Avianne: 2015

3 Ways To Style Boots For Fall

10:52 AM

20 things to do when bored

20 Things To Do When You're Bored

9:00 AM

Author interview

Author Interview | Cassandra Morgan (Chartile)

9:00 AM

Today we have a super fun and interesting interview with the author Cassandra Morgan. I recently did a review of her book Chartile. If you are interested in checking that out you can visit the post here.We will go ahead and jump right into it!

What are you currently reading?

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

I actually don’t have a lot of time to read, so I’m addicted to audio books. I listen to 15-30 minutes of an audio book before bed every night, and I listen to various writing podcasts during the day in my car.

Do you have a writing ritual? I know some authors like to use certain pens, or wear certain things to get their creative juices flowing.

I do my best work on my bed. I have this cushy, micro-suede back rest (that my cat likes to attack, so that sometimes makes writing interesting if he’s being hyper that evening) I like to use. I just set that up against my headboard, laptop on my lap, and no less than one kitty within an arm’s reach of a pet.

What inspired you to write this story?

When I was an early teen, my friends and I would go into the woods behind our houses in the subdivision we lived in, and we would play these role-playing games. The story stemmed from those games we used to play, at least the core of it. I decided over a decade later, after I couldn’t get the story out of my head, that I wanted to write it out and put it out there to the world. A few things changed from the original, but the core concept and core characters are all there.

About how long did it take you to write Chartile?

3 freaking long years! I worked a retail job most of the time I was working on the first book. The hours were unpredictable, so I didn’t always know when I would or wouldn’t be able to write. Now that I have a more set 9-5 job, I can schedule my time more easily. The second book is coming along much faster than the first.

What was it like the first time you held your physical book or saw the finished book?

It was a little surreal, but I immediately started nit-picking everything and figuring out what I needed to tweak before releasing it onto the market. I highly recommend for any self-published authors who do Print-on-Demand, it’s worth it to order a physical copy as part of your proofing.
So, by the time my first case of “real” books came, the special-ness had kind of worn off and it was all business.

What was the first story you wrote about? No matter how silly it was!

I come from a family of writers and English majors. I remember typing out gobble-dy-gook on my uncle’s type writer before I even knew my alphabet. I’d then walk into the next room, proud as could be, and make my family listen to the story I had just “written”. I couldn’t tell you what these were, but I have been coming up with little stories since I was at least three-years old, because that’s about as far back as I can remember.

The first story I clearly remember writing was in the fourth grade. We had a Writer’s Workshop once a week. The story was The Unicorn and the Ligar. It was about a unicorn who went on an adventure to save her father who was being held captive by the evil Ligar on the other side of the enchanted forest. I think I did it for an actual assignment. It was from that point on I remember many of my English teachers pushing me very hard and holding me to a higher standard than a lot of my other classmates. So, I think my teacher at the time might have spread the word amongst the school system for the teachers to keep an eye on me. I went to a very small school. The town I grew up in was so small, it technically was considered a village, so it wasn’t very hard for word to spread like that.
I’m grateful for it.

If you had a chance to do to do the process of writing Chartile over what would you do differently?

I think I would have had my editor go over it a second time. I think I would have also organized an editing team vs just beta readers.

I hope you guy enjoyed this post as much as I did! Cassandra gave some really good responses. If you can't get enough of her check out her links at the bottom of this post. Don't forget to follow this blog by entering you email in the side bar.

Cassandra's Social Media

Blog//Buy Chartile//Facebook

Read the first 2 chapters of Cassandra's book Chartile here.

3 ways to be more productive

3 Ways to Be More Productive

5:36 PM

Do you ever feel like you can never get the things you need done? Then you feel disappointed because you weren’t able to accomplish what you wanted. I used to be just like that until I started doing these three simple things. I have notice a significant difference in the amount of work I can get done, and my mood. This post isn’t just going to tell you how to get more things done, but it’s also going to tell you how to feel like you have gotten a ton of this done even if you haven’t. This will over all help you feel better about your accomplishments for the day.

Make To Do Lists

There is nothing more satisfying to me then crossing tasks off a to-do list! To-do lists keep you from straying away from the things you need to do. It also gives you the feeling that you can actually get done with all your tasks. I know that when I don't make a list I feel like I have a never ending list of things to do.

To really make your to do list effective write down really specific things. Let’s say you need to write a blog post, don’t just put down "write blog post". Instead put down "research post topic”, “draft post", make post graphics", and "Publish post". It mentally makes you feel better to cross off 4 things instead of one. Plus if you don't do everything you need to do in order to publish your post you can still cross off some things. It’s almost like patting yourself on the back for getting some of it done.

