Writer Tech

Hello there aspiring authors! Are you using Microsoft Word to place your lovely ideas? Here's an extremely useful tip I found over on Abby Annis' blog, which I am going to expand on now.

Are you tired of having to change all the styles, putting a new header and formatting your document or reusing the format for another document? If you have one account dedicated to writing, or if you use Microsoft Word primarily to write, then this tip's for you.

Option A: It consists of editing the master document template, which will appear every single time you open Microsoft Word, so you might not want to do this if you're hesitant. If you want this, start from Step 1.

Option B: If you're a student like me, you don't want to open a new document to have it as a manuscript format. Thus, the template. Open a new document. Skip all the way to Step 4. Proceed with all the steps. Save as a Microsoft Word Template anywhere you want, where you can access it. When you want to use it, just double click on that file! It'll open as a new Word document, so you won't risk accidentally editing the template.

Option C: Read all the steps and not sure how you're going to do it, but like the idea anyway? Leave a comment with your contact details, and I'll email you the template!

It's all about balance

I have blogged for two years now come this March.

Reread Retrospect 2

Where I review books I have recently read for the second time or more, and see how my thoughts have changed. This post is about a book I read in 2009, and one of the first reviews I posted here. Discussion of this series has increased in recent months due to the casting of a certain famous somebody's daughter in the movie adaptation, and the speculation of a Hollywood heartthrob as the love interest.

Presenting Cassandra Clare's CITY OF BONES.

In a nutshell: The mythology is compelling, kickass fighting, lucid descriptions. I kinda wish I was there. Full review here.

In retrospect: One of the most exciting books I've read all my life. The story leaves a lot to think about, even with the incest factor being thrown in at the last minute, which was frankly icky in an 'oh man, I don't think she'll go there, but I can't believe we have to wait two more books to see if she does go there... she won't go there right?' factor. The re-reading session consisted of 80% scrutinising every scene and wondering how it'll turn out on the silver screen, and the other 20% wondering how come I'm still reading it even though the ick factor is still there, though lessened by the knowledge of reading the other books.

If this book was a guy: He's sort of a history and thrill seeking dude, you know? He brings me to all these places with historical significance, and then proceed to jump off the nearby cliff into the waves. Kind of nutso. I've never met someone like him before. I'm still trying to decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and The French Kiss	Loved it	Graded
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Dutton
Elements: Romance, Boarding school, travel
Series: Book 1 in a trilogy featuring different protagonists

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more.

Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible.

The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

What can I say about this book that hasn't been talked about? I loved the learning journey that Anna took to learn more about the culture in Paris. From group trips with St. Clair and the crew to venturing out alone to theaters in the nearby area to check out English movies for review on her movie website, and as she got braver and believed in herself more, further out to other theatres. I loved that Anna was at first infatuated with St. Clair, then had a crush on him, which then grew as they got to know each other. I loved that when Anna got closer to St. Clair, she called him by his first name, but when she got mad, she changed back to his surname, putting some distance within them, even though it was a bit irritating at times. I loved that it was set in Paris. This story would have worked well if it wasn't set in Paris, but being set in Paris enhanced the romance factor.

There are many things I loved about ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, but there are some things I didn't like. Shocker, right?

This is just a personal bias of mine. There's one point during the climax of the story whereby St Clair makes out with Anna,

"If you ask me to kiss you, I will," he says.
His fingers stroke the inside of my wrists, and I burst into flames.
"Kiss me," I say.
He does.

and Meredith catches them. At that moment in the story, St Clair is still attached to his girlfriend, Ellie, and Anna knows this. After they get caught, Anna is all remorseful over what she has done. This is where I began to like Anna, because she's not acting like a prat and realises that she's made a mistake.

But St Clair.

While I understood the reasons why it happened and how it led up to this point, I don't agree with St Clair's decision to make out with Anna while he's attached, and that tarnished my view of him and brought his other faults into perspective. He was a well-rounded character, but this is the first instance where he is actually shown as having a fault. (No, being 3 inches shorter than Anna is not a fault.) I was relieved that he had a fault, and really, if he hadn't done it, I don't think I would believe in St Clair as a character because he would just be too perfect in Anna's eyes.

So, minus points for St Clair, but plus points for Anna because right then she realises (with narrative from the group of friends) that he had led both Anna and Meredith on. Yes, he liked Anna a lot, but he still led Meredith on. While he was still attached with Ellie. I'm glad that you see that he has a fault Anna, and not just me who saw that.

I'm repeating things, but suddenly his faults just seem to pile up and he doesn't seem perfect anymore. Because yes, while Anna and At Clair got their happy ending at that moment, I wonder about the future of their relationship. St Clair cheated on Ellie, he could cheat on Anna.

