Do You Write What You Read/Like?

I'd like to think of myself as a prolific reader. I've ventured into many different genres (MG, YA, Adult, Suspense, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Dysopian, Fantasy, Paranormal, etc...). I enjoy everything from Brandon Mull to Stephenie Meyer to Dan Brown.
But, my favorite genre to feast upon is YA, more specifically anything with a fantastical or paranormal element. I like these books because they place me right smack in the thick of a different world. It's enjoyable to read different twists and takes on supernatural beings. I love to wrap my mind thoroughly into the realms of these stories. And I do. When I finish a book, I typically think about it for days afterward.

With all this said, I write what I read/like, at least in the YA arena. My first book is a YA Paranormal Romance. The one I'm editing is an Urban Fantasy. I've also got a few other ideas up my sleeve--a YA Dystopian, YA Sci-Fi, and another YA Paranormal Romance.

I could definitely never write a Contemporary piece of literature. People wouldn't get past the second page if I did. Writing something non-fiction would make me dig my eyes out with a spoon (no offence to non-fiction writers). I don't think I have it in me to write an Adult work because I adore being in teenagers minds far too much. That sounded weird, I know.

So, do you write what you read/like? Have you ever tried to write something that doesn't fall under your typical reads? How do you decide what genre you write?

Writing. Jewels.

Reading Habits

The other day, I visited the lovely Julie Glover's blog. She answered the following questions from a tag. I decided to take a stab at them, too. 

If you could live in a fictional world, where would that be?

There's a series called Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. It is a middle grade fantasy and is brilliant. It's about these two kids who end up spending time at their grandparents house. While there they find out that it's a reservation for fantastical creatures like witches, faeries, trolls, etc... If I could have all of the fun characters in tow, I'd love it all the more. Sigh.

Do you read in noisy or quiet places?

It depends. I'll read cuddled up in my bed all toasty warm or on my lunch break in the hall. Yet, I do go on what I call "Reading Walk-a-thons". The name of it explains all. It's not as hard to walk and read as you'd think. :D I also will read while I workout at the gym. Helps me to get through the agonizing experience. haha

What was the first book you ever read?

Oh, this is a tough one... I can't think back that far. I'll say the first book I read and really liked was "The Plant that Ate Dirty Socks." It's playful, fun, and great for kids (and kids at heart ---> like me).

If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Religion aside, it would have to be Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love this book tons.

Favorite Author?

Ok, I'm gonna shake things up a bit. Normally, I'd say Ayn Rand, but J.K. Rowling is the author who got me reading (Well, to be honest, it was Stephenie Meyer). But, Rowling turned out to be a stepping stone to get me excited about reading. It only took a few more years before I was gobbled up by words.

Do reviews influence your choices of reads?

I don't read reviews. At. All. I don't want them to influence if I like or don't like a book. I may ask people I know if it's good or about content. But, in general, I steer clear from reviews.

Fiction or Non-fiction?

Fiction in. Non-fiction out. I like living in make believe worlds. Plus, Non-fiction books don't grasp my attention. I tend to fall asleep reading them. No offence to Non-fiction writers.

Have you ever met your favorite author?

I've met many an author but not Ayn Rand, J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. But I've met Kiersten White, Ally Condie, Shannon Hale, Beth Revis, Andrea Cremer, Brandon Mull, Brenna Yovanof, and Elana Johnson. And I've seen Scott Westerfeld speak (haven't actually met him--total bummer). It's fun to meet authors. It's just fun to be around authors. Such great energy.

Audio books or Paperback?

Both. I always have an audio book playing in my car while I drive around. Thanks to the local library. I do this to multi-task. I have so many books I want to read that this helps me to scratch them off my list quicker. However, I do listen to many that I've already read or own.

Classic or Modern Novels?

I read both. Not classic as much as I should. I try, though. I do read a lot of genres from MG to Adult. I don't stick to just one genre. I tend to read more YA than anything because it's what I write.

Book groups or Solitary Reading?

I've been in a book club before, but I'd rather read as I wish. If I had more time available, I'd enjoy book groups more. For now, I'm a solitary reader. Not to say that I don't talk to friends who've read them before, especially if the book is awesome.

If you could invite three dead authors to a dinner for four, whom would you invite?

Jane Austen, Ayn Rand, and William Shakespeare. Great authors. Why not have an evening with them. Plus, I'd be the talk of the town for having brought them back from the dead. Nice.

Now, what are your reading habits?

Writing. Jewels.

Fictional Love Triangles: Which Team Are You On?

Love triangles are ever so sweet, don’t you think? Two guys fighting over one girl. Tender, huh? Wouldn’t we all like to be chased after by a couple people at the same time? Aye, Aye! I definitely would. Ok, I’d just like to have one guy chasing after me.

Here are some examples of love triangles in young adult literature:

• Jace—Clary—Simon (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare)
• Peeta—Katniss—Gale (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)
• David—Talley—Zane (Pretties by Scott Westerfeld)
• Ky—Cassia—Xander (Matched by Ally Condie)
• Edward—Bella—Jacob (Twilight by Stephenie Meyer)

As for the last example, it was nice to see the movie Breaking Dawn. Finally, I was able to visually see the nuptials of Bella and Edward. Pardon my spoiler, but who doesn’t know this anyway? 

From the very moment Bella entered Forks High School’s office and Edward smelled her out, I wanted them to be together . . . forever. In my opinion, Jacob just got in the way. If Jacob was meant to be with Bella, it would have been him, not Edward, appearing at the very beginning of the book. Many people out there may beg to differ, so I apologize for any offence. 

No cat fights, please!

