Happy Halloween + NaNoMadness - Day Before

 ~Happy Halloween!~

Deviantart ~Geegeet

Hahaha sorry, couldn't resist the cuteness!
Happy Halloween everyone! 
I'm spending the night eating Pumpking Pie (which I made yesterday) and stuffing myself full of red velvet cupcakes (which I'm baking now!). Hope you all have a wonderful and spooky night! 

For those starting NaNo, I'll be here at 12 sharp to start tackling that 50k goal. I'll leave you here with a Synopsis of my story. Bring it on NaNo! *cackles maniacally*

~Supernatural Academy~

Synopsis...

My name is Annabel Frances Ray, and I’m a witch. I have the rare ability to borrow power from other supernatural beings. Pretty cool, huh? I thought so too until I killed my best friend by accidentally sucking his supernatural essence. Apparently power is not all I can "borrow". I blacked out into a weeklong sleep, and when I woke up he had faded. You see faeries don’t die, they fade. 

There was only one path for me after that, MYTH Academy, the Magical Youth Training Home, where supernaturals of all races go to study and better their powers. But MYTH seems to have bigger problems than an essence sucking witch. Inexplicable deaths and disappearances have everyone on high alert. When I accidentally drain a fellow classmate, and she disappears I get blamed. Something strange is going on at the Academy, and it’ll be up to me to discover just what that is if I hope clear my name. I just have to make sure to stay away and not touch anyone else. If only it was that easy.

So what do you guys think?

Musing Mondays (12), It's Monday! (7) & Must Read Monday (1)

 Musing Mondays is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

 This week’s musing is…

~Would you say that you read about the same amount now as when you were younger? More? Less? Why?

 Well...younger means I was either in High School or if not so far back, then at the University. No way I would have been able to read a book a day like I do now. I probably read like 3 or 4 books per months, and some months I didn't read at all. Also, I only read Fantasy series which kind of limited my choices. Sometimes I would finish a series and then spend weeks looking for another that would interest me. Now that I've made a blog, joined Goodreads, etc, I've been reading lots of other new genres, and I never run out of books I want to read. I mean my TBR list is like 260+ books long. I'll never finish that! But then I don't waste time looking for what else to read.

That being said, I know my reading time will be cut short starting January, because I'll begin my M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction then. So, I'll miss spending my days doing nothing but reading, but then I'll be so excited writing and creating my own worlds that I won't mind one bit!

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey. Each week we share the books we have just finished reading, are currently reading, and are planning to read.

Just Finished Reading:

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
 
Currently Reading:

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Planning To Read:
Haha I did manage to squeeze in a few more books this week. 
But seriously, no more. It's time fore NaNo!

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 Click the picture for instructions on how to play!
        

     UnDead    

  Nora DEarly       
                         Abraham Griswold 

   AdventurRe              
        Undying Love                
   BodY Parts

           Dystopia
           StEam Punk
              Punk War
                          New VictoriA's strict society                    
    ViRus  

   Advanced Technology   
                  HEadless Doctor

 comeDy         

Review: Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter

Awake at Dawn

(Shadow Falls 2)

Author: C.C. Hunter

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal
Buy: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ TBD

Goodreads

Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities.  But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold. 

To make matters worse, just when she’s about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts pulling away.  When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie’s feels more conflicted than ever. Her weekend with her mom should have been the just the break Kylie needs, but it turns out to be her breaking point.  Someone from the dark side of the supernatural world has plans for Kylie--and it'll take all her resources to get back to Shadow Falls alive...

On My Wishlist (16)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. The idea is to list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

Silence

(Hush, Hush 3)

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Released: Oct 4 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Summary:

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

NaNoWriMo Madness

~♥~

Oh man…What have I gotten myself into!?

I've no idea. This is my first year participating. I've been wanting to do this for a couple of years now, but never had the guts to commit to it, but his year I'm ready to take on the beast that is NaNo! 

I've been reading blogs around looking for advice on to how to prepare for this. Yeah, I like plans, I like lists, I like to be prepared. Winging it is just not my style. So a week ago I started writing some Character Profiles, getting to know them and working on their backgrounds. I went so far as to look for pictures on the web that resembled them. After that I started working on the Plot, fleshing it out and stuff. I kinda went crazy at that point. I would add one point, then erase it, then change it back again, only to discard it later. I did go over it with a friend to see if things at least made sense. Haha. Lastly, I started doing an detailed outline of "the Beginning". I tried doing that for the evil "Middle" but, as always, got stuck. Grr. So I'll just have to trust that as I go along writing "the Middle" will resolve itself. And by then I'll know the ending. 


