Heather James's Blog, page 42
January 5, 2015
2014 Reading Round Up
I'm posting this a few weeks later than planned, following a busy but brilliant Christmas period. I read some great books this year and I'm so thankful I have Goodreads to help me keep track of them all, otherwise I would have never been able to compile this list! These are my top ten books of 2014.
There was no competition for my favourite book of 2014. It had to be Heir of Fire. Celaena gets better with every book and I can't wait to see where the series goes next.
The One was - I thought - the perfect ending to an amazing series. However, it turns out the awesomeness continues with The Heir next year!
Three and Four on my list are The Rosie Project and the Rosie Effect. Hilarious and heart breaking all at once. Reading the Rosie Effect with a newborn gave it an even greater emotional impact.
It took me far too long to read Dreams of Gods and Monsters because I'm not used to carrying bulky hardbacks any more. But it was worth it as I now get to see my gorgeous (signed!) copy on my bookshelf.
The Lunar Chronicles is one of my most recommended series of the year. Cress was superb.
The Young Elites made it on to the list despite how depressed it made me about the Elements of Power series; it's everything I wish my writing could be, but isn't. I loved the Legend series too, which I read earlier in the year.
Wonder should be compulsory reading in every school.
A great ending to a great series. Or at least it should be. I love the Shadowhunter world, but it kind of feels like a big money making machine now... Everyone's happy, let's just leave them be!
It read like a Sci-Fi/action movie and deserves to be one.
2014 has been a year of amazing books. Next week I'm going to look at some of the novels I can't wait to get my hands on this year.
There was no competition for my favourite book of 2014. It had to be Heir of Fire. Celaena gets better with every book and I can't wait to see where the series goes next.
The One was - I thought - the perfect ending to an amazing series. However, it turns out the awesomeness continues with The Heir next year!
Three and Four on my list are The Rosie Project and the Rosie Effect. Hilarious and heart breaking all at once. Reading the Rosie Effect with a newborn gave it an even greater emotional impact.
It took me far too long to read Dreams of Gods and Monsters because I'm not used to carrying bulky hardbacks any more. But it was worth it as I now get to see my gorgeous (signed!) copy on my bookshelf.
The Lunar Chronicles is one of my most recommended series of the year. Cress was superb.
The Young Elites made it on to the list despite how depressed it made me about the Elements of Power series; it's everything I wish my writing could be, but isn't. I loved the Legend series too, which I read earlier in the year.
Wonder should be compulsory reading in every school.
A great ending to a great series. Or at least it should be. I love the Shadowhunter world, but it kind of feels like a big money making machine now... Everyone's happy, let's just leave them be!
It read like a Sci-Fi/action movie and deserves to be one.
2014 has been a year of amazing books. Next week I'm going to look at some of the novels I can't wait to get my hands on this year.
December 2, 2014
Fire is being Featured on Wattpad
As of last Thursday, Fire is one of the featured books on Wattpad. The book is now online in its entirety (and completely free) so make sure you check it out if you haven't already. Fire will be promoted on the front page for a week and then appear on the featured list.
However, in order to be featured, I first needed to design a new cover. I'm still not really sure why, but I have fun doing it and thought I would share the result with you here.
This is the shiny new, Wattpad edition cover for Fire:
Tada! I hope you like it. It's very different to the original. Unlike the official cover, it doesn't feature my own photography. I found the image on Pinterest, where the source link annoyingly leads to a dead page, so I can't give credit to the photographer.
Please let me know what you think. Can you imagine covers for Water and Air in the same style?
However, in order to be featured, I first needed to design a new cover. I'm still not really sure why, but I have fun doing it and thought I would share the result with you here.
This is the shiny new, Wattpad edition cover for Fire:
Tada! I hope you like it. It's very different to the original. Unlike the official cover, it doesn't feature my own photography. I found the image on Pinterest, where the source link annoyingly leads to a dead page, so I can't give credit to the photographer.
Please let me know what you think. Can you imagine covers for Water and Air in the same style?
November 30, 2014
Pins of the Week
My top book/writing related pins this week are:
This is going on a poster in the library once I go back to work.
If only it were that simple...
Harry Potter humour. I did get Hufflepuff on Pottermore though...
The original is a good opening line to know for quizzes!
And I'm finishing this week's selection with a book cover, because Kiera Cass' covers are gorgeous and I'm looking forward to this coming out soon.
