Sunshine Blogger Award

March 21, 2016March 22, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 20 Comments

Yay, I get to be a “Sunshine Blogger” and answer some questions thanks to friendly, super smart, book-loving Lila @ The Bookkeeper’s Secrets. Lila is truly a wonderful book blogger, so I hope you get to check out her blog.

The Rules:

Answer the 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
Nominate some wonderful bloggers and write 11 questions for them to answer.

Lila’s Questions:

1. What/who makes you smile the most? Acts of kindness and my hilarious daughter make me smile the most.

2. Would you ever get a tattoo? If so, of what? I’m not planning on getting body art any time soon, but if I did it would be a tattoo of my good luck symbol, a hummingbird.

3. What do you think heaven looks like? I think heaven is unimaginable for us mere mortals.

4. What’s the first item on your bucket list? Good question! The number one item on my bucket list is a trip to Europe. I have a special affinity for Scotland and Norway and am forever wanting to include Scotland as a setting in my stories.

5. If you could ride the Whirling Teacups at Disneyland with one person, alive or dead, who would you choose? I would, for sure, ride the Whirling Teacups with someone who doesn’t mind me throwing up on them.

6. Plaid and polka dots or stripes and florals–which combination is more visually appealing? Stripes and florals, definitely. Spring flowers are my favorite!

7. What does licorice taste like? (I ask this out of genuine curiosity as, due to my celiac disease, I can’t have licorice 😉 Black licorice tastes like bitter gasoline (to me), so you’re really not missing anything there.

8. Coke or Pepsi? On the rare occasions that I drink soda, I am Team Coke all the way.

9. Are you enjoying yourself atm? As a matter of fact, I am. 🙂

10. Is there a pattern to these questions? If so, what? Ggaaghh, I find no pattern to these questions.

11. What is life??? Life is what we try to live to the fullest by maintaining connections with good people and exploring our talents.

I Nominate:

Annika @ Annika Perry’s Writing Blog
The Orang-utan Librarian
Michelle, Books & Movies Addict
Michelle @ The Bibliophile Struggle
A Stranger’s Guide to Novels
Nazahet @ Read Diverse Books
Beth @ Betwixt-These-Pages
Jess @ –Blogging Everything Beautiful–
Larkin @ Wonderfilled Reads
Nicole @ Sorry, I’m Booked
Alyia @ A.J. Helms

Eve’s Questions:

What are three things that make you laugh?
What’s your favorite daydream?
Would you rather have the power to shapeshift or to make yourself invisible?
What’s one of your favorite stupid pun jokes? (Example: “Why did Adele cross the road? To say hello from the other side.”)
Do you like stickers?
What’s your favorite social media and why?
Do you sleep with the light on or off?
If you performed in a talent show, what would your talent be?
Have you ever handwritten a letter? If yes, to whom did you mail it and when?
What’s your favorite thing to do with friends?
Big or small, what’s something you’ve done that you’re really proud of?

Top Three “Author Uniforms” Big-Name Y.A. Male Writers Wear #amwriting #amreading

March 20, 2016March 20, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 14 Comments

I am a writer. I daydream. Sometimes I daydream about what it would be like to attend my own book signing or to speak at a conference. (My introvert palms are sweating about that one already.) The obvious question, “What would I wear?” got me browsing through photos of my favorite female Y.A. authors, whose outfits apparently run the gamut from T-shirts and jeans to designer dresses. No help there. Then I noticed something interesting. Big-name male YA authors sport a kind of “author’s uniform.” If you’re a male (or female) author searching for a good public look, here are three options you might want to consider.

The Rock Star

I challenge anyone to find a photo of Neil Gaiman not dressed in black. (Costumes don’t count.) Gaiman’s “author uniform” (which he totally rocks) consists of a black shirt, black blazer, and black pants. Occasionally, Gaiman mixes things up with a black sweater, black trench coat, or black bomber jacket. Are you detecting a theme here? Gaiman prefers clothing that’s dark like his stories, one of my favorites being The Graveyard Book.

The Boy Next Door

Imaginative and prolific author Patrick Ness’s go-to author uniform is a polo shirt with zip-up hoodie and jeans. Hey, whatever works, as long as he keeps writing books like The Knife of Never Letting Go.

It is worth noting that for gala events, Ness cleans up very nicely. Guys are so lucky to be able to slip on a gorgeous tuxedo and call it a day.

The Friendly Professor

Yep, that would be John Green, who meets with the public wearing a tieless dress shirt, blazer and jeans.

Which author uniform is your favorite? If you were to attend an event as an author, what would you wear?

