C.E. Clayton's Blog, page 5

"You look like someone I used to know": How I craft my characters

Hello, my favorite booknerds! So, one of the questions I’ve gotten that you wanted to see in a blog post was: how I come up with my characters? I interpret this question in a few ways, from how I character build, to why I chose to have my characters look the way they do, as all of that was done intentionally. I try to always create my characters with intention—this is, of course, 100% the case for my main and secondary characters, though I can’t say I always do this for a character who isn’t named and has all of one page in the novel. Still, if you’ve read my last blog post about how I name my characters, you can bet that I love character building just as much (because I do).

Perhaps the easiest thing to explain is why I decided some characters needed to have certain personality traits. Once I figure out what the central story is, and how/where the book needs to end, it becomes a matter of figuring out what kinds of personality types will fit with the goal I have, and also add wonderful obstacles for my main cast, because a story without interpersonal conflict is boring in my opinion. That’s why Lana has such a strong maternal instinct and wants to be a mother, but Jon is more than content having their lives revolve around just the two of them. It makes for a persistent conflict that helps a character get to the place they need to end up by the end of the series—sorry, I am trying to avoid spoilers here for some of my new readers, so some of the specific traits will be vague.

The story and the struggle I wanted my characters to undergo dictated that Tallis couldn’t be a born leader and that Donovan had to have an incredible sense of familial loyalty. Whereas, because I wanted to challenge some of the tropes and stereotypes I find annoying, I made Tomas a gentle intellectual rather than a brawny meat-head, and I wanted my character of color to come from an unbelievably stable, supportive, and intact family unit. It’s also why I give Tallis her quirks of avoidance and have her struggle with anxiety, because I want to show that strong can come in a plethora of forms.
As for looks… I created characters that I would like looking at, as vain as it sounds. But hey, if I couldn’t fall for Tomas or Donovan because they looked like trolls, I wouldn’t expect you to, either! But the sad truth is, Tallis looks like the girl I wish I looked like.

I came to the body positive movement late in my life. For most of my formative years, I believed I was hideous; I was too big, disproportionally shaped, my hair too dull, and eyes too plain. I wanted to hide, to be smaller. So, that’s why Tallis looks the way she does. She’s petite the way I had wanted to be all my life. She has the wavy, long, platinum blonde hair I wish I had, and sea green eyes I would kill for—ok, not really. That’s why Tallis looks the way she does and isn’t darker skinned, or have red hair, or what have you.

That being said, it’s also why Rosslyn looks the way she does. In an effort to embrace my own shape, I made Rosslyn this crazy confident, enviously curvy woman. She loves her freckles as much as she loves her body’s size—and others find her irresistibly attractive as well! For both her physical looks, and her confidence. Rosslyn is where I aspire to be in terms of accepting and loving myself, and Tallis is a throwback to the way I prayed I had looked for decades.
There’s a phrase, a lauded piece of advice often given to authors, to “write what you know”. I may not deal with feral elves on a daily basis, but I did know what it felt like to be dissatisfied with something I couldn’t change, and I knew that was unfair to myself. So creating characters that allow me to work through those things is, in my own way, writing what I know.

So there you have it, my friends! This is how and why I create my characters and a bit of the process behind bringing them to life. Hopefully this makes them feel even more realistic and grounded despite their fantasy setting, and, hopefully, it inspires both hope and acceptance should that be something you need. I’ll be answering more of your questions in later blog posts, but, as always, if there is another topic you’d like me to cover, shoot me a message! And let me know what you think of my process in the comments.

What's in a name? How I name my characters and worlds.

Hello my favorite booknerds and lovers of my stories! So, if you subscribe to my newsletter you saw the open call for blog post topics, and you guys did not disappoint! I have a whole list of things you want to know that I’ll be tackling. If you don’t subscribe to the newsletter, or missed the email, don’t worry: you can suggest more topics via the comments or feel free to message me the things you’d be interested in me discussing.  So, without further ado, the first of your blog post suggestions answered: How do I come up with the names for all my characters and places?

This sounds like a simple topic to start with, but honestly, I love this question. I love coming up with names for things. Too often fantasy writers feel they have to have unpronounceable names in order to make their book feel like a true fantasy. I personally hate that.

If I stumble over a name, if I can’t figure out how you’re supposed to pronounce it, I am immediately disconnected from the story. My flow in the plot disrupted as I pause to try and puzzle it out. Not that I find those books bad and therefore don’t want to finish, but I do find it annoying. Tell me friends: am I alone in this? But it was/is that annoyance that I take with me when I begin world and character building prior to writing the first paragraph of any of my books.
First, I figure out what place my fantasy worlds are based on, if any at all. For Selkirk, it has a very distinct Scotland/European feel to it, so all the names needed to fit that. As for places like Theda, it has a Sicilian/Italian feel. So, the names of the people and locations needed to feel authentic to such regions.

Once I have the geography figured out, I go on to sites like
The process is rather similar when it comes to naming the rivers, forests, cities and towns in my books as well. If you haven’t noticed, I LOVE naming those regions. I even have maps drawn out where I label and name all the rivers and mountains that, one day, I’ll have re-made professionally, I promise. The only difference is I have to make sure these names don’t sound like they could belong to a person in order to avoid confusion. That’s how I settled on names like Kincardine, the Brethil Forest, and even Selkirk itself.
Fun fact: Selkirk is the name of a real town in Scotland! So you, my dear friends, can actually go and visit Selkirk if you so choose. Please let me know if you encounter any feral elves along the way!

The only time I don’t follow this pattern is for my contemporary fictions. As they are modern and set in today’s setting, having a name like Tallis would stand out, in a bad way. So I stick with names I like such as Rebecca, or use the names of family and friends, like Megan. Call it cheating if you want, but I like to think of it as creative problem solving.

So there you have it! That is my process for coming up with names. What do you think? Hopefully this clears that process up, but if not let me know, or if you’d like more details about a certain name in particular let me know that, too. In the meantime, let me know if there are any other blog topics you want covered and I’ll add them to my list!