It frustrated me that Anna did not see this. *rereads the book* Yep, she did not see this. In fact, while her first thought was that Ellie had caught them, her other thoughts were like this:

“Meredith.” I moan. “Ellie.” How could we let this happen? He has a girlfriend, and we both have a friend who is in love with him—the secret that isn’t a secret and never has been.

Etienne jumps to his feet. His shirt is covered with dried grass. And then he’s gone. He races after Meredith, shouting her name. He disappears behind a copse of trees, and Josh and Rashmi are talking, but I don’t comprehend their words.

Did Etienne just leave me? For Meredith?

I can’t swallow. My throat is closing. Not only have I been caught with someone I had no right to be kissing—and not only was it the greatest moment of my life—but he’s rejecting me.

In front of everyone.

Uhhh. I understand how you feel, but still. And then after finding out that St Clair had gone to Ellie's place:

"Ellie. He's choosing Ellie. Again." 

Anna guuurrrlll. You're acting like a jealous girlfriend. You. are. not. his. girlfriend. Gosh, these girls and St Clair. What's so great about St Clair, huh? Nah, I'm just saying that, I know he's great, as has been pointed out nonstop by Anna. I still want to whack them three though.

In this aspect, I do believe Perkins has excelled because she has managed to set up a certain mindset for characters, then break that whole view but somehow enhanced and made them all feel human rather than just 3D caricatures of humans. Usually I would just be disgusted with St Clair and Anna's action and chuck the book to one side. But here, I want to analyse every single bit of everyone's relationship in this book.

Furthermore, she has also shown how all their relationships had grown, and how the group's dynamic changed with Ellie's departure and Anna's entrance. Poor Meredith. For Ellie to be out, and Anna to literally replace her. One of my favourite parts would have to be where Anna and St. Clair exchanged daily emails and calls to keep up with one another. Their relationship was growing exponentially, with the previous pages being the slow build up.

For character development, major plus points for Perkins.

After the climax was my favourite part of the story, because we got to see more of Josh and Rashmi. The parallel between Toph, Bridge and Anna's relationship as compared to St Clair, Anna, Meredith and Ellie's relationship was pointed out in the book, but the one between Josh and Rashmi's relationship when compared to what could happen to St Clair and Anna's relationship was subtle.

Both of the relationships focused on passion. While Anna and St Clair's was about the start of the relationship, Josh and Rashmi's were about the end of the relationship, and trying to keep their relationship intact in the face of separation as Josh would be left behind while Rashmi, as well as the others, graduated.

The resolution to that conflict was rushed, a scant 59 pages as compared to the 312 pages it took for Anna and St Clair to get to the next level, and I thought it could take more time to explain rather than vrooming into the happily ever after ending. But that's just me--I love the grovelling-after-conflict aspect of romance. And I also thought that there were loads more things to be explored, like St. Clair and his father's relationship, as well as Ellie and Rashmi's friendship, which had yet to be salvaged.

This was a fantastic debut. It brought romance to the forefront of YA books, and I appreciate that it didn't try to package itself as anything other than a romance. Perkins has skill, and she's not afraid to wield that power. I honestly believe she'll set herself up as the next powerhouse in YA romance.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Title: Paranormalcy	Loved it	Graded
Author: Kiersten White
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: HarperTeen
Elements: Polygamy, romance
Series: Book 1 of the Paranormalcy trilogy

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

I first heard of Paranormalcy somewhere in 2009/early 2010 because of the deal announcement made on the trilogy. Plots about teenagers who work for corporations that fight evil and/or capture things that go bump in the night always make me feel thrilled and kick-ass girly inside.

White balances the funny, spine-tingling and romantic moments with aptitude. I'm actually surprised, because while there are a lot of books with those three elements, there's none that actually manages to make me laugh one moment and literally tuck the covers around myself the next moment. And at the next, giggle at how cute the scenes are.

Take the opening:

"Wait--did you--You just yawned!" The vampire's arms, raised over his head in the classic Dracula pose, dropped to his sides. He pulled his exaggerated white fangs back behind his lips. "What, imminent death isn't exciting enoaugh for you?"

"Oh, stop pouting. But, really, the widow's peak? The pale skin? The black cape? Where did you even get that thing, a costume store?"

He raised himself to his full height and glared icily down at me. "I'm going to suck the life from your pretty white neck."

I sighed. I hate the vamp jobs. They think they're so suave. It's not enough for them to slaughter and eat you like a zombie would. No, they want it to be all sexy, too. And, trust me: vampires? Not. Sexy. I mean, sure, their glamours can be pretty hot, but the dry-as-bone corpse bodies shimmering underneath? Nothing attractive there. Not that anyone else can see them, though.

He hissed. Just as he reached for my neck, I tased him. I was there to bag and tag, not to kill. Besides, if I had to carry separate weapons for every paranormal I took out, I'd be dragging around a full luggage set. Tasers are a one-size-fits-all paranormal butt-kicking option. Mine's pink with rhinestones. Tasey and I have had a lot of good times together.

