tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82293433187307522382024-03-18T07:42:34.290-07:00Create Explore ReadEmilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.comBlogger1043125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-61099764384900272023-03-21T09:25:00.001-07:002023-03-21T09:25:12.723-07:00Suspended in the Stars UPDATE + GIVEAWAY<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI0n5UKZ3HnZth0o1LNImsNi6xFRw8q8LzD7MbpgyJVEbW9nffjIvtxEhyebvSOPn2KKeMkmj7-bmDsiYgkl_VFjPaC5teNVZcWOBuHYNk4pHefmEV4Jsg9TrET2XH6VXJqEWXXc1h6d98y8AMHJR_iQifAdwsCYhVX2pab0vNotXQyUOqan-X_w1/s680/Kickstarter-Giveawat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI0n5UKZ3HnZth0o1LNImsNi6xFRw8q8LzD7MbpgyJVEbW9nffjIvtxEhyebvSOPn2KKeMkmj7-bmDsiYgkl_VFjPaC5teNVZcWOBuHYNk4pHefmEV4Jsg9TrET2XH6VXJqEWXXc1h6d98y8AMHJR_iQifAdwsCYhVX2pab0vNotXQyUOqan-X_w1/w640-h320/Kickstarter-Giveawat.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I announced some big news yesterday about the Limited Edition Hardcovers for my Kickstarter campaign plus there's an awesome giveaway running. <span><a name='more'></a></span><div>I worked on something special this weekend and decided to release the news yesterday. If you haven't seen my update you can <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eahendryx/suspended-in-the-stars/posts/3761181" target="_blank">read it HERE</a>. But it goes like this: I'll be upgrading everyone's hardcovers to a foil stamped hard cover under the dust jacket!!! </div><div><br /></div><div>I am so excited as a reader and book lover because I love a good stamped hardcover! What about you? Do you notice them? </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, back to the reason for this short post: </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm giving away an annotated paperback copy of Suspended in the Stars! Wondering what that means? Me too! LOL. No, in reality, I've loved the idea of annotating a copy (or several) to share the love with you all on how I created the characters, why I chose certain scenes or names or phrases etc, and just all manner of behind the scenes info on the book. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's a HUGE undertaking but honestly I'm excited to do it! </div><div><p><a href="https://kingsumo.com/g/hgunnz/suspended-in-the-stars-kickstarter-giveaway" target="_blank">Check out the giveaway HERE! </a></p><p>The giveaway ends on Friday March 24 and the winner will be announced on Monday the 27th (still giving you time to back the Kickstarter if you don't win) BUT if you have backed already and do win, I'll be upgrading that backer with all the goodies! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WUJkOe-ZdYCAEOZ8DNanO85BpSqz9XGk7TiEJ-VlE1SMbvux5va-_uE8U2Dr_GKS-w6Lh5GVeuOOc8TmZabjuvnn3oyMt6Gk4XqTVbEELPmzRimzLmmwyk0Ysme2Xeqho7R0FzlIMDCf678MazmR36R9vWGwHz4ICZZmRCFkKCZBe9gxllkzh9-x/s1080/F-collection-IG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WUJkOe-ZdYCAEOZ8DNanO85BpSqz9XGk7TiEJ-VlE1SMbvux5va-_uE8U2Dr_GKS-w6Lh5GVeuOOc8TmZabjuvnn3oyMt6Gk4XqTVbEELPmzRimzLmmwyk0Ysme2Xeqho7R0FzlIMDCf678MazmR36R9vWGwHz4ICZZmRCFkKCZBe9gxllkzh9-x/w400-h400/F-collection-IG.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>As a reminder, you can check out <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eahendryx/suspended-in-the-stars?ref=6bljqg" target="_blank">the Kickstarter info HERE</a> on the their website and back my dream to get Suspended in the Stars into the hands of readers! </p></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-14540622479048073992023-03-17T03:00:00.001-07:002023-03-17T03:00:00.189-07:00Adventures in Plotting | Suspended in the Stars<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNj5cJg9zczu_uVI_NlcZQRswlg2NBtVDYht12ivMKyIvjJvSQ9B-K-lfd8xNLJARlS0NIVIeR10v2akANRcO1cObEYC1YNexGpFbMno3JE2mEqzbdvoVtcaAhu9RguNsJDKS2G-mT4KfwWUZsbZGpxIyURGMAIcOx7cIsmidYPv23_xIXMRx5YEUK/s1551/Plotting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="1551" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNj5cJg9zczu_uVI_NlcZQRswlg2NBtVDYht12ivMKyIvjJvSQ9B-K-lfd8xNLJARlS0NIVIeR10v2akANRcO1cObEYC1YNexGpFbMno3JE2mEqzbdvoVtcaAhu9RguNsJDKS2G-mT4KfwWUZsbZGpxIyURGMAIcOx7cIsmidYPv23_xIXMRx5YEUK/w640-h216/Plotting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> As I mentioned in <i><a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2023/03/suspended-in-stars-live-on-kickstarter.html" target="_blank">this post</a></i> my book Suspended in the Stars (which I blogged here during August 2020) was really only half way finished when I hit the end of August...but it was at the "end" of my plot. <p></p><p>I thought it might be interesting for writers to see some of how I combatted that odd plot format to get the book from where it ended (50,000 words) to where it is today (108,000 words). </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d3WTQgkHaZVzZCvnC4ML1ZyMo76LagicNXJd-fdUFFfE6CW46ATm-7Dk5rbF3LSqpOhgbsFnLzQFLOmpvXXLEUpSfU7uczKmZvxUBtwiEQVtr9JRE3rnonfv9TLwW_qYFV-QkeLnBQ6nBOFxTBbc256FXx7lJc5PmYzM2Aag7Ohmd5Yy9tpHmgSA/s640/3-act-structure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d3WTQgkHaZVzZCvnC4ML1ZyMo76LagicNXJd-fdUFFfE6CW46ATm-7Dk5rbF3LSqpOhgbsFnLzQFLOmpvXXLEUpSfU7uczKmZvxUBtwiEQVtr9JRE3rnonfv9TLwW_qYFV-QkeLnBQ6nBOFxTBbc256FXx7lJc5PmYzM2Aag7Ohmd5Yy9tpHmgSA/w400-h200/3-act-structure.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Couldn't find attribution on this)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I've long had this graphic stuck to my desktop screen for "just in case" moments when I'm plotting and need a refresher. I've somewhat changed how I attack plotting now, and don't use this one as much (another post on this maybe?), but I do remember referencing this when I first plotted out the 30 days of August (2020) and how I was going to structure the book I wanted to write in a month. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisP_nfwwtjzs88HtzAob5Urgxk5lXNKYh8nGBa8-IRsbN9ZXTgfaPoVYHR5csFwXrgtLJvy4c5uE1QMuJQ2NZ3wLTa74h3HNfif5WHnpkkoe3Obx4-1LbD-GKWnc30zBmE9iY_ap1Vu43Ke-ySCw9DVcNHZMNjdRamRz6e1jVpES296tKswZHXlr1-/s1080/SITS-IG-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisP_nfwwtjzs88HtzAob5Urgxk5lXNKYh8nGBa8-IRsbN9ZXTgfaPoVYHR5csFwXrgtLJvy4c5uE1QMuJQ2NZ3wLTa74h3HNfif5WHnpkkoe3Obx4-1LbD-GKWnc30zBmE9iY_ap1Vu43Ke-ySCw9DVcNHZMNjdRamRz6e1jVpES296tKswZHXlr1-/s320/SITS-IG-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eahendryx/suspended-in-the-stars?ref=6bljqg" target="_blank">Live on Kickstarter until March 31</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I made a solid plan - every chapter (one released each day) furthered the plot and I made sure to end each chapter with a bit of an exciting cliffhanger so that people would want to come back the next day. That's how we roll, folks. </p><p>But what happened when I got to the end and realized that was my MIDWAY point, not my END??? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQfX8J9wRbhPJ2tfJZHIZwCUpZW343-y_myfnqGU6Kr6TkXAm-wk5Q0NKKIKbjFQkmP_p-7Cto2JnEnQ3Fi8al4dVFBt4Oqv9O-xfdOexWaZV_dkkLn9-SYfKO-g4E7Q-RqbYag_dGuSwM2alQ05Z9VJnt7Y663BVMNZQ3nCNrl570Fhyr2EeJaVH/s720/55ipdj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="720" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQfX8J9wRbhPJ2tfJZHIZwCUpZW343-y_myfnqGU6Kr6TkXAm-wk5Q0NKKIKbjFQkmP_p-7Cto2JnEnQ3Fi8al4dVFBt4Oqv9O-xfdOexWaZV_dkkLn9-SYfKO-g4E7Q-RqbYag_dGuSwM2alQ05Z9VJnt7Y663BVMNZQ3nCNrl570Fhyr2EeJaVH/w400-h210/55ipdj.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I went back to the drawing board. </p><p>The thing with midpoints is that, per <a href="https://amzn.to/3JIvkiT" target="_blank">James Scott Bell</a>, they are "a moment in a scene that reveals the heart of a story". When I stepped back from Renner and Talie's story, their romance being a central part of the plot, seeing them "together" at the midpoint (don't worry, this isn't too spoilery) was right as much as it was wrong. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Let me explain...</h4><p>Your midpoint really needs to be the time when your character(s) stop, face themselves, and the reader senses a shift in them. It's why it's also called the "mirror moment". Often times this is accomplished by the character going from inaction to action. </p><p><i>The boy stops thinking the girl is cute and decides to act on it to ask her out. </i></p><p><i>The couple chasing down a serial killer, playing it safe and getting nowhere, finally decide that drastic action--using the woman as bait--must be taken.</i></p><p>Without going into too much detail so as not to spoil the book, I needed to shift my ending to a midpoint. I need to take that "resolved" feeling and move it to a "now what happens" focus. </p><p>This was hard for several reasons. One being that I'd spend all this time up until that point convincing the reader that THIS WAS IT! This was the moment they were waiting for and we we're near the end. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8DVWV18byHxicngePAY1BzH5CDJYpYSfCzBzm06Z0rW2c61AAzhcR7UrSoOPC3zqnYMpxCLfMv6BClTtD8i9fjSnbYGnCwBylLqswOdFQbmS8jNzWqdKF7HmHfuPziAansYSgY6QU6_M73xTzz73Lqbk2qNna9si3tNcTkJfah5iNS3ipAo1YKcn/s236/46fbdae0ab8ec7b8b86a12352ee243b4--comment-pictures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="236" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8DVWV18byHxicngePAY1BzH5CDJYpYSfCzBzm06Z0rW2c61AAzhcR7UrSoOPC3zqnYMpxCLfMv6BClTtD8i9fjSnbYGnCwBylLqswOdFQbmS8jNzWqdKF7HmHfuPziAansYSgY6QU6_M73xTzz73Lqbk2qNna9si3tNcTkJfah5iNS3ipAo1YKcn/w320-h318/46fbdae0ab8ec7b8b86a12352ee243b4--comment-pictures.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me to the reader now...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Two being that I felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. How would people feel if I changed things about the story <i>after</i> they had read it? Would they understand? Would they be mad? Would they like it better?<div><br /></div><div>After much shifting and, yes, rewriting, I was able to make that midpoint scene much more convincing as a midpoint, which helped lead us into what became the second and third acts of the story. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">What would I do differently next time? </span></h3><div><p>First of all, I don't think I would have called it a novella to begin with. I <i>thought</i> I was going to write 25-30k in a month which would mean 1000 words a day (or per chapter really). Nope. I'm just too wordy for that, especially for a book/plot/characters I really loved. </p><p>Second, maybe I'd do nothing differently? I know, that's not a great answer, but in all reality the story came out how it needed to and, when I looked back at it, it wasn't so much that I needed to add in a ton to the first part. I just needed to tell the rest of the story. </p><p>Lastly, I'd realize going into edits that <u>it's okay to make changes</u>. I was so worried about everyone else (for a while, at least) that I was afraid to shift things until I realized that those changes were only going to make the story stronger. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">What about you? If you're a writer would you try to blog a book in a month? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">If you're a reader, would you enjoy something like this ^? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><h3>Don't forget - you can <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eahendryx/suspended-in-the-stars?ref=6bljqg" target="_blank">support this project on Kickstarter</a> until March 31st!</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyk1O_vz6XOz86xAkkhL9vrWobf3eQAUrOc6EY0L9mJa_xca7oNweUUy4j51goTh1oe2ukSTMCaKQw0r7uVhmdhTiQ9cUw0rPtFIebtH2j9unWO-q8Zj75f7B6uCVVnlrl7VgYZ8IRqlAgh2zOUZfLUQsaY4Yq6S9z-h2TYjyKjg57d-uWfoqh9R3_/s1080/SITS-IG-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyk1O_vz6XOz86xAkkhL9vrWobf3eQAUrOc6EY0L9mJa_xca7oNweUUy4j51goTh1oe2ukSTMCaKQw0r7uVhmdhTiQ9cUw0rPtFIebtH2j9unWO-q8Zj75f7B6uCVVnlrl7VgYZ8IRqlAgh2zOUZfLUQsaY4Yq6S9z-h2TYjyKjg57d-uWfoqh9R3_/w400-h400/SITS-IG-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-64757418490686082022023-03-16T14:27:00.001-07:002023-03-16T14:27:57.218-07:00Suspended in the Stars LIVE on Kickstarter now<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4v4LnVLcekn8wdvmjazj5VQAauH8d7I9_Pt4GR_vkFhS9Km0g0HslnWH7Yif9LshsIWHHXMj3rH-uQK9rxO4FGI8T0XsJnwP2GL3RLRZDUfUv3MqrEV8gZev3g-1Wfwz683isQOgV5A9hei3e9b6jOjPHFDY_HrC7r7QI6Cnzf3CUv_glG4NF_GFx/s1364/SITS-banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="1364" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4v4LnVLcekn8wdvmjazj5VQAauH8d7I9_Pt4GR_vkFhS9Km0g0HslnWH7Yif9LshsIWHHXMj3rH-uQK9rxO4FGI8T0XsJnwP2GL3RLRZDUfUv3MqrEV8gZev3g-1Wfwz683isQOgV5A9hei3e9b6jOjPHFDY_HrC7r7QI6Cnzf3CUv_glG4NF_GFx/w640-h176/SITS-banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I have GOOD news! Do you remember back in 2020 when I blogged a book in a month? Well, it's OUT on Kickstarter now!<div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>For a refresher check out the first post <a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/08/suspended-in-stars-chapter-1.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Basically, my friend and <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/exploringtheblankpage/episodes/026-Suspended-in-the-Stars-Kickstarter-Part-1-e206ikh" target="_blank">podcast co-host</a> <a href="https://christenkrumm.com" target="_blank">Christen Krumm</a> challenged me to blog the book and I agreed and that turned into the first draft of Suspended in the Stars. Or, I should say, the first half of SITS (hehe). <p>I ended up finalizing the draft (which meant adding another 63,000 words to it) and then edited it and edited it. When I got it to a place where I was happy with it I send it to my agent and we sent it out into the world. </p><p>And then we waited...and waited...</p><p>And then we got news...but it wasn't the news I'd wanted. People really liked it. I got comments that it was creative and fun and well written, but no one was willing to commit to publishing a science fiction with fantasy elements. </p><p>I get it, sci-fi can be a really hard sell no matter what, and no large house was willing to take that type of project on. So I let it sit for a while. </p><p>As I let the thoughts mull around in my head I came to one conclusion: I wanted this book out in the world. </p><p>Fast forward - I decided to put it on Kickstarter and launch it that way! </p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Suspended in the Stars on Kickstarter </span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKY8nklefJGLC8cuJk9MWY55GCjO8gA2t0OA5gDVcZEqwfEWQuzCFF52lncGP99tjVdQbmC3JDyN8_IDfwla_2D3T_Cp-LkGhaMiaf9H8pS9sV7xxccvecyZUxtFZ7_czBnpbphYqyIgefNjRbGhV5wuH0WJmyB3uOn9zIbLIZ9qrrs2T5hWUQ-_rx/s1581/kickstarter-20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1265" data-original-width="1581" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKY8nklefJGLC8cuJk9MWY55GCjO8gA2t0OA5gDVcZEqwfEWQuzCFF52lncGP99tjVdQbmC3JDyN8_IDfwla_2D3T_Cp-LkGhaMiaf9H8pS9sV7xxccvecyZUxtFZ7_czBnpbphYqyIgefNjRbGhV5wuH0WJmyB3uOn9zIbLIZ9qrrs2T5hWUQ-_rx/w400-h320/kickstarter-20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Why Kickstarter? I talk about this on the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eahendryx/suspended-in-the-stars?ref=6bljqg" target="_blank">project page of my Kickstarter</a>, but in a nutshell I wanted to raise the funds to put out an extra special edition of this book! I'm talking art inside, bookmarks, character cards, galaxy art print, extra short story, and more! </p><p>My Kickstarter launched Friday March 10th (I know, I'm late to posting this but I've been super busy running the marketing side of this campaign and it's taken almost all my time). The campaign ends March 31st but I've got good news! </p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 Pieces of Good News </span></h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">1) We've hit the initial funding goal</h3><p>This basically means that the project will got to print (yay!) and that we can head toward stretch goals. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">2) We're a "Project We Love" on Kickstarter </h3><p>This means that they promote me more to the internal Kickstarter site and have given me a super fun badge and my project is listed on their "Projects We Love" special page! Plus I get this fun banner:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvfOA5B8Vnt2D9Rm86W1TvtA7vid4cJN0jJ0MdiUrCADqLlDYzc1aS3hGrj9_vshOU5Wj8_LrqpjbaiajEuVIsU_dSQXK7LcIX4WrDMEWp4JHaSr_gMi9PgEEfGgTmC_IHw8exkuWMZUdkAGE8bdZBFAthmGzVL90T39rh68pzFGjch3wJUXPUMnY/s1200/project-we-love_kickstarter-badge-social-twitter-facebook-9002f1e-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvfOA5B8Vnt2D9Rm86W1TvtA7vid4cJN0jJ0MdiUrCADqLlDYzc1aS3hGrj9_vshOU5Wj8_LrqpjbaiajEuVIsU_dSQXK7LcIX4WrDMEWp4JHaSr_gMi9PgEEfGgTmC_IHw8exkuWMZUdkAGE8bdZBFAthmGzVL90T39rh68pzFGjch3wJUXPUMnY/w400-h225/project-we-love_kickstarter-badge-social-twitter-facebook-9002f1e-1.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">3) We're already <i>crushing</i> stretch goals! </h3></div><div>Stretch goals are determined by the creator and mean (for my campaign at least) that once we reach a stretch goal everyone who has backed me benefits from that goal. Those who have backed a tier with physical goods (like a book and/or swag) will receive the item if it's a physical good. Those who have backed digital-only tiers will receive the design digitally. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">4) There are still 15 days to go!!!</h3><div>This is exciting because the longer my project is up, the more I get the chance to have new people come and find me and my debut YA book! I am hoping for big things with this campaign and, while I am SUPER happy we met the initial funding goal, more backers means better things for everyone! </div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">How you can help me!</span></h2><div>Back when I first blogged this book I got the MOST traffic I'd ever seen on this blog. And I've been blogging for a looong time. I was so touched by everyones investment into the story and the characters and I'd like to think that the story has only gotten better with more time, length, and an amazing developmental edit by my editor Bethany Kaczmarek. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;">If you'd like to help me in this kickstarter you can do that 3 ways: </h4><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">1) Back the Kickstarter </h3><p>I know this is a big ask, so I don't put it here lightly and I completely understand if it's not possible for you finically at this point, but if you're interested you can back in one of two ways: </p><p></p><blockquote><p>1. You can back the Kickstarter at the tier of your choice (whether that's ebook, audiobook, paperback, or hardcover). </p><p>2. You can make a pledge without a physical tier attached. This is finical support for me and hugely helpful to offset other costs (like my time, which I don't account for through this) or other fees. </p></blockquote><h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eahendryx/suspended-in-the-stars?ref=6bljqg" target="_blank"><<Check out the Kickstarter HERE>> </a></h3><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">2) Share about the Kickstarter with you reader friends! </h3><p>Word of mouth (or text of mouth?) is SUPER helpful for Kickstarter campaigns. You never know who might see your post and decide to back the Kickstarter. Feel free to "steal" any of the images below and make a post. You can link back to: </p><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eahendryx/suspended-in-the-stars?ref=6bljqg" target="_blank">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eahendryx/suspended-in-the-stars?ref=6bljqg</a></div><div><br /></div><div>And feel free to tag me @createexploreread on Instagram or @emiliehendryx on Facebook and Twitter! <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">3) Pray </h3><p>If you're the praying kind, I'd love your prayers for this campaign. While there isn't a specific faith thread in this book, I still know God is doing big things with the book and through me. I just want to honor Him through it all! </p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, I just want to say that I know I've been less than active on this blog...who knows, this may be my start back to it because I do miss being in this space. But thank you for always showing up when I do post! </p><p>And, as always, if you have any questions at all you can always reach out to me on any social media or via the form on this blog! </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Some images of the promotion: </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqV8YFD0gqxcJWLkI9f4JR3yRZrhh1hgGPX3TDJ2jwdkc0e0I2Mew74vJvGrxA8PvM3hXMWa6BGiyL-sswEzFTJGMIM5HH4qqDeO5RJnEoV5C8gVw4FZGEur2stChc5oIvbHiP0oTQy1C7S5G_AvVbCckH_tb2A-BgloZl1XOGydlUIR0bqgsYoVON/s2700/SITS-LE-hardcover-FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqV8YFD0gqxcJWLkI9f4JR3yRZrhh1hgGPX3TDJ2jwdkc0e0I2Mew74vJvGrxA8PvM3hXMWa6BGiyL-sswEzFTJGMIM5HH4qqDeO5RJnEoV5C8gVw4FZGEur2stChc5oIvbHiP0oTQy1C7S5G_AvVbCckH_tb2A-BgloZl1XOGydlUIR0bqgsYoVON/w266-h400/SITS-LE-hardcover-FINAL.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjZqbwH5PSeWAMAgvYQL8OFpg6Kx0zaBQH32JBJVuBmpQxpgsrJ2s9WjCN-BgZz7jc_0xm_9faAWSFCrFqdzXtxBDP2c_X9iT4JM55IIj47uJcDZ-yM0RRM1h4MGHVyTfgHe_P80ZPuJ9PNfoQwTsX7rS3Ii_4mkrR2cXbNsVTKnbraotbTv-k2Rc/s1080/SITS-IG-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjZqbwH5PSeWAMAgvYQL8OFpg6Kx0zaBQH32JBJVuBmpQxpgsrJ2s9WjCN-BgZz7jc_0xm_9faAWSFCrFqdzXtxBDP2c_X9iT4JM55IIj47uJcDZ-yM0RRM1h4MGHVyTfgHe_P80ZPuJ9PNfoQwTsX7rS3Ii_4mkrR2cXbNsVTKnbraotbTv-k2Rc/s320/SITS-IG-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgXLRVxjzfLNSQ0M58U-y94hV6YRTvUZIHlcOumf3dS4TUkaID23tqjDej_PYrxkVWKsLlTIEh912ysK6xFecjQlgU77MZBUoUkIkE6pZ9yISy6UZXPfRz1asnYURtOXdjA1kltP2yV1wEVOoZr5QsCckm7AZCsL6On96dU9axR9PkNHmDgoDTi3m/s1500/Arrows-LG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgXLRVxjzfLNSQ0M58U-y94hV6YRTvUZIHlcOumf3dS4TUkaID23tqjDej_PYrxkVWKsLlTIEh912ysK6xFecjQlgU77MZBUoUkIkE6pZ9yISy6UZXPfRz1asnYURtOXdjA1kltP2yV1wEVOoZr5QsCckm7AZCsL6On96dU9axR9PkNHmDgoDTi3m/s320/Arrows-LG.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-10857692442332666132022-09-08T20:12:00.000-07:002022-09-08T20:12:02.339-07:00Cold Dead Night Tour + Excerpt <p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Cold Dead Night JustRead Blog + Review Tour" class="aligncenter wp-image-20366" height="237" src="https://justreadtours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Banner_ColdDeadNight_BlogReview_JR.jpg" width="640" /> </p><p style="text-align: center;">Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for <em><strong><span style="color: #45b0c2;">Cold Dead Night</span></strong></em> by Lisa Phillips, hosted by <a href="https://justreadtours.com/2022/09/05/welcome-to-the-cold-dead-night-blog-review-tour-giveaway/">JustRead Publicity Tours</a>!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Emilie here: </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">I am so excited to be sharing about this <i>amazing</i> book! It's thrilling, tension-filled, and has a stand-out main character in Kenna who makes you want to keep turning pages. If you're a fan of thrillers and suspense, this needs to be your next book. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Some of you may recognize that Lisa is my mentor and the lead author for my book with Sunrise Publishing and it has been a joy to get to know her. I love the fact that I've had the chance to work with her on my own book but also that I'm getting to cheer on her books too. She's a powerhouse and believe me, you're going to want to start in on this series ASAP because you'll be in for an amazing ride!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Read below for a fun excerpt!</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45b0c2;"><strong>ABOUT THE BOOK</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cold Dead Night" class="alignleft wp-image-21497 size-large" height="400" src="https://justreadtours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Book1-final-file-ebook-cover-267x400.jpeg" width="267" /></strong></p>
