Okay, I just finished reading ONCE DEAD TWICE SHY. I definitely will be reading the follow-up EARLY TO DEATH EARLY TO RISE. Kim has done it again. I've been growing more and more worried with Kim's Hollows series drawing closer to an end. I am a major fan girl of the Rachel Morgan Hollows series that Kim created and was starting to go through withdrawal with it's end looming near.

But, after reading Kim's new YA, I feel my stress lessening. I'm hooked on Madison, Barnabas, the light and dark reapers. With Kim's other series ending, I was afraid that Kim's style might change and I might fall out of love with her writing. No worries. ONCE DEAD TWICE SHY wasn't a disappointment. It flows from beginning to end with Kim's unique voice and ability to cause you to totally fall in love with the characters. It's filled with the twists and turns that Kim Harrison readers have come to expect. All is not what it seems.

I'm amazed that Kim was able to pack as much punch in her YA that she does with her adult series. She is truly a wizard with a pen considering, the shorter length of about one hundred pages or so in a traditional length YA.

And characters that I thought for sure I'd end up hating, I felt sympathy for and ended up loving in the end. Characters I thought trustworthy, well like I said before, all isn't what it seems.

Reading about Madison may be enough to hold me over until Kim's next release, PALE DEMON. I am also looking forward to the graphic novel release July 2011. The graphic novel will be from Ivy's POV no less!!! The cover is smoking HOT! Makes me yearn for my silver and black Honda CBR I sold. (sigh)

With PALE DEMON release scheduled for Feb 22 and BLOOD WORK scheduled for July 2011 and Madison's book three SOMETHING DEADLY THIS WAY COMES releasing late May or early June. I'm pretty safe from DTs (Delirium Tremors - withdrawal from Hollows series for big time fan girl.)
Later,
Melissa

QUICK WRITING UPDATE

This year I have promised myself that I would start submitting stories. RAVEN'S TRANSFORMATION was published Nov. 2009. Since then, I have not turned in one story. This week I'll be turning in another Urban Fantasy short story. I'm in the final stages of spit polishing it to a shine. I have two publishers in mind for submitting.

I've almost finished reading ONCE DEAD TWICE SHY by Kim Harrison and should have a reader's review up soon. And I just signed up for a online writing class to help improve my writing.

Later,
Melissa

WHAT I'M READING.

Last night I started on my TBR pile. I am currently reading ONE DEAD TWICE SHY by Kim Harrison. This novel is Kim's foray into YA. Here's the blurb from the jacket.

 
Madison's prom was a killer-literally for some reason she's been targeted by a dark reaper-intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she's stuck on Earth-dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn't know why the dark reaper is after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.

With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe...), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once  and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

Later,
Melissa

PALE DEMON

Hi Kim Harrison fans. Chapter 3 of PALE DEMON is up at Kim's site for your reading pleasure. I just finished reading it. (Loved it!)

Later, I'm going back for seconds.
Melissa

GOALS REVISTED

Over the last week or so, I've been formulating a plan to reach my goals for this year. Number one goal is to complete my first draft of RAVEN'S REVENGE. I've set a word count goal that if adhered too, should put me finishing up the first draft around March.

I also have another story that I have already completed the first draft that I'll be picking up and revisiting this year. There are two short stories sitting on the back burner as well. One has been rewritten three times. One is in it's first draft.

How are things going so far. Slow but steady. It helps having small specific goals. How about you? How's the goals for 2011 going?

New Year means new goals. And for me that means new writing goals. On the advise of my crit partner, I've scaled back my writing goals to make them more realistic. Here they are:

1) Finish first draft of current WIP.

2) Rewrite short story I've been working on and submit it.

3) Join a professional writing group

4) Attend a writing convention this year.

5)Take at least 2 writing workshops (online due to time constraints)

There you have it. This writer/author's goals for the new year.

Before I forget, my favorite author has the first two chapter's of her new book up at her website.

Later,
Melissa