COMING NEXT #1

In the light of recent events, I decided not to participate in In My Mailbox meme from now on. I will visit your blogs if you participate in it, but my weekly Sunday meme is going to look like this - short summary of what happened in the past week on my blog, sharing the titles I received AND sharing the plans I have for the next week. Easy, right?

You can join me if you want!

I'm not involved in the whole Kristi from The Story Siren case, but a lot of my favorite bloggers decided not to do IMM anymore and it lost its appeal to me. :(

So here!

REVIEW - Firelight by Sophie Jordan (1/5)

REVIEW - The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova (5/5)

FF - Disappointing characters

I also added rating system, review index and changed design a bit. 

How do you like it? :)

 I have some great titles to share with you this week! :)

For review:

Eden's Root by Rachel E. Fisher 

(thanks to the author)

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Shift by Kim Curran

Wilde's Fire by Krystal Wade

(thanks to NetGalley)

From the library:

Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey

Plague (Gone #4) by Michael Grant

I've already read Plague (this series is so gross but I just can't stop reading!). I also started reading Glitch and Eden's Root. Both are interesting reads so far. :)

This week I'm planning on reviewing:
Plague (Gone #4) by Michael Grant
 If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Blog Tours:
May 2nd - The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordóva
INTERVIEW + GIVEAWAY
so make sure you come back here for some fun with a chance to win!

Please link me to your mailboxes, weekly memes and so on, so I can drop by!

REVIEW - The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova

 TITLE: The Vicious Deep
AUTHOR: Zoraida Córdova
GENRE: paranormal, paranormal romance

PUBLICATION DATE: May 1st 2012

SOURCE: ARC from the publisher

BLURB:

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back.

REVIEW:

DON'T MISS IT! THE VICIOUS DEEP BLOG TOUR! On May 2nd come back for a fun interview with Zoraida AND a giveaway of the book!

Brilliant. Fun. Exciting. I can only find positive words to describe The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova! With the recent flood of mermaid stories (Of Poseidon, Lies Beneath, Monstrous Beauty to name a few) I was a bit vary. I thought that it may be yet another dull love story with bland characters and lackluster plot.

Obviously, I was wrong. The Vicious Deep is Zoraida Córdova's debut novel and I can already that it's a great success!

What's different about The Vicious Deep is that the main character is not yet another 'strong female protagonist' who turns out to be a boring teenager with non-existent problems. Córdova shows us that male protagonists are cool too. And not only cool, she takes it to the whole next level of awesome. But I will talk about it later.

The title of the book suggest a deep, dark story. Nothing could be further from the truth! Although the story indeed progresses into something darker by the end of the book, it's mainly a fun ride filled with laughter.

Let me say this: I absolutely, totally and wholeheartedly adore Tristan Hart. He's one of the most likable male protagonists ever! A little selfish, a little too much in love with himself, witty but at the same time not the sharpest tool in the shed - that's our Tristan, whose heart is made of gold.

What is more, Tristan not only has parents, but he's on quite a friendly terms with them! I was absolutely delighted to learn that his parents are present AND participating in his life. I've grown tired of YA books getting rid of parents because it's easier to tell a story without them. See? You can write an amazing book without doing that.

There are many laugh-out-loud moments. I can't even count the number of times I burst out laughing when Tristan was reassuring himself how manly he is. Despite being a mermaid. Pardon. A merman.
He's good-looking and he knows it, and it makes it even more hilarious to see his pride hurt so much when somebody isn't attracted to him.

Other characters - especially Kurt, Thalia and Marty - make a team which the reader will find hard to forget. They are colorful, witty and very distinctive compared to other YA books I've read recently. Each one of them has their own voice, thoughts and traits.

As for the 'darker part' of the book... I didn't expect one of the characters to die, to be honest. Not telling you who did, but I must admit it made me really sad and that means that Zoraida Córdova  did a great job portraying the character. She made me care about all the characters, a little more that I would expect, actually.