Meet the Blogger: Paige at PopTheButterfly Reads!

Greetings friends and booknerds! It’s finally time for another edition of “Meet the Blogger”! Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to Paige Green of PopTheButterfly Reads and the Indie Blog Hop! I met Paige shortly after my first book came out, and we have been stalking each other on social media ever since. Recently, she hosted a read-along for my book with a handful of her friends, but that’s not why I’m featuring her this month. Paige is not only one of the most passionate readers—and lover of all things bookish—I know, but she is also a wonderful advocate for indie and small press authors. She devotes so much of her time and energy to spreading the good word about fabulous books written by smaller authors, who you may otherwise miss, that I’d be 100% a terrible person for not spreading the word about Paige and everything she does for the book-loving community. So, without further ado, please enjoy my interview with this fabulous human, and be sure to follow her and check out her websites if you’re an author and are interested in utilizing her offerings:
 
Blog – Goodreads – Indie Blog Hop – Instagram – YouTube
When I first “met” you, it was through a blog tour hosted by another blogger. Since then (goodness, it’s been nearly 2 years) you’ve started your own book blog tour service for indie authors! Can you tell us a bit about the Indie Blog Hop and what inspired you to start it?

Oh Lordy, time flies! I was inspired in December when I learned that Goodreads would start charging authors/publishers to host giveaways on their site. I thought it was extremely unfair and greedy to everyone, but especially Indie authors and publishing companies. I wanted to give people a way to freely promote their books and host giveaways without fear of losing money and the idea just kind of blossomed from there.

Your love of books is no secret, you even had a bookish themed wedding and engagement shoot! But what first got you into reading and made you love it so much?

I’ve always really liked reading and my parents encouraged it and are readers themselves. Both of them always challenged me to read outside my range and to explore the world through books. I’ve always traveled with at least one book in my bag since I was tiny, even when I was in a reading slump.
 
This is a very broad (and multi-tiered) question, but what is it about reading that you love so much? What is the most important thing for you when reading a book? Characters? World building? Unique plot? Etc.
 
I think what I love about books so much is that they’re reliable. They’ve always been a bit of a safety blanket for me, something I could rely on in whatever situation I found myself in. You can always open a book and find yourself somewhere new or familiar without judgment or condemnation. When I read I find that the most important thing for me in any book is my ability to connect with the characters. They don’t have to be likable and they don’t have to be good, but I have to be able to connect with them in some way or empathize with them somehow or else I’m not going to be able to get into the book. I also really like good world building, especially for high fantasy or sci-fi novels.
 
What would be your absolute perfect book? What would it have? Does it exist already, or will this be something you write one day?
 
Well sometimes I’m a bit of a mood reader lol, so that’s a hard question. I think I would really enjoy a book in which the main character isn’t a good character. Like, not a villain, but someone who’s misunderstood and acts out for attention because of issues they have at home. I used to work in Juvenile Justice and I’ve dealt with kids who were troublemakers. A majority of them didn’t commit crimes because they wanted to commit crimes, but because there were underlying issues at home that they couldn’t deal with and acting out was their only way of telling the world “hey there is something wrong in my life and I need help now!” While I’m currently writing a couple of books, one of them revolves around a teen who’s a habitual runaway, which I think is something that’s not been fully explored by literature.
 
What other bloggers and writers do you enjoy reading or admire? Why?
 
Oh geez. I don’t really get to enjoy bloggers anymore like I used to because of work and other obligations, but I do enjoy reading Kate Olsen (The Loud Library Lady) for bloggers and I love listening to booktubers like Hailey In Bookland and Nadine Brandes. For writers currently I’m really digging Alexandra Bracken (The Darkest Minds), Miranda Asebado (The Deepest Roots), Scott Westerfeld (Imposters), Katrin Van Dam (Come November), CE Clayton (The Monster of Selkirk), Nicole Lambert (Threatening Souls), and Kendra Radke (Entangled Collateral).
 
What’s the hardest kind of blog post or review for you to write?
 
Almost every review is kind of hard for me. I take a lot of time and consideration into each book review to hopefully make something that can help others. I also really struggle with tag posts because I suck at thinking up books off the top of my head that fit tag prompts.
 
You rep for a lot of different kinds of bookish companies as well as book groups. How did you get involved with them originally and what’s your favorite thing to rep?
 
I originally got involved with companies because one reached out to me when I was still a new bookstagrammer and asked me to help promote their products. I really liked promoting the items and started entering different rep searches for different companies. While I get a lot of free products from them, I also try to support the shops by buying from their shop as well. I currently rep for a lot of shops and while I love each and every one of them, I find that my favorite thing to show off and promote are totes. I’m a tad obsessed with totes lol.
Ok so now for some fun, rapid questions:Place you most want to visit: A specific place would be the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, but I’d love to travel all of Europe and spend a few days in each country.Favorite food of all time: Fettuccini Alferdo! If you want me to do something just make me that.Favorite band: I don’t really have one because I just like different songs from different artists, but my favorite song at the moment is probably Matchbox Twenty – Real WorldFavorite movie: At the moment I’m crying over CocoMythical pet you’ve always wanted: I’m weird but I have always wanted a catdog. I know, not really mythical but I want the friendship of a dog, but with the level of care that a cat needs.Morning person or night owl: Night Owl with a wakeup call at 5:30 AM. On the weekends I sleep until noon and stay up until 4am.And finally—one little known fact about you: I’m a beast at video game shooters. I have been known to replay levels until I can headshot all of the enemies.
I hope you all enjoyed meeting Paige of PopTheButterfly and Indie Blog Hop! If you are a booklover, she really is one to follow, I promise you won't be disappointed! In another month (or two...) I'll feature another excellent blogger, so stay tuned my friends!

Meet the Blooger: Paige at PopTheButterfly Reads!

