Christopher C. Payne's Blog, page 14

Firelight – Sophie Jordan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Released Date : September 7, 2010

Harper Collins

ISBN-10: 0061935085

ISBN-13: 978-0061935084

Available Format : Ebook, Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook

 

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Vampires, werewolves, pixies, faeries, zombies, wizards, ghosts, angels, demons, shifters, mermaids, and now dragons. What else haven't I cover?

Firelight is my first book about dragons (well, if you don't count the dragons I read about in Harry Potter) and now I can add Drakis to my list of favourite mythical creatures.

Jacinda Jones is a Draki and being the first fire-breather in her pride (fire breathing is an extremely rare dragon trait and thought to be nearly extinct), the elders had made plans for her entire life without her even knowing it. After an incident where Jacinda had broken her pride's most sacred tenet, her mother, along with her human twin sister, decided to bust the whole family out and start anew in the middle of a desert, hiding in an exposed space where dragons have no place to conceal themselves.

But her mum's decision was killing Jacinda in the inside. By burying her Draki side, Jacinda will also bury a part of her, the only part of her that was real. Jacinda was miserable, she was trapped, and she wanted to escape but obligations tied her down. So what if her only key was Will Rutledge? A guy with a handsome face? A guy who made her feel alive again? The boy who revived her Draki side and made her heart race? And also the boy who happens to be a dragon hunter?

I had my fair share of forbidden romance, from Edward and Bella in Twilight to Patch and Nora in Hush, Hush, and it all ended up with me obsessing over fictional characters. Will I call the relationship between Will and Jacinda forbidden? Obviously. But I would rather call them an ironic couple. A dragon hunter and a Draki, and in this book, humans actually has the upper hand.

Firelight was amazing, not only because it was my first time reading about dragons (I felt like a kid first time being in Disneyland) but the writing kept me at the edge of my seat. The characters portrayed were also easy to relate to. From a forced-to-do-things-I-don't-want-to-do Will, to I'm-stuck-I-can't-get-out Jacinda and to I-just-want-to-fit-in Tamra, the story was all about teenage rebellion and feelings with a fictionalized twist. And the book wouldn't be complete without a few dramas.

+1 for the forbidden romance between Will and Jacinda. I like that Will was not entirely oblivious to the existence of dragons (and that means his not just some random, clueless, mundane human) ; and that Jacinda was torn between approaching him and staying away from him.

+1 for the idea of having a third wheel. Cassian, the alpha Draki from Jacinda's pride was described as selfish and prideful, yet he was both Jacinda and Tamra's best friend before they manifested. The relationship between Cassian and Jacinda seemed more like an arranged marriage to me, and the fact that Cassian is also a draki made the story more interesting, I am sometimes bored reading about werewolves becoming the third party.

+1 for the family drama. Jacinda loved her family, but her mother was tyring to bury her Draki, and she couldn't be happy enough for her sister without thinking about herself. Bittersweet family.

+1 for the sadistic Rutledge hunters. Apart from Will, Jordan managed a great job in portraying the Rutledge 'clan' as cruel hunters, it was very convincing, especially Xander ~shudders~

I've heard many great things about this book and I'm pleased to say that it did not disappoint me. So, if you are looking for a fiery night, don't hesitate to grab Firelight!

Second book of the series, Vanish was released in September 6th 2011.

Reviewed by

Natasha Anne

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Born at Midnight – C.C.Hunter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Publishing Date : March 2011

Available Editions : Paperback, Hardcover, ebook

Reading Level : Young Adult

Publisher : St. Martin's Griffin (First Edition :March 2011)

Language : English

ISBN-10: 031262467

ISBN-13: 978-0312624675

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1) – C.C. Hunter




What if the only thing that separates you from being human, is when you were born at midnight?
Kylie Galen had the worst day of her life, her parents announced that they were getting a divorce, her nana was still dead, her boyfriend broke up with her and she was caught in a high school party filled with booze. To make matters worse, Soldier Dude was back, and he was the reason why Kylie had been seeing a shrink, because, well, a normal human were not supposed to see ghosts, right?
When her mother found out about the party, Kylie found herself on a bus heading towards Camp Shadow Falls, a camp for juvenile delinquents, or so she thought. Soon enough, she will discover that not only Camp Shadow Falls was peculiar, from the girl who was too pale to the boy with gold flecks in his eyes ,they all shared something in common.