<strong>Title: </strong>Cold Dead Night <div><strong>Series: </strong>Brand of Justice #1 </div><div><strong>Author: </strong>Lisa Phillips </div><div><strong>Publisher: </strong>Two Dogs Publishing&nbsp</div><div><strong>Release Date: </strong>August 25, 2022 </div><div><strong>Genre:</strong> Christian Suspense
<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><strong>The FBI betrayed her. Now they need her.</strong></p>
Private Investigator Kenna Banbury lost everything two years ago at the hands of a serial killer. From the ashes of that encounter, she’s built a life she believes in, searching for the lost and forgotten all over the western US. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bringing her own brand of justice.</div><div><br /></div><div>When a series of murders drags her into an FBI investigation, Kenna finds herself back in the place where it all went wrong. Struggling to make sense of the case, Kenna’s past and present collide in a deadly plot that risks another betrayal and threatens to shatter everything she’s built. </div><div><br /></div><div>Kenna faces the ultimate test in this first book of a brand-new series from Lisa Phillips. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #45b0c2;"><strong>PURCHASE LINKS*: </strong></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61444509-cold-dead-night" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B4YL9S2P" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cold-dead-night-lisa-phillips/1141906266" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Cold-Dead-Night-Lisa-Phillips/9798885521369" rel="noopener" target="_blank">BookDepository</a> | <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9798885521369" rel="noopener" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/cold-dead-night-brand-of-justice-book-1-by-lisa-phillips" rel="noopener" target="_blank">BookBub</a>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45b0c2;"><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Lisa Phillips" class="aligncenter wp-image-21498 size-medium" height="300" src="https://justreadtours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/lisa-phillips-267x300.jpg" width="267" /></div><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">USA Today and Publisher's Weekly Bestselling Author <strong>Lisa Phillips</strong> is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London. It wasn't until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). Since then she's discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.</p>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Connect with Lisa by visiting</span> <a href="http://www.authorlisaphillips.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">authorlisaphillips.com</a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45b0c2;">EXCERPT</span></h3></div>She stood in that basement stairwell and the ice crept over her again. It always came over her the same way. First, the memories. Then, she’d become almost paralyzed. Not able to move or even breathe. After, the most frigid chill would swallow her whole until the hope of ever getting warm again seemed futile. One day, tomorrow or years from now, she would be found frozen to death somewhere. Whether that foreknowledge portended a peaceful end, or a horrific one, she didn’t yet know.<div><br />Either way, the outcome would be the same. Time was going to run out, and Kenna would have to give an account for her life. What would they say about her? She’d faced her fears and done her best,or she’d let a sick man take everything away? Again.<div><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45b0c2;"><strong>TOUR GIVEAWAY</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;">(1) winner will receive a signed hardcover copy of <em>Cold Dead Night</em> and merch including a custom pen and chapstick.
(3) additional winners will receive an ebook copy of <em>Cold Dead Night</em>.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Cold Dead Night JustRead Giveaway" class="aligncenter wp-image-21499 size-large" height="400" src="https://justreadtours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Giveaway_ColdDeadNight_BlogReview_JR--400x400.jpg" width="400" /></div><p style="text-align: center;">Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 5, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 12, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only except books available internationally. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Giveaway is subject to the policies found <a href="https://justreadtours.com/disclosures-giveaway-policies/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="e-widget no-button" href="https://gleam.io/Xten0/cold-dead-night-blog-tour-giveaway" rel="nofollow"><strong>ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE</strong></a>
<script async="true" src="https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js" type="text/javascript"></script></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Follow along at <a href="https://justreadtours.com/2022/09/05/welcome-to-the-cold-dead-night-blog-review-tour-giveaway/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">JustRead Tours</a> for a full list of stops!</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="JustRead Publicity Tours" class="wp-image-13204 size-thumbnail aligncenter" height="150" src="https://justreadtours.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/justread-logo-final.png?w=150" width="150" /></div></div>
</div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-47281598311086350932021-12-21T10:08:00.000-08:002021-12-21T10:08:15.972-08:00Revived & Renovated by Victoria Duerstock and Paige Rien | RE:View<span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbR8NL2sDSwn8kG7BeKbtCWNbkzIRwEmHkHQQQVQ-YulgdACkp7HdSOCbBwgzJjjdlNtyL2maKKVYqmnr64uj2M6aL0qfk9_b8mhtRp7wxRW5Q2rTj3F84j0czv0jH3Wgx87HPqLI2wRsHWvTKJ0UQWRleth5NMnqPymqht2nLHM2h2qAg6xewpiSs=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbR8NL2sDSwn8kG7BeKbtCWNbkzIRwEmHkHQQQVQ-YulgdACkp7HdSOCbBwgzJjjdlNtyL2maKKVYqmnr64uj2M6aL0qfk9_b8mhtRp7wxRW5Q2rTj3F84j0czv0jH3Wgx87HPqLI2wRsHWvTKJ0UQWRleth5NMnqPymqht2nLHM2h2qAg6xewpiSs=s320" width="240" /></a></div>“But to revive is not necessarily attaining that Instagram perfection, but to take the first step in the direction of what your version of that is. And we don’t talk about that enough; at the beginning is just one small step.”</span><br /><br /><i>- Revived & Renovated by</i> <i>Victoria Duerstock and Paige Rien</i><br /><br />I’m a sucker for home renovation - shows, reels, stories, before & after pics - you name it and I’ll watch it. So, when I got the chance to get a gifted copy of this book from Front Gate Media and End Game Press I jumped at the chance! <br /><br />I’m only part of the way into it (so no rating on this yet) but I can tell I going to like it! It feels like reading a conversation between Victoria and Paige that’s filled with some great wisdom. I especially love how it connects back to home renovation and design as well, bringing in scripture and their own personal experiences to help illustrate what they are talking about.<div><br />If you’re like me, you might be looking to fill in some of the quiet time for the rest of this year with reading. I’d recommend this book to those who enjoy design & home shows but to those who are also interested in deepening their faith - no matter where you’re at with God. I love how honest they are about the fact it’s daily commitment to Him - no quick fixes or easy “one time” solutions but a daily surrendering to Him. <div><br /></div><div><b>Purchase: </b><a href="https://amzn.to/3mr4G2X" target="_blank">Revived and Renovated</a> by Victoria Duerstock and Paige Rien</div><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSs_VOQvMyxUV4gaH0IyTaLC8lXDoK9_omjKd9StUx2PcG5bHcVe4J4C-izZyVvpzJOnJk5fVsFbD9Rmj-pco26H3ut8i_bjxvOk7kq9Kfk60M3J836WBTfGnfcIwXrFgfczVu3ap331OZc_04KAacpuaEI8LcWXcKoDILSXzl7v0LGjwpiHcFb8xA=s1581" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1581" data-original-width="1265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSs_VOQvMyxUV4gaH0IyTaLC8lXDoK9_omjKd9StUx2PcG5bHcVe4J4C-izZyVvpzJOnJk5fVsFbD9Rmj-pco26H3ut8i_bjxvOk7kq9Kfk60M3J836WBTfGnfcIwXrFgfczVu3ap331OZc_04KAacpuaEI8LcWXcKoDILSXzl7v0LGjwpiHcFb8xA=s320" width="256" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Revived and Renovated </h3><p></p><i>Revived & Renovate</i>d is a conversation on well-loved topics between two great friends.<br /><br />Victoria and Paige delight in all the dovetails found among the parallels of the work we do in our homes and our souls. Covering topics of home renovation with corresponding Biblical wisdom and perspectives from their personal walks with God, Revived and Renovated will be an encouragement to young and old alike.<p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtTMgAZnCvs6LzSGsC05lUtfS79HzZa03F5e3dM-iPdzsRlsdPSlpUpsxowS07ng4dJ2WHmJarK2oRWiWMjN2woXkmQs7tmz-qV2ULMdi2AMq6E1WNUyCQ2Q6sA-6mBX2VT5pe8Ml3112AtgNwK0zhoFOtpOiSHZvCQtUEyTuqjr13VeGhohWu6pdi=s870" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="870" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtTMgAZnCvs6LzSGsC05lUtfS79HzZa03F5e3dM-iPdzsRlsdPSlpUpsxowS07ng4dJ2WHmJarK2oRWiWMjN2woXkmQs7tmz-qV2ULMdi2AMq6E1WNUyCQ2Q6sA-6mBX2VT5pe8Ml3112AtgNwK0zhoFOtpOiSHZvCQtUEyTuqjr13VeGhohWu6pdi=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">There is also a GIVEAWAY for this book!!! It’s as simple as filling out a quick form:</h4><a href="https://www.blessedfreebies.com/revived--renovated-book-giveaway.html">https://www.blessedfreebies.com/revived--renovated-book-giveaway.html</a><br /></div></div></div></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-35973813274073999582021-11-29T09:38:00.001-08:002021-11-29T09:38:40.341-08:00Labyrinth of Lies by Irene Hannon | Re:View<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sFv8SVuaQdtj2i1JO-9AVFA7mfLPLNQR0txwuNOtNu-e4va-5HyUyocwF_CJ6URgBhhvQVvbZkrjo7D18tSV0Zb61FHjdxqmCQBkBCBGiRbooEu-4jVACB9DGdxZvpK-pzzwxuY_6KQ/s1551/Book-in-Review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="1551" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sFv8SVuaQdtj2i1JO-9AVFA7mfLPLNQR0txwuNOtNu-e4va-5HyUyocwF_CJ6URgBhhvQVvbZkrjo7D18tSV0Zb61FHjdxqmCQBkBCBGiRbooEu-4jVACB9DGdxZvpK-pzzwxuY_6KQ/w640-h216/Book-in-Review.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSepj4SxtBkjPdv4n7OGwR7_oDmgFZXPm2-ev9qEWG-PM3ZMit3sNpbE_3ycRBOlX2oGZVcEN5-6JXh5V2s4yDh2C2O3gkFlDmKZa3P-0u1nf_9_KI3JAbmEnUo1T4XnFfOuPr_yYgW7g/s1545/714z-vcylKL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1545" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSepj4SxtBkjPdv4n7OGwR7_oDmgFZXPm2-ev9qEWG-PM3ZMit3sNpbE_3ycRBOlX2oGZVcEN5-6JXh5V2s4yDh2C2O3gkFlDmKZa3P-0u1nf_9_KI3JAbmEnUo1T4XnFfOuPr_yYgW7g/s320/714z-vcylKL.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Staying true to it's name, Labyrinth of Lies is just that - a twisted mix of "who is who" in the very best way. </span><br /><br />I really enjoyed this second book in the Triple Threat series. I like that the sisters are still involved in each book though in a subdued degree to allow each sister their own story. In this one, Cate goes undercover in an unlikely situation in order to discover the culprit behind the disseverance of a student at a private boarding school. <br /><br />I really liked the (very slight) creepy situation of Ivy Hall - it was a great read for the fall time - and how Cate and Zeke found themselves working together without knowing they would be. With their past looming, it's a great opportunity for them to decide how they will move forward after their assignments are over. <br /><br />I was curious how it would work knowing that Cate was posing as a student and Zeke was a teacher--a situation rife for troubling things if you don't know Cate is in her 30s - but Hannon handled it really well. <br /><br />While there wasn't quite as much romance in this, for the reasons I stated above, I still felt like it progressed well and at the right pace considering their past. <br /><br />If you enjoy Christian romantic suspense books I think you'd like this one and solving the mystery of who is behind the nefarious things going on. <br /><br /><br /><b>My rating:</b> 4*<br /><br /><b>Purchase: </b><a href="https://amzn.to/3cWJ8pU" target="_blank">Labyrinth of Lies</a> by Irene Hannon<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Labyrinth of Lies</h3><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZoEOcaZnrnRO5E0xR7l7fGZtXRDua6envu-qr_HZ7lbbvI4objZAjS2arUvoIg1ZN9g6GewcL8XxgGUOzGO7H5YtYGG6rc12zzvR9UZkLVULULtQARhV9NhN_rimeWIjDuDrFQx7XQA/s1581/10.12.21-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1581" data-original-width="1265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZoEOcaZnrnRO5E0xR7l7fGZtXRDua6envu-qr_HZ7lbbvI4objZAjS2arUvoIg1ZN9g6GewcL8XxgGUOzGO7H5YtYGG6rc12zzvR9UZkLVULULtQARhV9NhN_rimeWIjDuDrFQx7XQA/w256-h320/10.12.21-14.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my <a href="http://www.instagram.com/createexploreread" target="_blank">Instagram</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />When the daughter of a high-profile businessman disappears from an exclusive girls' boarding school, police detective Cate Reilly is tapped for an undercover assignment. It doesn't take her long to realize that beneath the veneer of polish and wealth, things are not as they seem at Ivy Hill Academy. But the biggest surprise of all? The only man she ever loved is also working at the school.<br /><br />Zeke Sloan has never forgotten Cate, but now isn't the best time for their paths to cross again. When their two seemingly disparate agendas begin to intertwine--and startling connections emerge among the players--the danger escalates significantly. But who is the mastermind behind the elaborate ruse? And how far will they go to protect their house of cards?<br /><br />Queen of romantic suspense Irene Hannon invites you to scale the heights of human folly and plumb the depths of the human heart in this second gripping book in the Triple Threat series.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">_______________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.</i></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-38867156354794715322021-09-16T11:48:00.002-07:002021-09-16T11:50:02.854-07:00Birthstone Claddagh Ring - RE:View<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBHIQHhH0IB_Li-vciHR_YkXMVkUqFJ9k7pTCcaTZ5gmdCmyoE_RYqePsfpiWLiE8zcufuGNuTOT_pkQC2BWadZKe10c8YIw_nQLlyBtSn_GZDfTAsKPMRQsVJEOyYZcHrgeMqczdW9Q/s1551/Birthstone+Claddagh+Ring-Review.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBHIQHhH0IB_Li-vciHR_YkXMVkUqFJ9k7pTCcaTZ5gmdCmyoE_RYqePsfpiWLiE8zcufuGNuTOT_pkQC2BWadZKe10c8YIw_nQLlyBtSn_GZDfTAsKPMRQsVJEOyYZcHrgeMqczdW9Q/w640-h430/Birthstone+Claddagh+Ring-Review.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>What is your heritage? I'm talking about that as well as this amazing ring I received from The Irish Jewelry Company for review in todays post. </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I'll be the first to admit I am (very sadly) not Irish BUT my Aunt is! My one claim to Irish 'fame' I suppose you could say. I remember hearing her talk about tracing her Irish heritage and then applying to have dual citizenship. At the time (and still) I thought that was the coolest thing. </p><p>Fast forward and I go the chance to work with The Irish Jewelry Company to review one of their beautiful Claddagh rings! I jumped at the chance and received my beautiful ruby ring (for my birth month of July) in the mail so quickly from them. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What is a Claddagh ring? </h3><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7uCXI4yIQu-JIgaC8P7trrMPZuuc_yFphYRVaD5eLjv_Ql5aSbdYl4IvwOeWld2WHjBbrGYKWCsl5bQrWBk7NTODdv7UDShf8WQzy763So-lbg5ES1IfvOiFRuvLtolNzBSlR5Jhk5Y/s1157/birthstone_claddagh_ring_irsh_80462_sterling_silver_1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="1157" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7uCXI4yIQu-JIgaC8P7trrMPZuuc_yFphYRVaD5eLjv_Ql5aSbdYl4IvwOeWld2WHjBbrGYKWCsl5bQrWBk7NTODdv7UDShf8WQzy763So-lbg5ES1IfvOiFRuvLtolNzBSlR5Jhk5Y/w200-h200/birthstone_claddagh_ring_irsh_80462_sterling_silver_1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.theirishjewelrycompany.com/birthstone-claddagh-ring.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">See the Claddagh Rings here</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />According to The Irish Jewelry Companies website a Claddagh ring is, "a fede ring and [has] a long history dating back to Roman times. The name "fede" derives from the Italian phrase mani in fede meaning loosely "hands joined in faith" or "hands joined in loyalty". The clasped hands were viewed as promise ring used as an engagement ring or wedding ring in medieval and Renaissance Europe. The Irish Claddagh ring is a version of the fede ring has roots deeply seeded in long standing Irish tradition." <p></p><p>You can read more about this <a href="https://www.theirishjewelrycompany.com/collections/claddagh-rings.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Just who <i>is</i> The Irish Jewelry Company? </h3><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdcnwzVvyBGAYabDuu4gimlgmzyWgYgit-IrPUGK3k-4JN6Bo2BNCcSEhyphenhyphenuFDHxQq9zqI8oZu2RF4cG6tIztNmmujt2cTVrJT2UZqZD26raC2zGgYg6WBVFgOofJZEDpXAKXMwvvE0ZU/s1396/irish-ring-quote.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdcnwzVvyBGAYabDuu4gimlgmzyWgYgit-IrPUGK3k-4JN6Bo2BNCcSEhyphenhyphenuFDHxQq9zqI8oZu2RF4cG6tIztNmmujt2cTVrJT2UZqZD26raC2zGgYg6WBVFgOofJZEDpXAKXMwvvE0ZU/s320/irish-ring-quote.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>We at The Irish Jewelry Company take pride in making the Irish gift giving experience modern and convenient. The Irish Jewelry Company celebrates their Celtic heritage and a love of Ireland through original Irish Jewelry design. Their beautiful Irish jewelry is steeped in Celtic symbolism and rich in Irish tradition.<br /><br />Started by a husband and wife team, fulfilling a lifelong dream of honoring their families' Irish heritage through a combined 40 years of experience in the jewelry industry. They are a family owned and operated company. The Irish Jewelry Company loves bringing high quality and stylish Irish Jewelry, Claddagh Rings, Celtic Crosses and Celtic Jewelry as well as sophisticated Irish gifts to our customers.<br /><br />Although based in the US the owners frequently visit their family home in Ireland and travel Europe discovering new product and spotting new trends. They are proud supporters of the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce, AOH and LAOH, the local PTA, OLP Church, WLIW21, WFUV Celtic programming, Emerald Society, Goal Na Gail and The American Ireland Fund.<br /><br />The Irish Jewelry Company believes in providing our customers with specially selected unique Irish gifts everyone will love and appreciate for any occasion. All of us at The Irish Jewelry Company are proud to be Irish and we understand our customers are proud to be Irish. Our Irish gifts make a statement that every Irishman can be proud to give.