My object was a rock

So back in September I went to a ‘Writing for the Young Adult’ workshop ran by the Hunter Writers Centre. Talks were given by the wonderful Kaz Delaney, Lizzie Wilcock and Amy Lovat. It was fascinating and insightful, I found these three women to be lovely, with a wealth of knowledge between them.

For a bit of fun the ladies gave us two random photos and an object, we were then asked to write an opening line for a story and a scene of dialogue using the photos and item as a prompt. I got a photo of a river and a male teen wearing a leather jacket while playing the guitar, my object was a rock.

I thought I’d share what I came up with – I even made Genie a name plaque picture thingy, not at the time of writing, but last night when re-reading and deciding to share her with you.Genie

 *     *     *     *

Billy was going to be a star. Then Billy drowned when I crashed my car.

My bedspreads covered in glass. One of locals has thrown another rock through my bedroom window. It has been happening regularly since I crashed my car in the river. I’d just picked Billy, my boyfriend up from band rehearsal when a bright light exploded across the road in front of us. I freaked and swerved hard. My car rolled and ended up in the river. The next thing I knew I was laying soaking wet on my bed at home with no explanation as to how I got there.

 *     *     *     *

He looked at me, pain crinkling his already wrinkled old face.

I sighed “I’m sorry granddad, I just can’t”

“Darling, you haven’t left the house in months”.

He just doesn’t get it, no body gets it.

“I’m sorry” is all I can manage before slamming my head face first onto my pillow.

“Please Genie, life must go on”.

Right then another rock sails through my bedroom window, smashing the newly replaced glass.

I sit up to see my grandfather hot footing it down the stairs “see it’ll never be ok, I can never leave” but I’m screeching at empty air. I can hear my grandad out on the front lawn yelling.

*     *     *     *

http://www.kazdelaney.com/

http://lizziewilcock.wordpress.com/lizzie-wilcock/

http://www.amzlove.wordpress.com

https://www.hunterwriterscentre.org

Allegiant

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Synopsis:

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

My Thoughts:

It’s been a few days since I finished reading Allegiant and I’m still sitting here like a stunned mullet trying to figure out what to write – I was that dumbfounded and disappointed in the ending.

I went out and bought Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant and Four all at once so I could read them as a whole. I hadn’t done any “research” on the series other than reading a few reviews on the first book and seeing a trailer on TV for the Divergent movie. I flew through the first two books and really enjoyed them, but am now regretting not reading Four before Allegiant. I suggest reading Four before Allegiant or it’ll be bitter sweet and feel rather pointless.

Now I suggest if you don’t want the ending spoiled you stop reading now, because I’m about to have a whinge about it.

Ok, Ok, so Ms Roth, you give me characters that I love (Tobias & Tris), you put them through hell and make them lose all their family and friends, then for no good reason you kill Tris, POINTLESSLY Kill Tris! Chicago could still have settled the same way, Tobias could still have gone into politics and Tris could have spent her time helping the fringe dwellers. There was no point to it, no lesson to be learned by her death. Her parents had sacrificed themselves for her, she’d saved her city, and she’d lost countless friends, so why kill her. We know life is unfair Ms Roth and you successfully showed us that by Tris losing friends and family, and by Tobias’s relationships with his parents – So why take her from us and Tobias, all this does is make it feel pointless. All it does is say that love DOESN’T concur all, which may be true in the real world, shouldn’t be in book land. Love that ends happily ever after gives us hope, Hope is extremely necessary in this less than ideal world. Up until the point that you needlessly killed Tris, I loved the series, so why couldn’t she just have been gravely injured and taken months to recover instead – Hmmmmmm.

Anyway rant over.  Seriously though I really enjoyed the series, Allegiant’s got all the action, adventure and drama of the first two books, I just felt that the ending (for lack of a better word) “Sucked” and didn’t to Tobias and Tris justice.

CHASING THE DEMON

CHASING THE DEMON
(Book 2 of The ‘Gateway’ series)

By Louise G. White

Chasing the Demon cover

Synopsis:

The system has been changing, the Agency flaunts its cruel practises and the balance of the realms is disrupted. Ethan’s enforcers are already stretched to the limits with policing the realms, and things get worse when partnerships develop between the worst of the Demon realms.

Meanwhile on Empustat, Carolyn has spent an entire year being pampered and ‘reconditioned’, her memories wiped and replaced to produce a limited and vapid Princess. Under the constraints of the Chief, she is no longer the feared and mythical destroyer. Carolyn lives a life of privilege, expected to marry her father’s second in command and produce heirs for the realm. Her friend Mario, in contrast, has suffered hardship and humiliation at the hands of the Lilim Guard – A chance encounter between the pair is surely a step towards Carolyn’s awakening.

