We are six months through 2015, wow. 
I don’t have much chatter for you this week, I’ve been prepping for Camp NaNo that starts next Wednesday. We have a full cabin of writers and the inspiration is flowing. 

For this week, enjoy a new Fiction Doodle and I’ll see you next week!

Happy Reading!
~Eliza

Fiction Friday 13:
Muse: 642 Things
Prompt: Your last kiss.

“I don’t want to leave you Julie.
“I know love, but you have to. The Earth needs you, we all need you.”
“But what if I don’t come back?”
“Then know I will forever be proud of you and your sacrifice. I love you Michael.”
“I love you too.” He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her breathless.
A shrill beeping filled the clear blue sky,
“It’s time,” he said kissing her one last time and stepping back.
“I love you.”
Michael stepped onto the ship and waved, “I love you too.”
Tears filled Julie’s eyes as she stepped back from the pod. She waved up to his smiling face in the window before turning and walking away. She wove her fingers together and placed them over her belly, “He would have loved you too.”

I am SO excited about this week’s blog! 
Last week I was on the East Coast for some family time. My adventures start with a plane to Maryland to visit three of the most special people on the planet. My kid brother was graduating middle school (OMG I feel old), my Mom and Dad had an epic milestone to celebrate, AND we went on an adventure to Boonsboro! I’ll come back to that last bit later. After a few days me and the hubs jumped aboard a train from the iconic Union Station DC and head to NYC to visit with the other half of our family. We spent a few days there, most with me working, but I got some great editing done and we closed the trip with another round of flights back to Seattle. All in total we had 2 shuttles, 4 flights, 1 train, 2 cars, and 1 subway ride.  I think we need a mileage credit card… 

So what about Boonsboro, what is it and why am I taking time to talk about it specifically on my blog? Well, Boonsboro is a small town in Maryland that was founded in 1872 and has a population of just 3,336. The small and sleepy town was wonderful to pad around in on foot, and it’s no wonder why there have been books written about them. It is also home to the cozy Turn the Page Bookstore which is owned by writer Nora Roberts (J.D. Robb).  The multi-room shop was filled with treasures, mostly romance novels, but some very cool hidden gems. I ended up picking up two boxes of signed tarot cards, a book tracking journal, and a beautiful copy of Practical Magic, one of my favorite films and a book I’ve always wanted to read and never had the chance. Turn the Page often hosts book signings and my mom and her friends are regulars. On one of their recent trips, my mom found a selection of jewelry based off of the Cousins O'Dywer Trilogy (my reviews) and I eagerly picked out an adorable raven feather one. Book swag is the best!

All of that is great right, but wait, I have more to share with you. Tuesday night I was checking my twitter stats, doesn’t everyone? I stumbled upon something I had missed in the mad dash to get ready for our trip the week prior. I had participated in an event on twitter called #pitmad where authors have less than 140 characters to attract the attention of literary agents who want to see more. Apparently, one agent had returned to the pitmad tweets a few days later and found my pitch for Keeper’s Conundrum interesting enough to favorite. How cool is that!? Even if nothing comes from it, I’m honored that someone found 135 characters of my writing interesting enough to possibly want to read 100K more.

After all the excitement, the hubs and I did manage to find time to talk about my writing, we both agreed it’s important and not getting the love and TLC it deserves, so we will be setting up a new writing area for me so I can be writing when I’m writing and not doing everything else. It’s been an adventurous few weeks and I’m glad to be home and I can’t WAIT for my new writing space to be all set up!

Hello Adventurers! 
Its been a while and I’m sorry for that, I went on a trip to the East Coast to see family and (as always) underestimated how the jet lag would affect me. If you follow my twitter you’ll know I was in Maryland and later in New York City. I had an amazing time in both and Monday’s blog will be all about my favorite part, a trip to Boonsboro and the smallest, most amazing, bookshop ever! I’ve got lots to tell you and pictures to show, but for now, lets read a Fiction Friday doodle! 

In honor of family, this one is about a crazy uncle… who may not be as crazy as everyone thinks.
Happy Reading!
~Eliza

Fiction Friday 12:
Muse: 642 Things
Prompt: Think about your weirdest family member and write one short scene that depicts why he or she is such an oddball.

His hair is fuzzy and deep grey, lighter segments streak away from his face. His glasses are always on his nose, thick and basically made of crystals, the lenses magnifying his eyes and their incessant snapping open, then shut, then open. Whenever he comes to visit his pockets are always overflowing with sweets. He’d wink and pass me one when Mom wasn’t looking. His fingers and the bridge of his nose were stained with ink from where he would push his glasses up. Rarely did he speak clearly, more often he was mumbling about fantastic beasts and far off places. Mom always indulged him in his mumblings while simultaneously dismissing the ramblings. When she wasn’t looking he would pass me tiny folded notes, filled with cryptic messages akin to fortune cookies. “They will welcome you with open arms.” As a child I used to giggle and then run off to play, pretending about the far off places he’d tell me about. Then I grew up. He came around less and less, until one day he returned when I was twenty, but he wasn’t alone. And I wasn’t prepared.  

