Musings of a Hopeful Author

Aw man!  After weeks of trying to reign in my hopes and aspirations for this short story contest, I finally get the results, and realize I was wise to reign in my hopes and aspirations.  I didn't make it into the Top 5 for my heat.  How disappointing!  Though not completely unexpected, if I have to be honest.  For one thing, I've written a grand total of 3 short stories in my adult life.  Each one was better than the previous one, but there's definitely some room for improvement if I am only at number 3 on the list of completed/attempted.  All three have been driven by my trying to enter some type of competition.  I obviously need to "train in the off season" to make sure I make the roster in the future, otherwise I might need to give up my dreams of the Major Leagues.  Another reason why I wasn't overly surprised with the result is the fact that I couldn't have been assigned a harder topic for me to have to write about.  I don't do scar...

So, it is March 17 (better known as St. Patrick's Day to most), and it is snowing in Virginia. It has been snowing throughout the night, so there are now inches of snow upon the ground. Words cannot describe my lack of enthusiasm as I look out of the window at what one could only describe as a "Winter Wonderland," and yet, I am over it. I am over the snow. I always wanted to have more of it as a child growing up in Georgia, but now I feel that I am all caught up on those past wishes. It has snowed enough. Let's move on to Spring and flowers (even though that brings pollen and allergies), I believe it's time to transition. That said, snow does provide the perfect opportunity to sit inside and think,read, and write. I have been doing a little of the first, a lot of the second, and not quite enough of the third. I've definitely learned some things through this latest read of mine. There was quite a hullabaloo regarding the fall of certain angels....

Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt My rating: 4 of 5 stars I won this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. I enjoyed this book and its different take on a historical romance. For one thing, the couple is already married. Granted, their marriage is not a traditional one and leaves a great deal to be desired, but it is a marriage in name if nothing else. For another thing, it was interesting to see how the relationship between Megs and Godric developed considering the fact that Megs had a very specific agenda she was trying to achieve while Godric had a rather unusual pastime he wanted to keep to himself. There were even moments in the book where I couldn't help thinking I was getting a glimpse of what the caped crusader would look like in this time period, well minus the gadgets and with a change of clothes. Add to that intrigue, drama, and countless dark passageways, not to mention some rather steamy encounters, and you have an entertaining tale before you. I would recommend this...

I realize that I have been posting a lot of book reviews in recent days, and not so many personal posts. I will try to even out the balance between the two in the coming days and months. However, I wanted to go ahead and give you a head's up that I am going to try and write a review for every one of the 50 books I have set for myself to read this year. Or, in the event that I seriously hate the book, I will just give it a low rating rather than blasting it for its less that awe-inspiring nature. In addition to my reading goals, I am also trying to gear up for more writing this year, believe it or not. I am currently working on a piece of fan fiction for the Mary Russell novels. The piece I am working on should pick up right after The Pirate King .  I've done an initial draft, but after some peer reviews, I've decided to take another pass at it and see if I can't make it a bit better. Apart from the fan fiction, I am trying to set the ball in motion fo...

The Marquess of Cake by Heather Hiestand My rating: 4 of 5 stars I thought this was a really neat take on the whole historical romance genre. I've read countless books about star-crossed lovers, forbidden love, unlikely matches, etc. between members of the aristocracy and whoever else might strike your fancy, but this is the first time I've read one centered around food. And cake no less! I liked that the cake theme was a strong element throughout the book, and wasn't just introduced to us and dropped. I also enjoyed the characters, seeing their ties to each other (and of course to the cakes!), and the various difficulties they encountered. I also enjoyed the casual hat tip to some modern day diseases, though prevalent throughout history, that were not always known to exist. Well done on that, too! Overall, a very enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend to anyone out there with a sweet tooth or who enjoys a good romance. View all my reviews

A January Bride by Deborah Raney My rating: 3 of 5 stars Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was relatively light, even though there were some definite issues the main characters were dealing with internally. I liked the cast of characters that took part on the story, and I liked the setting. The only thing I didn't really love about it is more preference than anything else. It's nothing against the writing or the story, but I would have preferred only getting the POV of one of the main characters rather than switching between them. I think it would have made the story more exciting and surprising. I won't go into a whole lot of detail here, since I don't want to spoil anything, but I think only seeing things from one character's POV or the other could have opened a lot more options about where the story could have gone and how the romance could have developed. Like I said at the outset, however, I enjoyed it and the only thing I could really ...

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale My rating: 3 of 5 stars Having seen the movie Austenland, I jumped at the chance of reading its sequel. I enjoyed this book even though it was a very different story from the original. This one was fraught with mystery, and not just about who will end up with who in the overall romance that we can't help but expect from anything with "Austen" in the title, or the by line for that matter. I enjoyed stepping back in time, so to speak, with the various characters and watching the various relationships and interactions unfold. I thought Ms. Hale did a great job of drawing you, the reader, into the story as it progressed through the drama and mystery surrounding midnight in Austenland. I also enjoyed the fact that the main character, though maybe not so normal in her personal accomplishments, was very normal and very human in her personal life, ultimately driving her to the escape that was Austenland. I liked, too, that you were...

Prince of Ravenscar by Catherine Coulter My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked this book. It had characters that were unique and likable or unlikable, as the case maybe, and the story was engaging. One of the things that I liked and disliked was the way the author went from one point of view to another within the same conversation. I liked being able to see how multiple people felt about the topic, but it also lost some of the mystery regarding the overall flow of the story. You knew how everyone felt nearly all the time. I thought the plot was solid, but not all that complex. There was one curve I didn't see coming, but it seemed like it was more of a distraction than anything else. Entertaining, but not essential. I would recommend this book to others as a light read. View all my reviews

So, I apparently owe quite a few posts since I did not write as much or often as I had intended after my last post...  Sorry about that. What have I been doing in the time sense that last post?  Well, I've been trying to read... 50 books is seeming like a larger and larger number to have to reach, even if I am "staying on track" with my reading goal.  Yes, that's a direct quote from the book tracker I'm using.  It says that for about a heartbeat before it tells me that I am behind yet again.  C'est la vie. Apart from reading, I have also been writing.  Big surprise there since this is a blog about my attempts to become a writer one day, and yet I have posted more about the books I have been reading than anything else.  Well, don't say goodbye to those lovely book reviews, but say hello to a post about a short story competition that I just entered.  It's not the first contest I've entered, but it's the first one I've ente...