When there's no action, The Vicious Deep is a light and fun ride, filled with great dialogues that make you giggle every other page and characters you fall in love with. Definitely recommended to everyone!

Overall rating:

5 out of 5 stars!

To prove that The Vicious Deep is filled from cover to cover with hilarious quotes, let me give you some! (warning: quotes are from ARC, the final version may vary)

"Wait. Is there a mermaid hell?"
"Yes." she says, "I call it humanity."

~**~

"Is there a way you can fix that? Make yourselves look different so you don't attract so much attention?"
"We do look different. We are glamoured," Kurt says indignantly. "It's a light spell to tone down our natural colors. We are no longer achingly beautiful. Now we're just exceptionally beautiful."

~**~

(a father-son conversation)
"Oh come on, son, your merbaby zygote didn't make itself."
Orange juice comes out of my nose.

~**~

There's something familiar about her, only I can sift through my mind fast enough. She bows lightly at me. Kurt looks up at her, wearing the same expression I am.
"Have we met?" he goes, Mr. Smooth Criminal.

FF #9 - disappointing characters

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read weekly. You can join me and post the links to your own #FF posts in the comments below.

The question this week is...

Q: Have you had a character that disappointed you? One that you fell in love with and then “broke up” with later on in either the series or a stand-alone book? Tell us about him or her.

I think not many of you will agree with me but...

Gale from The Hunger Games

At first, I liked him more than Peeta. He understood Katniss, he was the one always by her side. I didn't exactly cheer on his romance with Katniss, but I wasn't really against it. But then the third book happened and he started to act... strangely, to put it mildly. I was a little disappointed in him.

That was a seriously hard question! It took me a while. I usually love or hate a character immediately and stick with it to the end, it rarely happens that I change my mind about him or her. :)

What is your answer to this question? Link me your FF/answer in the comments, so I can peek. 

You can follow me via GFC, Linky Followers, Networked Blogs, e-mail or/and Twitter.

REVIEW - Firelight by Sophie Jordan

TITLE: Firelight
AUTHOR: Sophie Jordan
GENRE: paranormal romance

PUBLICATION DATE: September 7th 2010

 

BLURB:

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love. 

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

REVIEW:

I admit that I was lured by the absolutely stunning cover and the promise of a good story about dragons. Dragons! How cool is that? I love dragons, duh. So I was more than happy to see Firelight in my library.

And... the disappointment. It's there.

Let me start with the story. It's not bad, but it's not good either. The main character, Jacinda, lives with her mother an twin sister in a draki community. Drakis are, as explained in the later part of the book, descendants of the dragons. However, after an unfortunate encounter with the hunters, Jacinda has to flee with her family to save not only the community and her family, but also herself. As she struggles to fit in a strange, human world, she meets a guy named Will, who is both a danger and somebody she cannot live without...

The writing is not very bad, although a lot of - presumably poetic - phrases were nothing but awkward. It was also filled with love confessions that were supposed to touch me deeply, but made me laugh.

Alright, so Jacinda. The main character of Firelight is one of the most annoying, indecisive female protagonists I've ever seen. But not only that; she's whiny and blames everyone for everything. She can't even even spark the tiniest bit of remorse - she'd much rather feel sorry for herself. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I had to put the book down, because Jacinda's behavior simply irritated me. She thinks that absolutely everything, the entire world revolves around her. Even when she's confronted about it by her own sister, she can't understand that.

The other characters are just two-dimensional. The mother with dark past, the friend who is an outsider but befriends our main character, bad guys who are... well, bad guys. And the love interest, who is dangerous not only to Jacinda but her family too. Of course, Jacinda ignores that fact.

I found Tamra, Jacinda's twin sister, to be the most interesting character that showed some signs of being something more than just schematic sister in a YA book. But it didn't matter, because the story wasn't about her. I think the whole book would benefit greatly if it were about Tamra instead of Jacinda.

But what we got is a typical YA paranormal romance without any outstanding (or even interesting) characters, dialogues without the wit and plot without creativity.

