Ink of Blood

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NaNoWriMo Winner!

Posted by cat2002116 on November 24, 2014
Posted in: NaNoWriMo, Writing. Tagged: NaNoWriMo, Writing. Leave a comment

Winner-2014-Web-Banner

So, last night, I reached the end of another NaNoWriMo challenge. For those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a challenge where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November.

I managed to get just over 50,000 words, but although my original intention was to complete the entire first draft of my novel (now called Viper’s Magic), I’ve decided to leave it now that I’m approximately halfway through and return to it at a later date, editing and then working on the second half of the novel.

My goal (and my commitment, which I’m making public) is to spend next year working on and editing Key of Midgard. Key of Midgard is the first of ten novels in the Ice Warriors series, which follows a group of people who are committed to saving the world as we know it… before the Norse end of the world, Ragnorak, can come about.

By this time next year, I intend to have Key of Midgard ready to start submitting to publishers. That’s my goal… and I figure that if I share my goal with all of you, making it public… I’m less likely to slack.

Wish me luck and I’ll keep you all updated on my progress.

Cover Reveal: UnHappenings

Posted by cat2002116 on November 24, 2014
Posted in: Cover Reveal. Tagged: Cover Reveal. Leave a comment

unhappenings cover 1000

 

UnHappenings

 

Genre: Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Romance

 

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

 

Date of Release­­: January 8, 2015

 

Cover Artist: Andy Garcia

 

 

Description:

 

When Nigel Walden is fourteen, the UNHAPPENINGS begin. His first girlfriend disappears the day after their first kiss with no indication she ever existed. This retroactive change is the first of many only he seems to notice.

 

Several years later, when Nigel is visited by two people from his future, he hopes they can explain why the past keeps rewriting itself around him. But the enigmatic young guide shares very little, and the haggard, incoherent, elderly version of himself is even less reliable. His search for answers takes him fifty-two years forward in time, where he finds himself stranded and alone.

 

And then he meets Helen.

 

Brilliant, hilarious and beautiful, she captivates him. But Nigel’s relationships always unhappen, and if they get close it could be fatal for her. Worse, according to the young guide, just by entering Helen’s life, Nigel has already set into motion events that will have catastrophic consequences. In his efforts to reverse this, and to find a way to remain with Helen, he discovers the disturbing truth about the unhappenings, and the role he and his future self have played all along.

 

Equal parts time-travel adventure and tragic love story, Unhappenings is a tale of gravely bad choices, and Nigel’s struggle not to become what he sees in the preview of his worst self.

 

Goodreads

 

About The Author

Edward Aubry
Edward Aubry is a graduate of Wesleyan University, with a degree in music composition. Improbably, this preceded a career as a teacher of high school mathematics and creative writing.
Over the last few years, he has gradually transitioned from being a teacher who writes novels on the side to a novelist who teaches to support his family. He is also a poet, his sole published work in that form being the sixteen stanza “The History of Mathematics.”
He now lives in rural Pennsylvania with his wife and three spectacular daughters, where he fills his non-teaching hours spinning tales of time-travel, wise-cracking pixies, and an assortment of other impossible things.

Find Edward Aubry Online:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Desert Kings: Veronica: Stranded With The Sheikh

Posted by cat2002116 on November 24, 2014
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Desert Kings Veronica

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I did find this book a really quick, easy read. I felt it worked quite well as an introduction to the series and it was quite an intriguing plot.

The front cover of this book is fairly good, but considering the guy’s supposed to be a Sheikh, the cover art of him doesn’t really show that. Still, the cover and the blurb of the book are both really appealing.

I did think this book was a bit too short. The attraction wasn’t too bad; I get fairly used to instant attraction in romance and I liked the fact that it didn’t come across as instant love.

I was a bit unsure about why the two characters were travelling together. I didn’t think that was fully explained to my satisfaction.

It was good that the author had the characters able to survive on their own and that they worked together. I do think the chivalry was somewhat lacking in the book, though. I did like the fact that I got to learn more about the characters’ backgrounds as they talked… like their family lives, for instance.

I did notice a couple of errors in this book, including a half-formed line that didn’t seem to have any relevance to the storyline. I do think this story could have benefited from being expanded a bit.

It would be nice to see more of the characters and the world. This worked as a good introduction to the series, but not so much as a romance that felt like it had moved on from the initial attraction.

Brew

Posted by cat2002116 on November 24, 2014
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Brew_cover

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Apocalyptic-style stories aren’t an unusual theme, but combined with the paranormal aspects of witches, warlocks and wizards (and no vampires!), it was intriguing enough to draw my attention when I originally read the blurb.

I found Rhett a really interesting character. It was nice to see a book that did stick to one first-person POV. I was pulled into the storyline really quickly and easily. I liked the fact that Rhett was such a contradictory character. It’s nice when characters in books don’t fit neatly into one category; I think that’s more interesting.

