Hooked on a book 2

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

Hi,

Ok, So I have been really naughty. As soon as I finished reading Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead I began reading the second in the series, Frostbite. Oh my god! I did it in a day but that’s not what the OMG is for. That OMG is for, well it’s simple, I mentioned before the books are very well written.

Chapter 22 definitely had me shed a few tears. It is so written in such a raw way. The voice, is beautifully distinct throughout and the world is painted so beautifully.

I realise, that Richelle mead paints her world in a very similar way, she paints it with emotion, or she uses emotion to define her tone in such a confident way that the image and the characters each have their distinct definition.

It makes me wonder, that if you write in a world of emotion like that, just what is your perspective on life. Through someones writing, you can discover how they see the world, how that by reading that you have a chance to see through someones eyes, a window. If that is how you read the world, in an emotional way, than like me, the second book will have you turning the page totally absorbed ignoring all distractions. If not, I would love to see through someones eyes when they read it when their perspective is somewhat different, less emotionally charged and connected.

Now this post is short and sweet for a reason, I want to go and read the third in the series now, called Shadow Kissed…

See you on the other side!

Hooked on a book

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

Ok, so Richelle Mead has ruined my schedule!

So, here’s the deal, I was going so well recently with my writing/editing schedule, then it arrives. I had ordered the book box set of Vampire Academy as a special treat for doing a couple of exams for work last week. So, it arrives, immediately I am so incredibly tempted by the beautiful designs and fairly uniformed covers, and I know  already, never judge a book by its cover. It doesn’t matter.

I opened the book and bam! There goes my writing schedule, my editing schedule and what was left of my social life and free time outside of work. It took three days, no thanks to having to work, which for those three days I have really truly resented because this book had me hooked. It’s been a while since I read something that got me so hooked, last time it was the Hunger Games and the time before that, to a mildly obsessive level was Harry Potter. Though while I do read, these ones are the ones that had me hooked and on pinterest looking at cool bits connected to it like tattoos and funny quotes.

Well anyway, I started reading the book, I got hooked. While I know a few people who have said they find a Russian accent somewhat intimidating and scary, I however find it attractive. Mind you I do find certain accents are quite attractive (Polish, Russian, Romanian that kind of accent but its not an extensive list mind.) which probably has to do with some family thing. Anyway, I am getting side tracked. What I wanted to say was, I found that the Rose/Dimitri relationship was one that I found myself rooting for, but then again, I am all for a reckless girl doing what feels right/natural…

But what really impressed me was how the topic of mental health was questioned, particularly Lissa’s. It was great to see it tackled in a realistic and mature way, with enough guidance that encourages others to reach out for help. It is great for the teenage girl who could read that and understand their behavior from it.

The whole book was great, with three days of broken reading  (would have happily sat and spent a whole day reading it) the very next morning I began reading book two Frostbite.

My schedule is looming and I am behind deadlines but right now I am almost half way through and hooked on this story like an idiot.

So now, as soon as I post this, I am going to go put on my onesie, drink my cup of tea, and read…

 

And just in case you were curious, I found out that I passed my exams hence my over indulgence in reading when I should be doing other things, but its a special treat… and yes I am still smiling because I passed the exams and I don’t have to do them again! One step at a time?

The Road of Agent Hunting

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

Well, I figure I might as well continue this agent hunting talk.

So, I might as well confess; it has taken me a long time to have enough confidence to approach agents. On a personal level, well, I wasn’t the most confident of people, often described as shy or timid, it seemed like getting the confidence to approach an agent was something that might never happen.

Well, then something changed you say, yes it did, or to be specific, I did. I slowly have grown in confidence, enough at least to start agent hunting. Yes that valiant quest that occupies my mind.

It took a lot of time, and patience with myself to grow and nurture my writing and myself. The thing is, I have never ever doubted my stories. The doubt has never been placed in the stories. When I speak shyly about them, my doubt is placed in myself.

There is less doubt now, because well, if I can love these stories, and these stories came from me, they are worthy, and by extension I am worthy enough to present them and share them and expose them to the world enough. So now I am trying to do my best, for them, for the every secret and their every passion that ignited my own.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012KLKF7O

Agent Hunting

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

Well, I finally decided to take the leap and hunt for the next step. That is to say, if it were a step, it feels more like a giant leap into the unknown. It all feels suddenly so very real and intimidating, and all I can do now is hope for the best.

Each agent has a list of requirements for how your work should arrive, how it should look and what you should have included. Something as simple as a regular cover letter suddenly seems like a mountain, and a CV?

How do you write your writer’s CV? A genuine question, I have no answer, all I could think of doing was to hopefully show some of my own personality in that brief one page here I am this is who I am.

To be honest, the most important part of all of this is the writing of the story itself, no wait, the most important part is the story. It is the story that brought you to this point, not your own ambition or pursuit of some long awaited destiny.

The story is the most important thing, its something you believe in and when you are finally, truly ready to share it that’s when it gets really scary.

I imagine it’s the same sort of anxiety of raising a child and hoping you did your job well enough that it can go on to do great amazing things beyond what you could ever have dreamed for it.

And now in no man’s land, I watch and wait and hope my story is a damn good fighter without me.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012KLKF7O

AT LAST ITS HERE!!!

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

Its here!!!! ITS FINALLY HERE!!!

 

The final instalment of the Coryburn Girls is here! I am so excited and sad all at the same time, it’s the final time I will be announcing with excitement the release of another Coryburn book! But that is ok, because there will be more to come. More blogs, more stories more whinging about having to edit because I am planning a release of something totally different to what I have done before. Something that took me right out of my comfort zone and made me really embarrass myself; blush at the totally different side to writing that I hadn’t experienced before.

But I shouldn’t be talking about that, no I am talking about the Coryburn Girls… well they really got themselves in a jam in this one, and even I don’t know what happens once we turn the last page, its totally for you to decide what is going to happen next what happens afterwards? I want you to dream it and imagine it; I want you to see a world beyond the stories, where does everyone go? What does everyone do?