Jacqueline E. Smith's Blog, page 12
October 11, 2015
Book Review: After Death by Jacqueline E. Smith
Thank you for the wonderful review, Ben!
Originally posted on The Midnight Writer:
by Jacqueline E. Smith
5/5 stars
The third installment of Cemetery Tours did not disappoint. In fact, it appointed… hard! I felt the same excitement as when I read the first. Smith’s ghosts, action, and characters sync incredibly well together. And the dialogue never misses a beat. I feel like I’ve known Kate, Michael, and Luke for ages. I can’t think of a moment I did not thoroughly enjoy (a carnival was perfect ghostly setting by the way). Romance, intrigue, and another jaunt with America’s favorite ghost, Eugene Brinkley? I think I’ll read the series all over again. Maybe you should too!
October 9, 2015
October 7, 2015
A Very Twilight Review
By now, you’re all familiar with the way that I review movies. It’s not really reviewing so much as sharing my unfiltered thoughts here on my blog.
Yesterday, the world of YA fiction got a bit of a surprise in the form of Life and Death, also known as Gender-Bent Twilight.
My initial reaction was, “What the hell? Who came up with that?”
Then my sister explained to me that it was, in fact, STEPHENIE MEYER who came up with that.
And just like that, I knew that I was going to read it. Not because I think Stephenie Meyer is all that great a writer (she’s really not) or because I’m a Twihard (I enjoy the books, but not obsessively like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games). No. I knew I was going to read the book out of pure, unadulterated, shameless curiosity.
And that’s what I did.
After I finished the book (yes, I read it in one day… yes, I’m a freakishly fast reader), I debated whether or not I was going to review it on my blog. As I fell asleep, I was sort of thinking, “Nah… Not really worth my time. Besides, dozens of other bloggers will be doing the exact same thing.” But then, scrolling through GoodReads this morning, I saw that most readers were simply wailing and bemoaning the book’s existence. So I thought, “Oh, what the heck?” and here I am.
I need to preface this once again by saying, yes, I read the original Twilight saga and yes, I kind of love it. I thought it was a fun story with magic and great escapism. It’s the kind of book that, while the writing not be great, you leave the world feeling like you belonged there and the characters in that world feel like old friends. It’s exactly how books you love are supposed to make you feel.
That being said, Life and Death was not nearly as magical an experience as Twilight. Maybe because I’m ten years older now. Maybe because I went in thinking a male version of Bella was going to be hilarious. I don’t know. But here are my thoughts. Enjoy.
*Warning: SPOILERS*
Thoughts on Life And Death
Obvious that Smeyer is making the effort to make this inner monologue a bit more typical of a teenage boy, but he still sounds awfully wishy-washy.
Beau’s description makes him sound like an Emo-Kid and even though he doesn’t say this at ALL, for some reason I’m imagining him with greasy hair and bad acne. That’s just the vibe his personality gives off. No way is he going to attract the hottest vampire girl in school.
Why aren’t Renee and Charlie gender-bent? Why couldn’t Police Chief Charlotte Swan welcome her son home after her flaky husband Raymond left her and married Pro-Softball player Felicia? It could have worked, people. Come on.
All these gender-bent guys are acting WAY too much like girls. Forgive me, I’m not meaning to perpetuate heteronormative stereotypes or anything, but really. It wasn’t that long ago that I was in high school. Guys don’t talk like that.
Somehow, the gender-bent girls work. I can see a bunch of new girls flocking to the new boy in school. Although, once they figure out how much of a bummer Beau is, they’ll probably flock right back.
Okay WHERE did Smeyer come up with the new names for the Cullens? These names are ridiculous. Royal? Archie? I’m having a really hard time remembering who is supposed to be who (although since this is supposedly an entirely separate work, I guess I’m not supposed to).
Also, I’m very disappointed that neither Jasper nor James nor Jacob was renamed Jackie.
Speaking of Jacob/Julie, there’s definitely not going to be a Renesmee or Ronaldo or whatever weird, gender-bent name might have been bestowed on the human/vampire spawn. So I’m guessing she ends up alone.
I don’t know why, but I actually really like Edythe. I think she seems kind of kickass. That being said, I can’t imagine her falling for Beau who has the personality of a wet wash cloth. Seriously, I’m usually pretty big on the, “Why do these fictional heroines always go for the brooding bad boy? Why can’t they go for the sweet, nice, normal boy next door?” But Beau, again, is just… Blegh.
Wow, this book is exactly like Twlilight but with gender-bent characters.
