Cat Thursday: I need dis.

Greedy kitties.

Review: Chasers (Alone #1) by James Phelan

Chasers centers around a group of four 16 year olds that hail from different countries around the world. Jesse (our main character telling the story), Dave, Anna, and Mini survive a horrific subway crash in New York, only to surface to the end of the city... maybe the world... as they know it. Everything around them is destroyed and those left around them are thirsty. Nothing seems to satisfy them including the human blood some drink from dead bodies around them. The kids hole up and watch the city crumble around them. The story comes ends with an unresolved cliffhanger and weird, twisted ending.

I was hesitant to pick up this book due to some of the so-so reviews, but I'm glad I did. I would definitely pinpoint the audience for young adult. The language and progress of events would keep a younger audience engaged without boring them to tears with details. The gore and ick was kept at a minimum that was appropriate for the storyline, and there were a few s-word bombs. What I appreciated in this storyline was the character's real human traits and emotions. Their decision making was on par with a 16 year old trapped in a crazy, possibly bombed out city.

My only few complains was the lack of quotation makes to separate the conversations between different voices, but I sort of understand where the author was going once I read the end. The book moved fairly slow in some parts and took a while to build up, but I never felt bored reading this book. I will definitely be reading the second book to figure out what the heck is going on.

(From amazon.com): James Phelan is a Melbourne-based writer. He has studied and taught writing at a post graduate level, and has been a full-time novelist since the age of 25. His first book was the author interview collection LITERATI: Australian Contemporary Literary Figures Discuss Fear, Frustrations and Fame (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). His thriller novels featuring investigative journalist Lachlan Fox include FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006), PATRIOT ACT (2007), BLOOD OIL (2008), LIQUID GOLD (2009), RED ICE (2010). His ALONE trilogy of Young Adult post-apocalyptic novels are titled CHASERS (Hachette, 2010), SURVIVOR (2011) and QUARANTINE (2011). James has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines, having worked at The Age from 2000-2006, and has contributed to short story anthologies and serialised novels, including: PICTURE THIS (Penguin, 2010), WATCHLIST (Vanguard, 2010), and the GET READING! anthology (2011). His latest novels are a thriller introducing a new character, Jed Walker, THE SPY (Hachette 2013), a 13-book Young Adult series THE LAST THIRTEEN (Scholastic, Sept 2013 and monthly in 2014), and several other projects. You can find James at www.jamesphelan.com

Review: Blood Healing (The Healers of Meligna #2) by K.J. Colt

Blood Healing, book two of The Healers of Meligna, delves into the intrigue and insanity of the Queen’s court. Adenine is placed in the inner circle of the court with the favored Healers and is faced with her first love, discrimination for her birthplace, and the truly wicked plans the Queens have for Meligna, its people, and the surrounding countries.

The story is woven flawlessly and Ms. Colt continues an insanely fun and multi-plotted fantasy series. Adenine is an amazingly plucky and real character that continues to survive the shocking life she is thrust into. She is resilient and her discovery will literally rewrite history. Readers will enjoy the sudden change in store for Healers and the upcoming battles and mysteries that Adenine will have to face.

Readers should be warned that some squeamish topics arise in the book and may be difficult for some to read. (For example, girls become Healers at puberty and some are made to heal at that young age through sleeping with the sick or wounded. This conflict is resolved in book two.) The author handles these topics well and it’s bearable and fits within the cultural world she has created and Adenine lives in.

I look forward to continuing the series and can’t wait to see Adenine get older and continue changing the world around her one small step at a time.

Kylie J. Colt lives on the west coast of Australia in the sprawling city of Perth and has been writing for three years. Her favourite writers are Kristin Cashore, Robin Hobb, Trudi Canavan and Maria V. Snyder. She has an honours degree in psychology and counselling, enjoys road trips, gaming (Skyrim/Civilisation/Assassin's Creed), music festivals (electronica), playing pool, yoga, bushwalking, and gobbles up anything fantasy-related. Her favourite fantasy shows include Game of Thrones and Trueblood, and she is currently reading Robin Hobb's Blood of Dragons.

