Iced - Karen Marie Moning

For our latest buddy read we decided to take a break from the classics following how hard work The Iliad was and got inspired by my post on book series I hadn't completed yet to carry on with a series we hadn't finished. We discovered that we were both up to the exact same point in the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning - Iced.

Before I get into the review about Iced I just want to say that I absolutely adore the first five books in this series concentrating on Mac and my book husband Jericho Barrons. I recommend it to everyone and have been doing so for years. When Iced came out I was pregnant and moving so I just never got round to reading it though I had bought it at release. 

I was so disappointed in this book. I didn't like Dani in the previous books, so having a book with her as the main character was never going to be good for me, but I love Karen Marie Moning's (from here on out to be called KMM) writing so I thought I'd get past it. Spoiler alert, I didn't. 

I'm going to try not to be too spoilery because this is the sixth book in a series, but I am going to give my thoughts on certain things.

The Fever Series is NOT a YA series, never has been, never will be; so having a fourteen year old main character just made KMM's job a lot harder and it really shows. Dani ends up being the lust object (I refuse to call it love for two out of the three people) for three grown men/fae. Now they say age is just a number etc and in olden times she'd be married with kids by this age, but you just aren't allowed to forget how old she is. Her age must be mentioned at least every other page and the way she talks, I'm convinced isn't how any fourteen year old would talk. In the previous book she admitted to watching porn, but she will only call sex "boinking" which just doesn't fit at all. Also there's a lot of talk about being her first even though she repeatedly says that it isn't going to happen, It all just feels so creepy to me. 

The story itself, while well written, just didn't hold any interest for me at all. I found myself not really not caring who or what the big bad was, I just wanted to get to the end and honestly the last chapter is the best part and makes me excited about the next book. 

F had the same problems as me and after a few days of our usual 20 pages a day, we decided to up it to 50 pages a day just to get through it. 

Though I really didn't like this book I will continue with the series as I know it goes back to concentrating on Mac and Barrons and all this will be worth it. Also do not let this put you off trying the first five books, nothing will change my mind on how awesome they are. 

We started reading this book on the 4th of July 2016 and finished it on the 15th of July 2016.

I gave this book 2 stars on Goodreads. 

Crossbones - Stefan M. Nardi

I received an e-book copy of Crossbones direct from the author Stefan M. Nardi in exchange for an honest review.  

Honestly all I was going to write for this review was PIRATES and MAGIC! I mean, what else can you want from a fantasy book? 

In all seriousness though, I wasn't 100% sure that pirates and magic would work well together but boy, was I wrong! (Not a fan of Peter Pan, Jake and The Neverland Pirates however is good). I really think it works incredibly well and it is really well balanced. 

The story follows the brothers Dean and Eldric, both pirates who have their own magical powers. The book jumps straight into the action and immediately showcases the characters of both Dean and Eldric. Dean is the older brother, confidence verging on cocky, but with just enough charm that you can't help but smiling. Eldric is the younger brother, he has a bit more of a serious head on his shoulders. Their relationship is wonderful and you can tell they really love each other. I definitely like portrayals of strong sibling bonds. 

The book goes from one bit of action to the next, barely pausing to let the characters catch a moment to relax. This is where my only complaint about the book comes in, it's too short. I like a huge world and lots of good description in my fantasy novels, but Crossbones is very short for a fantasy. The story, world and character building however does not suffer for the book being shorter, it is just my selfishness of wanting more and wanting to know more about the whole world because I enjoyed it so much, 

Overall an exceptionally enjoyable read and a well constructed story. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series as I definitely want to learn more about Dean and Eldric and I also want to know what will happen after the climax of the first book, lives have been changed irreparably. 

I started reading this book on the 9th of July 2016 and I finished it on the 18th of July 2016.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads. 

Nomad - James Swallow

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Nomad by James Swallow direct from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I think I've found my new favourite action adventure author and main character! Marc Dane is a really interesting character. He has a dark back story we have yet to learn more about, he's intelligent, he has feelings, he is practical and he's brave when he needs to be. He's also English.