I’m not buying the whole every girl in town is into cars. One? Sure. But come on, Smeyer, if you’re going to gender-bend them, make them kind of believable. Not one of my girl friends is into cars. My guy friends? Yeah. Like, all of them.
Also Don’t make Royal drive around in Rosalee’s super girly car and then give Eleanor Emmett’s off-roader. Seriously. I know you’re trying to make a point that Bella isn’t a damsel in distress or whatever, but you didn’t even try to actually gender-bend them. You just changed the names and the pronouns.
Okay, I finally realized why, as a female reader, Beau is unappealing to me. Other than the fact that he’s Bella Swan in boxer shorts. It’s because he has such low self-esteem. His whole inner-monologue (like Bella’s) is, “Oh, how could this gorgeous girl ever love me? Oh, she’s a goddess and I’m just a mere mortal. Oh, I’m so dull and normal.” As a woman, I have to come out and say it: That is NOT an attractive quality. Humility is great. We all love a guy who’s modest. But for the love of God, please have some sense of pride. Don’t base your entire self-worth on the woman you’re dating. For one thing, that puts way too much pressure on us. For another thing, if you don’t think you’re all that great, then why should we? I like a guy who sees me as a person, who’s comfortable around me. I’ve dated guys who put me on a pedestal before. It’s awful. It’s completely dehumanizing and unrealistic. I just… Grrrrr, Beau. Grrrrrrrr.
Sorry. Rant over.
Beau pisses me off.
But still, I really like Edythe. Somehow, Female Edward works.
Okay… Instead of “dazzling” Beau says she’s “disarming with dimples” or something? Okay. Maybe it’s actually a good thing that Smeyer didn’t change all that much because that’s just excruciatingly awkward.
“A part of her saw me as food.” Stop. Please, Beau. Just stop.
I seriously just can’t with this piggy-back riding scene. This is so awkward. OMG.
I’m trying really hard to picture Beau as someone more appealing, like Matthew Gray Gubler (who is actually my Michael Sinclair), but it’s just not working. I’m still seeing him as this gangly kid who wears stupid t-shirts and has oily hair and zits. I really think it’s the personality.
I wonder what gender-bent Cemetery Tours would be like? Not that I actually have time to write it. I have way too many other stories that I want to work on first!
I actually really like Carine and Earnest. They’re super sweet and somehow, they work. The rest of the Cullens? Not so much. Except maybe Royal. I can totally see this snobbish, scary, super full of himself blond vampire. Kind of picturing him as Malfoy’s older brother.
I had no idea Joss was a girl’s name. I’m over here reading this and thinking Joss Whedon.
Should have been Jackie. I’d love to read about evil vampire Jackie trying to take Beau out.
Just like Twilight.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Woah. Wait. This isn’t like just like Twilight.
What? What?
Okay, this alternate ending is somehow making the hours I just spent reading Beau drivel worth it.
Well, sort of. Smeyer just somehow managed to cram all three of the rest of the series into about four chapters.
Beau and Edythe are talking about marriage? Ew. I’m sorry. They’re so young. I can’t see them married. Just no.
Although, I guess Edythe is 109. She definitely makes me feel like less of a cougar for liking a guy who’s three years younger than me.
Still, if I was Beau, I’d be totally miffed at how all this turned out. Sorry.
Interesting. Okay. Well. I read it.
And there you have it folks. For me, the original will always be better. Fans of Twilight, though, I am eager to find out what y’all thought of the *new* Bella and Edward.
October 6, 2015
Happy Bookday!
It’s here! After more than a year, After Death is finally available in Paperback AND Kindle!
I’m so excited for the ghostly misadventures of Michael, Luke, and Kate to continue. I hope you all enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
I want to take a little bit of time, however, to celebrate a few OTHER books being released today: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer, and of course, the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
The fact that my book came out on the same day as all of these ladies is, quite frankly, a huge fangirl honor for me. JK Rowling is Queen, as everyone knows, and I don’t know a single person whose lives she hasn’t touched with her magical world. Stephenie Meyer, yeah, okay, it’s kind of fun to make fun of Twilight. But I’ve got to be honest. I still love it. I love the story. It’s just pure fun and fantasy, you know? Very escapist, and I do love to escape.
Then, finally, there’s Rainbow Rowell. I fell in love with her writing after reading the story of my life, Fangirl. I’m serious. I’ve never read a book that so keenly described what it feels like to love a book and, frankly, to be apprehensive of the world outside. Oh my Heavens, do I love Fangirl.
