Posted on by susannevalenti · 8 Comments

The Blogger Recognition award 🏆

  
Thank you Suereadingcorner for nominating me! 

1. Select 15 other blogs you want to give this award to. Do some digging if you must! Find those blogs. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who nominated you.

2. Write a post to show off your award! Give a brief story of how your blog got started and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. List who nominated you in your post. Make sure to attach the award yourself!

3. Comment on each blog to let them know you’ve nominated them. Provide a link to your award post.

4. Provide a link to the original post on Edge of Night. This way, anyone can find the original post if needed and we can keep it from mutating and becoming confusing!

Why I started blogging:

I started writing my blog because I am an author and will be releasing my books this year. I wanted to connect with like minded people and hopefully build some interest in my writing too.

Advice:

The best advice I can think of is to just stay natural with you’re blogging. Write about things that matter to you in a way that will draw people in, stay light hearted and fun 😊

For the Blogger Recognition Award, I nominate:

1. CarolinePeckham

2. Matt

3. Siyan-Reads

4. Sjhigbee 

5. Emma  

6. The ya reader

7. Tanazmasaba 

8. Nerdybirdy

9. Ringaroundtheprose

10. Bambers1988

11. Cathy

12. R. Ann Greene

13. Onenightbookstandblog

14. MB

15. Mud and stars

😊 xoxo

Posted on by susannevalenti · 16 Comments

And so we lived happily ever after… 💏

I love my husband very much but every now and then, between the pages of a book, I fall for someone else. 

This is a list of my favourite paperback crushes 💘 I’d love to know if you agree and if you think I’ve missed anyone….

5. Gale from The Hunger Games. I was always team Gale, he was strong and steady and stood by Katniss through everything. Plus I felt like her feelings for him were more natural whereas those for Peeta were almost forced upon her… But maybe that’s just me 😋 “He tilts his forehead down to rest against mine and pulls me closer. His skin, his whole being radiates heat from being so near the fire, and I close my eyes, soaking in his warmth. I breathe in the snow-dampened leather and smoke and apples, the smell of those wintry days we shared before the Games. I don’t try to move away. Why should I anyway? His voice drops to a whisper. “I love you.””💑

4. Jack from Blood Red Road. I just loved his rough no-nonsense appeal. He was a strong enough man to accept Saba despite her flaws and love her all the more for them “Yer in my blood, Saba, he says. Yer in my head. Yer in my breath, yer in my bones…gawd help me, yer everywhere. You have been since the first moment I set eyes on you.” 😍
3. Stalker from Enclave. This one might be a bit controversial but for me Stalker was always the obvious choice. His love for Deuce made him into a better man and there was just something about him that I always found irresistible “His pale eyes blazed with the power of what he felt for me. The reflected heat warmed me where I hadn’t even known I was cold.” 😘

2. Choal Westfall from Throne of Glass. I love how quietly and solidly he loves Celaena, I feel like he is something solid she can cling to through everything. Sure, he’s not perfect and he needs to learn when to be a little less strict with his principles but I think they are so much better together! “There had never been any line between them, only his own stupid pride. Because from the moment he’d pulled her out of that mine in Endovier and she had set those eyes upon him, he’d been walking towards this, walking towards her. So Choal brushed away her tears, lifted her chin, and kissed her.” 💏

1. Edward Cullen from Twilight. Who wouldn’t want to be loved in the way Edward loves Bella? And even better he can be with her for the rest of time. Sure, Bella offers to change/give up/do anything for him but he never wants that! He loves her for her and he’d do anything to make her happy for the rest of eternity. I’m sold, where do I sign up? “You’re not asleep, and you’re not dead. I’m here and I love you. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I was thinking of you, seeing your face in my mind, every second that I was away. When I told you that I didn’t want you, it was the very blackest kind of blasphemy.” 😍😘💘

Do you agree? Did I miss someone obvious? I’d love to know what you think xoxo

Posted on by susannevalenti · 1 Comment

2 weeks 106 followers and a dog with zero interest…

Its the end of my second week of blogging and I’m overwhelmed to say that I’ve got an amazing 106 of you following my blog already! 😍😍😍😍😍 Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to read / like / comment, it truly means so much to me! 