Greetings friends and booknerds! It’s finally time for another edition of “Meet the Blogger”! Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to Paige Green of PopTheButterfly Reads and the Indie Blog Hop! I met Paige shortly after my first book came out, and we have been stalking each other on social media ever since. Recently, she hosted a read-along for my book with a handful of her friends, but that’s not why I’m featuring her this month. Paige is not only one of the most passionate readers—and lover of all things bookish—I know, but she is also a wonderful advocate for indie and small press authors. She devotes so much of her time and energy to spreading the good word about fabulous books written by smaller authors, who you may otherwise miss, that I’d be 100% a terrible person for not spreading the word about Paige and everything she does for the book-loving community. So, without further ado, please enjoy my interview with this fabulous human, and be sure to follow her and check out her websites if you’re an author and are interested in utilizing her offerings:
 
Blog – Goodreads – Indie Blog Hop – Instagram – YouTube
When I first “met” you, it was through a blog tour hosted by another blogger. Since then (goodness, it’s been nearly 2 years) you’ve started your own book blog tour service for indie authors! Can you tell us a bit about the Indie Blog Hop and what inspired you to start it?

Oh Lordy, time flies! I was inspired in December when I learned that Goodreads would start charging authors/publishers to host giveaways on their site. I thought it was extremely unfair and greedy to everyone, but especially Indie authors and publishing companies. I wanted to give people a way to freely promote their books and host giveaways without fear of losing money and the idea just kind of blossomed from there.

Your love of books is no secret, you even had a bookish themed wedding and engagement shoot! But what first got you into reading and made you love it so much?

I’ve always really liked reading and my parents encouraged it and are readers themselves. Both of them always challenged me to read outside my range and to explore the world through books. I’ve always traveled with at least one book in my bag since I was tiny, even when I was in a reading slump.
 
This is a very broad (and multi-tiered) question, but what is it about reading that you love so much? What is the most important thing for you when reading a book? Characters? World building? Unique plot? Etc.
 
I think what I love about books so much is that they’re reliable. They’ve always been a bit of a safety blanket for me, something I could rely on in whatever situation I found myself in. You can always open a book and find yourself somewhere new or familiar without judgment or condemnation. When I read I find that the most important thing for me in any book is my ability to connect with the characters. They don’t have to be likable and they don’t have to be good, but I have to be able to connect with them in some way or empathize with them somehow or else I’m not going to be able to get into the book. I also really like good world building, especially for high fantasy or sci-fi novels.
 
What would be your absolute perfect book? What would it have? Does it exist already, or will this be something you write one day?
 
Well sometimes I’m a bit of a mood reader lol, so that’s a hard question. I think I would really enjoy a book in which the main character isn’t a good character. Like, not a villain, but someone who’s misunderstood and acts out for attention because of issues they have at home. I used to work in Juvenile Justice and I’ve dealt with kids who were troublemakers. A majority of them didn’t commit crimes because they wanted to commit crimes, but because there were underlying issues at home that they couldn’t deal with and acting out was their only way of telling the world “hey there is something wrong in my life and I need help now!” While I’m currently writing a couple of books, one of them revolves around a teen who’s a habitual runaway, which I think is something that’s not been fully explored by literature.
 
What other bloggers and writers do you enjoy reading or admire? Why?
 
Oh geez. I don’t really get to enjoy bloggers anymore like I used to because of work and other obligations, but I do enjoy reading Kate Olsen (The Loud Library Lady) for bloggers and I love listening to booktubers like Hailey In Bookland and Nadine Brandes. For writers currently I’m really digging Alexandra Bracken (The Darkest Minds), Miranda Asebado (The Deepest Roots), Scott Westerfeld (Imposters), Katrin Van Dam (Come November), CE Clayton (The Monster of Selkirk), Nicole Lambert (Threatening Souls), and Kendra Radke (Entangled Collateral).
 
What’s the hardest kind of blog post or review for you to write?
 
Almost every review is kind of hard for me. I take a lot of time and consideration into each book review to hopefully make something that can help others. I also really struggle with tag posts because I suck at thinking up books off the top of my head that fit tag prompts.
 
You rep for a lot of different kinds of bookish companies as well as book groups. How did you get involved with them originally and what’s your favorite thing to rep?
 
I originally got involved with companies because one reached out to me when I was still a new bookstagrammer and asked me to help promote their products. I really liked promoting the items and started entering different rep searches for different companies. While I get a lot of free products from them, I also try to support the shops by buying from their shop as well. I currently rep for a lot of shops and while I love each and every one of them, I find that my favorite thing to show off and promote are totes. I’m a tad obsessed with totes lol.
Ok so now for some fun, rapid questions:Place you most want to visit: A specific place would be the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, but I’d love to travel all of Europe and spend a few days in each country.Favorite food of all time: Fettuccini Alferdo! If you want me to do something just make me that.Favorite band: I don’t really have one because I just like different songs from different artists, but my favorite song at the moment is probably Matchbox Twenty – Real WorldFavorite movie: At the moment I’m crying over CocoMythical pet you’ve always wanted: I’m weird but I have always wanted a catdog. I know, not really mythical but I want the friendship of a dog, but with the level of care that a cat needs.Morning person or night owl: Night Owl with a wakeup call at 5:30 AM. On the weekends I sleep until noon and stay up until 4am.And finally—one little known fact about you: I’m a beast at video game shooters. I have been known to replay levels until I can headshot all of the enemies.
I hope you all enjoyed meeting Paige of PopTheButterfly and Indie Blog Hop! If you are a booklover, she really is one to follow, I promise you won't be disappointed! In another month (or two...) I'll feature another excellent blogger, so stay tuned my friends!

Opinion time: Rating books you don't finish reading, yay or nay?

Hello friends and booknerds! I have a question for you. It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and have even discussed with some other book reviewers and authors. All of whom have different—and equally as valid—opinions on the matter. But I want to ask you about giving a review / rating for a book you didn’t finish, or DNF as so many on Goodreads refer to it as.