I found the different types of witches, warlocks and wizards quite interesting, though I would have liked to know a bit more detail about the different types.

I found it interesting how Rhett still had his own morals and ethics when it came to the witches. I would have liked to see a bit more evidence of what Mr. Jackson was saying about not all witches being the same.

What I saw of Beth and Xavier, I did quite like, though I would have liked to see a bit more of them. I did feel like I knew them quite well from the things Rhett said about them, though.

I found the Sirens probably one of the most interesting of the witch groups. I really liked both Laney and Trish as characters. I really felt for what they’d been through and it was interesting to see how Rhett viewed the both of them.

It was nice to see Rhett go through training to become a witch hunter and see what those lessons were like, as well as him learning how to survive in the world. I liked the fact that he still wanted to do the right thing, even though there were times when common sense would dictate that he care about himself. I also particularly liked Hex. Although cats are my favourite animals, I do like dogs as well and Hex was really cute.

I definitely intend to read the second book in this series at some point soon in the future. I’d like to see where the characters go next. It would also be good to see more characters like the Siren explored.

Mr. Turner

Posted by cat2002116 on November 23, 2014
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews. Leave a comment

Mr. Turner

(This review may contain spoilers).

Having finished watching this film with my dad, I’m not entirely sure what I think about it. I did find it quite difficult to connect with the character of Mr. Turner. I might have found it somewhat easier if the film had showed all of his life apart from the last part of it.

I felt it was good how the film stayed true to the time that Mr. Turner was from. It was fairly intriguing to see his artwork and how it differed from the start to the end. I was also interested to see the different ways the artists reacted to the fame and the negative as well as the positive effects.

The film was quite slow-moving and I do think it could have been condensed down a bit. I would have liked to see more of his history with his family… why he was so close to his father, but pretty much neglected his ex-wife and daughters.

It was good to see the technological advances that had been made during that time period, such as the camera and the railway. It was also interesting to see how a comment from Queen Victoria was enough to really derail Mr. Turner’s reputation.

This film was advertised as more of an exploration and I felt that it did live up to that. I wouldn’t watch it again, but it was interesting to see once.

Dying By The Hour

Posted by cat2002116 on November 22, 2014
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Dying By The Hour

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Having read the first book in this series, I was pretty eager to read the second one. I did enjoy reading this book… though it did have one of my pet peeves – more than one first person POV character.

I am really quite intrigued by the whole angel thing. Even by the end of the book, I still found myself left with all of these questions I don’t have answers for.

I really felt for Jesse in this book. Although she did have people around who cared about her, there were some parts that were really quite sad about her relationship with one of the other characters. I also had some quite mixed feelings about Lane.

I’m not so sure about the chapters from Ally’s POV. A lot of the time, I couldn’t differentiate between the characters. Most of the time, I only knew whose head I was in because of things that were stated (like with the tree and feet sticking out from under the tree… but even then, I still read it as being in Jesse’s head at first).

The different types of abilities were interesting as well, but I felt that the characters didn’t question when they could have. Gloria seemed to know something, but no one asked her.

I did like a lot of the characters in this book, though Julia’s mother came across as really quite weak. And it would be good to see how the romance resolves. I also really like Winston. It’s nice that both Jesse and Ally care about him so much.

The book was quite well-written, though I did notice some errors in the writing. Still, just like with the first book, I was drawn into the plot and the characters. There were some really awful things that Jesse in particular went through, but I felt that they were handled realistically and served to make me like her character more.

I probably would read the next book in the series at some point in the future. It will be good to get the answers to the questions I have and see how the issues are resolved.

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One (Film Review)

Posted by cat2002116 on November 21, 2014
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews. 1 Comment

Mockingjay Part One

(This review may contain spoilers).

So… I went to the midnight showing of this film. I actually saw Catching Fire, too… and the last twenty minutes of the first film. Marathon showings like that are no longer an unusual thing for me.

It’s been quite a while since I picked up the books, so I really only remember some elements from Mockingjay. I don’t think I really like this whole new thing of cutting films in half… though the Hobbit is really the worst for that.

Mockingjay is completely different to the last two films, while still keeping to the world and the storyline… at least in my opinion. There were times I felt that Katniss acted weaker (reacting rather than acting), but she did pick up quite a bit through the film. Still, there wasn’t much that she did alone.

It was really good to see the main characters returning, as well as meeting new ones. I do think Jennifer Lawrence is a good actress. I couldn’t mistake Katniss for Mystique, for instance. But all of the actors played their roles well, at least in my opinion.

There were some quite emotional moments in this film, as well as some elements of humour that worked to diffuse some of the tension. I also liked the cat being a part of it.

Visually, there wasn’t a whole lot of creativity (costumes, arena, etc.) in this film, but I felt the casting and acting made up for that. Finnick is probably one of my favourite characters and I do like Johanna as well. It would have been good to see more of her.

