Pleasantwick has a book trailer!

This was my first experience with book trailers. It was kind of fun. I learned a lot. What do you think?

Here are the websites I used for free music and photos:
http://www.freeimages.com
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
http://audionautix.com
I manipulated the photos using GIMP 2

{Review} Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I gave it 4 stars (but it was more like 3 1/2) ~ An okay read.

Our book club chose Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children as our October read, expecting a creepy, haunting thriller. It was not. And that was the most disappointing part of the book for me. I really hate when the back cover blurb is misleading. I might have felt completely different if I'd known what to expect -- or in this case, not expect.

I thought the writing was very good -- similar in style to John Green. I enjoyed the characters and their strange abilities, and the photographs were a fun addition to go along with the read. However, I found the pacing a little slow at times, and the ending a little abrupt.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is listed as young adult, but I felt that the story telling and characters seemed geared more toward middle grade/younger teens. I'll probably pick up the second book, but I'm definitely not in a rush.

Heaven's Forgotten Blog Tour

Tour Participants:

·        October 12^th, 2015 http://filingwords.blogspot.com/

·        October 13^th, 2015

http://littlepinkcrayon.com

·        October 14^th, 2015 http://chrisan081.wix.com/pagehungrybookworm

·        October 15^th, 2015 http://www.citygirlscapes.com/

·        October 16^th, 2015 http://mlstoughton.blogspot.com/

·        October 17^th, 2015 http://rainnes.blogspot.co.uk/
https://astoundingbooks.wordpress.com/

·        October 18^th, 2015

   http://amazeballsbookaddicts.blogspot.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Book:

Title: Heaven’s Forgotten

Author: Branden Johnson

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Synopsis:

Moira just wants a normal life for her daughter, Penelope. And sometimes, it seems like she has achieved it. Penelope is a sweet, smart, and precocious four-year-old girl. However, she is also the product of Moira’s affair with an angel. Her parentage gives Penelope strength far beyond what any child should possess. It also makes her the target of fallen angels who intend to use her mysterious powers as their way back into Heaven. Worse yet, one of those fallen angels is her own father. Now, Moira finds herself caught up in a terrifying struggle for Penelope’s life against beings more powerful than she can imagine. And when Penelope’s true power is revealed, it will shake the foundations of reality.

Suspenseful and action-packed, Heaven’s Forgotten demonstrates the power of a mother’s love against the longest odds in Heaven and on earth.

Author Bio:

Branden Johnson is a writer living near Chicago with his wonderful wife and hyperactive chihuahua. When he’s not writing, he’s playing music in the post-rock band These Guys These Guys. Heaven’s Forgotten is his first novel. 

6 Blurb Writing Tips

When I first decided to self-publish, I scoured the internet for advice and help. Let's face it, as a self-pubber, every aspect of getting my book ready and out into the public was going to be up to me. And I had a lot of learning to do.

Now that I've got some experience under my belt, I like to pay it forward. (You can check out my other tips under the self-publishing tag.)

So here are my tips on blurb writing.

A Blurb is not a synopsis – A synopsis is a brief rundown of your entire book. It usually gives away the secrets and the ending. A blurb should hint at those secrets.

For example, a blurb makes you ask, “What’s in the box?!”

The synopsis will tell you what’s in the box. And to be honest, if I’d known what was in the box, I wouldn’t have watched the movie. DON’T GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY.

Keep away from expository writing – This isn’t the place for long descriptions of backstory or setting, or even describing a character.

It should be enticing – Think of it like a commercial or a movie trailer. Make you want more. If it helps read your blurb like the famous movie trailer voice of Don LaFontaine. 

               

It should be short and punchy – Make every word count. Use emotive words, concentrating on actions.

Present tense – This isn’t a hard rule, it’s just usually how they’re done. I dare you to pick up any book and read the back cover, odds are, it’s written in present tense. The blurb doesn’t have to be written in the same tense as the story.

Third person – Again the POV doesn’t have to match the story, generally blurbs are written in third person. However, there are some awesome blurbs written in first. Just make sure you have a great voice and reason for using it.

Below I have an example of a blurb I helped a writer with. Check out the before and after.

Original:

“Crestfall University, founded in 1786, derived its name from the twelve founding families of the school itself. The six Native families were cast out of their tribes, and six families of European descent were emancipated from their founders once their dream of a school of equality was set forth into becoming a reality. To commemorate the losses that each group had endured, the familial crests – and in the Native’s case, tribal symbols – were woven into the school itself. ‘Crestfall’ was born under the idea that each family had ‘fallen from grace’ in the eyes of their elders, and so the name of the school itself is a reminder of one of the many sacrifices which the founders made.” 

While most colleges struggle with rival football teams, these walls hide a different kind of rivalry. 

A rivalry between the mind and heart. 

Love versus lust. 

Good versus Evil. 

Crestfall University stands tall and regal against the forested backdrop of Unity, South Dakota, and numerous secrets lie among it's stone walls. Two sisters learn the hard way that their fates within the halls of Crestfall offer much more than a degree, and that blood is thicker - and stranger - than water. 

Sailor Landwell is a dedicated pre-med student whose only goal is to graduate with honors and attend the finest medical school possible. 

Amelia Landwell is less than focused but thinks she has finally found her calling in anthropology. 