<br /><br />Slainté<br /><br />The Irish Jewelry Company<div>(<a href="https://www.theirishjewelrycompany.com/about-us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This bio is taken from their website</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">My review of the ring </h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDbnhkHr7IzMTAbu7qmhqtvAO3mVyzaBxGjUDT_R2YFdOctV7wcCaz11SQ8bOwcnjgrthJpkWke4v8T3L3wATDhSKgNbT4hdAZYQ0JMaZ_dIzJBtLJaV9fP1yu7vosbkXMQvg8zBpGU4/s1581/8.20.21-4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1581" data-original-width="1265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDbnhkHr7IzMTAbu7qmhqtvAO3mVyzaBxGjUDT_R2YFdOctV7wcCaz11SQ8bOwcnjgrthJpkWke4v8T3L3wATDhSKgNbT4hdAZYQ0JMaZ_dIzJBtLJaV9fP1yu7vosbkXMQvg8zBpGU4/s320/8.20.21-4.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />First off, it's important to note that I was given a <i>free</i> ring for this review but I am not being paid anything else. Just got the ring in an exchange for a review. </div><div><br /></div><div>But, when I did get the chance to look over their extensive website (<a href="https://www.theirishjewelrycompany.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see it here</a>) I was shocked the amazing number of products they have! They are not only beautiful, but versatile and all steeped in that Irish tradition! So, if you aren't in the mood for a birthstone ring you may still find something you like on their website. There are necklaces, earrings, rings, and more!</div><div><br /></div><div>As for my ring though - I was so pleased when it arrived. It fits perfectly, is made sturdy, and was reasonably priced in my opinion (yes, even though I wasn't purchasing it I was interested in the price to see how it compared when the ring arrived). </div><div><br /></div><div>The ring is made of sterling silver and I personally feel like it's a great quality! I love the hands holding the 6mm birthstone and overall it just feels like a great quality ring. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can <a href="https://www.theirishjewelrycompany.com/birthstone-claddagh-ring.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">purchase your very own Claddagh ring here </a>from The Irish Jewelry Company. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks again to The Irish Jewelry Company for gifting me this lovely ring! I feel like it fits right in with all of the wonderful things I love about Ireland! Now to visit in the future ;) </div><div><br /></div></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-1446872659142481182021-07-19T13:07:00.003-07:002021-07-19T13:07:28.104-07:00Disconnected<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_T8WZGSjDuQTbQu2ommq5jGjPpsenFChrmEMiowl9_YZ1gIIPDtsvUgK4QJOSHSptKCjVNz_Y2PbrQwSKjW0Qsqgy6uA5_wkHNwcpRG730yi5Cgmdu0YDhOytjRA0L8C2Yvm58_n4X4/s1551/Disconnected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_T8WZGSjDuQTbQu2ommq5jGjPpsenFChrmEMiowl9_YZ1gIIPDtsvUgK4QJOSHSptKCjVNz_Y2PbrQwSKjW0Qsqgy6uA5_wkHNwcpRG730yi5Cgmdu0YDhOytjRA0L8C2Yvm58_n4X4/w640-h430/Disconnected.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Feeling a bit disconnected today and had the urge to write about it. I don't have the "answers" to change the feeling, but I do know that (after writing this) I can pinpoint what I'm feeling better and know what forward momentum looks like. </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I've been feeling all sorts of things recently. Perhaps it's the fallout of a year+ out of touch with so many, or maybe it's just seeing all of my friends gathering at things I'm not able to attend this year, but I feel disconnected. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyBrmxr449vK3iBFYAAxhBSbQZ7TO18esfnHCrnwJ4gqyDEuwuYMmsaU-LB_SWk6FYzWNCTVkz2Q9JpYueCwd-R7ji5dwuAJDavYrhdGsGVBgnYl4ooHydL09s_PNc4bua1Z67LA1Jho/s1396/Disconnected-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyBrmxr449vK3iBFYAAxhBSbQZ7TO18esfnHCrnwJ4gqyDEuwuYMmsaU-LB_SWk6FYzWNCTVkz2Q9JpYueCwd-R7ji5dwuAJDavYrhdGsGVBgnYl4ooHydL09s_PNc4bua1Z67LA1Jho/s320/Disconnected-2.jpg" /></a></div>The writer's life is one of quietness. It may begin with a conversation or continue through plot-talk with writer friends, but ultimately the true work of writing is done on your own. You connect with your characters, you write their story, you uncover (or plot) what will happen to them. Then you work it out through writing, re-writing, and edits. <p></p><p>Friends do play a role in this - like my amazing critique partners! - but I've really started to see how lonely writing is these last few months. I think that's compounded by the fact my writer friends all live far away and I can't schedule a time to see them whenever I want. </p><p>Some of this is also the type of writer that I am. I am much less collaborative than some people I know. I keep my circle of readers (and therefore influencers into my work) small. I don't do this for an egotistical reason, but more so for the fact that it's how I create. </p><p>But the quietness stretches. </p><p>The well that's filled by human connection shallows and questions surface.</p><p>Would I be accepted into this group? Would I be welcome? Would my writing be valid? Is my writing good enough? Where do I fit in? Am I good enough? </p><p>It is so easy to look around at peoples social media and think: I'm missing out. I'm missing all the fun they are having. The connection. I'm missing the beach vacation. I'm missing the tan-lines. I'm missing the gatherings. I'm missing...it all. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDrlPLYvmSMFZoY4qEUog2sxj0RKcsJiT1pCpMVnfM8S_Bh9AQv1lF4_GQrSVgzHFET7u3w7Xe-I0BWmRS_3NV0PHOFmgb4xZHhGS1BZ-4UzZPHWE_TWRDdOd44Vptj-UWxPABubZNcQ/s2048/IMG_3571.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDrlPLYvmSMFZoY4qEUog2sxj0RKcsJiT1pCpMVnfM8S_Bh9AQv1lF4_GQrSVgzHFET7u3w7Xe-I0BWmRS_3NV0PHOFmgb4xZHhGS1BZ-4UzZPHWE_TWRDdOd44Vptj-UWxPABubZNcQ/s320/IMG_3571.heic" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the lake in my new inflatable kayak</td></tr></tbody></table><br />My husband and I are pretty busy with work this summer. I already took off one week to go to camp with the students I lead for my job as Youth Director and, while that was a <i>blast,</i> it wasn't a vacation - I came back much more exhausted than when I left - and then I got a sinus infection to boot. Due to all of that, this summer hasn't offered a lot of rest. There have been a few days on the lake that have been perfect, but it's been unreasonably hot (100+ for over 3 weeks now) and we don't have the time to take off at the moment.</p><p>The question shifts then to: what am I getting - rather than what am I missing. </p><p>On a Monday like today it feels like the answer to this is "not much". I'm getting predictable (hot) days, I'm getting work done, I'm getting more seeped into that feeling of isolation. I'm getting things, but they aren't what I want. </p><p>Beside that, I'm also getting a chance to shift my focus. If this rambling post means anything (which to many it may not) then I'd say this: if you're feeling left out...I hear you. If you're feeling burnt out...I'm there too. If you're feeling disconnected...I feel that too. </p><p>But a good reminder to us all is that we don't have to go to the beach or to another country to relax. We don't have to gather in large groups to feel connected. We don't even have to take off a full week to feel refreshment (even if that would be great!). </p><p>I'm not going to say I feel "happy" at the end of this revelatory post. I still feel tired and disconnected and isolated, but I know that sometimes we dip into those lows for a chance to experience the blessing of coming out of them. </p><p>I choose to believe that this very Monday of Monday's will pass. Not because I'm productive or because I 'figured it out' but because life shifts and it can go from dark to life in a matter of moments. May the dark moment be brief and the light that much longer. </p>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-47247591115768286742021-07-10T10:01:00.005-07:002021-07-10T10:01:54.977-07:00Come Back to Me by Jody Hedlund | Book Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMreqRr783Ojf8h6rR-KlNe4wYR95IRzuASML79lGPiZoCefXugOak4Rt6UDKfTGjvL-annGF0U1q09em0MBvZfJBKOjvUc3DaI50FGW899m9M3ZTbGe-3IgJYST-d7kUubtZXbBzuUE/s1551/Book-in-Review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="1551" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMreqRr783Ojf8h6rR-KlNe4wYR95IRzuASML79lGPiZoCefXugOak4Rt6UDKfTGjvL-annGF0U1q09em0MBvZfJBKOjvUc3DaI50FGW899m9M3ZTbGe-3IgJYST-d7kUubtZXbBzuUE/w640-h216/Book-in-Review.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLussPCiMykubtgqdO7K1EIIE4yIqDpvhpSAdUMdbYDQgnRu94vgiCC2Js7Jts9SVX6W24DPshMVGQUU4JffidMH7jDyZ-PA-y8oY0f9DeyC4Abj2sdG-jst49BDiBp9ZplP2wtGTruo/s1360/71M94MUlMPS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLussPCiMykubtgqdO7K1EIIE4yIqDpvhpSAdUMdbYDQgnRu94vgiCC2Js7Jts9SVX6W24DPshMVGQUU4JffidMH7jDyZ-PA-y8oY0f9DeyC4Abj2sdG-jst49BDiBp9ZplP2wtGTruo/s320/71M94MUlMPS.jpg" /></a></div>I'm going to say this now and I don't think anyone will be surprised: I love time travel novels! <p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Jody Hedlund's Come Back to Me was an intriguing mixture of time travel, romance, suspense, and a hint of science that I found created a story that was hard to put down! When Marian first travels 'back in time' and sees an image of Will...well, I was sold. He's not only brawny and handsome, but he's a good guy too and I was rooting for them from the beginning. The question of "will they end up together" and "if so, how???" kept me turning pages late into the night. </p><p>I found that some of the background information at the beginning (the "how" of the time travel) was an interesting take on the Tree of Life but I was more interested in the romance, to be honest (ha!). The suspenseful elements were a nice touch though, and kept that worry going as to how things would work out. </p><p>I didn't expect the 1300s to be romantic, but Hedlund had a way of showing the aspects of that time period that are almost 'better than' ours - like a simpler life, natural beauty, and the ability to enjoy quiet. </p><p>Some have mentioned in their reviews about the romance elements being "too much" for Christian fiction but I honestly didn't find that. I'd perhaps recommend this to 17+ but I found it to be a true representation of desire between a man and a woman and there was plenty of instances where that desire (or lust as some have called it) moved past to a desire to more deeply know one another on an intellectual level as well. </p><p>I'd recommend this to fans of time travel novels like Outlander (though from a Christian perspective) and those who enjoy historical fiction as well. </p><p><b>My rating:</b> 3.8*</p><p><b>Purchase:</b> <a href="https://amzn.to/3e4pCbW" target="_blank">Come Back To Me</a> by Jody Hedlund </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Come Back to Me</h3><blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3WBjziQXeVjY2fSgiooeaPydkSWkmWTkVwllvr5xUr7a4dvoTz1K9e32ZOJ9i8h1t9NckxWX-nzXcpaP9kkSwPH8dsNCY5-GNlT7x47a1Xp2OMyXbE4HRV4k7kNd3aRqs2UmCJgsDB0/s1581/6.16.21-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1265" data-original-width="1581" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3WBjziQXeVjY2fSgiooeaPydkSWkmWTkVwllvr5xUr7a4dvoTz1K9e32ZOJ9i8h1t9NckxWX-nzXcpaP9kkSwPH8dsNCY5-GNlT7x47a1Xp2OMyXbE4HRV4k7kNd3aRqs2UmCJgsDB0/s320/6.16.21-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my <a href="http://www.instagram.com/createexploreread">Instagram</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy.<br /><br />That's exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father's quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He's left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he's crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising.<br /><br />William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian's rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to? <br /><br />Bestselling author Jody Hedlund is your guide down the twisting waters of time to a volatile era of superstition, revolts, and chivalry in this suspenseful story.</blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">_______________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.</i></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-11465277644886775892021-07-08T15:37:00.001-07:002021-07-08T15:37:30.518-07:00Cultivating Dreams <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOB2_tQZdWOG_TyXB5TbjCfVMQyBkOM4osfNG7_569hxljYoRoCQ4Uo1Hl4Pavg3dIc1zuwnmbcIscIKCQF2k8GdBI1z6qUH7ciyLifkrCV7HJRZNBHSp2Ve4Dv-2KEQQ5rCTgUGYSuCU/s1551/2-Clutivating-Dreams-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOB2_tQZdWOG_TyXB5TbjCfVMQyBkOM4osfNG7_569hxljYoRoCQ4Uo1Hl4Pavg3dIc1zuwnmbcIscIKCQF2k8GdBI1z6qUH7ciyLifkrCV7HJRZNBHSp2Ve4Dv-2KEQQ5rCTgUGYSuCU/w640-h430/2-Clutivating-Dreams-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I sat down to write a bit of a writing update for you all, but what came out was more of an introspective look on how my dreams have changed and shifted and how that's okay. </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>If you've been on this blog for any length of time (or following me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/createexploreread/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>) then you'll have heard about the "great blogging experience of 2020" though likely not in those terms. You can read the first chapter <a href="https://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/08/suspended-in-stars-chapter-1.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> but, as most things do, it has changed in editing. Not as much as you may expect, but enough. Hopefully enough to make it better. </div><p></p><blockquote>A quick fill in here: I wrote a "book" in a month on this blog - which basically turned out to be about 50k words in 31 chapters. It has since ballooned to 61 chapters + and epilogue and hits around 112k at the moment of this blog. (whew)</blockquote><p></p><p>I did the first half in a month and then guess what happened? I took off <i>several</i> months to recover (haha). Then I buckled down, re-plotted the rest of the book (which is what happens when you think something is going to be a novella and instead turns into a full-length YA sci-fi). And once I saw the ending, I wrote to that and let out a huge sigh of relief right before I jumped into edits. </p><p>As of June 18th my <a href="https://stevelaube.com/who-we-are/" target="_blank">awesome agent</a> has seen the proposal for the book and is waiting on me to finish my 5th round of edits before we submit to a ton of awesome publishers. </p><p>I'm not scared. You're scared. </p><p>Okay, I'm scared. </p><p>The thing with all of this is the immense pressure I've put on myself and on this little book. Why? It's the book of my heart. Not the only one because I have about 5 other plot ideas for next books, but it's the book I decided to step out and take a risk on. Young Adult science fiction doesn't typically sell - or if it does, you're someone famous who wrote it. </p><p>I'm not famous. </p><p>So what am I doing? </p><p>I'm taking a risk. I'm shifting my perspective. Allow me to explain...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQpsSIy-jYFCi_O_m8YytNbPLVMXZFk8iqMWRDMv1cZLCZZNWMh560BovNi4WzlPtYc0aAIHicnOv92RMLQoKhef8NhmmeQYytcaOfnFg-R0yJRC11LR_SHBKfy1YVOpoG5FgSMpaa-Y/s1551/2-Clutivating-Dreams-3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="This is my kitty Pages sleeping while I work!" border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQpsSIy-jYFCi_O_m8YytNbPLVMXZFk8iqMWRDMv1cZLCZZNWMh560BovNi4WzlPtYc0aAIHicnOv92RMLQoKhef8NhmmeQYytcaOfnFg-R0yJRC11LR_SHBKfy1YVOpoG5FgSMpaa-Y/w640-h429/2-Clutivating-Dreams-3.jpg" title="Pages sleeping" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my kitty Pages sleeping while I work!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sixteen-year-old Emilie said "I will write a a novel for my senior project" and then, after being told it was impossible decided to write a novella instead. And she did it. (Er me, I did it, but you get what I'm saying). Was it good? Not really. Did I still submit it to <a href="http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse" target="_blank">Bethany House Publishers</a>? Yes, yes I did. *hides face in shame* And it was a great learning experience. </p><p>Fast forward to 30-something Emilie and all that build up, all the hopes, dreams, near-misses in the world of publishing has taught me a few things (hopefully more than a few). </p><p>The first of them is this: I'm not writing the next Divergent or Hunger Games or Harry Potter. </p><p>As much as I'd love to say Suspended in the Stars is going to make a big splash, the odds are it won't. I'm still hopeful it would be received well, but let's get a publishers okay <i>first </i>before I go down that road. </p><p>What I've come to realize is that my dream has shifted out of necessity but also out of experience. Instead of thinking I'll make the New York Times Bestsellers list (okay, still a dream no matter how unlikely), my dream has shifted to encompass simply getting my book into the hands of readers. And then the next book and the next book and so on. </p><p>I don't see this as letting myself off the hook or easing up on my dreams, I see it as a more realistic goal. One I would <i>love</i> to accomplish in the next several years.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ovVg8HCdBiWYkFlgfCv0u5TktOxmlsOGf3SXGDXsCcySJhghDOHTgPbSbc3OHAdr8ik1Cymx2RifpPRab59Ul8mv2jduirdCMAZhn9YqYiZQKS2mYNpbAhRMsR6UdHA9-TsaoWxr7SM/s1396/2-Clutivating-Dreams-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ovVg8HCdBiWYkFlgfCv0u5TktOxmlsOGf3SXGDXsCcySJhghDOHTgPbSbc3OHAdr8ik1Cymx2RifpPRab59Ul8mv2jduirdCMAZhn9YqYiZQKS2mYNpbAhRMsR6UdHA9-TsaoWxr7SM/s320/2-Clutivating-Dreams-2.jpg" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Dreams shift and change. And that's okay.</h3><p></p><p>What this shifting has allowed me to do is create with less fear. The thought of my one little book hitting it "big" is way more daunting than writing (to the best of my ability) a story I love that is also liked by an editor, then their team, and then readers. </p><p>No matter what we do in life, what we dream of, I think it's important to <i>have</i> those dreams and to cultivate them. In this case, I think the word "cultivate" is perfect because we're really saying we need to develop our dreams. Allow them to form, grow, and then prune in order for them to flourish even more broadly. </p><p>So, wherever you are today, whatever your dream is, I hope that you direct a little attention toward it. Observe where that far-off dream is and see if, with just a little adjustment, it could be closer than you think. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">What are your dreams? Have they shifted or stayed the same? </span></p>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-86043042968488580312021-07-06T13:17:00.002-07:002021-07-06T13:17:29.033-07:00To Blog or Not to Blog...That is the Question<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JxRnSG5Gv_0mvWR-ytMV4o9edv2hvJgDdYJ8N68JFRIxCPUd3dS8xYEpBtUAOQdps3hlpzgg_O7xHRREOsnMaumrwrgBeNo11jRqTyGNUe8dcRqPDhi-nJhOuQNAFHtYDcM6UKB3O10/s1551/blog-or-not.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JxRnSG5Gv_0mvWR-ytMV4o9edv2hvJgDdYJ8N68JFRIxCPUd3dS8xYEpBtUAOQdps3hlpzgg_O7xHRREOsnMaumrwrgBeNo11jRqTyGNUe8dcRqPDhi-nJhOuQNAFHtYDcM6UKB3O10/w640-h430/blog-or-not.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Facing the question of whether or not I should keep blogging and other thoughts in todays post (yep, the first post of 2021...).</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I've blogged since 2009. That's 12 years of blogging (give or take a few months) and since taking a break for a lot of 2020 and now 6 months of 2021 I'm wondering...do I keep blogging? </p><p>When I started blogging it was out of sheer enjoyment. I put down words on the page and talked about the things that mattered to me. My faith. Books. Music. Writing. You name it. Then, as the years went on, it transitioned to more of a "let's grow this blog" thought process and I hosted soooo many amazing authors (both traditionally and independently published) and realized that having a platform wasn't so much for myself as it was to help others be featured. </p><p>Then, somewhere along the way (I can't really pin point it) I started to loose momentum. Life, as they say, got in the way and the blog suffered. It was harder to find things I was passionate about and wanted to share. It became more of a chore than a joy. </p><p>Fast forward and, well, full stop. </p><p>Here I sit now (totally procrastinating from what I should be doing) to write this introspective blog post to whoever actually reads this (yeah, hello Mom). </p><p>There are pros and cons to keeping the blog. One pro is the fact that I have hosted SO many amazing authors and there are records of their posts here. I've also posted a lot of fun and informational things about writing and books. Things I'd hate to see disappear into the void of internet space. But there are cons as well, like the time it takes to keep up the blog and the thought of if it really makes a difference. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rmjUOvtIDXy5n7ZnlsYl2RzU7piapDjU5ZoLykQRMEegz_fHjmqUMUlElrQ4UBKKz9iLNYwM5smwtI_LNkzpb5ghyvDTlQH7d0oI_iy-yNV9DqCy5RUQ96Ttc6XditJsSqs4W2TceyM/s1396/blog-or-not-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rmjUOvtIDXy5n7ZnlsYl2RzU7piapDjU5ZoLykQRMEegz_fHjmqUMUlElrQ4UBKKz9iLNYwM5smwtI_LNkzpb5ghyvDTlQH7d0oI_iy-yNV9DqCy5RUQ96Ttc6XditJsSqs4W2TceyM/s320/blog-or-not-3.jpg" /></a></div><br />It's almost an existential crisis thinking about whether I should keep blogging or not. But I think it comes down to one question: what is the blog supposed to be about? <p></p><p>I think I started without direction. I mean, it was called <i>Thinking Thoughts</i> for a reason - it was literally JUST my thinking and thoughts. But as the years have passed and I better understand branding, the change to my brand name, <i>Create Explore Read,</i> was a good move could be a good framework for the future.