They were all born at midnight.



I LOVE THIS BOOK.

After reading too many paranormal/fiction novels, some ideas tend to get boring after a while. The usual vampire vs werewolves drama was getting pretty old, not to mention the overrated forbidden relationship between a mundane human and a monster (though I can't help but keep falling in love with them), Born at Midnight was a breath of fresh air! And now I can look at the paranormal section of the bookstore with much more enthusiasm, in hopes of searching for something alike, or entirely new.
I would summarize Born at Midnight with these three words : pageturner , laughed-over, swoon worthy.
For those of you who are not familiar with the book, Born at Midnight tells the story of Kylie's quest of self-discovery in a camp of Midnight-borns – mythical creatures.

Page-turner – Everything about this book screamed 'Turn the page!', if you like an independent girl character then you would certainly enjoy the story as the author narrated Kylie perfectly.

Laughed-over – Every great book must have great humour, and it's clear that Born at Midnight does not lack in this field. The characters in the story might be mysterious, alluring, sexy and flirty, but they do not lack humour, and that was one of the reason why I fell in love with this book. Della and Martina, one a vampire, one a witch fast became Kylie's best friends in camp, their constant bickering might piss Kylie off, but it was the most hillarious part of  the book. If you think human arguing is interesting, dose yourself with supernatural bickering, you might just love it.

Swoon worthy : Being a girly teenager, a book is not complete without hot guys. Trey, Kylie's ex boyfriend broke up with her before she went off to camp. And when Kylie arrived at Shadow Fall's camp, she found herself attracted to half-fae Derek and werewolf-Lucas, who happened to be her former neighbour! Suddenly, she was involved in a messy love web, Trey wanted her back, she is still not sure of Derek, and she kissed the hot Lucas. Love web, my kind of story.
C.C Hunter's debut novel definitely carved a great impression in my mind, I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!

Awake at Dawn was released at October 11 2011.

Reviewed by
Natasha Anne

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The Demon of Renaissance Drive

Nevermore

Title: Nevermore

Author: Kelly Creagh

Publisher: Atheneum, August 31, 2010

Genre: Young Adult paranormal/fantasy

Format: Paperback, hardback, Ebook

ISBN: 1442402008

Isobel is a cheerleader, perky and blond, who is paired with a dark haired "goth" guy for an English assignment. At first she is horrified that she has to work with him. Even more horrified when she tries to talk to him and he is cold and aloof. Then he writes his phone number on her hand in purple ink.

That one act seemed to have sealed their fate.

Even long after Isobel washed away the purple, she still felt the mark. And the more she gets to know Varen, the more drawn into his world she becomes. Unfortunately for Varen that puts a target on his back. Isobel's possessive (and big fat jerk) boyfriend decided to make Varen's life hell.

It doesn't get any better when Isobel breaks up with the jerk. But Varen and Isobel are drawn to one another, despite the worlds they come from. One day, Isobel peaks inside the journal Varen carries with him and finds herself staring into a dream world that he has created.

When strange things begin to happen and things appear that only Isobel can see her world begins to unravel…

And she begins to realize that the power of a dream and written word are far more than she could ever have known. As Varen is slowly consumed by nightmares of his making Isobel must find a way to save him…or lose him forever.

I had heard some good things about this book before I picked it up. The cover art is stunning and I loved the purple writing (which I loved even more after I put the book down). I didn't know what this book was about when I began reading, I figured I would read and be surprised as I went. I will admit, I really was expecting a vampire book.

I was wrong. There are no vamps in this book. (Yes, a relief to many of you who are sick of the vampire craze). It was a plot like no other I have read.  It is an original idea that I could tell the author put a lot of thought and time into.

I really enjoyed this book for that reason. It took me into a whole new world to explore, with characters that were new. Okay, mainly Varen was new to me. The whole cheerleader and football player thing has been done before, but that's okay, they were still good characters. Anyway, I liked Varen because I thought it was cool that a not so "OMG, that guy is soo hot" guy caught the eye of a "She is so hot" cheerleader". A lot of the YA books that I read are outcast girl gets hot guy not the other way around. So props to the author for that.

I will say Varen didn't have me swooning over him, but I did like him. He was a likable character, once given the chance to get to know him. I liked the juxtaposition of him being a goth and also working at a ice cream shop and spooning up flavors like pineapple. He doesn't seem like a pineapple kind of guy to me. :) He also drove a cool car.

