzzling over what kind of insult could be made out of being called a "shuck face"...or a "Green bean" for that matter.

 

I'm working out lists of the main characters in each of my stories, and I finished another couple books last week, so there will be more snippets of writing, and maybe some character interviews, and book reviews coming up.

Anything you guys would like to see something of?

.....

If not, here. Go ahead and look at this :)

 

 

<3 <3