I probably will buy this film when it comes out on DVD and I do intend to watch part two when it comes out next year. If you plan to watch this and haven’t seen the previous two films, or read the books, I would recommend doing so before watching this.

Review Opportunity: Honor Among Orcs

Posted by cat2002116 on November 20, 2014
Posted in: Books, Review Opportunity, Reviews. Tagged: books, Review Opportunity, reviews. Leave a comment

Honor Among Orcs Review Opportunity Button

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Sometimes, I know within the first few sentences if I’m going to like a book or not. That can sometimes be a bit awkward when it’s one I know I’m not going to like… but this book was one I was fairly sure I was going to enjoy. And I was right.

I’m not sure if elves twisted and tortured to become orcs is an idea used outside of Lord of the Rings, but that was what that particular subplot made me think of. Apart from that, a lot of the concepts were fairly unique… or at least had unique twists to them.

It was really intriguing to see orcs portrayed as something other than monsters and to see the elves shown as quite cruel towards those who had been their brethren, but it was really sad to see the massive gulf there was between two peoples who had started out the same. The whole concept of thoughts laughing together (which seems a much tamer way of saying soulmates) was a pretty intriguing one. In some ways, I would like to see that kind of bond between orc and elf… and how both are forced to deal with it.

The romance was one I could really believe in and get behind. Although Arianna seemed weak at first, I felt that she really grew and matured as a character through the course of the book. A good romance book makes me fall in love with the characters together… and that’s what this book did.

I also found the orc culture to be a really intriguing one. The concepts of freedom and equality were ones I wouldn’t necessarily associate with their race.

The book itself was really well-written and it drew me in with a well-established world and believable, likable characters. I definitely intend to read book two at some point in the future.

Dying For a Living

Posted by cat2002116 on November 19, 2014
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Dying For a Living

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I felt the plot of this book was quite a unique take on the zombie-ish theme. I really liked Jessie as a character. Some of the comments she came out with made me smile.

It was interesting to see how society reacted to people like Jessie, too. It was intriguing to see how some of them used the Necronites, while others seemed to think they were something less than human.

One of the other intriguing things was the fact that Jessie was torn between two people in a love triangle, but it wasn’t irritating in the way that most love triangles are, since the two people were so entirely different (and she wasn’t torn between two guys).

It was good that the book started after society had more or less settled with Necronites being a ‘normal’ part of the society, if not an accepted one.

A lot of the other characters in the book were fairly interesting and are ones I’d like to see explored furthered in the next book. I especially liked Jessie’s brother and it would be nice to see more of her relationship with him.

I did like Blinkley as a character, even though I didn’t think I would when he first appeared. His relationship with Jessie was quite an interesting one.

The mystery in this book worked really well along with all of the other elements as well. I found the book to be really well-written and intriguing. It pulled me in almost from the start and I found it a really entertaining, easy read. I do have the second book in this series and I’m quite eager to read it and revisit the world in this book.

All in all, this was a really unique idea and a book I personally enjoyed reading. With vampires and werewolves becoming such a big thing, I found this to be much better than the many repeated plots I’ve found. I did have some questions that weren’t answered by the end of the book, but hopefully, the next book/s in this series will answer at least some of those. I do recommend giving this book a read if you’re thinking about it.

Foretold

Posted by cat2002116 on November 18, 2014
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Foretold

(This review may contain spoilers).

So, yes, after watching Thor, I became much more interested in Norse mythology. (I don’t remember when I originally became interested. The ‘blame’ for Greek mythology could probably be laid at my mum’s feet). So when I received an invite for the blog tour for book three of this trilogy, I immediately signed up… then promptly bought book one from Amazon, so I knew what was going on.

Young adult paranormal romances can be really hit and miss for me. Luckily, this book fell firmly in the former category. I found myself very intrigued by the idea of the souls being inside the characters. It seemed a similar concept to reincarnation, but different enough to be a fairly unique twist.

It was also nice to see the plots overlap with her sisters. I assume that, when I read the next two books in this trilogy, I’ll see what happened from their point of view.

I did like a lot of the characters in this book. It was nice to see Raven interact with her sisters and I could also understand her loyalty to her mother, no matter how difficult things were with Dru.

I would have liked to know a bit more detail about how the Norse gods and goddesses had ended up inside human souls. It was good that the symbols Raven drew were shown in the book. I felt that added a kind of authenticity to the book.

I did like the hints of Raven’s relationship with Vanir. It seemed quite believable and it was nice to see the relationship take the time to grow and form. I was left a bit confused by exactly who knew what, though… and also why Vanir’s brothers assumed something bad just because of Raven’s name.

There were some nicely humorous moments in this and plenty of moments of action. The danger the characters were in felt real and I was rooting for them. I did have more questions than answers by the end of the book, but they merely make me want to read more to find out what’s going to happen in the next two books.

The book itself was well-written and drew me in with an easy, entertaining read. I will definitely be reading books two and three soon.

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