Set Lower Standards For Yourself

Now I don't mean set lower standards for yourself morally. I mean that you shouldn't expect yourself to do be able to do everything. If you always find that you can never get everything completed it’s not that you’re lazy. You are more than likely expecting too much out of yourself. This can cause you to feel bad about yourself even if it’s not really your fault. Let’s say that you need to write a post, film a video , send newsletters to your email list , and organize your office. You can film a video and send out your newsletter one day then write your post, and organize your office the next day. You shouldn't put all this stress and pressure on yourself to get a lot of things done. Plus if your pretending to be superwomen one day and get done more than you expected you will feel so proud of yourself.

Reward Yourself

This is a very important step that so many people skip over. If you give yourself small rewards it will keep you motivated to finish you work. Sometimes you just need a minute to breath and clear your mind before your continue. I love to reward myself by taking 10 minute breaks every so often. During this time I like to listen to whatever song I’m obsessed with (Currently: Calvin Harris- Sweet Nothing Remix by Diplo &Grand Theft ) , get a snack , or even do a quick Pilates workout (link to my favorite 3 minute workout below). Taking these small breaks can easily keep you going for 30 minutes more than you would have if you had not taken a break.

Follow these three steps and start noticing results immediately! If you only take one thing from this post please remember to take care of yourself. We get so caught up in the 1 million things we have to do that we really wear ourselves out. I hope you found this post to be helpful! If you did don't forget to leave a comment below and follow this blog by putting your email in the side bar.

3 Minute Turbo Workouts// Check out my Recent Video

Book

Book Review| Chartile by Cassandra Morgan

9:38 AM

chit chat

Switching to a Natural Lifestyle |Real Talks

10:00 AM

Hey guys so today I am doing another one of my real talks post. If you’re new it’s basically where I tell you guys about what has been going on in my life and my thoughts on it. It’s kind of like a vlog, but in written format. If you want to check out my last real talks post out can click here.

Going Natural Everything

Well not technically natural everything, but I am going to be making some pretty big changes to some of the things I use every day.

I decided back in May 2015 that I would be going natural. I stopped getting my hair chemically relaxed and I am letting my natural texture grow out. I have not done the big chop yet, but I am transitioning. I'm not exactly sure when I going to cut my relaxed ends off. I was thinking of doing it on my 17th birthday (Dec. 22), but that will only have been about 8 months. It’s either that or do a full one year transition. I still have some time to decide and I will choose based on how fast my hair growth is.

I also decided this past week that I am going to be switching to all natural makeup! I am pretty pumped and excited to be making this change. At first I thought it would be so expensive to make the switch, and that was somewhat true. There are some larger brands like Alima Pure and Vapour Cosmetics that have some pretty expensive products, but I found some awesome smaller companies with some really affordable prices! I don’t want to mention these companies yet since I haven’t had a chance to try the out and I would hate for you to go buy something because of me and its ends up being horrible. I will hopefully have a video up in the next 2 weeks or so about the companies and my thoughts on them. So defiantly subscribe to my YouTube Channel (video and subscribe button is at the bottom of this page).

Update(8/25/15)- I just placed my first order so post and videos will be coming soon!

These next two things I am really considering switching, but I just feel like now isn’t the time. I first want to switch to all natural hair care products. I haven’t had a chance to do much research on natural brands for my hair type, but I know that this is what I defiantly want for the future! I think that by the time that I use up all my current products I will be ready to make the switch!

I also have decided to switch to cloth pads in the future. I’m going to be honest with you guys I am not too keen on the idea of to wash my pads after I use them. I literally have no idea how to handle that situation in public places (storing the used ones and keeping them from smelling). I am purely doing this for health reason. As some of you may know I have quite a few health issues and also a lot of women have noticed a significant difference in their period health after using these for a while. I won’t be switching now because I am kind of terrified, and I need to do more research on them.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and possibly consider taking this journey with me!

Be sure to subscribe to this blog by entering your email in the side bar!

Author interview

Book Review| Dark Revenant by Garek Rohan + Interview

11:24 AM

Book

TBR Takedown 2.0 Wrap Up

10:04 PM

Author interview

What do Authors think about the YA Category| Author Interview

2:50 PM

Today's post is a super amazing author interview. I didn't interview just one author ,but three of them! They will all be sharing their opinions on the YA age range of books. These different authors write a variety of genres some outside of YA ,so they were able to give some awesome answers. Before we get into the actual questions I'm going to give you some background on the authors.

