Busy weekend has left me brain dead, but I'm going to try to get something done anyway. Even if it's only a little bit of writing, it counts, right? Lots happened at work this weekend. We had two secret shoppers come in (one on each day) and 'test' our ability to ask our guests if they need anything. I call it: epic fail. Only one person asked each time. How sad is that? A whole bunch of us was there on the floor and only one person asked. This isn't counting all the other people that we asked, oh no (which was like, everyone we saw, or close to it). We got yelled at twice. Hopefully it won't go past that. I don't think it will, but you never know.

Anyway, looks like I won't be scrapping the first half of EW after all. Well, I know a few scenes need to be cut and/or rewritten, but otherwise, I think it'll be okay. I switched some scenes, making some later and some earlier, and then it just clicked in my head; that's how it's supposed to be. It still needs some serious work, but I think it'll be okay. And I won't have to scrap the whole thing and completely start over like I had originally thought. Yay!! I love it when things work out.

Anyway, I'm off to attempt to write and hope it makes sense. Review of Brisingr is coming, I promise. Just not today. Maybe tomorrow.

 

5—beyond awesome

4—thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread

3—it was okay, I may recommend it

2—barely readable

1—waste of time and money

5—beyond awesome

4—thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread

3—it was okay, I may recommend it

2—barely readable

1—waste of time and money

0—couldn’t finish

5—beyond awesome

4—thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread

3—it was okay, I may recommend it

2—barely readable

1—waste of time and money

0—couldn’t finish

So, I haven't really been working on my revisions for EW. I don't quite know what to do with it. I upped the time table for certain things, and now my characters seem flipfloppy. And I'm chaning almost every scene in a major way. I wonder if I should just scrap it and start over. It's frustrating me that much at the moment. Some days I'll absolutely love what I wrote/fixed, and then some days I hate it and feel like deleting all of it. I've taken a few days away from it to figure out what the heck is going on, but I don't think I've put my finger on it yet. I think mostly it just feels like it's all jumbled and it's chaos and I keep feeling like it just doesn't work. I know I need to do something, but I'm just not sure what yet and it's frustrating me.

On the same token, I finished my outline for my Super Sekrit Projekt, which now has a name, FA. I leave it to anyone reading this to come up with silly names to try to figure it out. If anyone gets close, I may post a snippet tomorrow. Oh, heck, I'll probably do it anyway. But anyway, I started writing this one on Friday and I've already got around 5k words on it. What's good about this one, I think, is that I have an actual outline that I can follow. One that I think actually works. I got in the major plot points that I knew I wanted to happen, then I added a couple little things in there to add some depth to it. I think it's mostly still general stuff, like, "MC finds killer and puts them away" or something like that, rather than, "MC goes down this alley and finds this thing here and leads to another street and..." and so on and so forth, bringing me to about twenty some odd points that I want to happen in this story, all written down in a list, from beginning of the story to the end. (My first outline I just opened up a powerpoint and put each chapter on a slide and I listed everything that I wanted to happen, color coding everything so they looked like sticky notes, but for some reason, that didn't work so well.) I think this outline, too, gives me a clearer picture of what I want to happen, and keeps my thoughts from getting all jumbled up, like the problem I'm having with EW. I never made an outline for it and it sounded good when I wrote it (of course it does, everything new sounds fantabulous), but going through it now in revisions, I just feel like I'm lost. I don't know what I want to happen anymore because in my mind, the story's not as clear cut. I keep flipping back and forth between different possiblities, and I'm afraid that's affecting my characters. The outline really seems to be working for FA, though I've only got around 5k, so it's probably too soon to cry "sucess!" but I really think this will work. And I can refer to it at any time and keep mostly on track, unless the characters decide to pull me by the neck and drag me to where they want to go, I can use my premade outline as a guide, plus I won't forget nearly as much because I already wrote out the major points before hand. Okay, I won't babble on anymore so you guys can go about your day. But first, some questions. Do you guys outline? If so, how do you go about it? Are there other ways you go about planning out a story and your characters?

And so everyone knows, I have a review of Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow forthcoming. Yeah, I know, another book. But reading is research for writing, right? Right?

A new day dawns blood red

A master of fire, Mira is the last hope for the world. For centuries she has secretly enforced the history-altering edicts of the Triad. Now she and her unlikely ally—the human vampire hunter, Danaus—have come to Venice, home of the nightwalker rulers. But there is no safety in the ancient city, for the threat of conflict is in the wind . . . with unholy alliances and earth-shattering betrayals taking hideous form in the shadows.