As if I didn’t already love Rainbow Rowell enough for bringing that story to life, I then got to meet her last May. She is incredible, basically everything I want to be as an author and as a person. When I found out that her new book, Carry On, inspired by the book series in Fangirl, was being released the same day as mine, I was thrilled. And yes, I’ve already run out and bought my own copy.
Yes, I bought Life and Death too. I wanted to buy the new Harry Potter, but let’s face it, as an Indie Author, I barely have two dimes to rub together. I really shouldn’t have bought these two books, but I can’t help it. I have to support the authors and stories that I love. And, yeah, okay, I really need to feed my addiction to YA literature. Most importantly, though, these books serve as a reminder of why I do what I do and why I put so much time and effort into my books. I want this world of words to be my world, too.
Happy Bookday, everyone! Go read your favorite book! Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, go pick up something new!
May I recommend a ghost story?
October 5, 2015
After Formatting, After Editing, After Death
Tomorrow is the day. The next book in the Cemetery Tours series, After Death, will be available! To share a little secret with you, the Kindle eBook was available last night, but then I was told that there’d been a technical error with the file and I had to take it down.
Cue every author’s nightmare.
Any other day, if you asked me if there was anything I didn’t love about what I do, the answer would be no. But there are moments, like last night and half of today, when the self-doubt and unforeseen glitches start getting the better of me. This is a fun business and I love it so much and I love my books and characters, but the act of publishing itself can be very stressful. There’s already pressure on authors to write books that people want to read, but formatting and making them look professional and seeing to it that there are no (or as few as possible) typos or uneven lines etc, etc… It can be overwhelming.
I want to be an author. I want to write stories for the rest of my life and I want readers to enjoy those stories. I think that no matter what we pursue, there will always be a bit of stress, a bit of fear, especially if we really want everything to work out. And hopefully, it’s worth the risk. Risks have to be taken in life. Otherwise, we’d never evolve. I hope that I’m taking the right ones. I like to think that I am.
That being said, I really hope that you all like After Death and that all of the issues have been taken care of. I know no matter what that I’m going to keep writing. I have to keep writing. I truly believe than any author who puts their work out there, especially those of us who are independent, really don’t have a choice but to keep writing. Let’s face it, I could be making a heck of a lot more money doing a heck of a lot less work. But I love my books and I love my characters and most of all, I love my readers. I hope this new book is everything you deserve and more.
On a totally unrelated note, here are some really pretty autumn pictures from my trip to the Arboretum last Friday.
I also took pictures of my books.
September 30, 2015
Of Scary Stories and Reviews
This week isn’t even half over yet and already, it’s been kind of crazy. Before it ends, it’s going to get a lot crazier. I have like, a million things I need to remember to do and unfortunately, I’ve been sick for the last two days which means all I want to do is lie on the couch in my sweatpants and read. Granted, that’s what I do a lot of the time anyway, but with less than a week before my next book comes and with more than a few book events and speaking engagements on the horizon, not to mention a meeting tonight at church and cat-sitting, I don’t have time to be sick and feel sorry for myself.
Then, of course, there are the new stories that I’m continuing to work on for the rest of the month. One, of course, is the sequel to Backstage. That one is just pure fun. I seriously love writing YA. I love writing ghost stories too, but they require a certain level of depth and emotion, and it can be draining to pour all that heavy onto the page. Stories about boy bands however? Pure fluff.
The second story is for the second book in the Lurking Anthology series called Lurking in the Shadows. I can’t give you too many details about the story itself, but I can tell you it is by far the darkest thing I’ve ever written. It makes Cemetery Tours look like The Princess Diaries. I’ve got to be honest, I’m really hoping I’m not inviting in any dark energy or anything by writing this. I’ll make sure to keep my Bible on hand.
Speaking of Cemetery Tours, as I was writing this, a package arrived on my doorstep…
After Death, the third book in the Cemetery Tours series, is here! And it looks amazing! I’m so, so, so excited! I can’t wait to share it with all of you next Tuesday! It’s kind of weird to think I’ve officially written a trilogy. Of course, it won’t be a trilogy for long. There are two more books coming!
Finally, I’ve been making a point to read and review the stack of books I’ve had sitting by my bedside for forever. I’ve been making progress. One book, Moon Tears by M. M. Frische, I really enjoyed. Well-written, historical fiction about the author’s cousin, I highly recommend it.
