L.M. Preston's Blog, page 41

Underworld Awakening - Movie Review

Fandango Blurb:
In the years since she and her human-lycan lover, Michael, defeated Elder Marcus, vampire warrior Selene (Kate Beckinsale) has been taken captive by humans, while they wage an all-out war against both lycans and vampires. Awakening after more than a decade, Selene discovers that Michael is dead, but that she has given birth to his daughter, Eve. Shunned by nearly all surviving vampires, save one (Theo James), even Selene seems powerless against her latest opponent: a genetically enhanced lycan.

My Review:
Action Overload with just enough of a plot to tease you. I have to admit it, I'm a lover of the Underworld movies series. They have vamps that don't count on their 'sexy' to get them a kill and lycans that make me want to run and hide in the theatre. A sprinkle of romance laced the earlier movies but there's no time for love in this one only a few touching lovey moments. This was 100% action, killing and vamp vs lycan war. This was so fast paced I didn't even realize the ride was over until the end. And Selene (Kate Beckingsale) kicked but like before and I loved it. Not much bloodsucking in this one, but a lot of fighting, shooting and blowing stuff up. I give it 4 out of 5 stars because again there was little plot and I'm a vamp and lycan lover that loves action.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Discovering A Hidden Muse

If you are a writer, dreamer, actor, artist of any sort then you are always looking deeper. Studying people, trying to connect with something or someone that will allow you to create.

As a writer I like to study people. Never take anyone for granted since you can't figure out a persons life journey by just looking at their faces.

Well this weekend I discovered something about one of my kids that I'd missed.

SAY WHAT? IS THAT MY KID?

Parents usually seem to make assumptions about their kids without actually studying them. Getting to know them. Know what makes them ticked.

Well this weekend I learned something about my 8yr old that I've taken for granted. Only because the kid is always around me.

HE's A SHOW HOUND

While in Downtown Disney, my oldest son (17yr old) started dancing. My 8yr old copied his dance moves, but about 5 minutes into their duo and a large crowd later,my 8yr stole the show. I didn't even know this kid could dance like this. He did break-dancing, flips, and moves he'd been watching on several Dance Crew shows and the boy actually absorbed it all. He had a huge crowd and my mouth was hung opened because I so didn't know this kid!

TRANSFORM IT INTO YOUR ART

The writer in me just soaked it in - after my tongue made it's way back in my mouth. And I tucked that knowledge away to put into one of my characters to come. That little something that gives them a ZING, BOP ... and makes the reader cheer for them.

REALITY TO ART

That's what writers need to continue to do. Find time to get out and discover people - discover your art. And have fun too!

Don't be afraid.

SO HAVE YOU FOUND A HIDDEN MUSE? Where? Do Tell...LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Warriors Omen of the Stars by Erin Hunter

Hello ya'll my new Middle Grade Book Reviewer - MIA is here to give a review of a series she absolutely loves!!

The Warriors Series by Erin Hunter

Warriors: Omen Of the Stars

Amazon Blurb:

Four warrior Clans have shared the land around the lake as equals for many moons. But a prophecy foretells that three ThunderClan cats will hold the power of the stars in their paws. Jayfeather and Lionblaze know that they are two of the cats in the prophecy. Now the brothers must wait for a sign from StarClan to discover the identity of the third cat.

Meanwhile, Dovekit and Ivykit—kin of the great leader Firestar—are poised to become ThunderClan apprentices. Soon one sister will have an ominous dream—and will begin to realize that she possesses mystical skills unmatched by any other cat.

In the midst of a cruel season that threatens the lives of all four warrior Clans, bonds will be forged, promises made, and three young cats will start to unravel the secrets that bind them together.

MIA's Review (5th Grader)

First of all, I love animals. I wanted to read a book about them and I found the Warriors series at the library. I can't stop reading them. When I read it I like that I can see the story like a cat would see it. The adventure was about helping the ancestors. It makes me think of the cats like sort of an tribe. They close family and I really got attached to Dovepaw and Jayfeather.

I liked the first two series the most. But haven't read all of them yet. Every one of these books have cats that have a great adventure.

PARENT Review (by LM Preston)

My 5th grader wasn't always a reader. She loved graphic novels but would shy away from chapter books. Until we found a series of books of topics that interested her - animals. She loves animals and this series seems to wet her appetite. This series is more for a upper middle grader, but I read it with my daughter and she did well with it.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

I've Been Inspired!

The beginning of the year I was exhausted. And started to think, maybe kicking out three manuscripts was a tall order. Maybe, I didn't want to write for a small while. You know take a break, evaluate if this is something I need to keep doing - for myself.

INSPIRATION COMES IN THE MOST OBVIOUS PLACES

Then my 10yr old daughter came to me with her manuscript - YEP, she had written five full pages of her story. She loves animals and wrote a story about a baby lion named Theo who wanted to unite the species of his land.

