M.L. LeGette's Blog, page 32
March 3, 2014
Monday Book Lines :: The Unicorn Girl
Here’s something new. Every Monday I’m going to be pulling an image that showcases a moment in one of my books, along with an excerpt. Non of these images (unless otherwise stated) are mine.
From THE UNICORN GIRL:
The trees bent and swayed in the wind and it seemed so clear that I couldn’t deny it: the stag turned its head ever so slightly, and stared at me, his eyes boring into mine.
—————-
THE UNICORN GIRL is on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
March 1, 2014
Guest Author Melissa LeGette
I was interviewed by Rosie Amber, a great fellow writer. Thank you again, Rosie — it was lots of fun! Any excuse to talk about the Orphan and the Thief is a good excuse.
Originally posted on Rosie Amber:
Today our guest is Melissa LeGette author of yesterday’s book The Orphan and The Thief, here is a link to the post if you missed it.
http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4KH
let’s find out more about the writing of the book.
February 27, 2014
End of Month Giveaway Fun
Day 2 of the Book Blast (already 16,000 entries!!). You people are incredible!
It’s the end of the month, which means ebook Giveaway time. This one is open world wide.
COMMENT with a little known fact about you for a chance to win a mobi or epub version of THE ORPHAN AND THE THIEF.
A little known fact about me is that the family’s got backyard chickens, which means that no one can leave a door open for too long because (sure enough) a hen will be clucking her way down the hall. They’ve also been known to hop right into cars.
Giveaway ends tomorrow at 8 pm (eastern time). Only one person will win. Good luck!
February 26, 2014
$50 Book Blast has Begun
The fun is starting!A fifty dollar giveaway hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, is starting to pop up on book blogs here, there and everywhere! If you want to partake in the excitement and help spread the word on my new book, THE ORPHAN AND THE THIEF, here’s one of the sign ups.
The Giveaway ends on March 23rd. Good luck and thank you for helping me get Orphan out and about!
February 24, 2014
Monday Book Lines :: The Orphan and the Thief
Here’s something new. Every Monday I’m going to be pulling an image that showcases a moment in one of my books, along with an excerpt. Non of these images (unless otherwise stated) are mine.
From THE ORPHAN AND THE THIEF:
As the Firefly pushed onward, a silence fell heavy upon the crew, amplifying every creak and moan of the ship. Toad glanced around and noticed each crew member wore the same tense, focused expression. It was almost as if they were listening for something.
—————-
THE ORPHAN AND THE THIEF is on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.
February 22, 2014
Books on Parade Sign Up
Promoting our work is a very difficult task, indeed. It’s quite hard to know whether a promotion helped, which is why we authors become very tight with our wallets — we’ve all been stung. And I really want to help. And I’m doing it for free. I have just as much foresight (as in none) as you do when it comes to knowing whether this little promotion will reach future readers, but it’s something. And, I think, that’s worth it.
To try to help, I’ve created Books on Parade, a feature for showcasing books in all their glory. I post here, twitter, facebook and pinterest. If you’re an author and would like your current book, past book, or future book featured, just pop on over to Books on Parade for the details and send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!
x Melissa
Some examples of Books on Parade:Jazmine (The Latanica Saga) by Ty Zeiter
Talk of the Playground by Rosie Amber
February 20, 2014
Melissa Reads :: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Synopsis:In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue–Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is–she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are–and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
My Rank: 3 cups of coffee
This book has caused me to do a lot of thinking, and not the sort that dystopian fiction should ignite. To help me try to understand my feelings, I made a list with both the positives and negatives and (as I feared when I was reading) the cons heavily outnumber the pros.
And I hate that.
I picked up Divergent because I wanted a page turner that would be full-out entertainment and it is. Victory!
However …
Nothing made any sense. The more I think about it, the more my brain hurts.
The setting. There were times when the setting was painted beautifully and then we had the rest of the book which was a blank void with a few characters thrown in. I was so frustrated by not being able to see. The only way I can describe Dauntless headquarters is a big underground pit with some black tunnels. I wanted this world to be fleshed out.
