Jennifer Anderson's Blog, page 8

Season Finales

Its that time of year when the rain falls, the flowers bloom, the temps start to rise and our favorite shows go on break. Literally leaving us hanging for three months. We're left with re-runs, reality TV shows and long nights laying around in the heat.

Or maybe you catch up on all that reading your said you would do but the season finale of Grey's seemed to last for 3 episodes (well, the saying good-bye to Christina did. Man, they really dragged that out.)

Trust, I feel your pain. I myself suffer from Season Finale-itis. Never fear, there isn't a cure but you are not contagious.

Let's discuss some of my favorites and you chime in with yours. Is there something I need to be watching?

Grey's Anatomy: honestly, when they said Christina was going, I stopped watching. I'm not like her #1 Fan but I think she offered a dark side to the show. Who knows, I might pick it back up.

Vikings: well, I crammed in season 1 in a few days in order to watch season 2 and I'm hooked. Now that he's King, do you think Ragnar will be ruthless? Will he take back Agatha? And what about his son and marrying a princess? I'm thinking the Essex King's daughter. And they never brought up his crippled son again. Frankly, not a fan of his wife!

StarCrossed: I'm totally bummed they didn't renew this show. I know, it is a bit cheezy but I love that stuff. But that season finale was a total joke. It's like they knew they weren't coming back so let's do a crappy job. Throw in a little adolescent alien sex (which, both characters are not much younger than me) and we've got a cliffhanger that will never get answered. Ugh!

Reign: Again, I'm hooked. And that season finale was like "Noooo, don't leave!" The true story of Mary is that she did marry the prince and he did die shortly after and she never had children. Curious??? Wonder if they will stay true or fictionalize it a bit. And what about Bash and that orphan. Hmmm, do we see a murder plot taking place in a child's mind?

Vampire Diaries: WTH! I'm going on record now by saying if they don't bring back Damon, I'm done. Stick a fork in me. And how their words just cute off at the end. Ugh! But man, that was action packed and emotional. This leaves things open for new characters and will Enzo come back? And Alaric is back!

Arrow: A close friend turned me on to this show and she was an emotional wreck after last week's episode. I'll admit, I was too. I was never a fan of blonde and was pulling for the geek girl. And the way he leaned in when he told her they took the wrong girl....OMG! But alas, nothing. However, they are planting seeds, so if they decide to take that relationship in that direction, they can. I mean, she put it out there when she confessed she he had her fooled.

The Good Wife: I almost stopped watching when Will was killed off and I was almost pulling for a Fin affair, but now that I know there isn't anything supposed to happen with her husband, I'm interested again. And the possible crumbling of L/G adds a new piece to the pot.

Hart of Dixie: From day 1, I have loved and wanted Wade and Doc to get together. I think a stiff girl needs a good, rough guy to bring her down a notch. I'm anxious to see what happens. (crosses fingers). And Lemon? Really? Well, there's a triangle I'm not interested in but it does suck now for AnnaBeth because she did break up with the shoe guy because she still loves the mayor. Men!


Shows worth checking out this summer:

Witches of East End: I just finished watching Season 1 and while some might think its a bit too like Charmed, I never watched and find the love triangle intriguing. The previews for the next season look good, which does start until July 6th on Lifetime.

True Blood: Well, if you haven't started watching, you are missing out. While the last couple of seasons didn't follow the books much, they were still entertaining and now with the last season on the horizon (June 22), I'm sad to see it go.

What shows do you watch? What should I be watching? What are your TV watching plans for the summer?

Writing Refresher

I can't count the number of times I send pages to my partner to read and only to have her return them dripping in red ink (not really. I mean, we use computers!). Seasoned writers (I wouldn't consider myself seasoned yet...maybe lightly seasoned; a dash) often fall into lazy writing habits. We either get too cocky or tired...burnt out. I get it and I'm sure if you ask some of the top authors out there, they feel it too. It happens. 
I found a great article over at Future of the Ink and they discuss 9 writing mistakes. If you're feeling the like you can't get over that hump or your pagers look like mine...a murder scene, then have a read. 
The Top 9 Writing Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Death and the Girl Next Door

Last year in Cincy, I received a copy (I bought a book and had a friend have a friend sign it) of Death and the Girl Next Door.
I didn't actually read my copy until January, which, after reading, I kicked myself for waiting so long. This book was fantastic. Just the mix of paranormal, angst, teen issues and love I needed. This is the first book I've read from Ms. Jones and I guarantee I'll be checking out her Charley Davidson (gotta love that name) series.

So, the world is coming to an end, or so "they" say and only one girl, a descendant from a prophet, the first witch, can save them all. With the help of the Angle of Death and a guy born to protect her, can she save her sleepy little town? Will her family suffer or were they in on it from the beginning? Nothing is as it appears in this paranormal YA that will keep you glued to the pages.

I devoured book 2 and now I'm onto book 3.

Save a Tree, Get an E-Book FREE!

Did you receive the latest edition of the TMP newsletter? No? Well, you are in luck. I happen to have a link right here (click here) that will allow you a FREE E-book from TMP!

