Best Books of 2014

Have you ever made a reading goal?

Source

I went several years with young kids where I was lucky to read more than 5 books in a year, but after going back to school, my reading speed jumped. Rather than taking 3 days to finish a novel, it only took 4 to 8 hours--AND I remembered that I LOVED reading. I used to stockpile books for the summer and read for days! (Because who wouldn't do that, given the option?)

So that was it. I was going to read what I wanted, whenever I could.

The next year I burned through 30 books, and I felt great. The year after that it was more like 40, and I was super proud of myself. Then I made it through a whopping 50, and I thought, I can do better than that.

So I set a goal for 100 books. (Yes, two a week.)

I finished with two weeks to spare, and that included reviewing most of those books. It was a fabulous year of reading, and so it's with great joy I present my 2014 favorites (SUPER favorites in italics):

Romance:
Worth the Effort: Ella's Story (Kai Strand)
Sun & Moon (Lee Strauss)
Not Until Tonight (Jessica Sankiewics)
Third Daughter (Susan Quinn)
Hurricane Crimes (Chrys Fey)





Contemporary: 
Run (Jolyn Brown)
Counting to D (Kate Scott)

Fantasy (Urban too): 
Violet Storm (Anna Soliveres)
Sleeper (S.M. Johnston)
Perception (Lee Strauss)
The Labyrinth Wall (Emilyann Girdner)
Butterman (Time) Travel (P.K. Hrezo)



Middle Grade: 
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin (Liesl Shurtliff)
The Real Boy (Anne Ursu)

Historical:
The Caged Graves (Dianne Salerni)
Becoming Lady Lockwood (Jennifer Moore)








Sci-Fi: 
Ghosts of Innocence (Ian Bott)








Horror: 
Anna Dressed in Blood & Girl of Nightmares (Kendare Blake)

You can see my full 2014 list and the reviews HERE.

Do you have a reading goal?

Now let's give away some reading joy!

Last week Kitsy Clare shared PRIVATE INTERNSHIP with us, along with two lies and one truth. Those who guessed the truth correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win an eBook.  

Kitsy's game: 

1. She had a lively discussion with Blues musician Buddy Guy, where he talked about getting musical inspiration from listening to rain on his tin roof.

2. She hung out with Marilyn Manson at one of his after-parties and munched on black marshmallows. 
3. She met all of the 2014 top ten Idol singers and took selfies backstage after the concert. 

And the lie is:

#2. Kitsy IS going to see Marilyn this month with her son, and she would love to meet him. He’s really a very misunderstood musician—a performance artist and NOT into Satan, just into exposing hypocrisy.

(Hanging with the American Idol champs of 2014)

Way to guess everyone who got it right! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Theresa Milstein!

Congrats Theresa! 

And now to today's feature...

Maci Might's sixteenth birthday is supposed to be the day she's awarded Hero status. But thanks to a tiny anger problem and a questionable family tree, King City's elders think it's best if she doesn't join the Hero ranks. Determined to change their minds, Maci will break whatever rule it takes to prove she's Hero material. As her hair darkens and her anger grows, everyone turns against her except Evan; a childhood friend turned scientist who may be able to unlock the secrets hidden in her DNA. 

When a villain attacks King City and her dad is held prisoner, Maci discovers a truth she refuses to believe. She may not be a Hero after all—but this time the Heroes of King City need her more than she needs them. And she won't let them down. 

Powered is the first in a trilogy.

Get your copy HERE.

Cheyanne is a native Texan with a fear of cold weather and a coffee addiction that probably needs an intervention. She loves books, sarcasm, nail polish and paid holidays. She lives near the beach with her family, one spoiled rotten puppy and a cat that is plotting to take over the world, one scratched up welcome mat at a time.

She's a cubicle dweller and all around sarcastic weirdo by day. But at night, Cheyanne can be found furiously typing on her computer, probably complaining on Twitter about how she should be writing. When she’s not honing her procrastination skills, she’s writing books for teenagers. She is the author of several books for teens and recently turned her love of superheroes and writing for teens into books about teenage superheroes. POWERED is her first superhero book but it won't be her last. Because POWERED is a trilogy. Duh.

You might run across her snacking on sharp cheddar while walking the street, hanging at a convention, or while grating it over a 7 layer dip.

Cheyanne gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win a signed paperback of POWDERED and Powered swag!!! (****USA only****)

You have until Tuesday, January 20 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on January 21.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. One time Cheyanne won a $10,000 lottery scratch off ticket and promptly went on a shopping spree, charging it to her credit card. Then, she lost the ticket (and has never found it).

2. She has 50% of the kidneys that a normal person has but she makes up for it by being at least 13% cooler than the average person.


3. She and her best friend once randomly accepted a dinner invitation from a guy they didn't know at a superhero convention. He ended up being the planner of the entire event and they got to spend the entire night with three of the visiting actors who were all in the Harry Potter movies.