Banished for eons beyond the world's boundaries, the malevolent naturi prepare to feed once again upon a vulnerable earth—and treachery is opening wide the portal that will enable their dread re-emergence. The great battle that has always been Mira's destiny is looming, and she must remain powerful in the face of a shocking revelation: that Danaus, the only creature she dares to trust, is something more than the man he claims to be . . .

This was a great book and an awesome second installment in this new series. I think it's even better than the first one. This second book finally brings a few conflicts to a close, while simultaneously opening up new threads and getting ready for the next book, which I have a feeling is going to be even better. This book has action, romance, a fast pace, and was just a fun read. Some moments were heartwrenching, as Mira and Danaus' tenuous relationship/friendship is really put to the test in this book, betrayals happening right and left. But the two are still albe to somehow stick together through the end, and Mira starts making some good, smart choices after making some bad ones in the first one. Mira is learning more about herself with these new experiences, some good, some bad, but she still tries to do the right thing, despite everything, and even succeeds to a point. I loved this book and I can't wait until the third book comes out this September.

My rating system:

5—beyond awesome
4—thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread
3—it was okay, I may recommend it
2—barely readable
1—waste of time and money
0—couldn’t finish

My rating:

5--beyond awesome

You can run from the grave, but you can't hide . . .

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won't let her get away again.

This was a pretty good book. I don't think it's as good as the third one (for those who don't normally read my blog, I read the third one first, go figure), but the plot makes sense and I like the characters, especially Bones. Bones is one of my favorite vampires. He's smooth, knows how to fight, but doesn't mind getting down and dirty in a fight (physical or verbal) when necessary. I also think he's good for Cat and I'm glad that he found her when he did. I like Cat, too, because she continues to surprise. Yes, sometimes she's predictable in the get-angry-fight-and-kill sort of way, but the way she goes about it is unpredictable, and I like that. I also like how she's not afraid to cry and morn over her friends and that she'll do anything to get them back. Overall, I liked it, and don't mind reading the fourth book, coming out this summer.

My rating system:

5—beyond awesome

4—thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread

3—it was okay, I may recommend it

2—barely readable

1—waste of time and money

0—couldn’t finish

My rating:

4—thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread

Note: It's very difficult to type when Cat #1 comes over and sits on your arms.  
 

Wow, I really need to catch up on my reviews. I've got three of them, two books, and one movie. Well, make that two, now. Anyway, here's review number one. It'll be quick since I have some research to do, editing to do, some other things...yeah, I've got a lot to do today.



Summary:
Corine Solomon is a handler—when she touches an object she instantly knows its history and its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—which is why people never stop trying to find her. Like her ex-boyfriend Chance, who needs Corine’s gift to find someone dear to them both. But the search proves dangerous as it leads them into a strange world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies—and black magic...

This was a really good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was fast paced, action packed, and there was even a little romance. I liked that the magic in this book had consequences for everyone and that some of the magic and powers weren't the normal, active powers, but they still were useful and had their place. Even some of the monsters weren't the usual vampire/werewolf, etc. and it was a nice change. I loved Corine because she wasn't the kick-ass, nothing but bad attitude girl ready to beat people into submission, but she had a past and tried to live a normal life, making choices that weren't always smart, but she tried to make up for it by keeping her promises, even when she wanted to run and go back to the life that she built for herself. And I absolutely loved that Ann Aguirre put this book in a Mexican setting, or at least for some of it, adding in the Mexican culture and language. I was pretty pleased with myself for being able to understand the Spanish without her having to explain it (she did, of course, in different ways), so that was exciting on my part. Overall, I loved this book and would definitely reread it. 

A reminder of my new rating system:

5—beyond awesome

4—thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread

3—it was okay, I may recommend it

2—barely readable

1—waste of time and money

0—couldn’t finish

And now my rating:

5—beyond awesome

And now, off to do some necessary editing.

Okay, my plan to read one book a week...Yeah, it didn't take. I'm on my third book this week. And I can't find it in me to feel guilt that I have been neglecting my WIP. I've got some ideas for it, though, that I'm thinking about adding, so I haven't been ignoring it completely (as well as some other ideas for other maybe-novels). I figure as long as I get this revision done by the end of summer, I'm good (hopefully I'll finish well before, I don't think I'll have too much of a problem doing that). So, on to my third book of the week! Hopefully I can get back to one book a week because otherwise I'm going to run out of books to read very fast. Reviews forthcoming. I'm tired and going to watch the rest of So You Think You Can Dance.