The writing and action is fast paced keeping you on the edge of your seat and barely letting you catch your breath before the next bit of excitement is upon you. The action moves around the world and you feel the setting in each place as if you were there, With so much action, there is always the risk of losing the setting in the mix, but not in Nomad, you always know where you are.

Marc is the lone survivor of his MI6 team after a mission has been ambushed and everything points to him being the cause behind it. He has to do what he can to prove his innocence before he gets buried in some forgotten about MI6 prison. He manages a lot on his own but when his options runs out a secretive group called Rubicon make him an offer he can't refuse.

Lucy Keyes is a mercenary who works for the Rubicon group. She is strong, smart and funny. I really liked Lucy, sometimes when a woman is portrayed as smart and strong they are also portrayed as being bitches for wont of a better word. It's not the case in Nomad, Lucy still comes across as likeable and human even through the steel.

There were some very difficult things to read in this book as sadly they mirror some situations going on in the world right now and that is what makes the book all the more believable and scary.

Overall an excellent book and a really enjoyable read, I'm already looking forward to the next book which will be out some time next year.

I started reading this book on the 5th of July 2016 and finished it on the 16th of July 2016.
I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

They Move Below Blog Tour - Karl Drinkwater

Today is my stop on the They Move Below & Other Dark Tales by Karl Drinkwater blog tour. I'm really excited to bring you a review of one of the sixteen short stories contained, Harvest Festival, as well as an interview with the author! 

I read Harvest Festival on possibly the best or the worst day possible, depending on how you look at it. The story starts off with Callum dealing with family life on his farm. During the night he wakes up covered in sweat due to how warm it is and there is quite clearly a storm coming. As I read this there was an actual storm brewing outside and it was extremely close so it was very warm. So for me the atmosphere I read the book in certainly helped add to the overall effect of the story - read that as I was really creeped out. 

As I don't want to spoil anything about the story I won't be saying anything else about that, I will however say how much I enjoyed the writing. The story is incredibly well written and it was a very easy read. The characters are also very well fleshed out even though this is a short story. I felt that I really got to know the whole family really well and understood their motivations and actions. I particularly liked Callum the main character, he seems like your normal dad and husband who does what he needs to protect his family. 

I really enjoyed this story and I flew through it holding my breath when the action started, waiting to see what would happen next. I would recommend both Harvest Festival as a story on its own, but the whole of They Move Below as the stories and the writing is just all so good. 

That is my very short and cryptic review of Harvest Festival so it's time to move onto the interview:

When did you first know that you wanted to be an author?

I've been writing since I was about 9. Once I gave up the career options of spaceman, rock star, secret agent and police man, all that was left was librarian and author. People close to me soon got used to it. I’ve been a librarian for over 20 years, so it’s time for the author part to come to the front.

Have you always been a fan of horror? What is it about horror that draws you to it?

I loved horror as a kid. I liked nothing better than reading ghost stories with a torch under the duvet, or climbing the weeping willow with a collection of monster tales and letting the sighing branches take me to spookville. I think it was pure escapism. Nothing transported me from real life as quickly as something scary. I think I wanted to believe in things beyond this world; and if they were reflections or cast-offs from this world, I would expect them to be dark. And so any horror story was already halfway to convincing me that it could be true.

They Move Below is a collection of short stories, what made you choose short stories over a novel as I believe writing them can be a lot more difficult as you have to get so much information into a lot fewer words?

Different but equally satisfying. When there are limits they force you to be creative in different ways. Poetry is a good example of this – any restrictions of line length, rhyme, rhythm and so on lead you to write differently from your normal pattern, and like any detour that change of pattern can lead you to exciting places. In my case I had a lot of stories already written and just needing a polish – I felt that I needed to get them out in the world so I could move on to new projects.

Where do you get your inspiration, does it come straight from your imagination or do you take from real life?

No single place. It could be a news article, or a dream, or a real event. In the notes section of They Move Below I gave the example of the time I saw a huge jellyfish below my kayak – the image stayed with me, and eventually worked its way into my fiction. Ideas simmer and only rise to the surface when they’re ready. I’m always having conversations in my head, especially when washing the dishes, and they can spark ideas for characters or scenes.

When writing, do you have to set the mood to get into the right mind set or do you have a certain routine that you have to follow?

