Musings of a Hopeful Author

I just finished reading Masks by E.C. Blake and really enjoyed it. If you're interested in seeing what it's about, here's my goodreads review: Masks by E.C. Blake My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I wasn’t sure how I would like Masks due to the premise that everyone in the autarchy had to wear them once they achieved adulthood, but I was pleasantly surprised by the way Blake weaved the masks into the story. Everything about this book felt like it was deeper than you originally thought. The characters were well written and had pasts that you get glimpses of throughout the story that underlines what motivates the various characters. I also enjoyed the way Blake explains the various roles of the masks in society and how they are masks into the wearer’s soul so to speak. As for the structure of the book, I thought Blake did a great job of grabbing your attention right at the beginning even though you didn’t f

I just finished reading Jack of Hearts, a book I won on Goodreads, and wrote a review of the book.  If you're interested in hearing what I had to say, please see below. Jack of Hearts by Ricardo Bare My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I don’t generally read books about alternative worlds and magic, but I thought this book looked interesting and I loved the premise. Overall, I enjoyed the story and thought the characters were unique and engaging. I thought Bare did a good job of describing Jack’s world and his various encounters and adventures on his journey. As for the book, I thought that the opening did a great job of getting your attention. It outlined who Jack was and why he was different, and it did a great job introducing you to Jack’s world. After that it slows down a good bit, and though the writing is good it took some determination on my part to get through the middle of the book. It takes a while for you to ga

Have you ever found that you have something you want to write, say a piece of a bigger story you are still thinking over, but you also have a book or ten you want to read?  I find that I run into that very conundrum all the time!  I tend to have any number of stories churning in my mind at any given moment, and yet if I don't feel like I have a place to go with any of them just yet I become one of the easiest people in the world to distract.  Books tend to be my main distraction, and since I have something of a problem where I collect them, the distraction is no small one.  What kinds of books you ask?  Oh, all kinds!  I don't like to limit my collection to any particular genre or topic. However, I have found that I tend to go through phases where I collect books on specific things.  I am currently on something of a Sherlock Holmes kick where I am not only reading the original series by Conan Doyle, but have also expanded to include books by other authors where Holmes is a ke