How do you feel about giving a star rating for a book you couldn’t finish? Does it depend on the reason why you couldn’t finish it? For example, will you give a star rating for a DNF book if it was just so bad—0 editing, plot holes a cargo freighter could drive through, racist / sexist beyond belief, that sort of thing—that you feel compelled to essentially warn people away from it? Or do you prefer to write a text review stating you DNF for whatever reason, but leave off the star rating? It’s important to note, that only sites like Goodreads let you do this. Places like Amazon require both a star and text review when rating any item. Or, if you can’t finish the book because it just wasn’t your thing, or emotionally you aren’t in the mood for a given book, do you quietly put it down and say nothing?
This may seem like a hot button topic, but only because people have some pretty strong opinions on the matter. I want to better understand where people are coming from, passionate readers and “professional” book reviewers alike! As an author, I have mixed feelings on this. Generally, I’m fine with a text review of a DNF book—but not a star rating—if there was a good reason someone didn’t like it. I’m not here for author or book bashing as it’s helpful to exactly no one. But usually I find telling the world you DNF a book to be rather pointless? Unless you're rating and reviewing something so terrible it needs that kind of warning to readers—and even then—I don’t see the need to express that a certain book was something you couldn’t force yourself to read.

I struggle with DNF books because I don’t like it. I feel compelled to finish all books I read, even bad ones. I’ve been told I maybe shouldn’t do this, as there are so many amazing books I’m not reading while I force myself to finish something I regrettably started. But that means I feel justified when I don’t rate a book positively, because I read it and therefore am qualified to give an opinion. That point is also debatable by many who think authors shouldn’t review or rate books out of professional courtesy. I don’t know about all that. I get book review requests all the time and I do spend my own hard earned money on books, so why can’t I review those? I am a reader as much as I am an author.

If you’d like, we can discuss that as well. Because, again, I know people have opinions.
But basically, I’m just curious. Curious as to when you feel compelled to rate and review a book. Is it only if you loved it because you find the bad books not worth your time to rate or review? After all, just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean the book isn’t great, it just wasn’t your thing. Which is fine! Or, regardless of if you DNF, hated the book but finished it, or loved every moment of it, will you rate and review it? Or will you not rate and review a single thing because you’re also an author?

As someone who wears both hats, I will say I only rate books I finish, and I will always give my honest opinion about the book. I don’t think rating a book you DNF is fair because what if something amazing happens on the next page but you never found out? If I don’t like something, I’ll outline why so others can understand my rating and decide for themselves if my issues will be a problem for them.

But I do understand how, as an author, my opinions on books may be interpreted as bashing or unprofessional for the indie author community, even if I’m asked to review the book, but whatever. I get that concern, I just don’t agree with it. Reviews are so important that as long as someone is civil and is constructive with their criticism, I don’t see a problem in a fellow author reviewing a book. But I can respect when an author decides to not rate a book if they would otherwise give it a bad rating. I know such authors as Robin Hobb do that. She’ll review books occasionally, but only if the review is 3 stars or above because anything less, at least to her, means the book wasn’t her cup of tea and is, therefore, not something she feels necessary reviewing.

But tell me what YOU think, dear friend! Do you have an opinion? What’s your process?  Sharing is caring! I’d love to have a dialogue with you on this topic that’s near and dear to my heart.

A Hellish Journey Leads to Sweet Beginnings (Again)

Well hello there my friends! Long time no see, I know. But I did warn you that with moving things would be a tad slow for me… I'm happy to say that things are back on track now and I have some updates, well, stories really, for you. And, as I keep you updated throughout the year on my life, my work, and my rambling thoughts in general, I’ll also have goodies like blog tours, interviews, reviews, and giveaways. So thanks for sticking with me and let me just say I’m so glad to be back and done with moving/unpacking!

Moving sucks. To anyone who has moved, that’s no surprise. Moving and starting a new job are, apparently, some of the most stressful times in a person’s life. I’m sure that goes up exponentially if you happen to travel with cats like I do. You can read the guest blog I wrote a while back on my first experience traveling with my fuzzy friends. I'm happy to report that they were much better this time! Aside from my boy cat wanting to walk across my face while I slept, the cats were angels. The dog not so much this time, but that wasn’t his fault.

Dobby was attacked by mosquitoes just before we left New Orleans. He was itching and chewing himself so much he had giant wounds all around his tail. Nothing we did worked and the poor pup just howled in pain if we tried to touch him (he sounds like a dinosaur when he cries). It broke my heart and my only consolation was knowing he had a vet appointment as soon as we arrived in California. The crying wouldn’t have been so bad, except me and my husband were idiots about the drive.
The place we were moving into wasn't ready for us by the time my husband had to be back in California and at his new job. In the interim, we were to stay with my parents which was fine! My dog loves it, he has lots of friends to play with at their house and my mom absolutely spoils that little dog. The problem was my parents’ dogs. They don’t like cats. At all. So the cat’s needed to be boarded at the vet. The vet could only take them on Friday because otherwise they wouldn’t have the right person there to take our kittens. Again, not a big deal because we could time our driving to be there in time for that. Except our moving company screwed us over.

The moving company showed up late on Wednesday and then had too few people to pack. They were at our house packing up until 11 pm at night! My husband was freaking out by 5 pm that day because we needed to be on the road in order to get to the vet in time for both the cats and the dog. Come 8 pm, we say “fuck it” and get a friend to sign off on the moving van so we can leave and try and make up some of that time on the road. Well, we couldn’t make up the time lost so once more we said, “Fuck it, we’ll drive straight from New Orleans to Phoenix, Arizona so that we can make it to California in time for the pets.”