It does help when you’re in the mood to write, but sometimes you have to force yourself. For writing horror I like a grey day, and to be alone in the house. But it can be interesting to write it on a sunny day in a busy pub or café or on a bench – if you can still frighten yourself (and any horror writer who can’t do that should switch genres) then you are on to a winner. Also external prompts can be a great help – last year I took part in NaNoWriMo for the first time (you’ll find his posts about it here) and that really helped me to get a lot of words written in a short space of time.

I know this might be a hard question to answer, but do you have a favourite story in They Move Below?

Mmm, that is difficult. I like them for different reasons: some entertain me or make me smile; some have been with me for a long time; some have technical elements or ideas I’m happy with. The title story is one I’m really pleased with, because I can really feel like I’m there when I read it. However, Web stands out because I had to get into another head and the voice just started to pour onto the page. It’s horrible but in a different way, and maybe the hint of hope is something we all need to cling to in dark places.

When you're not writing, what do you enjoy doing?

Computer games; boardgames with friends; playing the guitar (badly: I can’t get the hang of barre chords and suspect my fingers just bend in strange ways; possibly an idea for a horror story right there). Also films, exercise, food, nature, wildlife, and books. Not in that order.

Do you have a favourite author?

I think I am more likely to respect individual works than like everything from a single author. Unless an author only rewrites the same book – which gets boring fast – then each work will be different, and inevitably you will then enjoy some more than others. Which is fine. However, as an early teenager I tried to read everything by Stephen King and Dean Koontz. They both impressed me so much in their different ways. My favourite Stephen King book is Night Shift, and for Dean Koontz it is Phantoms – in both cases they were the first book I’d read by that author.

Following They Move Below, what can we expect next from you?

I tend to alternate between literary/contemporary fiction, and horror. So my next book will be a collection of short stories in the other genre, about life and relationships. Though it is interesting that for a few stories I was torn as to which genre they fell into. For example, Web could just as easily fit into a non-horror collection; and some of what I think of as my literary stories are pretty dark, such as Miasma fromSecondary Character. I suppose that’s one of my author fingerprints.

Thank you so much to Karl for taking the time out to answer my questions and for allowing me to read his wonderful book.

I received a copy of They Move Below in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour. 

The Girl From The Sea - Shalini Boland

I was very lucky to receive an e-book copy of The Girl From The Sea direct from the author Shalini Boland in exchange for an honest review.

The book starts with a young woman waking up on a beach, barely conscious before being found by a dog walker. We then follow her journey from the hospital where it is discovered that she has retrograde amnesia and so can't remember who she is or her life before waking up on the beach. Her boyfriend comes forward with her identity and he slowly drip feeds her information when he feels like she's ready to hear certain things. The woman - Mia - also discovers she has a mother and sister so she goes to visit them too to help the healing process.

During Mia's process of trying to activate her memories she discovers more and more about herself that she just doesn't like and yet nothing seems to trigger anything coming back to her, the only thing that eventually comes through is something she's not sure if it is a dream or a real memory.

It was really interesting watching someone who has no memory try to deal with going back into a life she has no memory of and the frustration and fear that comes along with that process. I think it was done extremely well and I liked learning things at the same time as Mia did.

The story becomes more and more sinister as time goes by and it becomes more apparent that there's much more to what happened to Mia than just an accident, but what? Nothing is as it seems and everyone she meets seems to be keeping things from her, but why?

This book....this book is so good! I could not put it down as I just needed to know what happened and I stayed up till nearly 2AM to finish it as I couldn't sleep without finding out how it all ended. Without spoiling the story I really can't tell you anything more, except that you really need to go out and read this!

I started this book on the 6th of July 2016 and I finished it on the 9th of July 2016.
I rated this 5 stars on Goodreads.

The Adventures Of Shifting Jack - Denise Erguler

I received an e-book copy of The Adventures Of Shifting Jack by Denise Erguler from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Adventures of Shifting Jack starts with Jack and his mum, dad and sister moving to Cyprus and settling into their new home. They meet local families and get the children signed up ready to go to school. Things are all going smoothly until an earthquake happens and it shatters not only the landscape, but their lives too. Jack learns that his dad isn't his biological dad and that the whole family isn't wholly human.

