Rin Navarro's Blog, page 4

Fictional Love

[image error]

Now that I’m reading and writing everyday, I start thinking about other things that involve my craft. It has a lot to do with my views of my own life and I know that there’s other people who can understand this. So here’s my first view on love…

I’m starting to realize that as a reader, I messed up my ideas on love. You see, I read about sexy fallen angels, dark faeries, brooding samurais and an Indian prince who has a tiger curse upon him. These were my views on how “Prince Charming” should be.

Then as soon as I closed the book, I’m back in my reality where sweet words were, “Sup’ baby?” I dreamed of guys from the books I read. Whenever someone asked me who my crush was, I would say, “Patch from Hush, Hush.” Or “Irial from Ink Exchange.” I had crushes on people that were fictional, people that I could never meet unless I was in some parallel universe. They were just characters.

So my idea of the “Perfect Guy” is impossible to fill. I fell in love with characters that it’s hard to come back down into reality. This is what reading does….it’s an escape, but it’s also a prison because you now long for a life in a world that is just made up with words. My version of “Prince Charming” is just a guy that’s made up from someone else’s head.

Book Series Highlight #1

[image error] Kerri Maniscalco – Stalking Jack the Ripper series

Usually I do book reviews on the book individually, but there are series that I’ve read that need a whole highlight so with that being said….here’s to my first one….Stalking Jack the Ripper series! I give these books five stars each and then the series as a whole another five stars! It’s a YA fiction suspenseful, mysterious detective series that tied in some of history’s iconic “devils”.

It revolves around Audrey Wadsworth in a time where women should be more worried about marriage and their social status. However, Audrey does not fit into society’s expectations; she loves studying forensic medicine. She feels more calm with the dead than the living so when a string of brutally murdered corpses comes into her line of work, she gets dragged into an investigation of the World’s first serial killer: Jack the Ripper. Under her uncle’s supervision of working with the dead, she meets the annoyingly, enigmatic Mr. Thomas Creswell. Together, they try to solve the case as their own relationship builds.

The series starts off in London, then moves to Romania for Hunting Prince Dracula where Audrey and Thomas go to a school for forensic science. Yet again, another string of murders show up, but this time the corpses are drained of blood with bite marks on their neck. Is the legend of Dracula true? Audrey uncovers dark secrets in the second book and gets lost in the passageways of the Romanian castle that she now calls home.

Once they solve the Dracula case, it is time for our couple to go to New York to solve another blood-curdling case and embark on a voyage across the Atlantic. Escaping from Houdini is the third installment in this series and deals with magic and illusion as Audrey and Thomas are travelling with a circus troupe, The Moonlight Carnival. Women start disappearing and murder is in the air. With no where to run, Audrey is determined to solve this case before more women disappear, or worse, the murdered bodies are discovered.

Finally, the last book is where they land in America and solve their worst case yet. Capturing the Devil takes the couple to Chicago for the World’s Fair where they deal with another famous serial killer: H.H. Holmes. Solving the case is one thing, but capturing the criminal is another without getting lost and trapped inside the Murder Hotel. Meanwhile, throughout the whole series, Audrey’s relationship with Thomas can either break or make it with everything that they go through.

Also, side note: Using The Corpse Bride pops was perfect for this series. Forensic science…corpses…just kind of matched! Okay moving on!

This series has everything I love: Dark history, love, witty comments, sarcastic remarks, mystery, suspense, humor, and a case to be solved. This is definitely books that you will not want to put down! Click below to check out the series set or the books individually!

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rinreads-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0316492825&asins=0316492825&linkId=640138a12bcb4c2b9dc96c4d00837cb4&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff

Writing Tip #3

[image error]

I was going through some of my old journals and found little stories I wrote when I was a kid. There was even some old drawings, and ideas for other little stories. Ideas that have been collecting dust for years! Point is…

Keep everything you write!

Even if you hate it and think that it’s not going to amount to anything. You can always revise it and edit it into something great. I have several versions of a book I wrote when I was twelve, and I’m glad that I kept everything for it. Even my notes. Now I have a whole novel that I’m getting ready to submit to a publisher. The small stuff can add up into something big. Sometimes when you’re stuck, you just need to put the project away for a little bit and come back to it with fresh eyes. Never throw it out!

