🎉Hello! Welcome to the start of my book launch party!🎊
🎈Pull up a chair, grab a glass of champagne and a slice of cake and let’s get to partying 🍰
🎉I’d like to start the party off by using this post as a platform for any questions you may have about me or my book Chained (which you can purchase here) so go ahead and ask me anything in the comments 😊
This is an invitation to all of you to attend my book launch party tomorrow!
Throughout the day I’ll be online to chat with you all about the book and anything else you’d like to discuss! There will be extracts and character profiles going up throughout the day here on my blog and over at the event on my Facebook page too so come on over and join me ☺️ here
I’ll also be hosting a competition to win an advanced e-copy of the first novella in the series.
So are you in? 😊xoxo
This is just a quick post to see if any of you would like to take part in a cover reveal for the second book in my Cage of Lies saga ‘Linked’?
I’d love us to do the reveal on October 5th and the book will be released on October 15th (I’m going to be offering ARCs too within the next few days)
Here’s the blurb for Linked:
In a world she never knew existed, Maya is coming to terms with how much her life has changed. Danger lurks around every corner, nothing is as she expects and she’s never felt so alive. But the choices she makes could change everything and jeopardise the things she cherishes most. There is so much to learn and so much to love but her heart is pulling her back. The Guardians are hiding in the shadow cast by their Wall, concealing the truth from the people inside. It’s a shadow that darkens her happiness and she can’t stop fighting until the truth comes to light. It would be easier to walk away but Maya has never run from anything and she’s not about to start now.
I’m really pleased to say that the reviews of Chained are coming in and they are really positive (you have no idea how nerve wracking it is to finally set your book baby free lol) You can check them out at goodreads or preorder it at Amazon (no more shameless plugging I swear)
Thank you in advance for getting involved – I’m seriously falling for my blogging family and feel free to ask me to do anything for you in return! xoxo
I’m super excited to announce that after two months of blogging on here I have acquired an overwhelming 592 followers to my lil blog! I just want to take this moment to thank you all for taking the time to read the ramblings of mind and allowing me to read yours! 😍😍
As has become a kind of tradition for me on here with these milestone moments, I’d like to share something new with you from my writing journey! So today I’m going with the opening to the first novella from my Cage of Lies saga and I’d love to know what you think 😊 the novella is called Cut Glass and will be released in a few weeks in line with the release of the second full novel in the series.
The wind whispered through the trees above Chrissie’s head and she stirred.
She rolled onto her back and looked up at the waxy material of the tent roof which flexed against the breeze. Her mom reached for her, entwining her fingers with her own.
“It’s just the wind Chrissie, go back to sleep.”
The tent was hung with shadows, anything could be concealed at the foot of her bed, beyond the material that was so thin.
“Will we stop in a town soon?” Chrissie asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“In a day or two,” her mom replied, her voice laced with fatigue.
“I don’t like sleeping in the forest.”
“Neither do I,” her mom agreed though she knew it was a lie.
Her dad’s light snores filled the silence and Chrissie turned to face him on her other side. His chest rose and fell steadily. She studied his silhouette in the darkness. His wiry beard was reduced to a soft blur around his mouth which fluttered as he took another breath.
She released her mom’s hand and reached out to touch his face, running her fingers along his nose.
“Sleep,” he mumbled.
Something moved outside the tent, a shadow rippling across the fabric as it passed them where they lay.
“I’m afraid,” Chrissie whispered.
“That’s what makes you brave,” he said.
“Why?”
“You can’t be brave if you aren’t afraid. Bravery is standing up to your fears and saying ‘no, you can’t have me.'”
“What does that mean?” Chrissie breathed.
“That you should sleep even though you’re afraid to.” He rolled over and slung his arm across her, pulling her mom into the embrace too.
The wind rustled through the trees again and an owl cried as it swooped for its prey. Chrissie cringed against her dad’s chest and closed her eyes firmly. There was nothing to be afraid of. Nothing.
She started counting each breath she took as her eyes stayed firmly shut, the darkness pressing in on her. They’d slept in the forest a hundred times before, she’d never liked it but she’d never felt as nervous as she did at that moment.
There was a chill in the air. Summer was coming to an end and the nights were getting colder and colder. She pressed her frozen fingers to her dad’s chest, trying to leech some warmth from him. He grumbled something and pulled her closer.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, like a primal instinct telling her to run.