The writing in this book is very simply done and I think it matches perfectly the tone and voice of a nine year old. The descriptions are very clear but without being too simple for the age this book is aimed at. I also think it's wonderful that the book covers finding out that you're not related to one of your parents and that as long as you love each other, you'll always be there for each other and it won't change the way things have always been. You do not see this in adult books, never mind children's books so it is definitely a big positive.

Another absolutely wonderful thing about this is the relationship between Jack and his sister Lily. Though they are a lot more in touch with each other than fully human children would be, they still didn't have to get along. It was so nice to see them enjoying each other's company and wanting to look after each other without the usual annoying big brother/little sister trope. It shows children they can be friends with their siblings no matter their age/gender.

The story itself is extremely interesting and hooked me as an adult, it also left me wanting to know more about the history of the characters and what was going to happen now that everything has come to a head. I really enjoyed the shape-shifting and the fact that it had to be practiced over time instead of it being instantly easy. It was also nice to see birds being used instead of the usual big cats or wolves.

Overall a lovely book and one which I will be passing onto my oldest Nerdling. I would definitely recommend this to any parents with an 8-12 year old, I'd also recommend you read it yourself as it's a lot of fun!

I read this book on the 22nd of June 2016.
I gave this book 4.5 stars on Goodreads.

The Iliad - Homer

My most recent buddy read was a bit more intense than the previous few, our choice was The Iliad by Homer, translation done by Alexander Pope. It was also a little different as there was three of us working our way through this one.

When me and my buddy reader where coming near to the end of our previous buddy read (Pillars Of The Earth) when one of our friends from the IGGPPC (International Geek Girl Pan Pal Club) community got in touch to say that if we ever chose to read The Iliad that she'd love to buddy read alongside us. As it was on both our buddy read wish lists we decided to just make it our next read and then we could all get started.

When I started to read following the introduction to the first chapter/book I was really surprised to find that it was written in the form of a rhyming poem. I'm not exactly sure what I expected, it just was not this. At first I really enjoyed this as it was really easy to read and I was flying through my daily pages. After a while though I realised that I was not taking in a single word, I was just following the flow of the words without actually absorbing what was going on. I ended up having to go back a few days worth of reading to re read and slow myself down so I could know what was going on. According to research done by our newest buddy reader, this is actually one of the worst translations to read unless you already know the story inside and out.

Once I'd got into the habit of slowing myself down and the occasional use of Wikipedia, I quite enjoyed the epic tale that was told. I would definitely like to have seen more information into some stories, though I'm not 100% on the timeline so it may have not made sense at the time. I think the battles were the hardest to read as they just seemed to be a list of names rather than anything actually happening, whereas other bits seemed very graphic. As in War and Peace, people each had more than one name and it wasn't always very clear who was who. It did get easier as I went along and checked online if I couldn't figure it out, but it definitely didn't help towards the overall enjoyment.

I'm rating this book 2 stars and I feel that I am actually rating the translation/edition rather than the story itself, so maybe one day when I feel up to it, I'll find a better version and try again. But for now, something was definitely lost in translation.

Thank you to both my lovely buddy readers for getting me through this and actually concentrate on what I'm reading.

We read this from the 20th of May 2016 to the 1st of July 2016.
I gave this book 2 stars on Goodreads.

My Girl by Jack Jordan - Blog Tour Review And Author Q&A

Today is my stop on the My Girl by Jack Jordan blog tour and I am bringing you my review of the book AND a q&a interview with the author. 

My girl follows Paige Dawson: the mother of a murdered child and wife to a dead man, who's life is spiralling out of control due to addiction and grief. Paige starts to notice odd things going on and then discovers a gun hidden in her dead husbands desk. She tries to figure out what is real and what is her drink addled imagination. 

My Girl is extremely well written and is pretty fast paced right from the beginning. Paige is an unreliable narrator as she is drunk and high on prescription pills for most of the story, so you're never sure whether to trust her and what she thinks is going on. You really feel Paige's grief, it's almost physical, but sometimes you just want to tell her to pull herself together and get herself sorted. She's not the most likeable character, but you definitely do feel for her. 