</p><p>Perhaps the hardest thing when thinking about keeping the blog is: who will read it? I don't know if that should matter, but I feel like the answer to that question is "not many". 😂 And the next question that follows is: do I have anything good to say? </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">How can someone who's blogged for 12 years feel like an imposter? </h4><p>It seems impossible, but I do. A blogging imposter. A writing imposter. A graphic design imposter. A photography imposter. I've done these things for over 8 years each and yet I <i>still</i> feel like I'm faking it, just hoping I'll make it. (What does "making it" even mean though?)</p><p>And perhaps that's where my underlying character tells me to forget all of that and follow my passions. I've always done that - from childhood I haven't let "reality" get in the way of what I'm passionate about and I don't want to do that now. </p><p>So, perhaps the answer to my (current) age old question is this: yes, for now. </p><p>When I sit back and think...I have things to say. Perhaps they aren't want people want to read? But does that mean I shouldn't still say them? If one person reads a post and is inspired/encouraged/uplifted I think it's worth it. </p><p>Here's to throwing off the worries, pushing down the imposter feelings, and stepping out into a new chapter on this blog. I won't make fancy promises about post timing or content, but I will say that I desire to write with more transparency than I have in the past. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfNZ7tdwaRi6Lu-leDaughLB6uQbQFjfoD2Z1j9dgtL5Zs6y8-FqdM5qYUdKD6ViTkwWmB5sKuoVr8YuebkoOPSN0FZx1s8yC2OXEOdSXss8HmEeZ3RtCoMXoEYAmXQSdNnyGiR1aGUY/s1551/blog-or-not-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfNZ7tdwaRi6Lu-leDaughLB6uQbQFjfoD2Z1j9dgtL5Zs6y8-FqdM5qYUdKD6ViTkwWmB5sKuoVr8YuebkoOPSN0FZx1s8yC2OXEOdSXss8HmEeZ3RtCoMXoEYAmXQSdNnyGiR1aGUY/w640-h430/blog-or-not-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">For whoever's along for the ride, thanks for reading! </span></p>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-38536322395951284902020-12-29T07:00:00.003-08:002020-12-29T07:00:02.564-08:002020 - That's a Wrap<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_OoUNMWNL429JhiEVFsrQ2Mgl_NLSBriYoV1xUWEvNTrJ5PIbdiNtcdKz6BD-IZuDcVPNy3oUpiTIEz8ijwYDZF8JuLa0oMslwyr7r7Ucr48aIwL1AkQF91rX-Bxr8BHiRfBvcNKd3k/s2048/2020-wrap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="2048" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_OoUNMWNL429JhiEVFsrQ2Mgl_NLSBriYoV1xUWEvNTrJ5PIbdiNtcdKz6BD-IZuDcVPNy3oUpiTIEz8ijwYDZF8JuLa0oMslwyr7r7Ucr48aIwL1AkQF91rX-Bxr8BHiRfBvcNKd3k/w640-h428/2020-wrap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> 2020 is almost over...and it's hard to believe. Let's look back and what happened and look ahead to what <i>might</i> happen.<p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>To be honest, I'm not going to go into <i>too</i> much detail about the year. Mostly because we all LIVED it in one capacity or another. Not to say our experience was the same, I'm sure some had an amazing year and some had a dismal year, but I don't want to bring us (or myself) down too much here. </p><p>I will hit the highlights for me, but if you don't have many, hear me: that is okay! Really! Hey, take whatever wins you can (maybe you bought a new sweater or something) and move on! Also, I'm only remembering these things due to photos so...I'm sure I left out something. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">My 2020 at a glance </h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsD6Su9trSrXRoFNZO2wtjHGkJeHiBHYXPiSD926kfZvSxadj1a8AD1uoxg8Kz7fDkcmn0gtKHv7569ED_aWh-0YHndOakG5frzw5joWuzhRa1YnCV3tYCZg2HVKVCzV3evIble481UsA/s2048/IMG_1525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsD6Su9trSrXRoFNZO2wtjHGkJeHiBHYXPiSD926kfZvSxadj1a8AD1uoxg8Kz7fDkcmn0gtKHv7569ED_aWh-0YHndOakG5frzw5joWuzhRa1YnCV3tYCZg2HVKVCzV3evIble481UsA/s320/IMG_1525.JPG" /></a></div><b>January </b><i>Ah, blissful ignorance as to what this year might bring. </i><p></p><p>We got to visit the in-laws in Arizona which was a treat! I love Top Golf and getting to spend time with them. </p><p><b>February / March</b></p><p>Mostly hikes and Youth Group events. </p><p>Then the closures started - which meant a lot of "how do we do church online?" (I work for a church as a youth director for those who don't know). </p><p><b>April</b> </p><p>Cue the baking...</p><p>Also, cue idea sparking with Christen about our future podcast (Exploring the Blank Page). Yep, that early! </p><p><b>May</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDqQU1JawHH7qCg2Y-PIphdfehe8NVmF3-C-PRR73z6Now-BEl5m_4LPvwnPmHq56LXLYrITLee9nYaIJpvasJ18XzsxY0BuX4CWMFG6ZSjDmdRE0l1MWEdCyK3NuCXAd8X-i-PlGslQ/s2048/IMG_1526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDqQU1JawHH7qCg2Y-PIphdfehe8NVmF3-C-PRR73z6Now-BEl5m_4LPvwnPmHq56LXLYrITLee9nYaIJpvasJ18XzsxY0BuX4CWMFG6ZSjDmdRE0l1MWEdCyK3NuCXAd8X-i-PlGslQ/s320/IMG_1526.JPG" /></a></div><br />Started our backyard project and YES it was a project! *whew* <p></p><p>Also celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary on May 17!</p><p>Apparently, I was doing some working out during this time too. Go me! (Cause yeah, that didn't last...)</p><p>Got to do a socially distant mini-vacation to the Oregon Coast to celebrate the anniversary. </p><p>And more baking...</p><p><b><br />June </b></p><p>And sourdough making...</p><p>And more hiking. </p><p><b>July </b></p>Birthday month! Bought a BBQ. <p></p><p>Made lots of BBQ...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmH40UoinxZnzxuhvnrkFMiMIQIjasYKzFwjbLqOfYPbCqSTu79oVCcoOYn6SAEDywb7FztFHksgDFIpReiH8aAFJITS_tDwdsiynUvp6mYTwSUk9-Z1FqVT_F1FS0kU-BmK-u8V0b_Bw/s2048/IMG_1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmH40UoinxZnzxuhvnrkFMiMIQIjasYKzFwjbLqOfYPbCqSTu79oVCcoOYn6SAEDywb7FztFHksgDFIpReiH8aAFJITS_tDwdsiynUvp6mYTwSUk9-Z1FqVT_F1FS0kU-BmK-u8V0b_Bw/s320/IMG_1528.JPG" /></a></div><p></p><p>And started prepping for Suspended in the Stars! </p><p>Recorded some of our first Podcast Episodes! </p><p>FIRES...</p><p>More baking & gardening. </p><p>Saw the litter of kittens I'd be picking from for the first time! </p><p><b>August</b> </p><p>Started Suspended in the Stars!!! And kept up with it for the whole month! </p><p>Went on a quick trip to Oregon with The Mr. </p><p>Read Midnight Sun *sigh* </p><p>Saw the baby kitty! </p><p>More hiking. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis3zqwJtOVrva4HZ4WtinSI5yGmEP_sIcLZltbj1KlLwQ1Nay_RBYVkM0rNSBBtvuMZWh0zMQBL6FiE8v8sjsFlc_ZqipFjGecvVW1tEpcljUctJKxflIpH_t0yD8QZ2VQmcCIweqlTk/s2048/IMG_1529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis3zqwJtOVrva4HZ4WtinSI5yGmEP_sIcLZltbj1KlLwQ1Nay_RBYVkM0rNSBBtvuMZWh0zMQBL6FiE8v8sjsFlc_ZqipFjGecvVW1tEpcljUctJKxflIpH_t0yD8QZ2VQmcCIweqlTk/s320/IMG_1529.JPG" /></a></div><br />Went to see the in-laws again but this time in Michigan. Traveling with masks is hard. <p></p><p><b>September</b></p><p>Designed a whole lot of Fall stuff for my shop. </p><p>Georgia was injured - poor thing! </p><p>Got baby kitty! Aka: Pages <3 (and took a ton of photos of her) </p><p><b>October</b> </p><p>Did dinner out with The Mr for the first time in forever. </p><p>First Podcast released! </p><p>Pumpkin patch with the fam! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC8jB57ivRmMCgGETmMeS8mQzck62UdGVMN71UC2Np0iL9FXSmioCdHesJKQWPxpTMgQLT-FhD1axnd1A2Ns3hUAu5JavP9cTXD_EKPCvyvLzqkiqX69vHpLB0ZO1tbcX7kbJ9ravaWQ/s2048/IMG_1531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC8jB57ivRmMCgGETmMeS8mQzck62UdGVMN71UC2Np0iL9FXSmioCdHesJKQWPxpTMgQLT-FhD1axnd1A2Ns3hUAu5JavP9cTXD_EKPCvyvLzqkiqX69vHpLB0ZO1tbcX7kbJ9ravaWQ/s320/IMG_1531.JPG" /></a></div>More baking & cooking...<p></p><p>Costume party with the youth. </p><p>Hair cut! </p><p><b><br />November </b> </p><p>Started the curly girl method with my hair! </p><p>Christmas stuff in the shop and - you guessed it, more baking and cooking! </p><p>Dogs and cat finally getting along. </p><p>Lots of Christmas prep EARLY this year - including a second tree (fake) just because I couldn't wait for our real tree. </p><p>Thanksgiving with just the parents. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ne9djgnVhm4xYnPF72wbYY2Jnw_gZaEzN50nq95K8X0TLtaYT-wiBVsrcuAr7wjBUO0rBQRVeDsCTbLxMiZCp6yZurG0scceA4qPWqVhMgLxhdhUwiuvxoyT8ejdiQZFT8Amq2QFSY0/s2048/IMG_1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ne9djgnVhm4xYnPF72wbYY2Jnw_gZaEzN50nq95K8X0TLtaYT-wiBVsrcuAr7wjBUO0rBQRVeDsCTbLxMiZCp6yZurG0scceA4qPWqVhMgLxhdhUwiuvxoyT8ejdiQZFT8Amq2QFSY0/s320/IMG_1530.JPG" /></a></b></div><b><br />December </b><p></p><p>Christmas prep, baking (this is what they call a theme), new recipes, new shop stuff, and getting our Christmas tree! </p><p>Christmas with the fam! </p><p>And more sourdough. </p><p><br /></p><p>So there you have it, a pretty non-eventful year. I kind of skipped over the tough times of self-doubt, isolation, snippy-ness, at-home-ness, frustration, fear, and general sadness at the state of our world through a lot of 2020, but don't be fooled. It was there. </p><p>I don't want to put undue focus on it because there was also a LOT of good this year, though not in the way I would have thought. Usually, I would have traveled to conferences, seen friends, done fun things <i>elsewhere</i> than the home. Spent more time in coffee shops, in traveling to see friends, and generally being out and about more. But, that wasn't what the year was about (for pretty much all of us). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPl-1lQgVCTUhnJZ9x4HlZxkdfZXhh_vQn1h_2vj73ZDTcDr7tGZ6d1Mhc0Pj8yKE3uXIoyk6mS90BSS0PS8QmyCmwVBbXg5usmSFcKsBwF4zejStU7XDc6NE_Hc1T4JsCaMuchzqVOk/s2048/IMG_1532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPl-1lQgVCTUhnJZ9x4HlZxkdfZXhh_vQn1h_2vj73ZDTcDr7tGZ6d1Mhc0Pj8yKE3uXIoyk6mS90BSS0PS8QmyCmwVBbXg5usmSFcKsBwF4zejStU7XDc6NE_Hc1T4JsCaMuchzqVOk/s320/IMG_1532.JPG" /></a></div><br />And still I can see the good. The time spent with The Mr. The fact we did get to see his family and that mine lives close. The simple fact we even have a home is a blessing easily overlooked when facing the frustration of closures and mask-wearing etc. <p></p><p>But, as I'll likely explore more this week here on the blog, there have been good things too and I want to focus on them. </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">What was a blessing, no matter how small, you saw this year? </span></p>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-64017442329928234162020-10-28T12:32:00.000-07:002020-10-28T12:32:13.282-07:00NaNoWriMo & The Podcast<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZ1PIQUiHs9o-NGh7ttsoVjoiIRB2cLdwhUumwTA4TceR9PlSK88a81Bj_s17-qEXfIG0MpiKFjrCGGDIarYs1w78Uv78RzVoZM5MgcGWnuNp6hVYQ_2E0HBXqoSzyOyfCbuEsk2am4w/s1551/nano-podcast.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZ1PIQUiHs9o-NGh7ttsoVjoiIRB2cLdwhUumwTA4TceR9PlSK88a81Bj_s17-qEXfIG0MpiKFjrCGGDIarYs1w78Uv78RzVoZM5MgcGWnuNp6hVYQ_2E0HBXqoSzyOyfCbuEsk2am4w/w640-h430/nano-podcast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Am I procrastinating by writing this blog post? Absolutely. Do I care? Not really...</p><p>Join me today as I chat about my exciting new podcast AND the (totally insane fact) that I'm going to be doing NaNoWriMo this year!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Well all, as you can probably imagine, I took a BIG break after writing Suspended in the Stars. Don't know what that is? Read <a href="https://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/blogging-book-in-august.html" target="_blank">this post</a> and <a href="https://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/08/suspended-in-stars-chapter-1.html" target="_blank">the first chapter here</a>. </p><p>It was an insane project mostly because it was all for "fun" (and I put that in quotes because, while it <i>was</i> fun it was a TON of work too). But it was such a great experience I wouldn't trade it for anything. Understandably though, it took a lot out of me during August so I took September off from pretty much anything personally creative. Yes, I did write a book for a ghostwriting client, but that was about it. </p><p>And then fall came in! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6yScsreds8j5iCfOl70BXr7XlFBK38QBsUi-KjF4JMR_Yi9DPp1TwHZGrQxfOb_JabWCFHN9rYLmD6X1wv-gLbdxUXT3FKhWr1-uW3dF0d0P6knF7vaH_2vt-98GJmQ10Wur4WNJIoQ/s1200/2020-10-28_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6yScsreds8j5iCfOl70BXr7XlFBK38QBsUi-KjF4JMR_Yi9DPp1TwHZGrQxfOb_JabWCFHN9rYLmD6X1wv-gLbdxUXT3FKhWr1-uW3dF0d0P6knF7vaH_2vt-98GJmQ10Wur4WNJIoQ/w640-h210/2020-10-28_0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In all of this Autumn glory I cannot help but write. For those of you writers out there who are inspired by the seasons or weather, you know what I'm talking about. </p><p>And that really is the lull of NaNo on my writer soul. It tempts me to take on more than I should because...well, it's fall and I *should* be writing. Right? And yet, I'm not mad about this. In fact, I'm happy because I have never regretted starting NaNo in November. </p><p>If you don't know what NaNo is you can check out <a href="https://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2015/10/nanowrimo-why-we-write.html" target="_blank">this post</a> AND you can listen to <a href="https://anchor.fm/exploringtheblankpage/episodes/004-NaNoWriMo-Pep-talk-elf63m/a-a3ki1kp" target="_blank">Episode 004</a> of our new podcast. </p><p>Wait...PODCAST? </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJQtnNeJmgV-SDRnO2rxKr1g5A4TG1n3Cv2RSrALD3q91Ml_Op5rDXWuMcsPkmP_SmjCTk9gwlDRLjtmut-XwEQrqnc34JElZNDMYvU9T5THdQ5npQBoOGCaTVyAfPYhvMtw8OaoFWpo/s1000/NANO-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJQtnNeJmgV-SDRnO2rxKr1g5A4TG1n3Cv2RSrALD3q91Ml_Op5rDXWuMcsPkmP_SmjCTk9gwlDRLjtmut-XwEQrqnc34JElZNDMYvU9T5THdQ5npQBoOGCaTVyAfPYhvMtw8OaoFWpo/s320/NANO-1.jpg" /></a></div>Yep, that's right. I've teamed up with the amazing <a href="https://amzn.to/2HJICPs" target="_blank">Christen Krumm</a>, author of <a href="https://amzn.to/2HJICPs" target="_blank">It Happened At Christmas</a>, to create a super fun Podcast. You may recall me mentioning Christen is the one who <strike>tricked me into</strike> told me about blogging a book in a month. <p></p><p>During the beginning of this year we had a chat and both of us said we'd thought about starting a podcast. And, in the spirit of <i>what I do</i>, I thought - why not add on another thing? So we went for it! We kept it hush hush until we'd recorded most of our first season and then announced it to the world! </p><p>The podcast is called Exploring the Blank Page and on it we feature YA authors talking about their writing process starting at the blank page, and then sharing about their books (most being new releases). We're into Episode 005 as of this Friday and I cannot tell you how much fun this has been. </p><p>Check out <a href="https://exploring-the-blank-page.jimdosite.com" target="_blank">our website</a> & <a href="https://anchor.fm/exploringtheblankpage/episodes/004-NaNoWriMo-Pep-talk-elf63m" target="_blank">our Podcast page</a> on Anchor. We are on almost all podcast platforms! It would also mean the WORLD to us if you'd subscribe and leave us a review! </p><p>In our last episode (004), we shared about how we're going to go ahead and try NaNo and then encouraged our listeners to join us. We're using the hashtag: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/nanowithetbp2020/" target="_blank">#NaNoWithETBP2020</a> and we encourage you to join us if you are doing NaNo this year. </p><p>Mainly, we're offering support to you all through tips on our <a href="https://www.instagram.com/exploringtheblankpagepodcast/" target="_blank">Instagram page</a> and DM's as well as virtual write-ins (we'll be working on a schedule soon!). If this sounds like something you're interested in - hop over <a href="https://www.instagram.com/exploringtheblankpagepodcast/" target="_blank">to our IG page</a> and tell us! </p><p>Writing is a lonely endeavor and we think it's better in community! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIhLqjyaeZP5TFEy2zsSqPx3RZFGtNGWSxVF49HGgV0DIFlBLVUgYvI54PjFNqgR2bDbtKur9QZsJ3EG37fEdMSwKEHsj1Vv87SFcgPbWzSva2OUobAlzgglPo-ysnN6EY2gyZXyBEc4/s1396/words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIhLqjyaeZP5TFEy2zsSqPx3RZFGtNGWSxVF49HGgV0DIFlBLVUgYvI54PjFNqgR2bDbtKur9QZsJ3EG37fEdMSwKEHsj1Vv87SFcgPbWzSva2OUobAlzgglPo-ysnN6EY2gyZXyBEc4/s320/words.jpg" /></a></div>Finally, I wanted to share some words of encouragement as we head toward November 1st and NaNoWriMo 2020. We talk about this in our podcast, but just starting NaNo, even if you don't "win" (by hitting 50k words by the 31st of November) is a WIN in itself. Don't let the overwhelming feeling of writing so many words keep you from at least <i>trying</i> it. Remember: <u>any</u> words are words toward your end goal and that is totally worth it (<a href="https://ctt.ac/7Zg2W" target="_blank">tweet this</a>). <p></p><p>Also, consider doing something I'll be trying out this year that Christen call's "backwards NaNo". You can find her <a href="https://christenkrumm.com/prep-tober/" target="_blank">post about it here</a> along with a helpful print-out (or something you can put on your computer desktop). There is usually a lot more energy at the beginning of November so writing more to start is a great way to endure you'll be closer to your goal by the end of the month. </p><p>You can also see some past posts that may inspire you:<a href="https://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2017/11/my-favorite-things-for-nanowrimo.html" target="_blank"> My Favorite Things For NaNo</a>, <a href="https://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2016/11/4-ways-to-find-inspiration-nanowrimo.html" target="_blank">4 Ways to Find Inspiration </a>(during NaNo), and <a href="https://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2015/10/nanowrimo-plan-ahead-10-brainstorming.html" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo Brainstorming Tips</a>. </p><p>Tell me below if you are joining NaNo this year! I'd love to be buddies with you on the <a href="ttps://nanowrimo.org" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo site</a>. You can <a href="https://nanowrimo.org/participants/eahendryx-gmail-com" target="_blank">find me <i>here</i></a>. </p>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-48484332800916385542020-10-05T15:41:00.002-07:002020-10-05T15:41:15.661-07:00September 2020 Wrap-up <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihj7XmjYmIE7HF8lGItBWm7y8if25EVZe8ELW2HHPXFisa1DjDYA_Ez-jnpGcrT-kCOnjTkysbJSWAwTbKwOMuCCJaWuBe6XGw5f90jaaB7uY3onNbfo5lB8tmhuE2LjH-Qgl9GqV_QpI/s1551/step-wrapup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihj7XmjYmIE7HF8lGItBWm7y8if25EVZe8ELW2HHPXFisa1DjDYA_Ez-jnpGcrT-kCOnjTkysbJSWAwTbKwOMuCCJaWuBe6XGw5f90jaaB7uY3onNbfo5lB8tmhuE2LjH-Qgl9GqV_QpI/w640-h430/step-wrapup.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /></p><p>I would say September was a good reading month. Had a lot of enjoyable books I read PLUS I actually got time to read (maybe that's actually what's most important here). Come see what I read, what I loved, what I didn't, and what I recommend (and don't) from this month's reading. </p><p>P.S. I've hit the 77% mark on my Goodreads reading goal for this year! 77 books out of 100! Are you doing a challenge? Are we friends on Goodreads? Add me here: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/eahcreative">https://www.goodreads.com/eahcreative</a></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I had such a good reading month - surprisingly. I think a lot of that was due to the many books I stared <i>before</i> September hit and the fact that I was on vacation for the beginning of it so I got in some extra reading time. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Below you'll find my short reviews or links to longer ones usually on Goodreads. </span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4E1x13TMK11M2inmemEaXRMTR5_W7AW5AwCclriXk1YXc78PjXfIXyJT0EdSIFoK2ZKZ8GOIF9SjmbDQ6PNDusWG4h7lxFBC6OJn5zetSY9HnBeeHjd1YAjGTYwKjvGJerZeFhvibtc/s475/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4E1x13TMK11M2inmemEaXRMTR5_W7AW5AwCclriXk1YXc78PjXfIXyJT0EdSIFoK2ZKZ8GOIF9SjmbDQ6PNDusWG4h7lxFBC6OJn5zetSY9HnBeeHjd1YAjGTYwKjvGJerZeFhvibtc/s320/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3iuwKgZ" target="_blank">Network Effect by Martha Wells</a> | 5*</p><p>Yet another AWESOME read from Martha Wells. I could seriously read about Murderbot <i>all day</i>. It's so rare for me to find a book series I could actually binge and I think this is one of them. That is saying a LOT. </p><p><i>Note: Warnings for language. Definitely for an adult audience. </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Dk55i-Q9BUzfXg74XtAfym5OO96cqao8Gd35UxutGnz0elJqT6lwmZyq5b9UJVKFRry_FaNXCtVTU0QKj38PLdrUHGtzaw-2_BckOeIzRGppQj5DzVSUSumC4L7NKLxmS6Wsxi4IDaA/s293/Unknown-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Dk55i-Q9BUzfXg74XtAfym5OO96cqao8Gd35UxutGnz0elJqT6lwmZyq5b9UJVKFRry_FaNXCtVTU0QKj38PLdrUHGtzaw-2_BckOeIzRGppQj5DzVSUSumC4L7NKLxmS6Wsxi4IDaA/s0/Unknown-2.jpeg" /></a></div><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3juc0r7" target="_blank">The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson</a> | 5*</p><p>I love me some true crime. Ever since getting married to The Mr I've spent more time watching things like Forensic Files or Cold Case that I've just slipped down the path even further. I still love fictional crime best (aka: Criminal Minds and NCIS etc) but I am intrigued by real-life things. </p><p>This was a true crime historical I really enjoyed! Talk about creepy - and yet with such wonderful details depicting the Chicago Worlds Fair it was easy to be lost in this amazing book. </p><p>Suggested to those who enjoy historical fiction/non-fiction with a creepy and sad twist. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKlvAWqHFyt_YK1B1Dlwo6dfWHTw07o1DcIfICLhMr793V3Rl3cE7UbTgatPuTDsIKQ2dEYou781kAc9QAWbFouCbkey0G8S0dFr0fzcQ6-3CFEMyjOIN5mGhVQO5zXJj_4QvbefhtWA/s499/41dd3tjpdUL._SX329_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKlvAWqHFyt_YK1B1Dlwo6dfWHTw07o1DcIfICLhMr793V3Rl3cE7UbTgatPuTDsIKQ2dEYou781kAc9QAWbFouCbkey0G8S0dFr0fzcQ6-3CFEMyjOIN5mGhVQO5zXJj_4QvbefhtWA/s320/41dd3tjpdUL._SX329_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" /></a></div><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3iAezqq" target="_blank">Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer</a> | 5*</p><p>My Twilight heart has been FILLED with happiness in reading this book. Friends, I have always been Team Edward (no shame) and when I saw Midnight Sun was coming out I was kind of on the fence. Like, why would I read this? I've already read Twilight. Oh, past-Emilie, you didn't know what you were talking about. </p><p>I decided to do a re-read of Twilight with one of my BFFs and got so immersed in it again that I lost sleep and was <i>loving</i> it so much all over again. And then what happened? I jumped right into Midnight Sun and kept the love going. Yes, it is a re-do of an already told story but there is so much more to it. You get to see things you didn't see in Twilight and you get to know more of Edwards thoughts. </p><p>If you were a Twilight fan - and I do mean FAN - when they came out, you're likely going to enjoy this. If you were on the fence about the whole vampire/werewolf thing before, this book may not sway you. Either way, I hugely enjoyed it and would recommend it to any Twilight fan!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTaWzOZ42T7Goa-U9hi3JQa5-CaOu_2rs2g0fZXinkK5qmFFnxRcTYONoe1VU94AQ9Ww8sJ6PBBLQcGc6inDLmiht7C49xwOQICAWZtyhm97TkHU2qD3q7MGbD2-4ESzsIJbvmkWTHEhM/s293/Unknown-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTaWzOZ42T7Goa-U9hi3JQa5-CaOu_2rs2g0fZXinkK5qmFFnxRcTYONoe1VU94AQ9Ww8sJ6PBBLQcGc6inDLmiht7C49xwOQICAWZtyhm97TkHU2qD3q7MGbD2-4ESzsIJbvmkWTHEhM/s0/Unknown-3.jpeg" /></a></div><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2HRtQpY" target="_blank">To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini</a> | 5* </p><p>Let me start off by saying I have NOT read anything else by Paolini. I've heard raving reviews about his fantasy books but I've just never been able to read them (out of time or lack of having them etc.) BUT when I saw that he was coming out with a science fiction I knew I wanted to try it! I am sooooo glad I did. </p><p>I was able to receive an advanced LARC (listening advanced reading copy) from Netgalley and then a finished version from Librio.fm. This review is my own opinions. </p><p>I was hooked on this book from the start. Paolini creates such a vibrant and immersive world that I was lost to the story immediately. His main charcter was very inspirational to me and I really enjoyed the journey with her. </p><p>If you want to read my review <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3542386189?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1" target="_blank">you can <i>here.</i></a></p><p><i>Note: There is language and adult situations in this book. For adult readers only. </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcrpZg1kXaln7ymi1en3eeWKJ5P1wLbQpSuli0xWwD5SwlrbjlE5DtwvlRPcc4ERL9H5EBzKx6cmaiKA4BIfkzTsOROrs3wuwDWuRSJjNx98LDtcXsJD_2KQM0tPL1YFkNSkzlAbNXLk/s293/Unknown-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcrpZg1kXaln7ymi1en3eeWKJ5P1wLbQpSuli0xWwD5SwlrbjlE5DtwvlRPcc4ERL9H5EBzKx6cmaiKA4BIfkzTsOROrs3wuwDWuRSJjNx98LDtcXsJD_2KQM0tPL1YFkNSkzlAbNXLk/s0/Unknown-4.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2GCref6" target="_blank">Bone Crier's Moon by Kathryn Purdie</a> | 4.5*</p><p>I so enjoyed this book! The romance, the mythology and lore, the action, the creativity...all of it was so fun to jump in to. I feel like I read this very slowly but it was mostly due to other books "having" to be read in front of it which kept pushing this fun read to the back. </p><p>I'd definitely recommend it. There is some violence against animals mentioned (not out of cruelty, exactly) and some more descriptive forms of the rituals but all in all I found it to be a pretty clean read - only light cursing moderate romantic aspects. </p><p>A definite recommend to those who like a good YA fantasy. I'd say for ages 15+.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT1EmqxsFLYeoWzUuZIB7EiUU7eVSCEbO7N3BAPDDnEQsKN7-LlZPLhvg9XYGwGh-mloUBbZKxGQEKrfmUKHpjiAvNTIQ3EIGJ9mh1kZ-R-50qIb2ejAABFgAgVAAJQNVx-S-BzeDv80/s499/41T1-ZiHopL._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT1EmqxsFLYeoWzUuZIB7EiUU7eVSCEbO7N3BAPDDnEQsKN7-LlZPLhvg9XYGwGh-mloUBbZKxGQEKrfmUKHpjiAvNTIQ3EIGJ9mh1kZ-R-50qIb2ejAABFgAgVAAJQNVx-S-BzeDv80/s320/41T1-ZiHopL._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3jCwXjQ" target="_blank">Dream Big by Bob Goff</a> | 5*</p><p>You all probably know by now that I LOVE dreams. I like planning and goal setting and making an effort to accomplish your dreams and I feel that this book is all about that - so why wouldn't I love it? </p><p>Bob Goff has a humors and realistic way to approach topics like dreaming and pretty much has a story to go with everything. I felt encouraged and entertained as well as challenged as I read this. I liked it so much I've passed it on to my husband to read and will definitely recommend it. I wouldn't call it "heavy" on theology but an encouraging and motivating read nonetheless. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MTD3oquBItFZ980Pfz3iB_sN24dAztq8PMyy57y93PN7Ofp6jVa-WXpREzEaTjt92wiyUDUJj_qWPDABWTtDQRDUiB4px0-exCjgGpXiYldLXLFwOpBKUQpvqbS6m5RypNJAqjhSuYw/s293/Unknown-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MTD3oquBItFZ980Pfz3iB_sN24dAztq8PMyy57y93PN7Ofp6jVa-WXpREzEaTjt92wiyUDUJj_qWPDABWTtDQRDUiB4px0-exCjgGpXiYldLXLFwOpBKUQpvqbS6m5RypNJAqjhSuYw/s0/Unknown-5.jpeg" /></a></div><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3d1LRgL" target="_blank">The Guest List by Lucy Foley</a> | 3* </p><p>I saw this book everywhere on bookstagram and was excited to get an LARC from Librio.fm. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. The idea was interesting and creepy - a remote island used for the wedding of a TV star and a up and coming socialite, and I didn't even really mind the way it was told in a sort of <i>then</i> and <i>now</i> situation, but there was a little too much 'oh, that's convenient' about some parts of the plot for me. </p><p>It's definitely an interesting story, and tragic to be sure, but I don't know that I'd recommend it personally. You may love it if you like psychological thrillers or suspense, but this one wasn't for me. </p><p><i>Note: Lost of language and sex/adult situations in this one.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLigfReZ-2_M7mNWi2IM4NO8JOTyAybk-ap68EbnujPVrAvyoKpKr9m9issIcWtM1aOi61uiNDUpYk10a6xavTXwdo4-B28g1yxeANrspFzY0wbqsE0vSDmkZzb6agyTdLLbOSgJF6wsU/s499/518fhDG9oYL._SX327_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLigfReZ-2_M7mNWi2IM4NO8JOTyAybk-ap68EbnujPVrAvyoKpKr9m9issIcWtM1aOi61uiNDUpYk10a6xavTXwdo4-B28g1yxeANrspFzY0wbqsE0vSDmkZzb6agyTdLLbOSgJF6wsU/s320/518fhDG9oYL._SX327_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" /></a></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3njo4hh" target="_blank">Fable by Adrienne Young</a> | 5*</p><p>I LOVED this one! Give me ships and the sea and a strong female lead and I am usually a happy camper. Fable delivered all of those. I really enjoyed Fable as a character. It would have been easy to get 'tired' of her but I wasn't in the least. She's got an interesting backstory and the grit and determination to make it through anything.</p><p>I think I'd kind of liken it to Daughter of the Pirate King in some ways, but it stands on its own very well. I am a sucker for a slow burn romance as well, and this baby delivers on that too! </p><p>I will caution you - if you don't like cliffhangers (of any kind) then you may want to wait until book 2 comes out in March of next year. I know...I'd hate to wait too which is why I read it. But, while it does give you an 'ending' it also leaves you with 'but what happens next'? </p><p>Definitely recommend for ages 15+. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>For any books gifted to me, I was not required to leave a review and do so of my own accord. </i> </p>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-90145200469143002352020-09-23T12:57:00.000-07:002020-09-23T12:57:35.661-07:00Stealing Embers by Julie Hall | Re:View<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1PiSLDAB1BKYuvRtvAoD_Adz5PR-fLcesOGJXlumIz6ulsf5ZJ3KdAQvJV4CRqWQ_BRzeiYxf0VSX5t6UZNamyoFSh5vht1USnu30VmQypL7s1fkqFt3gCXewYJ9Pm8oAwAKMBk5P6s/s500/51aJbUkBSAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1PiSLDAB1BKYuvRtvAoD_Adz5PR-fLcesOGJXlumIz6ulsf5ZJ3KdAQvJV4CRqWQ_BRzeiYxf0VSX5t6UZNamyoFSh5vht1USnu30VmQypL7s1fkqFt3gCXewYJ9Pm8oAwAKMBk5P6s/s320/51aJbUkBSAL.jpg" /></a></div>Are you looking for your next read as fall rolls around? Look no further than Stealing Embers by Julie Hall! <div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>A realm of monsters. A world of lies. She belongs to both.</b></h3><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I was so excited to join the team to support Julie's next release. (<a href="https://amzn.to/2RQ0slV" target="_blank">Check out her other series here</a>). While I don't read a ton of paranormal books (does Twilight count?) I was happy to jump into this one and I am so glad I did. </p><p>First off, Julie has a great way of creating dynamic characters. Emberly is fierce but soft, determined but kind, and unsure while also having an inner strength that makes her shine. She really jumped off the page and kept me wanting to keep reading. </p><p>And then there was Steel! I've mentioned this on my Instagram page, but he definitely made me want to slap him, on multiple occasions, but I could tell his abrasive tendencies (in some cases) were due to something deeper. Julie did a great job of bringing that out while also making subtle promises about potential change in him for future books. </p><p>In all, I enjoyed the pacing of Stealing Embers. The action felt genuine and pulled me easily through the story and worked well with the parts that were more for character development and plot progression. I loved the academy feel and the friends Emberly discovers.</p><p>The only part that was a bit confusing is the hierarchy of angels that exists. It's kind of hard to keep track of but she hoes have a part at the back to help with that. Otherwise, I loved how she expanded what we normally think of angels to be and the demons they fight. </p><p>I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of paranormal romance and likes a good angels versus demons story line. You'll get caught up in the romance but also the mystery of who Emberly really is. This is a clean read (which I greatly appreciated) and I think would be good for agent 15+ in my opinion. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtJZgTJNpziOHZ2YsRk3m4qc4C7oRjs2odtHnMqExWjpl3pRhl3NiM9LgN9C8EKF4uM5SC9tJehSmNy6QmYlBf62-LbtQ6bInWMgieE8EnhYTrx-zxSHl6OZ0by1oxUL-4p9FyTo7oOU/s2000/SE-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtJZgTJNpziOHZ2YsRk3m4qc4C7oRjs2odtHnMqExWjpl3pRhl3NiM9LgN9C8EKF4uM5SC9tJehSmNy6QmYlBf62-LbtQ6bInWMgieE8EnhYTrx-zxSHl6OZ0by1oxUL-4p9FyTo7oOU/s2000/SE-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVYrBPYPXgpT_b9rQ-uDLS_8OTybRrsPiW_Kc2GRq4lnrcx1TRK4CXdupmKSu91sCNIWID3EGeu1r8KnGe57aa9Vkn1lWUkobHc4M2k-cQJ-qP0edyflNP__aOLwjyps8rleEaAbxDbQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVYrBPYPXgpT_b9rQ-uDLS_8OTybRrsPiW_Kc2GRq4lnrcx1TRK4CXdupmKSu91sCNIWID3EGeu1r8KnGe57aa9Vkn1lWUkobHc4M2k-cQJ-qP0edyflNP__aOLwjyps8rleEaAbxDbQ/w320-h320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></b></div><b><br />My rating: </b>5*<p></p><p><b>Purchase:</b> <a href="https://amzn.to/362tK8Y" target="_blank">Stealing Embers by Julie Hall </a></p><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Stealing Embers</h2><div><b></b></div><blockquote><div><b>A realm of monsters. A world of lies. She belongs to both.</b><br /><br />My name is Emberly, and everything I’ve ever been told is a lie.<br /><br />Monsters don’t exist. Wrong.<br />The nightmarish spectrum world is just my imagination. Wrong.<br />In a few months, I’ll finally be free. Wrong.<br /><br />It takes being dragged to a secret training academy in the mountains to unravel the truth. My captors--an elite race of angel-born warriors called Nephilim.<br /><br />The deadliest of them all is an arrogant shape shifter, Steel. He’s gorgeous, lethal, hot-headed . . . and convinced I’ll be the death of them all.<br /><br />Maybe he’s right. As soon as I show up, the monsters that have haunted me my entire life breach the academy walls. My only hope of saving my new friends is learning how to control my powers, but when a stunning betrayal hurts someone I care about, I have an impossible choice.<br /><br />Stay and fight for a place to belong . . . or decide once and for all that I’m better off alone.<br /><br />Enter the spectrum world, a realm in-between worlds where shadow beasts draw blood, reality is a maze of twisted lights and sounds, and life goals are whittled down to just one: survive.</div><div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">__________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.</i></div></div></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-41794466159992915722020-09-07T13:21:00.005-07:002020-09-07T13:22:07.653-07:00July and August Wrap-Up 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8qEAmv6f3mgaN96Z9vyzx6JFSfm1multBeKIzQUXXVy1M06Rld5PPyuHAzNumDumEmcdbu1iYjw8pzuUfbQqxquq5bEAhqOW4lVmxpbLDoQEUDUcpr2zcrU2skbKYpozGlVPtpPa6BE/s1551/july-august-wrapup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8qEAmv6f3mgaN96Z9vyzx6JFSfm1multBeKIzQUXXVy1M06Rld5PPyuHAzNumDumEmcdbu1iYjw8pzuUfbQqxquq5bEAhqOW4lVmxpbLDoQEUDUcpr2zcrU2skbKYpozGlVPtpPa6BE/w625-h420/july-august-wrapup.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div>Welp, due to the overwhelming "project" of writing a book on my blog during the month of August, I totally forgot to post my July wrap-up. So, instead, I decided to do both July and August here in one post. Economical, don't you think? </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>July was my birthday month and you'd <i>think</i> I would have had more time to read...but not really. In fact, perhaps due to the stuttered start of the reading month (not having much in the way of 4-5* reads) I think I fell into a bit of a slump. Then there was August where I was working on writing WHOLE book, posting each day, so that cut back in my reading as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, divided between July and August I read 10 books. Here's hoping September offers me a bit more time to read!</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">July and August Reading Wrap-Up</font></h2><div><a href="https://amzn.to/2EaE8zP" target="_blank">The Art of Writing by Peter Yang</a> | 2* </div><div><br /></div><div>I personally would not recommend this as a 'writing book. Perhaps it was just me...? See my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3432556024" target="_blank">Goodreads review here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmaKB98X_-EfIlX7OazB2Pvr0IcpS0oce6pYMMed-evO81V1JHHpEv66v-IutvWFZOLmKkepZDWAiYRXBZ_Yp7Yyqzk8WhVBoTYcHEc8htmkttzX1tUnqxYpzfloY1AYiwKtkMabVhSU/s2048/71%252BK3uJwN3L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1367" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmaKB98X_-EfIlX7OazB2Pvr0IcpS0oce6pYMMed-evO81V1JHHpEv66v-IutvWFZOLmKkepZDWAiYRXBZ_Yp7Yyqzk8WhVBoTYcHEc8htmkttzX1tUnqxYpzfloY1AYiwKtkMabVhSU/s320/71%252BK3uJwN3L.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/32Ny8Ho" target="_blank">The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel </a>| 3*</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd had high hopes for this but, in the end, it wasn't really a favorite. See my Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3368873324" target="_blank">review here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GMo-aM9OV2QUPau0kIWwyGs3QdhdFSlYEuiEL3HVeue1sqpzq21sMA8IDjS-SyjHkrdAcTscAKZwXZzRpVcm0UAG5QsnqrJ76PvfzhM818DHZNBVANKWx6iAQjuKJS2deP8fSyWk96Y/s2048/818sIVkG4FL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GMo-aM9OV2QUPau0kIWwyGs3QdhdFSlYEuiEL3HVeue1sqpzq21sMA8IDjS-SyjHkrdAcTscAKZwXZzRpVcm0UAG5QsnqrJ76PvfzhM818DHZNBVANKWx6iAQjuKJS2deP8fSyWk96Y/s320/818sIVkG4FL.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/32LLvrt ">Exit West by Moshin Hamid</a> | 4*</div><div><br /></div><div>I saw so many people reading this when it first came out so when it became available on my library app as an audiobook I thought - why not? I read the first few pages (in ebook form) and was intrigued. I love magical realism and enjoyed this one. There was some drug use and some adult references, but the story itself, while sad, was something I'm glad I read once. </div><div>See my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3433605113" target="_blank">Goodreads review here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ6byS2G0by393AW2XAw68FEW7VtJaiegcJAPppiwj5vty0dotJ7z704ab9oKDbqVO9y6EZgWyeqN8oZkxFzF3Z8VbscjiHqZ8s25WpXVuLjTTdwGDnfoe8cqnrzDeN9gOsXmjadVjSs/s1416/46223347.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ6byS2G0by393AW2XAw68FEW7VtJaiegcJAPppiwj5vty0dotJ7z704ab9oKDbqVO9y6EZgWyeqN8oZkxFzF3Z8VbscjiHqZ8s25WpXVuLjTTdwGDnfoe8cqnrzDeN9gOsXmjadVjSs/s320/46223347.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/2BrPy1a" target="_blank">A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong</a> | 3*</div><div><br /></div><div>See my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3456637711" target="_blank">Goodreads review here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR9XHanBFZvagQkn0BMvYx7QSLosT7vvkR1iC3OzYlNwdObN-G6Z-rcRtIngQPwDcXMJ8uyx6Z4dmZ54ZaktR7oIZy7O4zAXLn2ccv6fplQAKdp0bXFGNtX4w9c6tZYQKR_LfKbEQvY0/s2048/53170997.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR9XHanBFZvagQkn0BMvYx7QSLosT7vvkR1iC3OzYlNwdObN-G6Z-rcRtIngQPwDcXMJ8uyx6Z4dmZ54ZaktR7oIZy7O4zAXLn2ccv6fplQAKdp0bXFGNtX4w9c6tZYQKR_LfKbEQvY0/s320/53170997.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/3eX7EG2" target="_blank">These Nameless Things by Shawn Smucker</a> | DNF</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't do this very often...but I'm not going to rate this book because I DNF'd (did not finish) it. This is very not like me, but as I state in my Goodreads review (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3432577672?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1" target="_blank">read it here)</a> I could <i>not</i> get in to the story. I don't usually mind a little mystery and confusion, trying to figure out where the story is going etc. But there was something in the way this book started that didn't excite me and didn't really draw me in. I made it to 41 pages and, though I try to get to 50 before I DNF, I couldn't move past it. I'd look at the book and not feel motivated to read it. </div><div><br /></div><div>If I've learned anything in the last several years - it's that there is NOT enough time in this life to read books you aren't excited about. Sounds sad, and I don't mean for it to, but it's more realistic than anything. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for recommending this - I'm going to say my experience was wholly personal. I didn't connect with the story but YOU may love it. I hear it's a take on Dante's Inferno (which I have not read) and that it's a powerful story of forgiveness. If that sounds up your alley - give it a read :) </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWND1Tnv0djBqZnVnDmP5yFccc9rOvIwrsQCUQArgQszkvfylf23RlYY0FfZ6Jo0m3hPYMWasfl0sE-ADhfv_ocG6asE2sIIepmi5vYLgKCVKrpiMKtosdu9tafYTajALSTAvH7xdvPC0/s2048/91px3JiR5tL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWND1Tnv0djBqZnVnDmP5yFccc9rOvIwrsQCUQArgQszkvfylf23RlYY0FfZ6Jo0m3hPYMWasfl0sE-ADhfv_ocG6asE2sIIepmi5vYLgKCVKrpiMKtosdu9tafYTajALSTAvH7xdvPC0/s320/91px3JiR5tL.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/2FhHim0" target="_blank">The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae</a> | 5*</div><div><br /></div><div>Really enjoyed this creative YA Fantasy! Read my review <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42893340" target="_blank">on Goodreads here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuj3yn79ySJUHcu7qeFTxaqVuejsI6MbKAYkMAWXFJCwqo7fp04py9XDre8NKLvGcR64qmwe30X90GAcqgsI5tzziBkklL-853uxaiXE9TDYiUANLk3ipUcvpQ93A7oHokRATJoLNX1aU/s293/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuj3yn79ySJUHcu7qeFTxaqVuejsI6MbKAYkMAWXFJCwqo7fp04py9XDre8NKLvGcR64qmwe30X90GAcqgsI5tzziBkklL-853uxaiXE9TDYiUANLk3ipUcvpQ93A7oHokRATJoLNX1aU/s0/Unknown.jpeg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/3jVdNp4" target="_blank">Finale by Stephanie Garber</a> | 4*</div><div><br /></div><div>Wow. Made it to the end of this series and it's sad to think it's all done now! Read my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40381392" target="_blank">review here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9go9IelrYQrE6eNSfXpumLVGzipfiBzm54RxEkAiGZs3tnCxrnWfxxm86SUpH4EYTFYbdVxZkYTrnohrPYBBrMhAnQhyoSZwFEYvbFb_wdJHD1_py4gDyRQZpNXa99ximM-lecKg49qk/s346/41K99%252BcInvL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="228" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9go9IelrYQrE6eNSfXpumLVGzipfiBzm54RxEkAiGZs3tnCxrnWfxxm86SUpH4EYTFYbdVxZkYTrnohrPYBBrMhAnQhyoSZwFEYvbFb_wdJHD1_py4gDyRQZpNXa99ximM-lecKg49qk/s320/41K99%252BcInvL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/2ZdJtxQ" target="_blank">Twilight by Stephenie Meyer</a> | 5*</div><div><br /></div><div>Yep. I re-read Twilight and my star rating <i>increased!!! </i>You may think that's crazy...and maybe it is?...but something about re-reading the book this time around made me love it even more. (And yes, I read it in preparation of reading Midnight Sun). I think for me it was a bit of nostalgia mixed in with the anticipation of the romance and challenges that made me re-love this book. Yes, I could see errors and a lot of echo words...but somehow I didn't mind ;) And yes, I do plan on reading the rest of the series again!