I’ve been waiting for this one. The One You Want by Gena Showalter is a Novella I pre-ordered at the first chance I got. I’ve been reading this author for years and she’s one I even follow on facebook and look forward to seeing on a daily basis. [goodreads review]

Kenna is a young single mom struggling to get by. Her small hometown of Strawberry Valley is full of memories and old drama she tries her best to ignore. When a childhood friend comes back to town to participate in the marriage of his Dad to her Mother… the new drama stirs up some of the old.

Showalter is a great writer, absolutely wonderful and The One You Want is no different. The writing was clear, descriptive, and for a novella perfectly weighted with background and important details. Considering it was a novella, instant love was pretty much a given, it was handled well and the push and pull in the relationship was an alright balance. The romance was offset by a delightful comedy from Kenna and her roommates, their antics creating a break from Kenna’s mother and her uptight perfectionism views.

Kenna’s daughter, North, is adorable and gave the book a heart past the romance. Watching Kenna and her roommates interact with the little one was enjoyable and furthers supported each of the women’s personalities. Just like Kenna’s roommates, Dane’s best friend was barely there and if the book had been a full length novel, maybe he would have had a bigger impact, as it was he felt superfluous.

My main gripe with the story was the love interest. Kenna and Dane’s parents are getting married, making them step-siblings… but they still have a relationship. I know there’s no blood relation there, but that was a block for me that really had me questioning if I wanted to finish the story at all. Was there really no other person this woman could have fallen for?

Every once in a while I find a book that as I read it I keep hoping it will get better, sometimes they do… and sometimes they don’t. Love Handles by Gretchen Galway is in that latter group for me unfortunately. [goodreads review]

Bev is a preschool teacher, until her Grandfather she’s never met passes away and leaves her his exercise fashion business. Bev must decide whether to keep the business or sell it off to another member of the family, but when Liam, her grandfather's protege enters the picture and sabotages her every step of the way… Now she has something to prove.

The concept behind this story is great, a woman who doesn’t work out, loves her curves and refuses to be bullied into working out but is left a fitness clothing line. Unfortunately, that’s not where the story went. Bev is a doormat, her family is horrible to her and she just lets it happen. Her parents, two siblings, aunts, and everyone else she meets does nothing but put her down and tell her what she can’t do. Every page was full of it. About halfway through I wanted to put the story down, but I kept going. I hoped the author would give Bev a drastic turn around and she’d grow into her own person by the end of the story, no such luck. She was set up to make the correct decisions for her company and instead she caved, compromising on what she wanted and what her company needed to instead make her horrible family happy.

There were over a dozen characters in the novel and only Bev was described, unless you count Liam, his appearance was constantly talked about with a few paragraphs about his childhood thrown in. Each of the characters had different quirks and none of them were really explained. Bev’s sister attacks Liam until he’s bloody, it was a misunderstanding, but he wasn’t the only one she turned violent with and she showed no remorse for it afterwards. Liam was a washed out athlete with commitment issues, but when his mentor insists on leaving the business within the family, the two of them pick Bev as their victim. A modern day arranged marriage with no morals, no shame, and a woman with low enough self-worth to go along with it.

Besides the scenes about the fashion industry itself, which were very enjoyable, there was the “mystery” of who was harassing Bev at both work and home. As the reader, we learned who was not the culprit before Bev does and it was interesting to see her finally realize she was wrong. Sometime after that she figures out who really was to blame, and the leap was fast, so fast I’m not sure how she figured it out.

Welcome to part one in my reader series! Author interviews are everywhere but what you rarely see are reader interviews and for an author those can be really important. What do readers like, what drives them away, how do you pull them in… and then keep them?

Today’s reader is very special to me. Dee is an inspiration and one of the driving forces behind my hobby of a reader and my career as a writer. She originally hails from Southern California, the land of sunshine and movie stars, but now spends more time tromping through the snow and storms on the East Coast. Her house is tucked full of books that she, her husband, and teenage son enjoy on a daily basis. She reads over one hundred books a year and shows no sign of slowing down.

She was generous and sat down with me on one of her recent trip to Washington and we sipped sangria and chat about all things literary.

Q: What genres do you read?

Dee: I like fiction. As far as genre, I will read anything except horror. Sometimes the mood calls for a good Harlequin. Depends on the mood, depends on the author, but they are not for everybody.  

Q: What makes you pick up a book? What would make you pick it up if it were outside your standard genre?

Dee: I have my favorite authors and it doesn’t matter what it is, I will read it if it’s by that author. As far as new things, the nook, or ebooks is really good for finding free or .99$ books that maybe just the synopsis sounds really cool, or if another author has recommended them. I will try new authors based on price and recommendations, that way if it’s not my thing I haven't invested a lot, and with it on ebook I don’t have to worry about it. A lot of the mysteries and romances that I read, the authors will write short stories in anthologies and I will find a lesser known author that will write with them and read their stuff. That helps me find new authors. 

Q: Do you judge a book by its cover?