Nevermore is a long book (over 500 pages), which I like, because it really gave me time to enjoy the book and get into the story. Although, about half way through I started getting antsy to know what the story was, what the book was all about. Up to that point it had mostly been about how Isobel and Varen grew closer and how her ex, Brad, bullied Varen.

The one thing that seemed to bother me was that I felt like I didn't really know what the book was about. It seemed that Varen held all the answers and he never gave Isobel any. It bothered me. I was reading and reading waiting for his explanations that never came. Now, another character in the book explained a lot of things, and some things Isobel was left to figure out on her own…which I can see how that might be good, because as a reader I really felt like Isobel, identified with her, because I was trying to figure it out alongside her. On the other hand, as a reader, I want to know! I want to discover things, things that maybe even the heroine doesn't know that way I can gasp then await for his/her reaction upon discovering what was really going on.

In the end I knew what the book was about, I knew what Varen's "ability" was (for lack of a better term) but I never got to hear his side of the story. If I had been Isobel I would really be angry. Here she is in love with a guy who has one hell of a hobby that she got drug into. A little explanation please??

And to be honest, some things still feel left unexplained, left unsaid.

Yes, there is another book to come out in 2012. Yes, by the end of Nevermore you have a clear picture of what the next book will be about, but still I wanted to know more.

Will I read the next book? Yes. For sure. It is a good story line, unique and I want to know what happens. I am hoping those answers that I look for will be given in book two.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes YA paranormal or fantasy and maybe wants something different, something without vampires and werewolves (why anyone wouldn't want a werewolf- I will never know).

So there you have it. My opinion.

This review is written by Cambria Hebert

Abduction

Title: Abduction

Director: John Singleton

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action, Suspense

Format: In theaters now

Starring: Taylor Lautner, Lilly Collins, Alfred Molina

Nathan is a carefree teen with a normal suburban life, living with his two parents and crushing on the girl next door….

Until one day he sees a photo of him from childhood on a missing person's website. At first he doesn't believe that the little boy could be him but he can't shake the odd feeling he has so with the click of a button he ages the photo and is left staring at a picture of himself…

Which leads me to the question:

What would you do if you discovered that the people you lived with, your parents, weren't really your parents?

What would you do if your life had been one big lie? Nathan decides to confront his mother who breaks down and admits that she isn't the baby momma. After telling him how much she loves him she rushes from the room to get his "dad" (not really the baby daddy) but is sidelined…permanently.

Nathan witnesses his faux (but real to him) parents get murdered before his eyes and then a whole chain of events is set into motion…

Who can he trust? Who is he really? And why do a bunch of people want him dead?

The only thing he knows for sure is that the girl next door is hot and he wants to kiss her so he has to keep her safe. (A good tag line – yes?) he he he.

Yeah, Yeah, this is a teenager flick. I know that's what you're saying. But clearly something about the movie (could it be Taylor Lautner's abs?) has you interested enough to read this review. Could it be because the thought of seeing your childhood self on the back of a milk carton is enough to make you shiver? Is it because you wonder what you might do if you found out you weren't really who you thought?

It's a good concept. When I saw the previews I was intrigued (and no NOT by his hottness' abs – well okay maybe a little…) and it seemed like a good plot. So when the opportunity arrived for me to drag my husband off to the theater to watch it I was thrilled.

Was it any good?

I liked it. It wasn't the best movie ever but it was an interesting plot and had a lot of cool action scenes. I liked Lautner and I thought he did a good job and he easily fits into an action movie. The setting was cool and it changed a lot because Nathan was constantly on the run. There were cool cars, motorcycles and even trains. There was baseball and guns too. Every guy's dream, right?

It also had Sigourney Weaver, who played Nathan's head shrink. (Surprise, he suffered from anger management and felt like a stranger in his own life!) I liked her, she is a great actress and she was a great addition to a cast I didn't really recognize much (besides Lautner, of course).

