Review - S.E.C.R.E.T. by L.Marie Adeline - 4 Star

I just finished reading S.E.C.R.E.T. by L. Marie Adeline. I found her opening of the book very strong. Her descriptions were unique and I was compelled to continue reading what was in store for Cassie Robichaud, a lonely beaten down woman working in a cafe in New Orleans. Actually, almost anything written, set in New Orleans grabs my attention. It's on my bucket list to visit it one day.

Cassie's development to a confident woman enjoying sexual fulfillment is fun and a hot read - what woman wouldn't want to experience the men that she is set up with! Her character is credible and like-able. The other characters provided good foils. 
Adeline surprised me with the ending and I liked that! Overall, the book was well written and entertaining. Looking forward to reading more from this author. 

Hunger Games Review - WOW!

All I can say like many other people is WOW! The story is mesmerizing and the characters were so rounded. I had many a late night reading these books. Truth be told I actually looked forward to going to bed to READ and that says a lot considering the hot man I lay next to every night. Very high praise indeed! 

What an entertaining and captivating series of books. Told in first person present voice the author nails it. You are with Katniss every step of the way, with the author outlining very convincingly her inner struggles, balancing with creative  and realistic scene descriptions.

Desmond read this. Did I say read? He devoured in a single gulp and suggested I read it. Thank you Des. But more importantly, thank you Suzanne Collins. You not only write an amazing story but you are an inspiration to aspiring authors. 

Reviewers Are The Bee’s Knees!

Once again I have revised my book - The Story of Rachel. For the third time. I want to thank the people who reviewed this book in December up until now. Reviewers are like colonies of bees pollinating the literary fields - they promote growth. Of course the comments sting sometimes. But they can also spur a new author, who takes heed and who cares that their work is absolutely the best they can do, to re-work it once more. Believe me, I feel like I have worked on this book for about a million times.
But your comments almost consistently, flamed Tinderbox and Ladylike. (pun intended) Some people found their antics amusing but most people commented that it was too much like ‘the inner goddess’. Having a degree in psychology, my thought was Freud’s id, ego and superego. But the reviewer buzz was to ditch them. So farewell Tinderbox and Ladylike.
Another comment concerned ‘head hopping’. I’ve have been reading about first person POV and deep third POV. And I totally GET the reviewer complaint. I have gone through the book and removed the legs from my keyboard which had been crouched ready to hop into anyone’s head who would allow it in. Or is the analogy more like an Exorcism of a head hopping demon. I don’t know but it’s gone now. And again that is thanks to the reviewers and what I have learned.
So keep reading and commenting reviewers because you help us writers hone the craft and produce better work.

Pandora

Why did I choose a sex club set in Canada’s largest city - Toronto - to be the backdrop and common thread linking my three books? It is, after all just an adult playground, totally fictitious. Don’t visit Toronto and try to find it in the yellow pages. When I wrote the books, I had in mind a setting like Eyes Wide Shut for the elegance of the setting but without the dark, underlying theme.

I’ve done a little research and now I know that Eyes Wide Shut is based on a novella written by Arthur Schnitzler - Dream Story - in 1926. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157409.Dream_Story?auto_login_attempted=true

Of course, I have placed this book on my reading list. According to the description, It is the story of a married male doctor’s dream, part of which involves visiting a secret sex club and making hard choices. The fact that Arthur Schnitzler was a close friend of Sigmund Freud’s adds to the appeal. I was a Psych major in university.

And then there’s the Greek legend of Pandora. She was the first woman created by the gods, endowed with beauty and wisdom. She was given a box and forbidden to open it. Of course she was curious. Who wouldn't be? Just one peek? She opens it and all manner of evil fly out to plague mankind. She despairs at what she has done but there was one item in the box she discovers hadn't escaped. HOPE. Hope for mankind in dealing with the evil and hardship.

And this is where my three books come in. Hope for love when it seems to have passed by my main characters. And hope wins out. At the risk of getting schmaltzy, this mirrors my own life. Not that I’m going to orgies with Tom Cruise. He’s never asked. But that I didn't give up hope, found the love of my life in Desmond and am now living my dream life, writing and creating.

So what about you, fellow writer? Is there a movie which has inspired your writing, or a book? And readers, is there a book you would like to see made into a movie? As a reader myself, how about Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series of books made into a movie.  There’s always hope, right?

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award... waiting...IS NOW OVER!!!

It's now 8:20 AM EST..
February 13, 2013....

I sit here waiting for my buddy, mah main man, Jeff Bezos and his posse out there in Amazon Land to post the first round winners in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards contest.

Hard to believe that it was a month ago, at midnight that Desmond and I were uploading and such for The Story of Rachel. And now... we wait...

The last post I saw was that I won't be able to see anything until noon my time, as Jeff and his crew are still enjoying their beauty sleep out on the Pacific coast....

Rats...

Ungh...

This is the first writing contest I've ever entered, and I didn't think that it would have the all encompassing effect on me that it has.

In the past month, I have seen books go up on Amazon by authors as unknown as me, and sell 50k copies in 30 days. Another one sold 5K copies in a day.

I've sold twelve.

This writing is a lot harder than I thought. Not only producing the book, learning as I go- and yes, I'm impatient to win my Nobel prize, even though I don't really know how to use a semi-colon. I DO find it fulfilling, yes.

The reviewers blogs have been a real lifeline for me. The encouragement, and the honesty have kept me going.

But today... well, today is a tough day. Tough morning so far, and I'm afraid it will be an even tougher afternoon.

I wonder... has Joe Konrath, John Grisham, Stephen King, Colleen Hoover, E.L. James, J.K. Rowling, and all the other uber successful authors... have they ever had days like the one I'm having today?

Sigh.

*******************************************************
UPDATE   UPDATE    UPDATE    UPDATE    UPDATE    UPDATE     UPDATE   UPDATE
I do NOT have to crawl under a rock!!! I made the top 20% of admissions, and I'm in the second round!!!!

Oh man... this is some emotional rollercoaster.... wow!

The Pain of re-writes

did she have to do a massive re-write too? Please share that bottle!!!

Newfoundland, Canada... Where Michael Evans grew up... it's so lovely

N