Overall rating:

1 star out of 5

IN MY MAILBOX #12

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

 

Three books this week as well. I'm keeping the number of books low, I have exams and graduation coming... and it's not the best combo with reading, unfortunately. :(

 

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Started reading it and I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to like it, but we'll see!

Soulless by Gail Carriger

This one starts out hilarious, can't wait to read it. ;)

 Hereafter by Tara Hudson

I've heard a LOT about this book! And the cover is just gorgeous. Really an eye-catching cover, isn't it?

Please link me to your IMM so I can drop by!

PRETTY AMY BLOG TOUR - Interview with Lisa Burstein

Welcome to April 22nd stop on Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein blog tour! I have an interview for my dear followers, so scroll down! :) I'm so excited too, because it's my first blog tour!

A little info about the book:

PRETTY AMY by Lisa Burstein

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

INTERVIEW

Hi Lisa! I'm so glad to have you here on my blog. Welcome to A Nook Full of Books.
Thank you, so glad to be here :)

What's the inspiration behind Pretty Amy?
I was arrested during my senior year of high school, not for the same reason Amy was, but that was where the kernel came from. I also knew I wanted to write a "shocking" book from a teenage girl's point of view. I feel like you can get away with your character being a murderer, or a jerk, or just a smart ass more easily if your book isn't contemporary and I wanted to try to break that mold with PRETTY AMY. I also wanted to write a contemporary YA book that was about what real teens go through. I feel like teenage girl's lives are complex and I hoped to show that in PRETTY AMY.

There are so many high school stories, how does Pretty Amy stand out? 

I think what makes it stand out is how much it seems to be resonating with readers. How many of them are able to see Amy in themselves or in a friend of theirs. What I love about Amy is her universality. One reviewer mentioned recently that I was able to put all the insecurities of the modern teenage girl in one character. Yup, that's Amy.

If Amy was to befriend one character from another book, who would that be? 

Nick Twisp from Youth in Revolt.

What's your favorite genre among YA books besides contemporary? 

I guess dystopian. I loved the Hunger Games.

And some of your favorite YA writers? 

I love Courtney Summers, Sara Zarr, John Green and Deb Caletti, any author who is willing to be raw and real.

Was it hard to write a book? 

YES! VERY! well it wasn't hard to write, but it was definitely hard to publish :).

What does the process of writing look like in your case? Any special rituals? 

Well I work full time, so usually its after work and on weekends. I write on legal pads longhand and when I type up first drafts, I usually do it without punctuation. Both these methods help me write quickly and also help me get to that place when  you forget you are writing. This "place" is essential for writing real and raw, which I feel like gives me my best work. It is one of the things that I feel like people have really been responding to in PRETTY AMY, that i don't sugar-coat things, I get to places in my work that are sometimes uncomfortable, but are undeniably real. My only ritual is total silence :).

What would you like to say to all the aspiring writers who don't have enough confidence to publish their writing?

PRETTY AMY got rejected A LOT, but somehow I knew it was an important story and one that teen girls needed to read. That was what kept me going. I guess I would say believe in your work it's the only thing that will keep you going.

Any plans for next books? 

A companion novel to PRETTY AMY, titled DEAR CASSIE about the aftermath of the girls’ arrest and its effect told through diary entries of Amy’s best friend Cassie. I'm about 1/5 of the way through and what I can say is, if you liked the humor and edge in PRETTY AMY, you will love Cassie's story.

Thanks for the interview, Lisa. I wish you all the best with the promotion of Pretty Amy! Any final words to the readers? 

Only that I hope you have as much fun reading PRETTY AMY as I had writing it!

PREORDER: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Powell's | Book Depository

Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Fiction from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Pretty Amy is her first novel. She never went to her senior prom.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook |

My review of Pretty Amy will be posted on A Nook Full of Books closer to the release date, so stay tuned!

