Isabelle Joshua's Blog, page 3

2nd Place Winner and Sale of The Swallow

So this morning, I got the email about what place The Swallow received in the Reader Views 2016-2017 Literary Awards.

Below is what I saw and if it had been after 10 a.m. and my first cup of coffee I would have squealed in delight.

But it occurred at 7:25 a.m. so the delight and squealing sounded off inside my head and I said to my three children getting ready for school, "Mommy's book won 2nd place."  Which I got "Oh, good.  Can we go now?" in response.

Now I am more awake, and the smile hasn't left my face.

So I'm running a sale on The Swallow starting March 22nd (Wed) for $.99 for the Kindle ebook.
Then March 25th it raises to $1.99.
Then on March 29th goes back to $3.99.

Purchase it here.

I hope you love it as much as they did!

Thanks!

Isabelle

Reader Views Literature Award Finalist: The Swallow

HypeFavouriteShares  Back in July 2016, I entered The Swallow into its first contest ever.  Actually, I've never entered a contest for my writing before this because The Swallow is my debut novel. Then yesterday, I opened my email and saw that Reader Views had picked all the finalists for each category. I clicked and scrolled wishing to see my book but figuring that I would get to the bottom and not see it.Until I got to ROMANCE:
Words cannot express my shock and excitement!  My family kept asking me why I was freaking out!  I'm so delighted by this news, and despite all the positive reviews and encouragement from my readers, this is another step towards feeling like a legit author!So now I have to wait two weeks to know if I've won 1st, 2nd, or Honorable mention.  And I will gladly say, "it was just an honor to be nominated" as they do at the Oscars, despite totally wanting to win, but I will still be happy with any place!Check out the review that made it all possible: http://readerviews.com/reviewjoshuatheswallowWant to read the book for yourself, buy it here: http://ow.ly/YWqiNRead a sample: http://ow.ly/uNu8309OjfC

Review: Carve the Mark

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The world Veronica Roth built in Carve the Mark is very different but she does a great job of explaining the world and letting us understand it easily. My real issue is with the character names, that I found it confusing at time and I would be lost in the action to have to relisten and catch the characters names and who they were. Possibly a complete character list would have been helpful because the names are so different and some sound very similar even though they are spelled differently. But this could have been because I listened to the audiobook and not read it. I will probably have to go back and reread it. Although I did love the voice of Austin Butler, so smooth and sexy for Akos.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

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Review: My Not So Perfect Life

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read all of Sophie Kinsella's books, and the resounding theme is the laughter her storyline and characters evoke from me. This is another exceptionally funny and sweet chick-lit book. She is the queen, and I love all of her words she deems fit for the page. I loved Katie and Alex. What Katie does to her former boss had me in stitches. I love that she watched an episode of Friends during it all as well. I can't recommend Sophie Kinsella's book more than I already do. I eat up her words. I thought that Katie was a strong character and although she was timid at first, her true personality showed through quickly. It was original and quirky. Well done, again!

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My favorite fictional couple....for the moment

Goodreads asked Isabelle Joshua:Who is your favorite fictional couple, and why?

Isabelle Joshua Gosh, this is so hard to answer. First there are so many beloved couples in books but the ones that I am thinking of have issues that don't make them my favorite like Scarlett and Rhett don't end up together until the sequel (which wasn't written by Margaret Mitchell) or Elizabeth and Darcy (love them, but we don't see them together much to know how they are except before they are a couple). Maybe, America and Prince Maxim from The Selection Series but they don't feel like my favorite. Or Rebecca Bloomwood and Luke Brandon from Shopaholic Series but he's always so busy. Or Tris and Four but gosh that's so tragic, and they are barely together as a couple. Oh, but I do love Juliette and Warner from Shatter Me series, they might take it because of their story is so dramatic and hot. But they aren't together as a good couple until the end, which once they are together it is so good. Until I can think of a better couple, which usually is the couple that I am currently reading, I think Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me couple Juliette and Warner are it for me right now. Sorry, that was long, but I love romance and want every couple to end up together.