The vamp twitched on the ground, unconscious. He looked kind of pathetic now; I almost felt bad for him. Imagine your grandpa. Now imagine your grandpa minus fifty pounds plus two hundred years. That's who I'd just electrified.

That's an example of the funny.

You might think that it's a spoof of the whole paranormal genre. Let me assure you that it's not. There's no vampire bashing; instead, there's an appreciation and acknowledgement of the things that we are thinking but not applying when reading or watching those fabulous vampire novels.

In fact, there aren't a lot of vampires in PARANORMALCY. It is really refreshing to read about new creatures and venture out into new territory rather than focusing more on the existing mythical and fantastical creatures.

I suppose what I like most of all about PARANORMALCY is that the faeries etc are governed by the IPCA. They have rules that they have to confine to, and it works pretty well. What impresses me is that everyone is included. Fairies, werewolves, vampires, nymphs and so on. All of them have a place here in the human world. We're not swept away to a land where everything happens, and the human world is clueless. Everything happens in our backyard. And yeah, the human world is still clueless.

Now, the characters. So many amazing characters. Let's talk about the narrator, Evie. Evie is the epitome of a girly girl. She is also the epitome of a kickass heroine in the making. Why not now, you ask? Because Evie is still young. It's not that she's not mature, in fact she's probably more mature than some of us when we were at that age, because of her situation. She's already working at such a young age. In addition to schoolwork, whatever she wants, she earns using her own pay.

But catching scary things is not a life. And that's what Evie wants, a normal life according to the television and her favourite drama, 'Easton Heights'.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that she's inexperienced. But that's not what I'm going for. She's... not world-weary. She knows there's more to life than what she's experiencing, and she wants to try that life that she's heard about so much, that seems so wonderful and exciting. She wants to learn, discover and experience new things.

She has so much potential, and that's why I'm caling her a kickass heroine in the making. God, now I feel old and jaded. Evie is just positive and upbeat, that it's really hard to dislike her. So nice to read from such a character's point of view.

While I enjoyed the other characters (Lish, Lend, Raquel, Reth) my favourite has to be IPCA. Yeah, yeah, it's a building/ organisation but it has high tech and scientific stuff that makes the nerd in me freak out in glee and makes me want to run about the place unsupervised. I would love to see more of how IPCA works.

I think I'll stop here. So many other things I want to write about, but that would mean giving too much away. I think I hit some of the points that I wanted to convey, so... yeah. Read it! Tell me what you thought.

I'm not even that anxious waiting for SUPERNATURALLY. Pssh, anxious, me? Nawww, I still have many more rereads of PARANORMALCY to go, and that'll keep me satisfied while waiting for Book 2.

More Reth please?

Major Changes

It's the start of a new year, and this blog is going through some major changes to make it more active. It's always been my hope that this blog will be a place to spark discussion about the books reviewed, never mind spoilers.

1. Reviews
Now that I'm finally out of poly, the frequency of reviews can increase. I haven't felt comfortable blogging for the past few months because I've felt the pressure to keep the reviews unspoilerish. You know that feeling where you blog about this book, and you're talking about it but not really saying anything? I really can't do that, but I've been doing that. And it irritates me. It irritates me that I can't talk about a book fully, especially if it's out. But. I do understand that not everyone can get the books the moment it's out. And leaving major plot points are still pretty taboo. So I'll keep them to a minimum. Nevertheless, you heard it here first: the reviews are going to be long and full of spoilers, some in the form of direct quotes. That's your spoiler warning. Let's dissect that book like we're in literature class.
2. Reviews II
Leave the link of your review of the same book in the comments, and I'll place it below the review.
3. Comment contest
Here's where I need your help. I gotta give you guys some incentive to comment more. The deal:
• You comment on any post. Point out what you agree and don't agree. Your favourite parts. The books that are similar to to that which was reviewed. Recommendations. Your predictions for the next book. Anything that will spark a constructive discussion.
• I get an email saying that you commented.
• Here's the important part: At the end of every month, I will pick TWO
winners to win a selection of at least 5 pieces from my SWAG Cupboard, pictures below.




 
• One winner will be from US/CANADA/UK.
• One winner will be international, which here means outside of the aforementioned regions.
  