–Eve Messenger

Interview with Brenda Drake, YA Author & #PitchWars Rock Star #amwriting #amreading

March 18, 2016March 21, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 5 Comments

Brenda Drake is a rock star of the writing community. In addition to being a fabulous YA writer in her own right, Brenda is known by authors far and wide as the mastermind behind the Twitter writing contest phenomenon known as #pitchwars. This year saw the publication of Brenda’s YA novel, Thief of Lies, which has a concept book lovers everywhere will adore: characters who time-jump between the world’s most beautiful libraries. Brenda was kind enough to take a moment out of her busy schedule to answer questions about the new book.

Interview:

Brenda, you’ve interviewed MANY writers and other industry professionals as part of your involvement in the amazingly successful phenomenon known as Pitch Wars. As a writer who has just released her first book, how does it feel to be on the other side?

It feels great! It’s been such a long journey, but I’ve been distracted enough by the contests and celebrating other writers’ successes that it almost flew by. The community has been so wonderful to me, and I love giving back to writers. I’m humbled by the generosity of the mentors and the participants behind Pitch Wars. It’s been a great run!

What made you fall in love with your novel?

So many things made me fall in love with it. First, there’s the libraries and the ability to jump through pages and end up in another beautiful library anywhere in the world. Then there’s the characters, especially Gia. I’ve been in Gia’s head for so long, she feels real to me.

The publishing industry is a notoriously slow-moving machine. From writing to publication, how long was the “birthing” process of your book? What have some of the highlights been?

This story has taken a long journey. Full of mistakes that took me off the path and on detours before bringing me back to the right road. I started writing this book in 2009. It’s seen me through changing agents and publishers. There were heartbreaking moments and many highlights. I think going through editing and molding the story to what it is today was definitely a one highlight. And when a reader loves your work, that’s a wonderful feeling. I try to tune out the negative now, though it’s hard. I have to say, my journey is what it was supposed to be. It’s what molded me into who I am today. And I couldn’t be more thankful.

The best writers are also huge readers. What are some books you recently read that you
loved?

I’ve been reading many of the Pitch Wars mentors’ books lately. Everyone should try them. They are so good! If you want to try them, they’re listed on my website on the sidebar. You’d be happy you did. A book other than from my Pitch Wars friends? I finished Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Loved it! It was so amazing. You all should read it.

Having an online presence is a big deal for writers. How do you balance writing and social media?

Lately? Poorly. I’m sort of all over the place nowadays, and I just hop on social media during breaks. When I don’t have so much going on, I schedule my day. In the morning, I grab coffee and do social media while I’m waking up. Then I write, hop on social media during lunch, run errands, or clean if I have to. When I’m done, I write until dinner. I’ll usually hop on again at night if there’s nothing going on or haven’t passed out.

In the early days of crafting your novel, were you shy about sharing what you’d written with others?

I was terrified about sharing my work with others. I would take critique personally and want to give up. It was horrible. Then I grew up. Now, I tell my critique partners not to sugar coat their critiques of my work. I take it with a shot of whiskey and dive in.

Do you have a critique group and, if so, how did you find them?

I have a small group of critique partners. I found them online. I met one during NaNoWriMo and the others during my contests. I don’t meet with a group here where I live. It’s all online. I have met my critique partners in person at conferences. They are my writer soulmates and I feel like I’ve known them all my life.

Many writers have dark moments while working on their novels, times when they’re not sure they’ll ever finish. If you encountered hurdles like this, how did you overcome them?

I’ve been through many dark times. I can fall into a depression that will take me time to get out of, so I’m careful. I change my setting – go to a Barnes and Noble or Starbucks to write. If that doesn’t work, I reach out to my writing friends who understand what I’m going through. After I talk it out and get in a better mood, I can jump (pun intended) over those hurdles and plow through what I have to get finished.

Bio:

Brenda Drake is the author of Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers Book 1) and Touching Fate (Fated Series Book1) both available now from Entangled Teen. She grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up are of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

Links:

brenda-drake.com
Twitter: @brendadrake
Instagram: @brendadrakeauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaLeeDrake
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7012713.Brenda_Drake

What is Bloglovin? I’d Really Like to Know.

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 35 Comments

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Okay, so I follow a lot of blogs, and I’ve heard that Bloglovin can simplify the experience by. . . wait, how does it work?

I just signed up for a Bloglovin account and apparently had to paste the above link into this post in order to claim my WordPress blog. That’s all I know so far.

If you use Bloglovin, I’d love to hear from you with any tips or insights. Thanks!