Meet The Authors

J.H. Moncrieff loves scaring the crap out of people with her books—when she’s not busy being a journalist, editor, book doctor, and publicist. In her “spare” time, J.H. loves to travel to exotic locales, advocate for animal rights, and muay thai kickbox.

Ben Marsten is a blogger and social media junky, turned novelist. His hobbies are pretty standard Geek ; movies, video games, and music, though he is an obsessive music collector. He couldn't write without something blaring through a set of speakers nearby. He can be found on Twitter as @BRMarsten and on Facebook as Ben.

Natsuya Uesugi is the author of the grydscaen saga. He has a master's degree in International Management and studied animation and game design. He enjoys skydiving, cosplay, anime and writing poetry. He would like to make a graphic novel of grydscaen someday.

Now that you guys know a bit about the authors we are going to jump into the Interview. Be sure to check the end of the post for all of their social media links.

Interview

1.What book are you currently reading?

JH: I'm reading "We Were Liars" by E Lockhart. It's a comp title--an agent told me my YA psychological thriller reminded her of "We Were Liars," so I thought I should read it. Another comp title she mentioned is "Reconstructing Amelia," so that's next on my list.

Ben: I just finished True Grit. Which I hadn't read in years and always loved. I like that the main character is young, that we see the world through her eyes.

Natsuya: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

2.What genre of books do you typically/enjoy writing the most? Why do you like this genre so much?

JH: I love writing psychological suspense and horror, whether for adults or young adults. I love dark fiction because you have a lot of leeway with the ending. Unlike romance, you don't have to make everything work out in the end. The hero doesn't have to triumph. That's one of the reasons reading them is so exciting! Plus, I kind of like it when I scare myself. Weird, I know.

Ben: I have a personal goal to write one of every genre. But if I had to pick? Fantasy Fiction. Swashbuckling tales are fun to read, and fun to write. I like them because the moral codes of characters in those types of novels are clear and written in broad strokes.

Natsuya: I like writing cyberpunk science fiction with YA characters. I like this genre because it lets me explore technology and its impact on the human condition and it lets me use my skills as a systems analyst and software engineer. I work in cyber security.

3. This is my Favorite Question to ask Authors! Do you have a writing ritual?( When you write do you have to be in a certain room ,or wear a certain pair of pants, Or you only write after a haircut...etc)

JH: If I always wore the same pair of pants when I wrote, they'd be able to walk away on their own! I always light a scented candle when I write fiction, and I've started to give myself stickers on the calendar when I make my word count for the day. I write in the living room, snuggled into the couch. Comfort is key.

Ben: Music. When I start a new scene I pick a few songs to set it against. And I listen to those songs as I write the scene or chapter. I can't write until I've picked the songs that go with the pictures in my head. =)

Natsuya: I write in my living room on an old Mac computer with an outdated operating system I got from art school. It is a sophisticated typewriter because the computer does little else.

4. Have you read or do you read YA Books? If so how often and what are your favs? If NOT why?

JH: I have always read YA. There are some wonderful YA books. Of course the Harry Potter series is right up there, but also Judy Blume's "Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself" and Paula Danzinger's "The Pistachio Prescription." I'm looking forward to Kate Boorman's "Winterkill" and the Mockingjay series, which I own but haven't read yet. I also love "The Best Little Girl in the World" by Steven Levenkron. It's a disturbing first-person account of a tween slipping into anorexia, written by a psychologist who treats eating disorders

Ben: I am suspicious of "genre" as a means of defining a book, though I understand why they exist for marketing. Putting the right book in the right reader's hands. I read anything. And, therefore, yes, I read YA. I quite liked Old Yeller. And Harry Potter - though the Potter books transcend genre, don't they? They were too big to wear YA shoes alone.

Natsuya: I do read YA books because I like characters that are going through the growing pains of being teenagers and finding themselves. This was a difficult time for me as a 16 year old freshman in college, so I like to read others experiences at that time.

5. Do you think adults should be reading YA?

JH: I think adults should be reading books. I've seen a lot of posts about striving to hit 100 goals in 1001 days, and one woman's goal was to read twelve books in one year. She didn't read one! That shocked me. I can't imagine going through life without a book in my hand. I don't care what genre people read, as long as they're reading.

Ben: I'll answer these together. I think adults and teenagers should be READING. What they read matters less to me than the fact that they do it. If a YA book makes either demographic happy? That's a good thing.