Some of you are probably groaning/cringing by this point. Those of you who aren’t, let me fix that for you: New Orleans is a good 20+ hours from Phoenix. Yup, we decided to drive 20 hours straight starting at 8 pm, and that’s after getting up early (like 6 am) to be ready for the moving company who showed up late. It wasn’t a smart move on our part and resulted in stopping for 3 hours at 3 am to “sleep” at a turn off with a bunch of truckers, 2 panic attacks where my husband legitimately thought he was dying, and 3 pets who we couldn’t feed properly without risking them getting out and fleeing the hell hole that was the car. We were bad humans.
Anyway we lived, the pets are fine, and eventually we moved into our new place and our stuff arrived. Except a bunch was missing or broken, so I got to argue with an insurance claims adjuster on getting the items replaced or getting reimbursed if they couldn’t be fixed, so that was fun. All this to say I have no intention of moving again for a very, very long time (I did say that when I first moved to New Orleans, but this time I mean it).

But it wasn’t all awful. Moving back to California meant being much closer to my family. It made our father’s day weekend in Big Bear all the more satisfying to know that moments like that, making memories with my family and being involved in their lives, is something that will happen with much more frequency. So be sure to enjoy your family at every opportunity, my friends. You never know when life might take you, or them, away and you’ll miss them when they're gone. You’ll feel left out and forgotten, even though you aren’t. That little extra bit of distance changes things and I wasn’t prepared for that the first time around. I know better now, but still have no intention of getting that far away again.
Oh, Big Bear was fun by the way. We didn’t catch much on the lake and I have an epic sun burn on my thighs, but it was great because I got to spend it with my family and didn’t have to worry about catching a flight immediately after. Sun burns on flights are just the worst….

Anyway, the next few blogs will be highlights of my favorite bloggers and updates on my books, so get excited, my friends! And tell me about some of your horror stories about moving so we can all have a laugh about it together!

Indie Blog Hop Book Tour and Giveaway for: L.J. Evans "My Life as an Album" series

Greetings, booknerds! I have officially moved into my new place so I am (semi) back into the groove of things. Which means more blogging and book news and book reviews and life goodies... Now if only I had a working kitchen and life would be glorious. That aside, I wanted my first blog post back in California to feature a California native author who loves music! Plus, she's got a fun giveaway going on right now so if you want to win a copy of the book, be sure to check out my Instagram post for June 10th . But now, on to the fun stuff. Allow me to introduce you to award winning author, L.J. Evens!
Who is this talented writer? What does she do outside of writing? Well, let me tell you:
Award-winning author, LJ Evans, is known for binge reading, binge watching, and binge writing. She is routinely inspired by music and will pull over the car to write a book scene when a particular song strikes her imagination. Her my life as an album series debuted in 2017 and won The Independent Author Network’s Young Adult Book of the Year. The second in the series, my life as a pop album, released in January 2018 and the third, my life as a rock album, is available for pre-order for a June 2018 release. By day she’s a 1st grade teacher in a public school in the California Central Valley. By night, she’s a wife, mother, and pillow for the 3 terrors known as cats.

She sounds awesome, right? Well then you should check out her books! I've included the synopsis below, but I also had an opportunity to ask L.J some rapid fire book and music related questions. As you guys know, I am also a passionate lover of music, so this rapid fire interview was a lot of fun. Plus, check out the link in the below image as it includes yet ANOTHER CHANCE AT THE GIVEAWAY. These books sound perfect for summer reading, so be sure to enter. Now, on to the interview:

1. Favorite band of all time?:
IMPOSSIBLE - depends on my mood, seriously. But I obviously like the ones my books have in them and I really like Lady Antebellum a lot.
2. Best concert you ever went to?:
I know it seems too easy, but Taylor Swift. She puts on amazing shows. We just were at her Reputation Stadium Tour in Pasadena. Crazy good!
3. Least favorite song?:
Hmmm. I pretty much don't like any electronic music..... And if I get the Itsy Bitsy Spider stuck in my head I want to bury my head in a bucket of water.
4. Guilty pleasure song/band? (who you're slightly embarrassed to admit you listen/dance to):
Probably One Direction...... and any of the guys that are now solo from it.
5. Favorite playlist to read to?:
I have a "Now" playlist that is all my current favorites. But I always gravitate back to country more than anything else.
6. Favorite genre to read vs. write?:
I read a lot of YA.... A lot.
7, Favorite author?:
Again, IMPOSSIBLE! How about favorite in genre's, LOL. Classic - Georgette Heyer; YA - John Green;  NA - Jessica Park; Romance - Marianna Zapata; Historical - Beatriz Williams; Fantasy - JK Rowling; Paranormal - CJ Archer; New Indie Author - Kelsey Kingsley; A little of everything - Amy Harmon (seriously she does everything - she's amazing).
Check out the "My Life As An Album Series" and be sure to add them to your TBR list. And don't forget to enter the giveaway! Good luck, friends.

My Life as a Country Album:
2017 Independent Author Network Young Adult Book of the Year

I belonged to you the moment you told my mama you were waiting for me when I was still inside her stomach.

I belonged to you as we grew up sharing a treehouse, a yard, and the lake. I even belonged to you when our three-year age difference tried to pull us apart rather than put us together.

But, I was most especially yours when you kissed me and told me you weren't letting me go.
Except you did. And now I'm wondering how to turn our lives from a country love song without a happy ending into one that does...

Because "loving you was a race I was determined to win."

Inspired by Taylor Swift country songs, this is a story of aching love and loss and learning to live through life in all its pain and glory.

4.45 on Goodreads currently!

My Life  As a Pop Album:
 What if you are my dream?

 From Award Winning Author LJ Evans comes a novel inspired by Ed Sheeran love songs about forgiveness, love, & healing!

Good Girl Mia feels guilty for her brother's death, it was her kidney that killed him after all… and four years later she still isn’t really living life. But then soulful musician, Derek Waters, enters her world and she finds herself setting aside everything she thought she wanted for an adventure she never saw coming. For some reason, she wants this gorgeous man to know her story. The story of a girl who gave a body part to save a brother that everyone wanted to survive more than the girl herself. And how that hadn’t worked out.

Derek Waters and his band have just signed on with a major record label and are touring the country. He has his own set of baggage that he hides behind a huge smile and a famous Johnny Cash quote. He definitely isn’t looking for any kind of female distraction. But once Derek walks into Mia’s life, he finds he can’t leave unless she comes with him.