So which is the lie? Do you have a reading goal? What were your favorite reads from 2014?

Goals, Gatling Guns, and IWSG

Happy New Year!!!

Are you having the most fabulous 2015 so far?

Quick intro for any new friends here... I'm a total book nerd who dabbles with writing for theater, novels, poetry, short stories, flash fiction, lyrics and orchestral compositions. I LIVE on cheese, home school 3 kids (shortly to be 4) and answer to the title of "Chicken" with pride. Two of my book babies are out in the world, and I've contributed to several story compilations (see the Books section). Today I'm ravishing an orange, counting baby kicks, and desperately trying to remember what it was I wanted to say. (Ah, pregnancy brain...)

Really, it was something like this:

The beginning of the year is such a fabulous time--a time to look at our lives, reevaluate what is working and what isn't. As I've reflected, I've been missing how I used to run this blog: 3 posts a week, deep thoughts on Monday, Writerly stuff on Wednesdays, Funnies on Friday. I've also missed how I used to spend a minimum of 2 hours a day writing. Alas, life doesn't stand still for blogging. (Or maybe I should say the 3 kids and 1 on the way.)

With limited energy/time I'm finding I can't handle the precision of one of these:

I need the precision of one of these:

Now a sniper rifle requires patience, setting up exactly the right shot, breathing correctly and pulling the trigger with a steady hand. Much of what goes on is in silence, behind closed doors, whereas the Gatling allows for all out warfare, spur of the moment.

Do you see what I'm saying?

My goal this year is to welcome a new life into the world and follow a very precise calendar of specific deadlines to make sure my next novel makes its debut on time. (Hah!) Wish me luck. My other goal is to form a deep and positive mental dialog about everything--and I do mean everything. You get a TON further on positive mental vibes.

What are your new goals this year?

Now, on to the fun and games!

Last month Suzy shared LOOKING FOR LUCY JO with us, along with two lies and one truth. Those who guessed the truth correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win an eBook.  

Suzy's game: 

1. Suzy once sat next to Robert Pattinson on a train ride from London to Bath. He was super cool and chatted for a while before he was distracted by a much younger lady with bright blue hair and a tattoo on her wrist that read Stamus Contra Malum.
2. She celebrated her birthday one year with Kiki Dee - you might remember her from the 60's? She was particularly famous for singing Don't Go Breaking My Heart with Elton John.
3. She has a belly button piercing. (Yes, it hurt!)

And the lie is:

#1. Suzy didn't meet Robert Pattinson, but wouldn't that make for a fun story if she actually had?

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Susan Gourley/Kelley!

Congrats Susan! 

And now to today's feature...

Sugar’s not so sweet and secrets can be deadly …

especially with matters of the heart

Sienna’s bestie, Harper warned her not to intern for famous bad boy artist, Casper Mason. After all, he just fired Harper who helped Sienna get the interview. But the moment Sienna sees Casper—or Caz—sweaty and practically shirtless and swinging from chains while he works on his sculpture, she’s hooked. He’s the richest, hottest artist in New York, and he lives in the fabulous Williamsburg Sugar Factory. But he’s also an incorrigible game-player, who seems to relish testing Sienna’s loyalty with a string of unsettling tests.

She knows she should get away fast. But by the time Sienna sneaks into his locked storage room and begins to unearth his dark and terrifying secret, she’s fallen way too hard for the handsome, charismatic Caz.

Bloggers and readers are saying:

“A must read!” -Amazeball’s Book Addicts
“Sexy, smart, compelling!” -Booklover 
“Moving, even heartbreaking” - 5-stars from The Phantom Paragrapher
“Believable characters who show emotional growth” -Summer’s Book Blog
“Killer analysis of the NYC art scene” -reader review

Get your copy HERE.

Kitsy Clare lives in Manhattan. A romantic at heart, she loves writing about the sexy intrigue of the city and of the art world. She knows it well, having shown her paintings here before turning to writing. Her new adult Art of Love series - Model Position and Private Internship - is all about artist Sienna and her friends. Living in a Bookworld says: “Beautifully written! We learn things about art & painting. Colorful stories from a promising NA author.” The books can be read in any order.

She also writes award-winning YA as Catherine Stine. Novels include futuristic thrillers, Ruby’s Fire and Fireseed One. Her YA horror, Dorianna, a twist on Dorian Gray for the Internet age, just won Best Horror Novel in the 2014 Kindle Hub Book awards.

Kitsy (aka Catherine) gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an eBook of PRIVATE INTERNSHIP. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, January 13 at 1 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on January 14.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. She had a lively discussion with Blues musician Buddy Guy, where he talked about getting musical inspiration from listening to rain on his tin roof.

2. She hung out with Marilyn Manson at one of his after-parties and munched on black marshmallows. 
3. She met all of the 2014 top ten Idol singers and took selfies backstage after the concert. 

So which is the lie? What are you prioritizing for this new year? Have you build a plan with deadlines? What did you do to celebrate the holidays?