From Where I'm Standing [9] - Update

Hey quirks.

It has been twenty days since I last saw my dad, seventeen since he died. I don't know when I'll stop counting, but I'm not able to keep the numbers away. OCD runs in my family, but I'm not nor have ever been the counter. But I'm not myself right now.

I once had a creative writing professor tell me that everything I wrote had an atmosphere of sadness or melancholy to it, and as I grew as a writer and changed as a person, (read: got my depression under control) that stopped. But now I feel like my entire being is dampened. I can still laugh; I can still talk and joke and smile. But it is tinged with grief and loss that even if not visible is still there.

This is actually the first time I've been on my laptop since the day my dad died. I was sitting with my computer in my lap when I got the call from my sister that all was not right. Thankfully I had set it aside when she started screaming on the other end of the phone. But I've not even been able to look at my computer much, just enough to pack it up with my things and move back into my family's home, but it's been sitting ever since.

When my sister called, she was using Dad's phone. I thought it was him calling. He always seemed to call just as I got settled with my laptop on the couch.

So looking at and touching my computer right now hurts. But I have things to do, and if Dad taught me anything, it was perserverance.

Things are still going to be relatively quiet on the blog for now. I am in the process of moving my entire family (husband, sister, mother, seven dogs, two cats, and myself) into a new home. My first wedding anniversary is approaching, and a couple weeks later, some trips out of town. I'm still working full-time and currently battling some kind of stomach/stress issue that has made me feel more like a zombie than a person for the last several weeks. But I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, if slowly.

I have a couple books through ARC tours that I will be reviewing, and a scheduled review, so those will appear in the coming weeks. I may review some other books I've been meaning to get to, but more than likely it will be mostly reviews on here for a while. I'm not writing. I decided to give myself July to recover before trying to get back at it. I am sporadically on Twitter, though I haven't felt a whole lot like tweeting or even keeping up with what is going on in the blogosphere, but if you message me, I'll respond.

I just wanted to let you all know where I was at and what to expect as I love my internet friends and family and didn't want to keep you all hanging with no further explanation.

Hopefully I'll be properly back in the blogging/writing/tweeting saddle soon.

-Shalena

Terry Owen Parker

I wanted to state officially that I will be on an indefinite hiatus.

 

Early this afternoon, my daddy passed away. He struggled for years with various health problems but his passing was sudden and a shock to my family.

He was one of the sweetest, smartest men I have ever known. He kicked my butt at Trivial Pursuit every time and could spot errors in movies and TV shows faster than Clint Eastwood could shoot a bad guy. He gave me my love for fantasy books, old films, and music from classical to classic rock. For those of you that have met me in person, he's where I got my inability to shut up. He encouraged me to do what made me happy and gave me the best advice and all the love and support I needed. I couldn't have asked for a better dad.

Terry Owen Parker

October 24th 1946 - July 4th 2012

Authors from A to Z: Z

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you have followed the Authors from A to Z challenge this year and to Heather at Proud Book Nerd for hosting such a fun event!

Z = Markus Zusak

Here we are at the end! I know I'm a day late in getting this challenge finished, but I couldn't leave it incomplete. I am also very glad that I had an actual, no-foolin' Z author to use this year! When I realized that I'd read not one but two books by this author and liked both, lets just say there may have been a fist in the air.

I am even more glad that I got to read Markus Zusak's books. I had heard over and over again how amazing The Book Thief was, and after convincing myself (you know how I am when it comes to the possibility of the sads), I read it and it was brilliant. Literally, brilliant. The narrator is Death, after all. Then it was suggested to me (by none other than up-and-coming author of the recently acquired novel Faking Normal, Courtney C. Stevens) to read another of Zusak's books, I Am the Messenger. I enjoyed that one as well. If you want something different, smart, and thought-provoking, read a Zusak novel.

Authors from A to Z: Y

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

Y = Miranda Kenneally

I really wanted to highlight this author, and after being tricky, I found a way (her name ends in Y, lol). I first became aware of Miranda Kenneally through a giveaway on her blog. I was intrigued because of two things. The first was that she is originally from Tennessee (and I love my home state and writers from my home state). The second was that the premise of her debut novel, Catching Jordan, is about a female quarterback from Tennessee.

I won an arc of the novel from that giveaway and read it in one sitting, late at night, so if it isn't obvious, the book is AWESOME. I am insanely excited for Kenneally's second and third books, Stealing Parker and Bad, Bad Thing, which are companion novels to Catching Jordan. But because of how amazing Kenneally's writing and characters are, I'll be reading whatever she comes up with! And as if that weren't enough for me to be a fan, Kenneally is also lovely and approachable and you should follow her on Twitter. ^_^

Authors from A to Z: X

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

X = Ten

I got a little tricky on this one since I wanted to do something different from last year and still have it relate to books. It took me a while but I finally realized that a book I am eagerly awaiting, the new book by YA author Gretchen McNeil entitled Ten, was a number and therefore could be represented by the Roman numeral for that number, which happened to be X. How felicitous, yes?

