Reena Jacobs's Blog, page 25

Teaser Tuesday: Flame of Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

In publishing, things don't always work the way we expect. Of course, that's not always a bad thing. My writing buddy, Rhiannon Paille, had a surprise early release! Woot! Flame of Surrender came out October 6. Today she's here to tease us a bit with her debut novel.

[image error] The boy who follows death meets the girl who could cause the apocalypse.

Krishani thinks he's doomed until he meets Kaliel, the one girl on the island of Avristar who isn't afraid of him. She's unlike the other girls, she swims with merfolk, talks to trees and blooms flowers with her touch. What he doesn't know is that she's a flame, one of nine individually hand crafted weapons, hidden in the body of a seemingly harmless girl.

Nobody has fallen in love with a flame until now. She becomes Krishani's refuge from the dreams of death and the weather abilities he can't control. Striking down thousand year old trees with lightning isn't something he tries to do, it just happens. When the Ferryman dies, Krishani knows that he's the next and that a lifetime of following death is his destiny.

And Kaliel can't come with him. The Valtanyana are hunting the flames, the safest place for her is Avristar. Krishani can't bear to leave her, and one innocent mistake grants the Valtanyana access to their mystical island. They're coming for Kaliel, and they won't stop until every last living creature on Avristar is dead. She has to choose, hide, face them, or awaken the flame and potentially destroy herself.

"I won't have to surrender."

She leaned forward and softly kissed his lips. A look of sheer longing came over him. He walked her back into the cave and led her to the ground, his body covering hers. His hand trailed down her dress and cupped her knee. She let out a soft moan in his ear and he pressed his lips into her collarbone. He hesitated, and she thought of him running his hand up her thigh.

Find Flame of Surrender at Amazon and Smashwords

***************************

About the Rhiannon Paille

Once upon a time there was a pretty little girl. She was psychic but she didn't know it yet. She met a boy who died of leukemia and she knew. The rest is history.

When she was growing up she read a lot of books and wrote a lot of stories. She used to read in the fading light of dusk, squinting to see the words until they blurred into inky nothingness. And then she would dream about the boy that died. She imagined an entire life with him, but she never thought she'd see him again.

And then one day her life turned into an urban fantasy. She could hear people's thoughts and see the future, and feel people's emotions. She saw ghosts, spirit guides, and demons. She didn't know what any of it meant.

And then she met that special someone that changed her life, a man whose name she had written down once in her diary. He taught her about being psychic, and helped her accept what she was.

Nowadays she reads a lot, and writes a lot. By day she reads minds, heals people, and fights demons, personal and metaphysical. By night she writes about ferrymen and flames and psychics and awkward people. She's not omnipotent but some people think she is, she's an over qualified over achiever with a PhD, and if she were a food she'd be a Chinese buffet, exotic but ordinary.

She thinks ferrymen are sexy.

She hopes you think they're sexy too.

Connect with Rhiannon Paille on her Website

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Novel Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

I picked up Ashfall by Mike Mullin from NetGalley. Yes. I'm addicted to NetGalley. I can't recall ever reading a novel with a male teen protagonist. I have to say, ever since I copped out of writing I Loved You First from the male perspective, I've been quite curious. This was my opportunity to read what goes on in the male mind and written by a male author! Plus! Plus! Plus! So the blurb from Mr. Mullin's website:

Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don't realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano. It has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, and it will erupt again, changing the earth forever.

Fifteen-year-old Alex is home alone when Yellowstone erupts. His town collapses into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence, forcing him to flee. He begins a harrowing trek in search of his parents and sister, who were visiting relatives 140 miles away.

Along the way, Alex struggles through a landscape transformed by more than a foot of ash. The disaster brings out the best and worst in people desperate for food, clean water, and shelter.  When an escaped convict injures Alex, he searches for a sheltered place where he can wait—to heal or to die. Instead, he finds Darla. Together, they fight to achieve a nearly impossible goal: surviving the supervolcano.

Before I started this book, I skimmed over the Goodreads blurb, which is a bit different from the one above. Apparently, I skipped over a few too many words, because I didn't realize this was a search and rescue type mission. Right off the back, I have to say, I'm not fond of those kind of books. HOWEVER, Ashfall reeled me in.