Can Derek and Mia find a path to forgiveness and healing? Or will they be left with hearts more torn apart than before?

SPOILER ALERT this book can be read as a stand alone novel but contains significant spoilers to the first novel in the series MY LIFE AS A COUNTRY ALBUM.

4.65 on Goodreads currently!

My Life as a Rock Album:
He’s an addict. He’s a rude bastard. He’s also broken-hearted.

Trash artist Seth Carmen has lost everyone he’s loved and even some he didn’t. He’s better off alone. He’s made a success of himself by focusing on the one thing he’s good at, turning trash into something stunning. But then feisty blogger PJ Hensley enters his world with her fairy like quality, and he isn't sure who will be left more broken.... him or her.

PJ Hensley is dealing with her own tormented past and a stalker she doesn’t want to admit to having, but she’s pulled herself together in order to graduate and focus on her future. The last thing she needs is a moody trash artist entering her world. But like all things Seth, he enters anyway with an intensity and focus that leaves her breathless.

Can Seth and PJ find a way to take the shattered parts of their hearts and lives and weld them into something beautiful? Can they find a way to make this love last?

Inspired by Bon Jovi songs, the third novel in the my life as an album series shows how love and acceptance can heal even the toughest scars.

Coming out June 26th!

What's new, pussy-cat?

Thanks for the beads - I mean memories, New Orleans. Hey there booknerds! I wanted to pop on the good ole blog and give you an update on what’s going on, and what you can expect from me in the coming weeks/months.

So, first things first, I'm moving again. I know, I know, it doesn’t seem all that long ago that I was packing up my life and moving to New Orleans where I focused on my writing full time. Well, that’s because it was only two years ago. That’s right, almost 2 years to the day of starting this adventure and this website (which was actually started in May but it took me a bit to write the first blog), I’m moving back to California.

Never fear, my friends, just because I’m going back to my old stomping grounds doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop what I’m doing and go back to what I had been doing before. No, I’ll just be transporting this adventure back to familiar ground. So, in case you were worried, don’t be. That does mean that the next few weeks will be awful though. In case you’ve never moved cross country with pets, I don’t recommend it. Unless it’s just a dog, they’re pretty chill. But unlike kids who may abhor road trips, you cannot reason with a cat.
The girl cat is the grey one. The one already giving the side eye. You can’t console cats and reassure them that after a few days of annoying driving, it’ll be over. That they’ll be somewhere new and awesome and the torture will end. No. All cat’s see is: THIS IS MY LIFE NOW AND OMG I HATE YOU, HUMAN!

They cry and howl the whole time unless you drug them. Or my cats do, anyway. And yes, some people have told me that if I don’t keep them in their carrier that they’ll be much better on the road. The thing with cats is, they like to be in your face, or near your feet—or, again, my cats do. Which means it’s only a matter of time before one of the fluff balls decides that under the brake is the PURFECT (sorry, couldn’t resist) place for them to take a nap. Or, they’ll want to be on the driver’s lap and just touch their face. Side note: our girl cat is a face touch-er. She just loves to sit on your lap and look at you adoringly, and then touch your face. It’s cute, but probably not the best thing while driving. So the cat’s will remain contained, and they will continue their diatribe of anguished meowing in the car and in the hotels, and my dog will look at us and say—with his eyes, of course—“Why you do this? Why you no love me?”

And of course, once we arrive in California our stuff won’t be with us. It’ll be on a truck arriving sometime later. I’ll have my laptop, but not my main computer or my desk, and we’ll be crashing at my parent’s house until our things arrive and we can move into our new digs. Which means, dear, dear friends, that I won’t be doing a ton of work during that time.
I’m neurotic. I need my familiar things to be truly productive. Plus, whenever I’m home my mom tends to go back to treating me like I’m in high school—please tell me I’m not the only one whose parents do this?—so I get interrupted a lot and end up with a sort of curfew again. Me and my husband, thirty year-old grown-ass adults, will once again have a curfew. But hey, at least I get to eat for free, right?

That’s not to say there isn’t a bunch of new stuff coming. Book 3 in The Monster of Selkirk series is due back from the new editor any day now! Once that’s back in my hands, regardless of where I am, I will go through that bad boy like no one’s business to ensure it gets into your hands sooner. In other good news, books 4 and 5 are pretty much in the final stages of “doneness” as well, so I swear there won’t be such a long wait for those as there was for book 3.

In terms of new stories and projects, my short horror story “The Cautionary Tale of Bertrand Allary” has been published! You can get yourself a copy here along with short stories from 33 other talented authors. If you’ve seen the newsletter, you saw that the secret Pinterest board for the new fantasy series I'm working on is no longer a secret, so be sure to give that a gander. I’m about 70k words into the new project so it’s coming along rather nicely. It’s one of those world’s that I’ve made so robust, that it could very well have several spinoff novels all within the same universe, which I’m pretty excited about. Once you’ve looked at the board, I’d love to hear what you think that book may be about, but I can’t promise to confirm much at this stage due to serious spoilers, and that stuff may change. This is a first draft, after all.
Yay for giveaways! The last project I have in the works is a contemporary fiction. I know, it’s quite the departure from my normal genre, but it’s an important story. It was inspired by true events and, as many of you know, I love making characters that deal with tough things and normalizing those feelings or situations so that others, perhaps, don’t feel so alone. This book is very much in that camp. But because it was inspired by actual events in my life, it’s something that’s even closer to my heart, and makes me feel incredibly vulnerable to share with you all. That being said, I am happy to share that I’ve just gotten that book back from my first critique partner, and once I go through their suggestions, it will go through a few more hands and then revisions and… you get the idea. Even though the book is “done” in terms of writing, it still has a lot of kinks to work out so I don’t have a deadline or timeline of when you'll have that in your hands, as I’m taking it through different channels then The Monster of Selkirk. But rest assured, you will see it.