OMG! This is why I write - not just for me, but for myself and others. My little girl told me, "I want to write like you mommy. Maybe you can help me with my story."

MORE ... and MORE

Then I get an email from one of my writer friends, telling me she needs me to motivate her to finish her book.

MORE and MORE

Then it came ... another idea for a series. And the promise to my little girl to help her write her story.

AND IT BEGINS AGAIN ... inspiration

FIND Yours ... and share :-DLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

The Dead and The Enemy by Charles Higson

My teenaged son is a Zombie addict. Not to mention and action junky. And Charles Higson delivers - BIG TIME in these two books of his 3 part series.

Read THE DEAD (pre-qual to The Enemy) first even though it was written after THE ENEMY.

BUY IT HERE



Goodreads Blurb:
This second entry in Charlie Higson's terrifying series about children battling zombie grown-ups begins one year before the action in THE ENEMY, when the disease first strikes.

My Review:

*Read this BEFORE The Enemy*

Intense! Smart kids! Suspenseful zombie drama I could not put down. I found this while searching for a good zombie book that would keep my teenaged boy reading. There is no lovey dovie romances in this one, straight horror, fighting for your life and even death to the teens in this books. Sure there are some parts where I'm like why didn't they do this or that, but the only challenge I had was keeping up with all the characters. However, my son loved the mishmash of different characters coming and going. This is a nail biter that my husband even loved. Even though this was the 2nd book in the series (a pre-qual) I'd read this one first since the second book takes awhile to understand some of the reasons for things happening and even this book doesn't fully resolve the reason why people are getting sick and turning to zombies. I give this a 5 out of 4 stars simply because there were a few left open questions.



Goodreads Blurb:
A sickness has afflicted everyone over the age of 16; anyone who is a "grown-up" has become a decomposing, brainless creature that survives by feeding on children. The children and teens have barricaded themselves in fortified buildings, fighting off attacks from the grown-ups who travel in packs, like hungry dogs. Before long, the young survivors are promised a safe haven in Buckingham Palace and make their way to it, crossing London on a perilous journey that will test them in harrowing ways. But their fight to stay alive is far from over—the threat from within is as real as the one on the outside.

MY REVIEW:

I love it! I couldn't sleep at night, I read this instead of watching The Walking Dead. Of all the characters, I really got connected to 'Little Sam' and his survival during this "Sicko" zombie infested world. I'm glad I read the first book though because this one does little to explain the cause of this disaster. In this one, the body count is also high. It's brutal, intense, suspenseful and frightening....everything a teenaged boy or girl will love in a gory horror filled with smart, weak, hurting, surviving kids. I gave this one 4 stars out of 5 for the unanswered questions regarding the origin of the disaster.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit by Susan Kaye Quinn

NYIA teen book reviewer is in the house! She's looking at a sweet romance called Life, Liberty, and Pursuit by Susan Kaye Quinn.

Amazon Blurb:
When college-bound Eliza falls into a cruise-ship pool, she doesn't expect to fall in love. And when navy recruit David pulls her from the water, he finds her surprisingly hard to resist. But a whirlwind of rescues, candlelit nights, and beachside misunderstandings pulls them into a four-day love affair that threatens to break their hearts before their love has a chance to start. When David leaves for endless drills and physical training in boot camp, and Eliza returns to Albuquerque to prepare for Princeton in the fall, they dare to keep loving each other and struggle to imagine a future when they can be together. But when miles and mistrust pull them apart, they are forced to choose between keeping true to their dreams and having the courage to love.

NYIA's REVIEW:
Awwww! This story was so cute. I really liked Eliza and wanted her and David to work out. But I think I would have liked a bit more drama. I didn't mind how fast they fell for each other but I was sad about the long distance relationship since I couldn't see anyone being able to do that even with talking on facebook. I really enjoyed it though and give it 3.5 lifeboats out of 5.

AMAZON LINK TO PURCHASE: CLICK HERELM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Editing Sucks! But there are tools to make it Better

Editing is a big issue for many writers. Not to mention that one doesn't usually have the money to pay for a professional editor prior to submitting their novel to Lit Agents or Publishers.

But there is software available to help a writer tighten up their manuscript prior to sending it out for submission. In cases of publishing their own works, using these tools can help get a manuscript as clean as possible prior to sending it to an editor.

WHY CLEAN UP A MANUSCRIPT IF AN EDITOR IS GOING TO?

Editors are human. They make errors, don't find things, and unknowingly miss obvious errors in works also. No book is without room for improvement. An author should always try to get their work in the best possible shape BEFORE it goes to the editor to ensure that their work is represented at its best.

I've paid editors to edit work and there were still errors – even had proof readers after final edits. But the human eye, and talent for editing is rather unique with each editor used.