I loved the author's voice. Let's start with Alex. I immediately connected with him because he reminded me so much of my daughter, Alex. Same name, same hobbies, if you can call World of Warcraft a hobby, and same moody attitude. It didn't take long for Alex to reevaluate his life and realize what was really important. And I can guarantee it wasn't making it to level 85 on his Death Knight.

Throughout the story, Alex had just the right amount of childishness about him to make him seem real. Not his attitude so much, but rather the way he went about his everyday life. Though he talked about conservation and how long his supplies needed to last him, he never seemed to change his consumption rate. For him, it was feast or famine.

Darla was the wildcard. Okay… the whole book was a wildcard, but Darla was full of her own surprises. She was the ultimate tinkerer. If I could give her a motto it would be: Just give me moving parts, and I'll do the rest. I loved Darla's inventiveness. She could get out of just about any situation. On the other hand, I wasn't quite fond of her over all attitude. Honestly, I hope I never meet an individual like her. She was unreasonable rude way most of the time. Other times she overly verbal with her every-(wo)man-for-(her)himself mentality. For someone her age, one would think she'd learn how to curb her tongue a little and be a bit more subtle. With her out of her comfort zone, it'll be interesting if she changes her talk in the sequel.

Despite the search and rescue theme, I quite enjoyed the storyline. There were enough close calls to keep me wondering who'd survive the ordeal (besides Alex, that is). Overall, this was a great read. It had a definitely conclusion, but provided a new opening for the next book, which I'm definitely looking forward to reading.

Notes for parents: Safe sex was addressed in Ashfall. However, the benefits were totally squashed with the idea of reusing condoms. I'm also not sure why the teens were such eager bunnies.

Available at: The Book Depository and Barnes & Nobles

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Giveaway Winners! I Loved You First

The I Loved You First Blog Tour has finally come to a conclusion. And we have winners!

The last giveaways for I Loved You First was a two for oner. Hmm… oner isn't a real word, but I'm sticking with it.

Basically, a commentator leaves a comment on one of the tour posts (cause that's what commentators do). They return to the Kickoff post and enter. That entry puts them in the running for a signed copy of I Loved You First as well as a separate copy for the blog they visited.

Before we get to announcing the winners, I want to thank everyone for participating. It truly was a marvelous experience to see the buzz around the net.

So the winners are

Sarah Setar (Commentator)

Interestingly enough, one of her entries also won a copy for a blogger!

Sarah Bibi Setar said:

I commented at: http://magicofreading.blogspot.com/2011/08/i-loved-you-first-by-reena-jacobs.html

I loved that the review mentioned how the book has a great impact by handling such a sensitive issue so carefully.

Sarah

Congratulations — Leanne at Magic of Reading

Emails will go out shortly to the winners.

Thank you all for spreading the word!

In other news!!!

Last night I uploaded Regina's Story to Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Nobles. Woot!

Regina's at it again, but this time she's in charge… or so she thinks. Armed with a riding crop and whole lot of attitude, she's determined to bend Brandon to her will. Find out just how far Brandon's willing to let her go in this midday romp.

I really starting to dig these short stories. I already have a couple more shorties featuring Regina and Brandon in the works. I haven't decided who will star next. Likely Regina, since what I have in mind with her is more in line with her personality. Brandon is about to step out of his meek role, and I want to make sure he doesn't come off overly harsh. We'll see. In the meantime, pick up a copy of Control Freak: Regina's Story.

I cannot tell you how easy the process was using StoryBox. Stay tuned, because this coming Friday I plan on a writing a quick tutorial on preparing my final draft for publication using StoryBox. In the mean time, check it out. Play around with it for a bit. Then return here on Friday and read my rambling.

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Novella Review: Soul Deep by Lora Leigh

I got so wrapped up in writing-related stuff, I almost forgot this review was due today… well, tonight now. I've actually had Soul Deep for quite some time. So let me tell you the story. A few weeks ago, I was in the mood for some hot erotica and went searching on Amazon. Lo and behold! Soul Deep by Lora Leigh popped up in my search. Hmm… don't have I have that book somewhere? Sure enough. I found it on my bookshelf on the "special" I-may-not-EVER-get-around-to-you shelf. Thing is, this isn't the type of book I'd normally purchase. So how did come by it? Well, last year, I was on a giveaway spree. Not hosting and providing the goodies, but actually ENTERING to WIN the giveaways. I went crazy, people. I entered anything and everything. I never expected to win anything. After all, I never won giveaways. Okay… something crazy happened. I started winning like crazy. And last year, I won Soul Deep from Diane from Book of Secrets. Thanks, Diane! I put this book on the shelf with many, many other winnings, wondering when I'd ever get to it.Well, I did. The blurb from Ms. Leigh's Website:

Mother Nature has a way of making the most unlikely couples 'fit'. And what could be more unlikely than a sassy, independent President's daughter who doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut and a loner Coyote Breed with a hunger for a cute rosebud mouth that he's determined to still.

