Smuggled by Christina Shea - Book Review

Title: Smuggled

Author: Christina Shea

Publisher: Grove/Atlantic

Publication Date: Coming 5th July 2011

Format: Ebook - PDF

Pages:300

Genre: Literary Fiction

Source: ARC from NetGalley




 

Five-year-old Eva is trafficked from Hungary to Romania at the end of the war, arriving in the fictional border town of Crisu, given the name Anca Balaj by her aunt and uncle and instructed never to speak another word of Hungarian again. “Eva is dead,” she is told. As the years pass, Anca proves an unquenchable spirit, with a lust for life even when political forces threaten to derail her at every turn. Time is layered in this quest for self, culminating in the end of the Iron Curtain and Anca’s reclaiming of the name her mother gave her. When Eva returns to Hungary in 1990, a country changing as fast as the price of bread, she meets Martin, an American teacher, and Eva’s lifelong search for family and identity comes full circle as her cross-cultural relationship with Martin deepens through their endeavor to rescue the boy downstairs from abuse.(Goodreads Synopsis)


I received this ebook copy of Smuggled as a ARC from NetGalley and I am so glad that I decided to request it.
The story is gripping from start to finish with a wonderful array of colourful characters, all expertly portrayed against the landscapes of countries torn apart.
I was very interested to learn more about post-war life in some of the Eastern European states and it was a real eye-opener to think that events similar to those in the novel were happening at that time.
Shea's prose is engaging and full of wonderful description and real emotion and I found it hard to put the book down.
I cannot think of a single bad thing to say about this book and I can highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a dramatic story full of emotion and grit.

There's editing, letter writing...when's the time for writing?

Phew. I'm feeling a bit worn out this week. I had plans for really getting to grips with my latest story, but managed barely 600 words for the whole week.

Why, I hear you ask? Well....there just always seems to be so much else that needs to be done.

• Editing (I am doing some editing work for Wicked Nights Publishing now)
• Letters to write to my penpals
• Cleaning, housework (I do the bare minimum, but cannot avoid it completely)
• General updates on my websites, checking my emails etc
• Music practice
• Cross Stitch
• Exercise and fitness (I want to lose weight. Zumba once a week and walks with my fiance other evenings)
• Marketing for my current and upcoming releases (takes longer than writing the story to start with!)
• Books to read and then review (still 5 left from my Christmas hoard and several I just got from NetGalley)
• Wedding planning

By the time I've caught up with all this and feel ready to concentrate on the writing, I look at the clock and it's time for dinner.

Bear in mind, that I am not even working a day job at present, but I will be looking into signing on at the temping agency for at least part time work within the next fortnight. Plus, I just enrolled in a distance learning editing course to get my accredited Diploma in Editing and Diploma in Publishing. So soon I will have those things to contend with too.

*sigh* One day I might actually do some writing and finish another fiction piece. We can only hope!

Book Blogger Hop #1

Check out this weekend's Book Blogger Hop at Crazy-for-Books!


"Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?"

My blog is still fairly new, so I haven't had time to wish to change the name yet. Even so, I doubt I would as this is my pen name and it makes sense to use that name for my blog.

Day-Walker - The Long Wait

It's one of those funny days today with no clouds. Nothing but a brilliant blue sky. It still unnerves me a bit. In England you always have some clouds - even if they are few and far between. But here in Australia, nothing but a blue expanse. Still, it lifts the mood - blue sky and sun. I am hoping it is a good omen.

Certainly today seems to be going well. I completely revamped my website (check it out) and in a few hours I will see an advanced screening of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest at the cinema.

Also today, I sent off my finished manuscript for my new vampire story - Day-Walker. I am trying Silver Publishing this time. Wicked Nights have been great to me - they gave me my first break and I will have 6 pieces published with them by June. But I feel it is time to look at branching out and Silver seem to be a good choice.

The manuscript has been emailed through and now I am stuck with the nervous wait until I hear from them. I am crossing fingers, legs and every other bendable limb in the hope they will like the story. It says up to an 8 week wait on the website, but my friend, Julie, is published with them and says she thinks I'll hear sooner than that. I hope so....or I am liable to be a wreck by the end of April!

I feel really good about this piece, so I hope that feeling turns out to be justified. Today I am having a day-off the writing, but with my baby sent off, it is time to give birth to the next idea and I will start writing something new tomorrow!

The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato - Book Review

Title: The Botticelli Secret

Author: Marina Fiorato

Publisher: Beautiful Books

Publication Date: May 2010

Format: Paperback

Pages: 548

Genre: Historical Romance

Source: Christmas Gift

Luciana Vetra is a Floretine whore whose life is turned upside down when she is asked to model for painter, Sandro Botticelli. She poses as the figure of Flora in La Primavera, but when the artist abruptly sends her away, she steals the cartone of the painting.