Anyway, I’m a Team Edward gal all the way. Always was and always will be.

So are you a Team Edward or a Team Jacob fan? Why? Which fictional love triangles are your favorites? Why?

Writing. Jewels.

Better Late than Never, Right?

Wow! It's Friday and I haven't posted yet. Many a sorry from me to you! I know you've been waiting in great suspense. Haha.

Anyway, the last couple days have been filled with crazy busyness. Lots of work stuff and writing my WIP and not feeling super good. I just woke up from an I'm-not-feeling-so-hot nap and thought it was Saturday morning already. That made me feel bad because I didn't check in with the blogosphere yet. But alas, it's still Friday and I can say, "Hello!"

Well, last night I saw Breaking Dawn. Eep! It was super good. Yes, the poor person next to me probably wanted to wring my neck for all the giggling, but I couldn't hold it back. Bless people's hearts who have to deal with my while watching movies. Or while I'm reading books. You can't hate me for being a super active watcher of movies and reader of books. It could be thought of as hilarious if you really think about it. 

Well, I'm going to get on my soap box for a minute. Ok, I pretty much hate it when people won't read a book because there's way too much hype about it (ie: Twilight or Harry Potter). Just read 'em, silly people. It's just literature which has probably inspired many a person to read, myself included. You never know, you may just like 'em, too! :D 

*Steps off soap box*

All right, Breaking Dawn was pretty great. A couple cheesy parts but what are you to do? And the end scene was A-FREAKING-AWESOME! Pretty much prime bam-hit-you-in-the-face videography.

Have you seen Breaking Dawn? What were your thoughts?

Well, these are my Friday thoughts—even if they are a little late. Yet, better late than never, right? And I just thought of how funny my blog post title is when put in context with Breaking Dawn—better late than never . . . Get it? Anyway, bye!

Writing. Jewels.

The Books That Made You Cry

I finished a book last night that made me bawl like a baby. Literally, through the last chapters, I could barely read the words for the tears clouding my eyes. However, I loved the book. I loved it so much that I couldn’t help but cry. I had fallen desperately for the story, the characters, and the strength found in the relationships therein. The book I am referring to is called These is my Words by Nancy E. Turner. Despite the water works that overcame me, I would, with all my being, recommend everyone in this world to partake of the beauty found within its pages. Yes, you may shed many tears, but they well are worth it in the end.

After gaining control of my tear ducts, I began thinking about all the books that have made me unable to control my emotions—the books that made me cry. Here is a list (it may not be exhaustive):

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Traitor by Sandra Grey
• The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
• New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
• The Great and Terrible series by Chris Stewart

Story time: As I read the seventh Harry Potter book, there came a part where one of the characters was killed. Of course, I’m not going to say which character, so I won’t spoil it. But I will say shame on you if you haven’t read the HP books. :)

My old roommate finished the book a couple days before I did, so she was be able to chitchat about it with me as I read. One night, I could not put the book down and read into the wee hours of the morning. Around 12:30 A.M. the said death occurred. My roommate had gone home for the weekend, so she wasn’t readily available to talk to me as I sobbed. I thought she might still be up, so I called her. To my relief, she answered the phone.

She thought someone real had died and was about to hop in her car to drive home.

Then I said, “***** died!”

She started laughing at my emphatic declaration of sorrow for the lost character. He was given a sock at one point in the series. Spoiler!

I came to find out later that she was not quite sure how to console someone who was crying over the death of a fictional character. Anyway, at least I made her laugh.

So, I pose the question, which books have made you cry?

PS: Don't forget to enter to win a free book called Minder by Kate Kaynak. Go here to enter on my blog! Contest closes tomorrow.

What Inspired Me to Write?

When I was growing up, to be honest, I didn’t like reading. My favorite book was The Plant that Ate the Dirty Socks. Yep, you got it! And I especially liked The Return of the Plant that Ate the Dirty Socks. Still love ‘em too. I read what I had to during school, but that was as far as it went. You may wonder how I am a writer if I never enjoyed reading while I grew up? Here’s your answer: I worked in the music department of a store all throughout high school. The book department manager encouraged me to read the Harry Potter books. At that time, the Goblet of Fire had just been released. I promised her I would read them and bought all four books.

Soon after the purchase, I started college. I don’t remember much of that first semester because my nose was stuck more in the Harry Potter books than my textbooks. I fell in love with the story and its characters.
Now you probably think that I gobbled up books from that point on. Wrong. I only read the 5th, 6th, and 7th HP books. The pivotal point of my writing life and steppingstone to my hopeful (crossing fingers) career as a writer occurred during the summer of 2007. I was bored and really needed something to do. While at Target, I walked passed the book section, and thought maybe I would get a book to read away my boredom. I remembered a book one of my old roommates had discussed with me a year prior—Twilight.

I purchased it, not really expecting much of it. I read the first three books within a couple weeks. I had to wait impatiently for Eclipse to come out, otherwise, I would have finished them in a week. From that moment on, I was a bookworm. I couldn’t get enough of them. Two and a half years later and a slew of books on my reading resume, I had a dream that was the catalyst for my novel. It stuck with me for weeks until one sleepless night I finally plotted out the book. The next day, I started typing away and have been ever since.
I wouldn’t be writing if it weren’t for the Harry Potter books opening up the world of reading to me, or Stephenie Meyer inspiring me to read. It was my love of reading that brought me from being a reader to a writer. I thank all you who write for inspiring me and helping me learn more about writing through reading your stories.
I love writing now and it is what I want to do for the rest of my life. My advice to anyone who desires to write is to read. A lot. And I hope that one day, my works will inspire others to read (or to write) as what happened to me.