The vote for Breed Law is coming down the pike. Kiowa's job is to watch Amanda, the President's daughter—look, but not touch. Just make sure the Goof Troop, the Secret Service detail assigned to protect her, do their job until the law is passed.

But when they don't and the bad guys move in to take her out, Kiowa reluctantly slips in to the rescue, snatching her away to safety. But she isn't going to come easy and it takes more than smooth talking to make her see his point of view.

For a man who's had nothing, Amanda Marion is food for the hunger that has tortured him, the reality to every dream Kiowa never dared believe in. What he feels for her is more than heat, more than love. She breathes life into his hardened heart, melting the icy chill that has protected him all his life, and touches a part of him that he thought had died—his soul. And now he'll kill anyone who tries to take her away from him.

But the one person he can't fight is Amanda, and when she wants to leave…

 The first thing I hit was chapter 1 (well, duh), which happened to be written like a prologue, completely in italics and everything. The information was useful though, if not a bit dry and mislabeled. Seriously? I was a bit apprehensive. Later I discovered even though Soul Deep was the first of the Coyote series, it wasn't the first of the ENTIRE Breed series. So the upfront information really helped and made Soul Deep a standalone story.

Okay… my review might sound a little harsh, but I'm telling you, I really liked this story (4 out of 5 stars). It was just what I was looking for when I went in search of a bit of erotica.

My first impression when the sexy got to happening was Amanda was every man's dream come true. Kiowa pretty much got to do anything to her, and she loved it. Dirty little slut came to mind. I was like, what's with her? It was like reading a porn movie. Keep in mind, I was looking for erotica, so a little naughty wasn't a bad thing.

Later, I found out why she was behaving the way she was, and it totally reminded me of Shadow Cat with the uninhibited lust due to being in heat. One awesome thing about Soul Deep, the sex scenes were evenly spaced throughout the work rather than clumped together in the center like Shadow Cat. For an up and coming writer like me, Lora Leigh offered an excellent example.

So here's the bottom line. I DEFINITELY look forward to reading more Lora Leigh. Thanks again, Diane!

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Working Wednesday #24

I have no idea what I've accomplished this week. To be honest, I have the feeling I've been very unproductive. We'll see though.

Your Final ILYF reminder: The giveaway for the last signed copy of I Loved You First ends Friday, October 7.

Here's how it works: comment on any of the posted on the tour then return to the kickoff post and enter to win. That's it.

Writing

Edit Chasing Shadows ~ I didn't touch this work. I'm not even sure I pretend to open the project this week.



Finish/edit one scene a day. Currently at 8/50
Get it to an editor (If I earn enough through sales to pay for one, otherwise this might be one of those works which doesn't get published for awhile. No more dipping into family funds for my publishing ventures. After 3 releases, this business should be self-sustaining, and if not, well… it's not going to become a money pit.)
Release by January 1 (hopefully – pending the funding I mentioned above)

Finish writing/editing Regina's Story ~ I started polishing this yesterday. Hopefully I'll have it polished by the end of the week. It's not like it's all that long.



Write the darn scene by the end of the month Completed Working Wednesday #21
Take a couple of days in early October to polish it
Release Regina's Story by November

Finish writing/editing Injustice is Served ~ Finished another story. The last one is stewing. I have a few parts of it written in my head, but haven't settled on a good beginning. I'd love to finish this and get it out next month, during NaNoWriMo



6/7 complete – Finish 1 story a month so the first drafts will be ready by November
Polish them in November/December
Release before Christmas

NEW GOAL: NaNoWriMo

Decide which story I'm going to write. Thinking about one of the following:

