Victoria Moschou's Blog, page 51

The Illustrator Quest

Hello awesome nerds and happy Thursday everyone!

I hope you’re all staying safe and healthy, both physically and mentally. It’s been a couple of crazy days, with events I wish they hadn’t happened, and yet they did, inconveniences that put me completely off schedule and an unexpected turn of events that forced me to start this illustrator quest, as the title of this post quotes.

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Long story short, and as I had mentioned in a previous post, I had started working on a promotional campaign, let’s say, in order to boost my debut novel, Guardian of the Auras, and update the readers out there about the upcoming release of the series’ sequel next year.

But something happened completely out of the blue and I was left with no illustrator, only hours after having revealed that something was going to be released later this summer.

And so, my quest began…

Did you guys know that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of book illustrators out there? I was aware that there were plenty but I was shocked to find out that there’s literally an illustrator for every style! That’s the reason why this research became so much more difficult for me, as I do like different styles, but at the same time, I had to think of which style would be the perfect one for what I had in mind in order to further promote my book and help people feel more intrigued in order to actually pick it up and read it.

As the majority of my target audience are YA/NA readers, I wanted to combine this fairytale-ish/mythical/whimsical vibe, but with darker shades, as well. I found plenty of illustrators who actually combined all those vibes and styles, but being a self-published author, working two jobs AND trying to become a full-time, traditionally published author put some limits to my present budget.

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So, even though I absolutely loved the work of some illustrators, the total cost of their work for what I had in mind practically forced me to put them out of my list. As the list became shorter and shorter, I was left with three final choices, three illustrators with completely different styles from one another.

I asked my boyfriend, my mom, and three close friends which of the three illustrators they would choose, and that somehow helped, as none of them chose a certain illustrator. At the end of the day though, I was the one who would make the choice and I chose to follow my gut, my inner voice and the whimsical feeling in my heart.

So, it is with great pleasure and honour that I can share with you some exciting news. Three of the Guardian of the Auras characters will be “brought to life” by a very talented illustrator, a young lady who’s super famous on Instagram and it is because of three certain pieces that I fell in love with her work. I’m going to share one of the books that inspired one of her latest pieces, and that is House of Earth and Blood, by Sarah J. Maas.

As I don’t want to jinx this any further, I’m gonna update you more on this attempt of mine later in June, but I will definitely make sure to reveal everything when the time comes. And if you’re interested in an… INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY, this can be arranged, too.

Have you guys read the Guardian of the Auras yet? If so, which three characters do you believe that they’ll be brought to life?

Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again! It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Love you all to Pluto and back!

BOOK REVIEW: Twilight (Twilight, #1), by Stephenie Meyer ~ The biggest wake up call EVER! *SPOILERS & DISCUSSION*

“I like the night. Without the dark, we’d never see the stars.” 

~ Stephenie Meyer, Twilight

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Hello awesome nerds, happy Monday and welcome back to a very much needed bibliorambling, because it’s been a while since the last time I shared a spoilery review with you, packed with thoughts and feelings.

Since today’s book is a (let’s say) classic YA Paranormal/Romance book, I can express my thoughts and emotions freely, without worrying that there might be someone who hasn’t read the books or watched the movie at least once.

I’m talking of course about the first instalment in The Twilight Saga series, Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer.

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As the blurb of the book states…

“About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him—and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be—that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite. “

Before delving into more details and spoilers, let me start with the technicalities of this book.

Sure, it’s not something great, nor a masterpiece that should win a Pulitzer Prize, but keeping in mind that this book was released back in 2005, this novel creates the perfect atmosphere for a paranormal love story. The writing might by plain, but there are some iconic scenes and some great descriptions throughout the book. As for the characters, they are what the market demanded back in the day, at least in my personal opinion, but with some extremely pleasant surprises, too.

With all that being said, let’s just get to the actual review, discussion and spoilers of Twilight because, truth be told, I didn’t expect this reread to be so intense and such a HUGE wake up call!

Ok, so… I know that Twilight has some MAJOR issues, but the nostalgia hit me hard in the feels!

A Self-Published Author’s Rant

“Nobody had said that hearts were wild creatures. They only used to say our ribs were cages.”

~ Guardian of the Auras (The Auras’ Chest, #1), by Victoria Moschou

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It’s truly hard to write a book. It’s even harder sometimes to promote it, especially if you have self-published it and there’s no big publishing house to have your back, boost your book and help you increase your sales.