Review: Ghost Hand (The PSS Chronicles #1) by Ripley Patton

You get right into the story from the get-go and from there is nothing but action.

Olivia is not your normal teenage girl, she was born with a birth defect that is rare. She suffers from PSS which is Psyche Sans Soma, as we progress with the story we find out that she is not the only person that has been born with this defect, supposedly there are others out there. Now Olivia is being chased and hunted down from people who want to to know about her hand what she is told is that they want to kill her so Olivia is determine to live.

Olivia's hand starts acting up and that is when she meets Marcus! He is wanting to help her not get captured by these evil men who are hunting people like them down. But it seems as though Marcus has secrets of his own and of course this puts Olivia on edge.  With Olivia's hand acting up she has different powers that are coming to light and they are beyond freaky!  I was glad that Olivia and Marcus didn't just fall in love at first sight, it took a few meetings before feelings came into play.

But when her best friend gets captured well then it becomes a rescue mission, and stopping the bad guys in the process.

All the characters each have their own personality and you can read that within the book.

Olivia's mom tries to not deal with the death of her husband so she treats Olivia differently.

Olivia wants her mom to acknowledge her and understand her feelings.

Marcus is handsome but very mysterious.

Jason well he is just trigger happy and has a lot of anger.  The other two characters you really do not read too much about.

I can not wait to read more in this series as I want to know who is all on the list. Will it come to light on how people were born with PSS?



 

Ripley Patton lives in Portland, Oregon with one cat, two teenagers, and a man who wants to live on a boat. She is an award-winning short story writer and author of The PSS Chronicles, a young adult paranormal thriller series.

Ripley doesn't smoke, or drink, or cuss as much as her characters. Her only real vices are writing, eating M&Ms, and watching reality television.

 

http://www.ripleypatton.com/

https://www.facebook.com/writerripleypatton

https://twitter.com/rippatton

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4340243.Ripley_Patton

 

Cat Thursday: Cats are sensitive but not to your feelings.

 



 

And they will laugh when your vase breaks from the earthquake too. Little furry bastards of fluff.

Make Your Blog Pretty #3: Social Media Buttons

This was a Dragon Hussy tutorial suggestion (hehe) Shona asked "How do you make social media buttons." If you are savvy with an image manipulation program, feel free to make an awesome button of your own. There are also FREE social media icons that you can use. All you have to do is Google search it and a ton of websites will show up. Just beware of the site you download from, no one wants a virus. You can also try your luck on Etsy. They have social media button sets as low as $3. Nothing like style on the cheap!! If you use the freebies or the ones from Etsy, follow the directions that are further down the post.

Feed Your Readers #UtopYACon2014 @UtopYAcon

 

Hello wonderful readers/authors/bloggers! Today is my first official blog post for UtopYA Con 2014. I hope you enjoy the content that's included in today's post.

Why "Feed Your Readers?" Well, its simple, I wanted to share creative things that authors can to do include their readers. There will also be info for readers on how to better help the indie author that you love so much.

• Socialize

We understand that writing books takes a lot of your time. Scheduling social media time to interact with your readers can be very important. The last thing you want is for your readers to feel ignored. It may not be possible to talk with each person that messages you but taking the time to let them know you are there makes all the difference. Kendall, a blogger at Book Crazy, says "I also get seriously giddy when an author I love replies back to me or starts messaging me" (It never gets old. FAN-GIRLING!!-Me)

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  Thank your supporters

  
  

This goes hand in hand with socializing but a little more so. Bloggers and readers are a huge help to authors. We don't expect anything in return when we share your book links or shout our love for you from the rooftops. Heather, a dedicated reader, says "It does mean a lot to me when the authors notice and thank me. I don't expect them to or feel slighted when they don't, but I love it when they do. Anything that makes us feel like we are "real people" that have a connection to the author goes a long way."