So, as a kind of tradition that I’m starting in honour of these milestone moments, I’m going to put another snippet from my upcoming novel Chained up for you to have a look at. This is a bit from chapter 9 just to give you a little bit of an idea of the feeling throughout the book… I would love to hear any feedback you have ☺️ :
 Taylor reached across the table and took my hand. I glanced up at him in surprise. 

 “Don’t let this place change you,” he said.

 “I think it’s a bit late for that.” 

 “No. It’s making us stronger but it doesn’t have to change who we are inside.” I looked at his grey eyes and felt something flutter in my stomach. 

 “What’s this? Love’s young dream?” a gravelly voice cooed from somewhere above me. I snatched my hand back as though it had been burnt and spun around. 

 Grey loomed over me, smelling strongly of sweat. I dropped my spoon with a clatter and shrank away from him. A small crowd of his followers gathered around our end of the table so that the Wardens couldn’t see what was going on. 

 Taylor tried to stand but a burley man appeared between the crush of bodies and gripped his shoulders, pressing him back down into his seat. A cold prickle of fear ran down my spine. 

 Dolly slinked between the bodies surrounding us and leant forward over Taylor’s shoulder, the hair that was remaining on her head trailed down his chest. She reached out and pulled his chin around so that he faced her, her nails digging into his skin. 

 “What a pretty face,” she hissed. Taylor jerked backwards, dislodging her grip but the man moved to stop him from standing again. 

 “What do you want?” I asked in a voice that sounded braver than I felt. 

 “That’s a good question,” Grey purred menacingly. He reached out and ran a lock of my hair through his meaty fingers. I stiffened and felt a surge of adrenalin run through my body but I didn’t move. 

 I glanced at Taylor who seemed at a loss for what to do as much as I was. 

 “We’re just being friendly,” Dolly smiled widely. Her facial muscles tugged on the scar that dominated the left side of her face, making her eye bug out. She leaned closer to Taylor’s face and his lip curled back in disgust. 

 The crowd of followers surged closer so that the press of bodies totally concealed us from view. Grey tugged at my hair again and I jerked away from him, managing to get to my feet. My legs were pressed against the table as I leant back, the bench I had vacated the only thing between us. 

 “Don’t touch me,” I snarled. 

 I wished I had some kind of weapon. The crowd started to murmur excitedly, waiting to see what would happen next. I held Grey’s eye and waited too. 

…thanks for reading, I asked my dog Ozzy to give it a go but he had zero interest xoxo ☺️

   

Posted on by susannevalenti · 22 Comments

Animals in books 🐺🐷🐴🐻

I love the addition of an animal to a book especially when they further the story! This is a list of my top five animals in books and why, I’d love to know if you agree and who else you’d put on the list… 

5. Saphira- Eragon’s dragon. 

Sometimes I sit in traffic and I think ‘If I had a dragon I wouldn’t have to deal with this sh*t’ nuff said. (I’m gunna chuck Daenerys’ dragons in with this one too or it will all be me bitching about how I wanna ride a dragon)🐲

  
4. Bill the pony – The Lord of the Rings. 

Growing up my dad used to read me the works of J R R Tolkien and one question was never far from my lips. ‘Did Bill get home???? 🐴😭 but he did so that’s okay and I love him!