 Suddenly, friends and clients of hers are being murdered and she realises that taking the painting has put her life in jeopardy. She turns to Brother Guido della Torre, a novice at Santa Croce, whom she had recently met when he tried to turn her from her profession.

Together they flee the city, trying to decifer the meaning hidden within the painting before they are caught by those that pursue them.

This was a fairly enjoyable story. Luciana makes an interesting heroine and is no shrinking violet, while Guido is a wonderful foil for her. Together they make a great team.

The story itself I found interesting. There were moments when I found my attention wavering, but it would pick up again within a couple of chapters. I would have liked a little more pace at times, but the ideas and concepts surrounding the meaning of the painting were well thought out and presented.

This is a pleasant read for anyone who enjoys historical romance and Renaissance art. It is similar in a way to The Da Vinci Code; although it is set in a contemporary period to the time of the artist and is considerably better written.

Kiss of Darkness by Loribelle Hunt - Book Review

Title: Kiss of Darkness

Author: Loribelle Hunt

Publisher: Carina Press

Publication Date: 24th January 2011

Format: Ebook - EPUB

Pages: 236

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Source: ARC from NetGalley

Winter is a hybrid - a human who crossed her soul with a demon's so that she had the strength and power to fight the evil, pure demons. The nightwalkers and the lupines also combat the demon threat, yet all three races distrust each other. When the demons begin to launch planned attacks against the hybrids, the groups must put their differences aside if they are to prevail. As well as beating the demons, Winter is fighting a battle of the heart when she finds herself drawn to the seductive nightwalker Lord, Marcus.

My main difficulty with the work was the way it reminded me of Feehan's Dark Carpathian series. In both, vampires that find their mate become highly possessive of her to the point of jealous rages. Also, both feature the idea that the evil demon part of a soul will take over unless that soul finds a bonded mate.

Once I got past these initial comparisons though, I found the novel to be a very enjoyable read. There is a new take on the vampire myth where they feed off psychic energy as opposed to blood and the idea of the hybrids was interesting, despite making me think of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The story was nicely paced overall. I felt it lagged a little on a couple of love scenes, but anyone who enjoys a good splash of sex in their paranomal romance will have no problems with that. The characters were well presented and engaged the reader's interest from the first page to the last.

The story ends of something of a cliff-hanger and I certainly enjoyed this tale enough to be keen to read on and discover what will happen next.

E-Books and Print

When e-books first popped into existence and we were told of the imminent demise of the printed page, I was skeptical.

I have always loved books: the joy of a new book, spine unbent, virginal; or the musky smell of an old tome, the delight at finding someone's pencilled notes inside, written fifty years before.

I was convinced that I would never stray to the dark side and adopt the e-book, certain it would not be the same as holding a volume in my hand. But I have modified my opinion somewhat in the last few months.

I can hardly look down completely on the e-book now that my own work is being published in that format. E-books have given me the chance to break into the world of publishing and, because of them, I can call myself a real writer. However, I will still be hoping to move into the realm of print in the future because that it where my passion lies.

Here is my first e-reader, bought just 3 days ago. I spent several hours yesterday, charging it and reading the instructions. Now I am ready to go.

For me, this will be used for set purposes:

• Storing my own PDF's of my stories
• Buying and reading e-books by emerging writers like myself
• Reading ARCs from NetGalley
• Possibly when travelling

I still intend to buy the majority of my books in print and, thanks to sites like Book Depository, this is not too great an expense. However, I will use e-books to trial new writers, taking advantage of the cheap prices for most publications from small independant e-book publishers.

I joined NetGalley yesterday. As a 'professional reader' (thanks to my reviews on Suite101), I can apply for free ARC e-books, often ahead of the publication date. Two have already been approved and I look forward to reading them in the coming days.

So, now this 'print-only' girl has a foot in both worlds. I am enjoying the chance to move between the two formats, but I know I will never abandon print entirely. I'm far too old fashioned for that. My 1000+ print books are here to stay - now I just need a bigger house in which to store them all!!

Editing: Joy and Torment

I am currently about two thirds of the way through editing my new story. It is a good length novella, running at around 26,000 words at present. I wrote it in one month and now I hope to finishing editing by mid-March. In fact, I'll even share with you the title for the first time - it is called Day-Walker and is a vampire paranormal romance.

At times I love editing. It's a chance to go back through and make improvements and you feel excited that your story is nearly completed and ready to send to the publisher. But I have one major problem with editing - I am a perfectionist. No matter how many times I rewrite a sentence or a paragraph, I am never 100% happy. I always feel that I could do better and that the work I have done so far is therefore not good enough.