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaECobRCI3t6qhtBO4tXLBX23CnDtiv-R-Pz9H5FxJzS5cHNAKXqbG36yJWWoSaUKmNkH6NSTelgjJOhDcl1VrfyrAZjMYuKBqJEsPywE4ex9g63_jFtxU96Kw7LVibjkkx2K9YEsFqA/s245/Unknown-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaECobRCI3t6qhtBO4tXLBX23CnDtiv-R-Pz9H5FxJzS5cHNAKXqbG36yJWWoSaUKmNkH6NSTelgjJOhDcl1VrfyrAZjMYuKBqJEsPywE4ex9g63_jFtxU96Kw7LVibjkkx2K9YEsFqA/s0/Unknown-1.jpeg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/2ZdJTEq" target="_blank">The Song for Everyone by Lucy Morris</a> | 5*</div><div><br /></div><div>This little beauty (which I was gifted and advanced reading copy of from the publisher) was such a fun and sweet story! I wrote a review on Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49127615" target="_blank">you can read here</a> but it's definitely worth checking out for your children! It releases October 6th.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mlpayhhqMzqPxFlK-LCb8_kLYZBNE6ssQSENSe9zF22Kz3T-hQ1-hI6djWjH3uT5QvOOuVjewKWYTAq3v86yXbg6gGbMuwF4FNtTDAfa0bJbvlM4aELDjoXXTjZVDM8jgv2WI0l7Na0/s293/Unknown-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mlpayhhqMzqPxFlK-LCb8_kLYZBNE6ssQSENSe9zF22Kz3T-hQ1-hI6djWjH3uT5QvOOuVjewKWYTAq3v86yXbg6gGbMuwF4FNtTDAfa0bJbvlM4aELDjoXXTjZVDM8jgv2WI0l7Na0/s0/Unknown-2.jpeg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/3bACrrT" target="_blank">My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows</a> | 3.5*</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, bummer. I had so hoped to love this one as I have the other two books in the series but something was off for me? I do like Wild West stories, I like the characters chosen, but perhaps something in the way they were all compiled together was just not my favorite plot line of their books? </div><div><br /></div><div>Part of me wished there could have been more going on with the idea of Wild Bill's show - I realize it was only a more temporary aspect of the story but I really liked hearing about their performances etc. I also lost a little interest on the various romantic lines of the book and just found myself not really caring (*hides face*). </div><div><br /></div><div>The writers <i>are</i> funny had did an excellent job of capturing the feeling that the other books had and the humor, but for some reason this story just fell flat for me. You, however, may love it! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUE93hnvqYnICrIiHIEHC_R1uKoqaZ6q-fUqvIhZdvxZ8zgmji9sKyjmFgN21uT46FUdNH_cTRDk4ICYDT9DiRHpVW0bvop93z1BUpKAT6cWOMHvZMalDW5kwT9vIjCT3p3EXNo1aGJm4/s500/51aJbUkBSAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUE93hnvqYnICrIiHIEHC_R1uKoqaZ6q-fUqvIhZdvxZ8zgmji9sKyjmFgN21uT46FUdNH_cTRDk4ICYDT9DiRHpVW0bvop93z1BUpKAT6cWOMHvZMalDW5kwT9vIjCT3p3EXNo1aGJm4/s320/51aJbUkBSAL.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/2GvUMuK" target="_blank">Stealing Embers by Julie Hall</a> | 5*</div><div><br /></div><div>EIP! I loved this book! I'm going to do a separate post for the review and will be sharing more about it on my Instagram page but I love Julie's writing and was so happy to fall head-first into this world! This baby comes out September 22nd and you're gonna want to have it pre-ordered! </div><br />Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-55128976689890141122020-08-01T13:28:00.003-07:002020-10-05T14:12:57.640-07:00Suspended in the Stars | Chapter 1<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzINnVqERf4eA_YZWUwWOqJStDRchITafPLe6C0uH66Mn1oAhTODPoqu-G6gvuuU9XJcuKjjP_D9k0iEb9wuiUohJI_xQMZc002Y1J3TfMGU1zsKiHdX_zj8zRvUQumn5ePFGhxkscyeY/s1364/blog-header-SITS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="1364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzINnVqERf4eA_YZWUwWOqJStDRchITafPLe6C0uH66Mn1oAhTODPoqu-G6gvuuU9XJcuKjjP_D9k0iEb9wuiUohJI_xQMZc002Y1J3TfMGU1zsKiHdX_zj8zRvUQumn5ePFGhxkscyeY/s640/blog-header-SITS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>During the month of August I "blogging a book" here on the blog. You can read all about why I chose to do that in </i><a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/blogging-book-in-august.html#more" target="_blank">this<i> </i>post</a><i>. The story spanned the month of August and was written daily to post within the month. I decided to leave up just the first chapter of Suspended in the Stars but please forgive any errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation since this is not professionally edited. I asked readers to think of it like this: you're all reading my first-pass pages! </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><i><br /></i></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><font size="3">Chapter 1</font></h2><i>Talie</i><br /><br /><br />I’m falling through the air. <br /><br /><div>Darkness surrounds me with only one spotlight focused on my descent. Above me, a canopy of stars. Below me, blackness. The crowd holds a collective breath in anticipation as I seem to hang there, suspended in the stars. <br /><br />My dress wings out behind me, the base a bright, tiger orange that bleeds into a bodice of deep turquoise. It wraps tight around my torso in intricate ropes and twists, Zeras crystals dotting it like constellations. Their iridescent surface sends out rainbows like arrows into the dark. <br /><br />This next move is new, something no audience has seen yet. On a normal night, I wouldn’t be worried about performing it, but tonight is different. It’s laced with a lingering sadness that preoccupies me. And in this business, distraction can be deadly.<br /><br />Queen Laerkin has been assassinated. The news has only just reached us, but that’s the way of travelers, always days—or months—late to current events. I can’t afford the grief right now, but it’s hard to ignore. She was a good queen, kind and gracious to the galaxy her husband still rules. Her death, sudden and violent as it was, is sure to signal future ramifications for an empire in a tenuous relationship with its neighbors. <br /><br />“Mommy, she’s falling!” <br /><br />The child’s shriek yanks my attention back to the present. I’m almost a little too low, but not yet. <br /><br />My hands fly out for the timed release of the next fly bar. It’s feet…then inches away. I snatch it and propel myself forward, legs and pointed toes swinging to gain momentum. At the apex of the arch I let go and twist. My arms wrap across my body, legs flying over my head in not one, not two, but three flips before I extend out. <br /><br />The next timed bar has released and I’m there to meet it. Both hands grip the cool metal and I flip one hundred and eighty degrees so my abdomen rests against the bar. Arms push straight and I smile. All white teeth and confidence as if I didn’t almost plummet to my death on the duraplast floor. <br /><br />“And that, folks, is Talie Zarna – the Soaring Staress. Give her a round of applause.” Delmar’s magnified voice fills the auditorium. It’s greeted with cheers and applause that echo against the curved walls. <br /><br />My spotlight extinguishes and I’m left swaying in darkness, rolling sore shoulders and thanking the stars I’m done. It’s been a long day and I can’t wait to relax, take a bath, and sleep. <br /><br />Delmar continues the post show wrap-up and, with a subtle nod from me, one of the stage hands retracts my fly bar to the descent platform. I climb on and it discreetly takes me down to the showroom floor where I can exit offstage. <br /><br />A rush of cool air greets me in the backstage hallway. It carries the scent of dreyhass and I wrinkle my nose. <br /><br />“Sorry, Sti had a little accident tonight.” Raxon tries and fails to hide his grin. Gray, cat-like eyes hold their usual laughter, but he’s exceptionally amused at my reaction. <br /><br />“On stage?” I ask. <br /><br />He shakes his head. “Actually, right where you’re standing.”<br /><br />I look down where my bare feet rest. It’s clean now, but just the thought makes me jump forward several feet. <br /><br />“There too,” he says. I can hear his grin. <br /><br />I make a face and rush down the hall to more of his laughter. <br /><br />“Where are you running to?” Freyda comes around the corner, her black and white makeup gone. Still, her lips are inked like midnight and she wears a simple, floor-length tunic the color of dried blood. It’s belted at the waist, the attached gold loops a cultural signifier of her status: elite. <br /><br />“Sti—”<br /><br />“Say no more” She groans and closes her eyes, revealing black lids. “It happened right after my act. Disgusting.” Freyda is my best friend aboard The Midway. When I first joined the circus, she immediately befriended me and our bond has only strengthened over the years. “How did it go tonight?”<br /><br />“Good.” My hesitation is apparent. <br /><br />“I thought it looked amazing, though you had me wondering if you would reach that last catch.” <br /><br />She’d seen the performance but waited for me to tell her. She was often too insightful for her own good. “I was just tired. You know how I get with a new routine.” <br /><br />“I do.” Her black-lipped smile stretches wide and she tips her head toward an adjacent hallway. “Want to get a snack with me? I was just headed to the galley.”<br /><br />She knows I can’t say no to the Quaras 6 ice cream that was recently stocked at our last supply dock, but tonight my emotions are all over the place and I won’t be good company. <br /><br />“Tomorrow?”<br /><br />She looks at me like I’ve turned into a double headed Iduos. “You are turning down ice cream? Are you sick?”<br /><br />“No,” I smile to assure her I’m fine. “Just tired. We’ll get some tomorrow—I promise.”<br /><br />With a reluctance that every part of her body displays, Freyda turns down the hall. She gives me one last pleading look before she rounds the corner to the galley. I am lucky to have her as a friend, and any other night I would go with her, but not tonight. Tonight, I need to be alone. <br /><br />I continue down the hall but soon divert my path to the outer passway. It’s my favorite route back to my berth with both the exterior wall and ceiling made up of sio-glass panes. Stars pinprick the view to my right while the planet we’re stationed at spans beneath me. <br /><br />I always take this route when I can. It helps me avoid the crowds that will leave by way of the open concourse where food stalls and shops will capture their last Credits before they disembark. <br /><br />Thoughts of Queen Laerkin cause me to stop and stare at the swirling cloud patterns of the planet below. I can’t even remember the name of this stop, proof that I’ve been with the circus so long it’s become my life. My world. <br /><br />At least I have a life—unlike the queen.<br /><br />I rest my head against the cool surface of the sio-glass and close my eyes. A lone tear streaks down my makeup-caked cheek, but I don’t brush it away. Let it stay there as my outward evidence of inward grief. <br /><br />A door slides open down the hallway and I immediately straighten, no one uses this hallway on show nights. It’s part of the reason I take it—a little slice of privacy on an overcrowded ship. <br /><br />Footsteps thud toward me and I wonder if something is wrong. A security breach perhaps? It’s happened before. Overzealous fans trying to see one of their favorite acts or someone begging to join the show to escape indenture or poverty. I think I would have heard the alert though.<br /><br />I curse myself for not keeping my sec-bracelet on, but I never wear it to perform. If I’d just left it backstage instead of in my berth I could call someone, but I’m all alone in this passway, just like I wanted. <br /><br />I move to the opposite side of the hall and press against a bulkhead. It’s not much cover, but it’s all I have. <br /><br />The footfalls move closer and—<br /><br />They stop. A door slides open and closed, I barely hear it over the pounding of my heart. Are they gone? I wait, holding my breath to hear any indication of movement, but it’s as silent as space. <br /><br />After a full minute, I begin to relax. It was either a sec-unit checking out movement in the passway or someone who took a wrong turn, but I’m alone again. Good. <br /><br />I push away from the smooth wall and turn down the hall again, retracing steps I’ve made a hundred times. The passway is the same, but the view is always different, even if it’s only the subtle differences of a new sky. My eyes drink in the starlight and I’m mesmerized. So distracted that I don’t see the figure standing in the hall in front of me until it’s too late. <br /><br />“<i>Umph</i>.” I walk into a cold wall of armor and muscle. Gloved figures latch onto my arms in a vicelike grip, immobilizing me. “What—”<br /><br />“<i>Shhhh</i>.” <br /><br />When I look up, my gaze meets golden brown eyes trained on me. They are the only part of the boy’s face that I can see, the rest of him covered in black matte armor from head to booted foot. <br /><br /><i>Solider.</i><br /><br />Instinct kicks in and I try to wrestle free. His brow furrows and he fights to keep a grip on me, but I can tell he’s holding back. He could snap my arms in two with his suits’ added strength, but he doesn’t.<br /><br />“Please,” his voice is muffled by the helmet he wears, but insistent. “I don’t want to hurt you.”<br /><br />“Then let. Me. Go!” I struggle even harder, adrenaline making me bold. <br /><br />With a sigh, he releases one of my arms and I expect freedom until he pulls out a deadly looking gun. <br /><br />“Stop.” His eyes burn into mine and I notice the lines running the length of his gun are pulsing a dangerous red. “Hide me and I won’t kill you.”</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Suspended in the Stars ©Emilie Hendryx</i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>__________________</i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aLxbHh0_t7F77m5CSgFVTID1N6ajJTHHI_e9gqBT5dcdBt8mV9XCvdgXuYiWK2WyaUQpvYeLypah2jjRhZRojBsx8QcDAOEgRHj-kavCr6EWWPas4qajDVR_5rG0PGYG9CQKCR95n7M/s1364/blog-header-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="1364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aLxbHh0_t7F77m5CSgFVTID1N6ajJTHHI_e9gqBT5dcdBt8mV9XCvdgXuYiWK2WyaUQpvYeLypah2jjRhZRojBsx8QcDAOEgRHj-kavCr6EWWPas4qajDVR_5rG0PGYG9CQKCR95n7M/s640/blog-header-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i>Thanks so much for joining me for this first chapter. I had so much fun getting all the way to 31 - Whew! If you're interested in reading the rest I have left it up on Wattpad for the time being since it's entered into a contest. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>You can read it here: </i><a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/236653970-suspended-in-the-stars">https://www.wattpad.com/story/236653970-suspended-in-the-stars</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-64615504698474727332020-07-31T08:00:00.000-07:002020-07-31T08:00:08.970-07:00Suspended in the Stars - Cover Reveal<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5e50-jQK5uDLEVhVT74O6qFsuG50btxt9UfxmnQE7nEfLvvyU5KYMrhsCxUnZTLKLm4GZ1WVjDET3gA2_9SYZuYmgreNVPfypLvtFmYBPF14tw5H50aDsZdYE4zeF9XNyd1O4-mGFp0/s1551/cover-reveal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5e50-jQK5uDLEVhVT74O6qFsuG50btxt9UfxmnQE7nEfLvvyU5KYMrhsCxUnZTLKLm4GZ1WVjDET3gA2_9SYZuYmgreNVPfypLvtFmYBPF14tw5H50aDsZdYE4zeF9XNyd1O4-mGFp0/w625-h420/cover-reveal.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It is TIME to reveal the mock-up cover I created for Suspended in the Stars, the novella I'll be blogging <i>right here</i> during the month of August. Who is excited? Or is it just me...<span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Friends, there is nothing more "official" to me than seeing the cover for something. For me, a<a href="https://eacreativedesign.jimdo.com/design/custom-cover-pricing/"> cover designer,</a> it's doubly exciting as well as a bit nerve wracking because I am the one who created the cover. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Let's talk inspiration first</h3><div>When I start out to create any cover, I always go to Amazon, Google, Pinterest, and even Barnes & Noble (when possible) to gain a feeling for the genre. It's easy for me because, knowing I was doing YA Science <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-1nxFwm3QMseEC2b74O0AchZUZ0XorG9VWxxjVOXoEABSbAZGzM1JA6yJi9ba47Sdc8tAWiw8pC9wm-XmkLZF-GPAQxlzzt5iglS7j6Ha1d5G_XTEa1Y8NKhd2uDdNbsV9rNdxNRv_4/s1200/2020-07-13_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-1nxFwm3QMseEC2b74O0AchZUZ0XorG9VWxxjVOXoEABSbAZGzM1JA6yJi9ba47Sdc8tAWiw8pC9wm-XmkLZF-GPAQxlzzt5iglS7j6Ha1d5G_XTEa1Y8NKhd2uDdNbsV9rNdxNRv_4/s320/2020-07-13_0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the images I used for the cover</td></tr></tbody></table>Fiction (with a bit of Fantasy) I could look on my shelves as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>What that does is give me a feeling for the genre. What book are being published right now and what do their covers look like? </div><div><br /></div><div>Next, I start to break down what type of image I want to convey. If I were working with a client I would be asking them about their book, what kind of themes might be in it, and even a particular scene that stands out to them as important to their narrative. </div><div><br /></div><div>After all that, the search begins. I scour the internet for images (both free and paid) and see what I can come up with. I tend to give a few different options for clients depending on what I can "see" for the cover. If the ideas are very different, I'd prefer to have the client choose rather than me make that choice (<i>if</i> I feel they are of equal style and appeal). In the case of this cover, I ended up finding all my images for free (hey, it's a mock up cover, right?) and began the process of compiling them. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">For this cover </h3><div><br /></div><div>Going in, I had a rough idea of something I wanted to do. I could almost see it, so when I was searching for images to compile, I knew what I was looking for (mostly). </div><div><br /></div><div>When it was all together I started to mess around with font, placement, added layers, and colors. Then I bombard my friends with pictures and ask them what they like best. I never underestimate the power of random appeal to anyone. If someone who, lets just say isn't a huge YA Sci-fi fan, loves the cover, that's a bonus for me! Even though they aren't my target audience. </div><div><br /></div><div>And there you have it - a fun cover that I'm very proud of that gives a sense (I hope) of the story I'll be sharing here. </div><div><br /></div><div>Are you ready to see it? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Are you sure??? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ok...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjn8dWQsViWXlm4mXytuiBWpTBxWB5Q2uVCtUrJLpwSX8YEXn74IV4-HpM04In0Zv9s4QzybULaSjxaqVkpHh14ehARaCq8Sh7ejiPEFirLzbqsaeZ9QkjYJ2Z_bR9_P91td0LKmVY-0/s2048/SITS-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjn8dWQsViWXlm4mXytuiBWpTBxWB5Q2uVCtUrJLpwSX8YEXn74IV4-HpM04In0Zv9s4QzybULaSjxaqVkpHh14ehARaCq8Sh7ejiPEFirLzbqsaeZ9QkjYJ2Z_bR9_P91td0LKmVY-0/w391-h625/SITS-Cover.jpg" width="391" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>What do you think? Does it say "Young Adult Science Fiction" to you? I hope so! </div><div><br /></div><div>I think it's one of my favorite covers I've created to date, but that just means I need to create more! I hope this gives you a little extra push of excitement to start reading <a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/august-story-character-announcement.html" target="_blank">Talie</a> and <a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/august-story-secondary-character.html" target="_blank">Renner's</a> story as of TOMORROW. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going off to get some rest before starting this next month...see you tomorrow! </div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-30379673666688682852020-07-27T12:14:00.000-07:002020-07-27T12:14:18.912-07:00August Book Pinterest Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjF6EBRJQn9jWJ9vKTi6Ge2fs6TQb5UOHejvQt_uZXoUuBLfEnr_5sG_rZSvKz3fVmizUeBXDVxh3_8n5wOYqF9wdRcHnWrj8XwlM6Ivg4lHL5EP6tlWIvJmgpkV6FCn0aMQ2-kRagAU/s1551/pinterest-board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjF6EBRJQn9jWJ9vKTi6Ge2fs6TQb5UOHejvQt_uZXoUuBLfEnr_5sG_rZSvKz3fVmizUeBXDVxh3_8n5wOYqF9wdRcHnWrj8XwlM6Ivg4lHL5EP6tlWIvJmgpkV6FCn0aMQ2-kRagAU/w625-h423/pinterest-board.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div>Who doesn't love a good Pinterest board? </div><div><br /></div><div>I've actually done Pinterest boards for almost every book I've written - and even some that haven't been written yet. I think the part of being a visual artist as well as a 'written' one is that I love <i>seeing</i> things. I'll be sharing some more about my blogging a book experience and the link to this books Pinterest board so you can see the world with me. </div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><i>Do you Pinterest? </i></div><div><br /></div><div>If you spend time on Pinterest - either as a reader, writer, or pinner of ALL things, then you may like to check out my board for Suspended in the Stars! </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">A little bit about the board...