I have been interested in McNeil's debut novel, Possess, since I heard about it, but because the WIP I'm currently writing has elements relating to possession, I didn't want to muddy the waters so I'm still putting it off. But McNeil is a fascinating person with an interesting how-she-got-here story, so I was extremely excited to find out that her next book was going to be a YA thriller/mystery. A premise I love and not relating to possession? Yes please!

Authors from A to Z: W

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

W = Writing (Plot and Structure)

I write. Pretty obvious, yes? Well, when I started out, and by started out I mean got serious about finishing a novel and possibly doing something with it, I was pretty clueless. One of my biggest issues was structure. My story ideas usually start with a character or an image and rarely is there a plot of any kind to be found and I didn't have the faintest idea what story structure really meant. I would write pages and pages, a scene here, a character sketch there, but never get any closer to my goal.

Then my friend Meg lent me a book called Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. The book is part of the Write Great Fiction series and is all about exactly what the title says. Not only did this book help me figure out what I was lacking and what I needed to think about when crafting a novel, but it was also humorous and completely engaging, not dry or boring like I would expect a reference text to be. And if you want some added awesome, follow James Scott Bell on Twitter because he has lots of great insight to offer and does so often.

So if you are a writer and you struggle with plot or structure (or even if you don't), this is a great resource to pick up and learn from. And if something else is more worrisome for you, like dialogue or revision, there are more Write Great Fiction titles out there waiting to be help.

Authors form A to Z: V

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

V = Veronica Roth

I've admired Veronica Roth from the first time I read one of her inspiring blog posts. Then I read her debut novel, Divergent, and came to appreciate her even more. Roth has one of those rare gifts in both forms her her writing to get to the heart and truth of a topic in ways that are intelligent and relatable.

For instance, I'm currently reading the second book in the Divergent trilogy, Insurgent, and even though the story is a bit of a downer (because, you know, dystopian) I am continually amazed at how flawed and human Roth's characters are and how, despite those flaws, I can still relate to them and root for them. And while I am enjoying Roth's first series and am looking forward to finishing it, I am more excited to see what this talented author has in store for us in the future.

Authors from A to Z: U

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

*Note* - I had a tough week and completely spaced on posting the last bit of this challenge. To make up for it I am going to share my picks for U through Z today, so I apologize in advance for the flood of posts. I wish I had been able to keep with the schedule, but I am feeling better and I think my mini-break (which was mainly from the internet as a whole) helped. ^_^

U = Unspoken

Sarah Rees Brennan is one of my favorite authors to follow. She is hilarious on both Twitter and Tumblr and has some of the best TV show live tweets ever (her Vampire Diaries tweets are THE BEST). Unfortunately, when I tried to read her debut novel, The Demon's Lexicon, I found that it just wasn't for me, despite the excellent writing.

BUT, Brennan's new novel, Unspoken, a Gothic-tinged YA about a girl, a sleepy town, and an eerie family, sounds right up my alley. I love stories full of mystery and the possibility of the supernatural, then add in Brennan's writing style and humor, and I could not be more excited. And as if that wasn't enough, Brennan has another novel, Team Human, co-written with Justine Larbalestier, coming out next week.

Authors from A to Z: T

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

T = Tamora Pierce

Yes today is T and yes I may be going by her first name, but I can't do a list of my favorite authors without talking about Tamora Pierce. Of all the books I've read, I've read more books by Pierce than any other author (17, all set in the world of Tortall, in case you were wondering). If you haven't read any, you are missing out big time.

What I love about Pierce is, well, everything. I love her writing style, I love her characters, and I love her world-building. Her books, while not perfect, are the kind I can fully escape into. It wasn't until I started reading her novels that I realized just how much I loved fantasy, and whenever I forgot, all I had to do was pick up one of her books to find out again.

Because I've read so many of her novels, I want to share some of my favorite aspects. I have two favorite heroines, Beka Cooper of the Beka Cooper trilogy (my review of the first book, Terrier, here), and Aly, of the Daughter of the Lioness series. My favorite element of Pierce's books is the magic (the most of which can be found in the Immortals series). And last but not least, my favorite love interest is definitely George Cooper, who makes his first appearance in the Song of the Lioness quartet.

Authors from A to Z: S

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

S = Victoria Schwab

In trying to write this post, I am literally having to keep myself from bouncing like a kid about to open Christmas presents. Why? Because Victoria Schwab is that awesome. There are so many things to love about her. She was one of the organizers of Do the Write Thing for Nashville. She has a magical personality, lots of humor, and is just fun to be around. She also dressed up like cupcake to answer interview questions.