• But how will I know who is from where? On your first comment here every month, state where you stay. This is just in case your Blogger profile does not have that information. Example: "I really liked this book! I thought the characters were ______. US/CAN/UK/AUS/IND"
• Winners will be announced on the sidebar/ a sticky post above the sidebar and usual posts.
• The winners are emailed.
• You have three days to reply to my email with a mailing address. It must be in the region which you said you were from. If not, another winner will be drawn.
• I will ship those SWAG packs out, where they will hopefully get to you before either of us get too old.
4. Upcoming Releases, YA and MG authors
Authors! I need your help in completing these two lists. If you are not on either list, or you have an upcoming book, don't hesitate to email me or leave a comment here with those details. A plus: you get entered into the comment contest if you do the latter!
5. Affiliates
If you want to promote your blog on my blog, feel free to email me with your blog button and blog link. Or tweet me. Or leave a comment (and get entered into the contest!) I'll post them both on the sidebar.  

Th1rteen R3easons Why

...this fan made trailer works.

• The menace in the voice.
• Apt mood music.
• The scenes.
• It gives viewers hints of the story.
• The pauses.
• DUN DUN DUNs
• Click of the tape.
• How it got all quiet at the right moments.
• Consistent actors/actresses.
• Conciseness.
• THE EMOTIONS, OH HOW YOU MAKE ME FEEL.
• I really don't have any other reasons.
• Clay is pretty hot, assuming that the guy hwo puts on the headphones is Clay.

Reread Retrospect

Where I review books I have recently read for the second time or more, and see how my thoughts have changed. For this inaugural post, let's talk about a book that blew me away when I read the summary.

Presenting Sarah Rees Brennan's THE DEMON'S LEXICON.

In a nutshell: Love at first sight. That bad boy schtick has me swooning. Full review here.

In retrospect: THE ONE. Or in this case, the two. The magic doesn't fade away, and reading TDL is comfortable yet unexpected fun. Nick and Alan's relationship truly shine. I appreciate their bond, the way they work together seamlessly. Sure, TDL has hot guys and steamy scenes, and a wonderful universe with kick ass fight scenes (which is always a plus) but IT IS ALL ABOUT FAMILY, YOU GUYS.

If this book was a guy: TDL has heart, loads of heart in a hot body. All that tough exterior is just a facade. Well, not a facade. Those muscles and scars do not lie. Our dates have been super fun, all with their own special moments. Snuggles, book discussions and visits to the library, as well as a game of fencing or two and a trip to the goblin market. Which is totally fine with me! The mummy and sister have met him, and they love him. Will there be more dates in the future? Most definitely.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

Title: The Unidentified	Loved it	Graded
Author: Rae Mariz
Genre: Dystopian
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Elements: Technology
Series: Potential for a sequel

Kid knows her school’s corporate sponsors not-so-secretly monitor her friendships and activities for market research.

It’s all a part of the Game; the alternative education system designed to use the addictive kick from video games to encourage academic learning. Everyday, a captive audience of students ages 13-17 enter the nationwide chain store-like Game locations to play.

When a group calling themselves The Unidentified simulates a suicide to protest the power structure of their school, Kid’s investigation into their pranks attracts unwanted attention from the sponsors. As Kid finds out she doesn't have rights to her ideas, her privacy, or identity, she and her friends look for a way to revolt in a place where all acts of rebellion are just spun into the next new ad campaign.

I liked THE UNIDENTIFIED. It didn't sweep me away, but we had some good times. The story had so much potential to be truly amazing instead of just extremely good. And I wanted Kid to live up to my expectations of her, because she had so much potential to shine, but she chose to stay in the background and do things. Same case for the plot, which had a quiet but satisfying ending.

I realised that what I actually wanted was for the plot to be bigger! Flashier! And that was exactly what this book was talking about. The world that Kid lives in is a marketing world. Products and services are tailor made to get more attention. Everything has a 'wow' factor in the sense that it pops up and makes faces right in front of you. Aggressive selling in the guise of getting feedback and being branded.

This book is subtler than that. It works its quiet magic and left me quietly holding my breath, not quite gasping but breathless and contemplative about this world we live in. Twitter and Facebook seems to have melded with iPhones and credit cards to create a mega multi-purpose application that you know will be made soon enough.

Privacy's pretty much nonexistent, and it's not optional for those in the public eye. Scary part is that it's normal in Kid's world! Only twenty years ago people didn't know what the Internet was. Now, look at us tweeting and Facebooking our every. single. thought.

THE UNIDENTIFIED taught me that technology changes, and that the change will come sooner than expected. The way people live will change, and privacy is only a concept rather than reality. But people themselves? Their nature never changes.

Sure, we might adapt to a different society and if you put me in the Games, I will be excited. But only for a day or so. Okay, maybe a week.So here comes the questions.

How does one get into the Games? Is it implemented all over the country? Is there a Games headquarter somewhere? Where can I get that cool intouch? How do the students count or do science or figure out how things work when they don't study? Okay, wait, that was answered in the book: via an arcade game. Does being branded mean that you're a celebrity?

And most importantly, what is life like outside the Games, in that same universe?

Those are the questions I want answered before I sign away all my rights and ideas and personal belongings to be part of this world. On second thought...