I really enjoyed My Girl and the twist was done masterfully. I flew through the book and read it in one sitting on a Saturday afternoon, my heart in my mouth the whole read. My only "complaints" about the book is that it was too short and I felt there were a couple of questions left unanswered. I would have loved just a bit more of the book because it was so good! 

That's it for my review as I'm giving away no spoilers! The next part is my interview with Jack Jordan who kindly took some time out to answer my questions. 

Have you always wanted to be an author?

I have always loved stories. As soon as I could string a sentence together, I would ask (or demand, in toddler-frankness) for stories from my mum and my grandmother. Walking to the shop, settling in bed, or sitting on the potty (haha) I would ask for stories.

As soon as I could read and write, I began to write my own stories, but only for fun. I didn’t know it was possible to write for a living, I simply enjoyed doing it.

It wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I realised my passion for writing could be, and should be, my career.

One could say I’ve wanted to be an author my whole life – I just didn’t know it until later!

Have you always wanted to write thrillers? What draws you to them?

I wrote four novels before I wrote and published Anything for Her and My Girl, and not all of them were thrillers. My main focus was on the lives of the characters, but I couldn’t help but notice the darkness in my stories. I knew that whatever I wrote, there would be that chilling streak, and found that the thriller genre was the best fit for it.

I really enjoy writing thrillers, but I plan to write novels in other genres, too. I’m inspired to write lots of different stories for various reasons, and I have to follow my gut and write the story that is longing to be heard the most.

You write female characters very realistically, do you have support to help you with that?

I’ve always preferred writing from a woman’s standpoint. Unbeknown to me, I feel more comfortable doing so. It might be because I prefer the company of women, or because most of my friendships are with women. I certainly think the strong women in my life have inspired me.

When it comes to writing female characters, I use years of observation, friendships, empathy, and imagination to embody them. I haven’t directly asked for help with writing female characters yet, but I do share my work with feedback readers prior to publication, and a large amount of them are women.

Both My Girl and Anything For Her are very dark, do you draw inspiration from real life or does it come straight from your imagination?

It’s definitely a mixture of both. News articles, memoirs, documentaries, and real people inspire me to write my stories, and my own personal experiences integrate themselves along the way. Facts inspire the foundation of my plots, but it’s my imagination that brings them to life.

Often I find subjects that I’m passionate about work their way into my novels. My Girl, for instance, deals with the question of sexual consent, and the results of abuse. Important themes can be subtle in my work, but they are always there. My future work will definitely revolve around more of my passions and beliefs, and I will write stories that I believe need to be heard.

Do you have a writing routine or a set place that you prefer to work in?

I have a standard approach to writing: I write notes for a new novel until I have enough to go on, create a chapter timeline of events, and begin the first draft of three. I send the third or fourth draft to my editor, and the final result is usually stapled ‘8^th draft’ or roundabouts!

I’ve found that I need structure when approaching a new project, but it can’t be too regimented. Too much or too little control over a new novel can stifle my creativity and fuel procrastination, so over the years I have learned to get the balance just right.  

You've written two awesome standalone novels so far, what can we expect from you next?

Another standalone! I love the freedom of writing standalone novels – it means I can flit from one story to the next and create new, fresh characters that are begging to be heard. Personally, I feel writing a series would be detrimental to my writing career. I think writing standalones creates mystery around my next book – I like my readers to expect the unexpected!

The novel I’m writing at the moment is called The Vultures, my darkest tale yet, and my first novel that isn’t featured in the 21^st century. The Vultures allows me to explore new horizons in my writing and stretch my literary muscles. I believe it will be my next published book, although at this point in the writing process, it’s always hard to say! Any writer’s first three to five novels decide whether their career will stick. It’s good to take risks, but sometimes it’s wiser to rein in one’s stories to avoid a flop. The Vultures is one of my most exciting stories, but later down the line I may decide to wait until later in my career before I release it into the world. Watch this space!

Was there a lot of research that went into making addiction in My Girl look so realistic?

