Are Authors the New Rock Stars?

I don't know how middle and high schoolers are now, but books weren't the high topic at the lunch table back then for me, and I don't remember hearing much discussion from my peers. My crowd enjoyed music, like a ton! I'll admit it, when I read, it was for class; it wasn't for fun.

Sadly enough, I didn't really start loving words until I read the Harry Potter series and then came the Twilight Saga. That's when my book collection started and I haven't stopped devouring words since.

Was literature discussed as much before Harry Potter? I assume so; however, it seems like reading is the talk of the town now, and in all age ranges, to boot.

Many movies these days are brought to a theater near you because of books. Goodreads floods the internet with countless reviews to tempt our reading fancy. E-books are available at the click of the mouse.  

Has reading taken over the world on a higher scale than it was ten or fifteen years ago? If so, great! If not, no worries!

Are authors the new rock stars? I'd agree with that statement. 

Hugs

Writing Jewels

Lesson in Bravery

First of all, don't forget to enter to win one of two signed copies of my novel, Félicité Found, on Goodreads. Good luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Félicité Found

by Julia King

Giveaway ends September 30, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Now to the meat of the post...

I can be quite the sassy little brave-ster sometimes. Yeah, it takes some (ok, a lot of) mental coercion and talking myself into it, but it happens. 

 

My most recent act of bravery was this:

 

There's this guy I've been interested in for some months now. Oh, man, I have been smitten. Finally, after many a nice conversation, I was bold and asked this man of super hotness and intense intellect out. He accepted. We had a fun time. Is this relationship going to go any farther than the driveway? I think not, unfortunately. But, dear friends, I put myself out there and tried for something I wanted.

 

This is how I've felt about writing.

• First, I had an idea for a book.
• I started type, type, typing.
• I finished said book and started revising and editing. A lot. And a lot more with tons of peoples' critiques.
• I queried book.
• After countless rejections, I received that blessed agent call with the "yes".
• I parted ways with agent, but that's ok! :)
• I self-published the book instead.
• I'm happy.

Things may go a different path than you think, but you will never know what will happen unless if you try.

 

So TRY! Be brave! Start writing your story. Send out that query letter. And conquer this world!

 

Tell me your acts of bravery. 

 

Hugs

 

Writing Jewels 

Giveaway Giveaway Giveway of My Novel!

Hey y'all!

I want to let you in on a cool secret (well, not so secret now).

I'm giving away paperback copies of my novel, Félicité Found, on Goodreads.

You could be a proud owner of one of two signed paperback copies of my little cupcake.

Enter to win on the below entry form!

While you're at it, you can add my little lovely to you Goodreads to-read list.

And you can spread the word about the giveaway too. I'd probably smile super big if you did. :D

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Félicité Found

by Julia King

Giveaway ends September 30, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

If you can't wait to win the book, you can purchase it at these sites:

 

Amazon.com

 

B&N.com

 

Good luck and have a great Thursday!

Hugs

Writing Jewels 

A Must Read --> The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I recently finished the book "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. I enjoyed the book so much that I had, absolutely had to share it on my blog. First of all, isn't the cover gorgeous? The colors and whimsical nature of the artwork matches the book to the T, especially with the tent being held in a hand... Oh, just thinking of all the magical properties held within it's masterful pages makes goose bumps rise on my arms. I wish there was really a circus like the one depicted in the book. I'd go, for sure.

 

Anyway, here is the synopsis found on Goodreads:

 

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

 

Are you pulled in now, ready to be whisked into the exquisite world of magic and illusions? Oh, you should be!

 

This is the short review I wrote on my Goodreads account:

 

"Oh. My. Gosh. This. Book. Was. Phenomenal! What more can I say than YOU MUST READ THIS OR YOU WILL DIE of shame and disappointment for never tasting of it's impressive brilliance. I loved the development of the characters and how their stories were woven together going back and forth in time. I loved it all! I want to go to The Night Circus so bad in hurts. Ok. Ready. Set. Read."
 

Have you read The Night Circus? Are you interested in reading it now? Read any good books lately?

 

Writing Jewels

Book Cover Salivating

I stopped by Barnes and Noble last Saturday in hopes of purchasing one of a few books I've wanted to read for a while (unfortunately, they weren't in stock. Phooey), but I spotted a book cover that turned in to one of those Oh-My-Gosh-I-Have-to-Read-This-Book moments. The thing is I hadn't even read the inside of the dust sleeve to check out what the substance of the book was all about. But I knew, absolutely knew, I had to read it. It wasn't even a question of is this book going to be good or not, it was a question of Oh-My-Gosh-I-Have-to-Read-This-Book. And just because of the cover I was whooped.

By golly--I judged this book by it's cover--and the judgement was GOOD!

Anyway, I know I'm making this sound like I snatched up the book, raced to the cash registers, zoomed home as fast as I could, curled up in my bed, and devoured every single last page in one setting, but I didn't buy the book. Wow, if that wasn't anticlimatic, you say. I'll explain...

Why I didn't by the said book is my practical side won out telling me I don't really have the money to buy a book right now cuz I'm trying to save money. The practical voice in my head (I'm not crazy, promise. Although I am an author and do have characters talking to me) said: "You have other books at home that you haven't read that you can read."

Darn my practicality winning out.

 

However, I did learn something supercool about my iPhone's GoodReads app. That being: I can scan the bar code and *boda bing bada boom* it shows up on my to-read shelf. Brilliant.

Anyway, you're probably wondering which book it is that captured my attention so intensely. I will tell you now, or rather show you...

 

Seriously, isn't the cover for "Splintered" by A.G. Howard amazing? And the thing about the cover is (at least this is how it is in hardback version) it has this sort of shiny sparkle to it. Just thinking about the art gracing this book's cover makes my tongue salivate.

I add the GoodReads synopsis just for your reading pleasure; it seems like an interesting Alice in Wonderland basis for a story.

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Anyway, I hope the book shines out in content as much as the cover displays in vibrant colors and, well, bugs. 

Has a book ever made you breathless like this book did to me? Do you buy books just because the cover awed you? I have to admit many of the books I have read have followed that scenario. Book covers sell books, at least I think so. What's your opinion on book covers?

Writing Jewels