Jenni Merritt's Blog, page 9

Book Review - Crewel

Crewel by Gennifer Albin
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.

Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.

Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls.  Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power.  Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it.

Why I Picked This Book:  Honestly, the cover was the first thing to draw me in.  Then I read the synopsis and instantly grabbed it.  Time weaving?  Oh yes.
My Thoughts:Crewel took me on a ride, and dropped me off at a stop I now have to wait impatiently for the next pickup.  With the feel of being based off of Greek mythology (which is something I have been craving badly), Crewel presents the idea that everything, every little thing, has been woven around us.  Girls with the ability to see the threads are taken from their homes and turned into Spinsters.  From there, they have to devote the rest of their lives to weaving weather, food, births... and deaths.

Adelice tried to hide her talent.  She had no idea why, but her parents insisted that no one should know she could weave.  Of course, she slips.  And the Coventry comes for her.
Did I mention they have no say in whether they go or not? It is join the Coventry and become a Spinster... or be killed.
I have to admit, I had my ups and downs with this novel.  There were aspects that I almost rolled my eyes at, or groaned when reading.  There were many moments that did feel as if they dragged on and I was almost (almost) tempted to skim them.  But then a moment happened that completely trapped me, and I was pulled back into the story.
Adelice was a strong female protagonist.  Though I did have a hard time connecting with her, I still found myself rooting her on.  And at most times, saying something like: "Come on! Do *insert spoiler type idea here* right now!"
Yes, there is a slight love story involved.  Luckily, the entire novel doesn't seem to lean on that aspect though.  Adelice seems more worried about her family than this love, though it does become a driving force for her and all her actions.
Many things were guessable.  But I was okay with that.  It felt good to know things before the characters did, though some of the reveals could have been a bit more dramatic.  Still, I felt the story did flow well and was woven (ha, get it?) nicely.
Crewel is the controlling, "Do as I say" intensity of the Hunger Games, meets slight Greek Mythology, meets intense nunnery.  All in all, I enjoyed this read and look forward to book two.
My Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)

WIP Day - Diving In

I just have to start this post with:
It feels SO good to be able to write a WIP Update post again!

All of December was a break month for me.  I had finished the first rough draft of LJ.  I was almost caught up on my photography backlog.  And my mind had earned a rest.  So I closed Word and promised myself I would not even peek at LJ for the entire month.

And I can honestly say I did not peek.
(It think it helps that December also sported our car being totalled, holiday chaos, plus numerous other events that kept me nicely insane.)

Then came the new year, and with that the next stage of this bookish process.  Editing.
Yes, the dreaded editing.

Last week I opened the doc back up, grabbed some snackage and Mt. Dew, and started stage one of editing.  The initial read through.  I was more than dreading it.  I was expecting that I would open the document, start reading, find the complete nonsensical gibberish I had spewed out, and officially declare a complete bust.

Luckily, it hasn't been so.
I am now halfway down with the read through.  And I can honestly say: I am feeling it!  There are most definitely many spots that need attention, love, filling and fixing.  But then I find that gem that makes me sit back and think: "This is not crap" and I feel that surge once again of "I can do this!"

And doing this I am!
Are you excited?


Related but unrelated:
I just had to share this.  My friend Melissa, along with Kaeli and her awesome jewelry line (Love, Kaeli Cheyenne) totally conspired against me.  But in an awesome way.  As a (very) belated birthday present, this week I found a post on my Facebook wall showing off this gorgeous earring and necklace set.  Does it look familiar?  It should!  I have to admit I got maybe a smidge too giddy when I saw it.  I cannot wait to actually have this jewelry in hand so I can sport it around for all to see.  Thank you, ladies!


And one more thing:
I am prepping for a giveaway.  Once I have everything I need for it, I will let you all know.  If you follow me on my Facebook page, you might have a slight idea of what that something is.  Keep your eyes out!


How has your new year been so far?  Write much?  Do share!

Happy Writing!

Welcome 2013!

Hello blogging world!

I know it has been a long, dry spell of "where did the posts go?"  Life has been insane for me.  My photography took off in 2012.  Which is an awesome thing.  With over 30 sessions, including three weddings and a month long personal challenge, my days were filled with photo snapping and mass editing.

Sadly, this meant that my writing took a huge hit.  (AKA it pretty much didn't happen.)  The biggest hit: This blog.  By halfway through 2012 my blog posts were happening slim to never, and my attempted book edit for ITB died.  Though I did manage to participate and win NaNoWriMo yet again, that was the highlight of my writing year.

Although I do have to add:
Prison Nation did amazing!  After I did my first free promo weekend in the spring of 2012, sales picked up and readers rolled in. The overwhelming support, love, and amazing reviews lifted me daily and helped remind me why I love what I do.  (I will make another more in-depth post on this later this month.)

While I am far from quitting my photography, I hate how much my writing got pushed to the back burner.  This just will not do.  And so, with 2013... things are changing back to how they should be!

Goal 1:  Edit!  My aim is to have LJ published by the end of the summer.  If all goes right, that is a very attainable goal.  I have already started the first edit round and I am so excited to get this done!

