Books you should read. . .

Some books I've read lately that are well worth your time to pick up:

From Goodreads: Also Known As: Two Pearls of Wisdom, Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye, and Eon (All the same book just published with different publishers)

Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he'll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragon-eye, the human link to an energy dragon's power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon's affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court, where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. As tension builds and Eon's desperate lie comes to light, readers won't be able to stop turning the pages.
 

My review: Some books burn bright and hot but quickly fade. Some burn steady and strong for generations. Eon is the latter. With it's detailed worldbuilding and intricate plot, Eon is sure to become a classic of high fantasy.

In a word: Brilliant.

*And it's a high fantasy with a female MC! BONUS! Plus, I have a really hard time finding writers that write in a similar vein as me--high fantasy with a female MC. Alison is my girl. She's a lot heftier on the world building side than I am, but we're close enough to use the "if you like Alison Goodman, you'll like Amber Argyle."*

From Goodreads: Yara Jones doesn’t believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one.

When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious.
Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the merman who has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process—or she might open the gateway to a love that’s deeper than the oceans.

Young Adult fans of Mermaids, Selkies, Sirens and Gorgons will love this tale of the sacrifice one makes for genuine love. Love that could be lost at any moment to the ever-changing tides.

My review: Finally! A mermaid book I can sink my teeth into. The main character is bull headed and brave, which I love. Paranormal is usually a young, innocent girl falling in love with a monster. This time, Yara is the monster, and the weight of the mermaids' fate rests on her shoulders. A refreshing twist. I can't wait to see more from Karen Hooper.
 
What are you reading?

Announcing Witch Born FINISHED!

The first draft is completed! I have to say, writing a sequel is a whole other animal than writing the first book in the series. I pushed myself beyond my limits, and I'm exceedingly proud of this one. It's better than Witch Song. More intricate, more intense, with a more solid ending.

There will not be another book after this one.

And I'm back to my writing cave. Thanks everyone for you input on the title. Most of you liked Witch Born, which was my favorite as well. So that's the title for now. I'm pretty sure it will stick, but you never know.

Now, let's see if I can write through this nasty cold.

Did you know I'm working on a sequel to Witch Song?

I haven't said a lot because I wasn't sure I would write it, but I'm almost at 70k words! Meaning I'm on the home stretch to finishing the first draft. I already have the ending written, I just have to go back and add a couple chapters that lead up the the climax. And it's fantastic! I'm so excited for how faced paced and intricate this book is. Brusenna has grown and changed so much from the time we first met her. She's finally become the woman I wanted her to be. I still have a lot of editing in front of me, but I have something to work with, and drafting is the hardest part anyway.

But, I have to stop calling this Witch Song 2. It needs it's own title.So who wants to help me pick one? Fill out the form below to let me know what you think. I definitely have a favorite. I'm curious to see if my idea lines up with yours.

Or you can come up with your own and let me know in the comments! I'll report the results next week (cause I can't figure out how to post a survey that lists them for you--computer illiteracy in action).

The Toned Muffin Top

*I posted this last year, but there's so many new faces on the blog, I thought I'd share it again.

This interview took place today between my brain and my body's foreman.


The construction worker slowly swiveled in the padded chair, his eyes searching for something more interesting than the bare, grey walls around him. He eventually saw a fly and followed it with his gaze. Every once in a while, it zoomed away too fast. But he always found it again.

There was nowhere to go. For either of them.

Finally the door opened and a young, pretty woman wearing a grey business suit stepped in. She wore glasses and had her hair in a tight ponytail.

Great, he thought. She was always more uptight when she had her hair in a ponytail.

The woman didn't look at him. Instead, she concentrated on the open manila folder in front of her. She let go of the door and moved into the seat opposite him.

Just before the door closed, the fly escaped.

Lucky fly.

She finished scanning the folder, shut it with a soft slap, folded her hands over it, and looked at him. "We have some problems to discuss."

He shifted uncomfortably in the seat that was too small for him. "Yeah, I suppose we do."

"I'll start."

Of course you will. "Alright."

"I've noticed some unnecessary bulging on the inner thighs, buttocks, and around the middle."

He grunted. "Muffin top."

She blushed scarlet. "I suppose you could call it that."

He scratched his bald head under his construction hat. "Listen lady, I do the best I can with what I've got."

She tapped the eraser of a number two pencil on her folder. "We've been working out at least three hours a week. We've cut back on a lot of unhealthy foods."

He nodded warily. "Yes, but not in the last month."

The tapping pencil stopped. When she grew still, he knew to tread carefully.

"8 months, we've worked our butt off. 8 months. And you know how much weight we've lost?"

"Well, we haven't exactly worked our butt off." He started to chuckle, but her eyes blazed black fire at him. He choked on it and found himself sitting deeper in his chair. "We've, uh, toned up a lot?"

It was like she hadn't heard him. "A pound! One measly little pound!"

He scratched his belly. "Well then, a pound is something."

She stood up in her chair and leaned toward him. "The baby is 22 months old, Foreman."

He shrugged. "Well, the materials are older than they used to be."

It was the wrong thing to say. He could feel the hairs on the back of their head standing on end. "Plus, we've had some setbacks." He tried to placate her. "Three kids are hard on a body. Not to mention the sleepless nights and--"

"I don't care how old this body is or how many children have damaged it. I want it working like it did before."

He felt his face flush with heat. "I'm a working man, not a miracle worker." They glared at each other for a while, and suddenly he was frightened. "Wait, your not seriously thinking of cutting us up?"

She flopped back into her chair in exasperation. "It crossed my mind."

"You wanna hurt us, just so you'll look good in a bikini you'll never wear anyway."

She sighed. "No. I'm not going to cut us up."

He found himself relaxing, a tiny bit. But suddenly, things started clicking into place. The increased chocolate, the hectic schedule. Now it was his turn to be angry. He slowly rose and pointed a shaking finger at her. "I know what this is. It's not some random meeting. You do this to me every year."

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He could already feel the aching muscles, the burning lungs. "Every year it's the same, the chocolate, the candy canes, the eggnog. Less time to work out, but plenty of neighbors bringing chocolates and popcorn balls. And then, then comes the New Year. And the New Year's Resolution." He could barely contain himself now. "And then you work us into the ground."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, if you'd cooperate a little better, we wouldn't go through this every year."

He shook his head in disgust. "I won't have it! I won't!" But it was useless. She was in charge. And even if he gave her an awful stitch in her side or broke her out in a rash, she was going to do it again. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

The woman jumped a little when the door banged shut. Then she slowly unwrapped a miniature chocolate Santa. She nibbled off his head. "Might as well enjoy it now." Rolling the aluminum foil into a little ball, she tucked it neatly into her pocket and left the room, her heels clicking on the concrete floor and her toned muffin-top jiggling, just a little.