There were some things about the movie that bothered me. Such as, Nathan's crush, AKA the girl next door. In the beginning its clear they have some sort of history and they give each other long lingering looks from across the hall. Except, for me, her long lingering looks looked more like "I know you want me but I'm too hot for you". It annoyed me.  And also, why did she have to be dating a jerk at the beginning of the movie? What point did it serve really? To show that Nathan had anger issues but managed not to bash in the other dudes face? Okay, that happened, but really Nathan didn't conquer his anger because right after the confrontation he went and got drunk. It's called drinking away the pain, my friends…

Anywhoo, this girl continued to annoy me (I know I'm not being nice, but I have reasons) during the movie because really did she not own a brush? Her hair seriously needed one. There was one scene when she had finally pulled it back and I was like "Thank You!" but then two seconds later she had it back down. I wanted to tell her that, "Hey, yeah, guys like long hair, but only when combed."

And then there was this scene where she hurt her shoulder. She's all climbing out of the rubble (Rubble from what you ask? Watch the movie!) and holding it making a "owie" face and then they are speeding away on his bike to his hospital. I'm thinking, "Wow, people are trying to kill him and he has to run, but he's making a pit stop at the ER for his girlfriend, she must really be injured".

Nope.

They slap a band aid on her shoulder.

Yup. A band aid. It's square.

I wanted to smack her. Seriously, you couldn't wait to get a band aid so your boyfriend could run from the men trying to murder him? High maintenance, that girl.

Then later, she does something else I don't care for. Okay, I'll tell you. The bad guy catches her and wants her to tell him the room number that Nathan is in. She tells him no. The guy threatens to break her finger and she caves…

I mean really? It was nothing another band aid couldn't have fixed. Way to stand up for your man. Never mind that he saves your life like fifty times during the movie (fifty might be a little exaggerated).

So, aside from a few inconsistencies here and there it was still entertaining. And I think that would be the goal of a movie like this. To entertain and to make you wonder what you would do in his position.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants an action movie that doesn't take a lot of thinking to figure out. It's just a good time, with a popular actor as the lead. Nothing wrong with that.

So there you have it. My opinion.

This review is written by Cambria Hebert

Scream 4

Title: Scream 4

Director: Wes Craven

Rating: R for violence (lots of blood, peeps), Teen drinking and language

Genre: Horror, Scary

Format: Available on DVD

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts

What's your favorite scary movie?…..

Sydney Prescott: survivor of vicious, bloody attacks is back in her home town of Woodsboro. But she isn't a teenager anymore and she has written a best-selling self-help book all about surviving and bouncing back from dark times.

Sydney expected a quick "sign and dash" book signing in Woodsboro but Ghostface had other ideas. With the anniversary of the Woodsboro murders on the calendar and all the main players in town…

Well, it was time for a remake. Don't you agree?

Sydney reconnects with her old pals Dewey and Gale (now married) just in time to be terrorized by a new Ghostface. But this time the killer isn't just terrorizing Sydney but her cousin and friends as well.

When I asked a few girlfriends to go see this movie with me they laughed. That's right, they laughed. They told me I was crazy. My husband laughed too. What? I said, what's wrong with Scream? I still am not sure why no one wanted to see it, other than a few "that's scary" comments.

Am I the only one out there that wanted to see this movie? Does everyone else think it silly too?

The first original Scream movies (3 of them) came out in the 90's, when I was a teenager, a giggly one at that. These movies (bloody as they may be) hold a hint of nostalgia for me. I still remember sitting in the theater, sandwiched between my best friends with a white paper bag in my hand. Inside the bag?  Sour patch kids of course. I would eat them 'til they burned a hole in my tongue.  I remember sitting there laughing about how hot one of the characters was (if you must know it was Sydney's then boyfriend…yeah, I know he isn't that hot looking to me anymore, but hey, I was 16 and having a sugar high from candy) then gasping in shock at the end. We giggled at the guys, screeched over the blood, and laughed at the "I'll be back's"…

When Scream 4 came out on video I rented it…and made my husband watch it with me. Ha ha. (One good thing about having a husband is they have to watch your movies- because you say so) I had been expecting the blood, expecting the gore and screaming, but I still jumped and I still hid my eyes. What can I say? It's gross.

But I liked it.

And why is it the girl always runs up the stairs when the killer is after her???

So was this movie as good as the originals? Maybe. Remember I am not a sixteen-year-old girl with candy in her hand anymore. I did like Scream 4. It was entertaining and it was a blast from the past. I really like Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox. It even had new comer Emma Roberts, who is a pretty good actress. Neve, David and Courtney stepped back into their roles seamlessly. They portrayed the characters they had been years ago like they had been playing them every day for the past few years. I still liked Dewey's not-so-sharp personality and Gale's eat- you- up and spit-you- out attitude. Sydney was still "goody" as always but I have to say that she impressed me the way she fought back and charged into danger. The lady has guts.