It's been a lot of work. I wish I had started doing all this a month ago! >.< 
I've never written something so long, much less written that much per day. But I've got my coffee, my chocolates, my iPod and iHome are ready with new playlists, and I've got a blog to whine and complain when NaNo chews me up and spits me out. LOL.The Writing Buddies option is now open, so if anyone is doing NaNo and wants to add my I'm Sylirama

Follow Friday (15)

Follow Friday is hosted By Parajunkee.com and Alisoncanread.com

This week question is: 

If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

Tod Hudson from Soul Screamers!

He'd bring the pizza, we'd watch a silly movie. 
And maybe I'll have some apricot jam around, you know, to keep things interesting ^__~

~♥~
In other news, while I was lurking around blog and news sites I stumbled upon a post that showed The Hunger Games movie posters. 8 simplistic but gorgeous posters of the most important characters. And then, I hit jackpot when I found...
WALLPAPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously. Check them out. I have already downloaded them all and am now trying to figure out which one to use, or if to use one different each day x__X

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Harper Collins, 2011

Genre: YA Dystopia
Buy: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ TBD

Goodreads

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Waiting on Wednesday (16)

Waiting on Wednesday is the weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am eagerly waiting for...

Insurgent

by Veronica Roth 

Release Date: May 28 2012

Goodreads: 

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Teaser Tuesday (16)

Teaser Tuesdays is a meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. 

Stargazer

by Claudia Gray

I heard footsteps on the gravel outside and whirled toward the door as Lucas walked in.
He wore a denim jacket, black T-shirt, and jeans. His dark gold hair had grown slightly longer, but other than that he was the same. Looking at him felt like diving into a sun-warmed pool, filled with light. 

~

"How did you learn all this?"
Vic sighed. "See, while you spend all your time making out with Balthazar, and Raquel stays holed up with her art projects, and Ranulf's off studying his Norse myths again, I do something else. Something crazy. Something strange. I call it 'talking to other people.' Through this miraculous process, I am sometimes able to learn facts about two or three other human beings in a single day. Scientists plan to study my method."

Out Today!

 

Early Review: Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Between the Sea and Sky

Author: Jaclyn Dolamore

Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2011

Genre: YA Fantasy
Buy: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ TBD 

Goodreads

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

Musing Mondays (11) & It's Monday! (6)

 Musing Mondays is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

 This week’s musing is…
 

Do you listen to audiobooks? Why, or why not?
Umm, not really. I've listened to one or two, but it requires my absolute concentration and I'm more worried about understanding what the narrator is saying than about the story itself. The last audiobook I listened to was Reaper by Rachel Vincent, and I absolutely loved it. But really, I just like to read.

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey. Each week we share the books we have just finished reading, are currently reading, and are planning to read.

Just Finished Reading:

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
  Divergent by Veronica Roth
*Special thanks to GReads for the giveaway which allowed me to win Divergent!*

Currently Reading:

Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter

Planning To Read:

I won't be reading anything during November since I'll be devoting all my time to NaNoWriMo. If I do well and keep up with the word quota for each day I might sneak in a book...or two. Maybe not. It's my first time participating after all, and it's been a while since I've written anything, and what I've written in the past doesn't even reach the 10k word mark. So wish me luck! I'll need it!

Review: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass

(Hex Hall 2)

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Disney Hyperion, 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal
Buy: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ TBD

Goodreads

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

On My Wishlist (15)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. The idea is to list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

Blood of Requiem

Author: Daniel Arenson

Publisher: Moonclipse

Released: May 17 2011

Genre: Fantasy

Summary:

Long ago stood the kingdom of Requiem, a land of men who could grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem ruled the sky.

But Dies Irae, a tyrant leading an army of griffins, hunted Requiem's people, burned their forests, and shattered their temples. Requiem fell. This ancient land now lies in ruin, its halls crumbled, its cries silenced, its skeletons littering the burned earth.

In the wilderness, a scattering of survivors lives in hiding. The griffins still hunt them, and every day promises death. Will Requiem's last children perish in exile... or once more become dragons and fly to war?