I researched the symptoms and side effects of addiction, but I also drew from my own previous mental health condition and true stories to make Paige’s addiction more realistic. I think my most-used tool when fleshing out characters is empathy. I put myself in my character’s shoes to understand how I would feel in their predicaments.

When you're not writing what would we find you doing? 

Reading! If I’m not reading, ask me if I’m okay. I live and breathe literature and lose far too much sleep over it. I’m quite an introvert (don’t let my extroverted disguise fool you!), so I tend to enjoy hobbies that I can do solo. Reading and watching films/TV shows are my main loves. I haven’t mastered relaxing yet, I’m more of a workaholic, but my favourite way to relax and spend my free time is sunbathing (difficult in Britain – I only relax two weeks of the year!).

Do you have a favourite author?

ME! Just kidding.

I’ve always struggled to pinpoint my favourite author, or my favourite book for that matter. To dodge the question so I don’t regret my answer later, here are the six best books I’ve read this year:

·         Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

·         The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

·         Bird Box by Josh Malerman

·         The Road by Cormac McCarthy

·         The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

·         A Place Called Winter by Peter Gale 

Thank you so much to Jack for answering all my questions, I have to say I hope The Vultures is released sooner rather than later as it sounds extremely intriguing! 

To find out more about Jack, visit him here:

·         www.jackjordanofficial.co.uk

·         www.facebook.com/JackJordanOfficial

·         www.twitter.com/_JackJordan_

·         www.instagram.com/JackJordan_author

·         www.goodreads.com/jackjordan

You can grab yourself a copy of Jack Jordan’s debut novel, Anything for Her, here: https://goo.gl/v00OP8

You can pre-order Jack’s second thriller, My Girl, here: https://goo.gl/4zQOyU

My Girl is available worldwide on July 4^th 2016 in ebook and paperback.

Yonder by LeeAnne Hansen - Audiobook Review and Author Q&A

Back in November 2015 I was lucky enough to read Yonder: A Southern Haunting, Book One by LeeAnne Hansen and I absolutely fell in love with LeeAnne's writing and the story of Isabel (if you want to check out my review, it's over here). I've been patiently *ahem* waiting for book two since, so when LeeAnne contacted me to see if I would like to try out the audio version of Yonder, I jumped at the chance. 

This was my first experience with an audio book so I wasn't sure what to expect. I've been putting off using audio books for a long time now as I wasn't sure if I'd pay enough attention if I was only listening rather than reading as it's very easy to tune out of things if you're busy doing something else. 

With having read Yonder before and knowing how much I loved it, I knew that I would be paying attention, though once I started listening I don't know what I was ever worried about as I couldn't do anything else as I was enjoying listening to the story so much. LeeAnne narrates Yonder herself and in my opinion she does an amazing job. He voice fits the story perfectly and she doesn't quite put on different voices for each character but there is enough difference to know exactly who is speaking every time. 

I felt like I was "reading" Yonder again for the first time, it was like discovering it all over again and I loved it. Having someone else read it to me meant being able to just get totally lost in the story and concentrate on the conversations between characters. 

I cannot recommend this book and audio book enough to you! 

As LeeAnne is such a lovely person, she agreed to take some time out to answer some questions for me and I'm extremely grateful. Here's my q&a with her:

Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer?

Kind-a. I was always writing but I was drawn in a lot of directions from acting to directing to singing to playing in a band (bass guitar). But no matter what I was doing, I was always writing.

Your books combine romance and hauntings, what drew you to this combination? Have you always been a fan of the two? 

I love romance (complete sucker for love stories) and I am a super fan of things like the Twilight Zone and history. I like stories where people are just trying to lead their lives and something they didn't expect pops up. I wanted a kind-of- Hitchcock feel – He loves to throw a normal Joe into a life he had no idea was possible or even existed.

Yonder, the audio book is narrated by yourself (beautifully I may add), can you tell me anything about the process? 

First off, Thank you! That was quite a undertaking. I had never done anything like that before in my life! Luckily, I married my own Hollywood sound profession who bought me a mic for my birthday and helped set me up. I went to school for musical theatre and acting but I never thought of doing something like this, but the idea that someone besides myself would read Isabel had me ready to kill, so I knew I had to do it. It was a huge discovery into myself- I recently had half my thyroid removed due a growth (nothing serious) and it had taken awhile for my voice to make a come back- if anything, this project taught me that I really hadn't lost anything: It gave me the confidence I had been lacking. I really owe it a lot.