For example, if you had a bowl full of cherries, some good and some rotten … wouldn't you rather start cleaning up the bowl with less rotten cherries and wouldn't you most likely be able to clean up all the messy cherries when there aren't too many?

HERE ARE SOME TOOL BREAKDOWNS

Use these tools when you have personally edited your manuscript as best as you can: after you have had your work critiqued by other authors and beta read at least 3 times, with cleaning it up yourself thereafter.

Once the above steps are completed, then purchase short membership and use of tool for specific types of errors.

Autocrit – I've used Autocrit to find my repeated words and phrases mostly. It has a free offering for testing it out on it's website. Just use the free feature if you only produce a book a year, but if you are like me and kick out three a year a minimum subscription really helps. I do the gold membership for $47 since I edit in small pieces.

Grammarly – I have a habit of using the wrong word in cases where there are two words that say the same thing but doesn't mean the same thing. Grammarly is a great tool for helping me find these issues. It's cheap at $19.95 a month and I only use it the month I want to edit my book. Then I cancel the subscription. I use this on my 2nd and 3rd drafts prior to submitting to agents or an editor for my small press to publish.

MasterEdit – This is a good tool at just $30 if you plan on using it frequently. I haven't used it yet myself but plan on purchasing it and trying it out next year for the three manuscripts I have planned. I hope to use it after my 3rd run through critique partners and beta readers.

MyWriterTools – This is also a cheap tool, now on sale for $24.95 that works within MS Word as an add-on. It covers all of the features of the above tools and can be useful while writing that first draft. I'm planning on using this also so that I can have a cleaner first draft. Hopefully, it won't slow my progress.

StyleWriter is also an add-in but for me personally it looks too complex. It has great customizable features though and is free for downloading and trying out. So check it out and see if it meets your needs over the above.

AutomatedEditing – This monthly membership works in a similar way as Autocrit but you can also try it out for free. I prefer Autocrit over this one but most likely due to personal preference.

Kibin – Use this site for a critique of sorts. Great feedback is given here and if you are having problems securing good beta readers (I get mine from absolutewrite.com and yalitchat) or a critique partner here's a good resource for feedback. Just have thick skin.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Staying Positive for The New Year

I DO BELIEVE DREAMS CAN COME TRUE

When I look at all the wonderful and amazing things that happen to me in 2011 I get a shiver of excitement. Now don't take that to mean that there weren't some serious pitfalls, struggles, sadness and heart clenching moments - there were many. But even though bad things happened, some really wondrous things happened too!

THE BEST THING - DREAM I could DREAM CAME TRUE but with tragedy

I always wanted to meet author, LA Banks, who was a best selling author of the Vampire Huntress series. After stalking uh...following her on twitter, Facebook and such I reached out to her to be a guest on yalitchat.ning.org since she had just self-published her first YA novel, Shadow Walker.

WOULD you believe it, she contacted me and the invite grew to a friendship. Because, well even though she was a Best Selling Author ... she had a heart of pure gold, a loving nature and a giving spirit. She encouraged me to write the then WIP I told her about.

BUT it gets better! I invited her to an event in April, the Maryland's Writer's Convention and she came. Meeting her was a breath of fresh air. She also returned the money we gave her to come as a donation to the organization.

THEN tragedy struck when I found out just 4 months later that she was dying of cancer.

STAYING POSITIVE

I knew at that moment she visited me with the possibility of knowing that she was ill. And all she did was smile and talk about how blessed she was.

DREAMS CAN COME TRUE
and if you believe it, make a plan, be happy with your accomplishments ... who knows you will achieve it or more!LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol

One of my favorite things to do over the holidays is check out movies. I went to see three. This one is my favorite so stay tuned for the others.



Fandango Blurb:
Blamed for a terrorist attack on the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the entire IMF agency are disavowed by the U.S. government, while the president initiates the Ghost Protocol. Forced to go "off the grid" -- left without resources or backup -- Hunt must somehow clear the agency's name and prevent another attack. Complicating matters even more, Ethan must undertake the impossible mission with a group of fellow IMF fugitives whose actual motives are suspect.

My Review:
Thank goodness this wasn't offered in 3D, lol! Anyways, I love Tom Cruise and knew that he wouldn't do a movie that was half bad so I really looked forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed. There was a jail breakout, building climbing and other impossible challenges for his team to overcome. And you know what? They made mistakes, big ones, but I honestly have to say by the end of the movie I was in love with each character and hated to see them go. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars only because some things just seemed a bit too convenient.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Christmas Favorites

My Dreamy Christmas Songs for 2012

Polar Express - My kids sing this to me for the last 2 years :-D



Mistletoe - Justin Bieber my daughter told me to add this and I like it too!



Faith Hill - I still love this one
http://youtu.be/cSMjgNMdzEILM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS