Let's Get Personal

I've now lived in Australia for two months, and things are going well, if a bit crazy. In that time, I've travelled along New South Wales's coast, enjoyed eating Australian style food, and learned that kangaroos are kamikazes around cars. I've started a part-time job, worked on my book with an eye towards being done in August, and I've been setting up my life here. I've read about a dozen books since getting here, and I'm working on plenty of others.

Oh, and I've been writing these nifty articles - and yet another one is out.

Sometimes when I give myself grief for not having enough done, I realize I've done more than I realize. Yes, I wish I had more writing done, but not having a writer space and still working means I'm overcoming my obstacles, one bit at a time.

New Article out and Some Chit-Chat

Business first: my article about long-distance relationships and figuring out how to close the distance came out on Sunday.

I've been getting good feedback, but here's hoping more people will keep reading and responding with enthusiasm or sending the articles on to people they know - this pleases my editor, who in turn is happy with me. We like a happy circle.

Second of all, I know I haven't been chatty much lately, and certainly not as much as I'd like to be. Ever since I landed here in Australia, it's been a whirlwind of setting up my life and making myself get into a writing routine - which has been a struggle, since everything is still a tad chaotic. In a good way, but still chaotic.

A good writer who wants to get published gets their bum in the seat and writes what will be sent off to agents. Writing also requires a good amount of reading - not just for the obvious assistance in writing, but also to check out the competition, and for fun and relaxation when you can get the writer mind to stop critiquing every sentence. Ha!

My big find this year is the Fever series by Karen Moning. It's an urban fantasy set in Dublin, and is all about a girl who goes through this amazing personal journey as she rises up to save the world from an evil Unseelie (read: fairy) artifact. I'm partway through the fifth and final book, and I just have to gush for a moment about how much I love this series.

When I read the first book, I almost put it down, which is the kiss of death for my reading. There was a lot of repetitive back and forth with the primary characters as they attempted to figure one another out, and it was - well, annoying. But I kept reading past those chapters because the world hooked me, and I'm so glad I did. The characters grew into people and breathed life into a complex, yet easily understandable world. There's so much going on here.

Suffice to say this is my series recommendation of the year for someone looking for an excellent urban fantasy to get sunk into, who likes a more thriller-esque, dark tension with fairies, strong sexuality (not softcore sex scenes, just plenty of tension), a story that's not all rainbows and kittens, and yet manages to give us the happiness amongst the horrific happenings.

I can't wait to finish the last book.

My first long-distance relationship article is out!

It's a good feeling, writing about a topic near and dear to my heart.

Here is the article link for anyone interested.

I would write more, but alas, I just came back from a lovely drive along Australia's Southern coast, and have nothing to show for it except a full tummy (the best cafe I've ever been to), a pile of chores and a happiness that winter includes many 70 F days.

New Writing Gig

Starting this month, I'll be writing regularly for a blog about international long distance relationships. As some of you know, I recently moved to Australia to live with my boyfriend. I'll be posting links soon!

Book Challenge/Kindle Lovin'

I took a challenge this year to read 100 books. As a voracious reader, I felt it was a goal that was challenging but manageable. And I've learned all about making sure goals are manageable. Shooting for the stars is great, but really, the rest of your goals should be ones you can accomplish rather than scurrying towards them will due force until burnout forces you to stop.

There's no point in that.

This week I knocked three books out of my list - 10-12, respectively. Although I've previously only put my review on Facebook for my friends, the Book of Faces isn't very good for going back to see what one has read. It's nice to be able to help friends find books, and I enjoy the challenge of helping people find that next beloved story, so maybe these reviews will help someone else. Or at least I can find them when I need to recommend a book next time for someone.

Book 10: The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

I have a confession about this book - I've read it before. In fact, it's one of my favorite books, and I've read it every year since it came out. Between my reading and other people's borrowing of it (hey, it's a great story!), I've worn out two copies of it in paperback. So this time, I thank the Kindle Gods as I downloaded one of my beloved stories, and reread it.

This is the type of story where the mix of fantasy, with a nice little romance and a healthy dose of amusement all roll into the best take on fairy tales I've ever read. Don't mistake it for a fairy tale rewrite - this isn't the type of book where Snow White is conceptualized in a 'new and fascinating way." No, what this book (and the series) is about is why fairy tales are shaped the way they are - and how how fairy godmothers use this power to help shape the stories, bringing out the good and trying to avoid the bad. It is, simply put, the best way of rediscovering fairy tales and thinking how they work I've ever read. And the delightful mishmash of these tales is just hilarious.

If you ever enjoyed fairy tales, this is the book for you.

Book 11: Darkfever, by Karen Moning

I originally grabbed this book last summer, and due to my insanely huge book pile, I simply didn't get a chance to read it until now. This book is an urban fantasy thriller/mystery, and it focuses on the Fae rather than werewolves or vampires (although vampires supposedly exist, but since I'm on book one, I can't verify that). Out of the faery urban crush of the past few years, this one's had one of the better story ideas behind it, and I applaud the author for using the traditional wide variety of Faekin as mentioned by the ancient Celts. The story is interesting. The world-building is very good.

The writing - well, it's not terrible, but it has a few definite bad habits that I found distracting.

Overall, if you can get past a few writing issues, and some of the lukewarm characters (they start to grow on you by midbook, and become much better by the end), and you enjoy fantasy, then this is a book for you.

Book 12: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

So, this is the third book in the Dresden Files series. I wasn't a fan of the first two. Book one was ok, and book two stank, but the third possessed all the potential I saw from book one realized. This fantasy/mystery series possesses a healthy dose of sarcasm to lighten the tension and a plot that's fun to follow along, although occasionally his leaps of logic feel just like that - a tad incomprehensible, but mostly, a solid mystery read that leaves you wanting more.

And having read two of these books on my Kindle, and started two others, I am officially hooked. It's so convenient! My poor money - now I can get easy access to the books I crave... dun dun dun.

Kindle!

\o/

Ok, I was originally skeptical, but I am sold on my new-to-me Kindle. Thank you, my friends, who generously donated their Kindle to me. I think this means I'll be giving them free book copies for awhile. :)

Being able to purchase things from the American store and keep up with the latest releases stateside is a big relief. No ungodly shipping, whoo.

Except for those that aren't ebooks, but I can work those out. No worries, eh?

One week until I am self-employed!

Preparing

When people tell me they want to or can write a book, I always want to reply "Do you have any idea how much preparation goes into that?"

But then I'd sound like my mom, so I don't.

Seriously, though - nothing drives home this point more than one of my pending projects. As I prepare to go into full-time writing mode in May, I've dug up one of my favorite projects I've had to put on hold for almost two years due to the extensive amount of research I need to do.

I'd actually had difficulty digging up source material for this particular piece - there are a lot of facts I need about the historical setting, and I just couldn't find the raw data I needed to make it accurate. And I didn't want to pull it outta thin air. It's a surefire way to get people grumbling.

This morning, however, using the connections I made, I finally made serious headway into finding the sources I need to get the work done.

I can't wait to write this book. It's just as interesting as my fantasy/mystery writing has been, and I'm prepared for yet another long haul filled with reading, notes, and charts before I can write this story down.

Don't kid yourself, I had to do the exact same thing with my personal series, only it was tougher because I had to make everything up in a way that makes logical sense. Yes, magic can make logical sense - it just requires a lot of forethought.

I can't wait for May - so much to do!