Now that Yonder is an audio book, will Ghost Light and your future books come out in audio book form too? 

You had to ask. LOL- I need to learn a Scottish accent first. I am working on it. It's tough! But I hope to do all of what I write.

Do you have a writing routine or a favourite place to write?

Not so much a place but an atmosphere. I love to write when it is raining so I moved to the wrong place since living in Southern California, rainy days are rare.

Do you have a favourite character that you have written so far?

I would have to say Sean Berenger in Ghost Light. He is such a wonderful ass! In reality, I based him on a drunken Scottish version of Han Solo. Who doesn't love Han Solo?

What is your favourite thing about being an author? 

The feedback! Having people love my characters as much as I do is just the best part!

When you're not writing, what do you like to get up to?

I like to read and go to plays. Love live music concerts. I'm a huge fan of YouTube and watching Gifs with Sound, they make me smile.

Do you have a favourite author? 

I adore Christopher Moore, Ray Bradbury and Eve Silver - Moore is hilarious and strikes that human chord, Bradbury paints complex worlds with very few words and Silver makes me think I will never write Romance as good as her.

I know you're currently writing A Southern Haunting #2, do you have a rough idea of when we can expect it to be released? 

In a few months. Currently, I have been hired out to write a couple of spooky screenplays for a production company and record some audio books for Warren Adler (author of War of the Roses. First audio book is already out called American Sextet- I did it under the name Lillian Yves.) As soon as these projects are completed (soon!) I'll return to spending all my focus on the sequel.

Thank you again to LeeAnne so much, both for giving me the opportunity to try out the audio book of Yonder, but also for answering all my questions, it's been an absolute pleasure. 

Books I Read - June 2016

June has been a very exciting and busy month here at Nerdish HQ. On my blog I've had reviews and interviews and blog tours and there's more of them coming up in the following months. And it's been my mini Nerdling's 3rd birthday and we celebrated by going to the zoo which was amazing fun for all of us. We're also having a small family get together tomorrow (I think depending on when I post this) so that people can come see him.

I'm really enjoying all the exciting things I've been bringing to the blog and I hope you all are enjoying them too.

The books I read in June were a nice mixture of novels, manga and graphic novels/trade paper backs. I love being able to just pick up whatever I feel in the mood for. The books I read are:

1. City Of Glass by Cassandra Clare - 4 Stars
2. Deadly Harvest by Michael Stanley - 5 Stars
3. Disclaimer by Renee Knight - 3.5 Stars
4. Black Butler, Volume 15 by Yana Toboso - 4 Stars
5. Black Butler, Volume 16 by Yana Toboso - 4 Stars
6. Black Butler, Volume 17 by Yana Toboso - 5 Stars
7. Emotion Market by Dimitris Chasapis - 3 Stars
8. Thor: The Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge - 5 Stars
9. The Hound Of The Baskervilles (Graphic Novel) - 4 Stars
10. My Girl by Jack Jordan - 4 Stars
11. Minecat: A Feline Minecraft Adventure by P.T. Evans - 3 Stars
12. Robin: Year One by Chuck Dixon - 5 Stars
13. The Adventures Of Shifting Jack by Denise Erguler - 4.5 Stars
14. Nika by D.H Gibbs - 4.5 Stars
15. Batman: Death By Design by Chip Kidd - 5 Stars
16. Daredevil, Vol. 3 by Mark Waid - 5 Stars

As usual any blog reviews have been linked but all my other reviews are on Goodreads here if you want to check them out.

I have two blogs tours coming up in July, both of which contain an interview and I've got a review with an interview coming up tomorrow which is also really exciting.

The only thing I've missed out this month is my comics, I still haven't got around to picking them up yet, however I have prepared my comic book journal so I'm all ready to go now in July!

If you like bookish photos I've been posting a lot more regularly over on Instagram so check that out if you like, I'm NerdishMum . If there's any kinds of blogs you'd like to see going forward, let me know, also let me know what you read in June.