Let me know of your top book-related Pinterest finds in the comments.
This is going on a poster in the library once I go back to work.
If only it were that simple...
Harry Potter humour. I did get Hufflepuff on Pottermore though...
The original is a good opening line to know for quizzes!
And I'm finishing this week's selection with a book cover, because Kiera Cass' covers are gorgeous and I'm looking forward to this coming out soon.
Let me know of your top book-related Pinterest finds in the comments.
November 27, 2014
Harry Potter Gift Guide
Following on from Tuesday's post, here are my favourite Harry Potter related gifts.
DFTBA - £14 - If Hermione and Luna ran for the US Presidency...
DFTBA - £7.50 - They're fair trade and they come with trading cards. I need these! They're also a lot cheaper than the ones they sell at the Studio Tour...
DFTBA - £19 - Snape, Snape, Serverus Snape...
Etsy - £16.16 - This is quite subtle
Etsy - £18.32 - This one is less subtle!
Etsy - 16.36 - They make Felix Felicis and Veritaserum versions too
Etsy - £16.36
Not on the Highstreet - £8
Or, if you really want to blow the budget, there is this amazing Wizard Monopoly set from Etsy
Or anything from the new MinaLima stationary store. I would love the Alphabet Poster for the nursery.
Plus there's also always those pretty new editions of the books.
DFTBA - £14 - If Hermione and Luna ran for the US Presidency... 
DFTBA - £7.50 - They're fair trade and they come with trading cards. I need these! They're also a lot cheaper than the ones they sell at the Studio Tour...
DFTBA - £19 - Snape, Snape, Serverus Snape...
Etsy - £16.16 - This is quite subtle
Etsy - £18.32 - This one is less subtle!
Etsy - 16.36 - They make Felix Felicis and Veritaserum versions too
Etsy - £16.36
Not on the Highstreet - £8 Or, if you really want to blow the budget, there is this amazing Wizard Monopoly set from Etsy
Or anything from the new MinaLima stationary store. I would love the Alphabet Poster for the nursery.
Plus there's also always those pretty new editions of the books.
November 25, 2014
Hunger Games Gift Guide
At the weekend I went to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One. I wasn't sure about the book being split into two films at first, but I now actually think it worked really well; there are lots of great scenes in the film which would have been lost/rushed if there was only one movie. I'm also not a big fan of three hour long films, which is what probably would have happened if they had only made one. They also still managed to include a decent amount of action. It was a bit strange to only see about five minutes of Peeta though.
Inspired by my trip to the cinema (my first since my daughter was born!) and because it's getting close to Christmas, I have compiled a list of Hunger Games related gifts which are all under £10.
Etsy - £9.82 - This seems like such great value; it's huge!
Etsy - £9.16 - I could see my sister wanting this for Christmas
Cafe Press - £9.50 - If you love the boy with the bread
Etsy - £3.27 - A temporary tattoo of the Hunger Games equivalent to 'Okay'
Etsy - £9.82 - Because it made me laugh.
Or you could always make your own.
November 23, 2014
Pins of the Week
As I have mentioned on the blog before, Pinterest is one of my favourite places to find writing inspiration. I probably pin around 50 new things a week, organised into various boards for different story ideas. Here are my top five book/writing related finds of the week.
1) This is a Yosemite Firefall. It reminded me of the landscape I imagined for the Helian Realm, particularly the area around the volcanic city Kalme.
2) This image is just beautiful. You can't help but let your imagination run wild: where is she falling from? What is the city below her like? Is it really underwater, or a cleverly concealed entrance?
3) This is from a Buzzfeed article where they have changed book titles to accurately reflect the content of the story. I love this 'truthful' title for The Fault in Our Stars. What do you think Fire's would be?
4) Veronica Roth on heroines. I guess this is why Tris is such an awesome character.
5) This made me laugh a lot. I'm rereading some of the Harry Potter series at the moment, too.
1) This is a Yosemite Firefall. It reminded me of the landscape I imagined for the Helian Realm, particularly the area around the volcanic city Kalme.
2) This image is just beautiful. You can't help but let your imagination run wild: where is she falling from? What is the city below her like? Is it really underwater, or a cleverly concealed entrance?
3) This is from a Buzzfeed article where they have changed book titles to accurately reflect the content of the story. I love this 'truthful' title for The Fault in Our Stars. What do you think Fire's would be?