Comment below and tell me who is your favorite fictional couple?


https://smile.amazon.com/Shatter-Me-3-Book-Series/dp/B00VZI6M3U/ref=sr_1_1_ha?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1486487122&sr=1-1&keywords=Shatter+Me

Obnoxious

My childhood best friend's mother called me "obnoxious" too many times to recall. I came to believe it was just who I was. 

adjective 1.highly objectionable or offensive; odious:
obnoxious behavior.2.annoying or objectionable due to being a showoff or attracting undue attention to oneself

this is all the directions my brain is going at one timeAs an adult, I recognized my behaviors of talking loud, talking a lot, and not being quiet were different from what she thought a child should act like and gave it a hurtful name.  My friend's parents were quiet and came from Portugal, and to them, I was the opposite of all that they thought a good girl was. I remember telling my friend that I couldn't imagine getting in trouble for "talking back" like she did.  I would never not have been in trouble if that was a big deal in my house.



Now, I am faced with children that are very intelligent but yet have struggles. I love my daughter to death, but my husband and I agree that she was born to irritate.  She is very hyperactive and completely rebellious, and she is 6.  I get it, I hated and still do to an extent to be told what to do.  But she does great in class and is a model student.  But when I ask her if she has trouble concentrating or sitting still, she tells me that she can't sit in the seat because she moves too much and has to sit on the floor. 

And I have a son that might have dyslexia (waiting for results), and we also might need to test him for "attentiveness, executive functioning, impulsivity" his teacher said to me.  I looked that up and realized, "Oh, so we need to test him for ADD or ADHD."  And being the very impatient mother that I am, I started looking into it myself because I can't wait for the results, I need to know now and start doing things to help him.   (Yeah, I gave him a dyslexia assessment the night I found out that was a concern and he is highly likely to have it).

So I start going through the questions, and they are asking stuff like:

Do you make small mistakes in your work? Do you skim read? Rush things?

Do you mess up dates or get numbers wrong? Fail to notice typos?  Often overlook details in filling out forms, or forget to add attachments to emails?

Do you make simple errors because you weren’t paying attention?

this is my brain trying to focus...And my son was confused because he doesn't know what a typo is or filling out forms or attachments to emails are, but I do.  

And I started running through my head about all the questions I get wrong during the practice multiple choice tests because I completely forget that two seconds ago I read that I am looking for the wrong answer, not the right answer, or I missed that one word that made the answer completely wrong.

Or how embarrassed I was when I was helping my son with his 3rd-grade math, and I didn't have the answer key, so I did all 10 problems myself first before talking with him about what he got wrong.  Then I realized I had done the first 4 problems wrong because of one minor detail I didn't read carefully or forgot that 6 x 25 doesn't equal 125 but 150. I mean it was so simple but yet I got them wrong because of simple mistakes.

I have a college degree from the best public university in our state, and I finished in 3.5 years!  And I finished my J.D. in 3 years even though I was on the 4-year plan.  And I finished well.  I'm fairly intelligent.   But I fricking can't answer 3rd-grade math problems right....I know why "Are you smarter than a 3rd grader" was so popular now.

By this time I had lost my son's interest (yeah, he probably does have attention problems) and I started taking the test for myself.  I answer yes to 9 out of 9 on inattentiveness. Then on the hyperactivity and impulsivity, I answered 6 out of 9.  Anything over 5 on each indicates that there is a high probability that the test taker has a problem in these areas.
If you want to take this same test, here is the link:  http://totallyadd.com/adhd-quiz-start/

But I needed more proof because although answering those questions made complete sense to me, I had to be sure.  So I took an Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale which means once complete I take it my doctor for a diagnosis.  There are 18 questions, and it says answering 4 or more in the dark shaded area indicates the patient has symptoms highly consistent with ADHD in adults.  I have 10 in the shaded areas.  Here is the link to that too: http://www.addadult.com/getting-help/for-you/online-screening-test/


So needless to say, I started crying.  Buckets.  Then I called my mom who said "who cares" look what I've done and been able to cope with and got so much accomplished.  I felt a little better, but I still needed to process these feelings.  Obviously, this is not a diagnosis, and of course, I am calling my doctor first thing on Monday to schedule an appointment because I'm that impatient for results.  But it explains so much.  So many things in my past make sense, it is like finding a puzzle piece that you never knew you were looking for but now the picture is complete, and it looks great (yeah, right).