Book 2 of Trinity's Destiny (the gal from ILYF). I haven't finished the first book yet. However, I know already how it's going to end. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for Book 2 (Trinity's Descent), however I have a nice tone for it. In fact, the first and last chapters are already written in pseudo form. I'm pretty happy with it. Now I've got to figure out what goes in the middle.
An end of times (biblical revelation) story. I've been thinking a lot about this. I have the first two scenes written in my head. I'm just not sure where I want to go with it. Also, there's a LOT of research needed for it. I started some rough outlines, because I'd like it to be a series. However, I'm not sure I'm ready to start a project that HUGE.
Sci-fi space story w/a bit of cybernetic action going. I envision a Star Wars like universe where folks travel from planet to planet. I've got an inkling of a story line. In fact, I believe I have a crappy outline somewhere. I wasn't satisfied with it. Before I finished the outline I  saw plot holes and issues with believability. I think a similar story still has potential, I just need to work out the issues.

Write the outline for whichever story I choose
Develop character profiles for the main characters (except Trinity… I already know her an have a character profile written from Book 1)
Come November 1, write 2000 words on the week days (M-F)
Write 1500 words on the weekends (S & S)

Reading Challenge

I'm currently 2 books ahead. I've been so caught up in reading, I've done very little writing.
My current reads is Was America Founded As a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction by John Fea. This read is a bit slow for me, so I might end up losing my lead. Growing up, I was never into history. However, the tidbits I do find interesting, now that I'm a bit more mature.




Reena has read 18 books toward her goal of 60 books.

hide

18 of 60 (30%)
view books

 

I'm never as quick getting through non-fiction as a real great fiction book. Doesn't matter how entertaining the non-fiction book is. Page per page, it still takes me longer. What about you? Do non-fiction books slow you down?

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Novel Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Yay! for NetGalley. It seems like half the books I review are from NetGalley these days, including Eve by Anna Carey. I have to say, I'm feeling quite privileged to have the opportunity to review so many ARCs. Before we get to this goodie, how about a blurb from Ms. Carey's website:

Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth's population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school's real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she's ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Eve was not at all the love story I thought it would be – girl meets boy in the wilderness to start a new life together. The book was something entirely different, and I wished the blurb would have alluded to that. Eve is not a romance, but rather a story of survival. So not to mislead you as I was, I've decided to write a modified blurb, you can use in conjunction with the blurb above.

Just before graduation, Eve discovers the girls aren't led across the river to experience a new and wonderful life where they hone their skills for the future. Instead, she finds a building full of past graduates strapped to beds and all pregnant — a breeding warehouse. Eve flees into the hostile wilderness in order to escape her fate. Only problem, the king is willing to go to any lengths to get her back.

The rest of the blurb works, but remember, this is not a romance. In fact, I'm hard pressed to even call it a love story. If I could pick a genre for it, I'd say it goes along the lines of a post-apocalyptic fairytale with out the fairy part… think Peter Pan from Wendy's POV and no folkloric creatures. That's Eve.

I had such mixed feelings about this book. There was a lot to like, and it kept me entertained throughout, but parts were so unrealistic I found myself often pulled out of the story. For example, pregnant girls strapped to bed without any ability to roll over. If a society is short on fertile females and the girls are the only hope for survival, I highly doubt they'd be strapped down to beds when they're ready to pop. It's just not healthy for the baby or mother. They treated their greatest commodity as expendable. And what makes Eve so special the king would do anything to have her. I just didn't buy it.

The adventure itself was great, though. The human encounters, the fears Eve had, the chase — all of it kept me involved in the story. In fact, there were times I saw the potential for a 5/5 star rating. Unfortunately, there was so many aspects which were unrealistic in the book, I couldn't justify anything higher than a 3 or 4. Then I hit the ending, which I absolutely HATED. If my review were based on the ending, I'd give it a 1. As it were, the rest of the novel was enjoyable. A 3 is a fair compromise, considering the lack of realism and the sorely disappointing ending.

Would I recommend it to others. Hmmm. Despite the lack of realism, the story was quite entertaining. If you don't mind a world which doesn't make sense at times, I say go for it. On the other hand, I have a feeling most individuals won't like the ending… which I also found unrealistic… crazy unrealistic in a WTF kind of way. Still, I don't regret reading Eve and think it would be an interesting experience nonetheless.

In fact, I'd love to see a version of Eve made into a movie. Similar plot, unrealistic parts rewritten, better ending.