I gave her a sparkly pony once. Ponies are my favorite. That's how much I fangirl over Victoria.

And her books? Get outta here. AMAZING. I've only read one in completion, The Near Witch (my review here), but Victoria Schwab does not half-do things, y'all. The writing, the characters, just WOW. Her next couple of novels, the YA The Archived, and the non-YA Vicious, sound spectacular and unique. Alas, neither comes out until next year. If you haven't read The Near Witch (or it's companion story The Ash-Born Boy) you are so not with the program! Get with the program!
The sparkly ponies command it!

Authors from A to Z: R

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

R = C.J. Redwine

Today's author is one that doesn't have a novel out...yet. She does have a resource guide for writers called Query that I have already purchased and plan to read when I get a little closer to being done with my novel. If it seems like Redwine is a great person who likes to help others, you'd be right. I've actually had the pleasure of meeting her at a signing in Nashville (she was there supporting her friend and crit partner, Myra) and I can tell you that she is without a doubt one of the sweetest, most adorable human beings to walk the planet.

This is only part of the reason I am so excited to read her novel, Defiance. Y'all, this book sounds serious. Not like, serious as in issue novel serious, but serious, as in, something wicked is about to go down and we get to be along for the ride. And if I'm lucky, I may be able to be there at the launch party in August, when the book hits shelves, which will be a first for me. So if you get an early copy of this novel, count yourself lucky and be glad I don't know where you live. ^_^

Authors from A to Z: Q

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

Q = Quelf

I have to be honest: this post has very little to do with authors or books. But because Q is such a tough letter, I thought I would highlight something that, like books, has brought me great joy, and that is the game Quelf. If you are in any way a quirk, this is the game for you. Make sure you gather other quirks with you to play as the more the merrier is quite literal with this game.

I cannot begin to explain Quelf in any way that it deserves, but I will give you the basics. It is a board game. You have a little piece that moves around and you do things or answer questions that appear on cards. There are rules. Sometimes there are more rules and sometimes those rules change. Sometimes you have to do the most ridiculous things. Sometimes you get rewarded for reading. Sometimes you get punished. You will either love it and laugh and hurt because of too much laughing, or you will be slightly amused but decide the game is too random for you. Either way, you should give it a try if you like things like, I don't know, laughing and fun and watching other people do funny things. And if you don't like those things, well, too bad for you!

Authors from A to Z: P

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

P = Amy Plum

Amy Plum's debut novel, Die for Me, was one of those I was wary of reading. The reason? It was set in Paris, the city of love, and seemed to be one of those paranormal romances with most of the emphasis on the romance. Still, I read it anyway, and I am so glad I did!

Not only is Plum herself amazing and sweet (I got to meet her in Nashville recently), Die for Me was great. It did have romance, but a building, believable one. The characters were well-formed and the supernatural being featured in the book was different and interesting. It also had humor and action and some great character back-stories. And despite being wary of the Paris element, the city really came alive in the novel. If you haven't given this series a chance yet (the second book, Until I Die, came out last month), you should. ^_^

Authors from A to Z: O

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

O = Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver is one of those authors that I am fascinated by. I started following her almost two years ago because I loved her blog. It took me a while to read her books because while they sounded cool, they also seemed out of my reading comfort zone (yes, I'm super picky). I made myself read them anyway (eventually) and I became even more of a fan.

Delirium was the first of Oliver's books that I read (my review here). It surprised me because while the theme has a lot to do with love, there was so much more to the story than a romantic relationship. Next came Before I Fall, which is my favorite of Oliver's novels so far (see why here). Again, it was all about relationships as well as the consequences of our actions, complete with a twist that made things out of the norm, and I loved it. Both books were well-written and had a lot of heart. Oliver also writes flawed characters that change and grow and I love that and always wind up rooting for them. I will definitely be reading anything Oliver comes up with, and I can't wait to see what she gives us next.

Authors from A to Z: N

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

N = Patrick Ness

So this guy wrote this book that looked really interesting to me, but it didn't seem to be up my alley. Then I was persuaded by my friend Meg to read it. I couldn't read it fast enough. The funny thing is that this book has two more after it in the series, and I both want to read them and am afraid to, because I've heard this guy makes you cry.

If you don't already know, Patrick Ness is the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy. It's a sci-fi story told from the point of view of a boy that grew up in a town where there are no women on a planet colonized by former Earth folk. Not only is the story told in an odd way, but the first book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, is an adventure/journey story that has some creepy villains and lots of action (my review here). I was completely enthralled and I plan on reading the next two books, The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men, even if Patrick Ness is going to make me cry. I also may (if I can get over being afraid of shedding even more tears) read his other YA novel, A Monster Calls.