Thick As Thieves Is Here!!

When I wrote my last blog post, I had no idea that I was missing the best book of the summer! I fell in love with The Queen's Thief series five or six years ago, and I had no idea how long I would have to wait for the next book in the series.

One of the things I love best about this series is its fans. The books are awesome because of the unexpected twists and turns. Knowing what happens would destroy that, so there is a pact of silence among us. Although I am sure there are many spoilers out there on the internet, you won't get them from us!

I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

And now, with a drumroll please...
Book 5!

It is sitting in my reading basket, and I'm just waiting for the right time to let myself get transported back to Attolia. Or Sounis. Or Eddis. As the case may be. 😄

Summer Reading List 2017

Hi! It's been SUCH a long time since I posted. I'd had dreams of starting to post again with the A-Z challenge, but it is already April 21, so I missed that boat for sure.

I'm going to keep this post as simple as I can. I can usually spend HOURS on To Be Read lists, and I don't want to burn myself out on my first post back. That means no links, and no book descriptions, at least on this first day. Instead, let me tell you a little bit about what you might find in this list.

This is a purely YA list. I've taken a break from YA lately, and read Middle Grade, and even some adult (gasp!). But I'm starting to miss it, so I've compiled a list of YA--hopefully mostly sweet YA. The list appears to be a pretty solid mix of contemporary, fantasy and speculative. Enjoy!

Two Summers by Aimee Friedman 

For the Record
Going Geek
by Charlotte Huang

What To Say Next by: Julie Buxbaum

Orphan Queen
by Jodi Meadows

The Girl from Everywhere
by Heidi Heilig

The Darkest Hour
by Caroline Tung Richmond

Always and Forever Lara Jean
by Jenny Han

allegedly
by Tiffany D. Jackson

Venegeance Road
by: Erin Bowman

Done Dirt Cheap
by Sarah Lemon

The Sun Is Also A Star by
Nicola Yoon

and last, but not least....

A Million Worlds Without You

by Claudia Gray

If you haven't read A Thousand Pieces of You yet, I recommend you start with that one. A Million Worlds With You is the third book in the Firebird trilogy, which I love!

What books are you reading this summer? Comment below!

Melanie's Summer Reading List 2015

I'm trying to ease my way back in to this whole blogging thing, and I'm hoping that will help ease me back into the whole writing thing.  Life has gone pirouetting out of my control in these last few months, and I've landed in a whole new world--a good world, but one I'm not ready to talk about yet. I'm starting with something a little easier:

Melanie's Summer Reading List

Dorothy Must Die is one of those books I might put down after 10 pages. 

But it has caught my eye just enough times that I've got to give it a chance.

 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before caught me off-guard--I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. So I'm exited to read the sequel--P.S. I Still Love You.

Sequel to The Winner's Curse, which I loved.

 

I am a Bones fanatic, and I've always wanted to read something by Kathy Reichs. But I almost always hate modern books written for adults, so I never tried. Kathy kindly fixed that problem by writing a series for young adults. I just finished Virals, and I'm looking forward to Seizure.

I was attracted to this book because it looked like a Jennifer E. Smith cover.

Of course, once you start looking, you'll realize that her covers are getting copied right and left.

But I've got my fingers crossed.

It's a sad, lonely looking list...usually I've got dozens. But I'm kind of out of touch with all my reader peeps, so if you've got something I might enjoy, please leave me a comment!

Time Off

I am taking a week or two off from blogging. We've had some rough seas for the past while, and finding our way out of them is keeping us plenty busy.  I'll miss you all, and will try and update soon. Have a great week!

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk as a way for writers to connect with other writers. You can join by using the link on their website.

What I've Been Reading

I am almost finished with Darkness Watching by our own Emma L. Adams. I'm enjoying it very much, and think it will be the first of many books I read by her. When I finish, I plan to start This Shattered World. Yay!

What I've Been Writing

I wrote the first page of my new book, Lost Magic. It wasn't much, but it was a start. 

What Works For Me

I don't know if this works for me, actually, but I'm about to try the Turtle Method of writing. I just made that up, by the way. But the Turtle Method is where I try to do something every single day to get this book written. Even if it's only a page, or half an hour of writing, I need to get going if I'm ever going to build momentum. I'm buying myself some stickers today so I can add them to my calendar.  

What Else Is New

Last week I raved about how nice it was to finally get to watch some TV, after months without a break. Well, I've never been known for my moderation, and I kind of went off the deep end with Gilmore Girls this week--hence the only getting one page written. I think I'm ready to get back into the real world though. Cross your fingers for me.