–Eve Messenger

Reply Like No One’s Watching (Writing Tag) #amwriting

March 13, 2016March 13, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 14 Comments

giantbook

Yay, I get to do a writing tag and answer questions thanks to my new writing friend, G. L. “Gwynne” Jackson. Gwynne has a lot of writing knowledge and offers great advice. I hope you get a chance to check out her blog.

G.L. Jackson’s Questions:

1. It’s the old stranded on a desert island question! Which three books do you take with you?

The Complete Works of Shakespeare because it will keep me occupied on the island for a good long while. According to Goodreads, The Complete Works of Shakespeare is 1,745 pages long. Amazon says 2,016 (there you go exaggerating, Amazon). This book must weigh a ton. It’s probably what sank my boat.
Moby-Dick so I will finally finish it.
Whatever book comes floating my way. I like to be surprised.

2. Which author or authors would you cite as your inspiration? V.E. Schwab and Lauren Oliver.

3. What are some of your other creative pursuits beyond writing? Does blogging count? With a full-time job, part-time job, family to raise, and books to read, I’m afraid I don’t have time for other creative pursuits, but I used to be a songwriter.

4. Tell me about the last TV show you binge-watched. What did you think? Sense8. I liked it!

5. How did you get your start in writing? I’ve had several “starts” in writing. In 1st grade, I wrote my first story (see exciting recap below). After college, I attended writing workshops where I learned a lot about craft. Then the “start” that finally took was an inspiring conversation with a friend.

6. Do you remember the first story you wrote? Can you recap it? Umm, yes. A busy butterfly flies around to all the flowers and trees. A big wind comes, bringing with it a flying Christmas tree. I don’t remember what happens after that.

7. Fast-forward 60 years into the future. What does society look like to you? (This is a big question, so feel free to narrow it down as you like.) I like to believe the human race figures things out and that the future is beautiful.

8. What’s your go-to guilty-pleasure genre to read? Thriller with a spicy sex scene.

9. Do you consider yourself to be an extrovert or an introvert?An introvert with decent acting skills.

10. What’s the one piece of advice you’d like to give to aspiring writers?Don’t believe the “tortured artist” myth. Do whatever you must to keep writing fun.

Tag, You’re It:

Let’s kick off this list off with three writing Kelly’s, shall we?

Kelly Deeny

Kelly Miles

Kelly F. Barr

Melanie Noell Bernard

The Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their blog and Twitter in your post.
2. Answer the questions that the blogger who nominated you has provided.
3. Nominate up to 10 other bloggers or Twitter followers
4. Create ten questions for your nominees and notify them of their nomination.

Eve Messenger’s Questions:

What are three things you do really well as a writer?
When you daydream about “making it” as a writer, what do you visualize?
Do you have a regular writing routine? If so, when?
Dogs or cats?
What’s directly to the left of where you’re sitting right now?
When do most of your plot ideas come to you? In bed, on walks, in the shower, while driving, when reading other books?
What’s your most recent writing breakthrough?
Are you able to write in noisy environments?
Have you ever attended a book signing event for an author you admire? If so, what was it like?
Are you better at coming up with titles or elevator pitches?

Welcome to my 100th blog post. . . #amwriting #amreading

March 13, 2016March 14, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 43 Comments

Hello, and welcome to my 100th blog post! Apparently, on 100 different occasions over the past ten months I have attempted to come up with something worthwhile to say in this blog. The shocker is that sometimes other people read and comment, which makes me happy. Thank you!
happy girl dancing 2

What I’ve Been Up to:

Well, I’ve been blogging a lot lately about reading YA books but haven’t talked as much about books I’m writing. For the record, writing is going well. I’m working on a dark, modern YA fantasy that I’m pretty excited about. Ideas are brewing, the main characters have life (if not set-in-stone names yet), and plotting is about 50% complete. I look forward to sharing more with you about this new novel-baby as it grows and decides what it wants to be.

Of the 100 posts I’ve written for this blog, the one with the most likes is:

How to Tell If You’re a Book Junkie

My personal favorite is:

When a Writing Dream Becomes a Mission

Random fact: April 10 is the 100th day of the year.

Another random fact: I’m kinda crazy good at Scrabble.

And now we’ve reached the end of my 100th blog post. Thank you for being part of the ride!

–Eve Messenger

POLL: What’s Your Favorite Kind of Book Review? #amreading

March 11, 2016March 12, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 17 Comments

In your epic pursuit of great books to read, you’ve probably run across ~~hundreds~~ thousands of book reviews, and occasionally you stumble across a real gem. . . of a book review, that is. Maybe it glows with the kind of genuine adoration that touches your book-loving heart, or is so sizzlingly snarky it burns a hole in your computer screen. Maybe the review is so clever and insightful you wish you’d written it yourself.