4) Veronica Roth on heroines. I guess this is why Tris is such an awesome character.
5) This made me laugh a lot. I'm rereading some of the Harry Potter series at the moment, too.
November 1, 2014
NaNoWriMo
November has come around again and NaNoWriMo has begun once more. I have 'won' NaNo three times now: when writing my very first drafts of Fire and Air and when working on a dystopian story, Amber & Ice, which you can read some of on Wattpad.
I'm not taking part this year though. Between my daughter, editing Air, getting back to Amber & Ice and working on a few new ideas, I've decided I won't have time to work on a completely new novel. I do hope to write 50,000 words this month, they just won't all be for the same project.
I cannot emphasis enough how amazing NaNoWriMo is and how much fun it is to take part. Here are my top five reasons why:
1) No more excuses. For anyone who has ever expressed an interest in writing a novel, NaNoWriMo provides the perfect opportunity to stop thinking about writing and start doing it.
2) Peer pressure. Or maybe peer mentoring. NaNoWriMo will give you plenty of support to keep writing once you've started. Pep talks and writing sprints will have your word count soaring in no time.
3) Time Pressure. The thirty day time limit forces you to stop stressing over every detail of your plot and the nuance of every sentence. Instead, it encourages you to get words on paper. It's amazing what you can come up with under these conditions. And even if you're certain it's rubbish, you just have to remember that editing is what December is for.
4) Social media is going to be saturated with mentions of NaNoWriMo over the next thirty days. Don't watch from the sidelines feeling envious or wondering what's going on. Take part and join the fun!
5) The sense of achievement you will feel when you make it to the end is immense.
http://nanowrimo.org
I'm not taking part this year though. Between my daughter, editing Air, getting back to Amber & Ice and working on a few new ideas, I've decided I won't have time to work on a completely new novel. I do hope to write 50,000 words this month, they just won't all be for the same project.
I cannot emphasis enough how amazing NaNoWriMo is and how much fun it is to take part. Here are my top five reasons why:
1) No more excuses. For anyone who has ever expressed an interest in writing a novel, NaNoWriMo provides the perfect opportunity to stop thinking about writing and start doing it.
2) Peer pressure. Or maybe peer mentoring. NaNoWriMo will give you plenty of support to keep writing once you've started. Pep talks and writing sprints will have your word count soaring in no time.
3) Time Pressure. The thirty day time limit forces you to stop stressing over every detail of your plot and the nuance of every sentence. Instead, it encourages you to get words on paper. It's amazing what you can come up with under these conditions. And even if you're certain it's rubbish, you just have to remember that editing is what December is for.
4) Social media is going to be saturated with mentions of NaNoWriMo over the next thirty days. Don't watch from the sidelines feeling envious or wondering what's going on. Take part and join the fun!
5) The sense of achievement you will feel when you make it to the end is immense.
http://nanowrimo.org
October 17, 2014
Autumn Reads: Board Books Edition
My daughter may be too young to even focus on the pictures, but that doesn't mean that I haven't already stated reading to her! It's really important to me that books and reading are a normal part of her life and that she grows up learning to love them. Besides, she shares her birthday with Harry Potter, so it's clearly meant to be!
Her introduction to books came courtesy of the amazing Booktrust, who give two free books to every newborn. This is a fantastic initiative, just like the free books they send to schools, which I have taken advantage of in the library. Booktrust have even put together a great 'Baby's First Books' reading list, which I will definitely be consulting when I'm out buying books. We were given these books.
Both are picture heavy, routine/sleep focused and very sweet.
Last weekend, I also went to Waterstones to buy my first baby books! I bought two cute, Usborne lift-the-flap books, which are bright, colourful and baby friendly.
I also bought one of my favourite classics - We're Going on a Bear Hunt. The beauty of this story is that you don't even have to look at the book for it to be enjoyable as it can be acted out and sung around the house.
A kind colleague also bought us Dr Seuss' Sleep Softly Book.
I wasn't a big Dr Seuss fan growing up, but this book is really lovely. It's definitely a bedtime read I will make frequent use of as my daughter gets older. The rhythm makes it a lot of fun to read and there are lots of textures on the pages for her to explore.
What are your earliest book memories? I can still fondly remember stories about Old Bear, Paddington, Winne the Pooh and 'Can't You Sleep Little Bear' (which my mum is sick of reading after three children!)