**After reading Jaime's plea that we all try to comment, I decided to mention something. I've got a problem. It's probably something with an easy fix, but I haven't figured it out yet. I was just trying to comment on Katy Upperman's blog, and somehow, my comment vanished into the ether, the way it does almost every week. Her blog is not the only one I have that problem with. It seems like it's the same ones again and again. Always wordpress blogs, but not all wordpress blogs. I've always wondered if the comments were getting screened first, and if they appear after a few hours, but I don't think that's the case.  I'm mentioning this here and now, because of Jaime's plea that we take the time to comment on blogs. I try hard to comment on as many as I can every week, and I feel really badly that there are some WUW bloggers who have no idea how much I enjoy their blogs. I've always wondered how I could let them know, so if anyone knows what I'm doing wrong, I would love to know. Does anyone else have this problem?** 

What's Up Wednesday--In Which I OUTLINE A BOOK!!!

What's Up Wednesday is a blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk as a way for writers to connect with other writers. You can join by using the link on their website.

What I've Been Reading

I read Requiem for a Gypsy, a murder mystery set mainly in Slovakia, with several forays into the rest of Europe. I chose to read it because helpful books and websites about the modern day Roma are few and far between. I enjoyed the book. From a purely research standpoint, it was the most helpful thing I've read, but it still wasn't very helpful. Though the Roma were in it, the titled gypsy was a metaphorical gypsy, not a real one. I'm thinking about rereading Vodnik, a wonderful fantasy set in Slovakia. I should have done that from the start, but who knew I'd have such a rough time finding information? 

What I've Been Writing

I outlined yesterday!!!!!!!! I was at the dentist, waiting for my kids, and finally I ran out of excuses. Now I know why I've been dragging my feet so much--this is a complicated story I'm trying to write. One of the character's stories happens out of sync with the other characters, so I think I'm going to have to tell it by flashbacks. In fact, late last night I decided it might simplify everything if his whole story is a mystery the other characters need to solve. Also, there are a boatload of POV characters. I can't say much more at this point, except to say that...I'm writing the sequel to Hidden Magic! It's finally happening!

What Works For Me

When I'm researching a setting, I find that reading fiction gives me a much better sense of place than nonfiction does. Nonfiction doesn't supply me with the details, or the sensory images I need to place myself somewhere I've never been (I've never made such a huge leap as trying to write a story in Slovakia. I'm really terrified, and wish I could afford to go there and do some research. But I'm not, so fiction is the next best thing.)  

What Else Is New

On Monday, I finally had three hours to myself. It has been months and months, and I was in dire need of some ME time. I'd thought I would get it over a week ago, but then there were snow days and sick days and teacher work days, and my kids stayed home so much they very nearly forgot they went to school at all. On Monday I had a list of things to do as long as my arm, but I ignored it. Instead I lay on the couch and watched three and a half episodes of Gilmore Girls. I can't believe what a huge difference that has made in my mental health. I even had the headspace to OUTLINE yesterday! I'm a writer again!

What's Up Wednesday--Snow Day!

What's Up Wednesday is a blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk as a way for writers to connect with other writers. You can join by using the link on their website.

What I've Been Reading

I finished The Winner's Curse. I really liked it, and just requested the sequel from my library. I finally started reading The Whispering Skull. I'm only on chapter 3, but it's awesome. The only thing that's off-putting is how long it's been since I read a book with no romance. Maybe I should do that more often.

What I've Been Writing

I wrote a paper about the history of special education...Does that count? Yesterday was supposed to be my big jump back into the world of fiction writing, but then there was this big blizzard, and instead I had four kids at home. Today is a snow day too, but I might take the plunge anyway. My goal was to finish outlining my new book by the end of January. How did February get this close?

What Works For Me

Reading what works for you. I'm hoping for some great outlining inspiration when I visit the WUW blogs today. This section of WUW often flummoxes me, so it's incredible how often I am inspired by what you all have to say. 

What Else Is New

Snow! Lots and lots of snow! Photography is not a talent of mine, but here's a picture of my husband and my neighbor clearing a path between our houses. My amazing neighbor always has a party at her house on the afternoon of snow days. I don't know who likes it more--the kids or the moms. Even the teenagers look forward to it.

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk as a way for writers to connect with other writers. You can join by using the link on their website.

What I'm Reading

I just finished reading This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith. I have fallen in love with this author. I love the slow, sweet development of her stories. This one is actually a lot faster paced than her other two books. I loved it.

What I've Been Writing

Nothing. Again. This week though.  For almost sure. (How's that for a goal?)

What Works For Me

I rely on those few minutes between awake and asleep to revel in whatever story I am writing. I never really noticed until these past few weeks when I haven't had any particular story on my brain, and now I spend it thinking "What should I be thinking about? What do normal people think about?" until I finally drift off.

What Else Is New

I started a college class yesterday, and I spent most of the week getting oriented to this crazy new life. It's been 17 years since I last stepped foot in a class. I've also been working full time, and will continue to work full time until Friday. My children are ill-prepared for a mother who is this busy. It's got to be good for them though. If I live through it. Let's just say that most of them were well-intentioned, but less than helpful, and leave it at that.