Was the plot original? Well, it is a sequel. To a horror movie. Aren't those all kind of the same? You know, killer running around in a mask or disguise, wielding a knife or chainsaw, and exposing everyone's guts? Scream 4 had that. But the end was pretty good, surprising and it was a sequel brought into the new century….

Meaning there were webcams. (Oh, and cell phones that fit into your pocket)

LOL.

I liked the setting (the movie was filmed in Ann Arbor, Michigan) the town is pretty and looked the same. The newcomers Emma Roberts (yes, her aunt is Julia) and there was a new deputy in town, some blond lady (I don't know her name) who kind of annoyed me. Okay, no kinda, she did. She had the hots for Dewey and Gale was gonna give her a shiner (AKA a black eye) which I kind of liked.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes a scary movie, anyone who wants to be reminded of their youth perhaps (like me) or anyone wanting some entertainment with a bunch of bloodshed.

It is a bloody movie. And it's creepy too. Not normally the kind of movie I watch, but hey, it's good to step out of the box sometimes…And the good ol' days were calling.

In fact, when I finished watching the movie I found myself with a craving for sour patch kids.

So there you have it. My opinion.

This review is written by Cambria Hebert.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by:  Rupert Wyatt

Released in theaters August 5, 2011

Rated PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence

My Rating:  ★★★★★

Will Rodman (James Franco) is on a quest to perfect a cure for Alzheimer's.  Not only is this his life's work, it is personal—Rodman's father (John Lithgow) is suffering from the degenerative disease.  When laboratory chimps begin to show remarkable improvements, even enhancements, from the virus/cure, Rodman is excited to share his research with a company that can put it on the shelves.  Unfortunately, his prize chimp suddenly becomes aggressive and destroys all hope he has for any outside funding, essentially shutting down his program.  Afterward, Rodman and his chimp handler (Tyler Labine) find the reason for Bright Eye's aggression—she was protecting her infant hidden away in her cage.  Unable to destroy the precious life, Rodman smuggles the baby chimp home, names him Caesar (Andy Serkis) and continues his research.  After a protective outburst reminiscent of his mother's final behavior, Caesar lands himself in a primate habitat where he works to lead his peers to true freedom.

I was a little hesitant to go to the theater (drive-in) to watch this one.  First of all, I wasn't sure the content would be suitable for the kids, but we watched a couple trailers together and they wanted to go.  Also, I didn't care much for the last "revamp" of the Planet of the Apes film.  I am thrilled to admit I was extremely impressed with this movie!

This was so incredibly well-written, directed, and acted.  From James Franco down to Andy Serkis (who we already know is extremely talented with CGI projects), everyone was spot on.  The special effects were seamless.  The plot was both entertaining and thought-provoking.  Every emotion that the characters, especially Ceasar, experience is felt through and through.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.  Just like a good book, we all want a good movie to move us—to bring us completely into that world for a couple hours of our life.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes does just that, brilliantly…

Review by Cassie McCown

The Ultimate Sacrifice

The Ultimate Sacrifice (The Gifted Teens Series 1)

By: Talia Jager

ISBN:  2940012446725

Published May 19, 2011

Available Format:  ebook

My Rating:  ★★★★☆

It's pretty cool being a teen with a supernatural gift—that is unless you have the power to inflict pain with your mind and you can't control it.  That's exactly the situation in which sixteen-year-old Kassia finds herself.  Kassia enrolls in a special school for gifted teens and subsequently meets her new best friend, Mira, and a pretty awesome love interest, Daxton.  When Mira is brutally attacked off campus, Kassia rescues her but finds that her power is much more dangerous than anyone knew.  And, she's caught the interest of some truly devious demons in the process.  Now, she and her friends must leave the institute and try to stop the demon forces before they get out of hand.  Will Kassia be able to make the ultimate sacrifice to save them all, or will she succumb to the evil that seeks her out?

I really enjoyed The Ultimate Sacrifice a bit more than Talia's other books I have read so far (I have one more which I'm working on right now!).  I think that's because it is fantasy and has less to do with real life, which I find I like to avoid at all cost whenever possible.  Ha!