Chrissie counted to one hundred and opened her eyes again. The moonlight was shining brightly in the clearing which they had chosen for their camp. It was so bright that she could make out shapes through the brown material of their tent.
The trees shifted in the breeze again and she watched as the shadows cast by their branches swung back and forth above her head.
A branch snapped somewhere outside and Chrissie twisted in her dad’s grip.
“There’s something there,” she whispered.
I hope you liked it ☺️ my dog Ozzy didn’t have much interest so he’s lying upside down…
😊 xoxo
From time to time I have found myself discussing books with people only to find that we disagreed on everything about them. And I’m not talking about whether or not we liked the book!
I have genuinely found on multiple occasions that reader 1 (passionate reader) and reader 2 (passive reader) can love the same book but hate/love opposite things about it and this drives me insane!
For example when reading Game of Thrones reader 1 cries ‘why did they have to die, whyyyyy?😭’ reader 2 says ‘I’m glad they died, I didn’t see that coming, it’s much more interesting now 😏’
At this point reader 1 sighs ‘I can’t wait for Ron and Hermione to get together 😍’ reader 2 grumbles ‘I hope they don’t, it’s too obvious now 😒’
And at the end of allegient when person a is a sobbing wreck, reader 2 is all ‘I love a twist😏’
At this point reader 1 sits up, stares at reader 2 and is all-
And reader 2 is all-
At this point reader 1 may threaten violence if reader 2 doesn’t change their opinion to which reader 2 will be like-
I find this so crazy and yet it’s true! These different types of readers just love stories for such different reasons and the only way to deal with it is to agree to disagree because neither of you will ever back down.
I guess it’s a good thing because it really shows the depths of the stories we love – there is something in there for everyone – but I find it so hard to imagine reading from a passive perspective! I fall in love with the characters, grieve when they grieve, laugh when they laugh and love when they love so how can I ever truly accept bad things happening to them especially when it happens for no reason??
Are you a passionate or passive reader? Do you love a twist or just need everyone to end up happy(within reason)? Xoxo
Okay, so this is the worst kept secret in the history of secret keeping not least because I’ve actually gone through two covers 🙈 but this is the final version and though it’s been on goodreads, amazon and been used in several reviews already I haven’t actually done the reveal yet! (I’m going to blame it on my hectic schedule with publishing day looming but I’m also going to blame it on my cat Hugo who distracts me by wanting cuddles all the time)
So here it is, the cover for Chained:
😊 and this is the blurb for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet…
Terrified of the contamination and the creatures it has created, humanity hides behind The Wall. No one knows what lies beyond the wasteland. Maya has never thought much about what might still be out there, lurking in the forgotten places. But when she’s thrust into the unknown, she is forced to question everything she has ever been told. Not everyone outside died, some of them became something… else. As her heart is torn in two, every choice she makes is harder than the last. What she discovers will change her forever. She knows she will probably die, but Maya has seen enough of death and she won’t let it have her without a fight.
If you would like to get a copy of Chained, it’s available on Amazon for preorder here the official release day is October 1st
And it’s been getting some reviews on goodreads already if you need help making up your mind 😊
But regardless of all that, how do you like the cover? ☺️ xoxo
I’ve been tagged to do this by Melanie and I’m looking forward to giving it a go! Check out her blog – you’ll be glad that you did ☺️ My method for these tags is to go with whatever comes to kind first and not overthink it so if some of answers are a bit odd, that’s why lol
The rules are:
1. The Mean Girl
Isabel Lightwood in The Mortal Instruments – this is more a first impression than a lasting one and I actually really love her. But right off the bat I can easily imagine her turning to any non-Shadow Hunter and doing her very best ‘you can’t sit here’ in glorious mean girl perfection
2. The Dumb Jock
Emmett Cullen from Twilight – he’s the kind of dumb jock I’d wanna be friends with though, he could totally beat up my enemies for me 😊
3. The Bully
Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter books – I don’t think I have to explain this one. Is it okay that I kinda had a crush on him? No? I guess I didn’t then 😳
4. The Bad Boy
Ronan from the Raven Cycle – he’s just so bad and he really, really, really doesn’t care and it’s probably wrong but it makes him so hot lol if you haven’t read these books do it, do it now!
5. The Girl With The Bad Reputation
Clarke from the 100 – she’s a condemned criminal so I think that covers the bad reputation and I LOVE her, read the book and watch the show! Seriously… SERIOUSLY!