REVIEW - Hunger (Gone #2) by Michael Grant

TITLE: Hunger (Gone #2)
AUTHOR: Michael Grant
GENRE: dystopia, post-apocalyptic, paranormal

PUBLICATION DATE: May 26th 2009

BLURB:

It's been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.
Three months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.
Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers. Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.
But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.
The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

REVIEW:

I’ve read Gone, which is the first book in Michael Grant’s Gone series, quite a while ago. It left a deep impression on me and I was excited to read the second book!

Hunger picks up almost three months after the events presented in the first book. The kids, trapped in a big dome called FAYZ, are running out of food and it pushes them into decisions they would normally regret. But the hunger is bigger. Sam, who is assigned as a ‘mayor’ of the FAYZ, is falling apart just as everyone else. Can he bear the responsibility of starving 300 kids to death?

What I love the most about Gone series are the characters. As one of the characters, Quinn, noticed, FAYZ changes them for better or worse. Their true colors show, changing the good kids into cowards and the thugs into people everyone run to when in trouble, because they are so reliable.

My absolute favorite character is still Sam – he’s so human he almost feels real. He’s failing his friends, he makes a ton of mistakes but… but inside of that tough, responsible interior of a guy in charge is a 15 years old boy, as scared as everyone else.

Hunger didn’t keep me on the edge of the seat just as Gone did; I’ve grown used to terrible things happening to the kids, which felt disturbing and new in the first book, but not anymore. After some time, you just become accustomed to monstrosities. Even though Michael grant surprised me a few times in this book too.

I am still a little bit iffy about some generic, non-describable ‘darkness’ being the big bad villain. I love every other aspect of the series, but I still can’t accept something like this as the plot device. Maybe the later books in the series will persuade me otherwise.

Because I am definitely picking up ‘Lies’ later!

Overall:

3.5 stars out of 5.

REVIEW - Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

TITLE: Endless Summer
AUTHOR:  Jennifer Echols
GENRE: contemporary, romance

PUBLICATION DATE: May 25th 2010

 

BLURB:

Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.  Lori can’t wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends—including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she’s turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that’s not going to happen—not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori’s romantic summer melt into one hot mess?

REVIEW:

Endless Summer consists of two parts – The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer, and it’s a quick, entertaining read. An absolute ‘must-read’ for summer!

Lori is a girl who grew up surrounded by men – her father, her brother and the boys who live next door. She’s tougher, rougher and less girly than any of her female friends. Whom she doesn’t have that many. It’s only a matter of time she falls for one of the boys next door, though. Which one will that be? Sean, the boy she believes her mother picked for her or Adam, the boy she is friends with since forever?

The characters Jennifer Echols created are extremely likable and alive. And, above all – Lori and Adam are barely sixteen years old and they act like it. I was quite tired of the books with very mature teenagers that are filling YA books nowadays. I wanted something silly but adorable, and Jennifer Echols gave me that.

Adventures that Lori and Adam are a part of are completely ridiculous. Their plans to get together or mischievous plots to outsmart their parents make you literally face-palm and laugh out loud, because – yes, because they are so adorable while doing so.

I absolutely adored Adam – he makes mistakes (many of them – he can’t probably spend five minutes without making one) but his heart is made of gold. Even though he’s the scapegoat of his older brother’s wrongdoings, the reader knows who is the real villain here. And it’s definitely not Adam.

All in all, I can recommend Endless Summer to everyone needing some entertainment, hot guys, characters that make you fall for them in a blink of an eye and teenagers that don’t have the whole world to worry about, just their tiny, serious teen problems. It was my first – and definitely not last – book by Jennifer Echols.

Overall rating:

4.5 stars out of 5

 

REVIEW - The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

 TITLE: The Hunt
AUTHOR:  Andrew Fukuda
GENRE: paranormal, dystopia,

PUBLICATION DATE: May 8th 2012

SOURCE: NetGalley

BLURB:

Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

REVIEW:

The world that Andrew Fukuda paints for us is terrifying. Humans (called ‘hepers’) are extinct and vampires rule the countries. And every time the support for the Ruler drops, an event is organized, called the Hunt. In the Hunt a few of the hepers, that were kept in captivity and safety, away from the vampires, are released. A few lucky vampires chosen in a lottery have to hunt them down and… eat.