• Teaser Tuesday's

We all love a good teaser and Teaser Tuesday's is nothing new, but I believe they are a great way to keep your reader on the edge of their seat in anticipation for what's to come. Nothing makes me happier then opening my email and seeing that post! It doesn't even have to be long. Teaser pics are becoming more popular as they are easy to share and more noticeable in a Facebook feed.

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  Newsletters

  
  

The great thing about newsletters is that you don't have to go crazy. Your readers want to know what you're up to and what juicy goodness is coming up. You can even use it to list upcoming events that you will be attending. I can't even tell you how many times I've missed an announcement. Don't overdo it! Just keep it easy peasy. It's also a good way to keep you fresh in their mind with all the other authors out there.

• Giveaways!

This is a great way to expand your readership. Your fans love to win books/swag and it also attracts new readers. Rafflecopter can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. These giveaways are great for bringing in fresh meat but you've gotta keep em' on their toes! Get creative! Have a character naming contest or scavenger hunt. Your readers will be psyched at the chance to win something and it give you the chance to socialize with them. Have a tweeting contest! Tell your readers to tweet/Facebook their favorite quote from the book. The possibilities are endless!

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  Swag Bombs! (For those that don't know what swag is, it's book merch like bookmarks, keychains, etc.)

  
  

I think I speak for everyone when I say you can't go wrong with swag. Maybe it's time to think outside of the box when it comes to these awesome little pieces that are given to fans. Yes, they may be a little pricier, but they can always be saved for special occasions. Here are some of my suggestions for swag: USB bracelets (COOLEST. THING. EVER!!) custom jewelry (I've seen some with book covers on them) beaded bookmarks, keychains, BUTTONS (I have a collection and love all different sizes) and stickers. There's no right or wrong, we love it all!

• Street Teams

For some of you that don't know what a street team is, it's basically a group that spreads the word about an author or a book. These can be run by the author, a fan/blogger, personal assistant or a PR group. Consider this your army of minions! And I mean that in the nicest way possible. Marketing is hard and this is an easy way to have your readers share their love of your books to others.

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  Make it personal!

  
  

I'm all for the "keep your personal life just that, personal," but your readers want to feel like they know you. Did any part of your life inspire you to write that book or a certain character? It's always cool to see the "behind the scenes" stuff.

 

Here are some tips for readers!

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   Reviews!

  
  

Readers, the most helpful thing you can do for an author is to write a review! You don't have to be a writer to tell people how you feel about a book. Just give it to me straight! All it takes is a few sentences and a bit of time to write. Trust me, they will love you forever!

• Show some love!

Have an author/book that you love? Shout it out from the rooftops! Okay, maybe not to that extreme, but you have a strong voice and you don't even know it!(or maybe you do) Tell your reader friends about it, join a street team, write a review, or share a buy link.

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  Don't be shy

  
  

Communicating is a two way street. Feel free to Tweet, Facebook, or email your favorite authors and tell them how you feel. Just remember that they are busy bees and may not be able to respond right away. I asked author Felicia Tatum how she feels when a fan messages her to tell her how much they love her books. She responded "You know those gif's where people are jumping for joy and dancing and look like insane people? That." They LOVE it! That's your homework for today...go tell that author how you feel :)



I hope to see you all at UtopYA 2014! There will be plenty of panels that are helpful for everyone and you wont want to miss it! To see what UtopYA is all about, visit http://utopyacon.com/  and for tickets visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/utopya-2014-tickets-on-oct1st-registration-7219041347

 Be sure to follow the rest of the Official UtopYA Bloggers for exclusive content and news!

Delphina of Delphina Reads Too Much

Toni of My Book Addiction

Heather of SupaGurl Books

Kathryn of TSK, TSK, What to Read?

 Tootles!