Her introduction to books came courtesy of the amazing Booktrust, who give two free books to every newborn. This is a fantastic initiative, just like the free books they send to schools, which I have taken advantage of in the library. Booktrust have even put together a great 'Baby's First Books' reading list, which I will definitely be consulting when I'm out buying books. We were given these books.
Both are picture heavy, routine/sleep focused and very sweet.
Last weekend, I also went to Waterstones to buy my first baby books! I bought two cute, Usborne lift-the-flap books, which are bright, colourful and baby friendly.
I also bought one of my favourite classics - We're Going on a Bear Hunt. The beauty of this story is that you don't even have to look at the book for it to be enjoyable as it can be acted out and sung around the house.
A kind colleague also bought us Dr Seuss' Sleep Softly Book.
I wasn't a big Dr Seuss fan growing up, but this book is really lovely. It's definitely a bedtime read I will make frequent use of as my daughter gets older. The rhythm makes it a lot of fun to read and there are lots of textures on the pages for her to explore.
What are your earliest book memories? I can still fondly remember stories about Old Bear, Paddington, Winne the Pooh and 'Can't You Sleep Little Bear' (which my mum is sick of reading after three children!)
October 14, 2014
Summer Reads Part Two
Anathema
I can remember buying this on the strength of its cover. It looked like a cool, Legend-style dystopian novel. I didn't realise that it was actually about vampires. And parallel universes. Not two subjects I would have thought to put together, but they actually work really well. Evangeline is a lonely and some-what naive character who suddenly find herself in the employment of the mysterious Sophie and is whisked off to New York where she travels each night to a parallel universe inhabited only by vampires. Protected from them by an enchanted necklace, she makes friends with a (really fun, Twilight-esque) group and quickly falls for Caden. Only his clingy, evil girlfriend Rachel and the fact that he lives in a parallel universe stands in their way...
One of the main strengths of this novel is that it's really hard to work out who to trust and which of the vampires are going to turn out to be 'good' or 'bad' (one of the overarching messages is that you can never trust any vampire completely, which adds a good deal of tension to the novel). It's a fun read and worth checking out. I will definitely continue the series at some point.
The Beautiful and the Damned
I'm determined to vary my reading slightly and not just exclusively read YA novels over the next few months (as fun as that sounds!) As a result, I'm also throwing in the odd classic from my tbr list. It's been a few years since I read the Great Gatsby (and I still haven't seen the film!) and Tender is the Night so I was eager to start TBATD. It follows educated, wealthy and extremely lazy Anthony Patch and his beautiful but vapid wife Gloria, who are waiting for Anthony's grandfather to die so that they can inherit his vast wealth and live an even more lavish lifestyle than they do at the start of the novel. It had elements of a 1920 Wolf of Wallstreet in its excess and I felt completely immersed in Fitzgerald's world due to his fantastic writing. Neither character is particularly redeemable and I spent most of the novel waiting for them to meet a nasty, but well deserved, end (you'll have to read it to find out if they do...) It was enjoyable, but not as good as Tender is the Night.
Heir of Fire
The third installment of this superb series does not disappoint! It follows Celaena as she travels to Wendlyn, meeting the stern, but handsome Rowan (can this series really handle any more eligible male characters? The love triangle was difficult enough!) and learning how to harness her magic powers. However the books also features plenty of action from Adarlan through the story lines of Chaol and Dorian (where yet another male character is introduced - seriously, how is she going to choose!) I LOVE this series - it gets better with every book. When I first read Throne of Glass, I wasn't totally convinced by Celaena's character, as she seemed a bit too perfect, but with each novel she becomes more realistic as her background is revealed and her flaws are exposed. There are even more fantasy elements this time, which was great, as well as plenty of action. I don't know how I'm going to wait for the next installment and I'm also really looking forward to quizzing the kids on it when I go back to work, since I know a lot of them were really looking forward to this book being published.
The Forgotten Ones
Another self published book, this one about fairies. Allison lives with her grandparents and schizophrenic mother. She has never met her father, but she's pretty sure he is partially to blame for her mother's mental state. When he mysteriously appears on her doorstep, she tells him to leave. But then strange things start happening; things only he can explain, and Allison finds herself travelling to the land of the fae to rescue her mother before she looses her completely. The Forgotten Ones has a gorgeous cover ad I haven't read many fairy stories. It was good and the characters were convincing. Ethan and Allison's relationship felt very natural and worked well. But the plot sometimes felt rushed and I never felt gripped by what was happening.
