Aug 31, 2016

Monthly Re-Cap: August 2016

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 


Can you believe that August is over already? Wow this year is flying by. I live the Autumn season so I am happy to see summer go and ready for all the fall colors, pumpkin flavored things, and Halloween to be here. What is your favorite season?? Are you sad to see summer go? Happy to have kids back to school? 😜 Are you going back to school?! Let me know 😁

Link me up in the comments section! 

 

     ~~Books Read in August~~     

BatDad: A Parody   The Toad   A Fierce and Subtle Poison     Harley Quinn (2013-) #30  Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harleys (2016-) #4  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (Harry Potter, #8)   Razzle Dazzle Unicorn: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure   Harley Quinn (2016-) #1 Harley Quinn (2016-) #2 Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things



How did I do on my August TBR?
Um not good...I read 2 of the 6 books I posted, but I only wanted to read 4/6 so I did 50% ... not the worst but I am not impressed with myself.
 
It was also ARC August and I only read about 2 ARCs - thus the huge TBR, it was a rough month 😔


~~Links to Some Reviews~~
        
      ~~ August Reviews From Books Read in July ~~ 
      •  Razzle Dazzle Unicorn (Heavenly Nostrils) by Dana Simpson (GN)
      • Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (Adult) 

          Aug 30, 2016

          Building the Book Pile #200: When you finally realize I am a slacker


          Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

          Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

          I suck at this whole reading/ blogging thing lately - it has been an uphill battle for me this month so my TBR pile is still a pile 😕 but I have been trying to read. I owe you a review for Furiously Happy from last week, and as you can tell my Book Pile post is a few days late. 

          I know I never officially announced anything, nor did I really go into any details, but I was pregnant and miscarried at about 10 weeks into my pregnancy and since then we have been trying to keep busy/ clean up our lives a bit as we deal with the emotions and my hormones trying to go back to normal, all while kind of falling apart at the same time. So reading and blogging have slightly taken a backseat to other things - sorry about that. I really appreciate those of you who come and visit me here and am sad when I can't interact.

          Anywho...that being said, I spent my weekend cleaning up my house, driveway, and mowing the lawn instead of reading like I need to and then I forgot to write this post -so you are getting it now. Better late than never right?! I hope you are all well and having a wonderful summer but I am SO ready for autumn to be here so I have more fun things to occupy me (Fall festivals, Halloween, Halloween parties, Thanksgiving)

           

           I  hope that all of YOU had a wonderful week!
           
            Giveaways on Cover2CoverBlog!

          None right now, more coming soon   

          Coming up on the Blog... 

          Yesterday: Interview and Excerpt with Nicky Peacock
          August Re-Cap
          September 2016: TBR
           Recent Reads: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (Adult)

           
                

               Books Received this Week

              


          Cartonzia Tales #1 by Various - from VT Comic Con (Link to the site, not available on Goodreads)
          Harley's Little Black Book #4 by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner- Bought
          Hazel Grey / The Legend of Largox / The Shadow of Largox / The Fire of Largox by Asher Kite - from VT Comic Con (Not available on Goodreads)
           
          Have you missed anything lately?

          Week of August 21 - August 26

                                              Aug 29, 2016

                                              Blog Blast: Interview and Excerpt from Nicky Peacock


                                              Hello Readers! Another fun day of Book Content for You!
                                              Today I have the pleasure of sharing an interview with Nicky Peacock author of The Battle of the Undead Series and new release Lost in Wonderland, Book #1 in The Twisted and the Brave Series. I also have an excerpt from Lost in Wonderland for you. 

                                              Excerpt is recommended for ages 14+ due to violence and adult situations.
                                              Could you first tell us a little more about yourself?  
                                              I’m an English author based in the UK. I was first published back in 2012, although I’d been trying to get published pretty much all my life. I write urban fantasy, horror and paranormal romance for both YA and adult markets. I’m most interested in writing stories that have a sharp dark edge to them. I grew up in a mid-sized town and didn’t have access to help or mentors for my writing, so I’ve decided to become that person for local writers. I run a busy adult writers’ group and also volunteer to run creative writing workshops for local schools and colleges.

                                              Why did you decide to start writing? What was your inspiration for Battle of the Undead?
                                               
                                              I love both vampires and zombie stories, but when I looked around to try and find a book that featured vampires fighting for humans in the zombie apocalypse, I found none. There were plenty that had supernatural creatures together, but none that showed what it would be like if True Blood meet The Walking Dead. So I wrote it.

                                              How did you come up with the plot for Battle of the Undead?  And did you do any research before writing your book?
                                              Vampires tend to be old, and I loved the idea of having sworn enemies having to work together for survival. I included themes of magic VS science as well as having a protagonist that would have to change her ingrained ways to help the vulnerable people around her. I did research on character traits and London, where it’s mainly set. I had the action centred around specific tourist sites that most readers would recognize and be interested in. I’d love to say that I did some zombie research by entering zombie runs, or trying out those live action role play events, but I just don’t have the courage for something like that!

                                              Was there anything really challenging about the writing of this story? Any obstacles you might have run into?
                                               Not so much with the Battle of the Undead books, but I did with Lost in Wonderland. My protagonist, Mouse, has the fear of being lost, which is my fear. It’s a hard one to explain really to most people, especially with cell phones and satnavs easily available to stop people getting lost, but it can be crippling, no matter how confident and brave you are in other facets of your life. I channeled my thoughts and feelings through her in certain scenes, and it proved to be difficult, but worth it. I think it perhaps gave her a vulnerable vibe that made her more endearing to readers.

                                              What is your favorite part about the writing process? Do you have a special writing spot?
                                               
                                              I love plotting and coming up with ideas. I just get frustrated that I don’t have the time to execute all of them – I have to prioritize. I try to write outside my home as there are too many distractions – cleaning, cooking, watching TV. I have a fabulous battery life on my laptop so love going to different pubs, cafes and places of interest in my area. I find that I can concentrate more with the sort of white noise of people around me.

                                              Is there anything about you that would surprise your readers – hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc.?
                                              I’m a bit of a shopaholic and can easily spend every day all day shopping. I prefer tea to coffee and will only eat animals that I think would eat me – if given the chance! I love badminton, but am competitive so can only play with strangers, I’d ruin friendships if I played with friends!

                                              If you could spend time with any author, who would it be and why?
                                              I do spend time with another local author, Jane Issac. She writes adult thrillers and is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. It’s lovely to spend time with someone who writes; those outside the business tend to have misconceptions about it. Also, being an author can be very lonely, so having a cup of tea with someone navigating those same literary waters can be wonderful.

                                              What are you reading right now? Do you have any book recommendations for the young adult/ new adult reader?
                                               
                                              I’ve been reading Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers. I love her books; they are teen historical fiction with a splash of urban fantasy.