Archive for June 2013

The Cutting Room Floor: The Beast - Prologue

One of my favorite blogs to read is Kelly Barnhill's blog (Author of Iron Hearted Violet). Her posts are amazingly well written and I think she makes me cry at least every other piece lol. I highly recommend that you follow her and read her stuff, because I look forward to those awesome notification emails to arrive.
     Her latest blog post, On cutting, and revising, and hanging on, and letting go, was all about those bits of our books that we resign ourselves to cutting-- even if it breaks our hearts. I recently went through this with my prologue. I fought with it, beat it, and thrust it on all of my critique partners. But in the end, it was decided that the story was stronger without it. For me, it was so painful to let go of that I simply removed it and placed it in a different folder lol.
     Kelly asked everyone to share something from our own WIPs in a way of honoring those words that we lost. I can't, of course, share my entire prologue. It's too long and it is a bit too soon to be sharing so much of The Beast this early. Maybe when I release the book, I'll share the lost prologue. For now, you'll just have to be happy with this delicious snippet. Happy reading :)

     Belle hurried passed the two guards and slowed once she entered the over-packed room. Chandeliers, lit with hundreds of candles, hung from the high reaching ceilings. The church was a mixture of shadows and flickering lights, giving it an ominous feel.
     Everyone huddled together, pushing to get a better look at the front of the standing room. Anxiety and fear was thick in the air. Those at the back kept glancing behind, as if they expected something sinister to sneak up on them. Wanting to see what caused the commotion, Belle improperly began pushing her way through the crowd.
     “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh! Philippians 3:2,” shouted a voice as Belle made it to the front.
     She froze, her eyes stuck to the ornate tiles before her. Covering the floor, as massive as a pony, lay a creature. A dog, but not a dog. Its fur was brown, shaggy, and wet. Belle’s eyes fell to its paws—so large one swipe could kill her.
     A friar dared to lean close to its mouth. Silence fell. Belle feared it would slay him with the quick snap of its jaws. The man sat backward onto his heels, a solemn expression upon his face. “The beast is dead.”

READERS Should Be Seen And Not Heard + Word Counts

Here I discuss how a reader's behavior can affect authors and their work, as well as other readers. Then I share my word counts. Links for more info below.

This Week's Giveaway: http://bit.ly/N1vSua
----TOPICS MENTIONED---
Authors Should Be Seen And Not Heard: http://bit.ly/124K3wW
Charlaine Harris Threatened By Fans: http://bit.ly/11XSnsU

---- MY BOOKS ---
The Beast: http://bit.ly/17B6J90
Sky: http://bit.ly/SdeMwJ

Music provided by Royalty Free Music

---- MY LINKS ---
Main YouTube Review Channel: http://bit.ly/1ag5dGm
Personal YouTube Vlog Channel: http://bit.ly/14IH76t
Website & Blog: http://lindsaymead.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Lindsay_Mead
Google+: http://bit.ly/qmtx7P
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/lU0rlI
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/gtIx9a
Business Inquiries & Review Requests email: exaulta@hotmail.com
---- DISCLAIMER ---
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use

Currently Reading & Just Finished: Inside Out & The Doomsday Vault

Boy, haven't done one of these in a long while. Wasn't this suppose to be weekly or something? lol. Well, I finished a book this morning and started a new one. I'm not posting a giveaway video this week because I worked morning shifts all weekend and, frankly, I'm tired. So I thought I would post about what I'm reading.
     Ok, I just finished THE DOOMSDAY VAULT by Steven Harper. I would certainly recommend this book. I love the steampunk, the action,
and the romance. This easily could have been pushed as a romance novel, but there isn't sex. There is kissing and some heart fluttering moments. It doesn't outweigh the plot or the action. I found it to be a great blend. My only real complaint is that the paragraphs are sometimes long. Long paragraphs often slow the pacing of a novel and are generally filled with stuff that could be cut out. So, some skimming aside, I had fun with this. I plan to read book 2 very soon. In fact, I already bought it :) Make sure you watch for my video review, which will be posted here: http://bit.ly/RN2j5n

*This book is Recommended. Below are my various ratings. They are hidden for space. ONLY THE 'SPOILERY THOUGHTS' CONTAINS SPOILERS. The other categories are safe to select.
My Spoilery Thoughts:
I loved Gavin. I loved that he could play the violin and that he loved to fly. I also liked that he didn't treat Alice as though she were delicate glass doll. I have no problem with a protective instinct in the male love interest. However, I think today it is taken way too far. A lot of male leads go from protective to controlling and downright degrading. Gavin never had these issues. I feel wholeheartedly that he would protect Alice, but he doesn't stand in her way either. If she says that she can handle something, he doesn't question it. In fact at the end he completely risks his and her life on faith in her mechanical genius. It's not very often that you see a male lead who has that much faith in the female lead. It was refreshing.

I'm totally saddened that Gavin is a clockworker. I'm holding out hope that they find a cure or that he somehow survives. Cuz that would be really depressing. Poor Alice.
Yes/No Checklist:
Sex: No
Gore: Some
Rape: Attempted
Magic: Steampunk and Zombie Plague
Drugs: Alcohol *Not much
Star Categories:
Romance: 4.5 Stars
Action: 4 Stars
Pacing: 4 Stars
Writing: 3.5 Stars *Knock it half a point for the long paragraphs.
Plot: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars
Protagonist Meter:
Damsel-------*---Badass
Both Alice and Gavin can handle themselves. They aren't badasses in hand-to-hand but they aren't "damsels" either.

    After finishing The Doomsday Vault, I picked up INSIDE OUT by Maria V. Snyder. My version is the INSIDE Omnibus (bind-up) version. I highly recommend getting the bind-up, because you get two books for only about $9. Which is a big reason I bought this series in the first place. I loved the cover on the bind-up, heard great things about the author, and it was super cheap. I just reached chapter 3 and I like it so far. The story is moving. I didn't intend to read 3 chapters this morning, but I just couldn't walk away. I had to know what was going to happen next. I really hope the rest of the book is this way.
     So that's what I'm currently reading and just finished. I read 25 books last year and, as of the last book, I'm at 19. According to Goodreads, I'm 6 books ahead of my goal of 30. Unless I hit a massive reading slump, I think I'm going to blow right past my goal.
     For those of you awesome peeps out there who read this whole post, I'd love to know what your reading and just finished. If you've read any of the books I mentioned or are fans of the authors, speak up! Give me your thoughts in the comments below!