I love the way this story is structured.  I love the characters and the fact they each have these special abilities and work together so well.  They complement each other not only in their powers but their individual personalities as well.  There was such honest and interesting chemistry between them, especially Kassia and Daxton.  (I think his gift was my favorite!)

There were bits and pieces of the writing that I felt could have been cleaned up a little.  Sometimes the characters thoughts go off on a little tangent or at least wander off enough to be distracting from the action.  I do think Jager did a better job of building up to a more definite climax in this story, and I am sure that the fantasy element played a huge role in that.  I think writing from first-person point of view actually limits a story sometimes, so it really helped that she switched up who we heard from (Kassia, Mira, etc.) so we got a more rounded story.  I'd love to see Talia write something from a different point of view in the future.

Overall, this book was a lot of fun, well thought out, and fresh and interesting in the world of SO much YA paranormal romance!  Jager is a fantastic and talented storyteller, and I look forward to following her work for years to come…

Review by Cassie McCown

Writing Tips – Editing

If you followed us from our newsletter, welcome, for everyone else let's jump right in….

JournalStone Publishing is pleased to feature this discussion on What it might take to be published, at least with us?

In that context, we are beginning a series of posts on the following topics that might interest you – a great story, surprises, consistency, good editing, an understanding of criticism and a willingness to act on suggestions. For the record, we will not necessarily be reviewing these important topics in that particular order.

We will begin with the obvious and least favorite for all authors – good editing.

Without question – you must edit your text. Many authors realize after they query their work or self-publish it that their book still has errors hidden in the text. (JournalStone takes great care to do expert editing with your novel, if we sign you; but for this discussion, we are talking about editing before your manuscript is ever submitted to a publishing company or agent.)

The wonderful technology that we all enjoy today has unfortunately not made us better writers. It has only made us faster. If you happen to be like me, you may have most of your Word spelling & grammar tools turned off. The colored underlines can be distracting to our creative muse. It is often difficult understanding why a whole sentence was underlined in a document to begin with, because the paragraph seemed just perfect. Therein lies the mistake made most often when writing; if the Word file looks clean, an author is content.

Good editing is a more involved task than just pleasing technology. It is about pleasing the reader. The author's proofreads are not the final step in the process and many authors submitting work believe they have done a thorough job. A second set of eyes however, as well as a third and a fourth…are imperative. In fact, your book cannot be proofread too many times. (We all know the horror stories – in our friend's book or maybe in that famous best-seller last year that was a terrible grammatical read.)

The best editing…is editing you hire. Hire a third party who edits professionally – a person who has the credentials to support their opinions of your text. Those editors will find the flaws in your narrative that Word could never point out. And, sometimes to your dismay, they will find the flaws that your friends and family have overlooked as well. Proofreading is not editing.

Here are some common narrative flaws which will pass by a lot of proofreaders – and Word.

Repetition in the text: You may never see that you have used the character's name six times in a paragraph of five sentences. Repetition will become distracting, even if the reader does not recognize it right away. It is a sure guess that any book with a little of this…may really have a lot of it and it bogs down the reader's experience. Think of repetition like this: it is the cricket under your window at night which will not stop chirping. You will eventually go after the bug spray.

Favorite words or phrases: Most often seen as the overuse of clichés, this can also be the overuse of the word 'very' or 'that'. There is a difference between repetition and overuse. Once a professional editor points out such patterns in your text, you will hopefully be sensitive to them and put an end to the habit. Your writing will greatly improve as a result. But, let's also make one important point about those clichés. If we recognize your favorite TV shows or movies, because of the constant references in your text – you have only filled the page with words that date your book. Narratives need to be fresh and last season's catch phrase by 'that guy on TV' really only belongs on the television. Sorry about that.

Tense: There are so many forms of the word tense but narrative tense – or narrative time – governs the grammatical tense of your sentences. Past, present, and future. They are too easily mixed and readers will hit their reading brakes when they encounter these problems. When tenses are confused, the reader becomes confused. Editors, who love editing, will not let these little gems get past them but their presence in your writing will indicate that a lot of editing is necessary. And, an author who habitually confuses word tense needs the lessons that a good edit will provide.