Instead of powerful forces storming Seattle, a more insidious invasion is happening. Most of Joanne Walker's fellow cops are down with the blue flu—or rather the blue sleep. Yet there's no physical cause anyone can point to—and it keeps spreading.

It has to be magical, Joanne figures. But what's up with the crazy dreams that hit her every time she closes her eyes? Are they being sent by Coyote, her still-missing spirit guide? The messages just aren't clear.

Somehow Joanne has to wake up her sleeping friends while protecting those still awake, figure out her inner-spirit dream life and, yeah, come to terms with these other dreams she's having about her boss...

Okay, another quickie review. Yeah, I know. Don't look at me like that. Anyway, this is the third book in the Walker papers series, and I actually enjoyed this one. The beginning seemed a little slow at first, but by the time I got about half way through, I was tripping over myself to finish because I just had to know what happened next. We learn more about Joanne and her secrets, and her interesting relationship with Captain Morrison...which just keeps getting interesting. The plot in this one was different than others I've seen, but it definitely wasn't bad. Just different. And I loved how different the mythology was in this book. I'm always fascinated by Native American mythology, which is one reason why I'm drawn to this series. I love the idea of shamans and spirit guides and things like that. Some sad things happen in this book that I'm not entirely sure were resolved, since even Joanne wasn't sure what was happening, but I'm glad that Joanne is finally coming into her own and accepting who and what she is and what she's become, even if there were sacrifices she had no choice but to make. I think she'll be an even better shaman in the next book which I cannot wait to get my hands on. And of course the end was frustrating, sad, but entirely brilliant because I can't think of another way for it to end and leaves me wanting more. I want that next book, dang it. Anyway, the next book is Walking Dead and comes out in September, so watch out for it, because it's sure to be a good one!

My rating system (I changed it, go figure):

5—beyond awesome

4—thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread

3—it was okay, I may recommend it

2—barely readable

1—waste of time and money

0—couldn’t finish

And here's my rating: 4--thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely reread

SYNOPSIS

It's a new "Night" and "Museum" for Larry Daley, who is joined by several other characters from the original film, including cowboy Jedediah and Teddy Roosevelt, as well as new characters from history like Amelia Earhart, villainous Egyptian pharaoh Kahmunrah, Russian tyrant Ivan the Terrible and Napoleon. The centerpiece of the film will be bringing to life the Smithsonian Institution, which houses the world's largest museum complex with more than 136 million items in its collections, ranging from the plane Amelia Earhart flew on her nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic and Al Capone's rap sheet and mug shot to Dorothy's ruby red slippers and Archie Bunker's lounge chair.

This movie was such a great movie! Normally sequels aren't that great but this one I think is even better than the first one! It seemed a little slow getting started, but the rest was so action packed and full of things going on that there was hardly a dull moment during the entire movie. And I loved Amelia Earhart and I think Amy Adams was the perfect fit for her. Of course, I would've loved to have seen more of Teddy Rosavelt (spelling?) but I was glad that they were to add him in a little bit during the movie. Some of the conversations got a bit tedious because they just kept repeating themselves, but it was still pretty funny. Even the bad guys were funny. This movie was just tons of laughs. Overall, this was a great movie and I recommend it to everyone! So go see it! 

SYNOPSIS

Celebrity photographer Connor Mead loves freedom, fun and women--in that order. A committed bachelor who thinks nothing of breaking up with multiple women on a conference call, Connor's mockery of romance proves a real buzz-kill for his kid brother, Paul, and a houseful of well wishers on the eve of Paul's wedding. Just when it looks like Connor may single-handedly ruin the wedding, he is visited by the ghosts of his former jilted girlfriends, who take him on a revealing and hilarious odyssey through his failed relationships-past, present and future. Together they attempt to find out what turned Connor into such an insensitive jerk and whether there is still hope for him to find true love... or whether he really is the lost cause everyone thinks he is.

Pretty good movie. It was cute and had a good message, and had plenty of laughs. It wasn't as good as I was hoping or expecting, but it wasn't too bad. I think maybe I would've rented it, though intead of gone to the theater to see it. Some of the conversations were really bad, but I like the concept. And, of course, it ended Happily Ever After, and who doesn't want one of those once in a while? I liked it all right, but it just wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, although it did have some really funny moments. So, I recommend with reservations.

Tomorrow we're seeing Night at the Museum!!