Posted on by susannevalenti · 8 Comments

Mean Girls Book Tag 💃🏻

  
In the general tradition that I have created for myself of just doing tags I haven’t been tagged to do, I’m doing this one! So here goes…

1.“It’s pronounced like Cady” – which fictional character’s name do you get completely wrong?

Hermione 🙈 she was Harmony to me for a long time lol

  
2. “She doesn’t even go here!” – which character would you like to place in a fictional world from another book or series?

I’d like to stick Celeana Sardothian in The Hunger Games because let’s be honest, she would be the best contestant ever! 

  
3. “On Wednesdays we wear pink!” – Repetition. Repetition. Which book gave you dejavu of another book while reading it?

50 Shades of Grey gave me Twilight dejavu for obvious reasons lol. A friend of mine bet me I wouldn’t be able to guess what happened in the end and I laughed as I told her how the whole thing would play out. 😋

  
4. “You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores.” – which book gave you the complete opposite of girl power feels?

Watership Down. They’re all rabbits. And boys. (Also did the cartoon give anyone else nightmares? 😱)

  
5. “You go Glen Coco!” – name a character you felt like you wanted to cheer on while reading.

Katniss Everdeen! I mean yeah it was a trilogy so I was fairly sure she’d survive the Hunger Games but I was cheering her on all the way! 🎉

  
6. “Get in loser, we’re going shopping!” – how long do you typically spend in a book shop?

If I’m alone or with my sister we could be talking hours, if I’m with my husband I’ll be lucky to get 10 minutes *sigh*

7. “It’s not my fault you’re like in love with me or something!” – which fictional character would have to get a restraining order on you if they were real?

Probably Chaol Westfall and Edward Cullen 😳 Also if Dwayne Johnson ever got too close to me he might have a problem…

  
8. “I can’t help it if I’m popular.” –which overhyped book were you cautious about reading?

Twilight. I hated the idea of it and even let someone ruin the whole plot for me before eventually deciding to give it a go and loving it lol

  
9. “She’s a life ruiner. She ruins peoples lives.” – we all love Regina George. Name a villain you couldn’t help but love.

Eric in Divergent. 😍 so maybe I fell for him a bit too hard but I stand by it!

  
10. “I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom.” – your favourite fictional parents.

I generally hate parents in everything lol they’re always trying to be downers on everything (Clary’s mom 😡) but there is an obvious exception to the rule – Molly and Arthur Weasly! (Not movie Molly though 😡)

  
11. “That’s so fetch!” – which book or series would you love to catch on? 

I think this series is already fairly popular but I never seem to find anyone else who has read it and it’s great! 

  
12. “How do I even begin to explain Regina George?” – describe your ideal character to read about.

I think I just love a badass. Someone tough and in control who knows what they like and what they don’t and goes after what they want in life 

13. “I just have a lot of feelings.” – what do you do when a book gives you a bad case of ‘the feels?’

Try (and fail) to explain it to my husband, get frustrated, search for someone who has read it and knows, usually fail, get frustrated, read on lol

14. “Nice wig Janice, what’s it made from? Your mom’s chest hair?” – which characters one-liners would you love to claim for yourself?

The one that springs to mind is Effie from The Hunger games

  
15. “Boo, you whore.” – name a time a character’s decision has made you roll your eyes

Tris. She made a great decision to be Dauntless and the rest of them often made me want to scream lol 

  
If you’d like to do this tag then please do! Xoxo

Posted on by susannevalenti · 15 Comments

Confessions of a writer tag…

  
I was tagged to do this by Melanie so thank you! This looks fun and a little daunting but here goes nothing…
This tag was created by a little bookish a little writerly and the rules are listed there!

1. When did you first start writing? Was being a writer something you always wanted to do?

I first started writing my Cage of Lies books in August 2013 but have been writing on and off since I was a kid. I always wanted to be a writer and it was something I always just said and bpnever really did much about so one day I just decided to stop talking about it and stat doing it!

  
2. What genre do you write?

So far Dystopia but I have an apocalyptic series running around in my head which will probably follow and I’d love to do fantasy one day too!

  
3. Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress? When did you start working on this project?

I’m currently working on Broken, the third instalment of my Cage of Lies saga. I’m in more of an editing stage with it than all out writing and as it’s the third book I won’t give too much away but this one is emotionally more difficult than the others. Maya, my protagonist, is dealing with a lot of difficult issues in her personal life as well as the ongoing struggles that run throughout the series. I’ve been working on the series for a few years but can’t be sure exactly when I started in this book!