The disabled gateway has frustrated the team’s efforts to reach Carolyn, and Ethan can barely suffer Note’s presence, but both mage and demon share the same goals. Hope rekindles by way of an unexpected source which leads to the team embarking on a plan so daring that that their survival hangs in the balance. With old and new friends from the realms, bias and loyalties will be challenged as the fight for order truly begins.

My thoughts:

Oh why did it end, I just wanted to keep reading.

I’m really am at a loss as what to write, as anything I write won’t do this book justice…………….

Louise is an amazing writer, she depicts these other worlds so well that I feel as if I am there, it’s as if they are real. Her vivid descriptions really are a delight. The way it jumped between the characters really pushed the pace of the story along, I couldn’t put it down. All the things I loved about the first book were amplified and grown on.

In this the second instalment of the Gateway series we get our old favourites from the first book with the injection of a few new characters that really spice things up and add humour to it all. Louise offers us up; Romance, Friendship, Loyalty, Action, Adventure, Good versus Evil and Multiple Worlds to tickle our fancy. I loved the ending as it leads to so many possibilities, even Ethan’s in with a chance (I hope).

I’m not going to say anything else as I don’t want to give the story away – It’s awesome – GO READ IT.

If you haven’t read the first one:
THE CALLING 
(Book 1 of The ‘Gateway’ series)
By Louise G. White

the calling

Synopsis:
On the run and hiding from the suits, Carolyn’s life is far from straightforward. After her mother and brother go missing in a most extraordinary way, (through a hole to another world which appears in the kitchen wall!), she is determined to track them down and bring them home. But life is never that easy! Rescued and protected by a group of unusual and likeminded people, Carolyn hones her magic and fighting skills. Whilst answering a call to retrieve a human from another world she is faced with a quick decision and ends up bringing a demon back with her. Little did she know what effect this demon would have on her. As each day passes her strengths grow and her magic develops to assist her in her quest to track down her family, but there are decisions to make that will affect the rest of her life..

Louise

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The Calling by Louise G. White

The Calling by

Goodreads Synopsis:

On the run and hiding from the suits, Carolyn’s life is far from straightforward. After her mother and brother go missing in a most extraordinary way, (through a hole to another world which appears in the kitchen wall!), she is determined to track them down and bring them home. But life is never that easy! Rescued and protected by a group of unusual and like minded people , Carolyn hones her magic and fighting skills. Whilst answering a call to retrieve a human from another world she is faced with a quick decision and ends up bringing a demon back with her. Little did she know what effect this demon would have on her. As each day passes her strengths grow and her magic develops to assist her in her quest to track down her family, but there are decisions to make that will affect the rest of her life.

My Thoughts:

Wow this book was a rollercoaster, I don’t even know where to begin.

The first couple of chapters are hard to get into as there is so much thrown at you and so much going on, but you immediately fall for the main character Carolyn and you can’t stop yourself from reading as you NEED need to know what happens to her and you can’t sleep until you know she safe from the suits.

Oh dear sweet Carolyn, her family and the life that she knew is ripped from her when she is fifteen. Carolyn spends the next two years as a possessed incoherent killing machine, ruled only by primal instincts she never knew existed inside her. It isn’t until she meets Note (spoiler- he’s not human) that she truly regains her self. The thrill ride that becomes their life on the run draws you in even more than you thought possible. Eventually Carolyn finds her place with a bunch of ”special” people just like her and comes to peace with what and who she is – Only to have the story finish on the dramatic cliffhanger that rips the whole world and her relationships to shreds.

This was a fast paced, actioned packed romance/ Fantasy/ Sci-fi Novel that was a great start to kick of a new series of awesomeness. I really think there is a little bit for everyone here.

I’m going to give it four stars. I really think the only reason I didn’t fully love the story was that I fell for Ethan (is human), not Note as the leading “man”. Note gets Carolyn (to an extent, but I won’t give away too much) and Ethan is left to struggle with his frustrating and unrequited feelings – Yep Ethan I feel for ya buddy.

I wanted Carolyn with Ethan but she ends up with Note and don’t get me wrong I loved Note as well. I can’t really explain it. I tend to do that; I wanted Jacob not Edward (in new moon & eclipse, but fell for Edward in breaking dawn), Homer not Lee (in tomorrow when the war began, the whole ten books I was like “no not Lee, choose HOMER!! that handsome cheeky greek devil thats been your best friend always!!! my Mum and most of the population where Pro Lee though LOL)

Anyways a Frustrating, Fascinating, Captivating read and Fours Stars. I await the next installment to find out what happens to Carolyn “The Destroyer” next.