All those times that I've felt bad about my forgetfulness, my rude interrupting, my habit of not finishing things I start, my need to have an alarm on my phone to do daily tasks like picking my children up from school, and a host of other faults I have, I feel a little vindicated that I'm not just lazy and selfish and a daydreamer.  I do really well considering how scattered my brain is.

So that was my afternoon. Now I need to focus on the 15 tasks I have to do.  Thanks for letting me share! And I'd love to hear if you can relate or have some other disorder that I can google and learn more about ;-).

Isabelle

Why Am I EXCITED about a 2 star review of my book, The Swallow?

The Swallow just got a 2 out of 5 stars by an ARC reader I sent it to back in March 2016. Why am I sharing it and excited? Because even though she only thought it was okay, I felt it was an honest review of my book, and it is exactly what I wanted. I wanted to write a very realistic book even and make it believable. See for yourself...   GOODREADS REVIEW: How are you at criticism? 

Review: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So I have been hesitant about writing a review of this book. On many levels, I liked the book. The characters and storyline were interesting, and it was easy to continue because I listened to the audiobook version rather than read it.

My problems with the book were the Nick character waxing poetic about everything and being morose and sappy. The narrator for his part really amped up the whininess of his voice, but then there were times that he sounded normal and I liked the character.

The whole punk band scene was very different, and I couldn't relate to them. The teenagers out all night on this crazy experience together was so cliche, but it worked at times. I just thought the book was trying too hard to be cool and it's characters were too.

It had elements that I really liked, but on the whole, it was just okay. I wouldn't pick up another one of their books, and I definitely won't see the movie.

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Review: The Offering

The Offering by Jessika Fleck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love the characters. The inner conflict about her love for Nico and the struggle with her place in their society and the forbidden nature of the friendship. Then the introduction of Dorian and The Night. The Offering and depiction of the brutality and merciless nature of the society were thrilling and heartwrenching. I can't wait to read book two. I loved it, and I want to know what happens next. I didn't want it to end!!!

For readers that love Fantasy, this is a great YA Fantasy book, for those that aren't big fantasy fans (like me) it is such a great story and gripped me from the beginning. Similar Stories: It isn't exactly like Shatter Me series, but it definitely had moments when it reminded me of it. Exceptional!

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TV Review: Homeland Season 6 Episode 2: The Man in the Basement

WHY???That is the question I wanted Carrie to answer!  She did in her emotions and nonverbal communications, but I wanted more. I've loved Quinn from the first time he stabbed Brody in the hand.  Actually before then, but you get it.  My heart has broken watching Quinn struggle, struggle, and struggle because he doesn't want to live. But yet just like Carrie I want him to, I want him to work and make progress so he can find happiness with her. And take a bath, please. Because you look too damn good to be smelly. Remember him?  I do, and I want a little of him back, I know he won't go back to the badass MF that always protects Carrie but yet quietly takes all the risks with his body and heart.I was very glad to see Max back, but I am wondering if his anger or hard feelings since Season 3 when Fara was killed towards Carrie will resurface.And the rest of the show was good.  At first, I never suspected Carrie was advising Madam President-Elect and was thrown when Saul asked her.  Evidently, I'm not CIA material.  I still believed her but thought that was too suspicious to be ignored after watching five seasons of Homeland.I'm not sure what's going on with the terrorist suspect Carrie and the lawyer are assisting.  Though it is interesting because he wants to fall on the cloak of Free Speech, but long before whatever law that FBI guy is using against him, speech that incites others to violence is NOT protected under the First Amendment.  So even if he was just telling other people on his video to go rob stores or kill their neighbor, or whatever it is not protected speech.  There is other non-protected speech as well but just wanted to give a little insight that I have with my legal education.I am having a hard time with watching it this season for the mere fact that I have to watch each week for the new episode.  The other seasons I binged watched and couldn't get enough.  I can't wait to see what happens and my heart is holding out for Quinn to get out of his deep depression.  Maybe some meds for that??