4. What was your first piece that you can remember writing? What was it about?

The first piece I can actually remember writing was a fantasy with lots of dragons and people who lived in cities in the clouds. It started off with this little hermit guy who was guarding a town in the middle of the city. Some people came and kidnapped a girl from the town and killed the hermit… I didn’t finish it but maybe one day I’ll find it and see if there’s anything there that I can use going forward lol

  
5. What’s the best part about writing?

I get go on an adventure every day!

  
6. What’s the worst part about writing?

Killing off characters you love because the plot demands it 😭

7. What’s the name of your favourite character and why? (This can be from another author or your own work. Book crushes are perfectly acceptable here as well.)

Today, it’s Harry Potter I don’t have to tell you why because you already know! 

  
8. How much time a day/week do you get to write? When is the best time for you to write (morning or night)?

Time of day doesn’t make much difference to me. I tend to write when I get in from work in the evenings or on my days off and I’ll squeeze some into my lunch breaks too. When I’m in all out writing mode I have a minimum of 2000 words a day to write but on my days off I make that 8000 and I’ve managed 12000 a few times ☺️

9. Did you go to college for writing? Or if you haven’t been to college yet, do you plan to?

I didn’t. I don’t think it matters as I think writing is a passion and you can either do it or you can’t. Everyone’s routes to it are different but for me college wasn’t part of my journey.

10. What bothers you more: spelling errors, punctuation errors or grammar errors?

They all bother me but I’d go for grammar because I can’t bear it when people get their there and they’re muddled – it sets my teeth on edge! 

  
11. What is the best writing advice that anyone has given you?

Write what you love. If you love the story you are trying to tell then you will get it written, edited and out there. If you don’t love it you’ll lose momentum along the way…

12. What advice would you give to another writer?

Write the book you want to read. Don’t try and please anyone else, don’t compromise your vision and when you finish it you’ll be proud of it!

13. What are your favourite writing sites or blogs that you turn to for help, tips or encouragements?

To be honest I’ve never used any 😕 I just do what feels natural and I have my sister to discuss any issues with or offer encouragement!

14. Besides writing, what else do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies?

Reading lol I love working out and watching movies and playing video games if I get the chance too.

  
15. What is the best book you’ve read this year?

Ahhhh this is so hard but I think Queen of Shadows pips it for me!

  
16. What is the best movie you’ve seen this year?

Ahhh this is hard too 😬 maybe the new Terminator as that sounds out in my mind

  
17. What is your favourite book or series of all time?

I don’t know I don’t know! I’m going for Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and the Twilight saga oh and Lord of the Rings and probably more too because I have too many!

18. Who is your favourite author?

I can’t pick. If I do a list it will have more than ten names on it so I just won’t lol

19. What are your plans for the rest of the year in terms of your writing?

I’ll be editing and trying to release Broken and I think I’ll try to write and release another novella called Embers (I can’t give away anything about that one for spoilers lol)

20. Where else can we find you online?

Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and my books are available on Amazon 😊
I’m just nominating any authors out there who would like to do this, I’d love to head your answers too! Xoxo

Posted on by susannevalenti · 6 Comments

Linked Cover Reveal!

So it’s not long now until my second book Linked will be released and the time has come for the cover reveal 😁 so here it is…

  

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 overwhelmed by the amount of support, interest and love I’ve been receiving for Chained (the first book in the series) and am so excited for the release of Linked. If you’d like to take a look at Chained then you can grab your copy (or read it for free on kindle unlimited) at Amazon! You can check out the reviews or add it to you shelf on Goodreads too 😊  and you can like my page on Facebook too if you fancy it hehe

And here’s a sneak peak at an excerpt from Linked too 😆

  “Ripples!” Taylor yelled from my left and we all stopped and turned towards the line that was zipping through the mud. Everyone grabbed weapons from holsters and the air was filled with the sounds of safety catches being removed and rounds being pumped into place. 

 We froze, unsure what we were aiming at.

 The bubbling line of movement drew level with us, squelching sounds reached out to our ears and no one dared to move. We waited with baited breath and then the bubbles ran past. We watched as whatever it was flew by and headed for two men who were well ahead of us.

 We started shouting warnings and moving towards them as quickly as we could. The ripples moved at an impossible speed. 

 “Behind you!” I screamed and my throat felt ragged as I tried desperately to get their attention. 

 “Behind us!” Laurie yelled. 