Natsuya: I do think adults should read YA. We should never forget where we came from.

6. Do you think YA books are good for teenagers? I ask this since your teen years are some of the most crucial years of your life. YA books cover a lot of controversial things like Sex , Love ,drugs ,abuse, emotional issues, suicide..etc and not all situations in these books are handles the best way or follow some of people's beliefs. Do you think that reading these books can do harm to a teenager?

JH: It does a lot of good for people at any age to read books that they can identify with, but it's especially crucial for teenagers. Adolescence can be such a lonely, tumultuous time, and staying away from realistic subjects like sex, abuse, and drugs is pandering to the audience. While I still think there's a place for innocent, light-hearted books, the ones that are going to speak to teens are probably going to be a little on the dark side, because they're struggling with some pretty big life changes and emotions.

Ben: (Same as answer for Question 5)

Natsuya: Yes, I think YA books are good for teenagers if they are sophisticated. Dealing with topics that allow teenagers to learn and grow. I deal with drugs and abuse in my series grydscaen that has teenage characters. The books are science fiction and also deal with hackers and technology. The world deals with difficult subjects, we need to provide exposure to these topics so teens can learn how to deal with difficult subjects. However I don't think teens should read gratuitous sex.

7. I have heard someone say before that the YA Genre isn't real literature. Why do you think people think that?

JH: People who haven't read YA most likely think it's childish. Or they've read Twilight (sorry). It takes a lot of skill to write convincingly as a teenager when you're far past that stage. It's an art form. Readers of all ages deserve wonderful books, and those books are definitely out there. A case could be made for calling "To Kill a Mockingbird" YA, because it's told from the POV of a teenager. And, love it or hate it, I don't think anyone would say that book isn't literature.

Ben: Because someone on the internet said it. So it must not be true. =)

Natsuya: Some YA books can be juvenile or badly written. YA that is written well is literature.

I hope you guys enjoyed this interview! I absolutely loved to see what these authors thought of the YA category of books. Be sure to check out all their links and show them plenty of love! Be on the lookout for my next post about the #TBR Takedown 2.0 Readathon.

JH: Website//Twitter//Facebook

Ben: Twitter: BRMarsten // Facebook: Ben

Natsuya: Website

Book

Review & Author Interview| Broken Skies by Theresa Kay

11:00 AM

Today's post is a review for the book Broken Skies by Theresa Kay. She was also so kind enough to answer a few of my questions so there is a short author interview. Be sure to stay tuned till the end of the post because we have an excerpt from the new sequel that will be released soon. Before we get into all that fun stuff I'm going to give you guys my thoughts on the story.

Summary

This story takes place during a time when human are nearly extincted and are forced to share the earth with aliens. It follows Jax in her adventure to get her brother back after the aliens took him. Along the way she gets the help of a teenage alien name Lir to get into their city. Lots of exciting things happen on this adventure and you will have to read the book to find out! Also since I am pretty terrible at summarizing books without spoiling them you should check it out on GoodReads.

My Thoughts

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. I don't normally read books with aliens in them and I still enjoyed this book. There was some romance in this book which I thought evened out with all the other more serious things going on in the book. I completely fell in love with Jax and Lir's relationship and was fangirl-ing ever time something cute happened.** Semi Spoilery** My favorite part of the book is the scene when Lir is comforting Jax after they escaped. I don't want to say to much about that scene ,but you should definitely go check out the book to find out. Overall this book has earned its spot as one of my favorites!

Interview

Now that you guys know how I feel about this book we can jump right into my interview with Theresa Kay.

1. How did you come up with the story line for this book?

I started off simply wanting to write a book about aliens and somehow I ended up with a very clear mental image of a redhead standing in the woods with a tank top on. That was Jax and as soon as I "saw" her, she started telling me her story. It wasn't exactly the story I'd first envisioned, but I loved it.

2. I took a short story class awhile back and our instructor told us to base our dialogue on a real person. That way when the characters talk they have some personality. Are any of the characters inspired by family member ,or stranger's personalities?

Not intentionally. I'm sure there are bits and pieces of people I know in there somewhere though.

3.If Broken Skies were to be turned into a film who would you like to be the cast?

I'm so bad at these. I think I'd like to see unknowns cast for Jax and Lir. That way, there wouldn't be the possibility of the characters being overshadowed by the actor or actress' previous roles.

4.When is the sequel expected to be released?

It depends on a few factors, but most likely sometime between September 2015 and January 2016.