Meeting gorgeous frat boys Rafe Catori and Marrok Tala seems like the icing on the collegiate cake, until it becomes painfully obvious that the two of them are keeping secrets bigger than the Landwell sisters could ever imagine. How far will they go to uncover to truths of Crestfall, and more importantly, at what price? Murder, mystery, and the supernatural collide in Crestfall - Book One of The Crestfall Saga, the debut novel from Ashelia Raven. 

Edited version:

Sisters, Sailor and Amelia Landwell are excited to start their first semester at their grandfather’s alma mater, Crestfall University. While Amelia is less than focused, Sailor plans to get through the next couple of years with no distractions, graduate with honors, and go on to the finest medical school possible.

Enter distraction number one, the sexy and playful frat boy, Rafe Catori. The more Sailor tries to keep her distance, the stronger her attraction to Rafe grows. It doesn’t help that his best friend has taken a liking to her sister, Amelia, so the boys are always hanging around.

Soon, the Landwell sisters realize the frat boys are keeping secrets bigger than they could ever imagine. And that while most colleges struggle with rival football teams, the walls of Crestfall University hide a different kind of rivalry. One that could mean life or death. But how far will they go to uncover to truth, and more importantly, at what price?

------

What do you think? Better?

Since I used Ashelia Raven's book as an example, I'll include the link for her book Crestfall. You can also check out my review of Crestfall in an earlier post.

I love helping out and reworking blurbs. Do you need help? Let me know.

{Review} Crystal Magic by Madeline Freeman

I gave it 4 stars ~ Good read!

Crystal Magic is a young adult story reminiscent of The Secret Circle.

Most of the story revolves around the main character Kristyl Barnette adapting to life in a new town and new school, living with her aunt, after her mother is killed in a car accident. She didn’t fit in at her last school, so she hopes for a new start in Clearwater.

I liked Kristyl (Krissa) and her new friends Owen, Lexie, Bria, Felix and West. Owen is a doll and I loved their blossoming relationship. But of course, there must be teenage drama, and that came with mean girl, Crystal Jamison (which is why Kristyl starts going by Krissa). Later, when mean girl Crystal starts trying to befriend Krissa (for reasons I won’t spoil) I felt bad for Krissa being pulled in different directions.

I thought the writing was good. I could picture the scenes, without too much telling. The story seemed well edited, with limited typos. Although, I could’ve done without the main character “biting her lower lip” so many times (I think around 37) and it did get a little confusing and repetitive with Kristyl Barnette, Crystal Jamison and her aunt Crystal Taylor, and a magical crystal.  

I’d recommend Crystal Magic. I thought it was entertaining and I'll likely read book 2, Wild Magic.

Happy Monday to You!

Hope your Monday wasn't too bad,
and you were able to steer clear of delinquent pandas. 

What an ass!

Anyway, in an effort to have more of an online presence, I decided to start posting book reviews on my blog. I mean, why not, if I'm already doing a review.

I've got two reviews for you today. First up...

Song Magick by Elisabeth Hamill.

I gave it 5 stars ~ An enchanting YA fantasy.

I haven’t read anything like Song Magick before, it was a nice change.

The thing that stood out most for me was the beautiful writing. Hamill has a unique way with words that capture the beauty of fantasy and bring it to life; this was especially vital to her wonderful world building. I truly enjoyed the medieval-style realm where the story takes place. 

The characters were well developed, Telyn is strong-willed and Mithrais is swoon worthy. I loved the chemistry between them. Even the secondary characters seemed fully realized and gave reason to either love or hate them.

This story has plenty of action, drama, and romance. I’d love to see more of these characters and more from this author.


Next up...

Cloak of Shadows by CK Dawn

I gave it 4 stars ~ I'd recommend.

Cloak of Shadows is a hard one for me to rate and review. It was a little more fantasy than I’m used to, so sometimes I had a hard time with the supernatural terms. But I can say this, the Netherwalkers are creepy and the thought of them being real and only seen as strange shadow lurking in a dark corner. EEEK!

The blurb seems like the story is supposed to be about fourteen-year-old Abby and her mentor Lourdie, and I think that’s how younger readers will feel. But for me, it felt more like the story was about Lourdie and her side-kick Abby. Not that it was a problem. I just thought I’d mention it, because I think the story will appeal to wide variety of readers.

I really liked Lourdie. She’s totally cool and kick-ass. Abby was a little more on the annoying side, like a little sister. I enjoyed the love interests with both of the girls. While Abby’s was a little more on the sweet side, the banter between Lourdie and Temple was fun. (I’d like to order my own Temple, please.)

The book started a little slow for me, but in the end there was a lot of action.

------

So that's it for me today.

Enjoy your week!

  

{Review} Crestfall by Ashelia Raven

I gave it 4 stars ~ Fun read!

Crestfall is a new adult paranormal fantasy with a wonderful blend of the college life, secrets and supernatural beings. It was a fun read with loads of physical attraction, witty banter, and action.

Ashelia Raven seems to have a knack for writing fight scenes, which had me flipping the pages well into the night. I thought the characters were likable and well-developed. However, I found the POV changes slightly jarring at times. (I think this can easily be fixed just by adding ***) While I thought the writing was good, I did find quite a few punctuation errors. Again, an easy fix. So I still gave Crestfall four stars because I enjoyed the story.

I received a free copy of Crestfall from Ashelia Raven in exchange for an honest review.