I’ve read a few other books, however, that I can’t say I enjoyed, or even finished. I always feel so guilty when I don’t like a book. It sounds weird, right? I never feel guilty not liking a song or a movie, but when it’s a book, I almost feel like it’s personal. Maybe it’s because I’m an author myself. I don’t know. I especially feel guilty when I’ve met the author in person. Now, I’m not going to say which books I didn’t like. I don’t want to do that to a fellow writer. If I don’t like a book, I simply won’t write a review. And maybe that’s wrong. Maybe a lousy review is better than no review at all. But I almost feel like I owe it to the author to give them a good review, just because I know how much time and effort and love they put into a story. Even though, on the flip side, I know I owe it to fellow readers and reviewers to be totally honest in my recommendation.
Anyway, I suppose I better be off! I’ll talk to y’all soon! Keep reading, keep writing!
September 29, 2015
One Week!
Exactly one week from today, After Death, the third installment in the Cemetery Tours series will be available on Amazon.com and Kindle. It will be available on Barnes and Noble.com and Nook shortly thereafter. I am so excited to share this book with y’all. It’s a book I began over a year ago, but after completing the first draft, I realized I hated it. It didn’t have a plot. It was just a bunch of people sitting around and talking. I couldn’t give you all that, and I certainly want to do better by my characters.
I’m so pleased with the final draft of After Death, and I’ve received very positive feedback from my editors and beta-readers. I’m hoping y’all like it just as much. I want to give my characters a good story, and most importantly, I want to give all of you a good story. You deserve it.
I’m a bit under the weather today, so this is going to be a rather short blog post. I do, however, want to share the first two chapters of After Death with you here! Enjoy!
September 28, 2015
Jazzed About The Library
This last Saturday, I participated in my second Meet the Authors event at the Colony Library. As always, it was a fun event. The people at the library are all just so lovely, as are the authors who participate. I came home with several new books I am itching to read. Since After Death will be coming out in just a WEEK, I might actually have a little extra time to read soon! Hooray!
I also participated in a new event this year called Jazzed About the Library, a dinner and fundraiser for the library. It was quite the glamorous event with two live jazz bands, a photo booth, a wandering magician, and eight local authors (myself included).
My favorite moment of the night, however, was near the very end when my new friend, Chase (author of the self-help book Have a Chase Day: IChase IDream), and I were packing up to leave. We’d been talking to this one little girl and her brother all day. She was a third grader, he was in Kindergarten. This little girl is one of the brightest girls I’ve ever met. She was happy talking to us for hours about animals, everything she learned in school, and our favorite Disney characters. At the end of the night, Chase and I both told her that if she ever had any questions or if she’d ever thought about writing, to contact us. It was then that her dad took her by the shoulders and said, “You see them? You see how hard they’ve worked and what they’re doing with their lives? That is what I want for you.”
That, my friends, is the best compliment I’ve ever received in my entire life. I was so touched, I didn’t know what to say. I know this little girl will go on to do whatever she sets her mind to. She just has that spark.
As for me, my new goals for the year include reading and reviewing a stack of books (mostly published by fellow Indie Authors) that I’ve had sitting by my bed for forever.
I think that is a fairly attainable goal.
Happy Monday, y’all!
September 25, 2015
Ghosts of Memory: Jacqueline E. Smith’s Cemetery Tours
Originally posted on Tim Prasil:
Personally, I prefer transparency when it comes to ghostly manifestations. Let everybody see what’s what, not just a privileged few!
However, there’s a long tradition of ghost-seers, individuals with the unique ability to see — even chat with — dead people. In some cases, those with mediumistic powers actually aid spirits in manifesting in the physical world (by lending ectoplasm or energy, etc.). During the heyday of Spiritualism, psychic mediums claimed to have that ability, and many of those without it were willing to pay to communicate with the dearly departed. These days, you see the same general idea played out in movies like The Sixth Sense and TV programs like The Ghost Whisperer.
But would anyone really want to be a ghost-seer? Would your life be your own, or would you have to dedicate yourself to helping ghosts move on? Or would you become a kind of Lieutenant Uhura…
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Dear Author,
Originally posted on A Well Read Woman:
Recently, I read a blog post by an Author who was having a difficult time selling her books. She blamed everything from the glacial pace of book reviewers, suggesting some take books and don’t leave a review at all, to not feeling comfortable “spamming” her family and friends on social media with links to buy to her book.
To say that my eyes glazed over while reading her post is an understatement. And for the record, I haven’t worked with this Author before.
First, I would like to defend book reviewers as a whole. Book bloggers like me are inundated with books EVERY SINGLE DAY. We have MASSIVE to-be-read lists. I am right now at a one year waiting list, (but I do offer an expedited service, where for a fair price, I can offer a review within seven days). We are not taking books and not leaving reviews……
View original 671 more words