What I’ve Read So Far

Here is a recap of the books I’ve managed to read and review so far this year 🙂

Books Read in 2014 =

January:

  1. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) by Rick Riordan (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-3x )
  2. The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-44 )
  3. Tripwire (Jack Reacher #3) by Lee Child (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-4u )
  4. The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1) by Rick Riordan (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-50 )
  5. The Visitor (Jack Reacher #4) by Lee Child (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-5U )
  6. The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2) by Rick Riordan (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-66 )
  7. The Son of Sobek (Percy Jackson & Kane Chronicles Crossover #1) by Rick Riordan (My Review http://wp.me/431Gp )

February:

  1. The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-6E )
  2. Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5) by Stephenie Meyer (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-6y )
  3. The Enemy (Jack Reacher #8) by Lee Child (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-6R )
  4. Harry Potter – Three Short Stories by Bruce T Forbes
  5. Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology by Amy A. Bartol, Tammy Blackwell, Amanda Havard, Heather Hildenbrand, Tiffany King, C.A. Kunz, Sarah M. Ross, Raine Thomas (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-7b )
  6. Here Among The Ruins by Regina Puckett (my Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-6K )
  7. Day Trips to Narnia by Bruce T. Forbes
  8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  9. Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-7F )

March:

  1. The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4) by Rick Riordan (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-7L )
  2. Casting Shadows Everywhere by L.T. Vargus (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-8d )
  3. Salvation by A.M.C. (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-8J )
  4. Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker
  5. Delta Force Vampire: Insurgency by Alex Shaw (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-9m )

April:

  1. Lust & Longing: A Collection of Erotic Shorts by Charity Parkerson
  2. Dementional by Tonya Cannariato (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-9z )
  3. Words by Robert Zimmermann
  4. Time Shifters by Shanna Lauffey (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-at )
  5. Vaempires: Revolution By Thomas Winship (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-aN )
  6. Fifty First Times: A New Adult Anthology
  7. Now You Shall Know – Newcastle Poetry Prize 2013 Anthology
  8. Thunderhead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-bc )
  9. Speak of the Devil by Shawna Romkey (My Review http://wp.me/p431Gp-bz )

Speak of the Devil by Shawna Romkey

Goodreads Synopsis:

What happens when falling in love and falling from grace collide?

After dying in a car accident with her two best friends, Lily miraculously awakens to grief and guilt. She escapes to her dad’s to come to terms with the event and meets some people at her new school who seem all too eager to help her heal. Sliding deeper into sorrow and trying to fight her feelings for two of them, she finds out who…what they really are and that they are falling too.

Can she find the strength to move on from the past, reconcile her feelings for Luc, find a way to stop a divine war with fallen angels, and still pass the eleventh grade?

My Thoughts:

Oh wow I was enjoying this so much that I just didn’t want it to end!

Bam! straight up I’m giving this a FIVE out of Five stars. I’m trying to figure out what I liked best about this book, but words fail me. It’s a young adult book but it deals with some major issues (Death, Loss, Love, Guilt, God, Good vs Evil). I think it would suit from anyone from the age 12 to 102 and leave everyone craving more. It made me warm and fuzzy inside. There was Drama and Suspense, Love and Romance and the ongoing battle of good and evil.

You can tell that this book is leading up to an epic series, I’m really looking forward to the next book to see where it goes.

 

For more on Shawna see her website http://www.shawnaromkey.com/

I was found this book through the wonderful Booktastik. Sign up here http://booktastik.com/ for great deals on awesome books.

 

Weekly Writing Challenge: Time Machine

Weekly Writing Challenge: Time Machine. This is my first time doing a fiction piece for my entry. I normally relate the topic to my life somehow but this time I decided to do a flash fiction piece. Hope you like it.

Stephanie stood in a state of shock. She just couldn’t fathom it. The strikingly handsome man standing in front of her was telling her his name was Rylan and he was her great grandson from the future and they had to go into the past to save the whole family from a curse that was playing out in his lifetime. Steph needed to sit down. Steph needed at double shot of tequila.

The more she looked at Rylan the more she thought he looked familiar, the more she saw a resemblance between him and her high school sweetheart Tom. He had Tom’s vibrant emerald eyes, scruffy unruly dark brown hair and the shame shaped face, although she never got to see Tom reach his full potential as a man. When she looked at Rylan’s strong broad form, she couldn’t help imagine that’s how he would have turned out. Too beautiful for words.