If you’ve made it this far in the blog post, I applaud you, and shall reward your efforts! You see my friends, I’ll be running another giveaway starting Monday, April 30th. Want to enter? Be sure you’ve signed up for my newsletter! This giveaway will be exclusive to subscribers, and they’ll get a signed copy of book 2 headed their way before I move!

See? I told you I was working hard on fun stuff for you all! I hope that makes up for the weird “break” I’ll be taking as I transport my life. Again.

Meet the Blogger: Kathy at Books & Munches!

Hello my favorite booknerds! As we are approaching the first book birthday for "The Monster of Selkirk Book I: The Duality of Nature" (April 18th), I wanted to do something new in order to give back to the community that helped get Tallis's story off the ground and to spread the word about my little book. I figured the eve of my book's birthday was the perfect time to introduce a new segment on the blog where I feature of one my absolute favorite bloggers! To be 100% honest, if it weren't for the efforts and candor of these fine individuals, indie books would have an exponentially harder time getting noticed in such a crowed space. We, as authors, may be giving them an endless supply of content to review, but without them, we all might as well be screaming into a void. So, THANK YOU BOOK BLOGGERS! And an especially big thank you to one of my favorites: Kathy Holbrouck of "Books & Munches"!

I "met" Kathy when she won my book during a book tour. I didn't know she was a blogger at the time, so man was I fortunate that of all the people who entered that giveaway, hers was the name selected. She read my book and her passion for my world and characters just blew me away. It was one of the best reviews I've ever read. And yes, I know  what you're thinking: that was because she liked my book. Which didn't hurt things but no, it's much more than that. She picks her favorite quotes and writes these lovely in-depth reviews without spoiling a single thing. Plus, she pairs it with food! Her blog is a colorful, safe place for book lovers of all walks of life, that I have unashamedly been lurking on ever since. In fact, check out this post and this one as they are two of my favorites. So, without further ado, I want you to meet Kathy and fall in love with her as I have! Give her social links a gander and see why she's the best:

Blog – Goodreads – Twitter – Instagram

Ok so, first things first: why books and munches? I know you give a brief explanation on your blog, but I’d love more details for new readers. Why combine those two into a blog?

Doing the Popsugar Reading Challenge in 2017, I rediscovered my love for books. Not long after that, I joined a group on Facebook where someone with a blog was selling a bookish surprise box. Her having a blog got me the idea to start my own book blog.

I wanted to do something more with it, but I didn’t want it to be “just” about books so I started thinking about other things that are important to me.

Since I had gastric bypass surgery in 2016, I had to change a lot of my eating habits. Thinking about that, made me realize I could easily figure something out with both books and food. It was then I noticed how books very often mention at least one foody thing and, as such, Books & Munches was born.
 
It’s clear you love reading and want to write a book one day, but what about being a chef? Or writing a cookbook?

Although that sounds amazing, I don’t think it’s something for me. Sure, I love food and baking but half the time I can’t eat  it myself. There are some specific things my stomach can’t handle anymore – chewy meat and sugary things being the most important two. I’d be very limited. Pretty much every time I bake something, my colleagues are getting all the munches – not sure if they love me or hate me for making them eat so many sugary things.

I also love baking way more than the actual cooking – my boyfriend’s the cook here and he might just do some kind of cooking course someday. I’m actually keeping my fingers crossed for that because.. personal chef, hello?!

I am planning on doing some changes to my blog though. I’m figuring out a way to add more of a munches-aspect than there is now but I still have some planning to do on that front!
 
This is a very broad (and multi-tiered) question, but what is it about reading that you love so much? What is the most important thing for you when reading a book? Characters? World building? Unique plot? Etc.

The reason I love reading is because I love losing myself in other worlds, other stories and simply escaping my own reality. Others have their games, movies, other hobbies, I have my books. The community also helps with that, though. I love how all bookworms are united in the book community, support each other and simply recommend books everywhere – although we’re all drowning in unread books already.

As for what I expect when reading a book? I read different genres of books so with each genres there are other expectations as well. When I’m reading a fantasy, the plot and world-building are most important to me. I want to be able to lose myself in a completely new world, immerse myself in it and get the feeling it’s actually real. Being surprised and having unpredictable plot twists are also important to me.

When it comes to contemporary and romance, I need to characters to be completely fleshed out. They need to be their own, unique selves. Nothing worse than having flat, bland characters fall in love with each other when they don’t even have that much substance.

The plot is of lesser importance because the ending of those books are… well… predictable? I don’t mind the predictability that much in those cases, unless I even see the smallest things coming – which was the case when I read When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya
What would be your absolute perfect book? What would it have? Does it exist already, or will this be something you write one day?

Half a year ago, I would’ve answered this and went “I wish it existed” and now I can simply say: Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli!

I wanted a contemporary with a bisexual, female main character who’s also plus-sized and that’s exactly what I’m going to get. The wait is real – I can’t wait to get my copy.

Having been plus-sized for most my life, I just crave more books with plus-sized characters in which it’s okay to be like that. No focus on “trying to lose weight” but simply being accepted by all. That’s the kind of books I want.

I also want more books featuring minorities. There are a lot of those out there, but personally I’d love to see more deaf / hard of hearing characters and blind characters.

Two books I really want to mention here are Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven. Very different books since one is a high fantasy and the other a contemporary, but they tackle so many important topics and easily became two of my favorites!
 
What other bloggers and writers do you enjoy reading or admire? Why?

Apart from Chelscey’s books ( aww, thanks Kathy!!) – I’m so looking forward to the third instalment! – I definitely love Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black. Matthew S. Cox also has some great and unique fantasy novels I enjoy reading. Kate Watson is another author I admire. I never really had a thing with classics – still don’t, to be honest – but her retelling of Mansfield Park, Seeking Mansfield might be changing that. I’ve bought myself the original story and am looking forward to reading it!

As for bloggers I’m most enthusiastic about… Destiny over at Howling Libraries is definitely at the top of that list. I always enjoy her thorough reviews and she’s always up for bookish talk! It’s Lu Again is one of my favorites as well. The discussion posts and random facts she shares are always very entertaining. Marie over at Drizzle & Hurricane Books also shares a lot of posts on harder topics concerning bloggers.