If you HAD to choose. . .

What’s Your Favorite Book with “Girl” in the Title? @amreading

March 9, 2016March 11, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 28 Comments

girl books

If a book has “girl” in the title, I am instantly drawn to it. I don’t why, but a lot of other readers must be, too, because publishers are pumping them out like crazy. Who knows? Maybe the “girl-”title craze kicked into high gear with the popularity of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Whatever the reason, there are a LOT of books with “girl” in the title!

I’ve read man good books with “girl” in the title, but no GREAT ones yet. Do you have any favorites to recommend? Here are some of the more recent, highly-rated ones.

Currently Reading:

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts by K.C. Tansley

Want to Read. . . in this order, unless my mood changes:

The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (recommended by Beth @ betwixt-these-pages)
I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey
The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes
The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco (recommended by Beth @ betwixt-these-pages) https://betwixtthesepages.wordpress.com/category/about-me/
The Goose Jar by Shannon Hale (recommended by Frances @ Nightjar’s Jar of Books)
The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

Previously Read:

These “girl” books were all pretty enjoyable, which made them difficult to rank. . . but I managed. 🙂

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – technically, this one shouldn’t be on the list because “girl” isn’t a word by itself but, um, it’s my blog and this is too huge of a book to ignore.
The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

Honorable Mention:

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (a popular YA book, but I’m not good with tragedies.)

Everyone Deserves to Do This

March 7, 2016March 8, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 19 Comments

screenshot_2016-01-28-17-13-24_1

Something happened that took me out of the mad rush of my busy life and put me in a better mood. It forced me to slow down, be in the moment, and put thought into something I so rarely do: what I like about myself. For that I would like to sincerely thank Lila @ The Bookkeeper’s Secrets and her Miranda Sings Award nomination. Lila’s blog always gives me lots of delightfully bookish things to think about, and I hope you get a chance to check it out, too.

Rules

(1) Announce your win with a post, and link the blogger who nominated you.
(2) Include the featured image on your blog post.
(3) Nominate 10 bloggers (or as many as you can think of) and link your awardees in the post.
(4) List seven (7) things you love about yourself. (This can be about your appearance, your personality, your achievements, etc.)
(5) Don’t use negative connotation (i.e. Don’t say things like – “I’m prettier than an average person.” or “People have told me I’m smart.” You are pretty. You are smart.)

7 Things I Like About Myself

I’m good with young children. My preschool students think I’m a rock star.
I am a good writer with a great imagination.
I have pretty green eyes with flecks of gray like flower petals around my pupils.
When I set my mind to it, I can accomplish anything.
I love cheering people on.
I have really good aim, as in being able to toss M&Ms up into people’s mouths. or a wadded ball of paper into a trash can across the room.
I am fun-loving and not afraid to get goofy.

I NOMINATE:

Dear nominees, if your bucket of awards and tags is already way too full, feel free to decline. And, by all means, please know that even if you’re not on this list, you are on it in spirit. If you’d like to give this award a try, go for it! –Eve Messenger

Jesalin @ –Blogging Everything Beautiful–

Nicole @ Sorry, I’m Booked

Sabrina @ SabrinaMarsiBooks

Reverie of a Glitter Aficionado

Nazahet @ Read Diverse Books

Michelle @ Michelle, Books and Movies Addict

The Orang-utan Librarian

Jane @ Family Rules

Erika @ The Book’s the Thing

Jorelene @ Page Chronicles

Mackenzie @ Mackenzie Bates Writes

Tina @ All of These Prompts

Would You Rather See the Movie Before or After Reading the Book? @amreading

March 6, 2016March 7, 2016 / Eve Messenger / 36 Comments

covering eyes

Hello, fellow book junkies! Just a quick question. . . Do you prefer seeing a movie before or after reading the book?

I am freakishly averse to knowing too much about a story before reading it. I enjoy being tantalized by a vague notion of the plot and characters but am the first to cover my eyes at even a hint of a spoiler. Why? Because if I know too much about the plot, I won’t read the book! I can’t. Because, for me, the most enjoyable aspect of reading a book is the thrill of discovery. Without it, reading a novel feels like going through the motions, as in: Oh, that was nicely written, but I know the girl is going to wind up with guy #2 by the end. You get the idea.

As you may have guessed, my answer to the question of whether I’d like to see a movie before or after reading the book is a resounding AFTER. Reading the book beforehand also gives me a more complete picture of the characters and subplots, which makes watching the movie adaptation feel like a more complete experience.

What do you prefer? Are there good reasons for reading a book after watching the movie?