 We all clamoured to a halt and turned to see another line heading straight for our little group. 

 We held our breath and aimed our weapons as it approached but then it turned sharply. We spun to watch as it followed the first line and headed for the two men. 

 We all just stood still for a moment then we started screaming and moving towards them again.

 One man turned and raised a hand to us. 

 We were shouting and waving our arms and I had no idea how he would know what we were trying to warn them about. Then, he glanced down and noticed the ripples. They were upon them a second later. 

His scream was so loud that I felt my heart skip a beat. Three sharp jerks later and he disappeared into the mud. 

I hope you enjoyed it ☺️

Posted on by susannevalenti · 11 Comments

The Ultimate Book Tag 📚

  
So I’ve seen this tag floating around the blogosphere and I really wanted to do it! No one tagged me but I’m taking a tag from the universe as I’m guessing he universe would really like me to do it 😂

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?

No 💃🏻 I’m super lucky and I can read in the car (my husband refers to it as unsociable but that’s his problem lol) 

  
2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you?

Moira Young wrote Blood Red Road phonetically with a Deep South accent and no speech marks. NONE. At first I was all WTF but I pushed on and I ended up loving the whole series! I can honestly say I’ve never read anything written like it and it takes a bit of getting used to but it’s brilliant and I definitely reccommend it 😊

  
3. Harry Potter series or Twilight saga? Give 3 points to explain your answer

I do love them both but it’s always going to be Harry P

1. Because there’s magic

2. Because their postmen are owls

3. Because Hagrid. ’nuff said 😋

  
4. Do you carry a book bag? If so what’s in it (besides books)?

Erm no lol. I carry a handbag (some would say my collection of handbags is bordering an unhealthy number but they’d be wrong 😳) in my handbag I’ll have my book or kindle plus my money and boring stuff like keys and hand gel because I’m a germs freak plus some make-up and my phone and sometimes my cat climbs in it when I’m not looking but I don’t take him out of the house…

  
5. Do you smell your books?

Not really, but I can’t say never 

  
6. Books with or without little illustrations?

I probably prefer without because I love to let the words paint the pictures in my mind and if I see a picture I’ll just have that in my head instead although I do love illustrations too lol so maybe I can just look at them after I’ve finished reading and then I get the best of both worlds 😊

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later is wasn’t quality writing?

Erm, I can’t think of one 😕 I know that I’ve noticed little things sometimes but generally speaking, if the story has got enough going for it then I can be pretty forgiving!

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!

Not really, that’s not to say there aren’t any but I can’t think of them right now 😬

9. What is the tiniest book on your shelf?

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling. It’s skinny mini but that’s okay ☺️

  
10. What’s the thickest book on your shelf?

I’ve got a stupidly old copy of Lord of the Rings which is all three books in one and it’s a hardback. So it’s biiiiig (and I used to take that into school with me every day for about a year when I was ten) It’s my one book to rule them all 😂

  
11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as an author?

I do and I am 😳 it’s the best thing I’ve ever done!

12. When did you get into reading?

My dad used to read to me every night and as soon as I could take over I did ☺️

13. What is your favourite classic book?

I’m not really one for the classics (I know that’s not okay) I did enjoy Bleak House by Dickens though so I’d go with that!

  
14. In school, what was your best subject?

English and Drama, so basically reading/ writing stories or acting them out lol

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated, what would you do?

Erm, probably tell them I’d read it and let them get me something else but I probably wouldn’t admit to having hated it (people usually gift books that they love themselves and I’m waaaaay too non-confrontational for that 🙈) 

16. What is a lesser known series that you know that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?

This is such a random question! I dunno if I can think of any that are similar to them but I guess you could get yourself a DVD of Battle Royale if you want something like the hunger games!

  
17. What is a bad habit you always do while blogging?

I dunno, maybe doing tags I wasn’t tagged for 😳

18. What is your favourite word?

Troglodyte. Hands down. Troglodyte. 

19. Are you a nerd, dork or dweeb? Or all of the above?

I don’t think I’d refer to myself as any but I am a total fan-girl over many many things and I’m not afraid to show it!

20. Vampires of Fairies? Why?

Vampires. Vampires are cool and immortal and dangerous and fairies are…. Fairies. That said, I’ve read/watched many vampire based things and loved them (starting at The Strain and following the spectrum through to Twilight) and I can’t say I’ve had much to do with anything fairy based beyond Tinkerbell so maybe I could be won over

  
21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?