Let me gush for a second over the cover. It's stunning! Everything I could have asked for when it comes to a dystopian book.

Our main hero, whose name we only learn in the later part of the book, is a human hiding among the vampires, a sheep among the wolves. He’s resourceful and sneaky, and paired up with Ashley June – his schoolmate – he’s almost invincible, having her brains and cool logic and his smarts.

I absolutely loved the hepers and their community. Sissy is one butt-kicking leader, and her group is an interesting mix of characters. I’d gladly read more about them in the later books.  

There’s a slow process of preparation for the Hunt itself; we get to see how the whole event is supposed to help the Ruler gain popularity and how the outcome is already known to some of the vampires, but not to the masses. It was carefully written and explained, so the reader didn’t feel left behind on some matters.

The author did a good job describing the vampire's customs and habits and making them totally different from us. It made the book (and the main character's task) all more believable, how hard it was for him to give up his own (sometimes involuntary) habits to fit in.

Although, I had a major issue with the book. I’m not a fan of black and white world, and that’s how the story is presented in The Hunt. Vampires are bad, humans are good (but not every one of them, because the ones kept by the vampires were no more intelligent than cattle, in the narrator’s opinion). As much as I liked the whole hepers idea, I didn’t really enjoy the fact that all the vampires were vile, animal-like creatures and even though Fukuda was making a point there, showing us a contrast between real animals and people, what really is humanity and how thin is the line… it didn’t really hit me.

Other than that, it’s a really good read. It keeps you at the edge of your seat almost the entire time. We are scared for our human character, who is so close to being discovered all the time, we cheer for him. And as I always say – a book that makes you care for the characters is a good book.

Not to mention a HUGE cliffhanger at the end of The Hunt – so big it will make you scream in frustration. Definitely reading the sequel!

Overall rating: 

3.5 stars out of 5

Guest post - Jim Bronyaur, author of IF ERRANDS COULD KILL

Let's welcome Jim Bronyaur, the author of IF ERRANDS COULD KILL on A Nook Full of Books! I'm really happy to have him here. Jim is here to talk about his newest book, as well as to answer the big question - where does the inspiration come from?

GUEST POST by Jim Bronyaur

As writers, we are faced with questions all the time. One of the most common questions involves inspiration… what makes us write? What keeps us going? What gets out of writers block? Where do we get ideas from?
Each time I see these questions, it’s hard for me to answer because most of the time, I just write. It’s my job, so I do it. I’ve come to learn that as writers we view the world and the things within the world a little differently. We pay attention to details and small events
that help shape a much bigger picture in life.

What does that exactly mean?

In my latest mystery release, If Errands Could Kill (Minivan Mom Mystery Series #1), I wrote some pivotal scenes where my lead character, Eve Bailey, interacts with her kids. I fully believe that it’s these small scenes (along with the gossipy grocery store scenes) that actually make the book entertaining. Within the book, we have a stay-at-home mom who is in the middle of a murder investigation, trying to prove that the police are wrong, and track down a murderer. She also has to be a mom and a wife too… which builds the conflict internally for Eve and externally as the outside events start to threaten herself and her family. There’s a scene with Eve when she’s talking to Cody, her only son, about skipping school. There’s a scene where she talks to her oldest daughter about soccer. There’s a scene where she talks to her youngest daughter, Penny, who claims she’s learning how to speak in a ‘bubbles language’ to understand her goldfish better.
What these scenes do is create the family life at home, but also protect the innocence of the story. It’s these small events that I see within the world that inspire me to write. Personally, no matter how bad my day is, when I done with work, my two boys are right there, ready to hug and kiss me, and tell me about their day. They’re ready to set up train tracks and play, they’re ready with their WWE action figures and wrestling rings, ready for a battle royal. That’s the innocence balance I need in my life, and as people, we all
need. It keeps us real, and alive.