6. The Geek
Hermione from the Harry Potter books – if there was ever any doubt that geeks are cool then Hermione fixed that! She’s the best and there’s no reason for anyone to doubt it 😍
7. The Drama Geek
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games – basically because she plays up to cameras and fakes a relationship to win votes so if that’s not a drama geek then I’m not sure what is (I’m English so this one may be going over my head) 😋
8. The Band Geek
Merry and Pippin from Lord of the Rings – I just couldn’t think of anyone else but they do love singing and don’t care who knows it!
9. The Wannabe
Bella Swan from Twilight – her wanting to be a vampire is pretty much the story for the first three and a half books lol so wannabe just made me think of her!
10. The Stoner/Slacker
Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones – he slacked off so badly that he screwed up the security of the throne and threw the whole realm onto turmoil – nuff said lol
I hope you liked my answers and I’d love to see yours – I tag everyone who would like to do this! Xoxo
Okay, so this is the worst kept secret in the history of secret keeping not least because I’ve actually gone through two covers 🙈 but this is the final version and though it’s been on goodreads, amazon and been used in several reviews already I haven’t actually done the reveal yet! (I’m going to blame it on my hectic schedule with publishing day looming but I’m also going to blame it on my cat Hugo who distracts me by wanting cuddles all the time)
So here it is, the cover for Chained:
😊 and this is the blurb for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet…
Terrified of the contamination and the creatures it has created, humanity hides behind The Wall. No one knows what lies beyond the wasteland. Maya has never thought much about what might still be out there, lurking in the forgotten places. But when she’s thrust into the unknown, she is forced to question everything she has ever been told. Not everyone outside died, some of them became something… else. As her heart is torn in two, every choice she makes is harder than the last. What she discovers will change her forever. She knows she will probably die, but Maya has seen enough of death and she won’t let it have her without a fight.
If you would like to get a copy of Chained, it’s available on Amazon for preorder here the official release day is October 1st
And it’s been getting some reviews on goodreads already if you need help making up your mind 😊
But regardless of all that, how do you like the cover? ☺️ xoxo
This is just a quick post because I would like to have all of you as goodreads friends!
It’s just hard to find people who are the right kind of book crazy with no starting point and I am a bit late to the goodreads party…
I don’t think it’s weird to ask right? 😳 I just love getting recommendations for new books and discussing them with people who enjoy them as much as I do…
I have lots of wonderful friends but just not that many who are book crazy like me and even those who are haven’t always read what I have and sometimes you really really need to vent or cry or explode with excitement 😭😂😲
And if I find something new I want to tell you all about it!
So if that sounds like the way you like doing things too then please be my friend on goodreads and like my Facebook page!! ☺️☺️xoxo
I love the drive, drama, passion and mission that make books and characters so great but I always enjoy reading those parts of the story that just emphasise the fun side of our favourite characters. This is a post about some of the lighthearted things which make these stories even better and make me fall in love with the characters a little bit more… *contains mild spoilers for some very popular series*
1. Zip lining in Divergent
It was the moment where I really felt that Tris truly became Dauntless and lived up to the name in the best possible way! I would love to do this too 🙈☺️
2. Magnus’ party in City of Bones
I loved his party and bits of it had me laughing to myself and wishing I got invited to things like that (I’d avoid the drinks though) 🍹
3. The baseball game in Twilight
This was so much fun until it all went to hell! I loved finding out things that the Cullens did with their vampire powers which were purely for the fun of being immortal and better than everyone else at everything! ⚾️
4. Quidditch in Harry Potter
So like 99% of the time when Harry was playing quidditch, no one was trying to kill him… Okay maybe like 50% of the time… Or 30%… Either way he was having fun and I felt like we got to know a lot about him and his friends and teammates through it without it having to do with being the chosen one! ⚡️
5. The Hunger games when…
Oh right, the games part of the Hunger Games was no fun in the traditional sense of fun 😳 but the interviews were pretty great
6. And in Game of Thrones when…
Remember when Ned found out about Cersei’s children and then… No that was no fun… But then there was the time when Drogo and Danerys were really happy and everything was coming together and… Okay maybe not then then… But then Robb and his wife and his mother went to that wedding and weddings are always fun… Well okay nearly always… But Joffrey’s wedding, that one was definitely worth smiling over! 🐲
That’s all of the ones I can think of off the top of my head, can you think of any more? 😊 xoxo
Susanne Valenti 