Can’t say I’ve read much of either sadly but I’d go Shapeshifters because I’d rather be one!

22. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?

Werewolves, mostly because they always seem to be pretty hot and I’ve not read books on either *sigh* Oh and Lupin was a werewolf 😍

23. Zombies or Vampires? Why?

Zombies! Becuase I LOVE The Walking Dead and I totally think I could make it in a zombie apocalypse 😊 but if you’re talking about what I’d rather be then it would obviously be Vampires because being a zombie would suck

  
24. Love triangle or forbidden love?

I’m happy with either if done right!

25. And finally: Full on romance or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

I’m all for the action with a great love story thrown in 😊
I hope you enjoyed my answers and if you’d like to do the tag then I tag you! Xoxo

Posted on by susannevalenti · 34 Comments

Competition time!

My book Chained is #205 in the dystopian best sellers list on Amazon already and it’s only my very first day! 

To celebrate I’d like to do a little competition! I’m offering advanced e-copies of Cut Glass, the first novella in the Cage of Lies series.

  
Here’s the blurb to get you interested:

Crystal’s life ended in the forest when she was a child. She swore an oath to keep fighting but her heart will never be the same again. She craves the love she lost and fears the pain it left her with. The shadows of her past won’t leave her side but there is one person who helps her forget them for a time. Though she knows that she will never feel true happiness again it is a gift she wants to give. To the boy who saved her life when she had lost all hope. Crystal would do anything to see him smile again. She owes him that much, even if he doesn’t agree. 

It follows the story of Crystal (a character you won’t meet in the main novels until Linked is out on October 15th) before the events of Chained. So if you’d like to enter just let me know in the comments

It’s so exciting to finally be setting my book free and I’m so grateful to all of you for supporting me on this journey ☺️ If you haven’t got your copy yet then head on over and grab one 😆 I’ve been getting steady goodreads reviews too with an average rating of 4.41 which you can check out here if you’re not swayed yet ☺️xoxo

  

Posted on by susannevalenti · 7 Comments

And now for a few guests to join the party…

So the party is going well and I’m really pleased to say that the sales are going up and so are the reviews so thank you so much to everyone who has bought a copy or who has reviewed it for me 😍 I really can’t thank you enough! 

I thought I’d give you a little insight into a few of the main characters from Chained with some character bios (I’ve never written bios for my characters before as they just exist like real people in my mind so I found it so hard to try and sum them up but hopefully this gives you an idea!)

Maya

Maya’s parents died when she was twelve years old and she’s lived alone ever since. She had to grow up fast and quickly learned how to look after herself. After their death she was relocated to a lower floor and lost most of her friends as her grief and demotion took its toll. Taylor was the only person to stick by her through it all. He’s the one person she can always rely on and the only one she’s fully comfortable being herself with. She’s tough, independent and a little clumsy at the best of times but she’s always willing to face her fears. After all, nothing could be worse than what she’s already survived and survival isn’t worth anything if you don’t live. 
Taylor

Taylor’s life was always easier than those around him. He had to watch as his best friend’s family was torn apart and was helpless to do anything about it. He stood by Maya when she tried to push everyone away and has remained by her side ever since. He’s loyal, strong, patient and kind. He’s never understood why people look down on the Dwellers just because they are the bottom of the social heap and isn’t particularly impressed by the Uppers either. He’s just happy with his life as it is and with trying to make Maya happy too. 
Laurie

Laurie’s family brought her up to believe that structure and rules are the most important thing. She likes following a chain of command and always dreamed of becoming a Warden. She defines herself by her job and takes her role as protector of the city seriously. Once Laurie completed her Warden training she actively sought ways to advance her career as quickly as possible. She never stayed in one place long enough to make close friends and didn’t realise how important they could be. She’s brave, determined and a soldier at heart. 

  
I hope you like them xoxo

Posted on by susannevalenti · 6 Comments

🎈Let’s start the celebrations!🎈

🎉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 😊

  

Posted on by susannevalenti · 5 Comments

Tomorrow my book is out… Let’s party

  
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

Posted on by susannevalenti · 23 Comments

Would anyone like to do a cover reveal? 😊

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. 

So, if this sounds like your cup of tea I’d love to have you along for the ride 😍 just email me at susanne3587@hotmail.com and I’ll send over a copy of the cover! Or if you’d prefer to post your email in the comments I’ll send it to you from there ☺️

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

  

Posted on by susannevalenti · 37 Comments

The Passive or Passionate reader divide 😐😱

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