I’m a horror writer by heart, because I love horror. As a kid though, I loved to read mysteries. I loved seeing something happen but not knowing why. It only seemed natural for me to move towards mystery when I needed a break from horror. I always wanted to create my own mystery series, but I wanted something fun, original, and fast. So I can up with a concept of a woman who helps to solve murders. A female Batman… no, not Catwoman – haha. But it didn’t work in my mind. I didn’t like the idea of some woman running around catching bad guys. It wasn’t exciting enough for me. Then one morning I heard the kids running around upstairs and stopped to listen. My inspiration came from the world and events around me. I listened to my wife with the kids, and thought about what she does on a daily basis as a stay-at-home mom. As the wheels started to turn, my wife was the one who finalized it all for me… she told me to write the mystery books with a soccer mom as the lead character. Then I pictured a woman in a green minivan, trying around town, trying to catch a murderer. It was too perfect to pass up.
And that’s when Eve Bailey came to life, and that’s when the Minivan Mom Mystery Series was born.

So, where does inspiration come from? The easiest answer is this… LIFE.

If you’re a writer and you’re looking for inspiration, don’t stare at the blinking cursor… because if you do, it’ll start to laugh at you. Instead, open your ears and your eyes and find inspiration. Here’s another quick example… six months ago, I was driving home. I turned up my street and a crow came out of a tree, heading towards my vehicle. It turned and started to fly, racing along side me. It stayed there for about ten seconds before it broke away and was gone. In those ten seconds, I had a new horror story already
working.

Remember… inspiration comes from life.

Jim Bronyaur is the author of several horror, thriller, and mystery books. His latest release is If Errands Could Kill, the first book in the Minivan Mom Mystery Series. You can pick up a copy on Amazon HERE!

IF ERRANDS COULD KILL by Jim Bronyaur

Up at sunrise to enjoy the quiet of a sleeping household, Eve Bailey gets her coffee, prepares breakfast for her three children, and has a spare tie ready knowing that her husband, Ben, will definitely spill something on the one he is wearing. Their oldest daughter, Delaney, is one game away from moving onto the soccer championships, their son, Cody, skipped school yesterday, and innocent 7 year old Penny is trying to communicate with her goldfish. Eve’s days are that of a typical stay at home mom.

Her typical day changes drastically after she drives Cody to school as part of his punishment for skipping school. Cody’s creepy science teacher, Mr. Jackson, approaches Eve to let her know that her check
for Cody’s field trip had bounced. Knowing it had to be an error, Eve heads to the bank to figure it out. While in line, she chats with her mother in law who works at the bank. Then she notices Janet, another
bank employee and self-made town outcast, acting very strange at the back counter.

Eve’s concern grows when she is leaving the bank and sees Janet open the gas tank door and then drives away. Against her better judgment, Eve follows Janet. What happens next is something unheard of in quiet
Marysville, Pennsylvania. Janet is murdered in front of Eve’s eyes, and the police find drugs in
her car.

Murder and drugs? It doesn’t make sense. Eve is now a witness and determined to disprove the “drug deal gone wrong” theory. Can she convince the police that she knows who the killer is, save her family, and make it to Delaney’s big soccer game in time?

Follow Jim Bronyaur - twitter || blog || website

IN MY MAILBOX #11

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Three books this week, but they're all pretty awesome! :)

For review:

 Glimpse by Claire Merle
(Thanks to NetGalley)
Dystopia! YAY! Can't wait to read this one!!!

Purchased:

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

In Polish - my cover is definitely prettier. ;)

Freebies:

Earth (Elemental series) by Shauna Granger

Not going to lie, I love elemental powers!

Please link me to your IMM so I can drop by!

Attention! Awesome giveaway

Hi everyone!

I wanted to let you know that Evie over at Bookish is hosting an amazing giveaway to celebrate her first blogoversary. Click the banner to join us and help celebrate this event!

Don't miss this opportunity to win absolutely amazing books. :)

And congrats! One year of blogging, Evie sweetheart! I wish you many more years to come, of course.