  
3. Ghost – Game of Thrones. 

So you’re making your way to school/work and some guy bumps into you, knocking you bag to the floor. In the real world we grumble internally, in my dreams, Ghost knocks him on his ass and scares the crap out of him while I laugh. This is Jon Snow’s reality and I want it (my own husky would be more likely to give the guy a lick). I’m counting all of the dire wolves in this but Ghost is my fave 🐺

  
2. Jacob – Twilight.

Okay so maybe he’s a person at times but when he’s wolfy he’s super wolfy and he can bring all of his pack mates to the occasion so they’ve all got your back. Oh and when he is a person he’s hot so no complaints there 😋

  
1. Hedwig- Harry Potter. 

Was there ever any doubt? Best friend, super cute, crazy intelligent, can find anyone anywhere so you can totally find out if people are lying to you aaaaand no more waiting for the mail man? Done and done 🐦

  
Let me know if you agree xoxo

Posted on by susannevalenti · 18 Comments

Book hangovers, that awful moment when you realise all of your new friends don’t really exist 😭

You’ve all been there, you finish a book (or even worse complete a series) just to be spat back out into the real world without so much as a farewell. 

There’s something dreadfully final about completing a journey through a piece fiction that no amount of re-reading can cure. 

You miss your fictional family! Sure, they’re all still there, living their adventures between the pages but where are you? On your way to school or work, talking to your friends and families about trite things like what’s for dinner or who’s used the last sheet of toilet paper. 

‘No!’ Screams your subconscious. ‘I was saving the world this morning and falling in love last night!’ Where’s the justice? Where’s the closure? And why doesn’t anyone understand that you can’t unload the dishwasher because the whole world just ended!

For all you fellow book hangover sufferers I want you to know that I feel your pain. We can come together and share our angst… 

I am currently suffering with two particular hangovers that haven’t shifted despite me reading multiple books since they were caused. 

The first was the end of the Divergent series which sent me into a hysterical rage. I actually threw the book across the room, making my cat glare at me and causing my husband to ask if I had serious psychological issues.

The second has a more hopeful outlook. I am eternally reliving the world of Celaena Sardothien, I ask people ‘what do you think will happen next?’ They push their shaping carts away from me quickly, taking their children but the hand. But that’s okay. Because September is coming and then I’ll get some answers! 😊

Are any of you suffering? Maybe together we can find a way through our pain, I’d love to hear comments from fellow sufferers. 

  

Posted on by susannevalenti · 12 Comments

1 week 53 followers and a cat who isn’t helping…

Wow what a week! I’ve been nervous about starting up a blog and had been putting it off for ages but now I really have no idea why. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed me😍😍😍. I’m really enjoying being a part of this crazy community and hope that the fun just keeps coming from here on out ☺️

I thought that maybe some of you would like to have a read of the opening paragraphs of my upcoming novel Chained and would love to hear any thoughts you have ☺️ I’m super nervous and excited about doing this but I’m just going to do jump in 😁 so here goes…
Chapter One

I slammed my palms against the cold glass that separated us but they didn’t react. 
 “Mom!” I shouted. “Dad!”

 They didn’t look up. No matter what I did, they didn’t look up from their work. The white lab was cold and unwelcoming but they seemed at home in it. They didn’t know what was coming, it was just like any other day. I slammed my palms on the glass again. They couldn’t hear me. 

 A blue light started flashing above their heads and they both turned abruptly to stare at it. My mom dropped the vial she was holding and it smashed into a thousand tiny pieces by her feet. 

 “Mom!” I screamed. Tears were running down my cheeks. “Dad!” My throat felt raw as sandpaper but I kept screaming and hammering on the glass. 

 Mom grabbed my dad’s hand. Their eyes met and in that second, they knew what was coming. 

 “No!” I yelled. “Please, run… please,” I sobbed. 

 Dad pulled my mom into his arms and kissed her hair. Their fingers dug into each other’s clothes and they held on so tightly it must have been painful. 

 I screamed again.

 The flames dove from the ceiling in a wave. They washed over my parents, kissing their skin and wrapping them in fingers of orange flame. Then I lost sight of them. There was only fire and my screams and burning. 
… I hope you like it because my cat Roly doesn’t care 😸