Subject confusion:  Let's look at the most common example of this writing habit. Four characters; all involved in the same conversation. At some point in the dialogue readers cannot tell which character is speaking. Perhaps the author did not want to repeat names but gave us only the personal pronouns he-she or him-her, and did that too many times without some clarification. This can happen at any time when several characters enter the same scene. There is an art to keeping a reader's focus and it takes skill to identify every character with clarity.  Sometimes an author is just 'too close' to the characters to notice the confusion they have written into a scene.

The grand theme of this post is: good editing will help improve the language in your narrative. Slick technology only cheats at the task. Editing is so much more than finding typos or a misused they're, there or their. A good editor will experience your story as you intended and become your best reader. They will help ensure the next reader runs back for your second book.

JournalStone would like to be your next reader. Our process for reviewing your manuscript is more involved than you may realize and we do provide in-depth comments to stories we really like. However, our first reading is not another proof read. We notice the quality of writing and editing, just as your readers will. We might point out some of the typos and punctuation oversights that we observe but JournalStone judges a manuscript by how much editing is necessary to move the book forward in our publishing process. If your Word document is filled with spelling & grammatical flags, we have to wonder why they are still there. They usually indicate the author was rushing the final steps to produce their book. This is why we stress the importance of finding your professional editor and making improvements before you begin offering the book to the world. Editing time will be the most valuable time you spend on your text.

In closing, we have to address the loudest cry that follows this subject everywhere.  Cost. There are several levels of editing scope. The most thorough is called book doctoring. Authors and editors need to begin their work with a very strong understanding of how deeply to edit the text and how expensive it may become. 

Admit this, please: your book is worth it. Admit this too, please: you can be creative in your negotiations with your editor. If they are qualified, they can still be your friend, your relative or your spouse. If the two of you agree that your book has now become their job and they approach the task with all their professional skill…then you have made a very worthy choice. The cost of good editing will never harm a book; it is a true investment which might set your book apart from many others. It will definitely help you in your efforts to be published, not only with us but with anyone you submit the manuscript to.

Remember, if you are an author and you are signed by JournalStone, we will edit your submission but we, just like all other publishers and agents, expect you to have submitted your best work.  If you can't take the time to clean it up to the best of your ability, what does that say about you and about something you cherish as much as your own writing?

Die For Me (Revenants #1)

Publishing Details
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN13: 9780062004017
ISBN: 0062004018
BINC: 3256814
Age:14 and up
Available format : E-book, paperback, hardcover, Kindle edition, Audiobook
Translated into : Bulgarian





After the tragic death of Kate Mercier's parents in a horrific car accident, Kate and her sister, Georgia left home and moved in with her grandparents in Paris, leaving their tainted life to start anew. Paris was beautiful, but it held no beauty for Kate who was still grieving for her loss.

Until someone beautiful walked into her life.

Vincent.

A mysterious, young man who possessed beautiful eyes, a look to die for. Someone who happens to die 3 days in a month, have the ability to float around, dormant and wakes up after 3 days. A revenant.

I'll Die For You:

1. I love this book for it's cover, who could resist a cover like this? And the title was catchy.

2. The beginning of the story attracted my interest, and the whole idea of Revenants was something new and refreshing, I am constantly seeking for new ideas and this came across as one. It was definitely a worthy read.

Revenants :

-Often compared to zombies, without the consuming flesh/decaying meat part.

-Remains dormant for three days. During that three day period, possesses the ability to foresee someone's death.

-Primary job? Saving those people.

-Hence every time they succeded in saving a soul? They die and is reborn again.

3. The characters were likable, and I do think that in this story, the minor characters added a major spark to the story. I found myself harbouring crushes for them and looking forward to reading more of them instead of going through the usual when-would-I-get-to-the-main-charrie rant.

In this case, I've read reviews that stated the side characters were more interesting than the main ones, I wouldn't say I completely disagree. Kate came across as someone who was a bit typical to me.

I would say I expected more from her and Vincent. I had looked forward to reading some intense discussion between those two (promising cover?) rather than going through the lust-at-first sight cliche, I was a bit disappointed. And Vincent, as much as I like his easygoing character, I honestly hoped he showed more of his mysterious side.

In Die for me, I was more fascinated by Jules, the flirty friend, Jean-Babtise, the man of the house, and Charles, the troubled revenant. Is this even normal?

Nevertheless, I can't wait for book two, and I can't wait for the cover too! I want to see how this story proceeds, I hope it doesn't disappoint me further.

Reviewed by
Natasha Anne