Available at: The Book Depository and Barnes & Nobles

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Sunday Showcase #19

I totally almost forgot I received a book this week. A pretty tastie looking one too. I hope judging a book by the cover pans out this time around.

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he's in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it's not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there's no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it's just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he's stuck in 2007 and can't get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it's not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these "Enemies of Time" will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he's willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Why I Picked It Up: Besides the nifty looking cover, the time travel situation really sounds awesome!

Available at: Barnes & Nobles and The Book Depository

Well that's all I got. Make me jealous. What did you get?

 

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Novel Review: Along Wooded Path by Tricia Goyer

Along Wooded Path by Tricia Goyer  is another book I acquired from NetGalley and is the second Amish book I've tried. The first one, Promise of an Angel (see review here) was wonderful and spurred me to find more Amish works. Let's see how Amish book number two panned out. But first, the blurb from Ms. Goyer's website:

Although proud of living apart from the world, Marianna Sommer's newly relocated Amish family discovers that life in the remote mountains of Montana requires working together with the Englisch.

As Marianna pours her life into helping those around her—and receiving their help—her heart further considers two directions. She's torn between the Amish man from Indiana whom she has long planned on marrying and the friendly Englischer who models a close walk with God like she's never seen before.

Who should have young Marianna's heart? What is God asking of her through ongoing family struggles and this romantic and spiritual tension? The answer is found along the wooded paths.

I didn't realize it at the time, but Along Wooded Path was actually the second book in the series. I have to admit, I did feel like I was starting the story in the middle of something. At times I wasn't quite clear on why the characters were separated in two different states. Eventually, enough details were given throughout the book, that Along Wooded Path acted almost as a standalone novel. In fact, I don't see myself going back to read the prior book, yet I am looking forward to the next work in the series.

So I mentioned almost a standalone novel. Along Wooded Path ended with an unfinished story. I'd expected everything to be wrapped up in the epilogue… a happily ever after feel. Instead, the epilogue ended with the next day with a very open-ended feel to it. How do the characters fare? Do they go through with their plans? And what happened with the losing guy? I guess I'll find out with the next book.

As far as the story line it self, interesting. The entire work kept me intrigue. I never knew whom Marianna would choose as her beau. Would it be Ben, the man who captured her heart? or Aaron, the safe choice? In most romances, one might say Ben, hands down. True love trumps all right? But when taking into account an Amish life, the choice isn't nearly as clear, especially since Marianna had no intention of giving up her Amish ways, and Ben was a musician. Anyway, you'll have to find out for yourself what her decision was.

Most my issues with Along Wooded Path were more technical. For instance, the writing style was a little repetitious at times, and I hoped Ms. Goyer would move on with the story. I'm not sure if I became so engrossed in the story or Ms. Goyer did indeed slow down with the repetition, but the further I read, the less noticeable it became.

I also wondered if the author worked hard to meet a particular word count. A good portion of the book included letters the main characters wrote to others. Personally, I didn't find the letters moved the story forward, just reiterated events which had occurred. Filler.

Other than those small items, I enjoyed the read. Like I said, I look forward to reading the next in the series.

As a side note: Though I received the ARC through Netgalley, I was surprised at the number of errors (typos, putting the wrong name, spelling). It would be interesting to compare the final copy with the Galley.

Available at: The Book Depository and Barnes & Nobles

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

ILYF Wrap Up

We have FINALLY reached the end of the tour. Are you exhausted? I took a break last week, so surprisingly I'm all revved for the next bit of action.

Where to start? Hmm… how about the last few stops on the tour. Though the tour is officially over, there are still time to enter the last giveaway for a signed copy of I Loved You First.

Here's how it works: comment on any of the following posted hosted by bloggers then return to the kickoff post and enter to win. And of course, you can always comment on the prior weeks' posts. So the last few stops on the tour are:

My Life, One Story at a Time – Interview/Review

Okay. I guess there's just one more stop. Comment at My Life, One Story at a Time or any of the other stops on the tour, then enter to win.

I believe I need to choose a winner for the blog tour button portion of the giveaway. First, thank you everyone for spreading the word about the tour.

And the winner is!
Jamie K. from Bookrella

Jamie has already been notified via email.

A bit of random ramblings… cause that's what I do. Putting together a blog tour was a difficult as it was easy. You're not making any sense, Reena. I know… I get that way sometimes.