Do you know what that means? A FREE E-BOOK!

Why are still here? Run, go, click, read. Go get your FREE  e-book!

An just in case you're still asleep, like me, and can't make the mouse go click, click, here's the coupon code and information for the FREE e-book.

Two Ya Fiction Series

On vacation a few weeks ago, I spent many hours writing but when I finally stepped away, I read...a lot!  I found 2 YA Fiction series that are not new, really, but new to me and I thought I'd share.

Book 1 in Kara Taylor's Prep School Confidential was a fast read. I'm a fan of the Gallagher Girls series and this seemed to fit right in. I recommend reading the two books in this series before Book 3, Deadly Little Sins releases in August 2014 (the day before my bday!)


Next, I devoured 5 books in the Private series. The drama sucked me in but I'm not completely in love with the MC. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike her ...all the time but I do find I have a love hate with her. There are so many little things going on in this series that you have to pay attention. Who's hooking up and who's breaking up and don't forget about the dead bodies. So far, there are 2. Who's next.

Arm Challenge

Alright. How did the squat challenge go? Me? Not the best but I did do them.

Let's do our arms! Ready, set, go!

The Fault in Our Stars review

I'm sure my review will get lost in the thousands already left before me. I will admit, while I'm a follower on Twitter and familiar with the author, I've never read anything by him. He's on my TBR list. Anyway, when my MIL shared her unread copy, I stole away in a quiet room and dived in.
OMG!

Usually, I'm not a fan of a male author portraying a female MC but in this case, Mr. Green did it. I never once felt like a guy was talking to me but I have to wonder if he ever felt embarrassed or weird writing how "hot" Gus was.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to have a friend, let alone, someone you love deeply, suffer and die from anything. I watched my grandmother quickly deal with her liver cancer and I don't think it compared to what was revealed in this book. I laughed, I cried and I even had to set it aside for a day to recollect my thoughts. As a parent, I couldn't help but picture my own child suffering and how either of them would feel losing the love of their life when they themselves were on the brink of death.

The touches of humor made this story feel real. We often do that. Find a bright, if not ugly, spot within the mess.

This was a lovely, touching story and I'm a little ashamed to say that I can't wait to watch the movie. I'm sure that was a motivating factor when I finally grabbed a copy. This story almost reminds me, in a self sacrificing way but in a more real, hard language, A Walk to Remember. Well done and thank you.

Assuming

You've probably heard the saying, "When you assume, you make an ass of you and me." No? Well, now you have.

Your welcome!

When people hear I'm a writer, I think they assume that I'm amazing at grammar and I should be well spoken. My husband and editor can attest that neither statement is true. I have a mashing of dialects from living in New Jersey, California, Texas and Missouri. I often have to refer back in my kids' grammar books just to grade their homework. I find myself wanting to take back most of what I say. And, for some reason, I think my husband is on the same wave length as me when I ask a random question about something I've just seen. "Um, hello. You should know what I'm thinking. We've been together for 20 years."

This last statement is more true when I think about my kids. The other day, my daughter asked me what "that" building is for. Assuming I knew which one she meant, I told her it stored electrical parts. The very next day, my son asks me what that building is for. I shook my head and told him his sister asked the same question the day before and why wasn't he listening. "No. Not that one. That one." I need to remind you that I'm driving, so seeing them point or knowing which window they are looking at is silly. I explained to them that they need to use descriptive words when asking a question when I'm driving and it was like a light bulb went off.

*click*

The same happens in writing. I can't assume my reader knows what's going on in my head no more than my husband knows when I blurt out, "Did you see that?" As a writer, I have to show my readers what's in my head; describe how my character feels and what she sees (my main characters are always female). Proper descriptive words will keep you, as the writer, from making an ass of you and your reader.

Happy Writing!

Free Book!

Who doesn't love a deal? Better yet, who doesn't love a free book. No one, that's who.

Well, you are in luck. My dear friend Maggie Wells is at is again. The Art Lover is free on Amazon March 3-7!

Previously published as Portrait of Passion in the Passionate Exhibitions anthology.

Starving artist Kelsey Tecato takes being The Templeton Museum's artist in residence a little too literally. By day, she puts on a show of painting for the crowds that shuffle through the galleries, but at night, her muse runs wild.

Mitch Jameson is a guy's guy. A cop moonlighting as a security guard, he has little use for the artsy-fartsy stuff, but the mysterious Ms. Tecato's sexy portraits call to him.

So does an interior alarm.

When Officer Jameson goes to investigate, he finds a paint-splattered goddess working on a self-portrait--in the nude.

A couple tubes of paint and a roll in the drop cloths later, free-spirited Kelsey helps Officer Jameson discover his passion for art.


I'm a huge fan of Maggie's and I recommend everything by her, especially if its free!

Squat Challenge for March

I'll admit. I didn't do as great with the plank challenge. A bailed the last few days and never made it to a 4 minutes plank. Heck, I barely made it to a 2 minute plank.

Well, it's a new month and a new challenge. Good luck and share your success!