The Last Werewolf
I can see why a lot of people would really rate this book, since it's very well written, but really wasn't for me. It was just a lot more graphic than I was expecting. Not that I necessarily have a problem with sex scenes in books - I love A Song of Ice and Fire and was a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan when I was a teen - I just found them OTT in this book and didn't enjoy reading it as a result. It had some great writing, a really strong plot and an unexpected ending, but I won't be continuing the series any time soon.
Glamour
Glamour has a lot of promise. It's another fairy story, but set in a world where demons have taken over and the dwindling human population have been forced to cower behind walls. Only the situation isn't as clear cut as many humans have been led to believe - as Rae discovers as she ventures outside the walls. There were elements of this book that I loved, particularly the concept. However the plot sometimes felt underdeveloped and, as a result, confusing and the romance forced and instantaneous. I think Glamour was the first book Fletcher published and she has written many more since, so I'm tempted to try one of her more recent novels next, as there was a lot I liked about Glamour, it just felt like it needed more polishing. I think my own writing has grown a lot stronger with each book I've written (largely due to the feedback I've received in reviews helping me to pinpoint what I need to work on), so I would like to see where Fletcher is at now, as I think it will be pretty great.
October 11, 2014
Meet My Villain Blog Hop
Since a) Halloween is coming up, b) Cinaer is my favourite character to write about and c) I'm on a bit of a Wattpad binge at the moment while I wait for my next lot of edits to come back, I have decided to take part in Erin Latimer and Kyra Nelson's 'Meet My Villain' Blog Hop.
1) What is the name of your villain?
Cinaer
2) What motivates him?
Power. Although he comes from one of the Helian Realm's elite families, he has only ever been on the fringes of true power outside of Kalme. Cinaer has his sights set firmly on ruling the entire Helian Realm.
3) What is the villain's relationship with the main character?
Roxy and Cinaer are informally betrothed. At the beginning of Fire their relationship is already fairly heated, but they do get on. By Air however...
Jasmine is certain that he is a danger to Brae and her friends and tries to stay out of his way.
4) What is one thing your villain is afraid of? What is their weakness?
In Fire, Cinaer's greatest weakness is his vanity; something Roxy is only too happy to exploit during training. He'll lose fights in favour of protecting his appearance.
5) What is their greatest strength
Cinaer knows how to make prudent alliances and how long to keep them going before until he needs to jump ship. When he needs to, he can turn on the charm and manipulate those around him to get what he wants.
6) Does your villain have any romantic entanglements?
Well, there's his complex relationship with Roxy. However (Air spoiler alert!) there may be someone else back home in Kalme that the girls should watch out for...
7) List one random fact about your villain
He wasn't in the first draft of the book and became more evil the more I redrafted.
Elements of Power fans watch out for even more Cinaer in Air. I really missed him in Water and was disappointed that I couldn't fit him into the plot. I've made up for it with lots of great Cin scenes in the final installment.
1) What is the name of your villain?
Cinaer
2) What motivates him?
Power. Although he comes from one of the Helian Realm's elite families, he has only ever been on the fringes of true power outside of Kalme. Cinaer has his sights set firmly on ruling the entire Helian Realm.
3) What is the villain's relationship with the main character?
Roxy and Cinaer are informally betrothed. At the beginning of Fire their relationship is already fairly heated, but they do get on. By Air however...
Jasmine is certain that he is a danger to Brae and her friends and tries to stay out of his way.
4) What is one thing your villain is afraid of? What is their weakness?
In Fire, Cinaer's greatest weakness is his vanity; something Roxy is only too happy to exploit during training. He'll lose fights in favour of protecting his appearance.
5) What is their greatest strength
Cinaer knows how to make prudent alliances and how long to keep them going before until he needs to jump ship. When he needs to, he can turn on the charm and manipulate those around him to get what he wants.
6) Does your villain have any romantic entanglements?
Well, there's his complex relationship with Roxy. However (Air spoiler alert!) there may be someone else back home in Kalme that the girls should watch out for...
7) List one random fact about your villain
He wasn't in the first draft of the book and became more evil the more I redrafted.
Elements of Power fans watch out for even more Cinaer in Air. I really missed him in Water and was disappointed that I couldn't fit him into the plot. I've made up for it with lots of great Cin scenes in the final installment.