This leads me to agonise over things and I would be stuck in the limbo of editing for ever if I didn't eventually force myself to stop. There comes a point in the editing process when I have to tell myself to halt and accept the work in its current state. I figure I could spend years on one piece, mulling things over, but I might never reach a stage where I am happy with it and it would therefore never make it to a publisher for consideration and never make it out into the world.

At least this way I am getting my stories published. Perhaps I do sometimes reread them and wish I'd used a different word there or changed the punctuation somewhere else. But in the end I am a writer, fulfilling my dream, and everything I write is contributing to my continuing education, teaching me new skills and improving my writing style.

True perfection if hard, if not impossible, to attain. But we can keep striving towards it.

Writer's Update - Issue 3 - February 2011

Well, now that Dragon's Heart is finally out on Amazon and Barnes and Noble too, I have put together the latest issue of my Writer's Update. Enjoy.

Open publication - Free publishing - More writers update

The Trials of Marketing

It's that time again. The book is out and now needs to be publicised, peddled and pushed.

I've had trouble both times with my releases. There was a slight delay (2 days) getting Awaken to the Night on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and then a problem with the server my website is on meant that I couldn't update my homepage with the links to retailers for several days. Finally that was sorted and I got my publicity going.

Next time will go more smoothly, I told myself optimistically.

This time the issues were at my publisher's end of things as her internet went down for over a week. This meant she was frantically trying to submit Dragon's Heart to all the various retailers in the late afternoon/evening of the day it was supposed to be out. Most show up straight away, but not Amazon and Barnes and Noble. That was Friday, it is now Tuesday and they are still not on there. This has put a huge spanner in the works in terms of advertising as all my posters, leaflets etc say it's available at Amazon and there's no point distributing them until I know that people can get it if they go onto Amazon and look for it.

Oh well, I can't do much about it. Hopefully they will be up by tomorrow and I can finish my marketing late this week/early next week. C'est la vie and all.

As to that marketing....really, I'm at a loss sometimes. I've got Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and my own website. I put up leaflets at my fiance's workplace, the local shops and the local library. For this second book, I have sent out review copies and queries to several book review blogs. But I feel like I should be doing more, even though I have no idea what else to do.

What with time spent making leaflets, book trailers, blog entries - it seems that marketing the book takes up more time than actually writing it. It almost seems to be less about the creativity and more about how well you can sell yourself!

Still, at the end of the day, I am someone who wanted to write and now I have that opportunity. Sure there are trials and tribulations along the way, but at least I can say that I am a published writer and I will keep working towards fulfilling that dream - I will just have to vent a little about the horrors of marketing along the way!!

Dragons and Vampires - A Paranormal Start to the Year

Well, into February already...I get the feeling this year will fly by. Already it is only just over 8 months till my wedding. When we started to plan for it this time last year it seemed so long away and now it is really getting close!

Book-wise things are going pretty well. Awaken to the Night is still hovering around in the Best Seller Lists at OmniLit and you can read a review of it at Sorcha's Blog.

Dragon's Heart came out yesterday. The publisher has had internet trouble the last couple of weeks, so it only just came out in time. It's up at OmniLit, All Romance EBooks and Smashwords so far. It will be up at Amazon and Barnes and Noble too, but it probably won't appear on those sites for another couple of days yet.

I am trying to think of new ways to publicise my books. I have blogs, Facebook and Goodreads. I will put up posters at the library, local shops and my fiance's workplace. Other than that, I'm a bit stumped. Any good ideas anyone? I am trying to decide whether I should get a Twitter account for my writing too. I've been happy to stick to Facebook so far and have ignored Twitter, but maybe I should think about getting one for my writing at least...Hmm...Let me know your thoughts, people!

I managed to finish the first draft of my new vampire paranormal romance book last week, just before the heatwave hit us here in Adelaide. I'm really glad I got it all done first as I really didn't feel like doing anything during those 40oC + days. Today it is a gorgeous 24oC and I have all the windows and the front door open, letting in a nice cool breeze as I do all my internet updates.

Tomorrow will be day 1 editing the new story. I am actually pretty happy with it in terms of the storyline, but I want to tidy up the language and descriptions. Of all the pieces I've written in the last few months, this one is really my baby as I had this idea over a year ago and it has already gone through two earlier drafts that I wasn't happy with before I finished this third version. I am thinking of trying this one with a different publisher to expand and get my name out there a bit more. Hopefully they'll like it. My hope is to have it ready to send to them by April, but that will depend on how much time I get to write as I also really need to find a new 'day job' within the next few weeks. We'll see...Perhaps a more realistic goal would be to say that I hope the story is out there for people to buy and read by the end of the year!

Oh well, time for the mundane aspects of life now: off to the shops to buy some bread. Maybe a croissant too - a bit naughty, but I can say it is in celebration of my newest release! ;)

Tomorrow, I am leaving my blog here to visit my friend Julie at her page. This will be my first ever guest blog, so do go across and check it out!