5. Can you give us a sneak peek even a small one of the next book?

Sure. So, this is spoilerly for Broken Skies, unedited and subject to change:

(At the end of the post -A)

6. About how long did it take for you to write this book?

The (very rough) first draft of Broken Skies was written in the course of one month in June of 2013. I tore it apart over the next 5 months and almost entirely rewrote it, finishing the second draft in mid-December. The revisions took almost all of January, so total time was between 6 and 8 months.

7. What does your family think/feel about you being an author?

My whole family is very supportive, but I think my daughter is the one who is most impressed by it (she's 8). She likes to tell *everyone* she meets that I'm an author, insists on using my bookmarks, and once took my book in for show and tell.

I had such a fun time doing this interview with her and I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! Now for the awesome sneak peek you guys have been waiting for!

**LIR**

“And what good is your word, Uncle? When you have turned us into nothing but hate mongers and—” This time, he uses his kitu to put yet more power into the hit and it sends me stumbling backwards until I fall to the ground. It was hard enough to loosen a few teeth and fill my mouth with blood again. I wipe away the trickle of blood from my nose, spit onto his boots and look up at him with what I am sure is a morbidly green grin. “It is bad form to lose your temper like that.”

Vitrad springs before I have a chance to scramble to my feet. Not bothering with an open handed slap, his fist slams into the side of my head and I am knocked down to the concrete. Once he starts kicking, I curl into a ball. It is not much use trying to fight back. In my weakened state, I am no match for him. So I simply wait for his fit of temper to pass, squeezing my eyes shut and blanking my mind.

Breaking the bond was a last ditch effort to thwart his plans to turn Jax into a weapon. When he found out what I had done, he was enraged. That was the first time he beat me and I did fight back then. After a few days locked below ground without food and water, I was much weaker the second time around. Still, I maintained some semblance of control even if it was only in how long I was under the kiun before passing out. It was not until he threatened Stella’s safety that I stopped fighting him at every turn.

Now though, Stella is his doting niece, a high profile publicity stunt he insists go with him almost everywhere. By using her to generate sympathy with my people, he has taken away his own ability to use her against me. He cannot touch her and I know it. But it is too late furchor me… Vitrad is fully aware I have no useful information for him, that since I broke the bond he can no longer get to Jax through me. At this point I believe he simply likes to see me bleed.

This rabid animal that takes his temper out on my body is not the uncle I grew up with. He is not the person who played with me as a child, who laughed at the dinner table with my parents and who grieved his bondmate’s loss surrounded by my entire family. He is not the inflammatory but pragmatic military leader. Behind closed doors in the presence of only his most trusted, he is not even E’rikon. As he rails against the world with his fists and his feet, his Vi’askari look away from the physical violence he inflicts on me. It is not something our culture condones, even against those they call traitor, and they refuse to admit something could be wrong. But I will. My uncle was not always insane, but he is now.

Excerpt from Fractured Suns (unedited and subject to change)

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Be sure to check out all Theresa's links down below. I hope decided to purchase the first book and the sequel once it is out. P.s. You can read Broken Skies for free with kindle unlimited!

Purchase Broken Skies//Goodreads Page// Website//Facebook Page

Top 5 Favorite Beauty Products

12:27 PM

1. Combat Boots & Skater Skirt

2. Ugg Boots & Sweater

3. Dress & Heel Boots

What are you currently reading?

Do you have a writing ritual? I know some authors like to use certain pens, or wear certain things to get their creative juices flowing.

What inspired you to write this story?

About how long did it take you to write Chartile?

What was it like the first time you held your physical book or saw the finished book?

What was the first story you wrote about? No matter how silly it was!

If you had a chance to do to do the process of writing Chartile over what would you do differently?

Read the first 2 chapters of Cassandra's book Chartile here.

Make To Do Lists

Set Lower Standards For Yourself

Reward Yourself

Going Natural Everything

Be sure to subscribe to this blog by entering your email in the side bar!

Interview

Don't Forget to Subscribe to this blog by entering your email in the side bar!

1. First Book in a Series

2. A Sequel in a Series

3. On Your Shelf for Over a Year

4. Most Recently Bought

5. Out of Your Comfort Zone

Have you read any of these books? If so what did you think??

Meet The Authors

Interview

Interview

Sure. So, this is spoilerly for Broken Skies, unedited and subject to change:

About me

Follow Us

Currently Reading

Categories

Newsletter

recent posts

Blog Archive

Pinterest

Instagram

Youtube Channel

Tweet Me