So keep everything you write! You can always revise a bad story into something great!

Book Review #2

The Companion by Katie Alender

I give this one a 3.5 star rating. It was a mysterious one for sure, but I was able to guess some things which is why this book was good, but I wasn’t blown away by it. It’s about a girl named Margot who loses her family, goes to an orphanage and then gets adopted as a companion for a rich family’s daughter…

It goes straight into the car accident of Margot’s family where she loses her parents and her sisters, leaving her the only tragic survivor. She’s officially an orphan where everyone says that she’s lucky to survive, but is that really something to say you’re lucky about? Instead she’s thinking, “Why me?” She has no hope for her future because who would want to adopt a teen? So imagine her surprise when a very wealthy family wants to take her in.

The Suttons seem nice claiming that they are doing it as a favor to her dad who they knew when they were kids, but something’s a little off about them. Especially their daughter, Agatha. They tell her that she’s sick where she’s just a vegetable, taking everything in, but giving nothing away. They think that if she had someone around her age, then it would help her get better, which is where Margot fits in. She has to spend a few hours of the day with Agatha, being more as a companion rather than a friend.

At first, Margot is a little iffy about it, but she tries to make the best out of the situation. But then other things start happening. The house is playing tricks on her, secrets start unravelling and now she thinks that Agatha’s mom, Mrs. Sutton, isn’t who she thought she was.

This was a fun read and I enjoyed it for the most part. A book about a typical rich family with rich secrets. Check it out below!

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rinreads-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0399545913&asins=0399545913&linkId=c25543dcf3b4fba8243db684364e2988&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff

Writing Tip #2

[image error]

Rejection.

We all go through it. As writers, the road of rejection can be long and depressing. Talk about the number one motivation killer. After the fifth rejection, you start thinking if your work is even good enough. It can become draining and makes you want to just throw in the towel, but here’s the hard truth – it’s a part of this business.

Whether you’re a writer, an artist, a musician, or anything else in life, especially in the creative field, rejection is a part of life. It’s something that you have to go through. It sucks, I know, but the trick is to not let it get you down. Learn from it. Take it lightly and keep moving forward. So what if a job turns you down? Think of it more as an opportunity for a better job to accept you. Just because one door closes doesn’t mean that another one won’t open.

You think authors, actors, singers or artists have never been rejected before? J.K. Rowling was rejected thirteen times for Harry Potter and was even told that it was never going to amount to anything. Now look at her. A total success story. Even Stephen King ran into a few walls when he was just starting out. What did he do? He jumped over them and kept going.

So keep going guys! Keep your dreams up and never let rejection or the fear of rejection keep you from doing what you love. Trust me, it’s just minor bumps in the road to your success story!

Book Review #1

[image error] The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

First off, I want to rate this book as five stars! I loved everything about it! It’s a YA Fiction falling under mystery, suspense and a whole lot of family drama. What more do you need?

It revolves around the sad life of Avery Grambs, who lost her mom and only has her older half-sister, Libby who has boyfriend troubles of her own. Avery dreams of travel after high school, a life far away from her past, but on one normal school day she gets called into the office to meet Grayson Hawthorne, the grandson of a billionaire. What does he want? Well it seems that she is needed to be present at the reading of the will. Naturally, Avery is like, “Wth?” Why does some man she’s never met want her there?

However she goes along and travels to Texas to the family’s very large estate. And when I mean large, I mean LARGE. This billionaire has libraries, a bowling alley, planes, businesses, everything you would expect a rich man to have. She meets the other three grandsons and the rest of the family, ready to hear the will and what it possibly has to do with her. Here’s where it gets interesting…

All of his assets, the house, the businesses and most importantly, the money will go to Avery Grambs and nobody has the right to fight the will or they will forfeit their cut. Crazy, right?! Imagine one day some billionaire dies and decides to give you everything. Somebody you’ve never even met! I think I would die from a heart attack of having $118 in my account to a billion.

There is a catch…she must reside in the house with the rest of his family. Now that’s even more insane. The family is thinking who is this girl and what is she after? When money comes into the situation, things get messy. A few members accept it for what it is, not wanting anything to do with the money, others are angry trying to figure out the plot, but one grandson, Jameson, thinks that it’s something else. One thing about his billionaire grandfather was that he loved a good game. He thinks Avery is his grandfather’s last puzzle to be solved. Avery doesn’t think nothing of it at first, but then she gets caught up in the family drama, the secrets and thinking that there may be a connection between her and this billionaire after all.