Dauntless. What really were they doing? As far as I could tell they just did a bunch of daredevil stunts for the heck of it. If they were formed to protect society, then who are they protecting the society from? There isn’t a war going on when Beatrice first joins, so what exactly do they do when they go to work? Do they even go to work? I think this was my biggest problem. The entire book focuses on Beatrice being initiated, which means she has to pick a job. Okay. Guard the fence? No, that’s a job you get when you’re not ranked high, and Beatrice is ranked SUPER high. Hell, she little miss perfect! Go into government? I assume most of them do this, but I don’t have a clue what they do there. Drink a lot of coffee? And I thought that Abnegation was in charge of government. So what are the Dauntless doing there? Being body guards? But once again, where is the threat? It’s never explained. Train new initiates? Possible, but only a smidgen seem to do that. Only three trainers were mentioned in the book. So what the heck do all these people who are milling around the headquarters DO all day? Other than be drunk and get tattoos?? How is this society functioning at all?
Beatrice. Once again I found myself not clicking with the leading role. Her mood swings came out of nowhere. One second, she’s a cool cucumber, the next she’s a rampaging maniac. Just like that. Her angst-ness was overboard. And I like angst, but it’s a fine line to have your heroine be angsty and not whiny and Beatrice crossed that line too frequently for me. And she was so perfect. And if you happen to be Divergent, an individual that will be immediately executed, this is a problem! Beatrice is repeatedly reminded to take it easy. Don’t be the highest ranked. Don’t win at everything, because that will make the leaders take notice and watch you and if you’re discovered as Divergent, off with your head! But Beatrice is like whatever, I’m gonna rock this! I never felt the danger, because Beatrice never felt it.
I don’t want to go on because I’m starting to get annoyed, and that’s not good for anyone. The point I’m trying to make is that I went into Divergent wanting action and excitement. And I got it. There’s tension and near death experiences and the ending went all out. I kept turning the page and I kept looking forward to it. It’s this aspect of the book that kept it from a lower rank.
But the rest of it fell flat. The plot, the characters, the little mistakes that kept pulling me out of the book really hurt my enjoyment level.
Favorite Lines
Awkwardness aside, it is nice to be liked.
———
I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.
February 17, 2014
Magical Monday :: Goblins
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous creature; a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.
They are attributed with various (sometimes conflicting) abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little creatures somewhat related to the brownie and gnome. They are usually depicted as small, sometimes only a few inches tall, sometimes the size of a dwarf. They also often are said to possess various magical abilities. They are also very greedy and love money. — From Wikipedia
Oh, how I want a goblin (or goblin like thing) in one of my books. It will happen! It will!
Art by Brian Froud
February 14, 2014
Simply Wonderful // Coffee Art
The feature where I share my obsessions, my interests, and the little things that make me giggle — welcome to Simply Wonderful! I pin all my Simply Wonderful entries on Pinterest. Feel free to browse my collections.
Simply Wonderful Presents: Coffee Art
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.
Want more Simply Wonderful?
February 6, 2014
News: Barnes and Noble, Check
Morning!
~I’d promised to keep you up to speed on the various locations where you can get hold of THE ORPHAN AND THE THIEF. Sony and Barnes and Noble now have the book for sale — it’s in paperback and ebook form on Barnes and Noble. I’ve added them to The Orphan’s detail page under Ink-Stained Fingers, which is at the top of the screen. There will be more places where the book will be popping up, and I’ll keep you posted.
~I found the potter (well, my aunt found the potter) who made Ol’ Joe! His name is Ron Dahline and he was quite startled to see such a very old piece (1996-1997). And he’d only made a few — Joe really is one of a kind!
~I’m really excited to say that Orphan will be featured on Rosie Amber’s book blog during the A to Z Challenge. There are still a few spots open, so indie’s get over there!
~NetGalley users: You can download THE ORPHAN AND THE THIEF right now!
~And this is a call for anyone who has read or is currently reading THE ORPHAN AND THE THIEF: please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or on any of the other places where you purchased a copy. I don’t need to explain how powerful a review can be for a future customer and I know that our lives are busy, but if you could take some time to leave your thoughts, I’d be deeply grateful.
~Fellow writers, if you’re interested in being interviewed or having a book featured: Be My Guest and Books on Parade are here for you.
~You can follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Cheers!
Melissa