It surprised me at how quickly the days filled up… so quickly I expanded the tour from the original 30 days to 45 days. I Loved You First had a wonderful response in terms of individuals willing to read and participate in the tour. I can't tell you how grateful I am to all the individuals who stepped up to the plate and volunteered their blogs for the tour.

A Bookish Affair, A Casual Reader's Blog, Agrippina Legit, All I Ever Read, Aobibliophile, Ashley Zurc Pereira's Blog, Black Diamonds Book Review, Book Girl Knitting, Book Junkie, Bookerella, Books R Us, Cat's Thoughts, Elizabeth Kolodziej's Blog, For What It's Worth, Full Moon Bites, Fuzzy. Coffee. Books., I'm a Book Shark, Kim the Bookworm, -Love of Books-, Loved to Read for Fun, Magic of Reading, Mama Knows Books, Mercurial Musing, My Life, One Story at a Time, My Need to Read, My Neurotic Book Affair, Reviews by Molly, Romance in the Backseat, Roseanne's Place, SugarBeat's Books, The Book Addict, The Book Diva's Reads, The BoOki3, The Phantom Paragrapher, What's on the Bookshelf, Words of Wisdom… from the Scarf Princess, Words I Write Crazy

Many thanks!

Special thanks to all the readers who reviewed I Loved You First on your own… no encouragement needed. XOXOX Last but not least, thank you for all who followed the tour. It was a pleasure to read your comments. And though I didn't respond to every comment (I was a little timid I'd mess up the discussion flow, particularly on the reviews), I did read each and every one.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I totally feel like I should have a mic and podium after that.

Be sure to check back next Friday. I should have the final two winners of the I Loved You First giveaway drawn. Happy Reading!

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.

Working Wednesday #23

As you might recall, last week I took a break from the writing-related nonsense. I have to say, I'm quite refreshed and feeling a bit of motivation. I even managed to get a wee bit of writing done. I'll get to that, but first…

Your weekly reminder: We're down to one (1) signed copies of ILYF. I'll announce the winner of the blog tour button giveaway on October 1. So you won't have too long to wait. Until then, try your shot at the one listed on kickoff post.

Here's how it works: comment on any of the following posted hosted by bloggers then return to the kickoff post and enter to win. And of course, you can always comment on the prior weeks' posts. So the new posts up for this week on the tour are:

All I Ever Read – Interview/Giveaway
Words I Write Crazy – Review
The Phantom Paragrapher – Review/Guest Post
Reviews by Molly – Review

Another short list this week, so be sure to get your comments and entries in. Just two more days left. Exciting!

Writing

Edit Chasing Shadows ~ I looked at this today (or maybe it was yesterday) and edited maybe a paragraph



Finish/edit one scene a day. Currently at 8/50
Get it to an editor (If I earn enough through sales to pay for one, otherwise this might be one of those works which doesn't get published for awhile. No more dipping into family funds for my publishing ventures. After 3 releases, this business should be self-sustaining, and if not, well… it's not going to become a money pit.)
Release by January 1 (hopefully – pending the funding I mentioned above)

Finish writing/editing Regina's Story ~ Didn't work on this (needs to sit before I start polishing it)



Write the darn scene by the end of the month Completed Working Wednesday #21
Take a couple of days in early October to polish it
Release Regina's Story by November

Finish writing/editing Injustice is Served ~ Finished the story I started during WW#21.



5/7 complete – Finish 1 story a month so the first drafts will be ready by November
Polish them in November/December
Release before Christmas

Reading Challenge

I'm not sure how many books I read last week, but I finally caught up.
My current reads is Ashfall by Mike Mullin. Once I finish his book I plan to start Uglies  by Scott Westerfeld.




Reena has read 18 books toward her goal of 60 books.

hide

18 of 60 (30%)
view books

 

How do you feel after returning from vacation? Sluggish? Full of Energy? Tell me.

Never miss a post. Get your subscription for Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, today.

Reena Jacobs is just your typical writer who loves to see her words in print. As an avid reader, she's known to hoard books and begs her husband regularly for "just one more purchase." Her home life is filled with days chasing her preschooler and nights harassing her husband. Between it all, she squeezes in time for writing and growling at the dog. You can find Reena on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Nobles, and Smashwords.