</h3><div><br /></div><div>So far there are 4 sections and I'll describe what you'll find in each below: </div><div><br /></div><div>1) <b>Talie's section:</b> This is <i>obviously</i> about Talie! What she likes to wear, her aesthetic, her hair (one of my favorite things about her!) and her berth.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) <b>Renner's section:</b> About Renner (yep, you guessed that) and the things he likes, his amor, and even his favorite muffins!</div><div><br /></div><div>3)<b> Blog post section:</b> This is where I've pinned images from each blog post about this series for easy access in case you missed one! </div><div><br /></div><div>4) <b>Main section:</b> This is basically all things that (to me at least) feel like the story. There are images of what I think the circus spaceship looks like inside, inspiration images for minor characters in the story, and even some vintage circus shots that make me feel inspired. I love the idea of melding futuristic things with vintage things! </div><div><br /></div><div>It was SO much fun going through Pinterest and figuring all of this out. Of course, not everything translates exactly to what is in my mind, but I hope this gives you a window into what this world looks like. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><font size="5">Check out my board here: </font></h3><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/eahcreative/suspended-in-the-stars/">https://www.pinterest.com/eahcreative/suspended-in-the-stars/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, I cannot wait to show you the cover I created for this series! I'm going to be releasing it here on the blog on Friday July 31st (woohoo) BUT newsletter subscribers will get an early look at it on Wednesday. If you haven't signed up* for my newsletter yet you can do so here: <a href="https://emiliehendryx.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8bdebccd4f3ba6500fef1bedf&id=7065022358">https://emiliehendryx.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8bdebccd4f3ba6500fef1bedf&id=7065022358</a></div><div><br /></div><div>*I promise - you will NOT get spam when you sign up. I don't send out many updates unless something noteworthy is happening (usually) and you can unsubscribe anytime as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>Until Friday...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXTNULwlpNUlUhdNoKTZoHyLHNEBkxtdPhOC1bd3wuoyNj0c6OjWZt-w91CZtHJ9P5lMCTYrvl_kXXE7UJcWbqkgopGFjgpyjNNi_mhpVPAoEnizLaWSDAuu2jUZL1Xkox4W7CizRxWM/s1551/cover-reveal-coming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXTNULwlpNUlUhdNoKTZoHyLHNEBkxtdPhOC1bd3wuoyNj0c6OjWZt-w91CZtHJ9P5lMCTYrvl_kXXE7UJcWbqkgopGFjgpyjNNi_mhpVPAoEnizLaWSDAuu2jUZL1Xkox4W7CizRxWM/w625-h420/cover-reveal-coming.jpg" width="625" /></a></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-80536796329480602722020-07-24T06:00:00.001-07:002020-07-24T06:00:00.519-07:00August Story Secondary Character Announcement<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbgX_Cnr88PUNS64unI27QoTOb2RXPZasSpNah9yBE5PqRfqT42FUUJHYvIAkaPvepnQzH7u67DCBIx3g0Xip4Lhcyj6zBSXdP3lR11nxEhhwBPQZIwPALMcxufHy07co7Nlk7cbeBgY/s1551/character-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbgX_Cnr88PUNS64unI27QoTOb2RXPZasSpNah9yBE5PqRfqT42FUUJHYvIAkaPvepnQzH7u67DCBIx3g0Xip4Lhcyj6zBSXdP3lR11nxEhhwBPQZIwPALMcxufHy07co7Nlk7cbeBgY/w625-h420/character-2.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I've announced the <a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/august-story-title-announcement.html" target="_blank">title of this story</a> and at the start of this week we took a look at one of the main characters (missed her story? <a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/august-story-character-announcement.html" target="_blank">find it here</a>). Today, we're looking into another character - my second main character in <i>Suspended in the Stars.</i> </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Yep, I still haven't talked myself out of writing a book on my blog next month. Crazy, right? If you missed what this is all about find my intro post <i><a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/blogging-book-in-august.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>So, we're talking about a circus, right? But not <i>all</i> of my characters have been performing their acts for crowds hungry for some galactic entertainment. Today's character, my second main character, has a bit of a different back story. Sadly, I won't be able to get into it much for the sake of the story, but I think you'll get to now him well here. </div><div><br /></div><div>Introducing...</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8xOYx7oXCtI7B3ZJe5QbHzOFzbK1NVnpqWwTPO7PVUyVrVG6We7zpPo3toZghDV847xLuVeXpchFVqBLzxiDSJEuIlKjZhTdLHkF93_sd6AYGXAUd2OfidAVsQljb2mVvkFDFXQoZdU/s781/83ecbbf83cb54c326718d28e4d5f4c05.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8xOYx7oXCtI7B3ZJe5QbHzOFzbK1NVnpqWwTPO7PVUyVrVG6We7zpPo3toZghDV847xLuVeXpchFVqBLzxiDSJEuIlKjZhTdLHkF93_sd6AYGXAUd2OfidAVsQljb2mVvkFDFXQoZdU/s320/83ecbbf83cb54c326718d28e4d5f4c05.jpg" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Renner Cartha </h3></div><div><br /></div><div>Renner was enlisted to the Inter-Galactic Army at age eleven and has known no other life since. Yes, he was taken before the age of acceptance (12) but his step-father didn't seem to mind too much at the time. </div><div><br /></div><div>When he's not taking orders or practicing hand-to-hand combat, he loves to log hours in the flight simulator and hone his aim. Yes, he's a good shot, but no more bragging - his head is already a little to large. </div><div><br /></div><div><u>Some favorites...</u></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Food:</i> Muffins. He seriously loves any type of muffin. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Drink</i>: Drawx Sunrise - A syrupy sweet drink made up of the pressed liquid of Drawx melons (think honeydew), orange juice, and cherry syrup with a splash of club soda. Fizzy and delicious.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Hobby</i>: Fighting, shooting, flying...not exactly in that order. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Color</i>: Black. It's his uniform color and he says it goes with everything. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X7oizyzG6eaXNdCphlLxOpEg6D9WxKpUtnwqPUjFrkzYx_9bUM35UH8yce0qiKyxU6Xhy-D2yoKmnInn6Zy9xZ5MFc4PrOOxldyDwehCldeeUOCOPdp2OyNH69clTSwMzs8_2huArh4/s1200/2020-07-13_0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1200" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X7oizyzG6eaXNdCphlLxOpEg6D9WxKpUtnwqPUjFrkzYx_9bUM35UH8yce0qiKyxU6Xhy-D2yoKmnInn6Zy9xZ5MFc4PrOOxldyDwehCldeeUOCOPdp2OyNH69clTSwMzs8_2huArh4/w625-h405/2020-07-13_0002.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And there's Renner - or Ren to his friends. He's simple in his tastes and has experienced some struggles in the past, but he's not even remotely prepared for what will happen to him when he goes to the circus! </div><div><br /></div><div>Next week, as I continue my prep posts for August, I'm going to be sharing a link to my Pinterest board for this novella and then a <i>cover reveal</i> for the mock cover I made to get me exited about this! Hope to have you come back! </div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-64882927826663943412020-07-20T05:00:00.004-07:002020-07-20T05:00:00.509-07:00August Story Character Announcement <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOyptu8-PmMQzsIb5fg_Yl4TBTMM1tIq_fzk5mDUdPnany7ArkwCci511JsPo_EKPx6vtTfj4aHaCahWrgTbUfxFEJZ5FtbaHJ6dy34KU9R5wGNl_Wg3ITYF1XHwj3H-OtY93wR0VTNk/s1551/character-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOyptu8-PmMQzsIb5fg_Yl4TBTMM1tIq_fzk5mDUdPnany7ArkwCci511JsPo_EKPx6vtTfj4aHaCahWrgTbUfxFEJZ5FtbaHJ6dy34KU9R5wGNl_Wg3ITYF1XHwj3H-OtY93wR0VTNk/w625-h420/character-1.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>August is (very) quickly approaching and I'm slowly but surely getting this new story ready to go! </div><div><br /></div><div>Last week I announced the title (<a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/august-story-title-announcement.html" target="_blank">you can read that here</a>) and this week we're taking a look at one of the main characters. </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>When I decided to commit to this "writing a book in a month" thing (even though I have won NaNoWriMo several times) I knew this was going to be different. Sure, you can write 50k in a month BUT no one is going to read it. It's more of a personal challenge that gets your words on the page and helps you keep pace. But blogging a book in a month is a different beast to tackle. </div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">Some things to consider when writing a book in a month...</font></h2><div>1. <i>You have to know where you're going</i> - This isn't like NaNo in that you have to actually <i>know</i> where you're headed. Why? Because you're not exactly writing for the revision process, you're writing for an audience. This is one of the main things that scares me - if I mess up and don't tie loose ends up, you'll all know! </div><div><br /></div><div>2. <i>You have to be concise</i> - This is good for all forms of writing, but this format is especially focused on short bursts of fiction created daily. I'm hoping this will really help me eliminate unnecessary words, phrases, or actions that could distract from the true plot. </div><div><br /></div><div>3.<i> You can't miss a day</i> - Another scary thing is that people are counting on you to give them the next scene. No matter what. I plan to maybe work a day ahead if I can just on the off chance that <i>things</i> happen and prevent from writing, but I see this as a good type of pressure to create each day. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first thing I did upon decision to join this challenge was write a detailed outline. Now, normally, I am a plantser - I discovery write the beginning of my novels and then stop and go "Wow, that was fun, what what in the world happens next?" But, as I said in point 1 - I <i>need</i> to know where I'm going no only for myself to write to get there, but for you all reading along with me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Having this outline down (to the day!) ensures I have a leg-up on each days writing. It doesn't mean things won't change, but at least I'll have laid some good plans to get there. Or so I hope. </div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">Now to introduce you to one of my main characters: </font></h2><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWg-4Mcp1cabS30H351wYF7pCT_NqxQWYmPkZqiNrbe1k0GqEFz161ohR-_KBFJyoZk84DpL7okTkXn7QXuulybJZPacOssnjPpnZgq58bHimA2_6DzTfYAdchOE7JFVtain_pfCVIf0/s564/2b1583ee172034299099f5dd98a71f81.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWg-4Mcp1cabS30H351wYF7pCT_NqxQWYmPkZqiNrbe1k0GqEFz161ohR-_KBFJyoZk84DpL7okTkXn7QXuulybJZPacOssnjPpnZgq58bHimA2_6DzTfYAdchOE7JFVtain_pfCVIf0/w320-h320/2b1583ee172034299099f5dd98a71f81.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Talie Zarna </h3><p style="text-align: left;">At seventeen, Talie has a truly mystifying act as a trapeze artists as part of the circus. In fact, she is the <i>only</i> person to do such an act alone. She's been traveling with the circus for five years and has seen more of her galaxy than most girls her age. </p></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Some favorites...</u></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Food</i>: Quaras 6 Ice cream. She says, "There is absolutely nothing as delicious and fun as eating Q6 ice cream in zero gravity."</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Drink</i>: Coffee. </div><div>(Hey, it may be space, but they still need their caffeine.)</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Hobby</i>: Dot painting. This is done using a pin-point board and digital brush to dot the "paint" on to create an image. It's a more accessible from of pointillistism.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Color</i>: Dark blue. She's surrounded by it in space and it's one of her favorites. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9y3LcdExwNQVtl0C280Dj3HSlSbSvSHcM4XI48XCOn76rs4Md0rO-j1Bo1_3e1Kz21yLBSd_fZ4m6Zxn8xdq-KR1ZWNfB_MwnfKmidkxQBJVmqQsfG763g7oiU9I_8l99A8FcQ1Rny0/s1251/2020-07-13_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1251" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9y3LcdExwNQVtl0C280Dj3HSlSbSvSHcM4XI48XCOn76rs4Md0rO-j1Bo1_3e1Kz21yLBSd_fZ4m6Zxn8xdq-KR1ZWNfB_MwnfKmidkxQBJVmqQsfG763g7oiU9I_8l99A8FcQ1Rny0/w384-h400/2020-07-13_0001.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images from Pinterest<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>So there you have it - Talie: smart, beautiful, talented, and hiding a secret. </div><div><br /></div><div><font face="courier" size="5">Remember to come back on Friday for my second character announcement! </font></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-33806964978302087552020-07-17T05:00:00.001-07:002020-07-17T05:00:01.678-07:00August Story Title Announcement <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUD8Eb1nPKwrqBfoSlD3_W27dVR5QKkgRQFoEaf6ys18mKJBrfuxFNeViykbR0c5aMlI43LXbLkWf0nd6ThTOTnGBnz_z4TmmooTJrR96BTkD6fdVqU2B-OyVBdqLc8TqJ6S6i6cgiGI/s1551/title-info.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUD8Eb1nPKwrqBfoSlD3_W27dVR5QKkgRQFoEaf6ys18mKJBrfuxFNeViykbR0c5aMlI43LXbLkWf0nd6ThTOTnGBnz_z4TmmooTJrR96BTkD6fdVqU2B-OyVBdqLc8TqJ6S6i6cgiGI/w625-h420/title-info.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>So I'm writing a book in August...</div><div><br /></div><div>I thought now would be a fun to announce the (working) title of the novella I'll be writing <i>right here</i> on the blog as well as a bit about it. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, <a href="http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2020/07/blogging-book-in-august.html" target="_blank">see <i>this post</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Welcome to the circus - a <i>space</i> circus, that is! </div><div><br /></div><div>This whole concept for the full-length novel started off probably five or so years ago. I was on a walk (where I get and formulate most of my ideas) listening to music and it popped into my head. A circus...but in space! I believe everything is better in space, to be honest, but the more I thought about the world (and the story behind this concept) the more I realized it had elements of fantasy to it - dare I say a little like Star Wars? I <i>know,</i> I can't really draw that comparison because Star Wars is just epic and timeless...but I hope it paints a picture in your head of how you can combine the two genres a little.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I began chatting with <a href="https://christenkrumm.com" target="_blank">Christen</a> and my other critique partner <a href="https://www.nataliewalterswriter.com" target="_blank">Natalie</a> I realized that a prequel to the actual story would be soooooo fun to write. It would also give me a chance to flesh out a lot more of the world before hand so that when I finally get to write the actual story, I have done some of the work already. <i>You're welcome, future Emilie. </i></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLM5F69UbTtN4SRre94b0qoyNqsmjWBwmIX3giSK8jgrDBB9-eAzBVLf7GJnKmtIKdgZVsxdiQTYEUSWLRCcqDqT5tUU0zAfs8o9z0_yWX0WB6ZwThJD3czU3kPIDuX7XfeB0RHH5Im4/s2991/01-the-greatest-showman-hugh-jackman-vogue-september-issue-2017-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1682" data-original-width="2991" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLM5F69UbTtN4SRre94b0qoyNqsmjWBwmIX3giSK8jgrDBB9-eAzBVLf7GJnKmtIKdgZVsxdiQTYEUSWLRCcqDqT5tUU0zAfs8o9z0_yWX0WB6ZwThJD3czU3kPIDuX7XfeB0RHH5Im4/w400-h225/01-the-greatest-showman-hugh-jackman-vogue-september-issue-2017-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://movies.mxdwn.com/reviews/movie-review-the-greatest-showman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">From mxdwn.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>To give you an idea of the prequel (and subsequent story) I'd say it's The Greatest Showman meets Escaping From Houdini...in space! </div><div><br /></div><div>The best part? It's a traveling circus hosted on a spaceship!!! My little sci-fi heart is bursting right now - can you tell? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmnnvuRgRv2ZNBniTgQ95yQWGnwXs9s1iy10M86sQ6_jPqvWzl8TkmlcQnBKlMvGxmcmzko7ozzCPd7nPtAs-xQLA4VUOXAMN7FXv3CWXJixZxboCZRgZwlVIvvJ15haIc2NYXcEFoWY/s400/c4c8c2d42aaa8a25ddf98c9b078afd3e.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmnnvuRgRv2ZNBniTgQ95yQWGnwXs9s1iy10M86sQ6_jPqvWzl8TkmlcQnBKlMvGxmcmzko7ozzCPd7nPtAs-xQLA4VUOXAMN7FXv3CWXJixZxboCZRgZwlVIvvJ15haIc2NYXcEFoWY/s320/c4c8c2d42aaa8a25ddf98c9b078afd3e.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Don't get me wrong, I love me some sci-fi, but as the current book I'm working on is actually a YA fantasy, it's so much fun to co-mingle these ideas a little and just have fun creating a story with characters I hope you'll fall in love with. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for the working title, I'm calling it: Suspended in the Stars. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next week I'll reveal one of the main characters and a little bit about her along with "her aesthetic". But I can tell you right now...galaxy everything! *hehe*</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Something to note: </h2><div>You may not have much experience with YA Science Fiction, but I'd <strike>beg</strike> ask you to consider still trying out the story. You may surprise yourself and find that you don't mind it 😉 Or it could prove that you really don't like this genre and that's okay (haha). Either way, I'll do my best to make it as accessible as possible. </div><div><br /></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-44854572483516025222020-07-14T08:30:00.003-07:002020-07-14T13:54:15.511-07:00Blogging A Book in August<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNajW2h1xzJ4uHJeq_CX3PPm2i6vyejDLR4ERS1S_P0R6_XE2xqd94aTy8HplxOyUoG1YvoUe1N8uDD65IUr42yVC5g-15z60w0bXZAskrhWNPQNkC6EnCKSxBfcvQcbWqCYj0FOMtmgE/s1551/august-book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNajW2h1xzJ4uHJeq_CX3PPm2i6vyejDLR4ERS1S_P0R6_XE2xqd94aTy8HplxOyUoG1YvoUe1N8uDD65IUr42yVC5g-15z60w0bXZAskrhWNPQNkC6EnCKSxBfcvQcbWqCYj0FOMtmgE/w625-h420/august-book.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you that have followed me for any length of time (either here or on my Facebook and Instagram pages) you know that I AM A WRITER! I know, that's not shocking, but it is something that drives what I do almost ever day. I'm either writing for freelance clients, working on my own books, critiquing my friends books, or reading books. </div><div><br /></div><div>The thing you haven't really seen from me is <i>my</i> writing. That's not including my blog posts 😉 So, I'm jumping in on something with my friend <a href="https://christenkrumm.com" target="_blank">Christen Krumm</a>. I'm going to blog a book in August! Yep, right here! </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPM5Yf233VaFEQi3e5p7auzXsEHl7oX9KGdRa361S0UO8mFaESUfVsF6GYs-F1xmegGrDX5UmYXJu35TgYR5Bvisnqk3PP1bJohcJuBdVo8t2f-z50I_tKPJMP9VKDDNPrH0nXk4HNUM/s1396/blogging.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPM5Yf233VaFEQi3e5p7auzXsEHl7oX9KGdRa361S0UO8mFaESUfVsF6GYs-F1xmegGrDX5UmYXJu35TgYR5Bvisnqk3PP1bJohcJuBdVo8t2f-z50I_tKPJMP9VKDDNPrH0nXk4HNUM/s320/blogging.jpg" /></a></div><div>"Emilie, you're crazy."</div><div><br /></div>I've heard that before and it's never stopped me. In fact, I should share the story of how I proved my teachers wrong my senior year of high school with regards to writing. But that's another blog post. </div><div><br /></div><div>When Christen told me what she was joining in on--writing a book in August--I thought...I can do this! But it's going to be a little different than what you might be expecting. </div><div><br /></div><div>First off, credit goes where it is due. She gained the idea from <i><a href="https://medium.com/the-write-brain/you-absolutely-can-write-a-book-this-year-and-you-should-911460b7f81c" rel="nofollow">this blog</a></i> and I'm just hopping on board, not as a part of their group at this point, but mostly on my own and just joining in on the idea because it's a great one. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Why this challenge? </h3><div><br /></div><div>I know I could just continue working on the book I'm writing right now (yep, it's a new one and I am <i>stoked</i> about it) but when I heard about this idea I realized that it would be a fun add-on project for me. At this point I think "eh, what's another thousand words a day" (which is maybe slightly ridiculous *hehe*). </div><div><br /></div><div>I also liked the thought of getting my writing out there. Granted, it will be 'off the cuff' type of stuff and not as polished as it usually is, but that's part of the point. I hope that it'll be a fun way to show off a little of one of the worlds I've got swimming around in my mind. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">What will you be writing? </h3><div><br /></div><div>This question has two sides. On the technical front, I think I'm going to keep each post to between 700-1500 words. I know that's quite a range but I have a feeling that will work with the story idea I have. Which brings me to the second part, the idea. I've not hammered it all down yet BUT I know that it's going to be a 'prequel' to a book that I've had the idea for since early 2015. I won't give it away until later this July, but it is in the YA Science Fiction category but will read a little like fantasy due to some of the elements. Or that's the hope at least. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">What's the first step? </h3><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IdnhcmBQYIqWSF44bF4rAWOnZi7BenphCI1iUq4kzb0kl50szIUIYUCkcID_TNxOhYYwxUZ0Jh0RfLXTRF_UOhykqmlBDnP8W466zQqgltI4VEyj7i2Ef5FKpekhRHsU85EgieLOVes/s1396/planning.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IdnhcmBQYIqWSF44bF4rAWOnZi7BenphCI1iUq4kzb0kl50szIUIYUCkcID_TNxOhYYwxUZ0Jh0RfLXTRF_UOhykqmlBDnP8W466zQqgltI4VEyj7i2Ef5FKpekhRHsU85EgieLOVes/s320/planning.jpg" /></a></div>During the month of July (which I'm a little late getting to) is going to be prep time. I've got the idea, but the execution is what I'm trying to hone. I'll have 31 days to share a story with you with an end product of a 28-35k novella. I think it's going to follow one specific character but there'll be some guest appearances from other characters to give you additional perspective on the story itself. </div><div><br /></div><div>That means a lot of planning on my end. While I <i>am</i> a plantser (pantser and planner) I tend to like a bit of discovery writing on the front end to get me to the next planning stage, but I can't really wait until August to do that, so I may prep a bit more before than and then be able to plan the rest. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll also be sharing some light character sketches here, some world building aspects, and fun things along the way as I prep to start the story August 1st! </div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><font size="3">My hopes for this experience are: </font></h2><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Give readers & followers a taste of my writing style</li><li>Create an entertaining story with dynamic characters and a fleshed out world (in only 1k a day!)</li><li>Pull you all in to the process - I'll be hosting Q&A's, suggestions, and polls to see what could influence my characters next steps</li><li>Challenge my creative side to write every day </li><li>Have a finished product at the end of it all that I'll offer to newsletter subscribers (new and old)</li></ol><div><br /></div></div><div>The question now is - will you follow me on this journey? I'd love nothing more than for you to join in and get involved in the story. It'll be easy to catch up if you miss a few days and I'll do my best to post a link on IG each day of August so access is simple. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me know what you think! If you're a writer, consider joining us! If you're a reader, I hope you'll be reading along. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://christenkrumm.com/2020/07/im-blogging-a-book-in-august/" target="_blank">Check out Christen's announcement here! </a></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-11115433938488823352020-07-09T03:00:00.001-07:002020-07-09T03:00:09.654-07:00Handling Rejection<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLzLDnPaDygUfrK0Nd6bS0E9lYX3Vj6m9OQmSBwObCyq8dNHq14IOqgQZLlttrrWDgMeghkFQxK-u-tdQ_jJSVLZJZQ6yXvdpHuZ9eRyUBYdSy4UuHjytEUpjCkhUv-tzceuso_EjGWQ/s1551/rejectioon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1551" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLzLDnPaDygUfrK0Nd6bS0E9lYX3Vj6m9OQmSBwObCyq8dNHq14IOqgQZLlttrrWDgMeghkFQxK-u-tdQ_jJSVLZJZQ6yXvdpHuZ9eRyUBYdSy4UuHjytEUpjCkhUv-tzceuso_EjGWQ/w625-h420/rejectioon.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This won't be completely new information to those of you who follow me on Instagram, but recently I received a rejection and, the more I think about it and talk with others, the more I feel the need to blog about it. So here it is.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Rejection stinks. </div><div><br /></div><div>The fact of the matter is we will all face rejection in our lives. Some perhaps more than others, but what matters is what we do <i>after </i>that rejection. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you missed my Instagram post about this you can <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCTxHFFjdxR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">view it here</a>, but to sump that post up: I received a rejection for my latest proposal from a publisher I had high hopes to publish with. They were very kind in their response and this in no way reflects poorly on them, it's just my response to the rejection that I really wanted to hone in on. </div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><font size="5">The Initial Response</font></h2><div><br /></div><div>I posted on Instagram <i>not</i> to gain sympathy or to have kind people say nice things to me. That was certainly a side benefit, but it wasn't at all what I was aiming to gain from the post. Instead, as I mentioned in that post, I really want to be as transparent as possible with those who 'follow' me on social media. To post about something as personal as a rejection was difficult, but ultimately I wanted it to serve a purpose. To point to a healthy response versus a negative one.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know many who follow me are seeking a publishing contract for their book or will want to one day. Other's are simply interested in my journey or perhaps just like the photos I take of books *hehe*. Either way, to be vulnerable with my audience, I can't gloss over something that affects me deeply. That, and I thought there were a few things I learned (and am still learning) that could be helpful to hear. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnroY2-_djySIzKkEQpbDvLRjVT9PHqcOGj6pJ6rHsy2Hy8tdF6YMcbdjMzqdL8zSBrTrN9oyVBaKPBYwMcnuCICgFpftYbfjagqHzminR6UJKB2Y34AnnJ89yStlacdZoyHayt2b_uzc/s1396/together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnroY2-_djySIzKkEQpbDvLRjVT9PHqcOGj6pJ6rHsy2Hy8tdF6YMcbdjMzqdL8zSBrTrN9oyVBaKPBYwMcnuCICgFpftYbfjagqHzminR6UJKB2Y34AnnJ89yStlacdZoyHayt2b_uzc/s320/together.jpg" /></a></div><div><h2><font size="5">Testimonies</font></h2></div><div><br /></div>After the initial post, I found that soooo many people had personal stories of rejection to share with me. They either left comments about this or reached out to me personally. It was SUCH a blessing. I know that might sound odd...but to hear stories from others in similar situations is a comforting thing. We humans like to know we're not alone, right? That we are <i>together</i> in this.</div><div><br /></div><div>More than that though, it truly hammered home to me what I had been thinking. That initial responses shouldn't dictate future actions. (<a href="https://ctt.ac/3z9th" target="_blank">tweet this</a>) That it's always better to take a step back, breathe, and then come back at a problem. I'll outline the steps that I took below. </div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><font size="5">Handling the Rejection </font></h2><h4 style="text-align: left;">1. Am I a failure? </h4><div>The first thing I had to come to terms with was this question. It's a tough one. One that feels icky to consider, but one that I found to be valuable. Did I fail? In a sense, yes - they didn't like my ideas enough to back me with a contract. But I also think the answer is no. I might have failed at my initial goal, but that doesn't mean I have <i>completely failed.</i> There are still different avenues to explore and opportunities to seek. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;">2. What is true? </h4><div>When I asked myself this, I came up with one simple answer: I love to write. No matter what, this rejection has not touched that desire at all. If anything, it's strengthened it. During the submission process I came up with some pretty amazing ideas that I will use for future novels (which is a big win!). </div><h4 style="text-align: left;">3. What do my writing friends say?</h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnGBOzOEoolDtxCQWJvoJQUlfj-rjDk1k2j9FJNpCTaOuv87F7477pgG9_T0jG4Ti64BzlPxBXl8Dm1CYOE1ziSub5nGjsj5K25cRhtrv8s1IGe4GK5n3W4fIMWxGh6ksgr7rfLmavuQ/s1396/no-end.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1103" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnGBOzOEoolDtxCQWJvoJQUlfj-rjDk1k2j9FJNpCTaOuv87F7477pgG9_T0jG4Ti64BzlPxBXl8Dm1CYOE1ziSub5nGjsj5K25cRhtrv8s1IGe4GK5n3W4fIMWxGh6ksgr7rfLmavuQ/w316-h400/no-end.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>I took it all to my friends. I explained what happened and I was able to gain insight from both published and unpublished friends on what they thought I should do next. While they were all supportive, of course, they also helped me gain perspective. But most importantly - they were there for me. 💛</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">4. What does God say?</h4><div>Ultimately, this one is the most important (and I didn't exactly put these in the order that I did them) but what God says matters to me. As I prayed about all of this and took my worries and concerns to Him, I felt nothing but comfort. As if He were reminding me that it's hard now, but He's going to be there working with me for His purposes. And I've said it many times, but I truly believe that His path is <i>always</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+16%3A9&version=NIV" target="_blank">the best path</a>. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;">5. What do I do next? </h4><div>I'm a planner, you all know that, so hitting this part of the "post rejection" stage was one of the best parts. It's the time where I look up and see nothing but a blank page ready to be filled with possibilities. No, I don't have all the answers as to what I'll do next, and in some says I'm not even sure I know what is the <i>best</i> thing to do next, but I'm ready to do it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Friends, when rejection comes I think it's easy to take it so deeply to heart that we become paralyzed. For a while there after <i>the email</i> I started to think that was it. The disappointment was so thick I thought I was drowning in it...but then, little by little with each of these steps, I began to see the light again. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, there is no end for the writer. There is no stopping. There is no 'finished' because we are people who believe in revision. (<a href="Ultimately, there is no end for the writer. There is no stopping. There is no 'finished' because we are people who believe in revision. " target="_blank">tweet this</a>) We believe things get better with critique and refinement. I choose to believe my writing career will do the same. </div><div><br /></div><div><font face="courier" size="5">Have you faced rejection? How did you handle it? What was the outcome? Where are you now in the process? </font></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229343318730752238.post-78702354756967648362020-07-07T14:43:00.000-07:002020-07-07T14:43:49.645-07:00June Wrap-Up 2020<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNPWkiVLi8zXUu1wloxqfQpzmRCHLnbSLCkPumqSZFgont4qnGGcR6ox_RheEtvCj2XuIcPNgTYuSV_Uk5LR9ZTE3rdTOo2sPqhTcPaj7PcPAOsAvhswzejOkt8enRP6Hb0cLESWO_r0/w640-h430/June-2020.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Come check out my June wrap-up (yes, I know it's already July!). <span><a name='more'></a></span><div>Oopsies! This sic coming a little late, but here is my wrap-up for June. I celebrated a birthday July 2 plus there was the 4th of July so things really got pushed back! Sadly I only got through 6 books this month - boo! But I was working on a lot of other things and didn't have a lot of extra reading time. Hoping to step it up next month (er....this month). <br /><div><div><br /></div><div>What did you read this month? <br />
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<a href="https://amzn.to/3733FW5" target="_blank">Bookish and the Beast by Ashly Poston</a> | 3.5*<br />
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*Sigh* Sadly, I didn't love this one like I thought I would. I was beyond excited to get an advanced copy from Netgally and Quirk Books, but - while I loved the library, dog, and some parts of the romance - it fell flat for me. See my full review <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3362662053" target="_blank">on Goodreads</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2XD4uS4" target="_blank">Life L1k3 by Jay Kristoff</a> | 3.8-4*<br />
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Ok, ya'll probably know my love of YA Sci-fi by now. I think, for me, this book excelled in it's world building! I did like the characters and I did enjoy the plot/premise etc., but the world building was just top shelf! I know, in discussion with a friend about this book, she had some issues with the reality of who the main characters love interest is. I think it begs some thought (and would cause some spoilers) so I won't get in to it here, but it might put some people off. But things to change and Kristoff is excellent a tossing in twists so...maybe hold your thoughts to the end? <div><br /></div><div>All in all, I did enjoy this book. I found, however, that the ending was....not what I expected. In some ways it was disheartening for me and in others it was the perfect propellant to the next book. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned before, Kristoff is just amazing at tossing in twists and turns - something I greatly admire about his writing - so I think that is where the 4* rating comes in. But there were other times where I felt like things were either a little cliche or extremely blown out of proportion which dropped me to the 3.8*. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'd say if you like science fiction and can get past some of the dialect (because it's an acquired taste) then you might just love this series! <br /><div><br /></div><div>*There is language in this one. </div><div><br /><div><i>Thanks to NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book. My opinions are my own!</i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnrYWvFuS9VIU24u41fmoOf57TGRS7pcGx-uK6a4pySKNe4rJK4EKOPZK5erWKJwY8sORSiLqiNoRUrIyWrTByhlruwZttLEVYGzRcRh02UxqAAX58CkjX42IwNE1Swgb3Ji0ekINob8/s2400/81fcgRsiNnL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1581" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnrYWvFuS9VIU24u41fmoOf57TGRS7pcGx-uK6a4pySKNe4rJK4EKOPZK5erWKJwY8sORSiLqiNoRUrIyWrTByhlruwZttLEVYGzRcRh02UxqAAX58CkjX42IwNE1Swgb3Ji0ekINob8/s320/81fcgRsiNnL.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/31QDjWJ" target="_blank">Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas </a>| 4.3* </div><div><br /></div><div>This one was a fun, foodie-filled book that played on my not so secret dreams of becoming a pastry chef. Okay, I know that'll never happen, but it was fun reading about it...until it wasn't. In Cuevas's book we get a real look at life in a high-powered kitchen in France where I'm sure she didn't over play the stressful details put upon these teens. </div><div><br /></div><div>Initially Isabella, Isa, was a really hard character for me to like. I understood that she really needed to have that 'perfection' trait in order for her to make it through and the whole point is clearly the journey she takes to discovering what she truly wants in life, but one thing that brought this down from at 5 to a 4.3 for me is that it was too tense (for me) in some ways. She was too focused. Too...mean. I love tension, don't get wrong, but I needed more of a break from it to see the softer side of Isa. </div><div><br /></div><div>I wanted more from the romance as well. It was hard because we don't see them together as much and the suddenly she's falling in love with him. I do like that, at least in my opinion, he was able to show her alternative avenues for her dream to thrive. I know many reviewers had issue with her end decision, but I think she made a choice she thought was best for herself as a chef. That I can respect. </div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, it was a fun book but perhaps not one I'd read again? Of course, I say all of this from my own perspective and I am positive most people probably won't notice these things and will enjoy the book regardless :) </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for gifting me a copy of this book. My opinions are my own!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PtJLUaMlh0DXg2n-6yl_dLe2zhyMsLqLoCqBltl1cr0OvZcCphQW18eXFipGehsdYgz0lL1EJ6qsuqY1nf10LwQl0Aoq7n95Drp7ykmrdKQKnCIfFTNilmcxOoKe-1_skHJ5I_JNLkQ/s500/51sRfHuCGcL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PtJLUaMlh0DXg2n-6yl_dLe2zhyMsLqLoCqBltl1cr0OvZcCphQW18eXFipGehsdYgz0lL1EJ6qsuqY1nf10LwQl0Aoq7n95Drp7ykmrdKQKnCIfFTNilmcxOoKe-1_skHJ5I_JNLkQ/s320/51sRfHuCGcL.jpg" /></a></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/3f40rEO" target="_blank">Two Nights by Kathy Reichs</a> | 4.3*</div><div><br /></div><div>See my short review <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3377586939" target="_blank">on Goodreads</a>. </div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPO1ncj0tKwG1Bx1AVhORQEOUvupsFSQrXW22oSV2oowTjufAuXfJv4n1-fhyphenhyphen2k3G4G_DJxIReSTqe_6wLkQobZPn8Dq0etMX8g-Kpj4RaiYsXIdzPB2PPtDqok16Ks4X2AcJ_7o24lFA/s2550/91tobavU6RL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPO1ncj0tKwG1Bx1AVhORQEOUvupsFSQrXW22oSV2oowTjufAuXfJv4n1-fhyphenhyphen2k3G4G_DJxIReSTqe_6wLkQobZPn8Dq0etMX8g-Kpj4RaiYsXIdzPB2PPtDqok16Ks4X2AcJ_7o24lFA/s320/91tobavU6RL.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/3iCYRvP" target="_blank">Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake</a> | 4*</div><div><br /></div><div>This was a slightly unexpected read. I wasn't sure what I was getting going into this but I was pleasantly surprised. Part of the 'unknowing' is the beauty of this book so I don't want to say much in order to not spoil the surprise, but I will say it is a soft science fiction - which is important to an extent for people to know, but not crucial. It's accessible and not your typical sci-fi read. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the parts I found facilitating about the book was the setting. Alaska in the winter and then enter: a plane crash. Say what? I can't even imagine being stranded like that, but the main characters do a great job at surviving. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is also one of the slight negatives I had with the book - it's a bit unbelievable. How 'lucky' is the protagonist that she learned enough to survive from her parents. And still, it's cool to see how that happens. </div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, if you like survival stories and can handle some slight sci-fi aspects, I think you might enjoy this. </div><div><br /></div><div>*There was some language in this one and a bit of violence.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgAWE6P5bAVZ6Dlm1OiK-4IQEZbfD_cVhze2yAarJI5Edtpclson_FOqGxRhttLjxM00u7qd_cqx-RN7i7goR-GXYDo5zTkjN9RBvtDJgiD76WvuZaa3S7aQBTVIWgjk8JHwKRTDLT8s/s1360/61IAPMMDpYL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgAWE6P5bAVZ6Dlm1OiK-4IQEZbfD_cVhze2yAarJI5Edtpclson_FOqGxRhttLjxM00u7qd_cqx-RN7i7goR-GXYDo5zTkjN9RBvtDJgiD76WvuZaa3S7aQBTVIWgjk8JHwKRTDLT8s/s320/61IAPMMDpYL.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/2Z5cUCK" target="_blank">A Dream Within A Dream by Mike Nappa and Melissa Kosci </a>| 4*<br />
<br />FINALLY we have another book in the Coffey & Hill series! It's been about 4ish years since the last one came out but I am so happy to see that there are more in this series! (Yes, I'm hoping for another one after this because that ending...). </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, for those of you who haven't read the first 2 books I'd recommend doing that first. It will fill you in on the story and you'll be glad you know about the characters before jumping in to this one. As for this book, I am glad I was able to get a copy of it from the publisher (<i>thanks for that!). </i>I was an instant fan of Mike Nappa's after the first book and that continued on to the second. There is something about this writing that easy to take in. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for the story, it's intriguing and has that element of "what's going to happen" going for it. The character of Dream is an interesting one to read as well! He's quite the character but creates a dynamic view of things. I appreciate how he was written. </div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I wish we could have seen a bit more of Samuel (*cough* that's the romance writer in me talking *cough*) but I really liked that Eula was much more involved in this story. I found that the first half felt a little more like the previous books while the second maybe felt a little different...perhaps almost too fast paced or oddly dialogue-heavy, can't quite put my finger on it, but it wasn't really "bad" just different. </div><div><br /></div><div>I will say that the ending had me wanting a bit more. I can appreciate some cryptic things going on, but it left me feeling unsatisfied (and not just because there's likely to be another book). It doesn't change the fact I did enjoy reading it, but those things knocked it down a star for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I do, however, recommend this and the other books in this series, to those who like mystery and a bit of suspense. You'll get that and more from these! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Thanks to the publisher for gifting me a copy - all opinions are my own! </i><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Emilie Hendryxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.com0