Goal 2:  Read!  Oh my, how I missed reading.  I have stacks upon stacks on my TBR shelves, and this year, I will hack away at that.  

Goal 3:  Blog!  Remember that three-day-a-week post schedule I used to be on?  Well, I am getting back on it.  WIP Updates, book reviews, giveaways, random thoughts and tips... It is all coming back.  Oh yes.

I am so excited for 2013.  I have the feeling it will be an awesome year.  Great things are in store, and we have the entire year ahead of us to see what happens.

Happy New Year to every single one of you.  May your goals be met, your resolutions remembered, and the pages of your stories filled.

Happy Writing!

Book Review - Origin

Origin by Jessica Khoury
Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Why I Picked This Book:  I saw it listed on Breathless Reads, and instantly knew I wanted to read it.
My Thoughts:Pia was created to be perfect.  She has been told this since the moment she was born, and she will live forever.  Perfect.  Hidden in a little science camp in the Amazon, she is trained from birth to be a scientist, with one goal in mind: Create more like herself.  But what will happen when she discovers the secrets teeming under the surface of Little Cam?

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  Mankind has always been in the search for eternal life.  Holy Grails.  Fountains of youth.  You name it, we have looked for it.  The idea that, in Origin, they found it in a flower tucked away in the Amazon, and managed to create a perfect human being over generations, is awesome.
Pia, as the main character, was an interesting read.  She starts out the book very, very confident in herself. She knows she is perfect.  (Mostly due to the fact that every single person in Little Cam has told her that nonstop since she was born.)  She knows what she will do with her life.  (Work with the scientists to create others just like her.)  And she seems pretty happy with it all.
Then of course, life takes a twist.
In come a new scientist, who Pia instantly hates.  I was not sure if it was jealousy issues because this scientist was gorgeous and all the older men fawned all over her.  Or if it was because it was a new person, being as most people in Little Cam were born there.  Did I mention that Pia is the youngest there, by I am assuming at least eighteen years?  And very, very sheltered?
Next thing you know, Pia is sneaking off into the jungle.  Breaking rules.  And doubting almost everything she was raised to believe.
Her character does grow through the book.  She is very much a teenage girl, wanting to believe she is the best to ever exist, but coming to learn that she is just another human fighting to live.
Enter Eio.  The half-native boy who lives in the jungle and captures Pia's heart.  While I did enjoy this character, he also did tend to bug me.  He, like Pia, is very self-assured.  He is attractive, strong-willed, and obviously thinks highly of himself.  Is there something in the Amazon that causes too much self-confidence?
While I am not one to fight insta-love, this one did slightly bug me.  Talk about love at first sight.  Yes, they are both hotties.  And yes, Eio does give Pia something she has never had: Life beyond the fences.  I guess I would have liked to see at least one more day of "Hello, who are you?" before they were planning their fairy tale wedding and he was claiming her to be his forever.
Now, as for the scientists.  Though it does get old that most scientists are perceived as cold, work-devoted drones, I liked it in this novel.  These are scientists who have willingly devoted 30 years (or more) of their lives to this project.  Of course they would be drone-ish.  They hide away any evidence of life outside the fence, in hopes it will help keep Pia focused.  And of course, they hide away secret after secret about what they are truly doing.  I was intrigued with the scientists, and oddly felt myself rooting for them.
While parts of this book did get at me, I liked it.  Khoury created a world that I can say I would not want to be part of, but was intrigued to dive into.  I recommend this book to anyone looking for a light science fiction read.
My Rating: (3 out of 5 stars)

Prison Nation Anniversary

Can you believe it?
One year ago today, Prison Nation was released to the world to read.  I have been a published author for one year.  And boy has it been an amazing year!

The support, fans, love and just pure awesomeness I have found surrounding me and my creation has been mind-blowing.  I do not doubt it: This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.  Create worlds, and share them with all of you to dive into.

A few Prison Nation facts from Year One:

- Prison Nation is currently holding an average rating of 3.7 stars on Goodreads, and 4.1 stars on Amazon.

- During Promo periods, I watched at Prison Nation climbed its way into the top 10 Kindle Books.

- Around 56,564 readers have a copy of Prison Nation on their digital devices, all over the world.

Where would I be without all my readers?  Without my friends and family who support me day in and day out?  Without NaNoWriMo that gave me that push I finally needed to get this book written?  Where would I be without my make-believe worlds?

I can tell you now:  I would still be a "someday" author.  And I like where I am better.

Since writing Prison Nation (my debut novel), I have written two other WIPS that are waiting their turn to be edited.  And this year I wrote the sequel to Prison Nation.  Lady Justice will be released Summer of 2013.  I was part of an amazing book signing event.  I watched my Facebook page grow in fans.  Then, when I was ready to shed the "aspiring" title, I created a new Facebook page and have watched that slowly grow.  I have received messages and emails that have plastered a permanent smile on my face.  I have grown.  And learned.  And grown some more.

So much writing.  So much adventure and discovery.  This is so me.

So, thank you.  
For all the support and love.  You have made my dream a reality.  I cannot wait to see where I go next.  And I hope you come along for the ride.