I highly recommend this book for any mystery lovers out there. I was up late at night trying to solve the puzzle myself. This is one of my favorite from Jennifer Lynn Barnes! Definitely worth the buy!

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rinreads-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1368052401&asins=1368052401&linkId=f89b1e7ffe96ed737f36278907b3ec84&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff

The Best Graduation Book!

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! This has got to be the most perfect gift for any grad student whether they are graduating from high school or college. With graduations popping up, I just had to talk about this one. The one thing that I love about this book is that it’s a children’s book. When we read Dr. Seuss, we think of crazy characters and words that rhyme yet still make sense.

When I read this as a child, I thought of places where my imagination took me. Hunting for treasure in volcanoes even though I was just jumping from couch to couch. Or sea cave diving when I was just swimming underwater. As a kid, this book allowed me to explore my imagination.

When I got this book at seventeen, it had a different meaning. I understood it on a whole different level because I was graduating from high school and was now looking at the start of my future. It was no longer a children’s book, but one of encouragement. It told me that there was going to be a few bumps in my path, I was going to find myself in a low place, but it also told me to always keep going and never get stuck in “The Waiting Place”.

So I kept going. I kept looking for my opportunities, paved my way when I became stuck and always kept looking forward. When you get older, those silly, fun books you read as a kid become something more that you begin to cherish.

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rinreads-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0679805273&asins=0679805273&linkId=c1097e5245bc9d40686f62c39966cbf2&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffffClick above to check it out! The perfect book for any upcoming grads!

A Preview of A Devil’s Deal

[image error]

The Beginning

First of all, nobody is perfect. Let’s get that straight right now. Second of all, people shouldn’t judge others. Now that we’ve gotten those two things established…I sold my soul to the devil. Don’t judge! Remember, everybody makes mistakes. Mine was just the worst fucking mistake anybody can make in life, but a mistake nonetheless. The stupid thing was that I did it for a guy. Not fame, not fortune, though that was part of the deal, but mainly to be with a guy. A guy I loved. Keyword: loved. Past tense. He didn’t love me as much as I thought he did.

Let me back up a little bit. The year was 1820, and that was the year I laid my eyes on the most beautiful man ever. James Harrington. A Texan soldier who came from a strong, wealthy family. I was just a young Mexican girl who was the daughter of a rancher. A poor rancher. Pretty obvious where this story is heading now. He swore he loved me, wrote letters to me all the time claiming how strong his devotion was, but he said that we could never be together because of my financial background. Long story short, I met the devil in a saloon and made a deal to become rich in exchange for my soul, and I would therefore have the love of my life.

Once I became rich, we were married, but sadly, all of that money didn’t make him faithful. I fell into a depressive state and ended up hanging myself, prepared to face the terms of my deal. Now, to be perfectly blunt, I was expecting hell. Fire and brimstone and whatnot, but instead everything was dark. Not even a flicker of light. I mean, come on! I lost everything and was ready to serve out my part of the deal through years of eternal damnation, but there was nothing. I don’t know how long I was there. Time didn’t exist in that place, but eventually he showed up. The distinguished man in the cowboy hat. The devil. I had hundreds of questions, naturally. Where am I? Why am I here? What’s going on? And he dismissed them all, of course, but told me that I had proved to be interesting. One thing about the devil is that he loves a good show. Apparently, I didn’t give him enough of one when I decided to cut my lights off early.

Once again, I found myself making another deal, except this time I was doing it to save my soul. So what’s the deal now? Simple. Do what has been done to me. I have to find a poor sucker, get him to fall in love with me, and kill him by breaking his heart, and then his soul replaces mine in my old deal. There’s also this time limit of two hundred years that I have to watch out for, so I get to be “immortal” until I get the replacement soul. Sounds easy, right?