As Rylan lead her outside to his time machine, which to her eyes just looked like an old beaten up Hilux 4WD Ute. She couldn’t help but think about the last time she had seen Tom. They had been fifteen at the time. Neither of their families approved of their connection. Rylan was from a very wealthy family with a money hungry ogre of a father. Tom’s father wanted Rylan to focus on his studies and join the family law firm or follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a well noted surgeon. Nothing less would do and as far as he was concerned Stephanie and her whole family would ruin the Goodwells reputation.

As for Steph’s family, her father had been killed in a coal mining accident when she was only fine and she’d grown up an only child living with her Grandmother Martha and mother May, both practising loyal religious Wiccans. The three of them lived as green a life as possible, loving and respecting nature, but this ‘hippy’ approach made the neighbourhood think they were crazy hippies and witches.

While all three of the ladies had traditional witchy powers the reason the natural witches blood line had survived so long was because they didn’t go around reading people fortunes or making love potions, or messing with fate or other people’s lives. They simply worshiped and worked the land and tried to keep their ceremonies a secret.

Tom knew what Steph was, she had let him carry out simple thankfulness and happiness ceremonies with him. In fact he was the only person she’d ever spoke to outside of the family about any of it. Everyone at school just thought she was some tree loving hippy and she was ok with that.

Steph was snapped out of her daydream to reality when she saw inside the old Hilux. Where the simple old Hilux Dash should have been there was flashing lights, buttons and things she couldn’t describe, it looked like something out of a fighter jet. A futurist fighter jet. She questioned Rylan as to what exactly he needed her help with and where they were going. Problem was she wasn’t really listening, she kept thinking about Tom. So when there was a high pitch squeal and a flash of bright white light she had no idea what was going on.

As the light faded and she looked around, she was in the bush up the back of her old high school. But this bush didn’t exist anymore it had been turned into a shopping complex and a new housing estate. She got out of the Hilux / Time Machine and looked around dazed, as she looked back down towards the school, she could she two kids running flat out to get back inside the grounds. It was her and Tom. It sent a shiver down her spine, so many times had her and Tom snuck out of the grounds to muck around in the caves at the back of the school.

Stephanie looked around for Rylan still trying to believe what her eyes saw. Rylan was standing at the entrance of one of the caves beckoning her in, she shook her head as she reached where he was standing and demanded to know what was going on and why he had brought her here, he rolled his eyes and went into a long winded explanation, she only caught bits of it as she was staring back down the hill reminiscing. She caught about this much; On this day in the caves she had lost a bracelet and Rylan had brought her back to find it, because unbeknown to her, her mother or her grandmother the bracelet that had been passed down through the family wasn’t just a good luck type charm bracelet as they had always thought, it did in fact have secret shielding abilities against something called a Vaper, she didn’t want to know what that was. She was confused as to why he couldn’t just look for it himself, but he stated that no one had ever seen it since her, so he didn’t know what it looked like. Strange she thought, but she continued to describe it. She was really starting to think that nothing made sense, like how did he know she lost it on this day and how did he even know it ever existed, and hell a frigging time machine that looked like an old Ute. Before she could make up her mind as were to go from here, Rylan shouted ‘’FOUND IT” and held the Amethyst and Onyx bracket that Steph hadn’t seen for years in his hand. Steph was starting to worry that she may have made some sort of monumental mistake, but she got no impression of evil or wrong doing from Rylan, in fact when she read his soul, he seemed perfectly pure. This puzzled her even more.

Rylan hurried her back to the Ute and before she knew it she was standing on the curb of her apartment block watching Rylan drive down the street then bursting into a ball of light.

She felt like she was going to pass out, she was so overwhelmed. She went inside and made a cup of tea, but nothing would calm her down. She went down to the garages and reversed out her hybrid Honda Civic and floored the little engine as fast as she could over to her Grandmother and Mother’s house, the house she grew up in, there she thought she’d be safe and could talk this all out with her favourite two people on earth.

As Steph pulled into the street she saw a black BMW parked out the front of their house. Her whole body started to shake and her vision went fuzzy. She was screaming at herself in her head “WHAT HAVE I DONE”. As she got out of her car and walked to the front door she could see her mum talking to someone, he turned around and at first she thought it was Rylan, then he spoke and called out her name. It was Tom. She promptly passed out and fell in a heap on the front lawn.

The end …… Or is it?

More info on the Challenge here >>

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/writing-challenge-time-machine/