What’s the hardest kind of blog post or review for you to write?

Without a doubt the reviews of books I wasn’t very keen of. It’s hard writing a negative review when you wanted to love the book. You don’t want to author to feel attacked in any way, but I’m not one to sugarcoat things either. I always try to clearly state why I didn’t like certain things and in a respectful way too but you never really know how someone will handle any kind of criticism.
 
If an author wants to reach out to you and wants you to read their book, what piece of advice would you give that would make you more likely to agree to read and review their work?

The most important thing to me is getting the feeling they truly checked out my blog and that convinced them I would like their book. Not simply sending me a mail because “hey, she reviews books. She’ll review mine as well.” It doesn’t work like that.

Drew, from Tattooed Book Geek, recently wrote a post with reasons why a blogger declines your review request and I had to agree with pretty much everything. I’d say it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re an author sending out review requests!
Ok so now for some fun, rapid fire questions:Place you most want to visit: New YorkFavorite food of all time: Spaghetti Bolognese!Favorite band: Papa RoachFavorite movie: The Nightmare Before ChristmasTattoos or piercings (which do you prefer): Tattoos!Morning person or night owl: Morning person [Adulting made me switch teams!]And finally—one little known fact about you: People tend to think I’m all lists, schedules and perfect at planning while, really, I’m just flailing about trying to get everything done in time. But shh, that’s a secret.

I hope you all enjoyed meeting Kathy of "Books & Munches"! If you are a booklover, she really is one to follow, I promise you won't be disappointed! In another month (or two, I am moving...) I'll feature another excellent blogger, so stay tuned my friends!

Blog Tour: Natasha D. Lane, Author of "The Pariah Child and the Ever-Giving Stone".

Greetings, booknerds! I have a special treat for you today: I'm hosting another blog tour! This time it's for Ms. Natasha D. Lane, author of several books, but most recently, "The Pariah Child and the Ever-Giving Stone". I am currently reading the book right now, and will have my review ready on the 22nd, the day of the books official release. But until then, I have an interview for you from the author herself plus all the information you could ever want on the book. Be sure to add this one to your TBR pile!

About the book:
When Sarah was four, she promised her mother she would be a good girl -- a proper young lady in their small country town -- and that she would ignore the creatures who appeared to her and whispered in her ear of things unknown. But like all creatures of myth and legend, they won’t be ignored forever.
 
Now thirteen, Sarah is attacked by a wolf with poisonous black fur and strange, human-looking eyes. With the help of a few unexpected friends, she manages to survive the attack but soon discovers the creatures have returned. They want Sarah to find a powerful gemstone and bring it to them in Lyrica, their magical homeworld.
 
Her new friends urge caution, however. There may be more monsters like the black wolf. And the creatures themselves are frightening. Can Sarah trust them? Stuck between reality and imagination, her mother’s wishes and her own desires, Sarah faces an impossible choice – break her promise or do nothing to save a world in peril.
Interview with Natasha:

How do you start writing a story?

            Sometimes I start with an outline but, more often than not, I just start writing and see
            where the story takes me. This makes editing more of a pain but each story doesn’t come
            to me as clearly as others. I guess I’m more of a prancer than a plotter. However, I’ve
            noticed the older I’ve become the more plotting/outlining I’ve started doing. My favorite
            thing to do is combine the plotter and prancer sides of me. It’s an odd mix but it works for
            me.

What part of a story is the hardest for you to write?

            The middle! Definitely the middle. It’s the section of a story where so much happens, so it pulls a lot out of me as a writer. It kind of forces me out of the comfort zone I fall into when I’m writing the beginning. Additionally, the middle is usually where the main conflict starts to unfold. Not the easiest scenes to write I’d say.

How do you know when a story is finished?

            When every character is where they need to be and each conflict has been settled as best it can, I know a book/series is over. It’s also kind of a feeling. You know when you’ve written that last line because it just feels solid and complete.

If you had to describe your writing style, what words come to mind?

            Lengthy and descriptive. I love describing scenery and physical sensations. Sometimes
            this love can cause me to write long paragraphs whose portions get cut out in editing. I
            don’t necessarily think being long-winded is a bad thing but there’s a time and place. I
            also know it’s not necessary to describe everything, so I keep that in mind, too.

How many words do you aim to write in a day? Do you have specific writing days?

            Besides the weekend, every day is a writing day for me. I set my week up like that
            because you never know when life will happen and you miss a day. I prefer keeping
            it open for any sudden changes.

            In terms of word count, I aim for 2000 a day in the beginning of a story. Then, near the
            end when the story is wrapping up, I cut it down to 1000 a day.

Are you one of those writers who’s immune to writer’s block? If not, what do you do to combat it?

            Those people actually exist? I thought they were like unicorns and leprechauns. :)
           
            Like any writer, I get writer’s block. Usually, it’s because I’m stressed. The stress doesn’t
            even have to be about writing but I know “the block” is a sign I need to step back and
            relax. Once I get my mind cleared over a few days, I come back to the story feeling fresh.

Thanks for your time, Natasha! If you want to check out Natasha's work for yourself, be sure to check out her book on Amazon, follow her on Goodreads, or like her on Facebook. But in case you need more from this talented author right now, I've got her bio all ready for you!

Natasha Lane enjoys reading a wide variety of genres, but fantasy has always been dear to her heart. After a brief stint in romance, Natasha’s returned to fantasy and currently has two works in the making. She plans on releasing her first fantasy novel “The Pariah Child & the Ever-Giving Stone” March 22, 2018.
 
Natasha hopes one day to be a well known published author, whose writing informs as well as entertains her reader.
 
Besides being a bookworm, Natasha is a documentary junkie, rom-com addict, health advocate, entrepreneur, and chef (in her own way).
 
She currently resides in Baltimore, MD. Despite where life may take her, one thing is certain. Natasha will always keep writing.