Isabelle Joshua's Blog, page 14

Paper Cranes Editing and Design: Book Review: The Swallow by Isabelle Joshua

Paper Cranes Editing and Design: Book Review: The Swallow by Isabelle Joshua: I received this book in exchange for an honest review. If you like a good love story, stop reading this review and go read this book. It ...

Book Review: The Prequel To The Swallow by Isabelle Joshua

The Prequel To The Swallow: Evan and Kathryn's Story by Isabelle Joshua
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love reading about the background for the main character. This gives a fuller picture of who Kathryn is and the complex relationship with Evan. Very good story.

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Writing Schmiting

The writing process is at times fun, imaginative, exciting and other times tedious, confusing, and complex. Please forgive this blog and other posts because editing is not my strong suit. Just like in my life, I speak and do before thinking and reflecting. I usually have to go back in and adjust a comment or something I've written because I just write and get down what I want to say quickly. I'm not a planner, and I'm not methodical, I just do.

This hasty action caused some issues in my latest book. I've spent the last year writing, rewriting, adjusting, editing, rereading, more editing, until finally I was sick of it and wanted to move on. I have some close family and friends read it and then made preparations for it be edited professionally. A few weeks ago after reading and listening to some successful writers, I jettisoned a page and a half of background information.  The advice by the pros was to trickle in background information and definitely don't do a flashback in the first chapter.

I'd committed both those sins.  Early in the process, I'd moved the flashback to the end of the first chapter instead of the beginning. I had a hard time cutting any of it because it was so emotional for my character and me as I wrote it.  I loved the scene. But then two weeks ago, after the pros advice, I cut it to about two paragraphs and move some of the details later in the story.

I had one of my best readers reread the book before I publish and I got a call late at night with her frustrated and upset with me. Where was the flashback, where was the background scene? She wanted to know. Although I hated that I had taken out the scene, I loved hearing how passionate and invested with the character my reader was and how she was fighting for the character's background story to be included so my character's story could be better understood.  It made me love writing even more. I understand the love and passion because I've felt it as a reader. I felt it writing the book. It is first-person POV, and I inhabited my characters and felt their pain and giddiness. It was an awesome ride.

I also love that despite the thousands of words I cut from the book it doesn't mean they are gone. So much of what I cut is still part of the character, it just didn't make it in the book.  The characters are alive to me, and I hope I was able to make them come alive for my readers.

I am human therefore I err

I recently saw this comment on Goodreads for a very popular author of a best-selling series.

Q: Was I the only one who found many grammatical and syntactic errors? (I'm just trying to make sure I'm not crazy)

A: Isabelle Joshua While I sometimes find errors in novels I read, I usually am wrapped up in the story that I do not notice as many and I'm not great at grammar as you all probably are. I would like to say though that, please give a girl a break. Even being a published author through a Pub House doesn't mean that typos or errors get missed. Also, some of those could be intentional from the writers POV especially if they are blatant errors like misspelling a word. But the writing and editing process is a difficult one and usually not the writer's best area. And even proofreaders aren't perfect. If you've read the same manuscript more than once, you are bound to miss something. Pls forgive any errors in the above paragraph. I hope you begin reading with a little less critical eye.

I had to comment because the writing process is long, arduous and mind-numbing at times!  After writing and rewriting then rereading your manuscript over 10+ times, you miss stuff.  Even eagle-eyes, which I do not pretend to be at all. My focus is the writing and when I am putting down the words, thoughts and dialog that is in my head it is like I'm a stenographer and I'm just trying to get it down quick enough. So I beseech readers that can be a little critical about grammar, please write a 300+ page story and see if you don't make zillions of mistakes.  And editors and proofreaders are human too and sometimes they've reread the story so many times stuff gets missed.
Hopefully I minimize the errors I make and they are meer comma errors (not noticible to me) but I probably won't.  So all I can really try to do is my best and maybe my story will captivate you enough to overlook or not even notice when I do err.

Book Review

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This great novel steadily exposes the chilling nature of the characters, keeps you guessing

I don't usually read psychological thrillers but I will watch them in movies and be scared to death. I felt like I do watching the movie as I listened to the narrators (which were awesome, I could listen to their accents all day), but a little less dread. Anyways, listening to the book made it hard to keep all the dates straight and pay attention enough to figure out what was going on. I feel as if I would be reading it I could have figured it out quicker. I did eventually figure it out before the characters but it was so good. Chilling and great characters

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Review: The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This great novel steadily exposes the chilling nature of the characters, keeps you guessing

I don't usually read psychological thrillers but I will watch them in movies and be scared to death. I felt like I do watching the movie as I listened to the narrators (which were awesome, I could listen to their accents all day), but a little less dread. Anyways, listening to the book made it hard to keep all the dates straight and pay attention enough to figure out what was going on. I feel as if I would be reading it I could have figured it out quicker. I did eventually figure it out before the characters but it was so good. Chilling and great characters

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Review: The Swallow

The Swallow by Isabelle Joshua
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It tells the story of Kathryn Bryant who was forced to become a spy for the NSA. Her ex-boyfriend broke her heart and is now her boss, sending her on missions to "flirt with, entice, entrap" unattractive and unappealing targets to get to the intel, she's in and out in a few hours. But now after she's set her escape plan (really a defection) in motion, she has to spend the week with a target, Alex Reed.

The problem is this target is HOT, and he turns the tables by pursuing her. She can't help but fall for his gorgeous face, rockin' body, funny and sweet personality. Don't let "funny and sweet" fool you because the heat radiates between them. But once the missions over, she has a choice to make: does she go through with her original plan to escape or does she follow her heart.

It is a fast-paced, fun, sexy and kept me up all night read!

View all my reviews

Book Review

The Swallow by Isabelle Joshua
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It tells the story of Kathryn Bryant that was forced to become a spy for the NSA. Her ex-boyfriend broke her heart and is not her boss, sending her on mission where she has to "flirt with, entice, entrap" unattractive and unappealing targets to get to the intel, she's in and out in a few hours. But now after she's set her escape plan (really a defection) in motion, she has to spend the week with a target, Alex Reed.

The problem is this target is HOT and he turns the tables by pursuing her. She can't help but fall for his gorgeous face, rockin' body, funny and sweet personality. Don't let "funny and sweet" fool you because the heat radiates between them. But once the missions over, she has a choice to make: does she go through with her original plan to escape or does she follow her heart.

It is a fast-paced, fun, sexy and kept me up all night read!

View all my reviews

Review: The Swallow

The Swallow by Isabelle Joshua
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It tells the story of Kathryn Bryant that was forced to become a spy for the NSA. Her ex-boyfriend broke her heart and is not her boss, sending her on mission where she has to "flirt with, entice, entrap" unattractive and unappealing targets to get to the intel, she's in and out in a few hours. But now after she's set her escape plan (really a defection) in motion, she has to spend the week with a target, Alex Reed.

The problem is this target is HOT and he turns the tables by pursuing her. She can't help but fall for his gorgeous face, rockin' body, funny and sweet personality. Don't let "funny and sweet" fool you because the heat radiates between them. But once the missions over, she has a choice to make: does she go through with her original plan to escape or does she follow her heart.

It is a fast-paced, fun, sexy and kept me up all night read!

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Book Review

RoomHate by Penelope Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It thought it was a good story and heartfelt. The scenes between them were sweet and I loved the relationship between Justin and Bea. It seemed that there was more to the main character and possible neurotic tendencies, I wonder about that but it wasn't explored. Sexy male character and I read it in a day! Very good!

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