To celebrate:

Starting tomorrow (12/2), and going for three days, Prison Nation will be available for FREE on Kindle!  If you haven't snagged your copy yet, here is your chance.  And if you already have that copy, spread the word!

Then next week: 

I will open a giveaway to win a SIGNED paperback copy of Prison Nation.  (Sorry to all my great international fans.  This one will only be for US)  Make sure to check back soon and enter for a chance to win, and celebrate with me.

Happy Writing!

NaNoWriMo 2012: WINNER!

Last night, after hours of sitting, some minor head banging, and a few ice cold Mt. Dews, I did it again.  That's right.  I crossed the NaNoWriMo finish line.  *commence cheering*

Lady Justice is now "done," sitting at 50,149 words.
I am a NaNoWriMo champ!

This month was touch and go.  What with my photography backlog, raising my two kiddos (I am a stay-at-home-mommy), and trying here and there to maintain some semblance of a social life (most of times that ended up being an epic fail as well)... I admit: I was worried about whether I would win this year.  There were days where I would not write at all.  And I hated that.

Thanks to my friends and family who wouldn't let me live it down.  To my amazing region (Portland rocks!)  To our Skype sprinting group and my own bull-headed competitiveness... I did it.  I won.  I am done.

There is still much work to be done.  I have scenes listed out to edit in.  Other scenes to expand on.  Editing, editing, editing.  But I can happily say, all typos and plot holes aside, the first draft of Lady Justice is finished.

I have more blogposts planned for the coming days, all about the NaNoWriMo 2012 adventure.  But for now, I am going to go enjoy a good book, eat some onion rings, and let these tired fingers rest.

If you have won NaNoWriMo: GO YOU!
If you are still working your way to 50k: YOU CAN DO IT!
And if you didn't do NaNoWriMo this year:  What is stopping you?

HAPPY WRITING!

WIP Day - NaNoWriMo Week 4

Ah! Ah!
Just stopping by, FAST, to let you know: I am writing.  And I am almost there.  At this moment, I am 2,987 words away from finishing NaNoWriMo! Ah!

I would say more, but a word sprint is about to begin.  And I need to write.  Fast.
A much better update to come soon.

WIP Day - NaNoWriMo Week 3

I know.  Today's update is a late one.  It is currently 11 pm here, and I am just finishing my writing for the night.  I wanted to update earlier, but my writing was taking up all my time.  That, and prep for Thanksgiving.
mmmm home made cranberry sauce...
Cider and LJ. It was a good night.
This will be a super quick update, being as my fingers are barely working anymore tonight.  This last week was super slow.  I will admit: I even went for a few days without writing a single word.
Gasp worthy.

I hated that I let that happen.  My writing is coming so much slower this year.  I feel so out of shape with it all, and it is showing.  I have been very distractable, and have watched too much Netflix TV series as my distractions from writing.  Oh Netflix, why?

Then I got that awesome message from one of my readers.  And it lit the fire up nice and hot.  I was reminded that I am not only doing this to drive myself insane.  I am doing it to share this world I created with others.

And I wrote.

Tonight marks the end of Week 3.  I wrote over 3k words today.  I caught up with the required word count amount and even passed it a bit.  I think I have earned myself some reading and relaxing before bed.

Current Word Count:37,020
And just because I love to tease you all, here is a little snippet from Lady Justice:

"I didn't want to see the look in his eyes, the panic on his face. I didn't want to see the empty space where he should be standing. I didn't like this idea any more than he did. But as of yet, we had no other plans. We only had a dream that was getting us nowhere. Now, we had something. I couldn't let us lose it." - Millie, Lady Justice

Happy Writing!

A Reader's Thought

It is true.  An author does write for his or herself.  But do you know what really keeps them going?
Their readers.  The fans and friends and family that root that author on.

This morning I woke up to a very awesome surprise.  In my Facebook messages, I had received a note from a reader.  To anyone else it might have seemed like a simple thing.  But to me: It made my day.  Words are such a moving device.  And even more powerful when we exercise them.

"I wanted to send you a message! Your book is so inspiring. I am a disabled person, I have a rare neurological disease that confines me a great deal of the time to bed. Being so, I spend a lot of time reading ... recently a friend purchased a kindle for me after we had a house fire. I found your book on Amazon and decided to read it. It is amazing. I was so taken with the characters and the action. Even from my hospital bed it was like I was really in the story playing the role of the characters. I loved this book. Seeing as I can do so little for myself, being able to immerse myself in a book is amazing. I cannot wait until I can get more of your books to read -- you have an amazing talent! Thank you for all the work you put into these books!!!"

Can you see why I feel so smiley this morning?
Thank you, Heather, for taking the time to message me those amazing words!
And thank you to all of my readers out there.  You keep me writing, every day.

A thought sure can go a long way...

Happy Writing!

Goodreads Giveaway Reminder

Just a quick reminder:
The Goodreads Giveaway for a SIGNED copy of Prison Nation is closing on December 1st!  If you are in the States and haven't entered yet, make sure to do so before time is up!


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Goodreads Book Giveaway Prison Nation by Jenni Merritt Giveaway ends December 01, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win