Wrong. It’s not that I fall in love with these guys. Trust me, James was enough for my heart to handle. The problem is that I can’t find a good candidate. I don’t want a good guy to screw over. No, I need a real jerk, someone so bad that I wouldn’t mind giving his soul to evil incarnate. But all of the guys I catch are nothing like my first love. They’re nice and sweet, and fall in love with me, till I have to run out and find the next one. It’s really hard to find an asshole. The year is 2020, and my two-hundred-year limit is about up. So far, I’ve had only three serious relationships, but I ended them before my guilty conscience could kick in. I already made peace with the fact that I’m not going to be able to save my soul. And don’t even start thinking that at the last minute I’m going to find a guy, fall in love, and somehow end up saving myself in the end. This isn’t that kind of story.

Another thing I’ve come to realize over my extension of two hundred years is that I think I was born in the wrong lifetime. You would think that a young Texan girl from the early 1800s would ignore the sins of the growing world and focus on her task. Yeah, right. The rest of the 1800s went by in a blur. In fact, after I offed myself, I didn’t exactly jump into this new deal right away. I spent years still in a depressed state before the timer went off in my head. Every guy in my Texan home looked and sounded just like my James. I had to leave. The 1900s were extremely interesting. Almost died on the Titanic (lost a few good candidates on there), partied hard in the Roaring Twenties, nearly starved in the thirties, died too many times in the forties because of the stupid war, met a really good guy in the fifties (ran out of there real quick), lived through another stupid war in the sixties, and the seventies…well, that decade is one big, high memory. I rocked the Madonna look in the eighties, and the nineties were all about partying with military guys until I woke up with my head in the toilet.

When the first “End of the World” was coming for us in 2000, I made a New Year’s resolution that I was going to finish this deal and free my soul. I’d had enough fun for one century. It was time to buckle down and finish what I started. One year passed, then another, and another. It was really hard for me to concentrate on the important things. Then the second “End of the World” came in 2012. Another year, and another. The world was growing, building new attractions and sights, with awesome music, movies, and nightlife. When you can’t stay dead and you have an enormous amount of money, of course you’re going to have some fun.

Now I’m at the end of my bargain. I know I fucked up and fooled around too much, but if it counts for anything, I really was trying this last year. I even met somebody, but he was kind of a dick, and not in the way I wanted…

Want to find out more? A Devil’s Deal is available on Amazon and the Barnes and Noble website!

Experience

This is more like a “Why?” kind of post. So I’ve been dipping my toes into freelance writing, trying to get my feet wet and maybe possibly have a career. I mean, I know writing is the job for me so I thought it would be perfect. I love to write, I love to read, I published a book, working on the second one…why not make a little extra cash by doing what I love? Sounds easy, right?

Ha. Ha. Ha.

For those of you who want to get into the freelance writing game, good luck! It is not easy at all. It is a very high self-motivated job. You have to be organized, have good communication with your clients, know what kind of writing you do and set your prices. All of that I am okay with. I’m a great multi-tasker – can balance projects and get them out on time like a madman. Self-motivation I got. Call me Queen when it comes to motivating myself and keeping my eyes on the prize. Experience…however…bleh.

First off, how do people expect you to get experience if no one is willing to give you a chance? Most of these jobs are the same: “Must be a professional writer.” “Must have experience in copywriting skills.” “Must have experience or equivalent degree.” -_-

I know my skills and weakness as a writer. I won’t try for a job I know that I absolutely cannot do, but if someone would just take a chance on me, I know that I can rock it! Am I the only struggling writer out there hating the word “experience”?

Writing Tip # 1

[image error]

Writing tip #1….

Write!

I know, it’s hard, it’s frustrating, it could be annoying staring at a computer screen for hours on end, but how do you expect to get any better? What should you write about? Anything. Even if it is something insane like a dolphin that flew into a volcano to save the Watermelon King (I was seven when I wrote that), but it made me happy and that’s the point. If it makes you happy and takes you away for even a little bit, then write about it. Who cares if others are going to like it because as a writer, you’re not going to please everybody.

I look at those silly stories I wrote as a kid and thought about revising them into something more or heck! Why not just leave them as kid stories? When we’re kids, anything was possible. The floor was lava, the vacuum was a monster and the dog was a shark. The point of writing is to escape into another reality that you create. A place where the moon is cheese, werewolves exist and heroines like Buffy are out there slaying vampires.

So writing tip #1…Write! And keep writing, don’t stop because you never know what a few lines could turn into.