But the thing is that doing everything on your own makes you more determined to do everything in your power to achieve your goals and dreams.

Let’s take me, for instance. I published my debut novel back in 2019, and I’ve been working on its sequel ever since. It was a bumpy ride, that I have to admit and it still feels impossible at times that I will finish the sequel eventually and publish the second book in The Auras’ Chest series.

Still, through losses and happy memories, through career changes and an almost dystopian pandemic, I kept writing, I kept boosting my book (especially via Instagram ~ @ms_victoriousss) and I never stopped thinking of ways to promote my work even further.

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Being a lover of art, working and creating any form of art is hard!

And that is because sometimes, or even most of the times, your effort isn’t appreciated, except maybe by some very select people. The majority though sees the final product, not the effort behind it! That’s why I always loved supporting indie-authors, creative minds that didn’t have the chance to promote their work, young illustrators etc. . That’s why I’ll keep cheering for my Darkling @Nyhterides, my honest, crazy creative friend @SparkDArk1 and…

@bookswithchloe ‘s little sister, Penelope (you can find her on Instagram as @artwithpenelope) because she’s super talented, super sweet and the reason why something extra special will come your way later this summer!

ASMR Unboxing ~ March OwlCrate (from Books with Chloe)

So, for the fans of The Auras’ Chest series, Aurora and her adventures in Rondure, stay tuned, dearies, because I promise you, this summer is gonna be EPIC!

Have you guys read Guardian of the Auras yet? If so, did you like the book? If not, are you planning on reading it (you can follow the link provided above to get your copy)? Lastly, are you excited to see what Penny and I are working on?

Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Love you all to Pluto and back, awesome nerds! Stay safe, stay healthy and have a lovely weekend.

BOOK REVIEW: Bone Crier’s Moon, by Kathryn Purdie ~ It could’ve been EPIC… But it was just ok. *SPOILER FREE*

“Tu ne me manque pas. Je ne te manque pas.”

~ Bone Crier’s Moon, by Kathryn Purdie.

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Hello awesome nerds and happy Thursday everyone.

Though April was a PHENOMENAL month in terms of reading, I can’t say the same about May. At least not so far… And that’s not because I haven’t read any good books this month. It’s just that I haven’t read any EPIC ones yet.

That was pretty much the case with Bone Crier’s Moon, by Kathryn Purdie, as well. This was the featured book for the month of March in the FairyLoot

The Twilight Saga 2020 Reread ~ The Experience, the Nostalgia and the Feels!

Hello awesome nerds and happy Monday everyone!

BOOK REVIEW: All Your Twisted Secrets, by Diana Urban ~ An Intriguing YA Thriller *SPOILER FREE*

Mixing up your TBR and reading interests can lead to some huge surprises! Even when you least expect it to…

That’s exactly what happened when I read All Your Twisted Secrets, by Diana Urban, last month, during the O.W.L.s Magical Readathon.

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I received this amazing book in the Beacon Book Box 

❄️

Hello awesome nerds and happy Thursday everyone!

We’re almost halfway through May and I can’t believe how quickly 2020 is passing by! I just hope that the second half of the year will be better, as the first half felt dystopian and, almost, apocalyptic.

Still, as I wanna cheer you up a little bit today, I’m coming with a great announcement and the June Beacon Book Box theme reveal!

❄️

Hello awesome nerds and happy Thursday everyone!

We’re almost halfway through May and I can’t believe how quickly 2020 is passing by! I just hope that the second half of the year will be better, as the first half felt dystopian and, almost, apocalyptic.

Still, as I wanna cheer you up a little bit today, I’m coming with a great announcement and the June Beacon Book Box theme reveal!

❄️

Hello awesome nerds and happy Thursday everyone!

We’re almost halfway through May and I can’t believe how quickly 2020 is passing by! I just hope that the second half of the year will be better, as the first half felt dystopian and, almost, apocalyptic.

Still, as I wanna cheer you up a little bit today, I’m coming with a great announcement and the June Beacon Book Box theme reveal!

❄️

Hello awesome nerds and happy Thursday everyone!

We’re almost halfway through May and I can’t believe how quickly 2020 is passing by! I just hope that the second half of the year will be better, as the first half felt dystopian and, almost, apocalyptic.

Still, as I wanna cheer you up a little bit today, I’m coming with a great announcement and the June Beacon Book Box theme reveal!