Dee: I will never read a book based off of the cover itself, because with the kinds of things that I read, a lot of books will have the same or similar covers. A lot of times the cover will have nothing to do with the content of the book, and I don’t like to judge it that way anyway.

Q: What pulls you out of a book, breaks the suspension of disbelief, etc. What makes you put a book down and how often.

Dee: It’s very rare that I will not finish a book once I’ve picked it up. The one thing that makes me put down a book is stupid women. If the heroine is dumb and wishy-washy or a doormat I won’t get into it. If the protagonist is weak and wishy-washy, both male or female, it doesn’t matter. When I read a book I want them to be heroic, I want them to have morals and values and character depth. I might finish the book, but I won’t get into it or relate to it.

better, or what I expect them to be.  If it’s a new author, sometimes I’ll read a little bit more. Sometimes I’ll skim and I’ll cut out pieces and try to get through it faster to see if it has more depth. A story that has no depth or character development will make me put it down.

Q: How often do you read? What gets in the way of your reading?

Dee: My goal was 175 books last year and I didn’t make it, I think I hit 165 but I broke my goal multiple times and kept moving it forward.  This year I’m already at 56 books, that’s 32% of my goal at 175. So that’s how often I read, I basically read every single day.  To reach 175 I read 14-15 books a month and those are full sized stories. I can get through a 350 page book in two days, but I read every single night. The only thing that keeps me from reading is if I have a function or something and I can’t be home to read before I go to sleep. That’s basically all that keeps me from it.

Q: What is your go to book on a rainy day? The perfect book you always have with your or you’ve read multiple times.

Dee: Mary Stewart, This Rough Magic. That is the book that stays next to my bed.  I’ve read it probably twenty, thirty times since I was fourteen years old.

Q: Where do you get your books and if you bulk buy, what’s your desired format?

Dee: Well, here’s the deal, I have specific authors that still publish in hardback and I will always get their hardback when they come out. There are other author who I have multiple copies because I want them in every cover, there are only a few of those though, and it depends on the book. I will read ebooks, but I will not read my favorite authors in ebooks because I want their books on my shelves. Ebooks I reserve for those new authors, or what I call my filler authors. They are ones that I like, but I am not as dedicated to them. They are the ones that fill in the gaps between the other authors I like and have read everything that they have written and it’s six months before they publish anything new.  My filler authors, if I see their paperbacks I’ll read them, if they happen to have a hardback I might pick them up, but I tend to read them as ebooks. My good authors I have to have the hardbacks.

It’s a glorious day today- the sun is shining, the air is warm, and I’ve got a big cup of hot coffee next to me! I hope your day has started out at wonderfully as mine!

This week has been a long one, but I’ve made some great progress. I began the hand edits for Stealth and calculated out that I’ll need to edit 8.5 pages every day for 30 days in order to complete the 250 pages and be ready for camp in July. 

Camp! Yup, it’s that time again, Camp NaNoWriMo is right around the corner, July first marks day one of Stealth’s journey into version two! I’m super excited this session, I’ve already got a great cabin lined up, A.V. Sanders, Andi Van, and Alexandra Lucas just to name a few. It should be an epic session with lots of laughs and progress for all.

Happy Reading!
~Eliza

Fiction Friday 12:
Muse: 642 Things
Prompt: Write instructions on how to do something you haven’t learned since you were very young.

*camera noises*
“Is it working?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“Okay.”  A woman fidgets in front of the camera. “So um, hi. My name is Meradith. Ah, you don’t know me, but I’m told you come from me. I mean my eggs. I mean, gah, I’m really horrible at this.”
“It’s okay, take your time Meradith.”
“Let me start again. Hi, I’m Meradith. You’re my clone, and though I’m not around to teach you and watch you grow, there may be a way for me to help you a little. Go with me on this.”
“Here.” A male hand extends into the frame and hands Meradith something.
“Thanks Joel. This is a book.” She holds it up to show the camera. “I want to teach you how to read. I know you don’t need to in 2899, but I think some things just run in your… um, our, blood. Ready?”

Welcome to the sixth month of the year! I can’t believe it. It’s officially June and that means beach reads, porch reads, and even on the plane to vacation reads. July’s Camp NaNoWriMo is right around the corner and rapidly approaching. There are lots of new releases coming out in June, and very few books to film (actually I cheated, there were none, but Jurassic World kind of counts?). 
Make sure you get out and enjoy the sun, but don’t forget your book!

Last month I highlighted a new celebrity penned book by Anna Kendrick, this month, let's talk about another wonderful actress, Mindy Kaling. This will be Mindy’s second book release, her first, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)", was a memoir and rated nearly four stars. “Why Not Me?” is a collection of essays that are sure to have you laughing. It’s scheduled for release on September 9th. Make sure to read the full Huffington Post article for more information.

Have you ever wondered why writers use fake names? Pen names? Noms de plume? Well now you can learn about some of the most famous and most active pen name using authors with a handy infographic. Dr. Seuss was created after a drinking scandal at Dartmouth. A common reason for them is for women to hide their gender. Many authors change their names to make them more pronounceable. Read about more famous pen named authors and leave a comment here with what your pen name would be if you used one!